The Lesser Dead - The Hessian - Season 1 - Episode 5

Episode Date: June 6, 2023

The discovery of the kids’ Maker forces Margaret to confront the dangerous vampire, and her own contentious personal connection with him. The debate over what to do next is decided when the kids reveal a surprise vulnerability in his seemingly impregnable stronghold and Margaret hatches a plan to solve their problem for good.

Echoverse Echoverse presents The Lesser Dead It's time to fill you in on Wilhelm Ulrich Messer. The Hessian. Big bastard. I built like a tree. The oldest New Yorker who was in a tree. Maybe even the oldest New York, which is ironic, because he came over here with a bunch

of other crowds to kick America's ass for the British in like 1776 or something. Shot Benedict Arnold's horse out from under. I don't know exactly how we're when the Messer got to. Except he must have been about 45 when it happened, because that's what he looks like now. Red hair wears a mustache. Big like I already said. Rich. So rich.

He's got a quiet share in Studio 54. He's got his fingers and more than you'd believe. The Hessian is the very definition of somebody you don't fuck with. Ever. So he's the last dude in the world you want to find out is cranking out a bunch of little kid vampires for his own sick purposes. But that's just what we did find out. And the question now is that question nobody likes.

What do we do about it? So, all of you know the allegations. And I don't need none of you to tell me how ugly they are. I'm hearing calls to go over there and try our strengths against his, but I'm not one as thinks that's very smart. Two reasons. First, all we got is the word of these kids. We don't know from Adam that it's him doing the turning. I'm only assuming that there is more than turning going on. Yes, a large vampire was seen in Chinatown near the dead taxi driver's place, and we all know Mr. Messer's a large specimen. But that's not enough to send anyone to Brichaz Island let alone hell.

Turn his enough! Turning children is enough. We don't know he's doing it. Who else would it be? Look, I'm inclined to agree with you. But when you're playing with the big boys, you need more than inclination. You do your fucking homework, don't you? Now stop interrupting, I got another point to make. What do we do if it is him?

Margaret just took off her sandal and whipped it in Mapache's head. The fact that she's smacked him with her flip-fluff shows a kind of leadership genius that needs talking about. This is what Latin mothers do to their children, through shoes that they're fucking had. Never told me every port we can kid fears La Chonkla. Drawing on the wall while mom's on the phone, La Chonkla. Talking shit when you think she can't hear you, La Chonkla. She just told Mapa Che without words that she's in charge.

That when she turned him, she made him. Even though she's from someplace else, she knows who he is and where he comes from, that she can hurt him, but that she doesn't want to. And when Baldi mouthed off, he got pushed across the concrete with his shovel and his nuts. He you. Oh, my mother. This is the Gujando. And makers are important. Another thing the need's talking about. We've got three of us missing.

First, that new girly in Sandy. I didn't think much about that because she's sad and stupid and is like to get herself cooked on purpose or by mistake. But now I'm here in Chinchilla, didn't come home. He's smart and loyal. I don't see him just often deciding to rather sleep in Coney Island. And Guagua, last being seen

knew the dead taxi man's house is real fucking wrong. Now all this is tied to the fellow turning children or I'm wearing orange. But even if we did determine that the hash needed killing, we'd be fools to try and get in his house and do it. He's clever and cruel enough to make that building a death trap for intruders. So we're just not going to do anything even if?

I didn't say that. There's a lot of ground between not doing anything and not doing anything stupid. No, someone go out there. No body thinks you're a coward, Mr. Gonzalez, and I hope you're insane at I'm one. No. Then here's what we're going to do. Luna and Billy Bang are out with the kids tonight. Mr. Peacock, Svetko, and Old Boy will join me

paying Mr. Messer a visit. At the club? No, he's got a suite at the Chelsea, he does business, and he'll be there tonight. He's expecting us. I got a bad feeling about going to this guy's office all over his fets. I do not love it myself.

I know this man. She knows what she has been shown. Do you have anything else to add, Svetko? No, thank you, nothing's the head. I know, Wilhelm Massa. If he's guilty, I know. We'll decide what to do from there. Meeting adjourned.

And gentlemen, dress nicely. Always do. Let's do. The Chelsea Hotel. Big, beautiful red brick dinosaur in 23rd Street, between 7th and 8th. Full of artists and writers and singers and people who want to be those things. Or drink blood from those people. The music is still the same. Look at that. I'm very glad. I wonder who lived there. Ever since owner Stan Lee Barr had met the big bastard

and invited him in one night, the Hessians rented a room here and had the run of the place. Too bad for the other tenants. Like Leonard Cohen. So I'm saying back when he was living here, bet the Hessians left him a pint lighter a couple times. Vampires loved taping famous people. At least I do. living here. Bet the Hessian left him a pine lighter a couple times. Vampire's love

tap in famous people. Please die do. Did I tell you I want a bit moat from the three stuches? That's the Butler, Fluent World War II, and not for our team. Thank you. Please step into Zipala. He's waiting for you, Zipala. I gotta say, this guy's got taste, dark green walls, old, tiny landscape paintings. Leather chairs so shiny, they reflect the light of the fire from the Onyx fireplace. In the corner, there's a skeleton of a deer standing up, horns and all.

Don't ask me why, but I dig it. My name is McMannis, Mr. Peacock. Mr. Svetkov Stukl. And I do not know your proper name. Oh, boys, fine. Please, sit. I will. When those fellas aren't standing behind the couch.

Of course. Hagen Stingsie in my lame hour. Something good, trick. What is it? No, thank you. I was just curious. Smells good. Lamb's blood. Warmed with a hint of cloth and sea salt.

Served with a sprig of mint. No. We'll pass, thanks. I'm not thirsty. Well, yeah. To business, then. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? I do not mean to be rude, but my time is valuable, and I hope you will be economical with it. Fine by me.

We've got a situation down the tunnels. First, two of us have gone missing, Sandy and Chinchilla. A colorful name. Well, have you seen him? If I were looking for Chinchilla, A colorful name. Well, have you seen him? If I were looking for Chinchilla, I would inquire the maces. How you always were, clever Mr. Maser. But our problems are not going to be joked away. It seems somebody, and we're trying to get a handle on who,

has been turning weed children and setting them loose. I got three little British kids on a leash down there, not as tall as my tits, and it's all I can do to keep them from drinking half the city. What's more, another little one burned up. So young, she didn't know what to do with herself. Got a face full of sunshine. The death of any child is tragic. What else?

But I do not see what it has to do with me. But do you not? Because they mentioned you, quite specifically. Unless there's another hashen. He doesn't own thing then. He looks at Svetko. I guess because he's another old ass European. Like, can you believe this bitch?

Ha ha ha. I don't see what's funny. I know. You wouldn't. But it is funny. When someone does not grasp a power dynamic. When you walk into my barler as my guest and you make accusations to me, accusations of the grossest nature, you must either find it absurd, offensive.

You should be glad I find the barking of a dog with no teeth absurd. Oh, I have teeth enough. Yes. You have put together a large motley group of nocturnals with the addition of these latins. It is what? 15, 20. Too many for you to be ignored any longer,

but not enough to make you secure. Your so-called soldier design, amateur, the muse, perhaps only this old boy is truly dangerous, but not as dangerous as the creature's eye in broy. You come here saying perhaps I commit an abomination? I say, of course I don't. But also, what if I did? I'm just curious.

Let's say hypothetically, I am turning children into vampires for fun. I keep a little dead in their garden in the basement of Studio 54. Every horrible thing you seem ready to imagine about me is true. And so, what can you possibly do about it? However, do not explore yourself just yet. I like you once. I will give you some advice. Free advice. The worst kind.

But it is honestly meant for your benefit. After all, a maker owes something to his creation. Yeah. Get out of those tunnels, Margaret. Like Manis, you can down there too long. It's not good for

what's left of your humanity, and it is not safe. Not anymore. For you to really understand what just happened back there, I have to tell you a story. The way Margaret told it to me, back when she still had her humanity. My Miss Your Boy, I've been good for your anti-cate. Yeah.

I should take you to ice creams now the weather's warmer. Yeah, one escape. Oh, I had to sell those scates, remember sweetheart. But if things get better, I'll buy you a kite. I'll come fly up with you too. One of the skates. Liam, precious. Let me talk to your mother.

Go play with the boys now. OK. You got to take him, Margaret. I just need to save a little more. Since they fired me, there's been nothing else. Did you talk to the landlord? Only the manager. And you know how they are. It's not me. It's mess or realty. What's there to say? Maybe if I could find a rich valedimari, but to my eye there's a little difference between that and horror in which we already know I'm no good for.

And with Liam... Please understand sister, I'm not going to let you know. I'm not going to let you know. I'm not going to let you know. I'm not going to let you know. I'm not going to let you know. I'm not going to let you know.

I'm not going to let you already know I'm no good for. And with Liam... Please, understand sister. If he was a normal boy, but he's a lot, he's not fair to the others. He needs his mother, and I hate to say it. He needs to be put in the boys' home. You know the boys' home won't take him while he has a mother. Sure, he'd be better off with that one.

I don't go talking like that. Pray the rose, remarket. I have done. You're a good sister Kate. Now put Liam back on with you. Now put Liam back on with you. Margaret told me what she did after that. Not the kind of thing a Catholic usually does. Hey Mary, full of grace at Lordes with thee, bless, start power among women and bless just the fruit.

God, I tried, didn't I? Can't say I didn't. Lord? I'm just moving my lips and making noise on. I can't say I didn't. Lord? I'm just moving my lips and making noise aren't. You don't listen to people like me. Never have. She really did it.

Took a razor to her wrists in the bathtub. She's not so bad. She should have done the right one first. Well, next time. But then, she got cold feet. The way she told me, as soon as she clipped herself, she saw herself in hell. Which everybody knows is where suicides go. Jerking with her eyes rolled back in her head. Skin, white as ash, burning.

And the whole crowd of the damned burning with her. whole crowd of the damned burning with him. So she sat up, nearly grabbed the rosary from the floor, but instead got the towel to try to stop it. But she could tell by how much blood was coming out. It was too late. Oh, no, Jesus, what have I done? Oh, Jesus. But Jesus wasn't what came through the window.

It was the Hessian, wearing just his night robe. He'd been watching her, had a thing for her. Seeing her blood was too much for him. And in he came, he took one of her bloody hands, put it to his mouth, kissed it. What the fuck? You're going to die unless I take measures to save you. Shall I?

Mashers? All measures? It will be my creature. I will close our eyes to the daylight and open them. Come a night. God forgive me. You have to forgive yourself. I'm afraid.

It is not God. So he took off his robe and got in the bloody tomb with her. Prest is ancient, cold body against hers. No, I'm not a mistake. I made it. I made it. I'm gonna die with running out. Do it. I'll fucking do it. Ah! She never saw the sun again.

Ow, fuck these hirs are fucking torture instruments? Gah! If I may ask, what is your assessment of the situation? Hold on, you, poor, give me a cigarette. To be clear about this, vampires don't smoke as a habit, not usually. No heartbeat, no bloodstream. Lung's are really just for talking, so no nicotine cravings. But sometimes you just need something to do with your hands. Well, I don't know if it was him or not. My god's telling me not. But what I don't understand

is what he's hiding. I know it's something big. And if it didn't know better, I'd say he was happy. And when that fucker's happy, there's usually somebody else about to get unhappy. Hey Luna, how baby's sitting down? Those kids are a hamster. I'm a man, Peter can't eat. Not off a neck for two hours before he's bitching his hungry. You don't take much, but he takes often.

Camilla too, she popped a guy right on the subway because she said she couldn't wait. I had to charm three people who got on while she was doing it. The guy was having a clown suit, like I think he worked a kids party or something. It was kind of funny, but also sad, you know. They shed legs fat go. They like everybody. They're so sweet. Yeah, right up until they kill you.

Why do you think they're so hungry because they're kids? What, like the way kids are natural little chowhounds because they're growing, and they all fucked up with being turned? Maybe. I started a wonder. They like, I don't know, a different species. Like there's more than one kind of elephant. They're all gray and wrinkly and have tusks,

but there's what? African and Indian and the different. Is there a third? I don't know. Massive dons and shit back in the day. We're not a species though. We're humans, but with a disease. There's more than one kind of flu.

Maybe there's more than one kind of flu. Maybe there's more than one kind of vampire and they're a different kind of real, real hungry kind. I got you! I got you, Mrs. Beckham! I love to have fun. It's fun! So what about the meter? Yeah, how'd it go? Margaret think the Hessian made the kids? She doesn't know, but she thinks he's hiding something.

He told her to get the fuck out of the tunnels. Said it wasn't safe. Not safe, huh? He didn't say. Maybe it's because of the rats. What do you mean? Did the Hessian say something about rats? He was talking about the vermin underground.

That's rats, right? Good, good, keep them talking, keep them talking. So, he said this stuff about vermin to you guys? No, it was to the flying man. I do, it can fly. No, silly, he flew a plane in the wall. He's his knight butler now, because he's like us. There's one in the day, he wasn't.

And where did you stay, huh? In his house? Yes. But in the house itself, do they have a special place for you? At first, it was a place like a zoo. Why? Why was it like a zoo? Because... Go on Peter, it's okay.

Because there were cages. But mostly for one body, of course it's a wine cellar. But then he let us stay in the house because we did the things he wanted. What things? We really want to know more about the house right now because it's fun to talk about the stuff that's in houses and the people there. Right, Billy? Mm-hmm.

What was your favorite thing in the Hessian's house? Me? Anybody? I liked his beautiful one kids kids from the American Revolution. Someone should go get my green. Well, go on and get it then. And let you men fuck it up up. Tell me more about the costume.

The hat! It's brilliant. It's got it all in a case, like in a museum. It's so light and the rifle you use too. Pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow. Well, those kind only went pow once. There are lots and lots of low-daifers. If I'm curious, though, children, how did you get out of the house?

Can I say? I don't care. Through the library. It's not a library? Yeah, well, it's a bookstore. The total came out in a bookstore anyway. Holy shit. And where did this tunnel start?

In his bedroom, so he could sneak away without his house on low heat. But surely he didn't show you this tunnel. No, but I'm good at hiding, and then finding things after a hide. And he never came back again after he visited us in our room. The games he wanted to play made him tired. Us too. But not as much as him. He is games.

I do as well. He all hate his games. Don't get Margaret or I'll kill you. I'm getting Margaret. So there it was. The Monster Man really was a fucking monster. And now we knew a little secret about the monster's lair. A tunnel from under the Hessian's room let out under some bookstore. And that's

how the kids got out and away from it. It was him. How could they know all this if not? They couldn't be making it up, could they? Is it more likely that three little kids told the same lie all at the same time for no good reason, or that he fucking turned them. And did shit. Played games. I never had anything against the hatchet before. Not really.

But I was furious thinking about this. Not to mention this stuff about Vermin and the Tannels. I mean, that's us, right? He's gonna fucking kill us. Why now? His new habit of turning kids into sunbathe and worse? Maybe. They got away from him. We knew his dirty secrets now.

But I think the bigger things that, like he told Margaret, we're getting too big to ignore now. He's not gonna sit by and let anything or anyone be more important than he is. He's ruthless. And you don't have to look any further than his history with Margarit, to know just how ruthless. I went to look in on Lehmeth, a home for boys. I told you not to do that. And on his bed was empty. With kind of life is that, looking in the Leigham at the home for boys. I told you not to do that. And on his bed was empty.

What kind of life is that? Looking in the windows of the living. His bed was empty, Willie. And what kind of life for him? His mother lurking on the roof for us in the head. Did you empty that little bed with a helmet? You have to cut ties. Did you cut them for me, Mr. Messer?

If you were not strong enough to end his suffering, you should have at least been strong enough not to prolong yours by looking in on his misery, his unnecessary misery. Tell me you didn't do it. You used to stay the way from him. Now, the temptation is... Tell me you didn't have it done!

I will tell you no such thing. No! No! No! No! No! No! No!

Rackulously, they didn't kill each other that night. But they were done touching each other friendly like. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day.

We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day.

We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. We're at the end of the day. more coming. And dirty, dark civil war. Welcome to the war room. This is what we've been waiting for, Mamasita. I've been telling you for years, this guy is keeping us down. Can't go here, can't go there, while he rides and limmoes and polishes his golden

shit. And you say no, he's too strong, his places of fortress and not getting. But this tunnel thing that kids tell us about it. This is a gift. Demorning us, he's coming. It's also a gift. A big one. Nobody's better with locks than be Joe.

And anything he can't pick, I can break. We can get to him without his people. You'll never get this chance again. Anybody else want to chime in? It is risky. I know you were going to see that money going back. But nothing but worthwhile is wholly without risk. Joseph?

I don't know. If he's really doing all this shit like the kid said and if he's coming for us anyway I guess I don't see how we let it go All right All right what? Kill the hashine Episode 5. The Heshin The lesser dead was performed by Jack Kilmer as Joey Peacock, mini driver as Margaret McManus, Danny Houston as the Hessian, Saul Rubeneck as Fettgaugh,

Iris Wardell as Camilla, Toby Ryan as Peter, Avela Brooke as Alfie, directed by Dan Blank, written by Christopher Buelman, series created by Christopher Buelman based series created by Christopher Buelman, based on his book The Lessor Dead. Executive producers Mark Stern, Joshua D. Mauer, Christopher Buelman, Mini Driver, and Jack Kilmer. Producer Alexandra Whitman,

Original Audio Production, Music, and Sound Design, by Salt. Producer, Ali Strobel. Original music and composition by Benjamin Sterley. Sound design by Christopher Bondis. you