02x03 - The Ottoman Ship Helm

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The nautical room.

Haven't been in here in far too long.

Focus, Larry.

We must thoroughly search

for evidence of a breach.

Someone ransacked the Egyptian collection

and moved the die block upstairs.

We have to stop them

before they strike again.

How I long to be on the seas again.

Was it not only yesterday

that you recounted

how you were blown to bits

by a rival ship?

Aye, and it wouldn't have happened

if my motley crew

would have just followed my orders.

- But I recall you telling me

- The Ottoman helm.

Nobody could craft

a ship's wheel like them.

That's a fact.

-"The beauty of the barrel

-"The beauty of the barrel

- the symmetry of the spokes

- the symmetry of the spokes

- the curvature of the felloes.

- the curvature of the felloes.

- Just perfect in every way."

- Just perfect in every way."

You say it every time.

We've accounted for everything. Let's go.

Hang on a sec, Stan. Look at this.

It's sprung a leak.

Egad. We're taking on water.

I made the cover.

"Sky Vanderhouven. Paragon of Babylon."

I am so proud of you.

Something's wrong downstairs.

Nothing like surviving the sea's wrath.

Nice try, Poseidon.

I'm glad you're okay. What happened?

That Ottoman helm is spilling

water like a breached battleship.

But I've fixed my fair share of those.

A little tar.

Still got it.

When we cataloged the Restricted Wing,

I did the nautical room.

This was the helm of a ship

commanded by a man named Hamza Sadik.

This was Admiral Hamza Sadik's helm?

I knew it was Ottoman,

but I never dreamed it was his.

I guess you know who he is.

Any sailor worth their salt

knows of Sadik.

He's my personal hero.

Is that so?

I have not heard you speak of him before.

You gotta be joking me.

Yes, I was.

You speak of him constantly.

Historians agree the admiral's dying wish

was to have the ship's helm

dropped in the Aegean Sea.

But that's not what happened.

Instead, it was passed around

from collector to collector for centuries.

Typical for a cursed artifact, as we know.

Well, not anymore.

We're taking you home, buddy.

Folks, it would be my honor

to fulfill Admiral Sadik's final wish.

Please let me come on this trip.

I can really help.

I know the Aegean Sea

like the back of my hand.

You've not seen your hand in decades,

much less the Aegean Sea.

A sailor never forgets.

Trust me, with my experience,

this will be

the easiest return mission ever.

I think it's a great idea.

Larry's easy to hide too.

We'll just carry him

around in a bowling bag.

It's risky, but Larry's expertise

could come in handy.

Larry should go, since I can't.

What? Why not?

Georgia texted.

There's been an incident at the museum.

It must be serious because

she needs everyone to come in tomorrow.

No exceptions.

Looks like you've got your first mission

as the solo adult, Dad.

Hey, you're gonna do great.

I did it all summer.

Besides, I'm hundreds of years

older than you,

so really, I'm the most adult-y adult.

Set a course for adventure.

So you're a pirate skull.

It's more accurate to say

I'm a pirate without a body.

Gotta say, Margie's taking this

way better than I thought she would.

Hey, Margie, how much longer

do you think we'll be airborne?

Should be in Istanbul soon, kiddo.

Istanbul?

There are tons of cities

closer to the Aegean Sea than Istanbul.

Why are we going there?

Istanbul is the perfect place

to rent our boat.

That's where Admiral Sadik's memorial is

since it was the seat of Ottoman power.

We might be able to find out

more about him there.

Classic Dad.

Anytime we travel,

you always make us take a long detour

to see some historical building.

I'm in.

I wanna see the admiral's

favorite city with my own eye.

Too bad Stanley's missing out.

I'm reticent to be on the sea.

Something about all that

open water makes me uneasy.

Anyway, thank you

for volunteering to help me.

Investigating these security breaches

will go faster

with someone with whom to talk.

Dad, everything all right?

I'm fine.

It's just You kids and your mom

are pros at this stuff,

and I don't wanna let everyone down.

No one expects you to be perfect.

We're just glad you're here.

By the way, any clue why

Margie wanted to stop in Istanbul?

What? You don't remember?

It was your idea.

I honestly don't.

Hey! Any luck on renting the boat?

Yeah, there were plenty available.

No one's rented a boat for days.

No one's renting boats

because they're afraid.

The rumor around town is when boats

reach a certain part of the Aegean Sea,

a creepy voice orders them to turn back.

And the ones that don't,

get sucked into a whirlpool.

Whole boats vanish like

they're flushed down a huge toilet.

Nonsense, sea tales

are always exaggerated.

You think Blackbeard's

beard was actually black?

No. Gray like a grandpa's.

It's decided, we sail tomorrow.

Everyone in their racks.

We gotta be ready for a long day at sea.

Are you listening?

Your captain's giving you an order.

Aye, aye, Captain Larry.

Come on.

We're sleeping on the deck

under the stars.

No better way to start a great voyage.

I can't leave Old Rufus alone.

That's where I'll be sleeping.

I'm going with Margie.

No offense, Dad, but you snore

like a walrus crunching on kitty litter.

Follow my orders.

At least you're getting some sleep.

Dad?

Is that you, Dad?

Larry, watch out.

Grab a saltshaker from the galley.

- A saltshaker?

- Hurry!

- Now what?

- Throw it at him.

How'd you know that would work?

Old superstition.

Passing salt containers between sailors

invites terrible misfortune.

Good thing we brought you.

We need all the help we can get.

I missed seeing a ghost pirate?

You're focused on the wrong detail.

The ghost pirate attacked me.

Don't worry, bonehead.

If he comes back,

old Margie'll mess him up.

I oughta chuck you overboard

for abandoning your post.

Dad, where were you?

I don't know.

One minute, I was asleep. The next,

I was wandering around the docks.

I must've blacked out again.

I'm sorry, everyone.

I wasn't there when you needed me.

I'm on my first mission without your mom,

and I feel like

I'm putting you all in danger.

It's not your fault.

It's just a side effect

of whatever happened in the void.

It'll probably go away.

Right, Russ?

Sure.

Keep us heading southwest.

That way will get us there in record time.

Are you sure? There's a lot of bad weather

reported in that direction.

Never question your captain.

Larry's Brilliance can handle

a little bad weather, helmsman.

It's the name of the ship.

I just came up with it.

Keep up, you scallywag. Full speed ahead.

Larry's Brilliance?

I'm worried about Dad.

What if he blacks out again

when things get hairy

like he did last night?

Or like he did with the lantern

in Transylvania?

Come on. He's doing his best.

I know. But if it happens

at the wrong time, we'll be in trouble.

We need to be prepared for the worst.

Maybe you're right.

Let's keep an eye on him.

What are you doing, lad?

Mashing potatoes or raising a sail?

This is the way

they taught us at sailing camp.

Your fancy sailing camp taught you wrong.

Now do it right.

Help me, Admiral.

My crew isn't listening to me.

It's déjà vu all over again.

Still no signs of a security breach.

How's it coming

with the door repair, Hank?

You have the timing

of a professional percussionist.

I have missed playing music with Alex.

He's been busy since his return,

so I have not had

the opportunity in a while.

Feet don't fail me now.

We're nearly there.

Almost time to fulfill

the admiral's final order.

Turn back.

Now!

Larry,

this is a lot worse than we expected.

I think we should

listen to the creepy voice.

Follow your orders. To your stations!

The water's getting too violent.

We need to leave now,

or we won't be able to leave at all.

Bosh!

A cowardly voice who won't show his face

can't tell me what to do.

Ottomans! They're Ottomans!

It must be Admiral Sadik's crew.

And they are not happy.

Nonsense.

If that's his crew,

then they're our allies.

I've got this.

Hail, friends!

We've come to honor your admiral,

Hamza Sadik!

Look, we have the helm of your ship.

Russ, what are you doing?

We need you on the sails.

Sorry, Dad, but this is an emergency.

We can't risk a blackout right now.

Don't be ridiculous. I'm fine.

Give me the wheel.

This is what everyone in town

said would happen.

Get us out of here!

Not yet! We have to drop the helm!

We can't. They want us to leave.

It doesn't matter what the crew wants.

It's what the admiral wants.

I'm not letting him down.

Done.

That's what you get for doubting me.

I'm trusting you.

See? They don't want it.

Russ, I'm not gonna say it again.

Get back on the sails!

Wait! Wait, don't pull on that!

Open the main sail!

Folks, I'm sorry

Larry, maybe you should

just let us handle it for now.

Ya gotta listen to me.

I know I messed up, but

You didn't just mess up.

You were being a real jerk.

And you didn't listen to Margie and Pan

when they warned us about the whirlpool.

Your awful decisions

nearly shipwrecked us.

We all need some time to cool off.

Then we're gonna figure out

what to do with the helm.

Guess it didn't go

so great out there, huh?

Might be my worst mission yet.

And considering how my last one went,

that's really saying something.

What's on your mind, pal?

Back when I started pirating,

nobody took me seriously.

I busted my tail trying to

build my reputation,

but I was always viewed as second-rate.

And reputation's all you got out there.

I hear that, skull boy.

All I got in this world is Rufus

and my good name.

Exactly! You get it.

I heard the legend of Admiral Sadik

from a Turkish merchant,

and after that, I knew what to do.

Maybe if I was more like him,

I'd finally get some respect.

So, I learned everything I could about him

and did what he did.

And it worked!

One day,

I was pursuing a fabled ivory chest.

Few believed it was real.

That only made me want it more.

I was a monster to my crew.

You're being too hard on

the crew. Your ambition will doom us all!

Demanding. Unforgiving.

Do as you're told!

We need to turn back, Captain!

And I didn't listen when they told me

chasing the chest was a bad idea.

The chest was real,

and it held a fantastic treasure.

But my crew was right.

It was a trap.

A rival crew lured us

into a narrow passageway

and blew our ship to bits.

So, once again, I've failed to live up

to Admiral Sadik's example.

Hop in, skull boy.

There's something I wanna show you.

Admiral Sadik's memorial.

I've been busy in Istanbul

while you were gone.

I looked into this Sadik fella.

Let's take a look behind the memorial.

The admiral's final statement.

He held himself responsible

for a failed siege.

He was surrounded by the enemy,

and his crew begged him to turn back,

but he refused.

They fought hard, but soon,

defeat was inevitable.

So Sadik jumped overboard to save himself.

How could he do that?

A real captain is the first one on

and the last one off the ship.

He and his first mate

were found clinging to that fancy helm.

When they returned to Istanbul,

Sadik was rewarded

with that medal for his valor.

When the first mate heard that,

he quit the navy in disgust.

The first mate.

I'm guessing that was the fella

who attacked me during the night.

Sounds like the first mate

took his anger to the grave and beyond.

I guess I was too much like Admiral Sadik.

I endangered Alex and the kids

with my pigheadedness.

True, but I think

you can still learn from him.

Read the last part.

"Had I not been so arrogant and cowardly,

my crew might have returned home.

If I could, I'd dive below the waves,

and put the helm on the ship,

and give them a vessel to guide them

to their eternal rest."

That's what you folks gotta do. Right?

A good captain needs to know

when to listen to his crew.

I was a fool. I'm sorry.

But if you give me another chance,

I think we can get

the curse off this helm for good.

I think we could all use

a second chance out there.

We're at your command, Captain.

Larry's not the only one who made mistakes

on the last trip. I'm sorry.

I know you're going through a rough time,

but I want you to know

we all believe in you.

And we trust you.

Thanks, Russ.

Come here, buddy.

She's seaworthy again.

A damaged ship is a sign of experience.

So, let's get back out there.

Turn back, now!

Here they come.

You think you can keep her afloat

while I'm down there?

You got it, Cap. Just don't take too long.

How long can you stay down there?

I don't have any lungs, so forever.

Anchors aweigh.

It's working! Dad, you're a genius.

Uh-oh. That's going to be a problem.

They're cutting the anchor lines!

Hang on. I have an idea.

Drop this on the ghost.

A saltshaker?

Larry showed it to me.

Don't ask me how it works.

Got him!

Hang on!

Here, you're the ones

who deserve the medal.

Your admiral made a mistake.

He shoulda listened to ya.

He shoulda stayed with ya.

But he sent us to honor your courage.

Release your anger and leave this place.

Mission accomplished, Admiral.

For real this time.

No

The Vanderhouven navy is back in port!

- I've missed you all so much.

- We missed you too, Mom.

You should have seen Dad.

He was amazing out there.

You mean during the mission

or when I was dancing in the restaurant?

"Turkish delight, am I right?"

That's your inside joke,

and I'm glad you have it.

Good to see ya, mate.

Likewise, how was the journey?

Pretty good.

Did some sailing. Did some introspection.

Learned some stuff about myself.

Very healthy endeavor.

You find our intruder?

Regrettably, no.

But Hank and I did forge a new friendship.

We have established a brotherhood in song.

Please excuse me.

These last few days have exhausted me.

I must retire early this evening.

Hey, Stan.

This trip reminded me of something

I've been meaning to tell you

Never mind. Good night, pal.