A Man of Vision

*A Man of Vision* is the fifth episode of the first season of *Cleverman*. It first aired on June 30th, 2016 on the ABC, and June 29th, 2016 on Sundance TV.

## Plot

Jarrod Slade is with Everick in the lab; they inject something into a human egg cell and Slade is pleased at the results. Later he takes Charlotte to Illythia to undergo IVF treatment, and Everick is her doctor - Slade is involved with Illythia.

Koen, Blair and Kora are hiding in the van opposite the bar, suspicious that no cops have shown up to investigate the gunshots. Blair heads inside and the others follow; they find that Ash's body has turned to ash where it lay. Blair starts collecting her ashes in a box from behind the bar.

Waaru and Nerida have dinner with Slade and Charlotte at their beachfront house; Charlotte runs into Nerida after vomiting and reveals she is already feeling the effects of pregnancy. Meanwhile Slade offers Waaru money for him to use improving the Zone; Waaru asks for $300,000, but Slade ups this to thirty million. Waaru asks what Slade wants in return, to which Slade replies: "your brother".

Upstairs at the bar, Koen is grabbing some of his belongings. He brings out the nulla nulla, and Kora speaks to him in Gumbaynggirr, which Koen doesn't understand. He grabs her hand while holding the nulla nulla and has another set of visions: Cora sitting under a tree, himself falling to the ground and bleeding from his eye, flasks of liquid smashing in a lab.

McIntyre, still alive, is back at Containment Auhtority headquarters; he wants Minister Matthews to give him serious backup if he is going to enter the Zone to recapture Djukara, Mungo and Kulya. Matthews says he can live with collateral damage to stop the killings, but McIntyre admits to being the one who removed Dickson's heart and drawing the symbol.

In the Zone, some of the younger residents are mooning the CA officers and protesters outside when one of the officers aims his weapon at the boys. Uncle Max pushes the officer, and is beaten capsicum sprayed in his eyes. Brought into the clinic, Charlotte does her best to help but this latest escalation has clearly upset her.

In the bar, Waaru plans to leave, offering to drop Blair off somewhere as he has to deal with shit that doesn't involve Blair. Blair thinks it's too late for that; he's guessed that Koen knew what would happen to Ash, and that's why he had the gun. Angry that he kept this from him, Blair tells Kora how the two met as homeless teenagers, and reveals that he knew about Koen and Ash, angrily demanding that Koen admit it, which he does. All three leave in the van, Kora singing a song to try and comfort Blair. They head for the Zone just in time to see Charlotte confronting the CA officers and the crowd, who pelt her with eggs. "You're the ones that are sub-human," she shouts.

At Frankie's place, Araluen gets hold of Rowena's mobile phone when she leaves it behind; when Rowena comes back to look for it later, Araluen's hidden it. Frankie threatens Araluen, but Araluen successfully bluffs her, and Frankie uses her cattle prod on Rowena, reminding her that she's not to do drugs on the premises.

Koen, Blair and Kora arrive at Aunty Linda's flat, and Kora speaks to Linda - still in Gumbaynggirr - telling her she is from "somewhere else", and that she called the Cleverman to rescure her but he won't send her home. Linda recognises that "Kora" is an ancestral spirit trapped in a young woman's body. She further explains that Uncle Jimmy called her to Earth and gave her to "the big man", and shows them the marks in her arm where they attached tubes to her in the lab. Linda tells Koen to take her home, and says he needs to take her where Jimmy used to take him and Waaru.

At the clinic, Charlotte is feeling some pains and does an ultrasound on herself, realising that her foetus is developing abnormally quickly - it's weeks ahead of where it should be.

Waaru is discussing Slade's donation with Nerida, without revealing what Slade asked in return, when Linda arrives and asks Waaru to come and help Koen to fix the mess made by Jimmy. The brothers meet up, and Koen explains what happened, including Slade's visit, though he doesn't mention Slade's name, and Waaru says he doesn't know anything about it. Waaru says the Namorrodor is their priority - that they should kill it tonight, to save the hairies and prevent any more murders.

At home, Slade suggests Charlotte stop working in the Zone until the baby is born, but she intends to stay.

On the beach, Koen and Waaru have built a bonfire. The plan is to lure out the Namorrodor by placing a kangaroo corpse on the fire, then for Koen to kill the creature with the nulla nulla. When Koen goes back to the van to get it, Waaru stays at the fire and begins chanting.

Nerida is putting away the plans for Slade's money when she finds Waaru's camera hidden in a cupboard; she watches the video on it and learns that he killed Dickson.

The Namorrodor hasn't shown up, and Koen is getting nervous. He tried to get Waaru to take the nulla nulla and be the Cleverman, but Waaru explains that's not how it works; Koen asks if he's supposed to die first, like he's seen in his visions, accusing Waaru of wanting Koen to die so he can be Cleverman. Koen throws the nulla nulla and Waaru's feet and makes to leave, but Waaru goads him about his mother and the two fight. Waaru thinks he's knocked Koen out, but he gets back up and beats Waaru unconscious before taking the nulla nulla and leaving.

In the Zone, Maliyan is trying to comfort a young hairyperson who's unwell; Djukara comes to her bedside and cheers her up with a piggyback ride, just as he used to do for his sister Jyra. Mungo comes to see him and the two leave.

Waaru arrives home to find Nerida angry and upset, but he can't bring himself to tell her the truth about the deal Slade wants.

As Koen is returning to Linda's flat, he's confronted by Djukara, who holds a gun to his neck and blames him for Jyra's death. Koen tells him to shoot, but when Djukara hesitates, he grabs the gun and pulls the trigger himself. Djukara leaves, thinking he's killed Koeb, but Koen heals almost immediately. Speaking to Linda, Koen says nothing happened and describes himself as a fuck up, blaming himself for Ash's and Jyra's deaths. He finally cries over Jyra, letting out his remorse.

Matthews, in bed with Araluen, calls Slade to complain that McIntyre won't send in troops to "cleanse" the Zone. Slade refuses to comply, and Matthews hangs up on him, showing Araluen the apartments he plans to build, with the penthouse reserved for himself - and Araluen, whom he plans to purchase outright from Frankie.

Linda is at the clinic for her cancer medication when Maliyan brings in a young hairy boy with unusual scratches on his body. Linda examines him and tells Alinta to fetch Koen; she recognises this and tells Charlotte she can't help - this isn't a "what", it's a "who". When Koen arrives, Linda tells him he has to run a smoking ceremony, shutting down his protests that Waaru should be the one. Djukara is at the boy's bedside and is shocked to see Koen, but doesn't say anything. Linda clears everyone out except the boy, Maliyan, herself and Koen, ignoring his further protests. She starts to sing as Koen blows smoke from burning eucalyptus leaves around the boy. He lays a hand on the boy's forehead and turns around to see Jyra. Koen drops to his knees in front of her and apologises, asking for her forgiveness and blowing smoke towards her, telling her it will take her where she needs to go. Jyra's spirit smiles and disappears.