EPISODE I: MUTINY
Odysseus begins to tell the story of how he survived disaster.
Giant Cannibals
Script for Episode 1
| SCENE 1 | ANTHEA'S PROLOGUE. DISTANT SOUNDS OF A CALM SEA. GULLS AND GENTLE WAVES. |
| ANTHEA | It happens so quickly. |
| He came out of nowhere, with enough stories to fill a dozen lives, and I felt like he had so many more ahead of him. |
| But there's a reason he'd survived so much. |
| And there was something about those stories. |
| SCENE 2 | INT. BANQUET NIGHT. |
| SOUND | RAUCOUS CROWDS, FOOD, WINE |
| BEATRIX | So the wooden horse was your idea, too? |
| ODYSSEUS | Who else could get away with it? |
| GELASTOS | (LAUGHING) Odysseus, you are unbelievable! You've taken on Trojans, towering one-eyed titans - |
| ODYSSEUS | Sometimes even the Gods - |
| BEATRIX | But that's exactly it - you're a king, sure, and you look like a tough old soldier - but all these enemies were bigger and tougher and scarier than you, yes? |
| ODYSSEUS | Clever - that's what I am. |
| GELASTOS | (INFORMAL/CHATTY) Odysseus, you may have been through hell, but I am glad you found Phaeacia. |
| ODYSSEUS | Not half as glad as I am. |
| ODYSSEUS | (STUMBLING) Well. . . earlier. |
| BEATRIX | But what about the other ships. Does that mean you - |
| BEATRIX | How many left Troy? |
| BEATRIX | So where are the others, Odysseus? |
| ODYSSEUS | (STILL STUMBLING) The others - I didn't lose them. |
| BEATRIX | You've told us a lot about your victories, Odysseus. If that's all true, then who could possibly have - |
| ODYSSEUS | (REGAINS COMPOSURE) The question isn't who but what! |
| BEATRIX | But - you were only a few days from Ithaca. |
| ODYSSEUS | And it wasn't a difficult slog ahead. We had a divine gift to help us, from Aiolos himself. |
| ODYSSEUS | (EXCITED) Statheros! |
| STATHEROS | It's my home too, Odysseus. |
| STATHEROS | Just like our resources. |
| STATHEROS | It doesn't matter now. |
| ODYSSEUS | We can go quicker than that. |
| STATHEROS | The water's flat as a mill pond. |
| ODYSSEUS | (LAUGHING) You never know, Statheros - the Gods might see fit to give us a hand for once. |
| SOUND | ODYSSEUS SLAPS HIM ON THE BACK. |
| ODYSSEUS | Go and tell the men. |
| SOUND | FADE TO PHILAUTOS AND LUPIOS BELOW DECKS, CROWDED AND BUSY BACKGROUND. |
| STATHEROS | Ithaca's in sight! |
| SOUND | GASPS FROM THE OTHER MEN, THEN SILENCE |
| PHILAUTOS | What do you think, Statheros? |
| LUPIOS | He's been good to us. |
| LUPIOS | You should have a little faith, Philautos. |
| STATHEROS | (DEJECTED) Philautos is right. |
| PHILAUTOS | And you'd let him get away with that? |
| STATHEROS | He's our King, Philautos. |
| PHILAUTOS | (SNORTS) Really? You don't wish you could at least walk away from all this with something worth the years you lost? |
| STATHEROS | Ithaca is my reward. |
| SOUND | STATHEROS PICKS UP THE SACK. |
| STATHEROS | We still have time to talk about it. |
| ODYSSEUS | There's hardly time to stand around and talk! |
| STATHEROS | I did tell them. |
| ODYSSEUS | (BANTER) An attitude problem, for a start. |
| PHILAUTOS | He's asking you how much of this is ours. |
| STATHEROS | We've been rolling about on this ship for seventeen years. |
| ODYSSEUS | You're lucky to be afloat. |
| STATHEROS | And the rewards, Odysseus. |
| PHILAUTOS | Equal share to all of us, and all debts are cleared. |
| SOUND | MURMURS OF APPROVAL. |
| ODYSSEUS | Don't you talk to me like I owe you. |
| STATHEROS | What's so important about this? |
| SOUND | STATHEROS SHAKES THE BAG. |
| ODYSSEUS | For Gods' sake, put it down! |
| SOUND | STATHEROS PUTS DOWN THE SACK, UNEASILY. |
| ODYSSEUS | (COMMANDING) The rest of you, clear the hold and make ready. |
| SOUND | EXIT STATHEROS AND ODYSSEUS |
| LUPIOS | Nothing worse than his kind of idiot. |
| SOUND | PHILAUTOS PICKS UP THE SACK. |
| LUPIOS | What are you talking about? |
| PHILAUTOS | The boy was stupid to say it, but he's right. |
| PHILAUTOS | We have nothing else. |
| SOUND | PHILAUTOS SHAKES THE SACK. |
| LUPIOS | Philautos, put it down. It isn't yours! |
| PHILAUTOS | We have nothing! |
| LUPIOS | We have our lives, and him to thank for that. |
| PHILAUTOS | What lives, Lupios? |
| LUPIOS | You don't know that one's gold. |
| PHILAUTOS | It's heavy enough. |
| LUPIOS | Philautos, where's your honour? |
| SOUND | LUPIOS KNOCKS THE SACK FROM HIS HAND. ANOTHER EERIE GUST. THE OTHERS MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. |
| PHILAUTOS | (LOW) Get out, boys. |
| SOUND | PHILAUTOS DRAWS A KNIFE. |
| PHILAUTOS | You listen to me. |
| PHILAUTOS | And my reward is in that bag. |
| PHILAUTOS | Pleading for your life. |
| LUPIOS | I give you my word, I won't |
| PHILAUTOS | Your word is worthless - |
| LUPIOS | STOP! (BEAT) Philautos, I know what you're saying. When we land, I'll be as poor as you, and every other man on board. |
| PHILAUTOS | So you know why I need to do this. |
| LUPIOS | Perhaps you need to steal. |
| PHILAUTOS | Murder is your fault. |
| LUPIOS | Then what if I take some of the - gold? |
| PHILAUTOS | Don't want to die. |
| SCENE 4 | INT. BANQUET NIGHT |
| SOUND | FAST-FADE IN W/ PHAEACIAN'S INTERRUPTION |
| BEATRIX | You lost your fleet because they were squabbling about the loot? |
| BEATRIX | You said they were slaughtered by cannibals. |
| GELASTOS | He never said it was gold. |
| SOUND | SLOW FADE OUT. A HEAVY DOOR SLAMS, CLOSING OFF THE SCENE. |
| SCENE 5 | INT. PALACE DAY. AGNES AND ANTIPHATES WALK INTO THE HALLWAY, ARGUING. |
| AGNES | I don't care how afraid you are of losing your grip! |
| ANTIPHATES | (TRYING NOT TO GET ANGRY) Agnes. |
| AGNES | Perhaps you'd rather we moved her into the trophy room? |
| ANTIPHATES | You are poison when you don't get what you want. |
| AGNES | And you're taking this personally. |
| ANTIPHATES | She's my DAUGHTER |
| SOUND | DOOR FLIES OPEN AS ANTHEA STORMS IN. |
| AGNES | Don't you dare speak about your father like that. |
| ANTHEA | Don't you dare assume you're exempt! |
| ANTHEA | Right now, that sounds perfect, but the tide would drag my corpse back to shore. |
| ANTHEA | Do you think you could stop the tide, Daddy? |
| SCENE 6 | INT. SHIP DAY. PHILAUTOS AND LUPIOS CONTINUE TO BARGAIN. |
| SOUND | CREAKING SHIP NOISES |
| PHILAUTOS | You're pathetic. |
| PHILAUTOS | And you have to open it. |
| SOUND | PHILAUTOS THRUSTS THE WINE-SACK TOWARD LUPIOS, BUT LUPIOS DOESN'T QUITE TAKE IT. BREEZE. |
| PHILAUTOS | Or I spill your guts for you. |
| SOUND | PHILAUTOS HANDS LUPIOS THE WINE-SACK. SPOOKY BREEZE. |
| SOUND | LUPIOS OPENS THE SACK. |
| LUPIOS | This is . . . not . . . gold! |
| PHILAUTOS | What have you done? |
| LUPIOS | I did what you said! |
| PHILAUTOS | Shut the bag and run! |
| LUPIOS | I can't shut the bag - |
| SOUND | THEY RUN ABOVE DECK AND INTO A GATHERING STORM. |
| ODYSSEUS | What on Earth is going on? |
| STATHEROS | (OFF MIC) Storm! |
| SOUND | THE RISING STORM DROWNS OUT THEIR WORDS. A MAST SPLINTERS AND CRASHES TO THE DECK. |
THE END
EPISODE II: STRANGERS
Odysseus and his men recover after their ordeal.
EPISODE III: TRUCE
The Ithacans and Laestrygonians grow closer.
EPISODE IV: WHISPERS
Trouble brews between host and guest.
EPISODE V: CLAMOUR
Things get serious by the riverbank.
EPISODE VI: RELEASE
Time runs out for Odysseus.
