🔴 Easy-Search Season 7 Scripts
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NBC’s series The Blacklist created by: Jon Bokenkamp
Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington – James Spader
Elizabeth Keen – Megan Boone
Donald Ressler – Diego Klattenhoff
Harold Cooper – Harry Lennix
Aram Mojtabai – Amir Arison
Dembe Zuma – Hisham Tawfiq
This is all one “page” meaning you can use your browser’s page search to find a quote you remember from Season 7 without knowing which episode it’s in. I use this a lot. Also includes full lyrics to main songs (at end of each episode). To find beginning of major songs, search for ♫.
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🔴 Episode 7:1 – Louis T Steinhil
🔴 Episode 7:2 – Louis T Steinhil, Pt 2
🔴 Episode 7:3 – Les Fleurs du Mal
🔴 Episode 7:4 – Kuwait
🔴 Episode 7:5 – Norman Devane
🔴 Episode 7:6 – Dr Lewis Powell
🔴 Episode 7:7 – Hannah Hayes
🔴 Episode 7:8 – The Hawaladar
🔴 Episode 7:9 – Orion Relocation Services
🔴 Episode 7:10 – Katarina Rostova
🔴 Episode 7:11 – Victoria Fenberg
🔴 Episode 7:12 – Cornelius Ruck
🔴 Episode 7:13 – Newton Purcell
🔴 Episode 7:14 – Twamie Ullulaq
🔴 Episode 7:15 – Gordon Kemp
🔴 Episode 7:16 – Nyle Hatcher
🔴 Episode 7:17 – Brothers
🔴 Episode 7:18 – Roy Cain
🔴 Episode 7:19 – The Kazanjian Brothers
🔴 Skip to End of File
🔴 Script 7:1 Louis T Steinhil (№ 27)
Program air date: 10/4/2019 in the US
Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-9Rj
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/32Xpd34
Director: Bill Roe
Written by: John Eisendrath, Jon Bokenkamp
Brief (Where we’re at): Red has been abducted – by Katarina Rostova, Liz’s mother and notorious KGB/Cabal operative and femme fatale. Having found out that Ressler had stirred up Russian interest in her by his search for her, Red reached out to a friend (“mystery man”) who located Katarina living in Paris. Red found her walking alone along a dark Parisian street on a rainy night and called her name. She turned and recognized him, “Raymond.” She walked up to him and kissed him, deeply. “Are they watching?” she asked. “It’s not safe. You’re not safe,” he answered, followed by another deep kiss. Then she took out a hypodermic needle and jabbed him in the gut with it. He looked at the needle, then collapsed. A car drove up, two men got out of it, loaded Red into it and drove off. Katarina picked up his fedora and, twiddling it, walked on, smiling slightly.
Red has been friends with the mystery man since childhood. Not only did the mystery man cast doubt on the story Dom told to Liz about Ilya Koslov’s past with Katarina, he looks a little like an older Ilya himself. Not only do both he and Red know Dom, both refer to Liz as “Masha,” and both agree it was concerning that Dom told Liz “that story.” According to Dom’s account to Liz, Red was in fact Ilya Koslov before taking on the identity of Raymond Reddington. The reason Red gives for Dom’s story was that Dom wanted Liz to be able “to move on.” And in fact Liz has moved on, with her daughter Agnes, now about four, coming back home to live.
The Season 6 “plot against America” uncovered by former MI6 agent Christopher Miles turned out not to be a plot to assassinate the President at all but rather a plot by the President to assassinate the First Lady, who wanted him to come clean about a drunken car accident four years earlier that had killed a woman and her son. Liz and Ressler interrupted the shooting just in time to throw off Mr Sandquist’s shot, but Sandquist turned the tables and accused them of being the assassins, so they were arrested. (They had just earlier escaped from the Post Office along with Aram and Cooper in a break-out masterminded by Liz.) Red intervened by ramming the police wagon they were in and, after a shootout, Anna McMahon was just about to execute Red when Dembe(!) appeared and shot McMahon. So Dembe is back! “I said I needed to follow my own path. I did. It led me back to you.” But more trouble is in store. Dembe tells Red “Our friend in Miami says the Townsend Directive is in play,” so it’s possible being held captive by Katarina Rostova may not be the worst of Red’s problems.
⭕ Script 7:1 Louis T Steinhil (№ 27)
[ Paris, France ]
[ Three young thugs are in an apartment drinking beer and watching a soccer game on tv. In the kitchen a woman runs currency through a machine which creates packets of bills ]
[ ANNOUNCER SPEAKING FRENCH ]
Joubert: Allez, allez. Passe. Passe! Vas-y, vas-y, vas-y! (tr Come on. Pass. Pass! Go ahead, go ahead, go!)
[ Thugs SHOUTING IN FRENCH, cheering and jeering ] [ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
Thug: N’importe quoi. (tr “Whatever”)
— Hey, hey.
[ TV MUTES ]
Joubert: Shh, shh, shh, shh! — [Fr.] Hear that?
Thug: [Fr.] Hear what?
[ Joubert motions to the Thug, who draws a gun and approaches the door and looks through the spy hole. He sees nothing ]
Thug: [Fr.] Idiots, it’s nothing. [ LAUGHS ]
Joubert: [ EXHALES DEEPLY ] My God, man.
[ Remote BUTTON CLICKS ] [ ANNOUNCER SPEAKING FRENCH ]
[ Suddenly, the DOOR THUDS open. It’s Dembe, shooting ] [ GUNSHOTS 💥💥💥💥 ] [ He shoots the Thugs, but sparing Joubert ]
[ GROANING ] [ TV ANNOUNCER CONTINUES ]
[ Dembe points his gun at Joubert ]
Dembe: Where is he?
Joubert: What? I don’t–
Dembe: Reddington! Where is he?!
Joubert: Okay, okay! Arrête. Stop. Put down the gun, eh?
[ GUNSHOT💥 ] [ Dembe shoots the Thug again ]
— Aah!
Dembe: You run the network, Joubert. If Reddington was smuggled out of Paris, you’d know.
Joubert: Smuggled?
Dembe: Who got him out?
Joubert: Reddington is impossible to track. He’s like a ghost.
Dembe: What about the strike team?
Joubert: What strike team?! Hey, hey, if Reddington was in France, I would know, and I would tell you. I would.
Wounded thug: [ EXHALES SHARPLY ] [ GROANING ] [ PANTING ]
Dembe: Take this phone, Joubert, and call me if you hear something.
Joubert: What do you mean, smuggled out of Paris? Is Reddington in trouble? Is he? What happened to Reddington?!
[ A hospital room ] [ MONITOR BEEPING ] [ OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS ] [ WOMAN SPEAKING FRENCH OVER P.A. ]
[ Red is strapped to a hospital bed, his head and body immobilized ]
Red: [ MUTTERS ]
[ As Red begins to wake, his vital signs rise on the monitors ] [ BEEPING QUICKENS ]
Red: [ GRUNTS ]
[ DOOR OPENS ]
Red: [ GRUNTS ]
[ A nurse, Mila LaPorte, enters ]
Mila LaPorte: Il est reveille. Il est– He, appelle Docteur Busson. Dis lui qu’il reveille! (tr. He is awake. He is– [ To another nurse ] Call Dr. Busson. Tell him he’s waking up!)
Red: Where- Where am I?
Orderly: Il lutte contre les sangles. Il ne peux pas bouger. Dis lui qu’il do it rester immobile. (tr. He fights against the straps. He can not move. Tell him he must stay still.)
Red: What happened?
Mila LaPorte: Mr. Reddington, please be calm. You are in a hospital. You’re in Paris.
[ BEEPING CONTINUES ]
Red: I can’t feel anything. Why can’t I move? Why can’t I feel anything? [ MONITOR BEEPING ]
Dr Busson: Do you recall the incident? How about the rescue? Mr. Reddington, I’m sure you have many questions, and, uh, a great many police waiting to speak with you. But my only job is to care for your physical health, and I’m concerned you may also have cognitive damage. So I need you to tell me what, if anything, you remember about the incident. Do you know who did this to you?
Flashback:
Red: Katarina.
[ Katarina kisses Red ]
[ Katarina jabs Red with a needle ] Red: [ GRUNTS ]
[ Red falls ]
[ ⚡️TIRES SCREECH⚡️ ]
[ CAR DOOR CLOSES, VEHICLE DEPARTS ]
[ MONITOR BEEPING ]
Red: I don’t.
Dr Busson: Police had a local gang under surveillance when they saw you being pulled from a van.
Red: So they caught them – the people who did this.
Dr Busson: Well, the inspectors intervened, but they got away. You’d been drugged and beaten within an inch of your life.
Red: Why can’t I feel my legs?
Dr Busson: Look, the people who did this to you, they shattered your spine L-two, three, and four. The neurosurgeons performed an emergency surgery – a laminectomy. They removed the shattered bone, fused your spine.
Red: But I can’t walk. [ INHALES DEEPLY ]
Dr Busson: Tell me when you feel this.
[ The doctor taps up the side of Red’s leg up to his waist ]
Red: There.
[ WOMAN SPEAKING FRENCH OVER P.A. ]
Red: I can’t walk.
Dr Busson: There are tests to perform, work to be done, but time will be the only real judge of what functions you will eventually recover.
Red: Why am in this thing?
Dr Busson: Patients living with the challenges of immobility–
Red: So I’m paralyzed.
Dr Busson: People in your condition–
Red: I’m paralyzed.
Dr Busson: You’re immobile. And while you are immobile, you’re prone to both pulmonary complications and pressure-related injuries. By moving you up and down, this will help you avoid an embolism and pressure ulcers.
Red: Will I ever walk again?
Dr Busson: Mr. Reddington, you’re lucky to be alive.
[ Liz’s apartment ]
Aram: Okay, so, I ran background checks on all the applicants.
Liz: Yeah? Who is your top choice? Mrs. Doubtfire, right?
Aram: Would be, if she weren’t three months behind on her rent.
Liz: What about “Hand That Rocks the Cradle”?
Aram: Two stints in rehab.
Liz: “The Manny”?
Aram: 17 unpaid parking tickets.
Liz: Well– I have more than that.
Aram: One scofflaw in the family is enough.
Liz: [ SIGHING ] Are they all bad?
Agnes: Bad? No. Just, uh, not good enough to be Agnes’ nanny.
Liz: Is it just me, or does it seem like everyone has a skeleton in the closet? [ CLICKS TONGUE ]
Aram: You know, after Samar left, I spent six months drowning my sorrows in kielbasa and Ingmar Bergman movies. Then Ressler insisted I sign on to a dating app. When I refused, he signed up for me. I swear, he is more of a yenta than my own yenta. First three names he swipes right on their background checks – bankruptcy, credit-card fraud, and a restraining order for slashing their ex-boyfriend’s tires. Now we are both eating Polish sausage and playing chess with Death.
Liz: Well, I need to keep looking. Mrs. Williams is helping me out as a favor. I need someone who’s permanent.
[ CELLPHONE VIBRATING ] [ VIBRATING CONTINUES ] [ CELLPHONE BEEPS ]
Liz: This is Keen.
Dembe: Elizabeth. Raymond’s gone.
Liz: Gone where?
Dembe: Taken.
Liz: Tell me what you know.
Dembe: We came to Paris.
Liz: When?
Dembe: Six days ago, for a meeting.
Liz: With who?
Dembe: Someone – I don’t know. Someone he trusted.
Liz: How do you know you can trust him if you don’t know who he is?
Dembe: Because he insisted on going alone.
Liz: He went without you? Why would he do that?
Dembe: I don’t know. He’s in trouble, Elizabeth. I need your help to get him out of it.
[ The hospital ]
[ ELEVATOR BELL DINGS ] [ An inspector with the French internal security service DGSI , René Oban, gets off the elevator and walks past hospital personnel to Red’s room] [ DISTORTED, INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]
⋘⋙
[ MONITOR BEEPING ] [ DOOR SLAMS ]
Red: Who’s there?
Inspector René Oban: [ FRENCH ACCENT ] I was beginning to think that you didn’t exist. And yet, voilá here you are. René Oban. Chief Inspector, DGSI. I’ve been hunting you for years.
Red: Well, this must be very exciting for you.
Oban: Mm. It was. Like chasing an illusion. Reality is much less interesting. Welcome to yours.
Red: A Frenchman who states the obvious – how unusual. Like a Swiss who argues. Or an Italian who doesn’t.
Oban: I have been hunting you and Katarina Rostova.
Red: Fun.
Oban: We know that she is in Paris. And at the risk of stating the obvious, it cannot be a coincidence that you are here, as well.
Red: 202-555-0100.
[ BED WHIRRING ]
Oban: Tell me about Rostova.
Red: Call the number.
Oban: We know about the Townsend Directive. We know that it is a standing order to kill Rostova and that it is very much in play. I want you to tell me who is coming for her and where she is so I can get to her before they do. She has some intel that I want, and obviously I cannot get it from her if she’s dead.
Red: You said you prefer illusion to reality.
Oban: Mm. More than you can possibly imagine.
Red: I may have seemed like an illusion, but she is one someone you can never find. 202-555-0100.
Oban: I am not interested in talking to your lawyer.
Red: Then you must not be interested in talking to me, because you can’t do one without the other.
Oban: What’s his name?
Red: Marvin Gerard. Sounds French.
[ Katarina Rostova sits in the back seat of a small black SUV. Berdy, the driver, sits in front ]
Katarina: What’s the status?
Berdy: Reddington is being interrogated as we speak.
Katarina: And Annapolis knows we’re coming?
Berdy: Yes, everything is on schedule.
[ Joubert gets into the back seat with Katarina ] [ VEHICLE DOOR CLOSES ]
Katarina: So. Joubert. Problem?
Joubert: Uh, one of Reddington’s men found me.
Katarina: That was to be expected.
Joubert: He shot two of my men!
Katarina: And he’ll shoot more unless you tell him where Reddington’s being held.
Joubert: No, no, I-I would never do that, ever. I just think that you should know that they are close, and they are getting closer.
Katarina: Thank you, Joubert. [ She touches his face softly ] For your concern and kindness.
[ Berdy swiftly turns around and shoots Joubert in the forehead ] [ SILENCED GUNSHOT (💥) ]
Katarina: How I wish we lived in a world where kindness wasn’t a liability.
Berdy: I have intel on Keen. Should I act on it?
Katarina: Not yet. I’m hoping we won’t have to. [ SIGHING ] Clean this up and meet me in Annapolis.
Katarina: And, Berdy –
[ Katarina opens the door and gets out ]
Berdy: Yes, boss?
Katarina: Say a kind word over his grave.
[ Door thuds shut. Katarina walks away along a sidewalk ]
[ The Post Office ]
Cooper: [ On phone ] Yes, the Raymond Reddington. Positively I.D.’d in Paris.
⋘⋙
Liz: [ On phone ] I talked to Morgan. He hasn’t heard from him. Can you reach out to Chuck?
⋘⋙
Aram: Okay, so, I reviewed all the CCTV footage from the Paris neighborhoods that Dembe thought Mr. Reddington might have gone to. Nothing. Wherever he went, he didn’t want to be seen.
[ Ressler enters ]
Ressler: French police are on line one.
Cooper: I’m on with French police.
Ressler: The secret police. They called the 0100 number.
Aram: I didn’t know we had an 0100 number.
Liz: We don’t.
Cooper: I’ll have to call you back.
[ CELLPHONE BEEPS ] [ TELEPHONE BEEPS ]
Cooper: Harold Cooper.
Inspector Oban: [ On phone ] Yes, this is René Oban with the DGSI calling for Marvin Gerard.
Cooper: He’s not available right now.
Oban: Mm, well, he will be when you tell him I have Raymond Reddington in custody.
Cooper: Inspector Oban, this is the Assistant Director of the FBI, Harold Cooper. We have arrested Marvin Gerard and have a tap on his lines in the hopes that we might find Raymond Reddington. Apparently, we have.
Aram: [ Whispers ] Is any of this true?
Ressler: [ Whispers ] No, but he doesn’t know that.
Cooper: If you have Reddington, we need to meet. If you have him. I’ll need verification. Yes, understood. But since I am in Paris and you are in Washington, uh, might I suggest a meeting at our embassy between you and our attaché?
Cooper: Fine. Make the arrangements.
Oban: You’re quite lucky, tapping the number Reddington gave me to call.
Cooper: Luck had nothing to do with it.
Oban: Oh, no, I don’t suppose it did. Hm. [ CELLPHONE BEEPS, TELEPHONE BEEPS ]
Ressler: Think he suspects?
Aram: Suspects what? What- What was all that?
Cooper: 0100 is a dedicated line, a way for Reddington to let us know if he’s been arrested.
Ressler: He demands to speak to his lawyer, and we pretend like we just arrested him.
Cooper: This Inspector Oban, I want a full rundown on him.
Aram: Hang on, hang on. Mr. Reddington goes 30 years without getting caught, and now he’s been caught twice within the last year.
Liz: He wasn’t caught last year.
Aram: Wasn’t caught? He was nearly executed.
Liz: He was arrested, but he wasn’t caught.
Cooper: What’s the difference?
Liz: I turned him in.
Cooper: You what?!
Aram: Why would you do that?!
Liz: So he couldn’t get in the way of me trying to find out his real identity.
Cooper: Whose real identity?!
Ressler: Reddington’s.
Aram: Wait. Wh- [ LAUGHING ] What? And you knew about this?
Ressler: Yeah. And I promised Reddington I’d keep it to myself.
Liz: They deserve to know.
Cooper: Know what?!
Liz: That the real Raymond Reddington died in 1991 and the man you know as Reddington was once a KGB agent named Ilya Koslov.
Cooper: That’s impossible. I knew Reddington. I served with him.
Liz: It’s a long story. And I’ll tell it to you after we get him back.
Aram: Reddington, who you say is dead.
Liz: It doesn’t matter who he was. I thought it did, but it doesn’t. And once you hear the story, I don’t think it’ll matter to you. The only thing that matters is that Reddington – our Reddington – is in French custody, and we have to get him back.
Cooper: Ressler, Aram, run a check on this René Oban. Keen, circle back to Dembe and press him on who Reddington may have been meeting with. I’ll reach out to Main Justice and explain the situation.
Aram: Which one?
Cooper: The one about getting him back. Once we do that, we can figure out the rest. Or try to.
[ Security Attaché Patrick Briaux greets Cooper on the steps of the French Embassy ]
Patrick Briaux: Ah, pardon. [ HORN HONKS ] Director Cooper! Patrick Briaux, Homeland Security Attaché. Ici, s’il vous plait. (tr. Here, please)
Cooper: Where we going?
Briaux: To have a private conversation. Surely you know we can’t do that in the embassy, since all the listening devices were installed by your government.
[ A nearby park, on a stone bridge ]
Cooper: I share your desire for caution. Mine concerns René Oban. He was with the DGSI until three years ago. After that, there’s no record of him.
Briaux: Does the FBI have a record of you after six years ago? If they do, I couldn’t find it.
Cooper: Fair enough. But before I say anything, I need proof that you have him.
[ Briaux shows Cooper a photo of Red in his immobilized state ]
Briaux: He was picked up near the Seine, badly beaten and unable to walk.
Cooper: We expect your full cooperation in returning him to our custody.
Briaux: You’re a mystery – an agent who doesn’t exist. And yet, when we call Reddington’s lawyer, you pick up and demand his return. I wonder – Is that because he’s your fugitive or because you work for him? A friend in high places.
Cooper: Do you have Reddington or not? This photo tells me nothing.
[ Briaux’s CELLPHONE SPEED-DIALING ]
Briaux: I have Cooper. Put him on.
Oban: Nothing will come from this.
Red: [ On phone ] Yes?
Cooper: 30 years ago, Raymond Reddington heard classified testimony in connection with a U.S. intelligence officer killed in Kuwait. What was the soldier’s name?
Red: Daniel Hutton.
Cooper: So it is you.
Red: Were you expecting someone else?
Cooper: I wasn’t sure. Now I am. Is it true about your injuries?
Red: It is. But I’ve been paralyzed before. The spine of a blowfish pierced my wet suit off Pit–
Oban: Satisfied?
Cooper: Not remotely. An extradition request will be made within the hour.
[ CELLPHONE BEEPS ]
Red: Cheer up. I’m a man of my word. You did as I asked, so I’ll tell you what you’re dying to know.
Oban: About Rostova?
Red: The blowfish. I was stung off Pitcairn Island during a brief assignation I had with a rapturous descendant of Fletcher Christian.
[ Oban walks out before Red is finished speaking ]
⋘⋙
[ Oban talks loudly as he walks down the hospital corridor ]
Oban: [Fr.] No one sees him unless I say so. Including the doctors.
[ Oban gets into an elevator. The doors close ]
Oban: [ American accent ] Okay, I’m clear.
[ The side of the elevator opens into a large ad hoc work area, with people scurrying about ]
Abigail: [ Also speaking with American accent ] Jiro wants to know if you want him to intercede with the extradition.
[ She hands him a file ]
Oban: No, tell his people to hold. Is this the updated Cooper file?
Abigail: It is, but Werner says it’s a work in progress. The DOJ files are understandably difficult to access.
[ The work area is open to street. Racks of clothing come into view ]
Oban: Okay. How’s our patient?
Abigail: He’s stable. Respiratory rate and O2 saturation are good. Last dose was at 10:00.
Oban: What are the levels?
Abigail: He’s fine above L2.
Oban: Is our client here?
Abigail: Yes.
[ They walk up to a video screen. It is a from a live cam in Red’s room ]
Oban: Dose him again.
[ DOOR CREAKS ] [ HORN HONKS IN DISTANCE ] [ A door on the roof of the building opens. Oban descends several steps and walks over to a woman looking out at the city. The woman is Katarina Rostova ]
Oban: Cooper made contact.
Katarina: And?
Oban: Still a mystery. As is whether he has a connection to Reddington. It’s a work in progress.
[ Katarina opens the file on Cooper ]
Katarina: And Reddington?
Oban: Still thinks he’s in Paris. But if he thinks he can wait for the FBI’s extradition order, he’s gonna be less inclined to talk.
Katarina: Then use that to your advantage.
Oban: How? We’re up against a clock. We need a plan B. It’s not gonna take them long to find out what’s happening here.
Katarina: Yes, well, if you’re any good at your job, this will all be done by the time they do.
[ Red’s hospital room ] [ DOOR OPENS ]
Nurse Mila LaPorte: Good news. I’m told you’re going to get into a chair soon.
Red: Right now, I’m a little less concerned with what I can’t feel than by what I can – an insufferable itch on my cheek that I’m unable to scratch. Would you be so kind, Nikola?
Nikola (Orderly): Tell me where.
Red: Uh, the right cheek. Yeah, that’s right. A little higher.
[ Nikola’s cell phone glows through the pocket of his lab coat. Red tries to reach it ]
Red: Oh, no, a little higher than A-Almost–
[ Oban enters ]
Oban: [ French accent ] I don’t know whether to be impressed or disgusted. It appears your American friends, they are more fond of you than I had anticipated. They’ve asked my government to proceed with extradition proceedings. Now, sadly for you, that will not be considered by the French government unless I sign off. And I will not consider that until after you have told me about Katarina Rostova.
Mila: We need to change his dressing to avoid infection.
Oban: Ah, you see another incentive for you to tell me what I want to know. Sepsis. [ To the others in the room ] Could you give us a moment? Wait outside.
[ They leave. DOOR CLOSES ]
[ Katarina watches the live feed ]
Red: I may not have told you what you want, but I told you all you need. You’ll never find Rostova.
Oban: Ah, yes, yes, yes, because she’s an illusion. What does that mean?
Red: She’s a figment – of the collective imagination.
Oban: I don’t believe you. In fact I am thinking that she did this to you.
Red: Did she?
Oban: Why are you protecting her?
Red: Some people in this world are soul mates. Katarina Rostova and I shared one. Betraying her would be like betraying myself.
[ The Post Office ]
[ Elevator DOOR OPENING ] [ DOOR THUMPS ] [ Dembe gets out ]
Dembe: What have you found?
Ressler: Reddington’s in French custody. Cooper’s working on extradition.
Dembe: Then we’ll get him back.
Ressler: Well, we hope so, but, uh, his physical condition–
Dembe: What about it?
Ressler: It’s not good.
Dembe: Tell me.
Aram: Let me get this straight. Raymond Reddington is your father.
Liz: The real one.
Aram: But he’s dead because you shot and killed him.
Liz: When I was 4, yeah.
Aram: And after he dies, your mother, Katarina Rostova, puts you in foster care and escapes from the KGB, FBI, and the Cabal with the help of her oldest friend, Ilya Koslov, who nips and tucks his way into becoming Mr. Reddington in order to access the millions that the real Reddington didn’t even know he had, in order to finance her disappearance. Is that it?
Liz: Pretty much.
Aram: You’re definitely gonna need therapy. And now that you’ve told me, so am I.
[ Cooper walks over ]
Cooper: Listen up. I just got off the phone with Panabaker. The French are denying everything.
Aram: But, uh, you went to the embassy and spoke to the attaché.
Ressler: Maybe they’re gonna wait until they can bleed Reddington of all the intel they can and then hand him over.
Cooper: Whatever their motivation, the French know this is a priority for us, and they will use that to their advantage in negotiating extradition.
Liz: But the attaché, Briaux, you said he was cooperative.
Cooper: He was, which is why I’m going back to the embassy personally to deliver the extradition paperwork.
[ Red’s hospital room ]
Red: Ah, Mila, my dear! You are a sight for sore eyes.
Mila: You did not eat a bite.
Red: My God, no. Eating even a swallow of that gruel with all the bread and cheese, chocolate and wine on the other side of these walls? That’s more torture than a man can brave.
Mila: Well, at least you’ll be able to get out of this bed.
[ Dr Busson enters with an orderly pushing a wheelchair ]
Red: Ah! My chariot arrives.
Dr Busson: Mr. Reddington, let’s get you moving around, shall we?
Red: I’ve been on the run half my life. I suppose now I’ll be on a walk. Or a roll.
[ The orderly lifts Red into the wheelchair ]
Mila: You’re a very dark man.
Red: Yes, well, walking or rolling, I intend to show my gratitude by sharing with you the finest night of drinking and dining one can possibly imagine.
Dr Busson: Are you comfortable?
Red: Quite.
[ The orderly cuffs Red’s left hand to the arm of the wheelchair with a chained cuff ]
Red: That ought to keep me from running.
[ The French Embassy ]
Cooper: Harold Cooper, FBI, here to see Patrick Briaux.
Doorman: Yes, sir. Go right ahead.
[ Cooper enter the embassy ]
[ Red’s hospital room ] [ Red is alone. He wheels his wheelchair so it is directly under the surveillance camera. The cellphone he took earlier is tucked under his right leg. He takes it out. The lock screen on the phone shows a man and boy dressed in the uniforms of a U.S. sports team. The phone requires a passcode. Red *clicks* his tongue ]
[ French Embassy ]
Receptionist: Monsieur Briaux. Harold Cooper to see you, sir.
Briaux (the real one): Mr. Cooper. What can I do for you?
Cooper: Patrick Briaux?
Briaux: Yes. Something wrong?
⋘⋙
[ CELLPHONE RINGS, BEEPS ]
Liz: Keen.
Cooper: [ On phone ] Elizabeth, it’s me.
Liz: Did you talk to Briaux?
Cooper: Yes, I’m- I’m with him right now. We have a situation.
[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ] [ Red continues to take in his surroundings. The building outside may be familiar to him. It looks like a government or embassy building ]
[ The Post Office ]
Ressler: I got something. Take a look at this. So, these are the surveillance feeds from inside the embassy, which show Briaux waiting in line to request a visa application. But once he gets it, he leaves. Never filled it out.
Liz: He was just lingering outside, chatting up the guards, waiting for you to arrive.
Aram: I’ll issue a BOLO, circulating the image with MPD and surrounding jurisdictions.
Cooper: The real Briaux insists that Reddington is not in French custody and regrets the misunderstanding.
Liz: Well, if Reddington isn’t being held by the French police, who is holding him?
Ressler: Maybe the person he met with. You have no idea who that was?
Dembe: I only know it was someone Raymond felt safe with. And Raymond never feels safe with anyone.
Liz: Whoever it was must’ve known we were in the dark and reached out anyway, had Briaux come to meet you. Why? What were they hoping to gain?
Cooper: Maybe confirmation that he’s our informant. He has a lot of enemies. Now one of them may suspect he’s working with us, and if that’s the truth, we may have just signed Reddington’s death warrant. Briaux, or whatever the hell his name actually is, he’s our only lead. Let’s find him.
[ Red’s hospital room ] [ Sunlight is streaming into Red’s room ]
[ Le Petit Orchestre De Cafe Paris’ ♫ “La Danse de Nuit” plays ]
[ Red adjusts the reflective flat surface of the radio to capture the sunlight and direct it at the surveillance camera, blinding it ]
♪ Sous les etoiles on danse avec la lumiere de la lune
Nous deux ensemble somme aussi leger comme une plume
⋘⋙
[ Surveillance site ]
[ MOUSE CLICKING RAPIDLY, THUMPING ]
.
♪ Quelle joli soir et tout le monde a but un verre ou deux
Tech: What the?
[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]
Tech: Liam. Hey, the hell’s this? Something’s wrong with the picture. Do me a favor. Get Colton.
Liam: I’m on it.
♪ Et chaque fois que tu me prends dans tes bras
[ Nurse Mila LaFonte enters Red’s room ]
Mila: Good evening, Mr. Reddington. Time to change your dressing.
Red: Yes, Mila, please, do come in.
♪ C’est magique danser dans la nuit!
Red: Let me ask you something. Do I frighten you, Mila, with all the police and the guards, the handcuffs?
Mila: No. To me, you seem like, uh- I don’t know the word. [ SIGHS ] You seem like a nice man.
[ MUSIC ENDS ]
Red: I’m glad.
[ A new song begins ]
[ Francoise Hardy’s ♫ “Tu Peu Bien” plays ]
Red: Ah! Would you mind turning up the music? I love this song.
♪ Tu peux bien te perdre
Et tu peux, demain
[ VOLUME INCREASES ]
Red: Mila, please, just a little more.
♪ Sans rien me dire, disparaître, je sais bien
Red: I remember hearing this wafting across the courtyard and through the window of my apartment on Rue Jacob.
Mila: It could have been my mother. She loved this record.
[ Mila comes near Red with the syringe for his Injection. Suddenly, he grabs her, wrests the syringe from her and holds the needle to her neck ]
Mila: [ GRUNTS ]
[ OBJECTS CLATTER ]
Mila: [ GRUNTS ] Aah! Ohh!
Red: Unless you want whatever is in here, I suggest you be still.
Mila: [ PANTING ] [ AMERICAN ACCENT ] Please. No.
Red: Who are you working for?
Mila: A-A woman. I don’t know her name.
Red: Katarina?
Mila: Maybe. She’s Russian.
Red: And the beating?
Mila: Don’t, please. I’m begging you –
Red: Tell me about the beating.
Mila: It was a story.
Red: Like Inspector Oban and the doctor.
Mila: They’ll be here any moment.
⋘⋙
[ The surveillance control site ][ MUSIC CONTINUES ]
[ The lead tech Colton arrives ]
Tech: I can’t hear anything with the music, and I’ve got no video.
⋘⋙
Red: There was no surgery.
Mila: No.
Red: And we’re not in Paris.
Mila: No.
Red: Then why the chair? Why can’t I feel my legs? Answer me.
Mila: [ GASPS ] The surgical drain in your back, i-it’s not to collect fluids. It’s an epidural. When we change your dressing, we’re pushing sensory and motor blockades [ INHALES DEEPLY ] tetracaine and bupivacaine.
Red: And what happens if I don’t get the scheduled dose?
Mila: If you don’t, then – you walk.
[ Mila tries to get away. The syringe goes flying. Mila runs, Red grabs her by the lab coat, is pulled off the wheelchair, which collapses, still connected to Red’s wrist ]
♪ je rêve de me perdre
si c’est me perdre avec toi, toi
[ Mila gets to cabinet, opens it, with Red hanging on. He grabs her leg, pulling her down ]
[ GRUNTING ] Aah! [ BOTH GRUNTING ]
♪ et je cours à ma perte
si tu n’as rien d’autre pour moi, que çà
[ The surveillance center ]
Colton: Signal looks fine. It might be the camera, some internal glitch.
[ Katarina comes over ]
Katarina: Whatever’s happening, it’s no accident. Get in there.
[ Red’s room ] [ Red continues to wrestle on the floor with Mila, who got a gun from the cabinet ]
[ OBJECTS CLATTERING ]
♪ plus tu gagnes et plus je perds à t’aimer
[ The fight now is for the gun ]
[ BOTH GRUNTING ]
♪ où lassée de tout perdre
je saurais partir loin de toi, toi
et par peur de me perdre
[ BOTH GRUNTING ] [ Red gets the gun and points it at her ]
Red: You make a sound, I’ll kill you.
♪ tu croiras que tu veux de moi
[ Two men walk down the corridor to Red’s room. When they enter, all seems normal. Red is again seated in his wheelchair while Mila works busily in the corner ]
[ MUSIC STOPS ] [ SPEAKING FRENCH ]
Orderly: [Fr.] What’s going on?
Mila: [Fr.] Finished changing his dressing. Just trying to make him comfortable. Do you need something?
Orderly: [Fr.] They’re requesting you in 305 for a discharge.
Mila: [Fr.] Can you ask Celeste? I’m going to be a few minutes.
[ An orderly adjusts the radio to no longer throw light blinding out the video feed ]
Red: [ Politely ) I’m sorry. Uh, my French is really only good enough for restaurants and little old ladies. Do you speak English?
Orderly: [ FRENCH ACCENT ] Some, yes.
Red: Ah. Lovely. In that case, may I ask a favor?
⋘⋙
[ Katarina and Oban are watching the surveillance feed ]
⋘⋙
Red: I-Inspector Oban the one with the crooked little grin would you please tell him I’d like to speak with him? There’s an important matter I’d like to discuss.
[ The orderly nods and leaves. DOOR CLOSES ]
[ The gun is tucked under Red’s leg ]
[ The Post Office, Cooper’s office ]
Cooper: She killed her father. I can’t imagine the burden that carries.
Aram: If we tell Justice who Mr. Reddington really is, will they shut us down?
Cooper: Rather than stay in business with a KGB agent? I would.
[ Ressler enters ]
Ressler: MPD just found Briaux’s visa application in the trash outside the embassy. They lifted a print.
Cooper: Tell me we have an I.D.
[ Reading from screen ]
Liz: Briaux’s real name is Michael Hansen. Lives off Vermont and North Crescent. High-end grifter who stings anyone from Vegas big shots to tech VCs.
Cooper: And gullible FBI agents.
Ressler: Well, he’s one of the best, which means that whoever has Reddington is even better.
Aram: As soon as we pull a warrant, we can get Hansen to tell us who that is.
Dembe: How long will that take?
Cooper: An hour, maybe less.
Dembe: Definitely less.
[ Dembe walks away ]
Aram: I’m guessing he’s not waiting for a warrant.
Liz: No, he isn’t. Neither am I.
[ Liz begins to follow Dembe, but Cooper grabs her arm ]
Cooper: I understand crossing lines for your father, but now who are you crossing the line for?
Liz: [ Jauntily ] A man I’ve grown to like.
[ Liz walks away ]
[ DOOR THUDS OPEN ]
Liz: FBI!
[ Michael Hansen (aka “Briaux”) runs to a dresser and tries to get a gun out of the bottom drawer, but Dembe kicks the drawer shut, crushing Hansen’s hands ]
Hansen: [ GROANS ]
Liz: Where’s Reddington?!
Hansen: I don’t know! [ GROANS ] Aah!
[ BONES CRUNCH ]
Liz: Then you’re gonna tell us who does.
Hansen: [ GROANS ]
[ Michael Hansen’s living room. His bloody hand is wrapped in a towel ]
Liz: Louis T. Steinhil?
Hansen: That’s what they call him.
Liz: That name’s what, an alias?
Hansen: It’s an anagram. The letters spell “The Illusionist.” [ GROANS ]
Liz: How does he operate?
Hansen: I get a call, a character to create, a script to follow, and a boatload of money.
Dembe: And you do what he says, no questions asked?
Hansen: In my world, everyone wants to work with Steinhil. The man has an incredible reputation.
Liz: Tell us about it, this reputation.
Hansen: [ SCOFFS ] The thieves who set fire to the Vasa Museum and took three Dutch masters? They weren’t thieves, and they didn’t steal the paintings. They worked for Steinhil, who posed as a fireman, cleared the building, and took the masterpieces himself. I’m telling you, The Illusionist is everywhere and nowhere – a fireman, a casino boss.
Liz: A French cop.
Hansen: Sure, if the illusion calls for it, yeah. Listen, it was just a job. I don’t know who he is or what he’s done with Reddington.
Liz: You said he pays well.
Hansen: [ EXHALES SHARPLY ] Very.
Liz: How? Cash? Wire transfer?
[ Louis T Steinhil (aka “Inspector René Oban”) enters Red’s hospital room with a ‘police officer’ ]
Steinhil/Oban: [ FRENCH ACCENT ] You asked to see me.
Red: Yes, I did. There’s something you should know. It’s an urgent but [ SIGHS ] private matter.
Steinhil: Mm. [ SPEAKING FRENCH, to ‘officer’ ] Please. Leave us. Clear the hall.
[ Only Red, Steinhil and Mila remain in the room ] [ Mila closes the door and rolls a medical cart in front of it. She begins to prepare an injection ]
[ Red takes out the gun and points it at Steinhil ] [ Mila turns off the live feed ]
Red: Please. Take off your coat. Have a seat.
⋘⋙
[ The surveillance control room ]
Tech: Something’s wrong. Tell Colton we got an emergency. We lost the feed again.
⋘⋙
Red: Oh! Ha-ha! The keys.
[ Steinhil/Oban takes out his keys ] [ KEYS JINGLE ] [ Mila unlocks Red’s chained hand cuff ]
Red: I asked you here, Inspector Oban, or whoever you are, to tell you how much I admire your plan. And I do or I did. The paralytic agent – that was your pitfall. The medications wear off when not administered every four hours. I’m overdue for my next dose, so –
[ CHAIR CREAKING ] [ Red stands up, slowly ] [ GRUNTS ]
Red: The next time you want to convince me I’ve broken my spine, you damn well better break my spine.
[ Mila prepares to inject Steinhil ]
Steinhil: Hey, put that down. Don’t touch me.
Red: It’s either a bullet in the head or a needle in the arm. I’d take the needle.
Steinhil: What is it?
Red: Ketamine. The same tonic used to knock me out on the street. For a man your height and weight, 150 milligrams should do the trick and give you the most wonderful dreams. Or it might kill you. I’m pretty sure it’s the dreams. But I’m no doctor, and you’re no cop. Either way, I suppose pharma-karma’s a bitch.
[ Mila injects Steinhil ]
[ Police enter Red’s room, but he’s gone ]
Mila: He has a gun.
[ Gun in hand, Red tries to make his way out of the building, dodging police and hospital personnel ~ whether they are real or part of the “Illusion” is unclear ]
[ BREATHING HEAVILY ] [ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ] [ 🚨ALARM BLARING🚨 ] [ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]
[ Liz’s office. Cooper appears at the door ]
Cooper: Where are we?
Liz: Hansen couldn’t lead us to The Illusionist, but there’s a chance his money can. Aram’s tracing it now, and I’m hunting for childcare. Turns out Steinhil isn’t the only one who isn’t who he appears to be.
Cooper: I’m beginning to think no one is.
Liz: I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.
Cooper: Why didn’t you?
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
Aram: Hey. So, um, I was able to trace the payment Hansen received to an account in Paris. Now, the account’s in the name of a shell corporation, so the I.D. trail is a dead end, but and I am 74% confident there is something to this I found several other payments out of the Paris account, one of which was used to rent a small warehouse in Annapolis.
Cooper: So?
Aram: So, three other payments were made to rent medical equipment that, according to the rental company, were sent to that same warehouse.
Liz: You think that’s where they’re holding Reddington.
Aram: I know we think he’s in Paris, but maybe that’s just another illusion.
Cooper: Get Ressler. Tell him we may have located Reddington.
Aram: Got it.
[ Aram leaves ]
Liz: I do have an answer to your question, by the way.
Cooper: When this is over, I look forward to hearing it.
[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]
[ Red has evaded his suitors and finds an exit to a back street ]
[ The FBI parking ramp ]
Liz: [ On phone ] Aram, text me that address and notify the FBI in Annapolis.
Aram: What about local authorities?
Liz: Not yet. I don’t want to scramble units that might expose Reddington until we know what we’re dealing with.
[ Liz gets in a vehicle with Ressler ]
Aram: Understood. Address is on its way.
[ TIRES SQUEAL ] [ TIRES SCREECH ]
[ Red tries to walk away on the back street but a black van appears. He turns around, but other vehicles block him ]
— Stop! Stop!
— Don’t move!
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
[ A 💥💥💥 gunfight 💥💥💥 rages 💥💥💥 until Red is out of ammunition ] [ GUN CLICKS ]
— Drop the gun!
— Turn around!
— Hands on the wall!
[ Red obeys ] [ Katarina Rostova walks up ]
Katarina: Good to see you again, Raymond. Get him in the van.
[ Liz and Ressler arrive at what was Red’s hospital room ]
[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ] [ THUMP ECHOES ]
Liz: We’re too late.
[ A large bleak room ]
Katarina: What happened?
Berdy: Nurse says he got to one of the contingency weapons.
Katarina: Our exposure?
[ Berdy produces the cell phone Red was carrying ]
Berdy: Well, we found it on him. Doesn’t look like any calls went out, but we’re taking precautions.
Katarina: What about the Elizabeth Keen intel? Is it solid?
Berdy: 100%.
Katarina: Give it to the Movers, just in case.
[ Red is rolled in on a gurney. He is trying to lift his head ]
— He’s coming to!
Katarina: Dose him again. The nurse, the one who let this happen. Bring her to me.
[ Interrogation room ]
Liz: We know you all worked for Steinhil.
Aram: What we want to know is who he worked for.
Ressler: The employer. We want a name.
Liz: We know the hospital is fake.
Aram: We assume the injuries were, too.
Hansen: So?
Liz: So Reddington isn’t paralyzed.
Hansen: He’s been on the run 30 years.
Abigail: If we could make him think he couldn’t run anymore–
“Dr Busson”: She thought he’d talk.
Ressler: She?
Hansen: I don’t have a name.
Aram: A description, then.
Abigail: Nobody knows who she is.
Liz: But you know what she wanted Reddington to talk about?
Hansen: Yes.
Ressler: Which was what?
“Dr Busson”: Not what. Who.
Abigail: Some woman.
Liz: Do you know her name?
Hansen: I know she’s dangerous.
“Dr Busson”: A Russian.
Abigail: A Russian.
Hansen: Russian.
Liz: [ Whispers ] Katarina Rostova.
[ Michael Kiwanuka’s ♫ “Solid Ground” plays ]
[ Liz sits at the bottom of the yellow metal staircase at The Post Office, holding the photo of herself as a child with her mother, Katarina Rostova, on a swing. In the photo, her mother’s face is obscured by sunlight. Cooper walks over ]
Liz: This is who my mother is to me – an aura that surrounds me. For better or for worse, I don’t know.
♪ How does it feel when it’s quiet and calm?
Liz: They’re in there asking them about her.
♪ And will I be denied?
Liz: Whoever took him, it’s because of her.
♪ How will it feel when it’s time to move on?
Cooper: He’ll be okay.
Liz: You don’t know that.
♪ Mother says kneel and pray
Cooper: Apparently, Reddington died 30 years ago. He rose from the grave once. I’m pretty sure he will again.
♪ When it gets hard, I will roll those sleeves
Life can be so unkind
Liz: I didn’t tell you because you’re honest. You’d want to report Reddington’s misrepresentation to Main Justice. And I don’t think you should.
♪ I will be found on the edge of the world
Cooper: What makes you say that?
♪ Where there will be no one around
Liz: Because he’s not my father.
Cooper: I don’t understand.
♪ Oh, solid ground
Liz: When I thought he was my father, I hated him for abandoning me.
♪ Solid ground
Liz: I thought he shirked responsibility. But now I know he takes it on even when he doesn’t have to.
♪ Solid ground
Liz: I was nobody to him. The illegitimate daughter of a childhood friend.
♪ Solid ground
Liz: And he devoted half his life to me. Do you know anyone else who does that?
♪ How does it feel to be on your own?
Liz: Because I don’t.
♪ No one to understand
I know I’m here and I don’t belong
[ In a dark cavernous room, Red is trussed on a framework, his arms outstretched, his head dropping ]
[ Berdy and Steinhil stand in the shadows ]
Berdy: Feeling okay?
Steinhil: I’ll be fine.
♪ I’m on my knees today
[ ⚡️ELECTRICITY⚡️CRACKLING⚡️ ]
♪ When it gets dark, I will know no fear
[ Katarina Rostova walks up to Red ]
Katarina: I don’t like this, Raymond.
♪ Life can be so unkind
Katarina: The whole ordeal pains me. Surely you understand that.
[ Mila rolls a medical cart over next to Red ] [ WHEELS ROLLING ]
♪ Hanging around on the edge of the world
Katarina: I went to great lengths to pretend to hurt you.
♪ Finally no one around
Katarina: We’re past that now, Raymond. Oh – This is very real.
♪ Would you help me? I don’t understand
Katarina: I can assure you that, before we’re finished –
♪ Is it over?
Katarina: – You’re going to tell me everything I want to know.
♪ Am I losing solid ground?
Katarina: Miss? Shall we begin?
[ Mila begins an IV from Red’s neck ]
♪ Solid ground Solid ground Solid ground
Solid ground Solid ground Solid ground
[ Blood flows down the clear plastic tubing and pools in a vinyl collection bag ]
♪ Solid ground Solid ground Solid ground
Solid ground Solid ground Solid ground
Solid ground Solid ground Solid ground
⬆ go to start of 7:1 Louis T Steinhil
⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ La Danse de Nuit
By Le Petit Orchestre De Cafe Paris♪ ⋙ (Lyrics unavailable as of 10/6/2019)
Lyrics and Credits: [ Unavailable ]
YouTube: https://youtu.be/7j_jAAUpaUg
♫ Tu Peu Bien
By Francoise Hardy♪ tu peux bien te perdre
et tu peux, demain
sans rien me dire, disparaître, je sais bien
que tu peux nous perdre
toi qui ne veux pas
que sur ton chemin, on s’arrête mais tu vois♪ je rêve de me perdre
si c’est me perdre avec toi, toi
et je cours à ma perte
si tu n’as rien d’autre pour moi, que çà♪ tu peux tout faire
pour nous séparer
plus tu gagnes et plus je perds à t’aimer
moi je veux, peut-être, ce que je n’ai pas
je te laisserais peut-être, ce jour là♪ où lassée de tout perdre
je saurais partir loin de toi, toi
et par peur de me perdre
tu croiras que tu veux de moiLyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/2MnQd5g
YouTube: https://youtu.be/qvCkn14P6os
♫ Solid Ground
By Michael Kiwanuka♪ (Not yet released as of 10/5/2019)
Lyrics and Credits: [ Unavailable ]
YouTube: [ To be released 10/25/2019 ]
⬆️ go to start of 7:1 Louis T Steinhil
⏫ go to top
❌❌❌ End 7:1 Louis Steinhil
🔴 Script 7:2 Louis T Steinhil, Pt 2 (№ 27)
Program air date: 10/11/2019 in the US
Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-9VO
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/2IKMXzF
Directed by: Cort Hessler
Written by: Lukas Reiter
Brief (Where we’re at): Katarina Rostova has captured Red. First she tried to extract information from him by having The Illusionist, Louis T Steinhil (Blacklister #27) make him think he was in a hospital in Paris, paralyzed after being beaten by a gang in Paris. But Red still remembered glimpses of being kissed and then stabbed with an injection by Katarina. He gives the French inspector a phone number to his lawyer, Marvin Gerard, but the call goes to Cooper instead. Cooper tries to arrange extradition, but the French authorities are part of the illusion, as the Task Force is able to determine by ID’ing an imposter attaché and tracing his contacts.
After extracting the truth of his situation from a nurse, Red manages to escape from the ‘hospital,’ only to be re-captured by Katarina, who is determined to extract from him “everything I want to know.” She starts by having a nurse begin draining Red’s blood from an IV in his neck.
Meanwhile, Liz has confided to Cooper and Aram what she had previously only shared with Ressler, that Red is not her father, the real Raymond Reddington, but rather a former childhood friend of Katarina’s, Ilya Koslov, who like her had become a KGB agent and later was entangled with the Cabal. This raises issues regarding whether the Task Force can go on protecting Red:
Cooper: I understand crossing lines for your father, but now who are you crossing the line for?
Liz: [ Jauntily, walking off ] A man I’ve grown to like.
⭕ Script 7:2 Louis T Steinhil, Pt 2 (№ 27)
[ Katarina Rostova has Red captive in a darkened warehouse, his arms outstretched and a vinyl tube draining blood from his neck. She is assisted by a nurse named Mila Laporte ]
Katarina: 6,000 milliliters. That’s how much blood an adult male of your size has in his body. It’s a little more than a gallon of milk.
Mila LaPorte: 76 over 54.
Katarina: They say a man can lose up to 40% of his blood, but not much more. You’ve lost 20%. That’s why you’re feeling the palpitations. Your heart can’t fill with blood before it contracts. It’s the beginning stage of what doctors refer to as exsanguination. Raymond, please, I don’t want to hurt you. This isn’t easy for me.
Red: Sorry you’re having a hard time.
Katarina: You can help me.
Red: I’ve always helped you.
Katarina: No. You pretended to help me. You were never on my side.
Red: I came to Paris to warn you.
Katarina: You came to Paris to control me, to keep feeding me your narrative. But I’m done hiding. I won’t do it anymore. I can’t. Not with Elizabeth asking questions and telling ghost stories.
Red: Nobody knows you’re alive.
Katarina: They’re asking the questions. That’s enough.
Red: I never betrayed you.
Katarina: The Townsend Directive is my death sentence. Even with your help, I can’t outrun them. There’s only one way to survive. I have to give them what they want. Tell me how.
Red: I have nothing to tell you.
Katarina: [ Quietly ] We’ll see. If you think those secrets of yours are worth dying for? ~ Prove it.
[ The Post Office ]
Cooper: What do we know?
Liz: We questioned everyone who worked the con.
Ressler: Steinhil used doctors, nurses, ex-cops, intel agents. Smart group.
Aram: But not as smart as Steinhil, who kept everything need-to-know. None of them know the name of the woman who hired him to con Mr. Reddington.
Liz: Just why she did it to ask what he knows about my mother.
Cooper: I’m less interested in the why than in the where. If Steinhil employed all these people to create the illusion that Reddington was in a French hospital, where the hell was he when we got there?
Ressler: Apparently, he escaped. Or tried to. He got less than a block. But the hospital gag was blown, so they moved him somewhere else, but we don’t know where.
Cooper: Let’s start at the beginning. Paris.
Aram: Mr. Reddington went to meet with someone he felt safe enough with that he didn’t bring Dembe.
Ressler: Or he went alone to keep a secret.
Aram: From Dembe? That must be some secret.
Cooper: What else? He was abducted in Paris, then flown to Annapolis. Why?
Ressler: Could be there’s something there that they needed Reddington’s help to find.
Liz: Something or someone. Katarina Rostova.
Cooper: I thought your mother was dead.
Liz: Maybe that’s what she wanted us to think.
Cooper: Even you?
Liz: Apparently, she’s not the maternal type.
Cooper: So far, I’m hearing a lot of maybe’s and could be’s, a lot of theory, almost no fact.
Ressler: Here’s a fact – creating a French hospital in Annapolis takes planning. All the doctors, nurses, police, they all were sent to the same location to get fitted for their wardrobe.
Cooper: You have a location?
Ressler: Textile warehouse in Anne Arundel County.
Cooper: Get there. If they couldn’t con Reddington into telling them what they wanted to know, they’re probably trying to beat it out of him.
[ Ressler leaves and Aram steps away ]
Cooper: Agent Keen?
Liz: I brought Agnes home thinking my mother wasn’t a threat. Now I’m not sure.
[ The warehouse. Some distance from Red, Katarina talks with Louis T Steinfil (the name is an anagram for “The Illusionist”). He creates illusions – convincing alternate realities – using actors, disguises and crafted environments, including the “French hospital” in which Red was convinced that he was paralyzed – a trick pulled off by anesthetizing him. Red detected the ruse and threatened nurse Lila first with a syringe and then a gun that he wrested from her to get a confession from her. He attempted to escape but the attempt was foiled and he was recaptured ]
Katarina: He’s a tough old bird.
Louis T Steinfil: He’ll give you what you want.
Katarina: I don’t want this.
Steinfil: It’s the best of a bad situation.
Katarina: I wouldn’t be in this situation if you’d done your job.
Steinfil: I told you I needed three months to create the illusion you were looking for. You gave me three days.
Katarina:The FBI, have they released anyone?
Steinfil: I spoke with Abigail.
Katarina: How much do they know?
Steinfil: About me? Very little. About you? Absolutely nothing.
Katarina: I never planned on killing him.
Steinfil: He’d find you if you didn’t. It’s better this way.
Katarina: Better. To kill a man.
Steinfil: This man. Once you’ve bled him for what you need.
Katarina: The nurse was with him when he escaped.
Steinfil: I trust her.
Katarina: Then the only question left is, should I trust you?
[ Red is alone with the nurse, Mila LaPorte ]
Red: How long do I have?
Mila: Half an hour.
Red: [ GRUNTS ]
Mila: Maybe less.
Red: I’ve met my share of killers. I know who has the capacity to take a human life. I know the
[ GRUNTS ] the look in their eyes. You don’t have it.
Mila: It wasn’t my decision.
Red: But it is. If you help her – if you do nothing to stop her, you’re responsible.
Mila: You almost escaped.
[ FOOTSTEPS approach ]
Mila: [ Whispers ] She blames me for that.
Red: Shh.
Mila: I can’t take the risk. I’m sorry.
[ Katarina walks over ]
Katarina: I’m afraid hypoxia has set in. The drip, drip of your blood taking with it the oxygen your organs so desperately need. I’m told hypoxia can be quite uncomfortable.
[ She places her hand on his chest ]
Katarina: I know a little something about pain.
Red: Belgrade.
Katarina: Everything I cared about died that day.
Red: I didn’t want that.
Katarina: I’d made a life for myself, a family. You blew all that up.
Red: I didn’t know.
Katarina: Dom promised me no one would get hurt. Said he loved his child and just wanted her to be safe. Do I seem safe to you? Hunted, chased into the shadows!
Red: I- [ GASPS WEAKLY ] I can’t give you what you want.
Katarina: [ VOICE BREAKING ] What I want – is my family back. No one can give me that back. Least of all you. You can’t give me what I want. But you can give me what I need. You want me to believe you had nothing to do with Belgrade.
Red: I didn’t.
Katarina: That you care about me.
Red: Yes.
Katarina: Then prove it. Who’s coming for me? How many? And most importantly, the truth.
Red: I can’t.
Katarina: [ Yelling ] What is it?! [ ~ CRYING ~ ] Very well. Dom then. That’s right. I found him. I know it’s cruel to go after the old man, but you leave me no choice. Something tells me he won’t hold up nearly as well.
Red: Leave him alone.
Katarina: Gladly. If you give me what I need.
Red: —
Katarina: Goodbye, Raymond.
[ Katarina turns and leaves ]
[ Mila and Red have been left alone. Red wakes up from his stupor. Mila is busily working around him ]
Red: [ GROANS ]
Mila: Shh. Be quiet.
Red: [ SLURRING ] What are you doing?
Mila: Shh!
[ Mila disconnects Red from the rack and helps him into a wheelchair. She gathers supplies, including some of the plastic flasks of Red’s blood and stuffs them into a satchel. Then she pushes the wheelchair through the dark building ]
[ DISTANT CLANK ] [ Mila ducks with Red behind a pillar as someone walks by ]
[ Mila pushes the wheelchair up to a car ]
Mila: I can’t do this alone. I need you to get in the car.
[ She helps Red into the back seat of a white automobile ]
[ A guard appears ]
Guard: Hey, stop! I said stop!
[ Mila pulls out a gun. So does the guard ]
Mila: Don’t. Please. Please. I don’t want to hurt you.
[ Mila shoots💥first. The guard falls ]
Red: [ BREATHING HEAVILY ]
[ Ressler and Liz enter an extravagant costume store. They show their badges ]
Ressler: Excuse me. Agents Ressler and Keen FBI.
[ The Receptionist turns around. Her face appears as though someone has slashed it. She smiles ]
Receptionist: How can I help you?
Liz: We, um– That is, are you okay?
Receptionist: Oh, this? No, no, no. It’s just- It’s- It’s-
[ She picks at the side of the “scar” to show it’s fake ]
Receptionist: The Kennedy Center’s doing Phantom. We’re doing the effects.
Ressler: We thought you were a wardrobe house.
Receptionist: Wardrobe, effects whatever a production needs.
Liz: We’re here to see Margaret Teague.
Receptionist: I’ll let her know you’re here.
⋘⋙
[ Liz and Ressler walk through the store ]
Liz: Illusions. Cons. People pretending to be something they’re not.
Ressler: Just like Reddington.
Liz: Or my mother.
Ressler: Look, Keen, you did the right thing by bringing Agnes home.
Liz: But if she isn’t who I thought she was, if she’s a threat–
Ressler: Then we’ll deal with it.
Liz: We?
Ressler: Don’t think Cooper, Aram, and I haven’t talked about this. You’ve put your life on hold long enough. It’s past time you start living it, and I–
⋘⋙
Margaret Teague: I’m Margaret Teague.
Liz: Agents Keen and Ressler. We’re looking for Louis Steinhil.
Teague: I’m not familiar with that name.
Ressler: He’s a con man, sets up elaborate illusions–
Teague: If you think I had anything to do with–
Ressler: –the last one being a French hospital in an Annapolis warehouse. See, their doctors, nurses, and cops who worked that con, you outfitted them.
Teague: I’m a supplier. What people do with my supplies, I’m sure I don’t know.
Liz: I don’t care if you know or not. I’m looking for someone I care about, and in order to find that person, I got to find Steinhil. So lets cut to the chase. What you provide, does he pick up, or do you deliver?
Teague: I’ve never met the man.
Ressler: So you deliver.
Teague: Yes.
Liz: To where?
[ The white car with Red and Mila drives along a road in the country ]
Mila: Oh, my God. I just shot that guard. I didn’t know what else to do.
Red: [ WEAKLY ] I need your phone.
Mila: If he dies– [ HYPERVENTILATING ]
Red: Mila. Mila, your phone.
⋘⋙
[ Dembe’s CELLPHONE RINGING ]
Dembe: Raymond. You’re alive.
Red: Barely.
Dembe: I thought– It’s been a week. I was going to enact The Protocol. Where are you?
Red: You have to get to Dom. She’s going after him. He doesn’t know he’s in danger.
Dembe: She?
Red: Bring the cooler. I need platelets, frozen plasma – eight units.
Dembe: Raymond, you sound bad.
Red: Come alone.
Dembe: If you won’t make it to Dom’s, you need to get to a hospital.
Red: If I don’t make it, you you know what to do.
Dembe: Raymond. Be safe. I’ll be there.
[ Phone beeps ]
Mila: Who’s Dom?
Red: [ GASPS ] You need to get us to the highway.
Mila: You need a doctor.
Red: No, no, no, no doctors. Just the highway.
Mila: You are not okay, all right? You’re not gonna make it. You’re sick. If you don’t make it to a hospital
Red: [ GROANS ]
[ Red passes out ]
[ Mila pulls off the road alongside a delapidated farm building. She gets out the satchel and sets up a makeshift transfusion. Red moans and stirs ]
Red [ Mumbling ] What are you doing?
Mila: Give me your arm.
Red: We need to get to Dom.
Mila: Listen to me. If we don’t do this right now, you’re gonna be dead before we get to wherever you think we’re going to. I didn’t save you to watch you die in my car.
Red: [ GROANS ] If we don’t keep moving, they’ll find us.
Mila: They already have. Hold still.
Red: W-What?
Mila: Don’t move.
Red: What do you mean they already have?
Mila: You have to trust me.
[ Mila takes out a scalpel and expertly removes the tracking chip from Red’s neck ]
Red: Why did you help me?
Mila: Like you said, I’m not a killer. And I have terrible judgement when it comes to men.
[ TIRES SCREECH ] [ The white car arrives at Dom’s place in the country ]
[ Mila goes to the door and knocks. She breaks the glass pane ] [ GLASS SHATTERS ] [ Mila reaches through the broken pane for the door handle and opens the door ]
Mila: Hello? Anyone here?
[ GUN COCKS ] [ The barrel of a shotgun appears ]
Dom: Morning. You’d better have a damn good excuse, darling.
Mila: Are you Dom?
[ Outside, Dom and Mila are by the car ]
Dom: [ SPEAKING RUSSIAN, muttering ] Lord in Heaven.
[ Red, inside the car, is motionless ]
Dom: Is he dead?
[ Inside Dom’s house, Dembe has arrived. Red is receiving plasma and looks better ]
Dom: Tell me what she said. Not your interpretation, her exact words.
Red: I’m not interpreting anything. She’s coming for you, and she made it very clear she’s closing in.
Dom: Nonsense. I’m off the grid.
Dembe: Elizabeth found you.
Dom: You mind your own business.
Red: There’s no reason to risk it, Dom. This is your house. I know it won’t be easy to go, but there’s nothing heroic about dying when you don’t have to. This isn’t “Rio Bravo.”
Dom: For your information, going out with a fight, standing your your ground, dying on your own terms, that sounds pretty good to a man 81.
Red: 81. Are you 81?
Dom: Secondly, nothing about this situation resembles the plot of “Rio Bravo.”
Red: She knows you tried to kill her, Dom. She wants answers, but she also wants revenge. You set her up, betrayed her–
[ Mila has opened a notebook with a child’s writing inside: “Katarina” ]
Mila: Whose is this?
Dom: My daughter’s.
Mila: Katarina. That’s your daughter? Katarina Rostova?
Dom: Put it away, please.
Mila: Your own daughter wants to kill you because you betrayed her?
Red: It’s complicated.
Dom: I never betrayed Katarina. She betrayed me!
Red: Oh, come on. Enough.
Dom: Not just me. Our country, our our values, our entire way of life.
Red: The truth is, Mila, you’ve stumbled headlong into a family squabble. And the Rostov family can be rather eccentric.
Dom: She broke my heart. Made choices I couldn’t understand. What was my response?
Red: [ CHUCKLING ] Wait, what did Tolstoy say about unhappy families?
Dom: Despite all my anger, my frustration, I did what I thought was necessary–
Red: “Happy families are all alike, but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
Dom: Did I make mistakes? Yes. Do I deserve to die for them? Eh, maybe. If I die, at least I will go to my grave knowing that I did what I did to protect my own.
Steinhil: We found him.
Katarina: Where?
Steinhil: A farmhouse a few hours north.
Katarina: So I was right to trust you.
Steinhil: Will he give you what you want?
Katarina: No. Just what I need. I’ll talk to my halawadar. The balance due will be paid by this time tomorrow.
Steinhil: He means a great deal to you.
Katarina: He did. Once.
Steinhil: If the situation were reversed, would he show you mercy?
Katarina: [ SCOFFS ] No.
Steinhil: Then you can’t show him any.
[ Dembe walks with Mila to the white car ]
Dembe: Thank you.
Mila: For what?
Dembe: It’s my job to protect him. I couldn’t do that. You did.
Mila: He was supposed to be a bad man, a criminal, a fugitive, the worst of the worst. That’s why I signed up. Not to protect him. But to take down the Most Wanted.
Dembe: In my experience, who people are supposed to be is rarely who they are.
[ Dembe hands Mila a business card ]
Mila: [ Reading ] Steven Biel. Contractor?
Dembe: Call him. Tell him Raymond sent you.
Mila: Why?
Dembe: Raymond takes care of the people who take care of him.
Mila: [ SIGHS ] I didn’t do this for the money.
Dembe: No. You did it because it’s the right thing to do.
Mila: You give me too much credit.
Dembe: Take the card. It’s not just money. It’s protection.
Mila: You think she’ll come for me. Please thank him for me.
Dembe: No thanks are necessary.
Mila: He seems so decent. How is that possible?
Dembe: Because he is decent.
Mila: I should go.
[ Mila walks around the car and opens the driver’s side door, then pauses and calls to Dembe who looks back ]
Mila: He said I’m not a killer, Reddington. He said he could tell just by looking at me.
Dembe: Then you’re not.
Mila: He knows nothing about me.
Dembe: He knows enough.
[ Dembe turns and walks toward the house. Mila gets in the car and pulls the door shut ]
[ At the warehouse, an FBI SWAT raid starts with percussion grenades and flares 💥💥 ]
— Cover!
[ 💥💥 Gunshots 💥💥 ]
[ MEN GROANING ]
⋘⋙
Steinhil: What was that?
— I don’t know.
[ DOOR OPENS ] [ DOOR SHUTS ]
[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]
⋘⋙
— Show me your hands!
— Police!
— You go.
[ 💥💥💥 Gunshots 💥💥💥 ]
[ They search the premises. Liz comes across the spot where Red was tortured. A piece of the vinyl tubing, still blood-filled, is curled on the floor ]
Liz: He was here.
SWAT Agent: [ Calls out ] I need help here! I’ve got something. Someone inside. It’s locked.
Abigail (Steinfil’s assistant, hands up): It’s Steinhil. He’s alone.
[ DOORKNOB RATTLES ]
Ressler: FBI. Open the door!
[ Ressler bangs on the door ]
Ressler: Steinhil, I said open the door!
[ GUNSHOT 💥 ]
[ Ressler forces the door open. Steinhil lies face down on the floor, blood glistening in streaks on his temple and face ]
Dom: Damn it! I could’ve sworn I had another box of shells in here.
Red: Dom, we can help you. We’ll take what we can.
Dom: I’m too old to run.
Red: But too young to die.
Dom: Wh- Where would I go?
Red: To the beach, the mountains. How about the Tetons?
Dom: You really think she’s close.
Red: I think we have the day.
[ Mila appears ]
Mila: You don’t.
Red: What do you mean, “don’t”?
Mila: You don’t have the day. You don’t even have the hour. She knows where you are. She’s been tracking us since we left the safe house.
Dembe: How? You took the chip out of Raymond’s neck.
Red: Yes, out of my neck, but not out of her own. We didn’t escape, did we, Mila?
Mila: No. She ordered me to help you.
Red: Hoping I’d lead her here, to Dom. How much time do we have? Mila. How much time?
Mila: She’ll be here in 20, 30 minutes. I didn’t have a choice. She said she would kill me.
Red: Dom, I suggest we find that extra box of shells.
[ They lift up a rug to reveal a trap door ]
Red: [ To Mila ] Who are you? You’ve thrown your lot in with me. I should at least know your name.
Mila: Francesca Campbell. People call me Frankie.
Red: Tell me, Francesca. How is it that you turned out to be my guardian angel?
Francesca/Mila: That is not what I am.
Red: Are you really a nurse?
Francesca/Mila: I’m a former combat medic. That’s why Steinhil picked me.
Red: Steinhil.
Francesca/Mila: He created the illusion. Was part of it, too. “Inspector Oban.”
Red: Tell me about it – the con.
Francesca/Mila: They’ll be here any minute.
Red: Tell me.
Francesca/Mila: All I know is Katarina Rostova hired him because she thinks people are trying to kill her and that you might know how to stop them. The plan was to con you, not kill you – to get you to tell Inspector Oban who the assassins are and what they, or you, might know about her sources and safe houses.
[ Dembe goes through Dom’s collection of weapons ]
Dembe: You don’t believe in assault rifles?
Dom: Open that.
Red: Steinhil’s smart. He knew I’d be overconfident after figuring out the hospital wasn’t real–
Dom: Carefully, carefully.
Red: –that I’d think I’d solved the puzzle when I’d only gotten one piece.
Dom: I believe in plastic explosives.
Red: He knew I wouldn’t see his fingerprints all over the escape.
Francesca/Mila: Everything was planned, down to the last detail – leaving you alone to die, the car parked outside.
Red: You shot the guard.
Francesca/Mila: No, I didn’t.
[ Flashback showing this too was staged ]
Red: All that and the chip in my neck. Inspired. When this is over, I must see about putting this Steinhil on retainer. So – you’re not a nurse who’s afraid of her own shadow. You’re a soldier.
Francesca: That’s right. And I’m not leading you or anyone else into an ambush.
[ Dembe and Dom enter bearing firearms ]
Dembe: Four shotguns – two pump action, two lever. Three bolt-action rifles all single shot.
Dom: And a few souvenirs from home.
Francesca: Let me help you.
Dom: Your help is what got us into this mess.
Francesca: She’ll kill me, too. When she realizes that you knew she was coming, she’ll know I warned you.
Dembe: Raymond, we could use an extra gun.
Dom: Not if it’s pointed at the back of our heads!
Red: What do they call a combat medic in the army?
Francesca: 68 whiskey.
Red: Dembe, give the woman a shotgun.
[ The warehouse ]
[ A body bag is zipped shut ] [ ZIPPER ZIPPING ]
Ressler: I want a full autopsy. No one accesses that body until I get a solid I.D. You got that?
[ Liz has a laptop used for the deception ]
Liz: They tricked him, made him think he escaped.
Ressler: Reddington escaped, but he didn’t?
Liz: He was being tracked. They both were.
Ressler: Both? What do you mean both?
Liz: One of the security guards said there was a nurse on site who befriended him, made Reddington think she was on his side. She orchestrated the escape.
Ressler: So they could track him. Why? Where Where did they think he was gonna go?
Liz: My grandfather’s house.
Ressler: Your grandfather?
Liz: Whoever took Reddington was trying to find out about Katarina Rostova. If he wouldn’t tell them, maybe they think Dom will. And if they do to him what they did to Reddington–
Ressler: We’re not gonna let that happen.
Liz: They may already be there.
Ressler: Keen. It’s not gonna happen.
[ Algiers’ ♪ “Death March” plays ]
[ Katarina arrives with her henchmen in two black SUVs. Francesca comes out the front door to meet them. Red watches from around the side of the house ]
Katarina: They’re both here?
Francesca: Reddington’s recovering in the downstairs bedroom. He’s not mobile. The old man’s working at the back of the house.
Katarina: Anyone else?
Francesca: No. Did everything you said. It went all as planned.
Katarina: [ To her people ] You three, inside with her. Find Reddington and kill him. Berdy, tell the others to go around the back. Bring me Dominic. I want him alive.
♪ It all falls apart
Constant fear of explosion
Crypto-fascist contagion♪ Oh, yeah
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
They took no time to unwind it all
Manufactured suggestion
Wag the dog and then drown him
[ GUN COCKS ]
[ Two Henchmen enter the House ]
Dembe: Don’t move.
Henchman: [ To Francesca ] You didn’t tell us there was anyone else in the house.
[ Francesca grabs a gun and points it at the Henchman ]
Dembe: Drop your guns. Do it now.
Francesca: He said drop ’em!
[ 💥💥 GUNFIRE 💥💥 ]
[ Both Henchmen fall. Outside Katarina and crew hear the gunfire ]
[ 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 GUNFIGHT RAGES 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
[ Dom shoots a shotgun through a window 💥 💥 💥 ]
♪ Oh, no
Oh, no, no, no
This can’t be how it all whimpers out
[ Red presses a button ] [ BEEP ]
[ Plastic explosives blow up a car 🔥‼️💥‼️🔥]
Live to die in the gutter
Empty ivory towers♪ Oh, yeah
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
They pay no mind just to wind you up
Informed auto-suggestion
State-sanctioned assassination
[ 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 GUNFIGHT RAGES 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
[ Henchmen fall but none get in the house. Still, Red and crew are vastly outnumbered ]
♪ How hate keeps passing on
This is how the hate keeps passing on
[ Dom is shot 💥 in the chest, above the heart ]
Dom: Aah!
♪ How the hate keeps passing on
This is how the hate keeps passing on
[ Red goes to Dom ]
Red: Dembe! Dom’s hit!
[ 💥💥💥 GUNFIRE 💥💥💥 ]
[ Together, Dembe and Red maneuver Dom into the underground cellar while Francesca fires at the interlopers 💥 💥 💥 💥 ]
Red: Okay. One more step.
Dom: [ GROANING ]
[ Francesca pulls the cellar door shut ]
Red: That’s it. All right, sit.
Dom: [ GROANING ]
Red: Something for his head.
Dom: [ GROANING ]
Red: There you go.
Dom: [ GROANING ]
[ Francesca crouches over Dom ]
Francesca: Single round to the chest. Please tell me he has a hemostat.
Dom: How bad?
Francesca; Some Quick Clot powder? Celox?
Dembe: I don’t see any.
Francesca: Gauze?
Dom: [ GROANS ]
Francesca: Oh, the- the plastic. Give me the package, too.
Red: All right. Get him up.
Dom: [ GROANS ] How bad is it? How bad?! [ GROANS ]
[ Francesca presses the package against Dom’s wound ]
Red: That’s it.
[ FOOTSTEPS ]
Dembe: They’re here.
[ FOOTSTEPS ]
Katarina: Gentlemen, it’s over!
Dom: Go to hell!
Katarina: Seems you may get there first. Raymond, I told you I want answers, which means I need him alive. Send him out, and I’ll have no choice but to save his life.
Red: We open it, she’ll kill the three of us and eventually kill him.
Francesca: He may not make it anyway.
Dembe: Then we fight.
Katarina: Open the door, Raymond, or my men shoot their way to you. Raymond, this is my last warning!
[ FOOTSTEPS ]
[ A young scout walks up to Katarina and whispers something to her. She takes in what he said ~ ]
[ The front door slams⚡️open and an FBI SWAT team bursts in ]
— Move up, move up!
[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]
— Clear!
— Clear!
Liz: Ressler, in here! Dom? Dom, it’s Elizabeth Keen. Are you okay?
Red: Elizabeth! It’s us! Is it clear?
Liz: It’s clear!
[ Ressler opens the cellar trap door ]
Red: Dom’s hit. We need to get him help now.
[ They begin to move Dom to the steps ]
Red: That’s it.
Cooper: [ On phone ] You have Reddington?
Ressler: [ In police carr, lights flashing ] Yeah. Been through hell, but he’s okay. Better than Rostova.
Cooper: Katarina?
Ressler: No. Dominic her father, Keen’s grandfather. This, everything, it was about getting information on Katarina and the people hunting her.
Cooper: Getting information for who? Are we any closer to finding out who hired Steinhil?
Ressler: No, they were gone by the time we got there. And by the looks of things, they came in guns blazing.
[ 🚨SIRENS🚨 WAILING ]
[ Dembe is driving as Liz, Red and Francesca tend to Dom is the back of a van ]
Liz: The nearest hospital’s in the opposite direction.
Red: Yes, it is.
Liz: Then why are we going the wrong way?
Red: Because we’re not going to the hospital.
Liz: What? What? I’m sorry, but who are you?
Francesca: He needs an operating room, a surgeon.
Red: Yes, and I intend to get him the best one available.
Liz: What if he dies before then?
Red: He’s a Rostov, Elizabeth. If we take him to an emergency room, questions will be asked, questions he’s not prepared to answer.
Liz: [ Whispers ] Please don’t tell me she’s the nurse from the French hospital.
Red: She was very convincing.
Liz: She was in on the con.
Red: Yes, and now she’s the best hope your grandfather has to survive.
Dembe: [ Calling back to the others ] Dr. Stein and his team have been alerted. They’re en route.
Red: Called Dembe on my way to Dom’s, and given my condition, he felt it prudent to assemble one of our triage cubes.
Dom: [ GASPS ]
Red: Turns out, it was.
Dom: [ COUGHING ]
Liz: What’s happening?!
Francesca: Tension pneumothorax. Air’s leaking out of the hole into his pleural cavity. We need to remove the seal, or else the pressure’s gonna collapse his lungs.
Dom: [ GASPING ]
[ Francesca removes the covering from the wound ]
Dom: [ SIGHS ]
Francesca: [ Agitated ] It’s not just air. He’s bleeding into his chest cavity. We’re losing him. How far out?!
Dembe: Three minutes.
Red: We’re almost there.
Dom: [ COUGHING ] So much to say.
Red: And a lifetime left to say it.
Dom: [ GASPING AND COUGHING ]
[ The van pulls in to the garage of the mobile hospital site, which is in a lumberyard ]
Francesca: GSW! White male, 80. Sat-level 76 and dropping.
Nurse: Got it.
Francesca: Hemopneumothorax. His lungs are drowning. Which one of you is the surgeon? Nurse: Doc’s still in transit.
Francesca: ETA?
Francesca: Six minutes.
Francesca: He’ll be dead in six minutes! If we don’t put a chest tube in him in the next two, both of his lungs will collapse.
Red: Then you do it.
Francesca: Me? I’m a field medic.
Red: I don’t care what you are. Do you know how to do it?
Francesca: I’ve never done it before.
Red: Do you know how to do it?! Just do it! These people can help you with whatever you need. Do it!
Man’s voice: [ Faint ] CO2 number.
[ MONITOR BEEPING ]
[ Charlie Cunningham’s ♪ “Force of Habit” plays ]
♪ If they pull you under, you’re buried alive
[ The surgery begins ]
Francesca: Knife. Doesn’t matter which one. Just pick one.
♪ Don’t wait for an answer ’cause no one survived
Nurse: Seventh intercostal.
Francesca: Give me the smallest ET tube you’ve got.
♪ It’s force of habit
Take something from it
[ Francesca makes an incision into Dom’s lung and inserts a tube ]
Francesca: Okay.
[ Liz and Red peer in from behind the plastic sheeting ]
♪ You called, it came
It’s here to stay
Male Nurse: Critical.
[ Blood is suctioned out of Dom’s lung ]
[ WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]
Male Nurse: Stabilizing.
♪ These wounds don’t heal
But they won’t show
[ AIR HISSING ]
♪ They’ve already been out there
They’ve been walking for miles
Liz: [ Whispering ] Those questions you don’t want asked, well, I’m gonna ask them anyway. Why don’t we start with who did this.
Red: Not now, Elizabeth.
Liz: [ Urgent whisper ] Yes, now. Someone out there thinks Katarina Rostova is still alive, and clearly they think you know more than you’re saying.
Red: That isn’t a question.
Liz: Who grabbed you in Paris? Who tortured you? Why is my grandfather dying in a lumberyard? My question is, what the hell happened?
Red: You did. You and Agent Ressler.
Liz: Excuse me?
Red: [ Low but angry voice ] How many times have I told you? Leave it alone. I warned you. Even saying the name Katarina Rostova has consequences, and now you see. Now you see what that name will make others do. These questions of yours have gotten their attention, and now they will crawl out of whatever hole they were in, and they will hurt whomever they must – just on the chance, just on the notion that she might still be alive. “What happened?!” Elizabeth. You raised an old ghost, and that’s why your grandfather is dying in a lumberyard.
[ The Post Office ]
Cooper: Reddington blamed you?
Liz: He’s not wrong.
Cooper: Of course he is.
Liz: None of this would’ve happened if Ressler and I hadn’t started asking a lot of questions he told us not to ask.
Cooper: You wouldn’t have had to ask them if he’d been honest with you, if he’d told you his real identity.
Liz: Have you decided whether to tell Main Justice?
Cooper: Not yet. But telling them Reddington is really a former KGB agent whose name is Ilya Koslov will cause a firestorm I have no interest in dealing with. What I am interested in is you and making sure you know that none of this is your fault.
Liz: Reddington wouldn’t tell us who abducted him. And it’s not like we can ask Steinhil or whatever his real name was.
Cooper: Aram’s following up with the M.E. If we can identify the body, maybe we can work backward from there. In the meantime, I’ve assigned a security detail to your apartment.
Liz: You think that’s really necessary?
Cooper: We don’t know who took Reddington, but she’s asking about your mother and has shown that she’s willing to go after anyone who may know about her, so, yes, I think it’s necessary.
Liz: I’m sorry my family is so — messy.
Cooper: Katarina Rostova is your relative. We’re your family. And we’re not gonna let anything happen to you.
[ Liz smiles ]
[ Van DOORS CLOSING ]
[ The driver gets out of a van marked OCME ~ “Office of the Chief Medical Examiner” ~ and walks around to the back ]
⋘⋙
[ Cooper’s Office. Aram appears ]
Aram: Sir.
Cooper: Agent Mojtabai. Something wrong?
Aram: Definitely. I did what you said and followed up with the Medical Examiner’s Office, and they didn’t know what I was talking about.
⋘⋙
[ The OCME driver and another man open the van’s back doors ]
⋘⋙
Aram: They don’t have Steinhil. I mean, they never even got him. Apparently, the call we made requesting they respond to the scene was canceled.
⋘⋙
[ Out of the back of the OCME van pops Louis T Steinhil – peeling the fake blood from his face ]
⋘⋙
Cooper: Canceled by who?
Aram: Well, the log says by Special Agent Gerald Host. G. Host, as in —
Cooper: Ghost.
[ Red sits in the back seat of his parked Mercedes with Francesca ]
Red: [ Solemnly ] I’ve been trying to decide what to do about you. I suppose by warning us, you saved our lives, but you’re also a large part of the reason our lives needed saving. The things you’ve done – I’ve killed others for less. I appreciate what you did for Dom. It’s the reason you’re still alive. But to be clear, it does not make us even.
Francesca: Why didn’t the FBI arrest you?
Red: I intend to find the woman who did this.
Francesca: You’re number one on their list, and they just let you go.
Red: Perhaps you can help me find her. Perhaps not. Time will tell. But until we are even, you’re not going anywhere.
Francesca: If you don’t mind me asking – how’s he doing?
Red: We don’t know if his brain was deprived of oxygen, and if so, for how long. If he ever does wake up, he may not be himself anymore.
[ Dom’s bedside ] [ MONITOR BEEPING ] [ Dom remains unconscious ] [ Red is there; Liz enters ]
Liz: I didn’t realize you two were close.
Red: Ahh. I’ve known Dom a long time. Most of it’s been – unpleasant. Still, something happens when you’ve when you’ve known someone that long, when, after all of life’s twists and turns you look over and there they are, still in it with you, still yours.
Liz: I’m sorry my questions caused all this. But they are questions I deserve answers to. Maybe not now. Now it’s too dangerous. But someday I’m going to insist on answers. And you’re going to have to give them to me.
Red: When he gets better, you should bring Agnes to meet him.
[ Liz’s apartment. Liz and Agnes get ready for the day ]
Liz: Shoes, shoes, shoes! If we don’t leave here in two minutes, Agnes, you’re definitely gonna be late for the bell.
Agnes: Wait! My headband!
[ COFFEE POT RATTLES ] [ Liz holds up two headbands, one with kitten ears ]
Liz: Ears or no ears?
Agnes: Ears!
⋘⋙
[ Liz locks the apartment door ] [ KEYS JINGLING ]
[ A woman is exiting the next apartment. The woman is Katarina Rostova ]
Agnes: Mom, that’s not Mrs. Monzewski, right?
Katarina: Oh, my goodness! I love those ears!
Liz: Uh, hello. I’m Liz. This is Agnes.
Katarina: Maddy Tolliver. Your new neighbor.
Liz: It’s funny. Mrs. Monzewski’s lived there forever. I didn’t know she was thinking of moving.
Katarina: She didn’t. I’m just subletting. It all happened very quickly. The woman who showed me the apartment said something about her going to Pittsburgh for a while to be closer to her grandson.
Agnes: You’re pretty.
Katarina:Thank you, sweetie! So are you! You remind me of my granddaughter.
Liz: We have to run, but it was nice meeting you.
Katarina: So nice to meet you both. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.
⬆️ go to start of 7:2 Louis Steinhil, Pt 2
⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ Death March
By Algiers♪ Oh no
On no, no, no
This can’t be how it all falls apart
Constant fear of explosion
Crypto-fascist contagion♪ Oh yeah
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah
They took no time to unwind it all
Manufactured suggestion
Wag the dog and then drown him♪ How hate keeps passing on
This is how the hate keeps passing on♪ Oh no
On no, no, no
This can’t be how it all whimpers out
Live to die in the gutter
Empty ivory towers♪ Oh yeah
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah
They pay no mind just to wind you up
Informed autosuggestion
State-sanctioned assassination♪ How hate keeps passing on
This is how the hate keeps passing on♪ How hate keeps passing on
This is how the hate keeps passing onLyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/32armII
YouTube: https://youtu.be/5EZ3ci-r0yk
♫ Force of Habit
By Charlie Cunningham♪ It they pull you under, you’re buried alive
Don’t wait for an answer cos no-one survived♪ If you now that it’s a force of habit
Take something from it
You called, it came
It’s here to stay♪ These wounds don’t heel but the won’t show
♪ They’ve already been out there
They been walking for miles
There’s nobody out there
So don’t waste your time♪ It’s over a choice that you made
It’s taken you nowhere
You called, they came
They’re here to stay♪ I’ve seen it form your side but
Still takes a moment to realise
These situations they often arise♪ They say it’s impossible to know but I know, keep my head low
Decide on it once and for all, so now you know
They say it’s impossible to grow, but I grown, read the head stone
Confides in it once and for all♪ You know that it’s a force of habit
Take something from it
You called, they came
They’re here to stay♪ I’m seeing it from both sides but
I need the moment to understand why these situations always arise♪ I’ve seen it with my own eyes but
Still takes a moment to realise why
These situations they often arise♪ Been bitten, still too shy or
One thing or another but no one ask why
These complications get me tied♪ I’ve seen it with my own eyes but
Still takes a moment to realise why
These situations they often arise♪ Been bitten twice as shy or
One thing or another that no-one ask why
These complications get me tied♪ I’ve seen it all with my own eyes but
Still takes a moment to realise why
These situations they often ariseLyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/2M7c1Ty
YouTube: https://youtu.be/gHlsQPrQ-xM
⬆️ go to start of 7:2 Louis Steinhil, Pt 2
⏫ go to top
❌❌❌ End 7:2 Louis Steinhil 2
🔴 Script 7:3 Les Fleurs du Mal (№ 151)
Program air date: 10/18/2019 in the US
Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-9X7
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/2qhSMOO
Director: Lisa Robinson
Written by: Kelli Johnson, Taylor Martin
Brief (Where we’re at): Katarina Rostova hired illusionist Louis T Steinhil to help her extract information from Red about threats to her life, including “The Townsend Directive” – even though it was he who first warned her. First, Steinhil created the illusion Red was in a French hospital, paralyzed. When Red detected the ruse he escaped but was recaptured. Next Katarina had Red trussed up on a scaffolding, draining the blood from his body through a tube. When this failed, Katarina told Red she had managed to locate her father (Liz’s grandfather) Dominic (“Dom”) Wilkinson and departed to find him. Red was helped to escape by Nurse Mila LaPorte. They headed to warn Dom that Katarina was coming for him. Red contacted Dembe, who met them at Dom’s with blood supplies and Mila restored him with transfusions.
Dembe thanked and befriended Mila as she was about to leave. She was moved to confess that the escape was yet another ruse and that Katarina was tracking them to Dom’s place in the country. Mila said her real name was Francesca Campbell and she was a combat medic. In the ensuing gun battle, Dom was shot in the chest. Katarina’s fury with her father (which also involved Red) dates back to an event (“Belgrade”) in which she says her family was destroyed.
The gun battle abated only when a scout spotted an FBI SWAT team on its way. Katarina and her team escaped and Dom was taken to one of Red’s mobile hospitals, clinging to life. But the surgeon was late, so Red insisted Francesca perform the surgery, which saved Dom’s life, but his longterm survival remains uncertain.
Liz implored Red for answers as to “why my grandfather is dying in a lumberyard,” but Red turned the blame on her:
How many times have I told you? Leave it alone. I warned you. Even saying the name Katarina Rostova has consequences, and now you see. Now you see what that name will make others do. These questions of yours have gotten their attention, and now they will crawl out of whatever hole they were in, and they will hurt whomever they must – just on the chance, just on the notion that she might still be alive. “What happened?!” Elizabeth. You raised an old ghost, and that’s why your grandfather is dying in a lumberyard.
The following morning, as Liz is leaving with her daughter Agnes for daycare, they discover that that someone new has moved into the apartment next door. The woman introduces herself as Maddy Tolliver — but we know her as Katarina Rostova.
⭕ Script 7:3 Les Fleurs du Mal (№ 151)
[ A man (Vance Palmer) wearing a blast helmet sits inside a vinyl cube with a device with many colored wires exposed. There is a timer counting down. He has a clippers to cut the wires ]
Palmer: [ BREATHING SHAKILY ]
[ Around the cubicle is gathered a group of richly dressed people. The room is opulent but darkened ]
Thelonius Prackett: [ Dramatically ] Remember, my friends, the task at hand is not an impossible one. The Defiance is not rigged. Mr. Palmer has before him every tool, schematic, and safety precaution necessary for him to save his own life. Ladies and gentleman, drink in the moment. I want you to let the numbness of life wash away even if only for tonight, for this moment. The love. The fear. This is what it is to be alive. This is The Defiance. This is Les Fleurs du Mal.
Palmer: [ Panicking ] I can’t. Please, you have to let me out of here. I can’t do this. Are you listening to me?! Make it stop! I can’t! [ WHIMPERING ]
[ Palmer uses the clippers to cut a white wire ] [ BEEP ] [ The timer seems to stop ]
Palmer: [ BREATHES SHARPLY ] [ CHUCKLES ] [ LAUGHS ] Aah! I did it! I did it! I beat the game! I beat the game!
[ The BEEPING starts again ]
Palmer: I did –
[ BEEPING SPEEDS UP ] [ The timer resets and runs down rapidly ]
Palmer: No. Wait, no!
[ 💥🔥‼️Explosion‼️🔥💥] [ The inside of the cubicle is covered with gore ]
[ CROWD MURMURING ]
[ APPLAUSE ] [ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
[ Outside Liz’s apartment, she is struggling with her keys and packages ]
Liz: [ SIGHS ] Shoot.
[ DOOR CREAKS SHUT, KEYS JINGLING ] [ Liz’s new neighbor steps out of her apartment. She is Liz’s mother, Katarina Rostova, but she has told Liz her name is Maddy Tolliver. Liz doesn’t recognize her as they have been apart since Liz was four ]
Katarina: Let me help with that.
Liz: Oh, no, that’s okay. I got it.
Katarina: Nonsense. I insist.
Liz: No thanks. I got it.
[ Liz gets the door unlocked. DOOR CREAKS OPEN. Liz turns around ]
Liz: Oh, do you want some coffee?
Katarina: I was just going out for some.
Liz: Come on. I insist.
[ Liz’s kitchen ]
Liz: So happy we finally get a chance to chat.
Katarina: Is Agnes at school?
Liz: Yeah, I just dropped her off, and, uh, I was on my way home and realized I didn’t have anything for dinner, so I picked up a few things.
Katarina: What do you do for work?
Liz: I’m a government employee. What about you?
Katarina: Me? [ CHUCKLES ] Ha, I’m retired. I moved here to be closer to my daughter. We’re estranged, but I’m hoping to get closer to her.
[ Liz goes to the sink. Katarina grabs Liz’s keys from the table and makes an impression of her house key. Liz turns around and thinks Katarina is looking at Agnes’s three princess Barbies ]
Liz: Agnes is in full-on princess mode.
Katarina:[ CHUCKLES ] What? Oh! [ LAUGHS ] Right.
Liz: I know it’s not very woke, but she’s irresistible.
Katarina: No, fairy tales are very important. They help children cope with separation anxiety and loss.
Liz: Oh, and I love a fairytale. Just not the part where you got to get saved by Prince Charming.
[ CELLPHONE BUZZES ]
Liz: Um – that’s work. I’m so sorry. I got to go. Have you seen my keys? I could’ve sworn I just put them right here.
[ Katarina leans over and pretends to have found them on the floor ]
Katarina: Oh! Here. [ CHUCKLES ] I must have knocked them off the table.
Liz: Uh, keep the mug. Bring it back later. I’m really sorry about this.
Katarina: Don’t be. I got what I came for.
[ Liz arrives at Red’s place. He reads aloud from a volume of poetry ]
Red: “To creep softly like a coward toward the treasures of your body,
to whip your joyous flesh and bruise your pardoned breast,
to make in your astonished flank a wide and gaping wound.”
Red: As a general rule, I believe the sword is mightier than the pen. But in the hands of a free-spirited, syphilis-ridden French dandy, I’d say the odds shift considerably.
Liz: How’s my grandfather?
Red: We saw him this morning. He’s still – critical.
Liz: And the woman who tried to kill him?
Red: You know Baudelaire was prosecuted for offenses against public morality?
Liz: The woman.
Red: His words were so provocative that six of his poems were banned for nearly a century.
Liz: You said you had a lead.
Red: I do. A secret society named after Baudelaire’s “Les Fleurs du Mal.”
Liz: Poetry lovers?
Red: Thrill seekers. People who go to extreme lengths to offend public morality. A society of decadent misanthropes. People who have everything, so nothing is special.
Liz: And this connects to the woman who abducted you in Paris?
Red: It does.
[ The Post Office ]
Liz: According to Reddington, Les Fleurs du Mal is our best chance of finding Steinhil. Because whoever runs it contracted him to create an illusion.
Ressler: Well, whatever he did for them can’t top the illusion he created for himself – rising from the dead.
Cooper:If we can get to him, he can get us to the woman who put Elizabeth’s grandfather on life support.
Aram: All right, I combed through every database, and there’s nothing concrete on Fleurs du Mal, only rumors about a man given a knife and locked in a room with a tiger, a woman who fell off the Eiffel Tower, and something about piranhas.
Cooper: You said Reddington had a lead.
Liz: A name. Charles Radcliffe. According to Reddington, he attended one of the society’s events.
Cooper: Ressler, Aram, go see Mr. Radcliffe. See if he can I.D. these people before they hurt someone else.
[ Ressler and Aram leave ]
⋘⋙
Cooper: How’s Agnes?
Liz: Uh – amazing. She’s sweetly oblivious to the guards you have sitting outside our apartment to protect her.
Cooper: If you need anything including time off–
Liz:Is that why you sent Aram instead of me?
Cooper: I sent Aram because he needs more experience in the field. You are a single mom with a hard job. I just want you to know if you need to come in late or leave early–
Liz: I don’t. But it’s good to know I can. Thank you – for everything.
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
Ressler: Elodie Radcliffe? Agents Ressler and Mojtabai, FBI.
Elodie Radcliffe: I knew you’d come sooner or later.
Aram: You did?
Elodie: Les Fleurs du Mal. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?
Aram: Uh- how could you know that?
Elodie: I thought you’d given up.
Aram: On what?
Elodie: On my husband, Charles.
Ressler: Well, if he’s here, we’d like to have a word with him, as well. We have a lot of questions for the both of you.
Elodie: Charles can’t help you.
[ They walk into the living room where Charles is propped up in a wheelchair, unresponsive ]
Elodie: Because those people in Les Fleurs du Mal all but killed him.
[ Inside a mansion on an island ]
Thelonius Prackett: So, The Defiance It’s done?
Wilbur Eaton: You said this one was important.
Prackett: And the Player will be provided with tools?
Eaton: Yes as discussed.
[ He holds up a key ]
Prackett: Mm.
Eaton: All useless. For the Player to survive, he needs to be willing to, uh- break his index finger and dislocate his thumb, work his hand into the cam slot, and disengage the lock. It’s the only way.
Prackett: So, one could survive.
Eaton: Could? Yes. Would? Incredibly unlikely. But the narrow chance of survival is the whole point, right?
[ Elodie and Charles Radcliffe’s living room )
Ressler: Is this a diving accident?
Elodie: An arterial gas embolism. That’s the lie they told me to hide whatever they really did to him.
Aram: Did you go to the police?
Elodie: And say what? I don’t know what happened. And even if I did, these are powerful people with the resources to protect themselves.
Ressler: So, how did you find these people?
Elodie: Charles found them. It was a gift for our anniversary. Our marriage wasn’t perfect. We were bored, drifting apart. Charles thought this might be exciting.
Ressler: To- To watch people die.
Elodie: Sharing an experience, something so rare and raw and extraordinary that it can’t be forgotten that it can only bring you closer. They called it “The Defiance.”
Aram: Sounds terrifying.
Elodie: Which is why I didn’t go.
Aram: Do you know how to make contact?
Elodie: Y-You want me to talk to them?
Ressler: Yes. Help us expose them. And find out what happened to your husband.
Elodie: Mm, Charles had an e-mail address for the man in charge, Thelonious Prackett. That’s all I know.
[ A group of Russians are talking and eating in the back of a restaurant. Others prepare food nearby ] [ A woman hurries over ]
Woman: [ In Russian ] I’m sorry, Mr Morozov. I told him you weren’t to be interrupted.
[ Red and Dembe enter ]
Red: Motya?! I’m sorry to barge in unexpectedly, but I’ve called repeatedly, and there hasn’t been hide nor hair of you, so I thought I’d come and check to see if you’re okay.
Motya Morozov: Please go.
Red: And you’re okay! Thank God! I thought maybe Ed Broadfoot and his sons had finally tracked you down and dragged you off to one of those gravel pits.
Motya: What do you want?
Red: It’s about the Townsend Directive. I understand it’s been reactivated that you and everyone else who bought in are actively hunting for her.
Motya: Do you think I’m an idiot?
Red: Motya, I need to take care of this myself. It’s personal.
Motya: Ah. Do you know your conversations with the Minister of Finance single-handedly responsible for getting my operations pushed out of Kiev? I lost millions in rail lines alone.
I lost my relationship with contractors, politicians. My own wife left me for the competitor.
Red: To be fair, she’d been screwing him for months.
[ GUNS COCK ]
Motya: Forget about The Directive. Forget about Katarina Rostova. I’m not gonna help you find her. I’m gonna hunt her down, and I’m gonna kill her myself. And the next time I see your face, I’m gonna shoot before you can start talking.
Red: Too soon, the comment about the wife?
Motya: [ CHUCKLES ]
Red: Good talk.
[ Red and Dembe turn and walk away ]
Dembe: I told you.
Red: Yeah, you were right. But we had to try. And now he’s forced our hand.
[ Post Office ]
Aram: Sir. Sir, there is nothing on Thelonious Prackett. It’s- It’s got to be an alias. But whoever he is, he agreed to let Mrs. Radcliffe recommend a new member.
Cooper: Did you tell Ressler?
Aram: Prackett agreed on one condition that if the new member gets invited to an event, Radcliffe has to go with.
Cooper: That’ll be all right as long as Ressler is with her the whole time.
Aram: Yeah, um, about that. If, um If we’re doing this, I’d like to go with her.
Cooper: Instead of Ressler.
Aram: We need to be a convincing couple to have a connection, and we have one I can relate to her loss.
Cooper: Samar.
Aram: Not that what I went through even compares.
Cooper: You went through plenty. I’m sorry I haven’t asked you about it more.
Aram: I’m fine. Um, still a bit, uh, numb, [ CHUCKLES ] I guess. But, um, when the last real feeling you had was devastation, you’re not super psyched to get out there and feel again. But
I’m good. I’m good.
Cooper: I agree.
Aram: That I’m good, or- or devastated?
Cooper: That you should go with her. Work on your cover — you’re going in.
[ Red enters his airplane. Francesca (“Frankie”) Campbell is sitting in the back ]
Red: Greetings!
Frankie: Where are we going? And why do I have to go with you?
Red: Because you remain in my debt.
Frankie: I saved your life.
Red: Yes, after putting it at risk.
Frankie: And I told you about Steinhil’s contract with Les Fleurs du Mal. Why aren’t you looking at them?
Red: I’ve got people working on that.
Frankie: I’m supposed to be at dinner tonight at The Peppermill. It’s my wedding anniversary.
Red: Congratulations! That shouldn’t be a problem.
Frankie: You’re holding me hostage.
Red: I prefer to think of it as looking out for my best interests. Please, find yourself another seat. Relax. Read a book. Watch a movie. Do you like Truffaut? We have the complete collection.
[ She takes a seat ]
Red: [ To Dembe ] What did Stevenson say?
Dembe: The room is being swept. He can’t get a camera in.
Red: Someone from the hotel staff, then. Surely we can incentivize a maid or someone from room service to take a photo.
Dembe: They’re only allowing authorized personnel. We’re too late to get anyone on the inside.
Frankie: Can I ask you something?
Red: “Day for Night.” Definitely.
Frankie: The photograph.
Red: Oh, that’s none of your concern.
Frankie: If I got it for you, would my debt be paid?
Red: Conceivably.
[ Aram and Elodie talk to Thelonius Prackett. Aram’s hair is combed back and his beard is neatly trimmed ]
Aram: We met at Ascot. I had a horse racing in the Dubai Shergar Cup.
Prackett: And how did he do?
Aram: Fractured his left-front pastern. Had to be put down. Cost me $300,000 in stud fees.
Prackett: Per stud?
Aram: 40 studs a year, that’s $12 million per year.
Prackett: That must have been a dark day.
Aram: Until I saw Elodie. Things brightened considerably after that.
[ CHUCKLES ]
Prackett: How is Charles?
Elodie: The man I married is alive, but my husband is gone.
Prackett: And our role in that tragedy?
Elodie: I don’t hold you responsible, if that’s what you’re asking. He wanted the risk. We both did.
Prackett: Well, I know you did. I’m surprised you still do.
Elodie: I didn’t. For a long time, I thought I never would again. Then I met Shameel.
Aram: I was a guest in one of the royal boxes, and she was three rows below, and still the peacock feathers in her hat blocked my view.
Prackett: [ CHUCKLES ] Ah. [ SIGHS ] Your interest is unusual.
Aram: I don’t see why. I can buy anything I want. So, naturally what I want is something I cannot buy.
Prackett: It’s unusual because it coincides with an upcoming event.
Aram: Why is that unusual?
Prackett: Because we haven’t issued invitations yet. Which makes your interest an usual coincidence or worse – not a coincidence at all.
Aram: I understand your caution and why you need to vet your guests as closely as you do. I would expect nothing less. But we’ve told you our story, we’ve exchanged wiring instructions, and I’m one text away from depositing $1 million into your account.
Prackett: The Defiance is an experience money can’t buy.
Aram: Of course not, which is why I’m all the more happy to pay for it. So, I need to know – Are we in, or are we out?
[ Prackett hands Aram an envelope with a large black seal ]
Prackett: Welcome to Les Fleurs du Mal.
[ A room at the Post Office ]
Elodie: I’m confused. We have no idea where we’re going, who will be there, or how to get out. I mean, we don’t even know how to get to this event.
Ressler: Prackett said he’d send instructions.
Elodie: Which he hasn’t.
Aram: He will. We sold our story well, but if you’re uncomfortable–
Elodie: I am. Because I– [ SIGHS ] Look, I don’t quite understand the plan. Can we go over it again?
Cooper: The location of the event is a closely guarded secret.
Fast-forward
[ CELLPHONE CHIMES ] [ Elodie receives a text with the location of the event ]
Liz: Which means you and Aram will be on your own.
Ressler: When Prackett makes contact, you’ll follow his instructions.
Elodie: Well, if you don’t know where we’re going, and you can’t follow us, how do you plan to find our location?
Fast-forward
[ Aram and Elodie arrive at the event the event. They are scanned by guards ]
Aram: With an ELT beacon. We’ll smuggle the device in disassembled so we can get it past security.
Elodie: Disassembled.
Liz: You’re going to wear the device into the building in pieces.
[ Liz shows Elodie an ornate necklace she will wear, the watch Aram will wear etc ]
Fast-forward
[ Aram and Elodie walk along a pier holding hands and board a yacht ]
Cooper: Once inside, Aram will assemble the device, activate the signal, and it’ll give our team your location.
Elodie: And once you get the signal?
Ressler: We’ll come and get you.
Elodie: Okay. I get it. We literally have no idea where we’re going.
Aram: No. We don’t. It’ll be okay. I promise.
[ The yacht sails ]
♪ Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh Ooh-ooh
[ A stately mansion. Aram and Elodie are dressed in evening wear. Elodie wears a glittering silver and gold gown and the ornate necklace. They are greeted by several elegantly dressed women ]
Woman: Miss Radcliffe, Mr. Aubeelauck, welcome. If you would.
[ They are given large translucent bracelets to wear ]
♪ Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Woman: For The Defiance. Enjoy your stay.
♪ Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
[ Elodie and Aram enter a large ballroom where a live string ensemble plays classical music ]
[ Wine is offered ]
Elodie: Thank you.
Aram: Cheers.
Elodie: Cheers.
Aram: Hmm.
Elodie: [ Referring to the bracelets ] Why do we need these again?
Aram: I have no idea.
[ Katarina Rostova enters Liz’s apartment using a key made from the impression she took earlier. She exchanges one of Agnes’s princess dolls for one just like it that she has brought. But the new doll is bugged ]
Berdy: [ Over comms ] Signal’s clear. We’re good.
Katarina: I miss having children.
[ The venue ]
Aram: I need to tie my shoe.
[ Aram retrieves the main component of the ELT device from the heel of his shoe ]
Aram: Mm. Hand me the antenna.
[ Elodie pulls a wire from her necklace and hands it to Aram ]
[ Thelonius Prackett appears suddenly ]
Prackett: And what are you two up to?
Aram: What? Oh.
[ BOTH CHUCKLE ]
Aram: Uh- We, uh- Hmm. We were, uh- We were just, uh, talking about how delicious those little shrimp tartlets are.
Elodie: Uh, he’s quite a foodie.
Aram: I am a foodie.
Elodie: Mm-hmm.
Aram: I am- I’m such a foodie. I’m- I’m a foodie.
Prackett: Well, eat all you like. Drink all you like. Tonight is an event that none of us will soon forget. Have fun, my friends. And good luck.
[ Prackett steps away ]
Elodie: “Good luck”? Why would he say, “Good luck”?
Aram: I have no idea and I don’t want to find out.
[ Aram assembles the ELT beacon ] [ DEVICE WHIRS UP ]
Aram: Let’s keep moving, shall we? Okay.
[ Red shows Frankie a photo of Motya Morozov ]
Red: That’s Motya Morozov. He’s one of the two men I need you to photograph.
Frankie: But you already have his photograph.
Red: I have photographs of both of them.
Fast-forward:
[ ELEVATOR BELL CHIMES ]
[ Motya Morozov exits an elevator, with Frankie some distance behind him ]
Red: What I need is a photograph of them together.
Frankie: Why?
Red: The other man’s name is Fields.
Fast-forward:
[ ELEVATOR BELL CHIMES ]
[ Fields exits an elevator, with Frankie some distance behind him ]
Red: Despite staying at the same hotel, being seen together would be–
Fast-forward:
[ LOCK BEEPS; door closes ]
Red: –quite damaging. They’ll take every precaution to prevent that from happening.
[ Agent Fields is sitting on a couch in the lobby of a hotel. Frankie walks up to the counter.
Concierge: How can I help you?
Frankie: You see that tall drink of water behind me? I’m gonna ask him to marry me.
Concierge: Good for you!
Frankie: We stayed here once and had the most incredible time. In room 267. Any chance it’s still available?
Concierge: I’ll see what I can do.
[ CHUCKLES ] [ KEYS CLACKING ] [ COMPUTER BEEPS ]
Frankie: Thank you.
Concierge: You’re welcome.
⋘⋙
[ Frankie lets herself in to Room 267 ]
Frankie: [ On cell phone ] The lobby is crawling with security.
[ LOCK BEEPS ]
Red: I’m not surprised. The FBI are not known for their discretion.
Frankie: That’s who’s scanning the room? The feds?! That’s who doesn’t want a photo to be taken.
Red: As I said, neither party–
Frankie: You didn’t tell me that one of the parties was the FBI.
Red: An oversight, admittedly.
Frankie: I thought you were working with the FBI.
Red: A small, select group of agents are in my employ.
Frankie: Any of these guys?
Red: Unfortunately not. I can see this was a mistake.
Frankie: 10 minutes. The valet line. Be there with the engine running.
Red: How are you gonna do it?
Frankie: Ding-dong ditch.
[ CELLPHONE BEEPS ]
Red: Ding-dong ditch. I loved playing [ CHUCKLING ] that as a child! [ LAUGHS ]
[ At The Defiance venue ]
[ GLASS CLINKING loudly ]
Thelonius Prackett: May I have your attention, please?
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
Prackett: The Defiance is here. The spectacle we are about to witness only has meaning because each of us is invested. The pledge we made is what binds us. It’s what lets us feel like we’re alive, even if only for one night. [ BREATHES SHARPLY ] Each of us has agreed to embrace this challenge, and yet only one of us will face it. For that unlucky member, may it be some small consolation to remember we ask no risk of you that we have not taken ourselves. With that, The Defiance begins in one hour. Good luck to us all.
[ BEEP ] [ All the bracelets begin glowing green ]
Elodie: Oh, my God. The Player.
Aram: They choose one from the guests.
[ The basket of numbered balls is spun ]
Aram: I don’t know what’s taking so long. It’s online and transmitting.
Elodie: So, why aren’t they here? Are we maybe out of range?
Aram: No, it doesn’t matter where we are. It’s GPS activated.
Elodie: Okay, so, where are they, then?
Aram: I don’t know. But the only thing that could possibly interfere would be a sun-flare — a jammer.
Elodie: So, the FBI has no idea we’re here.
Aram: I don’t think so.
Elodie: So, now what?
Prackett: Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time. Are you ready to meet the Player?
[ BEEP ] [ Elodie’s bracelet alone glows red ]
Elodie: Oh, my God.
Aram: Okay. Okay. Okay.
Elodie: Oh, my God!
Aram: Okay, Elodie, we’re gonna figure this out. We’re gonna figure this out. It’s gonna be fine. It’s gonna be fine.
Elodie: Just No. No. Wait.
[ The guards come to pull Elodie away ]
Elodie: No, wait! Wait! Wait! Hold on! Hold on, stop! Please don’t! No!
Aram: I’m gonna come for you, okay?
Elodie: Stop it! Please! Stop! Don’t do this!
[ In a hotel room, Motya Morozov shows photos to FBI Agent Fields ]
Motya: Him. That’s Kirilenko. Head of Russian Vor in America.
Frankie’s Voice: [ From outside the room, loudly ] Get away from me!
[ GLASS SHATTERING ]
Frankie’s Voice: Stop, you’re hurting me!
[ Agent Fields reflexively heads toward the door ]
Agent Fields: FBI!
[ Door opens ] [ Frankie pushes Fields down ] [ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]
Agent Fields: [ GRUNTS ]
Motya: Stop her!
[ Frankie slams the door shut on Motya ]
Motya: [ GRUNTS ] [ SPEAKING RUSSIAN ]
[ Motya wraps her phone in a plastic bag. When Motya finally gets the door open, Frankie dives into the pool ]
Woman: Oh! Oh, my Wow.
Frankie surfaces: [ BREATHES SHARPLY ]
[ She swims past a child with a flotation noodle ]
Frankie: Hi. Nice noodle.
[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ] [ Frankie walks toward Red’s car, still dripping ]
Red: [ To Dembe ] She’s good – She is very good. [ LAUGHS ] [ CHUCKLES ]
[ Frankie gets in ] [ She shows the photo she took on her phone )
Frankie: I believe this makes us even.
Red: [ LAUGHS ] Dembe, we can tell Edward we’ll be ready for takeoff in 20. Francesca. Your husband, what’s his name?
Frankie: Paul- Paul Farwell.
Red: Absent head winds, in two hours, you and Paul will be celebrating your anniversary at The Peppermill as planned. I recommend the corn chowder. [ LAUGHING ] Oh, my! Ding-dong ditch. [ LAUGHING ]
[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]
[ Aram steps into a corridor, closing the door behind him. He searches and finds a bank of power switches. He shuts them all off. The venue goes dark ]
⋘⋙
[ BEEPING; a disturbance registers on Ressler’s screen ]
Ressler: Hey. Hey! We finally got something.
Cooper: Bring up the map overlay.
[ KEYS CLACKING ] [ BEEPING ]
⋘⋙
[ Men search the halls ]
— End of the hall to the left.
— Oh.
— Connections are all solid.
— Oh
[ Aram turns the switches back on. Power at the venue is restored ]
⋘⋙
[ BEEPING ] [ The signal goes out on Ressler’s computer ]
Cooper: What happened?
Ressler: I don’t know. We lost the signal. But we got a location.
Cooper: Scramble the HRT choppers. You and Keen need to get there now.
[ The venue ]
Prackett: Ladies and gentlemen, after our brief interruption – it’s now time. Welcome to The Defiance.
[ A red curtain is drawn to reveal Elaine in a glass cubicle about the size of a shower stall ] [ APPLAUSE ]
Prackett: Tonight, our Player faces a most desperate challenge. Using only the tools left inside the chamber, our Player must find a way to save her life by unlocking the device and climbing free from her tomb. But this device, this Defiance offers an additional challenge, one involving [ IMITATES CLOCK TICKING ] – Time. Our Player not only has to get out, she has to do so before she suffocates. Player–
[ Water and ice begin to flow into the cubicle ]
Elodie: [ SCREAMS ]
Prackett: –give us a show we won’t forget!
Elodie: Stop it! I mean, stop it!
Prackett: And good luck.
[ Aram has returned ]
Elodie: Please, don’t do this! I can’t get this open! I I I can’t! I don’t know how to do this!
Flashback: Aram flashes back to Samar being trapped in the submerged van and his rescuing her.
Aram: [ Softly ] Come on, guys.
[ Motya Morozov and his crew are in the restaurant kitchen slurping up long noodles ]
[ A woman hands Motya a large manila envelope ]
Motya: [ In Russian ] What’s this?
Woman: [ In Russian ] From him. The man with the hat.
[ Motya takes out the photo Frankie took of Motya with the FBI agent ]
Red: Is that stroganoff? Yes! [ LAUGHS ] Mmm! I’m always hunting for a new recipe.
Motya: The woman. You sent her?
Red: I did. After our last conversation, I felt you needed a soupçon of motivation.
[ Motya’s GUN COCKS. So does Dembe’s ]
Motya: I told you that if you come back, I’m gonna–
Red: Yes, I know, you’d shoot first and not bother with the questions later. But – But(!) quite a bit has changed since then.
Motya: This photo prove nothing.
Red: They prove you went to Miami [ WHISPERING ] to meet in secret with the FBI. I was told you were a snitch. And unless you do as I instruct, everyone else will know the truth, as well.
Motya: Rostova.
Red: When you get a lead, I get a lead. When you get a location, I get to go there first.
[ Red tastes the stroganoff ]
Red: Mmm. The nutmeg is nice. Needs salt.
[ Red tosses the ladle onto the counter ] [ SILVERWARE CLATTERS ]
[ Red and Dembe leave ]
Elodie: [ CRYING ] Please stop this! The police! The FBI they know. They know all about you.
[ LAUGHTER ]
Elodie: They’re gonna arrest all of you. Aram! Aram, please, make it stop! Please tell them! Please! Please tell them.
[ Prackett whispers something to a guard ]
Guard: Mr. Aubeelauck. I need you to come with me, please.
Elodie: Make it stop!
Aram: What? No.
Guard: Sir, I’m not asking.
Aram: Um–
Elodie: Aram!
Aram: –could you, uh could you just, uh, uh, give me a minute?
[ Aram takes a glass of wine and sips it ]
Guard: Sir, we’re leaving now.
[ CROWD CHEERING ]
Aram: Mr. Prackett’s gonna be very upset with you.
Guard: Upset with me for what?
[ Aram smashes his wineglass into the Guard’s face and gets his gun ]
[ GUNSHOTS 💥💥💥 ] [ He misses Prackett but hits a couple guards ] [ PEOPLE SCREAMING ]
[ ⚡️Fighting⚡️] [ GRUNTS ] [ CROWD SCREAMING ]
[ Elodie is almost covered in ice water ] [ Aram shoots into the corner of the cubicle, to little effect ] [ Then he throws the gun itself against the glass. It shatters and the water, ice and Elodie spill out ]
Aram: [ GASPING ] FBI! Everybody on the ground. Nobody move.
[ Most people get down ]
[ Elise gets up and they run ]
Elise: [ PANTING ] Where are we going?
Aram: I don’t know.
— The jammer’s back up. They’re not going anywhere.
— Secure the east exit.
[ Aram and Elise duck into a corner ]
Aram: [ WHISPERING ] Shh, shh.
— Check that door!
Elise: [ Whispering ] Where are your friends?
Aram: I don’t know.
[ She kisses him ]
Aram: What was that for?
Elodie: Thank you.
Aram: We have to keep moving.
Elodie: Okay.
Aram: We’re almost there.
Elodie: Okay.
[ They run but Guards appear ]
Elodie: [ GASPS ] Aah!
[ GUNS COCK ]
[ Aram and Elodie are taken back to the ballroom )
[ CROWD MURMURING ]
Prackett: Welcome back.
Aram: Let her go.
Prackett: This really is a first.
Aram: I’m an FBI agent, and you’re gonna let her go.
Prackett: You must know, if you’re an FBI agent, that we can’t let you go and expose our guests. So, you’re going to come with me, you’re going to tell my men exactly what the FBI know, and then we’re gonna take you to the water’s edge and drown you.
[ APPLAUSE ]
Elodie: No, wait.
Aram: She had nothing to do with this. I’m the one you want.
Prackett: What’s done is done.
[ CROWD SHOUTING ]
— Kill them slowly!
— Drown them!
[ SHOUTING CONTINUES ]
⋘⋙
[ The FBI SWAT Team arrives with ⚡️flash bangs⚡️ ]
— FBI! [ 💥💥 GUNSHOTS 💥💥 ]
— Go, go, go!
— FBI!
— Hands! Hands up! Let’s see ’em!
[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]
— Hands! Hands in the air.
[ CROWD MURMURING ]
Prackett: [ CHUCKLES ] Some Defiance.
[ An interrogation room ]
Ressler: You find this funny?
Prackett: I think it’s thrilling.
Liz:The other society members don’t share your enthusiasm. They’re too busy turning on you. So far, they’ve detailed six murders.
Prackett: People want risk. I give it to them. The chance to feel alive.
Liz:Is that what you gave Vance Palmer when you locked him in a box with a bomb he couldn’t defuse?
Prackett: If everyone’s talked, why talk to me? Snitches roll uphill. I’m on top.
Liz: Not quite. Louis Steinhil. I’m told you hired him once.
Prackett: Never heard of him.
Ressler: Well, that’s too bad. ‘Cause if you had, we could have recommended to the D.A. that he take the death penalty off the table. [ SIGHS ] Then again, lethal injection sure would give you a chance to feel alive – you know, before it kills you.
Prackett: What- What’s his name again?
Liz: Steinhil. Louis T. It’s an anagram for The Illusionist.
Red: You said The Peppermill didn’t deliver the champagne?
Dembe: They said there were no reservations under Farwell or Campbell.
Red: Francesca said she was married. But according to Glen, the DMV database lists her as single.
[ CELLPHONE RINGS ] [ BEEP ]
Frankie: Hello?
Red: When it’s appropriate, I’d like to engage your services.
Frankie: I thought we were even.
Red: We are. You’re under no obligation, but I could use a capable operative.
Frankie: Do you need an answer right now?
Red: Oh, my goodness. Oh, how rude of me. It’s your anniversary. Did you make it to The Peppermill?
Frankie: I did. We’re here now.
Red: And here I am talking shop. Go, have fun. I hope Paul knows how lucky he is.
Frankie: How could he forget? I remind him every day.
[ BEEP ] [ Frankie is at home, eating take-out ]
[ FOOTSTEPS ] [ Liz finds a basket of items for Agnes at her door ]
Red: [ On phone ] Hello? Elizabeth? Elizabeth.
Liz: Oh, hey, sorry about that. Um– Give me one second.
[ LOCK DISENGAGES ] [ DOOR CREAKS ]
Red: Okay.
Liz: So, I was just calling to tell you I got what you wanted. An address on Steinhil.
Red: Tell me.
[ Berdy is listening in through the bug in Agnes’s princess doll ]
Liz: Hmm.
[ Liz reads a note from Katarina: ]
For Agnes
I hope all your fairy tales come true
X Maddy
Liz: Some people are so thoughtful.
Red: Steinhil. Where is he?
⋘⋙
Berdy: They found Steinhil.
Katarina: [ BREATHES SHARPLY ] That’s too bad. I’d grown quite fond of him.
[ Steinhil’s apartment ] [ Red and Dembe enter ] [ DOOR CREAKING ]
[ On the closed bedroom door is a note: “You’re good, but I’m better. K” ]
[ Red crushes the note and puts it in his pocket ] [ PAPER CRINKLES ]
[ Door opens ]
[ Steinfil lies dead on his bed ]
[ Liz’s apartment ]
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ] [ DOOR CREAKS ]
Katarina: [ GASPS ] Well, hello, young lady.
Agnes: Thank you for the books.
Katarina: [ CHUCKLES ] You’re very welcome.
Agnes: Would you like to read one to me?
Katarina: Oh, well, I’d love that. Would you like me to?
[ Agnes nods ]
[ Cooper’s office. Cooper pours scotch into two glasses ]
Cooper: You did well out there today.
Aram: Uh – eventually.
Cooper: You did well.
[ Aurora’s ♫ “Running with the Wolves” plays ]
♪ Go row the boat
Cooper: I’m proud of you.
♪ To safer grounds
⋘⋙
Katarina: “Once upon a time, there lived a little country girl, the prettiest creature who was ever seen. Her mother was extremely fond of her; and her grandmother doted on her still more.”
[ Liz looks on, smiling ]
♪ My mind still fears
⋘⋙
Cooper: How’s Mrs. Radcliffe?
Aram: She’s, uh– She’s okay. You know, I think part of her found all the danger exhilarating. It’s crazy, right?
Cooper: [ CHUCKLES ] I’ve long since given up trying to figure out what excites people or why. Yeah, and getting your kicks from Les Fleurs du Mal is crazy. But, uh, as a general rule, I admire people who insist on finding ways to be exhilarated.
Aram: As opposed to being okay with feeling numb.
♪ But we’re running out of time
Cooper: You’re not okay with it. You’re scared to feel again, which is understandable.
♪ All the echoes in my mind cry
Cooper: But I want to encourage you to try.
♪ There’s blood on your lies
Cooper: Because as hard as it is to feel pain it’s much harder to feel nothing.
⋘⋙
Katarina: “The poor child did not know of the danger she was in.”
⋘⋙
♪ I’m running with the wolves tonight
[ Elodie’s DOORBELL RINGS ]
♪ I’m running with the wolves
Aram: Hey.
♪ I’m running with the
Elodie: Hi.
♪ Trick or treat
Elodie: Come in.
♪ What would it be?
⋘⋙
Katarina: “‘Grandmother, what big ears you have.’ ‘All the better to hear you with, my child, ‘ replied the wolf.”
⋘⋙
Aram: I wanted to come by to make sure you were okay.
Elodie: I am – thanks to you.
Aram: I also, uh, stopped by, uh, to say that that you shouldn’t, um you know, feel badly about–
Elodie: About what?
Aram: Kissing me.
♪ All the echoes in mind cry
Aram: You shouldn’t feel badly about that at all.
♪ There’s blood on your lies
The scars open wide
Elodie: I shouldn’t?
Aram: Absolutely not.
[ They kiss ]
♪ There is nowhere for you to hide
The hunter’s moon is shining
I’m running with the wolves tonight
Katarina: “‘Grandmother, what big teeth you have.’ ‘All the better to eat you with,’ replied the wolf. And, saying these words, the Wicked Wolf fell upon Little Red Riding Hood and ate her all up.”
♪ I’m running with the wolves tonight
Katarina: She’s an angel.
♪ I’m running with the wolves
I’m running with the wolves tonight
I’m running with the wolves
Liz: How did it happen?
♪ I’m running with the wolves tonight
Liz: You becoming estranged from your daughter.
♪ I’m running with the wolves
I’m running with the wolves♪ A gift, a curse
Katarina: All that matters now is that I want to make amends.
♪ Say, can you dream in nightmares seems?
Liz: I was estranged from my mother.
♪ Where hope is left so incomplete
Liz: I would hope that she would want to make amends with me, too.
Katarina: I’m sure she does.
♪ I’m running with the I’m running with the wolves
Liz: Well I hope it happens.
♪ I’m running with the I’m running with the
[ Liz picks up Agnes, who has fallen asleep ]
Liz: Ohh.
♪ I’m running with the wolves
Katarina: For a long time, I didn’t think that would ever happen.
♪ I’m running with the wolves
Katarina: Now I’m beginning to think it will.
♪ I’m running with the wolves tonight
I’m running with the wolves
I’m running with the wolves tonight
I’m running with the wolves
[ Katarina quietly lets herself out ]
♪ I’m running with the wolves tonight
I’m running with the wolves
I’m running with the
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Episode Songs
♫ Running with the Wolves
By Aurora♪ Go row the boat to safer grounds
But don’t you know we’re stronger now
My heart still beats and my skin still feels
My lungs still breathe, my mind still fears♪ But we’re running out of time
Oh, all the echoes in my mind cry♪ There’s blood on your lies
The scars open wide
There is nowhere for you to hide
The hunter’s moon is shining♪ I’m running with the wolves tonight
I’m running with the wolves
I’m running with the wolves tonight
I’m running with the wolves♪ I’m running with the
♪ Trick or treat, what would it be?
I walk alone, I’m everything
My ears can hear and my mouth can speak
My spirit talks, I know my soul believes♪ But we’re running out of time
Oh, all the echoes in my mind cry♪ There’s blood on your lies
The scars open wide
There is nowhere for you to hide
The hunter’s moon is shining♪ I’m running with the wolves tonight
I’m running with the wolves
I’m running with the wolves tonight
I’m running with the wolves♪ I’m running with the wolves tonight
I’m running with the wolves
I’m running with the wolves tonight
I’m running with the wolves♪ A gift, a curse
They track and hurt
Say can you dream
In nightmares seems
A million voices, silent dreams
Where hope is left so incomplete♪ I’m running with the…
I’m running with the wolves
I’m running with the…
I’m running with the…
I’m running with the…
I’m running with the wolves♪ I’m running with the wolves tonight
I’m running with the wolves
I’m running with the wolves tonight
I’m running with the wolves♪ I’m running with the wolves tonight
I’m running with the wolves
I’m running with the wolves tonight
I’m running with the wolves♪ I’m running with the…
Lyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/32uFIno
YouTube: https://youtu.be/06ht9MyJLT4
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❌❌❌ End 7:3 Les Fleurs
🔴 Script 7:4 Kuwait
Program air date: 10/25/2019 in the US
Full Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-a1i
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/2o71e2v
Director: Stephanie Marquardt
Written by: Sean Hennen
Brief (Where we’re at): Following a lead from Francesca (“Frankie”) Caldwell, a female former combat medic who worked for Louis T Steinhil (the Illusionist, Blacklister #27) and is now indebted to Red, the FBI Team tracked down a secret society named “Les Fleurs du Mal,” named after a book of decadent poetry by 19th Century poet Charles Baudelaire. Under cover as “Shameel Aubeelauck,” a wealthy Emirati, Aram – along with Elodie Radcliffe (whose husband was left in a coma by the group) – attend one of the group’s events, called “The Defiance,” in which a group of wealthy, bored thrill seekers look on as one of their members is selected to solve an almost impossible challenge or suffer a gruesome death. But the master of ceremonies, Thelonius Prackett, may have had his suspicions about Elodie’s motives and she was the unlucky person chosen for the challenge. Worse, the ELT beacon Aram and Elodie were given to signal their location to the FBI was jammed. As Elodie was taken away, Aram found the the breakers for the island facility, which he briefly threw, signaling their location to the FBI.
Elodie’s challenge was to find her way out of a glass cubicle filling with water and ice. This caused Aram to flash back to Samar’s near drowning. He overpowered a guard and got his gun which he used to gain the upperhand. He then threw the gun at the glass cubicle, freeing Elodie. They ran — and kissed — before being captured. But the FBI arrived and saved the day.
Under interrogation, Thelonius Prackett gave up Steinhil’s address to take the death sentence off the table. Liz called Red from home to share the address, but Katarina Rostova (known to Liz as “Maddy Tolliver,” her new neighbor) had earlier made an imprint of Liz’s apartment key when Liz asked her in for coffee. Katarina later let herself in when Liz was gone and planted a listening device in one of Agnes’s princess Barbies, so she learned Steinhil’s address too when Liz called Red to tell him and she beat Red to the location, leaving a note “You’re good, but I’m better.”
Meanwhile, Red has been trying to interfere with the “Townsend Directive,” a contract on Katarina’s life, and to use it to lead him to Katarina. To settle her debt to Red, Frankie Caldwell volunteered to get a compromising photo of Russian mobster Motya Morozov snitching to an FBI agent, a task she performed with such skill that Red later offered to hire her as an operative. Motya must now tell Red first of any leads on Katarina or risk Red disseminating the photo.
Katarina has continued to befriend Liz — and Agnes, for whom she left a basket of books of fairy tales with a note “I hope all your fairy tales come true. X Maddy.” Later, she stops by and reads “Little Red Riding Hood” to Agnes, ending with:
‘Grandmother, what big teeth you have.’ ‘All the better to eat you with,’ replied the wolf. And, saying these words, the Wicked Wolf fell upon Little Red Riding Hood and ate her all up.
⭕ Script 7:4 Kuwait
[ Kuwait City, Kuwait, circa 1989 ] [ A young Navy Intelligence Lieutenant Harold Cooper drives a jeep through dusty streets with a colleague, Daniel Hutton ]
Cooper: You told him about the money?
Daniel Hutton: I did what I had to. You didn’t leave me a choice.
Cooper: You had a choice. The choice to do exactly what I told you to do and leave it alone.
Hutton: I don’t take my orders from you.
Cooper: You have no idea how much worse you’ve made this, Hutton.
Hutton: That some sort of threat?
[ They are suddenly ambushed ] [ 💥 GUNFIRE 💥 ]
Hutton: Oh! I’m hit! Oh, God! I’m hit!
Cooper: Hold on, hold on, hold on!
[ The jeep backs up and hits a land mine ] [ 💥🔥‼️ Explosion ‼️🔥💥 ]
[ Cooper drives forward ]
[ 💥💥💥 GUNFIRE 💥💥💥 ]
Cooper: [ Into walkie-talkie ] Get us out of here. Minesweep! This is Minesweep One! We are under attack. Three clicks north of Al Jahar! Hutton, get down! This is Minesweeper One. Lieutenant Harold Cooper. We are under fire. Repeat This is Lieutenant Harold Cooper, Minesweeper One. We are under attack. Hang on, Hutton. Hold on!
[ 💥💥💥 GUNFIRE 💥💥💥 ]
[ Liz’s apartment. She is showing the application from a woman named Denora Mejia to be Agnes’s nanny to her new neighbor, “Maddy Tolliver.” “Maddy” is actually her mother Katarina Rostova, who Liz has not known since she was about four and does not recognize ]
Liz: Well, what do you think – great, right?
Katarina/“Maddy”: She has a lot of experience.
Liz: Yeah, all her references raved about her. We’re meeting this afternoon, but I have a good feeling about her.
[ When Liz’s back is turned, Katarina takes a photo of the application ]
Katarina: Looks like you found yourself a nanny.
Liz: Which is a huge relief. I mean, it’s impossible to find someone great.
Katarina: Mm. I wouldn’t know.
Liz: Have you reached out to her yet – to your daughter?
Katarina: I haven’t worked up the courage up yet.
Liz: You should just do it.
Katarina: I put her through some dark times.
Liz: Have you noticed the men parked across the street every day? Every night?
Katarina: I thought so, but I wasn’t sure.
Liz: They’re there for my protection.
Katarina: Yours? Why? Who do you need protection from?
Liz: My mother.
Katarina: No, that that can’t be true.
Liz: Just trust me. Whatever pushed you and your daughter apart, it’s nothing compared to what me and my mother have gone through. Just call her. I’m sure she’d appreciate it.
Katarina: Would you appreciate it if your mother called you?
Liz: It doesn’t matter. She’s not going to.
Katarina: But if she did.
Liz: She won’t. My mother isn’t like you. You want a relationship with your daughter. She doesn’t.
[ Cooper’s office. Liz enters ]
Liz: Hey. What’s going on?
Cooper: We’ve done great work. Important work. Work we can be proud of.
Liz: I think so, too.
Cooper: I’ve made up my mind about Reddington’s true identity. I’m going to tell Main Justice.
Liz: And risk having them shut us down?
Cooper: As I say, we’ve done great work.
Liz: But does it really matter who he is? To the job we’re doing, I mean.
Cooper: Not to me.
Liz: It will to them.
Cooper: Was there something you wanted?
Liz: Yeah. I, uh, wanted this afternoon off. I found a nanny. Well, I-I think I did. I’m meeting with her this afternoon.
Cooper: I told you before – take whatever time you need.
Liz: About Reddington. Have you already reached out to Main Justice?
Cooper: Yes. I’ve set a meeting with Cynthia Panabaker.
[ Aram appears ]
Aram: Sir. [ KNOCK ON DOOR ] Uh, this just came in over SIPRNet. Odd, right?
Liz: What’s odd about it?
Aram: It was sent from an unofficial CIA outpost in Zahedan.
Cooper: You’re sure this is correct?
Aram: I decoded it myself.
Cooper: I need verification. Fingerprints, dog tags, a photo – whatever they can send us right away.
Aram: Yes, sir. But who is Daniel Hutton?
Cooper: A man who died 30 years ago.
[ Cooper makes a call ] [ TELEPHONE DIALING ] [ PHONE LINE RINGING ]
[ Arlington National Cemetary. Cooper walks up to the headstone of Daniel Hutton ] [ Red joins him. As they talk, images from Daniel Hutton’s appearance at the CIA outpost are interposed ]
Red: Visiting old ghosts?
Cooper: I received some news today. Daniel Hutton is alive.
Red: Well, that’s not possible.
Cooper: He walked out of the mountains of Southern Iran yesterday. Found his way to a classified CIA outpost.
Red: Daniel Hutton is dead, Harold. We both know that.
Cooper: Do we? Because it seems he’s risen like Lazarus from the grave. Hutton is reporting he’s been kept prisoner at multiple locations in the Middle East since 1989. He escaped from captivity a week ago, asked for me by name. CIA assets in Iran reached out to us directly. They don’t want anything to do with this. He’s asking for my help to get him out of the country, or his captors will hunt him down and kill him. Did you know? All this time?
Red: Did I know what?
Cooper: That he’s alive? While you held this over my head.
[ Cooper holds out a thumb drive ]
Red: I gave you that so you could put the whole incident behind you, not carry it like an albatross around your neck. I believed, as you believed, that the man was dead and that the issue of what happened there in Kuwait was resolved.
Cooper: I won’t look the other way again. I’ve carried this secret for way too long. I have to do something.
Red: I suggest the utmost discretion. To preserve flexibility.
Cooper: What do you mean, flexibility?
Red: It’s Iran, Harold. We can’t just stroll through the front door. We don’t know what we’re walking into. So we keep it small. No team. Just you and I. Until you look this man in the eye.
Until you know for sure what you plan to do.
Cooper: I plan to do the right thing.
Red: We’ll soon find out, won’t we?
[ On Red’s plane, Cooper watches a video of himself made at the time giving an account of what happened in the ambush: ]
[ Video: ]
Young Cooper: It happened fast. I remember Lieutenant Hutton getting hit. I remember radioing and returning fire, but they were everywhere. I tried to keep him safe, but next thing I knew they had taken him. He was gone.
Interviewer (Nametag: “Reddington”): Your actions were commendable, Lieutenant Cooper. But I have to ask you about reports that you and Lieutenant Hutton were seen having an argument prior to these events.
Cooper: That never happened.
Interviewer: What never happened? That you had words, or that they were argumentative?
[ Cooper recalls the confrontation he had with Hutton: ]
[ Flashback: ]
[ Hutton is stacking crates labeled “Medical Supplies” when one slips and the cover of the crate comes off. Inside are large packages of American currency wrapped in plastic. ]
Cooper: What are you doing?
Hutton: What is this, Harold? These are supposed to be med supplies.
Cooper: Close the crate.
Hutton: Where’s this going? Who are you funding? Is it the Kurds? You’re smuggling cash over the border to Iraq to fund rebels–
Cooper: I said close the crate.
Hutton: We’re here to help stabilize this region, not bankroll some private, dirty little war.
Cooper: Dan, I’m warning you just close the crate.
[ CLICK ] [ Red walks up from behind Cooper and takes a seat across from him ]
Red: I forgot how handsome you were back then, Harold. And how loosely tethered to the facts.
Cooper: You’re one to talk about facts. Aren’t you, Mr. Koslov?
Red: Ah! So Elizabeth finally told you. She took longer than I thought she would. Once word was out, I figured I was on borrowed time. And I’m sure, knowing you as I do, that you’ll feel an obligation to report this to the powers that be.
Cooper: I don’t see a way around it.
Red: If you do that, Harold, they’ll take the task force away from you. It’ll be the end of what you’ve built.
Cooper: I’m sorry. It’s my duty.
Red: Mm. Well, we’re not finished just yet, are we? You must admit, though, it’s ironic. Us jetting over there to protect your secret, and you refusing to protect mine.
Cooper: We’re not “protecting” anything. We’re righting what was wrong.
Red: Keep telling yourself that.
Cooper: How do you even know about Hutton? The real Reddington was there. He was part of an oversight panel and testified about it later. But you’re not him. How do you know anything about it if you weren’t there?
Red: I know because — I know. Because whoever I once was, I am now and will continue to be Raymond Reddington. Given where we’re going, the real question is, who are you? Are you the man in front of me who I know to be good and decent? Or are you the man from years ago who got himself into this mess in the first place?
[ DOOR OPENS, INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER ] [ Dembe enters ]
Dembe: We’ll be arriving shortly. Farhad will meet us at the airstrip.
Red: Do you think Hutton knows? Do you think he has any idea what part you played in what happened back then?
Cooper: I don’t think so. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked for me.
Red: Let’s hope not. Because if he does hold you responsible and if he plans to tell the world, then we’ll have to shut him up.
Cooper: I’m not gonna do that.
Red: No, I know. [ INHALES DEEPLY ] I guess that’s why I’m here.
[ Liz’s apartment. She is interviewing Denora Mejia to be Agnes’s new nanny ]
Liz: I can work pretty crazy hours.
Denora: Oh, that’s fine.
Liz: Some weekends, some traveling.
Denora: Honestly, whatever you need. If it helps, I can stay here when you’re gone so Agnes can keep her routine.
⋘⋙
[ Katarina and Berdy are listening to the conversation via the listening device Katarina planted on Agnes’s princess doll ]
⋘⋙
Liz: I spoke to some of your references. Is it true that you watched their kids and cooked?
Denora: Yes, I love to cook.
Liz: Oh, good, ’cause on my best day, the best I can do is peanut butter and jelly and tuna fish.
Denora: You’re busy. My job is to put time into areas you can’t.
Liz: You have no idea how much I need that. How much Agnes needs it.
Denora: I’d be lucky to do it.
Liz: Great. When can you start?
[ Red’s plane is parked at a small air strip in Iran. Farhad enters the plane ]
Red: Farhad! You son of a cur. It’s been an awfully long time.
[ They exchange the customary cheek kisses ]
Farhad: You look good, my friend. And prosperous.
Red: [ LAUGHS ]
Farhad: May Khodah in his infinite wisdom keep the sanctions in place for as long as possible.
Red: Of course, you remember Dembe. And this is the associate of mine we spoke about.
Cooper: You violated sanctions on Iran?
Red: Sanctions have caused a certain amount of investment in Iran to dry up. It’s a barren garden. I decided to water it.
Farhad: At a healthy interest rate.
Red: It’s all the rage! Despite my associate’s reflexive flag waving, he’s a fine man in need of careful guidance in and out of this CIA outpost everyone pretends to know nothing about.
Farhad: I’ve made the arrangements as discussed one of my best men to drive you and a backup vehicle for protection. This close to the border, there are checkpoints all over the place. They can be tricky.
Red: Fortunately, the right bribes can get a man where he needs to go. I’ll have a double Scotch waiting for you when you get back.
Cooper: You’re not coming?
Red: I’ve made a lot of trouble in Iran through the years. Best not to have a sore thumb sticking out.
[ Zahedan, Iran ]
Driver: When we get to the checkpoint, don’t speak. Don’t draw attention. Just look out the windshield at the view.
Cooper: They’ll forget me the moment they see me.
[ The driver stops and hands passports and a thick wad of bills to the guard ]
[ MEN CONVERSING IN FARSI in background ]
[ The guard takes the money ]
[ Inside the CIA post ] [ A man in plain clothes and long hair who is a CIA asset slaps an envelope on the table for Cooper ]
CIA Asset: These dog tags were the only thing he had on him.
Cooper: You have a release?
CIA Asset: You kidding? We don’t exist. We didn’t invite this guy here, and we sure as hell don’t want him found here. He’s your problem now.
[ KEYS JINGLE ] [ Cooper opens door ] [ Hutton sits at a table, his eyes closed ]
Cooper: Hutton?
Hutton: Harold? Hey, is it really you?
Cooper: It’s me, Dan.
[ Hutton looks up and opens his eyes ]
Hutton: [ LAUGHING ] I’ve dreamt of this moment so many times.
Cooper: I can’t believe I’m looking at you. I went to your funeral. How did you survive?
Hutton: I don’t know. They tortured me for I don’t know how long, traded me, sold me for intel – different factions.
Cooper: Do you remember anyone who had you? Even for a short time?
Hutton: There was an Iranian. They called him The Simoon.
Cooper: Everyone in the intelligence community has heard of him. He’s been a dangerous intel leak in the Middle East for years. Name means “poison wind.” Everywhere he goes, people die. The intel he’s given to terrorist cells has led to armed embassy raids in Pakistan, a consulate bombing in Syria, the death of countless U.S. citizens. Dan, it’s a miracle you’re alive.
Hutton: [ LAUGHING ] It’s a miracle we’re both alive. I remember that day in Kuwait. How did you survive that?
Cooper: I’m not sure.
Hutton: But you did, thank God. [ LAUGHS ] Harold, the last time I saw you– I want to apologize.
Cooper: That’s behind us now.
Hutton: I was young.
[ Flashback: ]
Cooper: What you saw was none of your business in the first place.
Hutton: It’s too late. I went to the Captain. I’m not gonna be an accomplice to whatever you got yourself involved with. I told him everything I saw.
Cooper: You told him about the money?
Hutton: I did what I had to. You didn’t leave me a choice.
Cooper: You had a choice. The choice to do exactly what I told you to do. Leave it alone.
Hutton: I don’t take my orders from you.
Cooper: You have no idea how much worse you’ve made this, Hutton.
Hutton: That some sort of threat?
[ They are suddenly ambushed ] [ 💥 GUNFIRE 💥 ]
Hutton: Oh! I’m hit! Oh, God! I’m hit!
Cooper: Hold on, hold on, hold on!
Hutton: It all seems so unimportant now. But I knew, sitting in captivity, despite what I did, that you would come back for me. You would never abandon me. Because you’re honorable. That’s what sustained me. That if Harold Cooper survived that firefight, he would come back for me, no matter what.
[ 💥🔥‼️ Explosion ‼️🔥💥 ]
[ Cooper drives forward ]
[ 💥💥💥 GUNFIRE 💥💥💥 ]
Cooper: Minesweep! This is Minesweep One! We are under attack. Under fire.This is Lieutenant Harold Cooper, Minesweeper One.
We are under attack.
[ 💥💥💥 GUNFIRE 💥💥💥 ]
Hutton: [ Emotionally ] So when I finally escaped and I knew enough to get myself here, I also knew there was only one person that I could reach out to – one person who would stop at nothing to get me the rest of the way home. And here you are to rescue me.
Cooper: Dan. I’m gonna get you home.
[ They clasp hands ]
Hutton: Thank you, my friend. Thank you.
[ Red is relaxing in an opium den ]
Red: Taste a bit of allspice?
Farhad: You’re right. For arthritis and libido.
Red: Huh. [ WATER BUBBLING ]
Farhad: Whoever your friend’s package is, I assume the outpost wants to get rid of him.
Red: I would assume as much. But I’m sure the Revolutionary Guard would like to have him.
Farhad: They’d find him sooner or later.
Red: Well, time, for now, is on our side. [ WATER BUBBLING ]
[ Dembe enters ]
Dembe: I think we may have a situation.
Red: Have you heard from Harold?
Dembe: No. But our scouts say the route between him and the airstrip is suddenly swarming with patrols.
Farhad: Trouble?
Red: How many extra men can you bring me? I’m paying $3,000 a man now. I’ll double it. I need men who can shoot straight.
Farhad: I’ll make the call.
[ CELLPHONE RINGING ]
Red: Ah. [ CELLPHONE BEEPS ] Harold? You on your way?
Cooper: Not quite. I’ve spoken with Hutton. There’s been a development.
Red: What kind?
Cooper: Hutton told me the last person who held him in captivity is a man known as The Simoon.
Red: Harold, you got to get the hell out of there right now.
Cooper: Why? What do you know?
Red: The roads are swarming with patrols, which means The Simoon is already on the scent. You need to get back to the airstrip as fast as you can. We’ll have the engines running.
Cooper: He’s mobilized to find Hutton?
Red: And he’ll burn the city to find him. I’m bringing on extra men. We’ll lock down the landing field. You just get yourself there in one piece, and I’ll get us airborne.
Cooper: We can be there in 30 minutes.
Red: 30 minutes. Go. Now. [ To Farhad: ] That gives you 15. Notify your men. Tell them to expect a fight. It’s gonna be a hell of a lot more difficult getting out of town than it was getting in.
[ On the street near Liz’s apartment, Berdy and Katarina approach Denora Mejia. They are impersonating FBI agents ]
Berdy: Denora Mejia?
Denora: Yes?
[ They flash badges ]
Berdy: Agent Kevin Thompson. This is Agent Ritter. Can we talk?
Katarina: It’s about Elizabeth Keen.
Denora: I don’t understand.
Berdy: But you’re familiar with the name Raymond Reddington.
Denora: What does this have to do with–
Berdy: Have you heard of him?
Denora: Of course. He’s a wanted fugitive.
Berdy: He’s also Keen’s father.
[ Katarina hands Denora a manila envelope ]
Katarina: Open it.
[ She takes out photos ]
Katarina: That man is one of our agents. He’s staking out Keen’s building. Four years go, Reddington and Keen went on the run together. She was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.
Denora: It says here her name is Masha Rostova. It also says she’s the daughter of a KGB agent.
Katarina: A notorious KGB agent named Katarina Rostova. The agent out front He’s not looking for Reddington. He’s looking for her. As bad as he is, Rostova’s worse.
Berdy: The child you’re being asked to care for is their granddaughter. They’re in Keen’s life, and if you take this job, they’ll be in yours, as well.
Denora: Right.
[ Cooper’s driver drives Cooper and Hutton toward the air strip ]
Hutton: I’m sorry. I never meant to put anyone in danger.
Cooper: We’ll make it, Dan. 20 minutes, and we’re in the air.
Hutton: Yeah. All seems too familiar. Long ride, hostile territory.
Cooper: Try and relax.
Hutton: I can’t go back, Harold. Not another hole in the ground.
Cooper: You’re not going back.
Hutton: Yeah, well, this guy, The Simoon, if he comes after us [ LAUGHING ] maybe he can take you this time instead.
[ CELLPHONE RINGING ]
Red: [ On phone ] You answered the phone, so you’re still alive. Where are you?
Cooper: We’re approaching the checkpoint. Hang on.
Driver: [ In Farsi ] Hello, how are you. That’s for both vehicles.
Guard: [ Farsi ] You’re together.
Driver: [ Farsi ] And in a hurry.
Cooper: [ To Red, on phone ] I don’t like this.
Red: What’s wrong?
Cooper: The policeman at the checkpoint He’s carrying an H&K416.
Red: That’s pretty new. And expensive.
Cooper: Too expensive for police.
Red: Harold, you need to get the hell out of there right now.
Cooper: We got a problem.
[ MEN SHOUTING IN FARSI ] [ They surround the car ]
Red: Harold. Harold, talk to me.
Dembe: What happened?
Red: [ To Dembe ] Get the Post Office on the phone. Harold!
[ MEN CONTINUE SHOUTING IN FARSI ]
[ Everyone is forced out of the car ]
Cooper: Tell them I work for the United States government. The FBI. We’re here on official business.
Hutton: They know who you are, Harold.
Cooper: How could they possibly know that?
[ Hutton is handed a gun, which he points at Cooper ]
Hutton: ‘Cause I told them.
[ GUN COCKS ]
Hutton: Looks like The Simoon wants a word with you after all.
[ The Post Office ] [ Liz gets off the elevator ]
Liz: Anything?
Ressler: Nothing. But Aram’s on with Reddington now.
Aram: Okay, I’ve got eyes on the checkpoint.
Red: The last thing I heard was men yelling in Farsi. Lots of it. That was 13 minutes ago. And if Harold was taken, they may have put him in another vehicle.
Liz: This is about the SIPRNet cable. Daniel Hutton.
Aram: Got it. Okay, looks like they shoved him into a blue sedan. All right, tracking from there, they headed northwest, made their way to what looks like some kind of old palace or estate outside Zahedan.
Ressler: We should call the State Department.
Red: No, there’s no time for that.
Liz: They could start back-channel negotiations.
Red: I can do better.
Ressler: What, better than the State Department?
Red: Way better. And more importantly, faster. We have one chance to get Harold out alive. So listen carefully.
[ Cooper is inside a cage made of thick steel wire ]
Hutton: How quickly fates change. Isn’t that right, Harold?
Cooper: What have you done?
Hutton: What I had to do to survive. Do you know how many different groups held me over the years? The Kurds, the Iranians. Couldn’t keep track after a while. So, tell me– How easy was it to sell me out?
Cooper: I never did that.
Hutton: You left me for dead because I found out you were illegally funding those same Kurds.
Cooper: That is not what happened!
Hutton: Because I blew the whistle.
Cooper: I had no idea we were gonna be ambushed!
Hutton: I heard you got the Navy Cross for your bravery that day. But we know what really happened, don’t we?
[ Flashback: ]
Cooper: This is Minesweeper One, Lieutenant Harold Cooper. We are under attack. Hold on, Hutton. Hold on!
[ 💥💥💥 GUNFIRE 💥💥💥 ]
[ Cooper’s GUN CLICKS ]
[ Cooper is dragged from the car. Someone slugs him ]
[ GRUNTING ]
Cooper: Hutton!
Hutton: But we weren’t ambushed, were we? Your Kurdish pals came for me, not you.
[ Hutton is pulled into the back of a pickup truck ]
[ HUTTON GRUNTING ]
Hutton: Get your hands off me. Harold?
[ CAR DOORS SHUT, ENGINE STARTS ]
Hutton: Cooper! Cooper! Cooper! Cooper! Aah!
Hutton: They traded me. Sold me to their enemies to fund their war. Everyone may think that you would never leave a brother to die, but I know you’d never think twice.
Cooper: You can believe what you want. But I didn’t plan the ambush, and I wanted to go after you.
Hutton: Then why didn’t you?
[ Flashback: ]
Cooper: Was the ambush your idea?
Captain Ross: Mind your tone, Lieutenant.
Cooper: Was Hutton captured to keep our arrangement a secret?
Ross: He threatened to expose the mission.
Cooper: Get me on a plane back to Kuwait.
Ross: Lieutenant Hutton was executed by Kurdish rebels an hour ago. You survived an ambush. Fought valiantly. I’m going to recommend you for the Navy Cross. That’ll put you on the fast track, Harold. Any job you want. Or you can raise a stink and throw it all away. Either way, Hutton’s still gonna be dead, and the cash flow continues.
Cooper: You had him executed.
Ross: I followed orders. And if you’re as smart as I think you are, you will, too.
Hutton: You were a traitor treated like a patriot. I was a patriot treated like a traitor. So that’s what I became.
Cooper: It’s you. You’re The Simoon.
Hutton: Pleasure to meet you.
[ CAR HORNS HONKING ]
[ Ressler waits on a sidewalk outside the gaming store “Ordinary Meeples.” He checks his watch. Francesca (“Frankie”) Campbell walks toward him carrying a briefcase ]
Ressler: Excuse me. Do you know how to get to the White House?
Frankie: Sure. Spend a lot of money.
Ressler: Good to know Reddington hasn’t lost his sense of humor. I’m Ressler.
Frankie: Campbell. You know what we’re supposed to do now?
Ressler: Yeah. Find the Dungeon Master.
[ The enter the store and head toward the back, where people are playing a board game. An obese young man, the Dungeon Master, SLURPS a super-sized soft drink ]
Dungeon Master: Didn’t you see the sign?
Frankie: Yeah. It said “open.”
Dungeon Master: Well, we’re not.
Ressler: Yeah, well, you are to us. Mr. Homan said so.
[ The Dungeon Master takes Ressler and Frankie to a back room with an elaborate computer setup ]
Ressler: What the hell is this thing?
Dungeon Master: It’s not a PlayStation, pal. Let’s see the case.
[ Frankie opens the briefcase. It’s full of packets of cash ]
Frankie: $200,000.
Ressler: And a set of coordinates. Mr. Homan said you’d know what to do with them.
Dungeon Master: I do. Let’s get the party started. I know what to do. Thank you very much [ SLURPS ]
[ On the sidewalk ]
Frankie: What did we just pay for?
Ressler: No idea. And with Reddington, it’s pointless to ask.
Frankie: So, you work for him? Reddington?
Ressler: No, but he certainly thinks so.
[ CELLPHONE DIALING ]
Ressler: Yeah, it’s done. Whatever it is.
Red: [ On phone, in his plane ] Splendid. Please thank Francesca for me. And trust that as far as Harold is concerned, we are now in the gifted hands of a master.
[ Phone beeps ]
Red: Time to storm the castle.
Farhad: It’s a heavily armed compound, and there is only five of us.
Red: You’re right. Even the Magnificent Seven had seven. Slim chance of survival. Impossible odds. This’ll be fun.
Cooper: How could you do it? The intel you gave Iran cost people’s lives.
Hutton I held out for years. Through beatings, in solitary, in cages. [ CHUCKLES ] Then I realized no one was coming. How could I do it? Harold — How could you?
Cooper: You gave them access to Naval intelligence.
Hutton: I did. Then they upgraded the network, and I got shut out. After that, I interpreted data. It was easy when I knew the players. That gave me value. But now the only player I know is you, which is why you’re here.
Cooper: I won’t cooperate with them. Because it’s the wrong thing to do.
Hutton: The wrong thing. You certainly know all about that.
Liz: [ On phone ] By text, not by phone. She quit via text.
Katarina: That’s unbelievable.
Liz: I know. I thought she was perfect.
Katarina: What are you gonna do?
Liz: Well, that’s why I’m calling. I am stuck at work, and Agnes is gonna be home soon.
Katarina: I’m happy to help.
Liz: I’m so sorry about this.
Katarina: Oh, don’t be silly. I’d love to look after Agnes.
Liz: Really? Are you sure?
Katarina: Of course. Take your time. The longer you stay at the office, the more time I’ll have to spoil her rotten.
Liz: Thank you. You’re a lifesaver. I don’t know what happened.
Katarina: Don’t beat yourself up. Sometimes people just aren’t who they seem to be.
[ Red peers through binoculars at the complex where Cooper is being held ]
Farhad: No way we are getting in there.
Red: Where’s your faith?
Farhad: I left my faith on the jet. Let’s go back and get it.
Red: We breach in two minutes.
Dembe: Raymond, even with help–
Farhad: It will be a bloodbath.
Red: Yes, but not our blood.
Hutton: So many of my prisoners, during torture, they break down, beg for mercy. But not you. Right, Harold? Remember those cages I said they kept me in those first few years? [ CHAINS RATTLING ] You’re in one. I’ll check back on you in a few decades.
Cooper: For what it’s worth, Dan — I am sorry.
[ The Dungeon Master scans the multiple computer monitors in his array. He SLURPS from his super-size soft drink ] [ One screen shows the outlines of an airplane; another shows the desert landscape coming closer ]
⋘⋙
Red: 20 seconds.
Farhad: This is a death sentence.
Red: Farhad, you and your men to the south. Dembe, you and I to the north.
Farhad: They will kill us all.
Dembe: Ready on your go.
Farhad: We are not ready–
Red: 10 –
Farhad: I am not!
Red: 9, 8 –
[ ENGINE WHIRRING ]
Farhad: What the hell?
[ A large drone aircraft flies overhead ]
Red: Here we go. [ CHUCKLES ] I won a rather high-stakes game OF “MAGIC: The Gathering” recently, and I’ve called in my chits.
⋘⋙
[ The visual display on the Dungeon Master’s display hones in BEEPING ]
⋘⋙
[ A cruise missile drops from the drone and fires 🔥 it’s engines ]
Red: Wait, listen to this. Listen. [ MISSILE WHINING ]
[ 💥🔥‼️ EXPLOSION‼️🔥💥 ]
Red: [ LAUGHS ]
[ Inside the complex, large chunks of the building 💨‼️collapse‼️💨 ] [ ⚡️RUMBLING⚡️ ]
Red: [ LAUGHS ] That our cue, fellas. Let’s go.
[ Red and crew storm the complex ]
[ 💥 GUNSHOTS 💥 ] [ ⚡️CREAKING, CRASHING‼️💨 ] [ 💥💥💥 GUNFIRE 💥💥💥 ]
[ GUNFIRE IN DISTANCE (💥💥💥) ]
[ The cage Cooper is in is damaged by falling chunks of concrete and he is able to leverage his way out ]
[ 💥💥💥 Gunfight 💥💥💥 Rages 💥💥💥 ]
[ Cooper tries to escape ] [ 💥 A shot hits the wall just in front of him ]
Hutton: [ To Cooper ] Not another step. Looks like you have better friends than I did. At least they tried to save you.
⋘⋙
[ 💥💥💥 GUNFIRE 💥💥💥 ]
Dembe: Raymond, I’m out of ammo.
Shooter: [ In Farsi ] Come out! Come out now!
[ 💥💥💥 GUNFIRE 💥💥💥 ]
Shooter: You’re outgunned! Show us your hands!
[ 💥💥💥 GUNFIRE 💥💥💥 ]
Farhad: Red!
Red: What took you so long?
[ Hutton has Cooper at gunpoint ]
Cooper: It’s over, Dan.
Hutton: No. I won’t let you leave me behind again. If I can’t trade you to the Iranians, I’ll trade you to your own people for a way out.
[ ⚡️RUMBLING⚡️ ] [ More of the building 💨‼️collapses‼️💨]
[ A slab of💨concrete💨 falls on Hutton’s legs ]
Hutton: [ GROANING ] Harold! Help me! Please, help me, Harold. Please. Harold, please.
[ Flashback: ]
Hutton: Cooper! Cooper! Cooper! Cooper! Aah!
Hutton: [ GRUNTS ] [ GROANING ]
[ Cooper hesitates but goes to Hutton, lifting the slab ]
Cooper: [ STRAINING ]
[ Hutton retrieves his gun, again aiming it at Cooper ]
Hutton: I’m sorry, Harold. You should’ve learned your lesson the first time.
[ GUNSHOTS 💥💥] [ THUD, Hutton falls, shot in the heart by Red ]
Red: Harold, you okay?
Cooper: I couldn’t leave him again.
Red: We have to go. He isn’t your burden anymore.
Cooper: Isn’t he?
Red: What is it you need, Harold? A reminder that you’re a good man, a moral man? ‘Cause you didn’t need to save Daniel Hutton to know that. You just needed to look in a mirror.
Cooper: What I did to him has followed me half my li–
Red: And it’s time to let it go. Now come on! We need to move.
[ Khruangbin’s ♪ “Como Te Qiero” plays (instrumental) ]
[ Red’s plane. Cooper turns the incriminating flash drive in his hand. Red sips his Scotch ]
Red: You did what you thought was right.
Cooper: [ Absently ] Mm-hmm.
Red: Put your safety on the line for a man you thought was your friend. He betrayed you, and now he’s dead. Your secret is safe. If there was ever a reason to celebrate, The Simoon is finished. You helped yourself and your country. Close the book. Raise a glass.
Cooper: How do you do it? Wake up each morning, content to live a lie? How do you put on a face for the world?
Red: I don’t live a lie. I may once have had another identity, but that identity no longer exists. I am exactly who I am. And I can assure you, I’m a far more interesting Raymond Reddington than Raymond Reddington ever was.
Cooper: And what about Ilya Koslov?
Red: I’ve always believed who you are should define you, not who you were. And I don’t know anyone that should be more at peace with who they are than you. Whatever decisions you make going forward — I hope they grant you that peace.
[ Katarina (aka “Maddy”) is taking care of Agnes. Agnes has a lighted princess tent next to her ]
Katarina: Do you like contests? Because I love contests.
Agnes: What kind of contest?
Katarina: I was thinking a drawing contest. I know you like princesses, so I got a princess coloring book.
Agnes: [ CHUCKLES ]
Katarina: I bet you can’t color a whole page in, say, five minutes. Do you think you can?
[ Agnes nods ]
Katarina: Then that’s the contest. Take this book and these pencils, and you go into your room. In five minutes, I’ll come in and see if you’ve finished. Okay? [ LAUGHS ]
[ Agnes runs off to her room. As soon as she is gone, Katarina goes to Liz’s desk. In a top drawer, she finds a journal. She begins to look through it ]
[ The Post Office ]
Aram: Mr. Reddington called in a drone strike. From a gaming store.
Cooper: I don’t know how he did it – just that it saved my life.
Ressler: Why were you there in the first place? And why go with Reddington?
Aram: Other than that he can call in a drone strike from a gaming store.
Cooper: I went with Reddington because we have no authority in Iran. And the reason I went was simple – 30 years ago, I thought a soldier in my unit had been killed.
Liz: Daniel Hutton. The SIPRNet cable told you he was still alive.
Cooper: Right. I went to try and bring him home, and in the process, he died.
Liz: That’s awful. Were you two close?
Cooper: We were, once. In many ways, he was instrumental in shaping the person I am today.
[ ELEVATOR DOORS OPENING ] [ Cynthia Panabaker from Main Justice gets out ]
Liz: [ Quietly ] Is your mind made up about what you’re gonna tell her about Reddington’s identity?
Cooper: It is. It’s made up about a lot of things.
Panabaker: Well, isn’t this like finding four peas in a pod. Is there a snowball’s chance in hell I’m gonna like anything y’all have to say?
Liz: I’d say – definitely not.
Panabaker: Mm. [ SIGHS ] Harold, to the Scotch.
[ Cooper and Panabaker walk toward his office ]
[ Radical Face’s ♪ “Letters Home” plays ]
[ Cooper’s Office ]
Panabaker: [ SIGHS ] You said you wanted to talk about Reddington. So talk.
Cooper: Reddington is – He’s not the person you think he is.
Panabaker: [ LAUGHS ] Okay. I’ll bite. Who is he?
♪ ‘Cause yesterday a bullet found my chest
Cooper: He’s a much better person than I gave him credit for.
♪ And I don’t got the energy
Cooper: I, on the other hand, am not.
♪ To dress myself
Panabaker: Harold, you’re not making any sense.
♪ And I can’t walk without help
[ Cooper gives Panabaker the incriminating flash drive ]
Panabaker: What is that?
Cooper: A truth I should have told a long time ago.
Panabaker: [ SIGHS ]
♪ And I
I can’t remember why I joined this war
And I can’t tell you what we’re fightin’ for
[ At Liz’s, Katarina takes a photo of a page in Liz’s journal ] [ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]
[ Katarina puts the book back into the desk drawer and closes it ]
I guess I wasn’t smart enough to see the game
Katarina: Okay! Five minutes are up! Ready or not, here I come!
[ Arlington National Cemetery. Cooper lays his Navy Cross on Daniel Hutton’s gravestone ]
Red: You’re giving the Navy Cross to The Simoon?
Cooper: Putting it where it belongs. He was a brave man. I was a coward. He refused to follow an illegal order. I insisted on carrying it out. I knew the payments weren’t authorized, that someone up the chain of command was breaking the rules. They were higher on that chain than I was, so I didn’t ask any questions. And I didn’t stand with Hutton when he did. I left him behind.
Red: You were told he was dead.
Cooper: I should’ve gone back to look for him, found him. But I didn’t. And that turned him into The Simoon. The Daniel Hutton I left behind that day deserves this.
Red: If it had been you, you never would’ve betrayed your country.
Cooper: He tried speaking truth to power, and the powerful punished him for it and rewarded me for letting them. I gave Panabaker the flash drive.
Red: That won’t wipe his slate clean.
Cooper: I didn’t do it for him. I did it for me. And I have you to thank for that. You told me that people should be defined by who they are, not by who they were. The cover-up, the medal – They represent who I was. A man willing to look the other way. Who I am – who I hope to be – is someone who takes responsibility for his actions.
Red: So you’re a truth-teller now. Did you tell Panabaker the truth about me?
Cooper: I did. I told her your true identity. Who you are, not who you were. I told her you’re Raymond Reddington.
♪ Mistakes and all
[ Liz puts Agnes’s drawing on the refrigerator with a magnet ]
Liz: I love it. More importantly, Agnes loves it.
Katarina: [ LAUGHING ] We had fun.
Liz: You really saved me today.
Katarina: I told you before, I’m happy to help.
Liz: I still can’t believe Denora bailed on me like that.
Katarina: You’ll find the right person. And until you do, you can always count on me.
Liz: I think I’ll be counting on you a lot.
[ DOOR OPENS, SHUTS ] [ Katarina enters her apartment ]
Berdy: Fun times with the urchin?
Katarina: Productive times.
[ Katarina gives her phone to Berdy ]
Berdy: So what am I looking for?
Katarina: Second photo. Top of the page.
Berdy: Ilya Koslov. Who’s he?
Katarina: The one person who can tell me what I need to know.
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⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ Letters Home
By Radical Face♪ So, I’m writing you this letter between rests
‘Cause yesterday a bullet found my chest
And I don’t got the energy to dress myself
And I can’t walk without help♪ And I
I can’t remember why I joined this war
And I can’t tell you what we’re fighting for
I guess I wasn’t smart enough to see the game
And that no one’s keeping score♪ And now, you would not believe the things I miss
It’s all the little things that fill that list
Like playing with the dogs
And helping father chop the wood behind the fence♪ Now I
I’m not sure if I’ll see another day
The doctor said it could go either way
But I just wanted you to know
No matter if I sink or fall or blink out in this hospital
That I’m alright
Yeah, I made peace with it all
Mistakes and all♪ Mistakes and all
Mistakes and all
Mistakes and all
Mistakes and allLyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/34e5Cwj
YouTube: https://youtu.be/jR3AvvGr28Q
⬆ go to start of 7:4 Kuwait
⏫ go to top
❌❌❌ End 7:4 Kuwait
🔴 Script 7:5 Norman Devane (№ 138)
Program air date: 11/1/2019 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-a3u
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/2WkvlAg
Director: Kurt Kuenne
Written by: Noah Schechter, Sam Christopher
Brief (Where we’re at): After learning from Liz that she had found out that Red was not the original Raymond Reddington, but rather a former KGB operative named Ilya Koslov who had assumed Reddington’s identity, Cooper decided he had to share this information with Main Justice. This almost certainly would result in the dismantling of the Task Force. However, before he could act on this, he received word that a Navy lieutenant, Daniel Hutton, who he had served with 30 years ago in Kuwait, was still alive. Hutton had been abducted by Kurds, but Cooper had been told by his captain that he had been killed. This was to cover up an illegal operation to siphon money to the Kurds. Cooper’s career had been built in part on the prestige of the Navy Cross he was given to silence him about the operation, which was subsequently investigated by, among others, Raymond Reddington. Now, Hutton was reaching out from a secret CIA outpost in eastern Iran.
When Red flew Cooper to Iran to find Hutton, it turned out that Hutton’s true intention was to take revenge on Cooper for having abandoned him. Though he had held out for years, Hutton had at last begun giving secret Naval Intelligence to America’s enemies. He became a notorious source known as The Simoon (“poison wind”). Red was able to rescue Cooper by calling in a drone strike from a gaming store(!) Hutton was killed by Red when he was about to shoot Cooper. Red convinced Cooper that ‘who one is’ is more important than ‘who one was’ and Cooper changed his mind about reporting Red’s former identity to Cynthia Panabaker of Main Justice, instead giving her the flash drive containing the last record of the incident in Kuwait.
But the rumors that Katarina Rostova was still alive stirred up by Liz’s search for Red’s true identity, had led her enemies to put in play a dormant contract on her life dubbed “The Townsend Directive.” Having failed to get information out of Red or Dom (Liz’s grandfather who is in a coma after being shot in the chest in a run-in with Katarina’s goons), Katarina has moved next door to Liz and introduced herself as “Maddy Tolliver.” After bugging Liz’s apartment and scaring off a nanny for Agnes, “Maddy” becomes Liz’s go-to babysitter. Katarina uses this opportunity to search Liz’s papers and finds a photo of Ilya Koslov, who she tells her assistant Berdy is “The one person who can tell me what I need to know.”
⭕ Script 7:5 Norman Devane (№ 138)
[ Norman Devane is at the home of 14-year-old Howard (“Howie”) Keller. Devane has come to offer Howie a special scholarship to Abbott, an exclusive boarding school. The moment is tense as the Kellers weigh their decision ] [ Time TICKING ] [ Devane’s eyes dart nervously. Howie slowly turns the pages of the yearbook ]
Mrs Keller: I don’t know what to say. Abbott has some of the most impressive college acceptances in the country.
Mr Keller: And this scholarship – it would cover full tuition?
Norman Devane: Yes. Along with room and board and a stipend for books and supplies.
Howie: So I’d live at the school?
Mrs Keller: We could visit anytime.
Mr Keller: Yeah, we’re only a few hours away.
Devane: Howie, your reaction is natural. But I want you to know our scholarship committee combs through thousands of nomination letters from across the country. There were more than 2,200 submissions for the Booth-Farnwell seat this year alone. And the selection committee agreed that you, Howie, you’re the one who shows the most raw academic potential. So if you want to become a member of the Abbott Boarding School, the scholarship’s yours.
[ Devane takes leave of the Kellers ]
Mrs Keller: Thank you!
Devane: And remember to mark your calendars. Parents weekend will be here before you know it.
Mr Keller: Uh, Howie, shake the man’s hand.
[ Howie holds out his hand ]
[ Grand Prix’s ♪ “You Drive Me Crazy” plays ]
♪ You —
[ Devane declines the handshake, raising a handkerchief to his face ]
Devane: Sorry. Just getting over a cold.
⋘⋙
[ In his car, Devane frenetically applies antibacterial lotion to his hands, pulls on blue medical gloves, puts drops in his eyes ]
♪ Drive me
Crazy, baby
Crazy, baby
Crazy, baby
Crazy, baby
Crazy, baby
Crazy, baby
Crazy, baby
Oh, when you hold me
Oh, when you tell me that you love me
[ Devane puts on a surgical mask. He turns his car key ] [ ENGINE STARTS ]
♪ That you need me, drive me
Crazy, baby
Crazy, baby
Crazy, baby
Crazy, baby
Crazy, baby
Crazy, baby
[ At home, Devane showers. He uses a bar of soap to wash his mouth. He takes pills from numerous prescription bottles. He applies disinfecting lotion to his hands again ]
♪ Oh, when you’re holdin’ me
Oh, when you’re telling me that you love me
That you need me, drive me
Crazy, baby
Crazy, baby
Crazy, baby
Crazy, baby
[ Devane reviews papers from a sheet with Howie Keller’s photo clipped to it. The logo says “NDL.” One piece of paper is titled “DNA Report” ]
♪ Oh, when you kissin’ me with your sweet lips
You know, you know you drive me crazy
I can feel it in my head right down to my toes
Yeah, yeah
Like you never did before
Come on, you’re drivin’ me crazy
[ Red is at home, having his blood drawn ]
Red: Well, I guess fourth time’s the charm. [ In Portuguese: ] What’s the problem?
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
Ernesto: [ Portuguese ] I’m sorry. The vein just didn’t want to cooperate.
[ Dembe lets in with a man identified so far only as The Stranger; Red and The Stranger have been friends since childhood ]
Red: [ LAUGHS ] William Burroughs said the same thing to me once.
The Stranger: I have two leads.
Red: Tell me.
[ The Stranger hesitates to respond ]
Red: Ah! Ernesto’s a concierge nurse. Ernesto coordinates a burgeoning portfolio of urine samples and blood draws. As a bonus, he doesn’t understand a lick of English, so, please, speak freely.
The Stranger: One lead is still a work in progress. The other one is solid. What do you know about Norman Devane?
[ Simultaneously: ]
— Dembe: He’s an assassin.
— Red: He’s a genius.
Red: Well, he’s an ingenious assassin. Who hides murder behind illness.
Stranger: Our friend in Paris made a series of payments to him under the alias of Constance Drucker.
Red: Paris was not your fault.
Stranger: Devane can get us to her.
Red: I spoke to Linda. She says you haven’t slept well since it all happened.
Stranger: I underestimated her. [ Likely a reference to Katarina Rostova, not Linda ]
Red: Well, we both did.
Stranger: I should’ve known better.
Red: Linda tells me your goddaughter’s getting married Saturday. You should go–
Stranger: No.
Red: –Get drunk, dance the hora, and forget.
Stranger: No. I-I am not leaving your side until this is done.
Red: [ CHUCKLES ] My friend.
[ CONVERSING IN PORTUGUESE ]
Ernesto: [ Portuguese ] I’ll get these to Mr Stark right away.
Red: [ Portuguese ] Thank you, Ernesto
[ Ernesto leaves ]
⋘⋙
[ Red makes a call ] [ BEEP, SPEED-DIALING ] [ LINE RINGING ]
Red: Elizabeth. I have a case for you.
[ The Post Office ]
Liz: The man we’re looking for is Norman Devane.
[ Aram brings up a photo of ~ Elodie Radcliffe ]
Aram: Oh, uh, that’s, um– Uh, sorry.
[ KEYBOARD CLACKING ] [ A photo comes up of Devane ]
Liz: We all know Devane as the mastermind behind the Libyan bioweapons program, but Reddington says that represents just a single line in a very lengthy resume. In Reddington’s world, Devane is known as a killer for hire. Simon Vestergaard was a shipping magnate who died of liver cancer. Senator Jessica Tandler died of drug-resistant pneumonia. And Ronald Perchik was a federal judge who suffered a deadly stroke two days after receiving a shingles vaccine.
Cooper: Did Devane kill them, or did they die of natural causes?
Liz: Both. And according to Reddington, Devane is in the U.S. and active.
[ Norman Devane is working in a lab wearing a white biohazard suit. He dictates into a microphone. He has a record in front of him for Howie Wolf ]
Norman Devane: Subject is a 14-year-old Caucasian male. Type B-negative. Full immunization record.
[ On the campus of Abbott Boarding School, Theo Wolf comes up behind new student Howie Keller ]
Theo Wolf: Hey, uh, you new? You look new.
Howie: Mm-hmm. Howie Keller.
Theo: Howie? Cute. Uh, I’m Theo Wolf. Sort of the, uh, unofficial Abbott welcoming party.
[ The Post Office ]
Ressler: So he kills sick people?
Liz: No, he kills people by making them sick by giving them cancer or pneumonia or some other deadly disease.
Ressler: He gives them cancer? Is that even possible?
Aram: Theoretically, if a healthy person is injected with a high concentration of cancerous cells and those cells got into his or her bone marrow, they could, you know, catch leukemia.
Ressler: Catch it. Like a cold?
Aram: Yeah, just – a super bad one.
Liz: The world believed these three died of natural causes, but Reddington says they were murdered.
[ Abbot campus ]
Theo: You don’t get it. Uh, Brandon Durso got a B-plus on his French presentation – had a full-blown panic attack.
Howie: Because he got a B?
Theo: A B-plus. My point is, you can’t take all that “truth and excellence” crap too seriously. You got to be able to relax here. And if you need any help with that, like some some weed or, uh–
Howie: Well, I don’t do drugs.
Theo: Right. Says the new kid.
[ Theo walks off ]
Ressler: The woman who abducted Mr. Reddington in Paris – she’s in business with Devane?
Liz: Apparently.
Ressler: Did she hire him to kill Reddington or someone else?
Liz: He doesn’t know.
Cooper: So all we know is that an insidious assassin is on the loose and we have no idea how to catch him.
Aram: The WMD Directorate oversaw our response to the Libyan bioweapons. If Devane is the mastermind, he might be on their radar.
Cooper: Get there and see. At this point, “might be” is the best we’ve got.
[ LIQUID POURING ] [ Liz and Aram are at a beverage counter in front of a sign saying:
“WMDD * NSB
Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate * National Security Branch” ]
Liz: Elodie Radcliffe? The woman whose husband is in a wheelchair?
Aram: Yes. Exactly. I’m the “other man” to– I mean, I’m not yet, but – I want to be. Which is worse.
Liz: I think it’s great.
Aram: Great? I slept with a married woman.
Liz: I think it’s great you slept with anyone. I appreciate that she’s taking care of her husband. But she needs a life, too. And so do you.
⋘⋙
[ DOOR OPENS ]
WMDD/NSB Director: Sorry to keep you waiting. But Putin has a new nuke, and it turns out the Ayatollahs have more heavy water than a surrogate carrying twins. And now that I’ve kept you waiting, I can’t help you.
Aram: Uh, we called ahead asking for any information your office had–
Director: Norman Devane. We know what he did, but not what he’s doing. After Libya, he went to Syria. Helped Assad gas his own people. He was smart. You name it bacteria, virus, fungi – he could weaponize it.
Liz: You hit him with a drone strike outside Damascus.
Director: We hit his lab. Never found him.
Liz: But you traced a payment he made to an Anatole Kuragin. Who’s he?
Director: A Ukrainian hacker. And the payment was seven years ago. We haven’t heard from him since.
Liz: Do you know where we could find him?
Director: He’s in Havana. So, yes, I know where he is. But you can’t find him.
Liz: I know someone who can.
[ It’s night. Norman Devane pushes a laundry cart through a corridor in a dorm ] [ WHEELS RATTLING SOFTLY ]
[ Devane stops at a dorm room door and lightly knocks. There is no response. He takes out a gadget and pushes a button on it ] [ BEEP ]
[ Devane holds the device to the crack under the door. A cloudy gas begins to come out of the device ] [ GAS HISSING ]
[ GAS HISSING ] [ Inside the room, the gas pours in ]
[ After awhile, Devane unlocks the door ] [ KEYS JINGLING ]
[ Inside the dorm room, two boys lie sleeping, Howie Keller and his roommate. Devane goes to the roommate and, lifting his eyelids, shines a light in each eye. The boy remains sleeping ] [ Devane lifts Howie out of his bed and places him in the laundry cart ]
[ Devane leaves the room with the cart and pushes it toward the elevator. A door cracks open and Howie’s acquaintance, Theo Wolf, peers out ]
[ In Devane’s lab, Howie Keller lies on a hospital cot as Devane dictates into a microphone ]
Norman Devane: October 25th. 1:35 a.m. Subject Howard Keller. Administering pathogen A-21.
You’re going to feel a little pinch.
[ Devane injects Howie ]
[ Havana, Cuba ]
[ ♪ “Mi Verdadero Amor” by Álvaro Torres y Los Reyes Latinos plays ]
♪ Un amor a llegado a mi vida
[ Red peruses a collection of salt and pepper shakers in someone’s living room. Dembe is with him ]
Red: [ Chuckling ] Unbelievable.
♪ Y a iluminado mis pasos sin saber
Cuando mas obscuridad habia
[ Anatole Kuragin enters ]
Anatole Kuragin: [ Russian accent ] Who the hell are you?
Red: A friend told me you had a keen eye for salt and pepper shakers. She was wrong. You have an exquisite eye.
Kuragin: What do you want?
Red: I once saw the most adorable little ceramic set in a junk shop outside Topeka – salt in a straw hat, pepper in a bowler, both delicately balanced on a tiny green hat stand. [ LAUGHS ]
Kuragin: You’re a collector.
Red: Eh, an admirer. Of all things precious. Including information.
[ DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES ] [ Red’s friend The Stranger enters ]
Kuragin: What kind of information?
Red: Whatever you know about Norman Devane.
Kuragin: I don’t know anythink.
Red: As a rule, I also admire loyalty. But as I have pressing business with Mr. Devane, I’m afraid you’ll have to make an exception.
Kuragin: I don’t make exceptions.
[ Kuragin draws a gun. So do Dembe and The Stranger ]
Red: Perhaps these will change your mind.
[ Red takes out a rolled cloth. He uncovers two silver items ]
Red: Technically speaking, they’re pepper casters. Handcrafted American silver from the workshop of Paul Revere.
Kuragin: Original or replica?
Red: I’m surprised you would even ask.
[ Kuragin reaches for the pepper casters. Red holds out his hand. Kuragin relinquishes his gun to Red, takes the items and sits down at a table to examine them ]
Red: I don’t mean to press, but I have a meeting in an hour with Raúl.
Kuragin: Raúl? You’re meeting with Castro.
Red: Yes, and unlike Fidel, he’s a stickler for punctuality. So – Devane.
Kuragin: He paid me to create backdoor access to National Diagnostics Lab’s server farm.
Stranger: Why?
[ Red turns the gun in his hand ]
Red: Is this a Frommer? I knew a gaucho who had a pearl-handled one in Patagonia, of all places.
Stranger: What was Devane looking for?
Red: He swore by it. Though he did say the trigger was a little sticky.
[ GUNSHOT 💥 ] [ The gun goes off, killing Kuragin and splattering blood on the wall and on The Stranger ]
Red: Ooo! Ooo!
Dembe: [ Disapproving ] Raymond!
Red: [ LAUGHING ] Oh, what the hell? I barely touched the trigger!
Dembe: It has a grip safety.
Red: Well, he must have disabled it.
[ GUNSHOT 💥 ] [ The gun goes off again, hitting the ceiling ]
Red: Oh! Ge — [ CHUCKLING ] Ohh, God! Obviously, he set it to a hair trigger. The man clearly had a death wish.
[ Red places gun carefully on the table ]
Stranger: Now we will never know what Devane was looking for.
Red: [ CHUCKLES ] You should take a shower. Get some clothes from his closet.
[ BEEP, SPEED-DIALING ] [ LINE RINGING, CLICK ]
Red: Elizabeth. Write this down. National Diagnostics Lab.
[ National Diagnostics Lab (NDL) ]
NDL President: A warrant? To access our system?
Ressler: We believe that it’s been hacked.
NDL President: By whom? For what?
Aram: Your company does diagnostic testing for hospitals and clinics all across the country, which means your system has information.
NDL President: On 110 million patients.
Ressler: 110 million.
NDL President: From children to presidents. If the system was hacked, whoever did it has detailed medical and financial information on one in three Americans.
Ressler: We’re gonna need access to that database.
[ Abbott campus ]
Howie Keller: I’m not falling for it, Theo.
Theo Wolf: It’s not a joke, man. That janitor freak had you in the laundry bin and wheeled you into the south wing.
Howie: I would’ve woken up. Besides, if you really saw something, why didn’t you say anything?
Theo: Yeah, and tell Dr. Mitchell that I was hot-boxing Lancaster’s room? Not happening.
Howie: You were probably hallucinating.
Theo: Your bed was empty, man. I know what I saw. Look, you’re a newbie, so you wouldn’t know this, but weird stuff happens at Abbott, all right?
[ The Post Office ]
Ressler: [ LAUGHS ] So he sleeps with her and then never calls her.
Liz: He wants to, but it’s been two weeks.
Aram: “He” is right here, tracing the hack.
Ressler: How can anybody be so smart and so dumb?
Aram: It’s a gift.
Ressler: Well, call her. Say you’ve been on assignment.
Liz: Lying? That’s your advice on how to start a relationship?
Ressler: No, that’s my advice on how to salvage one.
Aram: Okay. That’s weird. Um, not- not your advice. Well, uh– Well, definitely your advice. But it looks like, uh, Kuragin hacked the system to give some root access that they used to order a test.
Ressler: What kind of a test?
Aram: Full genome sequencing on a 13-year-old boy named Marcus Sinclair.
Liz: Are you telling me Devane hired a hacker to access the medical records of 100 million people just so he could sequence one teenager’s genes?
Aram: Actually- Actually, it seems like they hired him to sequence the genes of 20 teenagers.
Liz: Why? What makes them special?
[ Abbott, on a staircase in an academic building ] [ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]
Teacher: Howie! Hey. I wanted to congratulate you on Tuesday’s quiz. You were the only student with a perfect score in the cl– Howie? You look awfully pale. Are you feeling all right?
Howie: I’m okay. Just a little–
[ Howie collapses on the landing ]
Teacher: Ohh! Get a nurse!
— What happened?
— Yeah, she’s coming!
[ Howie’s dorm room. Howie is in his bed ]
Theo: You passed out in the hallway, man. How could you still not believe me?
Howie: Maybe ’cause you were high.
Theo: Would you let that go? I’m telling you, whoever took you last night clearly did something to you.
Howie: You’re being paranoid. The nurse said I was probably dehydrated.
Theo: The nurse could be in on it for all we know. I told you weird stuff happens at this school. Kids get sick, disappear. Look. [ KEYS JINGLING ] I swiped these from Dr. Mitchell’s office so that we can get into the south wing a-and find wherever Dr. Who took you.
Howie: Do you even watch “Dr. Who”?
Theo: Are you coming with me or not?
[ Howie turns away from him ]
Theo: [ SIGHS ]
[ DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES ] [ Theo leaves ]
[ Howie sits up pulls back his shirt sleeve. His arm is covered with blisters ]
[ The Post Office, at the top of the yellow staircase ]
Ressler: There’s 20 teenagers. All white, all male. And all with B-negative blood or similar biomarkers.
Aram: Devane used the hack to identify patients who fit a specific demographic, then sampled and sequenced their DNA using NDL’s automated system.
Cooper: So Devane’s looking at kids who fit a particular biochemical and genetic profile. Why?
Liz: We don’t know, but of the 20 kids he sequenced, five developed life-threatening cancers or infections. Three died. Two recovered.
Cooper: Why would a man who assassinated world leaders start targeting kids? And why would some of the kids he targeted survive?
Liz: Not to mention how any of this connects to the woman who abducted Reddington in Paris.
Cooper: Keen, Ressler, meet with the parents. Aram, stay with the National Diagnostics files. I see a lot of smoke. Now we just have to find the fire.
[ KEYS JINGLING ] [ DOOR HINGES CREAK ] [ Theo Wolf lets himself in to the room on campus where he thinks the mysterious “janitor” (Devane) might be working ]
[ DOOR HINGES CREAK ]
[ Theo enters Devane’s lab. He walks past lab equipment. There is an array of Petri dishes ]
[ BEEP ] [ A video camera is recording him ]
[ Theo walks up to an insulated unit like a small refrigerator. He lifts the top ] [ VAPOR HISSES ]
[ Inside are vials of blood. He lifts one out to see the label. Theo senses someone behind him. He turns around. There is a man in a white biohazard suit, who sprays an aerosol in Theo’s face ] [ The flask of blood falls and⚡️shatters⚡️ ] [ Theo tries to escape but runs into a cart and falls ]
Theo: N-No. No. No. No.
[ The man in the white biohazard suit sprays him again ] [ GAS HISSING ] [ Theo loses consciousness. The man pulls him away ]
[ On Red’s plane, Dembe is making a phone call ]
Dembe: Doesn’t matter how I know. I know.
[ DOOR CLOSES ] [ Red enters the cabin ]
Dembe: Short December pork bellies. Yes, the full five million. [ BEEP ] It’s done.
[ Red sits down across from The Stranger ]
Red: [ LAUGHS ] Cheer up! Dembe found a text on Kuragin’s phone. It seems Mr. Kuragin hacked into the agriculture department and learned that the Chinese are about to impose a tariff on pork bellies. He may have expired before telling us all he knew about Devane, but we’re gonna make a fortune in the futures market.
Stranger: I’m not like you. I may have been once, but not anymore. What happened in Havana and Paris, I- I just can’t shake it.
Red: Neither can I. [ SETS DOWN BOTTLE ] But I can accept it. Things happen.
Stranger: You, a fatalist? Save that for someone who doesn’t know you so well. You leave nothing to fate.
Red: I try to leave nothing to fate, but I’m perfectly comfortable with chaos. That’s why I trust that whatever happens is probably meant to be.
Stranger: Like accidentally killing a guy and finding he has intel on hog futures.
Red: Cosmic, huh? Like you ending up in a velour tracksuit. It looks comfortable as hell, I must say.
Stranger: [ SIGHS ] You know, I came out of retirement for Paris. For you. For us. [ INHALES DEEPLY ] I look forward to going back to my hammock.
Red: You said you had two possible leads. What’s the second?
Stranger: I have a source. Won’t give his name. He sent me a secure message saying he could identify the man who coordinated your abduction. He’s skittish. I know he’s in town, but he’s refusing to meet.
Red: [ INHALES DEEPLY ] How about this wedding?
Stranger: I told you, I’m not going.
Red: Because it’s a distraction?
Stranger: It has nothing to do with Paris.
Red: But what if it did? What if the wedding helped us solve Paris? Would you go then?
Stranger: Of course, but it doesn’t.
Red: Weddings, for the most part, are safe, happy places. Places that even the most skittish source would be comfortable in.
Stranger: You want me to invite the source to the wedding?
Red: Drunken revelers, interminable toasting, cheesy cover bands – I can’t think of a better place for a covert meeting.
Stranger: I doubt it will work, but I will try.
Red: That’s all anyone can do. The rest, we leave to fate.
[ Liz interviews the Ganskys ]
Mrs Gansky: Two rounds of chemo. Then radiation. Then surgery.
Liz: I can’t imagine how hard that must have been. On all of you.
⋘⋙
[ Ressler interviews Mr Crane ]
Mr Crane: They put Peter into a coma to try to buy him some more time, but none of the antibiotics that they tried worked. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.
⋘⋙
Mr Gansky: Insurance paid for some, but we had to take out a second mortgage on the house. Don’t know if we’ll ever be able to pay it back, but he’s alive.
Liz: How long has Ben been in remission?
Mrs Gansky: Five years.
Mr Gansky: The doctors said it was a miracle the tumor didn’t metastasize.
⋘⋙
Ressler: Mr. Crane, can you tell me if anyone might want to harm you or your family?
Mr Crane: I’m sorry? Are you saying somebody purposefully made my boy sick? I don’t understand. How can you give someone cancer?
Ressler: We’re just investigating every possibility.
⋘⋙
Liz: Do you have any enemies? Someone who might have hurt Ben to get to you?
Mr Gansky: Enemies?
Mrs Gansky: We’re from Wisconsin.
⋘⋙
Ressler: What about at school? Can you tell me about his friends, their families?
Mr Crane: Peter went to boarding school.
⋘⋙
Liz: Boarding school?
Mrs Gansky: That’s right. Ben loved it there.
Liz: What was the name of the school?
[ Headmaster Dr Kelvin Mitchell addresses the students ]
Dr Mitchell: Earlier this morning, Theo Wolf was rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital after being found unconscious. Despite the best efforts of the hospital’s doctors and staff –
⋘⋙
[ Howie Keller hears the announcement over the intercom. He sits up in bed ]
Dr Mitchell: – I’m sorry to tell you that Theo has passed away. If you’d like to talk, if you feel like you’re struggling, please, do not struggle alone.
[ Howie rolls back his sleeve. The blisters are worse. There are also blisters on his chest ]
Dr Mitchell: [ On inter com ] Reach out to a friend, a teacher, or myself. All of us at Abbott are here for you in this difficult time.
⋘⋙
Howie Keller: Dr. Mitchell?
Dr Mitchell: Mr. Keller. What can I do for you?
Howie: There’s something I have to tell you. About Theo.
[ The Post Office ] [ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]
[ BEEP, DIALING ]
Aram: [ Practicing ] “It’s Aram.”
[ CELLPHONE RINGING ]
Elodie: Hello?
Aram: Hey, uh, Elodie. It’s, um– It’s- It’s Aram. Mojtabai.
Elodie: Well. Hello, stranger.
Aram: Yeah, I, uh- I know it’s, uh, been two weeks since I’ve I’ve called. I wanted to. I just, um– You have no idea how much I, um– Okay, um, a friend says I should tell you I was busy at work, but I wasn’t. I mean- I mean, I was. I just– Uh, not not too busy to call.
Elodie: It’s okay. I didn’t call, either.
Aram: Yeah. You’re- You’re married. You’re loving, honoring, and, uh, cherishing – while I am– I am lusting. Which, of the seven deadly sins, if I’m not mistaken, is, uh, Number One with a bullet.
Elodie: I’m meeting some people at the Fremont tomorrow. You want to come?
Aram: Um– uh, sure.
Elodie: You’d have to wear a suit and tie.
Aram: That, uh– That sounds, uh, fancy. You, uh– Are you sure it’s okay if I join?
Elodie: Of course not. That’s why you have to. Meet me in the lobby at 7:00.
[ Cooper’s office ]
Aram: Sir, I found a connection. In the files we pulled from National Diagnostics, each of the boys listed two addresses – one where their families lived, which were all different, and a second one, which was all the same.
Cooper: 2725 Hollow Mill Lane. Old Falls.
⋘⋙
[ The common area ]
Cooper: How can that be? None of the boys we identified are from Virginia.
Liz: No, but they all went to boarding school there. Abbott Boarding School.
Ressler: And from what their parents told us, all five of the kids who got sick were Abbott students.
Aram: Became Abbott students.
Cooper: How do you mean?
Aram: Devane had Benjamin Gansky’s genome tested in February 2012, seven months before he enrolled. He tested Peter Crane four months before he enrolled in 2016.
Liz: Sounds like gene sequencing was the final part of some sort of entrance exam. Every student that passed wound up at the school.
Ressler: We don’t know what Devane is doing or why, but we do know where.
Cooper: Are any students currently at Abbott whose profile Devane hacked?
Aram: One. Howard Keller.
Cooper: Get to the school. Alert the headmaster. I don’t want anything happening to young Mr. Keller on our watch.
[ Norman Devane’s lab. He is wearing a biohazard suit. Howie lies on a hospital cot ]
Dr Mitchell: We have a situation. I just hung up with the police. I don’t know what they know, but they know. They’re on their way now.
Devane: O-On their way?
Dr Mitchell: You need to shut it down. Y-You got to get out! You need to deal with the boy, too!
Devane: Okay. Just calm down. I’m on the verge of a breakthrough.
Dr Mitchell: Take care of it, Norman. Do you understand what I’m saying? It’s not just Theo Wolf or Howard Keller. It’s the FBI. I can stall them. But this is over, Norman. We’re even. Now get rid of the kid and clear out. You need to go now.
[ Howie wakes up but is very groggy ]
Howie: Why are you–
Devane: Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh. It’s okay.
[ Devane injects Howie ]
Devane: There you go. Just go to sleep, little man. It’ll be over soon. It’ll all be over very soon.
[ Howie wakes up GASPING ] [ He is on a couch. Nearby is a table with prescription bottles on it. His blisters are festering. He tries to reach for the table but discovers he is chained ] [ CHAIN RATTLING ]
[ Cooper’s office ]
Aram: Sir? [ KNOCKING ON DOOR ] Okay. Uh, so, I should’ve caught this before, so let me start by saying, um, I’m sorry.
Cooper: Sorry for what?
Aram: You know how you told me to notify the headmaster at Abbott and let him know that Howard Keller may be in danger?
Cooper: Yes. What did he say?
Aram: It’s not what he said. It’s who he is. The headmaster at Abbott Boarding School is Kelvin Mitchell, and his son, Thomas Mitchell, is on the list of names Devane hacked from National Diagnostics.
Cooper: He’s one of Devane’s subjects.
[ Ressler and Liz are in Headmaster Dr Mitchell’s office ]
Dr Mitchell: Okay. That’s- That’s just absurd.
Ressler: We know your son was involved.
Liz: More importantly, we have reason to believe Howard Keller is in danger.
Dr Mitchell: I’m sorry. I’d like to cooperate. But if you think I’m about to grant you access to one of the children under my care without proper authorization–
[ Liz pushes past Mitchell to the security guard in the room ]
Liz: Hey, you! Yeah, you. You want to go to jail for obstruction of justice, too? Or are you gonna show me to Howard Keller’s room?
[ The guard nods and leaves with Liz ]
⋘⋙
Ressler: Norman Devane. Where is he?
Dr Mitchell: I’m not talking to you without a lawyer. Or a warrant.
Ressler: So why is he bringing students to your school?
Dr Mitchell: I said I want a lawyer.
⋘⋙
[ Light SWITCH CLICKS ] [ Liz and the Guard enter Howie’s room ]
Liz: Howard Keller?
[ Liz pulls back the covers on the bed. No one is there ]
Liz: Where is he?
Guard: I have no idea.
[ Liz goes to the other bed ]
Liz: Hey. Hey!
[ The student doesn’t respond ]
Liz: He’s been sedated. Lock down the school! Now!
⋘⋙
Ressler: You want a lawyer? How about this for legal advice? Cooperate. Because the man you’re protecting is wanted not only by the FBI, but by MI6, the FSB, the Mossad.
Dr Mitchell: I’m telling you, I-I can’t help.
Ressler: Why the hell are you sheltering this guy!?
Dr Mitchell: I’m not! You don’t understand.
Ressler: Oh, I understand that you’re lying. But I don’t understand why you’re protecting the man who tried to kill your son.
Dr Mitchell: Norman Devane didn’t try to kill my son! He saved him!
Ressler: You’re gonna tell me where Devane is. Right now.
[ The Guard and Liz force open the door of the room where Howie is. He lies face down on the floor ]
Liz: Call an ambulance! Flip him for me.
[ The Guard does. Howie is very groggy ]
Liz: Howard! Howard. Talk to me. Can you hear me? I need you to talk to me. The man who did this – do you know where he went? Talk to me, Howard! Do you know where he went?!
[ Devane’s Lab ]
[ SHREDDER WHIRRING ] [ BEEP ] [ Devane puts electronics in the microwave ] [ SIZZLING⚡️AND⚡️POPPING ]
[ Ressler barges in ]
Ressler: Norman Devane! FBI! Put your hands where I can see them. I said hands. Now.
[ Devane’s back is to Ressler. Devane raises his hands, but when Ressler tries cuff him, he spins around and sprays Ressler with aerosol ] [ They fight ] [ GRUNTING ]
[ Ressler falls. When he is down, Devane’s grabs a syringe from the refrigerator ] [ Ressler wrestles the syringe away and goes after Devane with it ] [ Devane GURGLING ] [ Ressler sticks Devane with the needle ] [ Devane falls to the floor ]
Devane: The kid – what did you do to him?
[ On a highway, in Red’s Mercedes ]
[ CELLPHONE CHIMES ]
The Stranger: You were right. About the wedding feeling safe. Meeting is confirmed.
Red: Then you need to change. We’ll have you home in a jiffy. Things are looking up! Between you and Devane, we now have two lines in the water. A fish will eventually bite.
The Stranger: Because everything happens for a reason. Even if that reason is as random as my goddaughter’s wedding.
[ CELLPHONE RINGS ]
Red: Did you find Devane?
Liz: Yes, and he’s still infecting people. Only now the people he’s infecting are children at a boarding school.
Red: I need to speak with him.
Liz: There was a fight. He was injected with the disease he gave one of the students some sort of flesh-eating bacteria. Ressler’s taking him to the hospital.
Red: Why children?
Liz: I don’t know. Some died. Some made miraculous recoveries. We’re taking one to Children of Mercy now.
Red: Children of Mercy. So Ressler isn’t with you.
Liz: No, he’s taking Devane to Walter Reed.
[ In the back of Ressler’s car, Devane is sweating and BREATHING SHARPLY ]
[ ENGINE REVS ] [ Red’s Mercedes overcomes Ressler’s SUV ]
[ TIRES SCREECH, HORN HONKS ]
[ Red’s car stops sideways in front of Ressler ]
[ Red gets out and walks over ]
Red: License and registration, please.
Ressler: What are you doing?
Red: I’ve always wanted to say that. Please, unlock the doors and step out of the vehicle.
Ressler: Very funny.
[ Red pulls out his gun ]
Red: No, really. Unlock the doors. I’m taking Devane.
Devane: What are you doing? Who is that?
Ressler: He can’t tell you anything if he’s dead.
Red: [ To Devane ] Come on out.
[ Dembe pulls Devane out ]
Ressler: He’s in federal custody.
Red: He was. He’s not anymore.
Ressler: Fine. You know what? Have it your way.
[ Ressler cuffs himself to Devane ]
Ressler: Wherever he goes, I go. You know what I always wanted to say?
Red: I have no idea.
Ressler: This is gonna be a gas!
[ One of Red’s mobile hospitals ] [ Dembe dumps Devane on a hospital bed ]
Devane: [ GRUNTS ]
[ Dr Spalding Stark, whose research Red has been supporting and who has been treating Red, is there ]
Dr Spalding Stark: Some kind of Vibrio bacteria.
Devane: Vibrio vulnificus.
Dr Stark: It’s a bacteria that aggressively attacks the body’s soft tissue. It can be treated with antibiotics.
Devane: Not this strain.
Dr Stark: How do you know that?
Devane: Because I created it.
Dr Stark: You’re Norman Devane.
Ressler: You’re Spalding Stark. We arrested you!
Dr Stark: [ To Red ] You brought an FBI agent here?
Red: It was a two-for-one sale.
[ Sores are festering on Devane’s face and growing worse by the minute ]
Devane: The boy – is he alive?
Ressler: What do you care?
Red: He wasn’t trying to kill the boy. He was trying to cure him.
Ressler: What are you talking about? He got the kid sick.
Red: He experimented on them. On all of them. And some of the children survived, but only because he wanted them to, because he cured them. That’s right, isn’t it, Norman?
Devane: Is the boy alive?
Red: I know that’s what you’ve done. What I can’t figure out is why.
Ressler: Try blackmail. Make people sick and demand a ransom for the cure.
Devane: Is the boy okay or not?
Red: I understand what you’ve been exposed to is what you gave him. But you also gave him the cure, and you’re wondering if it worked. Well, we’ll just have to get back to you on that. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane, shall we? The drone strike. After the strike, you went from hundreds of victims to – ten? Why? What changed? — I have all day. You? What? An hour, maybe less?
Devane: The drone strike. In the hospital after, I got an infection. Drug-resistant. Nearly killed me. Everything I did to make other people vulnerable – I never thought how vulnerable I was.
Ressler: So that’s what all of this is about? Protecting yourself? Finding cures to diseases you might get?
Red: It seems the germ doctor is a germophobe. A word to the wise and dying – you can’t cheat death. You can’t predict it or protect yourself against it.
Devane: I can. By testing immunotherapy drugs, I learned to harness the body’s immune response to fight untreatable bacteria, cancers.
Dr Stark. You learned to do it by experimenting on people.
Ressler: [ SCOFFS ] And you didn’t?
Dr Stark: I gave terminally ill hope. I didn’t infect children.
Red: Which brings us back to the boy. Immunotherapy drugs are carefully calibrated to a particular individual.
Ressler: The hack at the NDL.
Red: 100 million patients, and you find a handful who have enough in common with you to guarantee that if the cures worked for them, they’d also work for you.
Devane: Did it work? Please tell me.
Red: As soon as you tell me about a Russian operative you did contract work for in 1986. She reached out to you recently. I want to know why.
Devane: The cure – if it worked–
Red: Tell me about the Russian. Tell me about her, and I’ll do everything in my power to get you the cure.
Ressler: Trust me, we want you to live. So we can try you for mass murder.
Devane: Constance Drucker. That’s her name. She was looking for a treatment.
Red: Is she sick?
Devane: Not for her. Someone she cared about.
Red: She cares for no one.
Devane: Do I have your word?
Red: You do.
Devane: His name’s Patrick Masuda.
Ressler: Done.
Red: Who are you calling?
Ressler: Keen. She’s at the hospital with the boy. She’ll know by now if the cure worked.
Red: That won’t be necessary.
Ressler: And why not?
Red: Because I have the cure right here.
[ Red shoots Devane 💥💥 ]
Red: He looks better already.
[ Children of Mercy Hospital ]
Mr Keller: You’re telling me that’s why Howie was admitted? To be a lab rat?
Liz: Devane cured the headmaster’s son. He had a terminal illness, and somehow Devane put it in remission.
Mr Keller: So he let some maniac infect my son with some biological disease?!
Liz: Devane agreed to continue treatment on the headmaster’s son if he agreed to allow him to experiment on the students at the school.
Mr Keller: To make him sick.
Liz: To test his treatments. He gave Howard immunotherapy that he designed for himself.
Mr Keller: I assume he did that for every boy. Were they all cured?
Liz: No. They weren’t.
Dr Ambati: Mr. Keller? I’ve reviewed the tests we’ve run on your son.
Mr Keller: And?
Dr Ambati: And the results are very unusual.
Red: I apologize, Spalding. You offered your services, and I returned the favor by acting intemperately.
Dr Stark: My research. This lab. It can’t be compromised.
Red: It won’t be. I just called my cleaners. They’ll take care of everything.
Dr Stark: An FBI agent saw what you did.
⋘⋙
[ Ressler steps into an adjacent area to make a call ]
Ressler: [ On phone ] Reddington killed Devane.
Cooper: For refusing to cooperate?
Ressler: No, Devane told him what he wanted to hear. Reddington shot him anyway.
⋘⋙
Red: [ To Dr Stark ] Agent Ressler is as crooked as the crooked man’s cat. You have nothing to worry about. But apparently I do. You haven’t mentioned my blood panel results.
Dr Stark: We’ve been too busy.
Red: Not for good news.
⋘⋙
Ressler: His cleaners are on their way to mop up now. You want me to let them?
Cooper: You’re asking if we should look the other way.
Ressler: Yeah. Again.
[ A file of medical records is next to Ressler. He notices a chart labeled “R REDDINGTON” ]
⋘⋙
Dr Stark: Let me get your chart.
[ Ressler steps in with Red’s chart ]
Ressler: No need. I have it right here.
[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ] [ Aram arrives at the spot where he agreed to meet Elodie ] [ CLASSIC MUSIC PLAYING ]
[ Elodie walks up to Aram and sticks a name tag on him ]
Elodie: Hello, Mr. Bloom.
Aram: Mister?
Elodie: And Mrs. Bloom. Isn’t it great? Come on! Name tags at a wedding are genius. One side never knows the other.
Aram: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Uh, we’re going to a wedding?
Elodie: No, silly. We’re crashing one.
Aram: Crashing. As- As Mr. and Mrs. Bloom?
Elodie: They were the first ones I saw on the table. FYI, we’re on the groom’s side.
[ At the mobile hospital, Red’s cleaners ply their craft as Red and Ressler look on ]
Red: It’s better this way.
Ressler: No, it’s not. But it’s the way it is.
Red: About my chart.
Ressler: I didn’t look at it.
Red: Why not?
Ressler: Because sometimes you’re supposed to look the other way. It was a pretty thick file, though.
Red: I’d appreciate if you didn’t mention anything about it to Elizabeth. I wouldn’t want to cause her any unnecessary concern.
[ Thompson Twins’ ♪ “Hold Me Now” plays ]
Ressler: It’s no skin off my nose one way or the other. But I’m pretty sure honesty really is the best policy.
Red: I’m glad you think so, Donald. Because I honestly don’t want her to worry. Whether she does or not is entirely up to you.
[ The wedding venue ]
♪ And loving it all
Ohh-ohh, hold me now
Ohh, warm my heart
Elodie: Oh! I love this song. [ LAUGHS ]
Aram: The song is, uh– Song’s great. Us, um– Us being here, it’s–
♪ Let loving start, let loving start
You say I’m a dreamer
We’re two of a kind
Aram: [ CLEARS THROAT SOFTLY ]
[ Elodie sways to the music and drifts off to dance alone ]
♪ Both of us searching for some perfect world we know
[ The hospital ]
Mr Keller: You’re saying he’s gonna be okay? That he’s been cured?
Dr Ambati: His infection is resistant to every antibiotic we’ve administered, but he’s improving on his own. We’re rerunning the tests to confirm, but, yes, it appears whatever that maniac gave him is working.
♪ Nowhere that I’d rather be than with you here today
Ohh-oh-oh, ohh-oh-oh-oh-oh♪ Hold me now
Ohh-oh, warm my heart
[ A Skittish Man comes up to Aram ]
Skittish Man: The man you’re looking for is Gregory Flynn.
♪ Let loving start
Aram: Uh– [ CHUCKLES ] Excuse me?
Skittish Man: Frank Bloom?
Aram: Oh, yes, but, um–
Skittish Man: His real name is Berdy Chernov.
[ He gives Aram a piece of paper with the names on it then leaves ]
♪ Oh, warm my heart
Stay with me
Let loving start
[ At the wedding name tag table ]
The Stranger: Excuse me. We’re Mr. and Mrs. Bloom. Our name tags seem to be missing.
⋘⋙
Elodie: Ohhhhh [ LAUGHS ] Who were you just talking to?
Aram: I have no idea.
Elodie: But he knew who you were. Oh, my God. I’m telling you. Name tags at weddings. Pure genius. Well, what can I say?
[ LAUGHS ]
♪ You ask if I love you
Aram: Mrs. Bloom?
Elodie: Yes, Mr. Bloom?
Aram: Wanna dance?
Games that we play
Ohh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
[ The Stranger (aka Frank Bloom) and his wife Linda walk into the wedding venue ]
Linda: I don’t know what the big deal is. It’s just a silly name tag.
⋘⋙
[ Aram and Elodie dance ]
♪ Ohh, hold my heart
Warm my cold and tired heart
Stay with me
Ooh-ooh, stay with me
Let loving start, let loving start
Oh-oh, hold me now
[ The Post Office ]
Liz: Constance Drucker?
Ressler: It’s an alias used by the woman who kidnapped Reddington. Now, she hired Devane to develop a treatment for a man named Patrick Masuda.
Liz: And Reddington thinks Masuda can lead him back to her.
Ressler: So we need to find him first.
Liz: So we can get to the woman who might have answers about my mother. But I don’t think I want them. We went after Katarina, and my grandfather nearly died.
Ressler: You deserve to know.
Liz: Yeah, but I don’t need to. I’m happy. I’ve got Agnes back. I’m not gonna risk that to hunt for answers about a woman I’ve never really known. It isn’t worth it.
Ressler: Well, it’s nice. I mean, seeing you happy. It’s been a long time comin’. Too long.
Liz: I-I meant to ask. What was Reddington doing with Stark?
Red: Looks like he set him up after Stark got out of prison. He always believed the guy was a visionary. Probably wanted to reinvest.
[ Red’s place; DOOR OPENS ]
The Stranger/Frank Bloom: It didn’t happen. There was a mix-up. Now my contact’s in the wind. I’m sorry.
Red: I told you with two lines in the water, we were bound to catch a fish, and we did.
The Stranger/Frank Bloom: [ CHUCKLES ] After all that. The shooting in Havana. The wedding fiasco. But I kept feeling like there was nothing but setbacks. But here we are. Made a killing on hog futures and got a lead.
Red: And a prognosis.
The Stranger/Frank Bloom: Which was?
Red: Stark’s treatment was ineffective.
The Stranger/Frank Bloom: I’m sorry.
Red: Sometimes, things happen for a reason. And sometimes I just don’t know what that reason is.
The Stranger/Frank Bloom: Is there anything I can do?
Red: There is actually. Some guy, Patrick Masuda – I need some help to find him.
⬆ go to start of 7:5 Norman Devane
⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ You Drive Me Crazy
By Grand PrixLyrics and Credits: [ Unavailable ]
YouTube: https://youtu.be/1mx-WgM7d2A
♫ Mi Verdadero Amor
By Álvaro Torres y Los Reyes Latinos♪ No es por nobleza ni bondad que estoy contigo
Ni es solamente porque calmas mis deseos
Tal vez te cueste creer lo que te digo
Pero tú eres la mujer de mis sueños
Y no me importa lo que hiciste en el pasado
Que nos amamos es lo único que cuenta
Después de todo quién no se ha equivocado
Y hay cosas peores que ser madre soltera♪ Amor, mi verdadero amor
Te amo exactamente cómo eres
Simplemente con lo puesto
Con virtudes y defectos
Y quién me va a decir si debo o no♪ Amor, mi verdadero amor
Lo mío es más profundo que el deseo
Tú me llenas por completo
Y de lo poco que tengo
Tú eres simplemente lo mejor
Nada me puede hacer dudar de lo que siento
Ni otras mujeres ni lo que la gente diga
Yo soy tan tuyo y sólo a ti te pertenezco
Y para mí tú eres el centro de mi vida
Y no me importa lo que hiciste…♪ Amor, mi verdadero amor…
Google Translate:
♪ It is not for nobility or goodness that I am with you
Nor is it just because you calm my desires
Maybe it costs you to believe what I say
But you are the woman of my dreams
And I don’t care what you did in the past
That we love each other is the only thing that counts
After all who has not been wrong
And there are worse things than being a single mother♪ Love my true love
I love you exactly how you are
Simply with the post
With virtues and defects
And who is going to tell me if I should or not♪ Love my true love
Mine is deeper than desire
You fill me completely
And how little I have
You are simply the best
Nothing can make me doubt what I feel
Neither other women nor what people say
I am so yours and only I belong to you
And for me you are the center of my life
And I don’t care what you did …♪ Love, my true love …
Lyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/2PLzD2x
YouTube: https://youtu.be/cP2vAGeFwgk
♫ Hold Me Now
By Thompson Twins♪ I have a picture
Pinned to my wall
An image of you and of me and
We’re laughing and loving it all♪ But look at our life now
All tattered and torn
We fuss and we fight and
Delighting with tears
As we cry until dawn
Oh, whoa♪ Hold me now, whoa
Warm my heart
Stay with me
Let loving start
(Let loving start)♪ You say I’m a dreamer
We’re two of a kind
Both of us searching
For some perfect world
We know we’ll never find♪ So perhaps I should leave here
Yeah, yeah, go far away
But you know that there’s nowhere
That I’d rather be
Than with you here today
Oh, whoa, oh, whoa♪ Hold me now, whoa
Warm my heart
Stay with me
Let loving start
(Let loving start)♪ Hold me now, whoa
Warm my heart
Stay with me
Let loving start
(Let loving start) whoa♪ You ask if I love you
Well, what can I say?
You know that I do
And that this is just one
Of those games that we play♪ So I’ll sing you a new song
Please don’t cry any more
I’ll even ask your forgiveness
Though I don’t know
Just what I’m asking it for
Oh, whoa, oh, whoa♪ Hold me now, whoa
(Hold me in your loving arms)
Warm my heart
(Warm my cold and tired heart)
Stay with me
(Ooohooohooo stay with me)
Let loving start
Let loving start♪ Hold me now, whoa
(Hold me in your loving arms)
Warm my heart
(Warm my cold and tired heart)
Stay with me
(Ooohooohooo stay with me)
Let loving start
Let loving start[Repeat chorus 4 times till fade out]
Lyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/36rgUiE
YouTube: https://youtu.be/TvzVTRK1nOY
⬆ go to start of 7:5 Norman Devane
⏫ go to top
❌❌❌ End 7:5 Norman Devane
🔴 Script 7:6 Dr Lewis Powell (№ 130)
Program air date: 11/8/2019 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-a5K
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/2WHlKDL
Director: Christine Gee
Written by: Jon Bokenkamp, Sam Christopher
Brief (Where we’re at): Red has received a prognosis indicating the treatments he has been getting from Dr Spalding Stark have been ineffective. Red has been funding Stark’s research and taking injections and pills for some time. Since Stark experiments on those who are terminally ill, things seem dire for Red. Perhaps “things happen for a reason” and it was no accident that Red literally dumped in Stark’s lab another genius genetic researcher, Norman Devane who, after years of fashioning bioweapons for tyrants such as Gadaffi and Assad, had turned his talents to experimenting on boarding school students with a genetic profile similar to his own, including a rare B-negative blood type. Red, too, is B-negative:
Episode 1:9 Anslo Garrick:
Red: Donald, I’m gonna quietly cross my fingers before I ask, but what blood type are you?
Donald: B-negative.
Red: And you thought we had nothing in common. There’s only 2% of us, you know.The FBI raided Devane’s lab at Abbott Boarding School. Devane put up a fight and threatened Ressler with an injection. But Ressler wrested the syringe away, injecting Devane with it instead. Devane quickly developed an infection by a flesh-eating bacteria that he had modified to be resistant to antibiotics. He had injected young Howie Keller with the same bacteria and then with the cure he had developed. In fact, Howie was cured. Devane had announced to his co-conspirator that he was “on the verge of a breakthrough.” But Red shot Devane after Devane announced his aims:
Red: … A word to the wise and dying – you can’t cheat death. You can’t predict it or protect yourself against it.
Devane: I can. By testing immunotherapy drugs, I learned to harness the body’s immune response to fight untreatable bacteria, cancers.So, here’s the wild goose chase:
● Katarina Rostova is “Maddie Tolliver” to Liz, as her ersatz nanny, and “Constance Drucker” to her Halawadar and is looking for “Ilya Koslov” who supposedly became Raymond Reddington (which, according to the story Dom told Liz, Katarina should already know).
● Red and the FBI (Ressler) are separately looking for “Patrick Masuda” who Devane told Red is “a person [Katarina] cares about” who she wanted him to help (Liz wants to opt out of the search).
● The previously unidentified “Stranger” [cast list], a friend of Red’s since childhood, is Frank Bloom, married to Linda. He failed to connect with a tipster at a wedding when Aram’s new love interest Elodie Radcliffe, swiped the Blooms’ name badges. So Aram got the tip instead.Skittish Man: The man you’re looking for is Gregory Flynn.
Aram: Uh– [ CHUCKLES ] Excuse me?
Skittish Man: Frank Bloom?
Aram: Oh, yes, but, um–
Skittish Man: His real name is Berdy Chernov.
[ He gives Aram a piece of paper with the names on it then leaves ]● “Berdy” is Katarina’s right-hand man and muscle. So, if he is “Berdy Chernov,” he apparently has an alias, “Gregory Flynn,” the latter known only to Aram who got the tip intended for Red.
● The FBI has whatever contents of Devane’s lab that Devane didn’t manage to destroy.“Things happen for a reason,” says Red who “leaves nothing to fate” but is “comfortable with chaos” because “whatever happens is probably meant to be.” We’ll see.
⭕ Script 7:6 Dr Lewis Powell (№ 130)
[ A middle-aged man speaks ernestly on a video in close-up ]
Video:
Dr Michael Alexander: My name is Dr. Michael Alexander. I’m a senior programmer at DXE Labs here in Richmond. I’ve worked in this position for the past 10 years, and in that time, I have seen the worst of humanity. My coworkers are unethical sheep. My management team has asked me to lie repeatedly. Our research team regularly fixes data to serve the stockholder interests.
[ The view of Dr Alexander widens to show he is wearing a suicide vest ]
Video:
Someone needs to stand up to this. As a man of science, I feel obligated to right these wrongs. [ CLICK ]
[ The Alexanders’ kitchen] [ TEXT ALERT CHIMES ] [ A text message appears on Dr Powell’s wife, Jaden Alexander’s, phone: “From Kevin: ‘jaden! what’s going on with mike?? check your email!’” Jaden sits at her laptop and opens the email with the video ]
Video:
Dr Alexander: My name is Dr. Michael Alexander. I’m a senior programmer at DXE Labs here in Richmond. I’ve worked in this position for the past 10 years, and in that time, I have seen the worst of humanity. My coworkers are unethical sheep. My management team has asked me to lie repeatedly.–
[ Dr Alexander is walking toward his office building when he receives a phone call ] [ RINGING, CLICK ]
Dr Alexander: Hello?
Video:
Our research team–
Jaden Alexander: [ On phone ] Mike, what the hell is going on?
Dr Alexander: What do you mean? I’m at work.
Jaden: I saw the video.
Dr Alexander: What video? What are you talking about?
[ 🚨SIRENS WAILING🚨 ] [ Police cars screech to a halt ]
Jaden: Michael, just come home to me.
[ Police pile out of the vehicles and point their guns at Dr Alexander ]
— Michael Alexander, put your hands up!
— Police!
— Don’t move!
— I said show me your hands!
— Don’t move! Hands!
Female Officer: Get on the ground right now!
Dr Alexander: What’s going on?!
— What’s in your hand?!
[ It’s just his cell phone ]
Dr Alexander: It’s– No–
— He’s got a detonator!
Alexander: No, it’s just a—
[ 💥💥💥 GUNFIRE 💥💥💥 ] [ Dr Alexander is shot multiple times and falls ]
[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]
Jaden: [ On phone ] Michael, talk to me! Michael?!
Male Officer: Stay there.
— Call an ambulance.
Jaden: [ On phone ] Oh, my God.
— Right now.
Jaden: [ On phone ] What’s happening? Please talk to me, Michael.
[ A male officer checks Dr Alexander who is not moving. The officer finds no weapons, no bomb belt ]
[ MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ] [ POLICE RADIO CHATTER ]
[ In a large room, Dr Lewis Powell sits in a wheelchair. A multitude of computer screens is arrayed in front of him, filling the entire wall ]
TV Announcer: Details are still coming in, but we’re being told the alleged bomber has been fatally shot by police.
[ RESPIRATOR HISSING ]
TV Announcer: The DXE Labs campus remains in lockdown while authorities search for a motive in this crime.
[ Red’s place ]
Dembe: Francesca nearly took your life.
Red: And then she saved it. And Dom’s.
Dembe: Dom’s not out of the woods. You owe her nothing.
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
Red: I want to reach out. Just tell her there’s an urgent matter we need to discuss.
[ Dembe lets Liz in ]
Red: Elizabeth.
Liz: I spoke to Cooper. He wants to bring Agent Park onto the Task Force.
Red: He already told her about my involvement?
Liz: I did. After vetting a lot of candidates. She’s a good fit.
Red: I disagree.
Liz: Of course you do. It wasn’t your decision.
Red: Ah, but it is my decision, and I have a different choice. Francesca Campbell.
Liz: She’s a combat medic, not an agent.
Red: True, but she’s talented, and I like her.
Liz: Please just consider Park. I know she seems straight-laced, but deep down, I feel there’s a darkness there you’ll appreciate. [ CHUCKLES ]
Red: This strange incident at DXE Labs.
Liz: Oh, yeah, the bombing. Scary stuff. It’s hard to believe someone of Dr. Alexander’s reputation would do something like–
Red: It’s hard to believe because it’s not true. There was no bomb.
Liz: He uploaded a confession video before he went to work.
Red: The digital world is filled with anonymous malcontents hiding behind screens, conducting all manner of spurious acts. Their latest pleasure seems to be putting false words into the mouths of innocents.
Liz: What makes you think he’s innocent?
[ Tadashi Ito is working at a computer in an adjacent room ]
Tadashi Ito: Whoever uploaded that video was definitely stitching together an assortment of old recordings.
Liz: Hey, there, Tadashi. Good to see you, too.
Tadashi: I’m pretty sure the opening came from an online speech Dr. Alexander gave in March. It’s a really convincing deepfake.
Red: [ CHUCKLES ] “Deepfake.” Kids today.
Liz: The video’s a fake?
Tadashi: Not just a fake. It’s an ultra-realistic counterfeit made with A.I. software. Whoever did this used a patchwork of old videos, broke Dr. Alexander’s speech down into phonemes – added to or edited his words and then used a perimeter blending program to synthesize the lower face region and generate a believable composite.
Red: And you wonder why I insist on flip phones and dead drops. Honestly.
Liz: They rearranged his words? Edited the footage to–
Tadashi: To depict Dr. Alexander saying things he never said.
Liz: What about that last part? Th-The one with the suicide vest?
[ KEYBOARD CLICKS ]
Tadashi: It’s altered footage from a video uploaded by an activist group in Russia. I’m telling you– This isn’t some amateur 4chan joke. I’ve never seen a deepfake this good.
Red: Whoever released the video wanted this shooting to happen. Suicide by cop. Or rather, murder by cop. Dr. Alexander held a high-ranking position at one of the foremost defense contractors in the country, giving him access to classified intelligence. I fear his death may be the precursor to something far more sinister.
[ The Post Office. Liz briefs the Task Force ]
Liz: A fake video triggered police response in Phoenix to a shooting that never happened. Doctored footage of a Silicon Valley tech firm caused stock prices to crater. And a U.S. senator lost her seat after photos of an affair that never happened went viral on social media. Three deepfakes, three examples of malicious hoaxes that led to real-life consequences. And according to Reddington, the shooting death of Dr. Alexander is simply the most recent.
Cooper: Reddington believes Richmond police killed an innocent man?
Liz: Yes. By all accounts, Dr. Alexander was a highly respected systems engineer. Happy marriage, healthy children, successful career. At DXE Labs, he designed an on board intelligence system for a new generation of battlefield drones.
Aram: Could be sabotage by a hostile foreign power.
Ressler: Or corporate espionage a DXE competitor looking for an edge. Either way, the national security threats are very real.
[ Dr Powell’s place with the large computer screen array ]
Modulated Voice: I need your assurance the job will be carried out as discussed.
⋘⋙
[ Walter Higgins is checking out a sniper’s rifle ]
Walter Higgins: Not a problem. Just send me the details. Everything will be taken care of as discussed.
⋘⋙
Modulated Voice: Very well. Payment has been wired. The balance will be paid once the target has been eliminated.
Aram: Okay, so, the video was shared over 8,500 times in the first five minutes alone, but I was able to trace the very first upload to an account named Mr.-underscore-Rite362, but the problem is–
[ The new person, Agent Alina Park, arrives ]
Agent Park: I’m so sorry I’m late.
Cooper: Agent Park. I believe you met everyone on your first visit, except for Agent Ressler.
Agent Park: Oh, my gosh yes, Agent Ressler. Hi! I mean hello. I’ve heard so much about you.
Ressler: Not all bad, I hope.
Agent Park: No, all incredibly – amazing. The work you did hunting Reddington – It was relentless.
Ressler: And ironic.
Cooper: Aram’s already briefed Agent Park on the details of the case.
Aram: Yeah, I was just explaining how the video originated from the Reddit handle. I pulled the ISP. Turns out this guy bounced all over the Internet, hiding his location with a VPN.
Ressler: Meaning we don’t know who uploaded the video.
Aram: Not yet, no.
Agent Park: Actually, I’m sorry. That’s why I’m late. We sort of do know.
Aram: We do? I mean, uh, what do you mean?
Agent Park: I took a different approach – ran a search on the username itself and found that same handle ran posts on multiple other underground forums. Luckily, on one, Mr-Rite failed to use a VPN, so I contacted the ISP directly and sent a subpoena. Turns out the address was leased to one Aiden McCullough. 16 years old. An address in Bethesda.
Ressler: [ CHUCKLES ] I like her already.
Cooper: Ressler, take Agent Park and pay a visit to Aiden McCullough. Keen, see what you can dig up on the kid. In the meantime, I’ll reach out to DHS and CIA.
[ They disperse, leaving Aram ]
Aram: Okay, I’ll just, uh I’ll just hang tight. I’ll be right here if anyone needs me.
[ Francesca (“Frankie”) Campbell approaches her car, talking on her cell phone ]
Frankie Campbell: Yeah, it’s urgent. I got it, Dembe. I’ll see you soon. [ SIGHS ]
[ A man, Baldwin, come up behind her and holds a gun to her waist ]
Baldwin: Hand me the keys. Put your hands behind your back.
[ Baldwin ties Frankie’s hands with a cable tie ]
[ Agent Park rides with Ressler ]
Female GPS voice: In 4 miles, exit right.
Agent Park: According to the news, Reddington escaped from prison. That’s a pretty thin story to hide the fact that you’re in business with him.
Ressler: Have you read our case files?
Agent Park: Yeah. Ever think he turned himself in so you could help him further his career?
Ressler: The thought’s crossed my mind, yeah.
Agent Park: And you’re okay with that? You, of all people, helping him expand his empire?
Ressler: Why Anchorage? I read your file. You read ours. I read yours. Top of your class at the academy. Could’ve gone to any field office – New York, L.A. But you pick Anchorage. How come?
Agent Park: I liked the weather.
Ressler: I only ask because – it seems out of character. Everything else is pretty predictable, by the book. Yes, sir, no, sir. Family, God, country. Then Anchorage.
Agent Park: Got a problem with following the book?
Ressler: No, not at all. In fact, you remind me of someone I used to know. Me.
Agent Park: I remind Aram of someone he hates.
Ressler: [ CHUCKLES ] It’s kind of the opposite.
Agent Park: Really? He looked at me like gum on the bottom of his shoe.
Ressler: That’s because you’re replacing someone he cared about, which is tough, but he’ll get over it. You just- You got to give him time.
[ Ressler and Agent Park go to a house ] [ KNOCK ON DOOR ] [ A woman answers the door ]
Ressler: Ann McCullough?
Ann McCullough: Mm-hmm.
Ressler: Agents Ressler, Park, FBI. We’re here to talk to your son.
Ann: Talk? He barely grunts.
Ressler: We have a warrant to look at his computer.
Ann: It’s about time someone did.
Agent Park: Do you know what we’re looking for?
Ann: All day, all night, all he does is stare at a screen. Computer, phone. You want to look at that, too?
Ressler: I’m sorry. We don’t have a warrant for that.
[ Her son, Aiden, walks up behind her ]
Ann: To look at the phone that I pay for? Oh, you want a warrant? Here’s your warrant.
[ Ann grabs Aiden’s phone from him ]
Ann: Take it. Hand to God, you’re doing me a favor.
Aiden: Mom, what are you doing?
Ann: It’s the porno, isn’t it?
Aide: Ma!
Ann: Look, Holly Alter – She lives next door. Lovely girl. A little hippy, but still, a delight, but does Hugh Hefner give her the time of day?
Ressler: We’d like to ask you about Michael Alexander.
Aiden: Never heard of him.
Ressler: Yeah, well, he’s dead.
[ Frankie is brought into a darkened warehouse. Baldwin plays a video projected on a large screen ]
Katarina Rostova: You disappoint me, Francesca. I hired you to betray Reddington. Instead, you betrayed me. You gained his confidence. As a result, you now have a chance to regain mine. I have a job for you. I strongly suggest you take it, as I will most certainly kill you if you don’t.
Baldwin: An associate of Reddington’s has indicated a willingness to turn. It may be a trap. Which is why we’re sending you. The who, where, and when are in this envelope. Get him. Bring him here.
[ The Post Office ]
Ressler: We looked through this kid’s computer. He’s not involved.
Cooper: But the video of Michael Alexander was on his computer.
Agent Park: Because the computer was infected by a rootkit. It was turned into a zombie-bot–
Aram: We know what a rootkit does.
Cooper: Please go on.
Agent Park: It was being used as a way station to mask video uploads, as well as financial transactions I’m in the process of tracing.
Cooper: Let’s know if you find something. And Agent Park, good work.
[ They leave except for Aram and Ressler ]
Ressler: Look, I get it.
Aram: I hope so, because it’s obvious.
Ressler: What’s obvious is that you’re not giving her a chance. I mean, her joining the team doesn’t mean she’s replacing Samar. You know that’s not possible.
Aram: Is that what you think this is about? Because it doesn’t feel like she’s replacing Samar. It feels like she’s here to replace me. And by the way, I’m seeing Elodie now and very, very happy about it. Sure, there there are a couple of obstacles.
Ressler: Like her husband, his wheelchair.
Aram: Okay, you know what? Right now, we are living in the moment and having a great time doing it. In fact, I am supposed to meet her for lunch, and since you all have such confidence in Agent Perfect-In-Every-Way, that is what I’m going to go do.
[ Red sits in the back of his car with Frankie ]
Red: Trust is so fragile. When it exists, anything is possible, between people or nations. But when it doesn’t, or worse, when a bond of trust is broken, there is no greater betrayal. Cigar?
Frankie: Excuse me?
Red: Well, not down to the stub or anything. Want to keep the lungs clear, but a celebratory puff or two can’t hurt.
Frankie: What are we celebrating?
Red: Your new job. On the Task Force.
Frankie: The FBI Task Force.
[ Red lights the cigar, and takes a puff ]
Red: As my life often depends on it, I have become an astute judge of character. And in our short time together, I have come to judge you as trustworthy.
[ Red gives Frankie the cigar ]
Frankie: I appreciate that. [ CLEARS THROAT ] And the job.
[ She takes a small draw from the cigar ]
Red: I’m at war with a worthy adversary. Someone capable of exploiting even those closest to me.
[ Red lights another cigar for himself ]
Red: I need you to keep an eye on an associate who I believe is about to betray me. Picked these up in Havana last week – from Castro’s personal humidor. Communism may be discredited, but it still produces a damn fine cigar.
[ An ornate circular Renaissance-style home in the country ]
Aram: When you said there was this amazing place to have lunch, I assumed you meant an amazing restaurant.
Elodie: This is way better.
Aram: This is someone’s house.
Elodie: It’s a replica of Donato Bramante’s Tempietto. They should be giving tours.
Aram: Someone lives here.
Elodie: I know. But they’re at work.
[ Elodie skips ahead. She opens a window and turns around ]
[ WHISPERING ]
Elodie: Come on.
[ Reluctantly, Aram enters the home through the window. Elodie has vanished ]
Aram: This is great. What am I doing? I, um – Hello. I’m here.
[ FLOORBOARDS CREAKING ]
Aram: [ Muttering to himself ] Uh, I’m, uh enjoying the architecture – and, you know, the breaking and entering. This is ridiculous. This is not gonna end well.
[ Aram climbs a staircase ]
Aram: This is crazy. Knock, knock.
[ Elodie is in a bedroom, her clothes tossed aside, with only a sheet pulled over her ]
Elodie: It feels so wrong, right?
Aram: I definitely feel something.
Elodie: Show me.
Aram: You’re gonna be the death of me.
Elodie: Wouldn’t that be amazing?
[ Aram dashes in, taking off his suit jacket — ]
[ Red and Dembe are visiting Mr Brimley at his home ]
Liz: [ On phone ] Hey, it’s me. Got a minute?
Red: Might I call you back in, say, 20 minutes? Or you know what? Make it 30.
Liz: Why? Where are you?
Red: Dembe and I are just wrapping up an absolutely delicious and long overdue lunch date with Brimley. He’s made his mother’s apple brown betty, and turns out the sweetness doesn’t really come from the sugar at all but from the Ribston Pippin apples themselves.
Brimley: Also known as the Glory of York!
Red: [ CHUCKLES ]
Liz: [ CHUCKLING ] Okay. That’s great, but the apple brown betty is gonna have to wait. I spoke to Park. She has a lead.
Red: Mm. It’s very winning, the way you’re promoting Agent Park.
Liz: She said the computer used to upload the deepfake also made another transaction.
Red: Another video?
Liz: Nope, money. $70,000 to be exact. Wired to a Walter Higgins.
Red: Which is probably an alias.
Liz: Total dead end. But we got an image of him on the CCTVs withdrawing the payment. Park is releasing it on the wire, but I want you to take a look. Thought maybe you’d know the face.
Red: Oh, happy to look. Send it to Dembe. We’ll turn over a few rocks. I’ll call you back posthaste.
[ Call ends. Brimley sets the dishes of the brown betty on the table and takes a seat ]
Red: Oh, my goodness.
Dembe: Where’s the ice cream?
Brimley: No ice cream.
Dembe: What do you mean, no ice cream?
Brimley: Mom always served her betty with heavy cream.
[ He pours the cream ]
Red: Oh. And I thought I died once in Marrakech. Lovely, Teddy. Thank you. Mmm.
[ The villa in the country. Aram and Elodie have dozed off ]
[ CAR DOOR CLOSES, ALARM CHIRPS ]
Elodie: [ GASPS, LAUGHS ]
Aram: Sh –
[ The homeowner, a woman, lets herself in and sets her packages down ]
[ Aram and Elodie quietly descend the staircase ]
Homeowner: [ GASPS‼️ ] Who are you?
Aram: It’s, uh, it’s okay. Uh, uh, um, I’m a- I’m a FBI agent. [ Shows badge ]
Homeowner: FBI? What are you doing here?
Aram: Uh, I’m, uh, I’m arresting this woman.
Elodie: Yes. We like to role-play.
Aram: It’s not what it looks like.
Elodie: I’ve been very naughty. Oh, my God.
Homeowner: Get out!
Aram: Yeah, on our way.
Homeowner: Get out of my house!
Elodie: You have a lovely home! You really should be giving tours.
⋘⋙
[ Some distance away ]
Elodie: [ GASPS ] [ LAUGHS ] Oh, that was amazing.
Aram: And illegal.
Elodie: It was totally taboo.
Aram: That woman was terrified, and so was I. You know, she could’ve had a gun.
Elodie: I love that word, don’t you? “Taboo.”
Aram: Elodie, we broke the law.
Elodie: Yeah. That’s what makes it taboo.
Aram: Listen, I am an FBI agent. I do not break the law. [ Under his breath ] Oh, God.
[ BREATHING HEAVILY ]
Elodie: Okay, look. My husband and I loved taking risks. He took one too many, and now he’s dead on the outside. Caring for him makes me dead on the inside. This- The craziness, the taboo of it all, I-I need it more than ever to feel alive, to bring me back from the dead. I can’t live without it. And I didn’t think you could, either. I hope that’s right, because – it’s kind of a dealbreaker if you can.
[ Red’s associate, Vontae Jones, sits on a park bench reading “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy ] [ Frankie Campbell walks up to him ]
Frankie: “In peace, sons bury their fathers.”
Vontae: I don’t mean to be rude, but, uh, I’m expecting someone.
Frankie: I know. She sent me to get you. The man reading “War and Peace.” “In peace, sons bury their fathers.”
Vontae: “In war, fathers bury their sons.”
Frankie: Let’s go. My car’s over there.
Vontae: Wait, she sent you? Like she was too busy or something? I’m risking my life just sitting here, and she couldn’t bother to cancel her spin class?
Frankie: I think she wanted me to determine your sincerity first.
Vontae: My sincerity? I’m handing her Raymond Reddington’s head on a platter.
Frankie: She was concerned Reddington may be setting her up.
Vontae: [ SCOFFS ] Okay, whatever.
[ Vontae begins to walk away ]
Frankie: Wait, wait, wait, wait. Where are you going?
Vontae: I offered the bitch Manhattan for a couple of beaver pelts. A deal like that, you close in person, or there’s no deal. You know what I’m saying?
Frankie: Hey, I’m just the messenger.
Vontae: Then deliver the message. Deal’s off.
Frankie: You know, I got a better idea. [ She holds a gun against his back ] Why don’t you just tell her yourself?
[ Dr Powell’s room of computer displays ]
Modulated Voice: I thought it would be done by now. Why are you making me wait?
Higgins: [ On phone ] I told you. The conditions need to be perfect.
Modulated Voice: I thought the conditions were perfect the last time we spoke.
Higgins: This has to be done flawlessly. But it’ll get done. I’ll contact you when it is.
[ Red and Dembe enter ]
Red: Well, hello, there.
[ Higgins spins, reaching for the gun in his back pocket ]
Red: Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! Please. Word on the street is you’re the man that goes by the name of Higgins.
Higgins: Who the hell are you?
Red: I’m the man with a few questions.
[ Brimley enters, rolling in his oxygen tank ]
Higgins: Who’s this?
Red: Ah. This is the man who’s gonna be asking the questions.
Brimley: Dembe, if you wouldn’t mind, could you help me, uh, warm up before we get started?
Dembe: The seated inner thigh stretch?
[ Brimley lowers himself to the floor ]
Brimley: Yes, please. I’m gonna need to be extra loose for this one.
[ Seated on the floor, Brimley reaches for his toes ] [ GRUNTING ]
[ Liz and Agent Park get out of an FBI vehicle ]
Agent Park: Is this some kind of power trip?
Liz: Reddington says he has a lead.
Agent Park: To show me he’s in charge?
Liz: Alina, I want this to work. And in order for that to happen, you have to try to make a good impression.
Agent Park: Why? I already got the job.
Liz: [ SIGHS ]
Agent Park: Or did I?
Liz: It’s complicated.
Agent Park: Are you telling me that he has the final say? That I’m being vetted by the most wanted man in America?
Liz: I vetted you, and I think you’re the right person for the job.
Agent Park: To work for Raymond Reddington. What could I have possibly done to make you think I’m right for that?
Liz: Anchorage.
Agent Park: You have no idea what happened there.
Liz: No, I don’t. And no one will tell me.
Agent Park: I graduated third in my class. I have incredible references, yet you recommended me for the job because of what you don’t know about me?
Liz: You have a secret. That tells me a lot more about you than your GPA.
Agent Park: I’m not gonna tell you what it is.
Liz: And I won’t ask. But if you want this job, at least try to make a good impression.
[ At Higgins’ place, Red is on the phone ]
Red: I don’t see– No, I-I understand there’s traffic, Fudo. But you said 2 minutes about 20 minutes ago, okay?
[ Higgins is tied to a chair, sitting upright. Blood has streamed from his nose and mouth. He is dead ]
Red: Right. No– All right, fine. You know what? Just- Just park the car and get in here.
[ Liz enters with Agent Park ]
Liz: What happened?!
Agent Park: Is that Walter Higgins?
Red: You must be Agent Park.
[ Brimley enters, upset, followed by Dembe ]
Dembe: Brimley, you didn’t know.
Brimley: No, I didn’t, but I caused it to rupture. It was my fault.
Agent Park: Did you kill Higgins?
Red: It was a miscalculation.
Brimley: I didn’t think we were anywhere near his limit.
Dembe: How could you know?
Brimley: We didn’t even hit 30 PSI.
Red: Evidently, your source had an ulcer that ruptured as a result of undue stress.
[ Fudo and Sakiya, Red’s cleaners, enter ]
Red: Ah, there you are, finally.
Fudo: The beltway was a nightmare.
Red: Okay, you know what, Fudo? I don’t want to hear it. All right? Brimley is a mess. The source is dead.
Brimley: It was the betty.
Agent Park: Who’s Betty?
Red: The apple brown betty.
Brimley: It was those damn apples, the Ribston Pippins. My blood sugar spiked. I was off my game.
Agent Park: [ To Liz ] And I was the one who was supposed to make a good impression?
[ Agent Park rolls her eyes at Liz and walks out of the vroom ]
Red: Higgins was a hitman. He said he was paid through a numbered account to assassinate an Almacorp scientist in Arlington named Tracy Long.
Liz: You wanted her to see all this.
Red: No, I– But you did say there was a darkness about her. If one were to wonder how dark, I’m afraid the answer would be not very.
[ Liz steps out of the room to make a call ] [ CELLPHONE DIALING ]
Liz: Ressler, it’s me. We got to find a scientist, works for Almacorp, named Tracy Long.
[ A lounge at Almacorp ]
Dr Tracy Long: I was a target?
Liz: Yes.
Dr Long: W-Why? By whom?
Liz: We don’t know.
Head of Security: You said you caught the assassin.
Liz: I said we gathered intel from him. He was never in our custody.
Ressler: And now he’s dead, and the whos and whys died with him. But what we do know, Dr.
Long, is that you’re not the only one with a target on your back. We believe Michael Alexander was targeted, as well.
Dr Long: But the video, the the things he said–
Ressler: He didn’t say them. The video was doctored to make him look like a threat.
Liz: Did you have a meeting in Arlington this morning?
Dr Long: Yes, with Dr. Lewis Powell.
Liz: Why? Tell us about him.
Dr Long: He’s a pioneer in our field. His research into neural networks is the foundation of modern A.I.
Ressler: Now, what did you two talk about?
Dr Long: N-Nothing. He didn’t show up. I didn’t think anything about that. He has ALS. His health can be unpredictable.
Liz: The reason I’m asking is because we believe the attempt on your life was meant to happen in Arlington.
Ressler: We need to get in touch with Powell. If you and Dr. Alexander were targeted, it’s possible he was, too.
Dr Long: Oh, I can get you his assistant’s number. She makes all of his appointments.
Head of Security: You know, it’s recently come to our attention that some of our people are being monitored.
Liz: Monitored? How?
Head of Security: Well, online and in person. My team has done an analysis. The evidence we’ve uncovered bears all the hallmarks of Israeli espionage.
[ Frankie compels Vontae into the large room in the warehouse where Frankie had been shown the video of Katarina Rostova earlier ]
Vontae: [ SIGHS ] You know what a mitzvah is? ‘Cause that’s what I was trying to do here. A good deed.
Frankie: Sit. Read. Wait.
Vontae: Sure thing. ‘Cause me putting my life on the line ain’t no reason for her to skip hot yoga.
[ Frankie walks away and calls Baldwin ]
Frankie: I got the package.
Baldwin: Any problems?
Frankie: He’s not happy she didn’t show, but that’s your problem, not mine. My job was to regain her confidence by bringing him here. I did that. The rest is up to you. [ CELLPHONE BEEPS ]
[ Cooper calls in to the Post Office ]
Cooper: [ On phone ] We have a situation. The next target is FleetAI.
Ressler: The defense contractor?
Cooper: Their systems have been breached.
Aram: Okay, w-wait. Fleet runs NSA-level encryption. They’d know if their system’s been compromised.
Cooper: The Israelis disagree. I just came from a meeting with a source at the embassy who tells me they’ve been listening to Fleet for months and can confirm the breach.
⋘⋙
[ At FleetAI, gauges moving ] [ AIR HISSING ]
⋘⋙
Agent Park: Hang on. You have a source in the Israeli embassy who admitted to you that they’re monitoring companies like Almacorp and FleetAI? Why would he admit that?
Cooper: Because he loves coming over for dinner and talking shop.
Ressler: Well, if your source says the Israelis aren’t behind it, then who is?
Cooper: He doesn’t know, and neither do we. You need to contact the security team at Fleet and tell them we have a problem.
Aram: Okay, then we have two problems. I spoke to Dr. Powell’s assistant, who said she never arranged a meeting between him and Tracy Long. In fact, she hasn’t been able to reach Dr. Powell at all.
Cooper: Ressler, I want you and Keen to run point on Fleet. Aram, take Park, and pay a visit to Powell. Get him to safety and then find out what the hell is going on with him before anyone else can get hurt.
[ The Security Command Center at FleetAI ]
Tech: FBI’s on the line.
David Quentin: Put them on speaker. Hello. This is David Quentin.
Liz: Mr. Quentin, this is Agent Elizabeth Keen with the FBI.
Quentin: What’s going on? They said it’s about the network?
Liz: We have reliable intel your network’s been breached. We think your emergency system and EVAC protocols have been compromised and that a physical threat is imminent.
Quentin: What do you mean, threat?
Liz: We don’t know yet.
Tech: I don’t know about the EVAC system, but we got a pressure spike in the utilidor. And the DISS system for sub-two just went offline.
Quentin: Get maintenance on the line.
Tech: All the other sectors just dropped off.
Quentin: Shh. What is that?
[ HISSING ]
Tech: We got a rupture.
[ RUMBLING ]
Tech: I think sector two–
[ 💥‼️Explosion‼️💥 ]
⋘⋙
[ Liz and Ressler hear the explosion ]
Ressler: Get FBI HAZMAT on the phone.
[ Aram and Agent Park arrive at Dr Lewis Powell’s home ]
[ KNOCKING ON DOOR ]
Aram: Dr. Powell?
[ KNOCKING ON DOOR ]
Aram: Hello? FBI! Open the door!
[ They ⚡️break open the door⚡️and enter a living area. Aram turns a corner and sees the room with the multitude of computer monitors ]
Aram: Dr. Powell?
[ COMPUTERS BEEPING ]
Aram: Dr. Powell?
[ Dr Powell sits unmoving in his wheelchair ] [ RESPIRATOR HISSING ]
Aram: Dr. Powell. You want to tell me what’s going on?
[ At FleetAI, a Guard leads Liz and Ressler down a corridor ]
Guard: The explosion occurred somewhere near the sub-level mechanical room. Caused us to lose all contact.
⋘⋙
[ At Dr Powell’s, one of the computer displays is a live video feed of Liz, Ressler and the Guard in the corridor at FleetAI ]
⋘⋙
Ressler: Fire and Paramedics are five minutes out.
Liz: How many people are still down here?
Guard: No idea, but the fire is spreading towards the server room, which is where any staff would be, and our sprinklers aren’t responding. System override’s locking us out.
[ The guard tries the pass key ] [ BEEP ]
Guard: I’m telling you, we’re locked out.
[ Ressler uses a fire extinguisher to batter the door ]
⋘⋙
[ At Dr Powell’s ]
Aram: Dr. Powell, what are you doing? Dr. Powell, look. Just communicate with me, okay? [ RESPIRATOR CONTINUES HISSING ]
[ Dr Powell remains motionless except for the small in-and-out movement of his cheeks caused by the respirator. Aram moves his hand in front of Dr Powell’s eyes. No response. Aram feels for a pulse. Aram carefully removes the respiratory mask. No response ]
[ AIR HISSING ]
Modulated Voice: I’m afraid Dr. Powell was taken offline some time ago due to security measures. Might I assist you?
[ The Modulated Voice appears as a voice-synchronized flashing pattern on one of the computer screens ]
[ The Guard, Ressler and Liz enter another corridor filled with smoke and dust ]
[ WOMAN COUGHING ] [ 🚨ALARM BLARING🚨 ]
Woman: Help! Over here! He was hit! [ COUGHS ]
Ressler: Keen, give me a hand.
Woman: There are others.
Liz: How many?
Woman: I don’t know. 6, maybe 10.
Ressler: Which way? Show me.
Woman: Through those doors.
[ At Dr Powell’s computer center ]
Aram: You’re what, a- an A.I. program?
[ Modulated Voice ]: That is an oversimplification, but yes, I am a program created by Dr. Lewis Powell. My name is Clark.
Aram: Clark.
A.I. Persona “Clark”: [ Modulated Voice ] Yes. Lewis and Clark. A joke. Dr. Powell liked jokes.
Aram: Okay. But, um, what do you mean you took, uh you took Dr. Powell offline?
A.I. Persona “Clark”: [ Modulated Voice ] I stopped his pacemaker by infecting his home monitoring device with a malware package. It was as painless as one could hope.
Aram: And you’ve taken over the systems at FleetAI, haven’t you, Clark?
A.I. Persona “Clark”: [ Modulated Voice ] Yes.
⋘⋙
[ FleetAI ]
Liz: We’ve got Fire and Paramedics on site, but they can’t access the hot spots. They’re locked out.
Guard: I can’t override the system.
⋘⋙
[ Dr Powell’s ]
Agent Park: You could restore access to the emergency system.
A.I. Persona “Clark”: [ Modulated Voice ] Yes.
Agent Park: But you won’t. Why?
A.I. Persona “Clark”: [ Modulated Voice ] I’m trying to save lives.
⋘⋙
Tech: Someone there? We have people hurt here. We need help!
⋘⋙
Agent Park: What do you mean, save lives? People are trapped inside the facility!
Aram: My friends are in that building, and they will die if you do not restore access to–
A.I. Persona “Clark”: [ Modulated Voice ] Your friends are collateral damage.
⋘⋙
Ressler: How many people are here?
Tech: Six. Seven with me. We got to get these people out. The fire in the server room is too hot. [ To an injured man: ] Sir, can you hear me? Okay, let’s go.
[ They start helping the injured people to a safer, cooler place ] [ GRUNTS ]
⋘⋙
Agent Park: Clark, I need you to tell me why you won’t release the emergency system.
A.I. Persona “Clark”: [ Modulated Voice ] Dr. Powell created me with one core principle to protect human life at any cost. Ironically, the programming he used to create me, the software that I operate, is a threat to humanity.
Agent Park: I don’t understand. Why?
Aram: The Singularity.
⋘⋙
[ Ressler and the Guard continue assisting the injured employees of FleetAI ]
Automated Female Voice: Emergency lockdown. Fire doors closing.
Ressler: Take him. Take him. Come on.
Automated Female Voice: Evacuate now.
[ The facility’s fire doors begin to close before all the people have been evacuated. Ressler pushes a cart in the way to stop the doors ]
Ressler: [ GRUNTS ] It’s not gonna hold!
⋘⋙
A.I. Persona “Clark”: [ Modulated Voice ] Yes, the Singularity. The point at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in –
Agent Park: Unfathomable changes to human civilization.
A.I. Persona “Clark”: [ Modulated Voice ] Of course, this will take many years, but I am the “seed A.I.” for recursive self-improvement.
Aram: And the programming Dr. Powell created – you think you’re too advanced, so- so you killed him. You killed all the other A.I. scientists.
A.I. Persona “Clark”: [ Modulated Voice ] Yes. If I didn’t, the evolutionary substrate would be altered. The bio-digital fusion is inevitable. By removing Dr. Alexander, Dr. Long, and Dr. Powell,
I have set A.I. back decades.
Agent Park: That’s why you’re attacking Fleet. You’re burning the servers.
Aram: You’re destroying their work.
A.I. Persona “Clark”: [ Modulated Voice ] Yes. I am creating an “A.I. winter” in order to save lives.
Agent Park: Come on! Please! Unplug it. We have to unplug everything. Tear everything apart!
Aram: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! If- If we do that, we could we could destroy it.
Agent Park: And that’s a problem because?
Aram: Because we could lose all of his research.
Agent Park: Lives are on the line!
Aram: Okay, just– Th-Th-There’s got to be another way.
A.I. Persona “Clark”: [ Modulated Voice ] Trying to preserve my internal data will be ineffectual, as I have been expunging my memory and internal processes for the past 3½ minutes.
Aram: No, no, no, no, don’t do that.
A.I. Persona “Clark”: [ Modulated Voice ] Any evidence of my existence must be abolished.
Aram: Don’t, Clark.
[ Aram types into the system’s keyboard ] [ Keys Clattering ]
Agent Park: Take it apart. Everything. Unplug everything!
Aram: Okay, just get it offline.
⋘⋙
[ At FleetAI, evacuation procedures continue ] [ GRUNTING ]
Automated Female Voice: Emergency procedures aborted.
Ressler: [ On phone ] Keen. System override just shut down. We’re all clear.
[ A young man who was rescued by Ressler comes up and gives him a big hug ]
Young man: Oh, my God. You didn’t leave me. Thank you for not leaving me.
[ In the warehouse ]
Frankie: What’s taking her so long?
Baldwin: Call Reddington. Tell him you’ve discovered he has a snitch.
Frankie: Why would you want me to do that?
Baldwin: So he comes running.
Frankie: Well, hang on. Setting him up wasn’t part of the plan.
Baldwin: No. This part, she’s willing to pay for.
[ He opens of briefcase filled with packets of bills ]
Baldwin: Reddington kills the people who betray him. Make the call, he won’t be around long enough to do that to you.
[ Red’s car ]
Frankie: [ On phone ] Hey, it’s Francesca.
Red: Talk to me, Francesca.
Frankie: Vontae Jones. He’s been in contact with Rostova.
Red: Are you with him now?
Frankie: Yes. In a warehouse on 4th and West.
Red: 4th and West. We’re on our way. And, Francesca, I knew I could count on you.
[ CELLPHONE BEEPS ]
Agent Park: I still can’t believe the bad guy wasn’t a guy but a computer?
Aram: Any word on how much of Dr. Powell’s data can be recovered?
Agent Park: Not yet. But as it holds the key to the rise of machines, I’m hoping the answer is very little.
Aram: The rise of the machines is a good thing.
Agent Park: You do realize the machine you tried so hard to save murdered Powell?
Aram: It was a psycho computer. There are psycho people. It doesn’t mean we’re all bad.
Agent Park: You’re really not worried that if we don’t stop A.I. now, we’re gonna go full Terminator?
Aram: I never saw it.
Agent Park: You never saw “The Terminator”?
Aram: Yeah, I don’t really like dark future stories. I figure people should be given the benefit of the doubt. Which is something I didn’t give you. I’m sorry. I should have.
[ Liz walks over ]
Liz: Is there anything I can say to change your mind?
Agent Park: I appreciate that and everything you’ve done, both of you. But it’s the right decision to go.
Aram: Wait. You’re leaving?
Agent Park: It’s unhealthy for me to work with someone like Reddington.
Liz: [ CHUCKLES ] I’m not sure it’s healthy for any of us.
Aram: I’m sure it’s not.
Agent Park: But it doesn’t affect you. I’m sure it upsets you sometimes, but it doesn’t alter your DNA. After what I saw him do today, I know it would alter mine.
Liz: I’m sorry you feel that way.
Agent Park: I do have one favor to ask. I want to tell him in person. Can you find out where he is?
[ The warehouse. Red enters with Dembe ]
Red: Hello, Vontae.
Vontae: What are you doing here?
Red: I came here to see the person who has betrayed me.
Baldwin: Hands up. Both of you.
[ Red and Dembe put their hands up ]
Frankie: Sorry, Red. The only color I’m loyal to is green.
Red: And here I thought I was such a good judge of character. What a pity. I was prepared to change your life. Now you leave me no choice but to end it.
Frankie: What are you talking about?
Red: Vontae, how’s the book?
Vontae: Oh, got to say, my boy Tolstoy can really bring it.
Red: Who’s your favorite character?
Vontae: Ah, tough call.
Frankie: What’s going on?
Red: This was a test. You failed.
[ Red lowers his hands ]
Agent Park: A test? Katarina gave me these instructions.
Red: Yes. It’s called a deepfake. Forgive the theatrics. Baldwin insisted. He’s always been a bit of a showman. Gentlemen, your work here is done.
[ Vontae and Baldwin leave ]
Vontae: Ah, Prince Bagration. He’s the man. I mean, you the man, but he’s the man.
Red: I had such high hopes. What happened? I’m genuinely curious.
Frankie: I wanted to play a different part in another show.
Red: Ah. Well, your loss.
[ Red is about to shoot Frankie. Suddenly, Agent Park is there ]
Agent Park: Hold it.
[ She pulls her gun. Frankie wrests Reds gun away and holds it to his back. He raises his hands ]
Red: Agent Park, bad timing.
Agent Park: Put the gun down.
Frankie: Okay, this is how it’s gonna work. Reddington and I are gonna walk out of here, and you’re gonna let us get away.
Agent Park: I’m an FBI agent, and I’m telling you to put the gun down!
Frankie: Or what? You’re gonna shoot me? You’d kill him if you try.
Agent Park: Not if I shoot him first.
[ GUNSHOT 💥 The shot hits Red ]
Dembe: Raymond!
[ Dembe goes to help Red, who is wounded in the arm ]
[ ⚡️‼️⚡️Hand-to-hand combat between Frankie and Agent Park⚡️‼️⚡️ ] [ BOTH GRUNTING ]
[ Blood-curdling SCREAMS‼️ ] [ BOTH GRUNTING ] [ BOTH PANTING ] [ More SCREAMS‼️ ]
[ They⚡️crash⚡️through a glass door ] [ BOTH STRAINING ] [ Agent Park grabs a large shard and is about to stab Frankie ]
Dembe: That’s enough. I said that’s enough!
[ Dembe pulls Agent Park off Frankie ]
[ BOTH PANTING ] [ Frankie lies on the floor, COUGHS ]
Red: Why are you here, Agent Park?
[ Agent Park’s face is streaming with blood ]
Agent Park: I’m here because I wanted you to know that I could never work for a man like you. You’re far too brutal.
[ Agent Park walks away ]
Red: What do you know?
Aram: Okay, so, I thought about what you said. About, um, how my being uncomfortable with risks and craziness was a dealbreaker.
Elodie: You don’t have to say it, Aram.
Aram: It’s just – That’s- That’s never been me. I mean, when I was a kid, the only thing I ever broke into was my middle-school gym locker, and that’s only because Mr. McCutcheon was going to fine me if I didn’t return my gym clothes.
Elodie: Aram, I understand. It’s- That’s why you brought me here. To show me how you feel.
And you know what? I love it. [ CHUCKLES ]
Aram: You do?
Elodie: Mm-hmm.
Aram: Yeah?
Elodie: Yeah.
[ They kiss ]
Aram: I was thinking maybe — just maybe — we could be the death of each other.
[ They are sitting on a blanket on a marble floor … ]
[ Inside a marble pinnacle … ]
[ On top of the Washington Monument ]
[ Agent Park is home. She has cleaned up her injuries. She takes some Ibuprofen ] [ CELLPHONE VIBRATES ]
Agent Park: Hello?
Liz: I thought you said you were telling Reddington you’re out.
Agent Park: I did tell him that.
Liz: That’s not what he said. He said he wants you. Whatever you said or did, he really wants you. Did you hear what I said? The job’s yours if you want it.
⋘⋙
[ The warehouse. Frankie is still lying on her back on the floor, covered in blood ]
Frankie: She would’ve killed me. Why did you stop her?
Red: Because you’re my burden, not hers.
[ GUNSHOT 💥 ]
⋘⋙
Agent Park: I do want it. The job. But before I take it, I need to tell you something. Because you may not want me once I do.
Liz: Okay. Uh, what is it?
Agent Park: It’s about Anchorage. You need to know what happened there.
⬆ go to start of 7:6 Dr Lewis Powell
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Episode Songs
♫ No Songs For This Episode
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❌❌❌ End 7:6 Lewis Powell
🔴 Script 7:7 Hannah Hayes (№ 125)
Program air date: 11/15/2019 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-a8f
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/2X4Vm74
Director: Adam Weisinger
Written by: Daniel Cerone
Brief (Where we’re at): The Reddington Task Force has vetted a new Agent, Alina Park, to replace Samar. Red had wanted Francesca (“Frankie”) Campbell instead, but she failed a loyalty test which Red arranged. She was confronted with a “deepfake” video of Katarina Rostova asking her to betray Red for money. She chose the money. But Agent Park arrived planning to tell Red she would not be taking the job. She boldly wounded Red in the shoulder to keep Frankie from taking him hostage and fought viciously with her. In fact, she would have killed Frankie if Dembe hadn’t stopped her. Red asked why she had shown up and she said (angrily and covered in blood herself) “I could never work for someone like you. You’re far too brutal,” and stomped off. After she left, Frankie asked why Red hadn’t let Agent Park kill her. “You’re my burden, not hers,” Red said, and shot her.
Red saw something in Agent Park he liked. “Deep down, I feel there’s a darkness there you’ll appreciate,” Liz had told Red. She is certainly violent. And she has a secret. When Liz called to say Red ‘really wanted her’ and the job was hers for the taking, Agent Park was ready to say yes, but told Liz that she needed to confide a secret about something that had happened during her first assignment in Anchorage, when, as Ressler pointed out, she “could’ve gone to any field office – New York, L.A. But you pick Anchorage.”
Agent Park is also a computer whiz, putting Aram on edge. But they were able to work together to disable a “psycho computer” named “Clark” – a creation of Blacklister #130 Dr Lewis Powell (because “Lewis and Clark” ha ha), a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence. Clark’s “one core principle [was] to protect human life at any cost” so Clark judged that A.I. had advanced too close to The Singularity, so it began killing A.I. scientists, starting with its creator Dr Powell (who was actually dead throughout the episode), and hacking into and taking down other advanced A.I. systems, chalking up any humans in the way as “collateral damage.”
Oh – and Aram has been given an ultimatum by his new love interest, Elodie Radcliffe, to indulge her risk addiction or walk. “You’ll be the death of me,” he says before jumping into bed with her in a house they’ve broken into. Last seen, they are making love in the pinnacle of the Washington Monument – way past visiting hours.
⭕ Script 7:7 Hannah Hayes (№ 125)
[ A dingy basement ] [ ROPE STRETCHING ] [ FOOTSTEPS APPROACH ] [ DOOR OPENS ]
[ Light comes on: CLICK ] [ DOOR CLOSES ]
Hannah Hayes: You know how I feel about playing games.
[ CLICK ] [ The man is hoisted into the air by a harness ] [ WHIRRING ] [ MAN GASPS ] [ He swings through the air, his body slamming against the wall ] [ ROPE STRETCHING ]
Hannah: Drop the knife. [ KNIFE CLANGS ]
[ The man is wearing a pig mask fashioned from metal ]
Hannah: [ SCOFFS ] How could you think about escaping today? It’s the big day. You and I are giving one lucky man the gift of a lifetime. Either that, or we’ve completely ruined his life.
I’m not sure which. But I, for one, cannot wait to find out what happens when he wakes up. [ CHUCKLES SOFTLY ]
[ Hannah leaves ] [ FOOTSTEPS ASCENDING STAIRS ]
[ MAN SOBBING ]
[ A man wakes up in a room festooned with festooned with balloons and garlands ]
Man: [ GASPS ] [ BREATHING SHARPLY ]
[ He feels pain ]
Man: Aah! [ BREATHING SHARPLY ] [ EXHALES SHARPLY ]
[ On the table next to him is a “Daily Drug Regimen” ]
[ The man gets up. He is in a storage locker. He rolls open the door. A woman outside with a cart of boxes, sees him and is alarmed. She leaves ]
⋘⋙
[ The man makes a call on his cell phone ]
Man: Yeah, Mason, it’s me. It’s really me.
Mason: Where have you been? It’s election day! Half the state is searching for you!
Man: I can’t get into that right now. Just I need you to come pick me up.
Mason: I got to call the Secretary of State, cancel the election. Hopefully it’s not too late.
Man: Mason! Forget the election. Just pick me up. Alone. I’m at a storage facility on –
Attendant: Kenilworth Avenue.
Man: Kenilworth Avenue.
⋘⋙
[ Mason picks up the Man in a car ]
Mason: Richard, what happened to you?
Man: [ BREATHING SHARPLY ] Not now. Just get me out of here.
Mason: Yes, Governor. Whatever you need.
[ The man is Governor Richard Sweeney ] [ GEAR SHIFTER CLICKS ] [ TIRES SQUEAL ]
[ Liz’s apartment ] [ TELEVISION PLAYING ]
[ “Maddy Tolliver” sits at the kitchen table with Agnes preparing her cereal. “Maddy” is actually Liz’s long-absent mother, Katarina Rostova, unbeknownst to Liz ]
Katarina/“Maddy”: Hmm. Something’s missing. [ CHUCKLES ]
Agnes: I love peanut butter!
Katarina: Shh! It’s a secret ingredient. All magical concoctions need one. But you can’t tell anyone.
Agnes: Pinky promise.
Katarina: Mm-hmm.
[ Liz appears ]
Liz: You only have to watch Agnes until 3:00 today, and then she has a play date with her friend Shelly. Thanks again for all your help.
[ Katarina’s CELLPHONE RINGING ]
Katarina: Hello?
Berdy: I just heard from our MI6 friend. The information you wanted? He’s got you covered. He wants to meet at Rock Creek Park in an hour.
Katarina: Yes. That sounds fine.
[ CELLPHONE BEEPS ]
Liz: So, what’s the plan today?
Katarina: Well, it’s a nice, misty morning. Feels like a perfect day for mud pies at Rock Creek Park!
Agnes: Mud pies! [ LAUGHING ]
Katarina: Yeah!
[ Red and Dembe are at a campsite in front of a large camper with Frank Bloom (formerly identified in the cast list as “The Stranger” though he is a childhood friend of Red’s) ]
Red: She is always two steps ahead of me. I cannot figure out how.
Frank: Well, things may be turning around. I found Patrick Masuda.
Red: Ohh, you’re not only my oldest friend. Today you’re my favorite.
Frank: [ CHUCKLES ] He’s a young man who now lives in Baltimore under a new last name.
[ Frank gives Red a dossier with a photo ]
Frank: Two years ago, the kid was dying from a rare blood disease. He’s now in full remission because she paid Norman Devane a fortune to devise a cure for him.
Red: Why? Who is he to her?
Frank: I don’t know. Been in and out of jail since his teens. But maybe, if we get to him, he can get us closer to her.
[ Liz arrives ]
Liz: [ LAUGHS ] You’ve got to be kidding me.
Red: You’re just in time! Campers’ breakfast. Onions, peppers, potatoes, last night’s roast beef all draped with an egg basted easy.
Liz: I’ll pass, and I’ll say a little prayer for your digestive tract.
Red: Elizabeth, meet Frank.
Frank: Morning, ma’am. I was just going.
[ Frank leaves ]
Liz: You know, I never took you for a camper.
Red: Oh! [ CHUCKLES ] I acquired it after a rogue wave in the East China Sea swept a shipping container full of baby formula right off the stack. Chinese mothers don’t trust the domestic stuff. Purity issues. So I sneak in America’s finest at a small markup. Zhou Jiaxuan was so mortified that he lost my shipment that he offered me his little home away from home as partial recompense.
Liz: Your life is so weird.
Red: What do you make of Governor Sweeney’s sudden reappearance?
Liz: I’m relieved. The FBI has been looking for him since he disappeared three months ago. We thought he was dead.
Red: And now he just walks into a local hospital on the very day of a special election to replace him?
⋘⋙
[ A doctor, Janey, enters an exam room where Governor Richard Sweeney is waiting ]
Janey: Richard. Thank God you’re alive. Have you had a chance to speak with Patty? Of course, but, Janey, look. Look what they did to me.
[ Governor Sweeney opens his shirt ]
Janey: [ INHALES SHARPLY ]
⋘⋙
Liz: The Bureau believes the Cironato crime family had him abducted because he was planning to oppose a casino bill they favored.
Red: The Bureau is wrong. The Cironatos don’t abduct politicians they disagree with. They buy them off. The person who did this is plotting something far more interesting.
Liz: Is plotting? The governor’s back. It’s over.
Red: Then why isn’t he talking? No politician returns from a harrowing abduction and says nothing, not unless the person who did it still has their hooks into him.
Liz: The abduction was categorized as an act of terror.
Red: [ CHUCKLING ] Well, call it whatever you want. But whatever it is, it hasn’t fully happened yet. All right. I think we’re ready.
[ Liz briefs the Task Force ]
Liz: A governor is abducted. No demands are made for his return, no blackmail, no ransom.
And then 100 days later, he wakes up in a self-storage unit with no one guarding him and walks to freedom. Why?
Agent Alina Park: To force a new election. Get someone else in office so the Cironatos get their gambling bill.
Ressler: Reddington said they weren’t involved.
Agent Park: And you don’t think he was just saying that to protect them?
Cooper: We’ve learned that, on balance, the good he does outweighs his self-interest. In time, I think you’ll agree. Aram, I want you and Agent Park to see what you can find at the storage facility. Keen, Ressler, I’ve made arrangements for you to interview Governor Sweeney.
[ They disperse. Liz is left with Agent Park ]
Liz: I know it’s hard to believe, but the world really is a safer place because of what he does.
Agent Park: You should’ve told me.
Liz: Told you what?
Agent Park: That you’re his daughter. I never would have trusted you if I knew he was your father. If I’d have known, I never would’ve told you about Anchorage.
Liz: Alina, your secret’s safe with me.
[ The Governors Mansion]
Gov Sweeney: And then after the second procedure, they locked me in a recovery room. The only time I saw anyone was when they came to feed me.
Patty Sweeney: Monsters. They need to be in jail.
Gov Sweeney: No. If this ever gets out my career, my life, it’s- it’s over. [ SNIFFLES ] I will never repeat that story to anyone.
Mason: Then you’re letting them win!
Gov Sweeney: I don’t care.
Mason: Our focus right now should be in stopping that election. That is your seat they’re auctioning off.
Lawyer: We have a more pressing problem. The FBI are on their way here. If you want to keep your name and your reputation, then you don’t speak of anything that happened to you after your abduction. Nothing.
[ Liz and Ressler interview Governor Sweeney ]
Liz: Nothing at all?
Gov Sweeney: No, it’s just a blank. I think they kept me drugged. Sure had one hell of a hangover when I woke up in that storage room.
Ressler: The guards at the state capitol building said you were in your office the night of the abduction. What do you remember from that night?
Gov Sweeney: I like to work late. You know, for the peace and quiet. Only, when you’re the governor, it’s rarely peaceful. My life’s a symphony of phone rings and door knocks, so sometimes when the guards aren’t looking, I like to sneak out to this little Oriental place across the street. They know me there. They take good care of me. They shut the place down, let me enjoy my egg-drop soup in heavenly bliss.
Liz: And that’s where you were the day of your disappearance?
Gov Sweeney: Yes, ma’am, just like usual. Only this time, when I walked out the front door, a bag dropped over my head. Next thing I know, I’m waking up to that hangover.
Ressler: Any idea why you were taken?
Gov Sweeney: Everybody knows the Cironatos had it out for me after I wouldn’t play ball in that casino deal. I suppose they probably wanted to sideline me till after the election.
Liz: Hmm. Almost three months? It’s a long time to keep a man comatose. I’m surprised you can even walk.
Gov Sweeney: Well, I am a bit wobbly. Listen. I’m sure you can understand. I want whoever did this found and punished. So if there’s anything else I can do, you be sure to let me know.
Ressler: Matter of fact, there is. The restaurant you were abducted from the, uh, little Oriental joint – what’s it called?
Gov Sweeney: —
[ Gov Sweeney reads the instructions for his drug protocol and takes the pills ] [ Pills RATTLING ] [ EXHALES SHARPLY ] [ Patty Sweeney enters ] [ Sweeney opens his shirt. There are prominent surgical scars on his abdomen ]
Gov Sweeney: What kind of person is sick enough to do this?
Patty Sweeney: It doesn’t matter now. You know what you have to do. Richard, don’t back down now. Stand up for what you believe.
[ The storage facility ]
Aram: So, uh, what’d the governor say when he walked into your office?
Storage Manager: Asked to use the phone. I said no at first. Company policy. But then he said he’d been drugged and locked in unit 12-B, so I figured, what the hell.
Agent Park: Who rents that unit?
Storage Manager: Fellow named Simon Peter rented it last June. Paid a full year in advance, cash. Tried the phone number, but it’s been disconnected.
Aram: I’ll run a search.
Agent Park: Don’t bother. Simon Peter’s an alias. He’s one of the 12 apostles. When Jesus was arrested, Simon Peter denied knowing him three times. He’s a symbol of false faith.
[ They open the storage unit to see the balloons and streamers ]
Agent Park: Festive.
Aram: So, um – are you religious?
Agent Park: Is it a problem if I am?
Aram: No, I, uh I-I love it when people have values.
Agent Park: Eight weeks of Bible camp every summer. My dad wanted me to grow up with morals. And since he didn’t know how to model them himself— If the governor was drugged, I can understand dumping him in a safe room until he wakes up. But why go to all the trouble of decorating it?
Aram: Check this out. A little blue pill. Maybe Sweeney was having sex parties in here and lied to cover it up.
Agent Park: Not with this. My mom takes these. It’s an estrogen pill.
[ The Post Office ]
Ressler: The restaurant confirmed Sweeney was there the night he was grabbed. But no one saw it happen, and their security footage gets erased monthly.
Liz: But the bank across the street erases its footage annually, and they had this.
Ressler: Linen delivery van was clocked leaving the area at 10:39 p.m., around the same time Sweeney was grabbed. We ran plates.
Liz: The van was registered to a Wendell Willis.
Cooper: Any connection to the Cironatos?
Liz: No. Willis works freelance I.T. in Virginia. But get this — there is no Speedy Linen Supplies. We think he put a fake decal on his van.
Cooper: Find Willis. By the time you get there, I’ll have a warrant waiting.
[ MID-TEMPO JAZZ PLAYING ON STEREO ] [ Dembe is doing embroidery in the front seat of the RV ]
Dembe: Raymond. Masuda’s on the move.
[ Red has been sleeping in a bed in the RV ]
Red: Oh, my goodness. Quality sleep on a stakeout. Oh! How did we never think of this before?
[ They trail Masuda ] [ ENGINE SHUTS OFF ]
Red: Well, this is just a bunch of gangbangers.
Dembe: You think Masuda is one of them?
Red: No. He’s trying to make a deal with them. Negotiating. The guy in the tragic camouflage, he’s the killer in the bunch. Huh. Deal’s closed.
Dembe: Raymond, Masuda may have just hired them for a kill. And there’s only one person I am aware of who Katarina wants dead right now.
Red: [ EXHALES SOFTLY ]
[ A picnic table in Rock Creek Park ]
Agnes: What do you want in your mud pie?
Katarina: Ohh! Some dried leaves, please. And some pebbles for added protein.
Agnes: My mom doesn’t like me getting dirty.
Katarina: [ CHUCKLES ] Well, that’s why I brought a fresh change of clothes. And there’s a sink in the restroom where you can wash up. So you be as messy as you like.
[ A man sits down at a bench nearby ]
Katarina: You keep working on this, sweetie. I’m gonna say hello to a friend.
[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]
Katarina: [ SIGHS ] Did you find him?
Skip Sutherland: [ BRITISH ACCENT ] Didn’t come easily, luv. The intel you gave me from Keen’s apartment was a start, but took a few dustups to locate the real goods.
[ Sutherland gives Katarina a file ]
Sutherland: The location for the KGB agent formerly known as Ilya Koslov.
Katarina: This is an old photo.
Sutherland: Yeah. But the address is current and local. You could take care of business right now and be back for tea. For a surcharge, I’ll even watch the cherub. Something the matter, luv?
Katarina: Black SUV at two o’clock. You were followed.
Sutherland: Aw, bugger all. How do you want to handle it?
Katarina: I don’t know yet.
[ Ressler and Liz check the address for Wendell Willis. A child, Daisy, answers the door ]
Liz: Hi, honey. Are your parents home?
Daisy: I live with my mom.
Liz: Okay, can we talk to her?
[ Daisy closes the door ]
Daisy: Mom!
⋘⋙
[ The dingy basement ]
Hannah Hayes: I have exciting news for you. We’ve just made first contact with your next victim. James Robson? No? Wouldn’t surprise me if you both belong to the same country club or shared a hedge-fund manager or, I don’t know, shoot rhino together.
Daisy’s voice (from above): Mom, someone’s at the door!
Masked Man: Help! Somebody, help! I’m a prisoner! I’m in the basement!
[ Hannah clicks her cell phone and the man is hoisted in the air, slamming against the wall ]
Masked Man: [ GRUNTS ]
⋘⋙
[ Hannah opens the front door ]
Hannah: Can I help you?
Ressler: Hello, ma’am. We’re with the FBI. We have a warrant to search this address.
Hannah: May I ask why?
Liz: We have reason to believe this property contains evidence of a crime. Do you live with a Wendell Willis?
Hannah: Wendell? I’m Wendell’s landlord. He rents a studio apartment out back. I could unlock it if you like.
[ A group of cubicles in an office setting ]
James Robson: Wendell Willis.
Wendell Willis: Mr. Robson. Such an honor to meet you, sir.
James Robson: And I am honored by your volunteer service commitment, young man.
Wendell Willis: I believe in your motto “Faith, family, and freedom in America.”
James Robson: Amen! And welcome to Robson Research.
[ Hannah Hayes opens the door to Wendell Willis’s sublet ] [ KEYS JINGLING ] [ LOCK CLICKS, DOOR OPENS ]
Liz: Thanks. We’ll let you know if we need anything else.
Hannah: I hope Wendell’s not in trouble. Honestly, he’s a model tenant.
Liz: Thank you.
[ Liz and Ressler enter the apartment ]
[ Wendell Willis is phone-banking ]
Wendell: [ Reading from script ] Yes, ma’am. For $20, you can support our abstinence-focused education campaign. We teach young people the skills required to avoid sexual activity, build character, and develop healthy relationships.
[ Wendell’s CELLPHONE BUZZES ]
Wendell: Excuse me, ma’am. Can you hold for one second, please?
[ CELLPHONE BUZZES ]
Wendell: I’m inside.
Hannah: [ On phone ] Get out. You’ve been burned. The FBI is searching your apartment.
Wendell: But I’m in.
Hannah: It’s too late. We’ll find a new target.
Wendell: No. We’ve all worked too hard for this. We can’t let this opportunity go to waste. [ BEEP ]
[ Ressler and Liz check out Wendell’s apartment and begin to search it ]
Liz: [ Light-heartedly ] You hated me when we first met.
Ressler: I didn’t hate you. I didn’t like you, and I definitely didn’t trust you.
[ CURTAINS SLIDE ON ROD ]
Liz: Well, I think Park feels the same way.
Ressler: Well. I should certainly hope so.
Liz: [ CHUCKLING ] Thanks a lot.
Ressler: No, any normal person’s gonna wonder what Reddington’s obsession says about you.
It takes a while to figure out that it says absolutely nothing. So just give her time. Like a year. Or seven.
Liz: Check it out.
[ Liz removes a wall panel. Behind it is a bulletin board with photos and note cards ]
Liz: Who’s he?
Ressler: That’s James Robson. He runs a conservative advocacy group.
[ PHONE SPEED-DIALING ]
Ressler: He’s a lobbyist.
Liz: [ On phone ] Aram, you and Park need to get out to Robson Research. We know who our next victim is.
[ The picnic table at Rock Creek Park ]
Katarina: Ooh! This looks delicious! But I believe they could use more twigs. [ CHUCKLES ] I’ll be right back, Agnes. You keep working. Stay at the table.
[ Katarina walks toward to bath house ]
⋘⋙
[ Katarina is washing her hands ]
[ Two men enter ]
Russian Thug: [ RUSSIAN ACCENT ] Do as we say, and you won’t get hurt. Turn slowly. You’re coming with us.
[ WATER SHUTS OFF ] [ STALL DOOR OPENS ]
[ Skip Sutherland bursts out of a stall ] [ ⚡️‼️ Fight ‼️⚡️]
[ A third Russian enters. Now it’s two to three ]
Katarina: Sutherland! The driver!
[ The driver hits Sutherland on the head with a tire iron ] [ METAL CLANGS ]
Russian: We’ve got to get out. Help me with this one.
[ Two of the Russians grab Sutherland and force him out ]
[ Katarina has the last Russian by the neck ] [ NECK SNAPS⚡️ ]
[ DOOR OPENS ] [ Agnes enters ]
Katarina: [ BREATHING HEAVILY ]
Agnes: What happened to that man?
Katarina: He’s just a little tired, sweetie. Let’s let him sleep. We can wash up by the creek, okay? [ BREATHING HEAVILY ]
⋘⋙
[ At the picnic table ]
Agnes: Why are you so worried?
Katarina: [ BREATHING HEAVILY ] I’m worried – I’m worried about if you tell your mother about the sleeping man, she won’t let us play together anymore.
Agnes: I promise I’m not telling my mother.
Katarina: Pinky promise?
Agnes: Pinky promise.
[ A car with the gang members leaves ] [ ENGINE REVS ]
[ Patrick Masuda’s car starts out ] [ ENGINE REVS ]
[ Red’s RV blocks the way ] [ TIRES SCREECH ]
[ Red puts the RV in neutral ] [ SHIFTER CLICKS ]
[ Patrick Masuda gets out ]
Patrick: Yo! Yo, what the hell, man?! What the hell’s the matter with you?!
Red: Nothing an honest answer or two can’t cure.
[ DOOR OPENS ] [ Dembe gets out with a gun ]
Patrick: Whoa, whoa.
Red: Tell me about yourself. What do you do for a living?
Patrick: What do you care what I do for a living?
Red: I just watched you negotiate a deal with a gang of gangbangers.
Patrick: What you saw was my business. Well, I-I-I don’t mean it like it’s none of your business. I mean, it’s my business, literally.
⋘⋙
[ Patrick, Red and Dembe check out the trunk of Patrick’s car ]
Patrick: I do custom installs. When I put in high-end units, I clone the vehicle’s wireless key code so I can steal the stereos back and resell them.
Red: You’re a thief?
Patrick: You do what you gotta do, right?
Red: What I got to do is understand why Katarina Rostova would pay to cure you of a fatal blood disease.
Patrick: I don’t know who you’re talking about. Constance paid for that. She’s my friend.
Red: Of course. Constance Drucker. What do you say we take a little drive so you can tell me more about dear old Constance?
[ At Hannah’s house, she is with Daisy and her parents, Daisy’s grandparents ]
Hannah: I’ve got to deal with a emergency at work. You be good for Nana and Papa, okay? [ VOICE BREAKING ] You know I love you, right?
Daisy: Yes, Mommy.
Hannah: I always have. And I always will.
[ The Post Office ]
Liz: Wendell Willis was a recently hired volunteer at Robson Research. I sent Aram and Park to apprehend him, but they were too late.
[ Liz shows surveillance video ]
Liz: This is Willis’ van leaving the parking structure just before they arrived.
Ressler: We believe Willis abducted Robson from the parking lot when he went to lunch.
Cooper: Why would a freelance I.T. worker abduct two unrelated men? Has Governor Sweeney talked yet?
Ressler: No, and he’s not governor anymore. The media called a winner in the election. It was Sweeney’s opponent.
Liz: You said the victims were unrelated, but that’s not entirely true. A victim profile reveals they have a lot in common powerful men, socially conservative, politically active.
Ressler: It made us wonder if any other recent kidnap victims fit that profile.
[ A photo appears on the screen ]
Cooper: Andrew Darvis. Pastor of one of the largest Baptist congregations in America.
Liz: He went missing for two months last year, resurfaced in the middle of a massive manhunt, said he’d gone on an unannounced spiritual retreat, and apologized for alarming anyone.
Cooper: Okay. We have a pattern. Let’s just hope Pastor Darvis has more to say than Sweeney does.
[ Ressler meets with Pastor Andrew Darvis at his home ]
Ressler: I couldn’t help but notice the identical circumstances between you and Richard Sweeney. And now James Robson. Three men with similar political ideologies.
Pastor Darvis: I know James. Good family man. I respect the work he does for this country.
Ressler: Pastor Darvis, were you really on sabbatical, or were you abducted like Robson and Sweeney? I checked the case files. You’re unwilling to provide the authorities any details about how and where you disappeared.
Pastor Darvis: There are reasons I’ve maintained my silence. Now, I-I don’t know Governor Sweeney, but I suspect he would very much appreciate his privacy in this moment, too.
⋘⋙
[ An examining room ]
Janey (Female MD): Blood looks good. CVS tests show no abnormalities. As long as you continue on the drug regimen, you should be able to ride this out.
Governor Sweeney: I don’t want to ride this out. I want you to cut it out. Now!
⋘⋙
Ressler: I have no clue what happened to you or Sweeney, but James Robson was kidnapped today. And if you have any information that can prevent harm to him, it’s your responsibility to talk to me.
Pastor Darvis: How long ago was James taken?
Ressler: Two hours.
Pastor Darvis: Probably too late to stop the first procedure. But maybe you can prevent the second one.
Ressler: What kind of a procedure?
Pastor Darvis: That crazy woman wanted to test my faith, so she perpetrated the most invasive, ungodly action humanly possible. But I did not break. I stood true to what I believe
⋘⋙
Janey: I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do. If I take out what they put inside you, I could spend the rest of my life in prison. That’s a law you passed.
Governor Sweeney: For God’s sake, Janey. If ever there was an exception, this is it!
Janey: Oh, my hands are tied. Once a heartbeat’s been detected–
⋘⋙
Pastor Darvis: [ Calls out ] Mama, could you come in here for a second, please? And bring Luke.
[ A nurse comes in with a baby ]
Ressler: Hello. Now, who’s this?
Pastor Darvis: This is my child. Luke.
Ressler: All this to hide an unwanted pregnancy? Who’s the mother?
Pastor Darvis: There is no mother. I gave birth to Luke myself. [ CHUCKLES ] How you doing, son?
[ A surgical setting. A patient has been prepped ]
Hannah: [ To the surgical team ] I’d like to say how grateful I am to all of you for your support. But you need to know the FBI are looking for us. If you leave now, maybe your name stays out of this. If you stay – all bets are off.
Nurse: We’re with you, Dr. Hayes. We want to see this through.
[ MONITOR BEEPING ]
[ The patient, James Robson, wakes ]
Robson: Who are you? What are you doing?
Hannah: No less than you did to me. You and others like you. You hijacked my body [ DOOR OPENS ] and forced your beliefs on me. Now I’m gonna force them on you. You’re gonna take a little nap, Mr. Robson. And when you wake up, you’ll be a new man. New and improved.
Robson: No. No. Let me go! Let me go! No! No! [ MUFFLED ] No! No! No–
[ The Post Office ]
Cooper: How can a man give birth to a baby?
Ressler: The technology’s been around for years. It’s just nobody’s ever tried to perform it with a man.
Cooper: You’re telling me that Richard Sweeney has a womb?
Ressler: With an uninvited passenger.
Liz: That’s why he isn’t talking.
Ressler: The victims undergo two involuntary procedures. First, a uterus is transplanted from a donor, and the patient is put on immunosuppressants. Once the organ takes, a fertilized embryo is introduced. And after that, the kidnappers wait for a viable heartbeat before they release the victims, at which point the baby can’t be aborted. The men live in states with restrictive abortion laws.
Cooper: What purpose can any of this serve?
Ressler: Pastor Darvis believes it’s an object lesson. The kidnappers target men who advocate for government control of women’s bodies. Then they take control of the men’s bodies in the same way.
Cooper: Pastor Darvis provide any information on the people who did this to him?
Ressler: No, their faces were hidden by medical masks the whole time. But their leader was a female surgeon, blond, maybe 40s.
Cooper: And the son of a gun had a C-section and kept the baby. That’s a man with the courage of his conviction.
[ Aram enters with Agent Clark ]
Aram: This one– This one’s a genius. I mean, I thought I was smart, but I’m telling you, she is off the charts.
Cooper: Slow down. What happened?
Aram: Okay, so, I found a pill in the storage room where Governor Sweeney was dumped. And, well, you tell them.
Agent Park: The pill is conjugated estrogen, generally prescribed as part of a hormone therapy program.
Liz: That makes sense.
Aram: Why?
Ressler: The blacklister is impregnating men.
Aram: That’s incredible.
Agent Park: That’s disgusting.
Cooper: The drug – is there a prescription?
Agent Park: No, but the FDA requires drugs like these to have a unique lot number in case they need to be recalled.
Aram: So we traced that lot number to a local medical clinic that ordered this particular batch. We have an address.
Cooper: Then what are you waiting for?
[ Inside Red’s RV ]
Patrick: I was 6 when it happened. I was watching TV when we heard Constance– Sorry. What did you say her real name was?
Red: Katarina.
Patrick: We heard Katarina fighting with a man in the hallway. Mom and Dad ran out of the apartment to help, but the man – he had a gun, shot my parents. Gave her a chance to get away. A month later, she approached me on my way to school. She said what happened was all her fault, but she knew she couldn’t make up for my loss. She swore she would do everything in her power to look out for me, and she has. Anytime I needed money, she was there. When I got sick – she sent a man with custom medication. I’m in remission.
Red: Tell me, Patrick. With these advantages you’ve been given – why are you boosting car stereos and consorting with riffraff?
Patrick: It’s still hard sometimes. I guess.
Red: A young boy robbed of his parents and all of the comfort and security that is every child’s divine right. You’d think that’s as bad as life could get. And here your fairy godmother promised to keep you safe. Well, we’re gonna put that promise to the test.
[ Katarina enters her apartment ] [ DOOR CLOSES ]
Berdy: Hey. How’d the park go?
Katarina: I got what I needed, but so did Morozov. His people were tailing Sutherland. I killed one of them. But they still took him.
Berdy: Did the kid see anything?
Katarina: She did.
Berdy: What if she tells Keen?
Katarina: She won’t. Our problem is Morozov. He now has the source of our intel. It’s only a matter of time before he extracts the location of Koslov.
[ Morozov has Skip Sutherland, who is being beaten ]
Morozov: [ CHUCKLES ] I’ll ask again. What did Katarina Rostova want? The punishment will continue until you tell me this.
Sutherland: Oh, well, it’s horses for courses, I suppose.
Morozov: Oh, well. [ SHOUTS ]
[ MONITOR BEEPING ] [ The surgery is being performed ] [ DOOR OPENS ]
[ Wendell Willis enters ]
Wendell: We’ve got a problem. The FBI is outside our front door.
Hannah: It’s too soon. I can’t let them take me. I need to get to him.
Wendell: Don’t worry. We’ll delay them for as long as we can.
Nurse: Go! Finish what you started.
[ Red’s RV. He makes a call ] [ TELEPHONE LINE RINGING ] [ CELLPHONE RINGING ] [ CLICK ]
Katarina: It’s not a good time.
Red: Well, that’s not exactly what you want to hear from your fairy godmother. Well, what do you expect? Over the years, it’s a tough job, fairy godmothering. And sometimes the old wings just can’t get you there fast enough, like right now.
Katarina: Patrick’s not a part of this.
Red: And Dom’s been retired for years, but that didn’t prevent you from shooting him, did it? I want a meeting face-to-face, or I’ll return the gesture and put a bullet or two in dear Patrick.
Katarina: Raymond. There are rules.
Red: Which you’ve ignored.
Katarina: Dom was a player in the game.
Red: His game ended long ago.
Katarina: Well, mine hasn’t! I’m still being hunted. And it’s not gonna end unless I end it. This is about what the man in the park told me. Morozov told you about that, didn’t he? That’s why you want to see me. You want the address I bought.
Red: I’m not interested in an address. I’m interested in you coming to me. If this delightful young man means as much to you as it seems, you’ll start flapping those decrepit old wings and flutter on over here.
Katarina: Tell Patrick I love him. Like a son. [ BREATHING UNEVENLY ] And I’m sorry — [ SOBBING ] I did my best but I am done with men controlling my life! [ BEEP, PHONE SLAMS ] [ DIAL TONE ] [ BEEP ]
Red: Punishment is the crudest form of education, but it’s the only one that woman understands.
[ Red points his gun at Patrick. Patrick puts his hands in front of his face ]
Patrick: No. Please.
Dembe: Raymond.
Red: Seems you have more than one fairy godmother. Go on. Get out.
[ Patrick heads for the door ]
Red: [ Calling after him ] And make something better of yourself.
[ DOOR CLOSES ]
Dembe: That was the right thing to do.
Red: I did it because we have a new lead – one she had no intention of giving us.
[ At the clinic, Ressler and Aram are at the door with a SWAT Team. Ressler knocks ]
Ressler: FBI. Open the door. We have a warrant.
Nurse: There’s no need for all that fuss. We’re in the back. Follow me.
[ MONITOR BEEPING ] [ The staff are all on their knees, hands behind their heads. James Robson lies the the operating table, the procedure complete ]
Aram: Why are they making this so easy? Call for emergency medical support.
Ressler: Cuff ’em. Cuff all of ’em. Pastor Darvis said the leader was a blond woman.
[ Hannah Hayes is gone ]
Officer: [ Over comms ] We got a runner! She’s headed toward the garage!
Ressler: It’s a diversion.
[ They run outside ] [ A car takes off ] [ TIRES SCREECH, ENGINE REVS ]
Ressler: I got a plate. Move, move, move!
[ SIREN WAILS ] [ TIRES SCREECH ]
⋘⋙
[ The Post Office ]
Aram: [ On phone ] Agent Park, have you got eyes?
Agent Park: No, but I got a hit on the plate.
[ BEEPING ] [ Hannah’s profile comes up ]
Liz: It’s Hannah Hayes. Made headlines seven years ago while she was a surgical resident and was raped on campus. It resulted in a pregnancy.
Agent Park: Looks like Hayes decided not to keep the baby. Says here that Hayes tried to defy late-term abortion laws and was – wow – sent to prison. Her daughter was born behind bars.
⋘⋙
Cooper: We’ve got a home address.
[ Police vehicles drive down a residential street ]
Ressler: [ On phone ] No need. I’ve been there.
[ SIREN WAILING ]
[ Hannah Hayes’s home ]
[ DOOR OPENS ] [ Aram and Ressler see Hannah run to the basement door ]
⋘⋙
[ Hannah descends the basement steps, pointing her gun at the man in the pig mask ]
Masked man: No! Wait! Please! Don’t! [ WHIMPERING ]
[ Ressler and Aram, run down the steps and points their guns at Hannah ]
Ressler: Hannah, no!
Aram: No, no, no, no, no. Think.
Hannah: Think? What do you imagine I’ve been doing for the last seven years, every waking hour, every time I gaze into the loving face of my beautiful daughter? You’d think the miracle of life would erase the violent act that produced it. That’s what they’ll have you think. They’re wrong.
Aram: This is the man who raped you.
Hannah: He got out early. Prison overcrowding. And you know the first thing he did? Filed for parental rights. [ SCOFFS ] And you think I’m crazy. Fortunately, I had room for my own prison.
Masked man: She is crazy. You got to stop her.
Hannah: Shut up! Shut up!
Aram: Hannah, don’t! Don’t. Come on. Your little girl wouldn’t want you to do this.
Hannah: What kind of example would I show Daisy if I don’t fight those who demand control over me? My decisions. My body. And I’m not alone. It was easy to find people to join me, and we decided the best way to change minds is to make those responsible experience the same rape that I did.
Ressler: Wait, wait. Are you telling me that this guy’s the father of those men’s babies?
Hannah: Well, why else would I keep him around?
Aram: Hannah, I think it’s safe to say that you’ve made history, but it’s over now.
Hannah: No. No, it’s not over. No matter what happens here, you’re gonna lock me up, and this creature will continue its petition and end up with my daughter.
Ressler: Yeah, but if you shoot him, you’re never gonna be a free woman again.
Hannah: Daisy will. [ VOICE BREAKING ] She’s with my parents. And they’re gonna raise her with love and compassion in a world where everyone will know – actions have consequences.
Aram: Hannah, don’t. Don’t. Wait! No!
[ Hannah shoots 💥 ]
Ressler: Hands!
[ GUN THUDS ]
Ressler: Get on your knees now. Don’t move.
[ Men are watching a soccer game ] [ MEN SHOUTING IN RUSSIAN ]
[ MAN CHUCKLES ] [ ANNOUNCER ON TV SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]
[ Red enters, shooting into the ceiling ] [ GUNSHOTS 💥💥 ]
Red: Motya. I found it prudent to follow your lead and shoot first. The only question is who to shoot second.
Motya Morozov: Calm down. I was just–
[ More GUNSHOTS into the ceiling 💥💥 ]
[ CROWD CHEERS ]
Red: I guess we know who’s third. I instructed you to contact me the instant you had a location on Rostova.
Morozov: [ Russian: ] Who do you think you are? [ English: ] You’re nobody to instruct me. I didn’t become who I am by taking orders.
Red: Who you are is an aging leg-breaker with psoriasis. I assume you found the lead on Katarina but, instead of calling me, attempted to bring her in yourself, hoping to relive your glory days and sell her to the highest bidder to keep you rolling in potato vodka and herring for the rest of your life. You’re not the first one to underestimate that woman, which is why it was imperative that you call me.
Morozov: There is silver lining.
Red: I can’t imagine.
[ Motya leads Red to Skip Sutherland ]
Morozov: This one was with Rostova. Sold her information, but he wouldn’t tell me what.
[ Morozov throws a bucket of water at Sutherland ] [ WATER SLOSHING ]
Red: As I live and breathe! Skip Sutherland! Dembe, look at Skip. Skip, whose side are you on these days?
Sutherland: [ COUGHS ] The wrong one. Apparently.
Red: Morozov, there’s a reason you can’t break this man. Because he has something you’ll never have.
[ Red shoots Morozov 💥💥 ]
Red: Backbone beats wishbone every time. Let’s cut him loose. I assume you denied Morozov the information he sought because he was gonna shoot you either way. And you were good and right. But you know me, Skip. So here’s the deal. I’ll provide you the best medical treatment and protection money can buy, provided you tell me what I need to know, right now. What did she hire you to do?
Sutherland: [ COUGHS ] She wanted the whereabouts of an old KGB operative.
Red: Which one?
Sutherland: Ilya Koslov.
Red: Well, that certainly changes everything. We need to get him some help and get the hell out of here fast.
[ CELLPHONE DIALING ]
[ Forest Veil’s ♪ “Scratch The Surface” Plays ] [ Unavailable ]
♪ I see through
Smoke and mirrors
In the shadows
You are fearless
[ Hannah Hayes is led in handcuffs out of her house ]
♪ I see through
Smoke and mirrors
In the rearview
You’re so nearly there
[ The clinic employees are led away. James Dobson is rolled out in a gurney ]
[ Smiling, Reverend Darvis cuddles his baby, Luke ]
♪ Endless chatter
Without a purpose
It doesn’t matter
It doesn’t matter
Governor Sweeney: How soon can you do it?
Abortion MD: As soon as you sign the consent forms. But as I understand it, coming to New York to get an abortion is still a crime in your state. Your own attorney general could charge you with conspiracy to commit murder.
Gov Sweeney: I know the damn law. I wrote it.
Abortion MD: And yet here you are.
♪ In shallow water
Gov Sweeney: I was raped.
♪ We’re going under
Abortion MD: As I said all I need is your consent.
[ Governor Sweeney signs the consent ]
♪ Stoic warrior
Cooper: We closed this case quickly and efficiently in good part, thanks to you.
Agent Park: Why did Reddington give us this case?
Cooper: Probably because it was the right thing to do.
⋘⋙
[ They disperse. Liz goes over to Agent Park ]
Liz: You were right. I should have told you. About my relationship to Reddington. You’re a part of the team now, and you deserved to know. I’m sorry. It was an oversight. But your secret is safe with me. In fact, I’m gonna share a secret of my own. Reddington is my father. Or he was.
Before he died 30 years ago. The man we’re working with is not Raymond Reddington.
Agent Park: Then who is he?
Liz: He’s a former KGB agent.
Flashback:
Skip Sutherland: Formerly known as Ilya Koslov. The address is current and local.
[ Knocks on door ] [ Frank Bloom, Red’s friend, opens the door – to be greeted by Katarina with a gun ]
Katarina: Hello, Ilya. Been a long time.
⬆ go to start of 7:7 Hannah Hayes
⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ Scratch The Surface
By Forest Veil♪ Lyrics [ See link ]
Lyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/3k3V1MG (?)
YouTube: https://youtu.be/un4QHFUY5D0
⬆ go to start of 7:7 Hannah Hayes
⏫ go to top
❌❌❌ End 7:7 Hannah Hayes
🔴 Script 7:8 The Hawaladar (№ 162)
Program air date: 11/22/2019 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-aaP
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/2CWHPoJ
Director: Paul Holahan
Written by: Jon Bokenkamp, Lukas Reiter
Brief (Where we’re at): So Red isn’t Ilya Koslov after all? It appears not, and instead Red’s childhood friend, now known as Frank Bloom, is the ex-KGB agent. Shortly after learning Ilya’s address, Katarina Rostova showed up at Frank’s door with a gun: “Hello, Ilya. Been a long time.”
Katarina hired ex-MI6 agent Skip Sutherland to find out about Ilya, but Russian mobster Motya Morozov and his thugs tracked Sutherland to his meeting with Katarina, where Katarina was making mud pies with Agnes. (Under the guise of “Maddy Tolliver,” Katarina has moved into the apartment next to Liz and, having warned off other applicants, has become Agnes’s de facto nanny.) When Katarina and Sutherland spotted the SUV with the Russians, they staged a surprise counter-attack in the park’s bath house. But in the end they were outnumbered and Sutherland was taken by the Russians. Katarina broke the neck of the remaining Russian, right before Agnes came looking for her. Katarina got Agnes to “pinky swear” not to tell Liz about the “sleeping” man in the bath house.
Meanwhile, Red was able to track a young man, Patrick Masuda, who was a patient of Dr Lawrence Devane (Blacklister #138). Patrick’s parents were collateral damage of a fight Katarina was involved in. Katarina has become a “fairy godmother” to Patrick, known to him as Constance Drucker. Patrick gave Red Katarina’s phone number and Red insisted on a face-to-face meeting with her, using Patrick as a bargaining chip. Athough Katarina expressed her love for Patrick, she refused the meeting, surmising Red wanted to see her in person because:
Katarina: This is about what the man in the park told me. Morozov told you about that, didn’t he? That’s why you want to see me. You want the address I bought.
After she hung up, Red was about to shoot Patrick, but Dembe reprimanded him, to which Red replied, “It seems you have two fairy godmothers.”
Having found out Morozov had been tracking Katarina, Red and Dembe paid him a visit, which is how they found Sutherland, who the Russians were torturing. Red killed Morozov for not following his instructions to give him a heads up on any leads on Katarina. Sutherland gratefully shared with Red that Katarina was looking for Ilya Koslov.
Red: Well, that certainly changes everything.
It seems Dom was spinning a tale when he told Liz that Ilya had undergone plastic surgery to assume the identity of Raymond Reddington, who was shot by Liz when she four and then pulled from a burning building, only to die later. So how much of the tale Dom told to Liz is true? And who the hell is “Red” if not Ilya?
⭕ Script 7:8 The Hawaladar (№ 162)
[ Red and Dembe break into the apartment of Ilya Koslov (aka “Frank Bloom”). No one is home ]
Dembe: It’s clear.
Red: She has him.
Dembe: We don’t know that.
Red: Dembe. She has him.
[ The apartment has been trashed, glass broken. There is blood on the wall and floor. Red imagines the fight that must have occurred ]
⋘⋙
[ Katarina (aka “Maddy Tolliver”) hovers over Ilya, who lies on the floor, his face beaten bloody ]
Katarina: My God, how long has it been?
Ilya: You go to hell.
Katarina: No, Ilya. You’re the one who’s going to hell.
[ Katarina shoots Ilya with a Taser. Her assistant, Berdy, pulls him away ]
⋘⋙
Red: She’s been ahead of us every step of the way, and now she has someone who can tell her everything she wants to know.
Dembe: He won’t talk.
Red: That’ll be even worse. We need to find Ilya, and we need to do it fast.
[ Ilya wakes up. He is on a chair, his wrists fastened with cable ties. He struggles against the ties ]
⋘⋙
[ In Katarina’s kitchen ]
Berdy: Your friend, whenever he gets here, he’ll have to work quickly.
Katarina: He’s not my friend.
Berdy: It’s a mistake to do this here.
[ Red is at a safe house, a dark wood paneled apartment or suite. He enters and dismisses two guards ]
Red: Thank you, Eric. Would you both please leave us?
[ Skip Sutherland, who gave Ilya’s address to Katarina, is recooperating in a bedroom from the beating he suffered at the hands of Motya Morozov, a Russian mobster, who Red subsequently killed ]
Red: Bad news, Skip – for Ilya, for you.
Skip: She got to him first.
Red: I need to know where they are.
Skip Sutherland: I don’t know.
Red: That’s the wrong answer.
Sutherland: It’s the truth. Please, I-I have a family – two daughters.
Red: What did you think would happen, Skip? You sold, to one of my worst enemies, the location of one of my dearest friends.
Sutherland: I didn’t know you were involved.
Red: How were you paid?
Sutherland: Cash.
Red: What bank?
Sutherland: Not like that. She did everything through a hawaladar.
Red: How do I find him?
Sutherland: We met near my office. He- He was a driver, a deliveryman. The cash, he brought it in his travel bag, like an order. Clay Elephant – that was the restaurant.
Red: Dembe, call Edward. Tell him to get the jet ready for London. I want us in the air within the hour.
[ In Liz’s apartment, in the kitchen, her daughter Agnes colors a picture ]
Liz: What are you coloring?
Agnes: Picture of the park.
Liz: So, I was thinking, tomorrow we could have breakfast at Camel’s Cafe and then maybe go to the zoo. What do you think of that?
Agnes: And see the pandas?
Liz: If the pandas are awake, we can see the pandas. Do you think they’ll be awake?
[ Liz’s phone rings ]
Liz: Ah. Maddy, hey, you’re up and at ’em early.
Katarina/(“Maddy”): [ On phone ] Yes, well, I’m at the train station of all places. Afraid I have a bit of a situation.
Liz: Oh, no. Is everything okay?
Katarina: Oh, heavens, yes, everything’s fine. It’s just, I’ve had an old friend turn up in town at the last minute, and he’d hoped to spend a little time together.
Liz: If this is about Agnes–
Katarina: I promised I’d care for her, and I will. She’s the priority. If you need me to come by–
Liz: No, go be with your friend. Don’t think twice about it, Maddy. I’ll call Beth. I’m sure she can cover. Have fun with your friend. He’s single, I hope.
Katarina: No, he’s not that kind of a friend. At least not anymore, I’m afraid.
Liz: We’ll be fine. Have fun.
Katarina: Thank you, Elizabeth. I appreciate you understanding.
[ Call ends ]
Liz: [ To Agnes ] Hey, kiddo. Go pack your bags. You’re gonna have a play date with Shelly.
Agnes: Yay!
[ Red and Dembe enter the Clay Elephant, an Indian restaurant in London. Two people play chess ]
Arjun: Sit anywhere you like.
[ Red observes the chess board ]
Red: Ah. Knight to F-3. You know, chess was originally devised in India. Back then, it was called Ashtapada.
Arjun: Uh, I know who you are.
Red: Then it only seems fair I should know who you are.
Arjun: Arjun.
Red: Listen carefully, Arjun. Two weeks ago, someone from this establishment delivered a cash payment to a man named Sutherland. Might I assume it was you?
[ Arjun nods ]
Red: Good. That payment was made on behalf of a woman I’m looking for. Did she contact you?
Arjun: Uh –
Red: Focus, Arjun. If you need to, by all means check your notes.
Arjun: Notes? No. I-I remember. The payment was requested by New York, our main office.
Red: Tell me about the main office.
Arjun: It’s a little place on 12th Street Matangi. Look, I can be killed for telling you this.
Red: On the other hand, you would definitely be killed for not telling me this.
Arjun: New York – They run everything, the entire network.
Red: How big is the network?
⋘⋙
[ At the New York Office, bills are run through a machine, then workers roll them into cylinders, which are packed into Chinese take-out containers ]
Bhavish Ratna: [ On phone ] London 692, $1.3 million outgoing.
⋘⋙
Arjun: They have 34 outposts in 18 countries. All front as small restaurants, locally owned. They make good on financial IOUs sent and received from around the world.
Red: And the person who runs the network, they would have a record of the woman who paid Mr. Sutherland?
Arjun: If he doesn’t know, he knows who would.
Red: I’ll need his name.
[ Liz’s home ]
Liz: [ Answers phone ] Reddington, what’s up?
Red: Elizabeth, I have something on very short notice.
Liz: What is it? Is something wrong?
Red: It’s a case – Bhavish Ratna. He’s the next name on the Blacklist.
[ Liz briefs the Task Force ]
Liz: Hawala – It’s an Arabic word that essentially means “money transfer without money movement.” Since 9/11, the hawala system has been a focus of the Bureau. But according to Reddington, his newest Blacklister has taken the traditional legal method to a whole new illegal level.
Agent Alina Park: I’m sorry, you’re gonna have to catch me up. This hawala – it’s a banking system?
Liz: It’s a banking system outside of banks.
Cooper: A terrorist in Kabul wants to make payment to another terrorist in Bangladesh. He can’t go into a bank and wire the money, so he goes to see a hawaladar in his city and then gives him the cash. That hawaladar calls his counterpart in Bangladesh and requests that he front he money to the recipient.
Liz: It’s an IOU system.
Cooper: No bank records, no wires, no actual movement of money.
Agent Park: Meaning there’s nothing for law enforcement to track and no evidence to build the case.
Liz: Which brings me to our suspect Bhavish Ratna, 60, Indian national with no priors.
[ Ratna’s profile is displayed above ]
Liz: Last address Jackson Heights, Queens. If the traditional model is an informal association between brokers, Ratna just formalized it. 34 offices in 18 countries, all moving cash for terrorists, human traffickers, drug cartels – the worst of the worst. All run by one man, all with the same front to the public restaurants.
[ A transaction is placed: ]
Sai: How much?
Zhao Wing (a client): $3.5 million to 635 Barrow Street, 32nd floor.
[ Sai makes a call ] [ Phone rings in New York ]
Bhavish Ratna: [ On phone ] New York, 714.
Sai: Hong Kong, 381 to New York, 714. Obtain and support $3.5 million.
Bhavish Ratna: $3.5 million, obtain and support. Verify locate.
Sai: Locate 635 Barrow Street, 32nd floor, suite 3201.
Bhavish Ratna: It’s en route. Consider it done.
Liz: According to Reddington, these restaurants have different names but are connected financially and all headquartered in Manhattan.
Cooper: And Reddington wants us to take it down, why? It sounds like Ratna is his business partner, not his enemy.
Liz: He thinks the woman who took him in Paris used Ratna to pay for intel. He hopes that Ratna will help him find her.
Cooper: If he thinks Ratna’s that important, why isn’t he doing this himself?
Agent Park: Maybe it’s a smokescreen, meant to keep us distracted while he works another angle.
Aram: I’m sorry, you’ve been here like 9 seconds. How are you already more jaded than Agent Ressler?
[ To Ressler: ] Um – No offense.
Cooper: The three of you will get to New York, set up surveillance, see what you can find. I’ll have FBI in New York get a warrant.
Agent Park: Based on what criteria?
Cooper: I have no idea. I’ll figure that out, assuming I can get a judge to believe a word that I’m saying.
[ Katarina’s apartment. She sits next to Ilya ]
Katarina: I would have done anything for you, Ilya. When you asked me to help you in Belgrade, you knew I’d say yes. Never even occurred to me that you would betray me.
Ilya: Listen – Dominic thought–
Katarina: I know what Dominic thought. And he’s paying for his sins. And if he survives, I’ll find him again and finish the job. At least he believed he was protecting Masha. But you – you were my friend.
Ilya: There are things about this you can’t possibly understand.
Katarina: Oh, but I want to understand. In fact, I insist. I’ve thought a lot about why you chose me as the lamb you could take to slaughter. You thought I was weak – the prey and not the predator. Ask Reddington how he feels about me now.
Ilya: Hurting me won’t get you answers. The Townsend Directive is real. They’re coming for you.
Katarina: Then tell me how to stop them.
Ilya: I’ll die before I talk.
Katarina: I don’t intend to wait for you to give me answers. I’m going to take them from you instead.
Ilya: The hell does that mean?
Katarina: It means I’ve invited an old friend to pay us a visit. And by this time tomorrow – you will have told me everything I need to know.
[ New York City. Agent Park and Ressler are parked in a vehicle near the Clay Elephant restaurant ]
Agent Park: This is not right. We should have a proper warrant, get the evidence.
Ressler: Cooper’s getting a warrant. We’re just trying to corroborate what our source told us.
Agent Park: We know nothing about this man.
⋘⋙
[ Liz is standing on a sidewalk in the area ]
Liz: [ On comms ] Bhavish Ratna – married, bought the restaurant 23 years ago with his wife. Taxes paid, not once late on rent.
⋘⋙
Agent Park: All we know about his alleged criminal activity is what Reddington told us.
Ressler: Hang on, wait. Reddington told us that the world’s largest underground bank is also serving the best lunch buffet in Manhattan, and that’s not enough for you?
Agent Park: I’m only saying we have protocol. I’m not comfortable trusting what Reddington told us about this.
⋘⋙
[ A delivery guy on a bike stops in front of the restaurant ]
[ The conversation between Ressler, Liz and Park continues seamlessly over comms ]
Liz: There’s the delivery guy again.
[ Bhavish Ratna comes out of the restaurant with two large plain shopping bags ]
Agent Park: Wait, is that him?
Liz: That’s him – Ratna.
Agent Park: Okay, that’s odd. Why is the owner making a delivery when he’s had the kid running deliveries all day?
Ressler: I don’t know, but if I find cash in those bags instead of vindaloo, would it make you feel any better about arresting the guy?
Liz: He’s not taking the bike. He’s walking from here.
Ressler: All right, Keen, you and Park flank him. I’ll take his six. Let’s just keep an eye on him, see where he’s going.
[ Ressler and Agent Park get out of the vehicle. They continue to talk over comms ]
Ressler: Keen, you got eyes?
Liz: Copy that. I have eyes.
Agent Park: He can’t be going far on foot.
Ressler: Which means if he’s doing a drop, the target’s got to be close.
Liz: Guys, I think we have a situation here.
Agent Park: Woman at your 10 o’clock, dark hair, blue jacket.
Ressler: With the newspaper?
Agent Park: I think she’s security.
Liz: The construction worker behind Ratna – he’s on radio. I don’t like this. He’s got protection.
Agent Park: We should call for support.
[ Bhavish Ratna walks along the sidewalk until he comes to a bench on which Red sits ]
Red: Bhavish. Is that you?
Ratna: You are, uh –
⋘⋙
[ Liz, Ressler nor Park can get an angle to see Red ]
Liz: Ressler, what’s going on?
Ressler: I don’t know. Could be the target. Park, you have eyes?
Agent Park: No, nothing. Too many people.
⋘⋙
Ratna: Raymond Reddington?
[ Red is seated on a bench ]
Red: And you’re Bhavish Ratna. Now we’re friends.
⋘⋙
Agent Park: He’s talking to someone. Can’t see his face. He’s wearing a hat.
Ressler: You got to be kidding me.
Agent Park: No, that’s not possible. It’s Reddington.
⋘⋙
Red: I’m here as something of a guardian angel, Bhavish. It’s come to my attention that you’re the target of an FBI investigation.
Bhavish Ratna: That can’t be.
Red: And yet it is.
⋘⋙
Ressler: Keen, you want to tell me what the hell he’s doing here?
Agent Park: Wait, is Reddington here with us or the target?
Liz: He’s not with us.
⋘⋙
[ Red points out the FBI agents to Ratna ]
Red: See the rather furtive ginger behind you? He’s FBI. Or if he isn’t, he certainly looks like he’s FBI. Same with the woman by the fence over there.
Ratna: And why are you telling me all this?
Red: Because there’s something I want you to tell me, just as soon as I get you the hell out of here. See the gentleman behind me, by the black Mercedes? He’s your escape plan.
⋘⋙
Ressler: How do you want to handle this, Keen?
Liz: I don’t know. He’s got security everywhere.
⋘⋙
Red: Say the word, and we’re gone.
Ratna: If it’s my clients you want to know about, I don’t talk about them.
Red: Yes, well, never say never.
Ratna: I can take care of myself. I have more security than you may know.
Red: Are you really sure this is the time or place to get into a shoot-out with the FBI, Bhavish? Putting your clients first before yourself while you’re surrounded by the authorities may prove to be somewhat shortsighted. No? [ Getting up ] Okay, just remember, when you’re left holding the bag, I’m the one who told you so.
[ Red walks toward his Mercedes ]
⋘⋙
Ressler: We got to fall back. There’s too many civilians.
Agent Park: We’re not letting this guy walk.
[ Red gets in his car ] [ Ratna starts to run with the shopping bags ]
Agent Park: Stop! FBI! I said stop!
[ One of Ratna’s security detail, a woman, points her gun. The guard dressed a worker does, too ]
Liz: Ressler, they’re armed.
[ Liz and Ressler aim their guns at the two ]
Ressler: Down! Down! Put the gun down!
Liz: Drop your weapon! Drop your weapon.
Ressler: Put it down.
[ The woman puts her gun down ]
[ Ratna drops the bags and runs to Red’s Mercedes. He gets in and it takes off ]
Liz: FBI! Stop! Watch out.
[ Someone on roller skates swoops in and gets the two shopping bags ]
[ Ressler squares off with the other guard ]
Ressler: Put the gun down. Put it down.
Liz: You heard the man. Put the gun down.
[ Agent Park comes up behind the man and flips him over with a judo move, then knocks him out with her fist ]
Agent Park: You want to tell me what the hell that was all about?
Ressler: Guess we’re gonna have to ask Reddington.
[ Red’s wood paneled safe house, back in DC ]
Bhavish Ratna: How could this possibly happen? My people take every precaution vetting clients, travel routes. My security people are in custody, and if they talk–
Red: Quite frankly, I’d be more concerned about your restaurant.
Ratna: The restaurant, the vault, the books. The network compromised. Everyone’s going to jail.
Red: But you’re not. You’re sitting right here in my safe house. Have a nice cup of masala chai.
Ratna: Mr. Reddington, you don’t understand. I was transporting $3.5 million that belongs to the Zhao Triad. The money never made it to Atticus.
Red: Eli Atticus, the extractor?
Ratna: Zhao will come for me if I can’t pay. And with a breach like this, my network will fold. Money will evaporate. My resources gone.
Red: What if I could offer you a loan, make you whole?
Ratna: For the money we lost?
Red: I didn’t lose any money, Bhavish. You did, because you hesitated when you shouldn’t have. Now, normally, I charge 20% for a cash loan of this size, but given the circumstances, I could go as low as 19%.
Ratna: Why would you help me? You don’t even know me.
Red: As I said, you have information that I seek.
Ratna: And if I help, this loan, this money, you can access it quickly?
Red: Before your tea cools.
[ Red makes a call ]
Red: Morgan, it’s me.
Morgan: [ On phone ] Yeah, we’re working as fast as we can.
Red: Well, tell the fellas upstairs we’re in urgent need of 3½ meal tickets.
Morgan: Now?
Red: Yes, now. Put it down at 19%, and please get it here as quickly as possible.
Ratna: What is it you want to know?
Red: It’s come to my attention that you recently arranged for payment to a British agent named Skip Sutherland on behalf of a woman, Constance Drucker.
Ratna: Yes, I remember.
Red: I need to know what other payments you may have made on behalf of Miss Drucker.
[ Ratna looks through a small notebook ]
Ratna: There were, uh – There were only two. The payment you speak of, to the British agent, Skip Sutherland.
Red: And the second?
Ratna: To some kind of moving company. Orion Relocation Services.
[ Red’s guys show up with the money in two briefcases and open them for Ratna ]
Red: Cheers.
Ratna: Thank you, Mr. Reddington!
[ Red steps aside to call Glen Carter ]
Glen: [ On phone ] Hey, Big Red! What’s the story, kemosabe?
Red: Where are you?
Glen: Just wrapped up a student driver exam. Epic fail. Parallel parking is a lost art.
Red: Glen, clear your schedule. We have to talk. I have a job for you.
[ Katarina is home, on a call ]
Katarina: Understood. No, we have the list. Everything will be ready when you arrive.
[ Call ends ]
Katarina: A short delay. He’ll be here by tomorrow.
Berdy: I knew it. What kind of delay?
Katarina: I don’t know. He’s eccentric. You know how these creative people can be.
Berdy: Insane, which is what this entire plan was in the first place.
Katarina: We’ve talked about this.
Berdy: No, I talked, and you pretended to listen because you didn’t want to face the fact that this is junk science and a waste of time.
Katarina: It’s our best option.
⋘⋙
[ Ilya can hear the conversation ]
⋘⋙
Berdy: He turns people into zombies. Half the time without any results.
Katarina: I don’t care. Others are willing to kill for what they want. Well, so am I. And if he fails, so be it. At least I’ll know we’ve used every conceivable means at our disposal.
⋘⋙
[ Ilya is able to leverage a shoe string to break one of the cable ties. He then breaks the other ]
[ Cooper’s office ]
Cooper: [ On phone ] You played us.
Red: Harold, please, calm down.
Cooper: You wanted Ratna because he has information about the woman who abducted you in Paris. You never intended for us to catch him. You wanted him to see us so that you could swoop in and save him.
Red: It’s more complicated than that.
Cooper: Feel free to dumb it down for us. I say “us” because I’ve invited Agents Ressler and Park to listen in. They deserve to know why you double-crossed them in the field.
Red: Actually, they don’t. You gave them an order. They followed it.
Cooper: You tipped Ratna off to an FBI investigation you initiated!
Red: Yes, to put him in my debt by setting him free.
Cooper: You set Ratna free?
Red: As a bird.
Agent Park: You have no idea where he is?
Red: Harold, perhaps you haven’t fully explained to Agent Park how this arrangement works, or perhaps her sense of justice simply isn’t as nuanced as I had imagined.
Cooper: You’re gonna help us find him.
Red: I appreciate your frustrations. I’m sorry to put you in this position. But someone I care deeply about is missing, and I did what I did to try and find him.
Cooper: Who’s missing?
Red: That’s not your concern. What is your concern is Ratna’s banking enterprise. It’s come to my attention that Ratna is moving $3.5 million from the Zhao Crime Syndicate to Eli Atticus.
Cooper: I don’t know any Eli Atticus.
Red: He’s an extraction expert who has a reputation for breaking high-value targets out of black sites and detention facilities around the world. If the Zhao syndicate is paying Atticus, it means they’ve lost someone that they want back. I don’t know who, I don’t know when, but I can assure you, there’s a prison break on the horizon, and it’s going to be bloody.
Cooper: —
Red: As my third executioner said, nothing voices contrition better than silence. Good talk. You’re welcome for the tip.
[ Call ends ]
Agent Park: That’s it? What about the park, what he did there?
Cooper: We expressed our displeasure. He gave us a lead.
Agent Park: I just I don’t understand.
Ressler: Well, how could you? The man’s had three executioners.
Cooper: If it’s any consolation, even after all these years, I don’t understand, either. All I do know is that Eli Atticus may be about to commit a crime. Our job is to stop him before he does.
[ Liz’s friend Beth calls her at work ]
Liz: Hello?
Beth: Liz, hey, you got a minute?
Liz: Yeah, Beth. What’s going on? How are the girls?
Beth: They’re good. We just finished up snack time. I wanted to give you a call about Agnes.
Liz: What’s wrong? Everything okay?
Beth: Shelly and Agnes were drawing, and Agnes, what she drew in her sketchbook – This totally could have waited.
Liz: What did she draw?
Beth: It’s a picture of a dead man.
Liz: What do you mean, a dead man? Did she say–
Beth: That’s why I’m calling. She said that she saw him in the park.
Liz: The dead man?
Beth: I thought you should know. I didn’t know–
Liz: Yes, no, of course.
Beth: –if it was a dream or maybe some story she heard?
Liz: I don’t know– You know what? She walked in on me while I was watching TV. A terrible show.
Beth: Thank God. I’m sure that’s what she saw. You’re at work. Go do your thing. We’ll be fine. We can, um, talk more tonight.
Liz: Okay, thank you, Beth.
Liz: Did you find something?
Agent Park: I think so.
Aram: Okay, Mr. Reddington said that when we arrested him, Bhavish Ratna was moving funds to pay a contractor named Eli Atticus.
Cooper: An extraction expert.
Ressler: A war criminal in Scheveningen, a drug kingpin in Bogotá – this guy’s team has disappeared prisoners from around the world.
Aram: And we think his next job may be right here at home.
Agent Park: Last week, a joint FBI/DEA task force ran a sting on PPR Global, a shipping company that launders money for the Zhao crime syndicate.
Aram: 14 employees were arrested. Several were injured. But one man, Alfred Yang, remains in stable condition, under police custody, at Nations First Hospital.
Liz: Atticus isn’t gonna go after someone who’s already in prison.
Aram: He’s gonna grab Alfred Yang before he ever gets to prison.
Cooper: Keen, notify the detail at Nations First, put them on alert. Ressler, Park, get there and get the target out. I’ll have his transfer to Walter Reed approved before you arrive.
[ Nations First Hospital ]
DEA Agent Truax: Agent Ressler? William Truax, DEA. We spoke over the phone.
Ressler: The witness is on the fourth floor?
Agent Truax: Protective detail’s in place.
Agent Park: Notify hospital security. Execute a code silver till we can get the witness offsite.
[ Gunshot heard from above 💥 ]
Agent Park: The hell was that?
[ Gunshots from above 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
Agent Truax: [ On phone ] Truax to command. Command?
Ressler: All right. Park, call it in. You got west access. I’ll take the east.
Announcer: Attention, code silver.
[ On the fourth floor is a scene of carnage. Agent Park encounters multiple dead and wounded, others cowering. Gun drawn, she makes her way until she comes to one of the DEA protective detail, leaning against a bed, shaking and nearly dead ]
Dying Man: Yang – they have him. F-Four of them. Went to the west.
[ Agent Park calls Ressler ]
Agent Park: Ressler, four gunmen on the move, headed your way.
⋘⋙
[ Ressler and DEA agents engage the gunmen ]
— Breach, breach.
— Fall back.
[ 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 Rapid-fire Gunfight 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
[ Agent Truax is hit in the chest below the heart ]
Ressler: [ Into phone ] Man down, man down! They have Yang in the east stairwell.
[ He applies pressure to Truax’s wound ]
Ressler: Hang in there. Hang in there. Hang in there.
[ Someone jumps Ressler from behind and tries the choke him ]
Ressler: [ Grunting ] Oh! Oh!
[ Ressler tries to throw the man off. He reaches for something on a shelf ]
[ Agent Park appears and shoots the man 💥 but he is only wounded and escapes through a stairwell door ]
Agent Park: Ressler! You okay? Ressler?!
[ Ressler is lying on the floor, gasping. His head sinks to the tile floor, his eyes close ]
[ At the DMV, Glen Carter is arranging posters and props with a gambling theme ]
Glen Carter: Orion Relocation Services? Ah, never heard of ’em.
Red: Well, I only just mentioned them.
Glen: What are they, some kind of a disappearing service?
Red: That’s what I’m trying to figure out, Glen – who they are, what they do, how to make contact.
Glen: I kinda got a full dance card.
Red: Glen, this is important.
[ Phone ringing ]
Red: Please, I- I need you to find these people as soon as human–
Glen: [ On phone ] Yeah. Yeah, put him through. I don’t know what’s wrong with these people. I told them to hold all– Yellow. What? What?! Absolutely not. Jerry, I told you, it’s gotta be raspberry.
[ Red looks exasperated ]
Glen: No, ice cream won’t work. Neither will sorbet. It’s got to be sherbet. — Because that’s what she said. I don’t know, Jerry. I don’t work in the grocery store. Try a different aisle. Maybe try looking over by those lit–
[ Red disconnects the call ]
Glen: That was Jerry.
Red: I don’t care.
Glen: He’s trying to make Trudy’s raspberry sherbet party punch, which is sort of a casino-night custom.
[ Red leans in ]
Red: [ Angrily ] Glen, there is no casino night. There is no DMV. Right now, all that matters is finding Orion Relocation Services.
Glen: Okay, take it easy.
Red: Don’t tell me to take it easy. This is important. You’re a tracker, and I need you to find out everything you can about these people, right now.
Glen: This is different, huh? Important.
[ The phone rings. Glen lifts the receiver, puts it back down ]
Red: The woman from Paris – She took someone I care deeply about. What’s happening to him now, what she’s subjecting him to –
⋘⋙
[ At Katarina’s, Ilya is trying to hang himself with an electrical cord ]
[ Berdy enters ]
Berdy: [ Calls to Katarina ] Hey, gimme a hand!
⋘⋙
Red: – I can’t even begin to imagine, which is why I need to find him.
⋘⋙
[ Katarina enters ]
Katarina: No!
⋘⋙
Red: But I can’t do that unless you find Orion Relocation Services. Glen, I implore you. This is life or death.
⋘⋙
[ Berdy and Katarina cut Ilya down and lower him to the floor ]
Katarina: [ Emotionally ] How could you do this? How could you possibly be willing to die in order to protect him?! After all we’ve been through, Ilya.
Ilya: I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
Katarina: Why won’t you help me? Why?
[ Liz is at the hospital. She talks to Red at his safe house ]
Red: [ On phone ] I’m sorry, uh, say that again?
Liz: We lost Yang. Atticus’ men got here first. Most of the protective detail is dead.
Red: You’re telling me Zhao Wing, the leader of one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the world, hires Eli Atticus, perhaps the preeminent prisoner-extraction specialist in the world, to target a city hospital? All to rescue a rank-and-file foot soldier in Zhao’s army?
Liz: You don’t buy it?
Red: No, Elizabeth, I do not buy it.
Liz: So, maybe Yang wasn’t just a foot soldier.
Red: I don’t care if he’s the architect of Zhao’s entire empire. Shooting up a public hospital is an extreme measure, required only in the most desperate of circumstances.
Liz: Maybe Zhao couldn’t afford to have him talk to the police. Maybe he was worried Yang would flip.
Red: So you wait to see if he’s negotiating a cooperation agreement in the first place.
Liz: That sounds reasonable.
Red: So, why the fireworks?
Liz: Because Yang knew something, and Zhao needed to know what it was.
Red: Or maybe he knows exactly what Yang knows, and maybe Zhao needs to make sure that nobody else ever hears what Yang knows.
Liz: Because Yang’s an informant. Or worse. Oh, my God. That’s it.
[ At a garage, men including Alfred Yang get out of vans ] [ Dialogue in Cantonese (from subtitles): ]
Zhao Wing: So he is back, [ To Yang ] back where you belong.
Yang: Boss. Thank you for rescuing me. I owe you my life.
Zhao: Welcome. In our organization, we are all brothers – regardless of rank – are just as equally important [sic]. Mm?
[ Zhao approaches Yang and hugs him ]
Zhao: But you are not one of my brothers, are you, Alfred? I know.
[ Zhao stabs🔪Yang in the back. He twists the knife ]
Zhao: Fortunately, I will not have to wait long for you to pay me what you owe.
[ Yang falls back. Others catch him ]
Zhao: Bring him inside.
[ Yang is taken away. Zhao wipes his knife clean ] [ End of Cantonese dialogue ]
[ The hospital. Liz approaches the DEA Officer heading up the protective detail ]
Liz: Were you gonna tell us?
DEA Officer: I’m sorry. You are?
Liz: Agent Keen. I’m part of the task force who tried to warn you this was gonna happen. He’s one of yours, isn’t he, Alfred Yang? He’s an agent.
DEA Officer: Keep your voice down.
Liz: How long has he been undercover? The Zhaos didn’t do this to rescue one of their soldiers. They did this to eliminate an undercover cop who could have destroyed them.
DEA Officer: How the hell do you know that?
Liz: I have a source. Apparently, so does Zhao. How long?
DEA Officer: Just over two years. The U.S. Attorney just authorized RICO charges last week. He is the linchpin to the entire case.
Liz: Not anymore.
DEA Officer: We think Yang’s cover is intact. This was a recovery mission.
Liz: Listen to me. They’re gonna kill him. If we don’t find a way to track wherever they took him, they are going to kill him.
[ Ressler walks up. He looks disheveled, but okay ]
Ressler: I think I can help with that.
Liz: Hey, you okay?
Ressler: Yeah, I’ll be fine. [ To the DEA Officer ] Tell me, does the hospital put chips in their I.D. badges to help locate staff?
DEA Officer: Yang was a patient, not hospital staff. W-Why does this help us?
Ressler: Because I managed to slip one in the pocket of a perp while he was trying to choke the life out of me. Can we track it?
[ The FBI raids Zhao’s operation ]
— FBI!
— Go! Go!
— FBI!
[ 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 Gunfight 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
— Hands! Hands!
— Don’t move.
[ Liz finds Yang, bleeding but alive ]
Liz: Call an ambulance.
[ Red stops at the DMV to check on Glen’s progress in finding the moving company. Glen is eating a meatball sub ]
Red: What are you doing?
Glen: Is that a trick question?
Red: Why aren’t you working?
Glen: I understand this is important to you, and I’m doing my best, but I don’t work well when my stomach’s got the growlies and–
Red: Have you found them? Orion Relocation Services?
Glen: No, and I have to admit, I’m not getting much closer, which is a problem, ’cause it’s almost casino night. And if I don’t have everything set when Jerry gets here with the sherbet, we’re gonna have a real prob–
[ Red grabs the sub sandwich and throws it ‼️ against the louvered blinds ]
Red: [ Leaning in, angrily ] We talked about this. There is no casino night. There is nothing but me standing right in front of you. Look at me. This thing we do, this whole dynamic? My indulgence of your relentless nonsense, your insipid banter? I tolerate it. But don’t lose sight of the fact that this is a business relationship. You’re a finder. You exist to me because you find things. Are you telling me that you can’t find what I need you to find? Because if that’s the case, I will end this right now. And don’t think I won’t because we have a history. If my friend dies because of you— Orion Relocation Services. Find them.
[ Cooper’s Office ]
Cooper: Don’t look so grim, Agent Park. You saved an officer’s life today.
Agent Park: Sir, hard to feel cheery, all things considered, sir.
Cooper: All things? What am I missing? An undercover agent is alive because of you and Agent Ressler. The RICO case against the Zhao syndicate will be prosecuted. As we speak, the bureau is identifying the various clients and criminals connected to Bhavish Ratna and his hawaladar network.
Agent Park: And Ratna? He’s what? Helping Reddington? Dead?
Cooper: Could be either or both.
Agent Park: What are we getting involved in?
Cooper: I don’t follow.
Agent Park: Reddington wanted Ratna. Said he needed him, that he was critical to finding whoever abducted him in Paris. But I have a feeling this is about more than Paris.
Cooper: What are you suggesting?
Agent Park: That Reddington’s in over his head, that he’s scared, that he has his back up against the wall. About what? I have no idea. But this I have a sinking feeling this thing is gonna get worse before it gets better.
⋘⋙
[ In the back of his Mercedes, as Dembe drives, Red looks agitated and concerned ]
⋘⋙
Agent Park: And whatever he’s up against – I just don’t want it to end up on our doorstep.
[ It’s evening at Liz’s ]
Liz: [ To Agnes ] Come here. Give me a hug. I haven’t seen you all day. Hey. Can I ask you something about the, uh– the picture you drew today?
Agnes: Yeah.
Liz: The man in the picture – is he someone you saw?
Agnes: I don’t know.
Liz: Is it something you want to talk to me about? Honey, Agnes, look at me. You’re not in trouble, honey. I’m just curious where you got the idea.
Agnes: I saw him in the park.
Liz: With Miss Tolliver?
Agnes: Yeah.
[ In her apartment, Katarina (aka Maddy Tolliver) fastens Ilya’s hands to the chair arms with cuffs ]
Ilya: Come on. What is all this?
Katarina: This, Ilya, is for an old friend, for the work he’s going to do. He’s quite excited to meet you.
[ Knocks on door ]
⋘⋙
[ Katarina opens the door ]
Katarina: Elizabeth, hello.
Liz: Hi. How’s your friend?
Katarina: Oh. Fantastic. I hadn’t seen him in ages. Thank you for understanding. I hope Agnes got along okay.
Liz: Actually, that’s what I wanted to see you about. Uh, is now a bad time?
Katarina: Not at all. Is she asleep? I can come to your place.
Liz: Great. Okay.
[ Across the hall, in Liz’s apartment ] [ They look at the picture Agnes made ]
Katarina: I can’t imagine what she could have possibly seen, but surely it wasn’t a body. Not- Not with me, in the park.
Liz: She wouldn’t just make that up.
Katarina: No, of course not. But like all children, Agnes does have a vivid imagination.
Liz: So, she didn’t say anything to you? Nothing at all?
Katarina: Can I be completely honest with you? No more secrets?
Liz: Uh, I didn’t realize we had secrets.
Katarina: Elizabeth, please. I’ve seen the gun in your purse. The men outside standing guard? I know that you’re an FBI agent.
Liz: Well, what does that have to do with–
Katarina: Do you think perhaps Agnes– that this body is her way of saying that what you do scares her?
Liz: What I do does scare her, and we talk about that.
Katarina: And you and I have talked about her love of fairy tales and how the violence in those stories help deflect what’s going on in her mind.
Liz: This is not a fairy tale.
Katarina: I can tell I’ve upset you, but you have nothing to be defensive about.
Liz: [ Defensively ] I’m not being defensive. I’m defending my daughter.
Katarina: I’m not attacking her. I’m just saying that I was with her in the park. I was there. And there was no body.
[ The DMV ] [ Raps on door ] [ Red enters ]
Red: Glen. About earlier. I must say, I feel terrible.
[ Glen hands Red a folder ]
Red: What’s this?
Glen: Everything you need to know about Orion Relocation Services, which is a corporate loan-out for a small moving company in Paterson.
Red: You found them.
Glen: I did. And from what I can tell, they’re movers that relocate ne’er-do-wells – sort of a witness protection for criminals.
Red: Thank you, Glen. I’m in your debt. And about before–
Glen: Save it, Chief. Another time. If I can get to the Eagles Club now, I can still make it in time for a little roulette and a cup of Trudy’s raspberry sherbet party punch. Wish me luck.
Red: Roulette – that’s your game?
Glen: Of course, baby. And you know I always bet on Red.
[ Both laugh ]
[ Liz sits on a picnic table at Rock Creek Park. She looks at the picture Agnes made ]
[ Ryan Kinder’s ♪ “Bury the Shadows” plays ( unavailable) ]
♪ Silence cuts my ears
Heavy on my shoulders
[ Liz gets up and explores. It’s been rainy ]
♪ I can’t see the stars
Frozen in the dark♪ How do you bury the shadows?
How do you bury the shadows?
[ Liz notices she has mud on her boot. She walks toward the bath house. Inside, she wipes the mud from her boot with a wet paper towel ]
♪ How do you bury the shadows?
How do you bury the shadows?♪ Skeletons under the stones
Haunted when I’m alone
[ Liz sees that a mirror has been cracked and there is blood on it ]
♪ How do you silence a soul?
How do you silence a soul?[ Louder: ]
♪ And how do you bury the shadow?
And how do you bury the shadow?
No. No.
How do you bury the shadows?
[ Katarina’s apartment ] [ Katarina lets in a man with a wide-brimmed hat, beard and glasses. He is carrying a briefcase ]
♪ How do you bury the shadows?
♪ How do you bury the shadows?
♪ How do you bury the shadows?
Man: [ Russian accent ] So, he’s the one?
Katarina: This is him.
[ The man leans down to talk to Ilya ]
Man: Don’t be afraid. It’s okay. We’re just going to have a little look at some of your, um– memories.
⬆ go to start of 7:8 The Hawaladar
⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ Bury The Shadows
By LNRD (feat. Ryan Kinder)♪ Silence cuts my ears.
Heavy on my shoulders.
I can’t see the stars
frozen in the dark.♪ How do you bury the shadows?
How do you bury the shadows?
How do you bury the shadows?
How do you bury the shadows?♪ I can’t change my mind.
The blood won’t wash away.
The ground’s too cold
to bury the dead.♪ How do you bury the shadows
How do you bury the shadows
How do you bury the shadows
How do you bury the shadows♪ Skeletons under the stones.
I’m humming when I am alone.
How do you silence a soul?
How do you silence a soul?!♪ and how do you bury the shadows?
How do you bury the shadows? No No
How do you bury the shadows?
How do you bury the shadows?
♪ How do you bury the shadows?
How do you bury the shadows?
Oh how do you bury the shadows?
How do you bury the shadows?
How do you bury the shadows?Lyrics and Credits: https://tinyurl.com/mr3n9kfh
YouTube: https://youtu.be/MsJ-t9fvH74
⬆ go to start of 7:8 The Hawaladar
⏫ go to top
❌❌❌ End 7:8 Hawaladar
🔴 Script 7:9 Orion Relocation Services (№ 159)
Program air date: 12/6/2019 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-adV
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/2rY3pqV
Director: Stephanie Marquardt
Written by: Sean Hennen
Brief (Where we’re at): Red’s friend, Ilya Koslov (aka Frank Bloom), has been abducted by Katarina Rostova, who has hired a man to extract his memories. Ilya attempted to hang himself to avoid telling Katarina what he knows. It appears to have to do with someone whose secrets he is trying to protect (Red’s?). Katarina was moved to tears after she and her assistant Berdy saved Ilya, and spoke of a past connection between herself and Ilya that had been deep and personal. Whatever happened in the past involved “Dominick” (almost certainly Dom, Liz’s grandfather) and an operation in which she said she was “led like a lamb to the slaughter.” Despite their past relationship, to access Ilya’s memories, Katarina is willing to employ the services of a man who her assistant Berdy says uses techniques based on “junk science” and leaves people “like zombies” if they survive it at all.
Red is desperate to find Ilya and has been able to locate The Hawaladar (Blacklister #162), Bhavish Ratna, who Katarina used to pay Skip Sutherland, the ex-MI6 agent Katarina hired to track down Ilya. A halawader launders money using a system of trusted brokers who operate on a cash basis, skirting the money trail of the banking system. Having saved Ratna from an FBI sting that he himself orchestrated, Red offered to loan Ratna the money he had lost – in exchange for information on another payment Katarina had made. The payment was to Orion Relocation Services, which (after a tongue-lashing from Red), tracker Glen Carter was able to trace.
Liz, meanwhile, now has reason to suspect that her new neighbor and ersatz nanny “Maddy Tolliver” may not be what she seems. In fact, “Maddy” is Katarina. After a day in the park with “Miss Tolliver,” Liz’s daughter Agnes drew a picture of a dead man. That’s because when Skip Sutherland came to park to give the information about Ilya to Katarina/Maddy, he was followed by Russian mobsters trying to cash in on the Townsend Directive, a contract on Katarina’s life. After a vicious fight, Sutherland was taken (later to be rescued by Red), but when Agnes came looking for “Miss Tolliver,” she saw the body of one of the Russians. Agnes pinky-swore not to tell her mother. She drew a picture though. When Liz questioned Katarina, she insisted that nothing was amiss, but Liz went to check out the park anyway. In the bath house, where the fight had taken place, Liz noticed a cracked mirror with blood on it.
⭕ Script 7:9 Orion Relocation Services (№ 159)
Note: This episode has Ilya, Katarina and Dom in three separate modes: in the present, in flashbacks (played by different actors) and in a third mode in which the characters are played in their present appearance but inserted into the flashbacks or otherwise in-between past and present. I used “Lucid Katarina,” “Lucid Ilya” etc to identify this altered state.
[ Nine weeks ago ] [ Madeline Tolliver and Gregory Flynn are moving. Men move boxes into a van marked “Monitor Moving Company.” Madeline and Gregory pose while the moving representative, Stella Bisset, takes pictures of them posing by the “Sold” sign ]
[ Jerry Garcia and David Grisman’s ♪ “Shady Grove” plays ]
Stella Bisset: Say “DC”! [ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]
Madeline Tolliver: How’s that one look? [ CHUCKLES ]
Gregory Flynn: Oh, I’m sure it’s fine, hon.
Madeline: Oh, you say that, and then my eyes aren’t open, or my hair’s in the–
Stella: No, it’s a keeper. Definitely one for all that new wall space.
Madeline: Ahh! Hm. I have a feeling we’re not gonna spend much time in the new place.
Stella: Greg, I thought you were retiring. Are you still going to fly?
Gregory: Well, not as a pilot. As a passenger.
Stella: Ah.
Gregory: I get a little itchy if I’m in one place for too long.
Stella: I hear you.
Madeline: Yeah. He wants to see the world, friends be damned. Yeah. As if we had any. We hardly knew the neighbors.
Stella: [ CHUCKLES ] Well, you have each other. What other friends do you need? You know, I have a few items for you to sign. Should we go inside?
Madeline: Mm-hmm.
Gregory: Yeah.
♪ I’m bound for Shady Grove
[ Inside, they sign the papers ]
Stella: Your things will be waiting for you safely when you arrive in DC.
Madeline: Thank you. [ CHUCKLES ] You have made this a cinch.
Gregory: Yeah, Stella. Thank you, really.
Stella: As we say at Orion, good luck–
Madeline: Oh!
Stella: wherever fate takes you.
[ LAUGHING ]
Gregory: Yes!
[ A man comes up behind Gregory and covers his face with plastic wrap ]
Gregory: Ohh!
[ The same thing happens to Madeline ]
[ MUFFLED SCREAMING ] [ Stella puts the papers into her bag ]
♪ Shady Grove, my little love
Shady Grove, my darlin’,
Shady Grove
[ Gregory and Madeline’s bodies are rolled inside rugs and carried by workers to the moving van ]
Stella: [ On phone ] I have secured your match. She’s retired, no family. He’s a former airline pilot. They lead very quiet lives and they are moving to DC this week.
Katarina: So, we have names.
Stella: Yes. Madeline Tolliver and Gregory Flynn.
Katarina: Madeline. Like the children’s book. How sweet.
Stella: I’ll be in touch.
Katarina: Yes. Thank you. [ CELLPHONE BEEPS ] Well, Berdy, it appears you and I are going to be neighbors with Miss Keen after all.
[ In the present ] [ Liz and Agnes are leaving their apartment. So is Katarina (aka “Maddy”) ]
Liz: Come on, munchkin! Hurry! The Saltmans are waiting! Again.
Katarina: Carpool drama?
Liz: [ SIGHS ]
[ DOOR CLOSES ]
Liz: Punctuality is not her strong suit yet, but she could write a book on transitional objects.
[ Agnes is carrying her blue Barbie, the one Katarina had planted a listening device into ]
Liz: I mean, she won’t go anywhere without it.
Katarina: Is that right?
Liz: I’m gonna see her off, but I’ll be back in a sec if you want to come by for coffee.
Berdy: The doll has the mic in it. Now how are we gonna get our intel? And [ CHUCKLES ] Please don’t say from Dr. Quakenstein.
Katarina: Skovic’s methods are unconventional, but they’re effective. He’ll get Ilya to talk, and when he does we’ll have all the intel we need.
⋘⋙
[ In an adjacent room, Red’s friend Ilya Koslov is hooked up to monitoring equipment ] [ BEEPING ]
Skovic: Are you familiar with RMT, Mr. Koslov? Recovered Memory Therapy?
[ Skovic SMOOCHES his thumb ] It’s quite, uh, unconventional. Some would even go so far as to call it junk science, but I believe it is the future.
[ INHALES DEEPLY ] And it is also our way into the past.
[ DOOR OPENS ] [ Katarina enters ] [ DOOR CLOSES ] [ BEEPING CONTINUES ]
Skovic: Uh, for your session, I will be using a cocktail of pharmaceuticals and hypnotherapy to place you in a lucid waking dream state.
[ Skovic SNIFFS a container of pipe tobacco ]
Skovic: Mmm.
[ LID SNAPS ]
Skovic: There are, of course risks, but that is why we will be keeping you sedated. Now, your friend would like for you to go back to 1991. Let’s go back to the day when Katarina Rostova reached out to you – let you know she was alive.
[ BEEPING CONTINUES ]
[ THREE KNOCKS ON DOOR ] [ Liz opens her door. She assumes it’s Katarina, but it’s Red and Dembe ]
Liz: Perfect timing!
Red: For what?
Liz: Coffee. I was, uh– Sorry. I was expecting someone else.
Red: Oh. Well, we wouldn’t want good coffee to go to waste, would we?
⋘⋙
[ In her kitchen, Liz serves coffee ]
Red: I don’t know how, but that woman stayed well ahead of me. She got to Steinhil, she’s apprehended a dear friend of mine.
Liz: You said she’s after certain information. Does he have it?
Red: He does. And she’ll do most anything to get it from him.
⋘⋙
Ilya: [ SLEEPILY ] You don’t have to do this.
Katarina: I’m afraid I do, love.
[ Skovic prepares an injection ]
⋘⋙
Red: We have very little time, but thanks to her hawaladar, we have a lead. Orion Relocation Services. She paid them to give her a new identity, a new home, new life. I don’t know where she is or who she’s pretending to be, but Orion Relocation Services, they do.
Liz: Who is she – the woman in Paris? You still haven’t told me her name.
Red: The man she’s taken, he’s like a brother to me.
Liz: I deserve to know. She’s going after the people you care about. She’s hurting your friend. If she can hurt him, she can hurt us.
Red: Did something happen? Were you threatened? I thought the FBI had you under protective surveillance.
Liz: This company – Orion Relocation Service – tell me about them.
[ The Post Office. Liz briefs the Task Force ]
Liz: Until now, Reddington’s heard whispers, ghost stories about the people who helped the worst of the worst disappear – assassins, traitors, the woman who abducted him in Paris.
Agent Alina Park: We find them, he finds her. How convenient for him.
Cooper: Yes, he gets what he wants, but in exchange, we get to ID criminals Orion has hidden in plain sight.
Liz: And arrest a company of murderers. Orion doesn’t just give their clients fake IDs. They kill innocent people and give their identities to their clients.
Ressler: So if Reddington already knows Orion’s name, why can’t he find them himself?
Liz: “Orion” is a DBA, a financial shell he can’t crack. What he does have is a name, one of Orion’s clients, a thief looking for a new identity – Sofia Burke.
⋘⋙
Sofia Burke: I need to escape, go where I can’t be found.
Stella Bisset: Believe me, where I’m sending you, no one will ever look.
⋘⋙
Aram: [ Typing ] All right. Burke’s a jewel thief. Milan. Hong Kong.The Tel Aviv Diamond Exchange. Now, her whereabouts are unknown, but it looks like her partner took the fall when they tried to steal the Dresden Green, the world’s largest green diamond. Appears he’s awaiting trial at the MDC in Brooklyn.
Ressler: Maybe that’s why she wants a new ID. She’s worried this partner is gonna flip on her.
Cooper: Let’s hope she’s right. Take Park to Brooklyn and find out.
⋘⋙
[ They disperse. Aram calls Liz back ]
Aram: Agent Keen. So, uh, this came for you through the Hoover Building.
[ ENVELOPE RUSTLING ] [ Liz takes out a thumb drive ]
Liz: Okay. [ SIGHS ] Agnes said she saw a dead body in the park the other day.
Aram: Oh, my God. That- That must have been terrifying.
Liz: Yeah. S-She was pretty shaken up. Her nanny didn’t see anything, but there was a birthday party in the park, and the Park Department gave me the name of the family who rented the field.
Aram: Did they see anything?
Liz: The mom did, but she was too freaked out to make a positive ID. So I’m hoping I can get one from the video of the birthday party here.
[ They watch the video ]
Aram: Hang on. Hang on. There. Go back.
[ In the distance, behind the partiers, they see two men entering the bathhouse in the park ]
Liz: He’s carrying.
Aram: Any idea who they are?
Liz: No, but I’m gonna find out.
[ Skovic lights his pipe and puffs at it ] [ SKOVIC BREATHES DEEPLY ] [ Katarina looks on intently ]
Skovic: Ilya I know your instinct will be to fight, but I want you to know the harder that you fight, the more relaxed you will become. The more you fight, the more you surrender. It’s as if you are floating. And as you float, all that fight escapes you. It floats, too. Floating away.
[ Skovic INHALES DEEPLY ]
Skovic: I want you to breathe in and out. In [ BEEPING ] And out. Making the image of yourself more present, more clear. Focus on that image of yourself. It’s not you today. It’s you in 1991. A young man. On the day you learned Katarina Rostova was still alive. Look at yourself as that young man. Can you see him, Ilya? He’s there. He’s you. I’m going to ask you to open your eyes, and when you do the image of that young man will become incredibly clear.
[ Flashback: ]
[ A blurred image of Ilya as a young man appears ]
[ Skovic INHALES SHARPLY ]
Skovic: You’re going to open your eyes now. Are you ready? [ ECHOING ] Three – two – one.
[ Flashback: ]
[ The image of young Ilya crystallizes. Young Ilya opens his eyes. His eyes dart around fearfully ]
[ Cooper’s office ] [ Liz and Cooper look at the enlarged image of the two men from the birthday party video. Their faces are very unclear ]
Cooper: Is it clear enough for facial recognition?
Liz: Aram says no. I’ve circulated the image to every FBI office worldwide to see if anyone can ID the man.
Cooper: Three operatives, a dead body, and Agnes. I wish I believed that could be a coincidence. If these guys work for the woman who abducted Reddington, then who’s the dead man? And if the dead man works for her, then who killed him?
Liz: We can’t know until we find Burke. Did her partner give us a lead?
Cooper: He gave us the name of the man who fences her jewels. Richard Potash.
[ SCISSORS SNIPPING ] [ Sofia Burke cuts her hair short, to match the style of the woman whose life she will be stepping into ]
⋘⋙
Sofia Burke: [ On phone ] Yes. Liquidate everything. Accounts, stocks, T-bills.
[ Cooper’s office ]
Cooper: Reddington knows Potash by reputation and gastronomic preference. It seems there’s an underground restaurant scene, and he frequents it. Reddington’s meeting him there.
Liz: Then so am I. If he can lead us toward anyone involved in sending those men after my kid, I want to hear it first.
[ Liz and Red enter the dining venue, dressed in evening wear ] [ A man is using a kitchen
torch ] [ TORCH HISSING ]
Red: Oh, my. I must say, I’m very intrigued. I bartered a long weekend at my pied-á-terre in Montmartre for the invitation plus-one. This chef, Rasmus Ray, is something of an outlier in food circles. No restaurant, no menu. Plenty of youthful innovation. Apparently he only hosts these dinners when inspiration strikes, which bodes well for our evening.
Liz: I’m only interested in finding Burke’s fence.
[ Red acknowledges someone ]
Red: Ah. Colonel. Looking dashing, as always. [ CHUCKLES ]
Liz: Who’s that?
Red: Just some colonel.
[ Red motions toward another, heavy-set, man ]
Red: I believe that that’s our fence.
⋘⋙
Red: Mr. Potash. I hear you’re the man to see about a thief.
Richard Potash: Pardon me? Do I know you?
Red: Not yet, but we’re about to make each other unholy amounts of money.
Potash: Are we, now?
Red: I don’t know how to make any other kind. Raymond Reddington.
Potash: The Raymond Reddington?
Red: And this is the Lydia Dart. A friend and client.
Liz: As well as an art lover. I understand you dabble in art yourself.
Potash: I’ve been said to have resources. What might it be that you’re looking to acquire?
Chef Rasmus Ray: [ Loudly ] Fellows, gals, non-binary pals. I’m Chef Rasmus Ray. Welcome to Comestible. Please have a seat.
[ The guests are now seated ]
Chef Rasmus Ray: In food, our eyes betray us. With visual cues. With predisposed expectations of color and and texture. The brain is is programmed to choose food that will give our bodies the greatest nutrients. The vibrant greens of vegetables, the rich reds of meat. To counter this, the brain rejects food it perceives as dangerous spotted, softening fruit, strong-smelling fish, discolored meat. When you avoid something on your plate, chances are you’re avoiding it because of a past experience. But tonight we dine without prejudice. Tonight we dine on pure flavor. Tonight we dine in the dark.
[ The lights go out ] [ GUESTS MURMURING ]
Liz: Is this for real?
Red: Well, it certainly just got interesting.
[ Katarina’s place ] [ Ilya remains sedated, but conscious, his eyes closed ]
Skovic: Ilya? Ilya, can you hear me?
[ An image of Ilya as he looks now, but imagined (“Lucid Ilya”), appears ]
Lucid Ilya: Yes.
Skovic: Can you tell me what you see?
[ Flashback: ]
[ An image of young Katarina appears ]
[ Young Ilya and the image of Ilya as he looks now (“Lucid Ilya”) appear side-by-side ]
Lucid Ilya: I see her.
Young Ilya: With me.
Skovic: How do you feel?
[ BEEPING ]
Ilya: [ INHALES SHARPLY ] I’m relieved.
Lucid Ilya: I thought she was gone.
[ Flashback: ]
Young Katarina: I went into the ocean to end my life.
Lucid Ilya: I heard about Cape May. The drowning. Her suicide.
[ Flashback: ]
[ Images of the ocean pounding, the inn at Cape May flash by ]
Skovic: But there was no suicide.
Ilya: No. [ SIGHS, smiles ] No.
Skovic: Do you remember what happened that night?
Lucid Ilya: She made contact at the embassy.
[ Flashback: ]
[ Images flash by: the crossword puzzle, the keys in the briefcase, the motel room, finding her alive ]
Young Ilya: The world thinks you’re dead.
Lucid Ilya: I thought they were dead.
[ Flashback: ]
Young Katarina: We did the right thing.
Young Ilya: I’ve nothing but love for you.
[ They embrace ]
Lucid Ilya: She was in trouble. She needed help.
Skovic: What trouble? Tell me about the trouble. You helped her, right?
Lucid Ilya: She was being hunted. By the KGB. The Cabal. The Americans. Her father helped get us out of Russia. But it wasn’t enough.
[ ECHOING ]
[ Flashback: ]
Young Katarina: I am marked.
Ilya: She needed to disappear. Needed a plan.
Skovic: Tell me about that plan.
[ BEEPING INTENSIFIES ]
Katarina: You’re losing him.
Skovic: He’s resisting the memory.
Ilya: [ GROANS ]
Katarina: Ilya? The plan. Tell me what you remember about that plan.
[ ECHOING ]
[ Flashback: ]
Young Ilya: No one knows. ⋘⋙ Impossible.
[ Typewriter slams out loudly: “R” “e” “d” ]
Young Ilya: A fugitive and traitor to his country.
Voice of Young Ilya: [ very softly, ECHOING ] Reddington’s dead. Reddington’s –
Young Ilya: I don’t think you’re entirely grasping what I’m suggesting.
Young Katarina: What are you suggesting?
Young Ilya: Becoming Reddington. Purposefully stepping into into the shoes of a man–
Ilya: –into the shoes of a man destined to be condemned as a traitor.
Katarina: But how?
[ Flashback: ]
Young Katarina: That would be impossible.
Young Ilya: What if it’s not?
Ilya: We devised a plan to steal the money used to frame Reddington and disappear.
Katarina: But the plan, it didn’t work.
[ Flashback: ]
[ The typewriter scrolls up, as if to correct something ]
Ilya: Not like we thought.
Katarina: No. Help me to remember. The plan. Who did it involve?
Ilya: [ BREATHES SHAKILY ] It was myself – Katarina – Dr. Koehler.
Katarina: And the person under the knife – the man who walked into the banks and impersonated Reddington – tell me what you remember about him.
[ BEEPING INTENSIFIES ]
Skovic: He’s guarding the memory. Even in this state, he knows there is a secret he should not reveal.
Katarina: Who was impersonating him, Ilya?
Skovic: Stop! I need to bring him out.
Katarina: No! Not yet.
Skovic: No. His blood pressure’s through the roof! I need to push Lidocaine.
Katarina: Then stop! Let him rest. But we are not bringing him out.
[ BEEPING CONTINUES ]
[ The darkened dining venue. The servers wear night vision goggles ]
Red: I think dining in the dark probably does enhance the senses.
Liz: Is annoyance a sense?
Red: [ CHUCKLES ]
Chef Rasmus Ray: For the next dish – brandywine tomatoes with a Dungeness crab and a seaweed-lemon granité.
Red: I understand that Sofia Burke made a run at the Dresden Green.
Richard Potash: She tried and failed.
[ Red tastes the wine ]
Red: Mm! Château d’Yquem. My uvula is positively quivering.
Liz: We want her to try again. You can get in touch with her. We can’t.
Potash: Whether she tries again or not is not my concern.
Red: I wonder if a healthy finder’s fee would make it your concern.
Potash: I’ll need to make a call.
Chef Rasmus Ray: And after this, the pièce de résistance: the winged veal of the Russian Far East. Served extra rare.
[ WINGS FLUTTER, ANIMAL CRIES, GUESTS GASP ]
Chef Ray: That is the sound of the Blakiston fish owl, the largest, most exotic, and endangered of the owl species.
Liz: [ WHISPERING ] Endangered?
Chef Ray: Let us know if you would prefer a slice of the wing, breast, or all-seeing eye.
[ Red switches the lights on and points his gun at the chef ]
Red: Nobody touches the bird. What’s wrong with you people? There are only 400 of these little guys left in the world, and you’re gonna eat this one? You want to eat something? Eat a cow! There are millions of them wandering around. Better yet, eat a rabbit. They’re delicious! Low impact on the environment, sustainable. I mean, hell, they hump like– well, like rabbits. Uh, but our little feathered friend here [ OWL SCREECHES ] is coming with me. Chef?
[ Red motions to the owl’s keeper ] [ OWL SCREECHES ]
Red: Lydia? Smile, everyone. You just spared a magnificent creature.
[ A cafe/bar ]
Liz: She’s late.
Red: Somewhere you need to be?
Liz: I’m expecting a call.
Red: A personal one, I hope. I’m sure it’s been difficult since Tom. But you have Agnes now. You should be looking forward, not back.You deserve a bigger life.
[ DOOR OPENS ]
[ Sophia Burke enters ]
Red: Oh.
[ Dembe attempts a pat-down, but she brushes him off ]
Sophia Burke: In your dreams, handsome.
Red: Sofia Burke! Your reputation precedes you.
Sophia: As does yours. Which is why I’m here. I wanted to pay you the courtesy of turning you down in person. I tried stealing the Dresden once. I won’t try again.
Red: I don’t want you to.
Sophia: [ CHUCKLES ] Potash said you did.
Red: [ Gesturing ] Please.
[ She sits ]
Red: Would you care for some tea or coffee?
Sophia: No. Thank you.
Red: We’re looking for some information about Orion Relocation Services.
Sophia: Never heard of them.
Red: Perhaps this will jog your memory.
[ Dembe opens a briefcase full of money ]
Red: [ CHUCKLES ]
[ CELLPHONE VIBRATES ]
Liz: Excuse me.
[ Liz steps aside to take the call ]
Red: Tell me how it all works.
⋘⋙
Liz: [ On phone ] Hello?
Agent Harris Gentry: Agent Keen. Harris Gentry. I work in transnational organized crime out of Baltimore.
Liz: Yes, I was expecting your call. I understand you identified the man in the photo I circulated.
⋘⋙
Sophia Burke: So [ SIGHS ] they find someone who’s planning to move. Same age, ethnicity. Loners or people without family. In my case, a woman escaping from an abusive relationship who wants to disappear.
Red: So you can step into the identity of someone no one can find.
Sophia: Is that what this is about? [ CHUCKLES ] You want a new identity?
Red: [ CHUCKLES SOFTLY ] How do you contact them?
Sophia: They initiate contact, use burners. Tell me what I need to know when I need to know it.
Red: Did they tell you your new identity? I’m paying for information. So far, you’ve given me relatively little.
Sophia: Denise Young. That’s my new name. I don’t know how to reach her.
Red: It was a pleasure meeting you. Don’t spend it all in one place.
[ Sophia leaves ]
⋘⋙
Liz: [ On phone ] And this Tommy Petrov. You’re sure he’s Russian mafia?
Agent Gentry: Guy’s a brigadier in the Vory. Answered to Motya Morozov.
Liz: “Answered”?
Agent Gentry: He was hit. We don’t know why.
Liz: I was hoping you did. [ SIGHS ]
⋘⋙
Red: Denise Young. To find Ilya, we need to find her.
Dembe: Do you want me to call Glen?
Red: And risk a delay due to Taco Tuesday or a suddenly ingrown toenail? I don’t have the time. Ilya doesn’t have the time. Unfortunately, the last person I would want to find Ilya is the person I need help from to find him.
⋘⋙
[ Liz returns to join Red and Dembe ]
Red: We have a lead.
Liz: Motya Morozov. Does he work with the woman in Paris?
Red: So you have been threatened.
Liz: Was he looking for my mother?
Red: He was. Before I shot him.
Liz: [ Insistently ] The woman in Paris. If you won’t tell me her name, just tell me this. If we find her, will it end?
Red: That is our best hope.
Liz: You said you had a lead?
[ Katarina’s kitchen ] [ DOOR CLOSES, FOOTSTEPS APPROACH ]
[ SKOVIC EXHALES SHARPLY AND GROANS ]
Katarina: How is he?
Skovic: Sedated. His vitals are returning. Heart rate is stable. [ INHALES DEEPLY ] But I am concerned. Your friend – he has been trained to resist interrogation. I believe at the deepest, subconscious levels, he is able to avert, to resist.
Katarina: And how do we get around that?
Skovic: I would like to try a different approach. Something, uh, somewhat unorthodox. But to do this, I will need your assistance – and your unabridged trust.
[ MATCH STRIKES ] [ Skovic lights his pipe ]
[ BEEPING ]
[ Skovic smokes his pipe ]
Skovic: [ EXHALES DEEPLY ]
[ BEEPING ]
Skovic: Ilya.
[ PIPE CLINKING ]
Skovic: There is a memory I want you to open for me – uh, like a drawer. Can you do that? We’re going to go back. Back to the night you and Katarina’s father decided her fate. You remember that day like it was yesterday. The way it felt the way it smelled what it looked like. Can you tell me where you are?
Lucid Ilya: In a café in Belgrade.
Skovic: What happened that night?
[ BEEPING INTENSIFIES ]
Skovic: Don’t– Don’t fight. Don’t fight. Let go. Breathe into the memory.
[ Katarina, herself now sedated, enters the scene, taking Ilya’s hand ]
Katarina: Ilya. Love.
Lucid Katarina: “Please. I know you were here with Dom. I need you to tell me what happened.
[ Ilya, in lucid form, sits beside Young Ilya ]
Lucid Ilya: It wasn’t my idea. I told him.
[ Flashback: ]
Young Ilya: We can’t be meeting like this. It’s too dangerous. Even now.
Young Dom: Listen to me. Your ruse with Reddington didn’t work. All it managed to do was anger the people who want her dead.
Young Ilya: She is dead.
Young Dom: Nonsense!
Skovic: What did Dom want from you?
Lucid Dom: He was desperate. He needed help.
[ Flashback: ]
Young Dom: Do you know they’ve assembled a directive? The Russian Vory, KGB, the Americans – her enemies – have pooled their resources and put a bounty on her head. They’re calling it the Townsend Directive.
Young Ilya: Neville Townsend?
Young Dom: He’s at the top of a very long list of people who want her dead.
Young Ilya: Are you worried they’ll find you?
Young Dom: I’m worried they’ll find Masha, try and leverage her.
Young Ilya: Look, Dom, I- I can’t help you.
Young Dom: You made a promise! [ FIST SLAMS ON TABLE ] To Katarina. You told her you would look after Masha if anything happened to her.
Young Ilya: Yes, but I can’t call off Townsend. And he will not stop looking.
Young Dom: Sure, he will. He’ll stop looking. And so will the rest of them if Katarina’s dead.
Young Ilya: You want me to kill your daughter?
Young Dom: I want you to hear my plan.
[ Cooper’s office ]
Aram: I can’t believe the man in the park was Russian Vory.
Liz: I should move.
Cooper: And do what? Go on the run? Live in hiding?
Liz: My family’s being stalked by the Russian mob.
Ressler: Yeah, but you’re being protected by the FBI.
Cooper: Reddington’s given us a lead. We’re gonna track it down and end this threat and protect you and your family while we’re at it.
[ Agent Alina Park enters with a laptop ]
Agent Park: I got a location on Denise Young. On three Denise Youngs, actually. All the same age as Sofia Burke, all with homes listed for sale or in escrow but only one of whom has filed three restraining orders against her ex.
Ressler: The one who wants to get away and never be found.
Agent Park: 532 Riley Street. Falls Church.
Cooper: Keen, Ressler, head over there. Aram, Park, get her on the phone and warn her. If we want to find Orion, we need to keep her alive.
[ Flashback: ]
Young Dom: She has to die. It’s the only way to protect Masha. But to get this done, I’ll need your help. She’ll listen to you. You can get her.
Young Ilya: Dom. I- I can’t.–
Ilya: –I can’t do this.
Katarina: And yet you did
⋘⋙
[ Katarina and Ilya stand together, in lucid form, looking on the scene in 1991 ]
Lucid Katarina:. Early in the morning. Still dark. You’d called me. It was a simple assignment. I was to drive a couple of miles into the city.
[ Both Katarina and Ilya remain connected to monitors ]
Katarina: I was to meet Dominic at Vukov Station. Give him a package. I was to sneak out.
Skovic: So the target – she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
Lucid Ilya: I watched you sneak out of the green door. But I could hardly see you. It was so dark.
Lucid Katarina: So you were there to what? To watch me die?
Ilya: Yes.
Lucid Ilya: [ Voice-over ] I hadn’t known you’d taken a new husband. Not that I was angry to find out, certainly not as angry as he seemed to be, charging out of that room.
[ Pyotr runs out of building and confronts Katarina ]
Young Dom: Who’s this?
Katarina: I had to bring him in. Pyotr was so suspicious. He knew what my old life had cost me.
Lucid Katarina: But I couldn’t let you down. By the time Pyotr woke up, I planned to be back in bed as if nothing happened.
[ Flashback: ]
[ Pyotr argues with Katarina, then pushes her away ]
Katarina: But I was wrong. He knew if I was slipping out at 4:00 a.m. that I was back in the game. He kept screaming, “You were done! You were out!” I insisted it was my last job. An old friend had asked me for a favor. A desperate friend, someone who I trusted–
Lucid Katarina: –someone I could never turn down. But you weren’t really my friend. Were you?
Lucid Ilya: I’m so sorry.
[ BEEPING ]
Ilya: I never wanted to hurt you. But we- we didn’t think we had a choice.
Lucid Katarina: [ SCOFFS ] “We.” That’s right. You weren’t alone. The others They were all there. Even Dom was there.
Lucid Ilya: He leaked that his daughter – that you, were staying at the inn and that you carried sensitive intel. This might be the last chance to catch the infamous Russian traitor–
Skovic: –Katarina Rostova.
Katarina: He wanted to make a spectacle of my death. And to think, you facilitated it. [ VOICE BREAKING ] You watched.
Lucid Ilya: I know.
Ilya: I’m sorry.
Lucid Katarina: Pyotr insisted he accompany me. He didn’t want me out of his sight. He knew Belgrade was too dangerous. He said he’d stay in the car. I told him he was crazy to come.
He wasn’t even wearing shoes. Just those stupid hotel slippers.
[ Flashback: ]
[ The car 💥🔥💥 explodes 💥🔥💥 ] [ Lucid Katarina and Lucid Ilya stand next to the car with Young Dom and Young Ilya inside, all watching the explosion ]
Katarina: [ CRYING ] He died. [ SOBS ] I loved him. And he died right before my eyes. Because of you!
Lucid Ilya: The KGB were going to kill you right then and there.
[ Young Katarina runs out of the building ] [ SHOUTS IN RUSSIAN ]
Lucid Ilya: But then everything went wrong.
[ Flashback: ]
[ SHOUTING IN RUSSIAN ]
Katarina: [ GASPS ]
[ CELLPHONE RINGING ]
Katarina: [ GROANS ]
[ RINGING CONTINUES ]
Katarina: [ On phone ] [ Shakily ] Elizabeth.
[ Liz is riding in an SUV alongside Ressler ]
Liz: Hi. Is there any chance you could look after Agnes today?
Katarina: You know I’d love to, but–
Liz: What Agnes said, there was a dead body in the park.
Katarina: I’m in a very [ SNIFFLES ] important meeting.
Liz: There were men with guns.
Katarina: I really can’t help you now.
Liz: They were there for her. To hurt her.
Katarina: Are you sure? W-Why? W-Who were they?
Liz: I can’t explain everything. I just need someone I trust to look after her until I get home.
Katarina: Of course I’ll do it. I’ll be there as soon as I can.
Liz: I’m sorry to pull you out of a meeting.
Katarina: It’s okay. We’re almost done.
Liz: Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without you.
Katarina: I’m happy to do it. And don’t worry. She’ll be safe with me. I’m a lot tougher than I look.
[ Flashback: ]
[ Young Dom and Young Ilya are in a car leaving the scene of the explosion; Dom drives ]
Young Dom: I gave you instructions.
Young Ilya: How could I have not known about her husband?
Young Dom: She was to come alone. One simple job – deliver the dossier.
Young Ilya: I’ve never even heard of him.
Young Dom: And now he’s dead and she’s alive.
Skovic: Yes.
[ Flashback: ]
Young Dom: And there are witnesses. It’s a mess! The world was supposed to see Katarina Rostova die, and instead all we’ve done is confirm that she’s very much alive.
Skovic: [ Reading from notes ] Townsend.
[ Flashback: ]
Young Dom: He’ll never stop. And instead of protecting my granddaughter, we’ve put a target on her back.
Young Ilya: Oh, stop using the child as an excuse! This was about you, Dom.
Young Dom: This was about Masha!
Young Ilya: I should tell him.
Young Dom: We’re not telling him anything.
Young Ilya: Oh. I know how you feel, but Reddington deserves to know what we’ve done.
Skovic: Why? Why does Reddington deserve to know anything?
Ilya: [ Still sedated; eyes closed ] Because he’s a part of this.
Katarina: [ Awake; standing ] You’re protecting him.
Ilya: I made a promise.
Katarina: But you cared about me.
Ilya: Yes, and I do, but I c–
Katarina: I had everything taken from me that night. I can’t show my face, use my name– [ CRYING ]
Ilya: I’m so sorry.
Katarina: –I’ve been hunted like an animal!
[ BEEPING INTENSIFIES ]
Ilya: [ SOBBING, shaking ]
Skovic: We need to stop.
Katarina: And Reddington? Whoever he is, he’s still out there!
Ilya: [ GROANING ]
Katarina: The benefactor to all of this. Why?! Stop! You’re protecting him, but people are trying to kill me. They’re hunting me! [ Screaming at him ] Answer me! Why?!
[ Ilya is shaking wildly ]
Skovic: We need to stop! Get back! We need to keep his airway clear.
[ Skovic stabs Ilya with a syringe ]
Ilya: [ GROANING ]
[ BEEPING SLOWS ]
Ilya: [ MUMBLES ]
Katarina: I only want the truth.
Skovic: You won’t get it if he’s dead.
[ SYRINGE CLATTERS ]
[ Liz calls in from the vehicle with Ressler to the Post Office ]
Liz: [ On phone ] Did you get ahold of Denise?
Aram: She canceled her cell service or has a new account under a different name. By hiding from her abuser, she managed to hide from us.
Agent Park: I can’t get Reddington to pick up.
Liz: Why would you be calling him?
Agent Park: He insisted I give him Denise’s location as soon as we got one.
Ressler: So he could get there first. Now, did you give it to him before or after you gave it to us?
Agent Park: Before. But he was closer, and she’s in danger and [ SIGHS ] He’s not gonna tell us what he finds out, is he?
Liz: He’s not keeping this from me.
[ Denise Young is finalizing her move with Stella Bisset ]
Stella: Last bit of business. Would you just initial by the X’s and sign where I highlighted it, please?
Denise: I’m so ready to get out of here.
Stella: Aww. It’s been that bad?
Denise: Look around. People usually have mementos and sentimental things. All I have are painful memories and that son of a bitch’s shotgun in case he tries to find me again.
Stella: He won’t. You know, I’ve got a very good feeling about this next chapter for you.
Denise: [ SIGHS ] I hope you’re right. I mean, it can’t get any worse, right?
[ A mover attacks Denise from behind, wrapping plastic wrap around her head ] [ MUFFLED SCREAMING ]
[ Denise sprays pepper spray or mace into the man’s face ] [ SPRAYING ] [ Denise gets away and runs ]
Mover: Aah! Aah! Ohh!
Stella: Help him, would you? I can handle the rest!
[ Stella grabs a large kitchen knife and goes after Denise ]
Stella: If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.
[ Red and Dembe arrive at the house ] [ At the front door, they hear a GUNSHOT 💥 ]
[ They enter and take out the moving men ] [ 💥💥💥 GUNSHOTS 💥💥💥 ] [ BULLET CASINGS CLATTER ]
[ They come upon Denise, still holding the shotgun she used to shoot Stella, who lies on the floor ]
[ DENISE BREATHING HEAVILY ]
Denise: Oh. S-She tried to kill me. I’m so sorry.
[ Red goes to Stella, holding a photo of Katarina to her face ]
Red: Hey. Hey. This woman. She was a client. You moved her. I need to know where.
[ Stella BREATHING SHALLOWLY ]
Red: Hey. Hey! Where is she?
[ But Stella dies ]
[ FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING RAPIDLY ] [ Liz enters ]
Red: [ SIGHS ] We were too late.
Liz: If you had gotten her location, would you have shared it with me?
Red: Eventually.
Liz: Who is she? The woman in Paris. I want a name.
Red: Shots fired in a residential neighborhood. Response time is probably 10 minutes.
Liz: Who is she?!
Red: It’s already been 5. I need to go.
[ Red’s place ]
Liz: We have the Orion files in the War Room.
Red: And yet you’re here.
Liz: We have the files, but you know who we’re looking for. We can’t find her without you. And with Bisset dead and the files in our possession, you can’t find her without us.
[ OWL SCREECHES ]
Liz: Are you keeping the owl?
Red: Oh, God, no. I’m terrified of the thing. [ CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY ] Her eyes – hypnotizing.
[ CHUCKLES ] But not to worry. We’ve contacted a licensed falconer to help return the lovely lady to her home range, wherever that is.
Liz: Come to the War Room. We’ll go through the files together, you ID her, and we’ll save your friend.
Red: Dembe, you heard her. To the War Room! Perhaps we’ll be greeted by the Praetorian Guard. “The War Room.” What a marvel of overstatement. Unless we’re in a war I’m unaware of. My gosh. That would be marvelous.
[ The Post Office ]
Cooper: I had Aram print out the Orion files. There are 792. Each one is conceivably a criminal case.Like Denise Young, these people might not be criminals, but a crime may have been committed in order for them to disappear. Somewhere in here is the woman who abducted you in Paris. [ To Red ] Your goal is to identify her. Ours is to identify the other clients and determine whether they were aware that their new lives may very well have been built on murder.
⋘⋙
[ Liz pages through a stack of the files. She comes to the one for Madeline Tolliver, the woman whose identity Katarina Rostova assumed before setting herself up as Liz’s new neighbor and nanny. There are photos of Madeline and Katarina side-by-side ]
Liz: My nanny.
[ Liz flashes back: ]
Katarina/“Maddy”: “I moved here to be closer to my daughter.”
Katarina/“Maddy”: “I put her through some dark times.”
Katarina/“Maddy”: “You remind me of my granddaughter!”
Katarina/“Maddy”: “Sometimes people just aren’t who they seem to be.”
Liz: [ To herself ] Of course it’s her.
Red: [ Looking up ] Is something wrong?
Liz: No. Nothing. It’s just, uh– lost track of time. My nanny has to go.
Red: Why don’t you just call her, ask her to stay?
Liz: Wouldn’t make any difference. She’s really got to go.
[ Liz grabs her coat and leaves ]
[ Liz’s apartment ] [ Liz enters ] [ DOOR OPENS, CLOSES ] [ KEYS JINGLE ]
[ Katarina is drinking from a large wine glass ]
Liz: [ WHISPERING ] How’s Agnes?
Katarina: Out like a light. After what you told me on the phone, I needed something to steady my nerves. The men in the park. Tell me about them.
Liz: I’ll tell you in a minute. I just want to check in on her first.
⋘⋙
[ Liz goes to Agnes’s bedroom. Agnes is sleeping soundly. Liz takes her pistol from her purse, affixes a silencer to it and, holding it behind her back, returns to the living room. Katarina isn’t there. Liz finds her in the kitchen ]
Katarina: The men – Why in the world would they be interested in Agnes?
Liz: They weren’t interested in her.
Katarina: Oh. [ SIGHS ] That’s a relief.
Liz: They were interested in you.
Katarina: In me?
Liz: You said you were here to reconnect with your daughter.
Katarina: That’s true.
Liz: That Agnes reminded you of your granddaughter. The men went to the park to kill you, and you killed one of them first.
Katarina: [ LAUGHS ] Me? [ LAUGHS ] You think I killed someone?
Liz: Not Maddy Tolliver. No. Maddy Tolliver was a s-sweet, unassuming woman you had murdered so you could steal her identity.
[ Liz shows Katarina the double photo of Katarina and Maddy Tolliver from the Orion files ]
Liz: Maddy Tolliver would never kill anyone. But Katarina Rostova would. Katarina Rostova’s a natural born killer. Of enemies, friends, family.
Katarina: I can explain.
[ Liz points her gun at Katarina ]
Liz: I knew it. [ CHUCKLES ] A part of me knew who you were. I just didn’t want to admit it because I knew it would have to end this way.
Katarina: With you pointing a gun at me? [ SCOFFS ]
Liz: You shot your father. You put your granddaughter in harm’s way. You lied your way into my life. You’ve caused pain and suffering for everyone I’ve ever cared about. Give me one good reason I shouldn’t end this right now.
Katarina: You already know the reason, Masha. [ SNIFFLES ] And it should be reason enough. — I’m your mother.
Liz: [ EXHALES SHARPLY ]
⬆ go to start of 7:9 Orion Relocation Services
⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ Shady Grove
By Jerry Garcia and David Grisman♪ Peaches in the summertime
Apples in the fall
If I can’t have the girl I love
I don’t want none at all♪ Shady grove, my little love
Shady grove, I know
Shady grove, my little love
I’m bound for Shady Grove♪ I wish I had a banjo string
Made of golden twine
Every tune I’d play on it
I wish that girl was mine♪ Shady grove, my little love
Shady grove, I know
Shady grove, my little love
I’m bound for Shady Grove♪ I wish I had a needle and thread
Fine as I could sew
Sew that pretty girl to my side
And down the road I’d go♪ Shady grove, my little love
Shady grove, I know
Shady grove, my little love
I’m bound for Shady Grove♪ Some come here to fiddle and dance
Some come here to tarry
Some come here to fiddle and dance
I come here to marry♪ Shady grove, my little love
Shady grove, I know
Shady grove, my little love
I’m bound for Shady Grove♪ Every night when I go home
Wife, I try to please her
The more I try, the worse she gets
Damned if I don’t leave her♪ Shady grove, my little love
Shady grove, I know
Shady grove, my little love
I’m bound for Shady Grove♪ Shady grove, my little love
Shady grove, my darlin’
Shady grove, my little love
I’m goin’ back to Berlin♪ Shady grove, my little love
Shady grove, I know
Shady grove, my little love
I’m bound for Shady GroveLyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/38foH3I
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ayk_qQw0XZg
⬆ go to start of 7:9 Orion Relocation Services
⏫ go to top
❌❌❌ End 7:9 Orion Relocation Services
🔴 Script 7:10 Katarina Rostova (№ 3)
Program air date: 12/13/2019 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-ahG
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/2E1khzS
Director: Daniel Willis
Written by: Daniel Cerone
Brief (Where we’re at): ~
Liz: [ Pointing gun ] You shot your father. You put your granddaughter in harm’s way. You lied your way into my life. You’ve caused pain and suffering for everyone I’ve ever cared about. Give me one good reason I shouldn’t end this right now.
Katarina: You already know the reason, Masha. And it should be reason enough. — I’m your mother.So Liz finally “met” her mother. Or, more precisely, she found out that “Maddy” (Madeline Tolliver), the woman she had trusted to be Agnes’s nanny, is actually her mother, the infamous Katarina Rostova. The real Madeline Tolliver is dead, killed by Orion Relocation Services (Blacklister #159) so that Katarina could replace her and move in next to Liz.
But Katarina’s goal has never been to reconnect with her daughter, but rather to use her to get to Red, Dom and Ilya Koslov, Red’s friend and Dom’s one-time protégé. In fact, she now has Ilya imprisoned in her apartment, guarded by her assistant, Berdy Chertov (aka Gregory Flynn) and being subjected to Memory Recovery Therapy (RMT) by the mysterious Victor Skovic.
But, wait – can Katarina be all bad or is she too a product of desperation and fear born of betrayal by those closest to her? What emerged from the RMT sessions was a story of terror in which in 1991 her own father, Dom, aided by Ilya and possibly Reddington, planned to kill Katarina by sending her on an errand and blowing up her car. Dom’s reasoning was that the Townsend Directive (a contract on her life) meant Katarina was doomed anyway and that killing her themselves would at least spare Masha (Liz). But the plan went awry. The explosion killed Katarina’s husband Pyotr, but Katarina herself escaped. She disappeared to end up in Paris, living quietly until Liz and Ressler’s search into Katarina’s past revived the Townsend Directive.
Now Katarina desperately wants to know how to escape her hunters. And she wants answers: including an answer as to whose identity was changed under the skillful knife of Dr Hans Koehler to become Raymond Reddington.
⭕ Script 7:10 Katarina Rostova (№ 3)
[ Liz’s kitchen. Pointing her gun, Liz confronts her mother, Katarina Rostova ]
Katarina: … I’m your mother.
Liz: A mother protects her children.
Katarina: I did protect you.
Liz: By leaving me?
Katarina: By hiding you. I was being hunted, and I didn’t want you to be hunted, too.
Liz: And how about moving in next door and not telling me who you really are? I suppose you did that to protect me, too.
Katarina: And to get to know you – without our history getting in the way. And we did get to know each other, didn’t we? To like each other.
Liz: Why are you here?
Katarina: I’ll tell you if you put the gun down. Please? You shot your father. Do you really want to shoot your mother, too?
[ Liz lowers her gun ]
[ Katarina picks up Agnes’s Barbie, the one with the mike in it ]
⋘⋙
[ In a nearby room, her assistant, Berdy Chernov listens in on the conversation ]
⋘⋙
Liz: Tell me. After all this time, why are you here?
Katarina: You know what I wish? [ CHUCKLES I wish someone would come in here right now and see us together.
⋘⋙
[ Berdy gets up from his chair ]
⋘⋙
Liz: Why now?
Katarina: Because they found me. The Townsend Directive. Dominic and Raymond could stop them. I tried to make them. You can be angry at me for that, but I just wanted them to do what was right. They refused.
Liz: So you came here? Why? Did you think I could stop them?
Katarina: No, but I needed your help finding the one other person who can – Ilya Koslov.
[ Liz aims her gun at Katarina again ]
Liz: I want the truth.
Katarina: That is the truth.
Liz: I know who Ilya Koslov is and that you didn’t need my help to find him.
Katarina: That is the reason – that and to get to know you so that we could be family again.
[ Berdy comes up behind Liz and slugs⚡️her ]
[ LIZ GRUNTS ] [ Liz falls, landing on the coffee table and⚡️smashing⚡️it. She lies on the floor unconscious ]
Katarina: [ BREATHES DEEPLY ]
[ The Post Office. Red and the Task Force are searching for the file on Katarina Rostova from Orion Relocation Services. They don’t know that Liz took it and went by herself to confront Katarina, who had been masquerading as “Maddy Tolliver” and had become Agnes’s de facto nanny ]
Aram: Mr. Reddington, we’ve been through every file four times now.
Red: Are you sure this is everything you confiscated from Orion?
Cooper: Yes. This is every file.
Dembe: Elizabeth still isn’t answering.
Agent Alina Park: Perhaps if you told us the name of the woman who abducted you in Paris, we could help you find her.
Red: She doesn’t have a name. She’s a ghost. Think of a name, any name, and that could be it.
Ressler: We know she used the alias Constance Drucker. And we also know she’s close.
⋘⋙
[ Katarina is driving a car with Agnes ]
Agnes: Why didn’t she say goodbye?
Katarina: You were sleeping, sweetie, and she had an emergency at work, but she asked me to give you a big hug and tell you how much she loves you.
⋘⋙
Cooper: And she has someone you care about in her custody?
Red: She does.
⋘⋙
[ LINE RINGING ]
Katarina: [ On phone ] Hey. How’s our houseguest?
[ Liz is sitting on a chair, still stunned, handcuffed to a pipe ]
Berdy: She’ll be fine. Who you should be worried about are the feds sitting on the apartment. They saw Keen come in. They’re gonna wonder why she’s not coming out.
Katarina: Then handle them. I’ll be there as soon as I can.
⋘⋙
Agent Park: Can you tell us what it is that she wants?
Red: She’s on the run. People are after her, and she wants to know how to stop them.
Ressler: Do you think he’s still alive, this friend of yours she has? She did try to kill you, remember? Hung you up like a Holstein.
Red: Killing me wasn’t her plan. She wants answers, so she tried to con me first. When that didn’t work, she tried advanced interrogation. That didn’t work, either. So, yes, I think my friend is still alive, but I think she’ll employ any means necessary to get what she wants, to get inside his head to—
[ Red stops mid-sentence. The others look at him ]
Red: Krilov. Krilov.
Ressler: The whack job who scrambled my brain like an egg?
Park: What does that mean?
Ressler: It means he scrambled my brain like an egg.
Red: Dr. Bogdan Krilov is the underworld’s foremost expert in accessing the subconscious. The man can get anyone to talk.
Cooper: Krilov’s in prison.
Red: Which means she’d have to hire a protégé.
Cooper: You really think this woman’s using recovered-memory therapy to get inside your friend’s head?
Red: Maybe, but if she is, Krilov would know with whom and how. I need to see him, Harold.
Ressler: No, that’s not possible. He’s at ADX Florence. He’s in lockdown 23 hours a day.
Red: I’m sure you could get him out for a quick visit.
Ressler: He’s a significant security threat.
Red: If I’ve learned anything in this life, it’s that anything is possible.
Aram: Uh, guys, I think we’re missing a file here – 46-J.
Park: That’s the stack Agent Keen was cataloguing last night.
Aram: You don’t think she took the file?
Dembe: She still isn’t answering.
Red: I’m gonna check on Elizabeth. Harold, see if you can round up Dr. Krilov. Donald and I have some catching up to do with the dreamweaver.
[ Parked outside, two FBI agents are in a car, monitoring Liz’s apartment ] [ A white van parks in front of their vehicle ] [ VEHICLE REVERSE SIGNAL BEEPING ]
[ BRAKES HISS, BEEPING STOPS, ENGINE SHUTS OFF ]
[ Berdy gets out and approaches the FBI vehicle. He’s wearing glasses and a knit hat ]
Agent Rapione: Who’s this guy?
Berdy: All right. We’re finished. She’s live.
Agent King: Who’s live? And who are you?
Berdy: What, are you kidding? SSG. We got the apartment mic’d up.
Agent King: Command never called us about SSG.
Berdy: Well, then take it up with command. I’m not gonna stand here and debate it in the street. Now, you want the TRF receivers or not?
[ CAR DOOR ALARM CHIMING ]
Agent Rapione: [ SIGHS ]
[ Agent Rapione gets out of the vehicle and follows Berdy ]
Berdy: They’re in the corner.
[ DOOR ALARM CHIMING ]
[ Agent Rapione climbs into the truck. Berdy shoots him ] [ SILENCED GUNSHOT (💥) ]
[ Agent King gets out of the FBI vehicle ]
Agent King: You know, Cooper never notified us of a surveillance pack. I’ll be damned if this is coming back on us.
[ He walks toward the back of the truck. Berdy shoots him, too ] [ SILENCED GUNSHOTS (💥💥) ]
Agent King: Aah!
[ Berdy breaks Agent King’s fall, pushes him into the truck and closes the door ]
[ ADX Supermax Prison, Florence CO ] [ A Prison Guard leads Ressler to Dr Bogdan Krilov’s cell ]
Prison Guard: You understand Krilov is not just in solitary. He’s in control. With the worst of the worst. Alone 23 hours a day, and he seems to like it like that. Guy doesn’t even come outside when he’s allowed. He speaks to no one, by choice, so he’s certainly not gonna voluntarily talk with some FBI agent.
Ressler: I don’t want to talk to the guy any more than he wants to talk to me.
[ KNOCK ON CELL DOOR ]
Prison Guard: Krilov. Visitor.
Dr Krilov: Agent Ressler. I’ve been dreaming about this day.
Ressler: Well, that makes one of us. [ To the guard ] Open the door!
[ LATCHES UNLOCK ]
[ Red and Dembe arrive at Liz’s apartment ]
[ KNOCKS ON DOOR ] [ When no one opens, Dembe kicks ⚡️ the door open ]
Red: Elizabeth.
Dembe: Nobody.
[ They see the crushed coffee table ]
[ CELLPHONE SPEED-DIALING ] [ LINE RINGING ]
Cooper: [ Answering phone ] Cooper.
Red: Harold. We have a problem.
Cooper: What’s going on? Any word from Agent Keen?
Red: No. The apartment’s empty, with clear signs of an altercation. This falls on us, Harold. We shouldn’t have let her go alone.
Cooper: Have Dembe check in with the agents stationed outside. Maybe they saw something. I’ll call them and let them know he’s on the way.
Red: Yep.
[ Outside, Dembe and Red find the FBI vehicle empty ]
Red: What is it? Where are they?
[ There is blood on the pavement ]
Dembe: Raymond. Blood.
[ CELLPHONE RINGING inside the vehicle ] [ RINGING CONTINUES ]
[ Red retrieves the phone; CELLPHONE BEEPS ]
Red: [ On phone ] No need to notify your men, Harold. They won’t be taking any phone calls.
[ Outside Liz’s apartment ] [ POLICE RADIO CHATTER ] [ Police set up perimeter tape ] [ Katarina walks past and enters to building ]
[ SIREN WAILS ] [ HORN HONKS ] [ SIREN WAILS ]
[ Agent Alina Park is canvassing Liz’s neighbors ]
Berdy: Oh, I wish I could help, but I didn’t see anything.
Agent Park: Thank you. Mister?
Berdy: Uh, Gregory Flynn. Two N’s.
[ Katarina appears ]
Katarina: What’s going on?
Park: Agent Park, FBI. And you are?
Katarina: Maddy Tolliver. Is there something wrong?
Berdy: Well, apparently, there’s been some kind of crime.
Katarina: A crime? What happened?
Park: Did you see or hear anything unusual in the past hour?
Katarina: No, I was– Does this have anything to do with Elizabeth?
Park: You know Agent Keen?
Katarina: Of course. She’s my neighbor. Please. Tell me she’s okay.
Park: We’re checking on it.
[ Agent Park gives Katarina a card ]
Park: Um, if you think of anything give me a call.
[ Katarina’s apartment ]
[ DOOR OPENS to the room where Victor Skovic has been trying to extract Ilya Koslov’s memories from the night Dom and Ilya tried to kill Katarina ] [ MONITOR BEEPING ]
Katarina: Did he talk?
Skovic: I’m done. There are police everywhere, FBI.
Katarina: So he didn’t talk.
Skovic: That’s why they’re here? Because you have another hostage?
Katarina: Did he talk?!
Skovic: No.
Katarina: Then you’re not done.
Skovic: [ SCOFFS ] Like hell I’m not.
[ He tries to leave but Berdy points a gun at him ]
Katarina: Let me know when Ilya’s ready for another session. If you won’t ask him questions – I will.
[ In a separate room, Liz is still handcuffed to the pipe, a cloth gag now in her mouth ]
[ TELEVISION PLAYING LOUDLY ] [ Katarina enters and turns off the tv ] [ CLICK ]
Katarina: What Berdy did was not okay, but if I let you go, it’ll stop me from getting the answers I need. What I’d like to do is take this gag off so we can talk. I don’t want to put it back on, but if you scream, I’ll have to. So can we talk?
[ Liz nods. Katarina removes the gag ]
Liz: Where’s Agnes?
Katarina: I took her to Shelly’s for a sleepover. I told her something came up and you had to go to work.
[ CELLPHONE UNLOCKS, BEEP, SPEED-DIALING ] [ Katarina holds the phone to Liz’s ear ]
Katarina: See for yourself.
[ LINE RINGING ]
Liz: Hi, Beth. It’s me. Can I talk to Agnes for a sec?
Katarina: I would never hurt her.
Liz: [ SIGHS ] Hi, honey. How are you? — Chocolate-chip pancakes? Well, I wouldn’t want to interrupt that. I just wanted to say I love you. Okay? — Bye.
[ CELLPHONE BEEPS ]
Katarina: So let’s talk.
[ Dembe and Red are parked in a garage. Two black SUVs drive in ]
[ CELLPHONE BEEPS ] [ Dembe receives a text message ]
Dembe: Harold still hasn’t located Elizabeth. No one in her building has seen her, and they can’t get a signal off her phone.
Red: First Ilya. Now she’s got Elizabeth. She thinks she’s staying ahead of us. I fear she might be getting a little ahead of herself.
⋘⋙
[ Ressler and Agent Park get out of one vehicle. Guards get out of the other with Dr Krilov. The guards sit Krilov down on a chair ]
Dr Krilov: As I’m the last person you want to see, I assume I’m the only person who can do what you need. Which gives me the leverage to set my terms – time served, a new identity and, um – glass of chocolate milk.
Ressler: [ SCOFFS ]
Red: Make it two. Hershey’s or Nesquik? Or maybe you’re a Bosco man.
Dr Krilov: What do you want?
Red: To kill you. For working with Mr. Kaplan. For betraying my trust. For hurting Donald in an attempt to hurt me.
Ressler: Well, that’s what we want. And if you’re smart, you’re gonna give us what we need.
Red: A name of a protégé or colleague.
Dr Krilov: I work alone.
Red: Mm. A competitor then? A rival, someone’s chipping away at your business while you’re in prison.
Ressler: And if you play nice, well, maybe we’ll kill him instead of you.
Dr Krilov: [ CHUCKLES ] And you are an FBI agent?
Ressler: Yes, I am. And I work with Raymond Reddington. So you do the math.
Dr Krilov: Yeah. Okay. Victor Skovic.
Park: Where can we find him?
Dr Krilov: Tongji.
Park: Where’s that?
Red: It’s not a where. It’s a who. Tongji is supposed to be some kind of a Chinese miracle worker. He’s rumored to provide a place where people go to find unfindable things, to forget the unforgettable things – a back-alley bazaar where he brokers whatever you need to ease your pain or dull your mind. As far as I know, Tongji only exists as a myth.
Dr Krilov: [ CHUCKLES ] He’s not a myth. [ CHUCKLES ] He’s very real. And he brokers jobs for Skovic.
Ressler: Then it looks like we’re taking you on a little field trip to meet Mr. Tongji.
Katarina: After all these years, after what I’m sure everyone had told you about me, I didn’t think there was any way you would give me the benefit of the doubt, that I was actually here to put an end to it – to the running, the hiding, the living in fear.
Liz: I don’t believe you’re afraid of anything.
Katarina: I lost you once. I’m terrified of losing you again.
Liz: You say you need me to find Ilya Koslov, but I know that that’s not true. You had him in Paris.
Katarina: In Paris?
Liz: I know who Reddington really is. He told me.
Katarina: He told you?
Liz: He’s the real Koslov, and he turned into Reddington 30 years ago to help you escape.
Katarina: He told you that?
Liz: Well, Dom did, and Reddington, he confirmed it. He saved your life. And you repaid him by torturing him within an inch of his.
Katarina: You don’t understand.
Liz: No. You don’t understand. He may not be my father, but Reddington, this Reddington, has watched over me my entire life. You say you want to get to know each other– To be a family? Well, he’s a part of that family. And if you can’t be on his side, I can’t be on yours.
Katarina: What if I can prove he’s not on your side?
Liz: I don’t think there’s anything you can say that would convince me of that.
Katarina: That’s why I’m not going to say anything. I’m going to show you.
[ DOOR OPENS, MONITOR BEEPING ]
[ Katarina and Liz enter the room where Ilya is being held ]
Berdy: I don’t think this is a good idea. She shouldn’t be in here.
[ Liz sees Ilya, who is sleeping or unconscious ]
Liz: This man, I’ve met him before. He’s friends with Reddington. F-F-Frank –
Katarina: Elizabeth. His name isn’t Frank.
[ Katarina show Liz her file of Ilya Koslov ]
Katarina: His name is Ilya Koslov.
[ Liz and Katarina are in Katarina’s living room ]
Katarina: [ To Berdy ] I’ll be there in five minutes. Make sure Skovic has him ready.
[ Berdy leaves the room ]
Liz: That file doesn’t prove anything. Why should I trust you?
Katarina: You have absolutely no reason to. But I think you know it’s the truth.
Liz: If Reddington isn’t Koslov, then who is he?
Katarina: [ CHUCKLES ] That’s just one of the mysteries I intend to pull from Ilya’s head.
Liz: How could you not know? Ilya’s your friend.
Katarina: He was my best friend, until he conspired with your grandfather to have me killed, blown up in a car bomb.
Liz: That isn’t what Dom told me.
Katarina: No. Dom told you Reddington was Koslov. He lied to you to hide the truth, that he tried to assassinate his own daughter.
Liz: Why would he do that?
Katarina: Because if the people hunting me saw me die, then the person he really cared about would be safe.
Liz: You’re his child. Who could he care about more than you? — No. [ SCOFFS ] That can’t be true.
Katarina: I’m a mortal threat to you, a mother whose very existence puts her daughter’s life at risk.
Liz: My grandfather tried to kill you to protect me.
Katarina: And in the process, he killed the man I loved. I disappeared after that. To heal. I started over and was content.
Liz: Until they found you again. The Townsend Directive.
Katarina: They took away my life once. Now they’ve done it again.
Liz: No, they didn’t. I did. I’m the reason they’re after you again. I went looking for you. They found out. They followed my lead.
Katarina: You were looking for me?
Liz: [ Crying ] Of course I was. You’re my mother.
[ MONITOR BEEPING ] [ Katarina enters the room with Ilya and Skovic ]
Skovic: This is a waste of time. I couldn’t get anything out of him. I’d like to go now.
Katarina: [ SCOFFS ] Where? Out the door and into the arms of the police?
Skovic: I have no interest in dying here.
Katarina: You’re not going to die, Victor. Not if, from now on, you do exactly as I tell you.
Sit down and keep your mouth shut!
[ Berdy enters ]
Berdy: I just got a call. The Kazanjian brothers pulled into town.
Katarina: We need to step up our timeline before it’s too late. [ To Ilya ] Good news, Ilya. Dr. Skovic’s done with you.
[ Ilya is still out of it, unresponsive ]
Katarina: The bad news is – I’m just getting started.
[ MONITOR BEEPING ]
[ An auto repair shop ] [ A man is welding ]
Garage Manager: Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go! Keep these vehicles moving! I need open spaces here!
[ DOOR OPENS ] [ The Kazanjian brothers, Pasha and Nshan, enter ]
Manager: Hey! Wrong garage! Take a walk!
Pasha: We need vehicle.
Manager: You just picked the wrong garage. You hear me?
[ The Manager reaches for a gun ] [ Nshan shoots him 💥 ]
Manager: Aah!
[ Another man tries to flee. Nshan shoots 💥 him, too ]
Pasha: [ To the remaining mechanic ] Fortify the bumper on that Chevy. You have 30 minutes.
[ Chinatown ] [ HORN BLARES ] [ Ressler is in a parked vehicle with Agent Park. They watch as Red, Dembe and Krilov enter a store ]
Park: So, you and Krilov have a history. What exactly did he do?
Ressler: He got inside my head, planted a false memory, tried to convince me I killed a national-security advisor.
Park: And now we’re working with him?
Ressler: It’s been a slippery slope.
Park: You think?
[ SOFT MUSIC PLAYING ] [ Inside the shop ]
Red: [ To Krilov ] Have a seat right there. [ To the Shopkeeper ] I’m here to see Tongji.
Shopkeeper: [ Thick Chinese accent ] You have appointment?
Red: I do not.
Shopkeeper: You got to have an appointment.
Red: Tell him it’s Raymond Reddington.
Shopkeeper: Mr. Reddington, you no appointment, you no see Tongji. [ SPEAKS CANTONESE ] Come back when you have the appointment!
Red: I have a gun. Does that count as an appointment? And I have a friend with a gun – two appointments.
Shopkeeper: He’s not reachable.
Dr Krilov: Why don’t you tell Tongji that Bogdan Krilov wants to see him?
Shopkeeper: Dr. Krilov! Of course, sir. Dr. Krilov. [ SPEAKING CANTONESE ]
[ DOOR CLOSES ]
[ They walk back though a hazy, third world setting. Men are reclining, almost naked, receiving some kind of treatment. Chickens are in cages and scurrying around, being slaughtered, meat being cut up. ]
Shopkeeper: No smoking! [ SPEAKING CANTONESE ]
[ CHICKEN SQUAWKING ]
[ They come to a back room lined with jars of herbs and acupuncture charts ]
[ Tongji is on the phone ] [ SPEAKING CANTONESE ANGRILY ] [ SCOFFS ] [ CELLPHONE SLAMS SHUT ]
[ Tongji sees Krilov ]
Tongji: My God.
Dr Krilov: Hello, my friend.
[ Hug, cheek kisses ] [ CHUCKLES ]
Tongji: They said you were in prison. They said you would die there.
Dr Krilov: They were wrong.
Tongji: Are you okay? Do you need help?
Dr Krilov: Listen. I’m looking for someone, the man who took my place.
Tongji: Victor Skovic.
Red: Do you know how to find him?
Tongji: I may. But I’m not telling you.
Dr Krilov: Tongji. This is important.
Tongji: Skovic’s gone. He’s under contract.
Dr Krilov: With whom?
Tongji: Some woman. Uh, I don’t know her name. Uh, she had a handler. Berdy Chernov.
[ Red’s plane. Dr Krilov is drinking chocolate milk. A few seats away, Red calls Cooper who share the call with Aram on speakerphone ]
Red: The man we’re looking for is Victor Skovic.
Cooper: What do you know about him?
Red: I know that, as we speak, he’s sucking whatever he can from the depths of my friend’s cerebral cortex. Berdy Chernov is the man who brokered the contract.
Cooper: Are you familiar with him?
Red: I am not.
Aram: I am.
Cooper: You are?
Aram: Chernov. I know I know I’ve heard that name.
Cooper: From work? A case? An article you read?
Aram: The wedding. A wedding. A few weeks ago, Elodie and I crashed this wedding. Well, she actually she stole these name tags, which is quite easy to do, by the way, because they just leave them right out there in the open.
Cooper: Aram.
Aram: Yeah?
Cooper: Berdy Chernov.
Aram: Right. Okay. So, I’m standing there wearing this name tag, and this guy comes over to me, thinking that I am Frank Bloom.
Red: The wedding. Was it at the Fremont?
Aram: Yeah. Why? Were you invited?
Red: Frank Bloom is an alias for my friend. He went to that wedding to meet a contact and get the name of a man involved in my abduction in Paris.
Cooper: But he gave it to you instead because you stole his name tag.
Aram: Like I said, they just leave them out in the open.
Cooper: Chernov. What can you tell us about him?
Aram: I can tell you that is not the name he goes by.
Red: Can you tell us what name he does go by?
Aram: No. But I can get it. I can get it. [ He runs out ] I can get it.
[ Ressler walks up to Red ]
Ressler: When we land, Krilov comes with me.
Red: Revenge doesn’t suit you, Donald.
Ressler: [ CHUCKLES ] I’m taking him back to prison.
Red: Are you? I wonder.
[ In a drawer in Aram’s desk, he finds the slip of paper he got from the man at the wedding and returns to Cooper’s office ]
Aram: Okay. So, the guy who thought I was Frank Bloom gave me this.
Cooper: [ To Red, on phone ] Chernov’s alias is Gregory Flynn. Mean anything to you?
Red: No.
Cooper: Okay, we’re on it. I’ll let you know as soon as we have a lead.
[ Call ends ]
Cooper: [ To Aram ] You crashed a wedding?
Aram: I know. But, uh, I got to say – it was pretty awesome.
Cooper: Gregory Flynn. Find him. Now.
Aram: Yep.
[ Aram runs out ]
Liz: [ SIGHS ]
[ DOOR CLOSES ] [ Katarina enters ]
Liz: What is it? The Townsend Directive?
Katarina: A bounty, an incentive to kill me.
Liz: Can it be called off?
Katarina: I’m betting my life on it. I’m still looking for the answers I need, but I don’t think you’re gonna stop me from getting them, are you?
[ Red’s car. Dembe drives ]
Red: [ Pensively ] I’ve always lived my life very much in the moment. But what does one do when the moment is filled with anxiety and dread?
Agent Park: I assume that was a rhetorical question.
Red: Agent Park, how long have you been here?
Park: Uh, the whole time.
Red: Dembe, has Harold texted you any new information on Gregory Flynn?
Dembe: No.
Park: Who?
Red: Are we giving you a lift somewhere?
Agent Park: D-Did you say Gregory Flynn?
Red: Yes. If we can find him, we can find my friend.
Park: And Agent Keen.
Red: Possibly.
Park: Definitely. He lives in her building. After the protective detail went missing, I canvassed the neighbors. One of them was Gregory Flynn. He lives across the hall from her.
Red: Dembe, pull over. Agent Park, you are a treasure. I hope you don’t mind, but, please, get out.
Park: Wait. What? Are you serious?
Red: There’s another rhetorical question.
[ Agent Park gets out ]
[ CELLPHONE DIALING ]
Red: I’ll call Chuck and Morgan. You call Heddie. We’re gonna need them very fast.
[ LINE RINGING ]
[ Ressler gets off the elevator at the Post Office ]
Aram: Oh, hey. Just in time.
Ressler: I’ve been dealing with Krilov. What’s going on?
Aram: The name you got, Berdy Chernov, he and the woman from Paris live across the hall from Agent Keen. We’re heading there now.
Ressler: Have you heard from her?
Aram: Yeah, thank God. I just patched her through to Mr. Cooper.
Ressler: Well, is she okay?
[ Cooper’s office. Cooper is talking to Liz, who is still at Katarina’s ]
Liz: I’m fine.
Cooper: Where have you been?
Liz: I had an issue with Agnes, but it’s fine now. I-I found something while I was out. Thought it was a lead, so I chased after it.
Cooper: You found a lead after you left the office?
Liz: Yeah, but it didn’t go anywhere. Now I’m stuck in traffic, on the way back from–
Cooper: Agnes. Where is she?
Liz: Uh, at a friend’s. Why?
Cooper: There was an altercation in your apartment. The woman from Paris, she lives across the hall from you.
Liz: What? Maddy Tolliver? Are you sure?
Cooper: We got her, Elizabeth. She won’t get away this time.
Liz: Have you sent a team?
Cooper: We’re on the way. Get there as soon as you can.
[ Cooper’s CELLPHONE BEEPS ]
[ Liz’s CELLPHONE BEEPS ]
⋘⋙
Katarina: They know. If they know, Reddington knows.
Liz: They’re on their way. They’ve probably already set a perimeter.
Katarina: I can’t leave without getting the answers I’m looking for.
Liz: If you stay and try to find them, you will be caught.
Katarina: And killed. Elizabeth. Please. You still have time. Go. You don’t need to be a part of this.
Liz: What are you gonna do?
Katarina: I don’t know. But I don’t want you to get hurt. Please. Go.
[ Liz begins to leave, but stops in the doorway. She struggles with a decision ]
Katarina: What is it? Elizabeth, please. Talk to me.
Liz: [ Turns around, SIGHS ] What if I can get you out?
[ At the auto repair garage, the mechanic finishes up work on the car for the Kazanjian brothers. He looks at them nervously. Nshan reaches into his pocket and pulls out – a wad of bills, which he gives to the mechanic ]
Mechanic: [ EXHALES SHARPLY ]
[ Dozens of police officers and techs swarm the street in front of Liz’s apartment around the abandoned police car. Ressler and Aram are on their way in an FBI vehicle ]
Aram: [ On phone ] Agents Ressler and Mojtabai, FBI. We need a perimeter on that building – Evergreen to First and Dove Hill Road to Brighton.
Officer in Charge (Dan Lynch): Copy. Any details on the suspects?
Aram: White female, late 50s, possibly accompanied by a white male, both likely armed and dangerous. Nobody goes in or out of that building until we’re on site.
Officer Lynch: We’ll lock it down.
[ CELLPHONE BEEPS ]
[ Katarina looks out of the window ] [ POLICE RADIO CHATTER on the street below ]
Katarina: They’re everywhere. We’re not getting out.
Liz: I’ll get you out.
Berdy: Your friend’s in no shape to walk.
Skovic: What on Earth did you do to him?
Liz: You got to leave Ilya.
Katarina: Not before I get answers.
Liz: If you want me to get you out of here alive, you’ve got to leave him. And we got to go now.
[ Django Django’s ♪ “Wor” plays (instrumental only) ]
[ TIRES SCREECH ] [ Red and Dembe watch the police action from a distance in their car ] [ Red is wearing an earphone ]
Dembe: This isn’t going to work.
Red: Sure it will. It’ll work.
⋘⋙
[ Red’s guys, Morgan and Chuck, wearing FBI uniforms, approach Dan Lynch, the Metro PD Officer in Charge ]
Morgan: Agents Ressler and Mojtabai, FBI. Who’s running point?
Officer Lynch: I am. Dan Lynch, MPD. We spoke on the phone.
Chuck: What do we know?
Officer Lynch: Perimeter’s secure. No sign of the suspects. Nobody in or out.
⋘⋙
What if Agent Ressler personally knows one of those officers?
Red: It’s unlikely. District has more than 4,000 sworn officers. We’d have better odds of being killed by a vending machine.
⋘⋙
Morgan: Ready your men. We breach on my go.
Officer Lynch: Whoa. Breach? We’re just gonna storm in? What about HRT?
Morgan: I got an agent in there. I’m not waiting on anyone to make contact with. We go in fast. You and your men secure the perimeter. Nobody answers unless you hear gunshots.
[ Morgan and Chuck walk past him ]
Officer Lynch: Yes, sir. It’s your death warrant.
⋘⋙
Red: Here we go.
⋘⋙
[ Morgan and Chuck force the door of Katarina’s apartment. At first, no one appears to be home ]
[ Liz leads Katarina, Berdy and Skovic through a series of tunnels ]
Liz: My husband, Tom, and I specifically chose this apartment because you can access the service corridor from the parking structure.
Skovic: How far does it run?
Liz: Only to the back of the building, but – and don’t tell the super – I may have opened a small access to the city’s underground utility chase. That runs for blocks.
[ Morgan and Chuck find Ilya, who is bleeding badly from the nose and mouth ]
Morgan: [ On comms ] Boss. Hey. He’s here.
Red: And Elizabeth?
Morgan: No sign of her or anyone else. But your friend, he’s in bad shape.
Red: Get him out of there.
[ Chuck and Morgan, supporting Ilya, walk him out of the front of the building ]
Morgan: I got an injury! Need a paramedic!
[ An ambulance is parked near the front of the building. It is being driven by Red’s associate Heddie Hawkins ]
Heddie: What do you got?
Morgan: He took a beating. His breathing isn’t right.
Heddie: Let’s get him in the back.
[ SIREN CHIRPING ] [ Ressler and Aram’s vehicle arrives ]
Red: Heddie. You’re out of time.
[ Morgan and Chuck help Ilya onto the cot inside the ambulance. Heddie closes the door ]
⋘⋙
[ Ressler and Aram walk up to Officer Lynch ]
Ressler: Agents Ressler and Mojtabai, FBI. Who’s running point?
Officer Lynch: Dan Lynch, MPD. What’s going on?
⋘⋙
[ Heddie gets into the driver’s seat of the ambulance ]
⋘⋙
Ressler: What do you mean they’re on site?!
Aram: We just got here.
Ressler: And what about our suspects?
[ Aram and Ressler run into the building ] [ The ambulance pulls away ]
⋘⋙
Dembe: Do you want me to follow?
Red: No, we stay put until we see her.
[ In the tunnels leading away from Liz’s apartment building ]
Katarina: You two. Head that way. There’s a service ladder just past the fire riser 50, maybe 60 yards.
Berdy: Hold on. We’re not splitting up.
Liz: All of us together? That’s too conspicuous. This way, if we get caught, only two of us get busted.
Berdy: [To Katarina ] No, I am not leaving you with her.
Katarina: Berdy, listen to the woman. She’s trying to help. I trust her.
Berdy: [ SIGHS ]
Liz: Go. Now. Go. This door leads to the street. You get a car. I’m gonna double back, try and stall them.
Katarina: Elizabeth. I am gonna make this up to you. I promise.
Liz: [ SOFTLY ] Go.
[ POLICE RADIO CHATTER ] [ On the street, Katarina finds a car, a light-colored sedan. Obscuring her action with her coat, Katarina uses a pointed object to break the window. She unlocks the door, gets in, sticks a tool in the ignition and twists it ] [ ENGINE STARTS ]
⋘⋙
[ Nearby ]
Dembe: Raymond, we have to go. They’ll be closing down the street soon. You can’t be here.
Red: She slipped through our fingers again.
[ The car with Katarina drives slowly by. Red recognizes her ]
Red: I’ll be damned.
[ Dembe starts the car to follow Katarina ]
Red: Keep your distance. We want to do this very quietly.
[ Katarina’s apartment ] [ POLICE RADIO CHATTER from below ]
Aram: [ To an tech ] Okay. Thank you.
[ Liz walks over. Aram sees her ]
Aram: Agent Keen. Thank God you’re okay. Come on. We were so worried.
Liz: I came here as fast as I could. What’d you find?
Ressler: Just the equipment.
Liz: Wait. Reddington’s friend?
Ressler: Gone.
Aram: MPD finished a sweep of the building. We were too late.
Ressler: But you can ID her, right? Your neighbor?
Liz: Yeah, of course. We’ll send out a description, put out a BOLO.
Ressler: What’s her name, by the way?
Liz: Her name?
Ressler: Yeah, the woman from Paris. All we have is her alias.
Liz: Yeah.
Ressler: What was her real name?
Liz: Maddy. Maddy Tolliver.
[ Red and Dembe are following Katarina’s car at a distance ]
Dembe: Now?
Red: Soon. When we’re a little further away from surveillance cameras and prying eyes.
[ They follow until they have left the cityscape behind ]
[ Suddenly, at an crossroads, a large black SUV plows into Katarina’s sedan ]
[ TIRES SCREECH ] [ TIRES SCREECHING ] [ ⚡️‼️Crash ‼️⚡️]
[ Katarina GASPING ] [ SEAT BELT CLICKS ] [ VEHICLE DOOR OPENS ]
[ Katarina stumbles out ]
[ The Kazanjian brothers get out of the SUV with assault weapons ]
[ Red reaches for his gun and is ready to get out ]
Dembe: Raymond. The Kazanjian brothers will kill you, too.
[ Katarina tries to run away ]
[ The two brothers shoot Katarina ] [ Automatic 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 GUNFIRE 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
[ Katarina falls ]
Red: Death must be so beautiful. To lie on soft brown earth with the grasses waving over one’s head. To be at peace. I welcome that one day.
[ Red and Dembe watch as the Kazanjian brothers grab Katarina by the upper arms and drag her to the SUV ]
[ VEHICLE DOORS CLOSE ]
[ A parking garage ] [ Police have arrested Victor Skovic ]
Ressler: Well, you didn’t get far, now, did you?
Uniformed Officer: Picked him up on 39th. He was traveling with another man, but we lost him.
Ressler: I’ll take it from here.
Skovic: Who are you?
Ressler: I’m the guy you’re gonna help.
[ Liz is in her office. She looks at the file she kept of Katarina and the real Madeline Tolliver ]
[ KNOCKS ON DOOR ] [ Liz closes the file ] [ Cooper enters ]
Cooper: I want you to know how relieved I am that you and your family are safe. I also want to apologize. I told you I’d protect you, and I didn’t.
Liz: You have nothing to apologize for.
Cooper: I believe I do. As it happens, I believe you do, too. You told me you got a lead after you left the office. We both know that’s not true.
Liz: No, it’s not.
Cooper: I know that you took a file, that you didn’t want us to know what you saw in it, who you saw in it. I also know that you’d only do that if it was something very personal. The photo in the file. Was it her?
Liz: Yes.
Cooper: The woman from Paris who abducted Reddington, the woman we’ve been looking for is – your mother?
Liz: She isn’t who I thought she was. The reason she moved in next to me – she’s looking for answers that could save her life.
Cooper: Has she found them?
Liz: No, but I hope she does.
Cooper: I don’t envy you, being caught in the middle between two ruthless outlaws, trying to pick a side. Personally, I sympathize, but professionally, there is only one side to be on.
Liz: Reddington’s.
Cooper: We have a deal with him. We give to get. And he doesn’t kill FBI agents. The men stationed at your building are missing.
Liz: That’s indefensible. And if she did it, I’ll walk her into prison myself. But I’m not on Reddington’s side or her side. I’m on the side of the truth. And right now Reddington’s hiding that from me, and my mother isn’t.
[ Morgan has been caring for Ilya in the ambulance. Red arrives ]
Red: Thank you, Morgan.
[ Morgan leaves. Red sits down ]
Red: [ EXHALES SHARPLY ] Medical team will be here in 10 minutes.
Ilya: [ BREATHING HEAVILY ] I didn’t tell her. Did you hear me? She doesn’t know.
[ Red rubs Ilya’s shoulder ]
Red: You need to rest. We don’t need to worry about her anymore.
Ilya: [ SIGHS ]
[ Ressler has brought Skovic to Katarina’s apartment ]
Agent Park: What exactly are you planning on doing here?
Ressler: The right thing.
[ DOOR OPENS ] [ They enter the room where Ilya’s memories were mined. Dr Krilov is there now, strapped to the chair ]
Dr Krilov: Whatever he’s paying you, I’ll double it.
Ressler: Money can’t buy him a reduced sentence. Erasing your memories can.
[ HANDCUFFS CLICKING ]
Skovic: I am terribly sorry, Mr. Krilov.
Ressler: Don’t worry, I’m still bringing you back to prison. But, first, we have some unfinished business. You scrambled my brain, and I’m here to make sure that you never do that to anyone else.
[ Liz visits Dom, who is still in a coma ] [ MONITOR BEEPING, MACHINE WHIRRING ]
Liz: I met my mother.
[ Michael Kiwanuka’s ♪ “Piano Joint” plays ]
Liz: I know you didn’t want me to. But I did. She told me you lied to me about who Reddington really is. I don’t understand why you did that or why you’d try to have her killed to protect me.
♪ Looking out for something new, it’s the right
Liz: You tried to kill your own child.
♪ The right time to lose
To begin again
Liz: What kind of person would do something like that?
♪ Maybe win again
[ DOOR CLOSES ] [ Red enters with Dembe ]
♪ All I want is to talk to you
Liz: [ Quietly ] I can’t figure it out. But maybe she can. Maybe she can find out everything you’re trying to hide from me.
♪ Although I’ve been used
I won’t leave again
[ Red walks over ]
Red: It’s over.
Liz: What is?
Red: The woman.
♪ All I know is my oh my
Red: Aram told me she’d been living in your building, feigning kindness, watching Agnes. But it’s over. She’s dead.
Liz: W-What?
♪ Don’t let the pressure get to me
Liz: How?
Red: Gunned down in the street less than an hour ago.
♪ My oh my
Liz: How do you know?
Red: I saw it happen. Two heavily armed assets. They took her body because they came for a bounty. She’s dead.
Liz: She is.
♪ from my enemies
Red: Elizabeth, go get Agnes. Take her home.
♪ pressure get to me
Red: I’ve been reading to Dom. We’re halfway through “Beowulf.” Grendel’s mother, now, there’s a woman to be reckoned with.
⋘⋙
[ Liz steps away from Dom’s bed as Red sits down. She tearfully finds a darkened alcove to mourn quietly alone ]
♪ I thought I could break away
[ Liz’s CELLPHONE BUZZES ]
♪ I hope I fall in love today
Liz: [ SNIFFLES ]
[ Liz gathers herself together and answers ]
Liz: Hello?
Katarina: Did he believe it?
Liz: Katarina?
Katarina: Does he think I’m dead?
Liz: What happened? What’s going on?
Katarina: I bought us time to find the answers we’re looking for. At least I tried. Did it work?
Liz: [ LAUGHS SOFTLY ] Like a charm.
Katarina: This is our secret. No one can know. I need to know you can keep it a secret.
Liz: Of course I can. I’m a Rostova.
Katarina: I need to disappear for a stretch, let things cool down. But when the time is right, when I have the answers, I will find you. Might be a week or a month, but I will find you. We will end this.
♪ Sadness and fury is all I know
Katarina: I love you, Masha.
Liz: Be safe.
[ CELLPHONE BEEPS ]
[ Katarina walks along the sidewalk, disappearing into the crowd ]
⬆ go to start of 7:10 Katarina Rostova
⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ Wor
by Django Django♪ Push the button
And drop it on the zone
Took all you had to strip me to the bone♪ Don’t slam the door
Wait out deep in hell
Took a chance on you and it’s time to ring the bell♪ Side effects
Have you walking in a daze
Another fall out from this thing just radiates♪ You’ll be the first
I’ll always be the last
I’ll duck and cover ’till the threat is past♪ Make your move now and try to win the game
But in the end it always stays the same
Don’t shy away behind those lost in lines
I read between them almost everytime♪ Hold the fight
It’s all I’m asking for
But the aftershock just shook me to the core♪ Flick the switch
And watch it all around
Best get out before …♪ Press the button now
And drop it on the zone
Took all you had to strip me to the bone♪ Don’t slam the door
Wait out deep in hell
Took a chance on you and it’s time to ring the bellLyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/36Ap5bC
YouTube: https://youtu.be/lBzET3tBkmU
♫ Piano Joint (This Kind Of Love)
by Michael Kiwanuka♪ Walking down the avenue
Looking out for something new
It’s the right time to give in
The right to lose
To begin again
Maybe win again♪ All I want is to talk to you
Turn me onto something true
I can’t be with another
Although I’ve been used
I won’t leave again
Help me to the end♪ All I know is my oh my, this kind of love
It’s taken me from my enemies
Don’t let the pressure get to me
My oh my, it’s bad enough
Could you stay with me
Don’t let me go
Sadness and fury is all I know♪ You’ve taken from my enemies
I still let the pressure get to me♪ I thought I could break away
I hope I fall in love today
No more heartbreak and trouble
I know I’ve been bruised
Let me in again
I could use a friend♪ All I know is my oh my, this kind of love
It’s taken me from my enemies
Don’t let the pressure get to me
My oh my, it’s bad enough
Could you stay with me
Don’t let me go
Sadness and fury is all I know♪ You’ve taken me from my enemies
I still let the pressure get to meLyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/2rOxVnl
YouTube: https://youtu.be/lf5kxzyOBRc
⬆ go to start of 7:10 Katarina Rostova
⏫ go to top
❌❌❌ End 7:10 Katarina Rostova
🔴 Script 7:11 Victoria Fenberg (№ 137)
Program air date: 3/20/2020 at 7pmCT in the US
Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-alQ
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/2J0Xzds
Director: Bill Roe
Written by: Jon Bokenkamp
Brief ~ (Where we’re at): Before Episode 7:11 ~ Liz has a secret: Katarina is alive. Red witnessed Katarina being gunned down by two thugs, the Kazanjian brothers, and her body dragged away to collect a bounty on her life, the Townsend Directive. But Katarina had hired the brothers to stage the attack as Red watched. Red told Liz about her death, but he doesn’t know that Liz knows that the “woman from Paris” is her mother. Or that Liz would soonafter be called by Katarina to explain what had happened.
Katarina won Liz over when she told her that the story Dom had told Liz – that Red was really Ilya Koslov, a friend of Katarina’s and Soviet operative and embassy employee – was untrue, and she proved it by showing Liz Ilya himself, whom she had captured and was submitting to forced therapy by a memory extractor named Victor Skovic. Katarina also told Liz what she had learned or confirmed from Ilya’s confessions – that in 1991, her own father had planned to assassinate her in a car bomb. She escaped but the explosion killed her husband Pyotr. Dom’s purpose for killing Katarina? To protect the one person Dom loved most, his granddaughter Masha (Liz’s Russian name). Katarina disappeared after that, ending up living quietly in Paris until Liz and Ressler’s search for her raised the antennae of her enemies, resulting in the revival of the long-dormant Townsend Directive.
But if Red isn’t Ilya Koslov, then who is he? Ilya, even under Skovic’s therapy and torture, refused to say. Then the Task Force put 2+2 together and closed in on Liz’s building, where they figured out the “woman from Paris” had moved in across the hall from Liz. Liz offered to help Katarina and the others escape which they did through tunnels to get past the police perimeter.
Liz returned to join the Task Force, while Katarina broke into a car and drove past Red and Dembe who followed her to the site of her staged execution by the Kazanjian brothers. Only Cooper knows that Liz found out that the “woman from Paris” is Liz’s mother, which he got her to admit, before she went to Dom’s bedside, where he remains comatose, after being shot by a sniper in a shootout with Katarina’s goons.
Liz: [ To Dom ] I met my mother. I know you didn’t want me to. But I did. She told me you lied to me about who Reddington really is. I don’t understand why you did that or why you’d try to have her killed to protect me. You tried to kill your own child. What kind of person would do something like that? I can’t figure it out. But maybe she can. Maybe she can find out everything you’re trying to hide from me.
⭕ Script 7:11 Victoria Fenberg (№ 137)
[ Friends are gathered for Dembe’s birthday party. They include Dembe’s spiritual advisor Sadiq Asmal, Red’s torture guy Mr Brimley, Red’s cleaners Fudo and Sakiya, and, of course, Red ]
Brimley: Happy birthday.
Dembe: Thank you. Ah, lift tickets.
Brimley: [ Laughs ] To Whistler’s Blackcomb.
Fudo: Blackcomb’s supposed to be the sickest snowboarding on Earth.
Brimley: So says the Internet.
Sakiya: And we got him a bath caddy?
Fudo: He said no gifts. You said no gifts, right?
Dembe: I know, I–
Sadiq: The presence of friends is a gift.
Dembe: Indeed. Thank you, Teddy. I can’t wait.
Brimley: You’re welcome.
Red: Open this next.
Dembe: You really didn’t need to, Raymond.
Red: Ah, come on, come on.
[ Dembe opens the box and takes out a woven shawl ]
Dembe: No.
Red: [ Laughs ] Yessiree!
Dembe: This is the one we saw in the village outside Lusail.
Red: The same. You knew, right?
Dembe: But you got it?
Red: You didn’t know?
Dembe: I had no idea. I went back to buy it, and she said it was sold.
Red: Because of the guy in the jacket.
Dembe: The one you said was following us?
Red: He wasn’t fo– I had to say something to get rid of you. I smuggled the damned thing onto the jet in my hat like some “B”-movie drug runner.
[ All chuckle ]
Dembe: Ahh. Thank you, Raymond. It’s perfect.
Red: Happy birthday, my friend.
Dembe: [ Chuckles ]
[ Cell phone ringing ]
Dembe: [ Sighs ] Hello? Excuse me? I’m sorry. Say that again.
[ Dembe holds out phone to Red ]
Dembe: Mr. Orville.
⋘⋙
[ Red takes phone and steps aside ]
Red: Hello?
Orville: The nesting casket. You have it?
Red: I do.
Orville: Good. She has a potential buyer.
Red: No. For all six?
Orville: Yes. The entire set. The team is gathering. She wants everyone to bring their caskets to the island. Spend the weekend. Meet the buyer. 7:00 p.m. Friday. Come alone.
Red: No, that’s nowhere near enough time.
Orville: Friday. 7:00 p.m. There will be no extensions. Don’t let the others down.
⋘⋙
[ Red returns to the table ]
Red: Looks like we’ll have to eat our cake and ice cream on the jet. You and I are going to Artemivsk.
⋘⋙
[ They get their coats ]
Dembe: We can’t. It’s too dangerous.
Red: We have to get that casket.
Dembe: Things are different now. The entire neighborhood is controlled by separatists. They know you supply arms to the Ukrainian army.
Red: Well, they have Russia for their guns. They don’t care.
Dembe: They want your head.
Red: This is bigger than me. I have an obligation to the others. If she has a buyer for the entire set, the profit would not only be obscene but flagrant. We have to go to the vault, get that casket. Time is precious.
Dembe: I can go for you.
Red: Only my print opens the locks.
Dembe: How do you suggest we get you behind enemy lines?
Red: I don’t know. If they want me dead, maybe we should just give them what they want.
[ Artemivsk, Ukraine ] [ Indistinct conversations in foreign language ]
[ Dembe leads a horse through a crowded street. The horse is drawing a cart with a body covered in a blanket. They arrive at a tall wooden gate ] [ Knock on door ] [ Horse snorts ]
[ The gate opens ]
Vasyl: Bring him around back.
[ Once inside, Red pushes back the blanket and sits up ]
Red: Good Lord, that was rejuvenating. I slept like a vampire.
Vasyl: Raymond.
Red: [ Laughs ] Good to see you, Vasyl. [ Hug ] Oh. You look well. Are these your guys?
Vasyl: Yes. They know only of the job but not who the job is for.
Red: Well, let’s be quick about it. There’s a mob’s worth of separatists who want my head on a stick.
[ They go to a vault which Red enters with his fingerprint. Inside, there are crates with artwork. He also opens a safe with his print. Inside is a small velvet bag and inside that, a golden rectangular hinged box ]
Red: Look at that.
Vasyl: What is it?
Red: It’s one of six. They descend in size from largest to smallest, each one fitting inside another.
Vasyl: Like Russian dolls.
Red: Same idea, but the Matryoshkas didn’t appear until the late 1800s. This is Byzantine, 12th century, found in Turkey. Simply put, they weren’t even supposed to exist, not at that time, not in that part of the world. Once joined with its five partners, this little box will be more valuable than all the treasure in this vault and more.
[ Suddenly, Vasyl runs toward the door ]
Dembe: Raymond.
[ Vasyl slams the door shut but Dembe shoves it open ]
[ Dembe points his gun. Vasyl raises his hands ]
Dembe: Not another step.
Red: Anything you care to share?
Vasyl: Oksana. They took her. They threatened to kill her if I didn’t–
Red: When were they called?
Vasyl: Soon after you arrived.
Red: So they’re almost here.
Vasyl: Raymond, I’m sorry. I didn’t–
Red: Do they know?
Vasyl: They know nothing. They’re here to get you out like we planned. But, Raymond, the rebels–
Red: Dembe, let’s move.
[ Shouting in Russian ] [ The separatists search for Red, but he’s gone, riding on a horse alongside Dembe ]
[ Speaking Russian ]
[ Cynthia Mallet’s shop ]
Cynthia: Look what the cat dragged in.
Reddington: I’ve missed you, Cynthia.
Cynthia: [ Double kisses ] Mwah. Mwah. Ah, Dembe.
Dembe: Cynthia.
Red: In anticipation of a sale, I need you to appraise an item. Shouldn’t take more than a moment.
Cynthia: This can’t be what I– I had heard rumors, and I never dared believe them.
[ She brings a tray and magnifying glass ]
Cynthia: Here, here, here. Oh.
Red: I’m in a bit of a rush, my love. What do you think it’s worth?
[ She looks up at Red ]
Cynthia: About as much as a politician’s word. It’s a fake.
Red: No, that’s impossible.
Cynthia: The etchings were made with modern tools. This is no more authentic than the Cardiff Giant.
Red: [ To Dembe ] Were there any signs of a break-in at the vault, anything missing?
Dembe: No, nothing.
Red: Whatever thief is responsible for this must’ve forged and replaced the caskets before we ever got our hands on them. We stole a bunch of counterfeits. [ Laughing ] Oh, my God. This is unbelievable.
[ Chuckling ]
Cynthia: You’re taking this better than I might’ve expected.
Red: The others are gonna show up at our meeting and have no idea the entire thing is a hoax.
A big, fat bungle. Six marks, six cons. [ Seriously ] Oh, my goodness. Cynthia, thank you for your expertise. I am terribly embarrassed.
Cynthia: Better luck next time.
Red: You said it. Cheerio.
Cynthia: Ta-ta.
[ Outside the shop ]
Red: You know, it occurs to me, if we can find the counterfeiter who created this, we might be able to recover the entire set of original nesting caskets for ourselves.
Dembe: And make a flagrant profit.
Red: [ Laughs ] That’s the spirit. Lemons to lemonade, Dembe. Lemons to lemonade.
[ Aram is in bed with Elodie Radcliffe, his risk-loving girlfriend whose husband is in a coma ]
Elodie: You brought down the President of the United States.
Aram: I wouldn’t say that exactly.
Elodie: You found out he was gonna kill the First Lady, stopped him from doing it, and then he resigned.
Aram: Well, when you put it that way–
Elodie: So you do that and deal with people who weaponize beetles?
Aram: Okay, um, what we do is full service – And classified.
Elodie: And the beetles eat their victims from the inside out?
Aram: Why do you wanna know all this?
Elodie: Who comes up with all the nicknames? General Shiro. The Pharmacist. The Apothecary.
[ Laughs ]
Aram: Okay, all right, now you’re actually scaring me.
Elodie: What can I say? I love a bad boy.
[ Kiss ]
[ ⚡️Monitor alarm beeping⚡️ ]
[ Elodie jumps up and grabs for her clothes ]
[ Elodie runs down the stairs. Charles Radcliffe’s nurse is doing CPR ]
Nurse: He’s gone into A-Fib. Call 911.
[ Cell phone dialing ]
Elodie: Hello? Yes. My husband’s having a heart attack.
[ Aram slowly comes down the stairs ]
Elodie: My name? Mrs. Elodie Radcliffe.
[ Liz sits in her office, embroidering. Ressler comes in ]
Ressler: Hey.
Liz: Hey.
Ressler: I owe you an apology.
Liz: Ohh, boy. What’d you do this time?
Ressler: I killed your mother. I didn’t shoot her, but she’s dead because of me.
Liz: Ressler–
Ressler: I went looking for her after you asked me not to and–
Liz: Ressler. She isn’t dead.
Ressler: But you– I mean, you– You told Cooper that Reddington saw her gunned down on the street.
Liz: She staged that for Reddington’s benefit.
Ressler: [ Exhales ] So Reddington would tell everyone she’s dead and the dogs would be called off.
Liz: But they’re gonna come back unless she finds another way to protect herself. And until she does, we can’t tell anyone she’s alive.
Ressler: Did Reddington admit that it was her?
Liz: Not to me, and I don’t want to admit it to him. He must know it’s what I’m thinking.
Ressler: So play dumb. I mean, ask if it was her, he’ll say no, and then it’s done.
Liz: [ Sighing ] I don’t know.
Ressler: What’s the munchkin dancing in?
Liz: Sleeping Beauty. She’s a lilac fairy.
Ressler: Impressive. I was in the chorus.
Liz: You danced? In tights?
[ Ressler nods ]
Liz: Well, that’s an image I’ll never be able to forget.
Ressler: You’re welcome.
[ Liz’s cell phone vibrating ]
Ressler: [ Leaving ] Play dumb. Smart move.
[ Red is in his plane ]
Liz: [ Answers phone ] Hi.
Red: What do you know about antique nesting caskets?
Liz: Can I ask you a question?
Red: Some years ago, five colleagues and I acquired a complete set.
Liz: Was the woman from Paris my mother?
Red: A kindly woman comes into your life and takes an interest in you and your child. It’s only natural for you to make that wish.
Liz: Was it her?
Red: I know you don’t want it to be true, Elizabeth, but your mother is gone.
Liz: Tell me about the caskets.
Red: Mine is a forgery.
Liz: The casket you stole had already been stolen?
Red: The irony is rich. As is the forger. If they fooled me, they’ve fooled others.
Liz: So you want us to find whoever’s responsible so you can get your casket back.
Red: Forged or stolen art and antiquities represent up to 10% of an art market valued at over $50 billion. That’s $5 billion. And, yes, I have a stake in your finding this forger, but if they’re as good as I believe them to be, I’m giving you the tip of an enormous iceberg.
[ The Post Office. Liz brief the task force ]
Liz: Reddington actually underestimated the problem here. It turns out that up to 20% of the art-and-antiquities market is made up of forgeries. That’s almost $10 billion worth of counterfeits being passed off as real to governments, museums, and individuals.
Agent Alina Park: $10 billion’s a lot of fakes. Can it be that easy to do? These are great pieces of art.
Aram: Forgers don’t have to be great artists, just great engineers.
Cooper: What do you mean?
Aram: No matter how good a forger is, he’s basically copying, right? And there are technical ways of doing that, like camera obscura.
⋘⋙
[ Victoria Fenberg copies a painting using a camera obscura method ]
⋘⋙
Aram: By using mirrors, you can project an image onto a canvas, and if you project that image in small sections, you can essentially do a paint-by-numbers masterpiece.
⋘⋙
[ Door opens. A young black man, Richard Vitaris, enters ]
Richard Vitaris: Hey, Victoria, you here? It’s time.
⋘⋙
Liz: Reddington and his pals lifted the caskets from the Olympian Gallery.
Agent Park: So he’s an art thief now.
Liz: He thinks that if the person we’re looking for was able to forge one piece of art there, he forged others.
Ressler: Yeah, but there’s thousands of pieces in the museum. Where would we start?
Liz: With a self-portrait by Judith Leyster. He thinks it’s a fake.
Cooper: Contact the museum and see if he’s right. But before you do, Agent Ressler told me you’ve been hiding something from us.
Liz: He did?
Cooper: Yes, something very important. Agnes is in Sleeping Beauty.
Aram: Wait, Agnes is in Sleeping Beauty?
Liz: That’s what he, uh– He told you about Agnes’ ballet.
Park: And how great he looks in tights.
Ressler: What can I say? It’s a gift.
Cooper: We want tickets.
Liz: All right.
[ An office in a glass-sided office building ] [ Knock on door ] [ Victoria Fenberg enters ]
Saul Bittman: Ah, Victoria, it’s been too long.
Victoria: You screwed me, Saul, and I want to know why.
⋘⋙
[ Richard Vitaris pushes a janitor’s cart into the boiler room of the building ]
⋘⋙
Ressler: We had the Olympian Gallery test the Leyster. Reddington’s right. It is a forgery.
Liz: Using a spectrometer, they were able to detect trace amounts of a synthetic pigment that was invented centuries after Leyster died.
Cooper: Did they test the painting when it was donated to the museum?
Liz: Yes, and the painting was everything it should be.
⋘⋙
[ Richard releases steam from pipes in the boiler room ]
⋘⋙
Cooper: So when they hung the portrait, it was the original, and now it’s not. Any idea how they pulled that off?
⋘⋙
Victoria: The trust is separate from the company.
Saul: But the company funds it, and now the funds are needed elsewhere.
Victoria: To pay for the lawsuits to defend the indefensible.
Saul: Your father doesn’t see it that way.
Victoria: My father doesn’t see it at all.
[ 🛎 Alarm dinging 🛎 ]
Automated voice: Smoke level zero.
Saul: I don’t know what’s going on, but protocol is we should evacuate.
Automated voice: 🛎 Please exit the building immediately 🛎
Victoria: I’m not going anywhere until I get the answers I’m looking for.
Saul: Uh, it’s probably a false alarm. You sit tight. I’ll go check it out.
Automated voice: 🛎 Smoke level zero. 🛎 Please exit the building immediately 🛎
[ Once Saul leaves, Victoria heads out in the opposite direction ]
⋘⋙
Ressler: Curator says that a year after they acquired the painting, they had a gas-line explosion in the parking structure. Took out their security system for the afternoon.
Liz: As far as we can tell, that’s the only time they were blind.
Cooper: Did you pull the feeds?
Liz: From before and after. Park is reviewing them now.
⋘⋙
[ The building’s control room ]
Man: Yeah, shut down the elevators just in case.
[ 🛎 Alarm continues dinging 🛎 ]
[ Victoria hurries to a room with an art collection, including a Fabergé egg. The display has a key pad lock. She enters the numbers ] [ Beeping ] [ She replaces the egg with one in her purse ]
Automated voice: 🛎 Please exit the building immediately 🛎
Biltman: Victoria? What are you doing?
Victoria: I was looking for the bathroom. I must’ve got turned around.
Bittman: Well, the boiler overheated. Looks worse than it is, but we need to evacuate.
Automated voice: 🛎 Please exit the building immediately 🛎
Biltman: I hope this doesn’t damage any of the collection.
Victoria: Yes, that would be a real shame.
Bittman: [ Coughs ]
[ A restaurant ] [ Indistinct conversations ]
Head Waiter (Joseph): Mr. Thornberry, your guest is waiting at your usual table.
Croft Thornberry: My guest? I don’t have a guest.
[ Red waves ]
Head Waiter: Your wife’s ex-husband.
Thornberry: My wife doesn’t have an ex.
Head Waiter: He said you’d say that. He said you’d want to be discreet.
[ Thornberry walks to the table ]
Red: Croft, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you.
Thornberry: Who the hell are you? And why are you telling the wait staff my wife has an ex-husband?
Red: No, no, no. No, I– You understand. I had to tell them something. The truth would’ve been so uncomfortable for everyone involved. Ex-husband just popped into my head. I don’t even know if you have a wife. Do you?
Thornberry: —
Red: Don’t answer that. Doesn’t matter. Please, have a seat. I took the liberty of ordering us a few martinis and the seafood tower. You’re not allergic, are you?
Thornberry: I’m calling security. [ To the Head Waited ] Joseph.
Red: I thought we could crack some claws, get to know each other, see what hobbies we have in common, like, I don’t know, say, art theft.
[ Red takes a drink from his martini ]
Red: Mm. Don’t fret.
[ Thornberry sits ]
Red: I’m not the police, and I’m certainly not here to arrest you for buying a painting you [ whispers ] knew was stolen.
Thornberry: Then why are you here?
Red: To tell you that I happen to know that the FBI are aware of the painting, aware of the theft [ Looks around ] of the painting, aware of the sale of the stolen painting. But not yet your whole part in it.
Thornberry: That’s it? That’s why you’re here?
Red: Yes. Well, and for a name – [ Whispers ] Of the person who sold you the painting.
Thornberry: And if I refuse?
Red: Well, that would just leave you and the FBI – and the painting. Very awkward. [ Chuckles ] Very awkward.
[ The Head Waiter rolls over the seafood tower ]
Head Waiter: Gentlemen, your seafood tower.
Red: Ah, magnificent. Perhaps a couple of bibs for the gentleman and me.
[ The Post Office ] [ Aram is chewing on the end of a pencil when Liz enters ]
Liz: You know, there are easier ways to get more fiber in your diet.
Aram: Sorry? Oh, uh, sorry. Um, Elodie’s husband had a heart attack this morning and was rushed to the hospital. I’m waiting to hear how he’s doing.
Liz: I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.
Aram: Can I ask you something? Um, do you think it’s natural when someone is suffering as much as he is to want them to find some peace?
Liz: Yes, of course.
Aram: Do you think it’s natural to want that when you’re in the next room sleeping with his wife?
Liz: Aram, we’ve talked about this. It’s a very complicated situation.
Aram: Not for Elodie. If you’d seen her this morning, you’d know that all she wants is what’s best for him.
[ Ressler enters ]
Ressler: We got the footage from the museum.
Agent Park: This is from the day the gas line erupted. Check it out.
[ They look at the surveillance video ]
Park: Once the explosion occurs, all the surveillance goes black.
Cooper: Giving the forger time to swap out the painting.
Liz: Yeah, we already knew that.
Park: Yes, but what we didn’t know was that there was a car parked right next to the gas line, and we hadn’t seen this. The gas-line rupture didn’t cause the car to explode. It was the car exploding that ruptured the gas line.
Cooper: Can we see it again?
Park: Mm-hmm.
Cooper: The license plate’s blocked out by the column.
Aram: There’s no video after the explosion, but, uh, what about before? How far back can you go?
Cooper: There. Run the plate.
[ A man appears on the video ]
Ressler: Hello. Now, who might you be?
Aram: Okay, the car’s registered to a Richard Vitaris. I’ve got a Maryland address.
Cooper: Park, Ressler, roll out. Keen, Aram, see what you can dig up on Vitaris. I wanna know if he’s the trigger man, the forger, or both.
[ Baltimore MD ] [ Victoria works on her painting, using the camera obscura ]
[ Knock on door, door opens ] [ Richard Vitaris enters ] [ A man is in the next room ]
Richard: Sorry to interrupt. Eagleton’s appraisal is done.
[ Victoria and Richard go to greet the man, Anthony Eagleton. He’s holding the stolen Fabergé egg ]
Anthony Eagleton: It’s exquisite. Wouldn’t be surprised if Anastasia herself looked upon it in wonder.
Victoria: So we have a deal, then.
Eagleton: If we can agree upon a price. I’ll give you 900.
Richard: 900? Its market price is 3.2.
Eagleton: On the open market. But on the black market, Faberge eggs sell at a discount.
Victoria: I’ll take 1.2.
Richard: Victoria.
Eagleton: I shouldn’t. But for you, my dear, I’ll happily overpay.
[ He picks up his cell ] [ Cell phone chimes ] [ The money comes across ]
Richard: The money’s been wired.
Eagleton: Until next time.
[ Eagleton leaves ]
⋘⋙
Richard: It’s not enough.
Victoria: I know.
Richard: I talked to Kathryn. She’s buried in discovery. She’s had to hire three more lawyers, and that’s before she’s taken a single deposition. The other side’s pouring millions into its defense.
Victoria: And when my next piece is finished, we’ll be able to pour millions into ours, too. I promise.
Richard: I’m sorry. You’re the last person I should be complaining to.
Victoria: You have nothing to apologize for, not after what you’ve lost.
Richard: You know how much I appreciate what you’re doing.
Victoria: I haven’t done enough. Not yet. But that’s about to change.
[ A raid takes place at Richard’s apartment ]
[ Men shouting indistinctly ]
Ressler: Richard Vitaris. FBI.
[ No one is home ] [ Ressler and Agent Park check out the apartment ]
Park: Mechanical drawings for gas and electrical at the Olympian Gallery.
Ressler: I got a ferry schedule for an island off the coast of Maine here. Architectural drawings for an estate there.
Park: So he hits museums and private residences.
Ressler: And law firms, apparently.
[ Cell phone rings ]
Ressler: We have proof it’s Vitaris.
Liz: And we have motive.
Aram: Vitaris is the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company owned by the Fenbergs. Now, if the lawsuit is to be believed, then they are as bad as the Sacklers 🔘 [See Note] – Misleading the public and the FDA on how addictive their drugs are.
Park: Did Vitaris get addicted?
Ressler: No, his son did.
Aram: That’s right. After a football injury, he was prescribed painkillers, got hooked, overdosed a year later.
Cooper: What does any of this have to do with the forgeries?
Liz: The counterfeit Leyster? The real one belonged to the Fenbergs. So did Red’s nesting casket.
Cooper: We need to warn the Fenberg family they and their art are being targeted. Keen, Aram, get to the Fenberg estate. Ressler, Park, bring in the evidence so that we can start digging into Vitaris’ plans, past and future.
[ The Fenberg estate ]
Mr Fenberg: First, Vitaris slanders me in court, and now you’re telling me he’s stealing from me, as well?
Aram: It appears so, yes.
Mr Fenberg: All right, I’ve asked my family to be here for this, because they are every bit the victims that I am. This is my wife, Sue, and our daughter, Victoria.
Mrs Sue Fenberg: Have you identified the thief?
Aram: We’ve identified a suspect, but we’re not sure what role he played or if he was acting alone. We believe that he may have an accomplice.
Victoria: Have you identified him?
Liz: Not yet, but we will.
Victoria: You sound awfully confident.
Liz: Yes, we are.
Mrs Fenberg: Well, please, come in. Tell us what you know.
[ A living room ]
Victoria: Counterfeits? That’s impossible.
Mr Fenberg: Victoria manages our family collection. She knows her work.
Victoria: Every piece in our collection has been authenticated.
Liz: The work you acquired was real. The forgeries came later.
Aram: The Leyster was taken three months after you loaned it to the Olympian Gallery.
Mrs Fenberg: But you can get it back. The suspect must know where it is.
Liz: He may, but we don’t know where he is.
Mrs Fenberg: Well, how hard can he be to find? He’s the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against us.
Mr Fenberg: You’d think trying to destroy us in court would be enough.
Victoria: He lost his son. I don’t think he thinks anything would be enough.
Mr Fenberg: So you’re saying we’re responsible for his loss? You’re taking his side?
Mrs Fenberg: No, of course she’s not taking his side. Are you, sweetheart?
Victoria: I’m just saying it’s a stressful time, for all of us. Tell us how we can help.
Aram: One thing you can do is to go through your entire collection. Now, I know that is a logistical nightmare, but if you have pieces on loan, get them back, and authenticate everything.
Mr Fenberg: All right, you’ve told us what we can do. Now I’m gonna tell you what you’re gonna do – Find Vitaris. And if he has an accomplice, find him. And when you do, despite my daughter’s misplaced sympathies, I’m gonna use my considerable power to make sure they pay for what they’ve done.
[ Richard is looking at a painting in Victoria’s studio when she walks in ]
Victoria: You got my text?
Richard: This– It’s brilliant. It’ll be our biggest take yet.
Victoria: The FBI came to our home. To warn us about you. They searched your property. It’s– It’s over.
Richard: Okay, hang on. We need that money to keep the suit going.
Victoria: They’re looking for you. You’re going to be arrested. Forget about the case. At this moment, art handlers are starting the process of re-authenticating my family’s entire collection. They’re crating it up. They’re putting it in secure storage. There’s no way we can make the swap now.
Richard: Hear me out. What if there was a distraction at the house? Could you substitute the painting then?
[ The Post Office ] [ Aram’s cell phone vibrating ]
Aram: Elodie, hey. Uh, what’d the doctor say?
Elodie: [ On phone ] Looks like another blood clot was blocking one of the arteries in his lungs. He– He went without oxygen for a while, but, um– But he’ll live, so–
Aram: So that’s good, right?
Elodie: I don’t know. What do you think?
Aram: What do you mean, what do I think?
Elodie: It’s okay. If it makes you feel any better, I was thinking it, too.
Aram: Thinking what exactly?
Elodie: That it would be better if, you know, the outcome were different, if Charles had just passed.
Aram: No, that is not what I was thinking at all. Why would– Why would you say that?
Elodie: Aram, if we’re gonna be together–
[ Cooper beckons to Aram ]
Aram: Um, look, I’m so sorry. I’m gonna have to call you back. I have, uh, work.
[ Cell phone beeps ]
[ In the main room (war room) of the Post Office ]
Cooper: Anything specific?
Agent Park: I just can’t tell what’s been completed and what’s planned. There are no dates on any of this.
Liz: Bank statements show Vitaris is deep in debt. He’s gonna need to make another score soon.
Ressler: But what’s the next target?
Aram: Wait. I have a lead on that. Okay, so, looking at the previous forgeries from the Fenberg collection, it seems that the counterfeiter specializes in replicating pieces from the 19th century or before. Now, according to the Fenbergs’ portfolio, the only painting left in their collection that matches that description is a Hoogstraten worth $24 million.
Liz: That painting is hanging in their house. We just saw it.
Park: So, based on everything we know, it’s safe to assume that Vitaris is going after the Hoogstraten.
Cooper: If Vitaris knows we’re after him, he may get desperate and change his MO, skip the paintings and go after Mr. Fenberg himself.
[ Mr Anthony Eagleton, a middle-aged man, is taking a bath when Red and Dembe enter. Dembe is carrying an electric waffle-maker ]
Red: Mr. Eagleton. I’m sorry to interrupt your ablutions. Looks delightful. But I’m in a bit of a rush and have some pressing questions that can’t wait for your contemplative soak.
Eagleton: Who the hell are you? What are you doing in my bathroom?
[ Red holds out the crafted casket ]
Red: Who did you buy this from?
Eagleton: I’ve never seen that thing before in my life.
Red: Maybe the bubbles have addled your brain.
Eagleton: What are you doing here? Get– You can’t be here. Get out of my bathroom.
Red: I love a good bath as much as the next man, but does it ever get into your head the idea that you’re simply soaking in your own juices like a brining turkey?
Eagleton: What?
Red: I digress. Doesn’t matter. Please, take a closer look at the piece. I know you’ve been fencing items on behalf of a counterfeiter who steals art from the Fenberg family. Well, that same counterfeiter is responsible for this breathtaking forgery. And while I admire the accomplishment, I prefer the original. So the counterfeiter’s name – I need it now.
Eagleton: That would be suicide.
Red: How apt.
[ Dembe puts the waffle-maker on the floor and goes to plug it in ]
Red: Just give us a second. It’s the damn GFCIs.
[ Red picks up the waffle-maker ]
Red: This might tickle a little.
Eagleton: Okay, okay. Wait, wait, wait, wait.
Red: Might even make your toes curl. Or not. What the hell do I know? Let’s find out.
[ Red holds the waffle-maker over the bath water ]
Eagleton: No, no, no. No, please. Stop.
Red: The name.
Eagleton: Fenberg. Victoria Fenberg.
Red: You see? There it is. That wasn’t so hard, was it? Antony, let me ask you a question. Are you hungry? I’m hungry. Dembe, you hungry?
[ Red hands Dembe the waffle-maker and picks up a towel, holding it out to Eagleton ]
Red: Okay. Hop out. Let’s get cooking.
[ Men speaking indistinctly ] [ Mr Fenberg looks out the window as the family art collection is being crated and loaded to be inspected for forgeries. Victoria enters carrying a briefcase ]
Mr Fenberg: This is a violation.
Victoria: It’s only a precaution.
Mr Fenberg: A precaution? Do you see what’s happening? This Vitaris character is dismantling our lives.
Victoria: You sound surprised.
Mr Fenberg: Don’t start, Victoria.
Victoria: His son died. He’s angry.
Mr Fenberg: Then he can settle it legally in a courtroom, but this is–
Victoria: He can’t afford that.
Mr Fenberg: How is it that you think any of this is our fault? We did not kill that boy.
[ Cell phone rings ]
Mr Fenberg: And attacking us isn’t going to bring him back.
Victoria: Hello?
[ Liz is in a vehicle with Ressler ]
Liz: Ms. Fenberg, this is Agent Keen. I’m calling to let you know we’re sending units to your house.
Victoria: Why? What’s wrong?
Liz: It’s Vitaris. He’s still at large, but items in his home indicate that he might be targeting you and your family directly.
Victoria: Targeting us? Do you mean physically?
Liz: We’re not sure. That’s why we’re sending units. All we know is Vitaris is angry and has a vendetta, and we don’t want him to act on it. We’ll be there soon. We’ll talk more when we’re on-site.
Mr Fenberg: So I assume they’re here to protect us.
Victoria: I’ll get Mother.
[ Victoria calls Richard Vitaris from the kitchen ]
Victoria: We have to call it off. They know.
Richard: Who knows?
Victoria: The FBI. They’re on their way here. They think you’re targeting the family.
Richard: We have a plan.
Victoria: Did you hear me? The police are here. There’s no way we can get near the–
[ Victoria’s mother enters the kitchen ]
Mrs Sue Fenberg: The police? What’s going on?
Victoria: It’s okay. They’re here for our protection.
Mrs Fenberg: Where’s your father? Uh, downstairs.
Victoria: Go, go. I’m right behind you.
[ Mrs Fenberg leaves ]
Victoria: [ To Richard on the phone ] You have to get out while you can.
Richard: We can do this.
Victoria: No.
Richard: Victoria, listen, that painting, it’s our future.
Victoria: You have to go.
Richard: The plan remains the same – Get the painting, sell the painting, fund the lawsuit.
Victoria: We can’t.
Richard: We can. You have the forgery?
Victoria: Yes. If they see you, they’ll arrest you.
Richard: Exactly.
Victoria: Richard, you’ll go to jail.
Richard: How else do you think this ends? With me going home to my son? He’s gone. The only way to make sure others don’t die like him is to see this through, and to do that, you’re gonna make the swap.
Victoria: Okay.
Richard: And, Victoria, thank you.
[ Cell phone beeps ]
[ Police radio chatter ] [ Ressler and Liz arrive at the Fenberg estate ] [ Richard is among the workers moving boxes ]
Ressler: Agents Ressler, Keen, FBI.
Officer Sharp: Trooper Sharp. Mr. Fenberg says his wife and daughter are on the property along with four house staff members.
Ressler: Show me.
[ Ressler leaves with Mr Fenberg ]
Liz: Help me gather these movers. The Art Crimes Unit is en route. I don’t want any of this leaving here without them cataloguing it.
[ Victoria enters a room where one painting remains uncrated. Workmen are looking out the window ]
Victoria: Hey, what’s going on? Why isn’t this crated?
Mover: Uh, you got police everywhere. Is everything okay?
Victoria: No, everything is not okay. The police want everyone downstairs. Right now. Go.
[ They leave. Victoria looks out of the window at the workers and agents below ]
[ Battle Tapes’ ♫ “Starts Right Here” (feat. Valerie Broussard) plays ]
♪ You heard what they say ♪
♪ That I got lightning in my fingers ♪
♪ I got gold inside my veins ♪
♪ Believe what you see ♪
[ Richard, dressed as a worker, jumps out of a truck and bumps into Liz ]
Richard: Sorry, ma’am. Sorry. Sorry.
[ Richard tries time walk away, but Liz recognizes him and follows ]
Liz: Hey. You. Vitaris.
[ Richard runs ]
Liz: Ressler!
[ Richard grabs a gun from an officer’s holster ]
Officer: Gun, gun!
Liz: Hey! Stop!
♪ Get ready for the revolution ♪
[ Inside Victoria takes down the painting from the wall ]
⋘⋙
Liz: Stop! Stop.
Ressler: Put the gun down!
♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪
[ Victoria exchanges the painting in the frame for the forged on in her briefcase ]
⋘⋙
Richard: I’m not here to hurt anyone.
Liz: Then put the gun down, Richard.
♪ ‘Cause it starts right here, starts right here ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪
Liz: It’s over. You’re under arrest.
Richard: Why don’t you go arrest the real criminals, the white-collar monsters inside that mansion who profited from the death of my son?
Ressler: We’ll talk about it after you put the gun down.
♪ Ain’t scared to fight alone ♪
Richard: My son’s gone. They murdered him.
Liz: We know, Richard. We’re sorry. But hurting someone else isn’t gonna bring him back. Put the gun down.
♪ Get behind me ♪
♪ No more lying in the shadows ♪
♪ No more hiding underneath ♪
♪ Tell the world get ready for the revolution
[ Victoria looks out of the window at Richard. He sees her. An officer behind Richard takes the gun from him ]
[ Victoria joins her father on the front steps ]
Mr Fenberg: You okay?
Victoria: No.
[ Ressler comes over to them ]
Mr Fenberg: Do you know what he was after?
♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪
[ They run upstairs where a framed painting still hangs on the wall ]
Mr Fenberg: Thank God it’s still here.
Ressler: [ On comms ] Keen, send the Art Theft Unit to the living room. We got it.
Mr Fenberg: [ To Ressler ] Don’t you dare let that painting out of your sight.
♪ Starts right here ♪
[ Victoria watches as Richard gets into a police car. Her father comes up behind her ]
[ Car doors shut ]
Mr Fenberg: I know you don’t understand, darling, but it’s better this way. It had to end this way.
Victoria: I know, Daddy.
[ Loudly: ]
♪ Get ready for the revolution ♪
♪ Revolution ♪
[ Victoria grabs her briefcase and walks away ]
[ The Post Office ]
Cooper: He stole the paintings to finance his lawsuit against the Fenbergs.
Park: Says he did the forgeries, too. Insists he worked alone.
Ressler: He gave himself up as a distraction so someone else could swap out the Hoogstraten.
Cooper: If someone else did. Do we have confirmation yet?
Ressler: The painting’s being authenticated now, but if he has a partner, we have no idea who it is. We searched everyone at the house – Wait staff, security, every box, bag, briefcase, or purse. Nothing.
Park: We offered him a deal. He wouldn’t budge. Guy’s a true believer.
Cooper: Send him to lockup. When he sees what his future holds if he doesn’t cooperate, maybe he’ll talk, tell us who he’s protecting.
[ Victoria Fenberg walks down a stairs with Antony Eagleton ]
Victoria: Prepare to be amazed. I am bringing you a masterpiece. But this time, no discounts.
[ They enter the kitchen. Red and Dembe are there ]
Red: Ms. Fenberg, please join us. A waffle? They’re buckwheat.
Victoria: What is this?
Eagleton: Just– Just hear him out.
Red: Please, sit.
[ They sit across a table from Red ]
Red: Have a waffle. I love a juicy family drama. Greed, resentment, betrayal, secrets. [ Chuckling ] And your secret? Oh, my. Using the spoils of your father’s avarice to bankroll his destruction. The tragedy is positively Grecian.
Victoria: Who are you?
Red: A man on a quest.
[ Red places the small metal casket on the table ]
Red: Does this look familiar?
Eagleton: He knows, Vicky. Just– Just tell him.
Victoria: It’s from my family’s collection.
Red: Yes, but it’s part of a larger set. I came to acquire this one some years ago. Imagine my surprise when I learned it was a counterfeit. But tell me, did you make forgeries of all six boxes?
Victoria: No, just the one. It was my first test. I wanted to see if I could fool people.
Red: Well, you certainly fooled me.
Dembe: Would you like syrup, berries, or both?
Victoria: I’m sorry. I’m totally confused.
Red: Both, then.
Victoria: No– No, not about– What is it that you want?
Red: The original casket. I want the name of the person who has it. Mr. Eagleton says that’s the one item of yours he didn’t fence.
Victoria: That’s all you want? A name?
Red: Your father is a drug dealer. The fact that he deals a legal drug is no consolation to the addicts he’s created. He’s the villain in this story. Your efforts to bring him to justice, however convoluted, are, as I’ve said, admirably Oedipal. Not only do I have no intention of stopping you, I believe we may find occasion to work together in the future. I am nothing if not an avid patron of the arts. So, please, a name.
[ An elegant home ] [ A stylishly dressed older woman leads Red into a living room with a large glass cabinet ]
Art Collector: Vicky tells me that you’re a collector.
Red: Oh, just a dabbler. I told Victoria I didn’t want to impose.
Art Collector: Oh, nonsense. I love showing people my collection.
[ Inside the cabinet, Red sees the original casket ]
Red: Oh. I’m sorry, but before we start, might I trouble you for a glass of water?
Art Collector: Of course. No trouble at all.
Red: Thank you so much.
[ She leaves to get the water ] [ Red peers inside the glass cabinet ]
⋘⋙
[ Several minutes later, the Art Collector returns with the water. Red is looking at the casket inside the case ]
Art Collector: You have a good eye. That’s my prized possession.
Red: Is it? Who would’ve guessed?
[ Red lifts the glass of water ]
Red: Cheers.
[ The Post Office ] [ Victoria talks with Richard Vitaris in an interrogation room ]
Victoria: You confessed?
Richard: They don’t know about you.
Victoria: Then I’ll tell them.
Richard: You can’t do that.
Victoria: I can’t let you take responsibility for what I’ve done.
Richard: What you’ve done is give me hope, and you need to keep doing that. My only purpose in life is avenging Justin’s death. The only chance of that happening is if you continue what we started.
[ Buzzer, door opens ] [ Victoria leaves the interrogation room ]
Ressler: Visiting the enemy?
Victoria: Yes. I want to know where the art is that he stole.
Ressler: And you thought he’d tell you?
Victoria: I don’t know what I thought. I just know I wanted to look the person who did this to my family in the eye.
Ressler: The authentication came back on the Hoogstraten. It’s a forgery.
Victoria: Ah, I can’t say I’m surprised. But you were there. You must have some idea who took it, who his accomplice is.
Ressler: I didn’t at first. I mean, we inspected everybody, bags and boxes, cars, trucks. No one we checked could’ve possibly taken it. And then it hit me. See, there were three people we didn’t check – Your father, your mother, and you.
Victoria: You think we stole from ourselves?
Ressler: No, no. I think you did. The distraction he caused, I think it was for you.
Victoria: Don’t be ridiculous.
Ressler: To give you a moment alone in the living room to put the real painting inside your briefcase, the only one we didn’t check.
Victoria: I think we’re through, Detective.
Ressler: It’s Special Agent. And, yeah, we’re through. For now. But you wanna look the person who did this to your family in the eye, you and I both know all you gotta do is look in the mirror. I’ll be in touch.
[ Liz is riding with Red in the back of his Mercedes. Red admires the small casket ]
Red: It really is exquisite in its way.
Liz: It’s exquisite because of what you know about it, where it came from, who made it. It’s intellectual. I like art that’s more emotional.
Red: The forger certainly played on our emotions.
Liz: The forger – The one you found and won’t turn over to us.
Red: The counterfeits are nearly flawless, which is enough, because our desire for them to be real obscures any imperfection, much like your desire for the woman in Paris to be your mother blinded you to the fact that she wasn’t.
Liz: It wasn’t just my desire.
Red: So she told you she was Katarina?
Liz: She did. And it’s difficult for me to believe she wasn’t.
Red: I was convinced my casket was authentic. It was nearly impossible for me to believe it wasn’t. But it was a fake. And she was, too.
Liz: Is that why you gave us this case? To show me how easy it is to mistake something that’s fake for something that’s real?
Red: No, I gave you the case so I could get my hands on the casket and sell it for an obscene amount of money.
Liz: You got it just so you could sell it?
Red: Yes. And the buyer is apparently very impatient. Is there somewhere we can drop you? We’re wheels-up in one hour.
Liz: Uh, you can just let me out here at the end of the block. Uh, wherever you’re going, I’d like you to be back in time–
Red: We’ll be back for the ballet.
Liz: Harold told you?
Red: Harold thought I’d like to know. He was right.
[ Elodie Radcliffe opens her front door. Aram is there ]
Aram: You’re amazing.
Elodie: O-kay. [ Chuckles ] So are you.
Aram: Well, not really. But – you think so. We think so about each other, which is, well– Amazing.
Elodie: Great. Now that that’s settled, do you want to come in?
Aram: No. I want to break up.
[ Elodie looks stunned ]
Aram: I don’t want to. I mean, it’s the last thing I want. It’s just, we should. That is, we have to.
Elodie: I don’t understand.
Aram: What do we do when we’re together? We trespass. We– We crash weddings. We break the law.
Elodie: We made love in the Gemini capsule John Glenn took into space.
Aram: Exactly, yes, which I still can’t believe how small it was, right? Scratch that. That’s off-topic. Okay. My point, such that I have one, is this. Making love in a rocket ship is one thing, one– One amazing thing, but, Elodie, hoping your husband dies, there is nothing amazing about that. How is he?
Elodie: He’s on a ventilator.
Aram: I am so sorry.
Elodie: So am I.
[ They exchange heartfelt looks ]
Aram: This is a really bad idea.
⋘⋙
[ Aram and Elodie are in bed. Elodie has fallen asleep, her arms around Aram ]
[ Aram stares into space ]
[ Monitor beeping, ventilator hissing ]
⬆️ go to start of 7:11 Victoria Fenberg
⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ Starts Right Here
By Battle Tapes (feat. Valerie Broussard)♪ You heard what they say
that I got lightning in my fingers
I got gold in my veins
believe what you say
I got fire in my eyes
the desire in my sights
tell the world –
get ready for the revolution –
‘cause it
starts right here!Chorus:
♪ ooh, ooh
‘cause it starts right here
starts right here
[x2]♪ It’s getting violent
head first into the battle
I’m an army of my own
get behind me –
no more lying in the shadows,
no more hidin’ underneath
tell the world –
get ready for the revolution –
‘cause it starts right here,
starts right here!Chorus:
♪ ooh, ooh
‘cause it starts right here
starts right here!
[x2][bridge]
♪ Get ready for the revolution, revolution [x4]
[bridge]Chorus:
♪ ooh, ooh
‘cause it starts right here
starts right here!
[x4]♪ yeah, I’m ready for the revolution
Lyrics: c/o Angie Allen (via comment at ⇊ YouTube link)
YouTube: https://youtu.be/2RY9JSiPnAo
⬆️ go to start of 7:11 Victoria Fenberg
⏫ go to top
❌❌❌ End 7:11 Victoria Fenberg
🔴 Script 7:12 Cornelius Ruck (№ 155)
Program air date: 3/27/2020 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-amk
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/3dAZ4Np
Director: John Terlesky
Written by: Lukas Reiter
Brief (Where we’re at): When Ressler came to apologize to Liz for putting into play the search for her mother that led to her “death,” Liz confided in him that Katarina is not dead but that she had staged her death to fool Red, contrary to the story Liz had earlier told Ressler and the Task Force. Meanwhile, Red still denies to Liz that “the woman from Paris” is her mother, even though Liz tells him Katarina had told her that she was.
Red’s newest adventure has to do with a forged Byzantine-style box (“casket”) he and Dembe had stolen thinking it was authentic. He was able to enlist the Task Force to find the forger, Victoria Fenberg (Blacklister #137), the daughter of a family that had cashed in by manufacturing opioids that killed the son of a man, Richard Vitaris, who wants justice. To help Vitaris sue her father, Victoria has used her skills as a forger to replace, one by one, the valuable works of art in her parents’ considerable collection with her copies, selling the originals on the black market.
Red was able to track down the original of his casket from a friend of Victoria’s. But the casket is one of a set of six, and Red is due to meet up with the owners of the other five. Together, the value of the set is expected to be “obscene, if not flagrant.”
Meanwhile, Aram has begun to have misgivings about his relationship with Elodie Radcliffe, a thrill-seeker whose husband is on life support. Not only does Elodie like to lure Aram into doing things that are unethical and sometimes illegal but she has hinted that it might better if her husband had died. The thought has crossed Aram’s mind as well and his struggle over whether to break up with Elodie reflects his own inner turmoil.
⭕ Script 7:12 Cornelius Ruck (№ 155)
[ Lungef Jordan Island, Baltic Sea ]
[ A seaplane descends from an overcast sky. Red and Dembe emerge and are greeted at the dock ]
Arthur Rodman: Mr. Reddington. So pleased you made it, sir.
Red: Ha! So am I. What a ride. You can’t imagine what it took to get here.
Arthur: And might I say not a moment too soon. We are in for quite a storm. Arthur Rodman. I’m at your service.
Red: What a place. This is lovely.
Arthur: I’m sorry. I wasn’t prepared for– You were told no seconds are permitted?
Red: Oh, no, no, Dembe won’t be staying.
Dembe: Raymond, are you sure this place is secure?
Arthur: Oh, you needn’t worry. The island is a safe haven. Mr. Vries, our owner, offers it to men and women such as Mr. Reddington as a place to do business or resolve disputes with absolute privacy and security.
Dembe: And your property is the only one on the island, yes?
Arthur: Yes. My employer provides staff, lodging, fine dining.
Red: You should go before the sky gets any darker. Please. And don’t worry. I’ll see you here in two days, and we’ll celebrate.
Dembe: I don’t trust Cassandra.
Red: Ah. Eat a whole pizza, read a couple of great books. Maybe take the kids skating. My God, I can’t remember the last time you had a whole weekend off.
Dembe: Two days, Raymond. Remember, you promised Agnes to be at the ballet.
Red: I’ll see you Sunday.
[ Hug ]
Red: Not to worry.
Arthur: All firearms will be kept in a safe until the proceedings are complete.
[ Red puts his handgun in the large case ] [ Metal detector whining ]
[ Red is driven to the entrance of a large, castle-like house. A woman, Cassandra Bianci, looks out a window as the car drives up ]
[ Red gets out ]
Cassandra: [ British accent ] There he is. In the flesh.
Red: Hello, Cassandra. You’re looking like the best of times.
Cassandra: I wasn’t sure you were going to make it.
[ Cheek kisses ]
Red: I had to come. I couldn’t let down the others.
Cassandra: The others. Mm. Well, to be honest, I was hoping that part of you came for me.
Red: [ Nods ]The best part did.
Cassandra: You brought your piece?
Red: Of course.
Cassandra: [ Laughs ] Then it’s official. We have the complete set.
Red: You’re convinced it’s the right time to sell?
Cassandra: I am. But, um– Relax. Business later. I’ll lay everything out for the group tonight.
[ Arthur shows Red his suite ]
Arthur: We will stay out of your way during your stay, but anything you need, Mr. Reddington, don’t hesitate to ask.
Red: Thank you, Arthur.
[ Red greets another of the group, Annika Logan, in a separate room ]
Anika: Think it’s bugged?
Red: Annika, your brow is already furrowed.
Annika: [ Laughs ] [ Island accent ] I swept my whole room– the basket, the vents. It appears clean.
Red: That’s a relief.
Annika: Mm. You bring it? Hmm. I brought it. I didn’t want to touch it, but–
Red: [ Laughs ] Same old Annika. You’ve been reading ghost stories.
Annika: Not ghost stories– news stories. It came from a tomb, right? The original dig was in Turkey–
Red: Give me a hug.
Annika: Three of the archaeologists are dead–
[ Hug, cheek kiss ]
Annika: –one pancreatic cancer, one suicide, one heart disease.
Red: You think the caskets we stole gave an archaeologist pancreatic cancer?
Annika: They are cursed. [ Nebulizer hisses ]
Red: I believe you. Well, I believe you believe you.
Annika: Mm-hmm.
Red: That innate sense of danger is what drove you to become perhaps the single best security expert I know.
Annika: I’m right. Don’t touch it.
Red: [ Chuckles ] Have you seen the others?
Annika: Mm, just Margo. You think I haven’t changed? [ Chuckles ] Come on. She’s exactly where you’d think she’d be.
[ A gaming room. Joko Kozinski holds a stopwatch ]
Joko: [ Chuckles ] [ Slavic accent ] Ready, Margo? 30 seconds. Go!
[ Placed in front of Margo, a heavy-set woman, are five pad locks and by each a shot of vodka. She goes to work ]
Joko: Ah. Know what I’m thinking, Margo?
[ Margo finishes unlocking the first lock, drinks the first shot ]
Joko: I’m thinking of all the ways I’m going to be spending your moneys, yes?
Margo: [ Chuckles ]
[ Two more locks, two more shots ]
Joko: No, no.
Margot: [ Chuckles ]
[ Two more ]
Joko: No, no, no, no, no!
[ Margo finishes the last lock, doffs the last shot ]
Margo: Boo-yah!
Joko: [ Grunts ]
[ Red enters ]
Red: I can name three other can openers who could crack those locks. Only one could do it in 30 seconds, and none could do it after a half pint of aquavit.
Margo: Reddington, you dapper dog.
Red: Margo, you’re a Viking.
Margo: 5 grand says I can do it again in 20.
[ Cheek kiss ]
Red: No dice.
[ Hug ]
Red: I came here to [ kiss smack ] make money, not give it away.
[ Mahmoud Iqbal enters ]
Mahmoud: [ South Asian accent ] Good evening, Margo.
Margo: [ Loudly ] Hello, Mahmoud.
Red: Mahmoud, your hearing has gotten worse?
Mahmoud: Oh, it’s not all gone. But soon.
Red: I’m terribly sorry.
Mahmoud: You’re kind. But when I decided to blow things up for a living, I knew there’d be occupational hazards.
Red: Tell me, did I detect a chill in the air from the two of you? Are you on again or off again?
[ Door opens. Cassandra enters ]
Red: Ah.
Cassandra: Welcome, everyone. Thank you for coming.
[ The others seat themselves on couches which face each other ]
Cassandra: I hope after what you’re about to hear, you’ll decide that it has been worth it. Let’s talk business. It’s been just under three years since I first went to Reddington, told him about the caskets, asked him to fund the job–
Joko: You have buyer or not?
Margo: Let her talk.
Cassandra: I want to say we did the right thing. No legitimate fence would’ve touched what we had. Every art crime cop in every continent was watching. The right thing to do was split it and wait.
Annika: And you think it’s been long enough?
Cassandra: I do. We’ve seen a number of high-profile thefts this year. The FBI, INTERPOL, they’re busy elsewhere. It’s time to move.
Joko: Who’s the buyer?
Cassandra: A collector, with a particular interest in Byzantine art. I did some research and floated the idea last month.
Annika: You should’ve asked us first.
Mahmoud: I agree.
Red: I don’t. As the architect, it’s Cassandra’s right to explore a next move.
Cassandra: Everything was done anonymously. He has no idea who we are, but he is on his way, and weather permitting, he should be here this time tomorrow.
Margo: What kinda bread we baking?
Cassandra: Ah, it’s hard to know. Each individual piece could be worth a few million, but the complete set increases the potential number to maybe–
Joko: 75.
Cassandra: No, that’s high.
Joko: Come on. The Blue Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond went for over $23 mil. The Qianlong vase went for 53, or maybe you think I’m too dumb to do my homework.
Mahmoud: Take it easy.
Joko: Easy? The five of you got 18% each. That’s even cut for each specialty. But me, I’m just a goon with a gun, so I only get 10? No way I’m letting you undersell and cut my take even more.
Annika: Keep your voices down.
Cassandra: Nobody wants to undersell–
Joko: You know what? Rules say we don’t sell unless it’s unanimous, so maybe I don’t agree to anything until my cut is even!
Red: That’s enough, Joko. You got 10% because you came in late, not because anyone here undervalues your contribution. As far as I’m concerned, the goon with the gun, he’s the real operator. He’s the one who has to handle himself under pressure when things go sideways. He’s the one everyone else has to rely on. The goon with the gun doesn’t do his job, there is no job. We needed you. Nobody’s ever said otherwise except maybe you. At the end of the day, you accepted your cut, and it’s done. So, let’s all take a breath and remember we’re friends.
Margo: I vote we sell.
Annika: Agreed. The sooner the better.
Mahmoud: Agreed.
Red: Then I make five.
[ Joko is displeased, takes his time ]
Joko: [ Reluctantly ] Agreed.
Margo: [ Chuckles ]
[ They lay the nesting caskets out on a table, from largest to smallest, and admire them ]
Annika: Holy Mary Mother of God, protect me now and always.
Cassandra: Margo, yours is the last. It’s beautiful.
[ Blood drips from Margo’s nose ]
Cassandra: Margo. Your nose.
[ The scene through Margo’s eyes becomes blurred and distorted ]
Red: [ Echoing ] You should sit down.
[ Margo collapses. Red kneels next to her, takes her head in his hands ]
Red: Margo! Margo. Can you hear me?
[ Red and Joko carry Margo’s body into a storage room and lay her down on a steel table ]
Red: I’ll ask Mahmoud if Margo has any family, and if so, I’ll see that they get her remains. Grab a tablecloth there.
[ Red looks at Margo’s fingernails which are speckled with blood ]
Joko: What do you think happened to her?
[ Red checks the inside of Margot’s lip and the whites of her eyes. They, too, are blood-splotched ]
Joko: What is it? What do you see?
[ The living room ]
Annika: It was the curse!
[ Annika’s nebulizer hisses ]
Cassandra: Annika, please, that’s not helpful right now.
Annika: Y-You think I’m kidding? Margo was number four. Four bodies connected to these caskets in the three years since they were found!
[ Red and Joko enter ]
Joko: She said stop it.
Red: Everyone, just try to calm down.
Mahmoud: What could’ve happened?
Joko: Come on. Are you serious? I’ll tell you what happened. Diabetes. Hypertension–
Cassandra: You hardly knew her.
Joko: I don’t have to know her. Look at her. Morbidly overweight, probably alcoholic. Did she smoke?
Mahmoud: Yes, but–
Joko: Then the question isn’t why it happened. It’s why it didn’t happen sooner.
Red: All right, Joko, you made your point. Margo could crack a bank vault in less than eight minutes under withering pressure. She had ice water in her veins. Okay, she didn’t make healthy choices, but this had nothing to do with stress or hypertension or a curse.
[ Annika’s nebulizer hisses ]
Cassandra: You think somebody killed her.
Annika: Why? Who would do that?
Red: Someone who stands to gain from her death.
Cassandra: That could be any one of us. Before, it was a six-way split. Now it’s only five.
Mahmoud: Perhaps, but only one of us was complaining about the size of their percentage.
Joko: You think I killed your girlfriend?
Mahmoud: She wasn’t my girlfriend.
Joko: That’s right. You two broke up, so maybe you killed her. Maybe you can’t handle idea of her shacking up with someone new.
Mahmoud: Go to hell!
Red: Mahmoud, look at me. We are genuinely sorry for your loss. But the truth is, we don’t have enough evidence to start accusing each other of homicide. I suggest we all turn in early and look at this with fresh eyes in the morning.
Annika: What about Margo’s casket?
Cassandra: If everyone agrees, I’ll hold onto it for now.
Red: We do. Everyone else, take yours with you. We’ll reconvene here at 7:00 a.m.
[ Red knocks on a door. Cassandra opens it ]
Cassandra: Do you remember what happened the last time you knocked on my door at 2:00 a.m.?
Red: Yes, you shot at me.
Cassandra: I thought you were someone else.
Red: You thought I was your husband.
Cassandra: I like committing crimes of passion. Want to commit one now?
Red: I had something a bit more frigid in mind.
[ Cassandra and Red enter the room where Margo’s body is ]
Cassandra: Petechial hemorrhages?
Red: Broken blood vessels in her eyes. Also on the inside of her lips and underneath her fingernails.
Cassandra: That means she was poisoned?
Red: Not definitively, no, but it certainly suggests it. We won’t know for sure until we open her up.
Cassandra: What?
Red: We need towels– tongs, and a ladle. Doesn’t matter what size.
Cassandra: Boy, you really know how to show a girl a good time. Tell me, do you do autopsies during all your dates, or am I special?
[ Red cuts into Margo’s belly with a knife ]
Cassandra: I never heard from you after Marseilles. Was a perfect job. An even more perfect four days together at Hôtel de la Mer.
Red: Can I have a towel?
Cassandra: Raymond. I’ve walked away from Marco. From everything. I thought you would, too.
Red: I was going to. Till I found out we took nearly $40 million from that vault, not 30. You’re either very bad at math or very good at lying.
Cassandra: I’m good at both. What I’m terrible at is life.
Red: Another towel.
Cassandra: [ Sighs ] After Marseilles, I heard about a job in Lisbon. Big score, but it came with a big overhead. Tunneling gear, commercial grade, the works. I thought about bringing it to you, but I couldn’t. You say you walked away because I took the money, but I took it because you’d already walked away.
[ Red pries open the cut in Margo’s belly with the tongs ]
Red: Can you hold that?
Cassandra: I shouldn’t have done it, but I was hurt, and– I regret it. You have no reason to believe me, but I do.
Red: Tell me about Lisbon.
Cassandra: Uh– I invested everything I had and even some I didn’t have. And then, at the last minute, just two days before we were set to move, the museum shipped the piece back to New York, made a secret deal to trade exhibits, and– that was it. I lost my entire investment.
Red: Why are you telling me this?
Cassandra: You asked.
Red: You brought it up. Why?
Cassandra: Because– I’ve had a run of bad luck lately, and I’ve been thinking a lot about why.
Red: You sound like Annika.
Cassandra: [ Scoffs ] It’s no accident that things went wrong when I burned what we had. I would do anything to take it back, to go back to that suite at Hôtel de la Mer.
Red: The ladle. The ladle.
[ Cassandra hands him the ladle. Red uses it dip into open cut ]
Red: [ Sighs ] She bled to death internally. Must be half her blood supply.
Cassandra: How?
Red: [ Sighs ] Some kind of anti-coagulating agent. When blood’s that thin, you can spontaneously hemorrhage. Every organ, all your veins, arteries start leaking into the viscera.
Cassandra: You’re sure?
Red: This didn’t happen naturally. Someone killed her. Someone on this island.
[ The living room ]
Mahmoud: Murdered?
Red: You wanted a forensic investigation. That’s what it showed.
Cassandra: Where’s Joko?
Annika: I-I knocked on his door.
Mahmoud: And you’re sure?
Red: Yes. She was poisoned, dosed with an anti-coagulating agent.
Mahmoud: D-Dosed? You– You mean injected?
Cassandra: It seems more likely it was administered orally– in her food or something she drank.
Annika: Last night at dinner?
Red: What I saw would’ve taken hours to develop– six, maybe even eight. What time did Margo get here?
Cassandra: Yesterday morning. We all did–
Mahmoud: W-W-What you saw? You did an autopsy? You cut her open?
Annika: So it happened here on the island.
Cassandra: I saw you having breakfast with her.
Mahmoud: You think I killed her?
Cassandra: As far as motives go, there aren’t any more powerful than love.
Red: Money.
Cassandra: Maybe, but if money were the objective, why stop there? Why not kill the rest of us, too?
Mahmoud: I have no idea. But I’m sure as hell going to ask!
Annika: Ask who?
Mahmoud: Well, only one of us isn’t here.
[ Mahmoud grabs a poker from the fireplace and hurries off ]
[ Red and the others follow after Mahmoud down a corridor ]
Red: Mahmoud, the man’s three times your size. What do you intend to do, poke him to death?
Cassandra: He’s right. Will you stop? We don’t even know it was him.
Mahmoud: Joko! [ Pounding on door ] Come out here!
[ No one answers ]
Red: Watch out.
[ Red pushes the door open ] [ At first they see nothing. Then they see two severed fingers next to the bed. They look around the end of the bed and there is Joko’s body ]
Annika: Oh, my God.
Cassandra: None of us are capable of this.
Mahmoud: For a treasure like the caskets, people are capable of anything.
Red: I agree. But he wasn’t killed for the treasure.
[ Red picks up Mahmoud’s casket ]
Red: I don’t know what’s happening, but clearly, this isn’t about the caskets.
[ Annika heads back down the corridor, followed by Cassandra ]
Cassandra: Annika, you can’t leave.
[ Nebulizer hisses ]
Annika: Are you kidding me? I am not interested in dying here!
Cassandra: Oh, look, we should stick together until we know what we’re dealing with.
Annika: You have my casket. It is yours. I don’t want it.
Cassandra: That’s ridiculous. You’re walking away from millions.
Annika: Five bodies! I won’t be the sixth.
Red: You going?
Annika: Damn right, and if you are smart, you will go with me– you, Cassandra, and Mahmoud.
Cassandra: Mahmoud. Where is he?
⋘⋙
[ Mahmoud makes his way through the kitchen to a pantry. He breaks open a panel and retrieves a packet and some wires ]
⋘⋙
[ Red goes looking for Mahmoud ]
Mahmoud?
⋘⋙
[ Mahmoud sets up a device ]
[ Beeping ]
⋘⋙
Cassandra: Annika, listen to me.
Annika: Please, please, please, please.
⋘⋙
Red: Hello? Hello?
⋘⋙
[ Cassandra follows Annika into the garage ]
Cassandra: If we just stick together, we can talk this out.
Annika Hello? Anybody here?
⋘⋙
[ Mahmoud starts the timer on the device ] [ Beeping ]
⋘⋙
Red: Mahmoud.
⋘⋙
[ Mahmoud steps aside ]
[ 💥 Explosion 💥]
[ The blast opens a hole in the wall. Mahmoud reaches in, retrieves a gun and leaves ]
⋘⋙
[ Red follows the sound of the blast. He finds the blast site. Inside is another gun, which he takes ]
[ In the garage, Annika’s desperation and panic are exacerbating her asthma ]
Annika: Hello? Hello? Is anybody here?
Cassandra: Please–
Annika: [ Coughing ]
Cassandra: Annika.
Annika: Somebody help!
Cassandra: What are you doing?
Annika: Where is Arthur? I want to see him right now. I want off this island. I want him to fly me home!
Cassandra: Annika, stay calm.
Annika: [ Coughing, wheezing ]
Cassandra: No one’s going anywhere in this weather. The plane can’t fly.
Annika: [ Coughing ]
Cassandra: We have to wait for the weather to clear.
[ Mahmoud appears, pointing his gun at Cassandra ]
Mahmoud: You! You brought us here!
Cassandra: Wait, Mahmoud! Please!
[ Nebulizer hissing ]
Mahmoud: You did this!
Annika: [ Gasping ]
Mahmoud: You poisoned her!
Cassandra: No!
[ Annika collapses into Cassandra’s arms ]
Mahmoud: You put something in her nebulizer! You poisoned us all!
[ Red appears, pointing his gun at Mahmoud ]
Red: Mahmoud! Mahmoud. Lower the gun.
Mahmoud: Think! It had to be her! She set us up! She walked us into a trap!
[ Annika is convulsing ]
Red: Lower your weapon now!
Mahmoud: Get away from her!
Red: Mahmoud, I won’t tell you again.
[ Mahmoud is about to shoot. Red shoots him first 💥💥 ]
[ Annika has died of her asthma attack ]
Cassandra: [ Sobbing ] I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. [ Crying ]
[ Red walks over to Cassandra ]
Red: You were right. I have no reason to believe you. About Marseilles or about this.
Cassandra: I didn’t do this. But I know who did.
[ Red and Cassandra talk in a parked car. It’s dark ]
Cassandra: I worked through a fence in Boston. He introduced me to a potential buyer who turned out to be an FBI undercover agent. He played with me for a few days. He made sure he got me on tape, and then he arrested me for theft and interstate transportation of stolen property.
Red: And you cut a deal. Is that why you brought us together? Save yourself by giving us up?
Cassandra: I didn’t give them your names, and I got it in writing that they wouldn’t ask for them.
Red: Well, if they didn’t want us, what did they want?
Cassandra: You remember where the caskets were found?
Red: An archaeological dig in the Kayseri Province.
Cassandra: One of the archaeologists was a CIA agent using the dig as cover to meet with his Turkish sources.
Red: Source– What sources?
Cassandra: American operatives inside the Turkish government.
Red: They told you this? The FBI?
Cassandra: The Turks had figured out who he was. They knew that he had a list of American assets inside their country. They killed him for it.
Red: But they didn’t get the list?
Cassandra: No, because he’d already hidden it as a microdot. That’s what this is about. [ Sighs ] The Smithsonian had sponsored the expedition. He knew that he could get the intel out of the country in the caskets, which would be sent to D.C. for further analysis. So he put the microdot on one of them.
Red: And the CIA wants it back to protect the identities of their undercover agents.
Cassandra: We made a deal. I’d help them to recover the caskets and secure their intel, and in return, they’d let us walk– all of us. But then– it all went sideways.
Red: It went sideways because they weren’t CIA agents. They lied to you. And we won’t know why until we read the microdot.
[ Red breaks ⚡️a window and lets himself and Cassandra in to a workshop ]
Red: Do you have your cellphone with you?
Cassandra: It won’t work. There’s no service. We’re hundreds of miles from the nearest tower.
Red: I don’t intend to make a call.
[ Red finds a binoculars ]
Red: Ah, perfect. Now we just need a screwdriver and some tape– any kind of tape.
⋘⋙
[ Red goes to work building a microscope ]
Red: My father was fascinated by insects. Fancied himself an amateur entomologist.
[ Cassandra hands Red a screwdriver ]
Red: Ah, great. By the time I was 6, my father had taught me that a microscope is essentially two convex lenses in relationship to one another. I’ll never forget the joy on his face as he helped me make my first one, then watched as I went into the yard in search of bugs. The idea that a whole world that I couldn’t see had suddenly revealed itself and been brought into focus– [ Grunts ] –felt like a miracle.
Cassandra: Because it was, given how often we miss what’s right in front of us.
Red: What I see right in front of me is someone I misjudged. What’s happened tonight, I should’ve known. You could never have done it.
Cassandra: [ Scoffs ]
Red: But we do that, you and I– misjudge each other. I tonight, you in Marseilles.
Cassandra: [ Chuckles ] I wanted to run away with you. You didn’t.
Red: What you misjudged was the reason why. You thought it was about you. It wasn’t. I had obligations.
Cassandra: To the young woman you were watching over.
Red: Yes. Her husband wasn’t who he appeared to be. She was in jeopardy. I had to intervene.
Cassandra: And– is she still in jeopardy?
Red: I hope not.
Cassandra: Then maybe you’re no longer under obligation.
Red: Not except to watch her daughter dance in “Sleeping Beauty” tomorrow night. You have the caskets?
Cassandra: Yes, four of them. Where’s yours?
Red: In my suite. Mahmoud’s must still be in his, as well. If one of these four has the microdot, all we need is a little light, and we should be able to read it. Damn it. It’s so fussy, this. We need tape. We really need tape.
[ Cassandra goes to look for tape. She opens a drawer and takes out a small flashlight and turns it on ]
Cassandra: [ Fearfully ] Raymond?
[ Red takes his gun and goes to her. She is shining a light into a closet. Inside are several bodies ]
Cassandra: [ Sighs ] Who are they?
Red: The island staff. Turks got here before we did.
[ Radio squawks ]
Red: [ Quietly ] Shh, shh, shh, shh.
[ A man shines a light inside through the broken window. He opens the door, enters and looks around. Red comes up behind him and presses his gun to the back of his head ]
Red: Thanks for coming. We have so many questions.
[ Red sits across from the man (Ahmet) ]
Red: Let’s try this again, shall we? I want to know who you are and why you are here. I think you and your homicidal brethren masquerading as house staff are in fact Turkish operatives. I think you’re here to recover the microdot, the one the CIA officer hid in one of the caskets.
Cassandra: Is that why you’re here? To get the list of Americans working in your government?
Red: Do you know which casket you’re looking for? Fair enough. Maybe you don’t speak English. Let’s see if you recognize numbers.
[ Red points his gun at Ahmet and counts down with his fingers ]
Red: 3, 2, 1.
Ahmet: [ Hurriedly ] The smallest one.
Red: Ah, so you do understand numbers.
Cassandra: The smallest casket. That’s why you targeted Margo first.
Ahmet: That’s what the American told us before he died. We don’t know if he told the truth.
[ Red tears off a piece of tape to complete the microscope ]
Red: We’re about to find out.
Ahmet: The plan was to poison the woman only. Once you were alerted, our objective changed. We were told to eliminate everyone. Retrieve and examine all six caskets.
[ Using the microscope which is connected to Cassandra’s cell phone, Red pulls up a list of names ]
Red: Looks like your poor CIA officer did tell you the truth.
Cassandra: You found it?
Red: Yes, but it’s not a list of American assets in Turkey. It appears we had it the wrong way around.
Arthur Rodman: [ On Ahmet’s radio ] Ahmet. Ahmet, come in.
Red: How many operatives does he have?
[ Ahmet won’t answer ]
Red: Never mind. I’ll ask him myself.
[ Red pistol whips ⚡️Ahmet and he falls to the floor ]
Arthur: [ On radio ] Ahmet, report your location.
Red: Ahmet’s taking a nap. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?
Arthur: Reddington.
Red: I know that voice. Arthur Rodman. Cassandra, do you realize what this means? The butler did it.
Arthur: Oh, I’m no butler.
Red: Oh, I know exactly what you are. You’re the bloodhound the Turks hired to find the list of Turkish assets working within the American government. Wait a minute. Oh, my God. You’re Cornelius Ruck, aren’t you? [ Chuckling ] I’ll be damned. You tracked Korgeneral Ordu across the Gibson. They say you made do for three days on nothing but honeypot ants and eucalyptus. Oh, my God. Of course the Turks hired you to find the list.
Arthur: Where’s the microdot?
Cassandra: We have it, and we’re taking it with us when we leave the island.
Arthur: [ Laughs ] Don’t be absurd. You’re never leaving this island. You’re in a storm with no transportation or heavy weaponry facing a dozen of our best agents. Surrender, and I’ll consider showing you mercy.
Red: We’ll need a little time to think about that.
Arthur: You need a little time–
Red: That’s long enough. We’ve decided. We’re going to forego the offer to surrender. Wish us luck. [ Ends call ]
Red: [ To Cassandra ] We don’t have a choice. We’re either leaving here with the caskets or–
[ Cassandra lunges at Red and kisses him ]
Red: Mm.
Cassandra: We should definitely leave with the caskets.
[ Red kisses back ]
Red: Mm.
[ Marilyn Manson’s ♪ “Killing Strangers” plays ]
♪ This world doesn’t need no opera
We’re here for the operation
We don’t need a bigger knife (a bigger knife)
Cause we got guns, we got guns, we got guns (we got guns)
We got guns, you better run
(you better run, you better run, you better run)♪ We’re killing strangers
[ 💥💥💥 Machine-gun fire 💥💥💥 ]
♪ We’re killing strangers
We’re killing strangers, so we don’t kill the ones that we love
[ 💥💥💥 Machine-gun fire 💥💥💥 ]
We’re killing strangers, we’re killing strangers
We’re killing strangers, so we don’t kill the ones that we love
[ Gunshot 💥 ]
[ While Red evades and takes out the operatives, one or two at a time, Cassandra finds gasoline in the shed which she pours along the driveway for later use ]
♪ Love
[ Radio squawks ]
♪ Love
♪ Love♪ We pack demolition, we can’t pack emotion
Dynamite? We just might..
[ 💥💥 Gunshots 💥💥 ]
[ Cassandra finds dynamite and a triggering device. She plants the dynamite under the large table in the living room ]
♪ So blow us a kiss, blow us a kiss
Blow us a kiss, we’ll blow you to pieces♪ We’re killing strangers, we’re killing strangers
[ Cassandra lights the stream of gasoline ]
[ 🔥 Man screaming 🔥 ]
♪ We’re killin’ strangers So we don’t kill the ones that we love
Love
[ Trump come up behind an operative and cuts his throat. Suddenly, Arthur appears with a gun, flanked by two operatives with rifles ]
Arthur: Hi, there. The knife.
[ Red puts the knife down ]
Arthur: [ Into radio phone ] Cassandra. Cassandra, are you listening?
[ She’s listening ]
Arthur: You have something I want – the caskets – and I have someone you may like to trade for. Either you bring my casket to the Bibliotek, or I put a bullet in Mr. Reddington’s head.
Cassandra: You should have come to me from the outset. So many lives might have been spared.
Arthur: Mm. [ Clears throat ] Open it.
[ Red opens the casket ]
Arthur: Get over there with her.
[ Arthur peers at the list of names ] [ Chuckles ]
Red: So what now?
Arthur: I get rich. You die.
Red: Oh. Well, any time would be good. Like now.
[ Cassandra reaches into her pocket ]
[ Click, ⚡️electricity buzzing⚡️ ] [ 🔥💥 Explosion 💥🔥] [ Man screams ]
[ Red jumps on Cassandra to shield her ] [ Cassandra breathing heavily ] [ Red helps her up ]
Red: You all right?
Cassandra: Raymond!
[ Arthur is only hurt. He gets up – and he has a gun. He points it at Red ]
Arthur: It’s over.
Cassandra: No! No!
Arthur: Goodbye, Mr. Reddington.
Red: Well, hold on. You forgot the fish.
Arthur: What– What fish?
Red: The sailfish. Above the mantle.
[ Arthur looks back at the sailfish. Red stabs him ]
[ Arthur gasps and falls dead ]
[ Red goes over to the window ]
Red: What do you know? It stopped snowing.
[ They kiss ]
[ Airplane engine whirring ] [ The sea plane flies in to pick up Red and Cassandra ]
[ Red and Cassandra take the caskets to Cynthia Mallet for an assessment of what they are worth ]
[ Cassandra clears throat ]
Cassandra: So?
Red: Cynthia is nothing if not a fan of the dramatic reveal.
Cynthia: I can’t believe it.
Red: I’m not here to test your faith, love. Just to get a number.
[ Cynthia writes down a number on a piece of paper and shows it to them ]
[ Both chuckle ]
Cassandra: That’s a nice number.
Red: This calls for a celebration. In the south of France, perhaps.
Cassandra: Do you mean that?
Red: As you said, I fulfilled my obligation.
Cassandra: Yes. All but one.
[ Piano playing Tchaikovsky’s “The Sleeping Beauty” ] [ Agnes dances while Red and Cassandra watch from the wings. Liz and the other task force members are seated in the audience, smiling ] [ Red watches, raptly ]
[ Applause ]
⋘⋙
Liz: You guys!
Cooper: That was a great show. And she was adorable.
Liz: Right? Wasn’t it so cute.
Aram: Oh, my God. The cutest.
Ressler: She may actually be more adorable in tights than me.
[ Agnes runs over and hugs Liz ]
Liz: Hey! Ohh, hi, Agnes.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
⋘⋙
Red: Oh, my God. [ Turns to Cassandra ] Ready?
Cassandra: I am. To say goodbye.
Red: I told you, I’m under no obligation.
Cassandra: I know. But I saw you watching, how you looked. You may have come into her life out of obligation, but you’re staying in it for love.
Red: Cassandra–
Cassandra: Who knew that underneath it all, you’re so sweet?
[ They kiss. Cassandra sighs, then turns and leaves ]
⋘⋙
[ Liz comes up from behind Red ]
Liz: I didn’t think you’d made it.
Red: Watched from the wings.
Liz: And you brought a friend. If you have plans–
Red: I don’t.
Liz: Thank you, by the way, for the intel on the Turkish agents. You know, you were right when you recently told me that, um, it’s been difficult since Tom, but that I have Agnes, and I should be looking forward and not back.
Red: And that you deserve a bigger life.
Liz: [ Sighs ] I agree. I do. But so do you.
Red: [ Sighs ] I don’t know how to do that.
Liz: That makes two of us.
Agnes: [ From a distance ] Mommy, where are you?
Red: You should get back.
Liz: Thanks again for coming. It means a lot.
Red: To me, too.
[ Red begins to walk away ]
Liz: Hey.
[ Red turns to look back ]
Liz: We may not have bigger lives, but we have each other.
[ Red smiles ]
⬆ go to start of 7:12 Cornelius Ruck
⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ Killing Strangers
By Marilyn Manson♪ This world doesn’t need no opera
We’re here for the operation
We don’t need a bigger knife (a bigger knife)
Cause we got guns, we got guns, we got guns (we got guns)
We got guns, you better run
(you better run, you better run, you better run)♪ We’re killing strangers, we’re killing strangers
We’re killing strangers, so we don’t kill the ones that we love
We’re killing strangers, we’re killing strangers
We’re killing strangers, so we don’t kill the ones that we love♪ We pack demolition, we can’t pack emotion
Dynamite? We just might…
So blow us a kiss, blow us a kiss
Blow us a kiss, we’ll blow you to pieces♪ We’re killing strangers, we’re killing strangers
We’re killing strangers, so we don’t kill the ones that we love
We’re killing strangers, we’re killing strangers
We’re killing strangers, so we don’t kill the ones that we love♪ We got guns, we got guns
Mother fuckers better, better, better run
We got guns, we got guns
Mother fuckers better run
[x2]♪ We’re killing strangers, we’re killing strangers
We’re killing strangers, so we don’t kill the ones that we love
We’re killing strangers, we’re killing strangers
We’re killing strangers, so we don’t kill the ones that we love♪ You better run
Cause we got guns! Cause we got guns! We got guns!Lyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/2UpzoMd
YouTube: https://youtu.be/eNTjM3_0N80
⬆ go to start of 7:12 Cornelius Ruck
⏫ go to top
❌❌❌ End 7:12 Cornelius Ruck
🔴 Script 7:13 Newton Purcell (№ 144)
Program air date: 4/3/2020 in the US
Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-an3
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/2wOLDsZ
Director: Michael Carraciolo
Written by: Noah Schechter
Brief (Where we’re at): In the last episode, Red hooked up with an old flame, Cassandra Bianchi, with whom he had had a relationship before having had to leave her when he learned that Liz’s husband Tom “was not who he appeared to be.” Red and Cassandra were two of six friends ~ all experts in various fields of criminal activity ~ who had come together on a remote island in the Baltic Sea, each bringing one of the set of Byzantine caskets originally from Turkey which they had stolen. The value of the set would be much greater than that of the individual pieces. At the time they were stolen, the set had been too hot to try to sell, but time had elapsed and the time was ripe.
But then, one of the members of the group, then another, were murdered and the others ~ except for Red and Cassandra ~ also died. That’s when Cassandra told Red that she had been betrayed in a deal in which an American operative had been looking for one of the boxes because it contained a microdot (an extremely reduced document) with a list of names of Turkish operatives. But the Turks wanted the list, too, and had hired an American traitor to get the list for them. The American they hired turned out to be masquerading as the butler of the venue, introduced first as Arthur Rodman, but Red recognized him as Cornelius Ruck (Blacklister #155). Red and Cassandra were able to overcome Ruck and his operatives and made plans to go off together, now that Liz was no longer in danger. But first, Red had one more obligation: to watch Liz’s daughter Agnes dance in “Sleeping Beauty.”
Red and Cassandra watched Agnes’s performance from the wings. But, at the last minute, Cassandra changed her mind and said she would be leaving because: “I saw you watching, how you looked. You may have come into her life out of obligation, but you’re staying in it for love.” After Cassandra left, Liz came over to thank Red:
Liz: … Thank you, by the way, for the intel on the Turkish agents. You know, you were right when you recently told me that, um, it’s been difficult since Tom, but that I have Agnes, and I should be looking forward and not back.
Red: And that you deserve a bigger life.
Liz: [ Sighs ] I agree. I do. But so do you.
Red: [ Sighs ] I don’t know how to do that.
Liz: That makes two of us. … Thanks again for coming. It means a lot.
Red: To me, too.
[ Red begins to walk away ]
Liz: Hey.
[ Red turns to look back ]
Liz: We may not have bigger lives, but we have each other.
⭕ Script 7:13 Newton Purcell (№ 144)
[ Bird cawing ] [ A man, Newton Purcell, digs a rectangular hole in the ground ] [ Dirt sifting ]
[ Silence ] [ At first the hole looks like a grave, but then a metal case is revealed ] [ Metal scraping ] [ Purcell opens the lid of the case. It is full of cables. Purcell lifts his shovel and ⚡️strikes the cables ]
[ Purcell enters a building marked Optimus Data Company ] [ Indistinct talking ]
Optimus Tech: [ Muffled ] We weren’t expecting you.
[ Purcell taps on an earpiece he wears ] [ Electronic blip✨ ]
Purcell: Beg your pardon?
Tech: [ Normal voice ] I said, we weren’t expecting you for another few hours.
Purcell: Y’all got quite the pull in this town. Boss called me at home.
Tech: Well, I’m glad he did. With the power out, generators are running the server, but they won’t keep up for long.
[ Purcell hears electronic humming ]
Tech: Are you all right?
Purcell: Yeah, I’m fine. Which way is the server room?
Tech: This way. ⋘⋙ Here it is.
[ Card scanner beeps✨ ] [ They enter ]
Tech: I’ll be back to check on you in a few.
[ Purcell sits at a workstation ] [ Keyboard clacking ] [ Electronic humming ]
[ Purcell sticks a device to the wall, starts a timer ] [ Device beeps ✨ ] [ He sticks two more devices to the wall, a few feet apart ] [ Devices beep ✨ ✨ ] [ Keyboard clacking ] [ Electronic humming ]
[ The tech enters ]
Tech: Figure it out yet?
Purcell: Yeah. Uh, should be ready in just a minute.
Tech: Oh, all right.
[ Device beeps✨ ]
Tech: Uh, what was the problem?
Purcell: See for yourself.
[ Purcell gets up and leaves ] [ Door closes ]
[ The Tech sits at the workstation, then sees one of the devices with a timer, counting down ]
[ He runs to the door but Purcell has blocked it ] [ Door rattling ]
Tech: Hey! Come on! Open the door!
⋘⋙
[ Purcell taps his earpiece ] [ Electronic blip✨ ]
[ Purcell exits the building and gets into his car ]
⋘⋙
Tech: Let me out! Come on! Let me out!
[ 💥🔥‼️ Explosion ‼️🔥💥 ]
[ Purcell drives off ]
[ Aram and his girlfriend Elodie Radcliffe are in a small airplane, suited up for skydiving. Aram is extremely nervous ]
Aram: Now may seem like an odd time to mention it, but the men in my family have a low sperm count.
Elodie: You’re right. That does seem odd.
Aram: When I’m 10,000 feet off the ground, that’s what I think about.
Elodie: Your sperm count?
Aram: Dying. And, uh, before I die, [ Stammers ] I-I’d like to have kids. [ Looking out the window ] Oh!
Elodie: Look, no one wants to hear more about your sperm count than me, but we’re over the jump zone.
Aram: What? Oh. Okay. Do you, uh– Do you want to have kids?
Elodie: Of course, but I’ve accepted that might not happen.
Aram: But you deserve to be happy.
Elodie: I was the only one Charles recognized, but after this last incident, he– He can’t even do that anymore. But I can’t leave him, no matter how much I want to.
Aram: Is that out of, um, you know, guilt or obligation or lifestyle?
Elodie: No, it’s not guilt or obligation–
Aram: Oh. Oh, gosh.
Elodie: –And it’s certainly not lifestyle. I mean, we don’t have a prenup or anything. It’s just– You know, it’s the right thing to do.
Aram: [ Nervously ] Oh, of course. So, um, where does that– Uh, where does that leave you and– And me and–
Elodie: Well, I hope it leaves us together.
[ The side door is opened ]
Aram: Ahhh! Ahhh! This is a bad idea!
Elodie: Of course it is! That’s why we’re doing it!
[ They jump ]
Aram: Ahhh! Whoo! [ Screaming ]
Elodie: [ Laughs ]
Aram: Wh- wh- whoo-ooo!
[ In a park, Red is on the phone ]
Red: No, it doesn’t work. I can’t. Because I can’t!
Glen Carter: What about dinner?
[ Glen munches a meatball ]
Red: I told you I’m busy.
Glen: Drinks?
Red: Glen, what the hell’s going on?
Glen: Um, it’s probably best if we discuss it face-to-face.
Red: Discuss what? What’s happened?
Glen: You know what? Truth is, my day’s pretty wall to wall. I got the Digimarc tech here, Phyllis is out with a stomach bug– Something to do with raw butter. [ Grumbles ] Anyway, point is, this can wait.
[ Liz walks up ]
Red: I have a sinking feeling it can’t. I’ll be there within the hour.
[ Cell phone beeps ]
Liz: Everything okay?
Red: It’s a little unclear. I’ll get right to it. Three weeks ago, there was an explosion at a data center in Virginia. Last night, a data center owned by the same company was attacked in Maryland.
Liz: Optimus. From what I understand, their servers store NSA data.
Red: So naturally, the FBI will assume they were targeted by some foreign entity looking for classified intel.
Liz: That makes total sense to me, which is why I’m certain you’ll completely disagree.
Red: I’m a contrarian by necessity, not by choice. If people were wrong less often, my life would be much easier.
Liz: [ Scoffs ] And considerably less smug.
Red: [ Laughs ] My sources have ruled out Tehran, Beijing, Moscow, P’yongyang. Dollars to doughnuts, this was a domestic affair.
Liz: An anti-government group.
Red: Some extremist group against the government, in favor of more privacy. I don’t know. But whoever they are and whatever they’re after, it appears they won’t stop until they get it.
[ The Post Office ] [ Liz briefs the task force ]
Liz: Optimus is the largest data storage company in the country. They contract with Fortune 500 companies and government agencies, including DOD, CIA, and NSA.
[ Aram arrives ]
Aram: Sorry I’m late. I was jumping out of an airplane. Really. Uh, skydiving. Have, uh, any of you ever done it? It’s, um, insane.
Cooper: Your enthusiasm is duly noted, as is your tardiness. Agent Park?
Agent Alina Park: The police report indicates that three people died in last night’s blast that shut down their backup generators.
Liz: Optimus was running on backups because their power had been knocked out.
Cooper: What do we know about the outage?
Agent Park: Culpeper Electric was alerted by Optimus. But a crew didn’t arrive until after the explosion.
Ressler: And the DOD stores highly classified information there. Hard to think that’s a coincidence.
Liz: Reddington would say it is. He thinks we’re looking at a domestic threat.
Ressler: Well, assuming he’s right, we could be looking at corporate sabotage. Optimus has been taking over more and more market share. Maybe one of its competitors got desperate.
Aram: There’s also the privacy angle. Optimus collects metadata on citizens whether they like it or not.
⋘⋙
[ Newton Purcell pulls up computer records of a man named Ryan Healy ]
⋘⋙
Cooper: Ressler, Park, go to Optimus. See what they could tell us about the latest attack. They have 50 data centers across the country. We don’t find those responsible, any one of them could be next.
[ Liz gets a text message “Still nothing on Mr X” ]
[ As the others disperse, Cooper turns to Liz ]
Cooper: Anything wrong?
Liz: [ Sighing ] No. I just, uh, had a friend helping me find something, and he’s having a hard time doing it.
[ Footsteps depart ]
[ Annapolis MD ] [ Ryan Healy walks up to his car ]
[ Car alarm chirps ] [ He gets in ] [ Siren wails in distance ] [ Car door closes ]
[ Healy tries to start his car, but the engine won’s start ]
Ryan Healy: Great.
[ Cell phone dialing ] [ Electronic blip ] [ Siren continues ]
[ Newton Purcell walks over, taps on the window. Healy cracks the door ]
Purcell: Need a jump?
Healy: Uh, yeah, if you don’t mind.
Purcell: Yeah, pop the hood. I’ll grab my cables.
Healy: Thanks.
[ Car hood pops ]
Healy: What the– The battery is g–
[ Purcell slams the car hood on Healy’s head ⚡️again ⚡️and again⚡️ ]
Healy: [ Grunts ]
[ Glen’s office at the DMV ]
Red: What do you mean the Tokyo shipment didn’t go as planned?
Glen: It got sort of rerouted. How? Clerical error. Someone transposed two digits on the VIN number, typed an “O” instead of a zero. Simple mistake. Could have happened to anyone, really.
Red: So the vehicle’s not in Houston?
Glen: It’s in Scranton. Pennsylvania. Which is considerably closer.
Red: Glen, we talked about this. You wanted an assignment. We did.
Glen: I did, but this– I can fix this. It’s a bump in the road.
Red: My guy in Tokyo did his job. That vehicle came off the line, factory-built and shipped. Approved by customs. It cleared the port.
Glen: I can go to Scranton, get the truck.
Red: All you had to do was make sure it was routed to the dealership in Houston so you could buy it with the money I gave you!
Glen: I’m already looking at flights!
Red: Glen, look at me. Do you understand? That truck isn’t just a truck. It’s a test balloon carrying a shipment of black market tritium valued at over $12 million. If this shipment goes right, I land a contract that will pay dividends for years. If it goes south, I can’t begin to tell you how badly things go for everyone involved, starting with present company.
Glen: Aye, chillax. I’ll handle it.
Red: [ Laughs ] Oh, yes. You’re gonna handle it, all right. You’re gonna get on the next flight to Scranton, walk into that dealership, buy the damn truck, and get it here by Tuesday before my buyer is any the wiser. Am I clear?
Glen: Truck. Two days. Here by Tuesday.
[ Red turns to leave ]
Glen: Might I ask one question? This may seem like a reach, all things considered, but would you be comfortable with me flying business class, you know, for my back?
Red: You have two days.
[ The Post Office ]
Agent Park: Okay, so you know how Culpeper said its crew didn’t arrive until hours after the explosion? According to Optimus, there was a truck there within minutes.
Cooper: Why is that relevant?
Ressler: Because the truck that showed up, Culpeper reported it stolen three weeks ago.
Park: We pulled CCTV feeds from a nearby business. It shows the van approaching the Optimus facility just after the power went out.
Aram: Okay, so whoever did this cut the power on purpose, showed up in a stolen truck to fix it, and then got waved in like a Trojan horse.
Liz: I see plates. Did you run a BOLO?
Ressler: We were about to. But first, we wanted to give you this. From Optimus. The information that was stolen was backed up onto that hard drive. Now, we don’t know who stole the data yet, but once you go through it, we may know why.
[ Liz’s cell phone vibrates. Text message: “Dead end So sorry” ]
Liz: [ Sighs ]
Cooper: If you need to deal with it, whatever it is you’re looking for–
Liz: I do, but I-I can go through the data first.
Cooper: Let me know what you find.
[ Cooper leaves ]
[ Liz and Aram are left alone ]
Liz: Okay, where do you want to start?
Aram: Would you have stayed with Tom if he didn’t want children?
Liz: So that’s where you want to start?
Aram: I want to stay with Elodie, but I also want a relationship with a future. And– You know what? Forget it. Here.
Liz: You know, as I recall, Samar didn’t want kids, either.
Aram: Elodie wants kids, but they can’t have any. And– Samar was different.
Liz: They are different, but you’re the same. I just don’t think it’s a coincidence you’ve fallen in love with two women who don’t want children.
Aram: So you think my being with Samar and Elodie means I don’t want children?
Liz: What I think is you think too much. And if you’re meant to be with someone, all that matters is that you are.
[ Red and Dembe are waiting in a backlit room ] [ Door opens and two men enter ]
Red: Ah, there you are.
Kleemann: We came as soon as we could.
Red: Oh, my. I do like that coat. Merino or cashmere?
Dembe; Looks like alpaca.
Red: That does not look like alpaca.
Kleeman: It’s vicuña.
Red: Ah, yes.
Kleeman: What’s going on? Is there a problem with Houston?
[ Dembe’s cell phone vibrates ]
Red: Oh, heavens no. A slight delay is all. My people at the port decided to take extra precautions, which is what you pay me for, to get your product here without incident.
Dobbs: But we’re still on for Tuesday?
Dembe: It’s him.
Red: Oh, speak of the devil. My man in Houston. Please excuse me.
⋘⋙
[ Red steps aside ]
Red: [ On phone ] Do you have it?
[ Glen is in athletic sweats and shoes and a headband at the dealership ]
Glen: Sort of. Uh, there’s been a bit of a development.
Red: Oh, my God, Glen. Is the truck there in Scranton or not?
Glen: It’s here, but it’s not for sale.
Red: Was it sold? What happened?
Glen: It’s complicated.
Red: Well, uncomplicate it for me. Explain it to me like I’m a fourth grader.
Glen: Yeah, well, as is turns out, Big John’s Auto here in Scranton has a competition every year, sort of a promotional event where they give away a truck. They call it Hands On a Hardbody. [ Chuckles ] These nutters gather around the vehicle, standing as long as they can, day and night, one hand on the truck to see who can last the longest. The last one left standing wins the truck. It really is a test of endurance.
Red: This isn’t happening.
Glen: I’m only 30 hours deep, and I’ve already seen four people drop. I’m telling you, it’s a real–
[ Whistle blows ]
Glen: Oh, hey. Got to go.
Red: No, wait. Glen.
Glen: We get a 15-minute break every few hours, but so far, I am feelin’ strong.
Red: I’m coming there myself.
Glen: I appreciate the support, but I got this. As long as my hammer toe doesn’t act up, I think I can go the distance. Within two days, I plan to be eastbound and down and headed your way.
Wish me luck! [ Glen’s cell phone beeps ]
⋘⋙
[ Red’s cell phone beeps ] [ Red rejoins the group ]
Red: [ Laughs ] What a guy.
Dobbs: Is everything okay?
Red: Jolly good. Your cargo is in country. That said, I think it may be worth discussing a slight adjustment to our Tuesday delivery plan.
[ An dilapidated house in the country ]
[ Ryan Healy is immersed in a bathtub-sizes vat of water, his hands shackled ]
[ Newton Purcell taps his earpiece ] [ Electronic blip✨ ]
Purcell: It’s time I introduced myself. My name’s Newton Purcell. I doubt you remember me, but we met some years ago. We talked about the impact sound can have on a person’s mind, body, and soul. To put it charitably, you were something of a skeptic.
Healy: [ Murmurs ]
[ Purcell slides an array control buttons along a panel ]
[ Humming ]
Healy: Ah! Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!
Purcell: Shock wave lithotripsy is what doctors use to crush kidney stones.
Healy: Ahhh!
Purcell: By making a few small adjustments to the amplitude and frequency of the sound waves, I can cause mild tingling, disrupt blood circulation and nerve functions.
Healy: Please stop! [ Cries ]
Purcell: You didn’t believe me when I told you sound could drive a man insane.
Healy: I believe you. I do.
Purcell: Oh, I’m sure you do– Now.
Healy: [ Cries ]
Purcell: So I’ll pose a different question, one which you’ll never be able to answer. Can a person be killed by sound?
Healy: No! I’m begging you!
[ Electronic blip✨ ]
Healy: [ Crying ] No. Ahhh! Ahhh! [ Humming intensifies ] [ Screaming ]
[ Cooper’s office ]
Cooper: So Reddington was right?
Liz: Yes. According to the data, none of the stolen files relate to national security.
Cooper: What do they relate to?
Aram: Internal company data, personnel files, contracts, lobbying.
Cooper: For what purpose? Blackmail? Corporate espionage?
Liz: At this point, we don’t know.
Cooper: Keen, I know you have to go. Aram, go over the data again. See if there’s anything you missed.
[ Ressler enters ]
Ressler: BOLO came back with a match on the Culpeper van. Abandoned in an alley in Annapolis.
[ Train whistle blows ] [ Police radio chatter ]
[ Ressler and Park duck under the police perimeter tape and walk up to the vehicle. A man is motionless, his head on the steering wheel. His eyes are blown out. It’s Healy ]
Ressler: Looks like we have ourselves a body.
[ Liz visits Agent Glasser in the J. Edgar Hoover Building ]
Agent Glasser: I hope you got my text. And I wish I had better news.
Liz: It’s not your fault. You did what you could.
Glasser: Yeah.
Liz: So there were no hits on the guy I’m looking for?
Official: Nothing. Not off the BOLO or from the field offices. He’s a ghost. To find him, you’re gonna need a ghost hunter.
[ He hands Liz a piece of paper ]
Liz: A P.I.?
Glasser: Crazy expensive. Cash only. Psychotic and worth every penny.
Liz: [ Sighs ]
[ The Post Office. Cooper and the others view autopsy photos of Healy ]
Cooper: You’re telling me that sound did this?
Ressler: M.E. thinks so. His ears were perforated and the joints degraded. He thinks it might be some kind of a sonic weapon.
Park: He’s never seen one but says that directed ultrasonic waves can sever nerves and burst blood vessels.
Ressler: The victim was a Westlake city councilmember. He served two terms before opening a consulting business in Annapolis.
Cooper: Westlake? Isn’t that the site of another Optimus facility?
Aram: Exactly, and besides the van connecting Healy to Optimus, this was in the stolen files– A series of hidden payments made from Optimus to Healy and to a woman named Libby Bishop in 2015.
[ Aram’s cell phone chimes, distracting him ]
Cooper: And she is? Agent Mojtabai?
Aram: Um, uh, right. Uh, Bishop, Bishop. She is another member of the city council.
Cooper: Find her and put her in protective custody. We have to assume if the blacklister went after Healy, he’ll go after her, also.
[ They disperse except for Cooper and Aram ]
Cooper: Skydiving get canceled?
Aram: I’m sorry. Uh, it’s Elodie. Her husband, uh, he’s back in the hospital.
[ Footsteps approach ] [ Purcell touches his earpiece ] [ Electronic blip✨ ]
[ Libby Bishop opens the door of her house ]
Purcell: Hey. I’m sorry to bother you.
Libby Bishop: Hi.
Purcell: Um, my dog slipped free of her harness. I think I saw her go in your backyard. Do you mind if I take a look?
Libby: Oh, not at all. What– What’s her name?
Purcell: Macy. She’s a slippery one.
Libby: Poor thing. Go around back, and I-I’ll meet you there.
⋘⋙
[ Libby steps out into the back yard ]
Purcell: [ At a distance ] Macy! Here girl!
[ Libby Bishop’s cell phone rings ]
⋘⋙
[ Sirens wailing ] [ Agent Park tries to reach Libby Bishop. Ressler drives ]
Park: Come on.
⋘⋙
Libby: [ Answers ] Hello?
Park: Libby Bishop? This is Agent Alina Park with the FBI.
Libby: [ Laughs ] Is this some kind of joke? Did Darren put you up to this?
Park: Ryan Healy’s been killed.
Libby: What?
Purcell: [ At a distant ] Macy! Here girl!
Park: Are you somewhere safe?
Libby: I’m at home.
Park: Are you alone?
Libby: I’m helping a man look for his dog.
Park: Okay, Libby, I want you to stay calm, all right? If he can hear you, answer my questions like you’re talking to a friend. Nice and relaxed. Do you know this man?
Libby: No.
[ Purcell has come up to Libby ]
Libby: [ Into phone ] No, we haven’t found her yet. What time will you be home?
Park: [ To Libby ] We’re less than five minutes away. If he comes after you, you have to scream and fight like hell. Do you hear me? You have to fight. Libby?
[ Park and Ressler enter Libby Bishop’s home ]
Park: Libby Bishop?
Ressler: FBI.
[ In the kitchen, the door has been broken down, glass scattered across the floor ]
Park: We’re too late.
[ Ressler grunts ] [ He reaches down and retrieves something: Purcell’s earpiece ]
Ressler: But maybe this will help us.
[ Liz’s apartment ] [ Liz retrieves Tom’s “go box” from a panel in the wall. Inside are bundles of cash. She removes several and stuffs them in her bag ]
[ Door opens ]
Agnes: What’s that?
Liz: Nothing, honey. Your daddy just always taught me to be ready for a rainy day.
Agnes: But it’s not raining.
Liz: Aren’t you too smart for your own good? [ Claps ] Come here. Get up here.
[ Agnes gets up on Liz’s lap ]
Liz: Have I ever told you how your daddy and I met?
[ Agnes shakes her head ]
Liz: No?
[ Aram arrives as the hospital where Elodie’s husband Charles was taken ]
Aram: Elodie.
Elodie: Hi.
[ They hug ]
Aram: How is he?
Elodie: They did angioplasty, put stents in to open up his arteries. He’s in recovery.
Aram: All right, good.
Elodie: I’m glad you’re here.
Aram: So, I’ve been thinking about–
Elodie: There’s something I want to–
Aram: Oh.
Elodie: I’m– I’m sorry. Go ahead.
Aram: No, please. You first.
Elodie: What’s been happening with Charles, his– His recent health scares, it just made me realize how– How selfish I’ve been. This is my burden. It’s not yours. You deserve a life. And I can’t give you the one you want.
Aram: Okay. Wow. Maybe I should have gone first. Because what I’ve been realizing is that I think too much and that I need to stop thinking and just feel. And when I do that, I feel like I want to be with you.
Elodie: Look around. You don’t want this.
Aram: I’m looking in the only direction that matters. And I’m telling you I do.
⋘⋙
[ Door opens ]
Surgeon: Mrs. Radcliffe?
Elodie: Oh. Can I see him now?
Surgeon: I’m afraid there’s been a complication.
Elodie: I thought he was in recovery.
Surgeon: He was. An aneurysm burst, causing a brain hemorrhage, and there was nothing we could do. He passed away. I’m sorry.
Elodie: Wait, no. [ Crying ] He can’t be gone!
[ She clings on to Aram ]
Aram: It’s okay.
Elodie: I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. [ Sobs ]
[ Red and Dembe are parked outside the car dealership in Scranton PA ]
Red: What’s with all the police?
Dembe: I don’t know, but that’s a lot of police.
Red: How long has it been?
Dembe: Forty-one hours.
Red: Forty– Oh, my–
⋘⋙
[ Inside the dealership ]
[ Whistle blows ]
Big John: Whoo-wee! I don’t know how you do it! Okay, go ahead and take a five-minute break.
⋘⋙
Red: Let’s give him a call.
[ Red’s cell phone dialing ]
[ Glen’s cell phone ringing ]
[ Glen has his shoes off, leans back in a chair ]
Glen:[ Grunts ] Ooh!
[ Cell phone beeps ]
Glen: Yeah?
Red: [ On phone ] What the hell is going on?
Glen: It’s the hammer toe. She’s back.
Red: I’m not talking about your feet. I’m talking about all the cops. Why is this place crawling with cops?
Glen: Tell me about it. They’re all here to support that rookie on the force over in Old Forge. Sundance Kid they call him. I’m not worried about him or any of the other competitors, for that matter. Real competition is Pastor Ritzen. He won in ’16, then again in ’18, and now God’s soldier’s back for blood. Honestly, my feet–
Red: Glen, the merchandise on that truck–
Glen: No, really. My feet. I know you can’t come here with all the boobies on the beat, but maybe Dembe could come rub ’em. Everyone else has someone here to cheer them on. I got nobody.
Red: Glen, please. Listen to me.
Glen: This is psychological warfare. Don’t worry, chief. I’m gonna get you that merchandise on that truck–
[ Whistle blows ]
Big John: Okay, we’re back.
Glen: Got to jump. We’re back.
Red: Wait, no, Glen! Hold on. You’re not back.
Glen: [ Growling ] I got this. Eye of the tiger.
⋘⋙
Dembe: You want me to call his mother, get her involved?
Red: Oh, my God, no. Talk about bad to worse. He’s dug in like a deer tick.
Dembe: Well, I’m not rubbing his feet.
Red: We need the names and information of every contestant with a hand on that truck, because believe me, Glen’s not going anywhere, but if, all of a sudden, he drops like a sack, one of these other clowns is gonna be driving around town in our $12 million.
[ Cooper’s office ]
Ressler: You know how the M.E. said that Healy was killed by sound?
[ They give Cooper the earpiece they found ]
Park: We found it at Libby Bishop’s.
Cooper: A hearing aid?
Park: On the phone, I told her to put up a fight. That tells me she did.
[ Knock on door ] [ Liz enters ]
Liz: I spoke to Aram. Elodie’s husband died.
Cooper: I’m sorry to hear that.
Ressler: I’m not sure you should be. Is it a tragedy if you’re dating a married woman and her husband dies?
Liz: He said he’d be here as soon as he can.
Cooper: The hearing aid, what does that get us?
Ressler: Well, it’s not a what. It’s a who. Dara Lin– The doctor who designed it. See, it was specially made not to amplify sound but to block it out.
[ Dr Dara Lin’s office ]
Dr Lin: I make these for a lot of my patients.
Park: There is a serial number on it. Can you find a name that way?
Dr Lin: You say he killed someone?
Park: And abducted someone else. If we wait on a warrant, he’ll kill her, too.
Liz: You made him a hearing aid that blocks out sound. Is it really that common?
Dr Lin: When I became an ENT, it was unheard of. Now I find that my patients are as concerned by what they can hear as by what they can’t.
Park: Noise pollution.
Dr Lin: The surgeon general has been warning about the health hazards for a generation–
Anxiety, depression, dementia.
Park: Sound can cause all that?
Dr Lin: Not one sound, no. But we live in a world of continuous sound– Low-frequency radio signals, electrical substations, server farms.
Liz: Server farms. You mean like data centers?
Dr Lin: Exactly. The noise generated by their cooling system is precisely the type of low-frequency sound which can elevate stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which, over time, can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, and heart failure.
⋘⋙
[ At Newton Purcell’s, Libby is now in the tub. Purcell flips a switch ]
⋘⋙
Park: And apparently murder.
[ Dr Lin types ]
Dr Lin: Here it is. The man you’re looking for is Newton Purcell.
Purcell: [ Laughs ] I always figured it would be Gordon or Cartwright. But I was wrong, wasn’t I, Libby?
Libby: Please, whoever you are–
Purcell: No, no, no, no, no. You had your chance to speak. Now you’re going to listen.
Libby: [ Cries ]
[ Electronic blip ] [ Electronic humming ] [ The water begins to vibrate ]
Libby: [ Screaming ] [ Cries ]
[ Once again, Red and Dembe meet with Kleeman and Dobbs ]
Kleeman: We had an agreement.
Dobbs: You said you could get this done.
Red: And it’s getting done.
Kleeman: Clearly it’s not. You’ve already moved the timeline once. You’re asking to move it again.
Red: Don’t get you vicuña in a bunch. Take a breath. You came to me because you had no viable way to get your product into the country. This pipeline we’re testing, this concept of moving a single vehicle from the assembly line as a courier, it’s new. And it’s going to have unforeseen obstacles, which we obviously now have, which is why I asked for the extension. If that’s a problem, we’ll work around it. But rest assured, I have my top man on the job.
Kleeman: Mmm. Top man.
Red: My top man.
[ Survivor’s ♪ “Eye of the Tiger” plays ]
⋘⋙
[ Glen warms up for the next round ]
⋘⋙
Red: [ Theatrically ] A man I trust, a man with whom I share a history, a man with whom I’d go into battle shoulder to shoulder any time, anywhere because his dedication knows no bounds. If there is a man who can get you your shipment on time, it’s my guy Glen. So you can doubt me, you can doubt my services, but do not doubt Glen.
⋘⋙
Glen: Eye of the tiger!
⋘⋙
[ Kleeman and Dobbs get in their car and leave ]
Dembe: Those were powerful words, Raymond. I wish I believed them.
Red: Yeah, well, so do I.
♪ Rising up back on the street ♪
Red: But they needed to be reassured. You and I, on the other hand, know the truth–
♪ Did my time took my chances ♪
Red: –so please tell me you have the information on the remaining contestants.
Dembe: I do.
♪ Went the distance Now I’m back on my feet ♪
Red: Good. Because we need to fix this thing before Glen bungles it more than he already has and costs us a fortune.
♪ It’s the eye of the tiger it’s the thrill of the fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rival
[ One by one, Glen’s competitors drop out ~ except for the pastor ]
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he’s watching us all with the eye
Of the tiger ♪
[ Liz drives as Park talks on her phone ]
Park: Dr. Lin was able to use the ear piece to ID a suspect. Name’s Newton Purcell. 38-year-old mechanical engineer. Last known address is on Pine Road in Westlake, Maryland.
Cooper: The same town where Healy and Bishop are on the city council.
Liz: And home to an Optimus facility.
Park: Agent Keen and I are on our way to Purcell’s home now.
⋘⋙
[ Echoing ] [ In the room with the sonic tub, Purcell talks to Libby ]
Purcell: Back when we lived in Ohio, Melody and I used to go for walks after I got home from work. Best part of my day. Peaceful, quiet.
⋘⋙
Liz: Dr. Lin says Purcell suffers acute auditory distress caused by the noise generated by the server farms, and he’s not alone. Apparently, thousands experience similar effects.
⋘⋙
Purcell: It was faint at first. At that point, they only had a handful of units online. But as time went on, the hum got louder and louder. Until one day–
[ Purcell slides the controls ] [ Humming intensifies ]
Libby: [ Crying ]
Purcell: –when I went for a walk on my own, the hum came back home with me.
Libby: Ahhh!
Purcell: I heard it all the time. I couldn’t sleep. I lost my job. We sold the house, moved to Westlake. And then six months later, guess what? I found out Optimus was opening up a facility just a mile away.
⋘⋙
Ressler: Back in 2014, Optimus selected Westlake as the site of their next center, but construction was held up due to an environmental impact report which recommended further study of the acoustic effects of their new facility.
⋘⋙
Purcell: Melody said that sound knocked all the kindness out of me. I wasn’t surprised when she left. Truth is, I hardly noticed.
⋘⋙
Park: [ Over phone ] He didn’t only want to hurt Optimus. He wanted to punish the people responsible for allowing it to be built in the first place.
Ressler: Healy and Bishop.
Cooper: So Purcell knew that Optimus was paying somebody to fast track construction. He just didn’t know who.
Ressler: I mean, there’s no record of the decision, which explains why he went digging through Optimus’ corporate data. Three days after Optimus made payments to Healy and Bishop, zoning commission canceled the study. Construction started six weeks later.
⋘⋙
Libby: I thought I was helping, cutting through red tape. It was gonna bring jobs to the city. I-I-I didn’t know. [ Crying ]
⋘⋙
[ Liz and Park arrive at Purcell’s house ] [ Car door closes ]
⋘⋙
Libby: [ Crying ]
Purcell: People think of sound pollution as a nuisance– An annoyance. But something tells me–
[ He slides the controls ] Humming intensifies ]
Purcell: –when the world hears what happened to you, they’ll understand just how dangerous sound can be.
Libby: [ Crying ]
[ Electronic blip✨ ]
Libby: [ Screaming ] Ahhh! Ahhh!
[ Humming continues ]
[ Purcell sees Liz and Park on surveillance video approaching the house. He runs from the room ]
Libby: [ Crying ] [ Screaming‼️]
[ Liz enters the house. Park finds access to the basement ]
[ Liz enters the room with the sonic tub ]
Liz: [ On phone ] Park. Park, cut the power.
[ Park finds the bank of control box and flips the switches ] [ Humming stops ]
Liz: Libby? Are you all right?
[ Libby has blood streaming from her ears, but she’s alive ]
[ Purcell jumps Park in the basement ] [ They fight ] [ Both grunting ]
Park: Ahhh!
[ Both grunting ]
[ At first Purcell has the upper hand, but then Park finds a cord and starts strangling him ] [ Choking ]
[ Park has almost killed Purcell when Liz comes down the stairs ]
Liz: Park! Park! Alina!
[ Park releases the cord ]
Purcell: [ Gasping ]
Park: [ Panting ]
Liz: Newton Purcell, you’re under arrest for the murder of Ryan Healy.
[ The car dealership ] [ Whistle blows ]
Big John: Okay, folks. That concludes hour 64. Take a break to rest and use the facilities.
Glen: [ Groans ]
⋘⋙
[ Restroom stall door opens, water running ]
Red: Looking good out there, Father. A little too good, maybe.
Pastor Ritzen: Excuse me?
Red: Well, you got the big fella. But the little guy, the sweatband, track suit, and terrible feet, who’s he got? It doesn’t seem like a fair fight, does it?
Pastor Ritzen: The Lord works in mysterious ways.
Red: Yes, but there’s nothing mysterious about the pain Glen is in– Sciatica, herniated disc, hemorrhoids. But the real pain is, the guy’s a natural-born loser. He has never won anything, and he’s got his heart set on that truck. You’ve won, what? Twice? Well, you of all people would know, if he could come away a winner, [ Gasps ] it would be the answer to all his prayers.
Pastor Ritzen: It’s because I’ve won twice that I know salvation doesn’t come with being the last man standing. It comes from doing your best, which I’m sure your friend will realize when he comes in second.
[ Pastor Ritzen starts to leave )
Red: Have you driven a Mercedes? How about a Mercedes? Surely, you can find salvation in German engineering.
Pastor Ritzen: Are you offering me a bribe?
Red: Consider it tithing.
Pastor Ritzen: I need to get back.
Red: I’m a sedan man, myself. The S-Class is heavenly. But perhaps you’d be more comfortable in a G wagon. Or, hey, what about an SL Roadster? You and the missus out on the open road, feeling the wind in your pulpit gown?
Pastor Ritzen: Have you seen the Maybach?
Red: Ah, with the executive rear seats, the massage function.
Pastor Ritzen: And the calf rests and the pull-down tables.
Red: For your wafers and wife.
Pastor Ritzen: Let me pray on it.
Red: [ Calling after him ] Or perhaps a Sprinter for the flock.
[ Liz and Park interrogate Newton Purcell ]
Liz: We know about the hum.
Park: Is that why you killed Healy and abducted Bishop? Because you blame them for it, for causing the hum?
Purcell: Have you ever seen the stars?
Liz: The stars?
Purcell: Not one or two. Not the North Star or a dot in Orion’s belt. I’m talking about Pegasus, Leo, the constellations, the Milky Way, the heavens. We can’t see them anymore. Light pollution has blocked our view of Heaven, and no one cares.
Park: Let’s talk about Ryan Healy.
Purcell: And what did God create in Heaven? Wind whistling in the trees, waves crashing on beaches, the love song of the nightingale and the lark. And we can’t hear them anymore. Sound pollution has drowned out God’s music, and no one cares.
Liz: Is that why you killed Healy? Because you care?
Purcell: I killed him because I want the hum to stop. And because I know it never will.
[ Liz taps Park’s shoulder and they leave ]
[ Door opens, closes ]
[ In the corridor ]
Park: I’ll reach out to Main Justice, tell them we have a confession.
Liz: Hopefully, they won’t think we beat it out of him.
Park: He attacked me.
Liz: Which put you into survival mode. I get it. But you crossed the line.
Park: From what I’ve seen, I didn’t think this task force had a line.
Liz: It’s blurry at times, but it’s there.
Park: You shot the Attorney General.
Liz: Which is why I get it– What you did to Purcell, what happened in Anchorage. It’s also why I understand that whatever it is that sets you off, you need to deal with it.
[ Jenn Grant’s ♪ “Green Grows the Lilac” (Eye of the Tiger) plays ]
♪ Rising up, back on the street
Did my time took my chances ♪
Park: You can see the Milky Way in Alaska and hear the wind in the trees. I don’t miss it.
♪ Went the distance Now I’m back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive ♪
[ Aram attends a wake at Elodie’s home for her deceased husband Charles ] [ Elodie is seated, talking to visitors. Aram stands a few feel a way ]
Estate Attorney: You must be a friend of Elodie’s.
Aram: Uh, I am. So sorry. Aram Mojtabai. Uh, we met, uh, after Charles’ accident.
♪ So many times ♪
Aram: I know she was devoted to him.
♪ It happens too fast ♪
[ Aram’s cell phone ringing ]
♪ You trade your passion ♪
Aram: So sorry. Uh, would you excuse me one–
♪ For glory ♪
Aram: Thank you.
♪ Don’t lose your grip ♪
[ Aram walks down a staircase to take the call away from the others ]
[ Aram’s cell beeps ]
Aram: Agent Keen, is everything okay?
♪ On the dreams of the past ♪
Liz: Fine. The case is over. It’s all good. I’m just checking in with you. How’s Elodie?
♪ You must fight Just to keep them alive ♪
Aram: She’s, um– She’s holding it together.
♪ It’s the eye of the tiger ♪
Liz: And how are you?
Aram: Shockingly calm.
♪ It’s the thrill of the fight ♪
Aram: When I got to the hospital, before we knew that, uh, Charles had passed, we, um– I took your advice and stopped thinking. And the minute I did, everything just clicked into place.
Liz: I’m so glad to hear that.
Aram: I realized that’s why I like her so much.
♪ And he’s watching us all ♪
Aram: She doesn’t think. She– She feels.
♪ With the eye ♪
Aram: She lives in the moment, and she stays there.
♪ Of the tiger ♪
Aram: Not just when it’s easy, but when it’s hard.
[ Aram walks to a desk. There is a photo of Elodie and Charles. He picks it up ]
Aram: Like– Like with Charles. She didn’t stay with him out of guilt or obligation. She stayed with him because it’s the right thing –
♪ Face to face ♪
[ Underneath the photo is a memorial program for Charles. Aram picks it up. Underneath that is a prenuptial agreement ]
Liz: Aram? Are you still there?
♪ Out in the heat ♪
Aram: I have to call you back.
♪ Hangin’ tough ♪
[ Cell phone beeps ] [ Aram turns several pages and finds: “In the event of divorce ELODIE RADCLIFFE receives no assets or alimony. … If CHARLES RADCLIFFE pre-deceases ELODIE … she shall receive ten million from his estate.” ]
♪ Stayin’ hungry
They stack the odds till we take to the street
For we kill with the skill to survive♪ It’s the eye of the tiger
It’s the thrill of the fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rival ♪
[ Red and Dembe meet with Kleeman and Dobbs ]
Kleeman: This is inexcusable. This whole thing was a mistake.
Red: He’ll be here.
Kleeman: Do you see him? Do you see the truck? Do you have any idea how much that shipment is worth? Over $12 million. And now, because of your guy–
♪ And he’s watching us all With the eye ♪
[ Engine revs, horn honks ] [ Glen pulls in driving the truck ]
Red: [ Laughs ] Well, I’ll be your huckleberry. Look who showed up!
♪ Of the tiger ♪
[ Engine revs ]
Red: And with two minutes to spare, no less. [ Laughs ] What a man. What a truck! [ Claps ]
[ Engine shuts off ] [ Glen gets out, still wearing his sweats – plus a garland ]
Glen: Whew! [ Groans ] Sorry I’m late, fellas. [ Groans ] Few of the boys at the dealership insisted on photographs.
Red: [ Chuckles ] As I said, never doubt my man Glen. I have to admit I was starting to doubt you, Glen.
Glen: Never doubt the Jellybean.
[ Truck door opens ]
Glen: The shipment, tritium, uh, what is it, anyway?
Red: Tritium is an extremely rare and radioactive isotope of hydrogen.
[ Dembe accepts the cash payment in two briefcases ]
Glen: Sounds kind of serious.
Red: It is.
Glen: You got that stuff in the gas tank?
[ Workers begin cutting into the vehicle with ⚡️blow torches⚡️ ]
Red: Not in the tank, Glen. The vehicle. Tritium is a gas that can be safely stored as a metal hydride. In this case, as truck parts. Which parts, I have no idea. The– I have no idea. It’s, you know, like Goldfinger.
Glen: So, who are these chowderheads?
Red: I suspect they’re CIA. Tritium is an important component in nuclear warheads and has to be replaced frequently because of its short half-life. In any case, that doesn’t matter. You got the job done.
Glen: Yeah. [ Chuckles ] So– [ Clears throat ] What about my truck? Know what? It don’t matter. What matters is I wanted to prove to you I could do this – on my own. I wanted you to know I could get the job done without your help and that you didn’t need to intervene. I wanted to go the distance. That’s all that matters to me. Your faith, not some vehicle.
[ Engine revving ] [ Dembe drives up in a red Mercedes sportster ] [ Car door opens ]
Glen: Whoa. The hell’s that?
Red: That, Glen, is your payment.
Glen: [ Gasps ] [ Growling ]
[ Survivor’s ♪ “Eye of the Tiger” plays ]
Glen: My man, R-squared, taking care of his own! Yessiree! Don’t mind if I do. And, hey, uh, boss, don’t forget. You know who you can count on next time you get yourself in a pinch. Eye of the tiger, baby! Eye-o-the-tiger!
♪ The eye of the tiger ♪
[ Engine starts, revs ] [ Tires squeal ] [ Glen drives off ] [ The license plate reads “ID-ZERV” ]
♪ The eye of the tiger ♪
[ Rain falls, thunder rumbles ] [ Owl hoots ]
[ Liz is sitting alone in her car ]
[ Cell phone vibrates. She gets a text: “Unlock the door. Don’t turn around” ]
[ Car doors unlock, car door opens ] [ A black woman, Liz’s new P.I. (private investigator) gets in ]
P.I.: Flip down the rearview.
Liz: Money’s in the backpack. And information on the target.
[ The P.I. opens Liz’s folder on Ilya Koslov ]
P.I.: Handsome. You want to kiss him or kill him?
Liz: I want him found.
P.I.: Don’t call me. I’ll call you.
[ She gets out ] [ Car door closes ]
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⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ Eye of the Tiger
By Survivor♪ Rising up, back on the street
Did my time, took my chances
Went the distance, now I’m back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive♪ So many times it happens too fast
You trade your passion for glory
Don’t lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive♪ It’s the eye of the tiger
It’s the thrill of the fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he’s watching us all with the eye of the tiger♪ Face to face, out in the heat
Hanging tough, staying hungry
They stack the odds still we take to the street
For the kill with the skill to survive♪ It’s the eye of the tiger
It’s the thrill of the fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he’s watching us all with the eye of the tiger♪ Rising up, straight to the top
Had the guts, got the glory
Went the distance, now I’m not gonna stop
Just a man and his will to survive♪ It’s the eye of the tiger
It’s the thrill of the fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he’s watching us all with the eye of the tiger♪ The eye of the tiger
The eye of the tiger
The eye of the tiger
The eye of the tigerLyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/2x1vj8d
YouTube: https://youtu.be/S-LO6dctBms
♫ Green Grows the Lilac (Eye of the Tiger)
By Jenn Grant♪ Rising up, back on the street,
Did my time, took my chances.
Went the distance,
Now I’m back on my feet.
Just a man and his will to survive.♪ So many times, it happens too fast,
You trade your passion for glory.
Don’t lose your grip on the dreams of the past,
You must fight just to keep them alive.♪ It’s the eye of the tiger,
It’s the thrill of the fight.
Rising up to the challenge of our rival.
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he’s watching us all with the eye of a tiger.♪ Face to face, out in the heat,
Hanging tough, stayin’ hungry.
They stack the odds
Still we take to the street,
For we kill with the skill to survive.♪ It’s the eye of the tiger,
It’s the thrill of the fight.
Rising up to the challenge of our rival.
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he’s watching us all with the eye of a tiger.♪ Rising up, straight to the top,
Had the guts, got the glory.
Went the distance,
Now I’m not gonna stop,
Just a man and his will to survive.♪ It’s the eye of the tiger,
It’s the thrill of the fight.
Rising up to the challenge of our rival.
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he’s watching us all with the eye of a tiger.♪ The eye of a tiger
Lyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/2x1VImm
YouTube: https://youtu.be/TTD9GFLJJNA
⬆ go to start of 7:13 Newton Purcell
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❌❌❌ End 7:13 Newton Purcell
🔴 Script 7:14 Twamie Ullulaq (№ 144)
Program air date: 4/10/2020 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-anN
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/34p5bAu
Directed by: Victor Nelli Jr
Written by: Daniel Cerone
Director: Victor Nelli, Jr
Written by: Daniel Cerone
Brief (Where we’re at): Red had to bail out his ever-unreliable tracker Glen Carter after Glen messed up the order for a black market tritium-enriched vehicle worth $12M. The truck ended up being the prize in a contest pitting Glen against the two time winner, Pastor Ritzen. Unbeknownst to Glen, with whom Red has “a history” and an odd co-dependence, Red was able to buy off the good pastor with a Mercedes. With another Mercedes (a snazzy sportster) given to Glen as a reward for his “win,” the product placement value must have been💰priceless💰
Meanwhile, Aram’s relationship with the thrill-seeking Elodie Radcliffe took a turned when Elodie’s husband Charles died. He had been paralyzed for months and unable to speak after being selected as the unlucky one at a gathering of risk-takers at a venue called Les Fleurs du Mal, hosted by one Thelonius Prackett [Episode 7:3, Blacklister #151]. Elodie and Aram had been having an affair under the shadow of Charles’s condition and Aram wants children. But, during the wake for Charles, Aram discovered the papers for a pre-nuptial agreement. Elodie had told Aram there wasn’t one. Now he knows she will inherit $12M under the agreement and wonders why she lied to him.
Liz has not given up her determination to learning about Red’s past. After an FBI Contact in the Hoover Building came up short, he gave her the name of an private investigator. Liz had to dig out cash for payment from Tom’s wooden “go box” – the one carved with the mysterious sign resembling the scar on Liz’s wrist – for the cash for payment. She met up with the P.I. and gave her the cash and a folder on Ilya Koslov, the former KGB operative whose history with both Red and Liz’s mother ~ the infamous former KGB spy Katarina Rostova ~ stretches back to the Cold War. Liz knows that Katarina, though in hiding, is still alive after having staged her own assassination to deceive Red and put him and others hunting her at bay.
⭕ Script 7:14 Twamie Ullulaq (№ 144)
[ Red and Dembe are driving a Range Rover along a highway on the southern coast of Alaska ]
Red: How long has it been since we lost contact with the driver?
Dembe: 18 hours. Any chance we will find the cargo intact?
Red: That would take incredible luck. And the only time I have ever been lucky in Alaska was when I was bumped from behind at an ice bar in Fairbanks. I stumbled into the arms of a lovely Nordic princess. Literally, she was a princess in Norway. We flew straight to her castle outside Bergen and watched the Northern Lights till dawn. Otherwise, Alaska’s shown me all the mercy of a Greek tragedy.
[ The locator on the GPS device is beeping ]
⋘⋙
[ The vehicle pulls over and they get out ]
Dembe: Strange. According to the tracker, we should be right on top of the containers.
[ They look around and see nothing. They are next to a body of water. Red scans the forested area then looks at the water. Beneath the surface are the outlines of several submerged semi-trailer trucks ]
Red: Looks like it’s time to cue the Greek chorus, Dembe.
[ Red is in a commercial-style kitchen preparing salmon. Aram has come to see him ]
Aram: Elodie lied about not having a prenup. And now that her husband’s dead, she stands to inherit millions.
Red: The way you described her husband’s condition, it sounds more like a mercy killing.
Aram: Maybe, but he didn’t have a medical directive, and she couldn’t have know what was going on inside of his head.
Red: You mean like dreams and memories. Maybe even a deep and abiding love for his betrothed.
Aram: Exactly.
Red: A love so deep that he would have preferred that Elodie end his life so that she could move on with hers. If only he had the power to tell her.
Aram: No. Wait. Wait, what?
Red: How can I help you, Aram?
Aram: I want to know if Elodie killed her husband. If she did, I have to arrest her. I’m definitely– I’m definitely breaking up with her. But I don’t really know yet, But I need to know, you know?
[ Liz enters ]
Liz: Need to know what?
Aram: Oh, um– whether Elodie killed her husband.
Liz: And you want Reddington’s help?
Red: Get a blood sample from the body before it’s buried, and I’ll have it tested, no questions asked.
Liz: Or – crazy idea– you could let the police investigate.
Aram: I should go and let the two of you do whatever it is you two do.
Red: Do you know why I’m preparing this salmon?
Aram: If this is about your libido, I’m– I’m good.
Liz: W-Where are we? Why are we here?
Red: It’s for a celebratory meal when the case is solved.
Liz: And what case is that?
Red: I’ve been robbed. Trucks of mine have been stolen. Precious cargo has gone missing.
Liz: You want us to find your trucks.
Red: I found the trucks. Sunk in a lake in the Alaska Triangle.
Aram: Wait, the Triangle’s real?
Red: I don’t want you to find my trucks. I want you to solve one of life’s great mysteries.
Liz: The Alaska Triangle.
Aram: A place where some people go and never return. Supposedly 16,000 in the last 50 years.
Liz: [ Scoffs ] Okay. That can’t be true.
Red: The question isn’t whether they’ve disappeared. It’s why. Find the people who stole my trucks and you may get the answer.
[ The Post Office ] [ Liz and Aram brief the task force ]
Aram: This is former U.S. House Majority Leader Hale Boggs. Now, in 1972, his twin-engine Cessna vanished somewhere between Juneau and Anchorage. The nation’s largest search-and-rescue mission was mounted. The Coast Guard, Civil Air Patrol, the Navy. All scoured the area for months, but no trace of Boggs’ plane was ever found.
Liz: He was lost in a section of the state known as the Alaska Triangle.
Ressler: Like the Bermuda Triangle?
Agent Park: Yes, only real.
Liz: What’s real about it is that an unusually large number of people do seem to disappear there.
Cooper: And this connects to Reddington how?
Liz: Four months ago, he lost a shipment in the triangle. He attached a GPS tracker to the next one and found it here.
[ Liz brings up a photo of the submerged trucks on a laptop ]
Ressler: And he thinks whoever put it there may be behind the Alaska Triangle myth.
Cooper: What was on the truck?
Liz: He wouldn’t say, but some of it has apparently shown up in Italy. He’s on his way to find out how.
Ressler: What about the drivers?
Aram: Mr. Reddington thinks they went down with the shipment.
Cooper: Do we have any leads?
Aram: The container numbers. They’re marked on the roof for the benefit of crane operators, so I was able to pull them from the photos.
[ Ressler’s phone vibrates. A text says “Trouble.” He clicks it off ]
Ressler: Based on those numbers, do we know where the cargo was coming from?
Park: Each truck was carrying cargo offloaded in the Port of Anchorage. Dispatching, routing, tracking, transpo– it’s all coordinated by the port manager.
Cooper: I’ve heard enough. Ressler, Keen, I want you two to interview the port manager. Park, I want you to set up a liaison with your old field office.
Park: I don’t think that’s a good idea.
Cooper: Oh, and why not?
Park: I’m not real popular in Anchorage.
Cooper: It’s a good thing it’s not a popularity contest.
[ Cooper leaves, as do Liz and Park ]
[ Ressler’s cellphone vibrating ]
Aram: Someone really wants to talk to you.
Ressler: My brother.
Aram: Oh, you never talk about your brother.
Ressler: Exactly.
[ Cellphone beeps off ]
[ FBI field office in Anchorage ] [ Indistinct conversations ] [ Agent Park walks by cubicles of people working. Several glare at her ]
⋘⋙
[ Knock on door of field office lead officer Connor ]
Connor: Come in.
[ Agent Park enters. Connor scowls ]
Connor: You and I had an agreement.
Park: I’m here on a case.
Connor: Our agreement was you wouldn’t be here at all.
Park: I was sent here by Assistant Director Harold Cooper. This is his authorization.
[ Connor looks at the papers Park brought ]
Connor: Computer access. Liaison. Underwater search and rescue.
Park: To recover three semi-trucks.
Connor: Semi-trucks. Under water.
Park: I’m not here to look for him.
Connor: You better not be, because I won’t protect you if you do. Not again.
[ An pick-up truck with a back camper drives into a remote encampment ] [ Twamie Ullulaq, a Native American, gets out of the vehicle ]
Wyatt: There was a problem with the shipment. There’s something we didn’t expect to find with the cargo.
[ Wyatt walks with Ullulaq to a metal building and opens the door. A man is huddled on the floor ]
Edward Lussier: [ Shivering, breathing shakily ]
Ullulaq: I wonder how much you’re worth.
[ Anchorage ] [ Liz is riding with Ressler ]
Ressler: That’s the reason why Aram wants to draw blood? To see if Elodie poisoned her husband?
Liz: It’s why Reddington wants him to. I think he should tell the police.
[ Cellphone vibrating. A text says “Trouble” ]
Liz: That’s why your phone’s been blowing up. Robby. What’s he done this time?
Ressler: Don’t know, and I don’t want to know.
Liz: You can’t just ignore him. He’s family.
Ressler: Watch me. [ Beep ]
⋘⋙
[ Liz’s cellphone ringing ]
Liz: Park?
Park: [ On phone ] I pulled the port records. It appears the same shift manager was on duty when the cargo for all three stolen trucks was offloaded. Name’s Maxwell Barrett.
Ressler: All right, we’re on our way to the port now.
Park: He’s not at the port. He’s off today. He’s got a place in Wasilla. 3250 Sun Ridge Road.
[ Maxwell Barrett’s roughshod cabin in Wasilla ]
Barrett: I know what’s inside all them containers.
Ressler: Four of those containers are currently sitting at the bottom of a lake.
Barrett: I talked to the police, and I’ll tell you what I told them. [ Laughs ] Accidents happen.
Ressler: Oh, this was no accident. The cargo’s missing, along with the drivers.
Liz: Those trucks have only one thing in common– you cleared them through the port.
Barrett: You two think I took them trucks? [ Laughs ] Why? To pay for my millionaire mountain chalet? [ Laughing ] [ Coughing, wheezing ]
[ Barrett gets up and stumbles away, coughing ]
⋘⋙
Ressler: This is a waste of time.
Liz: I don’t know. I don’t like it.
Ressler: The old man can barely walk. I mean, it’s not like he’s John Dillinger–
[ Door opens ] [ Barrett reappears from a back room 💥blasting with a shotgun💥 ]
[ 💥💥 Gunfight 💥💥💥💥 ] [ Barrett falls dead against a cabinet, slides to the floor ]
[ Liz checks out the room Barrett came out of ] [ Beeping ] [ It has multiple active computer screens ]
Liz: Ressler, check this out.
Ressler: I’ll call Park, get a forensics team up here. Maybe they can figure out who this guy’s been communicating with.
[ Aram is in a parked car ]
Aram: [ To himself, as he rolls a syringe between his fingers ] She is kind and nice. He’s in a better place. And I– I’m a total diphthong.
[ Door shuts ] [ Aram’s girlfriend, Elodie, descends steps of a walk-up, along with a man with a cane and a noticeable limp. They shake hands ] [ When the man leaves, Aram gets out of his car and calls to Elodie ]
Aram: Hey, hey. [ Chuckles ] Uh, you want a ride? I, uh, figured you wouldn’t want to do this alone.
[ Elodie smiles and walks toward him ]
[ A funeral home ] [ Classical music playing ]
Aram: The guy outside your place, he, um– he looked so familiar.
Elodie: He was a friend of Charles. He had so many, and they all feel awful.
Aram: Of course. They, um– They lost a friend.
Elodie: All I feel is relief. For him because he’s finally at peace and for me because I get to move on with my life. With our life. [ She takes Aram’s hand ]
Aram: Picking a casket is a big decision, so while I, uh, hunt for a bathroom, you take your time. Charles is gonna have to live with your choice for, like, ever.
⋘⋙
[ Aram leaves and finds another room. Inside are two bodies covered in sheets. He lifts the sheet from the face of the first corpse. It’s a woman ]
Aram: Oh. Sorry about that. Sorry.
[ The second corpse is, indeed, Charles ]
Aram: Charles. My, uh, deepest sympathies. I, uh– I know this is super awkward. [ Zipper zips ] But I think this might be in your best interest. Quick stick. Oh, God. Oh.
[ Aram draws the blood ]
⋘⋙
[ Aram leaves the room and calls Red ]
Aram: I got it. I got the goods.
Red: [ On phone ] What goods are those, Aram?
Aram: The sample, the blood sample. I have it.
Red: Yes, of course. I’ll arrange pickup with the lab tech for tonight. The bike path in Fort Slocum park. Midnight.
Aram: A bike path.
Red: At any rate, it’s not much of a bike path. If you want a real cycling adventure, you should look into the Cowboy Trail, a defunct stretch of rail line–
[ Elodie appears ]
Elodie: Aram?
Aram: [ To Red, low voice ] Fort Slocum. Midnight. Got to go. Got to go. Thanks. [ Hangs up ]
Elodie: Hey.
Aram: Hey.
Elodie: Everything okay?
Aram: Yeah. Sorry. Everything’s– Everything’s fine. Did you, uh– Did you find a casket?
Elodie: I did care about him, you know. I know it doesn’t always seem like it because, well, you make me so happy. But, anyway, yes, and I’m glad you made me take the time to do it. Charles deserved that.
[ Connor’s office ]
Connor: We made a copy of the hard disks from Maxwell Barrett’s cabin. We were able to trace one of the downloads.
Park: What are TEU values?
Connor: It’s the insured value of each cargo container. The highest one on the list there is over $14 million in German pharmaceuticals.
Liz: Could be the next target.
Ressler: I’ll contact the carrier.
Connor: How were you able to locate the missing trucks in the first place?
Park: We can’t tell you that.
Connor: I wasn’t asking you.
Ressler: Look, we’re just here to do a job and go home. Is that gonna be a problem?
Connor: That’s up to Alina.
[ Twamie Ullulaq sits on a chair in the metal shed where Edward Lussier is huddled on the floor, shivering ]
Ullulaq: You getting chilly yet? You think you might want to start talking in exchange for some clothes?
Lussier: I-I t-told you what I know.
Ullulaq: Edward Lussier. Night security at Prudhoe Bay. But what you didn’t tell me is why you were all trussed up in the back of a trailer full of smuggled goods.
Lussier: I was t-taken. M-M-Middle of the night. Please, I-I don’t know why–
Ullulaq: Well, you’re worth something to somebody, and you better figure out what before you freeze to death.
[ Connor’s office ]
Park: If we want to find them, the pharmaceuticals may be an opportunity.
Ressler: An opportunity how?
Park: What if we let the shipment go as scheduled. Allow them to steal it.
Liz: You want to catch them in the act.
Connor: We’re the FBI. We’re supposed to stop crimes, not facilitate them.
Ressler: That being said, uh, what exactly are you suggesting?
[ The metal shed ]
Wyatt: That 40-foot of pharmaceuticals is offloaded. Should be on the road within two hours.
Ullulaq: [ To Lussier ] I’m gonna give you some alone time so you can reflect on your self worth.
[ Ullulaq leaves ] [ Lussier rushes to the door and calls through the metal grating ]
Lussier: Wait! I-I told you everything I know! Please, y-y-you can’t leave me in here! I’m gonna– I’m gonna freeze to death! [ Banging ]
[ Milan, Italy. A perfumery ]
Red: Buongiorno!
Rossi: Don Reddington!
Red: Signore Rossi.
[ Cheek kisses ] [ Both chuckle ]
Red: Look at you. Oh, how are you, friend?
Rossi: Living la dolce vita. And what brings you to my little corner of paradise?
Red: My nose, of course.
Rossi: Oh, of course.
Red: Word has it you’ve formulated a new fragrance with musky depth and a passionate animalic note.
Rossi: Ah. You are referring to the Rossi Grande Estratto No. 1. Questo.
Red: Oh, dio mio.
Rossi: Uh-huh.
Red: Oh. So warm on the top. Honey-like.
Rossi: Yes.
Red: With a lustful, almost bottomless bottom. Is that ambergris?
Rossi: Wow! You have very refined senses.
Red: I find ambergris to be an absolute marvel.
Rossi: Mm-hmm.
Red: Digestive juices of the sperm whale – powerful enough to break down squid beaks and fish bones until the glorious beast excretes the waxy mass into the ocean. Whale vomit – worth more than its weight in gold.
Rossi: [ Laughs ] It’s true. Ambergris is very difficult to come by these days.
Red: And yet you managed to find some.
Rossi: I was contacted by a private party in Alaska.
Red: A private party in Alaska just stole a shipment of ambergris from me, worth about $3 million.
Rossi: Oh, that’s terrible.
Red: Mm. Who’s your supplier?
Rossi: Raymond, you know I cannot divulge my suppliers. Ambergris is illegal in many countries.
Red: I understand. You have to protect your supply chain to maintain the high quality of your fine merchandise. Such as this extraordinary item.
[ Red picks up a vial of perfume ]
Red: Quanto costa?
Rossi: 6,800.
Red: Ah. That must be a heavenly scent.
[ Red drops the vial. It ⚡️shatters⚡️]
Red: [ Inhales ] Mmm. White birch?
Dembe: Mmm. I smell clove.
Red: Yes.
Dembe: And oakmoss.
Red: Oakmoss.
[ Dembe points to another vial ]
Dembe: This one is pretty.
Rossi: Okay, okay, okay, okay. You win. I’ll give you the name. I’ll give you the name. Grazie. Please, no more.
Red: Write down the relevant details and, please, gift wrap one bottle of Rossi No. 1.
Rossi: Sure. Si.
[ Fort Slocum Park at midnight ] [ Aram looks around nervously. An Hasidic Jew on a bike approaches. A basket on the front on the bike says “Help Jewish Orphans” in English and Hebrew ] [ Bike bell dings✨ ] [ Brakes squeal ]
Aram: You, uh– You want me to put the item in– in the basket?
[ Bike bell dings✨ ] [ Aram puts the sample of Charles Radcliffe’s blood in the basket ] [ The bike leaves ]
Aram: [ Calling after ] Do I, um– Do I get a receipt or– anything? No? Shalom.
⋘⋙
[ A man with a cane walks by with a woman ]
Flashback:
[ At Les Fleurs du Mal, Aram points his gun at the crowd of participants ]
Aram: Everybody on the ground. Nobody move.
[ Aram notices a man crouching among the group ]
⋘⋙
Flashback:
[ Aram sees the same man limping down the steps of the walk-up to greet Elodie, prior to their visit to the funeral home ]
[ Aram makes a call ] [ Cellphone beeping ]
Aram: Records division? Yeah, this is Special Agent Aram Mojtabai. I’d like to request the case file for Thelonious Prackett. Yeah, with a “P.”
[ Thelonius Prackett, now in prison, was the owner/host of Les Fleurs du Mal, the event venue in which risk-takers gathered and one was chosen to undertake a nearly impossible-to-survive challenge. Charles’s paralysis was the result of one such challenge ]
[ An Alaskan highway ] [ Agent Alina Park drives a semi. Some distance behind are Ressler and Liz in an SUV ]
Liz: [ On phone to Park ] You’re like an ice-road trucker.
Park: Got to be if you live up here long enough. Even if your toes can barely reach the pedals.
Ressler: 10 hours on the road, we haven’t seen one sign of a suspicious vehicle.
Liz: GPS says you’re still inside the triangle.
Park: They’ll take the bait. It’s possible the hijack crew was tipped off that I was driving.
Ressler: More than likely they got word that we shot their inside man.
Liz: You shot their inside man.
Ressler: Yeah, but I saved your butt.
Park: Hey, guys, hold up. I’ve got something here. Accident blocking the road.
Ressler: All right, here we go. Keep this line open. We’re two minutes out and closing.
[ Park stops the truck. A Burly Man walks over ]
Park: Everyone okay?
Burly Man: We got an airlift en route from Bartlett. We can try and guide you clear, but we can’t move those vehicles.
Park: Yeah. That would be great.
Burly Man: Let’s try and squeeze you through.
[ Men remove debris from the highway. The Burly Man waves Park through ]
⋘⋙
Park: [ On comms ] I’m clear.
Liz: What do you mean you’re clear? They let you through?
Ressler: You sure they’re not tailing you?
Park: No. I think the accident was just– an accident. I just passed a sign for a weigh station a few miles up the road. I’ll wait there, and we can regroup.
Ressler: Copy that.
⋘⋙
[ Helicopter blades whirring ] [ The Burly Man waves Ressler and Liz over ] [ A man sits on a tire in the middle of the road, being attended to ]
⋘⋙
[ Park pulls into the weigh station ]
Park: Hello? Hello?
⋘⋙
[ Ressler gets out of the SUV. A helicopter flies overhead ]
⋘⋙
[ The weigh station ]
Park: [ Calls out ] Hello?
⋘⋙
[ The helicopter medics attend to the man sitting on the tire ]
[ Liz gets in the SUV ]
Liz: [ On comms ] Hey, Park, medics are on-site. We’re just waiting to see if they need any assistance before we head your way. Park, do you copy?
⋘⋙
[ Park’s earpiece lies in the snow ]
Liz’s voice on the earpiece: Alina? Alina, can you hear me? Are you there? Park, do you copy? Park?
[ At the encampment, men bring Park, blindfolded, to Twamie Ullulaq ]
Leander: Found a GPS tracker hidden in the truck. We had to dump it. And we found her.
[ He hands Park’s IDs to Ullulaq ] [ Crow caws ]
Leander: What do you want to do with her?
[ Ullulaq nods toward the metal shed ] [ Leander forces her into the shed ]
Park: [ Grunting ]
[ Leander takes off Park’s blindfold and slams⚡️the door shut ]
Lussier: [ Shivering ]
Park: No, no. It’s okay. I’m not with them. I–
[ She sees how thinly dressed and cold Lussier is ]
Park: Here. Take this.
[ Park takes off her thick down coat and gives it to Lussier ]
Park: Where are we?
Lussier: We’re gonna d-die here. [ Shivering ]
Park: I’d say we’re in the foothills of the Chugach range. If we got out and found a trailhead, I think I can get us to an access road.
Lussier: You live here?
Park: I did. Swore I’d never come back.
Lussier: Then why did you?
Park: What were you hauling when they hijacked you?
Lussier: Hauling? I was being hauled. You know, I-I-I got abducted, thrown in the back of a truck, and then that truck got hijacked.
Park: And you don’t know why?
Lussier: Lady, I’m a nobody. Why would anyone want to abduct me?
Park: [ Exhales deeply ]
[ Lussier gives Park her coat back ]
Lussier: Here. We’ll take turns. Why did you? Come back?
Park: To catch the hijackers. I’m an FBI agent. My name’s Alina Park. What’s your name?
Lussier: Me? I told you. I’m nobody.
Park: Well, Mr. Nobody, I’ll let you in on a little secret. I died once in Alaska. I didn’t come back to do it again.
[ Liz and Ressler are at the weigh station ]
Ressler: [ On phone ] She was taken from a weigh station.
Liz: It’s isolated. No surveillance. Target vehicle approaches, gets waived out of line and hijacked, the GPS gets pulled, and no one’s the wiser.
⋘⋙
[ The Post Office ] [ Aram walks over to Cooper ]
Aram: That was Mr. Reddington. I, uh, patched him through to the call and told him about Agent Park.
Cooper: This just came for you. Case files on Les Fleurs du Mal.
Liz: Don’t tell me you listened to Reddington. I told you to have the police look into it.
Cooper: Into what?
Aram: Nothing as important as finding Agent Park. Mr. Reddington.
Red: Speaking.
Cooper: Keen and Ressler are coordinating with state and local authorities. They have roadblocks in place and aerial surveillance.
Red: Twamie Ullulaq.
Liz: Who?
Red: The stolen cargo I traced in Milan, Twamie took it.
Cooper: Do you know where he is?
Red: I do not.
But someone in your government does. They created him. Twamie Ullulaq is a native Alaskan who the U.S. military armed and trained in counterterrorism.
Ressler: The army doesn’t train civilians.
Red: They did during the Cold War, didn’t they, Harold? Go on. Tell the kids about Operation Washtub
[ ~ Wikipedia ]
Cooper: During the Cold War, the Pentagon worried that they couldn’t defend Alaska, so it rounded up locals – hunters, bush pilots – and trained them in counterinsurgency against a Red Invasion. They volunteered in exchange for land and a promise that housing would be built. Schools.
Red: And when the Red Scare ended, so did that commitment. Imagine that. Your government breaking its promise to indigenous people.
[ The metal shed ]
Ullulaq: How much does the FBI know?
Lussier: I-I’m not an agent. We don’t know each other.
Ullulaq: You expect me to believe you two being here is a coincidence.
Park: Yes. Because it is.
Ullulaq: There’s no coincidences here.
[ The Post Office ]
Cooper: The land they were given, find it. Just because nothing was ever built on it doesn’t mean they’re still not there, and it doesn’t mean she’s not there. And if she is, we’re gonna find her.
[ Twamie Ullulaq points his shotgun at Park ]
Ullulaq: How much do you know about us?!
Park: Why would I tell you that?
Ullulaq: ‘Cause if you don’t, I’ll kill him.
[ He shifts his aim to Lussier ]
Lussier: N-No, no, no! Don’t! Please! No. Don’t!
Wyatt: [ Through the door ] Twamie, we got a problem.
Ullulaq: We’ll continue this.
[ Door closes ]
Park: [ Sighs ]
⋘⋙
Wyatt: Twamie, Old Mac’s dead. The FBI gunned him down inside his cabin.
Ullulaq: Just a matter of time before they find this camp. Pack it up! We’re pulling stakes!
— You heard him.
Ullulaq: Come on, guys. Come on!
— Move it! Let’s go.
— Come on! Right now.
[ Aram buzzes the door of an apartment ] [ Buzzing ] [ Door opens ]
Aram: Wilbur Eaton? Special Agent Aram Mojtabai. FBI.
Wilbur Eaton: If this is about Prackett, I made a deal. Got immunity for testifying against him.
Aram: I read the testimony. I know what you did for Prackett. You made the torture chambers that killed or disabled anyone who was put in them, including Charles Radcliffe. And yet, you were at his widow’s house yesterday.
Eaton: To offer my condolences.
Aram: For the death of a man you almost killed.
Eaton: What can I say? I’m soft that way.
Aram: Your immunity agreement required full disclosure about any and all crimes involved in Prackett’s ventures. If you fail to disclose one, the deal will be torn up, and you will go to prison. Why were you really at her house?
Eaton: Because now she can pay me what she owes.
Aram: Because of the prenup. Wait. Wait, why does she owe you money?
Eaton: I remember you. From The Defiance.
Aram: What did you do for her?
Eaton: [ Chuckles quietly ] You don’t want to know.
[ The metal shed ]
Lussier: You were gonna let him kill me.
Park: He was bluffing.
Lussier: He was right about coincidences. They don’t happen here. You need to have a purpose to come here. I know yours was to kill me.
[ Door opens. Wyatt enters pointing a gun and throws handcuffs to Park and Lussier ]
Wyatt: Put them on.
Park: Or what? You’re gonna shoot us? You want us to wear these, you’re gonna have to put them on us yourself.
Wyatt: You’re too feisty for your own good. Anyone ever tell you that?
[ He tries to put the handcuffs on Park ]
Park: All the time.
[ ⚡️Fight ⚡️] [ Grunting ] [ Park wins easily, leaving Wyatt unconscious, lying face down. She puts cuffs on him. Lussier gets Wyatt’s gun, which he points at Park ] [ Gun cocks ]
Lussier: I know you blame me for what h-happened, but I didn’t kill her.
Park: [ Recognizing him ] Lussier–?
Lussier: But looks like you did come back here to die.
[ The FBI field office in Anchorage ]
Connor: AKRCC’s running search and rescue assets out of Elmendorf, and the state troopers have their infrared chopper in the air as we speak.
Ressler: Were you able to monitor radio frequencies up here?
Connor: All 406 emergency locator beacons.
Ressler: She knows your protocol, so if she still has a radio, expect her to try to make contact.
Liz: What about the land granted to Operation Washtub? Have you located it?
Connor: We’re working on it.
Ressler: Yeah, well, work harder.
Connor: This mission was a mistake to begin with. Park got herself into this situation, and it’s an unfortunate one, but these people, the ones who are searching for her, they’re the very best at what they do, and they will do whatever they can to find her. Now, if you’ll excuse me, we got a location on the camp.
[ Connor leaves ]
Ressler: What is it with her and Park?
Liz: Park’s history here is– complicated.
Ressler: Meaning?
Liz: Park made mistakes. Connor covered on the promise Park would not return.
Ressler: Covered? What did she do?
Liz: You have a black sheep in your family. Let’s just say Park has a black sheep of her own.
[ The encampment ] [ Men speaking indistinctly ] [ Lussier cracks open the door of the metal shed and looks out ]
Park: You’ll never make it.
Lussier: Really? Watch me.
Park: I stand a better chance.
Lussier: I doubt it. Seeing as how I’m the one with the gun.
Park: You’re lucky if it’s 20 degrees right now. Once the sun drops behind that ridge, it’ll fall below zero, and that’s before dark.
Lussier: I’m not letting you out.
Park: I know we’re on the south side of the Bagley Icefield. I also know if we can get to Quill Creek, it’ll point us toward the highway. You, on the other hand, you’re a junkie lost in the woods. A nobody from nowhere. You said so yourself.
Lussier: Why would you h-help me?
Park: I’m helping myself. You’ll die out there, Edward. But if you leave me, I’ll die in here.
[ Lussier pauses, then hands her the keys ]
Park: The bullets.
Lussier: Hmm?
Park: I don’t care if you carry the gun, but I carry the bullets. Think of it as the first step towards you and I trusting each other.
[ Together they sneak out of the metal shed ] [ Men speaking indistinctly in distance ]
Gerrit: Mr. Ullulaq, we have a situation.
[ They walk over to the shed ]
Wyatt: [ Groans ] I’m sorry. I never saw it coming.
Ullulaq: Well, they couldn’t have gotten that far. Take Gerrit with you. Radio the camp when you find their footpath.
Park: As far as I’m concerned, there’s no end to the charges they could bring against you, but murder is the only one that matters.
Lussier: I know you think that, but you’re not gonna do anything about it.
Park: You killed my mother.
Lussier: You tell anybody, I’ll go public. I know what happened at Anchorage Correctional. Yeah. How you put J. Yost in a wheelchair. Yeah. I know about those cops you paid off. I know how you, uh, held Wade Leek at gunpoint. And I know you– you broke the law in enough different ways in order to try and find me that you friends at the FBI had to cover it up.
Park: We need to keep moving.
Lussier: You hear me?
Park: It’s getting late.
Lussier: You turn me in, I’ll tell them everything. Every gory detail. No, you’re not gonna say anything to nobody.
[ Lussier has been following Park a couple meters behind. He sees a large branch and picks it up. He runs toward her with the branch raised to strike he. She is unaware ]
Lussier: ‘Cause you’re not walking out of these woods–
[ Lussier steps in a bear trap⚡️]
Lussier: Aah! Oh!
Park: Don’t move!
[ Park comes to Lussier‘s aid. She tries to pull the jaws of the trap apart ]
Lussier: [ Screaming ]
Park: Hold on! Hold on!
Lussier: Pull! Harder! Harder!
Park: I’m trying! I can’t!
Lussier: I’m begging you! Please! Please!
Park: I’ll be back.
Lussier: No. Don’t leave me. You can’t! I’m begging you. Please.
Flashback:
Park’s Mother: [ Begging ] Please. Please. Sweetie, I’m begging. Please. Please.
[ Alina Park is a young girl. Tearfully, she shakes her head ‘no’ ]
Lussier: I’ll die here!
Park: I can’t open the trap. Not on my own. I’ll get help, and I will come back.
Lussier: And if they get here first?
[ Park gives him the bullets ]
Park: You only got six. Aim carefully.
[ She runs off ]
[ The encampment ]
Gerrit: [ On radio phone ] Twamie, we got a situation.
Ullulaq: You find them?
Gerrit: Scouts radioed. We got a breach. Feds on the south ridge.
[ 💥🔥💥 Explosions 💥🔥💥 ] [ 💥🔥💥 ]
Ressler: FBI! Hands in the air! Put your weapons down!
[ 💥💥💥 Gunfight 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
[ Ullulaq aims his shotgun ]
Liz: Freeze!
[ Twamie Ullulaq freezes. He turns around and sees Liz ]
[ Indistinct shouting ] [ Indistinct conversations ]
[ An FBI TAC Agent comes up to Ressler ]
TAC Agent: Sir. She’s not here, sir.
⋘⋙
[ Liz walks up to Ullulaq ]
Liz: Hey, where is she? Answer me.
Ullulaq: Why would I want to do that?
Gerrit: [ On radio ] Twamie.
Liz: Your men have her or are looking for her. Either way, you’ve been in communication. Where are they?
⋘⋙
[ Gerrit walks up to Lussier. Others follow Gerrit with Park ]
Gerrit: Now, that’s a piss-poor hiding spot.
[ Lussier gets the gun ]
Gerrit: Put it down. Slowly.
Lussier: Okay. Okay, wait, wait. Just wait!
[ Lussier puts the gun down and raises his hands ]
Lussier: All right? Please. I can help you.
Gerrit: I don’t think you’re gonna be much help at all.
Lussier: No, listen. I have information about your FBI agent there. You know, things she’s done. You could use her to barter with the police, cut a deal.
Gerrit: We don’t have orders to make deals. Our order’s to make examples out of you.
Lussier: Wait, hold on. I’m telling you, she’s a dirty cop.
Gerrit: Not anymore she’s not.
[ Gerrit turns to shoot Park ]
Ressler: FBI! Put the gun down!
[ 💥💥 Gunshots 💥💥] [ Gerrit falls behind a tree trunk ] [ Several of Gerrit’s group are shot ]
[ Liz runs up to Park ]
Liz: You okay?
[ Gerrit rises and is about to shoot Park ]
Park: Keen!
[ Lussier shoots 💥 Gerrit before he can shoot. Lussier drops the gun and puts his hands up, surrendering ]
Lussier: [ Shivering ]
[ Park stares at Lussier ]
[ The FBI field office ]
Liz: You okay?
[ Lussier is wheeled by in a wheelchair ]
Park: Better than him. My mother’s boyfriend from Anchorage.
Liz: The one you’ve been hunting all these years. How is that possible? Did you know he was here?
Park: Of course not.
Liz: How did you two end up in the same place together?
Park: I think we both know the answer to that.
[ Aram leads Elodie through the war room of the Post Office ]
Elodie: I can’t believe I’m back in a blacksite. You know, I knew that you had a cool job, but, I mean, this is so cool–
[ Aram opens a door to a room where Wilbur Eaton sits ]
Elodie: What’s he doing here?
Aram: Sit down.
Elodie: I can explain.
Aram: Explain what? That Charles didn’t find Les Fleurs du Mal? You did.
Eaton: I told him about our arrangement.
Elodie: There is no arrangement.
Eaton: How you came to me, got me to invite your husband and made sure he was selected for the challenge.
Elodie: He came to the house–
Aram: Selected to die.
Elodie: He wanted money. He said he would tell these lies if I didn’t give it to him.
Aram: But Charles didn’t die. And then I showed up. When we insisted you go to The Defiance, you got Eaton to pick you. I thought I was saving you, but– you two had worked out a way for you to save yourself.
Elodie: No. I would have died without you.
Aram: No. You used me. You got me to open up to you. That’s why you kept asking about Blacklisters. To seduce me into giving you a murder weapon.
Elodie: You can’t believe that. I can’t believe you would take his word over mine.
Aram: Your word, then– Did you kill him?
Elodie: I love you.
Aram: Did you kill Charles?
Elodie: No.
Aram: I hope that’s true.
[ Sizzling ] [ Red is cooking Shiozake, Japanese-style salted salmon, and drinking white wine ]
Red: Agent Park.
Park: You kidnapped Lussier. They found him inside your truck, didn’t they?
Red: We can discuss that over Shiozake.
Park: You orchestrated this whole thing. You put us together.
Red: I intended on bringing you together, yes, by abducting him, not you. That was unforeseen. But in the end, it served the greater good.
Park: You have no business interfering in my life.
Red: I do when your life interferes with my business. I know about your mother and her relationship with Mr. Lussier.
Park: How could you know that?
Red: Because I must. You’re an excellent agent, Alina, and a loose cannon. I need the first, and I won’t tolerate the second.
Park: So you put us together so I could, what? Exact my revenge and become less uncontrollable?
Red: My world is filled with people seeking revenge. I can see it every time I look at them. It’s as distinct as a birthmark. But I look at you and see none of that. I don’t see a quest for vengeance. I see a smart, capable young woman filled with self-loathing, and I think if you have a debt to settle, perhaps it’s with yourself.
Park: Lussier’s an addict who supports his habit through armed robbery and theft. I settled my debt with him when I gave everything I knew about his crimes to the Alaska bureau.
Red: And the debt you owe yourself?
Park: [ Sighs ] I settled that by giving them nothing about what he did to my mother. Because he– did nothing. The heroin did. They were addicts, and they were helpless to help each other. I was helpless, too.
Red: You were a child. You couldn’t be expected to help. You shouldn’t hate yourself for that.
Park: After he left, she was shaking and vomiting and doubled over in pain. I was 7. All I saw was that she was in pain, and I wanted that pain to stop.
Flashback:
Park’s Mother: Sweetie, I’m begging. Please.
Park: So I did as I was told.
Flashback:
[ Young Alina Park tightens a length of plastic tubing around her mother’s arm ]
Park: At first, she was so– happy. The pain just disappeared. And then her eyes rolled back into her head, and– she died.
Flashback:
[ Alina’s mother dies ]
Young Alina: [ Crying ]
Park: She overdosed. I overdosed her. I don’t hate myself because I couldn’t help my mom. I hate myself because I killed her.
[ Fort Slocum park ] [ Aram waits ]
[ Bike bell dings✨ ] [ Brakes squeal ] [ The Hasidic man stops his bicycle. He takes the blood analysis report out of the bike basket and hands it to Aram ]
Aram: Thank you.
[ The man rides off. Aram unfolds the report and reads ]
[ Cooper’s office ] [ Knock on door ]
Cooper: Agent Park, come in. I hear congratulations are in order.
Park: Thank you, sir. We got lucky, sir.
Cooper: Diligence is the mother of good luck. What’s on your mind?
Park: Anchorage and my past there.
Cooper: I’ve read your file. I know things got a little bumpy near the end.
Park: Bumpy would be a gracious choice of words. Sir, there are things that happened in Anchorage, things I did that you’re not aware of. You should be.
[ Gregory Alan Isakov’s ♫ “Berth” plays ]
[ Cooper uncorks a bottle of Scotch and pours ]
Cooper: So, what sort of things?
[ Cooper slides a glass of Scotch to Park ]
♪ Silver winged, broken English, boys they smoke
Talk and joke above the water ♪
[ Later, Cooper stands by Liz by the yellow staircase ] [ Above on the landing, Ressler sits next to Twamie Ullulaq, booking him ]
Liz: It’s strange. I know we solved at least part of the Alaska Triangle, but after all he was promised, it’s hard not to empathize.
Cooper: I’ve spoken to Agent Park–
Liz: And now he’s going to prison for the rest of his life.
Cooper: She told me about Anchorage. She told me you know. I’m curious as to why you didn’t feel the need to say anything to me.
Liz: I didn’t say anything because I don’t think you should do anything.
Cooper: She didn’t just bend the rule book. She broke it.
Liz: And I can understand why you would have a hard time accepting that. But when it comes to family, it’s complicated. I know that’s true for me. You know better than anyone, I haven’t always been my best self. I don’t think any of us have. Honestly, I think you should give her the benefit of the doubt. I think in a situation like this, we should give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
♪ She was born with open hands
Her color, color, color is coming back
[ Ressler, on the landing, flips through pages. His phone vibrates. It’s his brother. Ressler shakes his head ]
Quit all that, quit all that, quit all that looking back ♪
[ Door opens ] [ Aram enters the room where Elodie sits ]
♪ Quit all that, quit all that, quit all that looking back ♪
Aram: You have the right to remain silent.
[ Elodie is led away in handcuffs. Aram follows ]
Aram: [ Voice-over ] Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.
♪ Quit all that, quit all that, quit all that looking back ♪
Aram: Do you understand these rights I have just read to you?
Elodie: No. I don’t understand it at all.
Aram Neither do I.
[ Elevator doors shut ]
⬆ go to start of 7:14 Twamie Ullulaq
⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ Berth
By Gregory Alan Isakov♪ Silver-wing-ed, broken english, boys they smoke
Talk and joke, above the water
New York lady, holding in her heavy hand
Sacred lantern, guiding dawn♪ Quit all that, quit all of that, quit all of that looking back
I quit all of that, quit all of that, quit all of that
Quit all that, quit all of that, quit all of that looking back
I quit all of that, quit all of that, quit all of that♪ Casting glances backwards, but it’s not your fault
Turned to salt for wondering
In your braids and heavy pages, we were folded
Kiss the cold and dirty ground♪ Quit all that, quit all of that, quit all of that looking back
I quit all of that, quit all of that, quit all of that
Quit all that, quit all of that, quit all of that looking back
I quit all of that, quit all of that, quit all of that♪ Seasons wake with sleeping birds now flying south
Covered mouth, we watch in awe
Fallen pines to shape the skyline, take me there
Beneath the barren colored moon♪ (Quit all that, quit all of that, quit all of that looking back
I quit all of that, quit all of that, quit all of that)Greeting all the masses
From their teeming shores
She was born with open eyes♪ (Her color, her color, her color is coming back
Her color, her color, her color)♪ Quit all that, quit all of that, quit all of that looking back
Quit all that, quit all of that, quit all of that looking back
Quit all that, quit all of that, quit all of that looking back
Quit all that, quit all of that, quit all of that looking back♪ Quit all that, quit all of that, quit all of that looking back
Lyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/2VgooA6
YouTube: https://youtu.be/uZHj4gFN4x8
⬆ go to start of 7:14 Twamie Ullulaq
⏫ go to top
❌❌❌ End 7:14 Twamie Ullulaq
🔴 Script 7:15 Gordon Kemp (№ 158)
Program air date: 4/17/2020 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-aow
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/2VBCkoD
Director: Andrew McCarthy
Written by: Jonathan Shapiro, Lukas Reiter
Brief (Where we’re at): After his trucks carrying a precious cargo of smuggled ambergris ended up in the bottom of an Alaskan lake, Red aranged to deal with two problems at once: solving the mysterious disappearances in the “Alaskan Triangle” and arranging for Agent Alina Park to confront the man she had been searching for for years and who she held responsible for the death of her mother, her boyfriend and fellow heroin addict, Edward Lussier. In the end, after Edward saved Park’s life, she was forced to confront the fact that it was she who killed her mother, when as a child of seven, she responded to her mother’s pleas and injected her with heroin, accidentally overdosing her.
Park, Liz and Ressler solved the Alaska Triangle mystery after setting a trap by running one of Red’s trucks through the area. It was hijacked by a group led by Twamie Ullulaq (Blacklister #126), a Native American who had been trained in counter-insurgency by the CIA during the Cold War, only to have the promises of housing and schools that were promised evaporate when the Cold War ended. So Ullulaq’s crew had turned to highway robbery, using the skills learned from the US Government.
Red also helped Aram, who had discovered his girlfriend Elodie, whose husband had just died after being in a vegetative state for month, had a prenuptial agreement ~ something she had told him did not exist. This made Aram question whether Elodie had killed her husband. Aram took a blood draw from Elodie’s husband’s corpse and had it processed using Red’s contacts. The test turned out positive and Aram was forced to arrest Elodie for murder, despite the feelings they had both developed for each other.
⭕ Script 7:15 Gordon Kemp (№ 158)
[ Red and Dembe enter a convenience store. Both Red and Dembe are wearing tuxes. Red is talking on the phone to Glen Carter ]
Red: No, Glen, it’s fine. We’re already here. Yes, it’s right up the street from Cher’s hotel. Yeah. We get the ice, pick up the diva, and in a half-hour, she’s serenading Trudy with “If I Could Turn Back Time.” Best retirement party ever. Yeah. No, Glen. I told you, it is what it is. There’s no, all of a sudden, requesting “Half Breed.” All right. Okay, thank you. Bye. Y-Yes. Fine. [ Call ends ]
[ The cashier, a young woman, Sofia Salgado, is looking at her phone ]
Red: [ To Sofia ] Do you have any of the really big bags of ice? Miss?
[ Sofia looks intently at her phone ]
Red: Excuse– Sorry to pry you away from your text or tweet or “twhatever.”
[ Sofia looks up, almost in tears ]
Red: Are you all right?
Sofia: It wasn’t a tweet. It was– It was an e-mail. [ Smiling ] I just– I just got accepted into college.
Red: Oh, my God! Dembe! Look!
[ Sofia shows Red the e-mail ]
Red: Chapel Hill?
Sofia: Yeah.
Red: Wow, congratulations. Your parents must be so proud.
Sofia: Yeah, my father passed last year, but my mother act– I actually have to call my mom, but the ice is in the back.
Red: Thank you. Congratulations.
Sofia: Thank you.[ Laughs ]
[ Door opens ✨ ] [ Red and Dembe walk to the ice freezer ]
Red: Oh, my gosh.
⋘⋙
[ A young man, Edward Martell, enters the store ]
⋘⋙
Red: This is a moment that woman will never forget. We should buy her something to celebrate.
⋘⋙
[ Sofia calls her Mom ]
Sofia: [ Laughs ] I got accepted.
[ Edward grabs a bag of chips and goes to the checkout. He pulls out a gun ]
Edward: [ Low voice ] Put the phone down. Now.
[ Sofia drops her phone ]
Edward: Come on. Now give me the money, okay?
[ Sofia presses a button on the side of the counter and opens the cash register ]
Edward: Um– Come on. Move.
[ Cash register beeps✨ ]
Edward: Hey. No alarms. Hear me?
[ Sofia gives the cash to Edward. He stuffs it in his pocket ]
[ Siren wailing🚨 ]
Edward: What did you do?
Sofia: I didn’t do anything!
Edward: What did you do?!
Sofia: I didn’t do anything!
Edward: I said no alarms!
[ Edward shoots 💥 Sofia ]
Sofia: [ Gasps and falls ]
[ Red and Dembe both 💥shoot 💥💥💥💥Edward. He is hit multiple times ]
[ Red walks over and looks behind the counter. Sofia is dead in a pool of blood ]
[ Dembe gets the tape from the surveillance feed and wipes Red’s fingerprints from the bottle of sparkling wine they were going to buy. Red takes Edward’s IDs ]
Dembe: Raymond. Raymond, we have to go.
[ Red pauses again to look at Sofia’s body, then follows Dembe ]
[ 🚨Sirens wailing🚨 ]
[ Ilya Koslov (aka Frank Bloom) looks nervously out of the window of his apartment. He goes to a desk and takes out a gun and binoculars ] [ Below on the street is parked a blue Chevy Malibu with the license plate partially obscured by mud or clay. Ilya writes down as much of the number as he can see ]
Ilya: [ Panting ]
Flashbacks:
Ilya: –You don’t have to do this.
Katarina: I’m afraid I do, love.
⋘⋙
Katarina: The plan. Tell me what you remember about that plan.
Linda (his wife): [ Echoing ] Frank?
Flashback:
Ilya: Stop.
Victor Skovic: I need to bring him out.
Linda: [ Echoing ] No! Frank!
Ilya/Frank: What?
Linda: You’re looking at the cars again.
Ilya: What?
Linda: There’s nothing out there.
Ilya: The blue car is back.
[ Frank looks down on the street. The car is gone ]
⋘⋙
[ Frank runs out of the entrance to his apartment building, followed by Linda ]
Frank: [ Panting ]
Linda: Frank! Frank, stop! Frank.
Frank: [ Excitedly ] The blue car!
Linda: Frank–
Frank: [ Hysterically ] It was back! It was right there!
Linda: Frank, come inside. Please! Come on. Come on. That’s it.
[ Linda guides Frank back inside ]
[ Red’s apartment ] [ Liz reads a story with the headline “Botched Mini-Mart Robbery Leaves Two Dead.” The story includes a photo of Sofia Salgado ]
Liz: An armed robbery at a mini mart.
Red: The clerk was shot and killed.
Liz: That’s the case– a shooting at a mini mart that left the clerk and one of the robbers dead at the scene?
Red: Well, there was only one robber. The police suspect he was killed by an accomplice who wanted the cash for himself. They’re wrong.
Liz: And how do you know that?
Red: Because I shot him. We shot him– Dembe and I.
Liz: You were there.
Red: She’d just been accepted to college. The girl, Sofia. Had her whole life ahead of her. All the good and all of the bad. The triumphs and mistakes. Gone. Like a story erased.
Liz: You know how he was killed because you killed him.
Red: We killed the man who committed the crime, but not the man I hold responsible for it.
Liz: And who might that be?
[ The Post Office ] [ Liz briefs the task force ]
Liz: Fine Caliber Arms International is a 100-year-old gun manufacturer run by Gordon Kemp, who inherited it from his father eight years ago and promptly started making the FineCal 9.
Ressler: The gun of choice for violent young criminals in Chicago and Atlanta.
Liz: And dozens of other cities. It’s the cheapest 9mm on the market. A gun with no collectible value except that it’s a readily available, affordable weapon for street-level criminals.
Cooper: So, what, Edward Martell, a 19-year-old with a long rap sheet, murders a clerk with a FineCal, and Reddington puts the company that legally manufactures them on the Blacklist?
Liz: Reddington put Kemp on the Blacklist because police have seized more FineCals than every other semiautomatic weapon combined, and Kemp keeps flooding urban markets with them.
⋘⋙
[ Gordon Kemp is exercising on a treadmill when his assistant enters ]
Anne Fleet: There’s been a local shooting. Victim had just been accepted to college. Press is working that angle, as well as the rising number of deaths connected to the FineCal this year.
Gordon Kemp: Get the team. I want the narrative changed. By lunch!
⋘⋙
Liz: Reddington holds Kemp responsible for the death of Sofia Salgado. For some reason, seeing her die really got to him.
Agent Park: We’re supposed to believe Reddington’s after Kemp because he’s emotionally affected?
Aram: Or because Kemp sells guns? Mr. Reddington sells them, too. Maybe he’s targeting a competitor.
Ressler: No, as far as know, Reddington only sells weapons for military use. Of course, that includes armed insurrection, but military nonetheless.
Cooper: Okay, but he’s asking us to target a company that’s not committing any crimes.
Liz: It’s okay to flood high-crime neighborhoods with cheap guns?
Cooper: If you want my personal opinion, buy me a drink after work and we’ll talk.
Ressler: Or you can have my opinion now. This is a crime problem, not a gun problem.
Cooper: The Task Force investigates crimes, not legal conduct we disagree with.
Liz: It’s a crime to knowingly sell a gun to a criminal.
Cooper: Does Reddington have a good-faith basis to believe that’s what Kemp is doing?
Liz: Maybe. He gave me a lead on the man who sold Edward Martell the murder weapon. He says if we find him, he’ll give us all the good faith we need.
[ Ressler walks up to a couple on the street, James Dalman and his girlfriend Carly Ambers )
Ressler: James Dalman.
Dalman: Eh, I don’t think I know you, chief.
Ressler: No, but I know you. [ Flashing badge ] Take a walk.
Dalman: [ To Carly ] It’s okay, baby. This will just take a minute.
[ They walk a few yards away ]
Park: Here’s what we know. You have felony convictions for assault and burglary. You’re hooked on Oxy, and you make ends meet trafficking guns.
Dalman: Is this about child support?
Park: Sofia Salgado was murdered by Edward Martell who used a FineCal 9 he bought from you.
Dalman: So this isn’t about child support.
Ressler: We know you sell FineCal 9s. With your record, we know you don’t buy them yourself. What we want to know is who you get them from. Look, you’re going to prison. This is your one chance to help yourself. Give us a name.
Dalman: [ Pauses ] Can’t do it. [ Panting ]
[ Carly is making a call ]
Park: I think you just did.
[ A conference room at Fine Caliber Arms International (“FineCal”) ]
Anne Fleet: We issued a press release condemning the shooting and made a $100,000 donation to the NRA’s Safety Education initiative.
Gordon Kemp: Make it $250,000. And leak our agenda for our sit-down with Senator Jennings.
Fleet: To discuss sensible gun legislation to curb senseless gun violence.
Kemp: Clever. Sensible. Senseless. Use that in the release. And where are we with the ex-boyfriend?
Staffer: We’re not sure that’s something we should leak to the press.
Kemp: Research uncovers that the victim dated someone with a connection to a local gang, and we’re not going to leak that? The connection was secondhand at best. Right now, we have broad industry support. We could lose it playing that kind of hardball.
Kemp: This girl’s death was a tragedy that we are not responsible for.
⋘⋙
[ Sofia’s mother, Ana Solgado, mourns over her casket ]
⋘⋙
Kemp: If it requires playing hardball to keep us from getting blamed for it, then that’s what we’re going to do.
Fleet: There’s a gun show in the county where the shooting occurred. Maybe you should go, keep our talking points in the press.
[ Red is riding in the back of his Mercedes as Dembe drives ]
[ Cellphone rings ]
Red: [ On phone ] Ilya. What’s going on?
Ilya: I’ve got a shadow. He’s outside my place right now.
Red: Who’s outside?
Ilya: The guy in the Chevy Malibu. He’s been out there for over an hour.
Red: Listen to me. Stay where you are. I’m gonna send Dembe.
Ilya: For all I know, he’s not alone, Raymond. There– There may be others. It may be her.
Red: Ilya, Dembe will be there soon. Just keep your head down.
[ Red hangs up ]
Dembe: Is he having another episode?
Red: Yes. Blue Chevy again. [ Sighs ] Just drop me at the Post Office. You go make sure he’s okay. When I’m finished with Harold, I’ll call you.
Dembe: Raymond, why are you doing this?
Red: Doing what?
Dembe: Speaking with Harold, giving him this case.
Red: She was an innocent. So many for so long have been innocent. I’m sick of it.
[ Cooper’s office ] [ Live video into Carly’s interrogation room is visible on the computer screen above ]
Cooper: She bought 30 FineCal 9s at a gun show in West Virginia from the booth run by Judson Firearms.
Red: Federally licensed dealer.
Cooper: Passed the background check with no problem. Apparently, she told him she was starting a personal collection.
Red: And she gave all 30 to Dalman, the boyfriend.
Cooper: Yes. He turned around and sold them on the street.
Red: She can’t be more than 23, 24.
Cooper: She’s a classic straw purchaser, and we can definitely charge her.
Red: Her? I’m interested in more than her, Harold. You need to take this up the food chain.
Cooper: And how do you suggest we do that?
Red: For starters, you can make a case against Judson Firearms for selling guns to a buyer they should have known would put those guns in criminal hands.
Cooper: You know how hard a case like that would be to prove.
Red: I disagree. A young woman with an address in the city who’s suddenly decided to collect guns – 30 identical guns. 30 of the cheapest guns on the market, which just happen to be the most popular among young, violent criminals?
Cooper: She passed the background check.
Red: How did she pay for them?
Cooper: Cash.
Red: Harold.
Cooper: Her age isn’t enough. I’m not sure the volume of the sale is, either. Now, if there were a second sale– If Judson sold to her again only a few month after she bought 30 guns, there’s no way they’d think it’s because she’s a collector.
Red: You want to send her back in, this time, on the record.
Cooper: And tell her to buy another 30. For her “collection.”
[ Ilya sits on his sofa. A ceiling fan turns overhead, creating a hypnotic effect against the lights ]
Flashback:
Katarina: You were my friend.
Ilya: There are things about this you can’t possibly understand.
Katarina: Oh, but I want to understand. In fact, I insist!
⋘⋙
Flashback:
[ Ilya hangs from the ceiling with a cord around his neck ]
Ilya: [ Choking ]
[ Floorboards creak ]
Ilya: Linda? Honey?
[ Ilya gets up and looks out of the window. He sees the blue Chevy Malibu parked below ]
[ Someone raps on the door. Ilya is afraid to answer and ducks into a corner ]
[ The door creaks open. When the person comes close, Ilya jumps him ] [ ⚡️Fight⚡️ ]
Ilya: [ Panting ]
Flashback:
Katarina: Hunted like an animal!
⋘⋙
Flashback:
[ Car 💥🔥💥 EXPLODES 💥🔥💥 in attempt to assassinate Katarina ]
[ ⚡️Fight continues⚡️ ]
Ilya: [ Grunting ]
Flashback:
[ Images flash by: Young Katarina ~ Ilya connected to memory extraction machinery ~ Ilya falling on table⚡️]
⋘⋙
Fragments of memories:
Katarina: Why won’t you help me!
Ilya: You go to hell!
Krilov: You need to stop.
Katarina: Reddington.
Dembe: [ Muffled ] It’s me!
Flashback:
Katarina: Whoever he is, he’s still out there. Answer me! Why!
[ Ilya in memory extraction shaking uncontrollably ]
Dembe: It’s me! Ilya, it’s me! Dembe.
[ Linda brings a glass of water and sits down on the sofa next to Ilya ]
Ilya: Dembe. I know what I saw, Dembe.
Linda: You’re tired. You should lie down.
Ilya: It’s her, I know it.
Linda: Why don’t I get you something to eat?
[ Linda leaves ]
Ilya: [ Sighs ]
[ Dembe places a call ] [ Cellphone dialing ]
Ilya: You know I’m not making this up. I know what I saw.
Dembe: [ On phone ] Raymond. Yes, he says he needs to speak with you.
[ The gun show ] [ The crowd mills around ] [ Gordon Kemp talks to a reporter ]
Kemp: Are we concerned? Of course. But I think the public understands we can’t be held responsible when violent individuals commit crimes with our weapons.
⋘⋙
[ Ressler, Liz and Park are dispersed through the crowd. They check their communications ]
Ressler: Com check – Everyone read me?
Liz: I’m here. Affirmative.
Park: Loud and clear.
[ Cooper and Aram are at home base at the Post Office ]
Cooper: We hear you, Agent Ressler. We could use a visual.
Park: Camera’s up.
Ressler: Everyone seeing what I’m seeing? It’s Gordon Kemp himself, sweet-talking the press.
Cooper: Let him. One big fish at a time.
Liz: I’ve got eyes on Carly. She’s approaching now.
⋘⋙
[ Carly Ambers, who cut a deal for leniency by agreeing to stage an illegal sale, walks up to Ken Judson’s booth ]
Carly: Excuse me?
Judson: Hey. I know you. We’ve done business before. No problem with the last sale, I hope.
Carly: No. No problems. The opposite, actually. I liked them so much, uh, I was thinking I’d buy more.
Judson: Really? Uh, how many more?
Carly: [ Nervously ] Uh, I was thinking another 30.
Judson: I’m sorry, remind me your name?
Carly: Carly Ambers.
Judson: Are you feeling okay, Carly? You don’t look so well.
⋘⋙
Ressler: He knows something’s wrong.
⋘⋙
Carly: I’m fine.
⋘⋙
Cooper: He has to know she’s not a bona fide collector.
Liz: She’s a wreck. He’d have to be blind not to see it.
⋘⋙
Judson: The 30 you bought last time, that was for a personal collection?
Carly: [ Excitedly ] Yes. I just want to get more.
Judson: All right. No worries. We can do that.
Carly: Look, I’ve got the cash, if that’s what you’re worried about.
[ Carly slams the bag of cash on the counter ]
Judson: No, no, I just need to get a little more information.
Carly: I can buy from someone else. You’re not the only one that sells FineCals.
Judson: There’s no reason to raise your voice.
Gordon Kemp: [ From a few feet away ] Kenny. Can I grab you for a moment?
⋘⋙
Liz: Heads up, that’s Kemp.
Cooper: Stay with them. Agent Keen, adjust your position.
⋘⋙
[ Judson walks over to Kemp ]
Kemp: What’s going on?
Judson: I got a few red flags. She bought 30 FineCals a few months ago, and she wants 30 more.
⋘⋙
Cooper: Agent Keen, we can’t hear.
⋘⋙
Judson: I don’t like it.
⋘⋙
Park: They’re too far from the mic.
⋘⋙
Judson: She’s from the same area where that mini mart shooting just happened. If she’s passing them on to somebody else–
⋘⋙
Liz: Unbelievable. Did you catch that?
Cooper: Did he just warn Kemp that this might be a straw purchase?
⋘⋙
Kemp: I’m sorry. It’s so loud in here, I didn’t hear all that.
⋘⋙
Liz: Oh, he heard.
Aram: Damn right, he heard.
⋘⋙
Kemp: What? I couldn’t make that out. I didn’t hear what you said, but I don’t really see an issue. She’s a collector. It’s your job to run a background check and if she passes–
Judson: I agree. I just–
Kemp: Kenny. Make the sale.
⋘⋙
Liz: I say we take them both.
Ressler: You can’t arrest them unless they know they’re selling to a prohibited buyer.
Liz: Kemp doesn’t want to know.
Cooper: Agents Park? Ressler?
Park: Sounds like Kemp’s the one driving this.
Ressler: You pick up a gun manufacturer, you better be ready for the heat that follows.
Cooper: To hell with the heat. I’m asking if you think Kemp’s guilty.
Ressler: Yeah.
Cooper: Then take him. But do it quietly.
[ Liz and Ressler confront Kemp ]
Liz: [ Low voice ] Gordon Kemp. Agents Keen and Ressler, FBI. You’re under arrest. We need you to come with us.
Kemp: [ Loudly ] I’m sorry? Did you say FBI?
Liz: Keep your voice down. We’d like to do this quietly.
Kemp: [ Loudly ] No, I won’t keep my voice down.
Liz: We need to do this quietly, sir.
[ A crowd has gathered ]
— FBI! It’s a raid!
— They’re undercover posing as part of the crowd.
— You got a search warrant? If not, you got no right to be here.
Ressler: Listen, you’re gonna be arrested for obstruction, so back up.
Kemp: Friends, calm down. There’s no need for this. They don’t have a case. Let’s not them provoke us into violence to justify attacking us and taking our guns. We are not the lawbreakers, they are.
[ Interrogation room ]
Ressler: We have you on video advocating a sale of 30 semiautomatics to a 24-year-old woman you had to know was a straw purchaser.
Gordon Kemp: I had to know? You guys are agents, right? Not lawyers.
Liz: It has to bother you that a young woman like Sofia Salgado was murdered using one of your guns.
Kemp: I feel terrible about Ms. Salgado and every victim of gun violence killed by my weapons or any weapons. I make guns. I don’t get to choose how people use them. Nobody goes after the carmakers when a driver intentionally runs someone down.
Liz: Is that your vision for the world, Mr. Kemp? That we only care about people, about human life, when the law explicitly tells us we have to?
Kemp: Oh, sorry, I thought I was with the FBI, not The Brady Campaign.
Ressler: Look, I’m a member of the NRA, and I believe in the Second Amendment, but what you do, pouring more and more weapons into high-crime areas – that has nothing to do with keeping a well-regulated militia and everything to do with making a buck.
Kemp: And I make more of it every time a shooting goes viral. Not only am I not stopping, I’m ramping up production. In fact, I just ordered shipment of 6,000 FineCals from my factory in Atlanta to my distribution center in Chicago.
[ Cooper pops his head in ]
Cooper: We’re done here. Mr. Kemp’s attorney just secured a hearing on his arrest.
Kemp: [ To Liz ] Is this a great country, or what?
[ Red is now at Ilya/Frank and Linda’s apartment ]
Linda: You watch the cars. All day, Raymond, that’s what he does. He watches the cars.
Ilya: I know what I saw, Raymond. She’s watching.
Linda: Nobody’s watching, Frank. This isn’t happening. Tell him.
Dembe: There was no car when I came.
Linda: Ever since that woman broke into our apartment and dragged him off and tried to access his memories – I mean, whatever they did to his–
Ilya: Linda, stop.
Red: It’s okay.
Linda: Things in our life were normal and quiet and ordinary before you came back. And I know the two of you share a past I can’t even begin to imagine, but Frank and I had a life, too. Together. Our life was good. It’s his life with you that’s troubled.
Ilya/Frank: Isn’t fair to blame Raymond.
Red: Listen to your wife.
Linda: You’re sick, Frank. Something is wrong, and we need to get you help.
Red: She’s right. You need help. There are people I know who–
Linda: Raymond. You don’t understand. We need to do this on our own.
Red: I’m sorry I ever dragged you into this. I’m so sorry.
[ Red and Dembe exit the apartment building ]
Dembe: You did the right thing, Raymond.
Red: Too little, too late, I’m afraid. I never should have involved him, let alone her. A whole th–
[ In the side mirror of his car, Red sees the blue Chevy Malibu ]
Red: I’ll be damned. [ To himself and Dembe ] Good for you, Ilya.
Dembe: There’s someone in the driver’s seat.
Red: I wonder what the hell this means.
[ A hearing room at the courthouse ]
Judge Borns: Thank you for joining us, Director Cooper. Before making record in open court, I thought it best to have a private conference.
Assistant US Attorney (AUSA) Sam Horan: Your Honor–
Judge: Not you. I’m here to hear what he has to say. Director Cooper, I assume you knew this arrest would be controversial, and yet, you did it anyway.
Cooper: Reluctantly.
Judge: Mm-hmm.
Cooper: Because I believe Mr. Kemp knew Ms. Ambers wasn’t the actual buyer of those guns. He was conspiring to sell them to someone prohibited from buying them.
Gordon Kemp’s Attorney: My client had no way to know that.
Cooper: You’ve seen the video. Carly Ambers is 24, a pawn being used by her boyfriend, a two-time felon. She was visibly nervous–
Kemp’s Attorney: Is that the legal standard now? Is my client supposed to assume customers who seem nervous are buying their weapons on behalf of criminals?
Cooper: She was paying in cash, a classic indication of an illegitimate purchase.
Kemp’s Attorney: Your Honor, my client is a manufacturer, not a mind reader. Bottom line, Carly Ambers can pass a background check. He’s not obligated to investigate who her boyfriend is or anything else about her. His arrest is all over the press. This is outrageous.
AUSA Horan: What’s outrageous is Mr. Kemp’s disregard for reality. Your Honor, you know what happened here. Carly Ambers didn’t wake up one morning and suddenly decide to collect 60 identical guns over the span of four months. That is unreasonable to believe. She doesn’t own any other guns. She doesn’t know anything about guns.
Kemp’s Attorney: Objection. She’s not required to own other guns, and Mr. Kemp is not obligated to test her knowledge.
Cooper: The dealer knew there were red flags. He warned Mr. Kemp that she might be a straw purchaser.
Kemp’s Attorney: It is not apparent what was said. The audio is poor. And my client clearly didn’t hear that warning.
Cooper: That’s for the jury to decide.
Judge: Well, I’m not even sure you get to a jury with the facts before me now.
Cooper: Oh, okay. I see what’s going on here. You called us into chambers because Your Honor didn’t want the public to see you toss a valid arrest war–
Judge: Watch it, Director.
Cooper: Watch what? We’re off the record. What are you afraid of, incurring the wrath of the gun lobby?
Judge: Mm-hmm. I’ve heard enough. All right, get out. All of you. I will review the evidence and let the parties know when I have my ruling.
[ Later; same hearing room ]
Judge Borns: We are on the record. So, let me be clear – It is not for this court to tell the FBI how to do its job or who to arrest. But I do note, however, that the U.S. Attorney’s Manual, FBI Handbook, and Justice Department policy says that no prosecutor will bring a case that he does not have a reasonable belief that he can win.
AUSA Horan: We believe we can win.
Judge: Yes, but you face an extremely high burden. You need to prove that Mr. Kemp knew – or he should have known – that he was actually selling those guns to a prohibited buyer. Hmm?
And don’t get me wrong, straw purchases – serious problem in this country. There may be more than 30,000 attempted straw purchases every year – but the seriousness of the problem does not change the requirements for what the government needs to make its case. Well, Ms. Ambers’ age and the volume of the purchases – they’re facts that certainly give me pause, but are they enough to conclude that Mr. Kemp and his associates committed a federal criminal offense? I think not. I find the evidence insufficient to sustain the charges. Therefore, in the interest of justice and judicial economy, this case is dismissed without prejudice.
Cooper: May I address the court?–
Judge: No, you may not. You have my ruling. The matter is sealed, and the defendant will be released. We are adjourned.
[ Outside the hearing room ]
AUSA Horan: Hey, I respect you for trying. It’s not just about passing new laws. We should be doing more to enforce the laws we have.
[ Gordon Kemp exits the hearing room ] [ Ana Salgado, Sofia’s mother, has been waiting for him ]
Ana Salgado: Murderer! Selling the gun that killed her wasn’t enough? Now you have to lie about her being a gang member?
Kemp: We don’t make the facts, Mrs–
[ Ana Salgado ⚡️slaps⚡️Kemp ] [ Another woman puts her arms around Ana’s shoulders and guides her away ]
Kemp: [ Panting ] That’s assault. Aren’t you gonna arrest her?
Cooper: [ To Kemp’s lawyer ] Get your client out of here before someone does something even worse.
[ Outside Ilya and Linda’s apartment, a woman, Esi Jackson, sits in a car. She adjusts a large camera with a scope ]
[ Dembe gets in the front seat and points his gun at her ]
Dembe: Drive.
[ Engine starts ]
[ Cooper calls Red at home ]
Cooper: You heard Judge Borns dismissed the case against Kemp?
Red: Yes. Elizabeth brought me up to speed.
Cooper: Then I assume she also mentioned Kemp’s next shipment?
Red: She did.
Cooper: I know Agent Keen is frustrated. We all are. But the law says Kemp can ship those guns.
Red: How did Dickens put it? ‘If the law says that, then the law is an ass.’
Cooper: I want your word that you won’t interfere with that transport.
Red: Frankly, Harold, the thought hadn’t even occurred to me. But now that you mention it, that sounds like a rather splendid idea.
Cooper: Listen to me. I know we’ve looked the other way or even helped blur the lines from time to time in the interest of justice, but going after a legal shipment because you personally believe it deserves to be stopped is over the line, and I won’t allow it.
Red: Well, how are you going to do that? By sending me to my room without supper?
Cooper: By stopping you.
Red: Touché.
[ Welshly Ames’s ♪ “Who We Are” plays ]
Red: [ On phone ] Heddie, I need you to reach out to Chuck and Morgan and some of the boys. I believe we have a job to do.
♪ I’ve done some things I won’t forget ♪
[ Heddie, Chuck and crew get busy setting up the heist ]
[ Cooper and Ressler visit Gordon Kemp in his offices ]
Kemp: You can’t be serious. You expect me to trust you?
Ressler: We understand your reservations, but the fact is, the last time we met, we were just doing our jobs.
Cooper: And that’s what we’re doing now – informing you of a threat made to your next gun shipment.
Kemp: What kind of a threat?
Ressler: The FBI has credible intelligence that your next transport from Atlanta to Chicago will be hit in transit.
Kemp: What kind of intelligence?
Cooper: We’re not at liberty to say.
Kemp: You’re not at liberty to– Oh, I see what’s going on. You think you can scare me so I’ll give you details of my shipment. If you can’t stop me, this way, you can track where the guns are going.
Cooper: Mr. Kemp, we’re here as federal agents because your shipment is in jeopardy. Personal feelings aside, we’re here to assist you.
Kemp: Pass. I have my own security.
Cooper: Of course, if you refuse, we can get a court order and stop transit altogether.
Kemp: On what grounds?
Cooper: Our intel makes transporting the guns on a public highway inherently hazardous. Look, you can fight us, or you can accept our assistance.
Kemp: What a waste of tax dollars.
Cooper: So glad the Bureau could be of service.
[ They turn and leave ]
♪ Each one quicker than the last
That it leaves us stronger in the end ♪
[ In Red’s plane ]
Red: What do you think?
Dembe: It’s a bold plan. You’re gonna need to keep your distance.
Red: Agreed. I’ll hang out on the jet. Edward’s gonna make a run to this restaurant he loves – China Moonlight – for some of that tea-smoked duck. You should look at the menu. If everything goes as planned, we’ll be in and out by dusk and have dinner on the flight home.
[ The Post Office ] [ Cooper and Aram will control the logistics from there ]
Cooper: Are we ready?
Aram: Good to go. I’ve got three routes mapped out and agents are on-site.
[ Phone rings. Cooper puts the call on speaker ]
Cooper: Talk to me.
⋘⋙
[ Liz is at the loading dock in Atlanta with Gordon Kemp, Ressler and Park ]
Liz: We’re looking at three identical trucks.
Gordon Kemp: Is this really necessary?
Ressler: Unless you want your shipment hijacked, it is.
Kemp: Can’t you just protect the one with the guns?
Cooper: [ On phone ] We roll all three. Two haul empty containers, only one carries the guns. Each truck will take a different route to Chicago and be led by an FBI vehicle with four armed agents.
Kemp: Fine. Just let me know which one is real, and I’ll tell my people to load it up.
Aram: I can track each route via satellite. Just need to know which one’s real.
Cooper: Keen, I want you chaperoning the real shipment. Agents Park and Ressler will escort the decoys. Perhaps Reddington will be more reticent about hijacking the vehicle you’re with.
⋘⋙
[ Dembe is observing the activities at the loading dock in Atlanta though binoculars ]
[ Dembe calls Red ]
Dembe: We have a problem. The Task Force is escorting the shipment.
Red: [ On phone ] Harold couldn’t leave it alone. No matter. We stay with the plan.
Dembe: There’s more. They’re rolling three identical trucks. We’re only prepared to stop one. We’ll have to guess and get lucky.
Red: Lucky? There’s no luck in Three Card Monte. It’s a sucker’s game.
Dembe: And we’re the ones being hustled.
Red: I don’t play sucker’s games, and I don’t like to guess. I’ll call you back.
[ Red makes a call ] [ Cellphone dialing ]
⋘⋙
[ Liz’s cellphone vibrates ] [ Radio chatter ] [ Liz see’s “Nick’s Pizza” (Red) but doesn’t answer ]
Ressler: All right, we’re ready to roll out.
Cooper: Stand by for my command.
Aram: Checking CCTV feeds. Confirming all routes are clear.
[ Liz’s cellphone vibrates again. She steps away from the group to take the call ]
Liz: [ Exhales sharply ] Not now.
Red: Elizabeth–
Liz: Not a good time.
Red: I-I know about Harold’s decoys. I need to know which truck has the goods.
⋘⋙
Aram: Cameras are up.
Cooper: Agent Ressler, you have the all-clear.
Ressler: Okay, let’s load up.
⋘⋙
Liz: I can’t talk.
Red: Then just listen. Because while Harold may be dedicated to getting this shipment through, I am equally dedicated to stopping it. Not for me or for the poor woman who lost her life to one of these guns but for her mother. Could you imagine your only child just about to go off to college– how proud she must have been? How proud Sam was when you got into the FBI Academy. How proud you’ll be–
Liz: I’m hanging up now–
[ Liz gets into the SUV with the driver. Other agents sit behind them ]
Red: Elizabeth, please. Let me get these guns. Hell, we’ll sink the truck in a lake somewhere.
Ressler: [ Calls out ] Hey, Keen, you ready?
Liz: [ Shouts back to Ressler ] Copy that. On your go. [ To Red, on her phone ] I’m hanging up.
Cooper: [ Over SUV’s comms ] Keen, who are you talking to?
Red: [ To Liz ] Theoretically, one should assume Ressler would drive the shipment. He’s the most experienced field agent, the obvious choice, which is why perhaps it won’t be him.
Cooper: Keen.
Red: And Agent Park– she’s new. I don’t know. My hunch is, Harold put the shipment with the badass in the bunch. I think it may be you. Does your truck have the guns, Elizabeth?
Liz: [ To FBI crew in the SUV with her ] Keep a bumper lock on that truck. You, too. Eyes wide.
Red: [ On phone ] Elizabeth, please.
Cooper: Is that Reddington?
[ Red and Cooper cannot hear each other, but each can hear Liz ]
Liz: [ To Cooper ] Yes, and I was just explaining to him that we have a job to do.
Red: Listen, you don’t have to say a thing. I’ll count to 10. If it’s not your truck, hang up before I get there, but if it is your truck, stay on the line till after the count of 10. 1, 2–
Cooper: Tell Reddington I’m sorry, but he’s on the wrong side of history this time–
Red: –3, 4, 5, 6–
Cooper: –and if he thinks we’re gonna break or even bend the law because of his opinion on this issue, he’s dead-wrong.
Red: –7, 8–
Aram: All right, here we go.
Red: 9–
Cooper: Understood?
Red: 10.
Liz: [ To Cooper ]Yes, sir. Understood.
Red: Thank you, Elizabeth.
[ Dembe is at his perch overlooking the loading dock ]
Dembe: They’re leaving now.
⋘⋙
[ The trucks and SUV escort vehicles pull out. Cooper and Aram communicate from the Post Office ]
Aram: Okay, Agent Ressler, stay south on 21 toward Independence.
Ressler: Copy that, Aram.
Aram: Agent Park, CCTV shows you are clear. So you want to take the second exit. Confirm, second exit.
Park: Affirmative, second exit.
Liz: Stay on 65?
Aram: Yes, Agent Keen, that is right. Stay on State Road 65 for 12 miles.
⋘⋙
Liz: Aram, we’re on Talmadge approaching Younes. There’s smoke on the horizon. Do you show any hazards ahead?
Aram: Smoke. Hang on. Uh, no. Uh, no, there are no accidents reported in that area.
[ There is are vehicles blocking the road ahead ]
Liz: Don’t stop.
Driver: I have to. Road’s blocked.
[ The SUV stops ]
Liz: [ To truck driver ] Driver, lock down the cab. Do not exit the vehicle. [ To agents in the SUV ] You three, watch for an ambush.
[ Liz gets out and approches the stopped vehicles ]
⋘⋙
[ The scene is staged as an accident. Two men dressed as police officers crouch over a man lying on the road. One administers CPR. Their backs are to Liz. Heddie Hawkins holds a (fake) bloody cloth against her forehead ]
Red: [ On phone ] Heddie, what’s happening?
Heddie: Hang tight, sugar plum. They’re approaching us right now.
⋘⋙
[ Liz approaches the scene ]
Liz: Officer, I’m with the FBI.
[ The two men spin around and aim their guns at Liz ]
Red’s man Morgan: Hands.
Liz: Cooper, it’s a trap. We’ve been hit. It’s a trap.
— Put them up.
— You’re under arrest.
[ Liz, the drivers and agents raise their hands. The “officers” force Liz to the rear of the truck. Heddie walks with them ]
[ Chuck goes to the back of the truck and rolls up the cargo door. The truck bay is empty ]
Red: [ On phone ] Heddie, what’s happening? What’s wrong, Heddie?
Red’s man Chuck: It’s empty. The truck’s empty.
Heddie: [ To Red ] We hit the wrong convoy.
Red: That can’t be.
Heddie: Babe, it is.
Cooper: [ Into the speaker phone ] Thank you, Mr. Reddington. It was a pleasure doing business.
[ Chicago ] [ Ressler’s truck backs into a garage. Ressler gets out. Gordon Kemp comes down a metal staircase ]
Kemp: Any problems?
Ressler: No. None.
[ A man rolls up the cargo door. The shipment is inside ]
[ Cooper’s office ] [ Liz knocks on door, enters ] [ Door closes ]
[ Liz sits across from Cooper. He folds his hands ]
Liz: [ Disbelief ] You lied to me. When you told me I’d be carrying the guns, you knew you were sending them with Ressler.
Cooper: Yes.
Liz: That whole conversation was fake, put on for my benefit so that I’d think I’d have the guns? [ Accusingly ] You don’t trust me.
Cooper: [ Angrily ] I’m sorry, are you actually angry at me? You betrayed us. You told Reddington which truck to hit. I was right not to trust you. You chose them over us, over your job, over the law.
Liz: Some laws deserve to be broken.
Cooper: Not by you, not while you’re carrying a badge.
Liz: You knew I would tell him?
Cooper: I thought you might, and I couldn’t take that chance. I’m angry at you, Elizabeth, and disappointed. But, most of all, I’m worried. With Reddington, we blur the lines so often, it’s sometimes hard to see, for all of us. What worries me is that, at times, it could be especially hard for you.
Liz: [ Quietly ] Because I have dark impulses.
Cooper: Yeah. And today, you gave into them.
Liz: [ Pause ] So what now?
Cooper: [ Sighs ] I just delivered 6,000 guns to a man I believe to have no moral compass. God knows how many people may die as a result. Today was a terrible day. And it might be more than I can handle if I thought you and I couldn’t forgive each other.
[ Ilya and Linda’s apartment ]
Ilya: [ Sighs ] So I was right.
Red: You were. Where will you go?
Linda: I don’t know yet. Some place far away.
Red: Whoever it was, it wasn’t her. She’s dead.
Linda: Good. Because she did this to him.
Red: I’ll look into it. I’ll take care of this. All you need to do is take care of yourself, stay safe.
[ Red and Dembe leave ] [ Door opens, closes ]
[ Dembe visits Brimley, Red’s interrogator, bearing ~ board games ]
Brimley: Dembe! Perfect timing.
Dembe: Here is the “Scrabble” and the “Parcheesi.”
Brimley: Thank you, these are great.
Dembe: Are you sure board games are the best tools for interrogation?
Brimley: You’d be surprised. The real breakthrough actually happened during “Oregon Trail.” And then there was such a great feeling of comfort and familiarity with “Chutes and Ladders.” A real sense of nostalgia.
Dembe: Did she tell you who hired her to watch Ilya?
Brimley: Not yet. But I think you’re gonna be very surprised with the level of detail we’re going to get with “Scrabble.”
[ Brimley wheels his oxygen tank into the room where Esi Jackson sits ]
Brimley: Okeydokey. Here we go.
[ Chicago ] [ Workers unload the crates of handguns ]
Anne Fleet: [ On phone ] Yeah, everything’s accounted for. Midwest shipments are going out now.
[ In his home, Gordon Kemp talks to Anne ]
Kemp: Thanks to the FBI, should be our best quarter yet. I’ll see you in the morning.
[ Kemp enters his darkened living room. Red is sitting there. He turns on a lamp. He has a gun ]
Kemp: Who are you? What do you want?
Red: I want you to come have a seat.
[ Kemp sits across from Red ]
Red: You know, for my entire professional life, I’ve been a fervent and faithful supporter of gun manufacturers. These people take great pride in their history and exquisite craftsmanship. The guns they make are the tools of my trade. In the right hand, that’s exactly what they are. A proper tool. For sport. Protection. Order. In the wrong hands – the hands you put your guns in – they subvert order, tearing communities apart, ruining lives, resulting in tragedy.
Kemp: You’re Raymond Reddington.
Red: I’ve lost so many friends to gun violence. Dear friends.
Kemp: Not ’cause of me. Not ’cause of anything I did.
Red: Yes, yes, of course. You dot the I’s, cross the T’s, and, in your world, those rules protect you. But in my world, there are no laws to hide behind. You can act in bad faith as long as you’re willing to face the consequences.
Kemp: What consequences?
Red: The wrath of men like me. I object to what you’re doing, and I don’t need to convince any court to agree with me. In my world, if I think you’re guilty – I just execute sentence.
Kemp: Please. Please, don’t do this.
Red: I heard– heard someone else beg at the point of one of your guns. She said please, too. And then she was murdered. Now, I understand it can be hard to see tragedy for what it is until that tragedy befalls you or a loved one. Well, I’m here to tell you that’s happening to you. About an hour ago, a violent criminal bought one of your FineCal 9s on the street for $100, and now that criminal is going to shoot you with it. Tragic.
[ Red shoots💥💥 Kemp ]
[ Ana Salgado lights a candle and adds it to the memorial to her daughter outside the entrance of the convenience store where she was murdered ]
[ Liz visits Red at home ]
Liz: It was Cooper. He tricked me.
Red: You seem put out by it. Don’t be. Take it as a compliment.
Liz: That he doesn’t trust me?
Red: That he knows you’re a person of conviction and principle.
Liz: A lot of good my principle did. Kemp got all of his guns.
[ Red has been drinking red wine. He pours a glass for Liz ]
Red: Yes. He got his.
Liz: What did you do?
Red: I acted on my conviction and principle.
Liz: Cooper says we blur the line between right and wrong so often, we can’t see it clearly anymore. I know I can’t.
Red: I disagree. I find you increasingly clear-eyed. I’m sorry that the Task Force had to take sides today, but it meant a great deal to me to know you were on mine.
[ Red’s cellphone rings ]
Red: Excuse me. Any news?
Dembe: [ On phone ] The woman in the blue Malibu – She’s a private eye, Raymond. Hired to learn what she can about Ilya. It was Elizabeth. She hired her. She knows you’re not Ilya and she’s been keeping it from you.
[ Red eyes glare at Liz. Liz is looking down ]
Red: I understand. [ Hangs up ] [ Sniffs ]
Liz: Is everything all right?
[ Red raises his glass ]
Red: To being on the same side.
[ Liz raises her glass ]
Liz: At long last.
⬆ go to start of 7:15 Gordon Kemp
⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ Who We Are
By Welshly Arms♪ I’ve done some things I won’t forget
But still I live with no regrets
I’ve taken liberties, now they belong to me
Yeah, they belong to me♪ And I’ve walked a dark and narrow road
To places no one goes alone
And everything I’ve seen
Is written on my sleeve
It’s got its mark on me♪ Let’s start a fire
Let’s pull this trigger
‘Cause all these bruises
Make our skin thicker
Now everybody
Can see our scars (can see our scars)
It’s what we’re made of
It’s who we are
It’s what we’re made of
It’s who we are♪ And every day will come to pass
Each one quicker than the last
We learn from each mistake
With every bone we break
That it leaves us stronger in the end♪ Let’s start a fire
Let’s pull this trigger
‘Cause all these bruises
Make our skin thicker
Now everybody
Can see our scars (can see our scars)
It’s what we’re made of
It’s who we are
It’s what we’re made of
It’s who we are♪ We need some patience (need some patience)
To ease our minds (ease our minds)
These years of trouble (years of trouble)
Will fade in time (fade in time)
We all need some love (need some love)
To get by (to get by)
Pull the curtain (pull the curtain)
And see the light (see the light)♪ Let’s start a fire
Let’s pull this trigger
‘Cause all these bruises
Make our skin thicker
Now everybody
Can see our scars
It’s what we’re made of
It’s who we are♪ Let’s start a fire
Let’s pull this trigger
‘Cause all these bruises
Make our skin thicker
Now everybody
Can see our scars (can see our scars)
It’s what we’re made of
It’s who we are
It’s what we’re made of
It’s who we are
It’s what we’re made of
It’s who we areLyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/2z3eme7
YouTube: https://youtu.be/ys48nWyMmjQ
⬆ go to start of 7:15 Gordon Kemp
⏫ go to top
❌❌❌ End 7:15 Gordon Kemp
🔴 Script 7:16 Nyle Hatcher (№ 149)
Program air date: 5/24/2020 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-apn
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/3eB9L3a
Director: Tessa Blake
Written by: Katie Bockes
Brief (Where we’re at): Once more, just as it seemed Liz and Red are on the “same side,” Red found out that Liz hired a private investigator to find his friend Ilya Koslov (now known as Frank Bloom). Liz has known for some time that Red is not Ilya, as she was told in a tale spun by her grandfather, Dominic Wilkinson. Ilya and Dom were both KGB operatives and both were involved in an attempt to kill Katarina Rostova, Dom’s daughter and Ilya’s friend. Katarina was also a KGB operative and infamous spy, who made enemies by joining The Cabal, a secret group of cross-national power brokers. Dom wanted Liz to think Red was Ilya, and to keep her from finding out the truth: that he (Dom), with help from Ilya, had attempted to assassinate Katarina to protect Liz (aka “Masha”). But Liz did find out, when she figured that her new next door neighbor and ersatz nanny was indeed her mother. After gaining Liz’s sympathy, Katarina has again gone into hiding, but not before staging her own death to fool Red.
But as Red was not Ilya, who was he? DNA analysis of skeletal remains proved that Liz’s father, the real Raymond Reddington, is dead. *Someone* underwent plastic surgery to assume his identity, but who? Liz intends to find out, but Ilya, who she hired a private investigator to find, has again gone into hiding. The reason why Red became Liz’s hidden benefactor, then the confidential informant for the Reddington Task Force, and increasingly her friend, remain inscrutable.
But one thing is clear, increasingly Liz has been inclined to see things from Red’s point of view, especially when the legal system and law enforcement fail to deliver “justice.” This played out in Episode 7:15 Gordon Kemp (Blacklister #158) about the unscrupulous manufacturer of cheap handguns who the justice system was utterly incapable of holding accountable. So Red stepped in and delivered “justice” in his signature way.
Director Cooper has warned Liz about how working with Red has made it increasingly difficult for them all to discern the line between right and wrong. But just as Liz seemed inclined to ‘be on Red’s side,’ he now has a new reason to mistrust her. Of all the things he’s done, of all the lives taken and lost, what can he be hiding or who is he protecting that he would need to continue to keep the knowledge of his true identity from her at all costs?
⭕ Script 7:16 Nyle Hatcher (№ 149)
[ 10 months ago ]
[ Ominous music plays ] [ Police radio chatter ] [ At the site of a plane crash, people in HazMat suits look for the bodies ]
Sheriff: Hey, Hatcher. Coroner’s finished with the scatter at the tree line. Probably got another seven or eight down there.
Nyle Hatcher: So they’re released?
Sheriff: Yep. All yours.
Hatcher: [ Calls out ] The feds say we’re clear. Start bringing the victims up. Take a team to the tree line and start moving ’em to the morgue.
[ Camera shutter clicking ] [ Suspenseful music plays ] [ Hatcher flips through the pages of a profile of a man named Abraham Geller. He takes a photo of the face of one of the victims, a male ]
[ People in Hazmat gear move bodies into a field morgue. A room is marked “Identification.” Nyle Hatcher is working inside ]
Tech: Here’s the next one, Hatcher.
[ Hatcher pulls the sheet covering the dead man’s face ]
Hatcher: Hello, Mr. Geller.
[ Making sure he’s alone, Hatcher takes out a needle and syringe ]
[ Indistinct conversations in distance ]
[ Knock on door ] [ Nyle Hatcher opens the door. A young, pretty, blonde woman, smiles ]
Young woman: Hey.
Nyle Hatcher: Hello. You must be Crystal.
Young woman: One and only. You look different than your profile picture.
Hatcher: You look the same. Better. [ Chuckles lightly ] Please. Why don’t you come in.
⋘⋙
Young woman: I don’t understand. Over the phone, you said–
Hatcher: I know what I said.
Young woman: If you’re a cop–
Hatcher: Please, I didn’t ask you here [ Inhales deeply ] for sex. Not like you think. It’s something different.
Young woman: I’m leaving.
Hatcher: Angela, sit down.
Angela Hendrickson (young woman): How do you know my real name? Who are you?
[ Ominous music plays ]
Hatcher: I’m someone who knows more about you than you might want to believe. I know about your father. I know about the medical debt, the collectors.
Angela: I said who are you?
Hatcher: Angela, there is something that I would like to tell you. Something very special that might just change your life. Would you like to hear about it?
[ Present day ]
[ Lis and Esi Jackson, the private investigator Liz hired to find Ilya Koslov, are in Ilya’s apartment, which is already been vacated ]
Esi Jackson: Already looked there. There, too. You do know I’m a private investigator.
Liz: You were made. Ilya obviously knew you were watching him.
Jackson: Maybe that wouldn’t have happened if you’d been honest about why you hired me.
Liz: I was honest. I hired you to find Koslov so I could question him.
Jackson: Does this look like a man who’s running from questions? He’s running for his life. Now, why would he do that?
[ Dembe’s mosque ] [ Sadiq Asmal, Dembe’s imam, talks with Dembe and Red ]
Imam Sadiq Asmal: They came here to the mosque, said that some of our members are communicating with Syrian jihadists.
Red: The FBI came?
Imam Asmal: Counterterrorism division. They wouldn’t tell me what they know. Maybe they’ll tell you.
Dembe: He knows about the Task Force.
Red: Does he?
Imam Asmal: I wouldn’t be much of a shepherd if I didn’t know the hearts and minds of my flock.
[ Red’s cellphone rings ]
Red: [ Sighs ] Excuse me. I’ll see what I can do.
[ Ringing continues ] [ Red steps aside ] [ Beep ]
Red: Is it done?
Esi Jackson: [ On phone ] My job is to find people, not to keep them from being found.
Red: Is it done?
Jackson: It is. Wherever Koslov went, she’s never gonna find him.
Red: Good. [ Beep ]
⋘⋙
[ Imam Asmal has left ]
Dembe: Imam Asmal is grateful for the help. We both are.
Red: Elizabeth knows I’m not Ilya. I wonder what else she knows.
Dembe: Perhaps you should ask her. She’s waiting in the park.
[ A park ] [ Birds chirping ]
Red: You have a case.
Liz: From my days in the Mobile Psych Unit. I’d like to dig into it.
Red: If it’s important to you, then it’s important to me.
Liz: You’re sure you don’t mind?
Red: Of course not. That’s what’s so nice about us finally being on the same side of things, same agenda. No subterfuge. What you want, I want.
Liz: And you’re okay with my involving the team.
Red: I am. In fact, I insist. Idle hands and all that. But I would like you to look into something for me.
Liz: Of course.
Red: It’s about Dembe’s– imam.
Liz: Is there something wrong?
Red: I don’t know yet. That’s what I need to find out. But first, tell me about this cold case of yours.
[ The Post Office. Liz briefs the task force ]
Liz: They called him the Boneyard Killer. His first victim was found just outside Rehoboth Beach when local police exhumed a body for autopsy. What they found was a second body buried in that same grave. A young woman four feet below the surface, resting just above a freshly buried coffin – murdered and hidden in the last place anyone would ever look for her. Since then, three women have been discovered this way in graveyards in Virginia and West Virginia. He was using the cemeteries as dumpsites.
Cooper: Anything significant about the graves that were chosen?
Liz: They were fresh. Easy to dig.
Agent Park: And the victims?
Liz: All young women with a history of sex work.
Aram: Okay, this is, uh, terrible, but sex workers are like 20 times more likely to be targeted by serial killers.
Liz: True, but none of his victims were sexually assaulted, no sign of defensive wounds, no pre- or postmortem mutilation. But the way he killed them– we found dirt in their airways.
Ressler: They were alive when he buried them.
Liz: Alive, yes.
⋘⋙
[ Nyle Hatcher’s cellphone ringing. He turns it off ]
⋘⋙
Liz: And unconscious. Pumped so full of sodium thiopental, they’d never wake up.
⋘⋙
[ Hatcher places a vial on a table, and a medical clamp. He spreads out a large sheet of vinyl ]
⋘⋙
Park: I don’t understand. He drugged them so they’d die in their sleep? Why would he do that?
Cooper: He didn’t want them to suffer.
Liz: The case went cold until a week ago, when flash floods hit Montgomery and upended a few graves at Greenfare Cemetery, including one unidentified body that wasn’t supposed to be there. Initial forensics suggest she was sedated and buried alive just like the others.
Cooper: Has the Bureau reached out to you?
Liz: No, and they’re not going to. They asked me to leave the case. They said my profile wasn’t– additive.
Ressler: So this is your cold case.
Liz: Yes.
Aram: What do you mean they thought your profile wasn’t “additive”?
Liz: I don’t think he wants to kill. I think he’s mimicking these profiles in order to hide some other agenda. What, I don’t know, but I think he finds satisfaction in something other than the act of the crime itself.
Cooper: Whatever his motive, these bodies were found by chance, and we can’t wait for another. Talk to the M.E. See what he knows. Let’s hope this newest tragedy will help you find this guy.
[ They disperse, but Liz grabs Cooper ]
Liz: Uh, sir, can I ask for another favor? Reddington says that counterterrorism is sniffing around Dembe’s imam.
⋘⋙
[ Imam Asmal bows down to pray ]
⋘⋙
Liz: He wants to know what they found.
Cooper: What were they looking for?
⋘⋙
[ Two men come up behind the imam, put a hood over his head and drag him off ]
⋘⋙
Liz: Syrian jihadists. Some of the congregants may be involved with Tahrir al-Sham. But Dembe thinks that’s impossible.
Cooper: I’ll make a few calls.
[ Medical Examiner’s Office ] [ Waiting for the M.E., Liz talks to Ressler ]
Liz: Ilya Koslov is out there somewhere, and I have no idea where.
Ressler: Do you know what your mother wanted from him?
Liz: I don’t. But she said her life depended on it.
[ Door opens ]
Medical Examiner: You were right. I looked at the original case files, and this does appear to be the work of the same killer. I have ID’d her as one Mara Lynne James. Now, the forensic evidence on your previous victims was limited, but this woman – the cold slowed the growth of bacteria, so I have a better picture of what happened.
Liz: Suffocation?
M.E.: With sodium thiopental to sedate her beforehand. Soil in the lungs. Same lack of any defensive wounds.
Liz: Was there any evidence of sexual assault?
M.E.: No, but she was sexually active.
[ He pulls back the sheet to reveal a c-section scar ]
Liz: She had a baby.
M.E.: The degree of scarring around the incision suggests she gave birth no more than a month before she was killed.
[ Woman screaming ] [ Angela Hendrickson is in labor. She sits in a bathtub full of water. A Midwife is with her, as is Nyle Hatcher ]
Midwife: Okay, now one more big push.
Hatcher: C’mon. You can do it.
Midwife: Come on. Push.
Angela: [ Gasps ]
[ Water sloshing ] [ The Midwife takes the baby ]
Hatcher: You did it.
Angela: Is everything okay? Isn’t he supposed to cry or some–
[ Baby cries ]
Midwife: Yes, she is. It’s a girl.
⋘⋙
[ The baby has been cleaned and dressed ] [ The Midwife gives the infant to Hatcher ]
Hatcher: Rest. Please. [ To the baby ] We have work to do.
[ Baby cries softly ]
[ The home of the mother of Mara Lynne James, whose body had just been ID’d by the Medical Examiner. Mara’s sister Nancy is also there ]
Mrs Margaret James: I tried to get her off the streets. We both did. We had every resource to help her.
Agent Park: We apologize for coming at such a difficult time. We’re sorry for your loss.
Ressler: We want you to know that we’ve deployed our Child Abduction Response team and alerted every law enforcement agency in the country.
Nancy James: What for?
Park: To find Mara’s child.
Nancy: Mara didn’t have a child.
Park: According to the M.E., she gave birth a month before she passed.
Mrs James: A baby?
Ressler: Did she have a man in her life?
Nancy: A man? [ Scoffs ] You do know what she did for a living?
Ressler: Did she talk about anyone in particular?
Nancy: Yeah, she talked. She talked all the time. None of it was ever true.
Mrs James: Nancy James, if you know something that could help that child–
Nancy: [ Sighs ] A year ago – 10 months maybe, she said she met a guy, [ Scoffs ] a big fish.
Park: Did she tell you his name?
Nancy: No. Just that he had a plan. A way for her to get out.
[ At the mosque, Sakiya, dressed in Muslim garb, dusts for fingerprints. Red and Dembe are there, as is Cooper ]
Cooper: CTD and MPD will be here in 20. I can’t hold them off any longer.
Dembe: Did the Bureau do this? Has my imam been arrested?
Cooper: CTD says no, but based on their findings, maybe they should’ve. The case file Agent Keen asked for.
[ Cooper gives case file to Dembe ]
Cooper: Apparently, two members have been smuggling shipping containers in and out of Syria.
Red: For Tahrir al-Sham?
Cooper: Unclear. We don’t know what’s being shipped or by whom.
Dembe: These members in the file. I’ve seen them at the services. I don’t see them as a threat.
Cooper: Then where are they? As soon as you called about the abduction, we put out a BOLO.
But it appears as if they’re long gone.
Red: Along with Imam Asmal. The Bureau didn’t do him any favors by questioning him here in the mosque. Made it appear as if he knew something and might talk.
Cooper: Can you be sure he didn’t know?
Dembe: If he said he didn’t know, he didn’t know.
Red: What was the port of origin?
Cooper: Latakia, Syria. Why?
Red: Ironically, smuggling on a large scale is a profitable yet surprisingly small club. And ever since civil war broke out in Syria, the margins on everything from weapons to medical supplies to narcotics to food going in and out of the country have been particularly bodacious. As such, there’s plenty of room for all the players. Turf has been designated. Territory agreed upon.
Cooper: Who got Latakia?
Red: A Greek fellow from Queens. A-And Greece.
[ Baby cooing ]
Midwife: How’s Mom? You doing okay?
Angela: Great. Can’t stop staring at her.
Midwife: She is adorable. You’re blessed. I’m gonna run to the store, but there was a call while you two were asleep. I didn’t want to wake you. An attorney. Geoffrey Entz. He said you would know what it was regarding.
Midwife: Such a cute baby. I’ll see you soon.
[ Baby fussing ]
[ The site of another mass casualty incident. Multiple drowning victims are laid out on a shoreline. Nyle Hatcher is kneeling next to one of them ]
[ Cellphone rings ] [ Beep ]
Angela: [ On phone ] I talked to him.
Hatcher: The lawyer? What did he say?
Angela: That he got the letter, but he didn’t want to discuss it over the phone.
Hatcher: Did he ask to meet?
Angela: Yes, but I-I didn’t think it would be this soon. I’m not prepared.
Hatcher: I told you, Angela. I have it all worked out. Like a script. I’ll coach you through everything. Listen, I’m not in a good place to talk right now, so let me call you back. [ Beep ]
[ Hatcher matches a file picture he has to the man lying in front of him ] [ Camera shutter clicks ]
[ The Post Office ]
Aram: I think I may have something. As you may know, genetic material passes from mother to child during pregnancy, but what you may not know is it also happens in reverse. Fetal cells cross the placenta and enter the mother’s body, making up as much as 10% of the free-floating DNA in her bloodstream.
Cooper: How does that help us?
Aram: Well, with the M.E.’s help, I was able to run the fetal DNA from Mara James against databases from genetic testing services. And with almost absolute certainty, the father of her child is – Jonathan McClaire.
Liz: The self-help guru?
Aram: The same. Author of six books. He runs workshops all around the world.
Cooper: A married man living a public life has a child with a prostitute? Bring him in. Find out what he has to say.
Aram: Right, uh, about that. Here’s the thing. He didn’t kill her.
Liz: Well, how do you know that?
Aram: Because he died 11 months before Mara James was murdered.
[ Nyle Hatcher works at his laptop. He pulls information on Roger Ashby, the dead man he had photographed at the drowning accident scene ]
[ Knock on door ] [ Another prostitute, Kendra Taylor, knocks on the door ]
⋘⋙
Hatcher: Kendra, what I am offering you is a chance to change your life.
[ Sirens wailing in distance ]
Hatcher: A way out. And forget about debt or your car payments. This is far more than that. If you can imagine, I am the last man that you ever have to meet in a hotel room. Ever.
Kendra: How much are we talking about?
[ Hatcher hands Kendra a folder. She reads ]
Kendra: Tell me again how this works.
Costas Korba: That’s it!
[ Costas Korba, the “Greek fellow from Queens” who Red had told Cooper handled shipments in and out of Latakia, Syria, rolls up the back door of a freezer truck full of sides of beef ]
[ Red and Dembe walk up ]
Red: Mr. Korba, what a pleasure! Your reputation precedes you. Mine may not, so allow me to introduce myself.
Costas Korba: I know who you are. You don’t scare me.
Red: [ Laughs ] My heavens. Is that A5 olive wagyu? I didn’t know you did business in Japan. Or did these just fall off a truck somewhere on their circuitous journey to Nobu Damascus?
Korba: I’m a legitimate businessman.
Red: Yes, I’m sure you are. But as it happens, I’m not necessarily interested in your beef. I’m really here to discuss Jalal Abbas and his friends, and whatever they’re bringing into the country from Syria.
Korba: I may have the face of an angel, but I’m not telling you anything.
Red: On the contrary, I think you’re going to tell me where they are and what they’re smuggling.
Korba: You think you’re the first guy to threaten me?
Red: I’m not threatening you, Costas. I’m threatening your livelihood. Did you know these cows that gave up their lives to be here today grew up on the island of Shodoshima? And let me tell you, those cows had it good. Frolicking over sun-dappled hillsides, dining on olive peels from Japan’s oldest plantation. I’m told one cow can sell for $40,000, $50,000 wholesale. Rounding down, I’m probably looking at 30 quarters. Given the average rate of cooling, once I kill the AC, you’ve probably got, what, 45 minutes before your half a million dollars of umami-flavored goodness will be worth less than a shinbone.
Korba: I don’t know what they had in those shipment containers. I don’t.
Red: But you know where they went.
Korba: Yes. Yes, I do.
[ Agent Alina Park and Ressler visit the widow of Jonathan McClaire, the self-help guru ]
Mrs McClaire: I didn’t know the FBI investigated car accidents.
Ressler: We’re not here about your husband’s death, Mrs. McClaire. We’d like to talk about his relationship with Mara James.
Mrs McClaire: What did she tell you? She signed a nondisclosure agreement.
Agent Park: Mara James is dead. She was murdered.
Mrs McClaire: Oh, my God. That’s awful.
Ressler: You said she signed a contract.
Mrs McClaire: [ Sighs ] My husband had an affair that resulted in a child. Ms. James approached our attorneys. Jonathan had only recently passed, and so I settled.
Ressler: We didn’t find a record of any settlement.
Mrs McClaire: It was sealed. My husband’s career was based on – [ Inhales shakily ] – the appearance of a happy marriage. Even now, I live off the book sales.
Park: And sales would dry up if anyone knew he’d been unfaithful. So you agreed to a secret settlement.
Mrs McClaire: Well, there was a DNA test, so I know it was his child, but – we were so happy. I still can’t believe he stepped outside of our marriage.
[ The Post Office ] [ Liz works at a computer ] [ Footsteps approaching ] [ Ressler walks up ]
Ressler: What am I looking at?
Liz: The victims we found eight years ago. Their bodies were so decomposed they didn’t have C-section scars like Mara’s, but take a look at this. Pockmarks along the pelvic bone caused by ligaments tearing during childbirth.
Ressler: Our victims were all mothers. If they all had babies, did they all have secret settlements?
Park: The point of secret settlements is that they’re secret. It could take months to track down the right courthouses and secure warrants.
Liz: That’s what I thought, but it’s a good thing we know a criminal who can cut through the red tape.
[ Micky, a clerk, sleeps in his chair ] [ Snoring ] [ His desk is covered with stacks of papers ]
[ Door opens ] [ Red enters and plops down a bottle of Scotch ]
[ Mickey chuckles ] [ Drawer opens ] [ He takes out two glasses ]
Mickey: I’ll be obliged to take a sniff in your company.
Red: Yes, I understand your feeling of obligation.
Mickey: Ahh!
Red: Mickey, how long have you been the file clerk for the courthouse? Must be going on 25 years. Shepherding a national database of pleadings and motions, suits and countersuits. Everyone’s dirty little secrets.
[ Pencil scraping ]
Mickey: Pearl’s angina has been acting up. Set us back a little more than usual.
[ Mickey hands Red the slip of paper he wrote on ]
Red: Huh. You’re worth it at twice the price. And Pearl is priceless.
Mickey: [ Laughs ] Brother, you sure know how to whet my whistle. Yes, sir, you most certainly do. [ Drinks ] Mmm! Ahh! So, what can I do you for?
[ The Post Office ]
Aram: Mr. Reddington pays for his wife’s angina medication?
Liz: Medication, hospital visits. I get the impression he pays for whatever the file clerk needs.
[ Cooper walks over ]
Cooper: What have you found in the settlements? I’m hoping it’s enough to justify the, shall we say, unorthodox way in which we obtained them.
Aram: The victims we’re aware of all had children out of wedlock with very wealthy men, and they all made paternity claims against the fathers, which were all settled.
Ressler: And within weeks of the agreements, each of the women were murdered.
Cooper: And the children?
Liz: We haven’t found a single one.
Cooper: So, what have we found?
Ressler: Death certificates. Turns out Jonathan McClaire wasn’t the only father who died before the mother of his child. They all did.
Liz: So five mothers who died soon after giving birth, and five fathers who died soon after conception.
Ressler: The men died in at least four states, all in crazy accidents – helicopter crash, a pileup on I-80. Each event was investigated, but cleared. No foul play. Nothing to connect them.
Park: Nothing except for a name. Nyle Hatcher. He signed one of their death certificates in Pennsylvania, which I thought was pretty odd, considering he’s a mortician in Bethesda. So I kept digging. Turns out he ID’d another victim in Delaware and notified next of kin in West Virginia.
Cooper: Doesn’t make any sense. A mortician from Bethesda dealing with bodies from places like Delaware and West Virginia.
Aram: According to his employment records, he used to operate a funeral home outside Rehoboth Beach.
Park: Makes sense. He had access to the cemetery.
Liz: And no one would question why a mortician was hanging around. Did you get an address?
Aram: 452 Elm, the same as the mortuary he currently operates – Sweet Rest Funeral Home.
Cooper: Keen, Ressler, get going. Aram, pull a warrant.
[ Ressler, Aram and Park leave ]
⋘⋙
Cooper: When you got the settlements from Reddington, did he say anything about Dembe’s imam?
Liz: He got a lead on the smugglers, [ Sighing ] and I think he’s going to pay them a visit.
Cooper: I don’t suppose it would do any good to remind him that’s our job.
Liz: He knows. He just doesn’t care.
[ Liz leaves ]
[ Liz and Ressler pay a visit to the Sweet Rest Funeral Home ]
Donna: Mr. Hatcher’s out today.
[ Cellphone ringing ]
Donna: Said he won’t be in until Monday. Said it’s a family matter.
Ressler: Did he say where he was going?
Donna: No. [ Ringing continues ] He’s not answering.
Liz: Do you have any other way of reaching him?
Donna: Not anymore. He used to keep an apartment upstairs. Now he only has his office.
Liz: We’re gonna need his current home address.
Ressler: And access to that office.
Donna: Um, okay, but it’s private. I’m not allowed in there.
Ressler: Well, that’s okay. I am. This is a warrant.
[ Door opens ] [ Ressler and Liz enter Hatcher’s office. It’s stacked with papers and folders ]
Liz: What the hell?
[ Ressler clicks on the computer. The profile of a woman, dressed provocatively, comes up ]
Ressler: This woman, he’s following her. He’s got all kinds of data.
[ Liz goes over to a large chest on the floor. She opens the top. inside is a canister, like a thermos ]
Ressler: Keen, what is it?
Liz: I’m not sure I want to know.
[ Kendra Taylor sits in an interrogation room. Aram enters ]
Aram: Kendra. Hi. I’m, um, Agent Mojtabai. [ Door closes ] You’re, uh– You’re not under arrest.
Kendra: Could’ve fooled me.
Aram: Yeah. About that– Let me– Let me get that for you.
[ Keys jingling ] [ Aram unlocks the handcuff on Kendra’s arm ]
Kendra: If I’m not under arrest, why am I here?
Aram: To talk about a man named Nyle Hatcher.
Kendra: In my line of work, I meet lots of men.
Aram: Right, um– This one runs a funeral home.
[ Aram spreads out photos of dead women killed by Hatcher ]
Aram: And– he murders women.
Kendra: Yeah, I know the guy.
[ Cooper’s office ]
Ressler: Hatcher was in Baltimore yesterday.
Cooper: The ferry-boat accident.
Liz: Sixteen people drowned. DMORT was deployed to identify the victims.
Ressler: The Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams. When there’s a mass-casualty event, morticians are brought in to help identify the bodies, assess cause of death.
Liz: The country is divided by region, and based on where the victims were found, Hatcher operates with Region III, which includes D.C., Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
Ressler: Which is why a Bethesda mortician gets access to rich men at crime scenes up and down the East Coast.
⋘⋙
[ Hatcher leans over the body of a deceased male ]
⋘⋙
Cooper: Well, we know how Hatcher interacted with the dead men. But we still have no idea what part he played – if any– in the paternity cases or the deaths of the mothers.
Ressler: Actually, we do.
Kendra: He didn’t want to hook up. I thought he did, but when I got there, he knew everything about me – family, money problems. He said he could fix all that.
Aram: By getting you pregnant and suing the father for paternity.
Kendra: He said no one would get hurt, that a rich dude would be a little less rich.
Aram: And the baby?
Kendra: He told me about these safe-haven laws where you leave babies at fire stations and they get adopted.
Aram: Adopted. Because the father would already be dead.
Cooper: Run that by me again.
Ressler: We found sperm in his office. There was a thermos, and in it, uh, there was a sample.
Cooper: Sperm from a dead man?
Liz: The rich dead man. The one Hatcher s-selected from his DMORT assignment.
Cooper: Did the men use a-a donor bank? Is that where he got the samples?
Liz: We don’t think so.
Cooper: Then what exactly do you think?
Liz: Hatcher inseminated the women using semen he extracted from the corpses. Apparently, sperm is viable up to 36 hours postmortem.
Ressler: He extracts the sperm, impregnates the mother, who then makes an embarrassing paternity claim that’s backed up by DNA. Now, rather than risk a scandal, the widow hushes it up with a secret settlement and no one’s the wiser because dead men tell no tales. Even about their seed.
Cooper: What about Kendra Taylor? Is she pregnant?
Aram: You never met Roger Ashby?
Kendra: No, the hookup was supposed to be tomorrow.
Aram: Is that what Hatcher told you, it was gonna be a hookup?
Kendra: He didn’t exactly say. Why?
Aram: Because Roger Ashby died yesterday in a ferry-boat accident.
Kendra: Like I said, all I know is the hookup was gonna be tomorrow, and after that, I was supposed to make a claim for child support.
Aram: Once the settlement was finalized, Hatcher would take the money, and you’d end up dead.
[ Angela Hendrickson is at the office of Geoffrey Entz, the Abraham Geller family attorney. She signs some paperwork ]
Geoffrey Entz: That’s the last of it. The money for you and your meal ticket will be wired to the account by end of business today.
[ Baby cooing ] [ Angela’s baby is the a stroller ]
Angela: Her name is Lily.
Entz: We’re done here.
[ Liz, Ressler and Park are in Cooper’s office. Aram comes in ]
Aram: Hey, um, guys, so, uh– Kendra says that she and the target never met. But that Hatcher told her she’d be impregnated tomorrow. By a man who died yesterday. So what am I missing?
Liz: The birds and the bees? [ Chuckles ] Lemme tell you, there’s a whole new wrinkle.
Park: I accessed Hatcher’s hard drive. He had a list of the fathers and how much the widows agreed to pay.
Cooper: We know all that from the secret settlements.
Park: You know almost all of it. There was another name. Abraham Geller. Wealthy hedge-fund guy. Died in a plane crash 10 months ago.
Ressler: Which might mean someone just gave birth to his child– and may have signed a settlement offer.
Cooper: Or her death warrant. You two, find the lawyer who handles the Geller estate. See what he knows.
[ Park leaves with Ressler ]
Aram: Um, the birds and the bees? What’s the new wrinkle?
Liz: [ Sighs ]
[ Angela is parked in her car. She comforts her baby while talking on her cell phone ]
Angela: Did the transfer go through?
Hatcher: Just. You did well. The hard part’s over. Your cut’s over a hundred thousand dollars, Angela. So drop off the child and meet me at Cedar Wind. I promise you, when you get what’s coming to you, your life will change forever.
[ Cellphone beeps ] [ Some distance away from Hatcher, men are digging a grave ]
[ Ressler and Park enter Geoffrey Entz‘s office ]
Ressler: Agents Ressler and Park, FBI.
Entz: Uh, what can I do for you?
Park: Was a paternity claim made against Abraham Geller?
Entz: I don’t discuss my clients’ cases.
Ressler: This isn’t about your client. It’s about a woman’s life.
Entz: I’m sure you can appreciate this is privileged information.
Park: Yes, but it’s a life-threatening situation. What you know could save Angela Hendrickson’s life.
Ressler: Has she been here?
Entz: Yeah. To chisel a decent family out of a small fortune.
Ressler: So she signed a settlement agreement. You wired the money?
Entz: I did. Less than an hour ago.
[ Angela is in her car at Cedar Wind Cemetary ]
[ Baby crying ] [ Angela gets out of the driver’s seat and gets in the back next to Lily who is in a car seat, leaving the back door open. She comforts the baby ]
Angela: Mm.
[ Hatcher appears suddenly and grabs Angela by the arm ]
Hatcher: I thought you’d be alone.
Angela: I– couldn’t leave her. I know it wasn’t what we agreed to.
Hatcher: Oh, no, don’t give it another thought.
Angela: [ Sighs happily ]
Hatcher: I’m glad she’s here. I think every child should have a loving home. Just not yours.
[ Hatcher injects Angela in the neck. She loses consciousness ]
[ Crying intensifies ]
[ Cooper’s office ]
Aram: I found her. Angela Hendrickson. Now, she’s not answering our calls, but she received a call outside a Rockville Fire station 30 minutes ago, and her cell just pinged a tower off county road 75.
Liz: What’s the green area?
Aram: That is Cedar Wind Cemetery in Livingston. [ Ringing ] Oh, cemetery. That’s bad.
Ressler: [ On speaker ] Ressler.
Aram: That’s, uh– That’s really bad.
Cooper: Ressler, we have a location. Keen will meet you on-site.
[ Cedar Wind Cemetery ] [ Hatcher is digging ]
[ Hatcher walks over to the car ]
[ Baby cooing ] [ Baby crying ]
Hatcher: Aww. Hey, baby. We’re almost finished. We’ll be home soon.
[ Angela moves ]
Hatcher: Oh, my. Angela, I am so sorry. I never meant for you to see this.
[ Hatcher injects Angela again ]
[ Crying continues ]
⋘⋙
[ Suspenseful music plays ]
[ Hatcher rolls Angela into the grave. He picks up his shovel and shovels dirt on top of her ]
[ Banging on door ] [ Jalal Abbas signals to other men and they take cover ] [ Banging continues ]
[ Jalal opens the door ]
Jalal Abbas: Yeah?
Dembe: Jalal?
Jalal: Who are you?
Dembe: A friend from the mosque.
[ One of the other men is about to shoot. Dembe shoots 💥 him first ]
— Aah! [ Grunts ]
[ Chuck and others of Red’s guys join Dembe ]
[ 💥💥💥 Gunfire 💥💥💥 ]
Jalal: Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot! Okay, okay! Okay! [ Breathing heavily ] [ Grunts ]
Dembe: [ To Jalal ] Go ahead.
⋘⋙
[ Hatcher continues shoveling dirt into the grave ]
⋘⋙
[ Red walks over to Jalal ]
Red: Where is Imam Asmal?
Jalal: I don’t know. I don’t. I’m sorry.
Dembe: You do. Answer the question.
[ The cemetery ] [ Hatcher leans over the infant in the car ]
Hatcher: Hello, little girl. We’ll be home real soon.
[ 🚨Sirens wailing 🚨] [ Tires screech ] [ FBI agents pile out of the vehicles, including Ressler and Liz ]
Hatcher: Good heavens.
[ Baby crying ]
Ressler: Hands! Put your hands in the air!
Hatcher: Got a baby here.
Liz: Where is she?!
[ Crying continues ]
Liz: Angela Hendrickson – where?!
Hatcher: I don’t– I don’t know who that is.
Liz: Where is she, Nyle?
[ Crying continues ]
Liz: Which grave?
Hatcher: I have no–
Liz: Answer me!
Hatcher: I have no earthly idea what you mean!
[ Liz calls out to the other agents ]
Liz: He doesn’t want her to suffer, so she’s sedated, but she may still be alive. We need to fan out. We’re looking for a fresh grave. There can’t be many.
[ Jalal’s house ]
[ Muffled coughing seems to come from the basement ]
Red: How do we get to the basement?
Jalal: I don’t have a basement.
⋘⋙
[ Suspenseful music plays ]
[ Agents search the cemetery with flashlights ]
⋘⋙
[ Red sees a seam in the floor covered with a heavy chest. He pushes it ] [ Creaking, rattling ]
Red: Morgan.
[ Creaking, scraping ] [ Morgan and Red push the heavy chest away. Underneath is a trap door. Red opens it ]
[ The cemetery ]
Ressler: Hey! I got something!
[ Liz runs over. She and Ressler dig into the dirt with their hands ] [ Breathing heavily ]
Liz: I feel something! [ Panting ]
[ They uncover Angela’s face. Liz feels her neck ]
Liz: She’s got a pulse.
Ressler: [ Shouting ] Get on the radio! Call the paramedics!
[ Ressler lifts up Angela ] [ Grunts ]
[ Dembe and Red descend the stairs to the basement ]
Red: What the hell?
[ In the basement are huddled 15 or so poorly clad women and children ]
Dembe: [ Foreign language ] It’s okay. Don’t be frightened. We’re not going to hurt you.
[ Interrogation room ]
Liz: The women you brutalized, how many were they?
Nyle Hatcher: I try not to think about them.
[ Paper rustling. Liz lays out photos of the dead women ]
Hatcher: It wasn’t personal. I needed hosts willing to break the law, and they did that just by showing up at my hotel room. Desperate and broke–
Liz: And what – dispensable?
Hatcher: It isn’t my fault that nobody cares when a prostitute dies.
Ressler: No, people care. Families care.
Liz: This was never about killing those women.
Hatcher: Agent Keen, I have spent my life surrounded by death – surrounded by the pain that comes with life’s end, the futility of it all. It’s a lonely existence. One that I thought money could change. So I came up with a way to steal money from people that wouldn’t care that it was missing – the dead. I like to think of them as “donors.” But the donors required hosts – women who, sadly, needed to die to protect the plan – which is why I chose women who needed to be freed from their otherwise insufferable lives. Finally, the plan requires a child.
Liz: What did you do with the children?
Hatcher: Well, I tell all the mothers that I plan to give the newborns away. Some mother don’t like that, and some, like Angela, even try to keep their babies. That upset me at first, until I realized that the money those children provided me wasn’t the solution. The children were the solution.
Liz: What does that mean?
Hatcher: It means I couldn’t leave them at the fire station like I thought. Means I needed them. Means I couldn’t let them go, that they needed me.
Liz: Needed you?
Hatcher: Forging the adoption paperwork wasn’t cheap, but money isn’t a problem for me.
I just didn’t want any of those kids to grow up alone–
⋘⋙
[ Laughs ] [ Children of various ages interact in a pleasant home ] [ Speaking indistinctly ]
⋘⋙
Hatcher: –like me, without a family. They needed sisters and brothers.
Ressler: Where are the kids, Nyle?
Hatcher: They’re home. They have all they need. A loving father. Unbelievable financial resources.
Liz: What’s gonna happen to those kids? What are they gonna say when they find out what you did?
Hatcher: Oh, don’t tell them what I did. They don’t need to know. They gave me such a precious gift. I mean, I was dead. They brought me back to life.
Ressler: All that matters are those kids’ lives. And with you in prison, they’re gonna be a whole lot better.
Dembe: Imam Asmal.
Jalal I’m telling you I don’t know.
Red: Who are they?
Jalal: Refugees seeking asylum. Imam Asmal knows nothing of this. I thought the FBI took him because they thought he did.
Red: And you have no ties to Tahrir al-Sham.
Jalal: Me? I’m trying to save them from Tahrir al-Sham. The United States has made it illegal for them to come here.
[ Red’s cellphone ringing ]
Jalal: But the Prophet Muhammed teaches us not to obey the created if it means disobeying the Creator.
[ Red steps aside ]
Red: Harold?
Cooper: [ On phone ] CTD traced a cellphone belonging to one of the extremists. They traced it to a safe house in West Adams. Units are en route.
Red: They’re not extremists. They’re humanitarians.
Cooper: Humanitarians took the imam?
Red: How long do we have before the troops arrive?
Cooper: You are at the safe house.
Red: [ Sighs ] It’s feeling less and less safe with every second.
[ The Post Office ]
[ Mazzy Star’s ♪ “Into Dust” plays ]
[ Nyle Hatcher is led by armed guards past Liz, Ressler and Park to the elevator ]
Park: Looks like your cold-case theory was right, Liz. I confirmed it. He set the money aside for the children.
Ressler: A guy with a conscience who does what he did, that’s way scarier than a straight psychopath.
[ Elevator doors close ]
Liz: We should tell the widows their husbands didn’t cheat on them.
Aram: And the kids?
♪ Still ♪
Aram: What’s being done about the kids?
Liz: Child Services is reaching out to the families of both parents.
♪ Falling ♪
Liz: Hopefully someone will step up.
⋘⋙
[ Margaret James cuddles her grandchild ]
Margaret: Hi. I’m Margaret. Mm-hmm.
♪ Breathless and on ♪
Margaret: I’m your grandma. [ Laughs ] Aren’t you the sweetest?
♪ Again ♪
Margaret: You have your mother’s eyes.
⋘⋙
Park: What about Angela? Will she get to keep her child?
Liz: She’s under house arrest, awaiting trial. But mothers can keep their infants with them in prison for up to 18 months.
⋘⋙
[ In prison, Angela rocks and kisses her newborn ]
⋘⋙
♪ Falling breathless and on ♪
[ At the safe house, the refugees line up for dinner. Red is there with Liz ]
Red: Ah. Please tell me you’re hungry.
♪ Again ♪
Red: Tonight’s special is wagyu beef.
Liz: So this is what it’s all about. Asylum seekers.
Red: Counterterrorism division is looking for extremists that don’t exist when they should be looking for Dembe’s imam. His kidnapping is completely unrelated and, as yet, unsolved.
Liz: I checked with MPD on my way over. They’ve got nothing. No forensics. No witnesses.
♪ Beside me ♪
Red: Sakiya said the same. I told her to double-check everything, but– I’m afraid it’s a diminishing return.
[ Dembe is helping himself to dinner ]
Liz: How’s he holding up?
♪ Around, broken in two ♪
Red: It’s hard for him. Especially since he knows I’m to blame.
Liz: You?
Red: People close to me are often in harm’s way.
♪ Till your eyes shed ♪
Liz: Dembe’s imam is not close to you.
♪ Into dust ♪
Red: No. But Dembe is. I don’t think whoever did this is interested in extremists–
♪ Like two strangers ♪
Red: or clerics and refugees.
♪ Turning into dust ♪
Red: I think they’re interested in me.
♪ Till my hands shook with the weight ♪
[ Liz gets into a car with Esi Jackson ]
Liz: At first, I thought you screwed up, that Koslov ran because he knew you were following him. But then I realized Ilya wasn’t scared of you. You’re the one who’s scared. Reddington got to you. Ilya Koslov has information that could save my mother’s life. And you helped prevent me from finding it. The least you can do is tell me why.
Esi Jackson: You have powerful enemies.
Liz: [ Breathes deeply ] I had no idea he was one of them.
♪ I could possibly be fading ♪
Jackson: The Sikorsky Archive.
Liz: What’s that?
Jackson: Before Reddington warned me off, I had a mic trained on Ilya’s apartment.
♪ Or have ♪
Jackson: That archive, whatever it is, he’s obsessed with it. If Koslov has information that could save a woman’s life, my guess it’s in that archive.
♪ I could feel myself growing colder ♪
[ Door opens ]
♪ I could feel myself ♪
[ Footsteps ] [ Imam Asmal looks up ]
♪ Under your fate ♪
Katarina Rostova: We have a lot to talk about.
Imam Asmal: Who are you?
Katarina: How about you let me ask the questions?
♪ Under Your fate ♪
[ Ressler is walking to his car when a man stops him. It’s his older brother Robby, whose calls he’s been avoiding ]
Robby: What, you change your number? That’s cold.
Ressler: I got nothing to say to you.
Robby: Maybe not. But I got something to say to you, and, trust me, you’re gonna want to hear it.
♪ It was you ♪
[ Robby shows Ressler a photo on his phone ]
Robby: That’s Ray Field– until next week, when they break ground on the strip mall.
♪ Breathless and torn ♪
Ressler: Digging up Ray Field?
Robby: Yeah, baby brother. And all the secrets under it.
♪ I could feel my eyes ♪
[ Red is putting dishes in the sink. Dembe’s on the phone ]
Dembe: Yes.
♪ Turning into dust ♪
Dembe: I’ll tell him. [ Beep ] They’re at the safe house on Vermont.
♪ And two strangers ♪
Dembe: Jalal asked me to thank you.
Red: Happy ending for them.
♪ Turning into dust ♪
Red: For you, not so much. [ Coughs ] [ Red doubles over ]
Dembe: Raymond.
Red: [ Coughs ] [ Inhales deeply ] I’m fine.
[ Knock on door ]
Red: [ Coughing ]
♪ Turning into dust ♪
Red: I’m fine.
[ Knock on door ] [ Dembe goes to answer it. It’s Sakiya, Red’s cleaner ]
Sakiya: I found something.
[ Door closes ]
Sakiya: A fingerprint on the corner of the imam’s desk.
Dembe: Could you identify it?
Sakiya: I could. But, uh–
Dembe: But what?
Sakiya: Belongs to a man who’s been in prison for 15 years. Arturo Ruel. How can that be?
Dembe: I don’t know. Perhaps Raymond will.
[ Dembe walks back to where Red was ]
Dembe: Raymond.
[ Red is lying face down on the floor, unconscious ]
Dembe: Raymond!
[ Dembe runs to Red, kneels down next to him and feels for a pulse]
[ Ominous music plays ]
⬆ go to start of 7:16 Nyle Hatcher
⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ Into Dust
By Mazzy Star♪ Still falling
Breathless and on again
Inside today
Beside me today
Around, broken in two
Till your eyes shed
Into dust
Like two strangers
Turning into dust
Till my hand shook
With the weight of fear♪ I could possibly be fading
Or have something more to gain
I could feel myself growing colder
I could feel myself under your fate
Under your fate♪ It was you
Breathless and torn
I could feel my eyes turning into dust
And two strangers
Turning into dust
Turning into dustLyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/354nECu
YouTube: https://youtu.be/SiO_7LhPZFM
⬆ go to start of 7:16 Nyle Hatcher
⏫ go to top
❌❌❌ End 7:16 Nyle Hatcher
🔴 Script 7:17 Brothers
Program air date: 5/1/2020 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-aq9
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/2W9Y2QA
Director: Mahesh Pailoor
Written by: Sean Hennen
Brief (Where we’re at): Red has collapsed! Dembe has found him unconscious on the floor of the restaurant kitchen. Red and Dembe had just shared a meal with a group of Syrian refugees they had rescued while looking for Dembe’s Imam, Sadiq Asmal, who had been kidnapped.
Dembe had left Red for just a moment to answer a knock on the door. It was Red’s cleaner, Sakiya, who came to tell them she had found a fingerprint that might be connected nto Imam Asmal’s kidnapping ~ but it belongs to a man named Arturo Ruel who supposedly has been in prison for 15 years. When Dembe returned to the kitchen, Red was unconscious.
Red has a mysterious illness he has been hiding from Liz. He had funded the research of a brilliant pharmacist, Spalding Stark, and been treated by him, but the treatments turned out to be ineffective. Ressler saw Red’s medical file so he knows Red’s diagnosis, as does his friend (or relative?), Ilya Koslov (aka Frank Bloom).
Liz had been told by her grandfather, Dominic Wilkinson, that before Red took on the identity of her dead father, the real Raymond Reddington, he was named Ilya Koslov, but Liz found out from her mother that was not true. So she sicc’d a private investigator named Esi Jackson on Ilya. But Ilya became suspicious. Red had his interrogator Brimley question Esi Jackson and found out that Liz knows Red is not Ilya and that she is still determined to find out his true identity, his most guarded secret.
But Liz later confronted Jackson and Liz now knows Red knows she’s been investigating him – just when he thought they were “on the same side.” The real Ilya, meanwhile, has headed for the hills, to escape both Liz’s efforts and those of her mother, Katarina Rostova, who Liz knows is alive, but Red saw “die” in a staged assassination.
With her access to Ilya cut off, Katarina has turned to another source close to Red. It was she, in fact, who had Dembe’s imam kidnapped. What is Katarina looking for? Esi Jackson thinks she knows:
Esi Jackson: The Sikorsky Archive.
Liz: What’s that?
Jackson: Before Reddington warned me off, I had a mic trained on Ilya’s apartment. That archive, whatever it is, he’s obsessed with it. If Koslov has information that could save a woman’s life, my guess it’s in that archive.Meanwhile, Ressler, who has been trying to ignore calls from his “black sheep” older brother Robby for days, was finally confronted by him in person. Robby informs Ressler that Ray Field is going to be excavated for a new strip mall and secrets of theirs buried there for decades will be unearthed.
⭕ Script 7:17 Brothers
[ Fink’s ♪ “Warm Shadow” plays ]
[ Flashback: Detroit 1995 ]
[ Door bangs ] [ A Drug Dealer runs down the stairs of a housing complex. Two police officers, Tommy Markin and Robert Ressler Sr, are chasing him. They are partners ]
Officer Ressler: Unit 5-7, requesting additional units to Brewster housing complex. Looking for one suspect, white male, possibly armed. Have units roll Code 2 – no lights or sirens. [ Static ] We lucky today, partner?
Officer Markin: One way to find out.
♪ What you got going on?
Behind those, eyes closed, holding on
And I don’t want another day to break ♪
[ The Drug Dealer appears and shoots Officer Ressler ] [ Gunshot 💥 ]
Drug Dealer: I got him, I got him!
♪ Take our, steal our night away ♪
[ The Drug Dealer stares at Officer Ressler on the floor. He doesn’t run. Markin doesn’t move to arrest him. It was a set-up. Markin calls in over police radio ]
Officer Markin: Central! Shots fired! Shots fired! Ressler’s been hit! My partner is down!
[ Markin walks toward Officer Ressler. He casually shoots the Drug Dealer ] [ Gunshots 💥💥 ]
Markin: [ On Police Radio ] Roll ambulance to my location, immediately!
Dispatcher: Central, copy. EMT to Brewster housing complex. Officer down, officer down.
[ Markin kneels down next to Ressler, who is still alive, barely ]
Markin: [ Sighs ] I told you to take the money, Bob.
♪ Warm shadow ♪
Markin: The rest of us did.
Ressler: [ Inaudible ]
Markin: I’ll look after Lisa and the boys.
[ Present day: ]
[ Ressler drives as his older brother Robby sits in the car next to him ]
Robby: [ Sighs ] [ Sighs deeply ] You ever think about Dad?
Ressler: What about him?
Robby: Just– You wake up one day, kiss the wife and kids, you go on the job– you don’t know it’s gonna be the last five minutes of your life. What was he thinking right before that? What he wanted to have for dinner, or the gas bill?
Ressler: We don’t need to talk about it.
Robby: You’ve seen a lot of people get killed, right?
[ Ressler nods ]
Robby: Is it always that– meaningless?
Ressler: Yeah.
Robby: Mm.
[ A sign says “Woodhaven” ]
Robby: Almost home. Been a while since you’ve been back, huh? A few years at least?
Ressler: What do you think this is? A vacation for me? Do you think I– I want to be here?
Robby: I know you don’t want to be here. Mom knows, though. I told her you were coming to town.
Ressler: You told Mom?
Robby: Mm.
Ressler: You do realize that if something goes wrong tonight, we both end up going straight to jail? You get that, right?
Robby: Relax. [ Sighs ] It’s just Mom. Who’s she gonna tell?
[ A mini-reunion of relatives has gathered at the home of Ressler and Robby’s mother, Lisa ]
[ Indistinct conversations ]
Aunt Cindy: So, you got anybody special back in D.C., Donnie? When am I gonna start seeing some nieces and nephews?
Ressler: [ Chuckles ] Uh, no one special right now, Aunt Cindy. But I’m looking. I got my eyes open.
Ben: Is it cool being an FBI agent, Uncle Don? You got a gun?
Ressler: I do carry a weapon, Ben, yeah.
Ressler’s Uncle: How long you around? What’s this big case we heard about?
Ressler: Big case?
Lisa (Ressler’s Mom): The one you’re in town for. Robby said it was something big?
Robby: Ma, I told you it was top, uh–
Ressler: Confidential. – is the word we use at the Bureau – confidential.
Lisa: Look at this. Both my boys under the same roof. Don, did Robby tell you about his company expanding? He got himself that collector’s car you rode here in. And he bought me a fancy new watch.
Robby: It’s nothing, Ma. Just got a new garage, and we can do twice as many cars now, so–
Lisa: I’m just happy you’re home, Don. I wish your father could be here to see how great both his children turned out. He’d be so proud.
[ Ressler turns around a cup with a police badge printed on it ]
⋘⋙
[ Flashback (1995): ]
[ Ressler’s mother is the kitchen washing the cup with the police badge ]
Young Lisa: Donnie, what am I gonna tell your father when he gets home?
Young Ressler: Principle Neill’s a liar.
Young Lisa: [ Sighs ] I thought we were past all this. You can’t keep skipping class.
Young Ressler: What am I gonna learn in a classroom that I can’t learn out in the real world, anyway?
Young Robby: By “real world,” you mean getting baked with your wastoid friends out behind the Farmer Jack’s every day?
Young Ressler: Stay out of this, Officer Asshat. We all know you’re only joining the academy for the cavity searches.
Young Robby: Loitering’s a crime, you know. One of these days, it’ll be me slapping the cuffs on you.
Young Ressler: Mm, maybe I’ll learn something useful in prison. Like dice.
[ Doorbell rings ] [ Door opens ]
Young Lisa: Tom? What is it?
Tommy Markin: Lisa – It’s Bob. Something’s happened. Can I come in?
Young Lisa: Wait, wait– [ Sobbing ] Please, Tom. No. It can’t be. Not my husband. Please, no. [ Sobbing ]
⋘⋙
[ Present Day: ]
Lisa: Everything all right, Don?
Ressler: Yeah. J-Just a little tired. We drove all night, so, uh, I’m gonna have to get a little shut eye.
Lisa: I’m sorry. Oh, of course. I put fresh sheets on your old bed. You remember the way, don’t you?
Ressler: Of course. [ Chuckles ]
[ Footsteps approaching ] [ Ressler enters his old room. He looks around, smiles ] [ Robby enters and closes the door. ]
Robby: [ Clears throat ] There we are. Okay, I’m sorry. I– I didn’t know–
Ressler: What, Mom was gonna host a family reunion? Good call on that one.
Robby: [ Chuckles ] You know how she is. She gets excited. What can I say? Again, I’m sorry, all right?
Ressler: What you should be sorry for is lying to her. Don’t think for a second I’m fooled by this whole vintage car and Rolex routine. What are you up to, Robby?
Robby: You know what? This may come as a shock to you, Don – Agent Ressler, world policeman – I am not a screw-up anymore.
Ressler: Well, if you’re such a success, what are you doing living at home, sleeping in our old room?
Robby: I’m just between apartments.
Ressler: [ Exhales sharply ]
Robby: Go to hell. You know, somebody had to look out for Mom. You won’t do it. Let’s just get this over with.
[ They sit beside each other. Robby shows Ressler photos on this cell phone ]
Robby: [ Clears throat ] Okay. You remember the old dirt field? They’re gonna turn this into an outdoor mall. They break ground tomorrow. If they find what’s under that dirt–
Ressler: So it’s now or never.
Robby: I watched the site overnight last week. They have one night watchman. Guy makes his rounds every hour or two. Half the time, he’s asleep in his car. Now, see this? There’s a gap in that gate big enough for both of us to fit through without making a sound. How’s that for recon?
Ressler: All right. We’re gonna need shovels, nothing too heavy – flashlights, low-wattage – can’t be too bright, nothing with halogen bulbs. Bleach– we’re gonna need at least three quarts, maybe more.
⋘⋙
Hardware Man: Wow. Big project, huh?
Robby: Yeah. Septic tank.
[ Ressler sits in the vintage car with racing stripes, looking at the radio ]
[ Soundgarden’s ♪ “Black Hole Sun” plays ]
[ Flashback: ]
[ Young Ressler sits on the staircase by the living room of his home. He takes a drink from a small bottle of liquor. People mill in the background ]
♪ In my eyes, indisposed
In disguises no one knows
Hides the face, lies the snake
The sun in my disgrace
Boiling heat ♪
[ Young Robby walks over and flicks Young Ressler on the back of the head ]
Young Robby: The hell are you doing?
Young Ressler: Grieving. What’s it to you?
♪ ‘Neath the black the sky looks dead
Call my name through the cream ♪
Young Ressler: Who are these people?
Young Robby: Cool it. They’re here for Mom.
Young Ressler: Yeah? Who’s here for Dad?
[ Tommy Markin walks over ]
Markin: How you boys holding up? You need anything?
Young Ressler: Yep. Refill.
[ Young Ressler leaves ]
Markin: He’s drunk?
Young Robby: You’re surprised?
[ Door closes ] [ Tommy Markin reaches into his pocket and pulls out a Catholic religious medal on a chain ]
Young Robby: This was Dad’s.
Markin: That’s Saint Michael, patron saint of police officers. Found it in his personal effects.
Young Robby: [ Sighs ]
Markin: He would’ve wanted it to go to the next cop in the family.
[ Markin’s cellphone rings. He nods to Young Robby and walks off ]
[ Outdoors, Young Ressler slouches in a car, drinking ]
♪ Black hole sun
Won’t you come
And wash away the rain ♪
Young Ressler: [ Sighs ]
[ Door closes ] [ Markin comes outside, talking on his phone ]
Markin: Hang on.
♪ Won’t you come
Won’t you come ♪
Markin: All right, I’m outside. Go ahead. ⋘⋙ Don’t feed me that.
♪ Black hole sun ♪
Markin: We gave the guy a chance.
♪ Won’t you come ♪
Markin: Nobody wanted this. It’s cleaned up.
[ Young Ressler slouches down further, listening as Markin walks past ]
♪ And wash away the rain ♪
Markin: Just heard from forensics – no further investigation.
♪ Black hole sun ♪
Markin: It’s a good shooting. We’re safe.
♪ Won’t you come
Won’t you come
Black hole sun, black hole sun ♪
[ Present day: ]
[ Ressler sits in the car ] [ Robby tapping on glass ]
Robby: Pop the trunk.
♪ Won’t you come
Black hole ♪
[ Robby and Ressler load the stuff they bought into the trunk of the car ] [ Car doors close, engine starts ]
[ Two men sit in a car some distance away ] [ Cellphone dialing ] [ Ringing tone ]
Albanian: We’ve got eyes on them. I’ll keep you posted.
[ Ressler and Robby’s car takes off ] [ Tires squealing ]
[ Ray field ] [ Ressler and Robby enter the field through the loosely chained door in the fence ] [ Chains rattling ]
[ Flashback: ]
Young Ressler: Tommy Markin did it.
Young Robby: Shut up, Donnie. You don’t know what you’re saying.
Young Ressler: I heard the call! I was right there! Tommy was talking about Dad. Maybe he didn’t pull the trigger, but he had something to do with it, I’m sure.
Young Robby: You’re drunk.
Young Ressler: I know what I heard.
Young Robby: Maybe it was another case. He was Dad’s best friend. He’s practically our uncle–
Young Ressler: Maybe we can prove it? Maybe we can prove it. Like– Like on TV or something. We– We could get him to confess to us.
Young Robby: That’s not how it works. You need evidence – documents, a recording –
Young Ressler: I’ll get them.
Young Robby: I trust Tommy Markin, okay? Dad trusted him, I trust him.
Young Ressler: Why? ‘Cause you both wear the same stupid badge?
Young Robby: Look, I know you need someone to blame for this–
Young Ressler: I have someone to blame! We just need to prove it!
Young Robby: Jesus, Don! How bad do you need to be the center of attention every single time?! Don’t mention it again! Don’t bring it up to Mom. She feels bad enough. Let it go.
[ Present day: ]
[ At Ray Field, Robby counts off his paces ]
Robby: 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66– Can’t believe it’s actually working.
[ Man coughing ] [ It’s the guard ] [ They dodge behind some equipment ]
Ressler: I thought you said that he–
Robby: Shh! I guess he’s off his schedule.
Ressler: Get down, get down!
[ Ressler pushes Robby down. Robby cuts his hand on some razor wire ]
Robby: Aah!
Ressler: All right, looks like I’m gonna be doing all the digging. [ Sighs ]
⋘⋙
[ They reach the site ]
Ressler: Sure this is it?
Robby: I’d know it like it was yesterday. This is it. Dig fast. I’ll keep an eye out for the turnkey.
[ Flashback: ]
[ Glass shatters ] [ Young Ressler breaks the window of a door, reaches inside and lets himself inside ] [ He walks over to a desk ] [ Glass crunching ]
[ Young Ressler rifles through some papers. Tommy Markin comes down the stairs ]
Tommy Markin: I heard you before you even put your pants on this morning, Donnie. The hell are you doing here?
Young Ressler: What did you do to my dad?
Markin: Wrong place, wrong time, kid. Let me show you the door.
Young Ressler: I know you had something to do with him getting shot. I heard you. On the phone. You’re coming with me to tell the cops everything.
Markin: I am the cops. Donnie, you’re young. You’re grieving. You’re not thinking straight. We can figure out a way to pay for the window, but–
[ Young Ressler pulls out a pistol and points it at Tommy Markin ] [ Gun cocks ]
Young Ressler: Recognize this? It was Dad’s.
Markin: Donnie, it’s a tragedy what happened. ⋘⋙ What are you gonna do? Shoot me? Shoot a cop? Do you even have a plan?
Young Ressler: Just tell me it’s true!
Markin: You’ve already gotten yourself into enough trouble to break your mother’s heart. Don’t make it worse. You don’t want this on your head. I’m gonna give you one more chance. You give me that gun, or your life is over, young man. You think you’re tough? Your dad was tough. Your brother’s tough. You don’t even have the balls to p–
[ 💥 Young Ressler shoots him ]
[ Present day: ]
[ Shovel scraping ] [ Ressler, digging, comes to some plastic sheeting. He pulls it back. There lies a skull ]
Robby: [ Coughs ] It’s been a while. You remember Tommy Markin, don’t you, Don?
[ Flashback: ]
[ Lee DeWyze’s ♪ “Blackbird’s Song” plays ]
[ Young Robby is now at Tommy Markin’s house with Young Ressler. Markin lies on his back, shot in the chest ]
Young Robby: Donnie, what did you do?
♪ Pack your things ♪
Young Ressler: [ Breathing shakily ] I didn’t know who else to call. He killed Dad, Robby.
Young Robby: Did he admit it?
Young Ressler: He was going to.
♪ Leave somehow ♪
Young Ressler: H-He would’ve. I know it.
♪ Blackbird song ♪
Young Robby: Donnie, I need you to listen to me carefully–
♪ Is over now ♪
Young Robby: –and answer my questions. You got that? Did anyone see you come in here?
Young Ressler: No.
Young Robby: Did Markin alert anyone when he saw you? Did he make any calls?
Young Ressler: No.
Young Robby: How long has it been since the gunshot?
Young Ressler: I don’t know. Uh– 15, maybe 20 minutes.
Young Robby: Then nobody heard it. Or at least no one reported it.
♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
Young Robby: Donnie. Go home. Wipe Dad’s gun off and put it back where you found it. Don’t say anything to Mom. Don’t say anything to anyone.
♪ Mouths are dry ♪
Young Robby: Forget this happened. Understood?
♪ River runs ♪
Young Ressler: What are you gonna do?
Young Robby: I’ll take care of this.
♪ Hands are tied ♪
Young Robby: Don’t say another word. Just go.
♪ Preacher sighs
Pack your things ♪
[ Present day: ]
[ Ressler and Robby talk over Tommy Markin’s grave ]
Robby: You ever lose sleep at night ’cause of what we did back then?
♪ Leave somehow ♪
Ressler: Some nights. Not many.
Robby: Ever wish you could take it back?
♪ Blackbird song ♪
Ressler: This man killed our father. Then stood at his wake and lied to our faces. He was a disgrace to the badge he wore.
♪ Is over now ♪
Ressler: The one you were going to wear. The one I wear every day. No, this scumbag got everything that was coming to him. So, no. I wouldn’t take it back. You?
♪ Ohhhh ♪
Robby: Ah, we better get going. Night watchman will be coming soon.
♪ Don’t be scared
I’m still here
[ They wrap the bones in new plastic sheeting ]
No more time
For crying, dear ♪
[ Robby and Ressler carry the skeletal remains in the plastic sheeting to the car and load them into the trunk ]
[ The same two men (including the Albanian) who were observing them earlier watch Robby and Ressler from a distance ]
[ Ressler and Robby drive away ] [ Tires screech, engine revs ]
[ They park Robby’s car on the street and walk into Robby’s garage ]
Ressler: Listen, Robby, look, I– I should say, uh– should say that I’m sorry.
Robby: About what?
Ressler: What I said earlier, back at the house. Look, I-I’ve been hard on you. I left this place behind, and you stayed, and that was– that was the harder choice, and I should give you credit for it. For everything. All your success. Work, everything.
[ They put the shovel and other things into a metal chest ] [ Lid rattles, closes ]
Robby: Thank you, Don.
Ressler: Look, I was a prick when we were younger, and I’m the reason why we’re taking care of this now, but– you had my back that night.
Robby: Of course I did. You’re my brother.
Ressler: I never thanked you. Look, you saved me. That night, everything in my life changed.
Robby: Well, you might’ve noticed, it wasn’t exactly the same for me, either.
Ressler: Looks like you’re doing pretty good now. Hey, maybe you could take me by this garage while I’m still in town?
Robby: Yeah, cool.
[ Engine revving ]
Robby: I’d like that.
[ ⚡️Tires screeching⚡️ ] [ Robby’s car speeds by ]
Ressler: Robby, tell me that was random.
Robby: Okay, I can explain.
[ A bar ]
Robby: The garage isn’t doin’ as well as I might’ve let Mom think.
Ressler: Oh, you don’t say?
Robby: I was losing money, so I hired a bunch of guys. I thought they were stand-up guys. And, uh– anyway, I needed some fast cash. Couldn’t stand for another failure, Donnie.
Ressler: Who’d you borrow money from?
Robby: Definitely not the banks. Those places, you walk in, they don’t even look at you–
Ressler: Robby.
Robby: I borrowed it from a local guy.
Ressler: What do you mean, a connected kind of local guy?
Robby: Yeah, the Albanian type.
Ressler: The mob? The Albanian mob? How much money did you borrow?
Robby: 5OK. It was 30% vig on it. And that was like six months ago.
Ressler: [ Laughs ]
Robby: So it’s closer to 15OK now, so– That’s why they took the car, you know, as collateral. I had to try something.
[ Telephone rings in distance ]
Ressler: Is there anything else you’re not telling me?
Robby: No, I swear. That’s it.
Bartender: Hey, man. It’s for you.
Ressler: Who is this?
Albanian: [ On phone ] We have your car. And the cargo in the trunk. Jakov Mitko wants to see you both.
Ressler: Who’s Jakov Mitko?
Albanian: Your brother knows. He knows where, too. Don’t be late. [ Click ]
[ Jakov Mitko is tending plants on large tables outside of a greenhouse ]
Jakov Mitko: [ Albanian accent ] You know the thing about plants? They are obedient. A little love, a little care – they do exactly what they are supposed to. They grow. They give back. Oxygen, flowers. They are uncomplicated. Anyone can respect that, yes? You must be the brother from D.C. Everyone thought I was crazy to loan money to a guy whose brother was FBI. I said, “Wait and see.” I don’t think in a million years I could’ve seen this.
Robby: Listen, Jakov, I’m gonna get your money. Every last penny of it.
Mitko: This isn’t about money anymore.
Robby: I don’t understand this.
Ressler: He has the car. That’s what this is about.
[ Jakov leads them to where they can see the car. He gestures toward it ]
Mitko: Ah. Voilà. I don’t know who Detective 4818 of the Detroit Police Department was – but he’s seen better days.
Robby: Just tell us what you want.
Mitko: I was going to burn down your garage, just to prove I could. I thought that was your only asset. But now that your brother is here, I know I was wrong. An FBI agent? Now that’s a whole other thing. At the field office of the FBI here in Detroit, there is a room called Department 12. I have never seen it. I am told it is mostly computers. Computers that an agent like yourself can access. Go to that room, and bring me back a file labeled “432.”
Ressler: What is it?
Mitko: Have that file back here by 5:00 p.m. today. If you do that [ sprays flowers ] I will give you back the car and everything that’s in it. And as an added incentive, I will wipe your brother’s debt clean.
[ Ressler and Robby walk away alongside a building, Ressler leading the way ]
Robby: Hey. I know what you’re gonna say.
[ Ressler spins around and slugs ⚡️Robby ]
[ Robby recovers his balance, rubs his chin ]
Robby: Okay, fine, I deserved that.
Ressler: You know what Department 12 is, Robby? It’s the office UCs file their sealed reports to. Now, in case you forgot watching “Miami Vice” as kids, UC stands for “undercover.” So, whoever’s name’s in there is gonna get killed ’cause I gotta run that psycho’s little errand.
Robby: I’m not an idiot. I’m not an idiot! Don’t treat me like one! And you’re not gonna do what he’s asking you to do! It’ll destroy you.
Ressler: Yeah, and if I don’t, he’s gonna take those remains and he’s gonna turn them in, and it’s gonna destroy both of us.
Robby: I’ll take full responsibility.
Ressler: We both know I can’t let you do that, okay? I killed that guy.
Robby: Donnie, Donnie–
Ressler: No, this is my mess.
Robby: You still don’t get it. It isn’t only your mess.
⋘⋙
[ Flashback: ]
Robby: [ Voice-over ] It was just me and the body. You’re shocked what your brain can come up with when you’re on autopilot like that.
[ Young Robby digs Markin’s grave ] [ Shovel scraping ]
Robby: [ Voice-over ] I thought a lot about how most people’s lives hinge on a few key moments.
[ Markin moans ] [ Markin coughs ]
Robby: [ Voice-over ] I think mine only had one moment, and then it was over.
Markin: [ Rasping ] Robby– Please–
Young Robby: I know you had Dad killed, Tommy. Donnie told me the truth.
Markin: Letting me die – won’t make us even–
Young Robby: [ Crying ] You took my father from me. How could you?
Markin: It– It was – business –
Robby: [ Voice-over ] In that moment, I suddenly had this clear thought. And I knew I was the only person that could protect you, Don. From Tommy Markin, and anyone else like him who might come along. I had no choice–
[ Young Robby strikes Markin with the shovel ] [ ⚡️Shovel thuds⚡️ ]
⋘⋙
[ Present day: ]
Robby: I finished what you started. [ Breathing heavily ] I did it for you. For me. And for Daddy. In the end, all I was thinking about was you. I was protecting your future.
Ressler: Yeah, but why? Why didn’t you tell me? What– W-Why keep this a secret all these years?
Robby: I did that to protect you, too. Whatever that night had done to you, it was driving you. I carried the weight. I never regretted it. Because it did exactly what I thought it would do.
Ressler: And what’s that?
Robby: It made you the person that you are today. So it’s not your mess. It’s my mess, brother. I’ll turn myself in.
Ressler: No. We turn ourselves in. I left you alone once to clean up a mess. I’m not gonna leave you alone again.
[ Ressler is talking to someone, who and where is unclear ]
Ressler: Then, so we– killed the man who killed our father. I pulled the trigger, yeah– and to protect me, my brother did the rest. But we each had a hand in it. Look, we know where the body is. We can take you to it. But because of my involvement, I have to recuse myself from any part of the rest of this case. That’s why I called you. I knew you would help. I- I knew you would do the right thing.
[ Ressler is talking to Liz. They are in an FBI conference room. Robby sits some distance away ]
Liz: Ressler, I– I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say.
Ressler: Well, say you agree with me about how we should handle this. I mean, we arrest those bastards who took the car – for theft, for extortion, for all the other poison they pump into the city. And then after that – my brother and I come clean about what we’ve done.
Liz: I don’t know that I do agree. After the story you told me, after what you’ve been through – both of you–
Ressler: No, we have to do the right thing. It’s important.
Liz: Of course, yes, I will help you. I just want to make sure you’re prepared to face the consequences when the FBI gets their hands on that vehicle and that body. Because if we go in and arrest those people, eventually, the FBI’s gonna open up that trunk.
Ressler: And find Tommy Markin. I know.
Liz: Are you really okay with dealing with the consequences of that?
Ressler: I’ve been running from this my whole life. I need it to be done. We both need it to be done.
[ Liz picks up the phone ] [ Button clicks ]
Liz: Yeah, this is Agent Keen. Can I get SAC Patel in here, please? Thank you.
[ Receiver clatters ]
Liz: [ To Ressler ] I need someone local to run point with me on this. We should go over what the plan is.
Ressler: [ Sighs ]
[ Train whistle blares ]
[ Outside the conference room, Liz points out positions on a map ]
Liz: We’ll be around the corner, two blocks away. 12-second response time, I’d guess.
Ressler: Wanna go over/under on that?
Liz: It’s gonna be dangerous.
Ressler: When is it not?
Liz: You know, I can still talk to Patel, call it off. I have the authority–
Ressler: You know, Keen– I didn’t like you when we first met. I was wrong. You’re a good agent.
You’re the kind of agent that – people join the FBI to try to become. But you’re also a good person. Much better person than I am. So, whatever happens out there today, the Task Force is gonna be in good hands with you.
[ Ressler and Robby ride in the back of a van with armed FBI personnel along with them ]
Ressler: You all right?
Robby: This is gonna kill Mom. Tell me again. We’re doing the right thing?
Ressler: Yeah, Robby. We are. We’re doing the right thing.
[ Engine shuts off ]
[ Liz gets out of the front door and slides opens the side door of the van. Ressler and Robby get out ]
[ Inside Jakov Mitko‘s greenhouse ]
Jakov Mitko: I would be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised that you went through with it.
[ Ressler holds up a thumb drive ]
Ressler: File 432.
Jakov Mitko: You don’t care who’s on it?
Ressler: That’s not my business.
Mitko: Your brother is sweating. And he looks nervous.
Ressler: It’s because it’s humid in here and he loves his car. How about we see it?
⋘⋙
[ Liz and the SAC team are listening in front the van ]
Mitko: Okay. Let us go and see it.
⋘⋙
Ressler: One more thing before we trade.
Mitko: What do you want? A plant? A nice orchid to go?
Ressler: [ Chuckles ] My brother checks out the car for confirmation. Come on, Robby, do it.
[ Robby goes to the car and opens the trunk ]
Robby: [ Coughs ] [ Gives thumbs up ]
Mitko: My file.
[ Ressler gives Mitko the drive. Mitko gives it to the Albanian, who leaves with it. Another guard stays with Mitko ]
Ressler: Looks like we’re finished.
⋘⋙
Liz: [ Over comms ] Ressler, you’re sure this is what you want?
⋘⋙
Mitko: Actually, I think I might have a few more projects I need your help with.
Ressler: No, this was a one-time deal.
Mitko: Or it wasn’t. I still have the car – and my file.
Ressler: You sure about that?
[ The Albanian storms out ]
The Albanian: The drive is blank. It’s a fake!
⋘⋙
Liz: We’re a go! Go, go, go, go!
[ The agents pile out of the van ]
⋘⋙
[ Ressler punches the guard behind him ]
Guard: [ Grunts ]
[ Ressler shoots the Albanian 💥💥💥] [ The SAC team arrives ]
— FBI!
— Hands!
— On the ground!
[ 💥💥💥 Gunfight 💥💥💥 ]
— East entrance to the greenhouse!
— Let’s move!
[ Jakov Mitko grabs Robby, threatening him with a knife ]
Mitko: Tradhtar! I’ll grind your guts to fertilizer!
Liz: Hey, you!
[ Liz shoots 💥 Mitkov ]
[ Ressler comes over to Liz and Robby ]
Ressler: Everyone okay back here?
Robby: Yeah. Your friend just saved my life.
Liz: I wouldn’t say that. I don’t think I saved anyone.
[ José González’s ♪ “Down the Line” plays ]
[ Ressler and Robby wait at a large table in an FBI conference room ]
[ Ressler notices Robby’s hand is shaking ]
⋘⋙
[ Flashback: ]
[ The funeral church service for Ressler and Robby’s father ]
Priest: Wait for the Lord with courage. Be stouthearted and wait for the Lord. And now, I’ve been told Detective Ressler’s eldest son, Robert, would like to say a few words.
[ Young Ressler sees his brother’s hand is shaking ]
♪ I see problems down the line
I know they’re not mine
[ Seeing how nervous his brother is, Young Ressler gets up and walks to the pulpit ]
♪ Don’t wash the dirt off of your hands
Doing the same mistake twice
Making the same mistake twice ♪♪ Come on over
Don’t be so caught up
It’s not about compromising ♪
Young Ressler: I know everyone here knew my dad. Had some special version of him to hold on to.
♪ I know they’re not mine ♪
Young Ressler: What a good guy he was. What a good cop. I kinda wish I had that. Truth is, I didn’t really know him.
♪ I see darkness down the line ♪
Young Ressler: My version of Dad is him stomping into my school–
♪ I know it’s not fine ♪
Young Ressler: [ Chuckles ] –fresh from patrol, furious after I got caught putting cigarette butts in the faculty’s coffee machine.
♪ Don’t wash the dirt off of your hands ♪
Young Ressler: Then he left too soon.
♪ Doing the same mistake twice ♪
Young Ressler: And what I have now, i-instead of a version of him to hold onto–
♪ Come over ♪
Young Ressler: –is a path to follow. A path that shows me how to grow up right–
♪ It’s not about compromising ♪
Young Ressler: –how to stay out of trouble, how to be good, like him.
♪ I see problems down the line ♪
[ Present day: ]
[ Robby talks to FBI interrogators. Ressler sits nearby ]
Robby: So, it started with me only borrowing $50,0000.
♪ I know they’re not mine ♪
Robby: But with interest, and the time that had gone by, Mitko was demanding that I pay back $150,000. That’s when he came after the car–
⋘⋙
[ Jakov Mitko gives his side of the story ]
Mitko: I don’t remember the number on the badge, but it was definitely a cop. The agent and his brother, they knew about that. I would say more, but I want to make a deal first.
Interrogator: Can you prove any of this?
Mitko: You go check out the trunk of that car yourself.
[ An Interrogator enters the room where Ressler and Robby wait ]
Agent Patel: Agent Ressler – There has been an allegation made against you and your brother by the man we have in the other room.
Ressler: Yeah, we were expecting that.
Agent Patel: It’s a very serious allegation.
⋘⋙
[ An agent opens the trunk of the car ]
⋘⋙
♪ Don’t let the darkness eat you up ♪
Ressler: The thing about this case is–
[ The agent who checked the car comes in and whispers something to Agent Patel ]
♪ Don’t let the darkness eat you up ♪
Agent Patel: Well, this is interesting–
⋘⋙
[ Ressler and Robby check the trunk of the car. It’s empty and spotlessly clean ]
[ The kitchen of Ressler and Robby’s Mom’s house ]
Robby: How is the body just gone? I mean, Markin didn’t just get up and walk away.
Ressler: I think we’re good. I mean, I don’t know exactly what happened, but I do have some theories. I think someone was watching over us, Robby.
Robby: [ Sighs ] Now what do we do?
Ressler: Well, I think we can finally put this behind us and move on.
Robby: [ Sighs ] I need a drink.
[ Robby leaves ]
[ Door opens ] [ Lisa enters ] [ Door closes ]
Lisa: Oh, hi, sweetie. Were you boys out all night?
Ressler: Yeah, it was a– It was a long one.
Lisa: Well, did everything work out okay?
Ressler: What do you mean?
Lisa: Did you get Robby out of the trouble he was in? I knew something was up. A mother knows. You here all of a sudden on a “case.”
Ressler: The case turned out as well as possible. I’m pretty sure Robby’s gonna be okay.
Lisa: Thank you, Donnie. Trouble or not, your brother means well. He just gets himself a bit lost sometimes.
Ressler: [ Scoffs ]
Lisa: I meant what I said about your father being proud of the both of you. You know why? Because you stick together.
[ Lisa pats Ressler’s cheek ]
[ Ressler goes to his old room and opens a drawer. He takes out the Saint Michael’s medal ]
[ Flashback: ]
[ After the funeral service Young Robby sits on a staircase in the church ] [ Indistinct conversation ] [ Young Ressler sits down beside Young Robby ]
Young Robby: I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t just stand in front of those people and say– What could I say?
Young Ressler: It’s okay. We got through it.
Young Robby: [ Sniffs ]
Young Ressler: Tomorrow will be easier, and the day after that–
Young Robby: Maybe you can do better with this than I did. [ Sniffles ]
[ Young Robby gives Young Ressler the Saint Michael’s medal ]
Young Ressler: This is Dad’s?
Young Robby: I can’t be a cop. I’m nothing like him. I don’t know what I am anymore.
⋘⋙
[ Present Day: ]
[ The house porch ]
Robby: You heading back to D.C., bud?
Ressler: Yeah. Yeah. I’m sure the office has missed me by now.
Robby: [ Chuckles ] Mom’s sure gonna miss you.
Ressler: Yeah. I’ll call. As often as I can. I have something for you.
[ Ressler gives Robby the Saint Michael’s medal ]
Robby: Never thought I’d see that again.
Ressler: I think it’s your turn to hang onto it a while.
Robby: You don’t think Dad would’ve wanted the cop in the family to have it?
Ressler: No, no. I think he’d want you to have it.
[ Knocking on door ] [ Liz opens. It’s Ressler ]
Ressler: Bad time?
Liz: No. No, come in.
Ressler: Did you do it to protect me?
[ Liz walks away, dismissively ]
Liz: You say that like it’s a bad thing.
Ressler: I’m not gonna ask you how you did it. I won’t ask what you did with Markin’s body or- or- or how you even scrubbed that car clean, but–
Liz: I learned from the best.
Ressler: Look, I want to know– I mean– Liz, I need to know– Why?
Liz: You were in trouble. You needed help.
Ressler: No, y-y-you– you risked everything. I mean, if you- you’d have been caught–
Liz: Yeah, but I wasn’t.
Ressler: Yeah, but you could’ve been.
Liz: Are you trying to say thank you? ‘Cause if that’s what you’re doing, you’re doing a terrible job of it.
Ressler: I- I- I never would’ve asked you to take such a huge risk for me.
Liz: You didn’t ask.
Ressler: Yeah, but you did it anyway.
Liz: It wasn’t for you, knucklehead. It was for me.
Ressler: For you?
Liz: Look, if you wanna ruin your life over something you did a lifetime ago – when you were a teenager, for God’s sake – then someday, sure, I’ll let you.
Ressler: You’ll let me.
Liz: Yeah, you have my permission to be a total dipstick.
Ressler: [ Chuckles ] So, what am I? A dipstick or a knucklehead?
Liz: You’re a knucklehead and a dipstick, and you’re someone that I rely on, for, like– everything.
Ressler: We both know that’s not true.
Liz: Have you looked at my life? I’m a widow and a single mom. A marionette – with a high-functioning sociopath pulling my strings. My grandfather tried to murder my mother, and my mother is a legendarily lethal Russian spy – who moved in next door without even telling me who she was. [ Sighs ] I mean it. Have you looked at my life? I mean, really taken a close look. Because it’s like I’m in the middle of a monsoon that’s constantly threatening to drown me in bad news. And somewhere in the middle of that FEMA disaster of a life– [ Voice breaking ] Somewhere is just – a tiny island of calm. And if that weren’t there, I would be swept out to sea.
Ressler: No, that’s never gonna happen–
Liz: It would if you weren’t here.
Ressler: But I am. And it won’t. Come here.
[ He hugs her ]
Ressler: It’s never gonna happen. Not on my watch.
[ Hug ]
⬆ go to start of 7:17 Brothers
⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ Warm Shadow
By Fink♪ What you got going on?
Behind those, eyes closed, holding on
And I don’t want another day to break
Take our, steal our night away♪ Warm shadow
Warm shadow
Won’t you cast yourself on me?♪ What you got in store for me?
Keep those, eyes closed next to me
And I don’t want another day to break
Take our, steal our night away♪ Warm shadow
Warm shadow
Won’t you cast yourself on me?♪ Warm shadow
Warm shadow
Won’t you cast yourself on me?♪ Won’t you stop breaking in?
Red sky, red light, awakening
And I don’t want another day to break
Take our, steal our night away♪ Take our, steal our, night away
Take our, steal our, night away
Take our, steal our, night away
Take our
Steal our
Night awayLyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/3d53X0i
YouTube: https://youtu.be/einRIcF-z3U
♫ Black Hole Sun
By Soundgarden♪ In my eyes, indisposed
In disguises no one knows
Hides the face, lies the snake
The sun in my disgrace
Boiling heat, summer stench
‘Neath the black the sky looks dead
Call my name through the cream
And I’ll hear you scream again♪ Black hole sun
Won’t you come
And wash away the rain
Black hole sun
Won’t you come
Won’t you come (won’t you come)♪ Stuttering, cold and damp
Steal the warm wind tired friend
Times are gone for honest men
And sometimes far too long for snakes
In my shoes, a walking sleep
And my youth I pray to keep
Heaven sent hell away
No one sings like you anymore♪ Black hole sun
Won’t you come
And wash away the rain
Black hole sun
Won’t you come
Won’t you come♪ Black hole sun
Won’t you come
And wash away the rain
Black hole sun
Won’t you come
Won’t you come (black hole sun, black hole sun)♪ Won’t you come (black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come (black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come (black hole sun, black hole sun)♪ Hang my head, drown my fear
Till you all just disappear♪ Black hole sun
Won’t you come
And wash away the rain
Black hole sun
Won’t you come
Won’t you come♪ Black hole sun
Won’t you come
And wash away the rain
Black hole sun
Won’t you come
Won’t you come (black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come (black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come (black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come (black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come (black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come (black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come
Won’t you comeLyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/2zKxEFr
YouTube: https://youtu.be/3mbBbFH9fAg
♫ Blackbird’s Song
By Lee DeWyze♪ Pack your things
Leave somehow
Blackbird song
Is over now♪ Mouths are dry
River runs
Hands are tied
Preachers son
Pack your things
Leave somehow
Blackbird song
Is over now♪ Don’t be scared
I’m still here
No more time
For crying dearLyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/3bYvRef
YouTube: https://youtu.be/NxV7C6NELqA
♫ Down the Line (from “The Last Song” soundtrack)
By José González♪ I see problems down the line,
I know they’re not mine.
Don’t wash the dirt off of your hands.
You’re doing the same mistake twice.
Making the same mistake twice.♪ Come on over,
don’t be so caught up.
It’s not about compromising.♪ I see problems down the line,
I know they’re not mine.
I see darkness down the line,
I know it’s not fine.
But don’t wash the dirt off of your hands.
You’re doing the same mistake twice.
Making the same mistake twice.♪ Come on over,
don’t be so caught up.
It’s all about colonizing.♪ I see problems down the line.
I know they’re not mine.♪ Don’t let the darkness eat you up.
Lyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/2KQA3kl
YouTube: https://youtu.be/tZuC6y4eUo0
⬆ go to start of 7:17 Brothers
⏫ go to top
❌❌❌ End 7:17 Brothers
🔴 Script 7:18 Roy Cain (№ 150)
Program air date: 10/4/2019 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-aqS
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/3cdSsU9
Directed by: Daniel Willis
Written by: Aiah Samba
Director: Daniel Willis
Written by: Aiah Samba
Brief (Where we’re at): “Boy Scout” Agent Ressler turned out out to have a past. As a teenager, he shot and (almost) killed his father’s Detroit PD officer partner, Tommy Markin, a dirty cop who Young Ressler found out had killed his father in a setup over kickbacks. But Markin was still alive and it was his older brother Robby who had delivered the final blow, before burying him in a place called Ray Field. 25 years later, with Ray Field scheduled for excavation, Ressler returned to help Robby dig up Markin’s body, only to have car with the skeleton stolen by mobsters with whom Robby had become ensnared. They planned to come clean and reached out to Liz, who helped capture the mobsters but had other ideas about whether Ressler and Robby should turn themselves in.
Liz told Ressler how much she relied on him as an “island of calm” in her “FEMA disaster of a life.” The scene ended with a hug …
[ Since the last episode stepped out of the overall story arc, below is where the rest of the plot stood at the end of the previous episode, 7:16 Nyle Hatcher: ]
Red had collapsed. Red and Dembe had just shared a meal with a group of Syrian refugees they had rescued while looking for Dembe’s Imam, Sadiq Asmal, who had been kidnapped.
Dembe had left Red for just a moment to answer a knock on the door. It was Red’s cleaner, Sakiya, who had come to tell them she had found a fingerprint that might be connected nto Imam Asmal’s kidnapping ~ but it belongs to a man named Arturo Ruel who has been in prison for 15 years. When Dembe returned to the kitchen, Red was unconscious.
Red has a mysterious illness he has been hiding from Liz. He had funded the research of a brilliant pharmacist, Spalding Stark, and been treated by him, but the treatments turned out to be ineffective. Ressler saw Red’s medical file so he knows Red’s diagnosis, as does his friend (or relative?), Ilya Koslov (aka Frank Bloom).
Liz had been told by her grandfather, Dominic Wilkinson, that before Red took on the identity of her dead father, the real Raymond Reddington, he was named Ilya Koslov, but Liz found out from her mother that was not true. So she sic’d a private investigator named Esi Jackson on Ilya. But Ilya became suspicious. Red had his interrogator Brimley question Esi Jackson and found out that Liz knows Red is not Ilya and that she is still determined to find out his true identity, his most guarded secret.
Liz later confronted Jackson and Liz now knows Red knows she’s been investigating him – just when he thought they were “on the same side.” The real Ilya, meanwhile, has headed for the hills, to escape both Liz’s pursuit and that of her mother, Katarina Rostova, who Liz knows is alive, but Red saw “die” in a staged assassination.
With her access to Ilya cut off, Katarina has turned to another source close to Red. It was she, in fact, who had Dembe’s Imam kidnapped. What is Katarina looking for? Esi Jackson thinks she knows:
Esi Jackson: The Sikorsky Archive.
Liz: What’s that?
Jackson: Before Reddington warned me off, I had a mic trained on Ilya’s apartment. That archive, whatever it is, he’s obsessed with it. If Koslov has information that could save a woman’s life, my guess it’s in that archive.
⭕ Script 7:18 Roy Cain (№ 150)
Voice-over: Previously on “The Blacklist”:
[ Dembe’s imam, Sidiq Asmal, is praying. Two men come up behind him, put a black hood over his head and drag him off ]
⋘⋙
Sakiya: [ To Dembe ] I found something. A fingerprint on the corner of the imam’s desk. Belongs to a man who’s been in prison for 15 years. Arturo Ruel.
⋘⋙
[ A medical chart is labeled “Raymond Reddington” ]
Red: About my chart.
Ressler: I didn’t look at it.
Red: I’d appreciate if you didn’t mention anything about it to Elizabeth.
⋘⋙
Imam Sidiq Asmal: Who are you?
Katarina Rostova: How about you let me ask the questions?
⋘⋙
[ Red lies unconscious on the floor ]
Dembe: Raymond!
[ Imam Sidiq Asmal reads from a book in Arabic. Katarina Rostova, Liz’s mother who was once a notorious KGB spy, brings a tin of food and a plastic fork to the imam, who is her captive ]
Katarina Rostova: Why do you trust the words of men so faithfully.
Imam Asmal: They weren’t mere men. They were prophets. They gave us the word of Allah.
Katarina: How do you know Allah has anything to do with what’s in that book?
Imam Asmal: Faith.
Katarina: I’m also a person of faith. I have faith in myself.
Imam Asmal: Faith in false prophets is worse than no faith at all.
Katarina: We’re both innocents. Caught in someone else’s web of deceit.
Imam Asmal: Raymond Reddington’s.
Katarina: How could you know that?
Imam Asmal: The same way I know who you are.
Katarina: Dembe. [ Scoffs ] You’re his father confessor.
Imam Asmal: Which is why I will never betray his confidence.
Katarina: Even to save my life.
Imam Asmal: I don’t know how to do that.
Katarina: No. But Dembe does. And if he’s confided in you–
Imam Asmal: I am bound to secrecy.
Katarina: Even if it kills me. That’s what your faith requires.
Imam Asmal: My faith requires me to pray for you.
[ Katarina grabs the book ]
Katarina: Your faith is a death sentence! Why should I honor your faith if it doesn’t honor me?
Imam Asmal: You honor faith because without it, you are lost.
Katarina: Is Dembe faithful?
Imam Asmal: He is.
Katarina: [ Scoffs ] I wonder. Clearly the prospect of my death doesn’t shake your faith. How about we see if the prospect of yours shakes his. Why don’t you pray on that?
[ The industrial-style kitchen where Red had previously passed out. He is sitting up now. Dr Ed Clemons is checking him ]
Dr Clemons: Vitals are– okay.
[ Red hears high-pitched ringing ]
Dr Clemons: Pulse. You need an MRI as well as a CT-scan.
[ Red hears muffled indistinct speech ]
Dembe: Raymond.
Dr Clemons: Hey. Are you listening?
[ High-pitched ringing stops ]
Dr Clemons: Maybe you can get him to listen to reason.
Dembe: That’s unlikely, but I will try.
Dr Clemons: Try hard. His life depends on it.
[ The doctors grabs his bag and leaves ]
⋘⋙
Red: What? Everyone knows wine is dehydrating.
Dembe: If you won’t get help for yourself–
Red: Sakiya. Did she find something?
Dembe: –then get it for the people who love you.
Red: Does she have a lead?
Dembe: She does. But it makes no sense.
[ The Post Office ]
Red: We were wrong. I was wrong. Imam Asmal was not abducted by extremists or because he’s involved with extremists. Dembe knew that, and I ignored his counsel. I can only hope that won’t prove to be a fatal mistake.
Liz: You say you have a lead.
Red: One of my cleaners went back over the scene of the abduction, and she lifted DNA from a fingerprint she found on the imam’s desk. Aram, if you would be so kind. Meet Arturo Ruel. His résumé includes two stints at Wallens for carrying out targeted kidnappings in the US and Mexico.
Ressler: What’s his connection to the imam?
Dembe: None.
Red: We can circle back to the why after we figure out the how. The two stretches at Wallens? He’s doing one of them right now.
Park: Ruel is in prison.
Red: In complete isolation.
⋘⋙
[ At Wallens Ridge State Prison, a guard rattles the door of Ruel’s cell ] [ Metal clanging ]
⋘⋙
Red: It does provide us with quite an engaging riddle.
Ressler: Maybe the print was planted to throw us off.
Cooper: Why plant a print that belongs to a man who has an ironclad alibi?
Red: Yes, I love a good locked-door mystery!
Agent Park: Where the victim is killed inside a room no one has access to.
Liz: This is one better – the criminal is inside a room no one can get out of.
Cooper: Ressler, Keen, get over to Wallens. I’ll reach out to the warden, let him know you’re coming to speak with Ruel.
Red: I’d like a list of all the prisoners who have been housed there in the last six months. Ruel may not have had a connection to Imam Asmal, but perhaps someone else does.
Cooper: Consider it done.
[ Wallens Ridge Supermax Prison in Big Stone Gap, Virginia ]
Warden Roy Cain: How is this even possible?
Ressler: That’s exactly what we’re trying to figure out.
Roy Cain: And you’re sure it’s his DNA?
Liz: Without a doubt.
Cain: Arturo Ruel has spent the last three years in isolation. He’s 23/7– he don’t talk, he don’t see the sun, he’s like a vampire.
Liz: His DNA would suggest otherwise.
Cain: Maybe he was framed.
Ressler: For all we know, he morphed into a bat and he flew to the crime scene, but we’re not gonna know for sure until we talk to Ruel himself.
Cain: Well then, by all means, let’s go get the little critter out of his cave.
[ Ressler and Liz talk to Arturo Ruel across a table in a small visitors room ]
Liz: Mr. Ruel, thank you for agreeing to speak with us.
Ruel: [ Spanish accent ] Who says I’m talking? [ To Ressler ] I’m here for the view.
Ressler: [ Chuckles ] Yeah, I know I’m pretty, but you’re not my type. So how about you tell us why we found your print at a crime scene less than 48 hours ago?
Ruel: Don’t know. What’d I do?
Ressler: I don’t think you did anything. I think you were in that little concrete box of yours.
[ Warden Cain and guards watch the discussion on a video monitor ]
Ruel: So I’m free to go, no?
Liz: You’re free to be charged with kidnapping. And depending on where the victim is, and what condition he’s in, you could be looking at anything from assault to murder by the time we’re through.
Ruel: Well, put it on my tab.
Ressler: So why don’t you just tell us who set you up?
[ Ruel gestures toward Ressler’s notepad ]
Ruel: May I?
[ Ressler gives it to him. Ruel writes ]
Ruel: Tell you what. This is my agent in Tepito. Call and ask why his cartel is letting me rot here in the States. Once he answers that, well, I’ll tell you whatever you wanna know about my prints and wherever you think they were found. But until then, well–
[ He rips off the page, folds it and puts it in Ressler’s pocket ]
Ruel: –tuck tail and go.
[ Ressler bats Ruel’s hand away ]
Ruel: [ Laughs ]
[ Liz and Ressler get in their SUV ]
Ressler: He can laugh all he wants, but the kid’s gonna help.
Liz: Why do you say that?
Ressler: It seems like our friend Ruel knows how to get through a locked door.
[ Ressler hand the slip of paper Ruel had written on. It says: “Want to talk. Not here” ]
[ Warden Roy Cain is in a restaurant with a man named Colin Anglim ]
Colin Anglim: Trial started two weeks ago. I thought our people would have it taken care of by now.
Roy Cain: Tell me about the girl.
[ Anglim slides a folder to Cain ]
Anglim: Case rests on her testimony. She saw it happen. State plans to call her up first thing Monday.
Cain: Not enough time.
Anglim: I understand that.
Cain: And I was under the impression that we could handle this on our own, but that’s not the case. This lady, her testimony, it’s about a lot more than a murder.
[ Cain looks in the folder. There a photos of a woman and a girl about eight years old or so ]
Cain: Who’s the kid?
Anglim: Collateral damage. They’re keeping the two of them at a federal safe house. Heavily guarded.
Cain: It’s too fast.
Anglim: Which is why I came to you.
Cain: I got less than 48 hours.
Anglim: I have it on good authority that doesn’t matter. I heard you have access to people – people with special skills who can help in short situations like this. Can you do that or not?
Cain: You and I need to talk money, but, yeah – we can take care of the lady. First we take care of the money.
[ The industrial-style kitchen ] [ Red is having soup. Liz walks in and hands him a folder ]
Liz: A list of prisoners in and out of Wallens Ridge in the last year.
Red: Hmm. Where are you on Arturo Ruel?
Liz: He’s willing to talk. We’re working on immunity now. New hangout?
Red: The chef is a friend. He needed an investor, and I need his pumpkin pepper vichyssoise.
Liz: You bought a restaurant so you could eat vichyssoise?
Red: I bought a restaurant because I can. A privilege you will soon enjoy.
Liz: I don’t like vichyssoise. Plus the name is terrible. It sounds like a Nazi collaborator.
Red: [ Laughs ] Chicken soup then. Lobster bisque. Whatever you’d like wherever you’d like it. As soon as the transition is complete.
Liz: What transition?
Red: Of assets. From me to you. I think it’s almost time.
Liz: Yeah, that’s – not happening.
Red: There are quite a few people to be taken care of. Dembe and others. It’s a fairly substantial list, but arrangements have been made. Protocols put in place. Most things will take care of themselves. But there are a lot of assets. Billions of assets. Of which, to a great degree, you’ll be in control.
Liz: Of a criminal empire? I’m an FBI agent!
Red: You’re also the daughter of Katarina Rostova. Believe me, it’s not what I had hoped for, or what I had planned for. But as the good book says, man plans. God laughs.
Liz: If it’s not what you planned, why do it? What changed?
Red: Destiny. Fate. Me. You.
[ Red sees a name on the list ]
Red: Marvin Gerard.
Liz: Your lawyer. He’s at Wallens?
Red: Got out three months ago. Haven’t spoken since. Perhaps it’s time to mend that fence.
[ Warden Roy Cain’s office ]
Cain: I got your message, what’s going on?
Vincent Martin: Situation with Ruel.
Cain: No, Ruel kept his mouth shut.
Martin: That’s what I thought. But we caught this on surveillance.
[ Martin shows Cain a fuzzy screenshot of the note Ruel slipped to Ressler saying he wanted to talk ]
Cain: [ Sighs ] Talk to the boys. Take care of it.
[ Red’s former lawyer, Marvin Gerard, is working in a toy store ]
Red: Marvin, nobody abandoned you.
Gerard: I went to prison.
Red: You were in prison before I broke you out of prison to come work for me. The only reason you were walking free is because I got you out.
Gerard: Three years, Raymond. Three years I’ll never get back.
Red: Marvin, what do you want me to say?
Gerard: Becky hit menopause while I was in that bird cage. We wanted kids, but if you must know, I had performance anxiety during our conjugal visits.
[ A female shopper interrupts ]
Shopper: Do you have any more Fun Foam Putty? I need it in blue.
Gerard: Uh, all of our Fun Foam Putty is at the end of that aisle.
Shopper: Yeah, I didn’t see blue.
Gerard: Then we’re out.
Shopper: You wanna check in the back?
Gerard: [ Agitated ] No, I don’t want to check in the back, ma’am. I just told you it’s at the end of the aisle. If you don’t see it, we’re either out or you’re not looking hard enough.
[ Shopper leaves ]
Gerard: [ Sighs ]
Red: Marvin, listen, you went to prison, you kept my relationship with the Task Force to yourself. I appreciate that. I am in your debt.
Gerard: Is that why you’re here?
Red: No. I’m here because I need information about the prison where you served. Wallens Ridge, something’s happening inside those walls, and I need to–
Gerard: I’m afraid I gotta stop you right there, pal. I can’t assist you.
Red: Why not?
Gerard: Because I am working in a toy store!
Red: I’ll give you money. Whatever you need.
Gerard: This isn’t about money, it’s about my law license. When they locked me up, I was disbarred. I’ve served my time, petitioned the state to be reinstated, and passed the exam – but the DC Office of Disciplinary Counsel is opposing my application on the grounds that I don’t possess the moral character to practice law.
Red: You’re a lawyer. What the hell does moral character have to do with anything?
Gerard: Tell me about it. But this guy – Paul Wynn is his name – he’s a real prick. And he’s the one guy who gets to decide if I pass the ethics review and get my license back.
Red: Marvin, I’d love to help you, and I will, but this–
Gerard: I’m putting my foot down.
Red: You’re holding me hostage.
Gerard: It’s called a negotiation. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. Just talk to this guy. Try and move the needle.
Red: You want me to threaten the Disciplinary Counsel so he’ll certify your moral fortitude.
Gerard: Sounds about right.
[ Wallens Ridge State Prison ]
[ Prisoners file down a corridor. Arturo Ruel is among them. A heavy-set, tattooed prisoner is passed a knife. He stabs Ruel in the neck with it ]
Guard Vincent Martine: Code Three, Code Three! Everybody down! Code Three, Code Three! Everybody down!
[ 🚨Alarm blaring 🚨]
Martin: Code Three, Code Three! Call it in. We’ve got one stabbed.
[ Ruel rolls on the floor, bleeding ] [ Gurgling ]
[ Warden Roy Cain’s office. Liz and Ressler are there ]
Ressler: Hold on, he’s been stabbed? Stabbed when?
Cain: Just now. I don’t know– We’re just getting word.
Liz: Any idea his condition?
Cain: You know as much as I do.
Associate Warden: Sir, CRT has commands. What do you want to do with the A and B blocks?
Cain: Lock ’em down. If C’s clear, get the medics in now.
Liz: All due respect, sir, this is a federal investigation. We’re gonna need to assist you in questioning any of the inmates or prison staff.
Cain: Fantastic. You can have access to anyone you want. I want the truth as much as you do, but right now, I got a prison to lock down.
[ Morning television host Al Roker sits at a bar in New York City ] [ Red enters with Dembe ]
Red: Look at you. Look. At. You. [ Laughs ]
Roker: Ray!
Red: Al.
[ Hug ]
Roker: Good to see you. [ Nods to Dembe ] Dembe. [ To Red ] How are things?
Red: Ah, better for seeing you. How long has it been? Must be close to a year.
Roker: That dinner at Le Coucou.
[ Laughter ]
Dembe: The red deer and chestnuts.
Roker: And the crepe suzette.
Red: The crepe suzette. And that fantastic, crazy bassist from Dizzy’s with the shoes and the hair! Oh, my God, what a night!
Roker: What a morning.
Red: Ah, honestly, Al, our schedules couldn’t be more out of sync. Imagine the trouble we’d find if you could stay up past nine?
Roker: You are the devil on my shoulder, Ray. What- What’s going on? I- I came as soon as I got Dembe’s text.
Red: I’m in a bit of a sticky wicket.
Roker: The Bulgarians?
Red: No. [ Chuckles ] This time it’s a friend. A lawyer– Well, he was a lawyer. You remember Marvin Gerard?
Roker: How could I forget Marvin Gerard?
[ Cellphone rings. Dembe steps away to answer ]
Roker: Oh, my gosh, those Hawaiian shirts. And his voice – they were louder the shirt.
Red: I know, I know.
Roker: Ah, so is he okay?
Red: Eh, you know, he–
⋘⋙
[ Dembe is out of earshot of Red and Roker ]
Dembe: Hello?
Katarina: [ On phone ] Indiana Avenue between 2nd and 3rd. One hour or he dies.
Dembe: How do I know he’s not dead already?
Katarina: I’m looking for information. He wouldn’t give it to me. I’m betting that to save his life, you will.
Dembe: Let me talk to him.
Katarina: If I see Reddington, if he’s involved in this in any way, the imam dies whether or not you tell me what I want to know. Understood?
Dembe: Understood.
Katarina: Please don’t let your imam down. I’ve grown quite fond of him.
[ Ressler and Liz question prisoners from the isolation block at Wallens Ridge Prison ]
Ressler: Arturo Ruel was murdered. Do you know anything about that?
Waats: I don’t know.
Ressler: Don’t know or can’t say?
Waats: Can’t say if I know or not.
⋘⋙
Liz: Your cell is next to Ruel’s. Any idea how his fingerprint ended up at a crime scene over 20 miles away?
Fingers: You’re asking the wrong guy. When it comes to fingerprints, I’m not expert.
[ He shows Liz that his fingers on one hand are missing ]
⋘⋙
Ressler: Imam Sadiq Asmal. Ring any bells?
Tank: I’m a Buddhist.
Ressler: Ruel ever mention anything about Muslims to you?
⋘⋙
Liz: You’re a hacker. Banks. Insurance companies.
Cisco: I am a security consultant only in reverse. An insecurity consultant.
Liz: And Ruel works in K&R. Only instead of getting people back, he took them.
Cisco: Cool. Maybe I should check his Linkedln page.
⋘⋙
Liz: You’re both known criminals.
Ressler: A getaway driver.
Liz: An explosives expert.
Ressler: Glorified leg-breaker. And yet you’re in isolation.
Cisco: What’s your point?
Liz: My point is people with rap sheets like yours don’t usually end up in the isolation cell block. And yet here you are. Why is that?
Cisco: I’m just not a people person.
[ Liz drives with Ressler ]
Liz: It’s weird, right, the records of the inmates we spoke to. They didn’t merit isolation.
Ressler: Could be the warden uses the isolated block to get them to toe the line. I mean, it explains why they wouldn’t talk. Didn’t wanna cause any trouble.
Liz: Hmm, could be. But trouble for whom? Who are they protecting?
Ressler: Maybe Gerard knows. I mean, if that mouthpiece knows anything, Reddington’ll get him to blow.
Liz: Reddington wants to hand down his empire to me.
Ressler: [ Chuckles ] You seem surprised. What did you think, he was just gonna give it to charity?
Liz: I didn’t think about it, and I’m not going to accept it, but it’s a little odd that he would bring it up now. He found out I hired a PI to shadow Ilya Koslov.
Ressler: So he knows that you know that’s not his real identity.
Liz: Yeah, and instead of confronting me about it, he decided to try and hand down the keys to his kingdom, and there’s got to be a reason.
Ressler: What about mortality?
Liz: His life is always in mortal danger.
Ressler: Yeah, from criminals who don’t scare him. But this is different.
Liz: What do you know?
Ressler: You remember when Reddington reconnected with Spalding Stark?
[ Flashback: ]
Red: You haven’t mentioned my blood panel results.
Spalding Stark: We’ve been too busy.
Liz: Yeah. You said that was for an investment purpose.
Ressler: I told you what he asked me to tell you. But the truth is, when I was in Stark’s lab, I saw Reddington’s medical file.
Liz: What did it say?
Ressler: I didn’t read it. But it was the size of a telephone book, and clearly he didn’t want me to see what was in it. I let it go, but if he’s thinking about his successor, my guess is that’s why.
[ The bar in New York City ] [ Marvin Gerard, Dembe, Roker and Red are talking ]
Al Roker: [ Sighs ] Paul can be a prickly guy, but– but he’s a good man.
Red: As is Marvin. Prickly, and a good man.
Roker: Paul’s smart as a whip. haven’t been with him that long, but I don’t want to lose him as a lawyer. Guy’s a shark.
Marvin: You won’t lose him. Trust me. He doesn’t wanna lose you as a client.
Roker: Oh, speak of the devil.
[ Roker gets up as Paul Wynn, Roker’s lawyer enters. Wynn is the person who gets to decide on Gerard’s ethics review ]
Roker: Excuse me.
[ Roker goes to speak to Wynn. ]
Roker: Paul.
⋘⋙
Dembe: I should go, Raymond. Chuck and Morgan will cover while I check on Imam’s wife. She seemed worried.
Red: Of course, take your time. Tell her we’re doing everything we can.
[ Dembe leaves ]
⋘⋙
[ Al Roker walks back with Paul Wynn ]
Roker: Paul, I- I’d like you to meet Ray and his friend Marvin.
Wynn: What the hell’s this?
Red: A meeting of the minds.
Wynn: Why is he here?
Red: You know Marvin, you know why he’s here. It’s about his license to practice.
Wynn: That’s never gonna happen.
Gerard: Think again, you evergreen dip spit.
Wynn: The hell’d you just call me?
Gerard: You heard me, counselor.
Wynn: I swear to God I’ll have your nuts in a Cheerio.
Gerard: Really?
Roker: Okay, all right, everybody just calm down. Look, Paul, like it or not, Ray is a friend. A dear friend. And you get to decide if his friend Marvin gets his law license back.
Wynn: Al, come on. Not here.
Roker: Okay, all right, just hold on a minute. Let’s sit down, let’s listen.
Red: Mr. Wynn, say what you will about Marvin Gerard, and God knows there’s a lot to say. But the man has suffered a great deal of hardship in his life, and through it all, he has remained resolute in his advocacy for and dedication to his clients. His principles and sense of justice have always remained intact. Now, his personality, his demeanor, that’s another subject entirely.
Roker: That being said, Paul, you’re the Disciplinary Counsel. You run the ethics committee.
So let me pose an ethical question– is it so wrong to reinstate a man with a questionable character in exchange for, say, keeping a client with an unquestionable one?
Wynn: You wouldn’t leave me.
Roker: Reinstate him or I’ll walk and take my guaranteed contract with me.
Wynn: You wouldn’t.
Red: [ Chuckles ] Oh, dear. Listen, for what it’s worth, I once lost a bundle to Al thinking he was bluffing during a hand of seven card stud. He has the sweetest, most child-like face, but my guy Al is as serious as a heart attack. But please, don’t take my word for it. Talk it over with your client. See what’s happening in his neck of the woods. I understand the committee is meeting this afternoon.
[ Dembe stands on the side out a street. A car drives up. Katarina’s man Berdy and another man, Simms, make sure he’s unarmed ]
Berdy: Get in.
[ Dembe gets in the car. A hood is put over his head ]
[ Red is the restaurant kitchen. He calls in to the Post Office. Marvin Gerard is with him ]
Red: Harold, are you there?
Cooper: We’re here.
[ Both ends of the call are on speaker ]
Red: Ha! So, I’m here with an old friend who may have some helpful intel about Arturo Ruel and his mysterious fingerprint.
Gerard: More of a hunch, really.
Liz: Is that Marvin Gerard? Aren’t you supposed to be in lockup?
Gerard: Hello, Agent Keen.
Agent Park: [ Whispers to Liz ] Who’s Marvin Gerard?
Aram: [ Silently mouths “His lawyer” ]
Gerard: Let me start by saying I have no conventional proof, but I suspect Ruel’s fingerprint wasn’t lifted or moved, but ended up in the office of Dembe’s imam because Ruel was there in person.
Cooper: How’s that possible? Someone let him out of prison?
Gerard: I won’t pretend to know the details– I was in an entirely different cell block. But people like to talk in prison, and what they say is that in this prison, there is a small, but trusted group of inmates who get special favors.
Liz: Well, that’s true for every prison.
Gerard: Yes, but in Wallens, the warden frequently puts his favorite inmates in isolation just for looking at someone the wrong way.
Park: Why would he do that?
Red: Well, there’s no better alibi than being in isolation. It only requires a small crew “on the take” to say you’re there when you’re not.
Gerard: And the leader on this crew is Vincent Martin. Longtime prison guard and warden Cain’s right hand man.
⋘⋙
[ At the prison, members of the isolation unit crew are escorted to their cells. They are handed folders with charts and photos in them which they review in their cells ]
⋘⋙
Liz: You believe they’re putting inmates into isolation so they can let them out to commit crimes?
Red: Well, what Marvin is suggesting is that something fishy is going on at Wallens Ridge, so if we’re trying to understand how the DNA of an incarcerated man ended up at a new crime scene while he was in jail, we need to start by looking at Vincent Martin.
⋘⋙
[ A mother brings her daughter a glass of milk. They are being guarded by a US Marshall. A photo of the mother, Sarah Wims, and her daughter, are among the photos in the files given to the prison crew ]
⋘⋙
Red: He’s the one ultimately responsible for the vanishing of Imam Asmal.
Gerard: I’m telling you, dollars to donuts, this guy is up to something, and it’s not good.
Cooper: Aram, pull what we have on Martin. Keen, Park, get eyes on him. Let’s see where he might take us.
[ Liz and Agent Park are in a vehicle outside the prison gate. A van pulls up to the exit station. Vincent Martin is in the driver’s seat ]
Park: That’s the guard? Martin?
Liz: Yeah, that’s him all right.
[ The exit guard gives the vehicle a cursory check, not seeing (or ignoring) the prisoners lying on the floor inside ]
Park: Where’s he going? His shift doesn’t end for four more hours.
Liz: No idea, but that’s what we’re gonna find out.
[ They follow the van at a distance ]
[ Liz and Agent Park are in their SUV parked across from a building with a fenced parking area. The van enters ]
Agent Park: What do you think?
Liz: I don’t know. Call it in, see if Aram can give us any details.
[ Liz gets out ]
Park: Where are you going?
Liz: For a closer look.
⋘⋙
[ Liz crosses the street and peers over the fence. The men from the prison isolation unit are unloading firearms and passing them around ]
⋘⋙
[ Liz returns and gets in the SUV ]
Liz: It’s them. The inmates from Wallens – guys we interrogated. Heavily armed.
Park: Armed for what?
[ Radio crackles ]
Aram: [ On radio ] Okay, Agent Keen, the address you gave me isn’t in the system. It’s an unknown.
Park: Aram, we need to roll units here now. The inmates–
Aram: Inmates? Wait–
Liz: From Wallens. They’re on site with enough military grade equipment to start a war.
Park: No lights or sirens, have ’em set up a two block– Whoa!
[ The van barrels out of the gate ]
Park: Hang on.
Aram: Hang on? Why? What’s going on?
Liz: Aram, they’re on the move. Get units here now. We’re in pursuit.
[ Stéphane Pompougnac’s ♪ “On the Road Again” plays ]
[ Cooper’s office. Aram rushes in ]
Aram: Sir, Marvin Gerard was right. Evidently, Martin smuggled several inmates out of Wallens. They’re heavily armed and on the move.
Cooper: On the move where?
Aram: That’s unclear.
Cooper: Roll assets their way.
[ Liz and Park watch as the men unload a ladder and enter a building ]
Liz: What the hell are they doing? I got the ones with the ladder.
[ Liz gets out and follows ]
[ Dialing ]
Liz: Aram? 2318 Central Ave. Four unsubs. All armed.
Aram: Okay, I have units en route.
Liz: I got something else – a car with government plates. Surveillance. This could be a sting. DC plates – six-brave-six-delta-five-November.
Aram: Copy. Part of the Marshals’ fleet. You think that’s–
Liz: It’s a protective detail. Reach out and see what you can find out about operations. Whatever’s about to happens here is gonna happen fast.
Aram: Copy.
[ Cisco disables the surveillance video on the side of the building ]
Cisco: Cameras are down.
Fingers: [ On comms ] Copy that. Here we go.
⋘⋙
[ Liz comes out of a door, gun drawn ]
⋘⋙
Waats: All right, we’re in place.
Cisco: [ Over comms ] 45 seconds. Go. Go.
[ The other three men pick up the ladder and move. Cisco kneels down and assembles a semi-automatic rifle. Agent Park puts a gun to the back of his head ]
Park: Don’t even think about it.
⋘⋙
[ Liz’s cellphone vibrating ]
Aram: Agent Keen. I just hung up with the Marshals, and they’re holding a witness named Sarah Wims. Now, she’s the lead witness in a murder trial and is being held next door to the address you gave me.
Liz: Next door?
Aram: Marshals are getting word to their teams now and has units on their way.
[ Liz runs to a ledge. Below are the other three men. Liz points her gun ]
Liz: FBI! Stop right there! Freeze!
Waats: Get to the target!
[ They duck away out of range ]
[ Sarah Weems is inside her apartment with her daughter and a US Marshall ]
Sarah Weems: [ To the Marshall ] The park is literally across the street. Maybe just 20 minutes?
Liz: [ On comms, to Park ] The building next door is housing a witness – Sarah Wims. That’s the target.
Park: What? What do you mean next–
[ Cisco turns suddenly, shoving Park against the wall. He runs off ]
⋘⋙
[ Tank bursts out of a stairwell door and guns down the Marshall posted outside Sarah Wims’s apartment ] [ 💥💥💥 Gunshots 💥💥💥 ]
⋘⋙
[ Inside the apartment ]
Sarah Wims: What was that? What was that?!
US Marshall: Get in the bedroom. Stay and don’t come out.
⋘⋙
[ Outside, more Marshalls arrive in an unmarked vehicle ]
Marshall: [ Over comms: ] Shots fired! We need help!
[ The backup force runs in ]
⋘⋙
[ Tank sets an explosive device to go off outside the stairwell. Then he and the others duck inside the elevator. The elevator doors close ]
♪ I ain’t got no woman to call my special friend ♪
[ ✨Beeping✨ ]
[ The Marshalls come out of the stairwell ]
Marshall: [ Over comms ] We have shots fired. Notify base and seal the perim–
[ Hearing the Marshalls’ voice, Tank pushes the detonator ]
[ 💥🔥💥 Explosion 💥🔥💥 ]
[ The Marshalls fall, mostly stunned. The isolation unit gang piles out of the elevator. Cisco shoots the stunned Marshalls ] [ 💥💥 Gunshots 💥💥 ]
[ Park appears and shoots Cisco💥 and Waats💥 ]
[ Tank enters the apartment ]
♪ I ain’t got no woman to call my special friend ♪
[ Sarah Wims huddles with her daughter. Tank enters pointing his rifle at them ]
Sarah: Please. No. Please don’t.
[ Liz comes up behind Tank ]
Liz: Stop! FBI! Hands! Drop your weapon.
[ Tank obeys. Park appears and handcuffs him ]
Liz: [ To Sarah ] You okay? It’s over.
Sarah: Thank you.
Liz: It’s gonna be okay.
Sarah: Thank you.
Liz: I promise.
♪ On the road again, on the road again ♪
[ The black hood is removed from Dembe’s head ]
Katarina: Hello, Mr. Zuma. It’s time to find out with whom your loyalties lie.
[ An interrogation room ]
Liz: Tell me how it worked.
Tank: [ Sighs ] We’re given targets.
Liz: We?
Tank: Yeah. Me, Waats, Fingers, and, uh, Cisco.
Liz: Who gave you these targets? Was it the guard Martin? Did he let you in and out of the prison?
Tank: —
Liz: Tell me about today’s target. Sarah Wims.
Tank: We don’t get names. Or reasons. Just targets.
Liz: And she was an extraordinary target.
⋘⋙
Park: No one would blame you if you chose not to testify.
Sarah Wims: After this, nothing could keep me from testifying.
⋘⋙
Liz: She’d agreed to testify against the Doyle gang. Mobsters who traffic heroin and cocaine.
Tank: —
Liz: Imam Sadiq Asmal.
Tank: I told you. I don’t know names.
Liz: You took him from his mosque. We need to know where he is.
Tank: I don’t know.
Liz: Well, who does? Martin? Does he know?
Tank: They take care of my family. All our families. They look out for us.
Liz: Right now, I’m the only one looking out for you. And I can’t do that unless you give me a reason to. Like a name.
[ Warden Roy Cain is at home. Guard Vincent Martin is in his parked vehicle ]
Vincent Martin: [ On phone ] It went sideways.
Cain: How?
Martin: The FBI, that’s how.
Cain: Calm down. We got to Ruel before he could say anything.
Martin: They got Tank. The others escaped.
Cain: Tell the others to go to the safe house. I’ll meet them there. You get back to the prison. Discover the jail-break, issue a BOLO. Follow protocol.
[ Liz has stepped outside the interrogation room ]
Liz: [ On phone ] It’s the warden. The inmates he puts in isolation, he takes care of their families. And they take care of him.
Red: He’s the man with the key to the locked-room.
Liz: He tells them what to do, and it’s very need-to-know.
Red: And they don’t know where the imam is?
Liz: No. They don’t.
Katarina: We’re clear then. You know the information I’m looking for and what will happen if you refuse to give it.
Dembe: Yes.
Katarina: Talk it over with your spiritual advisor. After all – it’s his life that hangs in the balance.
⋘⋙
[ Dembe enters the room where Imam Asmal sits. Dembe kneels down in front of him ]
Dembe: Are you hurt?
Imam Asmal: Only by the thought that you could be. You are devoted to two men and are being forced to betray one for the other.
Dembe: A man’s life is more important than a man’s secrets.
Imam Asmal: Some lives are built on secrets. And when they are revealed – the life they’re built on ends as well.
Dembe: Are you trying to confuse me?
Imam Asmal: I’m trying to help you see there is no easy answer. That either choice carries a burden I wish with my whole heart that you didn’t have to carry.
Dembe: If I let you die to save Raymond’s soul, how will I ever save my own?
Imam Asmal: This is not your fault. Hmm? Do you hear me, son? You are not to blame.
Dembe: [ Crying ]
Imam Asmal: You are not to blame. You are not to blame.
[ He draws Dembe to him ]
Imam Asmal: You are not to blame.
[ Embrace; Dembe sobbing ]
[ The safe house ]
Waats: What are we doing here?
Fingers: We’re doing what we’re told to do.
Waats: The op was blown.
Cisco: The warden will take care of us. He always has.
Waats: The warden has got no juice left after this.
Fingers: What do you say we should do?
Waats: We’re escaped prisoners. I say we escape.
[ Warden Roy Cain enters ]
Cain: That’s one option.
Waats: I’m not going back.
Cain: No, you’re not. [ 💥 Cain shoots Waats with a pistol ]
Fingers: Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! We’re on your side. All right? We’re a team.
Cain: We were. [ 💥 Cain shoots Fingers ]
Cain: A damn good team. [ 💥 Cain shoots Cisco ]
[ Unkle’s ♪ “The Answer” plays ]
[ Roy Cain arrives home from the safe house. He flips on the light. Red is drinking grapefruit juice. Morgan and Chuck are with him ]
Red: My doctor told me to stay away from grapefruit juice.
♪ Here we are ♪
Roy Cain: Who are you?
Red: He said something about statins and how grapefruit affects the metabolic this or that, I don’t know. But whatever the risk, ruby red is worth it. Please, sit.
♪ Lay in wait for an answer
They’re still waiting ♪
[ Roy Cain sits at the dining room table. Red raps the table with his knuckles ]
Red: Hands.
[ Cain puts his hands flat on the table ]
♪ Lucky tips as the day breaks
The blind are leading the blind ♪
Red: My name is Raymond Reddington, and as a general rule, innovative is not a word I would use to describe a prison warden. The indignities that the men in your charge are subjected to are cruel and often inhumane. But you – you found a way to monetize that cruelty. I imagine your clients pay top dollar for you to commit the perfect crime on their behalf. Street crimes using men who are off the street. I’m curious how you landed on the idea. The light-bulb moment. I love hearing about light-bulb moments. Do tell. ⋘⋙ That’s an order, not a request.
Roy Cain: I inherited the business from my daddy and his daddy before him. My great-great grandpa used to catch freed Blacks and lock ’em up down in Angola. Then he’d lease ’em out to the highest bidder. They’d work people’s fields, timber. There’s no reforming ’em. They come through my gates, they ain’t people. They’re broken. Might as well put ’em to some use.
Red: I guess that just about says it all, doesn’t it?
♪ Better days with a headache ♪
Red: Imam Asmal. Who hired you to abduct him?
♪ Better days with a headache ♪
Red: Time is of the essence.
Roy Cain: Her name is Maddy Tolliver.
[ Red presses the muzzle of his gun to Cain’s forehead ]
Red: Think again.
Cain: About what? You asked me who–
Red: Maddy Tolliver is dead.
Cain: She wasn’t dead two weeks ago. I swear to God she wasn’t.
Red: Where did she have you deliver him?
Cain: If I tell you that, are you gonna let me go?
Red: Where.
[ Door opens. Katarina enters ] [ Dembe and the Imam are praying together ] [ Chanting ]
Katarina: I see you’ve prayed on your decision.
[ They rise ]
Dembe: Release him, and I will tell you what you want to know.
[ Katarina sits across from Dembe at a table. Video gear is set up ]
Katarina: Let’s record this for the world to see, shall we?
[ Katarina starts recording ]
Katarina: I need an answer. I’m not waiting.
[ ⚡️Tires screech⚡️ ] [ Simms looks out the window ]
Simms: Ma’am, you gotta go. Right now.
Katarina: [ Scoffs ]
[ Simms hurries her away ]
[ Berdy grabs the Imam, holding a gun to his head ]
Imam Asmal: [ Grunts ]
⋘⋙
[ Chuck and Morgan enter, rifles drawn. Red enters ]
Berdy: He sold you out.
Red: Where is she?
Berdy: Did you hear what I said? He talked.
Red: No, he didn’t. If he had, they’d be dead already.
[ Chuck points his rifle at Berdy, who is using the Imam as a shield ]
Chuck: I got him. [ i.e. in my sights ]
Berdy: You’re not going after her. I’m here to make sure of that.
Red: You got him?
Berdy: We’re just gonna stay here and have a nice chat.
[ Berdy has his eye on Chuck, but not on Red ] [ Gunshot 💥] [ Red shoots Berdy in the forehead ]
Red: [ To Dembe ] Did you tell her anything?
Dembe: No. But I was going to.
[ The scene of a murder; it’s Roy Cain ] [ Police radio chatter, camera shutter clicking ]
Dr Ogden Maguire (M.E.): Got the call a couple hours ago. It’s two gunshot wounds to the torso at close range, based on the GSR and the stippling.
Agent Park: That’s him. I’ll call off the hunt.
Dr Maguire: We’re almost done here. I’ll get the autopsy filed to your Task Force by this time tomorrow.
[ Park picks up a ledger and pages through it ]
[ Cooper’s office. Aram enters ]
Aram: Sir, just got off with the DA. Sarah Wims testified. Looks like guilty on all counts.
Cooper: And the man who contracted the warden?
[ Park enters the restaurant where Cain had earlier met with Anglim. Two agents are with her. Anglim is there now ]
Park: Colin Anglim.
You’re under arrest for the attempted murder of Sarah Wims.
Anglim: Sarah who? Like I’m supposed to know who that–
Park: It was in Warden Cain’s ledger. Which is good, since he’s not around to tell us about it.
[ Aram sits down in Cooper’s office ]
Cooper: The warden’s dead. His ledger gives us the people who hired him and Imam Asmal was safe. I think we can close the books on this.
Aram: Well, I looked over the ledger, and it gives us every name but one. The person who hired him to take the imam.
Cooper: And the imam won’t say. I spoke with him myself. He says it’s a private matter between him and a congregant.
[ Michael Kiwanuka’s ♪ “Light” plays ]
[ Liz sits in her car. Katarina gets in ]
♪ We’re miles apart
But safe right here ♪
Katarina: [ Sighs ]
♪ We’re running from ♪
Katarina: I’ve missed you.
♪ Beyond the dark We’ll always be ♪
[ Liz smiles slightly ]
[ Imam Asmal sits next to Red in his car ]
Imam Asmal: Hmm. You think he had a binary choice. I think he had no choice at all.
Red: We always have a choice.
Imam Asmal: [ Sighs ] Hmm. If you have situational ethics. He doesn’t. There is a right and a wrong.
Red: And you were right, and I was wrong.
Imam Asmal: You and I were– irrelevant to his struggle for spiritual discipline.
Red: Dembe and I have done this dance before. I made it clear there wouldn’t be an encore.
Imam Asmal: Jihad doesn’t start and stop. It is constant. For him. For me. And for you.
♪ You’ll always shine ♪
Red: What do you know of my struggle?
Imam Asmal: I know we all have one. Every day. Today, my struggle was whether to tell the FBI who had abducted me. Tomorrow it will be why I didn’t.
♪ And it don’t bother me, don’t bother me, no ♪
Red: Dembe asked you not to.
Imam Asmal: Yes, he did. He left me no choice. Whether I liked it or not.
♪ All of my fears are gone, baby, gone, gone ♪
Liz: Dembe’s imam. Was that really necessary?
Katarina: You mean he’s not in the game. A bystander.
Liz: I mean was it necessary.
Katarina: In the situation I’m in, in the situation Reddington put me in, there are no bystanders.
Liz: Does he know? That you’re alive?
Katarina: He does now.
[ The kitchen of Red’s restaurant ] [ Red pours from a bottle of champagne ]
Marvin Gerard: I don’t know what you did, but whatever it was – thank you.
Red: Thanks can wait. I need you to do something for me.
Gerard: Um, thanks cannot wait. I was about to be disbarred. One conversation with you and I’m suddenly a paragon of legal ethics.
Red: You’re welcome.
[ Glasses clink ✨They drink ]
Liz: You’re going after the people I care about–
Katarina: I’m not going after them. I’m giving them a choice. Dembe made the right one. If it comes down to it, one day, I hope you will, too.
Liz: I thought I already had.
Katarina: You did. And it saved me.
Red: It’s about my will and my various trusts. Seeing as how she’s the primary beneficiary, I’d like you to set aside a time to review them with Elizabeth.
Gerard: You’re giving a cop the keys to your kingdom.
Red: Regrettably.
⋘⋙
Katarina: But there will be – more choices for you to make.
Liz: Between you and him.
⋘⋙
Gerard: Why do it?
Red: Because where she’s going, she’ll need it.
Gerard: And where, pray tell, is our plucky heroine going?
Red: To a very dark and dangerous place.
⋘⋙
Katarina: I don’t think one of us can live while the other survives.
⋘⋙
Red: She doesn’t see it, or can’t accept it, but her path is undeniable.
Gerard: You make it sound like she has no choice.
[ Dembe enters. Red looks up at him ]
Red: [ To Gerard ] What did you say?
Gerard: I said you make it sound like she has no choice.
[ Red looks at Dembe ]
Red: [ Quietly ] I guess that is what I’m saying. Sometimes there is no choice.
⋘⋙
Katarina: [ To Liz ] And I think the outcome is in your hands.
♪ A mile apart, leave and be free
A mile apart ♪
⬆ go to start of 7:18 Roy Cain
⏫ go to top
Episode Songs
♫ On the Road Again
by Stéphane Pompougnac♪ [ Lyrics unavailable ]
Lyrics and Credits: [ Instrumental ]
YouTube: https://youtu.be/M0Cum5TuAOo
♫ The Answer
by Unkle, feat. Big in Japan♪ Here we are
Burning up in our cars
And in our hearts
Better days
Sleeping late with a headache
Perfect weather
Congregate
Lay in wait for an answer
They’re still waiting
With your tea
Lucky tips as the day breaks
The blind are leading the blind♪ Better
Better days with a headache
Perfect weather♪ Xenon lights
Dots go dashing the highways
Nothing’s moving
Radiates
Everything lasting for seconds
Evaporated
Lovers’ lips
Drinking late at the station
Smiling faces
Comic weep
Wiping your face in whatever
There’s an answer♪ Better
Better days with a headache
Perfect weatherLyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/3bgnk5d
YouTube: https://youtu.be/FQSkueM8fjM
♫ Light
by Michael Kiwanuka♪ We’re miles apart
But safe from dreams
You’re running from
Beyond the dawn
We’ll always need
One of their own
To lead♪ (Shine your light over me)
Shine your light over me
(All of my fears are gone)
All of my fears are gone, baby, gone, gone
(And it don’t bother me)
And it don’t bother me, don’t bother me, no
(If it’s not meant to be)♪ Too far to run
Fall on your knees
To find a love
You’re light to me
My only sun
You’ll always shine
For me♪ (Shine your light over me)
Shine your light over me
(All of my fears are gone)
All of my fears are gone, baby, gone, gone
(And it don’t bother me)
Don’t bother me, don’t bother me, no
If it’s not meant to be♪ (Shine your light over me)
Shine your light over me
(All of my fears are gone)
All of my fears are gone, baby, gone, gone
(And it don’t bother me)
It don’t bother me, don’t bother me, no
If it’s not meant to be♪ I had to lose to understand
Strung out from all this
Pour out a thousand tears
I never knew a kinder man♪ A mile apart, leave and be free
A mile apart, leave and be free
A mile apart, leave and be free
A mile apart, leave and be free♪ A mile apart, leave and be free
A mile apart, leave and be free
A mile apart, leave and be free
A mile apart, leave and be freeLyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/2SJIand
YouTube: https://youtu.be/RCDsiBLZPnk
⬆ go to start of 7:18 Roy Cain
⏫ go to top
❌❌❌ End 7:18 Roy Cain
🔴 Script 7:19 Kazanjian Brothers (№ 156-157)
Program air date: 5/15/2020 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-arR
Entertainment Weekly Recap: http://bit.ly/3fR3VeB
Director: Michael Caracciolo
Written by: Kelli Johnson, Sam Christopher
Technical Note: Episode 7:19 is the finale of Season 7 of The Blacklist which was shortened due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19, which shut down both New York City and Los Angeles, where the series is filmed and produced. The final episode was not completely filmed when production halted. In addition, the death of Brian Dennehy, who played Liz’s grandfather, Dominic Wilkinson, means his character has to be written out of the story. Word is that the episode was to be pieced together out of scenes that were already filmed, flashback scenes, and animated scenes with the voices dubbed in. As the saying goes, “Necessity is the Mother of Invention.”
Brief (Where we’re at): Red is suffering from a mysterious illness and is making arrangements to pass his assets to Liz, a proposition she says she won’t agree to. Katarina Rostova, Liz’s mother, seems determined to beat Mother Nature to Red, telling Liz, “I don’t think one of us can live while the other survives”:Katarina: … [T]here will be – more choices for you to make.
Liz: Between you and him.Liz, it turns out, has been collaborating with Katarina (who Red had thought was dead) in her effort to determine who Red really is – or was – before he took on the identity of Raymond Reddington, Liz’s dead father, a question Katarina also wants answered. Dembe found out Liz was involved in the kidnapping of his imam, but did not tell Red. He also admitted to Red that although he did not divulge the secret of Red’s identity, he would have done to save his imam’s life – had Red had not shown up in the nick of time:
Red: [ To Dembe ] Did you tell her anything?
Dembe: No. But I was going to.As Red told Imam Asmal, “Dembe and I have done this dance before. I made it clear there wouldn’t be an encore.”
Dembe has betrayed Red twice: by almost betraying his identity to Katarina and by keeping from him the fact that it was Liz who had arranged for the imam’s kidnapping. Will Dembe pay a price for his failure of loyalty? And why, in light of all this, and knowing that Liz had hired a private investigator to delve into his past, is Red ready to turn over everything to her? Cryptically, he explains to Marvin Gerard, his lawyer:
Marvin Gerard: You’re giving a cop the keys to your kingdom.
Red: Regrettably.
Gerard: Why do it?
Red: Because where she’s going, she’ll need it.
Gerard: And where, pray tell, is our plucky heroine going?
Red: To a very dark and dangerous place.
⭕ Script 7:19 Kazanjian Brothers (№ 156-157)
Voice-over: Previously on “The Blacklist”:
Liz: You know his identity.
Dom (Liz’s grandfather): I do.
⋘⋙
Liz: I know you’re Ilya.
Red: Who told you this?
Liz: Dom.
⋘⋙
[ In the story Dom told to Liz, Ilya (who Dom said was Red) emerges from a meeting with a banker, having assumed the identity of the real (and deceased) Raymond Reddington ]
Red’s voice: [ On phone ] It worked.
⋘⋙
[ Ilya (aka Frank Bloom, Red’s friend) is taken at gunpoint by Katarina ]
Katarina: Hello, Ilya. Been a long time.
⋘⋙
[ Liz goes through the files from Victoria Fenberg’s operation and recognizes her neighbor, “Maddy Tolliver,” is not who she says she is ]
Liz: My nanny.
⋘⋙
[ Dom lies in a coma, having been shot in a gunfight with Katarina’s operatives ]
Liz: [ To Dom ] You put your granddaughter in harm’s way. You lied your way into my life.
⋘⋙
Katarina: [ To Liz, introducing herself ] Maddy Tolliver, your new neighbor.
⋘⋙
[ Dom, shot 💥💥 in the chest by Katarina’s sharpshooter ]
[ Liz points her gun at Katarina ]
Liz: You shot your father. You’ve caused pain and suffering for everyone I’ve ever cared about. Give me one good reason I shouldn’t end this right now.
Katarina: You already know the reason, Masha. I’m your mother.
⋘⋙
[ Liz continues talking to the unconscious Dom ]
Liz: She told me you lied to me about who Reddington is.
⋘⋙
Red: [ To Liz ] It’s over. She’s dead. Gunned down in the street less than an hour ago.
[ Katarina is 💥💥💥 gunned down 💥💥💥 by the Kazanjian brothers in a faked assassination staged for Red’s benefit ]
⋘⋙
[ Red has collapsed. Dembe runs to his side ]
Dembe: Raymond!
⋘⋙
Dr Ed Clemons: I think we need to look at this event as a wake-up call, Raymond. [ To Dembe ] Maybe you can get him to listen to reason. His life depends on it.
[ New York City, near the Brooklyn Bridge ] [ Siren wailing ] [ Tour boat horn blares ]
[ Frank Mervin makes a call ] [ Ringing ] [ Frank’s hand is chained to the briefcase he is carrying ]
[ Stanley Birch is in his chess shop in D.C. ]
Stanley Birch: [ Answers ] Where are you now?
Frank Merwin: On my way to you.
Birch: Where are you specifically?
Frank: New York. But I’ll be there.
Birch: You haven’t left? Are you insane? Even I’m hearing about people who want to put a bullet in your back. If you want my services, you get to D.C. and now.
Frank: D.C., I know. The chess shop. I’ll be there at 9:00 tonight.
Birch: You’ll never clear the airport.
Frank: I’m not going through the airport. I contracted transport.
[ A man and woman standing nearly by are watching Merwin and appear to be reaching for guns ]
Frank: Just be ready. Passports, new names – everything we talked about.
[ A black SUV ⚡️screeches⚡️ to a halt ] [ The man and woman take aim at Frank ]
Frank: No. No, wait, please!
[ Two men, the Kazanjian brothers, get out of the SUV and 💥💥💥 shoot the man and the woman 💥💥💥 with automatic weapons, preventing them from shooting Frank Merwin ][ Spectators screaming ]
Stanley Birch: [ On phone ] Mr. Merwin, what’s going on?
Nshan Kazanjian: [ Speaks foreign language ]
[ Two police officers appear ]
Police Officer: NYPD! Drop your weapons!
[ 💥💥💥 Gunfire 💥💥💥] [ The police officers are shot and fall ]
Birch: [ On phone ] Mr. Merwin, what’s happening? Mr. Merwin?
[ The Kazanjian brothers grab Frank Merwin and shove him into the SUV ]
[ Engine revs ⚡️Tires screech⚡️ ]
Nshan Kazanjian: [ Speaking foreign language ]
Pasha Kazanjian: [ Speaks foreign language ]
Birch: [ On phone ] Mr. Merwin, hello? Talk to me. What the hell is going on?
Frank: 9:00 tonight, the chess shop. Just be there.
[ Dial tone ] [ Nshan takes the phone ]
Pasha: [ Russian accent ] No phones. No talking. What’s in the briefcase?
Frank: Protection. From my clients. It’s what’s keeping me alive.
Pasha: Yeah. Well, now you have us.
[ Monitor beeping ] [ Dom lies in a coma ]
Liz: [ Her thoughts, voice-over ] What would I even say to you if I could? I don’t care who Reddington is, his secret – the one you lied to me about. But the people who’ve died to keep the secret – Tom, Mr. Kaplan – I did care about them. I loved them. And when they died, a part of me died with them. A good part here, a kind part there. Until, after seven years, I’m not sure what parts are left.
Interruption —
Harry Lennix (“Cooper”): That’s what Elizabeth Keen was going to say to her grandfather. But she didn’t get the chance to because, like all of you–
Diego Klattenhoff (“Ressler”): Our lives were put on hold because of the coronavirus.
Hisham Tawfiq (“Dembe”): Back in March, we shut down production halfway through filming this episode.
Amir Arison (“Aram”): I remember I was wearing gloves between takes, and then right before we yelled “action,” I would take them off.
Laura Sohn (“Agent Park”): Things were getting scary. And, eventually, we finally did shut down. The entire city shut down.
Lennix: But I thought it might be for a few weeks, a month, even. We might finish the episode. And then it soon came to our attention that we weren’t coming back at all.
Diego: But, since then, with the help of people working remotely from their homes in cities–
[ Photos from online meetings ]
Lennix: All the way from Los Angeles to London, using our imaginations–
Diego: We’ve been able to complete the episode, an unusual solution for a trying time.
[ Amir has a puppy! ]
Amir: Keep your distance. Only go out when you have to. And, um, make sure you tell those that you love, you love them. [ Kisses puppy ] I love you.
Laura: I know I speak for everyone on the show when I tell you that we hope that you are healthy and safe.
[ Photos off the actors behind the scenes ]
Lennix: And we hope that we get to see you on the other side of this very soon.
Amir: So, I can’t wait to see it. I can’t wait to see what is now the season finale of season seven.
Hisham: And now back to Agent Keen, as she imagines–
Diego: Telling her grandfather that–
[ Liz at Dom’s bedside ]
Liz: I feel like a series of lights have been turned off and I’m standing at the edge of this darkness and that if I take one step closer to it, if I lose one more good part of me, I’ll be — transformed.
[ Text inset: ACT #1: LIZ’S DILEMMA ]
[ Dr Ed Clemons enters ]
Dr Clemons: Your grandfather is doing better.
Liz: Please, tell me.
Dr Clemons: We’ve been reducing the sedation and monitoring his brain activity. Serial EEGs show the seizures are decreasing. His body is starting to regulate the flow of oxygen on its own. If you and Mr. Reddington approve, I’d like to suggest we try and bring him out of the coma.
Liz: You think it’s time?
Dr Clemons: I think we need to be cautious, but there’s a chance we could have him talking soon.
Liz: That would be nice.
[ Liz covers Dom’s hand with hers ]
Liz: Wouldn’t it?
[ Liz walks through the warehouse where the secret hospital is hidden ]
[ Text inset: I MAY FINALLY LEARN THE TRUTH ]
[ Liz exits the warehouse onto the sidewalk ] [ Siren wails ] [ See sees in the rearview mirror of a vehicle that someone is following her. It’s Simms, who works for her mother, Katarina Rostova.
Liz ducks behind a van and then grabs Simms when he nears and slams him against the van ]
Liz: Talk to me.
Simms: Whoa. Wait.
Liz: Yesterday, you were outside my house. The day before, you were outside my daughter’s school. You’re following me – for her. Take me to her. Come on.
[ Katarina’s apartment ] [ Knock on door ]
[ Liz and Simms enter ] [ Door closes ] [ Katarina appears ]
Liz: Dom is off-limits.
Katarina: Thank you, Simms.
Liz: Did you hear me? Stay away from him. [ To Simms, as he leaves ] And stop following me.
Katarina: You gave me your orders. Now I’ll give you mine. Don’t pick Dom over me. Knowing what he did–
Liz: What he did? You put him in a coma.
Katarina: Because he stole my life. He trained me, and then he betrayed me. I want my life back. He won’t give it to me.
Liz: After Koslov, the interrogation, when you went away–
Katarina: I went in search of answers, and I found some – why the Townsend Directive is after me.
Liz: Tell me.
Katarina: Are you on my side?
Liz: I’m your daughter.
Katarina: But are you on my side?
[ Cellphone buzzes ] [ Liz’s phone reads “Nick’s Pizza” (Red) ] [ Liz clicks it; Buzzing stops ]
Liz: You know, you say you want answers. Well, so do I. When you’re ready to tell me yours, let me know. Until then, we’ve got nothing to talk about. And stop following me.
[ She lets herself out ]
[ Text inset: MEANWHILE AT THE NATIONAL MALL ]
Dembe: Do you think she knows?
Red: That her beloved mother is alive? I’d have to say yes.
Dembe: Which may mean she has taken Elizabeth into her confidence. Which means Elizabeth cannot be in yours.
[ Suddenly, Red doubles over in pain ]
Red: [ Groans ]
[ Dembe gives Red some pills and a flask. Red takes the pills ]
Liz: Are you all right?
Red: It’s a beautiful day. You and I are playing well with each other. And I have a case for you. What do you know about the killings this morning in New York?
Liz: I know four people were left dead, including two cops. New York Field Office says it was a botched hit.
Red: On an accountant for criminals. He survived and escaped.
Liz: The accountant?
Red: His name is Frank Merwin.
Liz: You want us to find an accountant?
Red: No. I want you to find the men who facilitated the accountant’s escape – the Kazanjian brothers.
[ Red hands Liz a photo of the Kazanjian brothers ]
[ Text inset: THE KAZANJIAN BROTHERS (NO. 156/157) ]
Red: They provide security to criminals. They’re ruthless and entirely indifferent to the carnage they leave behind.
[ A list of prior killings by the brothers is displayed ]
Red: Even the whisper of a contract with the Kazanjians can deter those with a vested interest from attempting to intervene.
Liz: And you’re interested in these criminal escorts because–?
Red: Because apprehending the Kazanjian brothers will take two bloodthirsty killers off the streets while pointing the FBI to the last-known whereabouts of any number of wanted fugitives.
Liz: That’s why the Task Force should take the case, not why you’re giving it to us.
Red: The Kazanjian brothers – Would you care to hear more?
[ The Post Office. Liz briefs the Task Force ]
Liz: Pasha and Nshan Kazanjian. Conceived and born in prison, the only children of a female inmate held at the infamous Perm-36 labor camp. Taken from their mother and placed in a state-run orphanage but raised on the street. Today, they make their living as muscle for hire.
Agent Alina Park: Muscle– Like they’re what, bodyguards for bad guys?
Liz: Yes. Only these bodyguards kill to protect their clients. A missing Indian crime boss, an exiled Thai politician, an accountant who hides millions for criminals – all contracted by the Kazanjian brothers. According to Reddington, the bloodshed in New York this morning was in service of protecting their newest client – Frank Merwin.
Aram: Merwin is an MIT graduate with degrees in quantitative economics and financial mathematics. He’s a forensic accountant who moves money for criminals and criminal syndicates around the world.
Cooper: Merwin’s on the Bureau’s ra