The Pillars of the Earth

Previously on The Pillars of the Earth...

Who will rule once I am gone?

There's the king's legitimate daughter, Maud,

then there's me.

The shipwreck was convenient.

What happened was ordained by God. No one survived.

- My Lord! - The king is unwell!

- The king is dead. - Long live the king.

We'll raise an army together and take Stephen by surprise.

So if you make me Prior,

I make you Bishop?

- My name is Ellen. - Tom.

Tom the Builder.

She's a witch!

There's work at the Bishop's palace.

- It does need repair. - Hire this man.

Who is that?

The way to my daughter's heart

is through affection.

We will loot Shiring Castle.

We must defend the king!

You're under attack!

Thank you, Earl of Shiring.

Where do you want this then?

- Lay that down here. - All right.

: Steady, Brother Paul.

Afternoon, brother.

I'm looking for the new prior.

In the church.

Don't be long.

I don't want to stay if there's no work.

What's that?

St. Adolphus.

It's his cathedral.

Is that his real head?

The Romans cut it off and threw it in the river.

His headless body pulled it out and carried it here.

Forgive him, Father. He's... He's just a curious lad.

Which should be encouraged. How can I help you?

I'm Tom Builder. This is my son, Alfred.

We'd like to repair your church.

Well, I'm Prior Philip.

And I want it repaired, but I can't hire you.

We haven't a shilling.

Sorry.

Martha!

You!

Ah!

Get away from me!

That man nearly killed my daughter!

No!

I saw him that night.

What night? What are you talking about?

The night that your woman died.

He took it.

He took what?

Please, I won't hurt him. I promise.

I'm no good to you, am I?

I'm no good to anyone.

He's better off here than he is with me,

but I don't want to leave.

I left him once before. I can't do that again.

- You have little choice. - I know that.

You think I don't know that?

I'm useless.

I can't support my family. I can't stay with my son.

Why can't God give me work just this once?

My God!

There's a fire in the roof!

How could this happen?

What do we do?

St. Adolphus, save your church!

: The roof's afire!

- God save us! - What do we do?

Hurry, hurry!

Quick, quick! The chalices and the vesper!

Quick!

Quick!

Philip! Philip! Come out!

No, the relic! I must save the relic.

Philip!

Philip!

: St. Adolphus, save your blessed church!

This is the Devil's work.

Jack!

What happened?

We can stay now.

At least no one died.

I prayed for this last night.

God help me.

It was lightning.

Without a storm?

All my life I've waited for work like this.

Now it's here and they can't afford to pay me.

We could work for free.

They'll give us food and lodging,

and you could stay with your little boy.

It's gone, smashed.

We're finished.

You can't rebuild a cathedral without its relic.

A skull's a skull, Philip. We don't even know it was his.

What about the miracles?

I've been praying to that skull for years

to save my poor sister from the street. Useless!

It does take belief, too.

Yes, but what if people believe another skull is his?

One from the ossuary. There's thousands.

And who's to say the monk whose head we choose isn't a saint?

Because that would be a lie!

Not a lie, a... a leavening,

a means to an end.

And the end is God's glory.

Well, at least the crypt was spared.

You can use it for services, can't you?

Until the new church is roofed.

What makes you think there'll even be a new church?

Because I will build it.

You house us, you feed us, and I will defer payment.

This may be the Devil's work,

but it was God that sent you a master builder.

My dear bishop:

Undoubtedly, you have heard of our misfortune.

But God has blessed us with a rough-handed angel

to help us through this crisis.

Tom Builder is his name.

And he is determined to give us a new cathedral.

There is much work to be done and workmen to be hired.

Of course, this brings up the question of money.

I don't wish to burden you as you begin your office,

but perhaps, with your permission,

I could approach our king

and ask his favour in this trying time.

The plans for the expansion of the palace, Your Eminence.

We are repairing the old buildings and the chapel.

And we're adding an entire new wing over here.

Did you scratch it?

Yeah.

You shouldn't wear it picking up heavy rocks.

Is it worth a lot of money?

Hey, Jack, give it here. I'll put it in a safe place.

Jack...

May I speak to you for a moment?

I want you to make a statue of St. Adolphus.

Me?

I've never worked in stone.

That's not true.

I saw the carvings you did in the cave.

I think you'll manage.

I wouldn't know where to start.

Take your time.

Experiment.

Listen.

- To what? - To the stone.

You're a distraction, you are.

I've seen the monks watching you while they work.

They don't know what to make of you.

Oh, I think they do, Tom Builder.

Are you jealous?

No, I'm not jealous.

We'll have a wooden ceiling, like the old church.

I'd prefer it in stone, but it's far too heavy.

Also, it's hard to find long pieces of timber,

so the nave will have to be only 32-feet wide.

But it'll be high. It'll be very high.

How will the walls support the weight?

Well, have a look at this.

Pointed arches? I've never seen such a thing.

It'll bear the weight better.

With the buttresses,

it will allow the windows to be tall.

Tall enough to let in the light.

A cathedral...

it's God's anteroom.

It's halfway to heaven.

And the light...

The light is everything.

How long will this take?

It depends how many people you employ.

But if you were to hire 30 masons

with enough labourers, carpenters and smiths

to service them,

that's 15 years.

- Have you done this before? - No.

- How do you know it'll work? - It'll work.

What do you think?

I think it's extraordinary.

It's from Bishop Waleran, prior.

He wants me to meet him at Shiring Castle

on my way to see the king.

I don't know why.

Uh, I shouldn't be long, Remigius,

but until I return, as subprior, you're in charge.

Safe journeys.

Where's my ring?

: Jack! Jack!

I hung it around my neck, and you stole it at night!

Why should you care? You said it was worthless!

- Maybe it fell off at night. - I looked everywhere.

- What's wrong? - He took my ring!

I don't want his bloody ring!