Original subtitles

From the raw Australia of the 1900s

comes a turbulent saga that spans the decades,

in Colleen McCullough's best-selling novel.

The Thorn Birds.

I'll never have what I want...

The story of a priest driven by ambition,

never be what I want.

Tormented by desire.

And I don't know how to stop... wanting.

And a beautiful young girl

obsessed with the man she could never have.

You can marry me. You love me.

But I love God more.

It's Mrs. Carson, Father. She's dead.

Probably did herself in.

Unless it was the devil doing us all a favor.

"...Father Ralph de Bricassart,

"serve as the chief authority

in charge of my estate."

13 million pounds of it.

Go on to that God of yours. You'll come back to me,

because I'm the one who loves you.

And tonight the story continues.

Fire! Fire on Drogheda.

Oh, you've come back.

What have you done to me?

All right, lads!

God, you are beautiful.

Help me get free of this.

Starring Richard Kiley, Jean Simmons,

Ken Howard, Mare Winningham, Philip Anglim,

Christopher Plummer, Bryan Brown,

Rachel Ward, and Richard Chamberlain.

A love unattainable,

forbidden, forever.

The Thorn Birds.

Vittorio Scarbanza di Contini-Verchese.

Excellent. I'm very happy.

So few outside the Vatican can pronounce my name.

Will you take tea, Father?

I confess I have adopted the custom.

I believe you've been in Sydney for some time, Archbishop?

Yes, as papal legate,

it is my task to provide a link

between the Australian Church hierarchy

and the Vatican.

A rich country, Australia.

She supports the Church well,

despite the depression.

One day,

the Holy Father will have to reward her

by selecting an Australian cardinal.

No doubt that will be many years away.

Still, it is a very important part of my job

to study likely men

of... your age.

Oh, Sheeba, must you be so selfish?

You make my legs numb.

De Bricassart.

I'm descended from Randolph de Bricassart,

who came to England with William the Conqueror.

Since Henry VIII's time,

the family has fallen into obscurity.

In fact, I'm the very last of the de Bricassarts.

But you yourself appear to have found ways

of dealing with obscurity.

Your grace?

I refer to your, uh...

penchant...

for attracting the notice of the Holy Father.

The, uh...

Carson bequest.

Rather an achievement.

Mrs. Carson was also faithful to the Church.

Quite.

Ah, Sheeba!

Must you always dig in your claws

when you're happy?

Sheeba.

How do you do that?

The cat will never go to anyone,

especially Sheeba, yet she goes to you

as if you gave her caviar!

So...

you will administer the Carson estate.

Given the current economic conditions,

I suppose we must expect some losses.

No. I've just been over everything

with the auditors,

and I think the investments will hold firm.

And I'm sure the Clearys

will continue to manage Drogheda

as if it were their own.

You're fond of these Clearys.

Oh, yes, very.

Do you love them all equally?

Or do you love some

more than others?

I feel closest to the girl, Meggie.

I've watched her grow up, and I've always felt

that she was my... special responsibility.

She's the only daughter, and the parents sometimes...

tend to forget she exists.

I see.

Meggie!

What on earth are you doing?

Managing the stock horses.

Are you now?

And who decided that, may I ask?

I did. Nobody else had any plans for me.

I see.

Well, I don't know if I can

think of anything wrong with that.

But, Meggie, if you're going to manage stock horses,

I don't believe I'd use a thoroughbred to do it.

Well, he needs the exercise, Daddy.

I wouldn't want Father Ralph to come back

and find his horse all fat and out of shape.

Father Ralph?

I don't think you'll be seeing him again.

No, Drogheda's part of his past now.

Look, Meggie...

you've kept your secret pretty well.

I doubt if anyone else knows

how you feel about Father Ralph.

But it's no good

for you to keep dreaming about him.

You know he's a priest.

He can stop being a priest, Stuie.

And he will someday, Stuie!

I just know he will.

He can never stop being a priest.

Why can't you understand that?

The vows he took are sacred.

They can't be broken.

Ever.

And he never will break them, Meggie.

Not even for you.

Meggie!

You have been disobedient.

We know your promise of celibacy

was neither made nor broken lightly,

but it was broken.

And most unfortunately,

that fact has now become public knowledge.

We have no choice but to act.

The archbishop has instructed me

to tell you that you are to be sent to Darwin

in the northern territory.

There's a small frontier parish there.

You'll be leaving immediately.

Father John is waiting now

to accompany you on your journey.

And of course, the young woman

must never know where you've gone.

Yes, Father.

Goodbye.

Father.

I think I know something of the pain

you're feeling.

You know, many in your situation

might have given up the Church.

But you have chosen to remain.

That takes a great deal of courage.

May God bless you for it.

Such incidents are regrettable,

my dear Ralph,

but I'm afraid even we priests

are weak and all too human.

Still, one has to pity him.

And Gillanbone is a paradise

in comparison to the place he's being sent.

But the best of us find strength...

in such adversity.

As you know.

Yes, Your Grace.

Now, what on earth can this be?

Oh, Paddy!

Happy Christmas, Fee.

Oh, they're beautiful!

Simply beautiful!

Well, they may not be the finest

in all of Australia,

but they're the real thing, all right.

There we go.

They are lovely.

I must say, it's a nice surprise

to find you all so brave and cheerful

in spite of everything.

Isn't it, Angus?

Oh, indeed- Indeed it is.

Uh, Paddy, I want you to know...

I look on you as friends.

And if there's ever anything

I can do for you,

I hope you'll let me.

Thank you, Angus. We're just pleased

that you could be with us today.

Really we should have got around

to pay some calls before this,

but it has been a busy time, as you can imagine.

I suppose it's as dry out your way

as it is here, Mr. MacQueen.

Oh, terrible.

I've never seen such mobs of kangas in so close.

They were practically at the house this morning

trying to get at the water.

You saw several grass fires on the way up from Melbourne,

didn't you, Aunt Sarah?

Yes.

Well, I hate to start in slaughtering,

but the sheep are starving so bad already,

I'm afraid the wool will be too weak

to bring in any kind of price.

Pete tells a good one on Auntie Mary.

She was down to Sydney once in a drought,

and Pete sends a wire...

"Half the sheep are starved, please advise."

And Auntie Mary sends a wire right back:

"Shoot the rest!"

That's all you care about, isn't it, the profit?

The price of the wool.

Never mind that the sheep are suffering unspeakably.

Well, ma'am, out here,

it's got to be the wool a man cares about, isn't it?

It's not as if the sheep were people, you know.

Quite right.

I've seen city people dote on animals

and yet completely ignore a cry of help

from a human being.

Perhaps it's only natural to have contempt

for whatever there's too many of.

How dare you...

how dare you when we come here in friendship!

Sarah! No!

You lecture me on the value of human life

when your son sits in the Melbourne prison

for murder!

Damn, Sarah!

Oh, Paddy, I'm so sorry.

I thought you knew.

It was months ago.

My son... Frank?

He was in a fight

in a pub there in Melbourne.

The other fellow died later.

They called it murder

because Frank is a professional boxer.

They gave him a life sentence.

Oh, my God.

Oh, God.

Fee...

My Frank.

My Frank.

Darling...

Fee, dear, pack your things. We'll go to him.

No. I can't.

It would kill him to see me.

I'm going to Frank. Stuie's taking me.

But you mustn't.

Your mum doesn't want you...

Oh, Meggie.

Meggie.

If we could only take back

the things we say and do.

Daddy, I know about Frank.

I came to understand it a long time ago.

And you're not to blame for anything.

I tried so hard

to treat him like one of my own.

But he was a thorn in my side

from the first.

He always stood between us.

Always.

And he will now until the day I die.

I know she can't help the way she loves him,

no more than I can help my love for her.

But we are to blame.

We've let it take our hearts

away from our own children.

Oh, Meggie, I think, I think of how much

we've both held back from you,

from you most of all.

It's all right, Daddy.

It's all right. Meggie.

No, don't, don't.

Hello, Frank.

You've grown up.

You're beautiful.

What have they done to you?

It's all been my own doing.

All of it. From the first.

Listen, Frank.

I want to try and help you.

I've talked to Harry Gough.

He knows how to get an appeal started for you.

No.

No.

Frank.

Listen to me.

I want to get you out of here.

I want you to come home.

Frank, darling, if there's any way.

No.

When I was growing up,

there was only one thing that I really wanted

in the whole world...

to see Mum happy.

And I realized that...

no matter how hard that I tried,

that I couldn't make her happy.

And that it was me all along.

I ruined her life...

just by being born.

I've never found a way to pay for that.

No, Frank.

If mum's life is ruined,

it's because she let it.

Meggie... listen to me.

Want to help me?

Then you must forget about me.

Promise me that you'll never come here again.

Promise me...

that you'll never let her come, either.

Don't worry.

She wouldn't come, Frank.

She wouldn't come.

I don't understand you...

either of you.

I don't understand that kind of love.

Oh, poor little Meggie.

You still think love can save us.

It's more killing than hate.

Hate is so clean,

so simple.

Like being in the ring.

With hate, you just keep hitting.

You hit until they stop hitting back.

With love...

they never stop.

And you planned all this?

Excellent.

Thank you, Your Grace.

We can now feed almost 300 people a day,

but it seems little enough

given the times.

Every day,

more and more people thrown out of work.

Still you have done very well

in bringing this about.

In fact...

I have been very pleased with you

in the year you have been here, Ralph.

And I gather the Vatican shares my assessment.

They have appointed you to be my secretary.

Which means they are considering you

very seriously

for further advancement, in time...

if you do well.

And I think you will.

I'm very grateful, your grace.

It's an honor I-I never thought to attain.

Oh, you are too humble,

Father de Bricassart.

But humility can be most useful to you,

because as you advance,

you'll increasingly find yourself

in the position of having to use

the enormous power of the church.

And while you will be tested in many ways,

the greatest test will be

in how you use that power.

No, it is humility

that will help you to use it...

well.

Fire, Stuie!

Look, Stuie, Fire!

Quick, let's get back to the house!

Oh, God!

All right, you poor silly animal,

I'll get you out. There you go.

Come on! Come on!

Come on! There you go.

Come on!

Whoa, there! Come on!

Fire! Fire on Drogheda!

Yes. What? All you can spare!

Don't stand there. Get to the cookhouse

and get some stew going, can't you?

And make it enough for a hundred.

They're coming, ma'am, from all the stations.

I'll fetch the other women.

Meggie, go get changed. Help with the horses.

Stuie, come with me.

Come on! Come on! Come on!

There you go!

Come on!

Keep them together!

Hurry!

Come on, get up.

It's terrible. Here you go.

Yah! Go on!

Get the gate!

Come on!

Come on, get in!

Oh, God, Mum, it's getting away from us!

Mum. Keep working, Meggie.

Heet! Hyah! Come on!

Will you look at that?

I'll take the north side.

Charlie, loose those dogs!

Now get the hose and bring it down here!

And you, you come with me!

Meggie, are you all right? Yeah.

Did Paddy come in with you?

Haven't seen him, Mrs. Cleary.

Daddy? Where's Daddy?

He's out on the range, Meggie!

Maybe we should telephone, see if he came in anywhere.

The lines are down!

Maybe the boys know where he is.

Oh, lookit!

Over here!

No, God, please!

The east water tower's gone dry.

Mrs. Cleary, take some rest!

We're losing it! Judas Priest, we're losing it!

Off you go, lad.

How is it out there?

Nothing will stop it.

Watch out!

It's going to go!

Watch out!

Oh, Meggie, our old place.

Mum! Look!

It's up to the house!

Oh, Meggie!

We've got to save the main house!

Go run around the side.

Boys, wet down the verandah!

There's no water!

Rain. Rain!

Stuie! Stuie!

It's raining!

It's raining!

It's raining! Oh, Stuie! It's rai-

It's raining!

Stuie, we're saved!

Thank God!

We're saved! We're saved.

Let him sleep. Poor old dear.

I know he'd want to help you look for Mr. Cleary.

Good luck.

Here's where we fan out.

And remember, whoever finds Daddy

fires three shots.

Daddy!

Daddy!

Daddy!

Had no idea the fire was out this far.

Daddy?

Daddy!

Dad!

Stu! Stu! Where are you?

Must have been Stuie that signaled.

He rode in this direction.

Don't go in, Mum.

Paddy?

And Stu.

Stu? What do you mean?

No! Not both of them!

You don't want to see it!

Not Stu!

Not Stuie!

Not Stuie!

Stuie!

Not Stuie!

Stuie!

Stuie!

Meggie.

Oh, you've come back.

You've come back.

Darling Meggie, don't cry.

The world hasn't come to an end because of a fire,

no matter how terrible it was.

You're safe, and that's all that matters.

I was so worried.

Harry Gough called me, and I flew right out.

Imagine, flying...

Then you don't know?

Father, Daddy and Stuie...

they're dead.

No.

Meggie.

Daddy died in the fire,

and Stuie found him.

Then there was a wild boar...

and it killed my Stuie.

Oh, Meggie.

Meggie.

What is it?

The plane bogged in the mud when we landed in Gilly.

I must have bruised my side.

Let me see.

Oh, Ralph.

You rode all the way from Gilly like this?

I hardly noticed it.

I was worried about the horse making it through all that mud.

I borrowed him... in Gilly...

God.

Don't.

Meggie.

Meggie, don't.

No!

Meggie...

what have you done to me?

What might you do to me if I let you?

It was good of you to be here, Father.

It would've meant the world to Paddy

and to Stuie.

It's curious, you know.

When it looked as though

the fire might take everything,

I kept thinking of the most peculiar things.

I didn't think of dying or the children...

or this beautiful house in ruins.

All I could think about were my accounts...

the socks I was knitting for Paddy...

the heart-shaped cake tins...

Frank made me...

years ago.

How could I survive without them?

All the little things.

Things which can't be replaced.

Aaaaaahh!

It's too late.

Like all my life.

Too late for him.

Too late for me.

I can never take my Paddy in my arms now.

I can never say to him

the only thing that he ever wanted me to say-

that I loved him.

I do love him, Father.

You'll never see me weep again.

I'm finished with tears forever.

You do have two sons left you, Fee.

And you have Meggie.

It's not too late for Meggie.

Meggie?

Will you promise me something?

If you like.

Look after Meggie. Don't forget her.

Make her go to the local dances,

meet the young men.

Help her look around her world

and find some good, kind man to marry

and give her children and a home of her own.

It's time.

Whatever you say, Father.

Fee, she's your daughter.

It's as if you never remember that.

Does any woman?

What's a daughter?

Just a reminder of the pain,

a younger version of oneself

who will do all the same things,

cry the same tears.

No, father.

I try to forget I have a daughter.

It survived.

Meggie, I need no reminder of you.

Not now, not ever.

I carry you within me.

You know that.

I must go.

Yes.

Everything is all right now.

All in order.

The dead are buried and blessed...

and you and Mum have my life planned out.

Meggie, we must make an end to this.

My life belongs to God.

You've always known that.

That dear and gentle God...

who has taken from me

everyone that I've loved most in the world...

one by one.

Frank and Hal

and Stuie...

and my father.

And you, of course.

Always you.

God is merciful.

He left me no one else to grieve.

He is merciful.

I know you can't see that now,

but he is.

He spared the rose.

He sent the rain.

Oh, Ralph.

Who sent the fire?

Oh, good! They've come!

Nice to see them after two years

of not even enough sheep to need them.

All new lads, I think.

Not a bad-looking lot, for shearing men.

That one's quite a dandy.

Which?

Oh, the one in the white, you mean?

I suppose he's all right.

Bet he spends all his time washing and ironing, though,

just to keep up appearances.

I'll bet a man with his looks

doesn't have to do his own washing.

Mrs. Smith.

Ho, get this wool!

All right, lads!

There's your day!

Well, you owe me one.

You're a regular dreadnought, aren't you?

What about you?

Never saw a boss cocky could shear like that.

I like to keep a hand in.

You're O'Neill, aren't you?

Yes, sir. Luke O'Neill.

Look at this, Bob.

O'Neill shore 200, just a couple ahead of you.

The lads have been talking about

getting up a contest between the two of you.

Are they, now?

Well, you know.

They always are eager to win a few quid wagering.

Why not? What do you think, O'Neill?

Well, the fact is,

I'm not much on contests,

but thank you all the same, Mr. Cleary.

Good day, miss.

Good day.

Fresh as a daisy, are we?

Nothing like shearing a ton or two of sheep

to set a man up.

I'm Luke O'Neill. I take it

you're the famous Meggie Cleary.

Oh, do you? And how did you

come by that information?

Well, I saw you cooling yourself

on your nice big verandah.

And they said you were a beauty.

Really?

What else did they tell you, then?

You'd be surprised what a bloke can learn

when he's real interested.

Oh, Judy,

Mrs. Smith was looking for you.

Something about the washing up.

Yes, Mr. Cleary.

Judy?

That wasn't nice.

Still interested?

O'Neill!

Listen, man.

You'd ought to give that contest a bit more thought.

You're a good match for Bob.

I could outshear Bob Cleary any day,

if I was fool enough to show a boss cocky up

in front of his men.

Oh, Bob's not like that.

And what do you care, anyway?

You'll be going down the track in a couple of weeks.

Pete, who's that girl?

Oh, that's just Meggie.

Now, listen, O'Neill,

there's good money in this contest, I'm telling you.

Shouldn't swim alone, you know.

Too dangerous.

And what are you doing here?

Seeing you don't drown.

I don't know why you'd swim in that thing anyway.

It smells like hell.

It's the sulfur.

I'm Luke O'Neill.

Meggie Cleary.

Meggie? That doesn't suit you a bit.

Not enough dignity.

I'm gonna call you Meghann.

I detest the name Meghann.

Good night, Meghann!

I often wonder what can account for such sadness

in a face with so much spiritual beauty?

I should be sorry to think

that I look sad when I pray, Your Grace.

No, but it's true.

And at other times,

when you think no one is watching.

And the passage of time seems only to deepen it,

my Ralph.

Perhaps it's the Irish strain in me.

We're a tragic lot, you know.

You received a wire from the Vatican, sir.

The Athens conference is all arranged.

I'll soon have our travel plans.

Splendid. The Church is long overdue

for some discussions

with our Greek Orthodox brethren.

Well, I'm delighted you want me to accompany you.

Oh, it will be excellent training for you.

A good opportunity

to nourish your career as a Church diplomat.

And, besides, you know very well

that you have become indispensable to me,

my dear Ralph.

If you're not with me, how could I possibly

continue my interesting little game

of working out precisely

what makes you tick?

It's too early to tell,

but we could have one of the biggest clips ever.

It's nice to see the place get back

on something like a paying basis.

Who'd believe it was only two years ago Christmas

that we were as good as burnt out?

Couldn't have done it without Father Ralph

advancing us the money for new stock.

Good day, Meghann.

Missus.

Good day, O'Neill.

What can we do for you?

I've come about the shearing contest.

I thought you weren't interested.

Well, the lads have been on at me about it,

so I thought I might give it a go, if you're agreeable.

Fine. Just name your terms.

If I was to win,

what would you say to taking me on here as a stockman?

A stockman?

Well, just for a month, say, to try me out.

I know my way around livestock, don't I?

I thought we weren't hiring any new stockmen this year.

If Luke is as good in the saddle as he is at the board...

Stone the crows.

You'd think I'd already lost this contest.

And what if you lost, O'Neill?

Same terms, except I'd work the month for free.

You mean you'd actually work for no wages

just to be a stockman? But that's daft, man.

You could make more at shearing anyway.

Yeah, but a shearer's a rover,

and I don't intend to be a rover all my life.

And I do like it here on Drogheda.

All right, lads, this is the last call.

Gentlemen, let's hear it.

Five on O'Neill, all right.

I'll match any of that.

All right, then, on O'Neill.

Now, we all know the rules.

The men will shear for two hours only.

And since my own brother's in there,

I'm stepping out.

So I want one of your shearing men to keep score,

and you Drogheda lads, choose a man to watch the time.

And are we ready, men?

Yeah! Yeah!

Hey, Mr. Cleary, show him what you can do!

We'll show you!

Hold him steady, O'Neill.

Hurry, O'Neill. Hurry, lad!

Come on!

All right, Mr. Cleary.

All the way from the sneezer to the breezer!

There you are, O'Neill.

Down the chute!

Good show! Good show!

That's it! Ha! Ha! Two ahead!

Bob, you're making twice the number of blows you need

because you're not filling your shears.

Fill your shears, boy!

He's three up on us.

Don't let us down!

Come on, O'Neill!

You must clear the air tonight.

That's it!

You've got him on the run now!

Let's go for four!

Come on!

Jack, who's winning?

It's only half over, still another hour to go,

but it looks like old Bob's losing so far.

Losing? Come on, Meggie.

Judy, you go back to the house.

Give him long blows, Mr. Cleary!

Fill your shears, boy!

No, pay attention!

Come on, Bob!

Let's show 'em what Drogheda men are made of!

I could outshear that learner!

I'll take you on, missus.

Stay in there, Bob! You can do it!

Come on, Bob!

And again, Cleary!

You're catching up on him, boy!

O'Neill, don't do this to me!

Come on, Bob!

Two minutes to go!

Come on!

Go! Go!

Go! Go! Go!

Go! Go!

Go! Go!

Go! Go!

Go! Go! Go! Go!

Yeah!

Go! Go! Go!

Go! Go!

Ha ha! What did I tell you? I taught him myself!

And what about a cheer for our opponent-

Luke O'Neill? Hip, hip...

Hooray! Hooray!

Hip, hip... Hooray!

Hip, hip... Hooray!

Now, you know there's not a pub around for 40 miles,

but if a barrel of rum and another of ale

will take away the sting, they're outside!

Come here, Bob!

Well done, Bob!

The best man won.

You beat him fair.

We're proud of you.

You're like a champion, then, Bob.

Aw, come on.

Well done, Bob.

I've never tasted better free rum in my life.

Congratulations, Mr. Cleary.

Bob. It was only by half a sheep, man.

Could have gone the other way.

Well, you've got yourself a stockman-

free of charge for the next month, anyway.

Then if you like what you see...

I'll see you next season!

O'Neill! Don't work too hard!

There's not much to see here

now they got the wool away.

I wonder you didn't go with it.

You don't appear to have made much of a bargain here.

I'm happy with it.

There's a dance at Braich-y-Pwll

next Saturday night.

Will you come with me?

Thank you, but I can't dance,

so there wouldn't be much point.

Oh, there's nothing to dancing.

I could teach you

in two flicks of a lamb's tail.

I wonder if your brother

would lend us the car.

We ought to go in style, don't you think?

I said I wouldn't go.

No, you said you couldn't dance,

and I said I'd teach you.

Not scared, are you?

No.

Not here.

It's only a wool shed, you know,

and it's a wool shed ball we're going to.

Now...

One, two, three...

One, two, three...

One, two, three...

One, two, three...

One, two, three...

One, two, three...

One, two, three...

One, two, three...

One, two, three...

One, two, three...

One, two, three...

One, two, three...

One, two, three...

One, two, three...

Having fun?

Don't let go of me.

I don't intend to.

You're the most beautiful girl

I've ever seen in that dress.

Thank you. I don't really like it,

but it's the only party dress I have.

Go on. A posh girl like you,

you could afford as many dresses

as you like.

Is that what you think?

That I'm some snobby squatter's daughter?

Because I'm not.

The Clearys don't even own Drogheda,

and we never will.

I touched a nerve, didn't I?

I'm sorry, Meghann.

I know the blessed papists did you out of your place.

What do you mean?

My, but we're sensitive.

I suppose now you'll never have me

because I'm protestant.

You are?

Orange through and through.

And I think the Catholic Church

is run by a bunch of poofters

in black nightgowns.

Oh, you do waltz divinely, Mr. O'Neill.

I do hope Meggie's not intending to be selfish.

It would be an honor to dance with you,

Miss Carmichael,

but, you see, Miss Cleary here

has hired me for the whole night.

This isn't so bad, is it?

What? Dancing.

I think I'm learning to like it.

Good, because there's another dance next week

and the week after that...

and the week after that.

So I went to the wool shed

when I was 12 or so as a tar boy-

Me and my mate Arne Swenson.

He's the best, Arne is,

always looked out for me.

Is he still shearing?

Not old Arne.

No, he runs a gang of cane cutters

up in Northern Queensland.

You reckon shearing's hard work.

Well, I'll tell you, Meghann,

there's not too many blokes big enough

or strong enough to cut the sugar cane.

You make it sound like your life's ambition.

No.

I wouldn't mind trying,

for the money you can make.

My life's ambition is to have my own place,

my own sheep station

in Western Queensland where I come from.

And I will someday, too...

have my own place.

And someone to share it with.

Someone who'll love me

and work alongside me.

God, you are beautiful.

How many times have you been in love?

Only once.

Whoever he was, he was a fool to let you go.

Good night, Meghann.

You did not understand this play Phaedra.

If you've noticed how quiet I've been

all through the conference here in Athens.

My, uh, Greek isn't up to yours, I'm afraid, Your Grace.

You must study your languages

if you're to be a Church diplomat.

The dying youth in the play

is Hippolytus.

He is cold to Aphrodite,

the goddess of love.

To punish him for his neglect,

she causes his mother

to fall hopelessly in love with him,

but Hippolytus spurns her.

And that's why she kills herself?

Hippolytus' father blames him

and has him killed

by the god of the sea.

A cruel story, and so unjust.

Hippolytus dies, even though he's innocent.

In fact, he behaves laudably.

A good Catholic interpretation,

yes, perhaps,

but to the Ancient Greeks,

he is quite guilty of the sin of pride.

You see, it is that Hippolytus

holds himself above human love.

He is cold.

He will not even admit

that human passion exists.

And what if he would admit it?

Would he then escape his fate?

Ah, that is the cruelty.

Because this is his fate,

he cannot choose to love,

any more than his poor mother

can choose to be cold.

The gods have willed it for their sport.

Cruel...

but rather an appealing system,

is it not?

No decisions to make, no conscience,

no agony of free will.

Nothing. All fated from the first.

Rather shockingly at odds

with the teachings of the Church of Rome, Your Grace.

My dear Ralph,

do you not find it humbling to realize

that when this play was first performed,

Rome was still infested

with fur-clad barbarians?

They simply find you beautiful.

Blessed by the gods, perhaps.

They've been out together again.

I don't see the harm.

Luke never lets it get in the way of work.

But I'm beginning to see why he likes it so much here.

I'm just as glad. He's the only man.

Meggie's ever shown the least bit of interest in.

And somebody's got to keep the Cleary line going.

I hope that Meggie is all he wants.

I saw Angus MacQueen in Gilly the other day.

He seemed to think that Luke might be

something of a fortune hunter.

A fortune hunter! Luke?

Of course, Meggie does have the money.

Father Ralph sets by for her,

but it's not what I'd call a fortune.

Some might, though.

But I think he's just what he appears to be:

A hard-working bloke with plenty of ambition.

I suppose you're right.

Anyway, Meggie's a grown woman.

How she chooses to spend her life or her money

is her own affair, isn't it?

You know...

I was just thinking

of that old woman in the market.

She reminded me of how very certain

I once was

that I had found your Achilles' heel,

those looks of yours.

They had to have made you the target,

or perhaps even the victim

of so many desires.

But...

I have tested you,

had you watched,

thrown you together with beautiful women...

and with men.

No result.

Not a flicker.

No.

Whatever you burn for, Ralph,

is not for the flesh.

I am...

surprised, Your Grace.

Shocked, you mean, by my methods.

But you shouldn't be.

They are simply tactics

of which you must be aware,

if your weakness lies where I think it does...

in ambition.

Well, if that is a flaw,

I shall try to mend it, archbishop.

I might find that rather tedious,

as it is a weakness which I share.

And, like all

self-perpetuating institutions,

the Church has always a place

for ambitious men.

In fact,

you...

are everything the Church admires

in her high officials.

You are conservative,

quick, subtle.

You know enough never to give away

what is going on behind those eyes.

And you have the most exquisite gift

of knowing how to please,

even when it comes

to pleasing those you loathe.

You make me out to be a Machiavelli, Your Grace,

except that he was an Italian.

Oh, my dear Ralph, you are a delight!

I can scarcely wait to see your effect

on our short, fat prelates in Rome.

Rome?

The beautiful, sleek cat

among the plump, startled pigeons.

In time, my ambitious friend.

In time.

These conferences will soon be over.

And then-heh heh- we shall see

what fate has in store at the Vatican...

Hey, boys!

For both of us.

This is great.

We do have better in Queensland, of course.

I can't imagine how absurd you were

that night claiming I might drown.

You could've at least pretended you were drowning.

What? And make myself as ridiculous as you?

Because then I could've swooped you up...

Put me down!

And do what I've been wanting to ever since that moment.

No! Luke, that's enough.

I'm sorry, Meghann, I didn't mean to offend you.

You didn't offend me. Really.

I suppose I'm...

I'm just not very used to it, that's all.

That's all right.

You said you'd been in love once,

so I thought he must've, uh...

but I guess it wasn't like that.

No, it wasn't.

He wasn't.

We best go in.

Luke.

Marry me, Meghann.

Marry me.

Up so late, Mum?

I wanted to get this summary report in order

for Father Ralph.

We've really come back very strongly since the fire.

Maybe even stronger than ever.

I think Ralph will be quite surprised.

Oh? Is he back from Greece?

No. In fact, I had a letter just today,

quite an announcement.

He's off to the Vatican with that-

You know the one with the name a yard long.

Ralph's to be made a bishop.

So who knows if he'll ever be back to Australia.

The Vatican.

That's nice.

Nice?

I thought you'd be pleased for him.

Well, of course I'm pleased.

It's what he always wanted, isn't it?

It's just that I've got my own announcement to make.

I'm going to marry Luke O'Neill.