The Night Manager Page #2

SANDY:

It’s hypocritical. If you’re happy

eating venison, then why flinch at

killing the stag?

JED:

If you want to murder helpless

animals, go ahead. Just don’t dress

it up as preparing dinner.

CAROLINE:

Jed, I officially love you.

CORKORAN:

Chief, OK if we baptise the young

prince in the ways of the grape?

A pause. CORKORAN has a bottle poised over DANIEL’S glass.

ROPER gives nothing away. CORKORAN whispers to DANIEL:

CORKORAN (CONT’D)

Pretty sure that’s a yes.

CORKORAN pours. Just an inch. The adults raise their

glasses to DANIEL’S first drink. He sips, unsure whether his

father has approved. JED gets to her feet, a little drunk.

Night Manager ep 2 final

SANDY:

Dicky, please assure Jed that I do

not have a “blood lust”.

CORKORAN eyes Sandy’s NANNY.

CORKORAN:

You are a man of many lusts, Sandy.

It’s why we love you.

JED whispers into ROPER’s ear. He laughs.

JED:

What do you think?

ROPER:

Well go on then.

She signals to DANIEL, who follows. As he passes ROPER:

ROPER (CONT’D)

(quietly)

Drinking my wine, stealing my

woman. Whatever next?

ROPER and DANIEL eye each other. Something terribly fragile

about the boy here.

JED goes to talk to the waiter, conspiratorial look in her

eyes. CARO is having a go at SANDY, via their NANNY.

CAROLINE:

Lord Langbourne is a snob,

basically. Three generations of

Eton or you’re not on the map.

ROPER’S ears hear this, they prick slightly.

SANDY:

Caro, darling...

ROPER:

I’m not even one generation, Sandy.

What does that make me?

An alpha male challenge here, coded in wit. SANDY’S too smart

not to notice it.

SANDY:

You’re paying the bill, Dicky.

You are the map.

He raises a glass. They all toast ROPER, as -

SANDY (CONT’D)

To Richard!

Night Manager ep 2 final

9 EXT. MALLORCA. CLIFF TOP RESTAURANT. NIGHT. 9

Music begins. Spanish music, pop-traditional fusion, and

asking to be danced to.

And there is JED. She takes DANIEL’s hand and starts to dance

amidst the tables. Others join, CORKY dancing alone in a

joyous abandon, camp as hell, SANDY and the NANNY dancing,

ROPER alone sitting smiling, smoking a lovely cigarette.

Staring at his empire.

Behind him TWO MEN walk into the restaurant. Are led to

another table.

The music heightens in pace, JED leaps on to the table and

dances for ROPER, the crowd whistle and applaud, she is

playing out the whore her mother claimed her to be. And how.

Wild clapping, roaring of encouragement, ROPER humouring her,

Daniel is here... but he needs to learn.

DANIEL turns away, slightly embarrassed, smiling but abashed.

That’s when he sees the TWO MEN smiling at him.

JED’s body is alive, released, her hair wild in the evening

light.

An euphoria.

When suddenly the music stops.

JED turns, looks round.

And her face goes white in horror.

The TWO MEN, ALBANIAN, are staring at the party, guns in

hand.

And one of them has DANIEL in his arms. DANIEL is silent.

Pure terror.

Instantly FRISKY and TABBY’s hands are on their holsters.

But the ALBANIANS see the move and train their guns on FRISKY

and TABBY, screaming with adrenaline madness...

ALBANIANS:

GUNS DOWN!! Put the guns down! On

the FLOOR!!

The ALBANIANS, sweating, see FRISKY and TABBY with their

hands on their guns.

ALBANIAN 1

WHY YOU HAVE GUNS?? You police??

A long beat. ROPER stands.

Night Manager ep 2 final

ROPER:

They’re with me.

The ALBANIANS swivel to ROPER - wired, crazed with tension,

ready to go at any moment.

ALBANIAN 1

Guns on the floor!

ROPER:

Do as he says. Everyone stay still.

No one do anything silly.

They throw their guns on the floor.

ROPER (CONT’D)

Corks.

CORKORAN:

(to the other DINERS)

Quedate quieto y callado.

Almost at ROPER’S command, the tension drops an inch: THE

ALBANIANS regain some control, measuring the situation.

ALBANIAN 1

You are rich man.

ROPER:

Yes, I am rich man. Very rich man.

And I’m going to give you all the

money we have, all the jewelry. The

restaurant will give you everything

in the till. And then you’ll leave.

All right?

ALBANIAN 1

How much is in the till? No games.

ROPER:

Jorge go and get the man his money.

Danny stay still.

ALBANIAN 1

(realising)

Is your boy?

ROPER:

Yes. He’s my boy.

Another WAITER runs to the till.

ALBANIAN 1

No alarms. NO ALARMS!

ROPER:

Turn off the alarm Jorge. Do what

he says. I’ll reimburse you.

Night Manager ep 2 final

Turns to stare at the ALBANIAN 1. The WAITER takes money from

the till. A few hundred Euros.

ALBANIAN 1

Is this all? That’s sh*t man!

Where’s the rest?

ROPER:

Credit cards. Hateful things.

Meanwhile ALBANIAN 2 walks down the table, grabbing women’s

bracelets, necklaces. He reaches JED. Gestures to her

necklace.

ALBANIAN 2

Give it to me.

She stares at him with contempt. ROPER helps her take it off,

hands it to him. He stares at her with a kind of lust. She

returns his gaze unflinchingly.

ALBANIAN 2 (CONT’D)

Ear-rings. NOW!

She takes them off. Left one. Right one.

ALBANIAN 2 (CONT’D)

Wallet.

ROPER slowly gets out his wallet. Hands them the wallet.

ALBANIAN 1 grabs it.

ALBANIAN 1

It’s not enough! Where’s the

money?!

He stares at ROPER.

ROPER:

I can send someone for money.

Hundred thousand. Just let the boy

go.

But the ALBANIAN is beginning to drag DANIEL back down the

path.

ALBANIAN 1

Le t. dal nga k.tu (Let’s go...) We

contact you. You bring money to us.

We give you the boy.

ROPER:

You don’t need to do that.

But the ALBANIANS are dragging DANIEL away down the path.

JED:

Let him go! Take me instead.

Night Manager ep 2 final

No response.

JED (CONT’D)

Bring him back you bastards!

TABBY goes for his gun that’s on the floor. ROPER snarls.

ROPER:

Don’t be so bloody stupid!

The ALBANIANS are dragging DANIEL down the pine-needled path.

When they turn and see a small outhouse below the restaurant.

A dark window. Something about it.

ALBANIAN 1

What is it? WHAT IS IT?

HEAD WAITER:

It’s the wash-house.

10 EXT. MALLORCA. CLIFF-TOP RESTAURANT. WASH HOUSE. NIGHT. 10

And there’s just a flicker of movement from inside.

ALBANIAN 1

There’s someone in there. Who’s in

there?

HEAD WAITER:

I don’t know.

ALBANIAN 1

I told you to get everyone out!

WAITER:

It must be Thomas.

ALBANIAN 1

Who the hell is Thomas?

WAITER:

The new sous-chef. From England.

The ALBANIAN raises his gun, stares at the dark window. Walks

towards it.

ALBANIAN 1

Come out! Hands up! NOW!

But no one comes out.

The ALBANIAN approaches.

And we zoom into the darkness. Into the window.

Into a human eye that is staring out. Calmly.

Night Manager ep 2 final

And the eye belongs to JONATHAN PINE.

TITLE:
THREE MONTHS EARLIER

11 INT. ZERMATT RESTAURANT. DAY. 11

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