A dark-haired woman stands at the edge of cliffs known locally as the “balcony to the Aegean.” Her back is to the camera. She holds a rare “black” orchid and gazes out over the caldera. A soft breeze stirs, lifting the ends of her bob as she leans forward slightly—daringly—and casts the bloom off the cliff.
It spirals downward, tumbling toward the ocean, until it vanishes from view.
VO—Trinity Scott
“Helen Harrington has come to Santorini with her husband, searching for answers. It’s been six years since fifty-seven bodies were eventually recoveredfrom the sea, and from inside the shipwreck. Among them, the captain of the MSOrchid, and an eight-year-old child.
“Five souls, however, were never found, including Harrington’s parents, a ship’s engineer, one other guest, and one of the ship’s star performers. The missing victims are presumed to still be trapped somewhere in the wreck, which now lies far below the surface. Rumors also continue to circulate that two of the missing might actually have escaped the ship during the early stages of the catastrophe, and are now living somewhere in the world under assumed names.
“Salvage of theBlack Orchidwreck was attempted in the year after she sank, but during the operation, a swarm of earthquake tremors—similar to those that occurred the year before—dislodged theOrchidand sent her sliding farther down an undersea volcanic ridge. She now lies precariously balanced at the lip of an underwater cliff.
“Despite the ensuing investigations, the court cases, the legal wrangling over responsibility for the wreck, and the cost of ongoing environmental damage, the exact sequence of events that led to the shocking tragedy remains shrouded in mystery. Witness accounts conflict. There are allegations of murder. What we do know for certain is that two consecutive ‘man overboard’ alarms triggered a series of events that spiraled into one of the most chilling maritime mysteries in decades.”
Visual—Santorini Cliffs
The woman at the cliff edge turns and faces the camera. Her gaze is direct. Her deep-brown eyes brim with emotion.
VO—Trinity Scott
“Harrington has not given up searching for answers. Now, on this sixth anniversary of the disaster, she and her husband have once again returned to the Greek islands. This time they come armed with additional facts plus a high-tech research vessel and a crew of specialist forensic divers—underwater detectives—ready to risk their lives to further explore the precariously balanced shipwreck.
“The operation is being funded exclusively by the Harrington Foundation, created expressly for this cause. I am Trinity Scott. My partner is Gio Rossi. Together we produceIt’s Criminal, and we have been invited by the foundation to join this exploration. Harrington is resolute in her assertion that crimes occurred on the ship—likely murder—and this is what triggered the disaster. She claims it was a murder decades in the making.”
Cut To Fira Restaurant Patio Overlooking The Caldera
Helen Harrington sits at a small table across from Trinity Scott. The azure water of the caldera sparkles in the distance, rimmed by cliffs and reefs.Within view is the tiny island of Scylla, where theBlack Orchidmet her fate.
Trinity:
“You believe theOrchidsank because of nine people in particular?”
Helen:
“Nine of the elite guests, yes. Plus two crew. They were all key players.”
Trinity:
“Nine guests. Scheduled for nine days at sea. Not all of them made it home alive. And at the center, there was Poppy Buchanan?”
Helen:
“Everything revolved around Poppy.”
Trinity:
“You’re saying that had Poppy not boarded the ship, theOrchidmight not have sunk? Innocent lives would not have been lost?”
Helen:
“Things never happen in isolation. Poppy was at the core, but each one of the nine ‘strangers’ was apiece in a deadly puzzle. Together, they doomed the ship. The collateral damage of their actions cost countless lives.”
Trinity:
“So, we have a media mogul’s widow, her assistant, a couple of greedy relatives, a Dutch antiquities dealer, a silent Israeli businessman, a retired FBI profiler traveling with his daughter and grandson. And two crew members up to no good. All aboard the luxury vessel as she makes her maiden voyage. It sounds likeKnives Out—perhaps with a good dash ofSuccession. Or something right out of an Agatha Christie.”
Helen:
“All I can say for certain is that each of the nine boarded theBlack Orchidwith a clear agenda. Each was either a hero or a victim of their own story. And how they interacted, and clashed, was shaped by something that started decades ago.”
