01x02 - Episode 2

[bunniefuu]

Neither one of us will ever discover anything more important, more wonderful, than what is out there in that desert.

Lord Carnarvon, may I make a suggestion?

Do any of you chaps know a man called Carter?

Knew you were the right chap for the job.

What are you looking for? What do you think's there?

Well, I've never heard of this Tutankhamun.

If I'm right... that would mean that he is buried here, in the Valley of the Kings.

They're calling us back.

I am leaving tomorrow evening.

What's happened? What's going on?

It's w*r, sir.

What here?

Yes, sir. Everywhere.

If he's out there, he's waited three thousand years.

I believe he can wait a while longer.

Hang on. I'm here to see the Colonel.

An archaeologist?

Hm! He's fluent in Masri and Saidi.

He knows the people and the territory inside out.

Sounds like our kind of chap.

Yes. That's what we thought.

Except recently it seems he's more their kind of chap.

Ah.

He has friends among them.

He talks with them, eats with them, attends the bathhouse.

The feeling is, he's no longer sound.

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

Come in.

Good afternoon, Mr Carter.

Good afternoon, sir.

You're relieved of your duties.

Why?

Your assignment for this Bureau is...

"Messenger Extraordinary at the pleasure of the Crown".

It's no longer the Crown's pleasure that Howard Carter act on its behalf.

That'll be all.

Sir, are you saying I can go back to my dig?

I'm saying you can do what you bloody well please.

(CREAKING)

Carter?!

Hello, Winlock.

(LAUGHS)

Well!

Pull up a chair. It's turning into a long w*r.

What are you doing here?

Safeguarding the Metropolitan Museum's interests in Egypt.

On your own?

Ah. The responsibility weighs on me.

Davis d*ed.

I didn't know. I'm sorry.

Back home.

So now the Met's not even sure whether to have a presence in the Valley or not.

I think... I constitute their one finger in the pie.

Ah. Hang on...

Ah. The ice ran out in 1915.

Followed by the servants.

Ah, yes.

So, what have you been up to?

Well, helping the w*r effort.

Putting your legendary subtlety and tact to good use, no doubt.

And... why are you here now?

Surplus to requirements.

Ah. Well, I'll drink to that.

I was actually coming to see if there was anyone in the Valley I could poach for a dig crew.

You got Carnarvon to grab that concession before Davis let it hit the floor.

Don't think I didn't notice.

Everyone knows the Valley's all dug out, but you got him to put his hand in his pocket, and now you're back here the very instant the Army turns you loose.

What's going on, Carter?

What little mirage did you see on the horizon?

All right. Go, find yourself a crew.

Where's the cash coming from?

Carnarvon's wiring it from London.

While you're at it, get him to wire us some ice.

(DOGS BARK)

(DOOR OPENS)

Oh, Mr Carter!

Selim. Come in.

(GREETS HIM IN ARABIC)

It's good to see you again.

And you.

And you.

You have the eyes of a man who has seen too much of the desert.

I should think I do.

Mr Carter, my brother, Jahi.

Fursa saayida.

You speak Arabic?

I told you, Mr Carter is not like the other British.

(SPEAKS IN ARABIC)

How are you?

(SPEAKS ARABIC)

Any day now it could happen, insha'Allah.

Please, eat. Bismillahi wa 'ala baraka-tillah.

You know, Fadil wants to work for you.

Mm?

When the w*r is over.

I've told him great stories of treasures in the sand.

And when will the w*r be over, Mr Carter?

Soon, I hope.

And then... you soldiers will leave?

Go back home like you promised, and leave us to govern our own country?

Jahi.

I'm not a soldier.

Archaeologist.

Absolutely not.

They're needed here.

Morris, it's just 20 men.

It's 20 men I can't spare.

I'm sorry, Carter.

Look, I can let you have your foreman.

But that's it.

Thank you.

Selim!

Where are we to dig?

Here. Under the cliffs.

Not here?

Lord Carnarvon feels that we'd be better served keeping off the beaten track.

And... do you think that too?

He's my patron.

He's the one man who's had faith in me, Selim.

I have to listen to him.

And in any case, he may very well be right.

It makes more sense, after all.

Mr Carter, what is it you think we are to find?

A royal tomb, Selim.

If anyone, then you.

But we can't do anything without men.

So finish your coffee. We'll see who we can find.

You know, Mr Carter.

Yes?

There are always young men and boys who could help us out.

Yes.

Of course, as long as we pay them.

(g*nf*re)

What are they sh**ting at?

It's over!

You there! Is it true?

Yes, sir.

They've signed an armistice. It's over.

Thank you.

Yes! Yes!

(SHOUTS IN ARABIC)

You know what this means?

What?

Morris can't refuse us a dig crew.

Can you take these to my rooms, please?

But the large boxes, these ones, they need to go straight to site.

Why, Miss Lewis!

Is that truly you, or is it another mirage?

Oh! Oh, Winlock.

How was your w*r?

Oh, quiet, uneventful.

But I suppose all good things must come to an end.

How's Carter?

I think you should see for yourself.

Right.

Oh, damn it!

Hello.

Hello.

Erm... Come in. Come in.

I'm sorry there's no room.

Oh, it's fine, I understand.

Did you get my letter?

Yes.

There really was no need.

There was.

I know you would never have told Davis about the tomb. I...

I don't know what I was thinking.

So you do trust me?

Of course I trust you.

Good.

I have something to suggest.

Harry's staying behind this season.

Between you and me, I think Cynthia's had enough of sand and mosquitoes and dug her heels in.

It's all yours if you want it.

You could lay out your research properly, have somewhere to put your books and charts.

I don't need all this.

It's too big for one person.

It needn't be just for one person.

Not all the time, at least.

And... think how convenient it would be for your work.

It would be closer to the dig.

Exactly.

Thank you.

It's good of you to think of me.

What do I need?

A wardrobe, chest of drawers, chart case and tables... bookcases, a dining table, chairs.

A bed. Linen, I suppose.

Everything, really.

Right.

Anything the lady says, please.

Right. I'll have a look at that...

Carter.

Oh, yes?

He says he can deliver them this afternoon.

Thank you.

Did I do something wrong?

How do you mean?

I don't know. I just... ever since I got here, nobody seems that friendly any more.

Yes. They think you're British.

Huh!

(SPEAKS IN ARABIC)

Four. Anything?

No.

You there, anything?

No. Nothing.

Seven. Anything?

Nothing.

Nothing.

Has anyone got anything at all?

(SILENCE)

Extend the grid again.

You're not taking any of your trenches down beyond a couple of feet.

You just keep extending the area.

You're not digging. You're hunting.

We both know there's nothing left to find.

Not that way, not big.

Don't we?

Telegram for you, Mr Carter.

Thank you, Hamid.

"Unable to supply funds. Stop."

Arriving end of month. Stop.

Will need to see progress. Stop. Carnarvon".

(LAUGHS)

(SIGHS)

All right, mark the position and take it down another foot.

Yes, Mr Carter.

Mohammed!

I'm sorry, this site is closed to tourists. You'll have to leave.

But I only just arrived. Are you looking for treasures?

Sorry, we are trying to work.

So please, if you could return to your friends, your party, wherever...

Have you met Mr Carter?

Sorry, what?

Everyone's talking about Mr Carter.

He's some sort of desert nomad, I think, only he's English.

He's supposed to be out here somewhere.

They said find a hole, look in it and you might find him at the bottom.

Evelyn?

Goodness! That took a while.

Well done, though.

Hello, Carter.

We arrived this morning.

Mama got into some frightful fuss with the staff at the American House and Papa's having to pour oil on troubled waters.

I imagine we'll never get our drinks served on time again.

So I decided to jump ship and come and see how you're doing.

How are you doing?

Erm... very well, really.

Very encouraging. Lots of good work.

Oh, dear God, Carter, you'll have to do better than that when Papa shows up.

Right.

Now, listen.

We're not in funds at the moment, with the w*r and everything. Do you understand?

Yes.

Mama says this Egyptian business is little more than gambling the estate away.

Right.

Right.

She's the one you need to convince, not him.

I see.

Yes.

You still believe it's here, don't you? You haven't given up?

Oh, no. I...

They'll be here this afternoon.

You'd better be convincing, Carter, or they'll shut you down.

Now, this whole area here has been quartered and charted and we are now preparing to work our way... right up into the neck of the Valley behind you.

Look at him, spinning sand into dreams.

He's his own fairy tale.

Evelyn's turned out quiet well, don't you think?

In an English way.

What nonsense, Winlock.

She's beautiful.

Even you must be able to see that.

So, where do you put your money?

Does he get another season?

Or is the jig up?

I'll be more than happ-

Forgive me Mr Carter, but have you found anything?

Anything at all in the several years you've been pursuing this venture?

My Lady, we... we....we have found a great deal of material.

It is best to think of what we do as a marathon, as opposed to a sprint.

You must trust me.

I am confident for the inter...

Mr Carter!

Mr Carter!

Forgive me, Lady, Lord.

Selim?

We think we have something in trench six.

Oh!

Please. Come.

This way, Lady.

Yes, of course.

Look! Eagle!

Very good sign. It's good luck.

Perhaps... Lady would do the honour?

Yes. That's a jolly good idea.

Really? Oh...

Right, the trick is to... just be as gentle as possible.

Remove the excess and there you are.

What does all this say?

That is the cartouche of the pharaoh Rameses the Second.

And there, yes there, his son, Merneptah.

My Lady, it's perfect.

Immaculate.

Porchy.

Well, now you see why we needed you here.

You step into the trench and Carter's luck's turns.

Lady, I believe there may be more!

Oh!

Porchy!

Porchy!

What a wonderful stroke of luck, turning them up like that.

Just in the nick of time.

But one stunt like that is enough, wouldn't you say?

So the unvarnished truth is, you've found nothing.

Because we're digging in the wrong place.

No, no, no. We've been over this.

The centre of the Valley's a non-starter.

Davis practically camped out there for a decade.

If the tomb hasn't been found, it surely means it's hidden where people haven't been looking.

And that means up by the cliffs.

Can't keep digging forever. We have to maximise our chances.

You're quite right. I understand.

But that's not taking into account the man himself.

Now, I know this man.

He wasn't a man, Carter. He was a boy.

Not a great pharaoh like Rameses.

So a small tomb hidden away at the edge of the Valley, makes better sense, doesn't it?

Perhaps.

But look, he brought his people all the way from Amarna.

He brought his family too, he had them exhumed and reburied.

Now, don't you see? That is a declaration.

A statement to the world.

It says: Yes, my father was a heretic but he was still my father and I will have him standing beside me in the afterlife.

Now, that is not the voice of a boy who's afraid. It's simply not!

It is the voice of a pharaoh, a man of decision and conviction.

And a pharaoh would not skulk in the shadows at the edge of the Valley.

He would be there.

At the centre.

No. I'm sorry, Carter. You know I trust you but...

The truth is, the estate is all but entailed and I simply don't have the money to risk everything on...

Well, I won't call it a whim. A hope, let's say.

We have to dig where the chances are best.

Play the odds.

How long do I have, exactly?

This season.

That's hardly any time at all.

There's hardly any money, Carter.

It's the best I can do.

Is wearing out the carpet going to help?

I've never had a carpet before.

Not quiet sure how one is supposed to treat them.

People are starting to talk.

About us?

No. About your dig.

Are you still looking for the same thing?

Yes. Still looking.

For how much longer?

I don't know.

I've been cut off.

I have enough money to pay the men until the end of the month.

After that, I'm afraid I don't quite know what I'm going to do.

I spoke to Davis in America, before he d*ed.

He wanted you to come and work for us.

At the Met.

So, my question is...

What if this boy king of yours isn't out there?

What if... and I know you don't want to think this way... but what if you're wrong?

Even a great archaeologist can't find what's not there.

That tomb that Davis found...

That wasn't a tomb.

That was an empty room.

The only reason I'm saying it is the offer still stands.

The Metropolitan Museum needs an excavation director and they would look on you very favourably.

Oh, I see.

It wouldn't just be one or two seasons here and there.

It would be a permanent appointment.

A proper salary. A career.

And you could call your own sh*ts. Go wherever you wanted.

Karnak, Thebes, Mycenae.

I could help. I could go with you.

It could be a new start, for both of us.

Will you think it over?

Of course.

Come to bed?

In a minute.

I never thought I'd see Carter in a dress coat.

It suits him, don't you think?

He looks almost respectable.

He's not living in his tomb any more.

I've been imagining him in there during the w*r. But he's moved out.

I helped him find a house.

That was good of you.

It's the least I can do, seeing as he's coming to work for us.

You didn't know?

The Met's offered him a job.

Well, he can't take it.

He's not available. He's working for my father.

(SIGHS)

Selim, do you know what this is?

Ah, Mr Carter.

Selim?

Look.

Ah.

Where's it from?

Trench 14.

It's rather good, isn't it?

Yes.

What's the date, do you think?

Tutmosis the Third, judging by the other pieces we've found.

What?

Tutmosis the Third?

Yeah.

Right.

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

Carter?

Are you home?

Hello, Evelyn.

Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise.

Is Carter here?

What is it?

My father wants to see you.

Is it important?

Oh, there isn't anything really.

I just didn't fancy explaining myself.

Does your father know you're here?

Not exactly.

I thought about you a lot during the w*r.

What was happening.

Whether you were all right.

When you sent letters to Papa, he'd let me read them.

You got dismissed from the Army.

Yes.

Papa says it's because you sided too much with the Arabs.

You are still English, aren't you?

It's hard to tell sometimes.

Well, you have a house.

And a dress coat.

And a canary in a cage.

Ah. Well, that settles it. I must be English.

(LAUGHS)

I'm hungry.

Let's try over here.

(THANKS HIM IN ARABIC)

Who taught you about the pharaohs?

Well, I... I taught myself.

When I could, I got work on dig sites.

I surrounded myself with experts, and I watched and listened.

What is this?

Well, we've a few things.

By far the best is ful moudamas. A sort of bean with garlic and spices.

You eat it... with a piece of bread like this.

Would this be the kind of thing they ate three thousand years ago?

I imagine so. Very possible.

Perhaps even a king.

Perhaps.

Why aren't you digging where you said?

Because your father asked me not to.

And because I respect his...

He's not the expert.

You are.

I work for him.

Selim said that you were upset.

You saw a picture of a bird and it upset you.

You see, the date was wrong.

Tutmosis the Third predates Tutankhamun.

If we're finding relics from his reign, then we can't be in the right spot, you see.

The best we can hope for is...

Turn around.

What?

This way. Turn around.

Come on.

(expl*si*n)

Are you all right?

Yes.

Are you hurt?

For God's sake Carter! I'm fine.

We have to go and help them.

No, no, no. It's not safe. Come on.

Come on!

Where's Evelyn? Have you seen her?

I thought she was with you. She called for Carter, said you wanted him.

I said no such thing.

Lord Carnarvon. Sir...

We were nowhere near. I'm perfectly fine.

What were you doing there in the first place?

I asked Carter to take me to the market. That's all.

Lying to Miss Lewis. Giving me the slip.

Behaving like a child.

I just wanted to get out of this bloody place!

Do you have any idea how stifling it is?

With the dinner dances and drinks on the verandah and dressing at seven?

That is not the point! You might have been k*lled.

But I wasn't!

I'm safe. Carter is safe.

It's all all right.

God help us when your mother finds out.

One hair on your head we'll be...

If Mama finds out we're all going home on the next boat.

Don't you think?

So perhaps it's better if she doesn't.

This whole country seems determined to set itself on fire.

God knows what they're thinking.

Well, they're thinking we promised to leave once the w*r was finished.

We gave our word: if they helped us, we'd give them home rule when it was all over.

Well, it IS over, and we are still here.

And so they protest, they riot, and they b*mb.

All the while, we are sh**ting them in the streets.

Keep your damn Bolshevik sympathies to yourself, would you?

I don't give a fig who blows up whom here as long as my daughter's not in the thick of it.

Do you understand me?

Of course. I'm sorry.

Come in!

Everyone else safe?

We think so. I've done a head-count and none of our people are missing.

Oh, thank God.

What is it?

After the bombing, there was some kind of a demonstration.

A riot, they're saying.

The police opened fire into the crowd.

Your foreman was sh*t.

They've taken him home, but erm...

I'll go and see him.

Selim?

Are you saying he's mixed up in all this?

We are all mixed up in this.

Sir. Sir, you are not allowed to leave the building. Sir!

How is he?

Allah Yerhamu.

Mr Carter.

I'm very sorry.

Your father was a very good friend of mine.

So if you want to come and dig with me, you'll always be welcome.

What are you doing?

Going home.

Why?

Do you really need to ask?

I'm an archivist and a historian, Carter, not a...

I don't know, an adventurer.

Carnarvon's right, this place wants to go up in flames.

And... what is there here for me?

The Met needs me in New York in any case.

But there is so much to be done. Your work here...

Damn the work, Carter.

I wanted you.

Maggie...

It's all right.

I'm not gonna try to convince you to come with me.

I'm not a fool.

I belong here.

And she's here.

I...?

You silly man.

Do you not even know?

Whatever was I thinking?

Papa's looking for you.

It's over, isn't it?

Everyone's saying the Valley's exhausted.

I think they're right.

I know I am.

It's a process, takes time.

It's taken years and years and thousands of pounds and we have nothing.

Well, if you'd let me dig where I said...

And these bloody riots are the last straw!

It's not safe here any more. My daughter's here, for God's sake.

I'm really very sorry, old man.

It can't be done any more. There just isn't the money.

I'll fund the dig.

What?!

You keep the concession to dig in the Valley and I will fund the dig.

Anything we find is yours. You won't have to put in a penny.

Carter, where will you find thousands of pounds?

I'll sell my house in England. I'm never there and I have savings.

Just give me the concession for one more season.

Just one.

You're that certain?

It's there.

Sell your house?

I will put in everything I've got.

Your concession, my money.

You wouldn't have anything to lose.

Damn you, man!

Damn you and your house and your savings!

And your shirt off your bloody back, I suppose?

Well...

I will not have it said that I put a man out of his home.

But you can't afford...

No, no, no.

One more season. That's it.

This time, it's your roll of the dice.

You dig where you want.

Goodbye, Lady Emily.

Bye.

You clear it all, do you understand?

The scree, this rubble, clear them out. You clear everything. Hm?

Sir.

You're moving your dig?

You know, Davis had me and James digging this very spot for... ten years.

I know perfectly well it's been covered.

And you think we missed something?

You could go through this sand with a fine-mesh sieve and not turn up anything new.

Well, I lost a cufflink out there in '07.

If one of your chaps turns it up, do let me know.

Mm-hm.

I thought you were confined to barracks.

Papa says I can go out as long as Murtaaz here doesn't leave my side.

Ah.

So, now you're where you should be, how does it feel?

Well, pretty good.

And frightening.

But I think I have you to thank.

What's this?

That is the tomb of Queen Hatshepsut.

We cleared it in '03. Empty, of course.

Who was she?

A pharaoh.

I thought you said only men were allowed to be pharaohs.

Indeed.

I suppose they can do without us for a while.

She was the wife of Tutmosis the Second.

When Tutmosis d*ed, his son was still an infant, so she took power in the child's place.

She was the first great woman of history.

She has a beard.

Well, yes.

You see, there were plenty of nobles who didn't want to see a woman ruling over them.

So she said, 'I'm not a woman. I'm a pharaoh'.

And she wore a fake beard and men's regalia to help them... look the other way, as it were.

So a woman can become a man?

Yes.

And a 12-year-old boy can rule a nation.

Yes.

There must be some magic in the sand, to allow all these impossible things.

This is Egypt.

Everything here is different.

I can see why you love it so much.

Anything... can happen.

Boy is here.

Ah, hello.

Are you feeling strong?

Good.

Now, your father was the best foreman in the Valley.

I have a feeling, one day, maybe, you will be too.

Do you want that?

Yes.

Good.

You keep your eyes open, watch what we do, and you lend a hand where you can.

You can start by bringing water to those men.

(SHOUTS IN ARABIC)

There's just too much spoil to move.

So, I was wondering about rigging a rail line, the type that miners use for ore carts?

The Army used them for short-run cargo, so I imagine they've got some going a-begging.

We should speak to the adjutant's office in Luxor.

One more thing. We don't need to catalogue all this as we go along.

Put it aside and we'll deal with it later, yes?

Sir! Sir!

What have you got?

I need my large brush and my trowel.

Yes, sir.

(SHOUTS IN ARABIC)

Here you are, sir.

Thank you very much.

What is it?

It's a step.

I think it's an entrance.

It's an entrance!

(CHEERING)

Have you considered the possibility there might be nothing at all down there?

This is complicated.

Are you so scared that if you don't keep watch, you'll lose it again?

This, when the bloody Arabs are just itching for a fight!

There have been unsettling rumours.

Move out of my way!

"Request all assistance possible."

Carter, do you see anything?

Yes, wonderful things.