MotherFatherSon (2019) s01e02 Episode Script

Episode 2

1 Did you take care of that situation with your mother? Tell your father - I refuse.
I can't You're not aware of who I was previously married to? No money? No lies? What's left? The truth.
Can she win? She'd need all our support.
I took the story to Caden.
You know what he says? It was a robbery gone wrong.
Don't tell me what you think I want to hear.
You can't do it, can you? Why do you make it so hard? I lost a daughter.
We lost our daughter.
Six months into the pregnancy.
I went in for a check-up, and they couldn't find her heartbeat.
My world fell apart.
And yours did, too.
But we continued to host prime ministers and presidents.
I drank and took drugs for a time.
So I could still play the part of your wife.
So I could stand by your side and smile and joke .
.
when all I felt was grief.
To say that drink and drugs were the reason that my little girl died .
.
it's a lie.
It's the worst lie that's ever been told about me.
It was not the reason our daughter died.
I was not the reason.
Now you know .
.
you tell them.
Please, you tell them right now.
How can we be sure? God! You'd do anything.
You'd say anything.
To use the loss of one child to take another.
We go to court.
As for this - no.
I won't be blackmailed.
We'll fight in the open.
You'll say terrible things about me.
I understand.
It's a fight.
So we will go to court, where I will petition, as my son's mother, who has only ever done what's right for him, a boy who I love very much, for full custody! And I will throw everything I have into this fight, not because I am proud or because I've been humiliated, but because he's my son! You want to fight because you're a fighter.
And a devoted mother.
You can choose to lose well.
You can choose to lose badly.
But you cannot win.
You go to court, you will lose.
I know you don't care about the money.
But any matter concerning Caden, visitation rights, is as generous as it can possibly be.
And give you complete control over our son's upbringing? If you turn this down out of anger, you'll be making a mistake, for you and for Caden, because all of this will come out.
It will be in every paper.
Not mine.
I'm not going to publish any of it.
But my enemies will.
Our son will watch us fight, watch you lose.
He will hate me, yes, but he'll hate you too.
And for what? For what? So you can get some comfort out of knowing that you weren't weak? So that you can call yourself a fighter? Ask your lawyer.
Take counsel.
Kathryn, I beg you.
Tell me .
.
were you planning for the end from the beginning? I almost admire you for it.
And am I being fired as your wife? Or as Caden's mother? As his mother? I don't want you to go! Please! I don't want you to go.
I don't want you to go.
Caden, listen to me.
I want to stay with you.
I know.
Why can't I stay with you? We spoke about this.
Let me stay with you.
Caden, we'll see each other all the time.
Make him stop.
I can't.
I don't want you to go! I don't want you to go! I'm sorry.
Come on, Caden.
Come on.
It'll be all right.
Mum! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! Your son will face significant challenges - speech, mobility, memory, temperament.
What do you mean by temperament? His self-control.
His manner.
How he interacts with other people.
Some families talk of loved ones seeming different.
Different? How? They might be rude when they were polite.
Aggressive when they were gentle.
Indiscreet when they were tactful.
Indiscreet When you say indiscreet, what do you mean by that? The frontotemporal cortices govern self-control.
And this part of your son's brain suffered significant damage during the stroke.
You might call it a filter.
How we judge what to say, and what not to say.
And without this filter, every thought can become a speech.
He'll still be our son.
What does that even mean, people change? You've changed.
I've changed.
This will change him.
Maybe it's easier to accept he might be different when you never really knew him in the first place.
I never knew him? You only ever knew him as the man you wanted him to be.
You only knew him as a boy, a baby! Yes, you made sure of that! This experience places tremendous strain on families.
Oh, this family's only ever experienced great strain.
That's not true.
It is not true.
Very clever, witty, a little cruel.
But it's not true.
My name is Tate.
I'm in charge of the security surrounding your son.
Why does Caden need a guard? Right now, a photograph of your son's face would fetch £20,000.
There's already been several unauthorised attempts to access his medical records.
Who's doing that? Other papers? Can they do that? I don't know.
I don't know.
Kathryn? Sofia? Max is I'll go find him.
Oh, no.
Wait.
Please.
He's going to be all right.
Hi.
Hi, mi amor.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Yeah.
How many months? Three.
Oh, I'm so pleased for you.
For both of you.
Thank you.
I've brought you some things .
.
from when you were a child.
It's your feather.
Can you remember feeding those swans in Regent's Park? And when they flapped their wings, all the other children ran away.
Not you.
You said you wanted it to have the bread more than you were frightened.
So you stayed.
Oh, darling! I don't know if you can you hear me.
And I know I wasn't there for you.
But I'm here now.
I promise.
Yes, I knew him.
We were tracers together.
Tracers? After the credit boom, back in the '80s, when people first started borrowing money they couldn't afford.
It's hard to believe there was a time when people didn't do that.
Yeah, right.
The best liar I ever knew.
Were you working with him at the time of his murder? No.
No? No, we'd gone our separate ways.
You have a sense of what he might have been working on? None.
Can I ask you, who do you work for? Why? You want to hire me? Any newspapers use your services? Why would a newspaper need me when they've got educated journalists like yourselves? Have the police spoken to you? No.
That doesn't surprise you? No.
Why wouldn't that surprise you? Just a robbery gone wrong.
Good morning.
Hello.
Please sit down.
I'm very sorry about your son.
Oh, thank you.
He'll be back to work very soon.
I'm sure.
So you wanted to talk? Away from my advisors.
My team prefer me to stick to their prepared points.
I prefer to speak from the heart.
OK, so you made your fortune, selling soccer shirts.
Initially.
Stitched in Bangladesh, brought the business back here.
Costs more, but I figured we'd sell more too.
You support the team.
You support the team that made the shirts too.
You're loved by your community.
Communities.
My businesses are spread across the country, in all the places ignored by Westminster.
Creating thousands of jobs.
Over 7,000.
Your employees speak very fondly of you.
Yes, I speak fondly of them.
Your children are nice.
Husband seems nice.
You've got a cute dog.
He's nice too.
Look, even you own your own apple orchard.
Early Windsor variety.
Nice! You brew your own cider? Yes.
Which I understand is really very, very good? So tell me, why do you want to be the most powerful person in the country? Do you really think you can win this? Oh, I think it's required of me.
This is a nation in decline.
The Prime Minister - he tells us the best we can do is to manage our decline to slow it down.
I refuse to accept that.
Why can't we be the greatest nation on Earth? It's going to take a lot more than soccer shirts and cider to pull that off.
So I know people laugh at me, like I'm uncouth, like my campaign's a joke.
My parents weren't rich.
They weren't educated.
They didn't know anyone powerful.
Nothing was ever expected of them.
But when I told them, when I told them, that I wanted to run my own business and own my own factories and be my own boss, they said go for it.
They didn't look at me like I was something small.
They looked at me like I was the biggest thing in their lives.
That look has nourished me every day of my life.
I've never let anyone tell me my place.
And I won't be told this country's place either.
I will not be told that this country is a second-rate power on the wane, like it's a fact and you're a fool if you don't believe it.
Cos I've proved those people wrong before.
I've proved those people wrong 1,000 times.
And I will do it again.
Angela .
.
just talk to me now.
You honestly think that you can take this little island, which almost everyone believes has had its day, and make it the most powerful country on the planet? Yes, sir, I do.
Emma! Hi, hon.
Hi, darling.
We are here to celebrate ten years of marriage between Max and my daughter, Kathryn.
I first met Max shortly after he'd arrived in this country.
The son of a factory owner, he'd made his decision making steel wasn't for him.
We now know him as a press baron.
Back then, he was the owner of two US tabloids.
May I? Of course.
How does it feel .
.
to be the future? I still have a long way to go.
A few more front pages.
I appreciate your husband's support.
I have aspirations for this country, which Max shares Shares, yes.
Perhaps you've danced with too many politicians? Perhaps I have.
You don't believe that the pursuit of power - at times grubby - can be noble? I believe in you.
I appreciate that.
Kathryn, can I ask? Forget it.
Ask me.
Are you happy? That's why you're going to win.
It would not be wrong, Max, to say that I consider you a friend.
That's very kind of you to say.
Thank you.
Excuse me.
Sh! Are you and Dad going to stay together? Where did you hear that? Caden, tell me.
Dad will fire her.
Your father and I .
.
are having difficulties.
Every couple has difficulties.
We don't.
We're not a couple.
If you did separate from Dad, I'd stay with you, wouldn't I? Your father and I are not going to separate.
Whatever happens, I'll never leave you.
You promise? I don't need to promise.
It could never happen.
Mm.
Thank you, Sean.
You're very kind.
Thank you, both.
You can't keep running to him every time he snaps his fingers.
It was a few minutes - I put him back to bed.
You were supposed to be down there, helping me out, saying goodnight to guests.
What difference does it make? You are spoiling him I was reading him a story! .
.
suffocating him! You are worrying constantly! Can't you understand why? Of course I understand why! But is it for your benefit or his? Do you know what Caden said to me? What? He overheard a member of our staff comment on our marriage.
Who did he overhear? He won't tell me.
Thinks you'd fire them.
I would fire them.
Well, this is how he sees his father.
People lose their jobs.
Do you want to shield him from that fact too? No, just the fact you enjoy doing it.
I don't enjoy it! I have never enj You're tired.
Don't talk to me like that.
You're trying to pick a fight.
Max, I want to work again! So work.
I want to write again! So write.
But I thought you were happy when I stopped.
I was glad.
Not because you were my wife.
I didn't like your writing.
What? You think I stole this great talent from the world? All those stories you covered - famines, poverty.
But you never asked, "What might my readers be interested in?" I was respected.
But not read.
I'm sorry.
My newspapers are not a last resort for unfulfilled wives.
In here.
Please find me before you leave.
I will.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
The press have reported that Caden was in a car accident.
The news of a stroke raises different questions.
His blood alcohol concentration was 4.
1 milligrams.
The legal limit is 0.
8.
The level of cocaine was 1.
12 milligrams per litre of blood.
Caden is an addict.
Give us the room, please.
Thank you.
All right.
All right.
What is this? This is our son.
Did you know? No.
You didn't know? No, I would've told you.
This I'm confused.
I kept asking him .
.
who are you dating? Who do you love? Men? Women? I don't care.
But find someone! Yes.
He can't fall in love! My son can't fall in love! He was a loving child.
He was handsome, intelligent, kind.
He had choices.
He was unwell.
What was going on in his work? Sorry, why does it have to be about his work? Because we know everything else that happened to him.
We know who he slept with, what he drank.
Who was he trying to be? Cos this isn't our son.
You know when, I first heard the news about my son, I had .
.
so many thoughts coming into my head - how much I loved him, how much I wanted him to be OK.
There was one other thought that occurred to me.
A terrible thought.
Nonetheless, there it was - round and round and round in my head .
.
at least he can't fuck up anything else up now.
Even that might not be true.
Caden, it's not funny! Caden! Caden! Caden! Don't tell me what you think I want to hear.
Will you break up? I'll never leave you.
Lauren would like to speak to you.
Thank you.
Goodbye.
It's a pleasure to finally meet you.
I've been admiring your writing for years.
Thank you.
Take a seat.
Would you like a coffee? Great.
Have you met Max yet? Er, no.
Well, you must.
He's in town.
Preoccupied right now with his family.
Yes.
I heard.
Would you like some cake? Sure.
For Max, this newspaper was never about chasing circulation.
It was about shaping the national conversation and, to do that, we need talent like yours.
I appreciate that.
And Maggie's, which is why I was so upset when she left.
Yeah, it was a loss.
Are you close to her? I wasn't the closest, no.
But you've stayed in touch? Yeah.
My mum brought me up alone.
She was a cleaner.
When I was a teenager, I asked if I could help out because I needed some money.
She told the people she worked for that I baked the best cakes.
I don't know if they were the best, but they were pretty good.
Soon, I was selling cakes to a bunch of different families.
I must have become big-headed, going on about how great I was, because one day my mum explained that, if she ever stopped cleaning their houses, they'd stop buying my cakes.
She explained that I wasn't actually selling cakes - I was selling charity for the cleaner's daughter.
My cakes made my mum's customers feel like they were better people - generous and warm-hearted.
But if she'd asked for even the smallest raise, they would've refused.
Do you know what I learnt from that experience? How to get what you want from people.
Sometimes, you ask directly.
They say no.
You bake them a cake.
Kathryn? Scott.
Oh, that's very kind.
I would've called, but I don't have your number.
I'm really sorry, I can't talk right now - I've got to go.
I'll Another day? Sure.
I'll call you.
Great.
Scott .
.
you can't come here.
I didn't know how else to get in touch.
I'll ring you.
OK.
I'm happy to see you.
I'm really sorry.
Is this necessary? He became very distressed.
Caden was trying to rip out his tubes.
I'm going to remove them.
I'd advise against that.
I'll take responsibility.
Mum Mum Mum It'll come back.
It'll all come back.
Father Father He's on his way.
I'm going to take the stairs.
On my own.
Thank you.
Hi.
Hey.
He's awake.
He's awake! How's he doing? He's been talking.
But we don't know how much he understands.
Welcome back.
Yeah, he's much better.
All right.
What? What do you What does he want? Do you get it? Mirror? Mirror? Mirror? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
No.
Caden, no.
Don't do it.
No, no.
Put it down.
Put your arm down.
Caden, put your arm down! Please, put it down.
You don't need to do this.
Now look at me.
Look.
Look at me! Look at me.
We're going to make you better.
OK? How's Caden? He's awake.
He's conscious, confused.
Kathryn? She's strong.
Always strong.
My son went through a difficult time.
Not like this, but challenging.
When you're in the middle of it, it seems as if there's no end.
But you get through.
Thank you.
I called you here as a friend.
I came as one.
And to apologise.
For what? Our last meeting.
I've never taken your support for granted.
Well, why would it seem that you have? The circumstances.
I hear Angela Howard has been to see you.
Yes, I know she's an accomplished .
.
businesswoman, for sure.
She is.
But there's something off about her.
Not just the prepared statements.
The unscripted comments.
You catch a glimpse of it out of the corner of your eye.
The flash of an idea, a world view, not just odd .
.
disturbing.
She fights from the fringe.
She doesn't want to be accepted by the establishment.
She wants to rip it down.
She's dangerous.
Dangerous to you.
I'm outside.
What do we know about the Prime Minister's son? "The trees seemed to whisper to each other, scaring Snow White, "who began to run.
" Night-night, sweetheart.
Phone? No-one ever phones you.
I know you don't drink.
So I thought - music.
They serve food here.
Good choice.
Shall we go somewhere else? Why? I don't know.
I can have a soft drink.
OK.
The hard thing is not being able to buy you one.
Doesn't matter.
Not to you.
Money was such a big part of my life.
More than alcohol Sorry.
Why did you ring? Just needed something that wasn't sad.
Fuck! There's a nurse caring for my son.
I have the biggest crush on her.
How exciting.
In that hospital, your emotions - everything's so intense.
She's so wonderful.
And I'm so overwhelmingly grateful.
She's like .
.
pure human goodness.
And you really want to kiss her? It's so wildly inappropriate.
My son's lying there, in a terrible condition.
And I'm thinking about kissing a pretty nurse.
Morning.
Morning! Oh, let me sleep! Oh, it's you! Don't worry, darling.
Leave it to me.
Hello! And you are much more sober than when I saw you at Lords! Here he is! Pleased to meet you.
Welcome to England.
Good luck.
The National Reporter isn't a newspaper.
It's an institution.
A pillar of our democracy.
At 200 years old, it's the record keeper of our nation's events.
It holds power to account and pursues the truth.
And today, it stands on the brink of financial ruin.
My dad made steel in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
He owned four factories that were so big you needed a car to get from one side to the other.
I grew up in those factories.
They were my home, they were my back yard, my school.
I ate lunch with the men who worked there.
I didn't go to college.
My dad thought it made people soft.
So, truthfully, there's nothing in my upbringing that would make me a suitable proprietor for this esteemed institution.
But if you want this paper, two centuries old .
.
to make into the next century, you don't need someone like you.
You need someone like me.
You want a journalist to spend six weeks on a single investigation? That costs money.
You want five correspondents assigned to Westminster? That costs money.
Now, money is not the enemy of quality.
Money IS quality.
I can I can read your mind a little bit.
It's, like, who is this guy? Who is he to know about quality? His dad makes steel! He has tabloids! I do.
Of course I do.
I've got two here.
I've got two in the US.
We run stories that most of you probably will look down upon.
But these papers are bought by millions of hard-working people.
And most of them are not rich.
I don't know how they do it.
But some of them get They still find the money to buy my papers every day.
Every day! Now, THAT'S the money that might save your paper.
Now, you prefer old money? Fine.
I don't see 'em.
They're not here.
Old money is not interested.
Old money is not going to make this deal! My father wouldn't even make this deal! I mean that.
All you have is me.
You're worried, aren't you? You're worried that I'm going to interfere? Are you worried about that? Take my word, please.
I will give you my word.
I will give written assurances to the government I will not interfere.
I already have tabloids.
I don't want any more.
I want quality.
And I don't have two centuries to build it.
So I need to buy it.
I will tell you this .
.
everything everything I buy I protect.
Gentlemen, you don't need to like me.
But you do need me.
I have to go.
Where? To the hospital.
But you can stay.
Has something happened? Sorry? No.
Should I leave? No.
You stay.
I've just got this feeling.
It has nothing to do with you.
Stay here alone? Sure.
It's not about you.
Scott? They know about us.
That was quick.
Do you want help? Is it worth it? This story? I need to know if this is worth it.
I can't answer that.
I'm sorry.
Well, at least we now know who that private detective is working for.
Hm? I You? .
.
know What do you know? .
.
who Who? .
.
you Who I? .
.
fucked.
How would you know a thing like that? I You? .
.
did Did? .
.
your My? .
.
phone.
You did my phone? I did your phone.
You want me to call someone? Your mother? Mother .
.
don't know.
You mother doesn't know what? Father knows.
Your father - what does he know? I did your phone! OK, OK.
Look, I'm here to help you, Caden.
I did your phone! Calm down, Caden! I'm just trying to help you here, OK? I did your phone! Caden? Caden! Caden, what's wrong? Caden, what is it? Are you in pain? Caden! Caden, I'm here.
I'm here.
Caden, talk to me.
Die I want to die.
Please! Please! No, Caden.
Caden! You've been fucked.
Yes.
That's enough.
Caden! Please! Nurse! Help! Help! Help! Help! Will you get someone? Get someone now! Get someone! Caden! Caden! Caden!
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