Original subtitles

Art, I need you to listen to me.

You need to get dressed. We have a plane to catch.

What did I do?

It's grandpa. Grandpa Limburg. He's had an accident.

The operation was successful, but his lung is damaged.

It's not clear how long he will need to recover. We'll have to wait and see.

Mr Rombauts, we have a serious production problem.

In six weeks we have to deliver two billion pills.

Call Chan, ask him is we can use his factory.

- Chan Pan? - And no one can know about this, okay?

Okay, twelve million, then you have a deal.

And you deliver all the raw materials and the packaging.

Hey, Daddy.

He was awake for a short while. - Did he say anything?

He asked me to lead the company. - That means he's still very confused.

Hello, Mr Rombauts. I'm Ming.

I'm your daughter and I would really like to meet you.

What were you watching?

Nothing. Just some job application videos for our China office.

What's your name? - Art.

I'm Lola. You're actually quite handsome, did you know that?

Someone has to go on News Night. - I was willing to do it.

Belle is going.

Rombauts Pharma is willing to contribute 20 million to a new fund.

I would like to know in which capacity Ms Rombauts is making this promise.

I'm the new CEO of Rombauts Pharma.

Fucking hell.

The Netherlands

2 The Ocean Quahog

Are you okay?

Maybe I should see the gynaecologist again.

What do you think?

I just want to know what's causing this, see if everything's alright.

Do you feel good about going to school?

Well, at least give it a chance, okay?

I have to go now, and so do you, I think.

Like that?

Oh, shit. Damn. Shit, shit, shit.

Take it easy. The doctor said your heart rate should stay below 90.

I will be out for an hour. Don't do anything crazy.

Hey, Ludo. Don't do anything crazy, okay?

Call me if anything's the matter.

Sjors is in the garden, Agnès is upstairs cleaning, and Lucia and Frida are in as well.

Alright?

We have three levels here. At level 1 are the offices for administrative staff...

level 2 houses upper management and level 3 is for researchers and data analysts.

The most sensitive information is only accessible on our fully isolated intranet.

It's heavily protected. Ah, there's Bob.

There you are. - Thank you.

Oh no. Sorry, I will have to do this again. A stain.

No one will see it. - Shall we proceed?

Over there is Legal Affairs, one of our largest departments. HR is here.

Oh, they're still in session. That's nice. Now I can introduce you to everyone.

Could we have one minute? - ...which has been successful.

Please remain seated. I'm intruding here.

Koos de Wit, Legal Affairs.

All important departments are here: Production, Legal Affairs, Marketing, PR.

Ed is Head of Production, Petra is Head of PR.

Yes, we've met already. - John from Finance and Els from Marketing.

I hope I will be able to remember everyone's name.

Enough with the chit-chat. Can we continue?

Yes, of course. I'm sorry. Let me not keep you from your work.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to working with all of you.

China - Shenzhen

Mr Julien... maybe there is a little problem.

What do you mean?

The new batches of Chan Pan's factory just came in.

And we are testing them right now.

- Yes? What's wrong with them? - Well, we have to double check, but...

What's wrong? Is it serious? Yes or no? Yes or no?

There seems to be a contamination.

I'll call you back.

Hi.

Look at that. You still have it.

Sorry, I don't have time for you right now.

Jule, this is a new situation for both of us, but at least give me a chance.

Sorry. I've tried my best to postpone it, as Ludo wants to do it once he's recovered...

but the minister doesn't want to wait. She's hiding behind legal deadlines...

and wants to conclude the negotiations today.

Of course. That way they will be negotiating with a novice on the matter.

Okay, in that case you should do it. That would be so much better.

Unlike me, you know all the ins and outs already.

But that's not possible. - Why's that?

I have to go to China. We have problems there too.

Are you sure you don't want to prioritise this?

Okay.

Are you ready to do it?

No, but we'll just do it anyway, right?

Marie, poor thing.

So much can be done these days. Maybe you should see the gynaecologist again.

Money is not an issue, even if you'll have to go to the other side of the world.

I know that. I appreciate it. - What does Julien think about all this?

I've stopped bringing it up myself altogether.

He's got a lot on his mind. China, Ludo's accident...

He's off to China again. - Again?

Must be something important.

A bit shorter in the back please. Just trim it a little.

Got it. I'll keep you posted.

Listen. We'll be talking to a group of departmental advisors led by the minister.

If we end up with an acceptable result by starting out with a very high offer price...

the minister can claim she saved millions by being a tough negotiator...

while we get exactly what we wanted.

But I just heard from an informer that she's probably talking to other parties too.

That might be a problem. She will try to play us off against each other.

We'll finalise the mandatory insurance package first...

and only when that's done we'll discuss the Xalparecine thing, okay?

No worries, Dries. No worries.

If I would tell my mum I was feeling like shit, she is sure to follow me around all day...

thinking I'd jump in front of a train. - But there's no need for that, right?

No. That's why I prefer to leave her in the dark.

What would happen if you did tell her when you're feeling like shit?

She would discover she gave birth to a monster.

Seriously?

Based on our previous rounds of talks, my advisors have detailed...

everything we agreed upon for the mandatory package. Let's look at that first...

starting with the generic medicines. Can you give me an okay for...

I have a different proposal. Let's lay our cards on the table.

The one stumbling block is Xalparecine, for which you agreed on a price with my father.

I haven't agreed on anything. - 190,000 Euro.

That must be a tough part of your job, always being portrayed as money grabbers.

How do you deal with that?

I think the pandemic has made most people clearly aware...

of the importance of our industry for society.

But how do you do it, Isabelle? How can you as a human being, a woman, a mother...

remain so insensitive to the suffering and the vulnerable lives behind that cold figure?

Let me be clear, Minister...

behind all the medicines on this list there's an incredible amount of suffering.

This business is all about saving lives.

Good medicines can only be made by a company with a healthy bottom line...

so 190,000 Euro, that's the deal. - Out of the question.

Alright, fine. Then we will start from scratch again...

with new negotiations for every individual medicine.

You can't be serious.

The agreements we've reached are the result of weeks, if not months, of work.

Exactly, and you don't have that much time. But we do.

So 190K, or it's back to the drawing board.

One more thing:

We can guarantee you a punctual supply.

Which is something you can't count on with the foreign companies you are talking to.

Ludo? I'm home.

Gee...

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, have a look at this. And another one.

Isabelle's cancer fund is a resounding success.

please cure my mama

Ludo?

Ludo?

Have you seen Ludo, Mariel? No?

Ludo?

My back is against the wall here. You will get your deal.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. - Dad? What are you doing here?

Mr Rombauts, what a surprise. I was just about to sign the deal.

Really? But we don't have a deal.

I will tell you why.

Our family business, through the hard work of three generations...

has developed into a reliable and innovative company.

I won't let the good reputation of our wonderful company be harmed...

by some ignorant minister who's only in charge for four years, at the very most...

Dad.

It's you who need us, not the other way around.

Mr Rombauts, I sincerely regret that information has leaked to the media. We...

No, you don't regret that at all.

You just regret that you have angered me.

300K per patient per year, or there is nothing to be signed.

Please let us know whether you accept my father's proposal.

Don't ever pull something like this again.

I will show you something...

to make you understand why I'm doing what I'm doing.

Please, just let it play. You performed it so well. I listen to it almost every day.

How's Daddy doing? - As stubborn as it gets.

He's gone back to work. - Back to work?

He didn't want to leave those important negotiations in The Hague to your sister...

which I understand.

Sweetheart, would you be willing to give another beautiful recital just this once?

For the ladies of the parish? Nothing fancy, just a small gathering?

What's this? - That's exactly what I mean.

Dozens of letters from terminal people hoping for money from Isabelle's new fund.

It's not a solution, it only creates a bigger problem. And who gets to determine it?

How can we as mere mortals stand at the gates of Heaven?

Can you give me your phone?

I want to check on your music, so I'll know who you are.

'Daddy'?

My father's playlist. - That's so sweet.

Can you pick a song?

Do you want to date me?

Do you want to date me?

No, you fool. Come, I want to show you something.

Yeah? - Hey. How's things?

Okay. - Are you still at school?

Yes. - And?

Okay. - Art, are you really at school?

Yes, mum. Class starts, I have to go.

If you hadn't called him, you wouldn't be worried now.

A short nap.

Where are we going?

- Come. - Isn't this like illegal?

Whatever. Come on. I want to show you the caves.

It was a stroke of pure luck. Look, this is the ocean quahog.

Yes, and? - This is absolutely brilliant.

Look here. This is Methuselah, what's in a name?

This rat is now 5 years and 138 days old.

Is that old? - It's nothing short of a miracle.

It's almost three times the maximum age of a regular rat, all because of this tiny clam.

We are on to something huge, my Belle.

Weren't you doing Alzheimer's research? - That's right.

But the side effect is that these test rats can grow three times as old...

which means humans probably can too.

How? - Lipid peroxidation.

Also known as oxidative stress.

I saw you at the hospital. - Yes, I'm taking part in the trial myself.

Lipid peroxidation is largely absent...

That's right, Kim. The ocean quahog, for non-scientists.

This one is over 400 years of age, and they can get much older still, right, Kim?

Can you believe it, Belle? A tiny clam like this?

This one has heard Mozart play. Theoretically, at least.

So you're part of the trial? - Yes.

Dad, do you have Alzheimer's? - No, of course not, but it works.

Our medicine slows the aging process. I'm going to be the oldest human ever.

We will win the Nobel Prize, my Belle. Mark my words.

I bought her away from Oxford University. She knows all about those clams.

She is so brilliant.

So this is it? - Yes, this is it.

This is the likely cure for Alzheimer's and it will slow deterioration and aging.

This is it.

Unbelievable. - Yes.

Daddy, that's totally amazing. - It is.

Lola?

Lola?

Got you, Kunst.

Did you know that these are actually billions of tiny...

marine organisms, like corals and sea urchins?

Because they absorb dissolved substances from the water and they develop lime

skeleton and when they die they sink to the bottom and turn into limestone,

it's really cool.

It's like a graveyard of old fish.

Lola?

Hey, easy.

Look at me. Calm down. Just breathe in. Breathe in. Look at me. Do as I do.

Very good. Calm down. I'm here.

Are you okay? - Yes.

Follow me, okay?

Huh? I can only make it lean forward. - You're not moving.

I'm almost there. - I can't see you.

Oh, there you are. You... - What now? I don't get it.

Try right-clicking.

Lola.

I see you, yeah, I see you.

You can't move, that's why. You're...

Oh, I see, you got stuck. Wait.

Try right... right-clicking.

Try that.

I can't help you.

dear Isabelle, my sister is very ill, can you cure her?

Because you're not doing anything.

You're stuck. I can't see it.

Sir, all the pills are contaminated.

The health risk is negligible,

but in an official check these pills would be rejected and then there would

be serious consequences.

We would definitely be boycotted by the government.

Come.

- The pills you made are contaminated. - I don't know what you're talking about.

I have to deliver today.

And just one wrong pill can cost me millions.

Now you better pray this load won't be checked,

or I will completely destroy you.

Hello, Mr Rombauts. I'm Ming.

This is my house.

I live in Shenzhen and this is my mother.

Don't do this, Ming. You will only be disappointed. He will not want to see you.

Why not? He needs to know about it, don't you think?

I'm your daughter and I would really like to meet you.

I hope you want to meet me too.

Hi...

my name is Quinten, I'm an addict, how about You?

I... I'm Jesus.

So good of you to come.

Shall I share first? So yeah...

My mother doesn't believe in failure...

so to her, I'm the most talented concert pianist of the Western Hemisphere.

Whereas my father doesn't believe in personal problems...

so to him, addiction isn't an illness, but a side effect.

So yeah, I'm living my life stuck between those two lies. And You?

Quinten, I've been clean for 2000 years.

I'm sorry...

Am I late? I'm here for the NA meeting.

Am I the only one?

It's not very busy today. - Yeah.

I'm...

It's probably just me, but doesn't it look like he's holding a joint?

Yeah.

Belgium still in shock over school shooter

Oh no.

I'm a stoner first and foremost.

I used to be able to convince myself that I smoked pot for medicinal reasons...

but of course that was bullshit.

So why did you start using?

I couldn't deal with the stress any longer.

Stress?

I'm a concert pia... Or rather, I was a concert pianist.

So you had stage fright?

Yes, maybe.

Shall we wrap it up? - Sure.

Make sure the flower arrangements are positioned in the middle of the table.

I want it to look perfect every year. That's very important.

Push the ivy back between the flowers, okay?

Get out of the way, Isabelle.

Anything I can do? - No.

How is Archibald doing in school? - I can't really get through to him.

But that's a puberty thing. - It depends on the way you ask him.

You thought that fund of yours would make you come across as human, didn't you?

Yeah, there has been quite a response. - I understand that this is all still new to you...

but in this business we're dealing with people going through a rough patch...

and we can't keep establishing funds for all of them.

Do you even realise what millstone you put around our necks?

Giving unwarranted hope to people can be crueller than the actual disease.

You do get that, do you?

Please fold the napkins properly, people.

China - Shenzhen

They are like the largest national hospital chain here in China, right?

They are the largest.

Really?

And you managed to make this deal with them?

That's incredible, everyone wants them as a customer.

Respect, man.

China is a difficult market, especially for westerners.

Well of course it helps that we have a lot of experience already.

By the way, I'm Jerry, Jerry Kwan.

Julien Rombauts. Jerry? Doesn't sound Chinese.

It's Jerry like in the movie. 'Show me the money',

remember? 'Show me the money.'

Oh, Jerry Maguire.

I love that movie. I'm an investor, you see. 'I can show you money'.

- We're a privately owned business. - Every business needs money.

I came to tell you you cannot treat me the way you did. You were very rude.

You know I'm not stupid.

I've done my own research:

it was your own raw materials that were contaminated.

Look, I don't know what you're talking about, but I want you to leave, okay?

Now.

Don't touch me.

You accused me of contamination.

You accused me in my own office.

Okay, just walk with me.

I don't let anyone threaten me. Certainly not you.

Is there a problem?

Yes.

Could you escort this man to the exit please?

He's drunk and he's harassing me.

You need me. You can't do this without me. You need me.

- You need me. - You okay?

Yeah, it's nothing. Just a guy I had to fire, nothing serious.

Do you know a nice place where I could meet someone?

Would you like to drink something, sir? - No, thank you.

Is it really not weird for me to be here?

No, my mother invited you. She is like the boss now.

Oh, there you are. Lola, you look gorgeous.

Thank you. - Hey, Art.

Welcome.

Hello, sweetie.

If you two would rescue Uncle Quinten from his loneliness?

Hi Lola, I'm Quinten. So nice to have you here with us.

Wait a sec, does Art have a girlfriend? - Yes.

So cute. - I've never seen him stare like that.

She is very good-looking.

Mr Rombauts, we need to talk. Please come with us.

- What's this about? - Please come.

- What do they want? - What's going on?

I'd stay out of it if I were you. Come with us.

No, no, let me go. Please, no. No, no. Jesus. Let me go. Please.

Thank you.

Please sit down.

Thank you for applauding so long and hard, giving me the chance to catch my breath.

Oh, you dear people...

I don't have the right words to tell you how incredibly happy I am...

that I'm able to stand here and talk to you today.

That much will do.

This dinner party is a treasured company tradition...

and it's also traditionally the occasion for me to deliver my State of the Union.

This year I really only have good news to share with you...

but, as with everything we produce, I would like to point out...

some minor side effects.

The first good tiding is from China. Our new factory has just opened...

which means we're the first company...

to produce medicines for the Chinese market in China itself.

That's great news for all of us, except for one person...

my dearest daughter-in-law Marie...

because it means that, once again, she's without her husband Julien.

Mes excuses, Marie chérie.

My second good tiding concerns all of you.

I know how anxious all of you have been feeling about this.

We just closed a deal in The Hague.

This means that today I can show you... Soraya? ...this display.

Yes, people, a sizeable bonus.

Whoa, 15 percent. Business is booming.

You all totally deserve this.

It's because of your efforts that Rombauts Pharma has conquered the world.

Lola?

- Hey... - I'm surrounded by talented people.

Are you okay?

I've finally been able to convince her to come back to the Netherlands...

to our beautiful province of Limburg.

Dear Isabelle, it's here where you belong, in our wonderful family business.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you...

the new CEO of Rombauts Pharmaceuticals...

my daughter Isabelle Rombauts.

Yes, thank you very much. I'm very proud to be standing here today...

having been given the confidence by you and my father.

This confidence comes with a great sense of responsibility...

to make sure this wonderful company will make the world a healthier place.

And...

Yes.

Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance yet to get to know all of you personally...

so let's start doing that today.

Cheers. - Lola.

Art is extremely worried. Will you call us as soon as she gets home? Okay, bye.

Wait, sweetie. That was Maroesja, her mother.

She expects her to come home later. This is not unusual for her.

Let's not worry too much.

I'm... I'm going to look for her.

Art...

Art, Art.

next time:

Art is not okay. - What happened?

I don't know, but he's very upset. I have to go see him.

You did great, my Belle. Really.

Art?