Original subtitles

She's rupturing.

I promise you, I will fix your ailment.

- Ready? - Proceed.

Where are you going?

Lady belle!

Sneed.

Rainsford, please.

You can't let my mother stop my training.

- What will you tell her? - The truth.

Damn, she nicked it.

She's in no state to be nickin' anything.

Fagin.

Didn't anyone tell you not to sneak up on people in a bloody morgue?

No. What you up to?

Weaving a basket. What's it look like?

- That's got claws on it. - Yes, it's embalming fluid.

Fires up the nerves from both ends.

Right. I'll finish up.

We, we got an errand. Elizabeth Maxwell. Richest biddy in town.

Lady Fanny says she wants a piece of our land.

We get her, uncle Dickie follows.

And I get free.

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Get you free.

That really is a princely swig.

What's this one?

Ooh. I wouldn't if I was you.

Well, why on earth was she operating?

- My lady, I assure you, I wasn't aware. - I had to do something.

Mother, she had an aortic aneurysm. I know how that feels.

The pain, the panic, and the fear.

Then you should have sought a qualified doctor.

What? The ones who dismissed my pain as hysteria or women's problems?

I'm the only person in this colony to diagnose and treat this ailment.

Dr sneed, I will personally pay compensation to the victim's family,

and my daughter's medical training ends now.

- Anything to add? - Yes.

I think you're wrong, my lady.

Lady belle made the right decision.

She saw a critically ill patient and, in the absence of other doctors,

performed a surgery most of us aren't brave enough to try.

And yet the patient is dead. Why?

Because sometimes patients die.

But their chance increases with more hands in the room.

- The fault for this death is not hers. - Then whose is it?

With respect, my lady, yours.

The governor's.

Mine.

We're drowning.

The hospital needs every sharp mind it can get,

and lady belle's is...

Well, it's extraordinary.

Keeping her away costs more lives than the one she lost yesterday.

I beg you to reconsider.

I called you here today for I have heard whispers

that make me fear your faith is... unsettled.

No, no. All is pious.

All is proper.

"Land as prosperous as your ambition."

Filthy snake-oil salesman! Piece of...

brother! Such outbursts...

You know, there was a time when I too wrestled with doubt.

- Did you, father? - I did.

But then appeared a Shepherd in the storm, just as my faith wavered most.

A man of conviction.

He told me to clasp the burden to my heart and pray.

And almost miraculously, the way became clear.

And I urge you, brother, to do the same.

Pray.

Yes, yes.

God, if you're there,

and we both know that it's not likely...

Help me to crush fagin like the snivellin' little bug that he is.

Amen.

Mr fagin, sir.

I must have an answer, lady fox.

No, sir Gideon, you've already had your share for today.

- Lady Fanny, what an absolutely... - Yes, yes.

- Beautiful dress! - Hi. Hi.

This is magnificent.

Isn't it adorable?

I've been telling all my chums, who've told all their chums...

You're the greatest swindler I've ever seen.

- When's this Maxwell woman due? - Now.

I'm here to rabbit with a man named fagin.

Through here, mrs Maxwell.

Lady Fanny herself.

So, the rumours weren't idle prattle.

She's handy with a knife, so choose your words.

And just, you know, relax.

I was relaxed till you told me that.

And here he is. Mr fagin himself.

Mrs Maxwell.

I hear your land is very arable.

Almost excruciatingly.

So, I've still got the verdant soil beneath me nails.

Pastures?

Pastures are plenty.

Far as the eye can see. Farther.

Do you know how my late husband made his money, mr fagin?

Teaching deportment, no doubt.

Fastest gelder of merinos in the colony.

This is his knife.

Now, I want your land

because if it is what you say, and I trust lady Fanny that it is,

then I don't want any other bastards gettin' it.

But, come here.

If you squander my trust...

Ooh!

Yes. Well, I would expect nothing less.

I want two thousand acres.

You'll get the rest when I sight the pasture.

Uncle Dickie, I saw the most extraordinary thing in town.

People our sort are buying land in the centre of Australia.

You haven't claimed it all for the crown yet, Edmund?

What?

Er, no. We haven't quite managed to get out there.

Even Elizabeth Maxwell is buying it.

Mrs Maxwell?

I hear she's quite the bellwether.

Inspector boxer, sir.

Thank goodness. Boxer.

Apologies.

- Could we speak in private, sir? - No, no, no.

Do tell.

Phineas has been found.

- He's dead. - No.

My men found him this morning in devil's elbow.

Darling. The pulp?

No, not Phineas.

He made such a good mint julep.

Yes.

A robbery, perhaps?

No, my lord, it seemed like a calculated murder.

His body was well-hidden.

It was only discovered when the sewers flooded.

- Pardon me. - Good lord.

A member of my own household.

- Yes, sir. - Yeah.

So, until the killer is found, I urge lady belle cease her charitable activities

- in devil's elbow. - Devil's elbow?

I assumed you were handing out bandages at market square.

Devil's elbow is most in need.

Governor, do you have anything to say to your daughter?

- Edmund? - What?

Yes...

There are to be no more bandages in market square.

Inspector, where is the safest place for my daughter?

I'd prefer her to survive the week.

I would suggest an environment

where her particular spirit and intellect can flourish.

Escort lady belle back to the hospital,

where she will resume her duties under dr sneed's strict supervision.

And you'll brief me on your investigation this evening.

- Thank you. - Don't mistake me.

I'm only allowing this to keep you out of devil's elbow.

One more lie and this ends.

Now, pass the milk.

Thank you.

Yes, yes. 2,000 acres.

You know, people have doubted me all me life. But I've always thought...

- The greatest day of my life. - If I persevere...

- He's here, in our town. - Who?

Ludwig leichhardt! Only the greatest explorer ever! Ludwig!

Port victory!

This is where my heart lives. Right here, my friends.

I have returned from the never-seen centre of Australia.

Uncharted no more!

Dear.

What's the centre look like?

A frozen tempest.

Blizzards. Glaciers.

Carnivorous beasts. I lost so many good men.

Not quite right for sheep then.

Shut your face, flashy!

An uninhabitable wasteland, swept with gales of ice and snow.

Well, that puts the turd in the teapot.

And now, you too may journey with me through the pages of my new book.

The adventures of Ludwig leichhardt!

Who wants one? Let's go! Come on in!

No!

Are you the priest for the poor?

Indeed, I am, my lady.

Good. I'd usually see our family chaplain, but...

I wondered if yours is the church

that forgives terrible sins for a small donation?

Yeah, 'course it is.

Although, a bigger donation usually works faster.

- 'Cause. - Jack, you gotta come now.

- I'm a little busy, flashbang. - It's fagin.

It's bad. Please.

Sorry. What?

Come on. Have a little nibble, norbert. Open wide.

I thought he was dying.

His dreams are.

Yeah. And so is my stake in the land scheme.

Crumpets and kippers, and still nothing. He might be done for.

He is fine. I'm going.

We're ruined, dodge.

You'll never get the shigs to set you free.

Why? What have you done?

I sold two thousand acres today for a £1,000.

Well, that sounds good.

No, it's all lost.

There's an explorer in town. He's been to the centre.

It's nothing but a fool's dream.

The bedrock of our fortune has frittered into nothing.

I'd say we knew that already.

The centre is not fecund and verdant.

It's all ice and blistering winds.

What? So, hang on.

While you've been sellin' land in the centre,

some explorer's said he's been there?

Straight to the port victory marketplace. Bold as brass.

Bypassing the royal geographical society and the east India company

to reveal it here at port victory first?

You got cotton wool in your ears?

How do you know he's been there?

Because he said he did, dodge.

Must I clap out the syllables for you?

- He's lyin'! - Yes.

The scum!

Suckling the last dregs of decency.

A cracked chamber pot of a man, stinkin' like a fishmonger's floor!

Stay the course.

We've already lost the platinum. I need the cash.

But figure out this swindler's game.

Be shrewd about it.

That means subtle.

Yes, subtle.

I've got subtle bleedin' out me eyelids!

What? Norbert...

Just don't do anything hasty, norbert.

- I've never been hasty in me life. - Don't shout your mouth off.

Leichhardt! A word!

Come out!

Yes.

You see, it seems the great leichhardt is a coward as well as a liar.

And he won't come out and face a man who really has been to the centre

and seen something very different.

Apologies, sir.

I was lecturing some botany enthusiasts.

Are you, perchance, a fellow explorer?

The honourable norbert fagin.

You'll be aware of my peregrinations in the levant.

No.

Have you come for a signed copy of

the adventures of Ludwig leichhardt?

I wouldn't dirty a hangman's backside with it.

You have been peddling falsehoods about the interior,

and we shall have none of it!

So, you've been there yourself?

Many times. Many times.

I've seen its rollin' fields. I've breathed its climes.

And these cheap trinkets do not sell your lies.

The devil himself would be ashamed of your ignominy!

Touch not that, sir. That is a gym pie-gym pie plant!

A gym pie-gym pie plant. Are you takin' the pickle?

Look at this tat.

And look at the great explorer quakin' before a miserable leaf.

This is trickery fit for a sideshow mountebank.

Observe, ladies and gentlemen, as I grasp it with ease.

You leafy green goblin!

Praise the lord.

Thank you for advocating for me.

Yes. Well, don't get overwrought.

The hospital needs your skills.

I didn't think you believed in women being doctors.

I don't. But you've more skill than a nurse.

So you'll be my medical student and report directly to me.

How will this work,

with me and dr Dawkins not seeing each other?

As far as your mother is concerned,

I'm to roster you on separate shifts, keep you strictly apart.

How does that ease the workload?

Look, life's about managing risks,

and I need all hands at work to even half handle the chaos.

So, manage your risks.

If you're caught with him, I'll deny all knowledge.

Tim, that pituri you gave me...

- Did the trick? - Yes.

More energy, more courage.

- I told you it was potent. - Do you have any more?

I'm barely getting three hours' sleep a night.

Come with me.

In here. Come on.

How are you here?

My mother. And sneed, if you'd believe it.

- What? - Yes, I'm allowed back.

We're still not supposed to be seen together.

Although sneed has said he'll turn a blind eye.

Really?

Well, then that means we only have to worry about prof.

That's easy. I'll put some eyes on the front door

to warn us about boxer or your mother coming.

And that means this place is safe for us to be together.

Ooh.

Yes. I think the eyelash is gone.

- Yeah, no... - Don't bother, my lady.

Martha's awake.

Who's Martha?

Your patient.

Are you all right?

Perfectly fine. Why?

Because you look like you're about to wring your hand off.

Maybe you should treat the patient.

Belle...

Losing a patient...

It marks you.

I thought I knew what I was doing, but she...

- What if the next patient... - just stop.

Stop, or you will eat away at your confidence.

You have to keep trusting your instincts.

- But they were wrong. - No, they weren't. They were right.

I did an autopsy on your patient.

Your diagnosis, your instincts, they were all sound.

We can't always beat the reaper.

But if we lose our confidence,

then we just surrender before we even start.

The doctor says you'll be fine.

You're gonna be all right.

You're in good hands.

Why is she still in her dress?

Well, she wouldn't let us take it off.

Miss? Hi.

I'm lady belle fox. I'm a medical student.

Is there anything you haven't told the other doctors?

The men.

I'm not pregnant. I can't be.

But the preacher in church, he said

that god shouts his anger through sores of the body and...

- "sores of the body"? - It's my fault.

I stole this dress.

It's so beautiful. And I could never afford one on me own.

Martha, can you show me these sores?

Please?

I'm sorry, Martha. I know it hurts.

Merciful god.

The eczema follows the dress pattern.

How could a dress hurt someone?

Some green dyes use arsenic.

- Arsenic. - Really?

Poisoned by a dress?

It's nonsense from a fairy tale.

There are reported cases of arsenic poisoning...

yes, I've read those articles. It wasn't caused by dresses.

She let me examine under her dress.

The skin irritation matches the fabric pattern.

It's too aggressive to be from pregnancy.

We can't justify a risky abdominal surgery if we might be wrong.

Yeah, we're not bloody wrong.

One hour.

Give lady belle one hour and she'll prove it.

Won't you?

Yes.

I like your hair like that.

It frames your face... impeccably.

You reek of drink.

Dickie, old turnip, I found it.

The game of goose.

Strategy, forfeits, and no quarter given. Just like the good old days.

I seem to recall winning every single game, edders.

Well, perhaps our fortunes have changed at this point in life.

We'll see about that.

Planning to run the colony at all today, governor?

Come now, janey.

A gentleman never governs on a Friday.

Er, let's say, a pound a game?

Make it twenty. Another Brandy?

Dickie, you are the devil.

Yes.

He is.

They make unique gifts.

Perhaps one for your beaus, children, elders.

The holy spirit has sent you to me, sir,

to strike out a serpent what writhes among us.

Norbert fagin.

Yes, he has been driving away some of my followers.

Seeding doubt.

Well, we can't have doubt.

Doubt dries up donations and book sales.

I'd say we have a mutual interest, wouldn't you?

A refreshingly pragmatic approach from a man of god.

What do you propose?

This afternoon, you will hold a debate on the centre,

restore confidence in your position.

But mr fagin seems convincing, even with his ailment.

It won't matter.

I have a very royal witness

with enough corrosive information that will fizzle him away.

I would like you to present her to the crowd this afternoon.

For a small donation from the church.

First chance I get to work on an interesting case with belle,

and then you appear.

Is there no humanity left in you, dodge?

I was set upon by a monstrous thicket.

A creature born of the devil's loins.

And yet I bested leichhardt.

- Can you move any of your limbs? - Only me mouth.

Pity.

How is my fellow explorer? I've been so very worried.

Stable, but unable to speak.

I've, administered mr fagin

with a sedative to relax the muscles in his jaw.

I blame myself.

I should never have left that fiendish plant in the open.

But I seek to settle our differences in good faith

with a public debate this afternoon.

No theatrics.

Just two gentlemen speaking plainly of their discoveries in the centre.

Let the people decide whom they believe.

Will he be well enough?

He'll be well enough.

May it give you strength.

Hello.

Now adding the hydrochloric acid to the dress sample.

Nothing. Is that normal?

If it's negative.

So, I was wrong.

Again.

Or there's not enough arsenic in the sample to show up.

- Inconclusive. - Right.

We'll operate now.

Lady belle, join me for the laparotomy?

No. No, I won't cut.

I'm sure it's the wrong diagnosis, and the surgery could kill her.

I defended you,

but if you don't have the stomach for this kind of work,

then I needn't have bothered.

Professor, you can join me for the laparotomy.

We'll add it to today's list.

Is everything all right?

Yes. No. Why?

Well, you're on the floor arguing with yourself in Latin.

The test failed.

They're doing the laparotomy.

- And you still think it's arsenic? - Yes.

But I can't test again. And if I can't test...

I was wrong.

So, she is pregnant?

No, of course not.

It's not acute poisoning. It's chronic.

She didn't consume arsenic in one big dose.

She was exposed to lots of smaller doses over time,

so it didn't show up when we tested her fluids.

- It could've been in her body for weeks. - Yes!

Accumulating in her tissues.

Her body could handle the slower build-up, but wearing the dress tipped her over.

We need to find out where she's been exposed.

- And test the source itself. - Precisely.

Martha. Martha, where do you work?

Mrs knag's sewing house.

Is that where you got the dress?

- Hetty, can you stall sneed? - I can try but not for long.

Start treating her for arsenic exposure.

Three drams of hydrated peroxide of iron.

Milk with salt and sugar to flush the toxins.

Tim can help with the marsh test. We should take him too.

No, they need you here. I know what to do. Tim.

Tim, what's that concoction you've been giving sneed to keep him awake?

Pituri. My mob uses it.

Very dangerous if you use too much.

What might the effects be on a man who lives on a diet of onions and vinegar,

and who's recently been stung by a gym pie-gym pie plant?

Mostly positive.

- You'd need a bit. - Thanks.

There you go, smike. Good lad.

Thanks, dodge! See ya.

Easy does it.

These are quite moreish.

Well, good. Keep eatin' them all up. I've got plenty more here for you, too.

Now, flashbang and I are gonna break into leichhardt's wagon.

The man's a fraud and something in there is gonna prove it.

But until we can get that proof to you, fagin,

you are gonna have to stall, all right?

I can't just waffle on for eternity about nothing, dodge.

Well, if you have a gift for anything, norbert fagin,

it is that torrent of drivel that spews from your mouth.

Thank you, rotty.

You ain't been this kind since that night in London

when you put out me flamin' beard with a chamber pot,

- remember that? - I do remember.

Got me chin a bit too close to the candle

after a few too much of the old girls at work.

I remember it was...

I win!

Right on the golden goose!

Well, you may have beaten me as a boy, but the tables have turned now we are men.

It's funny!

You can acquire land on a board,

but you failed utterly to acquire any more land for your colony.

Come now, Dickie. It's all a bit of fun.

I won't hold you to the money.

Sorry... what do you mean by that?

Well, nothing, old marrow.

Just a simple brotherly gesture of giving you back.

I don't need your money!

Of course not. I never meant to suggest...

Dickie, the game's over.

Let's just keep it all woof, shall we?

That's your problem, do you see?

It's all woof and no weight.

You don't even know what's on the other side of the mountains!

And now, it's being sold out from under your nose!

Yes, well, we've had a trouser-leg of Brandy, old fellow.

Perhaps we should retire for the evening

- before we say something... - what is your purpose, Edmund?

What do you do with this staggering good fortune you've stumbled into?

I don't stumble, Richard!

I'm a husband to somebody I love.

I'm a father to two beautiful daughters.

And a governor.

- A governor? - Yes.

What do you govern?

You let your wife run the colony. If I were governor, there'd be...

yes! But you're not!

We all know you were dismissed from your last three postings.

And now you're hiding out here, licking your wounds,

and living off my table.

So while you're under my roof,

kindly keep a civil tongue.

You should know...

You were never her first choice.

Brothers!

My brothers!

My brothers, and sisters.

Today, we settle what lies at the heart of Australia.

Two explorers stand before you with two claims,

but only one truth.

On my right, the esteemed dr Ludwig leichhardt.

A man of science,

who says that the centre is nought but ice and death.

I believe him.

And to my left...

Norbert fagin...

a former convict with a chequered past

and a reputation for violent false dealings,

who would have us believe that the centre is a fecund paradise

to which only he holds the key.

So, if there are no opening statements,

shall we begin?

Hang about. Hang about.

I've got an openin' statement.

Ladies and gentlemen,

mr leichhardt there is a changeling.

He is a rank and feckless snool.

He is a contemptible poltroon.

Right, now you can begin.

Go on.

Dodge.

Mr fagin...

Could you tell us of the centre's mineral composition?

Minerals? No... minerals. Yes, yes.

Well, it depends on the weather, don't it?

The seasons, you see, the, the winds, the waters, the...

limestone? Quartz?

- Ferruginous sandstone? - Yes.

Yes, indeed. Bit of everythin', really.

You know, a soil of many virtues.

Obliging, accommodating.

Never... never one to turn away a customer.

Remarkable.

A landscape where every known mineral exists.

Perhaps you could recount the route you took.

The route? Yes. Well, there it is...

Up, mostly. Up. And, to the west.

Not always. But not never.

Detail it for us. Here.

Well, I don't wanna give away the hard-won secrets of fagin & son

to every doggerel wanderer with an itching for land, do I?

Scheele's green. This is it.

What's that for?

My hope. And I stress, it's a hope.

Will it accelerate the presentation of arsine?

Yeah. Or blow up.

- Testing a dress? - No, the dye.

I hope we're right, Tim.

The workers and hundreds of women are at risk.

"German explorer Ludwig leichhardt embarks on overland."

"With author Cecil bland."

But he's not our leichhardt.

That's our man.

Cecil bland. He is a bloody fraud.

He's just a writer.

Mr fagin is, loose with the specifics. But behold!

Conclusive proof of my discoveries!

A tooth from an ice beast I battled with for seven long nights.

And ice I collected from the mountain face herself.

- It's just a bucket. - That's a bucket of water.

Yes, sir. Ice melts.

Ladies and gentlemen, take a look at where you are.

When you walked here today, did you not feel the sun on your shoulders

and the sweat dribblin' down your back?

Well, that's proof you can feel.

And this man is tryin' to tell you this centre is nought but ice.

Well, ask yourselves what he's shown you today.

A tooth and a bucket.

Yes. He's lying to keep this paradise for himself,

whereas I wanna share it with you all.

And for a very reasonable price.

Huzzah!

I do like that.

How poetic.

But unfortunately,

there is damning evidence against mr fagin.

I call lady Fanny...

to testify to his crooked schemes.

My lady.

- Excuse me. - It's a medical emergency.

Doctor coming through!

I have been asked here today to speak about what I know of mr fagin.

And I have decided that...

- Fagin. - As a lady,

it wouldn't be right for me to delve into matters between men.

Particularly when the business is as noble,

decent, and profitable as mr fagin's.

You have forsaken me.

That's the real leichhardt, and that's our man.

He's just some writer who stole the real leichhardt's identity.

This is turning into a marvellous day.

Oi! Oi!

- Hello. - Hello.

Hello, Cecil.

I want the church's money back!

No. No, no, no.

Mr leichhardt is so confident in my discovery,

he's gonna invest it all in fagin and son, ain't ya?

Otherwise, I'll have to introduce you to this crowd as "Cecil bland."

And you, Darius, could be the pony he rides outta town on.

Brother fagin. Darius, this is the man who restored my faith.

Yeah.

Fagin is your spiritual guide?

- Yes. - Yeah.

I'm favoured by the heavens and all its lovely little angels.

So, I suggest you scuttle off

before we finish off that job on your hand.

Go on. Get out of here.

Are you keeping well?

- Not so bad. Yourself? - Yes. Very good, indeed.

It's positive. It's in the dye.

Go. Stop the surgery.

- I'll spread the word to the workers. - Excuse me.

Excuse me! Coming through!

Sorry!

Excuse me. Sorry.

Don't cut!

It's not an extra-uterine pregnancy.

It's arsenic. We have proof.

Tell me. Excuse us, gentlemen.

So, it was all a ruse.

Yes. A mere performance to drum up interest

and raise the value of your investment, wasn't it?

- Yes. - Crude, but effective.

Just the way I like to do business.

Right!

Who's in charge here?

Mr fagin.

Yes.

I want to buy the bloody centre.

What will £20,000 get me?

Please.

Sir.

I have the perfect location, your majesty.

Not too late to raise your stake, mrs Maxwell.

She was right, wasn't she?

Yep.

Belle saved a lot of lives today.

What is it actually like in the centre?

I've never seen it.

But the old ones say it's where the sun's hotter

and nights are brighter with the stars.

Our legends are spangled across the sky.

And I hope to get there one day.

But I bloody hope you lot don't.

Yeah, me too.

I can feel you, Phineas.

I sense you in the flowers and the butterflies...

And in the kippers, which you loved to eat so much.

How I wish I had the chance

to wake beside that fishy little kitty breath as your wife.

Our unfinished pot.

You keep it,

and know that I don't blame you,

even though your death has made me very sad

and been rather inconvenient.

Instead, I thank you

for putting me on the path I should've been on all along.

Rampant criminality.

Milk to wash away the arsenic.

You were brilliant today.

I nicked the aorta, didn't I?

Yes.

How?

- I was so careful. - It wasn't your fault, belle.

Her vessel walls were weak.

Medicine is an imperfect art.

You focus on what you did right.

And you learn from the uncontrollables.

That's how we honour our patients.

Your actions saved hundreds of lives today.

My lady.

Tell me what happened to Phineas.

A broken neck.

A different modus operandi from the others,

who were killed during botched or amateurish surgeries.

Whom do you suspect?

At this stage, dr Dawkins.

Not my daughter?

I feared for a moment, but no.

Lady belle is strong-willed. She's brilliant, but myopic.

I've indulged her, I fear. I gave her freedoms that I never had.

She needs a husband who will let her mind flourish,

yet keeping her from ruin.

Forgive me, but I'm... I saw your gaze upon her.

I confess, I admire her greatly.

Then know that should you seek her hand,

the governor will give permission.

Marshal your evidence against the doctor. I want this case closed.