- Synced and corrected by Firefly - - www.addic7ed.com -
Fire until we reach the fort.
We're overrun!
Keep moving!
They took the hill!
Sergeant, keep your men in formation!
Retreat! Retreat!
Come on, boys. Bring 'em in.
Take him into the yard.
General Washington says to see him straightaway.
Who is he?
Some Frenchman.
Held the line at Brandywine Creek is what I hear.
Fat lot of good it did him. Or us.
You look hungry, messieurs. I hope you do not eat me.
The gentlemen of England.
They... they honored me with a bullet.
Take this. Bite down hard.
He sustained mortal wounds in fruitless battle
on the wild banks of the Brandywine River.
Bad enough he had the audacity to defy His Majesty's orders.
But to get himself killed?
That imbecile.
The marquis is said to have arrived in Philadelphia
with a letter of recommendation from Dr. Franklin.
Our friend in Passy is a man of secrets.
Too many.
Perhaps...
Perhaps we can take the attention off America
by using this to our advantage.
No.
Yes.
I thought the chevalier d'Éon was banished for life.
A matter of state secrets.
The King has agreed to let the chevalier return
and receive a pension for service in His Majesty's dragoons.
So long as he... she... they... agree
not to bring up old grievances.
And promise to dress in women's clothes at all times.
Is the chevalier a woman?
How's your English?
I've been told
I speak it reasonably well.
Good. You will severely reprimand Dr. Franklin
for his participation in Lafayette's illicit departure.
About which we have no knowledge. Hmm?
Do we have no knowledge?
This is no time to discuss whether we know what we know.
You've compromised His Majesty's neutrality.
I simply granted the boy's request.
No disrespect was meant.
You sent a French officer to die on American soil.
The British ambassador has lodged a formal protest.
I mourn the marquis's death with all of France.
Yet consider this, Monsieur Gérard.
A promising young man cut down in the fight for liberty.
What better advertisement for our alliance?
The death of a headstrong adventurer
for a cause not his own
is not grounds for inspiration.
Is that Monsieur Vergennes's position?
The foreign minister can have no position
on a matter of which he has no knowledge.
A good statesman sees nothing, hears nothing, knows nothing.
Ah.
Bon homme Richard. I enjoyed it very much.
- Take me back! - Monsieur Gérard...
Who had my printing press smashed to bits?
It's unlawful to bring a press into the country.
You are a honored guest who would never break the law.
Therefore, no such machine exists.
How could it be destroyed?
And what of me?
Do I exist? Or am I unlawful too?
You exist in Passy, Doctor. But not in Paris.
Let's go!
I suppose there's no point in warning you again.
That I must forgo drink and meat?
That I must seek pleasure in small amusements?
Ac... Accept that which I cannot alter?
Yes, I've never liked an articulate patient.
Vergennes toys with me.
He will help us after we win.
But we cannot win unless he helps us.
All I've actually accomplished is sending a young fool to his death.
Y-You can't hold yourself to account for that.
Boys like Lafayette will seek their fate one way or the other.
Then God rest his soul.
You've salvaged the press at least.
It's useless without the platen
and those vandals left it in pieces.
Oh, have another fashioned.
The press is illegal. They'll know if I try to fix it.
"They"?
Yes, "they" that looks at every keyhole,
that follows me wherever I go.
That sends coded messages to the Paris police,
the halls of Versailles,
the despots in Westminster.
Hmm.
My advice, which you will ignore,
is porridge and unsweetened tea.
Dip your brush very lightly in the pigment.
An aquarelle should be transparent.
Like a pane of stained glass on paper.
I'll never be as good as you.
That is why we practice.
What does Dr. Franklin think of your paintings?
I'm not painting for Dr. Franklin. I'm painting for myself.
I'm sure he would admire them.
Dr. Franklin admires everything about you.
I don't think Franklinet would care about my paintings.
Who or what is Franklinet?
Monsieur Temple.
Because he's like his grandfather, only smaller.
Hmm.
Do you have feelings for him?
I like teasing him.
It's very amusing to see him get twisted up.
Don't overdo it.
Men have a way of misunderstanding the intent.
You tease Dr. Franklin all the time.
That is a game best left to experts.
Pipou, shush.
I said shush!
Ah.
We've forgotten the malachite green.
- Does it matter? - Oui.
We can't possibly capture the light on the leaves without it.
You'll find a packet in the studio.
Right now?
Go fetch it.
And don't sulk.
And take Pipou with you.
When I'm married, I'm going to tell everyone else what to do.
It makes me want to kill Englishmen even more.
He came to my rooms...
The night he left for Bordeaux, he came to my rooms.
You never told me.
Slipped through the window
in full regimental colors.
Sounds like Gilbert.
He had a sword made for me. Specially for me.
When I told him I wouldn't be coming...
he took the blade and broke it over his knee.
Another round!
Another round, please!
He was quite hopeless, you know. So awkward.
Always so serious...
Remember that time he danced with the queen?
- Gilbert danced with Marie Antoinette? - Oui.
If you want to call it that. It was more like...
Let's show him. I'll play the queen.
- Non. Non ! - Come on.
- Go ahead. - Minuet!
Philippe, allez.
I shall dance with you no more, Marquis. You are too clumsy!
Bravo ! Bravo !
Bravo !
To Gilbert.
To the marquis.
To the marquis de Lafayette.
The marquis de Lafayette!
À boire ! À boire !
My friend. Come with me.
Now.
Go search the park!
Monsieur Temple! Monsieur Temple! Temple!
- Monsieur Temple! - Monsieur Temple!
Monsieur Temple!
I'll send for the constable.
We will search all the roads.
You must not worry.
Temple! Dear boy. Where are you?
Monsieur Temple!
Messieurs. Messieurs, par ici.
Par ici, messieurs.
Messieurs, par ici.
Temple! Temp...
Grandfather?
I, uh...
I was at the Épée de Bois, drinking.
With Jacques?
No, with Philippe and Louis.
The comte de Ségur and the comte de Noailles.
I don't believe I've had the pleasure of their acquaintance.
They are the finest fellows of France.
Except for Gilbert.
The marquis was a brave young man.
- It's my fault he's dead. - It is not.
I... I made you write the letter. I sent him off. And...
Lafayette chose his own path.
Neither you, I, nor anyone else could have stopped him.
I thought it would... I thought it would help our cause.
These thoughts will bring you nowhere.
Drop your anchor tonight.
Set a new course in the morning.
Don't Poor Richard me.
I beg your pardon?
All your handy little... little...
- Aphorisms. - It's not how people are.
You're too young to know how people are.
I know how you are.
I study you.
Saying one thing, doing the other.
Always thinking you're clever enough to get away with it.
I didn't realize that you held me in such low regard.
How can you do it?
Do what, exactly?
Pretend my father doesn't exist.
While he sits in a jail cell. Your own son.
And you won't help him.
You are angry and sorrowful and very drunk.
That's why you brought me here, isn't it?
To make up for your own selfishness?
A wife you ignored. A daughter you barely know.
And you want me to be just like you.
Temple, someday you may realize that
there are errata in every man's life.
- Things you wish you could erase. - They're called sins.
No, they're not sins. They're errors in judgment, and...
I've spent my life trying to correct them. I still am.
Will you allow me that?
- When I was a boy your age, I... - I don't care what happened to you.
Would you please slow down?
I can't. Too much to do.
Then why are we meeting?
How does it happen that what passes at Versailles
is so quickly known in London?
Explain yourself.
Three ships sailed from Le Havre.
Two were seized by the British less than two days after leaving port.
Sweet blood of Christ. That's five million livres.
Only the Amphitrite eluded the enemy.
Arms, ammunition and handkerchiefs for 30,000 men...
Handkerchiefs? I am paying for handkerchiefs?
Blankets, clothes, shoes. Thousands of muskets and kegs of powder
to defend Philadelphia and New England.
Answer honestly. Were you put on earth to bankrupt me?
Someone has betrayed us!
Only Beaumarchais, yourself and Dr. Franklin
knew the date of departure and the route.
Are you suggesting that Dr. Franklin is a spy for the British?
Or me?
Or yourself?
Are you saying you might be the traitor,
so I'll think you're not, even though you really are?
Perhaps someone within your household,
or among Dr. Franklin's associates...
- Monsieur Beaumarchais... - I know what you're going to say.
"Beaumarchais never stops!"
How can he, when every day new subjects arouse his vigilance?
That is definitely not what I was going to say.
Leave the investigation to me.
Inform Dr. Franklin of the losses, but say nothing of our suspicions.
To anyone.
What about my money?
What of these?
Ah, they're ruined. Fit for melting down. Nothing else.
The Amphitrite slipped the net. It may yet find its mark.
To what end?
The loss at Brandywine opened the way to Philadelphia.
The arms and material on that ship could yet tip the balance.
Many things could happen, but most will not.
Be hopeful, friend. Circumstances change.
He that lives on hope, Mr. Bancroft, dies farting.
- You look miserable. - That's honest at least.
You were not expecting such honesty?
I've heard so very little of it lately.
Then come ride with me,
and we'll do nothing but be false with each other.
I fear I'll make poor company.
My dear papa.
If you hold me in any affection,
do please amuse me.
That man. In the blue hat.
What is his secret?
He is a fishmonger...
... with a family of six.
Once a week, he closes his stall early.
Washes himself with Castile soap and lemon.
He comes here to walk about as a gentleman.
And yet, with each person that passes,
he nervously wonders...
Can they smell the fish?
- Oui. - Oh, it's so sad.
- Mmm. - Then you pick.
Um.
Her.
Tell me.
She is... meeting a lover.
That simple?
It is never simple.
Oh, she's married.
Of course.
But that is not the concern.
She seeks something she fears does not exist.
- What is it? - A meeting of souls.
When nothing is said, but all is understood.
So that two may be in harmony,
hiding nothing of themselves,
and so live in perfect bliss.
It sounds very chaste.
Not at all.
It is a passion greater than a heart can bear.
And her lover?
What sort is he?
Comment est-il? Um...
A man of many parts.
Plain on the face of it.
But always scheming at something.
Rather a slippery fellow, hmm?
That is what makes him interesting.
I prefer my fishmonger.
Then you may have him.
I am floundering, madame.
I don't understand.
Mired. Muddied. Lost.
But why?
I cannot see the way forward.
I don't know who I can trust.
I'm here to help my country win its freedom,
but all doors are shut.
And time is running out.
I am not even allowed to set foot in Paris.
And this gout is gonna be the death of me.
I am very sorry.
These are my burdens. Not yours.
Nothing is easier than solving someone else's problem.
And what is your solution?
For your country's freedom, I have no answer.
For whom you may trust...
you may trust me.
For your return to the city, who would stop you?
You are a little famous, I am told.
Not as famous as the chevalier d'Éon.
Fashions change often in France.
You must not let them.
- And for the gout, no wine. - No.
And no women.
You are a stricter physician than even Mr. Bancroft.
One day you will thank me for this.
I will thank you now.
Dear friend,
I ask if this "scheming man"
might have the opportunity...
- Dr. Franklin. - ... to...
Oh, of all the places...
- Dr. Franklin. - Who's...
The Washerwoman of Auteuil.
Why haven't you paid a call yet?
What a delight that we meet at last.
May I present my neighbor, Madame Brillon?
I am familiar with the widow Helvétius.
But she wishes she wasn't!
Hmm. My house is only down the hill
from that pile of rocks Monsieur Chaumont calls an estate.
You have no excuse.
I plead the duties of office, madame.
Plead what you wish, but expect an invitation to my next salon.
Bring along a guest.
A male guest. I don't much like ladies.
Nothing but vulgar gossips, don't you agree?
I-I... Uh...
They say I have the manners of a washerwoman.
- No. - Yes.
Madame, if the washerwomen of Paris
have the same manners as yourself,
then they have the manners of a queen.
You're a randy old liar, aren't you?
I like that. Farewell.
And you, madame.
Remember your gout.
Excusez-moi, je...
Am I in heaven?
What?
Is... Is this He-Heaven?
It's Pennsylvania.
Even better.
Désolé !
Pardon, pardon.
Désolé ! Pardon !
He's alive!
He's alive?
They made him a general! He's alive!
Alive, and a general!
Better he was dead. Now he'll be intolerable!
He's alive!
Gilbert is alive!
He's alive!
Gilbert!
"I send you a few lines here, dear heart".
He was writing to his wife, not me.
Thank you for the clarification.
"I must tell you that we fought in earnest,
but were not the victors.
The English honored me with a musket ball in the leg,
but the wound is nothing, and I hope you will not worry".
Uh, it says "dear heart" again.
"The battle will, I fear,
have unpleasant consequences for America.
And we must try to repair the damage as best we can.
Let all my friends know that I am in good health.
I love you more than ever".
No "dear heart"?
I left that out.
And the point is?
That he was wounded and he's a hero. You should publish it.
Aside from the fact that I have no means of doing so,
how does this help our cause?
A vainglorious child marches into a battle we lost
and manages to be only shot and not killed.
I can print it beside the news that a dog bit a man.
Boy.
I'm glad he lives.
Give me the letter and I'll think of something.
Anything else that you'd like to say?
No.
Very well then.
I'm summoned to your office because...
Simply for a casual conversation, my dear Necker.
I wanted a word...
If that word is "America", I don't wish to hear it.
Unlike the marquis de Lafayette,
France cannot afford to purchase glory
at the cost of her fortune.
A British defeat will ensure our prosperity.
And how would you have us pay for this glorious triumph,
Monsieur Vergennes?
I'm sure the royal treasurer
will be pleased to tell me why we can't.
The king's creditors won't stomach any further debt,
and raising taxes is out of the question. Voilà.
Let George III bankrupt his country
and save us the trouble of bankrupting ours.
Is this the advice you intend to render in council?
You are quite alone in your support of the insurgents,
Count Vergennes.
But I wish the best of luck to you... and them.
What are we waiting for?
To be acknowledged.
By whom?
Anybody.
- All right. Go. - Pardon?
You don't wish to be seen with me,
cruel master that I am. So go.
Go on.
Tired of country living, Doctor?
Do you intend to clap me in irons
for leaving Passy, Lieutenant?
Please. Who would dream of such a thing?
No doubt you have more pressing matters.
Like reading my mail.
I have assistants for that.
- Oh. - Mmm.
What a lot of fuss, eh?
You don't care for the opera?
I'm only here because my wife dragged me.
She just wants to gawk at the chevalière d'Éon.
Can't blame her, really.
Ah. And here is the lady you so admire.
Bonne soirée, docteur.
Don't make too late a night of it.
Doctor, you shame us all with your simplicity.
Madame, you dazzle like the sun after a spring rain.
I think my head may fall off.
I will catch it.
Mon cher, make sure people notice you.
Guide me to the next circle of hell, my Virgil.
Mmm.
You probably don't even want to talk to me now,
with all your famous friends.
How exciting to know a real hero!
Gilbert? I'm just glad he's alive.
Gilbert?
That... That's his name.
For you.
I only tease people I like.
You won't get anywhere with her, you know.
What do you mean?
I've been around girls like that my whole life.
Everything is a performance.
They can't help it. It's all they've ever been taught to do.
Well, she's not like that.
Has she given you a funny nickname?
Kissed you on the cheek and run away?
Sent you teasing little notes?
Oh, yes. And the locket.
One night you'll come along with me.
We'll go someplace real.
Ah. Behold the great mystery.
Oh.
What?
Jacques says that the chevalier is really a man,
but I wagered that she only wears men's clothes as a disguise.
What's this about a wager?
No.
As an ouverture in tonight's performance,
Beaumarchais has the pleasure to welcome back
a loyal subject of France.
A decorated officer who served the late king,
I give you the chevalière Charles-Geneviève-Louise-
Auguste-Andrée-Timothée d'Éon de Beaumont.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Sons and daughters of France.
I kiss the ground of our homeland,
from which I have been separated for too long.
I am honored tonight to be in the presence of another true patriot.
I speak, of course, of Dr. Benjamin Franklin.
In the last war, our countries were enemies.
I hope they will soon be united against England.
My arms in the cause of America are at your service.
The chevalière is most generous.
And I am humbled
that such a brave soldier of France
would offer assistance to our cause.
Should her sword be required...
Je...
I would
gladly seize the, ah...
He wants to seize her sword!
They might as well have sat me in the kitchen.
Maybe next time you should wear a dress.
That will get you noticed.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Chevalière.
I give you a toast.
To the city of Philadelphia.
Taken this 26th of September by General Howe.
God save King George.
What did he say?
The English have conquered the American capital.
Look at Chaumont.
- He's shitting his breeches. - Oh, mon ami.
Uh, you have it backward, Mr. Stormont.
Philadelphia has taken General Howe.
You have it backward, Mr. Stormont.
Philadelphia has taken General Howe.
Well played, Dr. Franklin!
Doctor.
Chevalière.
I hope you'll forgive my misspeaking.
Did you misspeak?
I do have a sword,
and I have had occasion to use it.
Well, you must be pleased to return home.
We shall see. Everywhere I have had to battle for my reputation.
- Hmm. - I've been called a traitor and worse.
I've been outlawed and exiled.
And I also have been mocked.
I confess, I... I take it more poorly than most.
There's a... a pride in me that I sometimes think unseemly.
In me as well, Doctor.
And that is why I will never let them defeat me. No matter what.
Chevalière,
m-may I ask, purely in the spirit of knowledge...
What am I?
I am...
a fact... that does not yet have a name.
Allons ! Allons !
Careful.
Bien. Allez.
How on earth...
Well, let's say that Monsieur Chaumont
isn't the only smuggler in Passy.
Mon Dieu, we are nothing but a band of criminals.
Anyway, you've got your press back.
I have got my voice back.
It is worth opening a bottle for, no?
As good excuse as any.
With my doctor's permission.
Your doctor says, "No". But, uh...
I suppose your friend says, "Yes".
One moment.
Why not?
Temple, come raise a glass with us.
There's cause to celebrate.
Grandfather!
Um...
Uh, Jacques... Jacques was just...
... showing me something. What's it called?
Uh, jeu d'esprit !
It means something funny.
I know what it means. May I see?
I welcome a good jest.
HERE IS MY SWORD, DOCTOR
This is poorly printed.
- Oh, yes. - It... It really doesn't mean anything.
- Of course not. - He's right, Dr. Franklin.
You should see what they show the queen doing...
... with a woman.
- A horse... - In this country, vice is immaterial.
But ridicule... is fatal.
I didn't draw it.
Uh, someone's here.
Sir.
My name is Jonathan Austin.
I've lately sailed from Boston
and ridden all night from Nantes with news from the Congress.
I-I'm charged to inform you...
We have lost Philadelphia.
Well, yes, but...
And what else? Charleston? Baltimore?
Washington's dentures?
Just come out with it, you bucket-headed lobcock.
We've broken them at Saratoga.
General Burgoyne's army is taken.
The whole army?
6,000 men. The field is ours.
Let's all have that drink.
Haven't we missed the play?
We are here for a private performance.
No silver lockets tonight.
Understand?
Look who it is.
Good evening, Monsieur Jacques.
Good evening, Monsieur Chaumont.
Bonsoir, messieurs.
Oh là là ! Monsieur Jacques!
Why weren't you in the audience tonight?
Don't you favor us anymore?
The cares of the world, my little cabbages.
Let us relieve you of them.
If only it were that simple.
Who's this little kitten?
He's no kitten. He's a lion, ready to pounce.
What's your name, oh, king of animals?
Temple.
But I've come to worship you.
I'm going to put him in a crib and take him home!
Onward.
Can we stay here?
These are mere mortals, my friend.
We are going to meet a goddess.
Is it you?
Who else would it be?
I opened in Marivaux tonight.
And you couldn't be bothered.
I'll never forgive myself.
A Spanish count came back after the show
and offered me half of Naples.
In exchange for what?
It was open to negotiation.
How ashamed I am that I only brought you this.
You brought a servant?
I brought a friend.
Mademoiselle, uh...
Je... Je...
Uh, je...
Dr. Franklin unfortunately threw our plans awry.
Well, London will be most displeased.
Especially with the news of Saratoga.
What good can it really do?
Versailles would rather he just went away.
What else?
Well, I mean, he's already at loggerheads with the boy again.
- It never takes long. - Can't we use that?
His father is a weak point.
I'll think on it.
Better off with pounds, you know.
Harder to spend here.
Easier to cover your losses to the Royal Stock Exchange.
You'll hear from me again. The usual method.
- Bancroft? - Yes?
Would you consider yourself an Englishman or an American?
I was unaware that there was any difference.
Mmm.
What's the matter, kitten?
Were you banished from paradise?
- Just bored. - Hmm.
Let's see if we can spark your interest.
Come on, little lion. I won't bite.
Unless you want me to.
VICTORY AT SARATOGA - THE ENGLISH SURRENDER
LAFAYETTE THE HERO
- Synced and corrected by Firefly - - www.addic7ed.com -