The Blacklist Declassified

Brief (Where we’re at):

Red’s mentor and long-time friend, Robert Vesco (Blacklister #8), is dead, killed by Wujing (Blacklister #84), who was sicced on Red by Marvin Gerard (Blacklister #80) as a final act of revenge against Red. Red had given Marvin a choice between committing suicide or facing Red’s wrath for arranging the murder of Elizabeth Keen, whom Red had loved dearly and to whom Red had hoped to bequeath his criminal empire. Marvin informed Wujing that Red had an immunity deal with the federal government and had been systematically handing over criminals, like Wujing, to the FBI. With advice from Marvin, Wujing broke out of prison and is the process of gathering together other criminals Red had turned over in order to expose Red’s arrangement with the FBI. Wujing turned to Dr Laken Perillos (Blacklister #70), who had perfected the art of medical torture to get her subjects to confess. Wujing’s henchmen captured Dembe, and Perillos tried to turn her dark magic to get him to tell her about the Reddington task force, but with no success.

At the same time, Vesco, a superb con man, convinced Wujing he had turned against Red and was on Wujing’s side, but when he saw that it was Dembe who was being tortured almost to death, he managed to alert Red by leaving his live cell phone at the torture site. When Ressler and Sima arrived, the miscreants had seen them coming and had fled, but they found Dembe in cardiac arrest and almost dead. They were able to save him, but Wujing’s men found Vesco’s cell phone where he had dropped it, and they let Wujing know that must have been how the FBI had been alerted. So the jig was up and Vesco was killed, but he had managed to save Dembe. Now Wujing will have to figure out another way to find out enough about the Reddington task force to expose its existence and make its continued effectiveness impossible.

 
For S10 Episode 10:7 The Freelancer, Part 2: 🎯 EW Recap ¤ 🌅 Photo Gallery ¤ 🎹 Music Videos ¤ 📒 Script link: https://wp.me/pDKwi-eos [ “you are here” ]

 
[ A port ]
[ MLCK’s ♫ “Sweet Revenge” plays ]
[ ⬇ Go to Full Lyrics ] or [ ♪ Tap square below to play ♪ ]

[ A man wearing a baseball cap and a jacket labeled USCG (United States Coast Guard) enters the engine room of a ferry boat. He puts down a back duffel bag and takes out protective gear, a high end ventilator mask and thick rubber gloves. He takes out a liquid vial from a cold storage container. He attaches the vial to a sprayer and sprays the liquid along a metal seam, where it immediately begins to bubble and corrode ]

♪ I’m counting bones of your casualties ♪
♪ You dig up demons like a sweet addiction ♪
♪ Feeding me fear so you can take control ♪
♪ You’re gonna crumble, crumble, mm-hmm ♪
♪ Don’t you see you’re drowning in your gold? ♪
♪ Heavy ego weighing down your throat ♪
♪ And now the cracks are creepin’ up your tower ♪
♪ You’ll crumble, crumble, mm-hmm ♪

[ The man is Alban Veseli, The Freelancer. Veseli is notorious for hiding assassinations behind mass casualty events that he personally orchestrates. He removes the control from a pressure valve and the dial shows the pressure rising ]

♪ Playin’ God with that facade ♪
♪ Won’t get you your Camelot ♪
♪ Payback’s hanging in the air ♪
♪ Payback for your wicked lies ♪
♪ Storm clouds rollin’ in up high ♪
♪ Singe and scorch the crimson sky ♪
♪ Payback’s hanging in the air ♪
♪ Payback for your wicked lies ♪
♪ Tick tock, tick tock ♪

 
[ 🔊Horn blowing ] [ Seagulls crying ]
[ Once outside, Veseli walks briskly along the pier away from the ferry boat. The Terminal Manager runs after him calling out ]
Terminal Manager: Excuse me. Sir? Hey! Hey, wait a minute! Can you stop? I need to talk to you!
[ Veseli tries to walk on, but the Terminal Manager’s persistence makes him stop to face him ]
Terminal Manager: So, how’d we look? Pass inspection?
Veseli: Flying colors. No infractions.
Terminal Manager: All right. So we’re good to go? I gotta start loading if we’re gonna make our departure. Gotta lotta chop out there today. Always feel bad for the schmuck who’s gotta clean the head after a bumpy ride. [ Chuckles ]
Veseli: You go ahead and get those people on board. Wouldn’t want anyone to miss the ferry.
[ Veseli turns and walks away ]
[ Suspenseful music plays ]

 
[ The kitchen at Harold Cooper’s home. Red has shown up with a brown paper bag, which he sets on the table ]
Red: I brought some treats for Agnes. You’ll never guess where I got them. The New Jersey Turnpike. A diabolically inhumane and utterly demoralizing length of road that surprisingly strings together an intriguing collection of, eh, travel plazas – rest stops – each of which is named after a historical dead person somehow associated with Jersey, from Walt Whitman, who frankly, I would associate more with New York – To Vince Lombardi, who I believe everyone would associate with Green Bay, Wisconsin. They have gummy snakes three feet long.
Cooper: You drove yourself from New York this morning to tour the New Jersey rest stops?
Red: Last night, but yes. It was a welcome addition to the itinerary. I had an early meeting about a construction project. But I’m finding I prefer being under my own steam. On the way back, I’m stopping for a ride on the tallest roller coaster in North America. I’m scared to death.
Cooper: I was sorry to hear about Robert Vesco. I know you two were close.
Red: Too close, I’m afraid. Robert was fond of saying that he taught me everything I know. But he didn’t ever really know the half of who or what I am. It was a terrible mistake bringing him deeper into my world. And, tragically, he was the one to pay the price for it.
Cooper: He did save Dembe’s life.
Red: Yes, he did do that. And that’s a fine legacy. But I’ll miss him, and it’s entirely my fault. Usually is. How is Dembe feeling?
Cooper: He’s back to work. I told him he could take more time.
[ Red’s cellphone ringing✨]
Cooper: But the FBI doctors cleared him, and he said he’d rather work than not.
Red: Excuse me. [ Talking on phone ] Good morning. [ To Cooper ] Turn on the local news, Harold.
[ Suspenseful music plays ]
Red: [ On phone ] But why am I only hearing about this now?
[ Cooper pulls up the local news on a tablet computer ]

Reporter on tv: As details continue to emerge–

Red: [ On phone ] I see. I’ll follow up with you about this later.
[ Cooper and Red both look at the breaking news headline: “Ferry Sinks in Baltimore Harbor. Dozens Presumed Dead” ]
Cooper: My God. What happened?
Red: Alban Veseli happened.
Cooper: The Freelancer? You think he’s responsible for this?
Red: After Wujing broke Veseli out of custody, I told my associate to put his invisible army of service industry troops on alert. A deckhand working on a tender ship by the piers reported seeing a man matching Veseli’s description near the ferry terminal – hours ago. I’m only sorry the tip didn’t come in sooner.

 
[ The Post Office war room ] [ Veseli’s photo and rap sheet are displayed overhead ]
Cooper: Here’s someone who needs no introduction – The Freelancer, AKA Alban Veseli. We’ve seen how Veseli hides the identity of assassination targets by taking them out in large-scale disasters. Sacrificing dozens or even hundreds of lives to kill a single individual. NTSB is reporting 35 passengers and 7 crew members dead in Baltimore Harbor this morning.
Ressler: We’ve already taken this guy out, twice. What’s it gonna take for us to keep him down?
Cooper: Reddington believes this event is tied directly to Wujing’s plan to expose the task force’s connection to him.
Dembe: That would explain why Wujing went to extreme lengths to break Veseli out of custody.
Cooper: Who was The Freelancer targeting by sinking that ferry? And how does the death of that target help Wujing? What’s his end game here? These are questions we need to answer.
Ressler: Do we have any leads on the target?
Siya: I sent you all copies of the passenger manifest and pulled a few notable victims that have been identified already. David Broderick, South Baltimore city council. Sarah Miller, on parole for counterfeiting. And Wade Han, over a dozen arrests for weapons trafficking and assault.
Ressler: Do any of these people have a connection to Reddington?
Dembe: I don’t recognize any of them. Or anyone else on the passenger manifest.
Cooper: Agent Malik, keep digging into possible targets. Ressler, Dembe, head to the docks. Look for anything that might help us find Veseli. I’ll notify the NTSB that you’re on your way.

 
[ Seagulls crying ] [ Indistinct conversations ]
[ Ressler and Dembe push through the crowd and duck under the police tape ] [ Men pass by lugging a body bag ]
Ressler: Excuse me. Excuse me. Hey, how you doing? FBI. Thank you.
[ Woman gasping ]
Dembe: Are you okay, ma’am? Did you know someone on board?
Tearful Woman: Uh, Joanie Wilson, my daughter. She commutes on the ferry. She’s not answering her phone.
Dembe: There’s a Red Cross volunteer inside. They’re handling all inquiries for concerned family members.
Tearful Woman: Oh, thank you.
[ A pushy photographer has pushed forward ]
Dembe: Show some courtesy and respect. There are people here in pain.
Pushy photographer: Sorry, man. My bad.
[ Still, the photographer snaps Dembe’s photo ] [ Camera shutter clicks ✽ ]
⋘⋙
[ An NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) Agent is talking with Ressler ]
NTSB Agent: It’s too early to determine exact cause. But before the ferry went down, the captain reported a loud noise from a rupture in the engine room. It may have jeopardized the integrity of the hull.
Ressler: What’s the likelihood of something like that ever happening?
NTSB Agent: I don’t know. We’ll know more after the investigation. There is something weird, though.
Ressler: I’m all ears.
NTSB Agent: According to the terminal manager, the ship received a clean safety inspection from a marine inspector for the Coast Guard.
Dembe: Would that inspector have access to the engine room?
NTSB Agent: Yeah, sure. The engine room’s one of the primary areas of focus when it comes to safety.
Terminal Manager: Nobody else by the waterline, got it? Keep the dock clear. We still have bodies in the water.
Dembe: Excuse me, sir. Can we speak with you? We’re with the FBI.
Terminal Manager: Of course, whatever you need.
Ressler: NTSB said you’re the one who dealt with the Coast Guard inspector this morning. Was there an inspection scheduled for today?
Terminal Manager: Well, no. But that’s not unusual. Coast Guard inspections are usually a surprise.
Dembe: Did anyone accompany the inspector while he was on the ferry?
Terminal Manager: There’s no need. They know their way around the vessels.
Dembe: So he was alone in the engine room.
Terminal Manager: I guess. Unless there were crew members present. Why? What are you thinking?
[ Ressler holds up a photo of Alban Veseli, the Freelancer ]
Ressler: Was this the guy you met with?
Terminal Manager: Yeah, that’s him.
Dembe: Where exactly did you speak with him? On board?
Terminal Manager: No. Right on the dock. He was throwing away his gloves.
[ He points to a trash can ]
Ressler: Thank you. [ To Dembe ] Hey.
[ Ressler leads Dembe to the trash can and pulls out the work gloves. He takes a whiff ]
Ressler: Oof! Some kind of chemical on this. We gotta get this analyzed. Fast.
Dembe: Our forensics team is already overloaded with all the evidence coming in from the ferry and the victims.
Ressler: You know who we could call? What about Reddington’s pal? What was his name? Harry? Herbie. He came through in the past. And he was quick. As long as there’s no foosball tournament.
Dembe: Foosball?
Ressler: I’ll tell you about it later. Let me get in touch with Cooper, see if he can’t approve Herbie coming in today. We gotta get this analyzed immediately.

 
[ A car radio plays in an SUV in which Wujing’s right hand man Zhang Wei rides with a crew of Chinese national – and Alban Veseli ]

Radio announcer: … marine tragedy. 43 passengers and crew have been confirmed dead at this time, with several still unaccounted for.

Zhang Wei: Wujing is very pleased.
Alban Veseli: Well, he’s gonna love what I have planned next.
[ Dramatic music plays ]

 
[ Jazz music plays ] [ The residence of Rogelio’s family. Rogelio runs a wide-reaching informal intelligence network of service workers in hotels, restaurants and transportation that will keep an eye open for anyone Red is looking for. Rogelio has a large family, now busily working with piles of linens and sewing machines, in addition to various computer screens ]
[ Woman humming ] [ Conversing in Spanish ]
Woman: Gracias. Okay.
Rogelio: Gracias..
[ Knocks ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ on door ]
— Papi, get the door.
Rogelio: Ay.
[ He opens the door ]
Rogelio: Raymond!
Red: Hello, Rogelio. Oh, I’m interrupting, lo siento.
Rogelio: No, no, no, of course not. It’s an honor to have you.
Red: You’ve got quite the operation going here.
Rogelio: After so many years of washing sheets, I saw some room for improvement. Oh, feel this. Soft as a lamb, durable too, like nothing else on the market.
[ Red feels the fabric ]
Red: Oh, my. That is nice. You must be putting in a tremendous amount of time and effort into this project.
Rogelio: [ Nodding ] Mm-hmm.
Red: That explains it.
[ Suspenseful music plays ]
Rogelio: [ Speaking Spanish to family ]
[ The family leaves ]
Rogelio: Explains what?
Red: I needed you to reach out to me the moment Alban Veseli was spotted. But I didn’t hear from you until after a dozen bodies had washed ashore, because your head is filled with Egyptian cotton.
Rogelio: Raymond, I called you the second that tip came i–
Red: Rogelio, I need the full attention of you and every maid, bellhop, and busboy on your payroll.
Rogelio: I’ll triple the reward. I’ll– I’ll stay up all night and make sure everyone’s on alert.
Red: Well, about that. I actually have a second request. I need to stay in town until I sort this out. That wouldn’t be a pull-out, would it? As a possible investor, I’d love a chance to test these sheets. [ Chuckles ]

 
[ A meeting of NA (Narcotics Anonymous) ]
Team Leader: I am very proud to say that one of us is celebrating a year sober today. Donald, why don’t you come up here?
[ Applause 👏🏻 ]
[ Ressler gets up, reluctantly ]
Team Leader: Congratulations.
Ressler: Thank you.
Team Leader: Want to say something? Go ahead.
Ressler: [ Sighs ] Thank you. I mean, I really wouldn’t be here without everyone in this room. I used to think that going it alone made me stronger. But that’s not true. No, not in here, not out there. No, real strength comes from accepting that you’re – accepting that you’re weak – and that it’s okay to ask for help.
[ Applause 👏🏻 ]
[ A dejected looking young man sits in the back ]
⋘⋙
[ At the refreshment table ]
Team Leader: Powerful words, Donald.
Ressler: Please don’t ever make me do that again.
Team Leader: [ Chuckles ] You know, there’s a lot of people that need help. You ever, uh, you ever thought about becoming a sponsor?
Ressler: Sponsor? No. No, that’s a big step.
Team Leader: So is a year sober. I think you’re ready. You, uh, you see that guy over there? You’re in similar lines of work. You know better than anyone how hard it is to stay clean in this town – in a high-stress job, where everything’s a secret.
Ressler: I don’t talk about my work here.
Team Leader: I know, but– I’ve been leading meetings in D.C. for a long time. There’s a – look. You have it, so does he. I think you could help each other.
Ressler: [ Sighs ] Can I think about it?
Team Leader: Of course, take your time. We’ll talk about it next meeting, alright?

 
[ The yellow elevator doors to the Post Office black site open. Siya steps out with Herbie Hambright, Red’s forensics whiz. He is giddy ]
Herbie: Where are we right now? Those were some crazy cool security protocols. I gotta be honest, when I saw those blackout goggles, I was like, “Whoa!” I mean, this is like the modern-day bag over the head like in the movies, right? Except I get to go home and kiss Holly, make faces at Sue– right? I get to go home, right?
Siya: [ Trying to be patient ] You do.
[ Herbie steps forward into the war room, lined with banks of overhead displays and computer consoles ]
Herbie: Whoa! Whoa, this is– What is this?
Ressler: Hey, Herbie. Thanks for helping us out.
Herbie: I know you. We spoke on the phone. Donald, right?
Ressler: Agent Ressler.
Herbie: And– And my man Dembe. You’re part of all this? That is so cool. How’s it feel to be on the straight and narrow?
[ Herbie previously knew Dembe from when he worked for Red ]
Dembe: It doesn’t feel straight or narrow.
Siya: Herbie, why don’t I show you the lab? We need to find out how that ferry was sabotaged.
Herbie: Yeah, my Laminar Hood at home is just not big enough for the job. You know how it is.
[ To Ressler ] Did Red set this up?
Dembe: The fewer questions, the better, Mr. Hambright.
Herbie: Wait a minute. Is this a black site? I figured it out, right? Which means that you guys are – dramatic pause – CIA.
Ressler: No.
Herbie: Oh, okay. NSA.
Siya: Come on, Herbie. Red’s really anxious for those results.
Herbie: NGA? NRO? I know this can’t be NCIS. I’ve watched that for years. It’s nothing like this.
[ Siya leads Herbie to a workstation ]
Herbie: Here?
Siya: Yeah. Right here.

 
[ At Rogelio’s house, a child paces outside the bathroom. Red steps out ]
Red: [ Calls out ] Bathroom’s free.
[ The child dashes inside ]
Red: [ Chuckles at the girl ]
Soledad: I see you found my robe.
Red: Oh, yes. I’m so sorry. I hope you don’t mind. It was either this or young Teo’s, which nobody wants to see me in. But I’m terribly sorry. I’ll replace it immediately.
Soledad: Don’t be silly. It looks very nice. Just make yourself at home. I need to help Ita. She got up early to make you arepas.
Red: Aww! Gracias. [ Kisses his hand ]
Soledad: [ Chuckles ] I think she has a crush on you.
Red: Not half as much as I have on her. You two keep spoiling me, I’ll have to extend my visit.
Soledad: Careful, day two is when Abuelita really makes her move.
Red: Ha! I can’t wait.
Soledad: [ Chuckles ]

 
[ The Post Office; the task force is gathered around Herbie’s workstation ]
Herbie: All right, so I ran a whole bunch of tests on your glove. The noxious fumes come from a bacteria – Leptospirillum ferricomedentis.
Ressler: Is it dangerous? I put my nose pretty close to that thing.
Herbie: No, as long as it didn’t touch your skin, you’re okay. It’s not an infectious agent. Ferrum, “iron.” Comedentis, “devouring.” “Iron devouring.” And if anything, the name undersells it. One swab could eat through a nail in under an hour. Normally, it’s used for industrial cleanup, but it could also weaken the tensile strength of a ship’s hull. If one were so inclined.
Cooper: So The Freelancer rigged the engine to blow, but he wanted to make sure it would punch a hole in the ship.
Dembe: How would he get this bacteria?
Herbie: It’s heavily regulated and super rare. But I tracked down the lab that bio-engineers it.
Siya: I called the lab, and last week they sold a vial to the Appalachian Defense Alliance, supposedly for cleaning up mining waste.
Cooper: Supposedly?
Siya: The Appalachian Alliance doesn’t exist except on paper. But their bank account seemed real enough. So I made a call and requisitioned their transaction history.
Ressler: [ Reading ] Gas masks, tools, flammable solvents, everything needed to punch a hole in that ship.
Herbie: Uh, yeah, except there’s only one problem. Can you spot it? Can you? I did.
Siya: The solvents. Look at the–
Herbie: It’s the timestamps. Yeah, they were purchased yesterday afternoon.
Dembe: After the ferry explosion.
Ressler: So The Freelancer’s planning another high body count somewhere?
Cooper: Thank you for your help today, Mr. Hambright. But maybe it’s time for Agent Malik to escort you back–
Herbie: I’m– I’m all right. I’m good. I could stay until you, you know, get this guy. I’m pretty invested now. And I have a sitter till 6:00, so–
Cooper: Oh, okay. Fine. I suppose if we’re facing an arson attack somewhere in the city, we gotta use everything we can.
Herbie: Uh, but, if it’s all right – is there, like, a snack room or something where I could get a drink? Just like a soda, some chips. I’ve only had applesauce today.
Cooper: Yes. Agent Malik can show you the way.
Herbie: Oh, cool, great.
[ Siya grimaces ]

 
[ Rogelio’s home. The large family, and Red, are gathered for dinner ]
Red: Mmm.
[ Abuelita, the grandmother, slides the pan of arepa toward Red ]
Red: Oh, no, no, no, no. Gracias, Abuelita. I couldn’t eat another bite, even though it is the best arepa I have ever tasted.
Abuelita: Ohh.
Red: Gracias.
[ Door slams ]
Red: [ Chuckles ]
Rogelio: Raymond.
Red: Ah! Excuse me.
⋘⋙
[ Red walks to talk to Rogelio in the living room ]
Rogelio: [ Low voice ] There’s gonna be another attack. Right here, in downtown D.C.
Red: How do you know this?
Rogelio: I just left the housekeeper from the Broadhurst Hotel, who saw a man who looked exactly like Veseli go into a room. She brought him an extra towel to be sure, and he gave her some cash. Told her to take an early lunch and don’t come back to work today.
Red: Well, we couldn’t ask for a more detailed tip than that, could we?

 
[ The Post Office ] [ Cooper’s cellphone rings✨]
Cooper: Reddington, I’m here with the team. We’ve got a situation.
Red: Yes, you do. The Freelancer is at the Broadhurst Hotel, and he’s planning another attack imminently. What exactly, I can’t say.
Cooper: We can. We need to call D.C. Fire Department. Tell them we got a suspected arson, they need to send engines immediately. I’ll scramble EMS and Metro PD. Ressler, Zuma, get to that hotel. Malik, stay on the ferry manifest. And, uh– look after our guest.
Siya: Oh, I just–

 
[ 🚨 Sirens wailing 🚨 ] [ Police radio chatter ] [ Smoke pours out of an upper floor window ]
Dembe: FBI. We need to speak to whoever’s in charge here.
Uniformed Cop: Fire Chief set up a command post across the street in the lobby of that building. I think he’s over there right now.
Dembe: Thank you.
[ Camera shutter clicking ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ]
⋘⋙
[ Ressler and Dembe approach the Fire Chief ]
Ressler: Excuse me. Agents Ressler, Zuma, FBI.
Fire Chief: Oh, they were lucky. If you hadn’t called when you did, we would have lost the entire 9th floor and everyone on it. But everyone’s accounted for.
Dembe: Is that where the fire started? Apparently.
Fire Chief: The point of origin was a housekeeping closet. Something flammable in there, probably cleaning supplies, chemicals.
Ressler: What about the guests who were evacuated? Can we speak with them?
Fire Chief: I’ve got the guests cordoned off in the bullpen while we take statements. Anybody you want to talk to?
Dembe: Let’s start with everybody on the 9th floor.

 
[ Ressler and Dembe interview various guests ]
Can you think of any reason someone might want to cause you harm?
Kimberly: Me? No. No, of course not.
Nelson: Actually, uh, well–
Kimberly: What? You think someone would want to harm me?
Nelson: No, I think someone might want to harm me. I’ve got bookies.
Kimberly: Well, you also have a wife.
Nelson: They don’t need to know that.
Kimberly: Well, now they do. Wait. So, are you saying that you think someone set that fire on purpose?
⋘⋙
Timothy: I don’t know. What?
Dembe: Sorry, you don’t know whether you’re in Washington for business or pleasure?
Timothy: Uh– Oh, no. Yeah. Yeah, business, definitely. But, uh, s-some pleasure, too. You know? [ Chuckles ]
[ Dembe rolls his eyes ]
Ressler: What exactly do you do for work?
⋘⋙
Amber: Oh, me? I– I work at a bank. I know you can’t speculate, but if you suspect this was arson, you should really look at the manager. I– I watch a lot of true crime documentaries. And there was this one, where this girl went missing–
⋘⋙
Nelson: The press outside– I can’t– I don’t want to be on– on the news or– or in the papers, especially anything that might be shown in the, uh, the– the Richmond area.
Dembe: Sir, is that where your wife lives?
Nelson: Wife? Psst, I don’t–
⋘⋙
Ressler: What kind of information do you have access to at your bank? Anything sensitive, confidential?
Amber: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. My co-worker Emily, I was the first person she told when she got pregnant. And I didn’t tell anyone. I told my dentist, but, I mean–
Dembe: I think we meant anything that might be related to illegal activity.
⋘⋙
Timothy: I’m sorry, guys. My brain just really, like, can’t right now. You’re really intense with the badges and the questions.
Dembe: He’s high.
Ressler: As a kite.
⋘⋙
Nelson: Are we almost done? I-I was supposed to be out of here hours ago, and I just–
Kimberly: You want to leave now? We’re being interrogated by the FBI.
Nelson: Well, I mean, if they need anything else, I’ll give them my– my card, okay? Just– And is– is there another way out of here, you know, away from the– cameras. I just– [ Sighs ] You know what? Uh, I-I can’t find my cards.
Dembe: Uh, it’s okay. We have your names. I think we’re all set.
Ressler: We’ll reach out if there’s anything else we need.
Nelson: Yeah, I-I don’t want my name in the paper. Um, either of our names.
Kimberly: [ Scoffs ]
Dembe: Okay.
Dembe: Okay. Thank you, sir.
Kimberly: [ Under breath ] Seriously?
[ Ressler and Dembe leave ]

 
[ Rogelio’s home. He is there with Red and Maria, the housekeeper who gave Rogelio the tip that there would be a fire at the Broadhurst Hotel. She appears nervous and fearful ]
Rogelio: We have your payment for the tip. But we just have a few questions to ask you first.
Red: Maria, please, have a seat.
[ Suspenseful music plays ]
Red: Maria, Rogelio and I are business associates. And our business relies on information – accurate information. Information that people’s lives depend on. So you can imagine my surprise when you turned up with this individual’s entire story wrapped up in a nice, neat bow.
Maria: [ Sobs ] Please, mister, I– I-I have two babies.
Red: Maria, the man Rogelio asked you to look for – did you find him, or did he find you?
Maria: He came to me – when I arrived on the floor – in the hallway. He promised me $10,000 if I told Rogelio exactly what he said.
Red: Go home to your children.
Maria: [ Breathing shakily ]
[ Maria gets up and hurries toward the door ]
Red: Maria. You’re forgetting something.
[ Maria had forgotten the envelope on the table, the money from Red for her “tip.” She returns to take the money, the hurries away ]
[ Rogelio pulls up a chair ]
Rogelio: [ Low Voice ] Raymond. You’re paying her for betraying us?
Red: We offered Maria money in exchange for information. She may have fed us the who, what, and where on someone else’s orders. But the why she just gave us? That’s something to pay for. And maybe a new stroller for good measure. You realize this all started with that picture of us.
Rogelio: You think? Ah, that was years ago. And nobody really saw that.
Red: I don’t know. We were both there. Together. [ Sighs ] Would you give me a moment?
[ Dialing tones ••• •••• ]
⋘⋙
[ Dembe’s cellphone rings✨]
Dembe: Raymond.
Red: Have you identified a target at the hotel?
Dembe: Not yet.
Red: How about the ferry?
Dembe: Nothing yet there either.
Red: I’m not surprised. The source who led us to the hotel came to Rogelio on the instructions of The Freelancer himself.
Dembe: The Freelancer gave the tip? Why would Veseli notify us of his own attack? Because this was never about the attack. It was about our response. Wujing has been looking for proof of my relationship with the FBI. If The Freelancer feeds my network information and the FBI intervenes before they have cause, then Wujing establishes a causal link between my world and yours. The only question is how he intends to prove it.
Dembe: I might have an answer to that.

 
[ Dembe sits down with Red at Rogelio’s ]
Dembe: This footage came from an outside CCTV camera on the same block as the hotel. Look. This one. All the other stringers are taking photos of the action, but this guy’s camera’s pointed directly at us. And look at this. He was the first photographer to arrive. Four minutes before we notified the fire department. And this same guy was at the site of the ferry incident. I thought he might have snapped a photo of me, but it was so chaotic, I couldn’t be certain. Malik and Ressler are trying to get an ID on him now. Raymond, I can’t shake a feeling. We know this man from somewhere.
Red: Yeah, we do. He’s the same photographer that took that picture of us six years ago.
Dembe: That photo? It can’t be.
Red: [ Chuckles ] Remember, Rogelio was there, too? Alban Veseli is paying Rogelio’s people to pass tips to me and then sending this photographer to the incident sites to capture your team responding. Confirmation of what Wujing has been searching for – evidence of my relationship with the FBI.
Dembe: Do you think he has all the evidence he needs?
Red: [ Chuckles ] Well, you know, there’s scarcely a rule I haven’t broken in my life, Dembe. But there is one even I won’t trifle with, the Rule of Three. Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the Three Little Pigs, the three-paragraph persuasive essay. Three is the smallest number of any elements that firmly establishes a pattern in the human mind. And these photos illustrate the story Wujing is attempting to tell about me.
Dembe: Which means The Freelancer is planning another attack.
Red: And Wujing’s personal paparazzo is going to lead you there.

 
[ The Post Office war room ]
Siya: According to the local press corps office, his name is Keith Perry. He’s a local photojournalist who covers everything from inaugurations to the Maryland Little League state championship. He’ll even snap an occasional celebrity to testify to Congress about a pet project of the month.
Dembe: He snapped a photo of Raymond several years ago that ran in a small daily rag.
Cooper: How come no one told us about this before?
Dembe: It wasn’t a big deal. The clearest face was Rogelio’s. Perry only got the back of Raymond’s head. But now, Raymond believes The Freelancer is planning another attack and Keith Perry will no doubt be there to capture when we arrive on the scene.
Cooper: We need to find Perry. Immediately.
Ressler: We sent uniforms to his apartment, but he wasn’t there. He’s not answering the phone number listed with the press corps, either.
Cooper: Reach out to every level of law enforcement. I want every eyeball within a hundred square miles looking for this guy. Finding him is our best way of preventing further loss of life.
Herbie: Uh, excuse me. Sorry. Uh, hey.
Cooper: You have something to offer, Mr. Hambright?
[ Herbie quickly finishes some chips and his soda ]
Ressler: Oh, take your time. No rush.
Herbie: Look, um, I know this isn’t exactly my area of expertise.
Cooper: What is it, Herbie?
Herbie: It’s this. See this. Can you zoom in?
[ Beeping 🔅🔅🔅 ]
Herbie: That hardware is made by Novall.
Siya: Novall?
Herbie: Yeah, it’s a wireless cloud adapter. It uploads every photo you take to the cloud in real time. Super useful if you take hundreds of pictures a day. Which I do – of Sue. Man, they say that kids change every single day, but you don’t really start noticing that until you look at pictures. Oh! That reminds me. Would you guys mind giving my Instagram a little follow? It’s @AGirlNamedSue222. Siya? You thinking about it?
Cooper: Back to Novall.
Siya: You think Perry was connecting to Novall while taking these pictures?
Herbie: Yeah. I mean, if the camera’s on, he’s connect and transmitting. Instant upload, that’s the plus.
Cooper: Malik, get a subpoena. We need access to his photo storage, now.

 
[ Ressler’s office ] [ Knocking ✽ ✽ ]
Dembe: I noticed the chip in there.
Ressler: [ Groans ]
Dembe: I realized it must be, what?
Ressler: A year.
Dembe: Congratulations. That’s a major accomplishment.
Ressler: That’s what everyone keeps telling me, yeah.
Dembe: Oh. Sick of hearing it?
Ressler: Once was enough. Okay, okay. Uh– NA wants me to sponsor someone.
Dembe: Are you gonna do it?
Ressler: I’m not sure. Some days, I can’t even help myself. How am I supposed to help someone else?
Dembe: Maybe that’s the point. I’ve never known you not to be of service when you can be.
Ressler: [ Sighs ]
[ Siya appears at the door ]
Siya: Subpoena came through.

 
[ The war room ]
Siya: Novall was able to identify the account and give us access. This is Perry’s live photostream.
Dembe: We’re in every photo.
Ressler: Okay, this is getting creepy.
Herbie: Ooh, look. He’s uploading more photos – right now, as we speak.
Ressler: But where is this?
Cooper: Looks like an apartment building. Can we identify which one?
Siya: I can’t see any street signs.
Ressler: Are there any active emergency calls?
Dembe: Checking with EMS now. Nothing.
Herbie: Look at the differences in the photos. He’s taking test shots. He’s playing around with the F-stop and shutter speed.
Dembe: The Freelancer must have sent him. This may be the location of the third attack that Raymond predicted. It fits the pattern.
Cooper: Malik, can we get a more specific location?
Siya: Almost. I’m zeroing in on the hotspot he’s using to transmit. Okay – Got it. Laurel Vistas. It’s in Arlington. 12 stories, 16 units per floor.
Cooper: That could mean dozens, if not hundreds of victims. The Freelancer’s gonna cause a building collapse.

 
[ Dramatic music plays ] [ At the Laurel Vistas apartment building ]
[ A janitor wheels a cart. Alban Veseli (The Freelancer) comes up behind him and injects him in the neck. The janitor falls to the floor. Veseli takes his keys. He opens a power box ]

 
[ Cooper talks to Ressler, Dembe and Siya who are in an SUV driven by Ressler ]
Cooper: I’ve been in contact with the City Planner’s office in Arlington. Laurel Vistas is an 80-year-old property that’s had 7 different owners in the last 10 years alone.
⋘⋙
[ Again, Veseli removes a vial of a liquid corrosive agent from a super-cooled casing ]
⋘⋙
Cooper: It’s racked up more code violations in that period then I have time to read out. But several involve water damage near a retaining wall in the basement that backs onto the Potomac Aquifer.
Ressler: That water could take out the whole building.
Cooper: You need to get down there. And Malik, you’re on Perry.
⋘⋙
[ At the apartment building, Veseli works on a mechanical cabinet ] [ Air hissing ]
⋘⋙
[ The SUV driven by Ressler⚡️screeches⚡️to a stop in front of the Laurel Vistas building ] [ Ressler and Dembe jump out and run inside; Siya is behind them by a few steps ~ she hears: ]
[ Camera shutter clicking ✽ ✽ ✽ ]
Siya: Hey! Stop!
[ Siya chases and trips the photographer and he falls ]
Siya: Mr. Perry. Waiting for the perfect shot? Or just waiting for us?
Keith Perry: What? What do you mean?
Siya: Let’s go, shutterbug.

 
[ Veseli sprays the metal-weakening solution on the metal work supporting the apartment building ] [ Sizzling ] [ Veseli cuts wires. A timer begins a countdown ] [ Ressler and Dembe locate Veseli ]
Ressler: Show me your hands!
Veseli: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I’m unarmed. How ’bout a horse trade, huh?
[ Ressler holsters his gun to handcuff Veseli ]
Veseli: I show you how to undo the damage I’ve just done, and you let me–
[ Veseli spins around ] [ ⚡️ 🤜 ‼️ Fist 👊 Fight ‼️ 🤛 ⚡️] [ Ressler prevails ]
Dembe: He’s alive. But out cold.
Ressler: Uh, mayday – We’ve got bigger problems over here. You smell gas?
Dembe: Looks like the chemical ate through the main gas line.
⋘⋙
[ Cooper’s line ringing ☎️ ]
Cooper: What’s the update?
Dembe: [ On phone ] The Freelancer’s unconscious and in custody. We have one civilian down, and a live incendiary device.
Ressler: I’m willing to bet when this timer goes off, it’ll overload the fuse box.
Veseli: [ Coughs ]
Ressler: Gonna be a shower of sparks. [ Mimics explosion 💢 ]
[ The timer is down to 29 seconds ]
Cooper: Agent Malik is working with Arlington County Police to evacuate the building. If you’re down there when the wall goes, you’ll drown under tons of mud and silt. You need to leave, now.
Ressler: No, there’s not enough time to get everyone out.
Dembe: Then we’re not going anywhere.
[ Cell disconnects ✽ ]
⋘⋙
Dembe: I don’t know which wire to pull. Any one of them could set it off.
[ 16 seconds remain ]
Ressler: What if we cut the main power?
[ Ressler grabs the emergency hatchet and smashes the mechanical box (‼️SMASH‼️) ]
[ – – – – – – ]
Ressler: No power, no sparks, no– [ Mimics explosion💢 ]
Dembe: Better than any idea I’ve got.
Veseli: [ Coughs 💨 ]
[ Unnoticed, Veseli has gotten to his feet ]
Ressler: Let’s hope this works.
Veseli: [ Coughing 💨 ]
[ Ressler strikes the box again (‼️SMASH‼️) ]
[ Beeping 🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅]
[ Alarm 🚨 blaring ]
Veseli: [ Coughing 💨 ]
Ressler: All right. No power, no sparks. We’re good.
[ Dembe turns around ]
Dembe: No. We’re not.
[ Veseli is gone ]

 
[ Ressler and Dembe exit the building, coughing 💨 ]
[ Dembe’s cellphone rings✨]
[ Both coughing 💨 ]
Red: Rogelio just got a tip – the collapse of an apartment building in Arlington.
Dembe: [ On phone ] Yes, we got it.
Red: Is everyone safe?
Dembe: For now.
Red: Good.
Dembe: But Veseli got away.
Red: That is not so good.

 
[ An interrogation room at the Post Office. Photographer Keith Perry talks to Siya and Ressler ]
Keith Perry: It started with a photo. Six or seven years ago, I was covering this reception at a hotel near Dupont. A big fundraiser thing. I was getting nothing shots, so I went around to the back of the building. Thought I could get someone sneaking in, sneaking out. I see someone standing on the curb over by the loading dock. I swear to God, it’s Raymond Reddington – talking with this Latino guy. But before I could get my camera ready and snapping, Reddington steps into the street, ducks into a waiting car, and is gone. [ Chuckles lightly ] I get a– a blurry pic of the back of his head. I couldn’t sell the damn thing anywhere. Nobody would believe me that it was Reddington. I got one outlet to pay me for it. Tabloid. Even they speculated. God, if I could’ve just proved it, it would’ve been one helluva payday. Then, all of a sudden, a few months ago, someone shows at my door and wants to know about the photograph. Said he worked for somebody. Um– Wu-something.
[ Siya and Ressler exchange glances ]
Keith Perry: They wanted to know about the photo and who the guy with Reddington was. Then they said they wanted me to take some new photos.

 
[ Rogelio’s home ] [ Red is packing a bag. Rogelio walks in with a covered plastic dish ]
Rogelio: You really can’t stay for dinner?
Red: Sadly, it’s time for me to head back to New York.
Rogelio: Soledad’s paella is legendary. It has a cult following. And it’s not nearly as good reheated.
Red: I’ll be the judge of that. Rogelio, please tell your lovely wife that her hospitality, much like her paella, is unrivaled. Yours as well. Your sheets are truly the finest I have ever slept on. I have the utmost faith in your new business endeavor.
Rogelio: I hope you’ll give us an endorsement when the time comes.
Red: [ Laughs ]
Rogelio: You can be in our first commercial.
Red: Wouldn’t that be something? But the least I can do is invest. Tell me how much you need.
Rogelio: Ah, that – That’s generous, Raymond. But no, thank you.
Red: A hundred thousand?
Rogelio: You don’t understand. I– I don’t need you to invest. Working for you, I’ve grown my intelligence network from the city to the region to the entire country. I’ve built a nice nest egg. So, I’m using it to help pay for my dream.
Red: You’re evolving, my friend. You don’t need me anymore.
Rogelio: Raymond, no, I’d never dare say that. Yeah, I owe you. Everything. I just don’t need you for this.
Red: Well, the day you do need an investor or a spokesman who happens to be on the most wanted list, click your heels and there I’ll be. In the meantime, I need two sets of those sheets. Queen size.
Rogelio: Claro. You got it, amigo.

 
[ Ressler’s next NA meeting. He talks to the guy the Team Leader pointed out to him. His name is Jonathan Pritchard ]
Ressler: Hey. You, uh, nauseous?
[ Ressler offers him a cup ]
Jonathan Pritchard: Yeah, thanks.
Ressler: Yeah, the first week’s the hardest. Feels like your, uh, blood’s on fire?
Pritchard: Yeah, and your veins might explode.
Ressler: Mm-hmm.
Pritchard: At least, at this point, I’m praying they do. [ Chuckles ]
Ressler: How many days are you?
Pritchard: Uh, four. Uh, four and a half.
Ressler: Mm. Don’t knock the half. It’s an accomplishment. I know it doesn’t seem like it at this point, but it is.
[ Offers his hand ] Donald.
Pritchard: Jonathan.
[ They shake hands ]

 
[ Cooper’s kitchen. Red is visiting ]
Red: How did Mr. Hambright work out for you today?
Cooper: He’s actually proven to be quite useful. More than once.
Red: Quite a character, isn’t he?
Cooper: [ Chuckles ] To say the least. You’re headed back up the turnpike?
Red: I’ve got that coaster to ride. Listen, I told Agnes that saltwater taffy will be the order of the day on my next jaunt through the Garden State. So beware, I’ll be bringing her a bundle.
Cooper: Maybe she could share it with the boy she’s got a crush on at school.
Red: Agnes has a young suitor?
Cooper: She’s only told Charlene. I’m still waiting for her to come to me with the news.
Red: I admire the relationship you’ve built with her. Fatherhood isn’t for the faint of heart.
Cooper: Some days I find myself wondering if– if everything else is worth it. The job. The Blacklist. How much it takes me away from her. I miss that little girl every moment I’m not with her.
Red: Yeah. And I hate to tell you, but we’re not getting any younger, Harold.
Cooper: No, we’re not. And it seems like every time we stop a threat, it just begets three more.
Red: It’s a disastrous domino effect. Taking down Marvin Gerard sets in motion a chain of events that eventually sinks a ferry.
Cooper: And The Freelancer is still out there. Do you think he has anything else planned for us?
Red: I haven’t the foggiest. Wujing has gotten what he wanted.
Cooper: He did, didn’t he? It’s the one thing I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.
Red: What?
Cooper: Photographs of the task force. Concrete evidence. Now that Wujing has them, what’s he planning to do with them?
[ Red puts on his fedora, straightens the brim ]
Red: Time will tell.
[ Red turns, slaps Cooper and the back and heads out ]

 
[ Three months earlier ]
[ A bar. Zhang Wei, Wujing’s right hand man is at the bar, along with a man named Sven Hollufson. He is a member of the group of Nordic operatives previously led by Henrick Fisker. Marvin Gerard hired the Fisker Army to attack Red when he was with a group of his associates at a remote hunting lodge. Red and Dembe survived, thanks to the FBI, but Red’s associates were slaughtered. Red handed Fisker himself over to the FBI ]
Zhang Wei: Thank you for agreeing to meet. I was surprised when you wanted it to be here. And without protection.
Sven Hollufson: I wouldn’t say that.
[ Clears throat ] [ Several of Hollufson’s operatives make their presense known ]
Zhang Wei: I see. You have the high ground.
Hollufson: What do you want?
Zhang Wei: My employer is interested in hiring your – team – to remove a common threat. I don’t have to tell you anything about Raymond Reddington you don’t already know.
Hollufson: [ Laughs ] Reddington.
Zhang Wei: It is my understanding that Marvin Gerard contracted your forces to take out Reddington as part of their war last year.
Hollufson: Yeah. And now our colleague, Henrick Fisker, is rotting in a CIA black site.
Zhang Wei: Hm. What if I told you that those two things – Raymond Reddington still alive and your brother-in-arms in custody, were directly related?
Hollufson: [ Sighs ] I’m listening.
Zhang Wei: Reddington has an immunity agreement and a covert FBI task force that does his bidding and allows him to grow his empire with impunity.
Hollufson: I don’t believe you!
Zhang Wei: What if I can prove it?
Hollufson: Show me proof, and then we’ll talk.

 
[ Present day ]
[ Zhang Wei and Sven Hollufson meet again ]
Zhang Wei: We fed three tips to part of Reddington’s intelligence network, and three times his federal pack hounds showed up to investigate before they were declared a crime.
[ Zhang Wei lays out photos taken by Keith Perry ]
Zhang Wei: Agent Donald Ressler, FBI. Agent Dembe Zuma, FBI. Agent Siya Malik, a curveball, is actually MI6.
Hollufson: Interesting. Hm.
Zhang Wei: To say the least. So, does this satisfy your requirement for proof? What do you think?
Sven Hollufson: I think you should tell your employer that we are very, very expensive.

 
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❌❌❌ 10:7 Freelancer, Part 2

 
For S10 Episode 10:7 The Freelancer, Part 2: 🎯 EW Recap ¤ 🌅 Photo Gallery ¤ 🎹 Music Videos ¤ 📒 Script link: https://wp.me/pDKwi-eos [ “you are here” ]

🔴 Episode Songs

 
♫ ⋙ Check Tunefind for any additional music for this episode

♫ Sweet Revenge
By MLCK

♪ I’m down in bones of your casualties
You dig up demons like a sweet addiction
Feeding me fear so you can take control, you’re gonna crumble, crumble
Mhm
Don’t you see you’re drowning in your gold?
Heavy eagle weighing down your throat
And now the cracks are breedin up your tower, you crumble, crumble
Mhm

♪ Playin’ God with that facade, won’t get you your Camelot
Amen take it in the air
Payback for your wicked lies
Storm clouds rollin’ in the high
Singes scorch the crimson sky
Amen take it in the air
Payback for your wicked lies!

♪ Tick tock, tick tock, time is up
Big talk, big talk, I see it comin’
Comin’ for ya

[Chorus;]
♪ Just a little bit of sweet revenge
Gotta love a little punishment
Whoa ohhh oh oh ohh
It’s comin’ comin’
Just a little bit of sweet revenge
Gotta love a little punishment
Whoa ohhh oh oh ohh
It’s comin’ comin’!

♪ The diamond chandeliers are crashing down
You hide from wreckage on your hands and knees
Feels good to see you beg and plead, as you stumble, stumble
Mhm
I watch you struggle as I stand aside
Fallin’ faster with that heavy pride
You know I won’t be there to catch you, as you stumble, stumble

♪ Playin’ God with that facade, won’t get you your Camelot
Amen take it in the air
Payback for your wicked lies
Storm clouds rollin’ in the high
Singes scorch the crimson sky
Amen take it in the air
Payback for your wicked lies!

🎹 Return to where this song occurs in script above
Lyrics: https://tinyurl.com/j6fp5dcm
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Hb7RXiLGcSo

🔴 General

 
⭕ Script 10:7 The Freelancer, Pt 2 https://wp.me/pDKwi-eos Status: FINAL @NBCBlacklist #TheBlacklist My site: BlacklistDCd.com https://twitter.com/BlacklistDCd/status/1645948135934504960?s=20/photo/1

⭕ Easy-Search Scripts updated thru Episode 10:7 The Freelancer, Pt 2 https://wp.me/pDKwi-e2T#freelancer2 #TheBlacklist @NBCBlacklist My site: BlacklistDCd.com https://twitter.com/BlacklistDCd/status/1646148022965764096?s=20/photo/1

🔴 Episode Photos

 
⭕ Gallery Photos
 

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