BARKSKINS 5

- Have mercy.
- Father Gabriel...

He didn"t return
for morning prayer.

Previously, on
"Barkskins"...

A wise man would have

run Mr. Cooke out of Wobik.

Put things to order

before it is hung on your head.

I hereby exercise
the power of the Crown.

Confess your hand

in the murder of the innkeep!

Take the boy into

the woods. He must not return.

You can"t go back to Wobik.

I"m giving you a chance.

A Mr. Elisha Cooke in Wobik

says that he and Randall Cross

had a plan to stir the Iroquois

against some French settlers.

Mr. Cooke is well acquainted

with the Hudson Bay Company.

The orders were to weaken

the French hold.

Cooke is not our only asset

in the region.
Bill Selby is about.

You have a housekeeper?

She may test

you. She may throw curses

- at you.
- Then you must put her in her place.

You will need a man, Mathilde.

- Better you see that now.

- No.

I do not need a man.

Oh!

Us girls will make do.

God have mercy.

*BARKSKINS*
Season 01 Episode 05

Episode Title :"Buttermilk"

Aired on: June 08, 2020

Renardette?

Renardette?

Renardette?

Renardette.

Don"t be afraid.

Nothing to worry about, huh?

Nothing to worry about.

I have you.
Safe?

Did you nick yourself?

Yes.

Where did you spend the night?

Did you try to go home?

Were you looking

for your family?

No. They are gone.

Because of me.

- I"m marked by the devil.

- Oh...

You are not to blame for

the misfortunes of your family.

Why are you not afraid?

Afraid? Of what?

Me.

It takes a lot more

than a little fox

to rattle me, my dear.

I will make a bed for you

upstairs, with me. Hmm?

Under the window.

Would you like that?

Yes.

There are men about

with designs to harm you.

But your home is here now.

I will keep you safe.

Monsieur Sel.

Do not abandon me now, Louise.

I will rise back up

to meet your expectations of me.

Would you like some water?

- I can fetch some.

- No, I have...

I have another need.

Um...

Before my vision yellows...

Oh.

Would you look away,

at the least?

Having difficulty
summoning it forth.

Pardon me.

Ah...

I am finished.

What will you do after?

A bath.

A proper meal and a cup of tea.

And then I shall uncover

the identity of my betrayer.

Bonjour, Mathilde.

What is this?
Have you something
to say to me?

You poor, poor Englishman.

What would your wife

Louise say?

I am a flawed man, Mathilde,

as are we all.

Now, say your piece.

Would you like some sausage?

The buttermilk was

sufficient, Mathilde.

What do you have to say?

I do not hold you responsible

for the murder of my husband.

Gus was his own man.

Although I am sure
there is a line to be drawn,

as you were his master.

But...

What would be the point

in drawing a line now?

How would that profit me?

The deed is done.

I am widowed.

What is your ask?

I am aware of your wish

to speak to the girl
they found out by the creek.

I have no such wish.

The Intendant De Fer

is on his way from Quebec City.

The events at the creek

will be of keen interest

to the Intendant.

You see, I know many things,

Mr. Cooke.

Well, that much is plain,

Mathilde.

So do not take me
for a fool.

You wish to find the girl

because she may have

seen something

you do not want reported.

I remain blissfully ignorant

of what you speak.

The yolk is hard.

It will stall in your throat.

Mr. Duquet will take the egg.

Why don"t you ask Mr. Cooke

what it is you want?

Does this creature

speak for you?

Yes, in this, he does.

Very well.
The girl has come to me.

She"s a poor and damaged thing.

I have taken her in.

And I wish to know that she can

come out safely into Wobik.

You suggest that

I would harm a child?

I do not suggest what is in

the heart of any man, Mr. Cooke.

Especially one such as yourself.

I believe the girl

was sent to me.

A small comfort from above

during my time of grieving.

Surely you know

of the black lake of grief.

I do.

I have swum
its icy depths once before.

I will not swim in it

a third time.

Give me your word

the girl will remain safe.

She saw nothing.

Of that I am certain.

Yes.

I give you my word.

Mr. Duquet is my witness.

No harm will come to her.

You are Mari.

The housekeeper.

He has told me of you.

Some creatures must go back

to the wild, it seems.

Monsieur Trepagny smashes them

with his stick at night,

and they know to stay away

from our bed.

He does have dominion over all.

As his wife, I will therefore

need you to serve my needs.

Help me see to the house

so that I may improve the estate

and have it well on the way

to prospering,

so that our children

may in turn enjoy

the bounty of this land.

- You will bear him no children.

- I am the lady of the house.

I steer the man.

In time, I will steer him

any way I want.

To renovate,

toss out old habits

back into the forest

where they belong.

There is my dear husband.

I was out searching

for Sel and I found something, Mari.

These seem to have

run away from my sanctum.

What do you know about this?

Nothing.

And Monsieur Sel?

He, too, has departed.

I go away for one day

and my Doma falls to disorder.

You saw nothing at all?

As the housekeeper,
you should be aware

of the comings and goings

on the estate.

A dog could do better.

Perhaps you can discover what

has happened to Monsieur Sel.

I will speak alone

with Melissande.

Go on.

I see now the arrangement

you wish to design for yourself.

I have made no such designs, ma chérie.

I wish to do only
beautiful things in this Doma,
and you will be
my partner in this.

And as my partner,

you will learn

to look past my many flaws,

and I will look past your...

shortcomings,
which I am sure are few.

Did you know that

I sailed across an ocean

and walked
into the endless forest

so that I could
find the correct man

to bestow my maidenhood on?

That is no small thing.

There are deeper bindings

towards which we must work.

The binding of the two

into a one...

There will be no more binding,

nor any more bedding

until you tell me the truth.

I gave it once.
I may never give it again.

Which truth is this?

There are so many

floating about.
Pluck one for me
and I will tell it.

Mari.

- Yes.
- You have lain with her?

What would you have me do?

You have given her a son?

Did she tell you that?

No one need tell me a thing.

I have eyes.
A brain.

They will know when you"ve gone

to visit her cabin

and when you have not.

We will have a proper

wedding ceremony.

I will wear a special dress.

There will be dancing.

Yes, of course.

We will have
a wonderful ceremony.

Now I am brimming with ideas

on how to improve the Doma.

You spoke true of its beauty,

but it must be tamed.

Not everything will lay down

for you, Melissande.
This is my Doma.

And as its master,

I must stride it with vigor

and authority.

You may stride any way you like

with as much vigor

as you may muster,

but you visit Mari"s cabin

at your own peril.

You understand
you will not have anotherfille?

I do.

Is this your wish, child?

Yes, it is.

I asked Delphine.

Yes.

We were unable
to make a worthy match.

Ah! Intendant De Fer.

Welcome to Wobik.

You"ll see that

all has been put to order

since the recent unrest.

We"re all aware of the troubles,

Captain Bouchard.

And my goal is to get

to the root of them,
and see they don"t boil over.

And that
the intendant"s seigneury

doesn"t fall to the English

or the bloody savages.

The unrest has been contained.

I was attacked
by a little savage.

What are you going on about,

Ratahsénthos?

The old Chief Three Trees story.

That"s a good one.

Savage bastard.

It was a good day for all of us

when he croaked off.

What do you want?

Heard about your troubles,

so I thought I"d...

travel over, have a look.

What"s this?

You got a live French, I see.

Please, help me.

It"s okay, lad.

Ratahsénthos... he"s...

he"s usually quick

with the killing part.

You from Wobik?

I am Monsieur Trepagny"s.

He will come for me.

Mad bastard.

He"ll send a songbird, maybe.

If you get out of here alive,

will you tell him

Gay Bill says, "Bonjour"?

You must help me.

I wish a choir of angels

sing you into the blackness.

The French down in Wobik

tied my brother
to the tree for days.

Your brother has been messing

with the wrong sort,

is what I hear.

And I ask you again:

why are you here?

Your father sent me

to look on you.

Tell my father

I"m sending a message

to the French.

Please! He is a man of God.

Have mercy on him.

I come here
to whisper to my God.

So, you worship a log?

How often have you knelt

before the Virgin Mary?

Too many times.

And what is the Virgin Mary

but a carved log

of a woman with paint?

- She is a symbol.
- Ah.

And so is this.

It is the riven soul.

The two halves forced apart

and then grown back together,

but the abyss...

remains.

Do you see?

I see a-a rotten...

log?

Yes, this is also true.

One must always see the other.

For me, this is a place

where a man

might find his guidance

and some silence.

I have seen and heard
many things in here.

Good.

Then...

I shall have
the rest of the house?

Yeah.
Of course.

Elisha Cooke, English.

Though married to a Frenchwoman.

I"m aware to Monsieur Cooke.

Monsieur De Fer.

Hey, you have no right

to address the intendant.

Monsieur De Fer, Mr. Cooke here

conscripted Iroquois

in the service
of his bloody massacre.

What say you, Monsieur Cooke?

It was rogue elements

in my employ,

if there is blame
to be meted out.

There is an Henri Marth.

He remains at large.

He has eluded capture, sir.

I know not what happened

by the creek,
but by the blood of the saints,
it is the captain here

who hung the bodies

of the Iroquois on display.

And those bodies

will be answered...

Shut it, English.

Is this true?

Oh, yes.

Monsieur Cooke tells the truth.

It was Captain Bouchard

who put the Iroquois on display.

And now, Your Eminence,

the Iroquois have abducted

one of our brothers from

our mission, Father Gabriel.

Father Gabriel
was indifferent to his vows.

We do not know if he fell

into the river or drowned

any more than I do

to blame phantom Iroquois.

There is one way to know.

A parley with the Iroquois.

And how do you propose

we do this, Father?

Claude Trepagny.

His seigneury borders

the Wyandot village.
He has the ear of the elders.

If there are Iroquois

in the area, they will know.

Better to entreat them

and avoid further bloodshed.

The Iroquois are too large

a force to confront with sabers.

- Go see Trepagny.
- This is not a wise strategy,

Your Eminence.

I saw what they did.

Those Iroquois were dead when

myself and my deputies arrived.

I thought better these corpses

serve as a warning to others.

You will entreat them

with Monsieur Trepagny,

Captain Bouchard.

As you wish.

We will not have Father Gabriel

be made a martyr.

Find Trepagny.

And if he refuse?

Remind him of a debt

he owes the intendant.

You can release Monsieur Cooke.

His debt has been paid, for now.

Thank you.
I remain a...

loyal servant to Wobik.

You"re loyal
to the coin and trade

my seigneury provides.

I have a half a mind to put you

on a boat down the river

so you can scrape and taint

your fellow Englishmen.

I made no plot.

I give you my word.

Your word is shit, Cooke.

Take your leave.

You"ll be accompanying me
on this fool mission, Father.

Ah...

- What is it?
- My new boots.

They"re giving me blisters.

I need a minute.

We"ll need to be
discreet in Wobik.

You must not mince around

with tender feet.

I will have answers

about Randall.

Cross is dead.
That is your answer, Hamish.
My sister will need proof.

- She is one for details.

- He died a hero.

That is what you tell her.

She will not let Randall go.

Not until she has a grave

where she can mourn at.

I regret this purchase.

They will wear in smart

and you will be thankful

when the snow comes to Wobik.

No, we will be gone before that.

You heard the captain.

We are to solicit Mr. Cooke

and advance
the company"s trade line.

He ordered us
to arm the Iroquois.

No good will come of that.

I have regained full possession

of my faculties.

I see, yes.

You have shown great courage in

the face of their bald attempts

- to strip your holdings.

- I am exposed.

Oh, no, the-the release

of your discharge
in the... in the square
was hardly observed by anyone,

least of all me.

I"m not talking about

my shit and piss, Charles.

I"m talking about my standing.

My name and what it means

within these walls.

The intendant may yet

strip me of my cooperage

and cast me out into the woods.

I will position myself

at the inn and gather

- Intendant De Fer"s intentions.

- You will not.

You will be still and you will

cease your preening.

I will captain the repair

of my own reputation.

We must do something
about your clothes.

Well, of course,
I-I will, I will neaten them.

There is no neatening
those rags. You need new ones.

The right jacket

can smarten a man up,

give him an edge in all things.

I would like an edge.

Is that all the beard

you can muster?

It is all that has

ever come from neglect.

Well, it is no beard at all.

My beard can sense

another man"s intentions.

It has barbules that poke out

into the minds of others.

It is a powerful beard, sir.

That is a sorry beard.

Projects nothing
but weakness and deception.

- Yes, sir.
- Now leave me,

that I may speak with my wife.

I pray that she will

look aside this day

and think of me
in a better light.

It can"t be that bad.

Show me.
Go on, child.

- It happened when I was 13.

- There is no need to continue.

I must tell it.

The ugly whole of it.

Please.

Go on, then.
When I was a child,

I caught the eye

of a woodcutter.

He lived in a shack
at the edge of the woods.

He was nice to me.

And one day he followed me

into the lavender.

He grabbed me.

He held me down.

He told me he loved me.

I kicked and I screamed.

I kept my virtue.

But he put his knife

to my stomach

and made his mark.

The same mark

that was on his logs.

And said that everyone

would know I was his.

Only, I don"t remember...

I don"t remember any more

except my heart in my throat

and my feet hitting the ground,

running as fast as I could.

And that"s why I came here.

To start over.
To mother this new land.

Be forgiven.

To find a man
who would understand,

love me

and be my husband.

Pierre Gasquet is not that man.

He will tell the town,

and it will be the same for me

as it were in France.

He will not.

I will speak to him.

In the meantime,

you must find your place,

Delphine.

Here?

The vows are not for you, dear.

Good, simple work will find you.

Mari.

Mari.

I have searched,
and there is no sign of Rene Sel.

Now you may search yourself,

but I am done being tasked.

He is not the kind of man

to vacate his indenture.
Perhaps I took
his measure wrong.

You took my measure wrong

as well.

It is better we talk
about this now

and lance the wicked boil

of jealousy

and come to an arrangement

that is suitable for us all.

There will be no arrangement.

In time, there must be.

You have brought your child

bride to our Doma.

I"m leaving this place.

You"re leaving to where?

- Wobik, the Wyandot. I don"t know.

- And do what?

Before you came here,

you were welcome nowhere.

Do not take one step

outside my Doma

unless you wish to feel

the gloom of your former path.

Before I took you in and put

clothes on your back

and shared my Doma with you

and lent you the seed

that bore my son.

You are here in this place

because of me.

Never forget that.

He is our son.

Yes, and the only one it seems

you are able to bring

into this world for me.

And Theo favors your wild heart

and will slink back into the

woods the first chance he gets.

Your child bride will bear you

no children, either.

Bonjour, Monsieur Trepagny.

Captain.

If you have come to lay

some peace on my Doma,

you have indeed arrived

at the crucial moment.

All is in disarray.

It"s not that, I can assure you.

We need your help,

Monsieur Trepagny.

The Iroquois have

taken Father Gabriel.

And how is that my problem?

Yes. Yes, I saw

the tree of dead Indians.

I knew the bill would

come due for Wobik.
It"s the only way
to deal with the savages.

Then why do you need me?

Go forth and slaughter

and hide behind your walls,

but do not enjoin me

in your fool"s mission.

I don"t care
what happens to Wobik.

And what of Father Gabriel?

Another martyr.

The cost of collecting souls,

I suppose.

I will pray for him, Father.

I have problems of my own.

There is the matter

of a proper ceremony

for my beautiful new bride

Melissande.

And my man Rene Sel

has, uh, run off

when I was in town

securing my new bride.

Perhaps you overtasked him.

- Hmm.
- This Doma seems to eat men.

He is not the sort of man

to shy from work.

Intendant De Fer himself

has asked that you
- parley with the Wyandot
- Oh,

- to discover the whereabouts of the Iroquois.

- No, no, no, no, no, no

no!

He asked to convey the matter

of a debt owed to him.

The debt of your Doma.

Ah, yes, the debt.

That toad skull

has a... a talent

for twisting all into debt.

Will you help us or not?

I will take you

to the Wyandot camp

with no promises,

and that will be

the end of my duty.

Thank you.

All right.
We will make haste.

I must return
to manage my affairs

into some semblance of order.

Will we be safe

in your absence?

Yes, of course, ma chérie.

If the Iroquois come,
how will we defend ourselves?

I will leave one of my deputies

to watch over you, Mademoiselle.

I will fetch my weapon

and we will be off.

If you kill that priest,

you"ll stir up the French.

They"ll muster soldiers,

send them against your father.

He"ll be caught out.

I am not my father.

I just want you

to know the tinder

before you set a spark to it.

I have never harmed your people.

I could never.

You"re not even my own man.

Please.
The priest is a servant.

He"s a servant of God.

And that doesn"t matter to you.

Then you don"t matter to me.

We have to follow orders,

Hamish.

You asked me to go to Wobik

to help find your

brother-in-law.

Both of us swore
to the Hudson Bay Company.

I did that because

I owe you one life.

I do not see it that way.

You saved my life, Hamish.

That debt is now squared.

Now we have orders

from our employer.

The company is careful.

Plainly dressed
and quietly spoken.

That is its strength.

It does not act

on brutality alone.

Seems we work for

different companies.

I will not work

with that man Cooke.

You will do as the company

commands, as will I.

I will not be made unclean

in my dealings with Cooke.

It "s Lafarge" s boy.

We should take him

back to town.

How will that look

to the French?
The same man who told a story
about the boy"s father

being run through

by a burnt giant?

Mm. Then let us

find a suitable tree

and put him to rest under it.

You"ve done wonderfully

with Renardette.

The inn is her home now.

Isn"t that right, Renardette?

So, what of Miss Langois"

marriage

to Pierre Gasquet?

It did not
work out as we imagined.

I see.

I was hoping that there might

be a place for her

here at the inn.

It is true...

I am shorthanded
since the loss of Francis.

Delphine will earn her keep.

Delphine, come here, child.

There is a surplus
of stray men in Wobik.

I"m sure there will soon be a

long line of suitors at the inn.
It will be good for business.

Delphine, do you want

to work for me?

Yes.

I would be grateful
for the opportunity.

Good.

We will begin immediately.

There is a goose to be plucked

and bread to be made.

Come, I show you.

It will do for now.

I"ve not had such a jacket,

ever.

You must wear it as though

you have owned

many such fine things.

Straighten your back so that

you may look men in the eye

until they give way.

You must summon your voice forth

from your balls,

every word sure-footed.

Let them think every handshake

is a sacred pact.

That you are a man

shot through with fairness.
To the core, a square dealer.

I will try.

You will prosper

with little more than

words and a handshake.

I"m not fit

for the grind of labor.

No.
No, that is the province

of a lower order of man.

The sort this town

welcomes in abundance.

That is where you and I

have an unfair advantage.

We are hawks

in a pen of rabbits.

Do not forget that.

I won"t.

I will be sure to repay you

for the jacket.

The only outlay that you owe me

is loyalty.

That as I draw you

into my confidence,

you will not question

what is asked of you.

Yes, sir.

Good.
Then find me Randall Cross
if he is to be found.

He has something of mine.

He worked
for the Hudson"s Bay Company.

That"s right.

Now I am off
to show Intendant De Fer

that I remain
mercilessly in thrall

to the rabbits of Wobik.

Lord, watch over this young man.

Forgive him for his trespasses

and receive him

into your good grace.

Young man, you were

an inconvenience in life, and...

you"ve wasted our time

yet again today.

We will keep no fire for you.

But let the light

of your ancestors

guide you back home to them.

Walk strong and walk well

upon the road

to those that await

your return back to spirit.

Are we done with the words?

On this, yes.

I believe my brother-in-law
yet lives.

I cannot simply
put that aside, Yvon.

But you must.

Whether Cross is dead or alive,

it doesn"t matter anymore.

You work for the company.

Not if that means consorting

with the likes of Cooke.

I will tell you

there are far worse men

that we shall meet

in the company"s employ.

My dear friend.

Your man isn"t here, Trepagny.

He"s with the Iroquois.

Likely dead.
The fat priest, too.

Are you certain?

He had no business with the

Iroquois, nor they with him.

I was always a friend to you.

That has been the way of things.

Can you help us

retrieve our men?

I don"t make that decision.

Then take me to her.

Pray my touch with women

has not permanently deserted me.

No.

The priest and your man

are likely dead.

All I ask is for an escort

to show us where they are.

An escort, for dead men?

My great fear

is they are still alive.

And I should risk my warriors?

The Iroquois
will do as they please.

And there is no benefit here

for them. Nor for us.

I have always kept my promise.

For years.

You shield me from them,

I shield you from Wobik.

The trade has been good for you.

The Iroquois will not stop

at a priest
and an indentured man.

I humbly ask your assistance

to recover innocent men

from the roil
of barbarous torture

or, if they have passed,

that I might put them

into a proper grave.

You would do the same.

Delphine.

C"est bon.

Oh.
The brandy is excellent.

Ah.

- It"s cognac.
- Mmm.

From Charente.
For our most esteemed guests.

Oh.

Hudson"s Bay men.

And what do they swill?

They drink what I give them.

Though, to their credit,

they did save Renardette

from the savages.

Mm.
The Crown tolerates Englishmen

who know their place.

Oh. I am expert
at keeping men in their place.
Do not test me, Intendant.

Mmm.

Bonsoir, Intendant.

May I sit with you a while,

that I may bend your ear?

Very well.

Do not think we are equals,

Monsieur Cooke.

Of course not.
I merely wish to point out

a number
of our common interests.

No man is above punishment.

- Well, that is true.

- We could also have you let

outside the walls

to trade with the savages.

If you did, Wobik

would be the poorer for it.

- That is plain truth.

- What is also true

is that you are

a blackhearted merchant.

My barrels...

and the trade they create

built Wobik.

Have you not prospered at all?

But of course.
I have.

And so may you.

Let"s eat.

While I contemplate your use.

He was a little one, as they go.

Jumped on my back, cut me up.

He was gone before I had time

to gather my wits.

It was a dirty ambush.

- But I see the world more clearly now.

- Ah.

You can run your mouth

in here all you like,

but you will still your hands.

Renardette, more cups.

Bonsoir.

Mr. Goames.

What were the results

of your meeting?

We"ll be staying on
a bit longer.

The prune tart has a hold of him.

Flatter on, Mr. Goames.

It"s true.

I am partial to it, Mathilde.

Monsieur?
Can I offer you a pour?
Or perhaps the plate

of the evening: the hen?

Monsieur.

Mr. Cross.