The Night Manager Page #4

WAITER:

Yes!

CORKORAN:

Then why did your ugly little

friend over there tell me that my

lady here could not have a lobster

salad! WHY?

He grabs the salad.

WAITER:

Sir it is for another table.

CORKORAN:

No it’s bloody not.

WAITER:

They pre-ordered this morning sir.

Only the lobster salad for pre-

orders!

CORKORAN:

GET YOUR BLOODY HANDS OFF ME.

JED:

Corky stop it!

But CORKORAN hurls the waiter into an adjoining table and

starts to beat him.

PINE stands. IN a second he has CORKORAN in a hold, and is

hurling him off the waiter and hard on to the floor. Then he

turns, unflappable. He speaks calmly to the other table. With

utter authority.

PINE:

Andrew Birch, pleasure to meet you.

I’m so sorry about my friend. He

got a little intimate with the

rioja. Please feel free to re-order

and the entire evening will be

taken care. With a bottle of the

best champagne on me. I do hope

that’s all right.

The Night Manager ep 4 final

GUESTS:

Of course.

The GUESTS nod, utterly charmed. PINE turns to the HEAD

WAITER.

PINE:

Can I take the bill please? I’ll

pay by card.

ROPER looks on admiringly. PINE turns and smiles at CORKY.

CORKY raises his glass to PINE and then to ROPER.

CORKORAN:

To the victor. And to the blind man

who cannot see the human grenade in

front of his bloody eyes.

He stares at ROPER. Who takes a cursory glance then walks

away.

21 INT. LONDON. RIVER HOUSE. PALFREY’S OFFICE. DAY. 21

HARRY PALFREY sits in his office.

He is opening a brown envelope from what appears to be a

standard internal postal memo about health insurance.

Inside is a letter. Apparently procedural. He stares at it.

“Annual health check with Dr Boatman confirmed. 3pm. The Old

Clinic.”

PALFREY stares at the note. Stares out at GALT and DROMGOOLE.

(If not possible in eye-line, similar to evoke sense of his

paranoia).

22 INT. LONDON. SQUARE. DAY. 22

HARRY PALFREY enters a London square. Approaches a bench. He

sits. A WOMAN sits next to him. Puts her newspaper down

between them. ANGELA BURR.

ANGELA BURR:

Nice and prompt Harry.

And now we see ANGELA BURR is sitting on the bench. PALFREY

checks every street as he speaks.

PALFREY:

What are you doing contacting me

like that? That’s a dead protocol.

ANGELA BURR:

I was in a hurry. Want to see why?

The Night Manager ep 4 final

PALFREY picks up the newspaper. Inside is the document of

Roper’s that PINE photographed. PALFREY stares at it. Halo.

Felix.

PALFREY:

How did you get these?

BURR:

Who are Halo and Felix?

PALFREY looks round, scared.

BURR (CONT’D)

It’s all right, I’m on my own.

Beat. Someone passes, they pause. Then:

BURR (CONT’D)

Richard Roper’s buying arms under

the counter from British and

American arms companies. People on

the inside are aiding and abetting.

And getting paid to do so. Five

million dollars.

PALFREY:

I shouldn’t be here.

PALFREY stands.

BURR:

Sit.. Down.

She puts her hand on his. Gently.

BURR (CONT’D)

Harry, listen to me. I like you.

I’ve always liked you, even when I

was at the River House. You’re a

decent man. But you’re too easily

led.

PALFREY:

I didn’t want to be a part of it. I

swear.

BURR:

Who’s Halo?

Beat.

PALFREY:

Dromgoole.

BURR:

Money to cover all River House

expenses yes? Including you?

The Night Manager ep 4 final

Beat. Yes, including him.

BURR (CONT’D)

And who’s Felix?

PALFREY:

Langley in London.

BURR:

Barbara Vandon. What’s Dromgoole

doing for his money?

PALFREY:

Falsifying MOD end-user

certificates.

BURR:

Did you help him with that?

He did.

BURR (CONT’D)

Harry that’s corruption, serious

fraud and a gross abuse of

government. It’s also a long

custodial sentence and a

humiliating end to a decent career.

Is that really what you want?

Beat.

BURR (CONT’D)

Unless...

PALFREY is hooked. He stares, needy.

PALFREY:

What do you want?

23 INT. MALLORCA. PALMA. HOTEL. EVENING. 23

A small, glamorous boutique hotel in Palma. ROPER and PINE

walk and talk quietly, with LANGBOURNE and JED behind. ROPER

preoccupied, a result of the phone call in the restaurant.

PINE:

Everything all right?

ROPER:

Yes fine. We fly tomorrow at ten.

Private jet from the airfield.

Beat. ROPER thinking on his feet.

ROPER (CONT’D)

I have to talk to Sandy. Buy her a

quick drink would you?

The Night Manager ep 4 final

PINE:

Of course.

ROPER:

I’ll only be half an hour.

PINE smiles. ROPER pats him.

ROPER (CONT’D)

You’re a handsome man Andrew. What

would I give to look like you.

PINE not sure what to say.

ROPER (CONT’D)

Mind you. Might not have made my

millions might I?

He smiles and grabs SANDY LANGBOURNE.

ROPER (CONT’D)

Darling the old men need to talk.

Andrew here is offering to buy you

a drink on the terrace. Accept

quick, I see there might be other

takers.

He gestures around the bar to the women who are all eyeing

PINE greedily.

24 EXT. MALLORCA. PALMA. HOTEL. TERRACE. NIGHT. 24

JED and PINE are sitting as a waiter brings cocktails. JED

looks through the window at ROPER in conversation with

LANGBOURNE in the bar.

JED:

You think Corky told him?

PINE:

No I don’t think so. He likes you

too much.

JED:

What is it you’re after Andrew? You

after his money? Or is there

something else going on?

PINE:

I don’t think I can tell you that.

JED:

You don’t trust me?

PINE:

I don’t want to get you hurt.

The Night Manager ep 4 final

Beat.

JED:

Roper’s got a crush on you. You

know that?

PINE:

Maybe.

JED:

Oh he does. He’s taken a real

shine.

PINE stares at ROPER. He knows it’s true.

JED (CONT’D)

So my question is - are you trying

to sleep with me just to get close

to him?

He stares at her. She returns his gaze. Desire fills them

both.

PINE:

What if I was?

JED:

Heat rising between them.

JED (CONT’D)

This trip you’re taking. When will

you be back?

PINE:

I’m not sure I’ll be back at all.

This hits her like a bullet. She stares at him.

JED:

How long are they talking for?

PINE:

He said half an hour.

JED:

Follow me.

She stands.

PINE:

What if he sees us?

JED:

I’m feeling faint. You’re helping

the damsel in distress.

She walks out of the terrace.

The Night Manager ep 4 final

25 INT. MALLORCA. PALMA. HOTEL. CORRIDOR. NIGHT. 25

She is walking fast down the corridor. He is with her.

JED:

Which one is yours?

PINE:

This one.

JED:

Open it.

He gets the room key, opens up. She pushes him inside.

26 INT. MALLORCA. PALMA. HOTEL. PINE’S ROOM. NIGHT. 26

Inside and already she is grabbing him, pure lust, they are

pulling clothes off, kissing, grabbing.

JED:

Don’t tear anything. I have to put

it back on. And don’t use the bed.

He might see you to your door.

She is naked now. She is kissing his stomach. He pulls her to

him.

They begin to make love.

She gasps in audible pleasure. Her eyes bore into his.

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