The Blacklist Declassified

Brief (Where we’re at):

Red has been told by his Russian liaison Sikorsky that if Harold Cooper gains access to the Rakitin files, he must be “eliminated.” The problem is that Cooper has already gained access to the files. Liz (who has remained out of sight) delivered the files (which are on a thumb drive) to Cooper after she had them stolen from Red’s safe deposit box by The Fribourg Confidence (Blacklister #140) and it was only a matter of time before Aram figured out that the security on the files was biometric. All that was needed was a fingerprint.

Cooper already knew from Aram (with help from an NSA buddy) that the source of the files was a hacker named Rakitin, so Cooper dropped in on the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, US Representative Russell Friedenberg. Friedenberg thought that Rakitin was passing the government secrets he stole to the legendary Russian asset known as N-13. N-13 was long thought to be Liz’s mother, Katarina Rostova, but Katarina was not N-13, though she was hunted because of it. Katarina tortured her father, Dominic Wilkinson, to give up the fact that N-13 is Red, after which Dom died from the stress, though not before he told Red. So to keep from the world the fact that he is N-13, Red killed Katarina, an execution Liz accidentally witnessed. But Katarina had the wherewithal to record her final discussion with Red in a message to Liz’s cellphone, which Liz later shared with Cooper. On the recording Katarina accused Red of being N-13.

So, after sharing Scotch with Red, Cooper lifted Red’s fingerprint from Red’s Scotch glass and, using the fingerprint reader Aram had just given him, Cooper fed Red’s print into the reader — and behold! — the print opened the “Rakitin files.” So, Cooper has a target on his back and Red has an assignment to carry out. How Sikorsky knew there was even a chance Cooper would have come by the files is an open question, as is how Liz knew where the thumb drive with the files was locked away is another. (It was made clear Red has many safe deposit boxes).

Meanwhile, Liz has been recruiting Blacklisters left and right. First, she used a high-priced lawyer to spring an early Blacklister, Alban Veseli (The Freelancer, Blacklister #145) from prison. Veseli’s modus operandi is to disguise targeted murders in mass casualty “accidents.” Liz assigned Veseli to arrange the crash of a large passenger airliner to kill a woman who develops and sells chemical weapons, Mary Bremmer aka Chemical Mary (Blacklister #143). Dembe learned of the target when he followed up on the last person Liz hired, a Bosnian bounty hunter. The task force and Paris Air Traffic Control were able to avert the crash. The only problem is Mary Bremmer never got on the plane – because Liz kidnapped her before she could board.

Red speculated Liz wants to use Chemical Mary’s services and wanted to gain her trust. But Liz also made sure the Task Force found out about the details of the plan to crash the plane, by feeding Veseli’s location to a hotel maid on Red’s radar. But, if the plane never crashed, why should Chemical Mary feel any obligation to Liz now? Apart from the fact that Liz has Mary locked up and desperate to see her, Mary is also now “without portfolio”: Because the FBI became involved, Mary’s entire operation was raided, her equipment and product seized, her staff arrested and her network dismantled. She is entirely at Liz’s mercy.

P.S. Oh, and Red mentioned in a private off-hand remark to Dembe that he is not Liz’s father. So there’s that.

 
For S8 Episode 8:8 Odgen Greeley 🎯 EW recap ¤ 🌅 Photo Gallery ¤ 🎹 Music Videos ¤ 📒 Script link: https://wp.me/pDKwi-aS7 [ “you are here” ]

 
[ US Navy Second Fleet Maritime Operations Center, Keflavik, Iceland ]
[ Mozart’s ♫ “Ave Verum Corpus” plays ]
[ ⬇ Go to Full Lyrics ] or [ ♪ Tap square below to play ♪ ]

[ Captain Andrew Ridge is listening to Mozart over noise-cancelling earphones ]

♪ Ave Ave Verum corpus Natum ♪

[ Lieutenant Cobb approaches him and speaks excitedly, but Captain Ridge can’t hear him ]
[ Captain Ridge takes off the earphones ] [ Music stops ]
Captain Ridge: Lieutenant. Take a breath and start over.
Lieutenant Cobb: You need to see this, Captain.

 
[ The two naval officers enter a large room with computer screens being monitored by a dozen or so people ]
Lieutenant Cobb: One of our radar satellites picked it up. It’s a ship. A large one. Over 1,000 feet.
Captain Ridge: Is it transmitting?
Lieutenant Cobb: Negative. Its transponder seems to be off. It won’t respond to any of our contact requests.
Lieutenant Owens: Could be a Kuznetsov.
Captain Ridge: That close to shore? Undetected? Aircraft carriers don’t just appear out of nowhere.
[ Beep🔅]
Lieutenant Cobb: Whoa.
Captain Ridge: And they sure as hell don’t disappear into thin air.
Petty Naval Officer Quinn: I’ve got another one. Same size. Bearing 183 degrees. Traveling 22 knots. No active transponder. 26 miles east of the last one.
Lieutenant Cobb: Has to be a technical issue, right?
Captain Ridge: Well, we’re not taking any chances. Scramble a Hornet. I want a pilot to tell me what he sees.
[ 🚨 Alarm sounding 🚨 ]
Lieutenant Cobb: Captain, radar satellites are picking up an incoming projectile mid-flight. Looks like a cruise missile inbound.
Petty Naval Officer Quinn: Our missile warning satellites didn’t pick up the launch. We can try to confirm with ground-based radar if there’s time.
Captain Ridge: How fast is it traveling?
Lieutenant Cobb: Bearing 1-7-9 degrees at Mach 5.5.
Captain Ridge: Get STRATCOM on the line now. And call Space Command, see what they know.
Lieutenant Cobb: Calculating. At that distance, we have 52 seconds to impact.
Petty Naval Officer Quinn: STRATCOM on line five, Captain!
[ Captain Ridge picks up ]
Captain Ridge: This is Captain Ridge. We got warning of an inbound missile but no indication of launch. You guys seeing anything?
Man at STRATCOM: No. That’s a negative, sir.
Captain Ridge: Stand by.
Lieutenant Cobb: 19 seconds to impact!
Lieutenant Owens: Space Command reports all systems nominal, sir. No solar flares or weather events.
Captain Ridge: Close the blast doors! Everybody take cover! Blast positions!
[ People scramble, duck under desks; one grabs a family photo ]
Lieutenant Cobb: 10 seconds! Nine, eight, seven–
[ Blast doors slam shut ]
Lieutenant Cobb: –six, five, four, three, two, one. [ … ]
[ There is no explosion ] [ Alarm stops ]
[ Indistinct conversations start up ]
Lieutenant Cobb: [ Exhales deeply ]

 
[ A room with a radar display ] [ Keyboard clacking ] [ Radar pinging ]
[ Ogden Greeley turns around to face a video camera ]
Ogden Greeley: Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our demonstration. The bidding will be open for 36 hours, beginning – now.

 
[ Cooper meets with Allan Tuppert, Legislative Director to Virginia Governor Nance ]
Cooper: I have to say, I was surprised by your call. I’ve never met Governor Nance. I didn’t realize he knew anything about me.
Allan Tuppert: Only a handful of people know what I’m about to tell you, so whatever happens here, we’re assuming your discretion. After 41 years of public service, Senator Warwick has decided to retire.
Cooper: I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m still not sure how that connects to the Governor’s Legislative Director asking me to breakfast.
Tuppert: Once Senator Warwick steps down, the Governor will have the authority to appoint his replacement. Your name came up.
Cooper: Me?
Tuppert: You’ve had a distinguished military career, followed by a long and, from what I hear, exemplary run at the Bureau.
Cooper: You’re serious? The Governor’s actually considering this?
Tuppert: He’s a good man, Harold. He’s looking for the right person. Whatever good you’re doing at the Bureau, think about how much more you could accomplish in the Senate. Real change on a national level. You earned this opportunity. The people of Virginia need you.
Cooper: And what do you need?
Tuppert: Permission. To consider you for the position. But I need to know you’ll say yes if we go in your direction.
[ Cooper’s cellphone✨ringing. It’s a call from Nick’s Pizza (Red) ]

 
[ In the kitchen of his restaurant that Red recently has been using as an office, Red pours coffee for Cooper ]
Red: Senator? I wasn’t aware you had political ambitions.
Cooper: I don’t, but apparently, the Governor thinks I should.
Red: Well, what does Charlene think?
Cooper: I haven’t told her yet.
Red: You’re telling me before telling your wife? Harold, please tell me there’s no trouble in paradise.
Cooper: No. I value your opinion. And I already know what she thinks – The Governor’s got an ulterior motive.
Red: I’ve always said you married up.
Cooper: So he’s interested in me for more than my undeniable charm. I’m Black. I’m law enforcement. I check some boxes. Is that so bad?
Red: Not those boxes, no. But I’m in another one of your boxes, Harold, and if the Governor knows that, he may be under the false impression that you are prone to moral ambiguity.
Cooper: Because I work with you.
Red: Mm. Because you put up with me. Who I am, what I do. Because at times, you– look the other way.
Cooper: I choose the greater good.
Red: Which I see as admirable – and the Governor may see as situational. Clamato, Clamahto. Tornado, typhoon. Let’s talk about why I called. What do you know about the National Reconnaissance Office?
Cooper: I know it took over 30 years for the government to admit it exists.
Red: Mr. Ogden Greeley works with them as a defense contractor. Or he did. Five days ago, he went missing. Greeley has SAP-level clearance. Everything there is to know about this country’s satellite technology, he knows it. The CIA assumed he was abducted, possibly by the Iranians or the Russians.
Cooper: That would be an act of war.
Red: If it had actually happened. The truth, I’m afraid, is even more disturbing. Associates of mine in the Middle East forwarded me a communiqué, one that I’m sure the people in your intelligence community will hear about in short order if they haven’t already.
[ Red turns his laptop around so Cooper can see the screen ] [ Key clicks ]

[ Video recording: ]
Ogden Greeley: I am a patriot. I have tried and failed to convince those charged with keeping America safe to act responsibly. As a result, I have come to believe that the only way to address our security issues is to exploit them – to show the bureaucrats through military defeat the flaws they are too blind to see on paper. I have decided to sell my knowledge of the vulnerabilities present in our satellite systems to the highest bidder.

Cooper: Greeley said he’s taking bids. Who from?
Red: Well, there’s the rub.

 
[ The Post Office war room ]
Ressler: North Korea, Russia, and Iran?
Cooper: Those are the countries Reddington knows about. We have to assume there are others, as well as any number of individual bad actors.
Agent Park: The National Reconnaissance Office. I’ve never heard of them.
Cooper: For good reason. They design, build, launch, and maintain all of America’s spy satellites. They’re the backbone of U.S. national security. Radar, radio, military cell transmissions, the intel every Pentagon general and soldier in the field depends on to defend this country.
Ressler: Yeah, but Greeley’s former NSA. He’s got a wife and kids in Bethesda. Lifers like him don’t usually just wake up and decide to betray their country.
Cooper: Find the wife. See what she knows. Agent Mojtabai and I will reach out to the NRO and CIA, warn them about what’s coming.
Ressler: How much time do we have?
Cooper: Reddington says bidding ends in 13 hours.

 
[ Baltimore MD ] [ Ogden Greeley’s wife, Alice, lets Ressler and Park in ]
Alice Greeley: Sorry. It’s a bit of a war zone in here today.
Park: No problem, Mrs. Greeley. We’re sorry to take more of your time.
Alice Greeley: Agents from the Bureau were here and some other people from the NRO.
Ressler: Yes, we know. We’re with a specialized task force.
Alice Greeley: Look, I want to help, but like I said, Ogden didn’t talk about his work. Whoever has him, the Russians or – If he tells them what they want to know, there’s no reason to hurt him, right?
⋘⋙
[ Ogden Greeley walks along a corridor ]
⋘⋙
Alice Greeley: They’ll let him go?
Ressler: We believe it’s possible that he wasn’t taken, that he chose to disappear and that he’s selling classified intelligence.
Alice Greeley: Ogden? That’s not possible. W-Why do you believe that?
Ressler: Did you see anything or hear anything that might help us? Can you think of anywhere he might be hiding?
⋘⋙
[ Greeley knocks on a door ]
⋘⋙
Alice Greeley: He’s not hiding. If he’s not here, it’s because he can’t be. Ogden is a good man.
Park: I know it’s hard to imagine he would betray his country–
Alice Greeley: Not just his country. His family. No. Ogden loves us. I know my husband. He’s a good man.
⋘⋙
[ An attractive woman opens the door ]
Woman: Is it done?
Ogden Greeley: Mm-hmm.
[ He steps inside. They kiss ] [ Door closes ]

 
[ Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s ♫ “Sunset Village” plays (as instrumental) ]
[ ⬇ Go to Full Lyrics ] or [ ♪ Tap square below to play ♪ ]

[ Red sits on a bench in Central Park in New York City. He is leaning back, his eyes closed. Anne, whom he has met before, is seated on an adjacent bench ]
Anne: You’re back.
Red: Oh! [ Chuckles ] The Cape May Warbler. Anna, right?
Anne: Anne.
Red: Anne.
Anne: Meeting your friends again?
Red: Escaping friends, actually. And work. Escaping it all for today.
Anne: You picked the right place for that.
[ Red notices Anne is sketching ]
Red: Oh, you’re an artist.
Anne: Heavens no. I’m not fast enough to finish most. Sometimes I just draw the nests. I like their nests. Funny how they go to all that work, building a home, raising a brood – and then leave it. It’s kind of sad. But they’re fun to sketch.
Red: May I?
Anne: Mm.
[ Anne gives him the sketch book ]
Red: Oh, I like these an awful lot.
Anne What is your name again?
Red: Raymond. Who’s this little fella?
Anne: Fox sparrow. Becoming quite rare in this part of the country. Lives just up the way here.
Red: Where?
Anne: I could show you.
⋘⋙
[ Anne and Red walk together ]
Red: How long were the two of you married?
Anne: Almost 25 years. Cal died of lung cancer a month before our anniversary. Big smoker. Some people like to live dangerously.
Red: Yes. Some do.
Anne: What do you do?
Red: I’m a fugitive. Number one on the FBI’s Most Wanted List.
Anne: [ Chuckles ] One, huh? I would’ve gone with fourth.
[ Both chuckle ]
Anne: Now you’re not just a stranger– You’re a stranger with delusions of grandeur.
Red: [ Chuckles ] Do you live near the park?
Anne: I live in Kansas. Little town north of Wichita.
Red: Wichita. Famous for their linemen.
Anne: Mm.
Red: So, what brings you to New York City, Anne? Surely not just the birds.
Anne: [ Chuckles ] Show-tune trip. Cal and I were real big theater folks. Anyway, after he passed, I promised myself I’d go see some real theater – On Broadway. So, I clip my coupons, save up all year, get myself a little place at the Sheraton, and see as many shows as I can in a week.
Red: What a delightful idea.
Anne: Seeing “Dear Evan Hansen” tonight. Last show of the trip.
[ They’ve paused ]
Red: Is this it? The residence of our – fox sparrow?
[ She gets out her binoculars ]
Anne: It’s where he was last time.
Red: I wonder what it is about bird-watching. I find it so – calming. An escape from all the rest of it, I suppose.
Anne: I’d imagine a man with your profession must be quite good at escaping. Raymond, may I ask you a personal question?
Red: Anything.
[ She opens a bag she is carrying ] [ Paper rustling ]
Anne: Would you be interested – in half a chicken salad sandwich?
Red: I think I would.
[ Both chuckle ]
⋘⋙
[ Anne’s cellphone chimes ✨]
Anne: Oh. That’s my Uber.
Red: Oh. Ah. It was so nice to see you again, Anne. I hope you enjoy the show tonight.
Anne: Oh, I will. I’m just sorry we couldn’t find that fox sparrow.
Red: Well, I’ll be back in a month. Maybe I can find him then.
Anne: Wait. You don’t live here?
Red: Sometimes. Seems like I’m always on the move.
Anne: Well, aren’t I the heel? I realize I know nothing about you. I’ve been doing all the talking.
Red: I think it’s been just divine.
[ Red’s cellphone✨ringing ]
Red: Oh! Ah. I have to take this. I’m sorry.
[ Anne nods, smiles and leaves ]
[ Cellphone beeps 🔅]
Red: Did you speak with Marvin?
Dembe: Yes. We can cover the retainer.
Red: Talk to Zurich. I want to fund the balance without compromising any liquidity.
Dembe: You said you needed one hour. It’s been three.
Red: Has it? Oh, my goodness. I feel like a different person.
Dembe: You’re unguarded, Raymond. It’s not safe.
Red: A moment’s peace and an afternoon of freedom are rewards that far outweigh the risk. Just call Zurich and don’t worry about me. I’m fine.
[ Beep🔅]
[ Anne reappears ]
Anne: I canceled it. Curtain time isn’t till 8:00, and I can get a cab anytime.
Red: What do you have in mind?
Anne: You. Helping me. Finding a souvenir for my sister.
Red: I know an extraordinary tiny, tiny– “barely enough room for the both of us” chocolate shop about – seven or eight blocks from here.
Anne: Ooh.

 
[ Door opens ] [ Ressler and Park enter ]
James Halloran: Agents Park and Ressler. Come in, please. Jim Halloran, Director of the NRO. This is Paul Thorn from the DNI’s office.
Ressler: Thanks for agreeing to meet.
Paul Thorn: We’ve seen the recording Assistant Director Cooper sent over.
Park: And you believe Greeley actually has the intel he’s trying to sell?
Halloran: No question. Greeley didn’t just work on our satellites. He helped design the software. Wrote much of the code himself.
Thorn: This country’s national defense is entirely dependent on satellite technology. You realize what kind of threat we’re dealing with? If we fire a missile, it’s guided by satellites. When someone fires a missile at us, we detect it the same way. We use them to track every jet, ship, Humvee, and soldier we have.
Park: And Greeley can shut them down?
Halloran: It’s worse than that. He knows enough to damage the satellites irreparably.
Thorn: Greeley’s code is on dozens of our critical systems. What if he designed a back door. Every asset he touched could be infiltrated.
Halloran: He could be handing our enemies command and control. All our data would be sent to them. Our drones could be landed at their airfields.
Thorn: If they’re smart, they’ll make us think we have accurate intel when we don’t.
Ressler: Drones and aircraft can’t be very effective if they’re seeing enemy targets that don’t exist.
Park: Or not seeing enemy targets that do.
Halloran: If an enemy of the United States buys that intel and uses it, we’re looking at a war we can’t win.

 
[ The Post Office. Ressler walks over to Aram and Park ]
Aram: I found him! We asked allied intelligence agencies for intel on Greeley, and they sent us this.
Park: Five months ago, in a Berlin hotel.
Ressler: What was he doing there?
Aram: Uh, whatever it was, it, um– wasn’t with his wife.
[ Keyboard clacking ]
Ressler: So much for the devoted family man. Who’s she?
Aram: The BND doesn’t know. But I’m running it through the NSA databases now.
Park: We’re gonna need to move on this as soon as we get an ID. Is Mr. Cooper coming down?
Ressler: Actually, he went out. Said he had some personal business.
Park: Personal business? When we’re trying to stop a war in space?
Aram: That’s a little melodramatic.
Park: What would you say this is?
Aram: An attempt to gain control of our space-based communications, which could cripple our defense network, rendering us powerless in a war against any number of adversaries. Yeah. So, like I said– How could he leave us at a time like this?

 
[ Cooper and his wife Charlene are riding in the back of an SUV ]
Charlene Cooper: “Senator Cooper.” I like the sound of that.
Cooper: I was hoping you’d think it sounded ridiculous.
Charlene: Why, honey? I can’t think of a better man for the job.
Cooper: Well, there are. Which makes me wonder why they want me. There has to be a reason.
Charlene: I can think of at least three reasons – You’re decent, honest, caring.
Cooper: [ Chuckles ] Reddington says it’s because I’m morally flexible – that I can be counted on to look the other way.
Charlene: Raymond Reddington is a bad person and a worse judge of character. Just makes me want to bust, a man like that judging a man like you. Oh!
Cooper: Hey. How about you don’t bust and we focus on what we’re gonna say to the Governor?
Charlene: Yeah. Ooh! “Governor Cooper.” I like the sound of that, too. [ Chuckles ] Almost as much as “President Cooper.” Now, I love the sound of that.
[ Both laugh ] [ They hug ]
Charlene: Mwah.

 
[ A private dining room ] [ Alan Tuppert makes introductions ]
Tuppert: Senator, may I introduce Assistant Director Cooper and his wife, Charlene.
Senator Brian Warwick: My pleasure to meet you both.
Charlene: You made a wise choice.
Cooper: She’s as biased as she is blunt.
Senator Warwick: Well, as she should be. But you’re not here to lobby. I’m already a fan. Please. Sit, sit, sit.
Charlene: Thank you.
[ Cooper pushes in Charlene’s chair for her ]
Charlene: Thank you, dear.
Cooper: I’m sorry to start this way, but I’m working a case. If it breaks, I’ll have to step away.
Senator Warwick: Sounds serious.
Cooper: It is. Unfortunately, I can’t discuss any of the details.
Senator Warwick: How marvelous. You’re one of the few people whose access to classified intel may be less when you become a senator.
Charlene: We were surprised to hear that you were stepping down.
Senator Warwick: Well, don’t tell anyone, but I’m 68, and I think it’s time to make way for fresh blood, new ideas. But let’s talk about you.
Cooper: Well, that’s my favorite subject, Senator.
[ Laughter ]

 
[ The small chocolate shop Red had mentioned to Anne. They are enjoying a box of chocolates and a bottle of wine ]
Red: It’s so counterintuitive– I never would have considered a lack of–
[ Anne takes the check from the waitress ]
Red: Oh, no, no, no, no! Uh–
Anne: Please, please. I insist.
Red: If I’d known you were paying, I would have picked a much more expensive bottle.
Anne: Mm. Well, I loved it. What’s it called again?
Red: I don’t know. Some French red – that’s just old enough to go perfectly with chocolate.
Anne: Mm.
Red: I think we’ve successfully polished off all the champagne truffles.
Anne: Did you try the lavender ones?
Red: I did. I must say, I found the lavender to be a little– too much lavender.
[ Both laugh ] Right?
Anne: It was.
Red: There’s not much left here. You’re definitely gonna need to get something else for your sister. Maybe an “I Heart New York” T-shirt. Or a Statue of Liberty. Or an Eiffel Tower. They also sell those here.
[ Laughs ]
Anne: So, tell me more about your work. You said you were in the Navy?
Red: That was a lifetime ago. Now I have my own – business.
Anne: What do you do?
Red: I consult. Data profiling. Operational guidance. Client relocation. Financial services.
Anne: That sounds mysterious. [ Chuckles ] Who do you consult for?
Red: All sorts. Past few years, I’ve had a – government contract.
Anne: Threat assessment for the government. That sounds like more fun than Cottonwood Falls.
Red: I don’t know, Anne. I think your life sounds rather – balanced.
Anne: Thank you. I like to think it is.
Red: Do you like Alfred Hitchcock? “Rear Window”? “Strangers on a Train”?
Anne: I saw “The Birds.” I didn’t like it.
Red: Well, you’re a bird-watcher. Of course you didn’t like a movie about gangs of murderous birds. What about “North by Northwest”? It’s playing at the Village East tomorrow, midnight screening.
Anne: I fly out tomorrow morning.
Red: Change your flight.
[ Dembe has appeared ]
Anne: Is that someone you know?
Red: Yes. He’s a colleague. Work always seems to find me. I’m terribly sorry, Anne. This has been the most wonderful afternoon. But I need to go. And you have a curtain time to make.
Anne: Hm, yes.
Red: May we offer you a ride back to the Sheraton?
Anne: Oh, no, no, no. I think I’m gonna walk.
Red: But promise me one thing – That you’ll at least consider changing your flight. If you do, you’ll find me waiting for you under the marquee at the Village East tomorrow at midnight with two tickets for “North by Northwest.”
Anne: I will certainly think about that.
Red: Well, it’s a sincere offer. Hitch and I will be tickled pink if you decide to join us.
Anne: Thank you for the delicious wine and chocolates.
Red: Oh, my pleasure. I’ll get our coats.
⋘⋙
[ Red walks over to Dembe ]
Red: Did you speak with Zurich?
Dembe: The assets are available.
Red: Then let’s make a deal.
[ To the coat check ]
Red: Thank you.

 
Senator Warwick: Task Force has done yeoman’s work. Now, you are to be commended.
Charlene: Appointing him senator is commendation enough.
Cooper: If I am sworn in, I’m gonna need an incredible amount of guidance.
Senator Warwick: I’ll do whatever I can to help you. I’m sure you feel the same way.
Cooper: Of course.
Senator Warwick: That’s good to know, because within two weeks of your being sworn in, you’re gonna have to vote on the Black Budget. That’s appropriations for everything from the CIA to the NSA.
Cooper: The National Reconnaissance Office?
Senator Warwick: These agencies are vital to our national security. What they do – I’m not sure that even you are classified to know about.
Cooper: I know enough to know their value.
Senator Warwick: When we vote on the Black Budget, we just vote on a total number. We don’t get to see the line items, we don’t know where the money goes, we don’t know what programs it pays for. We’re given a total number. We are told to vote yea or nay. The number this year is $80 billion. So I’m asking for your promise that you will vote yea.
Cooper: Well, I’m sure I will. I-I haven’t given it–
Senator Warwick: Selecting my replacement is up to the Governor, but he’s agreed not to pick anybody over my objection.
[ Cooper’s cellphone✨ringing ]
Cooper: I’m so sorry.
Senator Warwick: No. Go. Give me time to get to know your lovely wife better. [ Chuckles ]
⋘⋙
[ Cooper steps aside to take the call ]
Cooper: Tell me.
Ressler: [ On phone ] We picked up security footage of Greeley canoodling with a Russian spy named Nina Kurylenko.
Cooper: Does the Russia desk have anything?
Ressler: They have Kurylenko landing in London a few hours ago.
Cooper: I want you and Agent Park there ASAP. How are we on time?
Ressler: Bidding closes in seven hours.
Cooper: Go. See if Kurylenko knows anything.
⋘⋙
[ Cooper returns to the group ]
Cooper: I’m afraid I have to go.
Senator Warwick: No problem. As long as Charlene stays. Promised myself a two-martini lunch. I’m only halfway toward my goal.
Cooper: [ Chuckles ] [ To Charlene ] I’ll call you later.
Charlene: Alright, baby. Thank you.
Senator Warwick: Harold, about what I asked for – I hope you’ll agree to it. I do so want this to work.
[ Cooper leaves ]

 
[ Cooper’s office. Aram enters ]
Aram: Sir, uh, here’s what you asked for.
[ Aram hands Cooper a manila envelope ]
Cooper: That’s it? Just the total amount? No itemized allocations?
Aram: Well, it’s, uh, called a Black Budget for a reason, sir.
Cooper: Thank you, Aram.
Aram: Yeah, I know the NRO gets its funding this way. Is, uh, is this about Greeley?
Cooper: Close the door on your way out.
Aram: Okay.
[ Door closes ]
[ Cooper makes a call ]
Cooper: I need you to do me a favor.
⋘⋙
[ Red is in his plane ]
Red: Shedding light on the Black Budget? That’ll be fun. Send Dembe what you have. I’ll give it a read and make some calls.
[ Call ends ]
Dembe: As I was saying–
Red: You weren’t saying. You were raining all over my parade.
Dembe: I understand what she means to you – What she represents – But you walked away from an ordinary life a long time ago.
Red: Dembe, it’s a movie.
Dembe: She doesn’t know who you are. She’ll get hurt, Raymond. You don’t want that.
Red: The only person who’s going to get hurt by our going to see “North by Northwest” is Martin Landau when he falls off Mount Rushmore. ⋘⋙ Now, this damn deal. Let’s review the finer points.

 
[ London, England ]
[ Dance music playing ] [ Ressler and Park are watching a woman seated at a bar ]
Cooper: You’re sure it’s Kurylenko?
Ressler: Sure as we can be.
Park: I don’t want to get too close, but I’m telling you – It’s her.
Aram: [ To Cooper ] Sir, uh, we’re already out of time. The bidding closed an hour ago.
Cooper: Move now. If it’s her, get her back to the safe house as quickly as possible. [ Beep🔅]
⋘⋙
[ Deed Plus Thoughts’ ♫ “The World’s Made Up of This and That” plays ]
[ ⬇ Go to Full Lyrics ] or [ ♪ Tap square below to play ♪ ]

Bartender: [ To Nina Kurylenko ] Don’t look now, but the woman who’s been watching you, she’s headed our way now.
⋘⋙
Ressler: Hey, Park, you got a visual?
Park: Can’t see. Give me a minute. ⋘⋙ She’s on the move.
[ Suspenseful music plays ]
[ Park follows but loses sight of Kurylenko. She enters a rest room. She kicks open a toilet stall, but it’s empty. She returns to the hallways and catches sight of Kurylenko, who takes off running. She runs through a kitchen preparation area, pushing down trays ]
Park: Ressler! She’s running! Headed south toward the alley.
[ Kurylenko seems to have escaped Park when Ressler steps into her path with gun drawn ]
Ressler: Nina Kurylenko. Nice to meet you.

 
[ Ressler and Park interrogate Kurylenko ]
Nina Kurylenko: [ British accent ] I have no idea what you’re talking about. My name is Marjorie Ellis. I’m a British national.
Ressler: You’re from England.
Kurylenko: And you’re from America. You have no jurisdiction here.
Park: We know about you and Greeley. The hook-ups in Berlin.
Ressler: That you’re FSB. You turned him. Convinced him to steal classified intel. So, do us all a favor, drop the act.
[ Kurylenko folds her arms ]
Kurylenko: [ Russian accent ] I have nothing to say.
Ressler: We’re not the people you stiff, Nina. We’re the people you talk to. Because if you don’t, we’ll just hand you over to the CIA. They’ll drop you into a hole that doesn’t exist.
Telling us what you know is the only thing that stands between you and a deep, dark hole.
Kurylenko: I’m supposed to believe you want to help me?
Ressler: I don’t want to help you. But I will if it gets us to Greeley before he sells that intel. Now, if you help us stop him in time, I’ll personally escort you to the Russian embassy. You have my word.
Park: To hell with that. We’re not releasing her.
Ressler: She’s not our priority.
Park: She’s an enemy operative. You don’t get to decide when to apply the law and when to ignore it!
Ressler: Greeley’s about to compromise national security. It’s worth letting her go to protect that.
Park: You clearly think so. I doubt Main Justice will agree.
[ Park leaves ]
Ressler: [ To Kurylenko ] In about 10 minutes, the CIA is gonna come through that door. You tell me where he is, I’ll handle it.
Kurylenko: Why should I trust you?
Ressler: You were assigned to Greeley. To convince him to betray his country. Talk to me, Nina.
You don’t have much time. The intel he stole – has he sold it to you, to Russia?
Kurylenko: He told me what it was so I could assist my government in making a competitive bid. But whether they bid the most or not, you brought me here before I could find out.
Ressler: So, you don’t know who, but do you know when or where? To save yourself, you have to give up Greeley. I can’t help him, Nina, but I can help you. If you help me. The meeting to sell the intel. Where’s it gonna be?

 
[ Cooper is in his office with Aram talking to Ressler and Park in London ]
Cooper: Mongolia?
Ressler: [ On phone ] Meeting’s in four hours. Outside of Ulaanbaatar.
Cooper: Kurylenko – you believe her?
Ressler: I do.
Cooper: We have to get to Greeley before he enters the country.
Ressler: Too late. He’s already there.
Cooper: Who’s the buyer?
Ressler: Kurylenko doesn’t know, but Mongolia sits between Russia and China, so my money’s on one of them.
Park: The Mongolians aren’t gonna let us roll in and start making arrests.
Ressler: Even if they would, we can’t get there in time.
Aram: And if we tell the Mongolian government the truth, then we have to reveal that Greeley’s carrying classified intel. How do we know they won’t read it? Or copy it?
Park: So we can’t stop him ourselves and we can’t ask for help. We’re out of options.
Cooper: What about the Disposition Matrix?
Park: The what?
Ressler: It’s the official term for the federal Kill List.
Aram: Wait. So you’re– you’re saying we should assassinate him?
Cooper: We could scramble a drone from Kandahar. And there’s a difference between assassination and targeted killing by the military.
Aram: Well, whatever you call it, we’d still be executing an American citizen without due process.
Park: Due process takes time. If this is an act of war–
Aram: Is that what this is?
Park: Are we supposed to risk national security to stop and ask a court for permission?
Aram: Yes! We are!
Ressler: I haven’t seen the Kill List used in a case like this before. Are we sure it’s even possible?
Cooper: No. But we have a duty to present the facts to the NSC while there’s still time to act.
Aram: Sir. Ressler. Guys. Come on. You can’t be okay with this.
Ressler: Look, Aram, we’re out of options.
Cooper: [ To Aram ] Call the White House. Let them know I’m on the way.

 
[ A secure conference room at the White House ]
Cooper: Who’s in there?
Paul Thorn (DNI’s Office): President’s on the line from Air Force One. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Principals from the National Security Council. That includes the Secretary of State and Defense by remote link.
Cooper: Is the President ordering a strike?
Paul Thorn:They’re discussing his authority.
Diane Hatch (Legal Counsel): Assistant Director Cooper. Thanks for your patience. We have a few questions.
Cooper: Of course.
Diane Hatch: As you know, all the targeted killings carried out in the last 20 years or so have been connected to the global War on Terror.
Cooper: Yes.
Diane Hatch: President’s authority derives from the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force, passed after 9/11.
General Warren Ames (Chair Joint Chiefs of Staff): Our concern is that that authority doesn’t apply here. Greeley is not a known terrorist. He has no link to Al Qaeda or ISIS or any other terrorist organization?
Cooper: He appears to be acting as an individual for his own financial gain.
Diane Hatch: That complicates the matter.
General Ames: Under Article 2 of the Constitution, the President has the general power to defend this country from imminent attack.
Diane Hatch: The problem is, we don’t know how “imminent” the attack might be.
Cooper: That’s true. Greeley isn’t selling a weapon. He’s selling intelligence that may be used as a weapon.
Diane Hatch: And we’re not at war with any of the potential buyers.
Cooper: We haven’t declared war, but that doesn’t mean an enemy hasn’t declared war against us. If they’re buying our intelligence, we have to assume they intend to use it. Are we really supposed to wait until North Korea or Iran has attacked us with our own technology before we can defend ourselves?
Legal Counsel Diane Hatch: Greeley’s an American citizen. That means he has a Constitutional right to due process.
⋘⋙
[ Ogden Greenley gets into a vehicle with metal briefcase ]
⋘⋙
General Ames: That right’s not absolute. Sure, if he were in D.C., we’d arrest him, but he made that impossible. Our people can’t get there in time.
Secretary of state: [ On video ] The U.N. Charter requires us to notify the Mongolians before executing a strike on their soil.
General Ames: We didn’t notify the Pakistanis before we went after Bin Laden.
Hatch: We took the position that notification isn’t needed if the country involved is “unwilling and unable” to intervene.
Ames: We can’t notify the Mongolians, Diane. We can’t let anyone know that intel’s in play.
Secretary of State: We also have no extradition treaty.
Hatch: Mr. President. We have less than three hours, sir. If you intend to act, we need to know now.

 
[ The White House ]
Ressler: [ From London ] Where are you?
Cooper: Waiting outside the conference room. It’s almost time. The Reaper [an armed drone] should be in position soon–
[ Paul Thorn steps out of the conference room ]
Paul Thorn: Assistant Director Cooper? Screen’s up.

 
[ Live satellite video shows a car moving through a street near Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia ]
Paul Thorn: That’s Greeley’s car. He’s en route to the meeting point.
Cooper: How sure are we?
Paul Thorn: We have confirmation from cameras on the ground in Ulaanbaatar.
General Ames: Centcom Command, this is Ames, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. How long to the target?
Centcom Commander: Four mikes out. We have an RQ-180 conducting surveillance and an MQ-9 moving into position.
General Ames: Be advised, we will not go weapons free until we have a visual on the target and the buyer. If someone’s moving against us, I want to know who the hell it is.
Centcom Commander: Roger that.
⋘⋙
[ Ogden Greeley walks into a courtyard between two buildings carrying the metal suitcase ]
⋘⋙
Centcom Commander: Target appears to be arriving now.
General Ames: Command, how close can you get us?
Centcom Commander: Target confirmed.
Diane Hatch: What do we know about the surrounding buildings? We may have a collateral-damage issue.
Centcom Commander: Unknown. We’re working to identify the occupants as we speak.
Diane Hatch: Any strike needs to happen outside. We are not killing civilians or government workers.
General Ames: Stand by. Two unknown subjects moving toward Greeley.
Centcom Commander: Repositioning for visual.
[ A closer visual shows that the two “unknown subjects” are in fact Red and Dembe ]
[ Cooper stands up ]
Cooper: Oh, my God.
Diane Hatch: Is that–
Cooper: Raymond Reddington.
⋘⋙
[ On the ground in Mongolia ]
Red: Mr. Greeley! Or Ogden. Do you prefer Ogden?
⋘⋙
Centcom Command: Centcom Command, standing by. We’re in position, sir. Awaiting your orders.
[ Cooper speed-dials Dembe ] [ Line✨ringing ] [ The visual doesn’t show Dembe picking up ]
Cooper: You can’t do this.
General Ames: Say that again?
Cooper: Raymond Reddington is a-a criminal.
Ames: So?
Cooper: So the President’s decision to authorize this strike was clearly to protect against a rival power, an enemy nation-state intent on using our technology against us. Reddington doesn’t have an army. He can’t take a military action.
Ames: Maybe not, but he can sell it to a country that can.
⋘⋙
[ On the ground in Mongolia ]
Ogden Greeley: I have to say, Mr. Reddington, I never imagined you could raise this kind of capital.
Red: [ Chuckles ] I’m rather surprised myself. Apparently, I have a phenomenally high criminal credit score.
[ Red looks around and skyward ]
Let’s not talk here. Why don’t we move inside?
⋘⋙
Diane Hatch: There’s a strong argument that Reddington’s presence fundamentally alters our authorization to proceed.
Ames: So we do nothing? We just let our most sensitive intel fall into the hands of the world’s most wanted fugitive?!
Centcom Commander: [ Audio ] General Ames. Sir. They’re on the move. We need a decision, sir. They’re moving out of our sight line.
Ames: Damn it! Get the President on the line. Now!
Centcom Commander: We have no clear shot. We’ve lost visual.
Ames: Find them!
Centcom Commander: We have no assets on the ground, sir. There’s no way for us to track their movement.
Ames: [ To Cooper ] You just put every American in danger.
Cooper: We’ll find them, sir. You have my word. We’ll do everything in our power to bring them in.

 
[ Cooper’s office. Dembe enters with a thick manila envelope for Cooper ]
Dembe: The Black Budget. Here are the results you were looking for.
Cooper: I know Reddington acquired Greeley’s intel. I could have prevented that from happening, but it would have required killing you both.
Dembe: Are you wondering if you made the right decision?
Cooper: How does he do it? Find out about things that are– impossible to find out about?
Dembe: He is a resourceful man. [ Smiles ] You are a good one. Whatever’s in there, I hope it doesn’t prevent you from accepting the Governor’s offer. This country needs a man like you.

 
[ Cooper visits Senator Warwick ]
Alan Tuppert: Director. Or should I say Senator?
Cooper: [ To Tuppert ] Would you give us a moment?
Tuppert: Well, good news enjoys company.
Cooper: Then you should definitely go.
[ Tuppert leaves. Cooper gives Senator Warwick the manila envelope that contains the details of the Black Budget ]
Senator Warwick: What’s this?
Cooper: The reason you wanted my promise. And the reason I can’t give it.
Senator Warwick: If you can’t give it, you won’t be appointed.
Cooper: When no one can see how money gets spent, it can get spent anywhere, including a no-bid, $100-million contract to a company in which your son is a principal owner.
Senator Warwick: My son?
Cooper: This isn’t about him. This is about you, using public money for private gain.
Senator Warwick: Whatever you think you have here, you have because you broke the law. Earmarks in the Black Budget are classified.
Cooper: Is that a threat?
Senator Warwick: That’s advice. Friendly advice that we forget that we ever met – for your sake. I thought I had the right man for the job, but clearly – I was mistaken.

 
[ Red’s kitchen office. Cooper and Dembe are there. Red pours coffee ]
Red: Warwick is a piece of gum on the bottom of your shoe – and the Senate a wind tunnel of self-indulgence. What we do is far more important.
[ Red brings out the metal suitcase ]
Red: Here. The intel Greeley stole. Luckily, I turned out to be the highest bidder.
Cooper: If your plan was to buy it, why even give us the case?
Red: Oh, don’t sell yourself short, Harold. The Bureau, on occasion, can be somewhat helpful. In this case, as a re-sale market.
Cooper: You want to sell us our own intel?
Red: Yes. For $200 million. [ Slurps coffee ] 175. Friends and family discount.
Cooper: What did you pay for it?
Red: 150. What’s a small mark-up between family and friends?
Cooper: I’ll see if I can get you 155. For the intel and a thank-you.
⋘⋙
[ Ogden Greeley knocks on the door of Nina Kurylenko’s room. He has a bouquet of flowers ]
⋘⋙
Cooper: We knew Greeley was selling the intel in Mongolia. To prevent it, I got the President to order a drone strike on him and whoever he was selling to.
⋘⋙
[ Nina Kurylenko’s door opens. Ogden Greeley is met by Agent Park and several other agents ]
⋘⋙
Red: You invoked the federal Kill List?
Cooper: Yes. And because you kept your endgame secret, you were nearly vaporized.
Red: 155 it is. And I thank you. [ Slurps ]
Dembe: I’m sorry about the Senate.
Cooper: He was right. Because of our relationship, Warwick assumed I’d be morally ambiguous.
Dembe: He assumed wrong.
Cooper: Did he? I’m not so sure.
Red: You accept that the world is gray. That’s a virtue, not a vice.
Cooper: I know the Task Force does good work. I know people like Greeley are a threat to the country and we keep them off the street. But then I think about what else I do. Ordering a drone strike on an American citizen without due process, not reporting Agent Keen’s criminal activities.
Red: You’ve taken calculated risks which have been amply rewarded.
Cooper: Whether that’s true, only time will tell. What I know now is that working with you has changed me. It’s changed all of us. None of us are the same people we were when this began.
Red: I’m not the same, either. I’m better. I think you’re the reason why. You could’ve said yes to Warwick, told him you’d vote his way, then go back on your word once you’d been sworn in. That’s what some people would’ve done. Hell, that’s what most people I know would have done. But not you, Harold. You could’ve made a promise that you never intended to keep and become a United States senator. But you didn’t. Because your word is your bond. Very few people can say that.
Cooper: When you put it like that, I’m almost glad I didn’t drop a Reaper on your head.
Red: What will Charlene do when you tell her you turned down Warwick?
[ Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s ♫ “River Dreams” plays ]
[ ⏺ [Non-Lyrical Vocals] ] or [ ♪ Tap square below to play ♪ ]

Cooper: She’ll be sad. For about 10 minutes. Then she’ll shrug, make some popcorn 🍿, and we’ll fall asleep watching an episode of “The Chi.”
Red: That’s it?
Cooper: That’s it. That’s what ordinary people do. You should try it sometime. An ordinary life. It’s really quite extraordinary.

 
[ Anne waits on the street outside the movie theater ]
[ Anne’s cellphone rings✨] [ Cellphone beeps 🔅]
Anne: Raymond?
Red: Anne. I am so terribly sorry.
Anne: Is everything okay?
[ Red sits in the back seat of his car as Dembe drives ]
Red: No, it’s not. It’s work. I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to make it tonight.
Anne: [ Disappointed ] Oh. Okay. It’s not a big deal.
Red: Yes, it is. I asked you to stay, to change your plans.
Anne, Raymond, don’t worry. It’s okay. I didn’t change my plans. I just got home a few hours ago.
Red: [ Disappointed ] Oh. I see. I had such a lovely time together.
Anne: Oh, I did, too. Perhaps we’ll meet up again sometime. In the park.
Red: I’ll be sure to look for that fox sparrow for you.
Anne: You do that. Let me know if you find him.
Red: I will. Goodbye, Anne.
Anne: Goodbye.
[ Tearfully, Anne turns around and walks away from the movie theater ]
♪ ♪

 
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❌❌❌ 8:8 End Ogden Greeley

 
For S8 Episode 8:8 Odgen Greeley 🎯 EW recap ¤ 🌅 Photo Gallery ¤ 🎹 Music Videos ¤ 📒 Script link: https://wp.me/pDKwi-aS7 [ “you are here” ]

Also a reminder, if you’re interested in the inner workings of U.S. National Security, feel free check out my new Twitter List (under @Auriandra): “NatSec: Foreign Policy, National Security, Defense, Intelligence, Cyber” https://twitter.com/i/lists/1336406604808380419

🔴 Episode Songs

 
♫ ⋙ Check Tunefind for any additional music for this episode

♫ Ave Verum Corpus, K. 618
By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(Performed by: Bavarium Radio Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein, Bavarium Radio Symphony Chorus, Wolfgang Seeliger)

Ave verum corpus,
Natum de Maria virgine;
Vere passum immolatum
In crucis pro homine.
Cuius latus perforatum
Unda fluxit et sanguine.
Esto nobis praegustatum
In mortis examine.

(English tr.:
Hail, true body,
Born of the Virgin Mary;
Who has truly suffered, slaughtered
On the Cross for humanity.
Whose side was pierced,
Pouring out water and blood.
Be a foretaste for us
During our ordeal of death.)

🎹 Return to where this song occurs in script above
Lyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/37SdxTU
YouTube: https://youtu.be/EcIam990umU

♫ Sunset Village
By Beverly Glenn-Copeland

♪ Let it go
Let it go down
It’s okay

♪ Let it come
Let it take all
thoughts away

🎹 Return to where this song occurs in script above
Lyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/3bI2z4O
YouTube: https://youtu.be/W0bIfGaT9Hw

♫ The World’s Made Up of This and That (Fatboy Slim Remix)
By Deeds Plus Thoughts

♪ You maybe doing this
You maybe doing that

♪ You maybe doing this
You maybe doing that

♪ A little bit of this!
A little bit of that!

♪ A little bit of this!
A little bit of that!

🎹 Return to where this song occurs in script above
Lyrics and Credits: http://bit.ly/3uDGmNF
YouTube: https://youtu.be/4ImRYetFBJw

♫ River Dreams Beverly Glenn-Copeland
By Beverly Glenn-Copeland

♪ [Non-Lyrical Vocals]

🎹 Return to where this song occurs in script above
Stereogum article (6/30/2020): http://bit.ly/3syu8UY [Non-Lyrical Vocals]
YouTube: https://youtu.be/L-JaWgRu8sY

🔴 General

 
⭕ Script 8:8 Ogden Greeley https://wp.me/pDKwi-aS7 Status: FINAL @NBCBlacklist #TheBlacklist My site: BlacklistDCd.com https://twitter.com/BlacklistDCd/status/1366076806407815172?s=20/photo/1

⭕ Easy-Search Scripts updated thru Episode 8:8 Ogden Greeley https://wp.me/pDKwi-awu#greeley #TheBlacklist @NBCBlacklist https://twitter.com/BlacklistDCd/status/1366089502184325127?s=20/photo/1

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