A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES
[mysterious music]
[Man] Ho.
[horse's neigh]
Greetings.
Jozef Schiplaecke, guide of these two officers.
May I ask you to stand aside?
[ominous music]
Our stomachs are empty, our horses are thirsty
and we have a long journey ahead.
Nice shoes.
I want those shoes.
[German] Tell the whore to get out of the way.
[Flemish] I don't speak German.
Do you know German?
[Man] Nein.
[laughter]
Who is this unlucky guy?
Not that it's any of your business, but this gentleman is Jan de Lichte,
wanted for murder and desertion.
What's he worth?
A lot, I think.
[horse's neigh]
Five hundred florins.
And those shoes.
Then you can pass.
What do you reckon?
[German] I reckon that,
if I wanted to be bossed around by a woman,
I'd get married.
[horse's neigh]
[haunting music]
[growls]
[moans]
[title music]
FLANDERS 1747
[French] Dear friends, dear members of the town council,
please be seated.
Welcome to this special council meeting.
Today we will discuss the increase of war taxes
following a direct appeal from His Majesty, Louis XV.
In respect, long live the king.
[All] Long live the king.
Our town tax collector, Mr. Rademaeckers, has a fair plan.
Mr. Rademaeckers, the floor is yours.
If we want to...
Stand up, master.
To fulfil the obligations resulting from the imposed increase,
we're talking about a total of 20 extra shares.
The...
The villages will contribute proportionately
by giving two extra shares.
The two towns
represent six shares,
which gives us the 20 shares.
[Flemish] Chevalier, you know we don't have a choice.
In wartime the host country has to pay the expenses,
whether we want to or not.
[French] Maître, calm down.
Excuse me.
Henceforth, we will collect the new increase
on the first day of each month.
I have spoken.
[Flemish] Gentlemen, I would like to remind you
that these expenses won't be paid by us.
Raise excise duties impose tolls at the gates,
or send city wardens door-to-door, I don't care.
People may be barely keeping their heads above water,
but they should be damn glad to have water.
Right, Benoît?
Excuse me sir, but the mayor cannot receive you today.
This is our chief city warden, Goorissen.
He will escort you to your office.
Yes.
I assume you were informed of my arrival?
An office has been made available for you, Bailiff...
Baru.
- Baru. - It's Baru.
Do you understand that I am your new superior?
Yes, I do.
[crowd cheering]
[Baru] What's going on?
A flogging. Half a dozen today.
[yelling]
You goddamned whore.
Dirty thief.
[crowd continues to yell]
What did they do?
This family stole two rabbits from Mayor Coffijn's estate.
- Two rabbits? - Yes.
Which means two dozen lashes for the women.
The same amount for the men, but we cane them
and the brood gets to watch.
Then they are branded and banished.
That's a bit harsh, isn't it?
We'll have no scum here.
[yelling]
She's first.
Look at Pycke.
[Coffijn] He thinks he's the Cardinal Vicar of Rome.
The Pope.
[chuckles]
The dean is a master of theatricality. Life is an amazing play, don't you think?
I'm sorry to tell you, but I hate theatre.
It's swarming with sodomites.
[yelling]
[French] My apologies, Mayor. I have other obligations.
Very well, general. I'll have fawns at my castle tonight.
Can I count on your presence?
Yes, of course.
[cries]
[executioner grunts, crowd cheers]
[Flemish] What happened to the previous bailiff?
Dead.
It took a long time, eight days, before they found him.
He was on the can.
Your workspace
and your maid, Magda de Wispelaere.
[Magda] My apologies, sir. I was told you would arrive tonight.
I make a point of never being late.
Which means I'm sometimes early.
I'll hurry up.
[yelling]
[cries in pain]
[Coffijn] That's how we'll straighten the main road to Brussels,
for once and forever,
so that our stage coach axels won't break anymore.
Through overseas contacts Mr. Van Gelderhode has learned
about road surfacing, which will cut travel time
between the two cities by half.
Speed is the future.
Yes?
That's our motto.
Excuse me, Mayor, but who is going to pay for it?
As city treasurer, you must free up funds.
Manpower is also a problem, Mayor.
A problem?
Dear fellow, there are no problems we cannot fix.
Did the previous bailiff have a system for all the paperwork?
A system?
How long ago did he die?
The bailiff? Four years next fall.
For four years,
no one has been dealing with criminal matters in this castellany?
Four years?
You can read?
Yes.
Can you also write?
The nuns taught me.
Then you can also talk.
Yes.
Start by telling me everything that's happened in this town.
I want to know.
- Everything? - Yes.
Our city has three gates.
There used to be four,
but due to a shortage of staff, one was closed.
And...
Our Procession of the Holy Blood attracts a lot of people.
Not as many as in Bruges, but ours is undervalued I feel.
Because our parish also owns...
Magda.
Magda, right?
Yes.
Restrict yourself to criminal matters.
Of course.
Sorry, Mr. Embo won't be home before dark.
He's with an important client in Ghent.
I'll come back later.
Beth de Lichte used to clean the presses here.
Yes, Michel mentioned her. I didn't know her.
How long have you worked here?
Three years.
Do you know where I can find her?
Not here.
I think she's living in the forest.
She got sick.
Sick?
You should ask Miss Héloïse. Shall I call her?
No, thank you.
Who was that, Verlooy?
I don't know. A soldier, I guess.
So people are either caught in the act,
or...
Denounced by a witness.
Then they are hanged.
[Magda] Or banished.
Without papers they can go nowhere.
No city or village will let them in.
Where do they go?
The Kluis forest.
Apparently they gather there from all over Flanders.
But no one knows exactly what goes on.
I advise you to steer clear of the forest.
Even City Watch won't go, Mr. Baru.
Jean-Philippe.
Call me Jean-Philippe.
Yes, Mr. Baru.
Sir, your future?
You're passing through.
Or you're on the run.
Tell me something I don't know, Minna.
Can you take me to the forest?
[mysterious music]
Are you sure?
Why should I help you,
Jan de Lichte?
[haunting music]
A drink for the road, sir?
No, thank you.
[branches breaking]
[birds chirping]
[rustling bushes]
[crow cawing]
[mysterious music]
To whom does this glory belong?
Mayor Coffijn.
I wish to speak to the mayor.
He's not receiving today.
[Baru smirks] It sure looks like he is.
I'm Mr. Baru, the new bailiff.
My apologies, Bailiff.
Private party, just for wigs, if you catch my drift.
I'm under strict orders. No one can enter.
I'm sure the mayor can accommodate one extra guest.
Orders, sir. Sorry.
I understand.
[yelling] I'll peel you like an apple.
Hey.
Come on, let's get the witch.
[ominous music]
[French] Dear friends.
We've invented a new game for you.
It's called
Hunt the fawn.
Dear friends,
those who catch a fawn, may enjoy her,
do as they will.
As indicated by their red skirts, they're orphans.
Don't be fooled by their sweet little faces.
They are bastards,
she-devils,
the offspring of whores and scoundrels.
Dear friends,
welcome to Flanders and happy hunting.
[screaming]
[growling]
[woman crying]
[man groaning]
[screams from afar]
[smothered screams]
[Flemish, whispering] Come.
Wait.
Oh.
[laughs]
[grunts]
I had to be here to...
So he could move right back in.
Our Emiel.
When he gets back...
Did that soldier come by again?
Soldier?
I wonder if it wasn't Jan.
Jan de Lichte?
Why?
He asked after Beth.
Imagine that.
Maybe he has news of Emiel.
When did we get his last letter?
Two months ago.
They were on their way to Magdeburg.
[moans]
[groans of exertion]
I thought it was a fox.
Or a rat.
[Woman] She's pretty as a picture.
Beautiful.
A red skirt that got away from those pervy priests.
Did you lose your cherry, sweetie?
[Woman] You must be hungry.
Getting cold feet?
No work, no food.
I want to work, madam.
Pay my way. I'm not lazy.
But not doing this?
Something wrong with it?
It's easy.
All guys want the same thing.
With a bit of variety.
[Woman] And you make some money.
Look, your body is here,
but your mind is elsewhere.
My mind is thinking about later.
What are you going to do later?
The Virgin Mary has good things in store for me.
I saw it in my prayers.
I will marry a rich man.
[Young woman] My little sister will come and live with us.
We'll be happy.
Dear child...
You can eat and work here until you find your rich man.
Sssh.
Damned. The devil.
Let her go or he dies.
- Go ahead. - Then we'll be rid of him.
[grunts]
Cut his head right off.
We'll have something to kick around.
But you'll have to fight for your gypsy.
[dramatic music]
[chuckles]
Still the same girly face, I see.
Francis Tincke, you still can't fight.
Is she yours?
Yes.
Go. Untie her.
Why should we do what that devil says?
That devil was my blood brother
when you were still up your momma's cunt.
I told you to let her go.
The old city doesn't exist anymore. The French destroyed everything.
And the bar?
They took it.
I've got a new bar. Smaller, but nice.
He went to war five years ago.
With Embo and De Kezel.
Emiel Embo you say?
Yes, your Emiel.
The Butcher of Silesia.
These guys fought all over Europe.
Watch out if he draws his pistol.
Where are the other two? Embo and De Kezel?
In Silesia, I guess.
And you came back on your own?
One year early.
Am I not welcome?
I'm glad you're back, Jan.
The mayor sends his apologies.
He won't be back at the office today.
An urgent duty.
I've been sitting here two hours.
I'm sorry, Bailiff.
What does one have to do to meet his Holiness?
Be patient, sir.
We'll see who has the most.
What?
Patience.
Indeed.
- [Rademaeckers] From the reserves? - [Coffijn] Yes.
50,000 more, if we're lucky.
What? Is that all?
What did you expect after four years of illegal French occupation?
It doesn't matter. I want that road.
Consider it an investment in the country's future.
How can I spend money I don't have?
Why not wait until after the war?
In Aachen...
Tomorrow never comes.
You can tweak the accounts. You are the collector.
You know all about finance. Fix it, Rademaeckers.
[Tincke] Anyone not allowed into town, ends up here.
Thieves, whores, cripples... They're all here.
Typhus, leprosy, whatever.
Sick people get in the way.
We carry them to the cemetery, for their own comfort.
If you want to forget your sorrows,
come and have a drink.
Then, I'd make a little something too.
Look. This is my bar.
THE HUNGER
Jan?
My darling.
Tarara.
You've turned into a real woman.
Tincke said you were dead.
I don't think so.
You look good.
So do you.
What's that?
[Tincke] A gift from our mayor.
- So we don't forget we're outlaws. - [Man] We're proud of it.
[cheers]
Where's my mother?
Gustaaf d'Arras from Antwerp.
Fat Gust. Our best customer.
Behave.
[Fat Gust] Cheers.
How does it feel when he's on top of you?
Imagine a very big closet...
with a tiny key.
And it flops around on top of you.
Most of them get sick when they come here.
But when you're already ill...
you don't last long.
If you want...
there's a place for you here.
I don't belong here.
Where do you belong?
In America.
America?
Why there?
Freedom.
Brotherhood. Equality.
What's that?
All are equal before the law there.
Surely you don't believe that?
It's not about believing. It's how it is.
When you arrive there, you get a donkey, money, a piece of land.
Sounds good.
I think so too.
I thought the war would make you forget all those dreams.
But...
What's a life without dreams?
Look, Jan...
It used to be bad here,
but things are much worse now. You can see that.
We're just trying to survive.
Day to day.
Not everyone makes it.
Actually, most don't.
The cemetery is the only thing that grows.
I wipe my ass with your dreams.
Why don't you resist?
Because there's nothing else.
Except for God, who says it's our own fault.
We only have ourselves to blame.
You believe those stories?
I don't.
But they do.
[mysterious music]
Anne-Marie.
[Man] The first sip
is for the devil.
And the rest is for us. The devil can buy his own booze.
Learn
and live.
For this is your future.
You're all lucky.
It's good and prosperous.
Bread,
beer...
[cheers]
...gold, joy and love.
It'll be the best year of our lives.
[cheers]
[Man] The best year.
[cheerful murmuring]
[sad music]
And?
What did your rooster tell you?
They don't know what's going to happen to them.
Fools.
Apocalypse before the year is over
and betrayal, three times over.
[Man] Why did you come here, Jan de Lichte?
NEXT TIME
[Jan] I did something terrible.
This is what you're up to? This is what you do?
Tincke's great gang?
I'm a lion too. The Lion of Flanders.
I think she's in an orphanage.
- [baby crying] - I'm hungry.
[mean laugh]
[Man, German] Sir,
can you help us?