The Commons (2019) s01e04 Episode Script

Episode 4

Damn, where's [sigh.]
Shit.
[clattering.]
- Oh, Ivy - What's that? It's just Oh, shit! Shit! Is that the Indian? From the other night? No.
No, we finished all that.
-Did we? 'Cause I'm pretty sure there was enough for me to take to lunch.
Unless that's what you're doing and you just don't want to admit it.
Don't be ridiculous.
This This is coffee.
I'm taking it to work.
To drink.
At work.
[tense atmospheric music.]
[knock at door.]
[door knob clinks.]
- [Lloyd.]
Eadie? You in there? Yeah, just a minute.
-[Lloyd.]
Ah.
How come it's locked? I'll just be two minutes.
-[Lloyd.]
OK.
[pills rattle.]
Shit.
[mysterious, erratic orchestral music.]
The eggs had a bit of a fall but I applied the three-second rule.
So, you, Lloyd Green, are going to eat, get dressed get back into the lab and sort out your problem.
Is that what I'm gonna do? Well, what's the alternative? [sighs.]
For ten years I've woken up every day and I've known exactly what it is that I'm meant to do.
I don't know, maybe I'm not the guy, maybe I'm not the one to solve it.
Maybe I just need to give it up.
Postal work.
Ordered, meditative.
I can see you there.
Little hat.
Scanner that goes beep.
- [electronic voice.]
Lloyd, meeting request, with Lindriquil eight a.
m.
- Who's Lindriquil? Is that a person? Sounds like a kid from drama class.
It's a private company.
Big! Maybe they want to headhunt you.
Yes, because of my extraordinary success, Ivy.
Ah! Ow! You'll solve this thing.
You know you will.
It's not public news yet that you crashed and burned.
Had a setback.
No, it's not public yet.
So, then, go negotiate a big fat deal before everyone finds out.
That's my daughter.
There she is.
That's me! Gotta go.
See ya.
- You OK? - Yeah.
Bit flat, that's all.
No biggie.
- [Lloyd.]
I appreciate the offer, I really do.
But we are not ready.
We have some troubles that we need to iron out.
- You want to keep control of the data, that's fine.
It's more than that I'm afraid.
It's uh There are some issues that we need to resolve before we can move forward with anyone.
I uh I thought Herman might have told you that just to save you the trouble.
- He did.
That's why we want to get behind the project now.
Help you push on, not let the project collapse.
I mean, after all your hard work You'll also need to partner up with a vax team.
And we have a delivery team here ready to go.
Perfect for a public-private partnership.
We have an immunology team at the NIS, so You think we're some evil corporation come to corrupt you? I didn't say that.
I'm not gonna pretend I'm not interested in the full commercialisation of your work, Lloyd.
I just see it as a chance to harness that drive, get the process right and get it out to the people who need it most.
And I'm not sure who loses there.
I appreciate that.
I do.
But, uh this is not my decision to make alone.
This work is co-authored.
I hear you're the brains of the outfit.
Well, Lloyd's really the only one who can take it beyond the theoretical.
You know that's true.
Lloyd you know the kind of resources we have.
I appreciate it.
I do.
Uh But I think we're good.
[solemn atmospheric music.]
[crowd murmuring.]
- [Abel.]
Emergency Services were overrun the night of the storm.
A tonne of the calls were redirected to the automated system.
One of the calls they tracked back was from Rachel's kid.
She said she wanted you here when she heard it.
I just think she's withdrawing too hard.
[beep.]
- [Louisa.]
I, um I don't know what our location is.
We We're near a track.
There's a big rock.
And trees.
Lots of smashed trees.
- [electronic voice.]
If you have finished recording your location, press three.
-[Louisa.]
My dad's hurt.
My mum went to get help but she's been gone ages.
[whimpers.]
- [electronic voice.]
.
If you have finished recording your location, press three.
[beep.]
[Rachel whimpers.]
Rachel, this is good news.
It means she's still alive.
But I'm sorry, I just don't That's my daughter? How can I not know something like that? [bugs chittering.]
-[Shay.]
My thinking overnight, we get Herm to allocate us some data crunchers.
We run the numbers again, try and definitively isolate where the off-target mutation points are and we double down there.
No? -[Lloyd.]
You're bandaiding it.
Um, yeah, I'm trying to stop the bleed long enough for us to figure out a workaround.
- There is no workaround.
- Really? - When did you run the data on that? - I didn't need to.
I'm telling you I already know, OK.
Well, I'll just sit here quietly until you work out where I can humbly put my efforts - That's not what I'm saying, Shay.
- No worries.
[door clicks.]
I suspect this decision is one worth taking a long, hard second look at.
What decision? You know, Herman, if you had told me that you were organising meetings already, I might have been What meetings? You two.
She'll give you until close of business for a change of heart.
[phone chimes.]
- [Herman.]
Yep? OK, be up in a sec.
[door clicks.]
-[Lloyd.]
It'd be a disaster.
That will bury every problem in the race to bring out a vaccine.
We could do our own quality control.
Mate, we'd be gone.
They'll rush out a vaccine, make it stupid expensive, which is great for the shareholders.
Not so good for the people who actually need it.
Are you saying this whole corporate greed thing is real? Herm's pimping himself out.
He's already bought the penthouse.
He'll be pissed if we say no.
I've already shut it down.
OK.
I'm gonna assume that you stepped out of that meeting and made some frantic phone calls to me to get my two cents before making this decision on our behalf.
You want to get in bed with Lindriquil? No, I don't.
I just wouldn't mind being asked occasionally so I'm not, you know [rustling.]
actually the sherpa.
- [Louisa.]
.
I, um I don't know what our location is.
We We're near a track.
There's a big rock and trees.
Lots of smashed trees.
We'll come get you now.
-[Eadie.]
Rachel.
We were gonna pick up Gianni's mum.
From the nursing home in town.
We were gonna get her and then wait out the storm at the show grounds.
You got into trouble between your house and the nursing home, yes? OK, well, let me put a call in to the Emergency Services.
At least it will help bring down the search area.
To 100 miles of bush instead of 200.
I can't just sit here.
You are in no fit state to travel.
How would you even get there? I'll steal a car.
I'll hitch Uhhh! [groans.]
Sit back down.
Take a deep breath.
Oh, god, I can't do this.
I can't - Take some breaths.
- I can't do it.
It's OK.
It's OK.
It's gonna be OK.
- [female voice.]
Notice what's happening in your body.
If your heart is pounding.
If your breathing has become shallow.
If your mind is racing with fearful thoughts or memories of what you've experienced.
Just observe these sensations.
Know that they are simply your body's way of being prepared to protect you.
[footsteps approach.]
- Hey.
- Hi.
What are you listening to? Oh, it's just a [clears throat.]
.
.
meditation download.
[locker door shuts.]
What do you want, sis? Smack bang in the middle of the disaster zone.
I know some of the crew who are running operations out there.
I could get in touch with them, you know, see if they've got an update on your little girl and her father.
That would be great.
But I was hoping for something a bit more hands-on.
It's what you do, isn't it? Find damsels in distress, bring them home safe? There'll be a ground crew out there searching already.
They're overstretched, you know that.
I can't drop everything here just 'cause one of your patients - Please? - No.
Apart from anything else, the likelihood of them making it through the night Do you want to see a weather chart from last night? It was brutal out there.
There's still a chance.
I'm not going and neither are you.
What, so we just give up on them? With those odds.
You've no idea what it's like out there, Ead.
You don't know what you might find.
I work in a hospital, Dom.
I think I can handle it.
And if they were paying clients, you'd be out there in a heartbeat.
I'm not heading out blind on some kind of crusade.
[crowd chatter.]
[tense music.]
Hey! Is there a car I can borrow? Behind admin to the left, white van.
Thanks.
[haunting orchestral music.]
[Lloyd.]
You've reached Lloyd's voicemail, leave a message.
Hey, uh it's me.
I'm actually really glad you didn't answer.
I'm I'm on a sort of spur-of-the-moment road trip.
If I was a better homemaker, I'd have left you dinner.
But I'm not, so Yep pizza.
Love you.
[phone rings.]
- Oh, hey.
- Hey, babe.
Sorry, I was just out the back.
How did your meeting go? It was weird to be courted, but, um It's not for me.
It's not for us.
Where What are you doing? Where are you? I'm just doing a bit of a house call.
To one of the storm evacuation centres.
-[Lloyd.]
Anything I should know? Just couldn't work out how to come home and go to bed and sleep knowing this girl and her dad are still - You know? - Of course you couldn't.
Are you gonna be safe? Absolutely.
Are you gonna check in? You bet.
[Lloyd.]
Wake me up when you get home? Reading my mind.
OK.
Love you.
[hangs up call.]
He sounds nice.
Yeah.
Won the lottery there.
[solemn music.]
- [Francesca.]
Cosmo, Archie - plates, dishwasher.
- [Francesca and Cosmo.]
How many times do I have to ask? God, am I that predictable? Hello! - Where are you? - [Dom.]
I'm here.
Call Eadie.
[phone dials.]
- [electronic voice.]
Phone out of range.
Do you want me to try again? No.
- Call Lloyd.
- [electronic voice.]
Calling.
[beep.]
- [Lloyd.]
Hey, Dom.
Lloyd, I'm trying to get in touch with Eadie.
You don't know where she is, do you? [sombre music.]
[people chattering.]
[plane engine.]
Excuse me.
Sorry.
Have you seen this girl here? No? All right, oh.
- She's got brown eyes.
- Sorry.
You haven't seen? Let's head inside, yeah? [Eadie.]
So you don't think you've seen them? [man.]
Nup.
Don't think so.
Thank you.
Thanks.
[muffled music.]
[Band playing 'Stand By Me' by Ben E.
King.]
- Hey.
- You guys right? Um, we're out of tents, but I can offer you some floor space.
-[Eadie.]
Oh, we won't be staying.
We're just looking for her husband and daughter missing in the storm.
A lot of people looking for a lot of people.
You can check the board.
Yeah, we did.
Oh, sorry, just a sec.
No, no, no, no, no.
Off the floor, in the corner.
Storm crashed their wedding party literally just as they were about to say their vows.
-Wow.
- Managed to salvage some of the food and booze.
They were gonna reschedule but then thought, "What the hell?" Start as you mean to go on, right? Oh, look, if you change your mind, there's two free over there, all right? Thanks.
[man singing.]
Stand by me.
Stand by me [phone rings.]
Hi.
Hi.
Eadie, where are you? Um tucked up in a nice hot bath.
- You're such a liar.
- Did you make it to the evacuation zone? - Yeah.
Just about to head out to Rachel's farm.
No.
No, you're not.
Crews have been doing bush grid searches all day.
There's nothing you can do tonight except get yourself into trouble.
They're still out there, Dom.
Just stay where you are until dawn.
You're no good to anyone if you're dead in a ditch somewhere.
- OK.
- Promise me.
Promise me you'll stay put.
OK, OK.
[man singing.]
Oh stand stand by me Woah man now Stand by me stand by me [music fades.]
[chattering.]
Hey.
Saved you some cake.
- Oh - Bad luck not to have some.
Well, in that case [Eadie.]
Thanks.
No worries.
Wow.
Didn't even realise I was hungry.
Saving it for Louisa.
Do you have kids? Stepdaughter.
Got none of your own or? I'm sorry.
Sorry, I didn't mean It's OK.
It's complicated.
What's that? [chuckles.]
It's a peg.
It's a silly thing Lloyd and I do.
You have to plant the peg in the other person's day and whoever gets it has to peg it to something - you know, something funny or beautiful.
Funny beautiful it's a bit thin on the ground right now.
[orchestral atmospheric music.]
-[Eadie.]
Can I ask you a favour? [muffled conversation.]
[beep.]
- [Ivy.]
I used to eat those.
- Yeah.
-Like, little ones.
[Lloyd laughs.]
That there is That's top ten.
Probably even top five.
Karima.
Dominic Boulay.
What can I do for you? I wanted to touch base 'cause I caught up with your brother-in-law today.
Lloyd won't play ball with us.
He won't play ball with anyone.
I can't say I'm surprised.
He's discovered some issues in his data, apparently, and has decided to hit the pause button.
I just thought, given your personal relationship, you might be able to suggest an angle for us to help incentivise him.
He's not that kinda guy.
-[Karima.]
Any soft spots to lean on? He's not that guy either.
That's so frustrating.
Actually trying to fulfil his dream, save some lives.
- Turn a profit? - For you too, I'm assuming.
Carl said you'd get first look at the vaccine distribution contract.
What about his colleague Shay Levine? He is that kinda guy.
I assume you know why I've been so keen to meet.
I assume the same reason you met with Lloyd, without me.
Shay, I do my homework.
I didn't think you'd set foot in this place.
And yet here I am.
I humbly beg your forgiveness.
I appreciate the interest.
But we are a united front - myself and Lloyd.
I'm wondering what it would take for you to step up? What does that mean? Well, you did half the work.
You should have half the say in what happens to it.
Thanks, but we're fine.
- Really? - We're tight.
Really? Locations visited, where you went to, where you went to next, bank and health records, consumer patterns, ride share trips, voting history, drugs of choice, how many times you search for yourself and why.
Oh, only 14 times this week? Yeah, I thought it was quite reasonable for someone who'd It's a waste of time.
You could have just called any random ex-girlfriend and got that collection of crap for free.
[sighs.]
They wouldn't know about the stuff that really matters.
They wouldn't know about the anomaly in the spending.
300 a week into a savings account that doesn't belong to you every month for eight years.
He's very cute.
Oh, and they wouldn't know about Eadie.
You helping mask her pregnancy.
[solemn music.]
You want to just sell us the IP, monetise a decade of hard work? Name your price.
You want to come with it and be the face of what's gonna be one of the biggest life-saving breakthroughs of this century I would love to have you.
[chatter inside house.]
[woman.]
Marco, what are you looking at? [man.]
Marco? It's dinner.
[sombre music.]
I have been thinking about Lindriquil's offer.
We could We could use the cash.
We could take bad money and use it for something good.
Isn't that what the Vatican supposedly said about Nazi gold? So that's a no? Not on my watch.
Are you sure? A hundred percent.
[sombre music.]
[zipper.]
[sombre music.]
[whispers.]
You are still in there, aren't you? Mister.
Miss.
Non-gender binary.
[laughter and chatter.]
Hey! You finally made it.
Where's the chopper? Ha-bloody-ha.
You get this from Mum, you know, the stubborn gene.
This is my brother, Dom.
Hi.
I'm sorry to hear about the, um Your family.
What's your plan? Well, we know she made that call within a 10km radius of their farm, so, I figure we start there.
There's a chance they might have headed home.
That's what I would do if I was a seven-year-old.
Most of the roads are blocked.
Powerlines are down.
But you can get us in there? [sighs.]
- [Eadie.]
How long do you think until we can go through? -[man.]
A few hours, I'd think.
OK.
Alright, thank you.
The next two bridges are down.
Even if we could get through here.
Well, it's lucky I brought my toys.
[drone whirring.]
It's OK.
- [Rachel.]
Oh my god.
The homestead.
- [Eadie.]
Shit.
Do you think they're still in there? -[Dom.]
I don't know.
This has heat-sensing on it, so if there's anyone alive in there, we'll see them.
What's that? Can you go back? I'll see if I can get any closer.
Hey, it's OK.
It's OK.
No, it's nothing.
[gasps.]
[haunting atmospheric music.]
Still going ahead with it, then? Are you saying I shouldn't? I'm just saying I don't want anything bad to happen to you.
It's a big risk you're taking.
[muffled voices echoing.]
[thunder rumbling loudly.]
[tense music.]
We only got halfway to Gianni's mum's.
We turned back for home.
[thunder rumbling, wind rattling.]
We turned around to go back home [thunderclap.]
.
.
to get the Fentanyl.
[slams glovebox shut.]
Oh, shit.
No, just forget it, OK.
I'll be fine.
No, OK.
Now is not the time to detox.
Then what happened? We took a shortcut along the river.
What could you see? We pass a tree split by lightning.
[thunder rumbles.]
It's OK.
It's OK, baby.
It's OK.
[thunderclap.]
[thunder rumbles.]
We took a left down Creek Road.
We took a left down Creek Road.
We run off the road.
Ok, Ok.
It's coming up.
Creek Road, Creek Road.
No Yeah, this is it.
This is it! Stop, stop! - Eadie wait! - Rachel wait, wait! No, no, no, no No, no, no.
No! No! No! [whimpers.]
[hysterical whimpering.]
I'm so I'm so [Rachel whimpers, cries.]
[Rachel whimpers.]
[sombre orchestral music.]
[indistinct radio chatter.]
[sombre orchestral music.]
[sombre music continues.]
[beeping.]
Supposed to have my injection.
Do you want me to pull over? - No.
- It's fine.
I can just pull over here.
- You don't have to.
- I don't want you to miss and stab me I said don't pull over, Dom! I'm sorry.
What the hell am I doing? I don't know what I'm doing.
Maybe it's too late.
What do you mean "It's too late"? I don't know, too late for this.
Too Too late for everything.
Maybe All my looking on the bright side and seeing the good, maybe I'm just dreaming and It's not gonna get better.
It's just gonna get more and more like that.
And I'm struggling to remember why I thought having a baby, when it's like this, was a good idea.
Hey.
Come on, let's get you home.
[sombre music.]
[sombre music continues.]
Do you need anything? [quietly.]
I'll get you a water.
[Eadie.]
Lloyd [sombre music.]
Did you have any luck? With the bugs? No.
But I'm back there trying.
Thanks to you.
What else can you do? [sombre music.]
[sombre music continues.]
[muffled helicopter whirring.]
Out you get.
Is this is ours? - [Francesca.]
Not too far, girls! - [girl.]
How cool is this? - [Dom.]
It's a bit rough around the edges, I know, but it's all here.
Six K solar set-up, battery backup, inverter, diesel generator - everything we need.
Even got a nice, cool breeze coming up the valley.
- [Francesca.]
You bought this? Seriously? Without even a word? Well, we talked about finding a bolthole in the bush.
Look, the opportunity came up and I just had to jump on it.
Come on, there's something I want to show you.
[tense music.]
Spring fed - never gonna run dry.
[slurps.]
Oh! It's beautiful.
Check it out.
Trust me, you'll never taste anything like it.
Go on, Arch.
Don't force him if he doesn't want to.
Cryptosporidium, giardia, microplastics, glyphosates and faecal matter.
Faecal matter This is national park catchment.
Sandstone filtered, pure, unadulterated, pollution-free, Arch.
Trust me, I promise you.
- [Cosmo.]
No such thing.
Nowhere in the world.
- Dom - Come on, buddy, trust me.
Drink.
- Dom, you're being a dick.
- Drink.
Put the water down, honey.
For Christ's sake, you don't understand.
- This spring is gonna save us.
- From what, exactly? - [Cosmo.]
Yeah, Dad, what's it gonna save us from? Fine, forget it.
Don't drink.
One more.
One more.
There we go.
There we go.
See? Have you considered the merits of a succulent garden? There's no challenge in that, OK? [sombre music.]
[sombre music continues.]
[gunshot.]
[gunshots.]
[gunshots.]
[sombre music.]
[sombre music continues.]
[gunshots.]
[gunshots.]
[sombre orchestral music builds.]
[gunshot.]
[tense music.]

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