Law and Order (TV story)

***Law and Order*** was the ninth episode of *Series 1* of *Survivors*.

## Synopsis

The hard slog of surviving is beginning to affect community morale at the Grange.

## Plot

Barney is hunting with a bow and arrow and hits a rabbit. Tom Price congratulates him. Meanwhile, Charmian serves Arthur his breakfast in private, including Emma's carrot tea. However, Charmian herself insists on eating with the others. Jenny, Greg and Abby discuss collecting supplies. Vic takes John and Lizzie for their lessons, words and sums, with Emma calling John back to finish his milk. Greg and Paul are unconvinced of the worth of learning sums, while Emma worries about the fact Wendy hasn't eaten again. Jenny suggests she and Charmian go to collect the supplies from the quarry but Greg says the men are needed for digging and refuses to let them go on their own. Wendy rushes in to announce that the pigs have got loose in the cabbages.

Abby, Greg, Jenny, Wendy, Paul, Arthur, Charmian and the children corral the pigs away, while Greg angrily wonders where Price is. He tackles Price about failing to pen the pigs while Emma makes plan to salvage the cabbages. Price says he told Barney to do it, just like Greg told him. Arthur opines that the stakes for the pen were too flimsy. Price accuses Arthur of keeping apart from the rest of them because he doesn't want to share and is hoarding food. Abby is intrigued by the accusation and Greg asks to see Arthur's case. Rather than Tom be sent, Arthur goes to get it. Paul catches him trying to empty the contents.

Abby and Greg discuss the lack of morale. They gather most of the adults together (Vic is with the children). Abby says all members of the community have to eat in the dining room and anyone caught hoarding will be asked to leave. (Paul queries the word "asked" and Greg amends it to "told".) Emma asks if the community's a democracy rather than Abby laying down rules. Abby isn't sure but no-one objects to the rules. She suggests a May Day celebration and roast mutton. Emma suggests killing a pig instead so it can be salted and Barney volunteers. Arthur and Tom are nominated to collect the drink from the cellar.

Emma, Wendy and Charmian work on the vegetables. Tom brings a large number of bottles to the hall and Barney gathers potatoes. Later, the whole group is singing and dancing with Greg playing guitar. Abby and Arthur debate the values of morale and leadership before joining the dancing. Emma tells Wendy to take John and Lizzie to bed. Barney joins Price in drinking, with Emma scolding Price. A leering Price tries to get Jenny to dance with him but she refuses. He looks at Wendy as she returns but she is soon dancing with Barney, leaving Price sat in a corner on his own. Wendy tells Barney she'll sit the next dance out. Barney leaves, looking ill.

Charmian checks on Wendy, who admits she's not used to the drink and decides to go to bed, saying good night to everyone. With the majority focused on Paul playing and singing, Price follows her out and offers her company. Wendy firmly refuses but Price is persistent, chasing after her after she tells him to go, his behaviour increasingly menacing. Downstairs, Emma sings to Paul's accompaniment. Greg talks to Jenny about the pagan history of May Day traditions. Jenny wonders if they used to sacrifice people and Greg says some people believed the blood of a virgin fertilised the soil. Barney staggers off to bed, still worse the wear, while a shaken and sobered up Price crosses the stairwell.

Next morning, as everyone else clears up, a haunted Price sits in his room and hears someone screaming. John and Lizzie come rushing downstairs, saying something's happened to Wendy. Price dresses and joins the others as Abby and Greg rush to look and find Wendy dead. Greg reports to them that Wendy's been stabbed. Jenny is with the children. Emma thinks Barney is with the sheep but Charmian says she saw him going to the woods with a bow and arrow. Paul wonders if that could be what Wendy was killed with. Price protests that Barney couldn't have done it but clams up when Paul coldly asks if he did. Greg thinks they should bring Barney back. Abby agrees but stops Arthur taking a gun.

Greg, Paul, Arthur and Price search the woods. Price finds Barney first and tells him to run and not come back because the others think he killed Wendy. Barney flees. Greg and Paul call out to him and he runs off. Price quietly begs Barney to run off. Later, Greg shows Abby a bloodied arrow, saying Paul has Barney. Price again tries to protest that Barney did it. Abby thinks they need to try him, while Arthur wonders what to do with him. Barney is brought in. Abby asks why he told Greg and Arthur he "didn't do it". Barney says he didn't do that to Wendy. Abby asks how he knew Wendy was dead. Price tenses up but Barney just looks confused.

Vic is looking after John and Lizzie, who think Barney wouldn't hurt Wendy. Abby asks Barney about the arrow and the blood on it. Not understanding, he suggests she clean it. Abby asks how the blood got there and Barney says it's a rabbit. Greg and Arthur reflect on how they can't prove either way. Vic tries to explain to the children that Barney is being questioned. Abby asks Barney about the party and if he went to Wendy's room afterwards. Barney says he was sick and then slept. Arthur asks him directly if he killed Wendy and he says no.

Paul comes to get Vic and tells John and Lizzie that Barney's in his room and they're to stay there. Price tries to insist the killer could be anyone but Greg is insistent. Emma and Jenny protest Barney was just enjoying himself last night. Greg says Barney already knew Wendy was dead when they found him, which Paul backs up, and had a weapon. He thinks the circumstantial evidence is enough. Emma disagrees, thinking it's natural for Barney to run off and think he was being accused of something when the men chased after him, and they can't prove it's human blood on the arrow. Charmian suggests Barney was telling the truth when he said he didn't do it and doesn't remember it. Arthur says that makes him guilty with diminished responsibility, and they shouldn't decide on a punishment until after the verdict. Abby agrees. John and Lizzie go to Barney's room and unlock it.

Abby and Greg think there's nothing new to say and call for a vote. Greg, Arthur, Paul, Vic and Charmian all vote guilty, while Tom, Jenny and Emma vote not guilty. Abby calls that five to three. Greg points out Abby hasn't voted and she votes guilty. Jenny asks what now. Arthur suggests banishing him from the community and taking him far enough away so he can't come back. Emma thinks he won't survive on his own while Greg thinks he could kill again. Jenny suggests watching him to keep him away from the children but Greg thinks it's impossible. He suggests capital punishment: There's no hospitals to send him to and they can't lock him up forever. Both Tom and Arthur argue against it but Greg says they can't pass the buck. Abby accepts his point: They can't do nothing. She compares Barney to a sick animal that they have to put down or abandon, then says they need lunch, for the children if no-one else.

John and Lizzie play with Barney in his room. John tells Barney about dinosaurs. Greg is angry to find them in there, ordering them out. Lizzie tells him Barney's hungry. Greg says he'll bring him something. Barney asks when he'll go back to the sheep and Greg says after lunch. Soon after, the adults sit around the dining table, unable to eat, while John and Lizzie tuck in. Lizzie wonders why everybody's so grumpy as Emma refills her plate.

Jenny says the children are playing in the yard. Abby tells everyone to vote on punishment. Greg, Arthur, Paul and Vic vote for death while Tom, Jenny, Charmian and Emma vote for banishment. Abby is left with the casting vote. She bursts into tears. Soon after, she brings a large book with straws sticking out of it to the study where the men have gathered. Paul, Arthur and Vic all pull out long straws. Price looks horrified. Greg steps forward and pulls out the short straw, saying there's no need for Price to take one now.

Arthur and Paul dig two graves as Greg marches Barney past them. Price sits alone in his room as Abby, Vic, Emma and Charmian gather downstairs and John and Lizzie play in the field. They hear a gunshot. Greg goes back to the house on his own. Abby calls him upstairs, insistent. Price shows them the blood-soaked clothes and weapon that he hid. Greg goes to club Price with his rifle and Abby stops him. Later, Greg tells Abby he feels responsible. Abby says he carried out a collective decision and she could have voted the other way. Abby thinks they should tell the others but Greg disagrees. Their priority has to be survival: The others would lynch Price and they're already short of people. They just have to keep an eye on him from now on. Price sits in his room, staring at Barney's empty bed and sobbing that he's sorry.

## Cast

* Abby Grant - Carolyn Seymour
* Jenny Richards - Lucy Fleming
* Greg Preston - Ian McCulloch
* Tom Price - Talfryn Thomas
* John Millon - Stephen Dudley
* Lizzie Willoughby - Tanya Ronder
* Emma Cohen - Hana-Maria Pravda
* Wendy - Julie Neubert
* Barney - John Hallett
* Paul Pitman - Chris Tranchell
* Vic Thatcher - Terry Scully
* Arthur Russell - Michael Gover
* Charmian Wentworth - Eileen Helsby

## Crew

* Written by M.K. Jeeves
* Produced by Terence Dudley
* Directed by Pennant Roberts