Midsomer Murders Ep. 'Judgement Day'
Page 5
91.
INT. LAURA’S BEDROOM EVENING.
LAURA
is getting ready to go out. She opens a cupboard to take out a shawl
and
notices some-thing at the bottom, on the floor. She reaches in and takes
out a
pair of trousers.
She is
unpleasantly surprised. The light coloured trousers are splattered with
quite a
lot of what is evidently dried blood. Just then the door opens and
GORDON
comes in.
GORDON
Aren’t
you ready yet? It’s five to
seven.
LAURA
realises she’s still holding the trousers. He’s seen them in her hands.
LAURA
Gordon
- what are these doing here?
GORDON
They
need to go in the wash.
LAURA
This is
blood!
GORDON
Yes.
- 87 -
LAURA
Well,
why did you put them in the
cupboard
like that? And how did the
blood
get there? Is it animal blood?
GORDON
looks at LAURA with a watery sort of madness in his eyes.
GORDON
Oh yes.
It was an animal all right. A
nasty
little creature. But it’s all
right
now. I put it out of its misery.
Now
let’s go. I don’t want to be late.
GORDON
walks out of the bedroom. LAURA is left, very worried now, still
holding
the trousers.
END OF
PART THREE
- 88 -
92.
EXT. MIDSOMER MALLOW - HIGH STREET DAY.
The
following morning…and a Judgement Day montage.
We
start on the village high street as bunting is strewn from lamp post to
lamp
post.
CUT TO
93.
EXT. MIDSOMER MALLOW - GREEN DAY.
On the
village green, MARCUS DEVERE is mowing the grass, sitting on his
tractor
lawnmower.
On the
other side of the green, a marquee is being erected. This is a pavilion
with
open sides. It will contain trestle tables, chairs and a platform for the
village
band.
The
village streets are also being swept and cleaned. Everything is being made
perfect.
CUT TO
94.
INT. RAY DORSET’S SHOP DAY.
RAY
carries a tray of chicken wings over to a large oven. He opens the oven
door
and slides the tray in.
CUT TO
95. INT.
LOTHLORIAN - CELLAR DAY.
BELLA
DEVERE, helped by CAROLINE, is loading up a crate with homemade
bottles
of wine: apricot and elderberry. Each one is hand labelled with
the
date and contents. She smiles to herself.
CUT TO
96.
INT. VILLAGE HALL DAY.
MARY
DRINKWATER looks through the music which the band will be playing
later
and conducts a passage, humming to herself.
- 89 -
CUT TO
97.
EXT. THE CROWN HOTEL DAY.
A
minibus has pulled up outside the hotel. JOYCE BARNABY comes out of the
hotel
with SAMANTHA JOHNSTONE. ROSEMARY FURMAN and FRANK
MANNION
follow.
CUT TO
98.
EXT. THE VET CLINIC DAY.
GORDON
BRIERLY is digging over a flower bed in the street outside his
house.
By coincidence he is using a pitchfork. There is a slightly psychotic glee
in the
way he stabs into the earth with the forks. Slash! He jabs down. Jerk!
He rips
it out again.
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
LAURA
BRIERLY watches GORDON from an upper window. With growing
concern.
CUT TO
99.
EXT. MIDSOMER MALLOW - GREEN DAY.
The
tractor has gone. The pavilion is up. MARY DRINKWATER oversees the
erection
of a sign, similar to one we have seen before. MIDSOMER MALLOW
WELCOMES
YOU TO JUDGEMENT DAY.
CUT TO
100.
EXT. GREYFRIARS HOUSE DAY.
CULLY
walks up the drive to the house which is even gloomier and more
Gothic
than ever. She rings the bell.
A
pause. Then EDWARD ALLARDICE opens it.
EDWARD
Yes?
- 90 -
CULLY
Mr Allardice.
EDWARD
I don’t
think I know you, do I.
CULLY
No. I’m
writing a book about the
Causton
Playhouse. I only just
found
out that you live here and…
EDWARD
is already closing the door.
EDWARD
No. I’m
sorry. I’m not really interested.
CULLY
You met
my father. Tom Barnaby.
Detective
Chief Inspector Barnaby.
He was
here…
The
door opens again.
EDWARD
He came
about the burglary.
CULLY
Yes.
A
pause. Then…
EDWARD
Come
in.
CUT TO
101.
INT. GREYFRIARS HOUSE - LIVING ROOM DAY.
CULLY
follows EDWARD ALLARDICE into a comfortable, old-fashioned
living
room with various theatrical souvenirs on the shelves, playbills and
posters
on the walls.
EDWARD
The
police returned the rest of my
property
this morning. I’m very
- 91 -
grateful
to your father. There was
nothing
of any great financial value.
But
some of it was sentimental…
CULLY
You
heard what happened? To the
person
who broke in?
EDWARD
Yes. He
must have had a lot of enemies,
someone
like that. It seems he
had one
too many.
CULLY
stops in front of a model. A set design…in the form of a Victorian dolls
house.
CULLY
This is
Hamlet. The 1962 production.
EDWARD
(Impressed)
Yes. Olivier directed it.
I was
Laertes to his Hamlet. He set
it…
CULLY
…in a
dolls house with just seven
actors.
EDWARD
He said
he wanted to get to the core
of the
play. But of course he just
wanted
more stage time for himself.
CULLY
I wish
I could have seen it.
EDWARD
I
imagine you’d have been too
young.
EDWARD
waves CULLY to a seat and sits down opposite her. She takes out a
notepad
and a portable tape recorder.
EDWARD
How can
I help you, Miss…?
- 92 -
CULLY
Cully.
Cully Barnaby. Well, it’s like
I said.
I’m writing a book about the
Playhouse
and I wondered if I could
interview
you…
EDWARD
I’m not
really interested in giving
interviews.
It’s been a long time now
since I
was in the public eye.
CULLY
I know.
Six years. You retired…
EDWARD
…after
the accident.
He
can’t stop his hand touching the scar on his face.
EDWARD
I was
quite badly hurt. And of
course,
my wife…
CULLY
I know.
I’m sorry.
EDWARD
I
suppose I could tell you something
of what
you want to know. I was at
Causton
for seven years. It’s one of
the
reasons I decided to retire here.
But I
would have to insist that I did
so
anonymously. I don’t like people
coming
here. The public.
CULLY
Whatever
you say. (Pause) You
don’t
mind if I tape this? Just for
myself?
A nod
from EDWARD she presses the button on the tape.
EDWARD
So what
do you want to know?
CUT TO
- 93 -
102.
EXT. MIDSOMER MALLOW - GREEN DAY.
Lots of
activity in and around the pavilion now. GORDON BRIERLY is
watching
out for the arrival of the judges. The BAND (in uniform) is on its
podium,
tuning up. MARY DRINKWATER is in her place…
MARY
Is
everyone ready? They’ll be here
any
minute.
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
MARCUS
DEVERE and BELLA are unloading glasses and wine bottles onto a
table,
helped by the small boy (ALEX) who is dressed, along with other kids, as
a
miniature waiter.
BELLA
That’s
right, Alex. I want all the
glasses
in lines.
RAY
DORSET goes past with his tray of chicken wings.
BELLA
Smells
good, Ray!
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
LAURA
BRIERLY wanders over to GORDON.
LAURA
I don’t
know how you can go
through
with this. Just one day
after…
GORDON
Miss
him, do you? Peter Drinkwater?
LAURA
wonders how much GORDON knows about her and PETER.
LAURA
Not
particularly…
- 94 -
GORDON
Nor do
I. Nor does anyone. But if
you are
missing him.
GORDON produces
a gold chain and hands it to LAURA.
GORDON
Here’s
something to remember him
by.
This was his.
The
gold chain looks very like the one that we saw PETER wearing in Scenes
22 and
36. LAURA is shocked. But before she can ask him where he got it…
MARY
Here
they are!
And
sure enough, the mini van appears, driving towards the green. At once
MARY
lifts her baton and the band begins its first, hopelessly off-key and outof-
time,
welcoming tune. MARCUS, BELLA and RAY come out of the pavilion
to join
the reception committee. The table with the wine bottles on it remains
in
their sight.
The van
stops beneath the welcome banner. ROSEMARY FURMAN, FRANK
MANNION,
JOYCE BARNABY and SAMANTHA JOHNSTONE get out.
MARCUS
Mrs
Furman?
ROSEMARY
Yes.
MARCUS
As head
of the Midsomer Mallow
welcoming
committee, I’d like to
welcome
you and your fellow judges
to
Midsomer Mallow. As you can
see,
we’ve arranged perfect weather
for
your visit to our perfect village.
ROSEMARY
This is
Joyce Barnaby. One of our
readers.
Frank Mannion. And Samantha
Johnstone.
MARCUS
How do
you do. How do you do.
- 95 -
MARCUS
shakes hands with JOYCE. At the same time, we just might notice
that
SAMANTHA JOHNSTONE is staring at something, puzzled.
FRANK
I’m
afraid it’s a tight schedule. We
only
have an hour and a half.
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
BELLA
has looked back at the tent. She has noticed someone lurking in the
shadows.
She turns round and starts to walk back.
BELLA
Excuse
me.
RAY
What is
it, Mrs Devere?
BELLA
I
thought I saw someone take
something.
She
walks off. A moment’s pause. Then GORDON gives MARCUS his cue.
GORDON
Marcus.
MARCUS
Oh yes.
Yes! Sorry. Let me
introduce
you to Gordon Brierly who
has
lived here and been our vet for
eleven
years. It’s his job to give you
the
full historical tour.
GORDON
From
the third century AD to the
present.
You’re actually standing on
what we
believe was once a Saxon
burial
ground.
ROSEMARY
Oh…
She
lifts her foot as if she’s trodden in something.
- 96 -
MARCUS
A quick
walk round the principal
sites
and then back to the green for
food,
drink and entertainment. Best
foot
forward - what?
JOYCE
After
you.
GORDON
This
way. I thought we’d start with
our
medieval alms houses, small
parts
of which actually date back to
the
fourteenth century
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
Inside
the tent, BELLA has reached the wine table. CAROLINE and ALEX are
there.
CAROLINE
Mummy?
Are you all right?
BELLA
I
thought I saw someone… Alex, did
someone
just take a bottle?
ALEX
No, Mrs
Devere.
BELLA
That’s
very strange. (Pause) Well,
we’d
better get on with it.
BELLA
starts uncorking bottles.
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
BARNABY
and TROY have just arrived. They get out of their car in time to
see
JOYCE and the others disappearing into the distance.
- 97 -
BARNABY
It
looks as if the judges have
already
arrived.
TROY
Are we
going to join the tour?
BARNABY
No, no.
I’ve seen enough of this
village
if you want the truth. We’ll
wait
for them to come back.
CUT TO
103.
EXT. GREYFRIARS HOUSE DAY.
EDWARD
ALLARDICE is showing CULLY out. The two have obviously
warmed
to each other. EDWARD finishes an anecdote.
EDWARD
That
was when Richardson said to
me.
“Teddy. The play was bad and
the
audience was worse. But the
Playhouse
will always be a jewel.”
CULLY
That’s
lovely.
EDWARD
They
were happy times.
They
stop on the doorstep.
CULLY
Thank
you very much for talking to
me.
EDWARD
I
enjoyed it. I like the idea of your
book.
We should talk again.
CULLY
I’d
like that.
EDWARD
Do you
have a car?
- 98 -
CULLY
No. I’m
walking into the village.
EDWARD
I’ll
come with you, if I may. I have a
little
shopping…
CULLY
Sure.
EDWARD
turns and locks the door.
EDWARD
There
was a time when you didn’t
have to
lock the door. Shall we…?
The two
of them walk off together.
104.
INT. GREYFRIARS HOUSE - LIVING ROOM DAY.
CULLY
has forgotten her tape recorder. It is next to the chair where she was
sitting.
A
pause. Then a door creaks open and a FIGURE sneaks into the room. We do
not see
who it is. A shadow falls across the chair.
A hand
reaches out and turns on the tape recorder. We cannot even be sure if
it is a
man or a woman’s hand. It is gnarled, misshapen. Like something out of
a
horror film. The tape turns.
CULLY
(Voice
only)
Actually,
I’m an actress myself. Or
at
least, I want to be. You must
know
how difficult it is these days. I
have a
boy-friend, Nico, and he was
the one
who suggested…
The
claw-like hand swoops down again and turns the tape recorder off, at the
same
time knocking it to the floor. A pause. Then the slam of the door as the
FIGURE
leaves the room.
CUT TO
CUT TO
- 99 -
105.
EXT. MIDSOMER MALLOW - GREEN DAY.
FRANK
MANNION, SAMANTHA JOHNSTONE, ROSEMARY FURMAN and
JOYCE
BARNABY come to the end of their tour, returning to the green.
GORDON
BRIERLY is reading from the notes he has prepared. MARCUS
DEVERE
and RAY DORSET are with him.
GORDON
…and
that brings us back to the
green
where we started and also to
the
present day. We have a fete here
every
summer, a bonfire night,
pancake
races and Easter Egg
hunts.
Midsomer Mallow isn’t just a
village.
It’s a community. And in
conclusion,
I have to say that we
certainly
find it perfect.
MARCUS
(Applauding)
Bravo! Well said!
SAMANTHA
JOHNSTONE is looking for someone.
JOYCE
Are you
looking for someone?
SAMANTHA
I’m not
sure…
MARCUS
You
must be hungry. Stivvy starving
after
all that walking!
RAY
We have
home-made wine and all
the
food is locally grown. If you like
to come
this way.
RAY
ushers them towards the tent.
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
BARNABY
and TROY are walking towards the group. MARCUS sees them
and his
face falls.
- 100 -
MARCUS
Excuse
me.
As the
group begins to move in the direction of the tent, MARCUS hurries over
towards
BARNABY.
MARCUS
Mr
Barnaby…
BARNABY
Mr
Devere!
MARCUS
You’re
not…um. I don’t suppose
your
investigation could wait a few
minutes.
You see, I wouldn’t want to
“obstruct
justice” but thing is, we’re
in the
middle of this competition.
BARNABY
So I
see.
MARCUS
It was
a committee decision to go
ahead.
But we were rather hoping
that
nobody would actually mention
the
murder.
TROY
(Half-joking)
You think it might
spoil
your chances?
MARCUS
(Serious)
Absolutely.
BARNABY
Don’t
worry, Mr Devere. We’re here
in an
unofficial capacity. One of the
judges
is my wife.
MARCUS
Mrs
Barnaby! Of course!
BARNABY
And I
haven’t said a word.
- 101 -
MARCUS
Oh.
That’s all right then. Come and
have a
sausage roll!
ANOTHER
ANGLE
The
band starts again with MARY conducting. Close to, in the pavilion, the
discords
are rather deafening. A series of vignettes follow…different parts of
the
festivities.
ANOTHER
ANGLE
BARNABY
meets up with JOYCE.
BARNABY
Good
afternoon, your honour. Did
you
find Midsomer Mallow guilty or
innocent?
JOYCE
Tom!
They
kiss.
BARNABY
How’s
it going?
JOYCE
Terrible!
Let’s go somewhere
quieter.
This music is so loud!
ANOTHER
ANGLE
TROY
has found himself with the little boy - ALEX - who is serving drinks.
TROY
You’re
not serving beer, I suppose.
ALEX
No.
It’s home-made wine.
CUT TO
CUT TO
CUT TO
- 102 -
TROY
Forget
it.
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
On the
other side of the green, walking up the road, CULLY and EDWARD
ALLARDICE
appear.
EDWARD
It was
nice meeting you, Cully.
CULLY
I’m
meeting my parents for a drink.
You
don’t want to join us?
EDWARD
No, no.
No thank you. These village
events
aren’t for me.
CULLY
‘bye then.
EDWARD
watches as CULLY heads for the pavilion.
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
On MARY
DRINKWATER conducting the band with vigour, singing along.
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
JOYCE
and BARNABY have moved a little further away from the music.
JOYCE
I can’t
believe it! Rosemary Furman
hates
the countryside. She lives in
London
and as far as I can see, she
never
leaves it.
BARNABY
She
edits Country Matters from the
heart
of Soho.
- 103 -
JOYCE
Exactly.
She and Frank Mannion
are at
each other’s throats all the
time.
He can’t stand her.
BARNABY
Here’s
Cully!
Sure
enough, CULLY walks across the green and joins them.
CULLY
Hi,
mum. Dad.
BARNABY
Your
mother’s just been giving me
an insider’s
view of the judging
panel.
JOYCE
The
only decent one is Samantha
Johnstone.
JOYCE
looks past BARNABY and sees SAMANTHA standing on her own in
the
crowd, looking as depressed as ever.
JOYCE
I’d
better go and rescue her.
JOYCE
moves off. BARNABY and CULLY are left alone.
BARNABY
Did you
see him?
CULLY
Yes. He
was nice. But you were
right
about the house. It’s creepy!
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
JOYCE
catches up with SAMANTHA JOHNSTONE, drinking rapidly as
usual.
In the background, RAY is serving food. GORDON and LAURA are
talking
to ROSEMARY and FRANK. MARCUS and BELLA are manning the
drinks,
helped by CAROLINE. ALEX and other SMALL BOYS are serving.
The
music has got louder. JOYCE has to raise her voice.
- 104 -
JOYCE
Samantha?
Are you all right?
SAMANTHA
No. no,
I’m not. I’ve just seen
someone…in
the street.
JOYCE
In the
street?
That’s
what it sounded like. JOYCE looks round.
JOYCE’S
P.O.V.
There’s
only one man standing in the street. It’s EDWARD ALLARDICE. He is
some
distance away, looking rather sinister.
ANOTHER
ANGLE
ALEX
passes. SAMANTHA passes him her empty glass.
SAMANTHA
Can you
get me another, please?
JOYCE
Would
you like to come and meet
Tom?
SAMANTHA
No. I’m
all right.
ANOTHER
ANGLE
ALEX
takes the empty glass to the table. BELLA uncorks a fresh bottle.
ANOTHER
ANGLE
On
ROSEMARY FURMAN (with no drink), FRANK MANNION, LAURA and
GORDON.
RAY has also joined them.
CUT TO
CUT TO
CUT TO
CUT TO
- 105 -
RAY
I’ve
always been a big fan of your
programme,
Mr Mannion.
FRANK
Make
that Frank. Do you have a
garden?
RAY
Oh yes.
Nothing grand, mind you.
Just a
little patch at the back.
FRANK
That’s
all you need!
ALEX
walks past with a drink on a tray. He is heading for SAMANTHA. But
ROSEMARY
plucks the glass off the tray.
ROSEMARY
Thank
you so much.
ALEX
wants to protest. But it’s too late. ROSEMARY takes a large glug of the
wine.
ROSEMARY
God,
that’s disgusting. What is it?
ALEX
Elderflower
and apricot.
ROSEMARY
(To
FRANK) Let’s get back to the
hotel.
I’m dying here.
FRANK
Not
soon enough, my dear.
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
On
MARCUS and BELLA she also sips some wine. CAROLINE is helping fill
the
glasses.
MARCUS
Are you
all right?
BELLA
Yes.
I’m fine.
MARCUS
(To
CAROLINE) I’m glad you came.
CAROLINE
I think
it’s fun, daddy. I bet we’re
going
to win.
BELLA
smiles. Then jerks forward, catching CAROLINE’S arm. She’s been
poisoned.
CAROLINE
(Alarmed)
Mummy…?
ANOTHER
ANGLE
On
BARNABY and CULLY as JOYCE rejoins them.
BARNABY
Did you
find her?
JOYCE
Yes.
Another glass of wine and
they’ll
be carrying her out. I’ve
never
seen anyone…
CULLY
(Seeing
something) Dad…
ANOTHER
ANGLE
BELLA
DEVERE is staggering backwards, clutching her throat. The tent
spins.
ANOTHER
ANGLE
Other
people in the tent notice that something is wrong. But not MARY
DRINKWATER.
The band plays louder. Suddenly everything is becoming
nightmarish.
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
ALEX
stares. MARCUS moves towards BELLA to catch her. But too late. She
falls
backwards and smashes into the trestle table. As she plunges to the
ground,
broken glasses and spilled wine cascade around her.
ANOTHER
ANGLE
The
music has at last stopped. BARNABY and TROY push their way through
the
crowd. All eyes are on BELLA.
TROY
Let me
through, please. I’m a police
officer.
TROY
gets to the body. MARCUS is panicking over her.
MARCUS
Oh my
God! Oh my God!
CAROLINE
Mum!
TROY
Stand
back, please, sir. Give her air.
BARNABY
reaches the stricken woman.
BARNABY
How is
she?
TROY
Still
breathing. She must have had
some
sort of attack.
And
then a scream. LAURA BRIERLY has seen something that the others
have
missed.
ANOTHER
ANGLE
CUT TO
ROSEMARY
FURMAN has fallen to the ground, stiff and unmoving, her eyes
staring.
LAURA screams again.
LAURA
Someone!
Do something Please!
Help!
BARNABY
is the first to react, moving towards the second figure. But he’s too
late.
It’s obvious, at a glance.
ROSEMARY
FURMAN is dead.
END OF
PART FOUR
Page 6
