🔴 Script 10:2 The Whaler (№ 165)
NBC’s series The Blacklist starring James Spader and Megan Boone
Series created by: Jon Bokenkamp
Program air date: 3/5/2023 in the US (9pm Central/Chicago Time)
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-ehC
EntertainmentWeekly Recap: https://tinyurl.com/4jxa4ywd
🎹 TuneFind: https://tinyurl.com/ymvf3twn
IMDb (Internet Movie Database): https://tinyurl.com/yz9yrave
Source: Raw Script from OurBoard: http://bit.ly/3EsoREs [ dump of captioning ]
STATUS: ⭕ Pending ⭕ Rough ⭕ Preliminary 🔴 FINAL
STATUS: 🚫 Pending 🌒 Rough 🌓 Preliminary Final
Last updated: 3/8/2023 at 12:30pm CT [ Central/Chicago time ]
Directed by: Michael Caracciolo
Written by: Sean Hennen
SERIES STARS:
Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington – James Spader
Donald Ressler – Diego Klattenhoff
Harold Cooper – Harry Lennix
Siya Malik – Anya Banerjee
Dembe Zuma – Hisham Tawfiq
GUEST STARS:
Marco Luppina – Emanuele Ancorini
Amanda Rutherford – Hannah Brahney
Agnes Keen – Sami Bray
Mr Cullen – Christian Conn
Waitress/Scout – Briana Cortesiano
Trucker Hat – David Garelik
Wujing – ChinHan
Zhang Wei – Kenneth Lee
Arnold – Anthony Salvador Lewis
Dealer – Ken Parrish
Julianna – Egle Petraite
Food Vendor Employee – Erick Pinnick
Anika de Beer – Lucy Taylor
Spencer Waters – Matt Walton
🔴 Script 10:2 The Whaler
Brief (Where we’re at):
“The Night Owl” in the previous episode turned out to be a code name for Alban Veseli, The Freelancer (Blacklister #145) [Episode 1:2]. Veseli’s modus operandi is to hide crimes, usually assassinations, behind mass casualty events that he himself has engineered. Wujing, (Blacklister #84) [Episode 1:3], hired Jennifer Anne Moores (Leader of a gang of professional thieves, The Fribourg Confidence, Blacklister #140) [Episode 8:5] to track down Veseli. Why? Because Red’s former lawyer Marvin Gerard (Blacklister #80) [Episodes 3.2, 9:21 and 9:22] sent Wujing on a revenge tour in Episode 9:22 by informing Wujing that Red is a confidential informant who was the reason Wujing was arrested and imprisoned (actually, it was Liz who signaled law enforcement to arrest Wujing without Red’s knowledge, but never mind). Marvin had given Wujing a list of other Blacklisters who had been betrayed by Red. Marvin then committed suicide, having been given little other choice by Red.
So, Alban Veseli was on the list Marvin gave to Wujing. Wujing turned to Jennifer Ann Moores, the master thief, to find him. Through his contact at the Chinese Consulate in New York, Chin Yao, Wujing sent Moores to retrieve a list showing where Veseli was being held. Once she had copied the file, however, the room she was in at the Consulate exploded💥🔥‼️🔥💥 killing her.
Shortly before the explosion, Aram (who is no longer working for the task force but is living in New York) saw someone who looked like a shaggy Red walking away from the Consulate and getting into a cab. After the explosion, Aram called Cooper who sent Ressler and Dembe to investigate. Moores had died clutching a laptop which Ressler and Dembe seized over Chin Yao’s objections. Red’s associate, whiz kid Tadashi Ito, was able to recover some of the relevant files. Before they were required to return the laptop, they determined Moores had used the Consulate resources to copy a file providing the location of “The Night Owl.” The location was a high end “shipping” company called Luxe International on the UK island of Montserrat in the Caribbean. Ressler and Dembe followed the breadcrumbs to Montserrat. There they found out that Luxe International was actually deep cover for an international collaboration of intelligence agencies, including the CIA and British MI6. They were told “The Night Owl” was not a sculpture at all but Veseli who was wanted in the UK for creating a mass casualty event that killed a human rights crusader. Unfortunately, before they could resolve what to do with Alban Veseli, Wujing’s men attacked the facility and escaped with Veseli.
At that point, Red, who had been living in New York without informing the task force, showed up at the Post Office to confess that his efforts to thwart Wujing’s revenge tour alone had not been successful and he asked for help.
In addition, at Luxe International, Dembe and Ressler were introduced to MI6 Agent Siya Malik who had been involved in trying to transfer Veseli back to the UK. Siya is the daughter of former Reddington task force member Meera Malik. When Siya found out that Ressler and Dembe worked for the same task force as her mother once had, she went to Cooper to express interest in joining the task force ‘on loan’ from MI6 to help pursue Veseli and to learn more about her mother’s past.
For S10 Episode 10:2 The Whaler: 🎯 EW Recap ¤ 🌅 Photo Gallery ¤ 🎹 Music Videos ¤ 📒 Script link: https://wp.me/pDKwi-ehC [ “you are here” ]
[Note: I don’t know a thing about Texas Hold’em poker other than what I googled ]
[ The Crown Rocks Casino in Sydney, Australia ] [ Roulette wheel spins ]
Casino Worker: Black 26
Julianna: Baby, I need more chips.
Marco Luppina: Absolutely not. You just lost $100,000. That’s not a bet. That’s a down payment on someone’s house.
Julianna: Oh, please, baby. You can afford it.
[ Anika de Beer walks over ]
Anika de Beer: Is there a problem?
Marco Luppina: I’m sorry, Anika. I’m not letting her lose any more of my money.
Anika de Beer: Your money? Mr. Luppina, what would your wife say if she knew you were here? She thinks you’re in Dubai, on business. Her family’s business. How are the kids, by the way? Your daughter must be, what, early 20s by now?
Luppina: Yeah.
⋘⋙
[ Mr Cullen walks over ]
Mr Cullen: Anika.
Anika: Mr. Cullen, may I help you?
Mr. Cullen: I need to talk to you a minute.
[ They step aside ]
Mr. Cullen: I’ve been vetting the whales you’re bringing in for your private game this coming Wednesday. An impressive list. A hundred million on the tables in that room.
Anika: You’re welcome.
Mr. Cullen: I’m curious. Most of these people are your regulars – either here or at other parlors – but there’s a name I’ve never seen. A Mr. Yao Liang. And you want to arrange for the casino to extend a $15 million line of credit to him.
Anika: I don’t hear a question.
Mr. Cullen: I’ve done my due diligence, and that person doesn’t exist.
Anika: You don’t need to worry who my players are.
Mr. Cullen: I’m paid to worry, and I’m filing this with the ACT Racing and Gambling Commission.
Anika: You have the house advantage here.
[ They’ve made their way to an elevator ] [ Elevator bell ✨ rings ] [ They get in; doors close ]
[ Anika hits the Emergency 🆘 Stop button ]
Mr. Cullen: What are you doing?
[ Anika throws Cullen to the floor, punches him, and pins him down with her foot ]
Mr. Cullen: Ohh! [ Groans ]
Anika: I’m sorry. Maybe we didn’t get to know each other very well. I’m in and out of here so fast. Or maybe we got off on the wrong foot.
Mr. Cullen: [ Groans ]
Anika: I want you to be comfortable with me. I want you to be comfortable when you leave the house in the morning and start up that sexy Holden HK Monaro. Comfortable that the ignition doesn’t ignite an incendiary device packed with EPX-1, which has the highest detonation velocity of all plastic explosives. ⋘⋙ Comfortable?
[ Mr. Cullen nods ]
Anika: Good.
[ Red and Cooper are waiting to order at a street food vendor at a park in New York City ]
Red: Meera Malik’s daughter? After all these years?
Cooper: On loan from MI6 on a provisional basis. She just lost her whole team to Wujing. She has skin in this game.
Red: Well, if she’s anything like her mother, she’ll be a keen asset. With a discerning eye.
Cooper: And you’ll be okay with her?
Red: I believe the question is whether she’ll be okay with me.
Cooper: She’s been fully read-in. She knows what she’s signing up for.
[ Flashback: ] [ Cooper’s office ]
Cooper: Ms. Malik, your government is in agreement, your security clearance has been authorized, and you understand what we do here?
Siya Malik: You work with a very high-level confidential informant. I’ve been debriefed on this–
Cooper: Not just any informant. We work with Raymond Reddington. It’s a symbiotic relationship. On balance, it’s a net plus for us and the work we do. He’s invaluable. You realize now that you know this, there’s no going back?
Siya: My mother knew all of this, too, and she still chose the work.
Cooper: She did.
Siya: Then what time should I be here Monday morning?
Red: I look forward to meeting her.
[ They’ve come to the vendor’s list of offerings ]
Red: See anything you like up there?
Cooper: What are we doing here, Red? This is not the most discreet.
Red: Street food, Harold. I’m on a pilgrimage. I won’t stop until I’ve tried it all. The pan-seared brains are supposed to be delicious here. Ooh, peppery goat breast.
Red: [ To the Food Vendor Employee ] Hi. Okay, we’ll take the number one, three, the five, and I guess the seven. Odds today, evens tomorrow. Homan. [ To Cooper] Live like you’re dying. Am I right, Harold?
⋘⋙
[ Cooper and Red are now seated at a table, waiting for their order to be called ]
Cooper: I just spent three hours on a train from DC.
Red: Ooh, I love that trip. Three hours of peace and quiet. The low rumble of the rails. And a very nice ham and cheese sandwich, I must say.
Cooper: Please. Wujing. What are we doing? Have there been any updates?
Red: It appears he’s out there marshaling his forces.
Cooper: And for some reason, you’ve disbanded yours. I’m hearing you don’t even have security.
Red: Keeping a lighter footprint. Simpler all around. We know what he’s up to. The question is where. In the last week and a half, Wujing’s been spotted in Monaco, Lisbon, Klerksdorp, South Africa. Do you know what all those locations have in common?
Cooper: Not off the top of my head.
Red: Casinos, Harold. Wujing is frequently somewhat fancier surroundings, I assume in the hopes of falling in with a fancier set of friends. The associates of mine who spotted him in Monaco saw him with an Australian woman named Anika de Beer.
Cooper: De Beer? Who is she?
Red: In the world of gambling, de Beer is known as the Whaler. She’s a freelancer who pulls in high-rollers to casinos. She works across the globe. After Monaco, she flew to the Crown Rocks in Sydney. This is a formidable woman. She’d do anything to get whales to the table.
Cooper: What does he want with her? Is this all about money?
Red: Too many things in life are.
Cooper: The same man out gathering an army isn’t taking time to gamble, is he?
Red: I don’t know, but de Beer might. She’s our best lead.
[ Cooper’s cell phone rings ✨]
Cooper: [ On phone ] Char? Is everything all right? ⋘⋙ Oh, no. Not again. She didn’t say anything after school yesterday. ⋘⋙ Sure, I can be free to meet Wednesday. Is it just with the teacher? ⋘⋙ Okay, hon. See you when I get home. Bye.
[ Call ends🔅]
Red: Is there a problem with Agnes?
Cooper: Agnes is having some trouble with a bully at school. An older girl. But we’re handling it.
Red: Anything I can do to help?
Cooper: Thank you, but Agnes already has two parents, and it’s our belief that she needs to work this out herself.
Food Vendor Employee: [ Calls out ] Order’s up. Homan.
[ Cooper begins to reach for his wallet ]
Red: [ Rises ] I’ve got this. Whatever you and Charlene think is best, Harold. But we better working on our working lunch, because I believe this Whaler is now our best chance at getting to Wujing.
[ The Post Office war room ]
Cooper: I want you gentlemen to welcome the newest member of our team. Siya?
Siya: Hello. I just want to say that I’m excited about being here. I know my mother felt proud of what she did in this place, and I’m looking forward to feeling the same way.
Dembe: It’s good to have you.
[ Cooper hunts and pecks ] [ keyboard clacking ✵ ✽ ❅ ❅ ] [ computer beeping🔅🔅🔅 ]
Cooper: Aram made it look so easy.
Siya: Here, uh, let me help with that.
Cooper: Thanks, Agent Malik.
[ Photos of Wujing, Anika de Beer and others pop up on the overhead screen ]
Cooper: Right. Anika de Beer. Casinos around the world treat her like royalty because her client list is so impressive. Millionaires, billionaires, tech giants, industry tycoons, and some of the best players ever to touch a deck of cards. She’s working with Wujing, but we don’t know to what end.
Dembe: Could they be planning something with one of de Beer’s whales?
Ressler: Big gamblers, big bank accounts. That’s a lot of very powerful people.
Siya: Is it possible Wujing might be targeting some or one of these players?
Cooper: You just might be onto something. Reddington has informed me that she’s bringing a group of the biggest whales on her roster to the Crown Rocks Casino in Sydney, Australia, in two days’ time for a private game of Texas Hold ‘Em. Whatever she and Wujing are doing, the timing of this upcoming tournament feels suspicious.
Dembe: So, what’s the plan?
Cooper: Well, if we want to get to de Beer, we know exactly where she’ll be in 48 hours. Reddington also informed me that there are still a few open chairs for her Sydney game.
Ressler: So, we’re going into that game?
Siya: How?
Cooper: This is Spencer Waters. Waters is a wealthy music promoter and owner of the Alcazar Theatre in New York. He’s also the organizer of one of the richest poker game pots on the East Coast. It’s a monthly underground game. Millions on the table. No one gains entry without Waters’ approval. The Whaler is known to have eyes in the biggest card rooms around the world, so if we want her attention, we’ll need to make a splash in Waters’ game. Reddington’s already working on an invitation.
[ The Alcazar Theater ]
Spencer Waters: I gotta admit. I’m a little nervous sitting here, Mister–
Red: Oh, please, Spencer, it’s Raymond. Although, Steve Jones always calls me “Rotten Ray.” In fact, I did a little guest DJ thing with him on “Jonesy’s Jukebox” using that moniker. Apparently, Johnny got pissed off thinking we were making fun at his expense. Which maybe we were, or maybe we weren’t. [ Chuckling ] I don’t know. It doesn’t take much to piss off John.
Spencer Waters: Steve Jones? Johnny Rotten? Seems like you got a lot of friends. That phone call I got from, uh, Huey Lewis’ manager–
Red: [ Laughs ] Jerry. Yes.
Spencer Waters: Yeah, he told me about that, uh, favor that you did for him once.
Red: Well, technically, it was for an associate of Jerry’s, but Jerry benefited. But I prefer to leave past business in the past. Let’s talk about the future. I’m someone who can do quite a lot when it comes to favors for a person with a fertile imagination.
Spencer Waters: A favor for me? In return for…
Red: A favor for me. Well, actually, it’s for a friend. A friend who enjoys playing cards.
Spencer Waters: I see. Is your friend any good?
Red: Spencer, if it’s a friend of mine, they’re either the very best or the most fun. Often both. [ Chuckles ]
[ The Crown Rocks Casino in Sydney, Australia ]
[ Anika de Beer and Mr. Cullen get off the elevator and enter the card room ]
Anika de Beer: I apologize for our disagreement yesterday. That was unfortunate. Now, what can you arrange for me here?
Mr. Cullen: As requested, you’ll have the entire room reserved for your event. The lift is private and dedicated to this floor. You’ll have a checkpoint at the entrance with handheld metal detectors. Fire exits will be locked during the length of game play, but will open automatically in the event the fire alarm is tripped. What about security? Would you like some of our team made available to you?
Anika: No, thank you. I use my own people for events like this – always. Now… what about my list of players?
Cullen: [ Hesitates ] Fully approved. How many of our Sky Villas would you like available to you for the evening?
Anika: All of them. And tell me, which one is the most private?
[ Red’s garage office ] [ A man is moving a garment rack ] [ A poker table has been set and a man, Mr Endicott, shuffles cards ]
[ Ressler enters with Siya; Red rises from the red upholstered couch ]
Red: Ah. Welcome.
Ressler: What’s all this for?
Red: Your costumes, Donald. For the theater this evening. Ms. Malik, please allow me to introduce myself.
Siya: You’re a man of wealth and taste?
Red: [ Laughs ] Clever. I’m Raymond Reddington. Please.
[ Red gestures for them to sit on the armchairs facing the couch ]
Red: I knew your mother many years ago.
Siya: And what did she think of you?
Red: I don’t know if she ever liked me very much.
Siya: Mr. Reddington, you and I don’t need to be friends with one another. Like my mother, I’m also extremely capable. I can liaise with you, work beside you, smile at your jokes, but this is a professional relationship to me. Nothing more.
Red: Practiced that, have you?
Ressler: You mind walking us through this?
Red: For Spencer Waters’ poker game, I took the liberty of having an associate of mine concoct a flawless fake identity – E.M. Lyons – buried several layers deep in a couple of dozen databases. Lyons will play in the game tonight with Waters’ full endorsement and my financial backing. It’s the best chance we have of baiting the Whaler. Oh, and Lyons is allowed a plus one.
Siya: So, Agent Ressler poses as Lyons and I’m the arm candy? Is that it?
Red: On the contrary, Emilia Marie Lyons will sit at the card table, and Donald will be the arm candy.
Ressler: Come again?
Red: These are poker players. Experts in bluffing and deception, reading people. It has to be Siya. They’re less likely to see her coming.
Ressler: She’s not ready for this.
Red: I have a feeling any daughter of Meera Malik will be smart and quick on her feet, and you, Donald, will be more believable as her bank and much better as the eyes and ears watching her back. If I were in a pinch, I’d want you watching mine.
Siya: I don’t suppose it makes a difference to anyone that I don’t know how to play poker?
Red: [ Chuckles ] Well, that’s where Mr. Endicott comes in. His services are available to you for as long as you need. A bit of a crash course, if you will. Learn the mechanics of the game, pick out some new threads. There’s some lovely items over there for your choosing. I’ll be off. Errands to run. But I’ll be rooting for the debut of Ms. Lyons and her trusty bankroll tonight. Good luck.
[ After Red leaves, Siya turns to address Ressler ]
Siya: “She’s not ready for this”? May I ask what your issue is?
Ressler: You have no idea what you’re inviting in with this job. I mean, this is how he operates. He has no idea putting somebody out on a limb, because he’s out there himself. There’s no line he won’t cross, Agent Malik. I’ll be there when you figure that out. [ Sighs ]
[ Red is in his car, watching Agnes’s soccer game ]
[ Children’s voices chattering ] [ A taller girl, Amanda Rutherford, comes up to Agnes ]
[ Amanda kicks the ball away from Agnes, then shoves her ]
Amanda Rutherford: [ Sarcastically ] Great job today, Agnes.
Agnes: Why are you being so sarcastic?
[ Red grimaces ]
[ Agnes and Amanda speaking indistinctly ]
Agnes: What? No! I did. What do you mean?
Amanda: [ Mocking ] “I did.” What?
Agnes: No. I’m on this team.
Agnes: Get away from me!
[ Agnes pushes Amanda ]
Amanda: What are you doing?
[ Whistle 🌬️blows ]
Coach: Agnes!
Red: [ Muttering ] What happens to kids that makes them this way?
[ Spencer Waters’ high end poker game in New York City. Siya Malik is using the name Red created for her: Emilia Marie Lyons ]
[ Spencer and Siya/Emilia act as if they’ve met before; maybe they have, part of the con Red designed ]
Spencer Waters: Emilia.
Siya: Spencer.
[ Hug ]
Spencer: How are you, gorgeous?
Siya: I thought you had shows all this week?
Spencer: Ah, Robert Plant canceled on me last minute.
Siya: Oh. Who are you gonna sell overpriced cocktails to now?
Spencer: [ Chuckles ] I think I’ll sell ’em to you and your gentleman friend here.
Siya: He’s the bank.
Ressler: I’m the bank.
Spencer: The bank’s always welcome. Just can’t have you near the tables, I’m afraid. If you make yourself comfortable, plenty of food and booze in the wings with the rest of the guests. Emilia, I’ll show you to your table. Right this way.
[ The poker game proceeds. Siya is facing several men, but one in particular, is a young and confident guy wearing a Trucker Hat ]
[ K.S. Rhoads’ ♫ “Chess” plays ]
[ ⬇ Go to Full Lyrics ] or [ ♪ Tap square below to play ♪ ]
♪ ‘Cause you keep throwing up what they’re feeding you ♪
[ The man wearing a Trucker Hat clears his throat ]
♪ It doesn’t matter if it’s the truth or not ♪
♪ It doesn’t matter if it’s the truth or not ♪
♪ It is if they can get you to say it enough ♪♪ (Ah-ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah-ah Ahhhh-ah-ahhhh) ♪
♪ I’m never gonna change your mind ♪
♪ (Ah-ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah-ah Ahhhh-ah-ahhhh) ♪
Siya: Thank you.
♪ I’m never gonna change your mind ♪
♪ Are you the bullet or are you the bird? ♪
♪ Are you the bullet or are you the bird? ♪
♪ You’re burning the book and you haven’t read a word ♪♪ It’s only black and white if you’re playing chess ♪
♪ You have to pick a side if you’re playing chess ♪
Siya: $20,000.
♪ That’s the way they keep your head down, I guess ♪
Trucker Hat: Call.
♪ (Ah-ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah-ah Ahhhh-ah-ahhhh) ♪
Siya: Pair of kings, queen kicker.
♪ I’m never gonna change your mind ♪
[ Trucker Hat tosses his cards down ]
Trucker Hat: Trip threes. [ Mocking ] I get it. You thought you had something. You keep coming, girl.
♪ I’m never gonna change your mind ♪
♪ Whose eyes are ♪
♪ Are blind? ♪♪ Oh, we’re all pawns here ♪
[ Trucker Hat leans over and speaks in a low voice ]
Trucker Hat: It’s just not your night. Maybe you want to stop spending your man’s money?
Siya: You want to keep trying to piss me off, or should we just play cards?
Trucker Hat: [ Chuckles ]
[ The Dealer deals ]
Trucker Hat: How much you got left there, short stack? You feeling lucky? I’m putting you all in.
♪ Never gonna change your mind ♪
Siya: Call. $50,000.
[ Siya shows her cards ]
Dealer: Lady wins with a pair.
[ Trucker Hat takes off his hat and runs his hand through his sweaty hair ]
Trucker Hat: You went all in with two fives? With three face cards showing? You didn’t know what I had here.
Siya: Oh, I knew. I watched you win, so I’d know the moment you were losing. Remember? That’s when you called me “short stack.”
[ A Scout for Anika de Beer walks over to Ressler ]
Waitress/Scout: Is your player free to talk?
Ressler: Now that she has all the chips, sure.
[ Ressler beckons to Siya ]
Siya: [ To the others at the table ] Excuse me.
Waitress/Scout: My employer would like a word.
[ The Waitress/Scout hands her phone to Siya ]
Siya: Hello?
Anika: There’s my wild card. That was an impressive play. You waited him out and took him by surprise.
Siya: I suppose that’s the game. I’m hosting an event down in Sydney tomorrow. I can send a Gulfstream for you and your bank. Travel, hotel – all on me. I have some talented players coming, but I’d love to see you shake things up like you did there tonight.
Siya: I’ll try my best.
Anika: That’s worth the jet fuel alone. I’ll see you soon.
[ Call ends ]
Siya: [ To Ressler ] We’re going to Australia.
[ Sydney, Australia, The Crown Rocks Casino ]
[ Ressler is with Siya at a private bar ]
Siya: You barely said a word to me on the plane ride down. Do you want to continue what you started back in DC?
Ressler: I was being honest in Washington.
Siya: You don’t think I understand what this job is?
Ressler: Well, I think you understand it fine, and you’re ignoring the dangers. Or maybe you understand those, too, and you just don’t care.
Siya: I’m not reckless, Agent Ressler.
Ressler: Neither was your mother, and look where it got her.
[ Siya stares, blinks ]
Ressler: I’m sorry. I’ve seen this job tear down a lot of people. I saw it kill a woman I loved very much named Elizabeth. I saw it kill your mother. It’s nothing personal. You seem very good at what you do. I’m just not sure I want to see it tear you down, too.
Siya: I appreciate that. I do. But I can handle myself.
[ Ressler leaves ]
[ Siya opens an earring case and holds up and long, slim earring ]
[ Ressler and Siya check in for the poker game ]
[ Metal detector chirps ✨ ✨ ]
Ressler: They’re taking every precaution here.
Siya: Yes. Let’s hope that we have.
⋘⋙
Anika de Beer: Please, make yourself comfortable. Each game starts one half-hour behind the other so that the games are staggered. Ms. Lyons, you’ll be over at Table Two, starting in just a few moments.
[ Ressler and Siya walk toward the assigned table, checking out the attendees as they walk ]
Ressler: This is quite the collection of people. I see a weapons dealer, a country singer, and a chairman of the Gemeinschaft Bank in Zurich.
[ Siya looks askance at him ]
Ressler: What? Forbes was the only magazine on the flight down here.
Siya: There’s a Saudi royal over by Table Two. The two players at Table Three are both Chinese billionaires. British SIS has a file on both of them.
Ressler: At the same table? Is it a coincidence?
Siya: I don’t know.
Ressler: What does Wujing want here? What is the Whaler providing him?
Siya: I need to sit and play cards.
Ressler: Where do you want me?
Siya: Make yourself useful, honey, and get us some drinks.
[ Siya smiles coyly ]
[ Red calls Cooper from his private plane ]
Red: Your brave agents have made it into the belly of the beast?
Cooper: They checked in safely from the casino. They’re off comms for at least a few hours now. Agent Malik sitting at the card table was your idea, I understand?
Red: She’s quite something, isn’t she? Listen, Harold, while I have you, what do you know about the Ruthermans?
Cooper: Who?
Red: Phil and Justin Rutherman, and their one daughter, Amanda.
Cooper: Is that– Did you look into the family of the girl bullying Agnes?
Red: I had a friend do a little poking around, and I saw the bullying myself. Things are volatile–
Cooper: You went to the school? Do you know how totally out of bounds that–
Red: Harold, don’t be absurd. I would never be so conspicuous, let alone creepy, as to loiter outside of a middle school. I found her at soccer practice. I simply thought it prudent to get ahead of the situation.
Cooper: Raymond, for once, please listen to me. Stand down and stop it. I won’t ask you again.
[ line clicks ✠ … beeping🔅🔅🔅]
Red: Why am I always the bad guy?
[ The elevator doors open and another Chinese man is wanded in to the room. Anika de Beer welcomes him and shakes his hand. Ressler surreptitiously takes a photo of the man ]
⋘⋙
[ Ressler is now in a side room, away from the poker room. He has shared the photo with the Post Office and is discussing it with the task force ]
Cooper: What made this guy stand out?
Ressler: Something. In the way he moved. He was casing the room. It felt military. He’s not in the game. This guy isn’t right for this place.
Dembe: You’re not kidding. That guy is Zhang Wei, former Chinese special forces turned mercenary, no longer associated with their government, wanted for extrajudicial shootings in several NATO countries.
Ressler: He could be recon, scouting this place for Wujing.
Cooper: Agent Ressler, you have a private mercenary in a room full of potential targets and the Whaler. You need to alert Agent Malik to the threat immediately. Alright. I’m on it.
[ Cellphone beeps🔅]
⋘⋙
[ Anika De Beer enters with two guards ]
Anika: You’re not the only one taking pictures. I got this lovely one of Ms. Lyons.
[ She shows Ressler the photo on her phone ]
Anika: I have an NSA-level computer team at my disposal. Routine vetting of every new player at my tables. Took them a day, but they busted her alias. You might’ve fooled Mr. Waters in New York, but you didn’t fool me. So, who are you two? ‘Cause she’s certainly not Ms. Lyons, and I’m very interested in who you are.
Ressler: Well, I could tell you, but that would compromise my partner out there.
Anika: Mm. These gentlemen work with me. They’re not affiliated with the casino, so, if you go with them quietly, they’ll get the answers I need.
[ The two guards take Ressler to a private room where a third man waits ]
Nigel: I’m Nigel. I’m in charge here.
Ressler: Then trust me, Nigel, you need to let me explain. Give me my phone so I can make a call.
Nigel: Everybody’s got an explanation. An excuse. We are past that, mate.
⋘⋙
[ Anika goes up to Siya and interrupts the game ]
Anika: Sorry to interrupt your play, but there seems to be a problem with your gentleman friend.
He’s taken ill, I’m afraid.
Siya: Oh, where is he?
Anika: Would you like to come with me?
Siya: Is there a problem?
Anika: Not one that can’t be rectified. They’ll take care of you.
[ Elevator bell dings ✨ ] [ Siya gets in the elevator, escorted by two men. As she gets in, Wujing gets out. As he is wanded in, Anika introduces him as Yao Liang ]
Anika: This is Mr. Yao Liang. Please see him to Table Three and open his line of credit right away.
[ Siya is taken to the room where Ressler is and shoved into a chair next to him. After zip-tying them, their captors step aside, allowing Ressler and Siya to speak to one another in hushed voices ]
Siya: We’ve got real problems, I think.
Ressler: I’m aware.
Siya: Bigger than this. Guess who I just saw walk in downstairs? Wujing is here.
Ressler: That’s why the mercenary. He was recon. Case the room.
Siya: What are they doing here?
Ressler: Whatever it is, they’ve done it at several casinos around the world.
Siya: Wujing was using an alias. Going to sit and play at Table Three.
Ressler: With the two Chinese billionaires? You said that MI6 had files on both. Why?
Siya: We’ve got files on thousands and thousands of people. Can’t remember the exact details of those two, but it was probably Triad association, or something of the sort.
Ressler: The Whaler put Wujing in a room with two Triad-associated businessmen and millions on the table, why?
⋘⋙
[ Nigel walks over with the other men ]
Nigel: If you two are done whispering, where did we leave off?
⋘⋙
[ In the game room, Wujing plays against the two Chinese businessmen. He is winning hand after hand ]
⋘⋙
Nigel: Let’s get a few answers.
Ressler: Well, let me save you the trouble. I’m an FBI agent here undercover. She’s MI6. You really don’t want to do what you’re about to do.
Nigel: [ Chuckles ] Sure. So, uh, which one of you do I start with?
Ressler: I guess I’ll be your first dance.
Nigel: Get him up.
[ As two men hold Ressler, Nigel pummels him⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️]
[ Siya removes one of her earrings and pulls out a thin blade which she uses to cut the tie binding on her wrists. She grabs a large vase and smashes⚡️‼️⚡️it over Nigel’s head. Siya and Ressler capably subdue the other two. Then Siya cuts Ressler’s ties with the tiny sword ]
Ressler: Where did you get that?
Siya: Us spies have all the best toys.
Ressler: I keep underestimating you.
Siya: Yes, I’ve noticed that. Shall we check back in with home?
Cooper: [ On phone ] But you’re both all right?
Ressler: Yeah, might need some dental work, but yeah, we’re okay.
Cooper: We need to get you out of there.
Ressler: Not so fast. Wujing is here. He’s on site. Downstairs right now.
Siya: Hey, Ressler? Take a look at this.
[ Ressler follows Siya into a back room; Cooper remains on the line. In the back room, there are multiple computer screens focused on Wujing’s game with the Chinese nationals. Cameras focus on each of the players’ hands as they check their cards ] [🔅🔅🔅Computers beeping🔅🔅🔅]
Siya: I’ll be damned. He is gambling.
Ressler: That’s not what I see.
Siya: What do you mean?
Ressler: One of those billionaires just folded with two pair. Lookit, you can see their cards from this angle. Why would he fold with that? Wait. Watch, the other one’s gonna fold now, too.
Siya: They’re letting Wujing win.
Ressler: This isn’t a game. This is a payday.
Cooper: You’re telling me the men in that game are losing on purpose?
Dembe: They must be plants. That makes sense. The Whaler set up the guest list herself.
Ressler: Wujing needs to fund his war with Reddington, right? So, let’s assume that he’s left behind a fortune in Chinese bank accounts before his arrest.
Dembe: Old funds from his spy hunter days?
Cooper: That was over a decade ago.
Ressler: Wujing is a criminal and a fugitive from justice now. Any bank transaction, any money transfer, he has to assume that the Chinese government, the US government, not to mention Reddington and his network – they’re all watching.
Cooper: So he needs to get that money in an untraceable way.
Ressler: Exactly.
Siya: So, Wujing strikes up a working relationship with a casino specialist. He gives her a cut, and she goes to work setting up lines of credit for him under aliases.
Ressler: Clean money for a dirty little war against Reddington.
Siya: He has up to– what looks like millions of dollars.
Dembe: Think about those casinos they’ve already hit in those other cities.
Siya: We can’t let him walk out the door with that money.
Ressler: Well, there’s no way we’re getting anywhere back near that room, not with all this security.
[ Red is standing outside of an elevator. His cellphone rings ✨ ]
Red: Harold, what a lovely surprise.
Cooper: Wujing is in Australia. He’s sitting at a table in a casino while two Triad money men hand him millions and millions and millions.
Red: Quite a tidy little scheme, courtesy of our Whaler. She’s a clever one.
Cooper: Wujing’s up millions, and they’re doing it right out in the open.
Red: The best cons are always in plain sight.
Cooper: Ressler and Malik were ejected from the room and we can’t stop him.
Red: Well, don’t worry yourself. I had an inkling he’d make an appearance at the game. So, I have a backup.
Cooper: What backup?
Red: What’s sweet and fun and Red all over?
[ Elevator bell dings✨]
Red: Hello, there. My name is Raymond Reddington. I don’t have a seat in this game, but I’d love to play in.
Anika: Mr. Reddington, I’m afraid all our seats are full.
Red: Mm. Anika, tell me – how much is your cut of Wujing’s take here tonight?
Anika: Excuse me?
Red: 10% of his winnings? No, you’re better than that. 15. I don’t know how much you helped him to collect at all those other casinos, but I’m guessing he heads for the door this evening with, what, $20, $25 million? That’s a little less than four to you, yes?
[ Red holds up a small sack ]
Red: Here’s six. In diamonds.
Anika: [ Exhales sharply ]
Red: You can take it right now. I’m a sure bet. ⋘⋙ [ Menacing ] You’ve never made a wrong decision in your life. Don’t start now.
Anika: I’m sure something could be arranged.
Red: Pull me up a chair to the man himself, please.
[ Red walks over to the table where Wujing is sitting, stacking his chips ]
Red: Anyone mind if I join the fun? I don’t have a great deal of time, so here’s an idea. What do you say we play one hand? Wouldn’t that be exciting? [ To Wujing ] Just you and me. No limit. I must have millions and millions here.
Wujing: This is quite a bold move.
Red: Well, I’m not armed and you’re not armed, and I highly doubt we’re going to leap across the table and do what? Give each other bloody noses?
Wujing: How’d you know I’d be here?
Red: Calculated guess.
[ The dealer spreads the community cards face up on the table ]
Red: And a $5 million bet.
Wujing: You haven’t checked your cards.
Red: They are what they are.
Wujing: You seem to be a man who takes an awful lot of risks.
Red: Well, there are risks everywhere. Although, you’ve tipped the odds a bit in your favor by stocking the game with your bagmen here. [ Chuckles ]
Wujing: The irony of Raymond Reddington making an accusation. I know exactly what you are. And soon, the rest of the world will see that, too.
Red: You have no idea what I am. You don’t even know how to really look. Your anger and your hate have made you shortsighted.
Wujing: I’m going to be the end of you. I’m all in.
Red: There’s an end waiting for all of us. Call.
⋘⋙
[ Line rings ☎️ ]
Baker: [ On phone ] This is Local Area Commander Baker.
Dembe: This is Special Agent Dembe Zuma, Federal Bureau of Investigation, badge number 81452. We have two agents on the premises of the Crown Rocks Casino. They’ve been assaulted, and currently, there is a wanted fugitive on site in a private gambling suite. I suggest you lock down the facility. [ To Cooper ] We need to get Raymond out of there.
⋘⋙
Wujing: You think you can what? Frighten me off? This is an impressive display of audacity, you sitting there, but there isn’t a tactic you have in your arsenal that will steer me off course.
Red: At the moment, I don’t need anything in my arsenal, except for the two cards in front of me.
Wujing: Then you’d better hope they’re the right ones, if you plan to take me on.
[ Wujing turns his cards face-up ]
Dealer: Three aces.
Red: There’s one thing you should know before we go any further than this table. Whatever they are, if they’re in my hand, they’re always the right cards.
[ Red shows his cards ]
Dealer: Flush wins.
Red: Aha. Look at that.
Wujing: This doesn’t end here.
Red: I hope not. But at least we’ve played a hand.
Concierge: Ladies and gentlemen, excuse me. I’ve just been informed that the police have entered the casino and they’re heading up here as we speak. If everybody can please just remain calm–
[ Alarm 🚨 blaring ]
Zhang Wei: [ To Wujing ] We got to get out of here.
Wujing: [ To Red ] I’ll be seeing you.
[ Wujing leaves with Zhang Wei ]
⋘⋙
[ Siya comes up behind Red ]
Siya: We need to go.
Red: Lead the way, Agent Malik.
[ Later, by the main bar, people move about ]
Siya: No sign of Wujing or the Whaler since the game broke up. Security’s checked every inch of the property. They’re not here.
Ressler: We should be done here pretty quick. We found a bunch of hard drives. This game she was running with Wujing was just the tip of the iceberg. Looks like we have evidence on dozens of clients – laundering, conspiracy, illegal gambling, fraud.
Siya: Wow. Great.
Ressler: You know, you saved my ass tonight.
Siya: We made a good team.
Ressler: You can watch my back in the field any day, but I still meant what I said before.
Siya: About not getting sucked down the drain of this job? I didn’t know Elizabeth. I barely knew my mother. Maybe I’m not like them.
Ressler: Welcome to the team, Siya. But I’m still gonna lose sleep over you.
[ Ressler leaves ]
Siya: [ Exhales deeply ]
Arnold: You know, I don’t usually take meetings like this.
Red: What sort of meetings do you mean?
Arnold: Ones where I have no idea what’s going on.
Red: Well, I guess I’m just lucky. You should see me at cards. You have a project manager on your team. Philip Rutherman. You also have a $78,000 debt to two bookies in Baltimore.
[ Red places a fat manila folder on the desk in front of Cullen ]
Red: That’s 100. The extra 20-something’s for whatever you like.
Arnold: If that’s for me, what’s for you?
Red: I have it on good authority that there’s an opening for a project manager on a site of yours in Sarasota, Florida, starting in a couple of weeks. I think it’s time that Mr. Rutherman and his family transferred somewhere a little warmer, a little wetter, a little further away.
[ Anika de Beer sits in the back of a limo. She checks her plane tickets ]
[ Anika knocks on window to the driver’s seat ]
Anika: [ Loudly ] What’s going on? Why have we stopped? I’m already late for my flight. Hello?
[ The side door opens and Wujing gets in and takes a seat facing Anika ]
Wujing: [ Sighs ] You told me we were safe. You told me you had thought of everything.
Anika: I had. But you never told me you were on some path of assured mutual destruction with Raymond Reddington of all people. You held those cards and you didn’t show me, so I’m not responsible for what happened in Sydney.
Wujing: And that? Was that Reddington, too? How much did it cost for you to betray me?
Anika: I’ll think of another plan. We can get back to work.
Wujing: I have another idea. Tell me – how much is in the bag? Enough to replace what I lost? I guess it’s a start.
[ Silenced ((💥💥)) gunshots ]
[ Children chattering, whistle 🌬️blows ] [ Red sits on a park bench looking through a metal fence at Agnes playing soccer ]
[ Cell phone ringing✨]
Red: Hello, Harold.
Cooper: Authorities in Australia are still looking for Anika de Beer.
Red: They won’t find her. Wujing will have disposed of her by now.
Cooper: At least he wasn’t able to collect his money.
Red: He’ll find another way. There’s always another way. This is far from over.
Cooper: So you won’t believe this, but the problem Agnes was having at school seems to have rectified itself. The girl’s whole family just moved to Florida.
Red: That’s serendipitous news.
Cooper: Don’t treat me like an idiot, Raymond. Your fingerprints are visible from a mile away.
Red: You asked me to stay out of it and I’m out of it.
Cooper: [ On phone ] If that’s the case…
[ Cooper steps up from behind Red and sits down next to him on the bench ]
Cooper: … then what are you doing here?
[ Whistle 🌬️blows ]
Red: You know, Maurice Sendak, one of the most celebrated and most wonderful children’s book authors of all time, he said about children– “You tell them anything you want. Just tell them if it’s true. If it’s true, you tell them.” I hear that and I think it’s the best advice, and yet, still… [ Voice shaky ] What if I want to protect her? What if I just… want her to be a safe, happy young girl?
Cooper: I know how much you care. Truly. I know you have the best possible intentions when it comes to her. But that also means allowing her to skin her knees sometimes. I’ve raised two children of my own in my life. Now I’m raising someone else’s, and I can tell you with certainty, they grow up to be ~ whomever they’re going to be.
❌❌❌ 10:2 End Whaler
For S10 Episode 10:2 The Whaler: 🎯 EW Recap ¤ 🌅 Photo Gallery ¤ 🎹 Music Videos ¤ 📒 Script link: https://wp.me/pDKwi-ehC [ “you are here” ]
🔴 Episode Songs
♫ ⋙ Check Tunefind for any additional music for this episode
♫ Chess
By K.S. Rhoads♪ Do you know why you’re thinking the way you do?
Do you know why you’re thinking the way you do?
Cause you keep throwing up what they’re feeding you♪ It doesn’t matter if it’s the truth or not
It doesn’t matter if it’s the truth or not
It is if they can get you to say it enough♪ (Ah-ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah-ah Ahhhh-ah-ahhhh)
♪ I’m never gonna change your mind
♪ (Ah-ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah-ah Ahhhh-ah-ahhhh)
♪ I’m never gonna change your mind♪ Are you the bullet or are you the bird?
Are you the bullet or are you the bird?
You’re burning the book and you haven’t read a word♪ It’s only black and white if you’re playing chess
You have to pick a side if you’re playing chess
That’s the way to keep your head down I guess♪ (Ah-ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah-ah Ahhhh-ah-ahhhh)
♪ I’m never gonna change your mind
♪ (Ah-ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah-ah Ahhhh-ah-ahhhh)
♪ I’m never gonna change your mind♪ Whose eyes
Are blind?♪ (Oh, we’re all pawns here)
♪ I’m never gonna change your mind
♪ I’m never gonna change your mind
♪ I’m never gonna change your mind
♪ (I’m never gonna change your mind)
♪ [ Instrumental ]♪ Hmmm mm mmm ~ Mm mm mmmmm
♪ Hmmm mm mmm ~ Mm mm mm mmmmm🎹 Return to where this song occurs in script above
Lyrics and Credits: ⇈ (I tried, starting with script)
YouTube: https://youtu.be/AyzwPFHiR7s
🔴 General
⭕ Script 10:2 The Whaler https://wp.me/pDKwi-ehC Status: FINAL @NBCBlacklist #TheBlacklist My site: BlacklistDCd.com https://twitter.com/BlacklistDCd/status/1633537172073504780?s=20/photo/1
⭕ Easy-Search Scripts updated thru Episode 10:2 The Whaler https://wp.me/pDKwi-e2T#whaler #TheBlacklist @NBCBlacklist My site: BlacklistDCd.com https://twitter.com/BlacklistDCd/status/^/photo/1
🔴 Episode Photos
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