Original subtitles

We are on to something huge, my Belle.

Our medicine will slow down ageing. I'll be the oldest person ever.

What's your name? - Art.

I'm Lola.

A world ticket. I can fly all over the world, mum.

I want to go where you and dad met. India.

Take care, will you? - Yes.

Will you contact me every day, please? - Yes.

You want the company to go public? - Elixir is still a promise, let's cash in on it.

We are the chosen ones, and the last thing we're going to do is cash in.

Rombauts Pharma has made huge profits worldwide for years...

from its antidepressant Aspergon.

But more and more reports show that it's not as safe as it seems.

My own son takes this medicine. My son takes Aspergon.

Rombauts Pharma recently started a new study to renew the patent on Aspergon.

The study was stopped. - I don't understand.

You have to wonder why they aren't trying to extend the patent.

You'll be put in charge of the research development of our office in Bucharest.

Look, here are the keys to your new apartment.

There's someone who works for you. Or worked.

But right before the trial, he broke off contact.

That researcher you spoke with, is it Thomas Clopot?

If you want to speak to him, he's in Romania. I'm flying in two hours.

Ireland

6 Fountain of Youth

Romania Bucharest

Come, sunshine. Get up.

Oh, Ludo.

That's right, I get this more and more often.

As long as you don't think I will... - Come here.

It's fine. We're not 18 anymore. - I do feel 18, it's still possible.

Stop it. There's an expiration date for everything.

We closed that book, and now suddenly...

We don't need to close anything, neither do you.

I want to grow old with you, with these side effects. Wouldn't that be fantastic?

Without the ailments ordinary mortals suffer from.

You said it yourself: mortal.

It can't be God's intention for us to grow this old. This is just unnatural.

But don't you see what a unique chance this is...

for us to enjoy what we've built for much longer. Don't you see that?

We've never been this close, and I can feel it.

And I can see it. Come, take a cold shower and get dressed.

Come. Good girl.

Hey, are you being spoiled?

So, Ming. Now that you're staying, I would like to teach you Dutch.

Really?

And if you'd like to, you could help me in the salon.

You learn Dutch quickly and you get to know everything about everyone.

You'd like that.

Look, isn't that delicious? Your first Limburg vlaai.

Marga, one year already. Congratulations.

Thank you, thank you. Thank you so much.

Here you go, well done.

Sorry.

And of course Patrick. Six months, congratulations.

Well done. - Thank you.

Could you take over, please?

Okay, hang on.

You'll get the rest this afternoon. Or tomorrow.

Next time, it'll be your kneecap, okay?

18 months for Peter. But he's not here, so we'll keep it for him.

Yes, and now our last one, and the longest.

Clean for seven years. This one's for you.

Thank you. - Congratulations.

Thank you.

Shall we just forget this? Pretend it never happened?

I'll see you downstairs later.

Every day, 150,000 people die.

100,000 of those die of old age. Just think what a growth market that is.

What are we doing here? I don't have so much time.

I want you to see what we're working on, what our legacy to the world will be.

You're right.

I haven't included you enough in what we've been doing recently, I'm sorry.

It's alright.

I was just worried, about you, about us. But everything's okay again.

Hey, Raymond. How are things? - Fine.

And, how's the progress? - The contractor says it's going well.

Hey, this is Raymond, and he knows everything about clams.

He's our saviour. He'll be farming the ocean quahog for us. Crucial, right?

Hello, Ms Rombauts.

It's all going to happen here.

This is where the clam harvest from Zeeland will be kept, the fountain of youth.

Hello? No, please tell me that's not true.

And what's the reason?

Alright, I'll call you back later. I'll try to contact Els. Thanks, goodbye.

Ludo, the pianist has cancelled.

The Hungarian boy, and the concert is tomorrow.

That's unfortunate. - Yes.

Can't Quinten do it?

Do you mind if I take care of this first? It's pretty urgent, sorry.

Yes, Els, did you hear the news?

How deep are these? - About five metres.

Quint, there's money missing, from my wallet.

Really? How much?

I just withdrew the money, and now it's gone. It's stolen.

Lesson one, Jannes. At NA meetings, never leave your wallet on a coat rack.

It wasn't on a coat rack. It was where it always is, in your house.

India - Varanasi

Thanks. Thank you. I don't... Sorry, yes, here. There you go.

Stop, not with the guests. Otherwise no soup.

Put that in your pocket, unless you intend to give it all away.

- Where are you from? - The station.

Right... Follow me.

Don't worry, it can be quite a culture shock.

Anika, Anika.

But you'll get used to it.

I'm Kate, by the way.

Art.

I...

I kind of promised my mum that I would make photos on vacation.

So would you mind if I take a picture?

It's for my mum.

- It's for your mum? - Yeah.

Okay, fine.

Okay, cool. Thanks.

The first one is for free.

Romania Bucharest

It's Art, my son. He's in India.

And mum is watching live. What a time we live in.

I hope Clopot will want to talk to us. - Yes, I hope so too.

No. No, no.

I don't want to talk to you.

Now please leave me alone.

I still have a lot of work to do.

Thomas. It's okay. She wants to know what happened. Just like me.

Why did Rombauts Pharma terminate this trial?

- You should know, you're the boss. - It happened before I was appointed.

And I want to know first-hand from the person that was in charge of the trial.

Look, I want to know everything, from the start.

What was the procedure?

How was the research set up?

I need a drink first.

- Mr Kwan. - Julien.

How are you?

I know you're not a man for small talk. Tell me: Why am I here?

- I want out and you want in. - You want 'out'?

Well, not completely.

Why now, why me?

Personal reasons. You could call it early retirement.

I want to cash out now. 50% of my shares.

But why me?

Because you know the market... and because I know who you are.

We are, as we say in Holland, cut from the same wood.

And I figured: if we share responsibilities,

the chances of you screwing me ever again are slim.

You thought I didn't know it was you?

Oh, and I'd like my watch back. It was a gift from my wife.

It's a very successful product, Aspergon.

It brings in the millions profit every year.

So of course Rombauts Pharma wanted to renew the patent.

So they decided to turn the pill into a spray.

Same active ingredient in a new guise.

You know how they first test these medicines, right?

Look. Don't worry, they don't die.

That's horrible.

This is how it always starts.

The longer they kick, the more they want to live.

Swimming equals happiness.

Quitting swimming means depressed.

Seriously? That's how they measure the degree of depression in mice?

Yes, but they only performed this test for four weeks.

Every day?

Yes. They gave them Aspergon for four weeks.

All mice were fine.

But I wanted to know what this drug did in the long run.

So I didn't stop after four weeks, I continued.

I let them swim until they gave up, every day for ten weeks.

And?

Some mice went nuts. Just a few of them, but... they were really scary.

What do you mean, scary?

Aggression. Cannibalism.

Yeah, they ate each other.

They injured themselves.

They attacked one another.

Okay, that's enough. I get the picture. And then what happened?

I notified the management, but they were not amused.

They wanted me to speed up and just test the spray on human patients.

So that's what I did.

But of course I also revisited the raw data from the old trial.

And hidden in those data I saw the same thing.

Most patients using Aspergon initially experience significant improvement.

But after a while a very small percentage starts to have nasty adverse

reactions.

Delusions. Aggression. Suicide.

They accused me for being sloppy, bla, bla, bla. Rubbish.

They stopped the whole trial.

My son takes Aspergon. So if this is true, he needs to stop immediately.

No, definitely not. Never stop immediately. It's very dangerous.

It's my mum.

Art? - Yes, Mum?

- Hey, sweetheart, is everything okay? - Not now, I'm meditating.

- Okay, but are you okay? - Yeah, I'm fine.

Are you sure? Are you okay?

Mum, I'm fine. I'll speak to you later. Anika, Anika. Bye.

- We need to get you off the grid. - What do you mean?

You need to connect to the real world.

Not to this virtual electronic matrix.

Be in the moment.

Calm down. Breathe. Close your eyes.

Why make an alcoholic the lead researcher?

Churchill was an alcoholic. Jean-Claude Juncker, Van Gogh.

It doesn't always reflect someone's abilities.

I sent him a message about the research data.

He was drunk, at work. They should have fired him ages ago.

But they did, didn't they?

We've been selling Aspergon worldwide for years. How can it not be safe?

But Rombauts wouldn't be the first to market a harmful drug for years.

So you think our company would knowingly sell a product...

that causes suicidal tendencies?

And if only half of it is true?

Do you know what 'Anika, Anika' means?

It's a yoga term, Sanskrit. It means change.

Or, actually, the acceptance that nothing stays the same.

That everything permanently flows and renews.

You didn't see that one coming, did you?

Quinten.

Quinten.

Hello, my boy. You smell nice.

You want a mint? - No, thanks.

Quinten, I have a huge problem. Ferenc Orosz has cancelled.

He won the Queen Elisabeth Competition two years ago.

And now I have a problem, because the concert is tomorrow.

And I thought: you played so well last time, so maybe you'd like to do it?

It doesn't have to be complicated, just a bit of Chopin, or Schubert, maybe?

You'd be helping me a lot.

I don't have my glasses. What's it say? - Seven years.

Wow, that's great, son. Congratulations.

Mum, I've been under guardianship for seven years now.

I'm much too old to live on 350 euros of pocket money a month.

But everything else is being paid for you, right?

You know why we agreed on that. You were snorting it all away.

Mum, seven years.

Fair enough, I'll discuss it with your father. But then you'll do the concert, okay?

Yes. But I do need an advance of 4,000 euros now.

Yes, Mum. For a piano, a piano tuner, new shoes, a new suit.

If I'm doing it, I do it properly. - That's true.

You're making me very happy.

I said the first one was for free.

And I don't want to be online.

Not even as a picture for your mummy.

So now you have to pay.

Slow down.

Come.

I'm getting all these messages from Clopot, but this one is really weird.

Can you read this?

What is this? - No idea.

This is totally illegible.

He was probably wasted again. But we'll see him in a bit, right?

No, he doesn't want contact anymore.

See, that's what I mean. You can't trust that drunkard.

I can make out names and numbers.

It looks like a list of addresses.

- Go away. Please leave. - I'm sorry, I don't know what happened.

What is wrong with you?

On the inside it can be pretty hectic and it's hard for me to concentrate and

you know,

there are a lot of impressions here.

And that thing that happened, did you experience that before?

No. I don't know.

What are these pills? Do you really need them?

You need to learn to live in the present moment.

In the real world that surrounds you.

The trees, the animals.

You live in a fake world online.

That's why you use pills to process those stimulae.

No wonder you can't focus,

no wonder you flip out when someone tries to make love to you.

Yeah, that's what I mean.

The waterfront is just there

and you listen to the sound of the waves in your headphones.

Hey.

Hey, come here.

A present.

What did you say? Hey, where are you going? Hey, what are you...

That's not funny.

I can make out a few names and numbers.

Here... Simon Anderson.

A UK number.

Hello?

Who am I talking to?

I'm a lawyer and I'm looking for Simon Anderson.

The person you have dialled is not able to receive...

No answer anymore.

Well, partner.

Technically speaking you now own 50% of my shares in Rombauts Pharma.

And technically you now are a multimillionaire.

Well, I already was, but this definitely brings some new possibilities.

- Thanks, Jerry. Glad to have it back. - I know. I know.

Brought you a present too.

Hello? - Good day, this is Hamza Toumi.

I'm a lawyer, and I'd like to talk to Mathieu Dumoulin, please.

This is pointless.

Sorry, I don't get it. Didn't you want to know everything?

This is a waste of time. I'm going home.

I'm going to see those people to find out what's going on.

Maybe then they will want to talk.

So then I, you know,

I was getting more into like women and stuff and I was kissing girls.

And then it was so strange,

because my dad... he like came together with this really cute girl and she was

stunning and my brother and me were like: wow.

She gave me vibes, not like in a lesbian way, but more in a like: I'm curious.

One step at a time.

No, it's okay. My friends are over there, so...

Come on, just one drink.

No. Don't touch me. No, just leave me alone.

- Fine, piss off, then. - She said 'no'.

What did you say? I said: what did you say?

Are you deaf? She said 'no'.

So what, I can't ask her out for drinks?

- Don't be rude, she said no. - What is the big deal?

What about you, big man, can I buy you a drink? I'll pay. What's his problem?

Go away. Go back to your friends.

What, he can't defend himself? Look at him, he's a fucking idiot.

This is Art, I can't pick up the phone right now.

Leave a message and I'll probably never call you back. Bye.

Did they give permission? - Yes. The construction has been approved.

We're waiting for the final specs.

Dries, can I talk to my father alone for a moment?

Or, actually, stay. It concerns you too.

What's wrong, son? Not more trouble in China, I hope?

Dad, I...

I feel that I'm no longer of value to this company as its CFO.

You never listen to me, and then I have to fix it financially.

Julien, your sister is and will remain CEO. We've discussed this.

I quit.

What? - I quit.

I'm handing in my resignation.

Don't be ridiculous. - I mean it, Dad.

I have no added value. My little sister is taking over and I get the finances.

But you're the treasurer. Who has more influence than you?

Everyone, Dad. Everyone.

I don't want this anymore.

I want to spend more time with Marie, and with Ming.

I don't accept it. Your resignation, I don't accept it.

We're on the verge of a major breakthrough, really major.

Both as a company and as a family.

No, Julien. I don't accept your resignation.

I had a feeling you'd say that, so...

You had a feeling?

So what are you going to do, play happy families? Give me a break.

Your child only speaks Chinese, and your wife is too weak to leave you.

No one's getting out of this.

No one.

Hey, sweetheart, are you alright? Where are you?

I don't have much time.

The bus is coming, but it's been an hour. You never know here.

Yeah, but sweetheart, just listen. Where are you?

Mum, I am in touch with daddy's soul.

I can really feel him here, it's so beautiful.

Honey...

I've let go of everything,

all superfluous ballast,

what do you really need?

Art, listen. Art, are you still taking your medicine?

Mum, the universe is the medicine. It's beautiful, really.

No, no, no. Art, listen, do me a favour. The Aspergon, you have to keep...

No mum, I stopped taking them and I feel much better now.

No, no, you need to taper off, honey.

Between the layers of what we can sense, that's where it really happens.

Art, no, listen. Honey, those pills... Art, you have to taper off.

It's great mum, really. I'm in a hurry alright, so I'll see you later, yeah?

- No, no. Art. - Okay. Anika, Anika. Bye.

You want something?

Here, come, come, all of you.

There you go.

I don't need this anymore.

Here, here, here.

I'm sorry, you cannot have this.

Now it's yours. You keep it.

Aspergon. What's wrong with it?

Belle, good to see you. Did you talk to Julien about his ridiculous ideas?

Aspergon. What's wrong with it? - We'll have to go soon. Quinten's concert.

I heard you were in Romania.

Is it dangerous? - Dangerous? No, of course not.

There are severe side effects like suicide, extreme aggression.

That doesn't mean it's all caused by our pills.

So why are they being bought off?

Do you know if anyone died?

Millions.

Millions of people take Aspergon.

They're depressed, suicidal, desperate, and that's why they take our pills.

What do you think would have happened if they hadn't?

Do we have deaths on our hands? - That's the wrong question.

How many have we saved? That's what you should want to know.

Can't you focus on important matters?

I have to be able to count on you. I've got an entire factory under construction.

What on earth is wrong with this family? - Art takes Aspergon.

Art.

Is it safe? - Aspergon is safe.

Enough.

...message and I'll probably never call you back.

Art, please call me back.

Julien, has Dad called you? He should've been here ages ago.

And Isabelle, where is she? - No idea.

I hope she makes it.

Quinten? Quinten, what...

What's the matter? - I don't know.

What... - I don't know.

Listen, please. I just got back from England...

and Rombauts Pharma bought off Peter Anderson with a gagging order.

His son jumped in front of a train.

The family here in Ireland also has a gagging order.

And they have a file. With autopsy photos, same story.

Just read the report. And look at the photos.

The evidence is piling up.

I'm going to the next one on the list, in France.

next time:

We just had a board meeting. - A board meeting? Without me?

Ezra, I need your help. I've looked into it, it's really dangerous.

Wait a second. Where are you?