Population: 11 (2024) s01e11 Episode Script

(DARK MUSIC)
- Hugo?
- Where am I?
Do you recognise this man?
Yes. Andy.
GERALDINE:
Where the hell have you been?
I was not, in fact, in space.
I was in Darwin.
ANDY: Where is the money?!
You do not understand
the serious shit that we are in.
I'm talking about the quarter
of a million dollars
that was in your bank account.
I don't have that kind of money.
CASSIE: Police officers
are standing around
what seems to be a body.
- It's Gareth.
- What's that?
Just got a text
from my friend Dom.
- HUGO: That's nice.
- ANDY: Yeah.
Except he's dead.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
MAN: G'day, folks.
Welcome to the crocodile park.
We're gonna go and feed
the most highly territorial
and aggressive of all
the crocodile species today,
the saltwater crocodile.
So just a heads-up, kids,
don't put your fingers
through the wire
or you might not be taking them
home with you, OK?
(ONLOOKERS LAUGH)
Throw some chicken out.
(SHIRLEY THOMS YODELS)
- (CHUCKLES)
- (ONLOOKERS CLAP)
SHIRLEY THOMS: When the sun
sinks low in the west
And the cattle
lie down to rest
And the sunset
turns the silvery sky
To gold
And gold now is fading to blue
As I linger along with you
Down the road to paradise
We stroll along ♪
(DARK MUSIC)
(CROW CAWS)
Nah, no way.
No cash, no tranqs.
I just told you,
you get your cash
after the goods have been
tested for purity.
And how long's that gonna take?
TRUCKIE: I don't know.
I don't make the rules.
You're the one who fucked up.
You think they wouldn't notice
that last batch
was watered down?
Alright, I want half now
or no deal.
(TRUCKIE SCOFFS) Fucking hell.
GARETH: Oh.
(TRUCKIE COCKS GUN)
I've got my orders, mate.
Now give me the stuff.
(CHUCKLES)
TRUCKIE: Don't make me
bury you out here.
This ground's too hard.
I've been driving all night.
I'm too fucking tired
(LEON WHISTLES)
(BODY THUDS)
GARETH: What the hell
are you doing, man?
Fuckin' hell. Is he alright?
He's alright, eh?
- You fucking killed him.
- Huh?
- You fucking killed him.
- Yeah, saving your life.
Yeah, but what the fuck
are we gonna do now?
- He might be alright.
- No. No, he's not.
- He's fuckin' dead.
- Check his pulse again.
- What the fuck are we gonna do?
- He's a big lad.
That wouldn't have
fuckin' killed him.
What the fuck are we gonna do?!
(BOTH GRUNT)
LEON: Gettin' close now.
(GARETH GRUNTS)
(LEON GRUNTS REPEATEDLY)
God, he wasn't wrong.
(BREATHES HEAVILY)
The ground is hard here.
Whew!
Fuck it, I reckon
that'll do, eh?
(GRUNTS) You grab his hands.
I'll get his legs.
(LEON SNORTS AND SIGHS)
- GARETH: OK.
- LEON: One, two, three.
(BOTH GRUNT)
LEON: Jeez, he's a big boy, eh?
Bloody heavy.
Two, three.
- (LEON GRUNTS)
- GARETH: That's good. Shit.
It's not long enough.
Well, here, no, let's just try
and cram his legs in here.
Grab a leg. (GRUNTS)
Tuck that one in under.
- No, under!
- I'm fucking trying, Leon.
LEON: Oh. Hey, he looks like
a bloody frog.
Uh
- Um
- (LEON MUTTERS)
(CHAINSAW BUZZES)
- Move away.
- (CHAINSAW REVS)
Get out of the way.
(CHAINSAW BUZZES AND REVS)
(CHAINSAW SHUTS OFF)
Ah. That'll do it.
Kick that in there. (GRUNTS)
Come on, chop-chop.
Let's go.
(SHOVEL STRIKES)
GERALDINE:
Where'd you bury the body?
LEON: Just where it happened.
Near the highway?
Yeah.
We were running out of time.
No, we had no time.
We had no time.
What about the truck?
- GARETH: Uh
- Dumped it.
Hundred miles away.
Yeah?
Yeah.
Then you go dig up the body
and you bury it
a hundred miles away.
Fuck, yeah, sorry.
Yeah, no problem.
We We Yeah.
Fucking morons!
- LEON: Yeah.
- GARETH: Yeah.
Alright, where's my cut?
Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep.
(PAPER RUSTLES)
(GROANS IN DISGUST)
GERALDINE:
Why are you telling me all this?
LEON:
You said tell you everything.
GERALDINE: Yeah, not the bits
I was there for, numbnuts.
- LEON: Oh.
- I don't have Alzheimer's.
No.
What happened next?
OK, well
Well, we went back out.
Like you told us to.
- (ROCK MUSIC PLAYS)
- (BOTH IMITATE GUITAR RIFFS)
(LEON LAUGHS) La, la, la! ♪
(HUMS ALONG ENTHUSIASTICALLY)
- (DRAMATIC STING)
- Shit!
(CAR THUDS)
GARETH: Bruh.
LEON: What,
is there something there?
- GARETH: No.
- LEON: You see lights or
GARETH: No, no, no.
No.
(GARETH GRUNTS)
Bloody animals
have been at this.
- (LIGHTER CLICKS)
- (BONG BUBBLES)
Oi!
Would you cut that shit out
and come and help me?
(BONG BUBBLES)
What's up your arse?
This was supposed to be
a quick money maker.
Now we're moving a body
and paying off a cop.
You know what you need?
(DISTANT WHISPERING)
Did you hear that?
(UNEASY MUSIC)
(DRAMATIC STING)
- (BODY THUDS)
- (BREATHES HEAVILY)
Are you getting smashed
by mozzies? Fuck!
- Oh, he's still breathing.
- Oh, OK.
So it's OK for you
to smack someone over the head,
but if Leon does it
GARETH: Yeah, 'cause I didn't
brain the guy, did I?
GARETH:
Oh, it's that Yankee cunt.
Hugo's son.
- Wait, that's Hugo's son?
- So he reckons, anyway.
- Should we kill him?
- What?!
- No!
- OK.
- No.
- Alright.
- We're gonna leave him here.
- Alright.
Then get rid of the truckie,
and I gotta get back to work.
I missed a day
and I don't want to get fired.
OK, Jesus, chill out, mate!
Chill out!
It's easy, alright?
We'll just we'll load up
the truckie
Gareth, we'll load up
the truckie,
I'll drop you back into town,
and then I'll dump the body
and you can go to work.
Easy-peasy, mate.
GERALDINE: What happened next?
I saw Hugo's ute.
Out past where he does
the UFO tours.
It was just sitting there.
It was perfect.
It was like the universe
had aligned
to bring me this opportunity.
Hugo was missing anyway.
I deadset thought
he was gone for good.
This way
make 'em think it was him.
Yeah? Throw 'em off the scent.
Muddy the waters.
Fuckin' genius.
GERALDINE: Genius, you reckon?
It was them, wasn't it?
- Who?
-"Who?"
The people we've been selling
the tranqs to.
They killed Gareth, didn't they?
Don't know that for sure.
Oh, who the fuck else
is it gonna be?
You better fuckin'
protect me from them.
Yes.
That's the whole reason
we fucking cut you in on this,
so that you can look out for us,
and now Gareth's dead!
"The whole reason". Ha-ha.
You wanna be grateful
that it was me who caught you
and not some other copper, alright?
Otherwise you'd be in jail
right now.
You still can be
you don't play your cards right.
No fuckin' chance
I'm going back to jail.
They nab me, yeah? They nab me,
I'll bring you down with me.
So you better keep your
fuckin' end of the bargain up.
Huh?
OK?
Who else knows?
- No-one.
- Hm?
Your girlfriend, the pie lady,
Amy?
- Audrey.
- Audrey.
Her name's fuckin' Audrey.
No. She knows nothin'.
What about that Cassie?
Seemed to know a lot about you
at trivia the other night.
She been here?
I mean, well,
she was at the party.
(CHUCKLES) That fucking party!
I want fuckin'
witness protection, yeah?
Somewhere good too.
Gold Coast, please.
And I want a fucking Xbox,
I want PlayStation,
and you need to set me up
an Uber Eats account.
It's not like I'm gonna
be able to go out.
Might be able to duck out
for an early morning swim
when it's super dark.
(WHISPERS) Shut up.
- Just shut up.
- Alright.
You stay here
until I can come up with
a plan.
Do you think you can manage
to not fuck that up?
LEON: Fuck this. Fuckin' joke.
(KICKS SEAT)
(METAL CLATTERS)
(UNEASY MUSIC)
Anyway, the police think
it was a drug deal gone wrong.
- Are you even listening to me?
- Huh? Uh, yeah.
Gareth's body.
I don't know.
What do the police think?
I just told you.
That night at Trevor
and Maureen's when you left
did you go to Gareth's?
(UNEASY MUSIC)
I told you, I, uh
I got drunk and I
I wandered off.
- Yeah, but Trevor said
- Look, Cassie, can I just
focus on
getting out of here, OK?
I'm done.
So
What, the police
gave your car back?
(SIGHS) Yeah.
Finally.
What about you and your dad?
Oh! Oh, I didn't tell you?
Yeah, no, we hit it off.
We've got a 7am
tee-off tomorrow,
and then I think we're gonna
spend the afternoon fishing.
OK. But the money
He doesn't have the money,
he doesn't know
who took the money
and he's still
a selfish asshole,
so this entire trip
has been a complete disaster.
- Except that you met me.
- (ZIPPER BUZZES)
(SCOFFS) Yeah.
Wait, am I part of the disaster?
(SIGHS)
Look, uh
(UNEASY MUSIC)
Dom is dead.
Which means
I'm I'm probably next.
- So
- Only if you go back.
So wouldn't it be safer to stay?
You have an Australian passport, right?
Yeah, but I
I don't even know where
Oh, you mean stay here
in Bidgeegud?
Nno.
Eugh.
No, absolutely not.
HUGO: Good kid.
Too young.
(MUSIC PLAYS SOFTLY)
I always find it
a tremendous tragedy
when someone
that good-looking dies.
(SIGHS)
Just like your Bobby John.
It's a good thing I'm not dead,
though, eh?
(HUGO CHUCKLES)
Look, darl
(GLASSWARE CLINKS)
I'm sorry for worrying you.
And, what,
things gonna be great now?
Oh, look, now, love, listen.
Don't touch me.
Like water off a duck's back
with you, isn't it?
- What is?
- This. Us.
This whole relationship.
I love ya, Val. You know that.
Love?
You call that love?
Disappearing,
letting me go through hell?
And now you're back
and everything's fine!
It wasn't fine before you left.
Alright, look, now, listen,
whatever I gotta do
I thought you were dead!
Yeah, but I'm not, am I?
So, mm.
If you want to know the truth,
you're the only one
I was gonna confide in.
It's a big step for me.
But you didn't.
Did you?
You don't get it
and you never will.
And I'm a first-class idiot for
ever thinking that you would.
(DREAMY SYNTH MUSIC)
VAL: You sticking round
now your dad's back?
Uh, no.
No, I'm I'm actually leaving
first thing.
Um
while I've got you,
I should
I should probably settle up.
Heading home, eh?
(SIGHS) I'm not sure.
Taking Hugo with you
when you go?
He belongs here,
don't you think?
Where do any of us belong?
It's a big question, isn't it?
Yeah, well
That should cover it.
Close enough.
What happened to your arm?
Eczema.
Oh, could you sign that
before you go?
Listen, Val, if I don't see you,
uh, you know, thanks for the
hospitality.
You're welcome.
Hoo-roo!
It means 'goodbye'.
Ah.
Hoo-roo.
(CURIOUS MUSIC)
(INTENSE MUSIC)
(BELL RINGS)
NOEL: Just a minute!
(SIGHS)
(UNSETTLING MUSIC)
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACH)
Hey, Noel.
Can you not read?
Uh
I feel like that's
I wanna say 'racist'.
NOEL: Yeah?
OK.
Now it's just a tribute.
This gonna take long?
Uh, no, I I-I just
I just wanted to apologise
for, um, for all the trouble
I've I've caused you.
The wild accusations,
and, yes, I was almost
devoured by Jeff.
NOEL: Hm.
But I had no right
to trespass like that.
Uh, I also wanted to return
this mini-Hugo.
I know you like to
keep up to date on things,
and now that Hugo's back
Are you leaving now?
Well, there's nothing
for me here.
You found your dad, didn't you?
Yeah.
Yeah, but, uh
He's a prick and not worth
hanging around for.
Anyway, I should, um
I should get going.
(CHIMES TINKLE)
HUGO: If you're watching this,
that means something's
happened to me.
You know, the universe,
it's a big place,
and we are but merely
specks of dust inside of it.
I may not know where
I have been taken exactly,
but I'm pretty sure I know
who's got me.
So you might wanna
jot this down.
They are called
the Azyarn species
Stupid idea!
(GRUNTS)
(KNOCK AT DOOR)
Hey.
Tell me,
what is Sandpiper Pearls?
(UNSETTLING MUSIC)
(PERSON WHISPERS) 15, 16.
24, 25,
34,
35, 36.
(CONTINUES COUNTING
INDISTINCTLY)
(DISTURBING MUSIC)
20.
(GRUNTS)
HUGO: Val!
(DOOR SQUEAKS)
She was just here.
What are we looking for?
Here's another invoice
with me name on it.
ANDY: Looks like she's been
practising your signature.
Here's me chequebook.
(RIFFLES CHEQUE STUBS)
- (VAL GRUNTS)
- (BIRD SQUAWKS)
VAL: Oh!
ANDY: Nice pearls.
(VAL GASPS) Oh!
HUGO: Val.
It was his money.
Oh, fuck!
ANDY: You used the money
to buy opals? Necklaces?
I don't need jewellery.
I need cash.
They're real South Sea pearls.
If you sell them,
you'll make a profit.
Yeah. Yeah, maybe
I'll open a store.
- (ANDY SIGHS)
- How did you figure it out?
(SIGHS)
When I was being interviewed
at the police station,
Geraldine mentioned a company.
What do you know about a company
called Sandpiper Pearls?
What?
Didn't mean anything to me
at the time,
but then I saw a letter
with that name on it
addressed to Hugo.
Sandpiper Pearls
is the wholesaler
that I bought those earrings for
you that time for your birthday.
Did you give them a call,
did you?
Cassie found a pearl out here
the first time we came.
(UNEASY MUSIC)
I should have figured it out
sooner.
It wasn't Charmaine
who dropped it.
It was you.
You came all the way out here
because I dropped a pearl?
That and the marks on your arm.
It's not eczema.
Those are termite bites.
I know because they bit me too.
(HISSES) Ow!
Arggh! (GRUNTS)
I imagine Noel
knows about this too.
How else would you be receiving
mail addressed to Hugo?
Maybe you're all in on it.
I only wrote cheques to everyone
you owed money to.
You forged my signature.
So they did know!
You have everything now!
I don't even know
how you managed
to transfer the money across.
I didn't give you
my bank log-in details.
Didn't have to.
I rang the bank
and pretended I was you.
Is there anyone in this town
who hasn't stolen my identity?
I wasn't gonna take anything.
I just wanted to see
if you were lying to me.
Lying?
About what?
Not being able
to pay your bar tab.
The countless thousands
I've lent you over the years.
You owed everyone
in the town money.
And the bank guy says to me,
"Oh, there's another
account here,
"would you like me
to link them?"
I say, "Sure! Why not?"
Never expecting it
to have hundreds of thousands
of dollars in it.
I never knew it existed.
How was I supposed to know that?
All the secrets you've kept
over the years,
including the fact
you had a son.
Just wanted to scare you
at first.
Make you come back
from wherever you'd gone.
Then when we thought
you got killed
I panicked.
And you used Hugo's chequebook
to buy old-fashioned
portable wealth.
What were you gonna do?
Were you gonna skip the country
wearing it all?
You're not gonna tell anyone,
are you?
Please.
(ANDY ZIPS BAG)
You've got it all now.
You can get your money back.
People died.
My friend died.
Tomorrow morning, I'm gone.
(SOMBRE MUSIC)
(UNSETTLING MUSIC)
(GRUNTS)
Auds, what are you doing?
Audrey.
(DISTURBING MUSIC)
Oh, what the fuck?!
What the fuck
are you doing here?
You lied to me.
LEON: Huh?
Cassie was here, wasn't she?
Well, yeah, what the fuck?
I told she was, at the party.
No.
Not the party.
No, see,
I went and had a little chat
this arvo to your friend.
Pie lady.
Audrey.
And she told me
she found Cassie here
doing some sort of
podcast interview with you.
Oh, OK. Yeah.
OK, yeah, there was the podcast.
- So maybe she saw something.
- No, no.
- Which means
- I made sure.
there's a good chance that
Andy knows something as well.
Fuck, slow down.
Listen. Just listen.
I never said nothin' about you,
OK?
And nothin' about any of it,
I swear.
This can't come back to me,
Leon.
(UNEASY MUSIC)
It can't.
(GROANS)
Arggh, fuck!
Oh, this is why people
hate cops.
(MOANS SOFTLY)
(UNSETTLING MUSIC)
Huh.
Hm!
OK.
(SIGHS)
(GRUNTS)
Ah.
Here we are.
Up we go.
Alright.
Come on.
OK.
(GERALDINE GRUNTS)
That'll do.
(TOILET FLUSHES)
Fuckin' hell.
Oh! Ohhh!
Ah! Ah! No! No! No!
No, please, no!
- (ARROW WHOOSHES)
- (FLESH SQUELCHES)
('SLOW SAVAGE' BY IDLES)
It was dark and cold
as a knife
When we tussled
through the pines
You can howl like a banshee
Scream at the moon
If you like
But it won't help me some
Won't help me if we die
But it might help me some
Might help me if you cry
She said,
"Wait, we'll be better
"If we wait
Better" ♪