🔴 Easy-Search S10 Scripts ⬅️

🔴 Easy-Search Season 10 Scripts

 
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NBC’s series The Blacklist created by: Jon Bokenkamp

 
This is all one “page” meaning you can use your browser’s page search to find a quote you remember from Season 9 without knowing which episode it’s in. I use this a lot. Also includes full lyrics to main songs (at end of each episode). To find beginning of major songs, search for ♫.

⭕ For Season 1 Easy-Search scripts, follow this link: http://wp.me/pDKwi-16b
⭕ For Season 2 Easy-Search scripts, follow this link: http://wp.me/pDKwi-1m8
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⭕ For Season 6 Easy-Search scripts, follow this link: https://wp.me/pDKwi-8Mi
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⭕ For Season 9 Easy-Search scripts, follow this link: https://wp.me/pDKwi-c3J
⭕ For Season 10 Easy-Search scripts, you are here—: https://wp.me/pDKwi-e2T

⭕ For For All Scripts listed individually, with added features (photos, music links and embedded videos, complete navigation, notes, etc), follow this link: https://wp.me/PDKwi-14P

 
You can use your browser’s navigation ~
or use the blue arrow ⬆ to return to the top of each episode
or use the blue double-arrow ⏫ to return to the very top. Enjoy!
 

🔴 Episode 10:1 – The Night Owl
🔴 Episode 10:2 – The Whaler
🔴 Episode 10:3 – The Four Guns
🔴 Episode 10:4 – The Hyena
🔴 Episode 10:5 – The Dockery Affair
🔴 Episode 10:6 – Dr Laken Perillos, Part 2
🔴 Episode 10:7 – The Freelancer, Part 2
🔴 Episode 10:8 – The Troll Farmer, Part 2
🔴 Episode 10:9 – The Troll Farmer, Part 3
🔴 Episode 10:10 – The Postman
🔴 Episode 10:11 – The Man in the Hat
🔴 Episode 10:12 – Dr Michael Abani
🔴 Episode 10:13 – The Sicilian Error of Color
🔴 Episode 10:14 – The Nowhere Bride
🔴 Episode 10:15 – The Hat Trick
🔴 Episode 10:16 – Blair Foster
🔴 Episode 10:17 – The Morgana Logistics Corp
🔴 Episode 10:18 – Wormwood
🔴 Episode 10:19 – Room 417
🔴 Episode 10:20 – Arthur Hudson
🔴 Episode 10:21 – Ramond Reddington, Part 1
🔴 Episode 10:22 – Raymond Reddington: Good Night
 
🔴 Skip to End of File

🔴 Script 10:1 The Night Owl

 
Program air date: 2/26/2023 in the US
Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-eg9
Entertainment Weekly Recap: https://tinyurl.com/25asrxv6
 

Brief (Where we’re at): [Before Season 10:] After the task force captured Marvin Gerard – Red’s lawyer and the person behind Liz’s death – Red cornered him in the office of the FISA judge who was about to hand over to Marvin Red’s immunity deal. Red decided, in view of their history and past friendship, not to kill Marvin, but to give him the opportunity to take his own life, which he did after being released from prison. So the Attorney General had to reinstate Red’s deal because, as Panabaker said, “We need the Blacklist” (yes, we do!). The DOJ had decided not to charge Cooper for the crimes he committed while trying to track down his blackmailer, given that they’d found the culprit (also Marvin). Because Cooper had no control over Marvin’s suicide, the DOJ’s decision stands and he will not be charged with any crimes. So the Reddington task force will go on as before.

But, Marvin Gerard played one last trick before killing himself. In prison, he met an early Blacklister named Wujing [Blacklister #84, Episode 1:3], an assassin for the Chinese government, who he helped out with an escape plan. Worse, he told Wujing that Red was the reason Wujing was in prison in the first place (not really true, as it was Liz who caused his arrest), and also that Red was a confidential informant for “the feds.” He gave Wujing a list of other criminals who are in prison because of Red. After making his escape, Wujing now plans to take revenge on Red, and to call upon the others on the list to help him if need be. [I marked these criminals on the list I keep of “Blacklisters and Bad Guys” with an ❌]

The team gathered at Liz’s grave on the third anniversary of her death. They shared memories of Liz, some tearful, some happy. Also shared were two announcements. Aram will be taking time off to live in Brooklyn in New York City. [Actor Amir Arison will be starring in the Broadway version of “Kiterunner.”] Alina Park [Laura Sohn’s character] announced she’s pregnant, so will also being taking time off. Red will be back, of course, after “going away for a few weeks to take the sisters home, eat some peyote, set up the telescope, look at the night sky.” Who knows, maybe he’ll see Polaris up there.

 

Questions we don’t have all the answers to yet:

 
⭕ MAJOR THEMES:

1. What is Red’s life story? What’s his true identity?
2. Who is Red’s family?
3. What’s the relationship between Red and Katarina?
4. How will Wujing use the list of Blacklisters? Who’s on it?
5. Why did Red start his criminal empire? What’s its purpose?
6. How will the series end?

🔻Go to “Unanswered Questions” for more detailed discussion of Major Themes.

 
⭕ Other Questions/Loose Ends:
 
● Who is Red’s heir apparent now, with Liz and Marvin dead? Dembe? Agnes?
● What happened in Brasilia between Red and Dembe that Red said was “a tragedy”?
● Does Red have a continuing relationship with the Russian FSB/SVR/Vory?
● What’s in the box Red gave to Dembe?
● What happened to the Cabal?
● Was the date on the Swan Lake program significant?
● Why did Liz’s memory have to be erased twice?
● Will Mierce and Weecha return for Season 10? Where are they from anyway? What will happen
 to Red and Mierce’s relationship?

⭕ Script 10:1 The Night Owl

 
New York City. Aram Mojtabai, a former member of the Reddington task force, exits the Metropolitan Museum carrying a red bag. He walks past a fountain and over to his bike and unlocks the lock. He looks up and sees a bearded man with shaggy hair looking for a cab. It’s Raymond (“Red”) Reddington. Aram waves at him ]
Aram: Hey! Hey!
[ A cab pulls up. Red walks over to it. He appears to look at Aram, but gets into the cab. The cab takes off. Aram gets out his cell phone and places a call ]

 
[ In the dining room of Harold and Charlene Cooper’s house, Cooper is playing a card game with Agnes Keen. Agnes, who is about 12 years old, is the daughter of Tom and Elizabeth Keen, but both of her parents are dead now, and the Coopers are Agnes’s guardians ]
[ Cooper has lost the card hand to Agnes. Agnes scoops up the cards ]
Cooper: No. No, no, no, no, no.
Agnes: That’s three in a row, Pops. Maybe we should go back to Go Fish.
Cooper: No. Shuffle up, deal again.
[ Cooper’s cell phone rings✨ ]
Cooper: Just give me a minute. I should grab this. [ On phone ] Aram, what a nice surprise.
Aram: Mr. Cooper.
Cooper: Charlene was just asking about you, and I couldn’t tell her anything– where you’re living, what you’re up to these days.
Aram: I know, I know. I’m sorry. I’ve been meaning to. I-I just– I’ve been getting settled, but I’m good. I’m really good. I’m great, actually.
Cooper: How’s New York?
Aram: Uh, well, maybe I could tell you in person. You guys are here, aren’t you? The Task Force is in New York?
Cooper: No, we’re not even up and running. Reddington took the sisters home to Guatemala. That was over six months ago. We’re just twiddling our thumbs till he gets back.
Aram: Well, Mr. Reddington is here.
Cooper: What? Where?
Aram: I just saw him.
Cooper: Saw him? In Manhattan?
Aram: Yeah. Outside the Met. Across the street from the museum. He was, uh– He was just walking.
Cooper: By himself?
Aram: Yeah, no security. No car, either. I called out to him, and he saw me, and then he just got in a cab.
Cooper: Aram, are you sure? You’re sure it was him?
Aram: Yeah, it was him. He looked kind of different. But it was– it was definitely him. ⋘⋙ Mr. Cooper? A-Are you still there?
Cooper: Yes, I’m sorry. It’s just– things were pretty good with Reddington before he left. We’d agreed to be more forthcoming with each other. If he were back–
Aram: He is.
Cooper: Okay, but if you’re right, why was he there? What was he doing?
[ A large 💥🔥‼️ Explosion ‼️🔥💥 rips through the fourth or fifth floor of a building about half a block from Aram ]
— It’s a bomb!
Cooper: Aram, are you alright?! Aram? Aram, are you alright?
[ Aram just stares at the building ] [ 🚨 Sirens blare 🚨 ]

 
[ The Post Office black site ] [ Dembe Zuma is working on files relating to Red’s former lawyer, Marvin Gerard. Marvin was behind the murder of Elizabeth Keen and committed several other crimes to cover it up. When Red found out that Marvin was behind Liz’s murder, he was furious, but in view of their prior friendship, offered him the option of experiencing Red’s retribution, or committing suicide. Marvin chose the latter. Now Dembe has been assigned to complete the paperwork ]
[ Dembe’s phone buzzes «»»»» beep🔅]
Dembe: Please tell me you’re coming in to help.
Cooper: You’re still at it? How much have you done?
Dembe: About half. I swear, it’s taking me longer to document Marvin Gerard’s case than it did to expose him in the first place.
Cooper: Take a break.
Dembe: I can’t. Raymond won’t be away forever. We need to take advantage of this downtime.
Cooper: You still haven’t heard from him?
Dembe: Nothing. There’s a bed and breakfast in Quezaltenango. He’s probably having a champurrado on the terrace.
Cooper: Hmm. Aram just saw him in New York.
Dembe: Say that again?
Cooper: Apparently, Raymond’s back. And probably connected to an explosion that happened a few minutes ago at a townhouse on the Upper East Side.
Dembe: I’ll give Chuck a call right away.
Cooper: I just tried. No answer. Which isn’t surprising. If he’s blowing up townhouses, he probably doesn’t feel like taking questions. No idea what it’s about?
Dembe: No. But it can’t be good.
Cooper: I’m coming in. I have to admit, I was getting used to the time off, being home with Charlene and Agnes. I feel old.
Dembe: You got this, old man.

 
[ Donald Ressler, another agent on the Reddington task force, is attending a Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meeting. He was romantically involved with Liz Keen in a relationship that developed in the years following Tom Keen’s death ]
Donald Ressler: Well, I’m good. ⋘⋙ I mean, the truth is… every day’s a struggle. Not just recovery, um, which so far, it’s– Look. I-I’m okay.
[ Ressler’s emotions well up ]
Ressler: It’s just mostly, uh… I have a hard time letting go of the past. I mean, it’s in my nature to want to fix things and…
Group Leader: Take your time, Donald.
Ressler: It’s just hard f-for me to accept. I lost someone I loved, and… it can’t be undone. I mean, I- I became an addict. I hit bottom. Uh… I wish it didn’t happen, but it did. [ Sniff ] And letting that go and leaving that be… it’s hard for me. But, uh… here I am. And today… I’m 311 days sober.
Group Leader: That’s wonderful. Good for you.
[ Applause ]

 
[ After the meeting, Ressler walks outside. Dembe is sitting on a bench, waiting for him ]
Dembe: You don’t answer your phone?
Ressler: I carried that Bureau phone for two months after Reddington left. It didn’t ring, I put it away. So, uh, is he back?
Dembe: Not exactly. Come on. I’ll explain on the way to New York.

 
[ Police radio chatter ] [ Crime scene tape surrounds the building where the explosion took place ] [ Ressler and Dembe duck under the tape ]
Sergeant Pickford: Ed Pickford. Sergeant.
Ressler: I’m Agent Ressler. This is Agent Zuma. Apologies for the big foot.
Sergeant Pickford: Man, you FBI guys work fast. My people were still clearing the area when the Bureau let us know a team was coming up from DC to run point.
Ressler: How are things looking?
Sergeant Pickford: A lot of damage. Fire’s saying a single device, detonated in a room on the top floor.
Dembe: Anyone hurt?
Sergeant Pickford: Unknown at this time.
Dembe: Suspects?
Pickford: Look, I’d love to be able to tell you we know what happened here, but to be honest, our hands are tied. Especially since we can’t enter the building.
Ressler: Why not?
Pickford: ’Cause it belongs to the Chinese government. It’s registered as an official annex of the Consulate.
Ressler: An annex?
Pickford: We’ve got over a hundred foreign missions in the city, plenty with multiple locations. No police inside without permission.
Ressler: [ To Dembe ] He blew up part of the Chinese Consulate?
Pickford: “He”? You fellas have a theory on who might’ve done this?
Dembe: No, not really, but how do we find the person that can give us permission?
Pickford: You won’t have to. Something tells me he’s about to find you.
Chin Yao: Excuse me. May I please speak to whomever’s in charge?
Ressler: Agent Ressler, FBI.
Chin Yao: My name in Chin Yao, head of this Consular Post.
Ressler: Mr. Chin, we’re just beginning our investigation, but we believe this explosion was a targeted attack.
Chin Yao: I see. And who do you believe was responsible?
Ressler: Well, we don’t know, but you can be sure that the Bureau will keep you informed of our progress.
Dembe: I see the building has security cameras. We’d appreciate you giving us access to that footage.
Chin Yao: I’m afraid that’s not possible.
Ressler: And why’s that?
Chin Yao: Because we are not requesting an American investigation.
Ressler: Someone set off a device in one of your buildings, and you don’t want to know who or why?
Chin Yao: If a crime was committed, my staff is more than capable of handling the matter on its own.
Ressler: How? Your staff has no law enforcement authority here.
Chin Yao: I’m not here to debate the matter, Agent Ressler. I’m informing you.
Billy (Firefighter): Eddie.
Sergeant Pickford: Yeah, Billy?
Billy: One down. This the Bureau?
Ressler: Yes.
Billy: Sir, you’re gonna want to see this.
Chin Yao: Agent Ressler, to be clear, the FBI is not authorized to enter the premises.
[ Ressler and Dembe leave with Billy ]
Chin Yao: [ Following them ] The property is inviolable. By authority of the Vienna Convention on Consular…

 
[ A burned out room, still smoking. The body of a woman lies on the floor ]
Billy: Best we can tell, she was the only one on the floor at the time of the explosion, but we’ll keep looking.
Ressler: With that much force, why’s the body still intact?
Billy: We think the device was sitting on a mail cart in this area. Looks like she got partial coverage from the desk and this file cabinet. And there’s this.
[ Billy points with his flashlight ]
Billy: Looks like a laptop under her right arm.
Dembe: Can you identify this woman?
Chin Yao: Your presence here is unlawful!
Ressler: Yeah, we heard you, but you’re not here to debate the matter, remember? At this point, you’ll have to take that up with the Attorney General.
Dembe: Yeah, this is now a federal homicide investigation.

 
[ Wujing’s cell phone rings ✨]
Wujing: [ Speaking Mandarin ] Has the situation been contained?
[ Chin Yao is walking outside ]
Chin Yao: No, Wujing. Not at all. The FBI is inside. They have recovered your associate’s body.
Wujing: How? You were supposed to prevent them from gaining access.
Chin Yao: Don’t tell me what I was supposed to do. The Ministry doesn’t know I helped you.
Wujing: Remember who you’re talking to.
Chin Yao: I took a risk out of respect for our history. But you’re a fugitive. If our government knew anything about–
[ Wujing’s phone claps ✽ shut ]
Wujing: Moores is dead.
Zhang Wei (Driver): We needed her help.
Wujing: She told us enough. Everything stays on schedule. It was Reddington. He’ll do anything to keep me from proving the truth. But I will. And he will suffer for what he has done.

 
[ The Post Office war room ]
Ressler: Okay, you’re not gonna believe this. The body recovered from the Chinese Consulate? It was Jennifer Anne Moores.
Cooper: Moores. How do I know that name?
Dembe: Jennifer Moores was once on The Blacklist. She was a key member of a heist crew known as The Fribourg Confidence.
Ressler: Thieves who specialized in robbing criminals.
Dembe: Back then, Elizabeth hired them to steal a flash drive from one of Raymond’s safe deposit boxes.
Cooper: I remember. But we arrested them. So why isn’t she in prison?
Ressler: Because she cooperated with our investigation. And it seems like that went a long way with the US Attorney. She did 19 months at Hazelton and was paroled five months ago.
Cooper: I don’t get it. What’s a former Blacklister on parole doing at an annex of the Chinese Consulate in New York?
Dembe: Moores was a master thief. It’s reasonable to assume that she was hired to steal something.
Cooper: By the Chinese? Why would they look to her? And how’s all this connected to Reddington?
Ressler: I will say this – whatever she was doing, clearly Reddington didn’t want it done.
Dembe: We do have a lead. Problem is, we don’t have Aram.
Cooper: We could call the Lab, have them send another tech, but I don’t like flying blind. I’d prefer to keep this Task Force only until we know what we’re dealing with.
Ressler: You want to bring on a new agent?
Cooper: At least one. Cynthia’s having Main Justice send a list. Aram and Alina won’t be easy to replace, but we can’t do this just us.
[ Cynthia Panabaker, formerly of the Department of Justice, is now a US Senator ]
Dembe: In the meantime, I know someone who can help.
Ressler: One of Reddington’s people?
Dembe: Believe me, if you want to break into a computer, this is the guy.

 
[ Chuck, one of Red’s regulars, picks up a call ]
Chuck: Go for Chuck.
Dembe: Hey, Chuck. It’s Dembe. I need to speak to Raymond.
Chuck: Dembe. Hey, buddy. It’s been months. You don’t write. You don’t call.
Dembe: You were supposed to call me when Raymond got back into the States.
Chuck: And I will. As soon as I hear, you’ll be the first to know. Well, top five. Mm, maybe ten.
Dembe: So you’re not with him?
Chuck: Are you saying he’s already back? How do you know?
Dembe: How do you not know?
Chuck: Hey. It’s Reddington. I only know what he wants me to know. Sent me a postcard a few months back.
Dembe: A postcard?
Chuck: With a picture of the Tower of London. All it said was, “Quick visit to the Tower. Invited to the Key Ceremony. Super fun. Wimbledon tomorrow. Legoland Friday. Red.”
Dembe: He went to London?
Chuck: I guess so, but then the, uh, card was postmarked in Uruguay, and, uh, Dembe… you understand he signed it “Red.” 🔘 [See Note]
Dembe: Yes, I heard. What’s going on? Why so many public places? And who’s handling his security? Chuck, make some calls, see if anyone has heard from him. I was gonna ask him for permission to go see Tadashi.
Chuck: Man, I can’t help you with that, but I’ll get on the rest of it. Hey, wish I could be more help, but I don’t know where the big man is or what’s doing.

 
[ The metal doors of the yellow elevator at the Post Office⚡️clank⚡️open. A livid Mrs Mario Ito emerges with her son Tadashi. They are flanked by two officers. Mrs Ito points at Dembe ]
Mrs Ito: You!! You had my son and me arrested?!
Dembe: Ms. Ito, you’re not under arrest. These agents were just–
Mrs Ito: These agents made us wear blindfolds and ride in the back of a van!
Dembe: There are security protocols. I’m very sorry.
[ Tadashi steps forward into the large room lined with computer displays ]
Tadashi: Whoa! Mom, are you seeing this?! It’s a war room. Do you have any idea what kind of systems must be powering a place like this?!
Mrs Ito: [ To Tadashi ] Don’t get excited. We’re not staying. [ To Dembe ] Where’s Raymond, hmm? I want to have a word with that man.
Dembe: Raymond doesn’t know you’re here. Please. Let me explain.
Mrs Ito: You left Raymond? You don’t work together anymore?
Dembe: No. I became a federal agent about two years ago.
Mrs Ito: And Raymond knows this?
Dembe: There’s nothing to worry about.
Mrs Ito: Nothing to worry about? You’re asking Tadashi to help the FBI! The FBI shouldn’t even know his name! He’s applying for business schools. Oh, my God. All the things he’s done for Raymond. You know about them? Oh, my God. All the things Raymond has done for him!
Dembe: Ms. Ito, we have a situation – a situation involving Raymond – and I need Tadashi’s help to help him.
Tadashi: Please, Mother. Stop worrying. I can do what they’re asking. Maybe. Probably.
Dembe: Look, we need to move quickly. You have my word. I promise. Nothing bad will happen to your son.
Mrs Ito: Raymond usually pays in cash.

 
[ Cooper’s office. He’s just hanging up the phone. Ressler knocks ]
Ressler: Hey. You looking for me?
Cooper: How’s it going with Reddington’s tech guy?
Ressler: Good. Dembe just made a deal with his rep, who also happens to be his mother. The guy’s barely 19.
Cooper: 19 and already as good as Aram? Well, I hope so, because he needs to work fast.
Ressler: Why? What’s up?
Cooper: I just got off with Main Justice. That man from the Consulate you spoke with in New York? He just filed a motion in District Court to preclude us from searching Moores’ laptop.
Ressler: At least we know we’re looking in the right place.
Cooper: Judge Vance wants all parties in Chambers in half an hour.
Ressler: We drew Vance?
Cooper: If we lose–
Ressler: No, we can’t lose. I think Reddington took out Jennifer Moores, and right now that laptop’s the only lead we have to tell us why.
Cooper: I’ll do my best, but on the merits, this could go either way. Let’s just hope the kid cracks it before we get shut down.

 
[ Tadashi is clicking away at the laptop ]
Dembe: Tadashi, I don’t mean to add any pressure, but it’s possible we’re running out of time.
Tadashi: The drive’s a disaster! Any worse, and this would’ve been impossible.
Dembe: Does that mean you can read it?
Tadashi: It’s not just the damage from the explosion, it’s heat from the fire. Expose a drive to over 300 Celsius, and you get damage to the platters and the ROM chip. Add to that the water damage from the sprinklers and the Fire Department hosing down the building?! You get oxidation and a warped drive chassis!
Dembe: Can you read them?
Tadashi: No, but I’m close, so stop stressing me out. Dude. Go hang with my mom.

 
[ Judge Roberta Vance’s chambers ]
Judge Vance: Alright. Why don’t we get started?
Assist US Atty Wendy Flynn: Wendy Flynn for the United States. I’m here with Assistant Director Harold Cooper of the FBI.
Cooper: Good afternoon, Your Honor.
Judge Vance: Don’t be so sure, Director Cooper. I read Mr. Chin’s motion. This may not be a “good afternoon” for the Bureau after all.
Chin Yao: Thank you, Your Honor. For the record, Chin Yao on behalf of the Consulate.
Judge Vance: I’m listening.
Chin Yao: Your Honor – this matter falls squarely within the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, a treaty to which 182 nation states are party, including the United States and China. As you know, the principle of property inviolability is well established and requires that the consular state consent to any entry by the receiving authority.
Judge Vance: Not any entry, Mr. Chin. They’re allowed to enter for an emergency requiring prompt protective action. I’m gonna guess that you’re not upset about the Fire Department risking their lives to protect your staff and your precious annex?
Chin Yao: No, and we’re grateful for their assistance. But the FBI is another matter.
AUSA Wendy Flynn: Your Honor, if I could be heard–
Judge Vance: No. Him. Director Cooper, these were your agents acting as part of a Task Force that you oversee?
Cooper: That’s right, Your Honor.
Judge Vance: And those agents were told, in clear and unambiguous terms, that their entry was not authorized?
Cooper: Yes.
Judge Vance: And they proceeded anyway. And not only did they enter, they removed the laptop in question.
Cooper: They seized evidence.
Chin Yao: Which they had no right to do.
Judge Vance: Let him talk.
Cooper: I’d refer Your Honor to Article 55 of the VCCR. Anyone enjoying consular privileges has a duty to respect the laws of the receiving state. Consular premises can’t be used in a way that’s incompatible with consular functions.
Judge Vance: And this was? Incompatible?
Cooper: Absolutely. The woman killed at this “annex” was a career criminal on parole. An American with no official consular mission. Bottom line – we believe she was there in furtherance of a crime.
Chin Yao: You believe, but your agents had nothing to even suggest as much at the time.
Cooper: If Mr. Chin were operating a drսg lab on the premises, we’d have a right to seize the drսgs.
Judge Vance: But this wasn’t a drսg lab, Director Cooper. Drսgs are contraband on their face. Your agents were investigating a crime, not seizing proof of one.
Cooper: I’ll ask Mr. Chin point blank. Why was Jennifer Moores inside that building? What was her legitimate purpose for being there?
Chin Yao: And I’m telling Director Cooper point blank, I do not have to answer your questions.

 
[ The Post Office. The damaged laptop beeps 🔅🔅🔅🔅 ]
Tadashi: Yes, yes, yes! I’m in. Looks like there were – five active files in use when the drive was disabled.
Dembe: Can you access them?
Tadashi: Not all of them. Three so far. But I should be able to get the other two.
[ Dembe’s phone buzzes «»»»» ]
Dembe: We’re close.
Cooper: Close, but no cigar. It’s over. Vance just ordered us to stop any search and return the laptop.
Dembe: Tadashi, we have to stop.
Tadashi: Stop? Now? I’m almost there. I can get the other files.
Dembe: No, you can’t. Tadashi! I know you’re used to working for Raymond, but this is different. I’m an agent now, and we have rules.

 
[ The Post Office war room ]
Dembe: Okay, we may not have a full picture, but the files we recovered before Vance’s orders tell us a lot about what was going on. Apparently, Jennifer Moores was casing Luxe International. It’s a private company that specializes in fine art storage and logistics.
Ressler: According to their website, they “store and transport expensive and priceless works of art for a global clientele.”
Dembe: They’re headquartered on Montserrat, one of the British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean.
Cooper: So Moores was planning a heist?
Ressler: Definitely. Luxe operates as a freeport, which means it’s a tax haven for the wealthy.
The stuff in there is worth billions.
Dembe: Of course, nobody is supposed to know what’s in there, because the list isn’t public. But Jennifer Moores had one, and she was focused on one item in particular – a sculpture called “The Night Owl.”
Cooper: By Picasso? I’m not expert, but sculpture’s not the first thing I think about when I hear that name.
Dembe: He made over a thousand. And a lot of owls. Some say he became obsessed over them after he found a wounded owl in his studio.
Ressler: “The Night Owl.” Luxe just got the shipment. It was part of a woman’s estate, and when she died, they put it in storage.
Cooper: Any idea what it’s worth?
Dembe: The Met just sold a Picasso sculpture for over $48 million.
Cooper: So, what are we saying? That the Chinese hired Moores, a former Blacklister, to help them steal this “Night Owl”?
Ressler: Maybe Reddington wants it for himself. I mean, at this point, we have three-fifths of the story.
Cooper: So we stay on it. You two, get to Luxe. Make sure they know they’ve been targeted.

 
[ Luxe International, on Montserrat, British Overseas Territory ]
[ Dembe and Ressler present themselves at Security ]
Richard Deever: Richard Deever. I’m head of security here at Luxe. This is one of my associates, Siya Malik.
Ressler: Thanks for agreeing to see us.
Deever: Well, we’re the ones saying thanks. Our clients trust us with their most treasured possessions, so obviously we take any credible threat seriously.
Siya Malik: In your call to corporate, you said you think we’ve been targeted?
Dembe: We know you were. By a career criminal and master thief. This specific person is no longer a danger, but we don’t know who else she was working with.
Ressler: From what we can tell, she was targeting a specific sculpture. A Picasso called “The Night Owl.”
Dembe: Which we understand was recently delivered here.
Deever: It was, but that information was never made public. Obviously, we keep the content of all our shipments strictly confidential.
Siya Malik: “The Night Owl”’s not one of Picasso’s better-known works. The fact that it even exists was a closely guarded secret.
Deever: Can I ask where you got this?
Ressler: I’m sorry. I can’t disclose that. It’s part of an ongoing federal investigation.
Deever: We can’t protect ourselves if we don’t understand what– Fine. Then I’d like to speak to the agent in charge.
Ressler: That “agent” is Harold Cooper, the Assistant Director of the FBI.
Siya: You- You work for Harold Cooper?
Ressler: That’s right.
Siya: [ To Deever ] Harold Cooper runs a secret Task Force. So secret, most FBI agents don’t know about it.
Dembe: And you do?
Siya: Yes, because my mother used to work for Harold Cooper. Her name was Meera Malik.
Dembe: You’re Meera’s daughter?
Siya: You knew her?
Ressler: We not only knew her. She was a friend. And a-a very fine agent.
Siya: Perhaps you could give us a minute.
[ Siya nods for Ressler and Dembe to step out of the room, which they do ]
Siya: [ To Deever ] If we can verify what we just heard, I think we should show them around.
Deever: Bad idea. We can handle this ourselves. Thank them for the intel and let them go.
⋘⋙
[ Siya steps out to talk to Ressler and Dembe ]
Ressler: Hmm. Let me guess. Your boss says thanks for the tip, but, uh, you should give us the brush.
Siya: A guy with Harold Cooper’s connections could change that with one phone call. One “inter-agency” phone call.
[ Ressler takes out his phone ]
⋘⋙
[ Siya returns with Deever ]
Deever: You two don’t take no for an answer. Apparently, your boss made a phone call.
Siya: Follow us, please.
[ They step into an elevator ] [ Siya turns to address Dembe and Ressler ]
Siya: As you may have guessed, this facility is a front. It functions as a black site.
Ressler: International?
Siya: Yes. Used by a number of allied agencies. High-end art storage is a strong cover. It explains the heavy security, shipments coming in and out, and all interactions with the public are by appointment only.
Deever: I’m with the Agency. Most of the other operatives on site are also CIA. Agent Malik is with MI6.
[ The elevator dings🔅and stops. When they step out, there are heavily armed guards ]
Siya: You were right. We did just receive The Night Owl, but it’s not a sculpture. It’s a code name for a prisoner we recently transported.
Deever: We brought him here to be interrogated. It would seem that somehow your thief found out.
[ The prisoner is wearing an orange jump suit. He’s seated, leaning with his head against the wall ]
Siya: His name is Al–
Dembe: Alban Veseli.
Siya: You know him?
Ressler: We call him The Freelancer. (Episode 1:2 The Freelancer)

 
[ Back in the United States, Red is being shown around a vacuous property by a real estate broker named Andrea Athens. Red is clean shaven with his customary short haircut ]
Red: This just isn’t gonna work. I mean, all of this would have to come out. It’s ridiculous. It looks like a cruise ship. Like, what’s this? A balcony?
Andrea Athens: Yes, it’s a balcony on the mezzanine level.
Red: Is that where the water slide and the wave pool are? On the mezzanine level?
Andrea: Mr. Reddington, this place checks a lot of your boxes. 30,000 square feet, no windows, high ceilings.
Red: I don’t need high ceilings, Andrea. I need at least two stories, not just a mezzanine.
Andrea: They do fully catered events, which means it has a working kitchen. I know you didn’t request that–
Red: You’re right. I didn’t. A kitchen is nice, but I don’t need it.
Andrea: You need to work with me here. Two or more stories means stairs, elevators. This is more efficient. And it’s a beautiful kitchen.
Red: Oh, stop with the kitchen already. There’s nothing I love more than a great kitchen. We could get in your car right now and I could take you to any number of fabulous kitchens and cook you a gorgeous meal. A lovely roast chicken, a duck breast. But for our purposes here, what I’m looking for – I don’t need a kitchen. And this has been open to the public. The place I need has to be discreet. I need it to be invisible.
Andrea: That doesn’t exist.
Red: You mean you haven’t found it yet.
Andrea: No, I mean it doesn’t exist! A vacant space that large in this area? Remember, I can only show you what’s available.
Red: Okay, well, don’t take this the wrong way, Andrea, but that’s the first helpful thing you’ve said. So it does exist. It’s just being used by somebody else.
Andrea: Maybe. Yes. Are you saying you want to buy someone out?
Red: How about I buy you lunch and you tell me everything you know about the companies that have factories in the area?

 
[ Back at the offices of Luxe International, which is actually an international black site ]
Siya Malik: About two years ago, a natural-gas pipeline ruptured just outside the town of Glennshire, 80 miles north of London. The blast leveled four blocks and killed 17 people.
Dembe: You’re talking about the blast that killed Randall Ames.
Siya: Yes, a member of Parliament and the UK’s Anti-Corruption Champion. He was on holiday in Glennshire with his wife. At first, we thought it was just a tragic accident, but a closer look made us believe the pipeline was sabotaged.
Richard Deever: A mass accident designed to cover up a single murder.
Ressler: We’re familiar with the M.O.
Deever: Veseli was briefly out of prison around that time.
Ressler: That’s when Keen got him released.
Siya: MI6 made a request, and the Agency brought him here for questioning. But to be honest, we haven’t had much luck. He hasn’t said a word.
Dembe: He’ll talk to us.
Deever: And why would he do that?
Ressler: Let’s just say, uh, we have a history.

 
[ Door buzzes «««»»» ] [ Ressler and Dembe enter Alban Veseli’s cell ]
[ Veseli sees Dembe’s badge and laughs ]
Veseli: I swear. Now I’ve seen everything. You’re telling me the FBI gave you a badge?
Dembe: Things change, Alban. Although, you seem like the exact same man you always were. I should’ve known that pipeline in Glennshire was you.
Veseli: A little work I took on the side. Agent Keen had no idea. I was, uh– I was sad to hear about her passing.
Ressler: Watch what you say about Keen.
Veseli: What am I supposed to say? She set me up, just like Reddington. Got me out of prison, sent me to crash a plane, then warned the FBI so that the Bureau could re-arrest me.
Ressler: Well, we’ll have to walk down memory lane another time. I want to know about Jennifer Anne Moores.
Veseli: Wow. Didn’t see that coming. Mostly because I have no idea who that is.
Dembe: She was working on a plan to set you free.
Veseli: Oh, I like her already.
Ressler: What’s your connection to the Chinese Consulate?
Veseli: Fellas. I’m willing to play. But it would help if I at least knew the game.
Ressler: We’re supposed to believe that you don’t? Jennifer Moores was tracking your movements, casing the black site where you were being sent, and you’re telling us that you knew nothing about that?

 
[ Wujing sits in the back of a van driven by Zhang Wei. With Wujing are several other men. No one speaks. Wujing recalls the first time he suspected that Red might be working with the FBI (Episode 1:3 Wujing). Red had managed to get Liz Keen into Wujing’s secret operations center deep underground to try the retrieve the name a man Wujing had been ordered to kill ]

[ Flashback: ]
[ 🚨 Blaring 🚨]
Wujing: Lock it down.
[ Red and Liz try to escape by the elevator ]
Wujing: Stop! You were right. Maybe that was the FBI outside. In fact, maybe they’re not just outside. Maybe they’re right here in this room.
Red: Think hard before you accuse anybody of anything.

[ Wujing’s musings are interrupted by Zhang Wei ]
Zhang Wei: Wujing. Wujing. Two minutes out.
Wujing: Tell our people to proceed.
Zhang Wei: Clear to proceed.
⋘⋙
[ At the Luxe International black site, people are talking in a small group ]
— I think you’ll be pleased.
[ The message from Wujing is received. Suddenly, Wujing’s men on site jump the others, injecting them with needles that come out from their shirt cuffs. Those injected fall to the ground ]
⋘⋙
[ Ressler and Dembe’s interrogation of Alban Veseli ends with the sound of rapid gunfire in the distance ]
[ 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
Ressler: Did you hear that?
Veseli: [ Calmly ] Automatic rifle. Hundred bucks it’s an M-16.
Dembe: We have to get him out of here.
— Watch your back!
— Code four!
⋘⋙
[ Wujing enters the reception area with the operatives from the van ]
Wujing: Alban Veseli is somewhere in this building. Find him.
⋘⋙
Dembe: We have to go.
Deever: Go? We have full security on site, with military training.
Ressler: Well, whoever’s coming knows that. They wouldn’t have attacked the building unless they knew that they had the manpower to overrun your security.
Siya: Overrun? You mean kill everyone in the building?
Dembe: They want him, and they won’t leave without him.
Ressler: There must be another way out of here.
Deever: Yes. Motor pool. We have cars stationed there, but it’s all the way on the other side of the building.
Dembe: Get Veseli ready to move. We have to assume they know where to look, and we need to be gone when they get here.
[ They head out ] [ 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
[ Ressler gets a call from Cooper ]
Cooper: Agent Ressler?
Ressler: Cooper, we’re under attack. We’re taking heavy fire.
Cooper: How’s that possible? You’re at an Agency black site.
Ressler: It was Alban Veseli. “The Night Owl”? The heist Jennifer Moores was planning – it was a rescue op to recover Veseli.
[ 💥💥💥 Gunfire 💥💥💥 ]
Cooper: Can you get out?
[ 💥💥💥 Gunfire 💥💥💥 ]
Ressler: [ Excitedly ] There’s a motor pool. If we can make it there, maybe we can still get out!
Cooper: So it’s Veseli’s people behind the attack?
Ressler: [ Panicky ] Look, whoever you called, call them back! Tel them their teams on the ground need reinforcements now!
[ 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ‼️ Gunfight ‼️ 💥💥💥 💥💥💥]
Dembe: [ To Siya and Deever ] They’re too close! We’ll try to keep them back! You two keep going! Get him
[ Veseli ] out of here!
Siya: We can’t just leave you!
Dembe: Nobody’s leaving anybody. We’ll be right behind you.
[ 💥💥💥 Gunfire 💥💥💥 ]
Veseli: A tad optimistic. I want a hug goodbye.
Ressler: Go! Move! Go, go!
[ Siya and Deever go ahead with Veseli ]
[ Ressler and Dembe continue firing 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
Dembe: What are the chances of backup?
Ressler: Getting here on time? Slim to none! We’re at a covert black site on a Caribbean island.
[ 💥💥💥 Gunfire 💥💥💥 ]
Dembe: Then how do they know?!
Ressler: What do you mean?
Dembe: Whoever’s doing this, how did they get that intel?!

 
[ Deever and Siya have made it to the motor pool site with Veseli ]
⋘⋙
[ 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
Ressler: There! We gotta get out of here!
Dembe: Something’s wrong. They have too much info.
[ 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
Ressler: We gotta make a run for it! Come on!
Dembe: Maybe they figured out where Veseli was being taken, but how did they know the code name? And where’d they get the list of the art?
[ 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
Ressler: [ Suddenly understanding ] It was someone on the inside.

 
[ At the car pool site, Deever suddenly draws his gun and points it a Siya ]
Deever: Sorry, Malik. I’ll take it from here.
Siya: Richard?!
Deever: I know. I didn’t see it coming myself. I’m a cliché. A spy who turned for the money.
All I can tell you is — it is a whole lot of money.
[ Siya pulls her gun ]
Siya: I can’t let you take him.
Veseli: Good for you.
Deever: Drop the gun, Siya. Believe me, this guy is not worth dying for. Drop it.
[ Siya slowly lowers her gun toward the concrete floor, but at the last minute tries to shoot Richard, but he is quicker. Both guns go off (💥💥) Siya falls ]
[ Deever gets in a car with Veseli and it speeds away ]
⋘⋙
[ 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
Ressler: [ To Dembe ] Go! Go! Come on — Go!
[ 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
[ Dembe goes ahead ]
[ 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
[ As Ressler dashes across a corridor, he sees Wujing ]
[ 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 ]
⋘⋙
[ Dembe arrives at the motor pool site and find Siya. She is unconscious, but Dembe checks and she is alive ]
[ Ressler catches up ]
Ressler: Wujing’s here! We gotta go!
Dembe: It was Deever. She was hit, but she’s wearing a vest.
⋘⋙
[ Wujing and his crew arrive at the motor pool site as a vehicle speeds away ]

 
[ The Post Office ]
[ Dembe is finishing up a call ]
Dembe: Okay. Thank you.
[ He hangs up ]
Dembe: Nothing yet. We issued a BOLO on all three – Wujing, Veseli, and Deever. But they could be anywhere in the world by now.
Ressler: What about flights off the island?
Dembe: Three private flights left Montserrat within an hour of the attack. We’re checking manifests, but Wujing knows better than to leave a paper trail.
Cooper: So Meera’s daughter became an MI6 agent?
Ressler: Her name is Siya.
Cooper: I met her once. After Meera was killed, I flew to London to pay my respects to her family.
Dembe: She couldn’t have been older than 15.
Cooper: That trip was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in this job. Her husband and kids asking what happened. I couldn’t tell them anything.
Ressler: Well, she has to see you. She insisted on flying back with us.
Cooper: I’d like that.
Dembe: That bullet banged her up pretty good, so we took her over to DC General first, just to make sure she’s okay.
Ressler: There’s a lot of names from the past. Jennifer Moores, Alban Veseli, and now Wujing.

[ Flashback: (Episode 9:22 Marvin Gerard Conclusion, Part 2) ]
Driver: The ministry has a plane waiting. You’ll be in Beijing this time tomorrow.
Wujing: Oh, we’re not going home. Not until I find and kill Raymond Reddington.
Driver: Reddington? Wujing, you can’t do that alone.
Wujing: We won’t have to. I have a list of others who will be glad to join the fight.

Dembe: That’s three former Blacklisters connected to this case.
Cooper: We were notified when Wujing escaped. The Bureau’s got a dozen agents on it, but they never picked up a trail.
Ressler: Well, apparently, he was working with Moores to break Veseli out of custody.
Dembe: Why? Wujing is an assassin. What’s the connection?
[ Cooper’s cell phone chimes✨]
Cooper: You’ve got to be kidding. Guess who just cleared security.
Ressler: Hmm. Reddington.
Cooper: He’s on his way down.

 
[ The yellow elevator doors⚡️clang⚡️open and out steps Red ]
Red: Ah. [ Chuckles ] The gang’s all here. Well, not much of the gang. More of a — coffee klatch.
Cooper: Raymond, we’ve been trying to reach you.
Red: Yes? Well, apologies. I’ve been – busier than expected.
Ressler: Busy? As in blowing up former Blacklisters at foreign consulates?
Red: No, Donald. That didn’t take much time at all. But if you know about Jennifer Moores, then you know a serious threat has arisen. I didn’t reach out, Harold, because I thought – I hoped that I could contain the matter myself, but now, unfortunately, that seems unlikely.
Cooper: You’re talking about Wujing. He’s the threat.
Red: Wujing is the weapon – fired in my direction as a last parting shot by Marvin Gerard.
Ressler: Marvin’s behind this?
Dembe: They could have met at Coolidge. They were both housed on the same cellblock.
Cooper: I’m aware, but Wujing’s escape happened after Marvin’s death. I didn’t make the connection.
Red: Wujing’s been asking questions about me, about any relationship with the FBI.
Dembe: Marvin must have told him. So Wujing knows about the Task Force.

[ Flashback: ]
Marvin: I didn’t have to ask, Wujing. I didn’t have to ask because Raymond is not your friend. He’s the reason you’re in here.
Wujing: What do you mean?
Marvin: He’s a confidential informant. He has an immunity deal with the feds. He feeds them criminals like you, and he keeps his freedom.

Red: He knows whatever Marvin told him, but, still, that isn’t the same as having proof, so –
Ressler: He doesn’t just want to kill you. He wants the criminal world to know about us.
Cooper: Jennifer Moores. Veseli. Wujing’s approaching Blacklisters, criminals we sent to jail.
Red: Some of our former targets are now his targets. You should increase their security. Because – this is only the beginning. [ Chuckles ] Well, that’s all I have for you.
[ Red turns and walks toward the elevator. Dembe follows him ]
Dembe: Raymond. Where’s Chuck?
Red: I don’t know.
Dembe: Who’s in charge of your security? Weecha’s not with you?
Red: No.
Dembe: Where are you living?
Red: New York, mostly.
Dembe: How did you get here?
Red: Took the train. What a nap. Slept the whole way.
Dembe: Where are you going? Is there a car waiting for you?
Red: Dembe, I’m fine. I’ll just grab a cab.
Dembe: Raymond. What’s going on?
Red: Nothing. Well ⋘⋙ nothing and everything. Watch your head.
[ Elevator doors⚡️clang⚡️shut ]

 
[ Cooper’s office. Knocks ✽ ✽ on door ]
Ressler: She’s here.
Cooper: Great. Siya. Please, come in.
Siya: Blindfold. Black-out van. You guys have more security protocols than the White House.
Cooper: We’ve had some issues. We’re being more careful these days. Harold Cooper.
Siya: Siya Malik. It’s been a while.
Cooper: It has. Sorry for that. I wish we’d kept in touch. It’s nice to see you. You know, even all these years later, I sometimes think of the day we met.
Siya: So do I. But I’m guessing we remember it differently.
Cooper: How do you mean?
Siya: You may not realize it, but you made a big impression on the teenage me. I’ve always been incredibly grateful for how you spoke to us that day. You couldn’t tell us anything, but we knew. That was as hard for you to say as it was for us to hear.
Cooper: You became an agent. I had no idea. And MI6. You’re not just an agent. You’re a spy.
Siya: You sound surprised.
Cooper: I’m thinking about your father. He must be the one who was surprised.
Siya: And terrified. But he’s coming around. I don’t make a practice of talking with him about my day-to-day.
Cooper: What made you choose this kind of life?
Siya: Just too many secrets. When my mother died, you couldn’t tell me who she worked with, what she did, or even how she was killed. I think I decided right then and there, I’d do whatever it took to get in the room where the secrets are revealed.
Cooper: And you’ve done it.
Siya: Well, not completely. That’s why I’m here. Maybe it wasn’t an accident, us crossing paths like this.
Cooper: It wasn’t?
Siya: Maybe it’s time for me to finally know more about the work my mother did. If it was that important, maybe it’s time for me to continue what she started.
Cooper: Siya, that’s complicated.
Siya: Please, just hear me out. I’m involved now, yeah? I lost colleagues and friends in that attack. And Deever? I will find him.
Cooper: The secrets you spoke of are only shared with members of this Task Force. I’m in the same position now as I was back then.
Siya: You are, but I’m not. I can talk to my superiors at SIS. They could loan me to your Task Force, just until this case is done.
Cooper: Let me think about it.
Siya: I don’t know what this place is, but something tells me it only exists for the people who work here.
Cooper: I’ll be in touch.
Siya: I hope so. You need agents you can trust. I’m one.

 
[ Wujing sits in a van. The side door opens. There stand Richard Deever and Alban Veseli. Veseli gets in and sits alongside Wujing ]
Wujing: Mr. Deever. You have lived up to your word. If you give us a moment, my associate will transfer your money and discuss your next assignment.
[ Deever closes the van door ]
Veseli: Do I know you, friend?
Wujing: My name is Wujing. We’re not friends, Mr. Veseli. But we do have a common enemy.

 
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Episode Songs

♫ Just Say Goodbye
By Petula Clark

♪ Just say goodbye
And let me walk away
There′s nothing more to say
When love like ours can die

♪ Just say goodbye
Forget the life we knew
The memories of you
Will only make me cry

♪ Just say goodbye
To leave me on my own
To face the world alone
Yet never knowing why

♪ Just say goodbye
And though I don’t know how
I couldn′t hate you now
No matter how I tried

♪ Just say goodbye
It’s sad that you must go
You loved me once I know
This much I can’t deny Oh, my love
My only love
Where did we go wrong
Oh, my love
My only love
How can I
Oh, how can I go on

♪ Just say goodbye
It′s sad that you must go
You loved me once I know
This much I can′t deny

♪ Just say goodbye
And please don’t turn around
Another love you′ve found
Now, spread your wings and fly

♪ Just say goodbye, yeah yeah
Just say goodbye

Lyrics and Credits: https://tinyurl.com/mvavtx79
YouTube: https://youtu.be/lxVaPgQVikM

♫ The Parting Glass (Irish trad.) (Bonus Song)
Sung by George Donaldson

 
♪ Of all the money that e’er I had
I’ve spent it in good company
And all the harm that e’er I’ve done
Alas it was to none but me
And all I’ve done for want of wit
To memory now I can’t recall
So fill to me the parting glass
Good night and joy be with you all
 
♪ Of all the comrades that e’er I had
They are sorry for my going away
And all the sweethearts that e’er I had
They would wish me one more day to stay
But since it falls unto my lot
That I should rise and you should not
I’ll gently rise and I’ll softly call
Good night and joy be with you all
 
♪ A man may drink and not be drunk
A man may fight and not be slain
A man may court a pretty girl
And perhaps be welcomed back again
But since it has so ought to be
By a time to rise and a time to fall
Come fill to me the parting glass
Good night and joy be with you all
Come fill to me the parting glass
Good night and joy be with you all
 
Lyrics and Credits: https://tinyurl.com/fh7deraf
YouTube: https://youtu.be/GRNZfV8rKQM

 
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❌❌❌ End 10:1 Night Owl

🔴 Script 10:2 The Whaler (№ 165)

 
Program air date: 3/5/2023 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-ehC
EntertainmentWeekly Recap: https://tinyurl.com/4jxa4ywd
 

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.

⭕ Script 10:2 The Whaler (№ 165)

 
[ 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 ]

♪ ‘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.

 
⬆ go to start of 10:2 The Whaler
⏫ go to top
 
 

Episode Songs

♫ 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

Lyrics and Credits: ⇈ (I tried, starting with script)
YouTube: https://youtu.be/AyzwPFHiR7s

 
⬆ go to start of 10:2 The Whaler
⏫ go to top
 

❌❌❌ End 10:2 Whaler

🔴 Script 10:3 The Four Guns (№ 199)

 
Program air date: 3/12/2023 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-ej4
EntertainmentWeekly Recap: https://tinyurl.com/mr46tdds
 

Brief (Where we’re at): Red has been trying to determine how Wujing has been funding his revenge tour and what his security situation is. Wujing (Blacklister #84) was told by Marvin Gerard (Blacklister #80) that Red was the reason Wujing was imprisoned. Marvin gave Wujing a list of other Blacklisters who had been betrayed by Red, so Wujing could recruit them to help him get revenge on Red. Wujing got help from Jennifer Anne Moores of the Fribourg Confidence group of thieves (Blacklister #140) to help him find Alban Veseli, the Freelancer (Blacklister #145) whose modus operandi is to hide crimes behind mass casualty events. Red managed to eliminate Moores by setting off an explosion while she was retrieving the list showing Veseli’s location (hidden behind the fake identity of a Picasso sculpture called “The Night Owl”). Despite the task force’s efforts, Wujing was able to collect Veseli.

Through his connections at casinos on many continents, Red found out that Wujing was making the rounds of various casinos with help from a woman named Anika de Beer, known as the Whaler ((Blacklister #165). She would set up the games with high roller players (known as whales). The next big game was to be at the Crown Rocks Casino in Sydney, Australia. Red arranged for new task force member Siya Malik to have a crash course in playing Texas Hold’Em poker. She aced her first game and, as planned, was “discovered” by Anika, but when she and Ressler showed up for the game, they were quickly sidelined by Anika’s security. Siya however, broke free and she and Ressler subdued Anika’s security and discovered the games were rigged in Wujing’s favor. Then, Red appeared at the game and threatened Anika with a bribe ‘she couldn’t refuse’ to let him play. Given no choice, she let him be seated at the table with Wujing. Red quickly defeated Wujing, preventing him from walking away with many millions in “clean money.” After the match, Wujing confronted Anika in her limo and killed her, taking the bribe money, a few million dollars in diamonds — a mere pittance compared to what he had expected.

Back home, Red had found out from Cooper that Agnes was being bullied at school and, despite instructions from Cooper, her legal guardian, intervened by arranging to have the bully’s family relocated by his company to Florida. Cooper upbraided Red, but tried to calm Red’s protective feelings toward Agnes, telling him children “grow up to be ~ whomever they’re going to be.”

⭕ Script 10:3 The Four Guns (№ 199)

 
[ An outdoor rally in Washington DC for Senator Cynthia Panabaker’s re-election campaign. Senator Panabaker was once in direct charge of the Reddington task force, but even as she rose through the ranks at the Department of Justice and into the elected position of Senator of Virginia, she has maintained close ties with the task force ]
Senator Panabaker: So let’s do this, Virginia! Let’s get out the vote! Because believe me, I am just gettin’ started!
[ Cheers and applause 🙌🙌🏽🙌🏻🙌🏾🙌🏻🙌🏼 ]
Man: Yes, sir!
Panabaker: Thank you!
[ Two secret service agents are monitoring the crowd, one is Special Agent Will Strickland. The other is Agent Ives. Ives sees a young man with black hair in the crowd. He calls Agent Strickland on his police radio ]
Agent Ives: One o’clock. Black jacket. I’m gonna check him out.
Strickland: Copy that.
⋘⋙
Panabaker: Ladies and gentlemen, Thank you so much. Thank you for coming.
⋘⋙
[ Agent Ames approaches the young man ]
Agent Ames: Turn out your pockets for me.
[ The young man turns his pockets inside out. Agent Ames pats him down ]
[ A middle-aged man with a mustache wearing a baseball cap watches the pat-down ]
⋘⋙
Journalist: Senator? Senator Panabaker. You’ve been campaigning on fiscal responsibility, but you voted this week to increase military spending by $90 billion.
Panabaker: I don’t see the contradiction. We need a strong national defense, but we also need to make sure that money’s spent responsibly. What we can’t have are things like my opponent securing no-bid contracts for his employers. That kind of sweetheart dealing hurts our troops and our taxpayers.
Journalist: But Senator–
Panabaker: I’m sorry. I have another event today. That’s all for now. [ To the crowd ] Thank you so much! Thank you for coming! Thank you!
[ Cheers and applause 🙌🙌🏽🙌🏻🙌🏾🙌🏻🙌🏼 ]
⋘⋙
[ Panabaker sees a friend in the crowd. It’s Harold Cooper, head of the Reddington task force ]
Panabaker: My, my, my! Aren’t you a walking Hatch Act violation.
Cooper: Just a regular civilian, out here to support an old friend.
Panabaker: Oh, I love the sentiment. I hate the “old” part. Let’s just call it friends and leave it at that.
Woman: Gun! He’s got a gun!
[ Gunshot💥 ]
[ Cooper crouches down, reaching for his gun but it’s not clear where the shot was coming from ]
[ Crowd screaming‼️] [ Indistinct shouting!! ]
[ Panabaker has ducked behind a concrete pillar and is breathing heavily. Agent Strickland comes to her side ]
Strickland: Ma’am, are you okay? Have you been hit?
[ He reaches for his firearm ]
Strickland: I’m– I’m disarmed. I’ve been disarmed.
[ Agent Ames checks for his gun ]
Ames: My gun’s gone, too.
Cooper: Do you have eyes on the– You’re bleeding.
Panabaker: [ Panting ] Yeah, it– It’s not mine.
[ It’s Agent Ames who was shot, in the shoulder. He seems to become aware of it no sooner than the others. He slumps back against a fence, but remains conscious ]
Panabaker: Ohh!
[ Strickland speaks into his radio phone ]
Strickland: Shots fired. Agent down. Requesting backup. Repeat, shots fired. Do you copy?
[ Suddenly, he realizes his police radio phone is not plugged in to the transmitter at his waist ]
Panabaker: My God. Harold. What the hell just happened?

 
[ An old grey building has carved above its entrance: “The Public Bath City of New York” ]
[ Red is showing Cooper around ]
Reddington: It’s this way. These were once an oasis for the wretched masses, a respite from their squalid tenements, where plumbing was a pipe dream and people were kicking their filthy buckets in great numbers. Of course, it took an angry public outcry and several cholera epidemics to convince the City Fathers that their citizens needed somewhere clean and wet to relax with a bar of soap.
Cooper: Fascinating, but I can’t keep doing this back-and-forth to New York from D.C. It’s a terrible waste of time. You didn’t really fly me up here to tour an old bathhouse?
Red: Well, no. I–
[ Cooper sees a bed, desk and card table with two chairs ]
Cooper: Wait a minute. Are you actually living here? This place looks like it should be condemned!
Red: I don’t think so. It has great pipes. And now that the steam room’s up and running, the–
[ Cooper picks up a book ]
Red: Only a side project, Harold. I summoned you up here for more pressing business.
Cooper: Is it Wujing? Has he made some new alliance?
Red: Plans on that front are still in the planning stages. Please.
[ Red motions for him to sit with him at the card table ]
Red: But no. I want to discuss the tribulations of our dear Senator. What a harrowing experience for you both.
Cooper: It was a matter of inches. A few to the left, and a Secret Service agent would have been killed. A few to the right, and – Cynthia.
Red: And that’s not the only quandary keeping you up at night. How to explain the stolen radios, the disappearing guns?
Cooper: It makes no sense. We’re talking about the most highly trained, dependable security in the country.
Red: And yet someone brought them to their knees. I’m afraid you won’t like the answer. Pickpockets.
Cooper: I’m sorry, but common thieves did not disarm the Secret Service.
Red: I’m not referring to a gang of delinquents, Harold. These particular pickpockets aren’t scavengers. They’re apex predators.

[ Flashback: ]
[ The events of the campaign rally replay, but with attention given to how the pickpockets lifted the guns and radios ]
Agent Ames: One o’clock. Black jacket. I’m gonna check him out.
Agent: Copy that.
Panabaker: Thank you all for coming. Thank you so much.
⋘⋙
Reddington: [ Voice-over] They study their prey to determine what action will provoke the desired reaction.
⋘⋙
[ Indistinct conversations ]
— We love you, Cynthia!
— Hey! Watch it!
— Ma’am. Ma’am, step back.

Red: And once their diversion has you exactly where they want you, they sink their teeth in so fast, you never see them strike. A highly coordinated ambush, the entire pack moving as one. Then they’re gone. Before you even knew they were there. They call themselves the Four Guns.
Cooper: Guns? So they are hitmen.
Red: No. As I said, they pick pockets. It would be beneath their dignity to threaten violence, and they’d certainly never use a weapon.
Cooper: So what’s with the name?
Red: The Four Guns. Gun as in gonif, the Yiddish word for “thief.”
Cooper: But if they’re not killers, then why did they take a shot at Panabaker?
Red: I don’t think they did. Someone else was there yesterday, someone with a motive, who knew the pickpockets’ skill set and how to use it to make Panabaker vulnerable.

[ Flashback: ] [ A pickpocket hands one of the agent’s guns to the man with the mustache and baseball cap ]

Red: And whoever that someone is, they’re going to try again.
Cooper: How do we stop them?
Red: Well, in this case, it’s going to take a thief to catch an assassin.

 
[ The Post Office ] [ Cooper has been playing surveillance video from the campaign rally, in the moments after the shot was fired ] [ Indistinct shouting ]
[ Cooper clicks off the video ]
Cooper: Reddington has connected our gang of pickpockets to several high-yield thefts, mostly covert jobs.
Dembe: Driftstream Industries. A major energy conglomerate.
Cooper: They lifted a two-factor authentication key off their CTO, took control of their system, and threatened to cut off fuel to half the power plants in Texas, fleecing the company for millions. Sometimes their work gets more notice.
[ The covers of several tabloid newspapers are shown about Norway’s crown jewels being “misplaced” ]
Siya: Oh, my God! Prince Erik! I remember that. They practically stole the crown right off his head, poor idiot.
Ressler: I’m sorry, but why are we looking for them when we should be focused on finding a killer? I mean, Panabaker’s life is on the line here.
Cooper: And the Bureau is conducting an extensive manhunt for her would-be assassin, but Reddington is confident these pickpockets aided in the attack. That means finding them will lead us to the shooter.
Siya: So how do we find them?
Cooper: Start with the scene of the crime. You and Agent Zuma coordinate with our Evidence Response Team. Agent Ressler, you should meet with the Senator’s security detail, but I want to check in on her first, make sure she’s holding up okay.

 
[ Cooper’s Office ]
Panabaker: Agent Ives won’t be grabbing pickle jars off any high shelves for a while, but I’m praying for him, and I just want to get back to what I was sent to DC to do.
Cooper: Great answer, Senator. But I was there, remember?
Panabaker: [ Sighs ] What do you wanna hear? That I’m terrified? That my opponent’s whipped his base into such a frenzy that someone actually tried to kill me?
Cooper: I’ve read your security file. I know why you were assigned a Secret Service detail.
Panabaker: One of those men almost died for me. Do you know what it’s like to ask a stranger to make that kind of sacrifice?
Cooper: Well, I’m no stranger, but you put it all on the line for me last year. You kept me out of prison. I want to repay my debt to you.
Panabaker: Has the cheese slid all the way off your cracker? There’s a reason I put it on the line, and it wasn’t Christian charity. Reddington blackmailed me.
Cooper: You said that was all forgotten.
Panabaker: Forgotten. But not forgiven. I never want to be under that man’s thumb again. Or anyone else on his team.
Cooper: Look. I’m not here to defend Reddington. I can only focus on the future and making sure that you’re still in it. Cynthia– Please.
Panabaker: What do you need from me?

 
[ A room at the Post Office. Special Agent Will Strickland from Panabaker’s Secret Service security detail sits down to talk with Ressler ]
Agent Strickland: Boss asked me to come here today, but I don’t have a lot of time.
Ressler: Of course. I just wanna say, I’ve been where you are. My partner, she, uh– Anyway, I hope you’re getting the, uh, support you need.
Strickland: Yeah, I’ll wait to deal with that once you find the man responsible.
Ressler: You said you never saw his face. You didn’t try to pursue him.
Strickland: My primary directive is to protect the Senator. If there were other agents there, maybe, but I would never abandon my post to chase an assailant.
Ressler: The shooter had to pass through a metal detector to enter the barricades, right? Where’d the gun come from?
Strickland: He shot Agent Ives with his own service weapon.
Ressler: You didn’t see him or even realize that you’d been disarmed until much later.
Strickland: I don’t know how he did it.
Ressler: What if I told you that he had help?

 
[ Two of the pickpockets, Quentin Dodd and Star, are talking with the man in the mustache in the baseball cap. He opens an envelope and takes out a piece of paper ]
Mustache man: The passcode. How’d you get it?
Star: Patience and the right vantage point. Who looks over their shoulder before they type in their code?
Quentin Dodd: So that’s it. We did what you told us. We don’t want any further part in– in– whatever this is.
Mustache man: Do you know what it means to be a patriot?
Quentin: [ Scoffs ]
Mustache man: The tree of liberty must be refreshed with the blood of patriots. I will not stop the bleeding – until liberty is restored.

 
[ Later, after the pickpockets are gone, the man in the mustache removes ~ his mustache, which is a disguise, as he listens to a tape recording of Senator Cynthia Panabaker talking to her aides ]

[ Flashback: ]
Senior aide on recording: Senator, please, just hear me out. Why press the flesh for two hours when you can spend five minutes with someone who can actually bankroll your campaign?
Panabaker: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I need you to hush for a second. Shelly, stop taking notes.
Shelly: Yes, ma’am.
Panabaker: Actually, can you step out for a minute, please?
Shelly: Of course, Senator.
[ Door opens ]
Panabaker: Thank you!
[ Door closes ]
Panabaker: Is that door shut?
Senior aide: Yeah. What’s wrong?
Panabaker: Jonathan, what I’m about to say is not to leave this room.

 
[ Red is at a rare books seller in the Flatiron District in Midtown Manhattan ]
Bookseller: Well, this is interesting. Heavenly Spheres. The first text to suggest Earth is not the center of the universe.
Red: A humbling reminder to us all.
Bookseller: Reading this was forbidden by Sacred Decree. They only printed 400 copies, so a first edition like yours – I’m prepared to offer you 1.2.
Red: I’m not selling. I want to make a trade for something.
Bookseller: Uh, we have a beautiful Audubon.
Red: [ Chuckles ] Something from your private collection.
Bookseller: Private? I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.
Red: Oh, but I’m sure you do.
Bookseller: I recognized your book immediately. It was reported stolen from the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Red: And two minutes ago, you wanted to buy it from me for a million-two. Shall we dispense with the sanctimony?
⋘⋙
[ Red and the Bookseller are now in a back room. The Bookseller removes the fabric cover from a glass case ]
Red: [ Gasps ] Ah.
[ Inside the case are several old books with metallic embossed covers ]
Bookseller: Their shimmer comes from an industrial byproduct – arsenic. The Victorians were mad for it. Put it in wallpaper, linen, lingerie. And when they went truly mad from toxic exposure, doctors thought it was hysteria, “witch fever.” We know better now. Which is why these books have been removed from most other private collections.
Red: And if one were to remove the slipcover?
Bookseller: Time has increased their potency. As the binding deteriorates and flakes off, the arsenic enters your lungs, eventually causing total collapse.
Red: I know exactly which one I want.
Bookseller: Are you prepared to own something so deadly?
Red: Oh, it isn’t for me. It’s for a friend.
Bookseller: Hm.

 
[ A prison ] [ Metal door thuds ⚡️] [ Indistinct conversations ]
[ An Inmate wheels a cart and stops in front of a cell. He has a package wrapped in paper, apparently a book. The man in the cell is Robert Vesco (Blacklister #8), Red’s mentor and friend ~ that is, they are friends when the two aren’t playing tricks on one another. Vesco inadvertently landed in prison when Red miscalculated and Dembe was still trying to prove to Red (and himself) that his allegiance to the FBI superseded his past loyalty to Red (Episode 9:3, The SPK, Blacklister #178) ]
Robert Vesco: I didn’t request anything.
Inmate: Special delivery. Courtesy of Raymond Reddington.
Vesco: Oh, then I definitely don’t want it.
Inmate: Took a lot of juice to smuggle it in. And I wouldn’t refuse a gift from a man with that kind of reach.
Vesco: Please. I taught him everything he knows. Which is half of what I know. Believe me. He tries anything, I’ll see it coming a mile away.
Inmate: And what about me? I’m supposed to make sure you take this.
Vesco: Yeah. He’ll probably kill you.
[ Vesco takes the package and unwraps the book. Inside the cover is a note ]
Vesco: Hmm. [ Reading aloud ] “Dear Robert, as Dickens said, there are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.” “Raymond.” [ Scoffs ] Cryptic bastard.
Inmate: You gonna keep it?
Vesco: Dickens also said, “Get hold of portable property,” especially in a joint like this.
[ Vesco walks away with the book ]

 
[ The Post Office war room ]
[ Dembe plops a large file box of evidence on a table ]
Dembe: Evidence Response Team recovered the firearms and the radios stolen from the Secret Service.
Ressler: This is the gun that was used in the shooting? Where’d they find it?
Siya: Dumped in a rubbish bin near the park.
Cooper: Any CCTV cameras pointed at that trash bin?
Siya: Unfortunately, no. Say what you will about mass surveillance in the UK, we would’ve had you covered.
Ressler: Reddington said the pickpockets don’t wear gloves, right?
Cooper: It would hinder their dexterity.
Ressler: Great. So let’s lift the prints off this stuff.
Dembe: ERT tested the whole box. All the prints are smudged. Pickpockets must have wiped everything down before they tossed it.
Siya: All they got was half a thumbprint on this radio. Doesn’t match either agent or their families, so it’s almost certainly one of our suspects. But it’s only a partial. There aren’t enough points of comparison to make an ID.
[ Cellphone buzzing ] [ Cooper holds up the phone: “Nick’s Pizza” i.e. Red ]
[ Cooper steps away ]
⋘⋙
Cooper: I told you. It’s a dead end. There’s no eyewitnesses, no footage, no physical evidence.
Red: You said something about a thumb. I might be able to work with that.
Cooper: Can’t read it. It’s not a full print.
Red: Eh, my guy won’t need a full print.
Cooper: Your guy? Who’s your guy?

 
[ Red goes to visit “his guy,” Herbie Hambright, who is accompanied by his baby daughter Sue in a stroller. She’s about one year old. Herbie, as usual, is harried ]
Herbie Hambright: [ Groans ] Thank God you called. I was on the verge. Seriously. I can’t remember the last adult conversation I’ve said. Sue’s a great listener. I’m just so sick and tired of my own voice. I always loved talking to Holly, but now most of the time, we just end up talking about Sue. Or pooping.
Red: [ Chuckles ] Is she asleep?
Herbie: Barely. Um, one little fart, and she’ll be up. And she’s definitely gonna fart.
Red: Leave her to me. This shouldn’t take long.
Herbie: All right. Good. ‘Cause Holly’s got us on a pretty tight schedule. What’s the job?
Red: I need you to identify half a smeared thumbprint.
[ Herbie pulls stuff out of a leather workbag ]
Herbie: All right, well, assuming that the finger mark is not too degraded, I probably will be able to get a few skin cells, maybe even some sweat, and then I just extract the DNA. Easy pease, lemon squeeze. Man. I miss this. Don’t you just love the smell of sodium sulfate? Is that just me?
Red: Maybe it’s time for you to get back out there.
Herbie: Yeah, I wish. Wait. Did Holly say something? I applied to a new crime lab. No luck. As usual. What the hell. Nobody at home yells at me when I ruin the prosecution’s case. I mean, Sue yells, but I usually can fix that with a goofy face.
Red: Well, let’s see what you can find. Who knows, maybe it’ll be a fresh start. Yeah, what do you say to that, Sue? Fresh start?
[ Sue farts ]
Red: Ah, she just farted.
Herbie: Thatagirl.
[ Red peers in the front of the stroller at the baby and smiles ]
Red: Hi, there.

 
[ The Post Office war room ] [ Siya arrives with tea for the group ]
Siya: Sweet tea. Tea. And sweet tea with milk.
[ Beep🔅]
Ressler: Oh. Drink up. CODIS just matched the DNA we got from Reddington.
[ Keyboard clacks ] [ Photos and legal documents appear overhead ]
Siya: [ Reading ] Quentin Dodd, a.k.a. the Hook, a.k.a. the Mechanic, a.k.a. the Claw, a.k.a.–
Ressler: Okay, so his aliases are up to date, but the rest of this stuff – Last known address, 2011. Last arrest, 2009. Guess the guy figured out how not to get caught.
Siya: He may have changed up his methods, but what about his obsession?
Dembe: What does that mean?
Siya: Look at what the cops found when they arrested him. Patek Philippe. Cartier. Piaget. Those are five-figure watches. Even when he was pulling the bigger jobs, 7 times out of 10, there was a watch somewhere on that seizure list.
Ressler: So the guy’s got a weakness. How does that help us?
Siya: It may be a long shot, but imagine you’re “the Claw.” You’re cooling your heels in DC after a job, bored, fingers start itching. Where do you go to get your fix?
Dembe: Somewhere with a lot of watches.
Ressler: But he’s not a heist guy. He’s not gonna make a run on some million-dollar watch sitting in a safe.
Dembe: What if he never makes it past the lobby? Think of those people coming and going at those big watch auctions.
Siya: Collectors, ones who like to show it off with a bit of flash on their wrist.
⋘⋙
[ Indeed, Quentin Dodd does frequent watch collectors gatherings ] [ Indistinct conversations ]
[ After meeting, greeting and lifting watches from various collectors, Dodd approaches a new target ]
Quentin: Jim! Jim! Hastings! What are you doing, man? How’s it– Oh, my God.
[ Quentin grabs the man’s hands with both of his ]
Man: Do I know you?
Quentin: No. I’m so sorry. I thought you were someone else entirely. I’m so sorry. That’s my bad.
[ Quentin tries to let go of the man’s hand, but can’t ]
Quentin: Um–
[ The next thing he knows, the “Man,” who is Ressler, slaps handcuffs on him ]
Ressler: Yeah. Well, you wouldn’t have wanted it anyway. It’s a fake. Just for you, Mr. Dodd.

 
[ An interrogation room at the Post Office ]
Ressler: That was some pretty sloppy work leaving your print on that agent’s radio.
Quentin Dodd: Did you find that radio in a trash can? No, ’cause I saw that radio in a trash can, and as I was throwing out my soy latte, I started to pick it up, but I didn’t want to get involved. Figured somebody threw it there, had their reasons.
Dembe: Is that right? Hm. You do understand this is an assassination attempt on a U.S. Senator we’re talking about?
Quentin: Did you find my prints on the gun? ‘Cause I bet not. I mean, you may have some DNA from the trash, but come on, FBI, I follow the old rules – I never smarten up a sucker, I never rat to the cops. My hands are tied here on both counts, fellas.
Dembe: What about the count of grand larceny in the third degree?
Ressler: Or the second. Those were some pretty expensive watches you stole.
Quentin: Ah, but to render that verdict, the people — that’s you — must prove my intent to deprive or appropriate as defined by Penal Law §155.05. Did you see me depriving or appropriating? Point of fact, did you find anything on me at all?
Dembe: You were smart enough to stash the evidence in case you were searched.
Ressler: And we did catch you red-handed going for my watch.
Quentin: Yeah, which you said yourself was a fake. So if it costs less than 50 bucks, it’s a Class D bumped down to a Class A misdemeanor. Hardly a federal offense. I didn’t even cross any state lines. So, with my priors, that’s a year in JCI? And I already graduated from that venerable institute, but I’m a big believer in continuing education…

 
[ Cooper’s office ]
Panabaker: A pickpocket? Harold, please!
Cooper: He’s more than a pickpocket.
Panabaker: Oh, for Pete’s sake. I thought you’d have something to put me at ease before my debate.
Cooper: About that. I don’t think it’s a good idea. In fact, I’d like you to consider suspending all public appearances until we’ve had–
Panabaker: All appearances? I am down 5% in the polls. You trying to help Jerry Hayes walk off with my seat?
Cooper: It could be worse. You could be dead.
Panabaker: I will be dead, politically, if I lose reelection. [ Sighs ] Besides, I have faith in my team. Tell him, Will.
Special Agent Will Strickland: Director Cooper, I can assure you that every precaution has been taken to secure the venue. We vetted the staff, optimized exit routes, and brought in an extra team. I’m confident we can keep the Senator safe.
Cooper: I appreciate that, but, Cynthia, if you insist on going, then I insist on having one of my team there. Agent Ressler, I want you to accompany the Senator this afternoon.
Ressler: Of course.
⋘⋙
[ Ressler draws Cooper aside ]
Ressler: [ Low voice ] Uh, we got a problem downstairs.

 
[ Red is talking on the phone with Cooper ]
Cooper: We caught the thief, just like you told us to, but he wouldn’t give up the shooter.
Red: Ah.
Cooper: Apparently, he knows the penal code better than most. We had to release him.
Red: That’s a shame. Keep your chin up, Harold. There’s always a way.
[ Beeps🔅]
⋘⋙
[ Red closes his flip phone and turns around to address Quentin Dodd, who is sitting handcuffed at a metal table ]
Red: Mr. Dodd. I understand that you can see into a man’s pockets, into a man’s mind. Why don’t you focus that superior perception on me. Tell me what you see?
Quentin Dodd: You got me kind of handicapped here. [ Sighs ] But let’s see. Martin Greenfield suit. Brooklyn clothier. Nice. Paul Stuart shoes. You got wealth and taste, but you don’t like to draw attention. Although, that Rolex isn’t hiding its light under a bushel.
Red: Even a simple man has to check the time.
Quentin: No car keys. You gotta go anywhere, someone else does the driving.
[ Red reaches into his pocket and pulls out tickets to the Metro ]
Quentin: [ Laughs ] Ohh! Metro? You?
Red: No one really looks at anyone on the subway.
Quentin: That’s a fair point. No wallet or billfolds. Just cash in your right front. Firearm behind. An extra mag in your right jacket. A flip phone in your left. Now, for your mind – I’ll tread softly. I assume braver men have plumbed your depths and drowned. The stuff you carry, the way your smile never reaches those eyes – it’s just humor and darkness. A life lived too long with little left to lose. Except the life.
Red: You missed something.
Quentin: I didn’t get a good look at your socks.
Red: In my back pocket. You missed all the people I keep there, including a certain Senator you conspired to have killed.
Quentin: Whoa! I had no idea it was gonna go down like that. I don’t know why I just told you that.
Red: Guess I’ll have to kill you now.
Quentin: Please. I won’t breathe a word.
Red: Oh, but I’d like a word. About the shooter who hired you.
Quentin: I can’t talk about that.
⋘⋙
[ Door opens ] [ Cart wheels squeaking ⚡️]
[ Mr Brimley, Red’s impresario of persuasion, pushes in a cart laden with metal implements, saws, scissors and wires. Behind Brimley trails a wheeled container of supplemental oxygen connected to his face by a long length of clear plastic tubing ending in a nasal cannula ]
Brimley: What do you think, Red? A belt to cut off the blood? Bit rudimentary.
Red: Still, very effective. You see, Quentin, I suspected that you might prove reticent, and I thought an old-fashioned criminal deserves an old-fashioned punishment. You try to take from me, I take your hand.
Quentin: My hand? You– You wouldn’t rob me of my livelihood.
Red: Rob a thief. How ironic.
Brimley: So, we got your bone nibblers – your shaping mallet – [ Scraping ] – and this. Ever smell bone dust? The Gigli saw was invented 130 years ago, but I still haven’t found a cleaner way to sever a limb.
Quentin: Okay. I’ll talk. I’ll talk.
Red: Tell me about the assassin.
Quentin: [ Exhales deeply ] My crew and I were pulling a job, when this… security guard ambushed us. He had footage of us at work. He kept going on about, uh, the sanctity of the law and how we had to pay for our transgressions. He said something strange about a “higher calling.” He was lording this evidence over us, so we had to go along with his crazy plan. Now, I’ve met some weirdos in my line, but this guy? He scared me.
Red: Where can I find him?

 
[ FBI agents burst into an apartment with photos on the wall and an upside-down American flag ]
— FBI!
— Clear right.
Siya: He’s not here. What’s with the flag?
Dembe: A military signal for distress.
[ Drawers sliding ] [ Siya sees a photo that stands out ]
Siya: Is that President Diaz?
Dembe: Why would an assassin take a picture with a former President? A disgraced former President?
[ Siya opens a cabinet of items for disguising a man’s face ]
Siya: Check this out. Whoever he is, we probably won’t recognize him now.

 
[ A man with a mustache and beard and black glasses is going through a security checkpoint ]
Woman: … pockets. Any metal …
[ Beeping🔅🔅🔅]
Man: Yeah. I always set these darn things off. I got shrapnel lodged in my shoulder. Check my ID. You’re gonna have to wand me.
[ Wand clicking ✽ ✽ ✽ ]

 
[ The Post Office war room ]
Siya: Landlord was a bust. [ Sighs ] The office was rented with a fake ID, paid for in cash. But –
we sent our assassin’s little photo collage to the FACE Services Unit, and – we got a hit.
Dembe: [ Reading ] Lucas Roth. He’s ex-Secret Service?
Siya: 23-year career. White House detail under two presidents. Oversaw transitions, inaugurations.
Dembe: Recipient of the Award for Valor. Sounds like a hero.
Cooper: So, why isn’t he with the Service anymore? [ Keyboard clacks •••• ] Retired at 49. A year before he was eligible? That’s strange.
Siya: How do you know what the Secret Service retirement age is?
Cooper: It’s the same as the FBI’s.
Siya: You’re not thinking of–
Cooper: I’m already older than that, but then again, I run a task force that doesn’t exist.
Dembe: Could this guy’s retirement have something to do with Panabaker?
Cooper: Maybe they crossed paths while she was still White House Counsel. I’ll reach out to Roth’s former supervisor.
Siya: And I’ll keep digging into his wormy little brain. Just take a look at this handwriting. Serial-killer vibes.

 
[ The other pickpockets in Quentin Dodd’s group have joined him. They include: the young man with the black hair, AJ; a thirty-something Hispanic woman, Star; and an older man, Pops. They are “The Four Guns” ]
Red: I’m so glad we could parlay our complicated first meeting into a lucrative opportunity.
Quentin: Are you saying I had a choice?
Red: And how about the rest of your crew?
Pops: Us old-timers have a motto – In with the gravy, in with the grief. You want your share of the spoils, you take your share of the trouble that comes along with it. Though I hope there’s gravy at the end of this.
Red: With success, you’ll have enough to fill a bathtub.
Quentin: Eh, shouldn’t be a problem. We just need a few days to plan, maybe a week.
Red: You have three hours.

 
[ Robert Vesco is in bed reading the book Red sent to him ] [ Page turns ]
Vesco: [ Grunts ] Ugh– [ Gasps ] [ Breathing sharply ]
[ Groaning ] [ Gasping ] [ Grunting ]
Vesco: I can’t– I can’t breathe!
[ Grunting ] [ Grunting stops ]

 
[ The debate between Senator Cynthia Panabaker and her opponent Jerry Hayes is underway ]
[ Audience applauding 🙌🙌🏽🙌🏻🙌🏾🙌🏻🙌🏼 ]
Panabaker: While working families struggle to put food on the table.
Candidate Jerry Hayes: The Senator doesn’t get it. She wants to go after–
⋘⋙
[ Ressler is offstage; he takes a call from Dembe ]
Ressler: I’m backstage. Sorry. It’s hard to hear. What’ve you got?
Dembe: The assassin’s name is Lucas Roth. He’s former Secret Service. I just texted you some photos. We need you to show them to Panabaker, see if she recognizes him.
Ressler: I can ask the other agents, but Panabaker’s gonna have to wait. She’s already on stage.
⋘⋙
Panabaker: I consider it an honor having served as Senator from the state of Virginia, but when he looks at this seat, he sees dollar signs–
[ Applause 🙌🙌🏽🙌🏻🙌🏾🙌🏻🙌🏼 ] [ Muffled ]
Panabaker: –another opportunity to funnel contracts to his buddies at Hutton-Crane.
⋘⋙
[ Off-stage in another area, Lucas Roth who is the ex-Secret Service agent who hired The Four Guns, and made his way through security wearing a false mustache, beard and black glasses, kneels on the floor. He has smuggled in the parts of a ghost gun which he hastily assembles. He pulls the plastic pieces out of his socks. Plastic doesn’t show up on x-rays. As for the metal parts and bullets, he talked his way past the people at the magnetometers by claiming he had shrapnel embedded in his shoulder ]
⋘⋙
Jerry Hayes: Contracts mean jobs, good jobs for people in this state. But if that’s your concern, before I even announced my candidacy, I resigned from Hutton’s board and divested all of my–
Panabaker: Divested? [ Laughs ] Come on, Jerry. They’re your biggest contributors! That’s like a man telling his wife he stopped cheating when he’s still going to the clubs every night.
Jerry Hayes: Your friends in the FBI investigated these allegations at the highest level. They found nothing. Talk about a waste of taxpayer dollars.

 
[ Once the ghost gun has been fully assembled, Lucas Roth pulls the fire alarm ]
⋘⋙
[ Fire alarm🚨blaring ]
— Stay calm
[ Indistinct shouting ]
[ Special Agents Strickland and Sanz meet Panabaker as she leaves the stage and direct her to come with them; Ressler catches up ]
Ressler: Wait! Senator! Where are you taking her?
Agent Sanz: Code Gray. We’re initiating lockdown.
Ressler: No, I need to stay with the Senator.
Agent Sanz: Not possible. She’s being taken to a designated extraction point.
[ Fire alarm🚨continues ]
Agent Strickland: We’re almost there, Senator.
⋘⋙
[ Ressler follows a few steps behind; he calls the Post Office ]
Ressler: You need to get here. Roth might be on site. They’ve evacuated everyone to a holding area. They’re locking down the theater.
Dembe: Wait a minute. If they’re locking everything down–
Siya: Probably just following protocol.
Dembe: But our assassin’s ex-Secret Service, so he knows the protocol.
Ressler: This could be a setup.
[ Ressler has lost sight of Agent Strickland and Panabaker. He sees Agent Sanz ]
Ressler: Wait. Hey. Where’s Panabaker?

 
[ Lucas Roth steps out from behind Panabaker and Strickland, pointing the ghost gun at them ]
Lucas Roth: Don’t make a sound. Turn around. Slowly.
[ Fire alarm🚨continues ] [ Roth removes Strickland’s firearm from his vest holster ]
Lucas Roth: [ Reverently ] Senator. It’s an honor.
[ Roth is pointing his gun, not at Panabaker, but at Strickland ]
[ Fire alarm🚨continues ]

 
[ Cooper and Dembe arrive at the venue ]
Cooper: What do we know?
Ressler: Panabaker’s driver said she never made it to the car.
Special Agent Sanz: We’ve been monitoring the exits, and she’s not in the holding area.
Dembe: So they can still be inside.
Sanz: Sir, I have the floor plans you asked for. This is an old theater. A lot of the rooms aren’t marked.
Cooper: Then we’ll have to split up. Search systematically, room by room.

 
[ Lucas Roth, Agent Strickland and Panabaker enter a large storage room ]
[ Door closes ]
Lucas Roth: Lock the door, Will.
[ Bolt lock slides, lock clicks ]
Strickland: How do you know my name?
Roth: Move.

 
[ Ressler is on the phone with Siya at the Post Office ]
Ressler: We’re in the basement. There’s no sign of Panabaker.
[ Siya has been going through the items seized from Lucas Roth’s apartment ]
Siya: Here’s the weird thing – I’m not seeing her in these notebooks, either. I’ve skimmed through like 20. Her name hasn’t appeared once.
Ressler: You’d think for someone obsessed with killing her–
Siya: Right, but I have found other names, like Will Strickland.
Ressler: Wait. As in Special Agent Strickland?
Siya: Roth doesn’t like him one bit.

 
[ In the storage room, Will Roth peels off the fake mustache and beard ]
Will Strickland: Lucas. Holy–
Lucas Roth: I’d say nice to see you, but we both know that would be a lie.
Strickland: Oh, my God. You shot Ives.
Lucas Roth: A necessary sacrifice.
Strickland: Necessary sacrifice? You’re insane!
Lucas Roth: I have never been more lucid.
[ Panabaker’s hand moves slowly toward the hidden firearm at her hip ]
⋘⋙
[ Ressler walks up to Cooper: ]
Ressler: Malik’s saying that Roth worked with both Strickland and Ives.
Cooper: So we’ve got an ex-Secret Service agent, hates one co-worker, takes a shot at another.
Ressler: But how does Panabaker fit in?
⋘⋙
[ Panabaker draws her firearm and points it at Lucas Roth ]
Panabaker: Put the gun down.
Lucas Roth: Senator. You don’t understand.
Panabaker: I understand if you don’t put that gun down, you’re gonna get shot.
Lucas Roth: I am going to reach into my pocket. It is just a phone. There’s something you need to hear.
⋘⋙
Cooper: [ To Ressler ] We assumed Roth was gunning for Panabaker. She’s the public figure. It only makes sense. But what if she was never the target? What if it was the Secret Service all along?
⋘⋙
[ Lucas Roth holds his phone up ] [ Phone unlocks, Beeps🔅]

[ Flashback: Tape recording plays ]
Panabaker: Jonathan, what I’m about to say is not to leave this room. The FBI’s gonna indict Jerry Hayes for bribery. They got a warrant to search his offices tomorrow afternoon.
Jonathan: Oh, my God. There goes the election for him right there. Congratulations, Senator.
Panabaker: Don’t celebrate yet. I’m not even supposed to know. It’s highly privileged. Obviously, this conversation never happened.

Panabaker: How the hell did you get that?
Lucas Roth: Ask him. He recorded it.
Will Strickland: W-What? Senator, that is a lie!
Lucas: You have been betrayed by the man you trusted to keep you safe.
Strickland: Senator, he shot an agent! He is holding you here at gunpoint!
Lucas Roth: [ To Panabaker ] My apologies if I made you afraid. I didn’t see any other way.
Panabaker: Put down the gun.
Lucas Roth: No. I won’t do that. He must face justice.
⋘⋙
[ Cooper and Ressler hear a gunshot 💥 and run toward the sound ]
[ Ressler kicks the door open, enters, gun drawn. Lucas Roth has been shot in the arm. He sits upright on the floor ]
Ressler: Senator!
Panabaker: Stand down, Will.
Cooper: Cynthia, did you–
Panabaker: What? Did you think I was gonna wait around for you to rescue me? I’m not exactly a shrinking violet.
[ Ressler pulls Lucas Roth up and handcuffs him ]
Panabaker: Donald, I hope you’ve got a second pair of those. You need to take Agent Strickland into custody, as well.
Agent Strickland: Are you kidding me? You can’t believe this crazy man!
Panabaker: I’ll explain it back at the office, Harold. I need a drink.
[ Handcuffs clicking ] [ Ressler and Cooper leave with Roth and Strickland ]
[ Panabaker steadies herself and follows ]
Panabaker: [ Exhales ]

 
[ The hospital unit of the prison where Robert Vesco is an inmate ]

[ Man on PA speaking indistinctly ]
Woman’s voice on PA: Dr. Miller, dial 2-1-6. Dr. Miller, dial 2-1-6.

[ Lead pickpocket Quentin Dodd, dressed as a priest, walks down the corridor ]
[ Door opens and closes ]
[ The old pickpocket, Pops, holding a bouquet of flowers, approaches a nurse ]
Pops: Excuse me, miss. How do I get to the maternity ward? Can you believe it? I’m gonna be a grandfather! 73 years old–
[ Can rattles ] [ The nurse’s syringe is gone ]
Pops: –and I still remember when my Jenny was born. Cute as a button.
[ Pops lifts the guard’s set of keys ]
⋘⋙
[ Quentin, the “priest” speaks to a guard seated at a desk ]
[ The guard gets up from his desk, keys in some numbers to a keypad to a room ]
[ Keypad Beeps🔅] [ Buzzer🌀sounds ]

[ Man on PA speaking indistinctly ]

Quentin: [ To the guard ] May the Lord smile upon you, my son.
[ Quentin enters the room where Robert Vesco is recovering ]
[ Monitor beeping🔅🔅🔅] [ Door closes ]
Robert Vesco: Oh, Jesus. I– I mean, I’m sorry, Father, but if you’re here – am I dying? Nobody told me I was dying.
Quentin: He who believeth in me shall never die. Not today anyway.
[ Quentin uses a key to unlock Robert’s handcuffs ]
Robert: Oh–
⋘⋙
[ Quentin pushes Robert in a wheelchair ]
[ Quentin pushes the door release ] [ Buzzer🌀sounds ] [ Door opens ]
Guard: Hey! Stop right there!
[ The Guard presses the door release ] [ Buzzer🌀sounds ]
[ The Guard chases the wheelchair ]
[ Star, the female pickpocket, pushes a cart in front of the Guard ]
Guard: [ Grunts ]
Star: Watch it!
Guard: I said stop!
[ The Guard chases the wheelchair, but when he catches up to it, it’s not Quentin and Robert; it’s Pops in the chair with AJ, the young pickpocket, pushing it ]
Guard: Where the hell did they go?

 
[ Quentin pushes Robert to a vehicle loading area; a hearse awaits ]
Robert: Wh– A hearse? I don’t think I like the implication.
Quentin: Just get in already.
Robert: Okay.
[ Vehicle door opens ]
Red: Robert!
Robert: Oh, no. No, no, no. No, no way. I’m not getting in.
Red: Come on, Robert.
Robert: You poisoned me with a book!
Red: All part of the plan, Robert. All part of the plan. Get in the car.
Robert: I almost died!
Red: Okay, so maybe there was a 15% chance, 20% at most. Maybe 25%. But here you are! So, get in, sit back, and relax. You’re a free man! Robert.
Robert: All right.
[ Robert gets in ] [ Grunts ] [ Door closes ]
Red: [ Chuckles, giggles ]

 
[ In an interrogation room at the Post Office, Dembe talks with Lucas Roth ]
Lucas Roth: When JFK was in Dallas, he didn’t want motorcycles flanking his limo or agents on the running boards. It wouldn’t have mattered in the end, but the men on his detail still regretted giving in to him. So why did they do it? They liked him too much. That’s why we can’t get close to the people that we protect.
Dembe: If it’s dangerous to like someone, what happens when you don’t?
Lucas: The man that I was assigned to, I truly loathed, politically and personally, but when I saw a gun pointed at him, I didn’t hesitate. I still got the bullet lodged right there. You’re an agent, too, so you know. The job doesn’t care how you feel, if your wife left you, if your child is sick. You took a sacred oath to protect democracy, at all costs.
Dembe: But Agent Strickland?
Lucas: He tarnished the star.
⋘⋙
[ In another Interrogation room, Ressler talks with Agent Will Strickland ]
Agent Strickland: You have no right to hold me here.
Ressler: You recorded a Senator’s private conversations. I’d say I do.
Strickland: Yeah, maybe I bumped my phone while she was talking.
Ressler: Come on, Agent Strickland. You shared those recordings with her opponent. You were trying to swing the vote against her.
Strickland: Well, if you know everything–
Ressler: I don’t know why. Why her?
Strickland: [ Sneers ] Cynthia Panabaker is unfit to hold office.
Ressler: According to who? The voters in Virginia or just you?
Strickland: [ Scoffs ]
⋘⋙
Lucas: He was assigned to protect her, but he violated that sacred trust.
Dembe: What about Agent Ives? The one you shot? Was he involved?
Lucas: No. I’m a trained marksman. I knew exactly where to aim to get Ives benched, but not seriously hurt. I needed to be sure that Strickland was running point today.
Dembe: Why the elaborate plot? Why not just report–
Lucas: Report him to his superiors? You think I didn’t try? The Agency is supposed to be above politics, but in reality – They call it “being made” when you get your first promotion. It’s just like the Mafia. Loyalty is king. If someone on your team screws up – you’re expected to look the other way.
Dembe: So they buried it?
Lucas: And they buried me. But here’s what you need to understand – scandal means something different to us. Appearing compromised can endanger the country, the Presidency itself. I knew they’d never risk it!
Dembe: So that’s why you made the attack so public, so they couldn’t hide–
Lucas: It all has to come out! [ Slams table, exhales sharply ] It’s the only way to restore faith in the Service. It may cost me my life – but I took that oath a long time ago.

 
[ Panabaker waits in Cooper’s office. She is distressed, tearful ]
[ Cooper enters ]
Panabaker: You caught me. How embarrassing.
[ He hands her a handkerchief; she wipes her eyes ]
Cooper: You’ve been through a lot.
Panabaker: I couldn’t let fear slow me down. Nobody’ll vote for a candidate who’s scared of her own shadow. But I guess it got the best of me.
Cooper: So, what happened?
Panabaker: [ Sighs ]
Cooper: You were recorded talking about your opponent?
Panabaker: Jerry kept getting these no-bid contracts. They suspected he was bribing DoD officials, but before they could execute the search warrant–
Cooper: Your Secret Service detail leaked your conversation, giving him time to cover his tracks.
Panabaker: And then he flipped the narrative, making it look like I was behind some kind of witch hunt.
Cooper: But the tables are turning again. A traitor in the Service. This’ll be a massive investigation. Everyone involved will be exposed.
Panabaker: Ah. Yeah. Poor Jerry. Having your name linked with an attempted assassin like that is never a good look.
Cooper: Have you seen tonight’s news?
[ Cooper gets out a newspaper ]
Cooper: They’re already calling you “Cynthia Six Shooter.”
Panabaker: [ Laughing ] Well, that’s enough to win me re-election right there.
Cooper: I’ll drink to that.
[ Glasses clink ]

 
[ Red’s plane is in the air with Red and Robert Vesco on board ]
[ Red offers Robert caviar on a cracker ]
Robert: No, no. You first.
Red: You don’t trust me? [ Chuckles ]
Robert: You left me to rot in cinderblock hell! You almost killed me! Mm. And now what? Am I your guest or am I your prisoner?
Red: My guest, obviously. The caviar I serve my prisoners is just fish eggs.
Robert: Oh, come on, Raymond. I know you. You– You’ve got something up your sleeve.
Red: Nothing. Not even a watch.
Robert: Hm.
Red: I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation, so I installed a tracking device.
⋘⋙
[ The pickpockets are in a car. Quentin Dodd has Red’s Rolex ]
Pops: Again with the watch? You need to seek professional help.
⋘⋙
Vesco: What if he sells your Rolex?
Red: Doesn’t matter now. I’m about to learn the location of his hideout, should I require his services in the future.
Robert: You see? You always have an angle. And I’m the one who taught you that.
Red: Okay, okay, fine.
[ Red gets up and retrieves a package ]
Robert: So you do have a plan.
Red: There. Surprise ruined. Happy now?
Robert: Yeah. Oh, no. I’m not touching that.
[ Robert peers into the envelope ]
Robert: Wait. Is that Treasure Island?
Red: [ Chuckles ]
Robert: Okay. So that’s why you busted me out.
Red: There’s no hidden message, Robert. This is just a simple gift.
Robert: No, no, no. You gave me Oliver Twist because it’s about an old man teaching a young kid how to be a criminal. Plus, they’re pickpockets. Now, this–
Red: Are we sure the arsenic didn’t damage your brain?
Robert: It says “Treasure” right here in the title, Raymond!
Red: Just a little? We should really get your head examined.
Robert: You are not coming near my head.
Red: [ Chuckles ] Oh, no. …

 
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❌❌❌ End 10:3 Four Guns

🔴 Script 10:4 The Hyena (№ 200)

 
Program air date: 3/19/2023 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-ekE
EntertainmentWeekly Recap: https://tinyurl.com/5dr5yr6j
 

Brief (Where we’re at): Red has an adventure planned ~ a treasure hunt, no less ~ for Robert Vesco (Blacklister #8), his old friend and former mentor. Red broke Vesco out of prison by first delivering him in prison a rare book, an edition of “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens with arsenic embossed in the cover. The arsenic might have killed Vesco but, as Red planned/hoped, Vesco only landed in the hospital. Then, with help from a gang of four pickpocket/thieves called “The Four Guns” (Blacklisters #199) [Episode 10:3], Vesco was squirreled out of prison into a hearse, where Red was waiting.

The thieves had been implicated in an apparent asaasination attempt against Senator Cynthia Panabaker, who was running for re-election. After the task force had apprehended but failed to hold the lead thief, Quentin Dodd, Red took over and compelled him to give up the name of the actual perpetrator of the assassination attempt, who turned out to an ex-Secret Service agent named Lucas Roth. It also turned out that Roth wasn’t actually trying to hurt Panabaker at all. Rather he wanted to expose the fact that the head of Panabaker’s Secret Service detail, Special Agent Will Strickland, had betrayed her by recording her conversations and giving the recordings to Panabaker’s opponent in the upcoming election.

Once safely on Red’s plane, Red gave Vesco another book, “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson. Since “Oliver Twist” had been about a group of pickpockets, Vesco guessed that he and Red would now be going on a treasure hunt.

⭕ Script 10:4 The Night Owl (№ 200)

 
[ Attorney Don Browning is washing his hands in a men’s room at a restaurant. Another man, Sean Bane, hands him a towel to dry his hands ]
Don Browning: Thank you.
Sean Bane: How’s the evening so far, sir?
Brownwick: Very good. Having a nice meal.
Bane: How many clues have you solved?
Browning: What’s that?
Bane: The clues. To the hidden treasure. How many have you solved?
Browning: I think you have the wrong person.
[ Browning tries to leave, but Bane stops him ]
Bane: I know exactly who you are, Mr. Browning, and as you are the executor of Warren Bostwick’s estate, I know what you have access to. How many clues have you solved?
Browning: Excuse me.
[ Again, Browning tries to get by, but Bane grabs him violently and shoves him against the sink ]
Browning: [ Grunts ]
Bane: How. Many. Clues.
Browning: None. I swear. I-I wasn’t allowed in the room when the will was read! I-I tried to listen, but I didn’t hear anything! Ah!
Bane: I believe you.
[ Bane swings Browning around, clanging his head against a sink ]
[ Browning grunts ] [ Body thuds ]
[ Browning lies on the floor, dead. Bane leaves ]

 
[ It’s early in the morning at the Coopers’ house. Red, wearing an apron, is in the kitchen, cutting fruit. Harold Cooper enters ]
Red: Harold.
Cooper: Excuse me. Why are you in my home at this hour? This is not okay.
Red: You’re right. It’s not. I understand that. And under any other circumstances, I wouldn’t have imposed.
Cooper: Did you sleep here?
Red: A very quick catnap. Just on the bench over there. Truly, a half-hour at most, and then the time it took to put together breakfast.
[ Cooper notices what looks like an old British Army coat slung across the bench ]
Red: You see, I was at Mount Vernon, playing a very small part in a Revolutionary War reenactment, when I got to drinking quite late with the 1st Delaware Regiment. One thing led to another. Those Blue Hen boys really know how to hold their whiskey.
Cooper: What is going on with you? Do you even have a home anymore?
Red: Please. Sit down, Harold. Have some coffee. We’ve got business to discuss.
Cooper: Like Robert Vesco? Tell me that wasn’t you that broke him out of prison.
Red: I read he escaped from a hospital. Just as well. Prison’s no place for a man of Robert Vesco’s stature or advanced age.
Cooper: You realize that we have to track him down now and arrest him.
Red: Well, you could do that, but you’ll be leaving three young women in mortal danger. The Hyena is on the hunt.
Cooper: A Blacklister?
Red: Of the lowest order. Are you familiar with Warren Bostwick?
Cooper: New York hedge fund titan. Died a couple years back. They say they never recovered his fortune.
Red: Ah. Last week, Bostwick’s attorney was found dead in the men’s room at Benneker’s. What looked like a slip and fall was really the work of the Hyena. When professional thieves or white-collar criminals are imprisoned, their stolen goods are rarely recovered. Do you know why?
Cooper: They’re too well hidden. Waiting for the felon’s jail sentence to end so they can be reclaimed.
Red: And that’s when the Hyena strikes. A scavenger by nature, he sniffs out the hidden spoils by shaking down family members and associates, torturing them, murdering them.
Cooper: Warren Bostwick may have played it fast and loose in the market, but he was not a criminal.
Red: No, but old Warren did leave behind a hidden fortune worth hundreds of millions, and the Hyena has caught the scent.

 
[ The Post Office war room. Cooper briefs Ressler, Dembe and new task force member, Siya Malik ]
Cooper: His real name is Sean Bane. He uses extreme violence to hunt down what he’s looking for, and right now he’s hunting the lost fortune of this man.
Siya Malik: One week before his death, Warren Bostwick liquidated his portfolio and transferred his massive wealth into an unknown account. To date, those funds haven’t been recovered.
Cooper: Bane is deviating from his usual MO by targeting an innocent man’s fortune. Last week, he killed Bostwick’s attorney. His next logical target would be Bostwick’s three surviving daughters.
Ressler: Triplets?
[ Photos of three identical triplets appear overhead; the young women appear to be in their late twenties or early thirties ]
Malik: Yes, and protecting them won’t be easy. Cordelia’s in a remote village in Bolivia doing relief work, Alex went off the grid eight months ago, and Kendall’s the only one we have a location on.
Cooper: She was CFO of her father’s company until his death. She’s now living in his Westchester mansion.
Ressler: Sorry, but Wujing is amassing Blacklisters as we speak to take down Reddington. I mean, why would he divert us to babysit a bunch of rich women?
Cooper: It doesn’t matter. They’re in danger. Ressler, Dembe, meet with Kendall. Agent Malik, I want you to reach out to some of your international contacts, see if you can track down the other two sisters.

 
[ Red grabs a chair in a room with multiple shower heads and sits down across from a dozing Robert Vesco, reclining in a beach chair. He’s wearing blackout shades over his eyes ]
Red: [ Chuckles ] Hello, Robert.
Vesco: Mmm-hmm?
Red: Comfy?
Vesco: Hmm! I’m limper than a drunk jellyfish. Ooh. I haven’t had a Turkish massage like that since that hammam in Antalya.
Red: Well, after a year in lockup, you deserve it. Lunch from Mama’s TOO! will be here within the hour.
Vesco: Hmm.
[ Vesco lifts the shades to peer out at Red ]
Vesco: Raymond – [ Sighs ] I love the hospitality here, but I feel like I’m being fattened up for a slaughter. When does the axe fall?
Red: There’s no axe.
Vesco: Hmm. So, what gives? First you bust me out of prison. Now you’re treating me like a hairy princess.
Red: I’ve lost a lot of people, Robert. If my circle of friends gets any smaller, it won’t be a circle. I just want to fill my world with people I care about.
Vesco: What a crock of crap. You need me for a job or what?
Red: I need you for a job.

 
[ Ressler and Dembe talk with Kendall Bostwick, who is living in her father’s mansion ]
Ressler: Don Browning didn’t trip and fall in that bathroom. Your father’s attorney was murdered.
Dembe: We have strong reason to believe there’s a violent criminal chasing his fortune, which puts you and your sisters in danger.
Kendall Bostwick: Forgive me, gentlemen, but you’re beginning to sound like the conspiracy nuts. I mean, there are entire subreddits devoted to the mystery of why Warren Bostwick liquidated all of his holdings.
Ressler: And what can you tell us about that?
Kendall: How about I let my father tell you?

 
[ Kendall Bostwick, one of Warren Bostwick’s triplet daughters, shows Dembe and Ressler the video her father made for his daughters to watch after he died ]

[ Video: ]
Warren Bostwick: In my dwindling days here on Earth, I’ve made a bleak discovery. I may be a market genius, but I’m a lousy parent. My three adult daughters are just waiting for me to die so they can cash out. I can feel that every time you visit me. You three are strangers to me, and barely sisters to each other.

That’s why I’m leaving this video, in hopes that I may do in death what I failed to do in life, teach you to work hard – and to work together. It’s the only way you’ll ever see my money.

⋘⋙
[ Red relates the story to Robert Vesco ]
Red: As part of his effort to make them earn their inheritance, old Warren consolidated his assets into Bitcoin.
Vesco: [ Scoffs ] Some financial wizard. He took a bath there, huh?
Red: On the contrary. Even after the market crash, Warren’s fortune has doubled since his death. But more importantly, all his crypto funds are stored in one location.
⋘⋙

[ Video continues: ]
Warren Bostwick: An anonymous digital wallet. I’ve created a passcode for that wallet, which I’ve split into three pieces. At the end of this message, I’m going to read you a poem I wrote.

Red: The poem is a treasure map, its lines filled with hidden clues drawn from his personal life.

Warren Bostwick: Solve the clues to reveal the passcodes and access ungodly riches.

Dembe: Have the three of you been able to solve any of the clues together?
Kendall: [ Scoffs ] Together was never an option. No, I mean, I love my sisters, but they’re free spirits. They don’t know how to hold onto money. But when I find the funds, I’ll provide for them. As the eldest sister, it’s my job.
Ressler: Wait. The eldest? You’re triplets.
Kendall: And I’m the eldest by 12 minutes.
Dembe: Who knows about the existence of the clues and the hidden passcodes?
Kendall:As far as I know, now that Don Browning is dead, just myself and my sisters.
Dembe: Can we get a copy of the poem?
Kendall: Why? So you can become weekend treasure hunters? I’m sorry, but I need to get back to work, agents. Thank you for warning me of the danger.
Ressler: Sorry, but we’ve been authorized to provide you with a full-time FBI detail.
Kendall: And I appreciate that offer, I do, but I’m sure my security team can handle any threats that find their way here. Thank you.

 
Vesco: For two years, Warren’s own daughters haven’t figured it out. What makes you think we can?
Red: Well, we’re men of a certain age who tippled with Warren on many a balmy night in Mustique. Robert, I’d venture to say that you and I know far more details of Warren’s personal life than even his own daughters.
Vesco: Well, what the hell? The girls had their chance.
Red: Shall I read the first stanza of the poem?
Vesco: You have it?
Red: [ Reading ]
  “To find the answer that you seek you’ll need to sit with Hemingway.
   To Have or Have Not your desire.
   Just stay until the sun’s last ray.”
Vesco: How did you get ahold of that?
Red: “To Have or Have Not.” Warren’s daughter Kendall secretly paid a cryptanalyst to comb thorough the entire book for hidden cyphers. That’s how this whole affair came to my attention. The cryptanalyst is one of my better-paid resources.
Vesco: Oh. Hemingway. Warren always struck me as more of a Faulkner guy.
Red: [ Chuckles ] You were struck correctly. I once heard Warren call Hemingway “a drunk Neanderthal who couldn’t string six words together.”
Vesco: [ Chuckles ] So he hated Hemingway. But he loved his Arturo Fuente Hemingway cigars. Ooh. Hand-rolled in the Dominican. Always kept a box in the humidor in his study.
Red: Robert, did you just solve a clue?
Vesco: Well, maybe half a clue. To figure out the rest, we need to find a way into Warren’s study.

 
[ Kendall Bostwick’s home (her father’s mansion ]
[ Doorbell rings✨] [ ♪ Classical music plays ♪ ]
[ Kendall’s Night Guard looks through a viewing label and sees an FBI badge being displayed ]
Man: FBI. For Miss Bostwick.
Night Guard: Go up and see her if you want. Miss Bostwick told you. She doesn’t require any FBI protect–
[ The Night Guard opens the door. The man holding up the badge is Sean Bane (“The Hyena”). He strangles the Night Guard from behind with a strap ] [ Body thuds ]
⋘⋙
[ Kendall Bostwick is working by the fire ] [ ♪ Classical music plays louder ♪ ]
[ Sean Bane appears ]
Bane: Good evening, Miss Bostwick. It’s time you and I had a friendly chat.
[ He snaps the strap ]

 
[ The Bostwick mansion ] [ Police radio chattering ]
[ Kendall Bostwick’s body is being placed on a gurney ]
Guard: I arrived at 7:00 a.m. for my shift, and her body was cold when I found it hanging here, and I called you straight away.
Ressler: Was there a night guard here?
Guard: Jimmy. He’s always here when I check in, but this morning, there was no sign of him. I guess Kendall sent him out so she could, uh–
Ressler: Look, why don’t you write down his cellphone number and address for me, huh?
Guard: Alright. [ Pen clicks ]
[ Dembe walks over ]
Dembe: M.E. says he can’t determine a cause of death until after the autopsy.
Ressler: Don’t need an M.E. to tell me what happened here. This wasn’t a suicide.
Dembe: The Hyena is working his way through the sisters.
Ressler: Yeah, well, we need to find the other two, and their protection’s a priority now.
Dembe: Malik’s reaching out to the relief organization that Cordelia works for. They’re getting word to her.
Ressler: What about Alex? The one who’s off the grid? We have any info on her?
Guard: I know where Alex lives. I’ve driven Kendall to her building in Hoboken lots of times.

 
[ Hoboken, New Jersey ]
[ Ressler and Dembe pull up to a worn-down looking residential building ]
Ressler: A rich Bostwick daughter lives here?
⋘⋙
[ Inside, they go to an apartment ]
Dembe: Urban off-the-grid living. It’s a thing.
[ A surveillance camera blinks overhead ]
Ressler: Well, if she’s here, she knows we’re here.
[ Knocking on door ✽ ✽ ✽ ]
Alex Bostwick: Who are you?
Ressler: Alex Bostwick?
Alex: I said, who are you?
Ressler: Agent Ressler, FBI. This is Agent Zuma. We need to speak to you about your sister Kendall.
[ Locks clicking ✵✠✵ ] [ The door opens slightly but some chain locks remain engaged ]
Alex: They got to Kendall?
Dembe: Her body was found hanging in the study.
Alex: [ Whimpers ]
Dembe: We have cause to believe she was murdered. I’m sorry.
Ressler: You said “they.” Who are “they”?
Alex: I don’t know! I don’t know! They– I mean, I’m trying to find them, too. They hide in the Internet of Things. It’s my father’s fortune that they want, so they hunt me down. Just buzzing bugs in the machine and in my mics, my webcams, my brain. I thought– [ Chuckles ] I thought Siri was my friend, but, no, I mean, wherever I go, they find me, and now, what, they got– They got to Kendall.
Dembe: We don’t want to cause you alarm, but the man who got to your sister, he’s coming after you, too. We want to offer you some protection. Can we come inside?
Alex: [ Chuckles ] Oh– I’m sure you’d love to come inside and find out what I know, huh? You– You are just like them. Or maybe you even are them. That’s it. That’s it. Oh, what the Feds would love to do with Daddy’s money.
[ Door slams ‼️] [ Locks click ✵✠✵✠ ]
Ressler: She’s really not well.
Dembe: We need to put surveillance on this building immediately. Whether she wants it or not.

 
[ Red and Robert Vesco are at the now-empty Bostwick mansion ] [ The door has a police “Do Not Enter” sign plastered on it. Red ignores it and works on breaking the lock ] [ Rattling ]
Red: Ah. Almost there.
[ Door opens ]
Red: Now, if I recall, Warren’s lair is to the right here.
Vesco: [ Chuckles ] Yeah.
[ The enter the smoking room. Red sees a box of cigars ]
Red: Ah. Hemingways. Robert, you called it. [ Chuckles ]
Vesco: So, now what?
Red: “To find the answer that you seek, you’ll need to sit with Hemingway.” Don’t have to ask me twice.
[ Lighter clicks ¤ 🔥] [ They light the Hemingway cigars ]
Vesco: Mmm. Well, it’s kind of batty, isn’t it? I mean, sending your own kids on a scavenger hunt to claim their inheritance.
Red: I don’t know, Robert. Who’s to say how one might feel at the time of their death? Warren may have felt amused, mischievous, or maybe just hopeful. Better that than fear or pain or regret. At the moment of my death, I just want to feel alive.

 
[ Bolivia ]
Cordelia: [ On phone ] Agent Malik. Hi. This is Cordelia Bostwick.
Siya Malik: Thank you for getting back to me, Ms. Bostwick. First of all, I’m so sorry about your sister. They told me you got the news this morning?
Cordelia: Yeah. It’s been a challenging day, that’s for sure. But, uh, you know, this is just gonna take some time to process.
Siya: Of course, and I don’t want to make that any harder, but I need to let you know that your safety is in jeopardy. There’s a dangerous man after you and your sister, and he will find his way to you.
Cordelia: In– In Bolivia?
Siya: He’s chasing your father’s money.
Cordelia: So, you– You want me to come to where a killer is?
Siya: We have no way to keep you safe if you don’t. If you’re here, we can assign you a full-time protective detail in an FBI safe house.
Cordelia: Okay. Um, yeah, I mean, I’m– I’m planning to come back for the funeral, anyway, so just– Just give me the details.

 
[ Vesco and Red are finishing up their cigars. It’s getting close to dark ]
Vesco: Hmm. Well, the Hemingway’s almost dead. I’m nubbing it here, bud. How is this supposed to solve a clue?
Red: Trust the poem. “To Have or Have Not your desire, just stay until the sun’s last ray.” It’s still light out.
Vesco: Yeah. Barely. If we’re gonna do more cigars, I need better light to see.
[ Vesco leans over ] [ Grunts ] [ He switches on a table lamp ] [ Click ✽ ]
Vesco: Ah.
[ The lamp is Tiffany-style, with horizontal hues of red, ivory, and orange ]
Vesco: Raymond. Does that look like “the sun’s last ray” to you?
Red: I’ll bet that’s a Handel lamp. Hand-painted. Take a look under the rim.
Vesco: “H-A-N-D-E-L.” Ah. Oh, there’s a model number, too. “6160. W.R.” What’s that?
Red: That’s the craftsman’s initials.
Vesco: Oh.
Red: Put it all together–
Vesco: It’s a hidden passcode!
[ Both laugh ]
Red: I’ll be damned. So, you sit with the Hemingway cigar until the sun goes down, prompting you to turn on the lamp, revealing the hidden passcode. Not bad.
Vesco: Not bad? Come on. Read the next clue. I’m feeling lucky!
Red: [ Chuckles ] Alright. [ Reading: ]
  “You can’t define its radiance.
  You love it irresistibly.
  So find the stone I speak of.
  And whisper to it softly.”
Vesco: A radiant stone. Irresistible. Uh – Like a gemstone?
Red: No. Warren wasn’t impressed by precious gems. Terrible investments. Too easy to lose or steal. In fact, he once told me the only diamond he ever bought was the one he put on Marilyn’s finger. [ Points ] Right there! And immediately after buying it, Warren had the diamond itself laser-engraved with a miniature code so small, it can only be seen by microscope, so if the ring were ever stolen, he could prove it was hers.
Vesco: That’s vintage Warren.
Red: He engraved everything he owned. Remember? Fountain pens. Golf clubs. Even his racehorse. Tattooed its ear.
Vesco: [ Chuckles ] What are the chances that invisible engraving in Marilyn’s diamond ring is the next piece of the passcode?
Red: Fits the clue. But where’s the stone? Marilyn died in childbirth. Hope he didn’t bury it with her.
Vesco: He didn’t. Look here.
[ Vesco points to a photo of one of the triplets wearing her mother’s ring ]
Red: I’ll be. I believe that’s Alex, the oddest duck in the brood. Warren must have passed the ring down to her.
Vesco: Mmm-hmm.
Red: This young woman is wearing the answer to our next clue.
Vesco: I love a diamond heist.
[ Both chuckle ]

 
[ Ressler sits in the back of a parked van ]
Siya: [ On phone ] We got a hit from one of the area motels where I circulated photos of Bane. He checked out 40 minutes ago, driving a white Chevy van with stolen tags, carrying what looked like a tool belt.
Ressler: Was that the only sighting?
Siya: For the moment.
Cooper: We just issued a BOLO and added the plate to the ALPR hot list. If we get an alert, we’ll let you know.
Siya: I’m leaving for JFK now to meet the third sister and escort her to the safe house.
Cooper: Be careful out there. All of you.

 
[ Tadashi Ito is working at a laptop when Red enters with Vesco ]
Red:Tadashi, any luck finding her address?
Tadashi: Luck? No. Skill? Ya boy! Before Alex Bostwick went off the grid, she was a heavy social-media user, but last year, she went full digital detox, with one exception. Two weeks ago, she accidentally posted to one of her dormant accounts. She wrote to a user named MadIRC. I located him in an obscure chat room, where I lurked until Alex joined under the user name OptimisticPanda. That gave me her IP address, and from there, it was a hop skip to her geodata.
Vesco: What’d he just say?
Red: [ Chuckles ] We have her address. But Alex won’t just open her door for us. If we want to get inside and find her mother’s diamond ring, we need an angle.
Tadashi: Hmm. That’s easy. Alex has devolved into a conspiracy freak. Based on her discussions in the chat room, she’s convinced that she’s being monitored by ultrasonic listening devices.
Vesco: She’s just paranoid. She’s been chasing that fortune for two years!
Tadashi: Alex contacted MadIRC because he claims to have invented an Exotic Modulation Detector to sniff out ultrasonic surveillance.
Red: Did he?
Tadashi:[ Laughs ] No way!
Red: Well, whether he’s invented anything real or not, MadIRC has invented an alter ego. Perhaps we can employ the ingenious MadIRC for our purposes anyway.
Vesco: Yes. MadIRC is just an archetype for a character, waiting for the right actor to step inside and breathe life into the role.
Red: You don’t know anything about ultrasonic surveillance.
Vesco: I have Tadashi here to coach me.
Red: We’ll see. Tadashi, can you send a private message to Alex and make it look like it’s from MadIRC? We should set up a meeting.
[ Keyboard clacking ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ]

 
[ Siya is driving Cordelia Bostwick from the airport to the FBI safe house ]
Cordelia: Ugh. Yeah. I was afraid something like this would happen. Eventually. I mean, with all that hidden money out there, you know, it was only a matter of time before word got out that we were given clues to find it.
Siya: What about you? Did you try finding it?
Cordelia: Sure. I mean, after we watched his video, I wanted the three of us to work together. It’s what my father intended by writing that stupid poem, and I thought it would give us the best shot at solving it.
Siya: I gather that’s not what happened.
Cordelia: Oh, no. The claws came out. Like always. Kendall tried to take control of us. I guess, I don’t know. She thought it was her role as CFO in the company. Poor Alex just started showing strain under the pressure of it all right away and just– crawled into her own shell.
Siya: So you walked away?
Cordelia: That’s right. My father left each of us modest trust funds, and it was enough to get by on. But I really don’t want any part of his wealth now. I’ve just seen what it does to people.
Siya: Well, we’ve got a couple leads on our target, so hopefully we can get you back to your relief work soon. We’re driving to a safe house in Flatbush, where two agents will provide full-time protection.
Cordelia: Okay.

 
[ While Ressler waited in the van outside Alex’s building, Dembe went out to get some fast food. Now he’s back ]
Ressler: Oh. I’m starving. What took so long?
Dembe: Eh, long lines, long lines.
[ Dembe gets in ] [ Grunts softly ]
Dembe: Here you go.
Ressler: Wait. These are French fries. I ordered onion rings.
Dembe: Well, I told them onion rings. They must’ve made a mistake on the order.
Ressler: Yeah, but you have onion rings.
Dembe: Yes. They got my order right.
Ressler: Hey. Somebody’s coming.
[ Red and Vesco are walking along the sidewalk by the building ]
Ressler: I knew it! Reddington just gave us this case to take out the competition. I’m not standing by this time. I’m going to arrest Vesco.
Dembe: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. If the Hyena is out there right now, watching this building, you’ll just alert him to our presence. Keeping the sisters safe is what matters.
⋘⋙
[ Someone else is watching Red and Vesco: Sean Bane, “The Hyena.” He’s watching them through binoculars. He makes a phone call ]
Bane: [ On phone ] I have some bad news for you. The Feds are sitting on Alex’s building. We have a new player in the game. Raymond Reddington, the FBI’s Most Wanted man, just walked inside.
Cordelia: [ On phone with Bane ] Ah. Okay. [ To the two FBi agents who have just been assigned to protect Cordelia ~ from Bane ] Um, excuse me, gentlemen.
[ Cordelia moves into another room, the kitchen ]
Cordelia: Yeah. How did this happen?
Bane: I don’t know.
Cordelia: Okay, well, um, we only have two parts of the passcode, so we need to find out what Alex knows. Can you, um – Can you get her out of there?
Bane: I’ll figure something out.
Cordelia: Uh, without killing her this time?
Bane: Hey! I did you a favor by taking out Kendall. She suspected you.
Cordelia: Just get Alex out and bring her to me.
[ She walks back into the living room, where the agents have been watching tv ]
[ TV playing indistinctly ]

 
[ Inside Alex’s building, Red and Vesco walk to her apartment ]
Red: You keep Alex interested, and I’ll look for her mother’s diamond ring. Hopefully it’s still on Alex’s finger.
Vesco: Have you stopped to consider that if we find this fortune, we’ll be robbing two young ladies of their inheritance?
Red: Pish posh. I told you, Warren thought his daughters were a disaster.
Vesco: Mmm.
Red: Hey. Do you remember the password exchange?
Vesco: I wrote the password exchange.
[ Vesco knocks ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ]
Alex: Hello?
Vesco: I have no mouth and I must scream.
Alex: Great souls suffer in silence.
[ Locks clicking ✵✠✵ ] [ Door opens ] [ Alex is carrying a fluffy white Maltese dog with black button eyes ]
Alex: MadIRC. Hi. Hi. Uh, come in. Come in. Come in.
[ She re-locks the numerous locks ✵✠✵✠ ]
Alex: Hi. Um, I’m– I’m Alex–
Vesco: Oh, shh, child. No birth names. It’s safer that way.
Alex: Ah, yes. No, yes. You’re right. Of course. Our– Our personal data is all we have. It must be protected at all costs.
Vesco: Precisely why I invented the EMD.
Alex: The Exotic Modulation Detector. Yeah. I know. And– Here– Here, come in. Um, you know, I need additional security solutions. The standard sweep tools aren’t enough. And now that they can turn all of our technology, even our lights, into audio transmitters, it’s just, nobody’s safe.
Vesco: Slow down, OptimisticPanda. Uh, one step at a time. First, I’d like you to meet my associate.
Red: Oh. Yes. Uh, CosmicMuffin.
Vesco: To determine whether my EMD can detect emanating light fields here, CosmicMuffin needs to conduct a search first.
Alex: Sorry. What–
Vesco: Eh, purely visual.
Alex: Okay. Okay. Uh, yeah, what– What’s he looking for?
Vesco: Oh, any objects that might interfere with the EMD’s signal reception.
Alex: Like what? Certain metals. Alloys. But the worst are crystals. You can’t have any crystals with a mineral base inside your home, like rubies, emeralds, diamonds.
[ Dog 🐶 barks ] [ Growls ]
Alex: I don’t– I don’t own any gemstones.
Red: You sure about that? Most women have at least one piece of jewelry lying around. An old necklace. A diamond ring.
[ Dog 🐶 barks ] [ Alex pets her dog ]
Alex: Yeah, I mean, I used to own jewelry, but, yeah, I sold it all to finance a personal project. I even had to sell my mother’s wedding ring.
Vesco: So no diamonds?
[ Dog 🐶 barks 🐶 ]
Alex: [ Chuckles ]
Red: [ To the dog ] Hello, you.
Alex: Yeah, Diamond was, um, my father’s best friend, and he knew how much I loved her. I can get a little, um, activated sometimes, and so my shrink says that a service animal can help. She used to say that, but I fired her because she had something pretty suspicious hiding in her Prada glasses.
Red: I’m just gonna finish my search.
[ Red walks toward a side room. He snaps his fingers and Diamond the dog follows ]
Vesco: So, as I was saying, the EMD is a very special thing because without it …
⋘⋙
[ In the side room, Red sits and picks up the dog ]
Red: [ Softly ] We were looking for the wrong Diamond, weren’t we? Yes – Old Warren tagged his racehorse. Why not you, too? I’m supposed to “whisper to you softly.”
[ Red looks in Diamond’s ears and, indeed, finds a tattoo inside Diamond’s left ear ]
Red: Look at that. [ Chuckles ]

 
[ Cordelia carries a pot of coffee into the living room at the safe house ]

Man on TV: –entitlements are nothing more than socialism in action.

Cordelia: Uh, anyone want more coffee?

We all live in America. We all–

FBI Agent: We rely on a steady flow of coffee for this job.
Cordelia: [ Chuckles ] Yeah. I bet you do.
FBI Agent: Thank you.
Cordelia: You’re welcome!
[ TV playing indistinctly ]

 
[ Outside Alex Bostwick’s apartment building, Sean Bane peers around a corner ]
[ Suspenseful music playing ] [ Sean Bane walks over to a power box and drops a heavy bag of tools on the concrete floor ] [ He pulls a chain from the screen panel protecting the power box ]
⋘⋙
[ Inside Alex’s apartment ]
Red: Well, I’d say after a cursory glance around that we’re done here. I’ve seen everything I need to see.
Alex: Ah. Uh, okay. What– What– What does that mean? C-Can you still sell me the EMD? I have money. I wanted to pay you for it.
⋘⋙
[ The power box⚡️sparks⚡️and blows 🔥]
⋘⋙
[ In Alex’s apartment, the lights go out ]
Red: [ Low voice, to Vesco ]There’s something I’ve been keeping from you. We’re not the only ones hunting this fortune.
Alex: What?! You’re loo– You’re looking for the money? Ugh! I cannot believe I let you in. I mean, who– Who are you? How did you even find me?
Red: She’ll be okay, but we can’t be here. I’ll meet you downstairs.
Vesco: Okay.
[ Vesco leaves ]
Red: [ Speed-dialing ] Power’s been cut. The Hyena is here. She needs protection. Hurry.
⋘⋙
[ Ressler and Dembe jump out of the back of the van and run into the building ]
⋘⋙
[ Ressler and Dembe enter Alex’s apartment ]
[ 🐶 Dog 🐶 barking 🐶 ]
[ They find no one (besides Diamond the dog) ]
Ressler: Did Bane get here first?
Dembe: I don’t believe so. Take a look at this. Looks like an old garbage chute.
[ Inside the large garbage chute is a rope ladder ]
⋘⋙
[ Alex emerges from the garbage chute at the ground level. Sean Dane is waiting for her there ]
Sean Dane: Your sister Cordelia told me about your little escape route. Very eager to hear what you’ve learned about the treasure.
[ He grabs her and pulls her toward his vehicle ]

 
[ Ressler calls the Post Office from Alex’s apartment ]
Ressler: We lost Alex. We think the Hyena has her. Unless Reddington has her.
Cooper: Reddington?
Ressler: Yeah, he was here, along with Vesco, too. You know those two frauds are chasing the missing fortune, too?
Siya: Sir!
Cooper: Hold on, Agent Ressler.
Siya: NYC DOT just got a traffic-cam hit on Bane’s white van. It’s moving east on Avenue D toward Flatbush. That’s the neighborhood where I dropped off Cordelia. It’s where the safe house is.
Cooper: The Hyena’s got one sister. Now he’s going after the other. Did you call her protective detail?
Siya: Yes, and no one’s answering.
Cooper: [ On phone ] Agent Ressler, you and Agent Zuma get to that safe house. I’ll try and reach Reddington.
Ressler: Copy.

 
[ Red is driving Vesco ]
Vesco: You didn’t think that I might want to know that there’s a homicidal maniac on the same treasure hunt as us?
Red: I didn’t want to make you anxious.
Vesco: Well, I’m anxious now.
Red: [ Scoffs ]
Vesco: What about Alex? You think she got away?
[ Cellphone rings✨] [ It’s Cooper. Red ignores the call ]
Red: I sent in reinforcements. And since when are you worried about a mark, anyway? You’ve made a life of preying on impressionable minds.
Vesco: Yeah, sure, when they’re functional minds. But Alex– I don’t know. I mean, this poor kid. She’s not dealing from a full deck.
[ Red hands Warren Bostwick’s treasure hunt poem to Vesco ]
Red: Here. Read this. The last stanza. Let’s stay focused here.
Vesco: [ Reading ]
  “Every story much reach an end.
  Such sadness that it doth impart.
  To finish mine, drop to a knee and read what’s carved upon my heart.”
Vesco: Well, that’s grim.
Red: Indeed.
Vesco: “Read what’s carved upon my heart”? You don’t think Warren literally, you know–
Red: What, carved the passcode onto his heart? Robert, please stay with me here. Though I wouldn’t be survived if one of those sisters had exhumed his body by now to check. No, I have a feeling the true hint lies in the first half of the stanza. I’m certain of it. We need to locate Warren’s grave.

 
[ The Bostwick mansion, where Cordelia lives ] [ Sean Bane pushes Alex inside ]
Alex: What is happening? Why– Why are we here?
[ Alex sees one of the FBI agents assigned to protect Cordelia lying motionless on the floor ]
Alex: Oh, my God.
[ Cordelia walks in ]
Cordelia: Ah. It’s been a while, sis. I’m, um– I’m really sorry we pulled you out of your shelter. I know how safe you feel there, but, um– [ Chuckles ] Forces are closing in around us. I need to know if you’ve solved any of the clues.
Alex: You? Did you kill Kendall?
Cordelia: That wasn’t supposed to happen.
Alex: Okay, b-b-but it did.
Cordelia: I tried, okay? I-I am the one who wanted us all to work together to do this the way that our father asked, but Kendall insisted on doing it her way, and you just– Alex, you just crawled into a hole. Okay, well, now we’re doing it my way.
Sean Bane: You’ll want to leave the room in this next part.
Alex: [ Chuckles ] Okay. Well, if you want it so badly that you’d kill Kendall, what’s the point?
[ Alex goes to her bag and gets out a slip of paper, which she hands to Cordelia ]
Alex: It was tattooed inside Diamond’s ear.
Cordelia: [ Chuckles ] The stone was the dog.
Alex: Of course.
  “You can’t define its radiance.
  You love it irresistibly.”
That’s exactly how Daddy felt about that dumb animal.
Alex: She’s not dumb.
Cordelia: I know. I know, Alex. I know you love her as much as Daddy did. And Daddy tailored each of these clues to each one of us. I mean, our best chance at solving the poem was for us to work together.
Alex: Yeah, well, that’s a little hard to do with a dead sister.
Cordelia: [ Scoffs ]
Bane: We’re done here, right? We have all three clues. Time to cash out.
Cordelia: No. No, no, no. Not yet. If Raymond Reddington is as much of a threat as you say he is, then I need to destroy the answer to the third clue before he finds it.
[ Cordelia goes over to motionless FBI agent and retrieves his gun ]
Cordelia: Oh, and, um, you know– I’m, uh, coming around to what you said about Kendall. We just– We really can’t afford to leave any witnesses behind.
[ Cordelia points the gun at Alex ]
Alex: Cordelia. Don’t. Cordelia.
[ From outside the mansion, a shot 💥 is heard ]

 
[ In a cemetery, Cordelia is smashing the monument above her father’s grave when Red and Vesco appear ]
Cordelia: Which, uh– Which one of you is Reddington?
[ Simultaneously, pointing ]
Red and Vesco: He is.
Cordelia: [ Chuckles ] It doesn’t matter. You’re too late. I destroyed the answer to the third clue.
Red: It would appear you and the Hyena make quite a formidable pair. You know he’s still going to kill you, right? The moment you withdraw those funds.
Cordelia: I wouldn’t count on that.
⋘⋙
[ At the mansion, Ressler and Dembe have arrived. Ressler checks the FBI agent ]
Ressler: He’s still alive.
Dembe: But Bane’s not.
[ Bane is slumped against a wall, shot in the neck ]
[ Alex is in the kitchen ]
Alex: [ Whimpering ]
Dembe: Are you okay?
Alex: Yeah.
[ Ressler checks for a pulse on the second FBI guard, who lies on the kitchen floor ]
Dembe: Where’s your sister?
Alex: I-I don’t know. She– She told me to wait here until she gets back. She says we’re gonna be a family again.
⋘⋙
[ The cemetery ]
Cordelia: You, uh, figured it out, huh? The epitaph on my father’s grave. The final piece of the passcode. I mean, I knew the answer because he ordered his tomb before he died and I paid all of his bills. The final stanza said:
  “Drop to a knee and read what’s carved upon my heart.”
This inlay on his monument is made of rose quartz. It’s one of the heart chakras.
Red: Your interpretation of the clue– [ Inhales sharply ] A bit simplistic, don’t you think?
Cordelia: Why? What– What– What are you talking about?
Red: You’re conveniently neglecting the first half of the stanza.
  “Every story must reach an end.
  Such sadness that it doth impart.”
Do you know what made your father sad?
Cordelia: [ Scoffs ] My father was not a feeling man.
Red: On the contrary. One afternoon, he and I were anchored off Carriacou, sitting on the bow of his yacht, when he shared with me the key to his financial success. It was the sadness he felt over the loss of your mother. What drove him to make all that money you’re so desperate for was a desire to dull the pain deep inside. But all the riches in the world couldn’t fill the hole that your mother left in his life. She was his heart, not some silly chakra. Your mother’s body lies right here beside your father, beneath a simple grave marker, because he wasn’t a wealthy man when she passed. Ah! Look. What do you know? There’s an epitaph. The answer to your father’s clue.
Cordelia: What does it say?
[ Cordelia lunges toward the grave marker ]
[ Gun fires 💥 ]
Cordelia: Ow! You shot me in the foot!
Red: [ To Vesco ] We’ve got what we need here. You ready to go?
Vesco: Hold on. We can’t just leave her here with the final piece of the puzzle.
Red: Don’t worry. I have a cleanup crew on standby to pick up the trash.
Vesco: Oh.
Cordelia: [ Whimpers ]

 
[ Red and Vesco visit Tadashi Ito ]
Tadashi: Okay, I’ve strung together the three passcodes and entered them into the login page for Bostwick’s digital wallet.
[ Beeps🔅] [ Beeps🔅🔅🔅]
Tadashi: Ta-da! Shi.
Red: Well done, Tadashi.
Vesco: That’s a healthy balance.
Tadashi: Wait. There’s something else in his wallet. It’s an NFT. Non-fungible token. This one’s a video file.
Red: Is that what the kids call a TikTok?
Vesco: I think that’s a Chatsnap.
Red: Huh.
Tadashi: Stop. I-I’m gonna open the file. [ Key clacks ✽ ]

[ Video recording: ]
Warren Bostwick: Congratulations, girls. In solving all three clues, you’ve taken a journey into your old man’s heart. A fine cigar. A faithful pet. And the love of a good woman. Your mother. That’s what sustained me in life, even after her death. I’m sorry I wasn’t there more for you girls. It’s a great failing, and I do regret it.

[ Flashforward: ] Alex Bostwick, reunited with her dog, Diamond, is waiting on the landing at the Post Office when her sister Cordelia is brought in under guard and on crutches on the yellow elevator to be interrogated. The two sisters exchange looks.

[ Video continuing: ]
Warren Bostwick: But in earning your inheritance, you overcame your differences and pulled together, just as I knew you would. Hopefully, if this experience has taught you one thing, it’s what’s really important. The meaning of family. Enjoy your money, girls. You deserve everything you got.

 
Red: A tragic tale, no doubt.
Vesco: Hmm.
Red: But at least it brought us together, my friend.
Vesco: Yeah. I’m still waiting for that axe to fall.
Red: There is no axe, Robert. Tadashi, transfer half of Warren’s cryptocurrency into Robert’s account.
Vesco: Eh, actually, I was thinking that one-third might be more appropriate for the situation.
Red: Why, Robert, you do have a heartbeat after all.

 
[ The landing at the Post Office ]
[ The doors of the yellow elevator clang open in the distance ] [ Alex cuddles Diamond ]
[ Cellphone chimes✨] [ It’s a text from Alex’s bank announcing a digital transfer ]
[ Alex opens the link. Millions and millions of dollars are pouring into her account ]

 
[ Cooper’s house ] [ Door opens, closes; it’s late ] [ Cooper enters ]
[ Red is sitting at the kitchen table ]
[ Cork pops. Red pours two glasses on Scotch ]
Cooper: Do I need to buy a blow-up mattress?
Red: [ Chuckles ] I know you have questions, Harold, about jailbreaks and Robert Vesco, hidden fortunes. Fire away.
Cooper: Actually, no. I don’t have any questions.
[ Cooper sits at the table ]
Cooper: At this point in our relationship, after 200-some-odd Blacklisters, I’m aware of your games, and nothing you do surprises me anymore.
Red: If that’s the case, perhaps you’ll honor my request to stay away from Robert Vesco.
Cooper: Why’s that?
Red: I can’t be certain, but I may need some… help. The sort of help the task force cannot provide.
Cooper: I’ll consider the request. By the way, who walked away the winner?
Red: What’s that?
Cooper: Bostwick’s riches. You and Vesco. Who screwed over who this time?
Red: Oh, that’s all behind us, Harold. We’ve had our ups and downs, Robert and I, but he’s an old friend, and our days of betrayal are thankfully a thing of the past.
Cooper: Hmm.

 
[ An underground garage. Robert Vesco gets out of a taxi ]
Chang Wei: [ Calls out ] Robert Vesco.
Vesco: I already placed my annual order for Girl Scout cookies. Tell your story walking.
Chang Wei: I represent Mr. Wujing. He was given your information by Marvin Gerard, the late attorney for Raymond Reddington. What if I told you your arrest by the FBI last year wasn’t bad luck? It was a plan. Formulated and orchestrated by Raymond Reddington. You walked into his trap.
Vesco: Why would Reddington do that?
Chang Wei: If you want to learn more, call this number when you’re ready, and we’ll send a car. Mr. Wujing looks forward to discussing your shared interests.

 
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Episode Songs

[ No ♫ Songs for this episode ]

 
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❌❌❌ End 10:4 Hyena

🔴 Script 10:5 The Dockery Affair

 
Program air date: 3/26/2023 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-em1
EntertainmentWeekly Recap: https://tinyurl.com/2kd8aty3
 

Brief (Where we’re at): Red’s response to being pursued by Wujing (Blacklister #80) has been to “hide in plain sight,” riding the subway, sleeping in various locations (including at the Coopers’) and riding the rails between New York City and Washington DC. He’s also been taking time to hook up with an old friend, Robert Vesco (Blacklister #8), his mentor and occasional collaborator. He sprung Vesco from prison (Episode 10:3 The Four Guns) and shared an adventure involving a treasure hunt in which the two solved three riddles hidden in a poem left by multimillionaire Warren Bostwick for his triplet daughters. They recovered the fortune and split the money three ways between themselves and the single deserving daughter, Alex Bostwick.

But, fresh from that reaffirmation of their friendship, Vesco was contacted by a representative of Wujing, who informed him that he had been betrayed by Red. How much Vesco knows about Red’s relationship with the FBI is unclear, as is the degree to which he blames Red for his recent incarceration (which Dembe was more responsible than Red). Judging by the past, Vesco will play to win the advantage, but he knows that, especially now, he owes Red as well.

⭕ Script 10:5 The Dockery Affair

 
[ Three weeks ago ] [ Ominous music plays ]
[ Judge Alice Dockery is in her home study. Shelves of law volumes line the wall. A large vase of calla lilies sits on her desk. She has pulled out a file drawer and frantically searches for a file. She pulls one out one and opens it ]
Judge Alice Dockery: Okay. Ohh– Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, God.
[ She makes a phone call ]
[ Line ringing✨] [ cellphone chirps 🔅] [ A police officer in a vehicle answers ]
Detective Patrick Fleming: Hello?
Judge Dockery: Detective? It’s Judge Dockery. Do you have a minute? I just pulled into my driveway. It’s been a day. What’s up?
Judge Dockery: I need to talk to you in person right away. It’s about a case.
Detective Fleming: Which case?
Judge Dockery: Just come to my house. I’ll explain when you get here. Please hurry. I’m scared.
[ Phone clicks ✽ ]
⋘⋙
[ Detective Fleming arrives at the Judge’s home ]
Detective Fleming: Judge Dockery? Front door was open!
[ Fleming enters the study ]
Detective Fleming: Is every– Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. … Alice?
[ Judge Dockery is at her desk, slumped forward, motionless. The vase of lilies is tipped over. Her hand is inside her laptop. Carefully, the detective uses a pen to open the laptop. A single word has been typed on the screen in all caps: BRUNO ]

 
[ The present ]
[ Baby crying❗] [ Herbie Hambright is home caring for his one year old daughter, Sue. He offers her a pacifier ]
Herbie: Can I give you this?
[ The pacifier helps ] [ Crying stops ]
Herbie: [ Softly ] Yeah. There you go. There you go.
[ Knocks on door ✽ ✽ ✽ ] [ Herbie opens the door ]
Red: Heya, Herbie!
[ Herbie motions for Red to keep his voice down ]
Red: [ Softly ] Ah.
[ Red enters and hands Herbie a paper sack ]
Red: This is for later.
Herbie: Thought you were getting in later.
Red: I caught the earlier Northeast Regional.
Herbie: Oh, w-why would you take the Regional? So much needless stopping.
Red: There’s no such thing as a needless stop, Herbie. Time is the ultimate luxury, a thing to be savored, not hoarded, nor compressed, nor controlled, as if any of us can control time in the first place.
[ Harried as usual, Herbie rushes around cleaning up after Sue ]
Red: Anyway, I’m sure you didn’t invite me down here to debate the merits of public transportation – or to watch you housekeep.
Herbie: No, yeah, no. Of course. Man, I-I-I will never get used to the crushing volume of stuff required for someone so small. And why does all of it have to make noise? You know what I mean? Like, I am surrounded by pink, plastic torture devices.
Red: It can be that way with dogs, too. I know a miniature Dachshund, Larry. That little guy’s got tons of stuff.
Herbie. Oh, uh, Holly made sure you had clean sheets on the spare bed and extra towels in the bathroom.
[ Red has been mixing up living arrangements on an almost daily basis ]
Red: Ah, don’t worry about me. Where is Holly, by the way? I was hoping to catch her band. What are they called again? The Vegan-somethings. The, uh– Uh, no, the, uh– No. Meat Vegans!
Herbie: The Vitameatavegemins.
Red: Ah.
Herbie: Yeah. Post-punk klezmer. She’s got a gig in Charlotte tonight.
Red: You married the Jewish Debbie Harry. Oh, well, maybe Debbie Harry is the Jewish Debbie Harry. I wouldn’t know. But good for you, Herbie. Now, tell me why I’m here.
Herbie: Need your advice, Red. I’m not sure if you know about the murder of Judge Alice Dockery a few weeks back. She was killed shortly after presiding over the trial of the infamous mob boss Paul Bruno, now spending his golden years in federal prison. Bruno’s son, Paul Jr., was charged with the judge’s murder. His defense lawyer wants me to consult on the forensics of the case. Retribution is their theory.
Red: From what I know of Paul Sr., retribution is a dish he generally serves cold. This crime is – decidedly hot. He has nothing to gain by tasking his only son with a revenge killing.
Herbie: Yeah, I mean, I agree. But the thing is, everybody in law enforcement sees this as an open-and-shut case. They’re hungry to take down the whole Bruno family, and this is their ticket. But if I accept this job and go against the tide, defying the entire NYPD and defending the Brunos, I’m– I’m just not sure I have it in me to be the lone David going up against that particular Goliath again.
Red: Maybe you won’t have to. Give me a second.
Herbie: Yeah.
⋘⋙
[ Red calls Cooper at the Post Office ]
Cooper: [ Answering ] So you’re in town?
Red: A quick in-and-out, Harold. Just visiting a friend.
Cooper: Does that friend have anything to do with our Wujing predicament? Because I’ve been thinking we should—
Red: I’ve got Wujing covered for now, Harold. This has to do with something else. The Judge Dockery murder in New York?
Cooper: I know the one. Bruno’s son took her out after she sentenced his father to life. From what I hear, they’ve got him dead to rights.
Red: In my experience, things that are that obvious are often obvious for a reason.
Cooper: Are you saying the NYPD got it wrong?
Red: [ Chuckles ] Y-You remember Herbie Hambright, my associate, the forensics whiz who came to your aid before? He’s been approached by Bruno’s defense team. And from what he’s seen so far, he’s not inclined to believe Junior’s the culprit either.
Cooper: And you’re inclined to believe Herbie?
Red: I am.
Cooper: We’ll look into it. Judge Dockery was a venerated legal mind. All of law enforcement owes it to her to get this right.

 
[ Cooper confers with Donald Ressler and Siya Malik in the war room ]
Ressler: We’re wasting time on a cut-and-dried case because of a Reddington hunch about his pal, a convicted mob boss?
Cooper: Reddington doesn’t have a dog in this fight. Herbie, the guy who helped us run down that fingerprint from the Secret Service case, brought it to Reddington’s attention. Herbie believes the case isn’t as cut and dried as everybody seems to think.
Ressler: Look, everyone knows that this was just payback on the one judge who finally had the stones to put away the legendary Paul Bruno Sr.
Cooper: That may be, but when the stakes are this high is precisely when details tend to get overlooked. Let’s take a quick peek under the hood of the case. If the facts support Junior as the perpetrator, no harm done.
Siya: Well, the lead detective on the Bruno case, Patrick Fleming, also found the judge murdered at the scene.
Cooper: Let’s start there. Have him walk us through the investigation.

 
[ Siya and Ressler talk to Detective Patrick Fleming ]
Detective Fleming: The letters B-R-U-N-O were typed out on the keyboard. Her bloody fingerprints on the keys. I don’t know how the FBI does it, but where I come from, that’s what we call irrefutable evidence.
Siya: Yeah, well, we’re just curious.
Fleming: What? You think I’m not? Alice was my friend. I’m starting to wonder if I should take offense to what you two seem to be suggesting.
Ressler: Nobody’s suggesting anything here, all right?
Fleming: Look, Judge called me that night, told me to come over quick, that she just learned something about a case. She was terrified. I never heard her like that. Paul Bruno Jr. had been tailing and intimidating her for months throughout his dad’s entire trial. We have video evidence of Junior parked outside her house, her office, her gym. The guy’s a hothead. That’s obviously what she was spooked about.
Siya: Would you mind if we take a look at your case files?
Fleming: Knock yourself out. You’ll just come to the same conclusion we did.

 
[ Robert Vesco enters a room to meet with Red’s enemy Wujing. Vesco is accompanied by Wujing’s security man, Zhang Wei ]
Vesco: Usually when somebody appears and says they’re taking me to their boss, I assume it’s someone I screwed over. But I’m relieved to say I have absolutely no idea who the hell you are.
Wujing: [ Chuckles ] I am Wujing. I’ve long been a fan of the legend that is Robert Vesco. A man of great escapes and even greater mystery. I myself recently broke out of prison, and I imagine there’s a lot I could learn from you.
Vesco: Well, if you summoned me here to give you a master class on life on the lam, you got the wrong guy. Like they say, those who can’t do, teach. So if you don’t mind, maybe we could put the hood back on and you guys can drop me off someplace I can get a bite to eat.
Wujing: Are you aware of Raymond Reddington’s association with the FBI?
Vesco: First off, it’s none of your business what I’m aware of. And, secondly, any criminal worth their salt cultivates relationships with certain – amenable authorities. Raymond Reddington has the deepest pockets in Christendom and the biggest reach. Of course, he greases the wheels.
Wujing: [ Chuckles ] Oh. Reddington’s doing much more than that. I would say it’s less a “friends with benefits” arrangement than a long-term relationship that your pal has gotten himself into with the U.S. government.
Vesco: Have you heard the name Elizabeth Keen? Hm? Of course, Reddington’s well-connected with the FBI. Hell, his former bodyman, Dembe Zuma, is working for them now, with a shiny gold badge and everything! [ Chuckles ] Mmm. Call me when you have an actual revelation.
Vesco: The FBI has a top secret Task Force sanctioned at the highest levels of government whose sole focus is to bring down criminals like us with the personal help of Raymond Reddington. In fact, that very team was behind your last arrest.
Vesco: And you got this information how?
Wujing: From Reddington’s own attorney, Marvin Gerard, now deceased, as you know – also thanks to Reddington. I suppose you should consider yourself lucky that he only sent you back to prison.
Vesco: Hm.
Wujing: Reddington is working with the FBI, using all of us, including you, as collateral he trades on, chits to play for his, and only his, gain. Ask yourself how he’s always wriggled out of every net.
Vesco: And why are you telling me this now?
Wujing; Because I’m assembling a team of talented and motivated individuals whom, like yourself, Reddington has betrayed. A man like you would be a true asset to the cause, one I think you will find very rewarding.

 
[ The war room at the Post Office ]
Cooper: I wanted to let you know Agent Zuma’s not coming in today, so the two of you will be on your own.
Ressler: Is he okay?
Cooper: I sent him home early yesterday, and he’s still not feeling great this morning. Where are we on the Dockery case?
Siya: Herbie might have had a point about the detectives rushing to judgment, but we can’t yet determine whether any mistakes were made in the investigation. On its face, the evidence against Bruno Jr. looks pretty solid.
Cooper: Maybe someone who appeared in her courtroom wanted to settle a score. What about the leads that weren’t investigated? Ressler, request files for all the cases that the Judge has presided over the last couple of years. And, Agent Malik, Reddington said that Herbie submitted requests for discovery in the Judge’s murder case, but there’s a backlog. That, or it’s being slow-walked to him.
Siya: I’ll make sure we get everything to Herbie ASAP.
Cooper: Good. Reddington seems to think that Herbie might be able to see things others don’t. On that note, let’s play the particulars of our relationship with Reddington close to the vest.

 
[ Herbie’s apartment ]
[ Rhythmic knocking ✽-✽ ✽ ✽-✽ ]
Herbie: Okay, okay.
[ Door creaks ] [ Herbie opens the door, bouncing baby Sue ]
Herbie: [ To Sue, whispering ] Okay.
Siya: Uh– I’m supposed to be dropping some things for an associate of an associate of mine. D– Are you Herbie?
Herbie: Uh, yeah. Yeah, I believe that I’m – the associate – of your – associate. But, um–
Siya: Cute baby.
Herbie: Oh, thank you. Thanks. Yeah. She’s been a howler monkey from hell this morning. Yeah, every morning. You have kids?
Siya: No.
Herbie: Uh, yeah. Sorry. Forgive me. Come on in. Come in.
[ Siya enters ]
Siya: So – how old is she?
Herbie: Ah, she’s almost one. [ To Sue: ] Whee! [ Closes door ]
[ Red steps out ]
Red: Herbie, the water pressure in that shower could strip the hide from an elephant. [ Sees Siya ] Oh, good. You’ve met Siya. Siya, this is Herbie.
Herbie: So the F-B-freaking-I?
Red: Oh, Siya’s just a good friend. She has quite an in with the Bureau. So, Herbie, are these materials gonna work for you?
Herbie: Um. Here.
[ Herbie offers Sue to Siya to hold ]
Siya: [ Nervously ] I-I’m good.
Red: Here.
[ Red holds out his arms ]
Red: Okay. Here you go.
[ Red takes Sue ]
Red: Ah. Yes.
Herbie: Thank you.
[ Red gives Sue a kiss on the cheek ]
Herbie: Okay. Uh, w-what? This is literally everything I’ve been asking for. How did you get your hands on this so fast?
Siya: Fast hands, I guess.
Red: Thank you for stopping by, Siya. Tell the boss hello for me.
[ Another kiss for Sue ]
Siya: Will do.
[ Door opens ]
Red: Okay. Well, have at it, Herbie.
[ Door closes ]
Red: I’ve got a 10 a.m. train back to Penn Station.
Herbie: Okeydokey. I’ll see you later.
Red: Perhaps I could leave this [ Sue ] with you.
Herbie: Ooh. No. I was thinking you’d just take that back to New York.
Red: Okay.
[ Turns toward door ]
Herbie: No, no, no. No, no. I got her. I got her. I got her. I got her.
[ Red hands off Sue to Herbie ]
Herbie: [ To Sue ] Come here.

 
[ Interrogation room. Ressler talks to an Ex-con ]
Ex-con: I despise that judge. There wasn’t a day I didn’t sit in my cell fantasizing about all the ways I could get to her as soon as I got out.
Ressler: And it just so happens that you were released the week she was killed.
Ex-con: Yeah. It’s called good behavior. I went straight to Vegas to marry my girl. Here.
[ Shows some photos on his phone ]
Ex-con: Ain’t she pretty? [ Sighs ] Those are time- and date-stamped, by the way. I got a marriage certificate, an invoice from the Flamingo. We got up to a, uh, lot of marital business in that hotel room, I can promise you that.
Ressler: We’re gonna need to see hard copies of – all of this.
Ex-con: Yeah, I bet you will.
⋘⋙
[ In a different interrogation room, Siya interviews Anton Johnston ]
Anton Johnston: Judge Dockery gave me my life back, bravely defying those who wished to see me punished for a crime I didn’t commit. She offered me a fair trial in what can be a very unfair world. I was devastated by the news of her death. I was hoping to work with her more in the future.
Siya: Right. You, um, intersected with Judge Dockery after you were acquitted?
Anton Johnston: I launched a legal justice foundation after my acquittal and asked Judge Dockery to join the board.
Siya: Did she accept your offer?
Anton: She couldn’t, for professional ethics reasons. She was a brilliant legal mind. It really is such a profound tragedy.
⋘⋙
[ Ressler next interviews a Trophy Wife ]
Ressler: You lost everything when your husband got locked up. Houses, cars, country-club memberships. Now, who’s to blame for that?
Trophy Wife: Him. My husband’s to blame, the moron. He did the insider trading. And I thought he was watching pοrn all those nights in his office. Turns out he was being naughty in a much less interesting way.
Ressler: [ Clears throat ] Where were you on the 8th?
Trophy Wife: A charity gala. It was a pity invite from my friend Talia. She keeps saying I should get back out there, but how can I trust a man ever again? Call Talia. She’ll tell you I was with her. I was crying in the Atherton Club ladies’ room like it was prom night or something.
⋘⋙
[ Siya next interviews a Dentist ]
Siya: And did you blame the judge for the loss of your dental practice after the malpractice conviction?
Dentist: [ Chuckles ] Yeah, but, honestly, I’m glad I got stopped. At first, it was a little defrauding the insurers on a bill or two, but it spun out of control. Unnecessary fillings. Root canals. I couldn’t stop myself. Getting convicted in Judge Dockery’s court changed my path for the better. I’m on a more – authentic journey now.
Siya: And on the 8th?
Dentist: Oh, I-I was at an ayahuasca ceremony led by native Shipibo healers. An intention reset. Highly recommend.
Siya: Right.

 
[ Siya knocks on Ressler’s door ✽✽ ]
Siya: Hey.
Ressler: That was a bust. What is that now – 11 interviews? Nobody seems to have had it in for the Judge or even been in the area that night.
Siya: Right now it feels like this case is exactly as it appears to be.
Ressler: Occam’s razor.
Siya: The Judge led us directly to her killer, Bruno Jr.
[ Siya’s cellphone buzzes «»»»» ]
Siya: [ Answering ] Hello.
Herbie: Siya. Hey, it’s Herbie. Um, you said to call if I needed anything.
Siya: Yeah, of course. What is it?
Herbie: I just made my way through the files. There is something you gotta see.
Siya: Be right there.

 
[ Herbie’s apartment ] [ Rhythmic knocking ✽-✽✽-✽ ] [ Herbie lets Siya in ]
Herbie: [ Softly ] Shh. I finally got her asleep. Judge Dockery couldn’t have typed “Bruno” on her laptop.
Siya: What?
Herbie: [ Whispering ] I said the Judge couldn’t have typed the name “Bruno” because her spinal cord was severed.
Siya: [ Mishearing ] “A cold from severe weather”?
Herbie: Her spinal cord was severed. The cause of death was strangulation, and, of course, spinal-cord transection from a stab wound is fairly rare, so no one would have paid much attention to that injury. But after getting stabbed, Dockery couldn’t have moved a finger, much less her whole body. She would have been paralyzed instantly.
Siya: I’m still having trouble hearing you.
Herbie: [ Loudly ] So the Judge would have been paralyzed!
Siya: [ Laughs ]
Herbie: Oh. Ha, ha, ha. Oh, that’s very funny. Very–
[ Baby crying❗]
Herbie: Oh, God. Oh, I can’t wait till Mommy gets back to deal with her demon spawn. Right, cutie? Yes. Okay. Daddy’s here. All right. Okay.
[ Siya makes a call ] [ Line ringing ✨]
Cooper: [ Answers on speakerphone ] Cooper.
Siya: Hi. It’s me. Herbie was right to be skeptical. Turns out Judge Dockery couldn’t have typed her killer’s name. It would have been medically impossible.
[ Sue cries❗in background ]
Ressler: So someone intentionally put Junior in the frame for the killing.
Cooper: 10-4, Siya. Let’s arrange a prison visit with Bruno Sr., see if he has any idea who that somebody might be.

 
[ A federal prison ] [ Paul Bruno, Sr is brought in wearing handcuffs ]
Paul Bruno, Sr: Ohh. Look. It’s the Feds. This must be my birthday.
Ressler: Easy. I come in peace. Here to talk about your son.
Bruno, Sr: Oh, my son? The son you got locked up for no good reason.
Ressler: Oh, like killing the judge who finally put you away for good?
Bruno, Sr: Junior didn’t kill nobody. Not that you stronzi care about the truth.
Ressler: Hmm, well, that’s where you’re wrong. We think your son might have been framed.
Bruno, Sr: Oh, you don’t say. Gonna try to convince me the Pope’s Catholic next? This is what I’ve been telling these people since they picked up my boy. He’s innocent!
Ressler: Then tell me. Who would have wanted to set him up for this murder?
Bruno, Sr: I’ve been trying to figure it out myself. Because once I do–
Ressler: What about your rivals?
Bruno, Sr: I made peace with the Decanios and Tortorellas before I went in.
Ressler: So nobody but your son had motive?
Bruno, Sr: Look, if we were gonna whack the Judge, don’t you’d think we would have done it before she sent us up the river? Sure, we kept eyes on her, but only because people make mistakes. A lady like her makes a mistake – Scores some blow, kicks a puppy in the belly – [ chuckles ] Whatever. And maybe we got ourselves grounds for a mistrial.
Ressler: Did she make a mistake?
Bruno, Sr: I don’t know about that. She definitely had secrets.
Ressler: Such as? Look, if your son didn’t do this, I need to be able to prove it.
Bruno, Sr: The Judge had a lover. She was real wrapped up when she died. My son and his crew said they saw her go into the Sussex Hotel a couple of times a week. Come out later with a smile on her face. Wasn’t because of the lunch special, if you catch my drift.

 
[ Indistinct conversations ] [ Radio chatter ]
[ Ressler is with an evidence team working at Judge Dockery’s home. Detective Patrick Fleming shows up ]
Detective Fleming: We processed this scene already – thoroughly! Don’t you guys have anything better to do with your time than undermine me and my team? Catch some criminals maybe?
Ressler: Look, we’re on the same side here, buddy.
Fleming: Right, “buddy”– The side that has Bruno Jr. In jail awaiting trial for the murder he committed.
Siya: We believe Judge Dockery may have been in a relationship at the time of her death.
Fleming: Nope. We worked that angle. There was no relationship. Did you actually find any evidence?
Siya: Not yet.
Fleming: That’s because if there was anything, we’d have found it.
Female Agent: Ressler, I think you should see this.
Ressler: I guess you didn’t find that. Tell me those are personal letters.
Female Agent: Unfortunately, no. Seems like standard work-related correspondence and financial documents. Except for this.
Siya: [ Reading ] “You’re going to pay for what you allowed to happen in your courtroom, letting a murderer walk free while our Emma, with all that promise, is all but forgotten. Her disappearance will not go unanswered, nor will your part in it. I will not rest until you get what you deserve. Watch yourself.” So, not a love letter, then?
Ressler: He sounds like an angry guy. Signed by a Frederick Moody. Just a couple weeks before the Judge was killed.
Siya: Emma Moody. That was one of the Judge’s cases we looked at. I spoke to the accused myself, Anton Johnston. He was exonerated and started a legal fund. Maybe Moody was overwhelmed with grief and decided it was time to punish somebody.
Detective Fleming: I worked with Judge Dockery a lot. She got threats all the time. Par for the course. I doubt that means anything.
Ressler: Either way, we’re gonna pay Mr. Moody a visit.

 
[ At the New York City Public Bath where Red has been staying on-and-off, he is on the phone ]
Red: [ On phone ] Like I said, I don’t care what it costs.
Robert Vesco: [ Calling out ] Raymond! Where are you?
Red: [ To Vesco ] I’m in here! [ To person on phone ] We need that equipment to finish construction on schedule. No more delays. Am I making myself clear? Good. Thank you. [ To Vesco ] I was just headed out.
Vesco: Uh, we need to talk.
Red: Okay.
Vesco: I had a meeting with a man who calls himself Wujing.
Red: And?
Vesco: And he had some curious things to say about you.
Red: Most people do.
Vesco: He said you were working with the Feds. No. Wait. It sounded more like– you were working for the Feds, that you were hand-delivering our colleagues to them like cheese puffs on a silver platter – and that I was one of those puffs and that you had had me hand-delivered to prison.
Red: And what did you have to say to that?
Vesco: Well, I told him I didn’t buy it. But he seemed pretty convinced. So convinced, in fact, that he’s spending every waking moment searching for evidence of your supposed arrangement with the government. And when he has it, he will come for you with the gleeful assistance of all the criminals you’ve served up to the FBI over the years. That’s crazy, right?
Red: Hm. Please.
[ Red motions to Vesco to sit down ]

 
[ Siya and Ressler sit at the kitchen table of Frederick and Janice Moody, the parents of Emma Moody. Anton Johnston, who was interviewed by Siya, was acquitted of Emma’s murder with Judge Dockery presiding ]
Frederick Moody: Yep. I sent that letter. So what?
Ressler: You wrote that Judge Dockery was going to pay for what she did.
Janice Moody: He didn’t mean it like that. He was just blowing off steam.
Frederick: You ever lose someone, Agent?
Siya: You threatened a judge.
Frederick: Judge Dockery didn’t care about justice. She let that spoiled rich monster who took our daughter walk.
Siya: You’re referring to Anton Johnston?
Frederick: Emma’s hair and DNA were found in his car. He claimed he just gave her a ride to meet a friend at a bar, but we know he was lying.
Janice: Because Emma never showed up at that bar. Because he did something to her.
Siya: In his testimony, Mr. Johnston didn’t deny that your daughter was in his car. They had offices in the same building, and he offered Emma a ride so she didn’t have to walk in a downpour.
Ressler: All of which can be confirmed by a text she sent to her friend.
Frederick: So where is she then? [ Scoffs ] You’re just like every other tool of the injustice system. “Reasonable doubt.” Ha! What about common sense? She was in his car and now she’s gone! It’s no wonder people feel they’re better off taking things into their own hands.
Siya: Is that what you did, Mr. Moody?
Ressler: Where were you the night the Judge Dockery was murdered?
Janice: He was with me.
Ressler: Can anyone else verify that?
Janice: [ Sighs ] I wore this necklace throughout the trial. Emma had an identical one. It was our thing. A little joke between us. We bought them at a street fair. Emma always said I should have gotten my own name, but there wasn’t a “Janice” necklace on the rack, so I picked her name. Just like I did when she was a baby. [ Crying ] Oh, God. My baby.
[ Frederick puts his arm around his wife ]
Frederick: You both happy now?
[ On a sideboard there is a photo of the bloom of a calla lily ]
Ressler: I’m sorry. Where did you get that flower from?
Janice: It’s from a bouquet I found on the nightstand in Emma’s apartment after she disappeared. It reminds me of when she wasn’t missing. When she was full of life, had a huge career ahead of her. She wanted to be a public defender.
[ Ressler picks up the framed photo ]
Janice: It’s ironic, isn’t it? She believed in the power of the law to change people’s lives.
[ Siya walks over and looks at the photo ]
Siya: Weren’t flowers similar to this found at the Judge’s murder scene?
Ressler: Mr. Moody, don’t leave town. In the meantime, though, we’re gonna need to borrow this.

 
[ The war room at the Post Office ]
Siya: These are definitely calla lilies. This one looks the same, but I’m not absolutely sure. Why don’t we ask Herbie to examine it? He seems to have a wide range of forensic expertise.
Cooper: Give him a call.
Siya: [ On phone ] Hello, Herbie. This is Siya.
[ Herbie is wearing a headband and doing specialized exercises ]
Herbie: [ Loudly ] Hey! Siya. This is Herbie.
Siya: I know. I just said, “Hello, Herbie.” Hold on. I’m putting you on speaker so the rest of the team can join.
Herbie: Team? What team?
Cooper: Hello, Herbie. This is Harold. I’m an associate of Siya’s. We’re here with another member of our team, Donald.
Herbie: Wow. You guys are all working the Dockery case?
Cooper: We are.
Herbie: Cool. Wow.
Cooper: Thank you for that analysis of Judge Dockery’s injuries. There have been some other developments in the case we’d like your expertise on if possible.
Herbie: Yeah, sure thing. Um, I’m headed out to practice right now. Finally getting a little break from the kid. A little foosball.
Ressler: I’m– [ Chuckles ] I’m sorry. Uh, foosball? It’s something you need to practice?
Herbie: When you’re preparing for a tournament, you do.
Ressler: So there’s foosball tournaments, huh?
Herbie: Yes, it’s not just fraternity parties and sports bars. You know what? I’m getting a little tired of the constant dismissal of the sport, quite frankly.
Siya: I’d imagine you are.
Cooper: Anyway, Herbie, we’ve zeroed in on a case Judge Dockery was presiding over a few months before she was killed – The disappearance and presumed murder of Emma Moody. Emma’s father, Frederick Moody, threatened the Judge for letting the defendant, Anton Johnston, go free. Moody’s alibi isn’t rock-solid, but, more importantly, we found a flower in his daughter’s possession that she had right before she disappeared. And this flower looks very much like those that we found at the Dockery murder scene. Do you think you can confirm that they’re the same?
Herbie: Can you send me a photo of the new flower?
Siya: Okay. Photo on the way.
Cooper: When we spoke with Anton Johnston, did he mention any threats after the acquittal? Maybe Moody also tried to intimidate him.
Siya: He didn’t mention it. Johnston credited the Judge with giving him his life back after being wrongly accused. They crossed paths at a charity event after the trial. He seemed genuinely dismayed by her murder, offered to help in any way he could.
Cooper: Let’s take him up on that offer.
Herbie: Hey, these are definitely the same species of lily as the ones from the crime scene. But there’s more than that. They’re – weird. Siya, did you take that photograph using a filter?
Siya: No. Why?
Herbie: I mean, obviously, you can get calla lilies from most grocery stores or florists, but these have, like, a unique shimmer. It’s like they were sprayed with something or some chemical process interfered with their development, which that would be super unusual. And I– I need to run some tests to be sure, but they definitely seem to come from the same source. Can I physically examine the lily from the Moodys? Not right now, of course.
Ressler: Oh. Because of foosball.
Herbie: Victory never sleeps.
Siya: We’ll have the specimen ready for you after your return.
[ Call ends ]
Ressler: [ Sighs ] A forensics nerd who plays competitive foosball.
Siya: Who also happens to be happily married to a super-hot punk-rock singer.
Ressler: [ Chuckles ] Well, that confirms it. I’m definitely doing it wrong.
Cooper: How about you two drop that flower sample off at Herbie’s on your way to Anton Johnston’s residence? Maybe Moody also sent him some poison-pen letters.

 
[ Anton Johnston’s mansion ] [ A beautiful young woman named Paige is being shown around by Anton ]
Paige: Wow! [ Chuckles ] What a gorgeous piece of property you have here! Again, I’m so sorry my meeting went long and we had to sit in traffic, but I am certain I will find a way to make it up to you later. [ She kisses him lightly on the cheek ][ Chuckles ]
Anton: I don’t care how we spend the time as long as it’s together.
Paige: [ Gasps ] Oh, this is gorgeous.
⋘⋙
[ A short while later ]
Paige: [ Gasps ] Ohh. This place really is magnificent.
Anton: Thank you. It was my father’s. I spent my formative years at a boarding school in New Hampshire, so I’ve only recently become reacquainted with the property since my inheritance of it.
Paige: Is it strange to be back here as an adult?
Anton: It’s what my father would have wanted.
Paige: And what about your mother?
Anton: Passed away, as well.
Paige: Oh. I’m sorry.
Anton: Don’t be. She was rarely in the picture. Very much a career type.
[ Both chuckle nervously ]
Anton: Uh, what I mean is she put her job first. My mother was a true workaholic. It’s what led to her untimely death, I’m certain of it.
[ Anton removes the cork from a bottle of whiskey, sniffs it, pours the liquid into tumblers ]
Anton: I’m just grateful you managed to get some time off to be with me now.
Paige: Mm–
Anton: A toast.
Paige: [ Chuckles ]
Anton: To – stolen moments.
[ Glasses click ] [ They kiss ]
Both: Mm– Mmm–
[ Both chuckle ]
Both: Mmm.
[ Paige tastes the liquor ]
Paige: Mmm. Waxed leather. Musk.
Anton: Hm?
Paige: [ Giggles ] Mushrooms. Perhaps a note of blue cheese?
Anton: I like a woman who doesn’t mind a little decay in her single malt.
Paige: This is old. Very old.
Anton: Seventy-five years. It’s Macdonell.
Paige: Ohh! [ Laughs ] I never thought I would have the opportunity to try some. What, at a paltry $30,000 a bottle?
Anton: Mm. To thrill you, so it’s worth every penny.
Paige: [ Sighs ] What a beautiful garden. Do you have help with– Do you have–
[ Anton takes the glass from her and places it on the bar as she passes out into his arms. He scoops up her unconscious body and carries her into the bedroom, placing her on the bed ]
[ Doorbell rings✨]

 
[ Anton answers the door. It’s Ressler and Siya ]
Anton: Oh. What a surprise. Nice to see you again. Agent – Malik. I believe it was? And, uh?
Ressler: Agent Ressler. You mind if we come in?
Anton: Now’s not a great time, to be honest.
Siya: We only need a few minutes.
[ Doors close ]
⋘⋙
[ When they get to the bar, Siya notices the unfinished drinks ]
Siya: Somebody here with you?
Anton: N-No, no. Those are from last night. I’ve neglected to tidy up. Forgive me. So– how can I be of service?
Siya: Some new evidence has come to light regarding the murder of Judge Dockery.
Anton: About the Bruno son?
Ressler: We’d actually like to ask you about the father of Emma Moody.
Anton: Ah. Frederick Moody. Terrifying individual. I-I feel for him, of course, but–
Siya: You two crossed paths?
Anton: More than cross. It may not be noted in trial coverage, but Moody savagely attacked me after the not-guilty verdict. Took three bailiffs to pull him off. He seemed to have a serious problem controlling his rage.
Siya: Has he threatened you since the trial?
Anton: I think there were one or two angry letters. I just ignored them. Wait. Do we think he killed Ali?
Siya: I didn’t realize you were on such intimate terms with Judge Dockery.
Anton: Uh, w-what do you mean?
Siya: “Ali”? Nicknames are usually reserved for people in one’s inner circle. How close exactly were the two of you?
[ Ressler looks out the glass panels to the outside and sees a lawn bordered by rows of calla lilies. He heads outside ]
Anton: Hey, hey! Where’s– Where are you going?
Siya: How close were you and Judge Dockery?
Anton: Okay. Fine. [ Sighs ] For a brief time, Ali and I were – romantically involved.
Siya: Why didn’t you tell me this before?
Anton: I kept quiet about it after her death because she– She would have hated anyone finding out. It would cast a salacious pall over what was a storied judgeship. A judge and a former defendant? Protecting her reputation was the least I could do after all she had done for me.
[ Woman groans ] [ Thud ]
Siya: I thought you said you were alone.
Anton: [ Chuckles nervously ]
Siya: Go. Let’s go.

 
[ Ressler’s line ringing 🔆🔆]
Ressler: [ Answers ] Agent Ressler.
Herbie: Hey. It’s Herbie. Siya wasn’t picking up, so I asked Red if I could get your number.
Ressler: Not a good time, Herbie.
Herbie: Wait. I-I have information on your flowers. The shimmer. It’s unique because the nitrogen content is off the charts. Nitrogen alters leaf reflectance and color, so much so that you could spot it from above a tree canopy if you had a drone or if you had–
Ressler: Still not a good ti–
Herbie: The really important part is that nitrogen content that high can only come from one source. One probable source anyway. If the field tests in the Amazon are correct – and I have no reason to believe they aren’t–
Ressler: Cut to the chase!
Herbie: Decomposing bodies.
Ressler: W-What?
Herbie: Vegetation with this unique iridescence is grown on or near remains – Human remains.

 
[ Anton and Siya enter the bedroom ]
Anton: This, uh– It’s not what it looks like.
[ Paige breathing sharply ]
Siya: [ To Paige ] Hey. Hey, hey, hey. Are you okay? [ To Anton ] Back against the wall!
[ Siya holds her gun with one hand but reaches to check Paige with the other ]
Siya: Hey– You’re okay.
[ Anton jumps Siya ] [ Siya grunting ] [ He tries to choke her, but she elbows him; he breaks away and runs ]
Siya: Ressler!
⋘⋙
[ Anton runs downstairs toward the door. Ressler steps out, pointing his gun ]
Ressler: Not another step.

 
[ An interrogation room ]
Siya: We’re digging up the plot under that flower garden of yours. Three women’s bodies so far. Emma Moody, a television executive who went missing eight months ago, and another body that appears to be that of your mother.
Anton Johnston: She was overseas frequently, and my father wasn’t exactly the “throw the ball around the yard” type, so she decided to send me away to boarding school, which left him alone, abandoned, spiraling into depression until he eventually took his own life.
Ressler: And you blamed your mother for that, didn’t you?
Anton: “Mother”? She doesn’t merit the honorific. She only ever cared about herself. She didn’t even come home when my father passed. She had – “business” in England. Business that was tall and dark and handsome.
Siya: Is that why you killed her? Buried her body on the property?
Anton: Decomposing in that garden was the only time that woman ever nurtured anything.
Ressler: But killing your mother, it didn’t stop your pain or your anger.
Siya: So you began to target other women who reminded you of her, women you courted with the very flowers you grew in your morbid little death plot. Women like Emma Moody.
Ressler: And Judge Dockery.
Anton: No! No. Ali was different.
Ressler: Different how?
Anton: Ali was the first woman who ever saw me for who I am and loved me unconditionally, the polar opposite of my mother. She– She was my c-cure, my salvation. She– She was my person.
Siya: And yet– you murdered her.
Anton: I had no choice.

[ Flashback: ]
[ Anton Johnston is in bed with Judge Alice Dockery ]
Anton: I’m gonna rinse off and then I’m going to make you the best shrimp scampi you have ever had.
Alice Dockery: [ Laughs ]
[ Kiss ]
Anton: I love you.
Dockery: Mm. I love you.
[ Kiss ]
Dockery: Hm.
Anton: [ Chuckles ]
[ Anton gets up ]
Anton: Ahh– [ Looks back at her ] [ Chuckles ]
[ Anton leaves ]
[ Judge Dockerty’s cellphone buzzes «»» beep🔅]
Dockery: [ On phone ] This better be important. I’m–
[ Shower heard running in distance ]
Dockery: Oh. It got moved up to tomorrow? Okay. Yeah. Hold on. I just want to write this down. Yeah, okay. I’m just– I’m looking for a pen.
[ Dockery can’t find a pen. She opens the drawer of the nightstand and reaches inside, but instead of finding a pen, she finds a necklace with a nameplate that says “Emma” ~ just like the one that Janice Moody said she wore that matched her daughter’s ]
⋘⋙
[ Anton returns to the bedroom from his shower ]
Anton: I was thinking we could open the Montrachet Grand Cru. Ali? Where’d you go?
[ Anton walks over to the open drawer of the nightstand and sees the “Emma” necklace lying inside and realizes Dockery must have seen it ]
⋘⋙
[ Back in her study, Dockery looks frantically for the file about the Emma Moody murder; she finds it and opens it. She sees a photo of Emma wearing the same very necklace ]
Judge Dockery: Oh, no. [ Gasps ] Oh, no.

Anton: At that point, there was nothing I could say.

[ Dockery turns around in her study to see Anton ]
Dockery: [ Gasps ] Stay away from me! Don’t come any closer! You were in a relationship with Emma Moody! What did you do to that poor girl?
[ Anton grabs Dockery by the neck, choking her, and then lifts and plunges a knife into the back of her neck ] [ Dockery falls to the floor ]

Anton: Even at the end – I could see it in her eyes. She still loved me.

[ Dockery lies on the floor, her blank eyes staring ]

Anton: [ Sadly ] But once you lose trust in a relationship – you can never get it back.

[ Anton lifts Dockery’s hand and presses her finger to type “BRUNO” on her laptop ]

 
[ Cooper’s office ] [ Knock on door ✽ ✽ ]
Ressler: Agent Malik is transferring Johnston to be arraigned now.
Cooper: Good work on this one.
Ressler: Herbie, too. Without his help, we may never have found all those bodies that Johnston creep buried in his garden.
Cooper: Reddington was right about Herbie’s forensic know-how.
Ressler: He’s a weird guy, but he’s good at what he does. Now, speaking of Reddington, we still don’t know why the Freelancer was broken out of prison. And Wujing – what’s up with him? He’s a seriously bad guy, and he’s still out there, by the way.
Cooper: Reddington says he’s got something brewing. So, for now, we take him at his word.
Ressler: It’s not his word I’m worried about.

 
[ Vesco meets again with Wujing ]
Vesco: All right. I confronted Reddington with the information you shared with me. And do you know what that snake weasel reprobate did? Instead of denying it, he actually confessed. He has been working with the Feds for years. Just like you said. A secret task force just for him. Hm. It’s even named after him, that preening egomaniac. Ahh – When I pressed him for the truth, the floodgates flew open. He’s sitting there, calm as Kool-Aid, saying, “Robert, my dear friend, certainly you understand.” Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I said, “No, I don’t.” Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. “No, I don’t understand at all.” [ Sighs ] And to think – I trusted that man with my life. Well, fool me once–
Wujing: [ Leaning forward ] Betrayal is a sin that shouldn’t go unpunished. Don’t you agree?
Vesco: As much as it pains me to say it, yes. But it doesn’t pain me. It doesn’t pain me at all! When do we start?

 
⬆ go to start of 10:5 The Dockery Affair
⏫ go to top
 
 

Episode Songs

[ No ♫ Songs for this episode ]

 
⬆ go to start of 10:5 The Dockery Affair
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❌❌❌ End 10:5 Dockery Affair

🔴 Script 10:6 Dr Laken Perillos, Part 2 (№ 70)

 
Program air date: 4/2/2023 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-enb
EntertainmentWeekly Recap: https://tinyurl.com/3zbhe6w8
 

Brief (Where we’re at): Red’s former mentor and friend, Robert Vesco (Blacklister #8), has been approached by Wujing (Blacklister #84) who escaped from prison with help from Red’s former lawyer, Marvin Gerard (Blacklister #80). After being compelled to commit suicide or face Red’s wrath over Marvin’s masterminding the murder of Elizabeth Keen, Marvin orchestrated a final act of revenge. He told Wujing that Red was working with the FBI, and gave him a list of Blacklisters Red had betrayed. Wujing told Vesco this, assuming Vesco would want to join the effort to bring down Red. After confronting Red with Wujing’s accusations, Vesvo returned to Wujing to tell him he was ‘all in’ in his plot to take revenge on Red.

⭕ Script 10:6 Dr Laken Perillos (№ 70)

 
[ An infirmary in a women’s penitentiary ]
[ Dr Laken Perillos (Blacklister #70), who is an inmate, is kneading the back of a female inmate named Rutherford. Perillos’ birth name is Kayla Banks ]
Rutherford: [ Moaning ] That’s it. That’s it! [ Loudly ] Oh! Oh!
Dr Laken Perillos: Easy, Rutherford. Just breathe through it.
Rutherford: Oh, I haven’t screamed like that since they let my Betty out back in ’04. You some kind of witch or something, Banks?
Dr Perillos: No, but I’ve been called much worse.
Rutherford: Oh. [ Chuckles ]
Dr Perillos: What you really need is an updated pain management regimen. When’s the next time you’ll see your oncologist?
Rutherford: Couple of months? You know how hard it is to get out here and see a doctor. I’ll give you three fried wraps if you do me again tomorrow. [ Laughs ]
Warden: Patient charts are off-limits to other inmates, Banks.
Dr Perillos: I’m a doctor.
Warden: Not anymore. And I won’t warn you again.
Dr Perillos: You wouldn’t have to if these women had decent access to care. If the prison invested in just three mobile telehealth portals, these women could meet with doctors when their conditions are still manageable. The technology allows for X-rays, family history, all with the push of a button, and without any of my former colleagues having to step foot in the scary, scary prison.
Warden: I’ve read your proposals, inmate. Report to the loading bay in B wing.
Dr Perillos: I have more to do here.
Warden: Well, that’s too bad, ’cause it’s your lucky day. Some nonprofit came through with the funding for the machines. Seeing as you were so enthusiastic about the project, I assigned you to run them. They’re being delivered now. I think the words you’re looking for are “thank you.”

 
[ The loading bay ] [ Buzzer, door opens ]
[ Techs have unloaded the mobile telehealth portals ]
Tech: Who’s going to be operating these?
Warden: She will.
Dr Perillos: [ Mouths words “Thank you” ]
Warden: How long is this going to take?
Tech: We’ll just get these switched on, then we’ll start training.
Dr Perillos: These are going to help a lot of women, Warden.
Warden: Don’t make me regret this, Banks.
Tech: All right, good to go.
[ One of the “techs” is actually Zhang Wei, right hand man of Wujing. Zhang Wei shoots the security guards and the Warden ]
[ Gunshots 💥💥💥💥 ]
— Aah!
[ The Warden is only wounded ]
Warden: [ Groaning ] No, please! [ Gunshot 💥 ] [ Body thuds ]
Zhang Wei: Dr. Perillos? My employer would like a word.

 
[ The New York City Baths building where Red has taken up residence and is trying to renovate the place ]
Red: [ On phone ] No, no, no. Antonio, I’m sorry, it’s either a rush job or it’s gonna take another six weeks. It can’t be both. And I swear, if it’s Bumblebee Yellow instead of Sunspot as agreed, then you and the entire local are going to be on your own the next negotiation. My best to Ludamilla.

 
[ The Post Office war room ]
Ressler: Hey, welcome back. You feeling better?
Dembe: Much better. Though I don’t imagine I will be having soft-shell crab again anytime soon.
Ressler: Most people blame the seafood, but, uh, 9 times out of 10, it’s the unwashed greens that get you. What? It’s true.
Dembe: Where’s Malik?
Ressler: I dunno. She’s been closing out the office, going over old case files. Maybe the late nights got her.
Cooper: Speaking of old case files, I just got off the phone with the Bureau of Prisons. Inmate Kayla Banks escaped FCI Hazelton late yesterday afternoon.
Dembe: Kayla Banks, as in – Dr. Laken Perillos.
Cooper: Two men disguised as delivery workers smuggled a weapon into the facility. Two correctional officers and the warden were killed.

[ Flashback: ]
[ Dr Perillos’ specialty is “pain management,” as in torture. In Episode 8:10, she subjected both Dembe and Red to excruciating ordeals ]
Dr Perillos: Maybe you’ll feel this.
Dembe: Aah! [ Groans ]

Dembe: Surveillance?
Cooper: Not yet. BoP said the cameras went down shortly before the escape. Malik is headed to the prison to review the physical evidence now. She was still here when I got in this morning.
Ressler: The timing isn’t a coincidence. First the Freelancer, and now Perillos?
Cooper: You think Wujing is behind the escape?
Ressler: I think he’s targeting former Blacklisters, building an army to go after Reddington. I know that’s what I would do.
[ Dembe’s cell phone buzzing «»»»»; It’s a call from “Soren”; Dembe doesn’t pick up ]
Cooper: If you’re right, and Wujing did break out the most dangerous torturer on the Blacklist–
Dembe: He’s planning on using her services.
Ressler: The only question is, who’s he planning to use them on?
Cooper: I’ll coordinate with the Bureau of Prisons and local PD. You two find out everything you can about the medical supply company and the vehicle used in the escape.
Ressler: Yes, sir.
⋘⋙
[ Dembe’s cell phone buzzing «»»»» ]
Dembe: Hello?
Soren: Dembe?
Dembe: You’re not supposed to be calling me, Soren.
Soren: I know, I know, and I’m sorry, but this is an emergency, Dembe.
Dembe: I don’t work for Raymond anymore. Whatever this is, you need to take it up with him.
Soren: I can’t, Dembe. I– I lost the manifests for the shipments out of Corfu. I have 22 containers that have to move today and no idea where to send them.
Dembe: Reach out to Fabrizio. He should be able to get you a replacement manifest.
Soren: If I do that, he’ll tell Reddington!
Dembe: And?
Soren: And– And– I’ve had a few slipups lately. If Reddington hears about this, who knows what he’ll do. You have to help me, Dembe.
Dembe: I don’t know what I can do. It’s been years since I’ve been involved in Raymond’s operations.
Soren: You have forgotten more about Reddington’s shipping business than I ever knew. Just come to the port and look at the manifests. Please, if anyone can figure where this junk is supposed to go, it’s you. Look, I didn’t want to bring it up, but you remember that night outside Bratislava?
Dembe: The power plant?
Soren: If I hadn’t come back for you, you never would have walked out of the building, and I would’ve never caught a kilo of shrapnel in my leg.
Dembe: Soren, I–
Soren: Dembe, please. I’m begging you. Come to the port. You’ll never hear from me again.
Dembe: I’ll see what I can do.

 
[ Door opens ] [ Footsteps approach ]
[ Wujing is pouring tea. Dr Perillos walks in ]
Dr Perillos: You must be Wujing.
Wujing: Dr. Perillos.
Dr Perillos: So, is Wujing a first name, or are we dealing with a Cher, Prince, Beyonce situation?
Wujing: [ Chuckles ] Please. Join me.
Dr Perillos: I appreciate what you did to get me out, and the costume change.
Wujing: I spent 10 years in a cage, Dr. Perillos. After I escaped, the first thing I wanted was a private shower and a new suit.
Dr Perillos: You do know how to make a girl feel special. Though you should know, I’m not unaccustomed to receiving favors from strangers.
Wujing: Ah. But you and I are not strangers. Hmm. Before I was incarcerated, I studied you and your techniques. I was an admirer.
Dr Perillos: Oh, goody. A fan.
Wujing: [ Chuckles ]
Dr Perillos: Now, are you going to tell me why you brought me here or not?
Wujing: Before my escape from prison, I was briefly held with a man named Marvin Gerard, Raymond Reddington’s lawyer. According to Gerard, Raymond Reddington has spent the past decade working in partnership with the FBI. Now, before his death, Mr. Gerard provided me with a list of individuals imprisoned as a result of Reddington’s unholy union with the Bureau. I was the first. Would you like to know your number?

 
[ Dembe is in an office at the port, helping Soren figure out the destinations for the shipping containers ]
Dembe: Consumer electronics should go to Makar Wharf in the Philippines, which leaves MK Rialto?
Soren: Oh, that is fertilizer. No, no, no, the drone components.
Dembe: Are you sure?
Soren: Yes, yes, I’m sure.
⋘⋙
Dr Perillos: All this time, I assumed Reddington left me to die, but he didn’t. He– He fed me to the FBI.
Wujing: And now I’m offering you the opportunity to take your revenge. Reddington’s former body guard, Dembe Zuma. Or Agent Dembe Zuma, as he’s now known.
Dr Perillos: Dembe Zuma joined the FBI?
Wujing: You know him?
Dr Perillos: Apparently not as well as I thought.
Wujing: I believe Zuma to be a member of the special task force responsible for the FBI’s work with Reddington.
Dr Perillos: And you want me to help you prove it.
⋘⋙
Soren: That’s it. We’re finished.
Dembe: Already?
Soren: There’s one more thing. [ Laughs ] Wait. We should have a toast.
Dembe: Soren, I don’t drink. You know I don’t.
⋘⋙
Wujing: I need you to get Dembe Zuma to tell me everything he knows about Reddington’s relationship with the FBI, including the location of his task force.
⋘⋙
Dembe: Soren, what’s going on?
⋘⋙
Dr Perillos: Mr. Zuma is one of two men alive to have withstood my charms.
Wujing: Then I imagine you’ll be eager to take a second bite at the apple.
⋘⋙
Dembe: Soren?
Soren: He made me do it, Dembe. I had no choice.
Dembe: What did he make you do?
Soren: He has Mathilde. He has my girl!
⋘⋙
Dr Perillos: Do you have Dembe in custody?
Wujing: I will. Any moment.
⋘⋙
Dembe: Soren, what did you do?
[ Indistinct conversation ] [ Armed men are gathering outside ]
— Let’s go.
[ Dembe leaves out the back ]
Zhang Wei: Where is he?
Soren: Please. I did what you asked.
Zhang Wei: [ To the other operatives ] Go find him.
Soren: No, please. My daughter, please.
Zhang Wei: She’ll be fine.
Soren: Oh, thank you.
[ Zhang Wei 💥shoots💥 Soren ]
Soren: Oh! Oh! Aah!

 
[ Beeping 🔅🔅🔅 ] [ Dembe tries to make a call. His phone reads “Call Failed” ]
⋘⋙
[ The operatives search nearby buildings ] [ Speaking Mandarin ]
Operative: He went out the northwest alley.
⋘⋙
[ Dembe runs and comes to a chain link fence. He tosses his coat on the fence and climbs over it. The operatives appear ]
[ 💥💥💥 Gunfight 💥💥💥 ] [ Dembe is hit in the calf ]
⋘⋙
[ Dembe’s cell phone is still in his coat ] [ Cell phone «»»»» ]
⋘⋙
[ Dembe runs and loses his pursuers. He puts a new clip in his handgun ]
⋘⋙
Zhang Wei: [ To his operatives ] Fan out. Find him.

 
[ Dembe breaks in to a basement ] [ Glass⚡️shatters ]
[ Michael, a young boy 7 or 8 years old, is there ]
Michael: Hi.
[ Lia, Michael’s mother, comes down the stairs ]
Lia: Michael, I told you not to throw that baseball in the house.
[ Lia sees Dembe ]
Dembe: My name is Dembe Zuma. I’m a federal agent with the FBI. I need you both to listen to me very carefully.
⋘⋙
[ Zhang Wei comes across a trail of blood ]
Zhang Wei: [ In Mandarin, on walkie-talkie ] He’s bleeding.
⋘⋙
Dembe: Do you have any weapons in the house? Anything to defend yourself?
Lia: You mean like a gun? No.
Michael: What happened to your leg? Did you get shot?
Dembe: Yes.
Lia: Oh, my God.
Dembe: I want you to go in there and stay quiet until the police arrive. Do you understand?
[ Michael goes to a corner and grabs ~ a junior-size baseball bat ]
Lia: Michael.
Michael: [ To Dembe ] It’s lucky.
Dembe: Then you keep it.

 
[ Dembe follows Lia and Michael. They go into another room. Dembe finds a cell phone on a table. He dials 9-1-1 ]
Operator: 9-1-1, what is your address?
[ Bang ‼️]
Operator: 9-1-1, what is your address? Hello? Hello?
[ Dembe leaves the phone on the table ]
Operator: Is anyone there? I need your address. Hello? Is anyone there? Can anyone hear me?
[ Zhang Wei and the others have entered. Zhang Wei clicks off the phone ] [ Beep🔅 ]
[ Gunshots 💥💥]
Operative: [ In Mandarin ] Careful. They need him alive.
Operative #2: Relax. I’m empty anyway.
[ Dembe stands up ]
Operative #2: [ In English, pointing his gun at Dembe ] Hands up. Don’t move! I said, don’t move.
[ He throws handcuffs at Dembe ]
Operative #2: Put those on. I’m not going to tell you again.
Dembe: [ In Mandarin ] Or what?
[ Dembe grabs Operative #2’s gun, which he knows is empty ]
[ ⚡️‼️ Fist fight‼️⚡️]
[ Dembe is about to prevail, when Zhang Wei appears with Michael and Lia ]
Lia: Please don’t hurt him.
Zhang Wei: Put down the weapon.
Dembe: No.
[ Zhang Wei holds his gun to Michael’s head ]
Lia: [ Gasps ]
[ Dembe points his gun up under his own chin ]
Dembe: If you want me alive, let them go.
Zhang Wei: Tie them up in the bathroom. We have what we came for. Take him.

 
[ Dr Perillos torture chanber ] [ Monitors beeping 🔅🔅🔅 🔅🔅🔅]
[ Dembe is strapped to an examining table. He has electrodes fastened to his head and tubes in his arms for injecting him with anything Dr Perillos wants ]
Wujing: Welcome back, Agent Zuma. How lovely to see you again. I’ve spent quite a bit of time and effort trying to learn about you, Dembe, but I’ve found very little.
Dembe: What do you want?
Wujing: I want a lot of things, Agent Zuma, but for now, I’d most like to know how you went from being Raymond Reddington’s right hand to an agent in the FBI. On a secret task force, no less. I imagine that took some doing.
Dembe: Imagine all you want. I won’t tell you anything. Either of you.
Wujing: So you’ve heard the news about your old friend. Good. I’ll let the two of you get reacquainted.
Wujing [ In Mandarin ] Bring her in.
Dembe: [ Exhales, inhales deeply ]
[ Footsteps approach ]
Dr Perillos: Hello, Dembe. So good to see you.

 
[ Cooper’s office ]
Cooper: Anything from Malik at the prison?
Ressler: An exterior camera caught an angle of one of the attackers. Zhang Wei.
[ Ressler hands Cooper a photo ]
Cooper: So Wujing was behind Perillos’ escape.
Ressler: Yeah, but get this. We rang Zhang Wei’s photo against available CCTV cameras in the area. We got a shot of him from a few days ago. Look who we found him with.
Cooper: That’s Robert Vesco. You think Vesco is working with Wujing after Reddington broke him out and made him a fortune?
Ressler: Wouldn’t be the first time that Vesco turned on Reddington.
Cooper: I can see Vesco stealing from Reddington, but siding with a man like Wujing? Even considering everything those two have done to each other over the years, it seemed to me that, other than Dembe, Vesco was about the closest thing Reddington had to a friend.
[ Cooper’s cell phone chimes✨] [ A text says: “Ran into a complication. Little longer before I go” ]
Cooper: Put out an APB on the car from the photo. Maybe if we’re lucky, it’ll lead us to Perillos or Wujing himself.
⋘⋙
[ Cell phone chimes✨ ] [ Zhang Wei, who has Dembe’s phone, receives the response from Cooper: “Understood” ]
[ Zhang Wei calls Wujing ] [ Conversation in Mandarin ]
Zhang Wei: We’re clear.
Wujing: What do we know about Mr Cooper?
Zhang Wei: From their messages it appears Cooper runs the task force. It could take some doing, but we should be able to get to him in time.
Wujing: That shouldn’t be necessary. Dembe will tell us everything we need to know. Get rid of the phone before we pick up our friend. I don’t want it tracked.
[ Cell phone beeps🔅 ]

 
[ Dr Perillos’ torture chamber ]
Dembe: [ Groans ]
Perillos: It’s been over an hour. By now, the toxin has suffused every nerve ending in your body. Fortunately, I have a clever little medication to keep you from going into cardiac arrest. I suppose fortune is a matter of perspective, isn’t it? How did it work? Gerard said there was a deal, an immunity agreement. I wonder – did Reddington make sure to extend it to you? Or was he just looking out for himself?
Dembe: [ Praying in Arabic ]
Dr Perillos: So many questions to answer – and we will. Sooner or later, you’ll tell me everything Wujing wants to know about Reddington, his task force, its location. But I have to be honest, I don’t care much for the details. It’s you that interests me.
Dembe: Me?
Dr Perillos: You know, I’d never failed to break a man until you and Reddington. I have had quite some time to consider what made you so – impenetrable. Your sense of loyalty, your faith, your pride.
Dembe: You don’t know me.
Dr Perillos: Not nearly as well as I’d like to, no.
Dembe: [ Groans ]
Dr Perillos: Wujing thinks you joined the FBI at Reddington’s request. Do you want to know what I think? I think you left him because you were looking for something. Redemption? Absolution, maybe? That’s it, isn’t it? Ah. You walked away from Reddington to step into the light. My, my, my. Maybe our little chat actually had a real impact on you.
Dembe: [ Coughs ] It was a career choice. You had nothing to do with it.
Dr Perillos: Oh, I’m not looking for credit. I just want to understand. You knew you had to get away from Reddington, but you couldn’t bare to leave him entirely, so you did the next best thing – you joined the team supporting him. It’s sweet, in an utterly pathetic kind of way. Or maybe it just felt natural, leaving a corrupt, violent, White man for a corrupt, violent, White institution.
Dembe: I know the FBI’s history, thank you.
Dr Perillos: Come on, Dembe. Don’t you want to tell me all about the wonderful people on Reddington’s secret task force?
Dembe: I’m not going to tell you anything.
Dr Perillos: You love him, don’t you? Reddington. Despite all the pain he’s caused you, you love him. But here’s the thing about love, Dembe – it blinds us to the truth. Raymond Reddington can never be redeemed, and the longer you support him, the more you will allow him to inflict pain on the world. Tell me I’m wrong.
Dembe: [ Coughs ]
Dr Perillos: It’s time, Dembe. Time to end the lies, the deception, and the pain. It’s time to free yourself. To free yourself from Reddington, from the FBI, from everybody. All you have to do is tell me what I need to know. The task force – where is it?
Dembe: [ Groans ]

 
[ Wujing sits at a table in a room adjacent to Dr Perillos’ torture room. He is working on a jigsaw puzzle of a cat ]
[ Door opens ] [ Robert Vesco enters ]
Wujing: Thank you for coming, Robert. Please, have a seat.
Robert Vesco: So you like cats, huh?
Wujing: I like puzzles. I picked up the habit during my incarceration. It helps clear the mind.
Vesco: Eh, good for you. I’m still making wine in my toilet, myself.
Wujing: [ Chuckles ]
⋘⋙
Dr Perillos: How many others on the Reddington team?
⋘⋙
Vesco: So the breakout went according to plan?
Wujing: Yes, it did. Thanks to you. If you hadn’t gotten to that young man in prison IT, we never would have had a chance.
Vesco: You know, flattery will get you everywhere with me. Casualties?
Wujing: A few. I’m told it couldn’t be helped.
⋘⋙
Dr Perillos: There’s no point fighting, Dembe. Just tell me what I want to know, and I’ll let you rest.
[ Beeping 🔅🔅🔅 ]
Dembe: [ Gurgles ]
⋘⋙
Wujing: I’ve worked with many spies all my life, Mr. Vesco, but I’ve never met someone more capable of building and manipulating trust than you.
Vesco: I’m a con man. It’s what I do.
Wujing: It’s a gift. One that I’ll need again if we’re to succeed in bringing down Reddington.
Vesco: What do you have in mind?
⋘⋙
Dr Perillos: This could all end, Dembe. Just tell me, where can we find the task force?
[ Monitor beeping rapidly 🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅 ]
Dr Perillos: [ Sighs ]
⋘⋙
[ Dr Perillos walks into the room with Wujing and Vesco ]
Vesco: Hello, gorgeous.
Wujing: Dr. Perillos, how’s our guest?
Dr Perillos: [ Growls ] Unconscious. Not as strong as I remember, but still stubborn as a mule. [ Nods at Vesco ] Who’s he?
Wujing: The man who broke you out of prison. Robert Vesco.
Vesco: Charmed. Dembe Zuma? He’s your target?
Dr Perillos: You know him?
Vesco: I do. Wujing, it’s poetry. The man who arrested me is the same man who will help us finish Reddington once and for all.
[ Dembe glares at Vesco ]
[ Line ringing✨]

 
Dembe: [ On recording ] You’ve reached Dembe Zuma. I’m sorry I’m not available to take your call.
[ Red’s phone rings ☎️ ]
Red: Harold, what news of the good doctor?
Cooper: Nothing yet, though it would appear Wujing has partnered with Robert Vesco.
Red: Yes, I’m aware of Robert’s latest turn. I’ll deal with him in time.
Cooper: Deal with him whenever you like. At the moment, I have more pressing concerns. Have you heard from Dembe?
Red: No. Why do you ask?
Cooper: He asked for an hour this morning. Said he needed to help an associate of yours with a problem at the Port of Baltimore. He didn’t get into details, but it sounded like an emergency.
Red: If there was a problem at the port, the very last person any of my associates would turn to is Dembe. And if the problem was an emergency, I’d already know about it. When did you last hear from him?
Cooper: A text message, about an hour ago.
Red: Read it.
Cooper: “Ran into a complication. Little longer before I go.” Something about the message bothered me, and Dembe isn’t answering his phone.
Red: It’s the grammar. That’s what bothered you. Dembe hasn’t written an incomplete sentence since he learned to write.
Cooper: So someone else sent the message?
Red: It would seem so. Dr. Perillos was hired to extract information from Dembe before. It seems Wujing has offered her the chance to finish the job. Get your people to the port, Harold. We have to find Dembe, now.

 
[ Wujing raises a toast ]
Wujing: To Mr. Zuma.
Vesco: I’ll drink to almost anything, but I don’t feel quite right drinking to him.
Wujing: I believe Dembe Zuma is part of the FBI team collaborating with Reddington, and soon enough, Perillos will get him to reveal all the details of Reddington’s arrangement with the FBI. Most importantly, where they’re headquartered.
Vesco: And then?
Wujing: We raid it.
Vesco: A secure FBI facility?
Wujing: A necessary risk. If we are to finish Reddington, we’ll need powerful partners. And before they will agree to destroy a man who’s made them all very rich, we’ll need–
Vesco: Proof.
Wujing: Their documents will be heavily encrypted. But if we were to access them, we’ll require the assistance of a skilled computer engineer.
Vesco: Let me guess, you know a guy.
Wujing: Thanks to Marvin Gerard, yes. Bo Chang, or as he’s professionally known, the Troll Farmer.
Vesco: [ Chuckling ] The what?
Wujing: Another unfortunate victim of Reddington’s betrayal. He was released from prison 18 months ago. To date, Mr. Chang has rebuffed my overtures, which is why I need your powers of persuasion to convince him to join us.
Vesco: I just need to quickly attend to some obligations. It won’t take more than an hour, and then I’m all yours.
Wujing: My men have tracked him to a data center in Manilla. If we lose him there, it might be months before he resurfaces again, so I’m afraid your obligations will have to wait. We’re leaving now.
Vesco: So be it. I just hope you have an extra toothbrush and underwear. I prefer briefs.
Wujing: [ Chuckles ]

 
[ Wujing and Vesco walk toward a parked SUV. Wujing gets in ]
Vesco: [ Coughing ]
[ Vesco doubles over coughing. His hand slips into his coat pocket ]
Wujing: Are you all right, Robert?
[ Vesco gets into the SUB ]
Vesco: I’m fine. [ Coughs ]
[ Vesco holds up a cigar ]
Vesco: You mind?
Wujing: [ Frowning slightly ] Mm. [ To Zhang Wei ] Let’s go.

 
Dembe: [ Gasps, coughs ]
Dr Perillos: It’s amazing the things the body will do to move us away from our pain, but it always comes back. You remember why I started this line of work, don’t you, Dembe?
Dembe: Your mother?
Dr Perillos: A racist medical establishment doomed her to a life of pain. I spent every moment since trying to master it. I always assumed it’d take decades to end human suffering for good, but somewhere in the back of my head, I always hoped I could find a way to help ease her suffering. But thanks to you and Reddington, I’ll never get that chance. She died a year and a half after I went to prison, alone and hurting. [ Voice breaking ] And I– I wasn’t there to help because I was in a cage that you put me in.
Dembe: Ow–
Dr Perillos: I always assumed that hurting you would bring me comfort, but it doesn’t. You want to know why? Because every time I look into those big, brown eyes, I see that Reddington’s taken more from you than the both of you could ever take from me. How much have you lost because of him? How much suffering have you endured because of him? I don’t know if we’ll live long enough to see humanity free from the plague of pain, but I know that together, today, in this moment, we can end the pain that Raymond Reddington causes all over this world. All you have to do is tell me what I want–
Dembe: No.
Dr Perillos: –to know. Tell me.
Dembe: I’m sorry about your mother.
Dr Perillos: Tell me how much.
[ Dr Perillos angrily pushes drugs into the IV ]
Dembe: Argh!

 
[ Ressler and Siya Malik are driving fast, siren🚨blaring ]
Cooper: [ On comms ] Agent Ressler, what’s your location?
Ressler: We’re on our way to the Eastern District Police Precinct in Baltimore.
Siya Malik: BPD just took a statement from a woman claiming a wounded FBI agent was abducted from her home less than a mile from the port.
Cooper: Turn around. Reddington called. He thinks he knows where Wujing is holding Dembe.
Siya: Reddington knows where Dembe is? How?
Cooper: He didn’t say. I’m sending you the address now.

 
[ In the SUV with Wujing, Vesco and Zhang Wei ]
Vesco: So there we were, about to buy half of the former Soviet Union’s nuclear submarines in Sevastopol, when this little pip-squeak of a KGB agent, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, starts objecting to the deal.
Wujing: You met Putin?
[ Cell phone rings✨]
Vesco: Met him? I had his superiors kick him out of the room while we finished the sale.
Zhang Wei: [ Answering call ] Wei.
Vesco: And by the time anybody knew what was what, I was half way to Athens.
[ Wujing and Zhang Wei conversing in Mandarin (no translation or subtitles) ]

 
[ Monitors beeping rapidly 🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅 ]
Dr Perillos: Not so fast, Dembe. You’re not getting out of this that easily.
[ She begins to add the drug to prevent cardiac arrest ]
[ An operative appears ]
Dr Perillos: What do you want? I told Wujing I was not to be interrupted.
Operative: I’m sorry, but we have a situation.
Dr Perillos: More pressing than our subject going into cardiac arrest?
Operative: The FBI was just spotted on our perimeter. We have to leave. Now.
Dembe: [ Groans ]
[ Dr Perillos leaves, dropping the vial of the life-saving drug on the floor ] [ Vial⚡️clatters ]
Dembe: [ Groans ]

 
[ The FBI crashes into Wujing’s safe house, guns blazing ]
— FBI!
[ 💥💥💥 Gunfire 💥💥💥 ]
— FBI!
— Sure, move in!
[ Siya finds Dembe ]
Siya: Oh, my God. Dembe!
Ressler: [ To agents ] We’re clear!
[ Cell phone beeps🔅]
Ressler: [ On phone ] This is Agent Ressler. We’re going to need immediate medical support at my location, now!
[ Dembe flatlines 🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅]

 
[ Wujing’s SUV ]
[ Wujing and Zhang Wei conversing in Mandarin (no subtitles) ]
Vesco: What, uh– What’s going on?
Zhang Wei: [ Speaks Mandarin on phone, then to Wujing ]
Vesco: Will someone please tell me what the hell is happening?
Wujing: [ In English ] It seems the FBI has located the safe house and recovered Agent Zuma.
Vesco: What? How?
Wujing: That’s what I’m trying to determine, Robert.
⋘⋙
[ Siren🚨wailing ]
[ In the FBI SUV, Siya is giving Dembe chest compressions ]
Cooper: [ On phone ] Status?
Ressler: Dembe’s in trouble. The ambulance was too far out, but we’re still 20 minutes to the nearest hospital. I don’t think he has that long.
Cooper: Understood. There’s a feed store less than four miles from your current position. Corner of Falston Road and Route 68.
Siya: A feed store? He needs a doctor!
Ressler: I’ll explain later, just hold on.
[ Siren🚨wailing ] [ The SUV makes a U-turn ]
⋘⋙
Vesco: I thought you said that site was secure.
[ Conversation in Mandarin ]
Vesco: What kind of an outfit are you running here?
[ Continues in Mandarin ]
Wujing: [ In English ] This is an unfortunate mistake, Robert, but I assure you, I will hold whoever is responsible to account.
Vesco: Good, because I’m not going back to prison. No, not for you, and not for Reddington.
[ Cell phone rings✨]
Wujing: I understand if you want to go, Robert, but I hope you won’t.
Zhang Wei: [ Answers phone ] Wei.
[ He hands the phone to Wujing ]
Wujing: I can’t do this without you.
Wujing [ On phone, speaking Mandarin ]

 
[ Ressler and Siya have brought Dembe to one of Red’s mobile hospital. Doctors are working on him as Siya and Ressler stand nearby ]
Doctor #1: Fourteen, fifteen.
Doctor #2: He’s in v-fib–
Siya: Who are these people?
Doctor #2: Charging paddles.
Ressler: Reddington has medical teams on 24-hour standby.
Doctor #2: Clear! [⚡️‼️TWUMP‼️⚡️]
[ Flatline beep 🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅]
Doctor #1: Unresponsive.
Doctor #2: Still in v-fib, charging again.
Doctor #1: Charging 200 joules.
Doctor #2: Clear! [⚡️‼️TWUMP‼️⚡️]
Doctor #1: Still no response.

 
[ Wujing’s SUV ]
Vesco: I thought we were going to an airstrip?
Wujing: I’m afraid there’s been a change of plans, Robert.
[ Wujing holds up a handgun ]

 
[ Wujing’s new safe house ]
Vesco: I don’t know what you’re playing at, but if you don’t stop pointing that thing at me–
Wujing: You asked how the FBI found the safe house earlier. But you already knew, didn’t you, Robert?

[ Flashback: ]
Vesco: [ Coughing ]
[ Vesco takes out his phone and types a number, then drops the phone on the grass ]
Wujing: Are you all right, Robert?
Vesco: Yeah, I’m fine.

Wujing: My men found something unusual. Where is your phone, Robert?

 
[ Dembe is in a hospital bed. Red sits alongside the bed, reading ]
[ Monitor beeping🔅🔅🔅]
[ Dembe stirs ] [ Red looks up ]
Red: No, no, no. Easy. Easy. Easy.
Dembe: What happened?
Red: Ressler and Malik rescued you from Wujing’s place. You were in cardiac arrest, and they brought you here.
Dembe: How did they find me?
Red: It was Robert.
Dembe: Vesco? I saw him. He was working with Wujing.
Red: He was.

[ Flashback: ]
[ Red removes a hood from Vesco’s head ]
Vesco: You had them put me in a trunk, you son of a bitch.
Red: You deserve a lot worse. What do you have to say for yourself?
Vesco: I’m in! [ Laughing ]
Red: No! [ Laughs ]
Vesco: Poor bastard bought the whole thing.
[ Both laugh ]
Red: We’ve got to celebrate. I have a bottle of something here.
Vesco: Oh, I can do one drink. Okay, two.

Red: After Wujing approached him, Robert confronted me with Wujing’s allegations. So I told him the truth, and he loved it. You know Robert. He said I’d achieved what every criminal dreams of.
Dembe: So Robert went back to Wujing as a mole.
Red: He was supposed to gather information and – He called from the place where you were being held. Didn’t say anything, but he managed to keep the call going long enough for Chuck to run a trace.
Dembe: Have you heard from him since?

Vesco: Oh, well, I’d better get back. His minion’s picking me up in an hour.
Red: As soon as you know anything–
Vesco: You’re my first call.
[ Vesco stumbles slightly ]
Red: Robert, if you’re not up to this–
Vesco: I’m only going to say this once, Raymond, so I want you to listen very carefully. If you ever try to toss me a parachute like that again, it’ll be the last thing you ever do. You understand?
[ Red approaches Vesco, kisses his cheek and embraces him ]

Dembe: Raymond, if you haven’t heard from him —
Red: He’ll reach out when it’s safe. You rest, Dembe.
Dembe: [ Sighs ]

 
Wujing: I couldn’t stop praising you for your deceptive gifts, could I? And all this while you were using it on me.
Vesco: Well, don’t be too hard on yourself, Wu-wu. I’m just that good.
Wujing: I wonder, if you hadn’t acted so foolishly trying to save Agent Zuma, how long this little charade would have continued. And now, we’ll never know.
Vesco: Shame. And to think poor Doctor Psychopath won’t get to finish her comeback tour.
Dr Perillos: Oh, I wouldn’t say I’m finished.
Vesco: Easy, darling. I’ll save you the trouble. I’ve never been to any task force headquarters, I don’t know about any other FBI agent other than Dembe, and Raymond never said a word to me about, uh, an immunity agreement.
Dr Perillos: He’s lying.
Vesco: But one thing I do know, it’s just a matter of time before Reddington puts a bullet in the lot of you.
Wujing: And what makes you so sure of that?
Vesco: Because he’s Raymond Reddington.

 
[ Siya and Ressler visit Dr Perillos’ torture chamber and the site of the FBI raid ]
[ Chris Garneau’s ♫ “Ballard” plays ]
Ressler: Siya?
Siya: Any word on Wujing or Perillos?
Ressler: Not yet, but Cooper called. Dembe’s recovering, thanks to you.
Siya: You mean thanks to Reddington.
Ressler: Him, too.
Siya: I’ve spent my entire career digging through secrets, confronting dangerous people capable of despicable things, but I-I had no idea such people, such places, existed.
Ressler: Well, that’s the point. The Blacklist exists so that we can go after criminals that we never would have heard of without Reddington.
Siya: That sounds great in theory. Until your partner’s kidnapped by a sadistic pain specialist and nearly tortured to death. I’ve spent weeks elbow deep in your case files, but still–
Ressler: No one’s ready for this kind of thing. I don’t care who you are or how much you’ve read. Nothing prepares you for this. Look, don’t worry. It won’t get any easier.
Siya: [ Chuckles ] That’s very comforting, thank you.
Ressler: I mean it. There’s a cost.
Siya: I don’t think you need to lecture me about the cost of The Blacklist, Agent Ressler.
Ressler: I’m not talking about the people you lose. I’m talking about what happens to the ones who survive. This work changes people. It changed me, and I’m not sure if it was for the best. You wanted to know about what your mother did? Well, this is it, and believe me, Dr. Perillos is just the tip of the iceberg.

♪ I knew light ♪
♪ I met you in the dawn ♪

[ Door bangs open ] [ Two of Red’s men enter. Robert Vesco is seated in the dark corner of a room, quiet, slumped forward ]
— Clear!
[ Indistinct conversation ]

♪ Now all the night. . . ♪

⋘⋙
[ Wujing and Zhang Wei ride in an SUV ] [ Speaking Mandarin ]
Zhang Wei: What should be done with Perillos?
Wujing: She is of no more use to us. Get rid of her.
 

♪ Can you unravel that? ♪
♪ Mystery is loud ♪

[ Red enters the room where Vesco sits. He hurries to the chair, gets down and looks up hopefully. Red takes in that Vesco is dead. He gets up and kisses Vesco’s forehead. He sweeps Vesco’s hair back and takes in his scent. He kisses his forehead again, lingering ]

♪ How can you un-feel it? ♪
♪ It’s crawling up the wall ♪

[ Red steps back, steadies himself, then turns and hurries out ]
Red: [ To his men ] Cut him loose. Bring the body.

 
⬆ go to start of 10:6 Dr Laken Perillos, Pt 2
⏫ go to top
 
 

Episode Songs

♫ Ballard
By Chris Garneau

♪ I do right
I notice the wrong
I do right
I know this wasn’t wrong

♪ Did you imagine that he would ride along?
Can you imagine that he would ride along?

♪ I knew light
I met you in the dawn
Now all the night I spend it alone

♪ Can you unravel that?
Mystery is loud
How you can un-feel it?
It’s crawling up the wall

Lyrics and Credits: https://tinyurl.com/m2dr6dcd
YouTube: https://youtu.be/YQcgqEnSEpg

 
⬆ go to start of 10:6 Dr Laken Perillos, Pt 2
⏫ go to top
 

❌❌❌ End 10:6 Laken Perillos

🔴 Script 10:7 The Freelancer, Part 2 (№ 145)

 
Program air date: 4/9/2023 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-eos
EntertainmentWeekly Recap: https://tinyurl.com/35nw8zcf
 

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.

⭕ Script 10:7 The Freelancer, Part 2 (№ 145)

 
[ A port ]
[ MLCK’s ♫ “Sweet Revenge” plays ]
[ 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 operative 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.

 
⬆ go to start of 10:7 The Freelancer, Part 2
⏫ go to top
 
 

Episode Songs

♫ 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!

Lyrics: https://tinyurl.com/j6fp5dcm
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Hb7RXiLGcSo

 
⬆ go to start of 10:7 The Freelancer, Part 2
⏫ go to top
 

❌❌❌ End 10:7 Freelancer, Part 2

 
 

🔴 Script 10:8 The Troll Farmer, Part 2 (№ 38)

 
Program air date: 4/16/2023 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-epD
EntertainmentWeekly Recap: https://tinyurl.com/4kced7au
 

Brief (Where we’re at): By feeding tips to Red’s criminal network, the Freelancer (Blacklister #145), who works for Wujing (Blacklister #84), was able to establish that the FBI’s Reddington task force would show up to try to prevent the predicted events.

The Freelancer works by creating mass casualty events. So, Wujing hired a photographer to take photos of the task force members who responded to the events he had the Freelancer stage. He fed tips predicting the events into Red’s network. Red figured out that Wujing was actually looking for evidence of the pattern of the FBI showing up in response to the tips. It all linked back to a photograph taken of Red and an associate years earlier. So the task force nabbed the photographer. But Herbie Hambright, Red’s forensics whiz, pointed out that the equipment used by the photographer had been uploading the photos to the cloud in real time, so even though they had the photographer in custody, Wujing already had the proof he needed: photos of Ressler, Dembe and Siya showing up ahead of time at the predicted events.

Wujing sent his right hand man Zhang Wei to show the photos to Sven Hollufson, the new head of Henrick Fisker’s Army of Nordic mercenaries. With their previous alpha male, Fisker, rotting in a CIA black site thanks to Red, Hollufson agreed to collaborate with Wujing, albeit for a hefty price.

⭕ Script 10:8 The Troll Farmer, Part 2 (№ 38)

 
[ The kitchen of Graham and Kate Flynn ] [ Soft classical music plays ]
[ The Grahams’ son Joshua is eating cereal at the kitchen table. His father is preparing a sandwich for Joshua’s lunch ]
Graham Flynn: [ Sighs ]
Joshua Flynn: Everything okay, Dad?
Graham: Just attempting to make your lunch.
Joshua: You really don’t have to. Mom usually just lets me eat from the cafeteria.
Graham: I want to. Mom has her overnight shift at the E.R., and while, admittedly, she’s better at this stuff, I think I can handle a sandwich.
[ Graham holds out the sandwich in a transparent bag ]
Graham: PB&J, your favorite.
Joshua: It’s a– It’s a nut-free campus.
Graham: Seriously?
[ Horn honks 🔊in distance ]
Joshua: That’s my ride.
Graham: You win, chicken tenders from the lunch lady.
Joshua: Alright. Bye, Dad.
[ Joshua grabs his stuff and leaves ]
[ Graham’s cellphone chimes✨]
[ It’s a text from someone named Sara: “Have you talked to Kate? Something’s going on at the hospital.” ]
[ Classical music continues ]
Graham: [ Sighs ]
[ He flips to his speed dial list and dials Kate ]
[ Dial tone ringing✨]
Kate: [ Voice recording ] This is Kate. Leave it at the beep!
[ Electronic music plays ]

♪ Run ♪

[ Graham opens his laptop and scrolls through a newsfeed: … “Active shooter at DC General” … “I heared shots fired. Pray for us” … with images of people scrambling and running ]
[ Graham leaves in a hurry ]

 
[ Siren🚨wails ] [ Police radio chattering ]
[ Tires screech⚡️] [ Graham Flynn parks his Audi outside of the hospital and jumps out. He runs toward a group of people dressed in medical outfits. He sees his wife ]
Graham: Kate! I’ve been trying to call you.
Kate Flynn: My phone is in my purse inside. They made us leave everything when the police evacuated us.
Graham: But they got the guy?
Kate: There was no guy.
Graham: What are you talking about?
Kate: Apparently, it was some stupid Internet prank.
[ Bo Chang, the Troll Farmer, walks past them ]
Graham: There were photos of a gunman. Posts from people working in the hospital–
Kate: I know. We all believed it. It was terrifying. I just still don’t understand – why would someone do something like this?
⋘⋙
[ Bo Chang walks over to Graham Flynn’s Audi and forces the door open with a tool. He gets in the driver’s seat ]

♪ Am I dreaming? ♪
♪ Is this real? ♪
♪ Run for your life ♪
♪ Don’t know just how I feel ♪

[ Bo Chang grabs Graham’s briefcase, opens in and takes out Graham’s ID badge. Using a program he has on his own cell phone, he copies the information encoded on the badge. He is nervous, his hand shaking ]
[ Program beeps🔅]

♪ Run for your life ♪
♪ Run for your life ♪
♪ Gonna get you ♪
♪ Gonna get you ♪
♪ Run for your life ♪

[ Bo Chang gets out of the car and leaves ]

 
[ Red has taken up residence at a what used to be a public bathhouse in New York City. He has been orchestrating its renovation ]
[ Harold Cooper pays him a visit ]
Red: Harold! Please.
Cooper: Your door was unlocked. Is that wise?
Red: Are you here for business or pleasure? A lot going on in New York right now.
[ Cooper sits ]
Cooper: I’m here because I’ve been trying to reach you for days, to no avail. I was able to hop a ride on a flight with a couple of DOJ boys here for a deposition. Why haven’t you been answering your phone?
Red: I threw it in a dumpster. Damn thing was driving me crazy. It’s been liberating to disconnect.
Cooper: The Freelancer’s still at large. Wujing is trying to expose your relationship with us, and you threw your phone in the trash?
Red: Did you know that when Madeleine Albright was Secretary of State, she wore very specific brooches and pins to send not-so-subtle messages to her foes abroad without ever having to say a word? A gold coiled-snake pin after the Iraqis called her a serpent for trying to impose tougher sanctions. A big beetle brooch when she met with the Russians after they’d “bugged” a room in the State Department. I was reminded of this the other day in an antique shop in the West Village. [ Chuckles ]
[ Red takes out a small box and opens it. Inside are four jewel-encrusted pins that look like exotic houseflies ]
Red: I couldn’t resist. Wujing is nothing more than a fly, Harold. A pest. A nuisance.
Cooper: That nuisance killed your friend, Robert Vesco, among others. Sometimes I’m not sure you’re taking any of this seriously anymore.
Red: I’m well aware that flies can be dangerous, even lethal, but mostly just annoying. It’s time to swat this one down. He’s resurfaced. Did you hear about the hoax at DC General Hospital? The hostage situation that wasn’t?
Cooper: I caught it on the news. But what does that have to do with Wujing?
Red: I have it on good authority that he’s enlisted the help of another former Blacklister, the Troll Farmer. The hospital hoax has all the hallmarks: doctored media, online social channels buzzing, a very real law enforcement response.
Cooper: But didn’t The Troll Farmer work alongside you all those years ago? Do you really think he’d turn?
Red: If Wujing convinced him that his time in federal prison was my doing, I’d imagine he’d have a rather large axe to grind. And deservedly so. Look into the hoax. I suspect it’ll lead you to The Troll Farmer, and he’ll lead us to that buzzing fly, Wujing.
Cooper: Okay.
[ Cooper gets up ]
Cooper: We will. On one condition.
Red: Hmm?
Cooper: Get a new phone.
Red: Agh.

 
[ The Post Office ] [ Ressler walks into the war room. Dembe and Siya are there ]
Ressler: That was Cooper. He found Reddington. Apparently, he’s living in a bathhouse. Anyway, gave us the name of another Blacklister, Bo Chang.
Dembe: Wait a minute. You mean the Troll Farmer?
Siya: I hate to be the new girl, but who’s this Troll Farmer?
Ressler: Well, Bo Chang, a.k.a. the Troll Farmer, helped Reddington and Keen obscure their location a few years ago when they were on the run.
Dembe: He specializes in highly coordinated disinformation campaigns. He and his team use social media, doctored photos, first-person accounts to create the illusion of a crisis unfolding. These events are so convincing, they generate a very real media and law enforcement response.
Siya: Interesting. But to what end?
Ressler: Well, the events he creates are just distractions. They’re strategically designed so that he can safely commit another crime during the chaos. We arrested him back then. He served some time but got out recently on good behavior. Now Reddington believes that he’s in town working with Wujing as revenge for being taken by the FBI.
Siya: The D.C. General Hospital hoax.
Ressler: Yeah. How did you know?
Siya: It was trending on Rambler for hours yesterday. I was watching it unfold live. Didn’t you see it?
Dembe: I don’t “ramble.” Is that even the right verb?
Ressler: It’s not my thing.
⋘⋙
[ Siya brings up “Rambler,” which looks a lot like “Twitter” or “Truth Social” ]
Siya: Chang must be good. There are authentic-looking photos. First hand accounts. People claiming there was an active shooter. A nurse taken hostage. I watched one live feed of a woman supposedly posting from a utility closet. She was hiding, afraid to take a breath or even move an inch because the gunman was just outside. She even had audio. It was quite convincing.
Dembe: Let’s start by reviewing all the fake social media posts. You should take the lead on this, Siya. You seem to have a knack for it.
Siya: Well, I’m embarrassed to say I’m well-versed in Rambler. There’ll be no stone unturned.

 
[ Some time later, Cooper walks in ]
Cooper: I apologize for my absence this morning. Any updates on the case?
Siya: We’ve reviewed all of the original social media posts that started the Rambler storm. Many of them contained the same photo of the gunman with a hostage.
Ressler: We discovered that the gunman and the hostage in the photo were real but from a separate incident in 2013 at a medical facility in Ohio. The photo was a deepfake.
Cooper: Anything in the image’s metadata that gets us closer to Wujing?
Siya: Unfortunately, no. We also looked into the 14 accounts that started everything. Half the accounts belonged to real employees of the hospital. Chang hacked them. The others were fake, with I.P. addresses all over the world.
Cooper: We’re focusing on the hoax, but what was he trying to bury underneath it?
Ressler: We went down that path, too. Now, based on The Troll Farmer’s case file, it’s always a local crime that he’s covering for.
Dembe: But there haven’t been any major crimes reported in the last three hours. I checked with all the local law enforcement agencies.
Cooper: Maybe it’s a crime that hasn’t been reported yet. We need to find out what.

 
[ Bo Chang is sitting in front of a large number of computer displays, along with two other operatives ]
[ Computer beeping🔅🔅🔅]
Bo Chang: Call Wujing. Let him know we’re on schedule.
Operative: Got it. We locked down that whole hospital for one guy’s work badge?
Bo Chang: Not to humblebrag, but it’s more than a badge. It’s the first domino that will effectively lead to the greatest theft of military technology in US history.

 
[ The Post Office war room ]
Siya: Still no major crimes reported, but we reviewed the 911 calls that came in between 7:00 a.m. and–
[ Siya’s cellphone rings✨]
Siya: Sorry. I thought it was on silent.
Cooper: Do you need to take that?
Siya: No, it’s nothing. It’s Herbie.
Cooper: As in Reddington’s Herbie? How does he have your number?
Siya: The Dockery case. He’s been calling a lot, actually.
Cooper: So, he has a little thing for you.
Siya: He has a thing for us. He keeps asking what we’re working on. If we need any help with anything. He’s very eager. He means well, but boundaries aren’t his strong suit.
Cooper: Agent Ressler, you were saying?
Ressler: Right. There were several 911 calls in the area during the hoax. Two domestic disputes, a burglary, and a fight at a local dive bar.
Dembe: One of the men who was assaulted at the bar fight was treated at DC General. Which we thought maybe related, but after we followed up, it seemed like it was a personal matter.
Ressler: There’s also this one. A janitor working at a building next to D.C. General placed a 911 call. Saw someone suspicious using a tool to get into a silver Audi on the lot. The janitor gave the plate to the police, but when they responded, the car was gone. Now the police assumed that the owner would report if anything had been taken. Car belongs to a Graham Flynn, 42, of Bethesda.
Cooper: [ Reading ] Senior aide to Congressman McFarley. He co-chairs the House Select Intelligence Committee. They oversee Defense and National Security.
Dembe: That might make him a worthy target for Wujing.
Ressler: Worthy of a car break-in? Why?
Cooper: I don’t know, but Graham Flynn is the best lead we’ve got, so go talk to him.

 
[ Red’s bathhouse. Chuck enters ]
Chuck: Red? You in here?
Red: I just had the most magnificent steam. Does wonders for the lungs and nasal passages. Not to mention my pores.
Chuck: Oh, yeah. You do have sort of a glow.
Red: We live in the age of self-care, Chuck. You should try it.
Chuck: It’s also the age of technology. Here.
[ Chuck hands Red his new cell phone ]
Red: I guess it was inevitable. Call me old-fashioned, but, lately, I’d prefer my interactions to be face-to-face.
Chuck: Great. ‘Cause I think you need to pay our friend Phil a visit.
Red: Why? Was something wrong with the shipment?
Chuck: Yeah, he refused to receive it, hasn’t paid us, and won’t return my calls.
Red: He needs to start construction by the end of next week. He can’t do that without materials. Does he realize how hard it is to get steel right now? And I called in a favor to fast-track it. I’ll go see him.
Chuck: And before you do, there’s one more thing. Rogelio called. His network found the man we’ve been looking for in New Orleans. Checked into a hotel under an alias.
Red: Then you better get down to The Big Easy and grab him before he goes underground again. Bring him to DC. I’ll head down after I pay a visit to Phil.

 
[ Graham Flynn greets Rod Thieman who works for the National Security Agency (NSA). “NSA provides foreign signals intelligence (SIGINT) to (United States’) policymakers and military forces” ]
Graham Flynn: Mr. Thieman. So glad we could make this work.
Rod Thieman: You do realize this is the first time HexRoot’s left the Pentagon.
Flynn: Yes, and we appreciate your concerns.
⋘⋙
[ Outside the building, Bo Chang sits in a car, looking through binoculars ]
⋘⋙
Flynn: But what is politics without some pageantry? The committee is gathering right now and looking forward to the presentation.
[ They head toward an elevator. Graham Flynn uses his ID badge to gain access to the elevator ] [ Badge reader beeps 🔅] [ Lock clicks ✽ ]
⋘⋙
Bo Chang: They’re going up. Wujing made it very clear, we have one shot. No second chances. Call the troll farm. Tell them it’s time.

 
[ War room landline ☎️ rings. Siya answers ] [ Dembe and Ressler, who are at the other end of the call, are riding in a vehicle ]
Dembe: Malik, did you reach Flynn?
Siya: I called to let him know you’re on your way to his office, but I got his assistant. She said Flynn’s in a closed-door intelligence committee meeting happening right now.
Dembe: So Chang broke into the vehicle of a man attending a top-secret intelligence meeting today?
Ressler: That can’t be good.
Siya: It’s taking place at one of their satellite offices, the Stevenson Building, for security purposes.

 
[ The meeting at the Stevenson Building. In addition to Graham Flynn and Rod Thieman, Congressman McFarley is there, and some other aides ]
Congressman McFarley: I’d like to start by expressing our gratitude to the NSA, Mr. Thieman. As you know, we have requested this demonstration for some time.
Rod Thieman: Yes, and you’ve been very persistent.
McFarley: We’ve spent billions developing the program. It would be irresponsible not to have some oversight on the progress the agency’s made. You can understand that.
Thieman: Of course. So, without further ado, this – is HexRoot.
[ He opens a metal briefcase. Inside is a computer console. He turns it on ]
Thieman: A world-class malware program that targets supervisory control and data-acquisition systems. Now, it hones in on PLCs that allow for automation of electro-mechanical processes. We’ve developed stealth programs in a similar vein, but what makes HexRoot unique is it’s deployable from this mobile command center unit and can be taken into the field.
[ Graham Flynn was called out of the meeting briefly and has returned ]
Graham: [ Urgently ] I’m sorry to interrupt. I’m getting worried that we’ve got a situation in the building.
Congressman McFarley: What kind of situation?
[ Alarm🚨blares🚨loudly ]

 
[ Siya calls Dembe and Ressler who are still in transit ]
Siya: I’ve got an update, guys. Reports of a massive fire at the Stevenson Building. Or an explosion that started a fire. It’s unclear. I keep having to refresh. But social-media posts are coming in one after another. I’ve reached out to fire and EMS, and they’re treating it as a credible threat until they’re on the ground.
Ressler: This has to be Chang.
Dembe: Has to be.
Siya: Well, I’m watching live footage of smoke coming out the windows. If it’s another false-flag attack, it’s a convincing one.
Ressler: Alright, we’re two minutes out.

 
[ The meeting room ]
Congressman McFarley: Suspicious package? What? How? Nobody even knows about this site.
Graham Flynn: I don’t have details yet, but we’re been told to follow protocol here and evacuate. Committee members to the east stairwell. NSA to the west stairwell. We’ve been told to stay outside the building until Capitol Police arrive.
[ Rod Thieman stands, closes and locks the briefcase and fastens it to his wrist with a chain linked to a handcuff ]
Rod Thieman: This presentation is hereby suspended.
Congressman McFarley: For now. We’ll find another time.
⋘⋙
[🚨Alarms🚨blaring🚨]
[ Following instructions, Thieman and a few men who came with him head down the west stairwell. At the bottom of the first landing stands Bo Chang, dressed as a security guard. He holds up his hand ]
Bo Chang: Restricted area!
Rob Thieman: Officer, we need to get through here.
Bo Chang: I’m sorry. I can’t allow that.
Rob Thieman: We’re with the NSA. We’re operating under a presidential directive. Now step aside or my men will move you.
Bo Chang: Will they? Really?
[ Two of Bo Chang’s operatives appear, pointing long guns ]
Operative One: Hands away from your weapons! Where we can see them!
Operative Two: Hands high! Keep ’em high or we shoot!
Operative One: Lock your hands behind your head!
Rod Thieman: I can’t put my hands behind my head!!
Bo Chang: You’ll be able to in a moment.
[ Someone uses a wire cutter to cut through the chain securing the briefcase to Thieman wrist ] [ Clang‼️]
[ Bo Chang grabs the briefcase with the valuable HexRoot software inside and the thieves escape ]

 
[ There is a lot of commotion when Ressler and Dembe arrive at the Stevenson Building ]
Ressler: Excuse me. Agent Ressler, FBI. This is Agent Zuma. We need to speak with you and your boss.
Graham Flynn: He’s on with the Secretary of Defense. We’re dealing with a crisis at the moment.
Congressman McFarley: [ On phone ] I’ll do it.
Graham Flynn: The FBI, sir.
Dembe: Mr. Congressman, Agent Zuma, Agent Ressler, FBI. We have reason to believe the purpose of this charade, the fire and explosion, was to target your meeting.
McFarley: Our meeting today was classified. Look, guys, I’m under the gun here–
Dembe: It’s quite obvious that something critical went down here today. The man behind these events today is highly dangerous. We know he was after something here. We just don’t know what.
McFarley: He was after HexRoot.
Ressler: HexRoot?
McFarley: It’s a new cyber weapon. Our meeting was with the NSA. They were about to demonstrate HexRoot’s capabilities when all hell broke loose. In the chaos, the NSA team was ambushed, the weapon stolen. The fact that it’s gone is catastrophic.
Ressler: Can you tell us more about – HexRoot?
Flynn: HexRoot is next-gen military tech. It’ll saw through any cyber defense and hide itself inside any computer network.
Ressler: And now it’s out in the world? I mean, that’s just– You know what? Never mind.
McFarley: It’s okay, Agent Ressler. I understand your point of view. But the next World War – it’s gonna be a cyber war. And this nation needs to do what it takes to defend itself against the global conflict to come. That was the whole idea behind HexRoot.
Dembe: The NSA team, where are they now?
Flynn: With building security. Trying to get a lead on who attacked them.

 
[ Classical music plays ] [ A high class lounge ]
[ Footsteps approaching ]
Red: Hello, Phillip.
Phil Sutton: Reddington. How’d you find me?
Red: [ Chuckles ] Phil, you’re as predictable as the demographic in one of the city’s most pretentious men’s clubs. A predictability I’d grown to appreciate in our years of doing business. So imagine my surprise when you failed to pay me and rejected my shipment for the first time in – 17 years?
Phil: I know. But I’m between a rock and a hard place.
Red: Really? It’s actually quite comfortable here. Little bit stuffy. Bit stale.
Phil: People keep telling me that you’ve cozied up to the feds. I’m concerned. I don’t want to believe them.
Red: Well, perhaps you should. Because I have.
[ Phil is taken aback ]
Red: I also work with assets from Mossad – MI6, CIA, FSB. I have judges in my pocket. People in police departments from New York to New Delhi.
Phil: The way they were talking about the FBI, though – it was different. People were insinuating that you were handing people over to a secret task force. That– That some of my own associates have gone to federal prison directly because of you.
Red: When I was a child, I spent many summers at my grandmother’s farm. She kept pigs, chickens, some cows, sheep. And there was this one little goat, Belka. Poor thing had only one eye. My grandmother thought she was hideous, but I took quite a shine to her. Those summers were [ Breathes deeply ] paradise. And my grandmother gave me free rein. She had only one rule, stay out of the green shed. Year after year, I thought and thought of that shed. I dreamed and nightmared of the place. What could possibly be in there? What sort of secrets did it hold? And who went in there? And when? Why? Well, one day, Belka – went missing. Must have gotten out of her pen. And I looked – I looked all over the property. It was getting late. Getting dark. And then I heard it, her familiar little bleat. And it was coming from the shed. I don’t know how she got there, but I screwed up my courage and pulled open the door. Do you know what was in that shed?
Phil: No.
Red: Nothing. Literally nothing but a little hay. And Belka, of course. All that fear and trepidation, anticipation – for nothing. Tell yourself all the stories you want to about me, Phil, but there’s nothing there except a one-eyed goat. ⋘⋙ Still getting rich?
Phil: Of course. And I appreciate it.
Red: Do you understand the competitive advantage I offer? Steel, wood, cement at close to cost. Expedited shipments when supply-chain issues are delaying projects for months, if not years. How long has it been since you’ve had a labor problem?
Phil: I know all you’ve done for me.
Red: Then stop worrying about the feds. I have a soft spot in my heart for the sort of development you do. But make no mistake, you can’t do it the way you do it – without me. I expect full payment by tomorrow morning. And if something like this ever happens again, it won’t end with a polite conversation. ⋘⋙ I have a train to catch.
[ Red gets up and walks away ]

 
[ Ressler reports by phone from the Stevenson Building to Cooper and Siya at the Post Office ]
Ressler: We’re still on the ground here, but we’re making progress. I’m coordinating with the Capitol Police and the building security. We confirmed why Chang targeted Graham Flynn. Chang used Flynn’s work credentials to access a secure entrance. That’s where he ambushed the NSA officer and his guards.
Siya: How’d he get the credentials?
Ressler: We assume that he cloned them somehow. I mean, it’s all within his skill set.
Siya: That’s why he broke into Flynn’s car. Remember, nothing was “stolen.”
Cooper: So we know how Wujing orchestrated the attack and what he wanted, but why?
Ressler: Why not? That thing they stole, it’s a digital nuclear bomb. It can destroy anything, people, corporations, governments.
Siya: That’s worth a lot of money.
Cooper: I find it hard to believe Wujing’s motivation was purely financial. What would he use that device for?
[ Dembe walks over to Ressler ]
Ressler: [ To Dembe ] It’s Malik and Cooper.
Dembe: Sorry to interrupt, but this can’t wait. The NSA Officer just informed me that there’s a concealed geo-locator embedded inside the metal case that contains the HexRoot.
Siya: Well, that’s convenient.
Ressler: Leave it to the NSA to hide tech within their tech. Now I don’t suppose that they’re gonna share that location with us?
Dembe: No. But I saw the coordinates on the computer screen. I texted them to you. They’re assembling a team to move in by the end of the hour. We need to move fast if we want to beat them there.
Siya: Can we?
Cooper: You mean outfox the NSA foxes? I believe we can. Let’s get a tac team to that location immediately.

 
[ Bo Chang’s high tech lair ]
[ One of his operatives enters with a sack of fast food ] [ Door closes ] [ Lock clicks ✽ ]
Operative: [ Sighs ] What’s going on? See what we got here. Extra-spicy burrito, no rice.
Operative Two: You get jalapeños on mine?
Operative: Uh-huh.
[ Suddenly, the FBI bursts in ]
— FBI!
— FBI!
Ressler: Hands where we can see them!
[ Agents shouting indistinctly ]
Bo Chang: [ Grunts ]
Ressler: Mr. Chang, we meet again.

 
[ The yellow elevator door at the Post Office opens ] [ Siya steps out with Rod Thieman, the NSA agent ]
Rod Thieman: What is this place?
Siya: Oh, just the office.
Cooper: Harold Cooper, FBI.
Thieman: Rod Thieman, NSA. What, uh, exactly does your task force do here?
Cooper: I’m afraid that’s classified. We operate under special authority from the Attorney General. I’m sure you can appreciate the need for discretion.
Thieman: Well, whatever it is, you, uh– You obviously must be very good at it. You beat us to our own classified super weapon.
Siya: We have a team examining Chang’s hard drives to see if the program was uploaded or compromised.
[ Siya’s cellphone ««»»««»» vibrating ]
Siya: Could be them now. Nope. [ Whispering indistinctly ] Herbie.
Thieman: So, uh, who exactly is this Chang character anyway?
Cooper: MIT grad. Started his career as a security engineer for GetToGather[.]net. Now he creates social media events to commit crimes. But he’s never done anything close to stealing an NSA weapon before.
Thieman: Is he a solo act, or you think he’s working for someone else?
Cooper: Your guess is as good as mine.

 
[ An interrogation room ]
Ressler: We know you’re working with Wujing. We know you stole HexRoot for him. But what we don’t know is why.
Bo Chang: Agent Ressler. I thought you looked familiar.
[ He folds his hands together and, shaking, points them angrily at Ressler ]
Bo Chang: You ruined my life‼️
Ressler: I’m pretty sure you did that all on your own.
Bo Chang: [ To Dembe ] And you – I guess we both got tired of working for Reddington, huh? The feds, though? Really, Dembe?
Dembe: You can address me as Agent Zuma.
Bo Chang: You wanna know why I got on board with Wujing? Reddington. I was on retainer with that man for three years. I did some of my best work with him, too. I got him and Elizabeth Keen out of DC in the middle of a national manhunt. And how’d he repay me? By giving up me and my entire team to you. He’s a snake.
Dembe: What makes you think Reddington gave you up?
Bo Chang: Oh – No. No, no, no, no. I am not playing that game. We both know who you people really work for.
Ressler: Why does Wujing want HexRoot?
Bo Chang: I got nothing else to say. You tell that to Reddington and his hat. That damn hat.

 
[ Red is visiting Herbie Hambright and has brought a gift for Herbie’s one year old daughter Sue: a hat! It’s shaped like a fedora but it’s pink and made of woven straw ]
Red: When I saw it, I couldn’t resist.
[ Red puts the hat on Sue’s head ]
Red: There you go.
[ Herbie chuckles ]
Herbie: She looks just like you.
[ Both laugh ]
Herbie: I wasn’t expecting you today. Do you need a place to crash tonight?
Red: No, no, no. This isn’t purely a social call. Harold Cooper reached out to me.
Herbie: Harold? I love that guy. He’s so regal. And firm. And there’s a little softness to him, you know?
Red: That’s all very – specific. He told me you’ve been calling Ms. Malik. Obsessively.
[ Herbie looks worried ]
Herbie: Did he actually use that word?
[ Red makes a grimacing face, then signals ‘yes’ ]
Herbie: I blew it, didn’t I?
Red: What is your aim here?
Herbie: I gotta get outta the house. All my work is done at an arm’s length. No one wants me on a crime scene or in a courtroom after – everything that happened. And working with them – for a moment, I felt like I was back in the game again. On a team. And, oh, that whole secret hideout where they work? With the blacked-out van and the cool goggles? It was all so exciting.
Red: You really want this, don’t you, Herbie? A full-time job?
Herbie: I do. I mean, not, like, full-full-time. I have Sue. And my foosball and stuff. But, yes, mostly full-time. When I can, of course.
Red: If you get the chance to speak to Harold, I wouldn’t lead with all the other obligations.
Herbie: Well, since I don’t have his phone number, and I get the strong feeling he might not want me to have it, the next time you speak to Harold, could you put in a good word?
[ Sue coos ]
Red: [ Sniffs ] Is that – ?
Herbie: Poop, yes. Right on schedule.
Red: It really does define your day, doesn’t it?
Herbie: Perfectly. Alright. Come here.
[ Herbie lifts Sue from her playpen ]
[ Sue coos ]

 
[ Dembe talks to Ressler outside the interrogation room ]
Dembe: He won’t talk. He’s too afraid.
Ressler: What, of Wujing?
Dembe: Afraid of Raymond.
Ressler: Well, it doesn’t matter. We need to keep working on him. We need to figure out why Wujing stole HexRoot. I mean, it’s obviously part of a larger plan.
Dembe: Maybe we don’t need Chang to talk to us to figure it out.
Ressler: Why? What are you thinking?
Dembe: Wujing broke The Freelancer out of custody to come after the task force last week. Why?
Ressler: To gather photographic evidence, proof of Reddington’s connection to our team.
Dembe: And now there’s another Blacklister with a grudge against us, sent out by Wujing. Stands to reason he’s after the same goal.
Ressler: To find more proof.
Dembe: Look at the object that he stole.
Ressler: A virus that covertly invades and controls a computer system. Our computer system. With all our case files and questionable tactics.
Dembe: Not to mention the immunity agreement that Raymond has with Main Justice.
Ressler: Can you imagine if all of that came out? I can just see the national headlines now.
Dembe: With our faces right below them.
Ressler: Okay, I buy it. I just have one more question.

 
[ Interrogation room lock clicks ✽ and door opens ]
Ressler: Where’s the drop? We know you stole HexRoot, so what’s the plan to get the device to Wujing?
Bo Chang: What’s in it for me?
Dembe: How about – survival? That’s if we’re in bed with Reddington, as you suggest.
Ressler: Which we’re not.
Dembe: Then everything said in this room would get back to him.
Ressler: Including the fact that you helped his task force capture Wujing.
Dembe: That assistance may just be enough to keep you alive in prison and safe from Reddington’s retribution. I mean, that’s if the task force worked with Reddington.
Dembe: Which it doesn’t.
Bo Chang: The drop’s today at 4:00. Madison Park in Northeast. You just make sure Reddington finds out that I’m helping you.
[ Dembe and Ressler leave ]
[ Door closes ]

 
Siya: These are satellite shots of the park. Plenty of places to hide a team. Do you think Wujing will make an appearance to retrieve the device?
Ressler: Chang seemed to think so. He’s agreed to assist in our operation.
Dembe: Should we involve Raymond?
Cooper: We know Reddington’s endgame here. It’s not our job to aid and abet him in murdering Wujing. Our job is to arrest a criminal, stop a war, and to protect this task force. I want a surveillance plan for Madison Park in the next hour. If Wujing shows up, this ends today.

 
[ Bo Chang is gearing up for the drop-off ]
[ Device beeps🔅]
Ressler: You all good? You understand how that wire works?
Bo Chang: I do. But I wouldn’t say I’m “all good.” I can’t believe I’m working for Reddington again.
Ressler: You’re not. You’re working for the FBI.
[ Ressler lays a metal briefcase on the table ]
Bo Chang: Again with the charade? Just own it already, man.
Ressler: It’s a duplicate case. All the electronics inside are non-functional, so don’t go opening it up during the handoff. Let’s go over this thing one more time.
⋘⋙
[ Dembe and Siya are outside the interrogation room ]
[ Button clicks ✽ ] [ Siya turns off audio from the room ]
Siya: You think he can handle this?
Dembe: He engineered and executed a plan to steal a top-secret weapon from the NSA. He’ll be okay.
Siya: Can I be candid with you? I was a bit thrown off by Cooper’s decision not to tell Reddington about the meeting with Wujing. Aren’t we supposed to be a team? How can this task force function if you’re hiding things from him?
Dembe: Raymond hides things, as well.
Siya: If you don’t trust him, and he doesn’t trust the task force, how can you possibly make criminal cases based on his information?
Dembe: It sounds dysfunctional, but I have faith that Raymond wants good things to happen to good people.
Siya: You two were so close before. Must be strange keeping things from him now.
Dembe: We keep things from each other to protect each other. It’s a healthy mistrust, and I trust in that, too.
Siya: [ Sighs ] I have to think this place would have driven my mother mad. She was so black-and-white. You think she ever had second thoughts about working with him?
Dembe: I’m sure she did. We all do. It comes with the territory. But your mother was very guarded. She kept a lot of things to herself.
Siya: You mean, what, like secrets?
Dembe: Raymond would know better than I do. He did his own vetting when Diane Fowler put your mother on the task force all those years ago. I don’t know the details, but I always got the impression that he knew something about everyone’s past.
[ Knocking on door ✽ ✽ ] [ Door opens ]
Ressler: We’re all set. Let’s go.

 
[ Red calls Chuck from outside the Cooper’s front door. Chuck is in Red’s garage/office near the Post Office ]
Red: Do we have an update?
Chuck: Our man from New Orleans landed. I don’t think you’ll have time to see him beforehand, but, uh, he’s agreed to do the job.
Red: That’ll be fine. As long as everything’s on schedule. We’ll reconvene after. I have to go.
[ Cellphone clicks ✽ ]
⋘⋙
[ Red knocks ✽ ✽ ✽ ]
[ Agnes answers the door ]
Red: Hi, Agnes.
Agnes: Hey, Pinkie.
Red: You doing some cooking?
Agnes: Well, I’m doing something. I’m not sure if you’d call it cooking.
Red: Is Harold around?
Agnes: He’s still at work, and Mom’s out running an errand.
Red: They leave you home alone?
Agnes: I can handle myself.
Red: I’m sure you can. Something smells delightful. What are you baking here?
Agnes: That’s a complicated question.
Red: [ Chuckles ]
Agnes: Here, try this. It’s awful, right?
Red: No. I mean, it leaves a little something to be desired. [ Sniffs ] What’s in it? Or perhaps it’s something that’s not in it that should be.
Agnes: Yeah, probably. I was trying to make a baking video for my vlog, and this is my third try. It’d be pretty shady to demo bad chocolate cake.
Red: You know, Julia Child didn’t graduate from Le Cordon Bleu until she was 39. In fact, she even failed her first exam there. Practice makes perfect. And sometimes a little assistance doesn’t hurt, either. May I?
Agnes: Of course.
[ Red puts on an apron ]
Red: Let’s turn that off, just while I’m here.
Agnes: That sort of defeats the purpose of a vlog. It stands for “video blog.”
Red: And you can record to your heart’s content once I leave.
Agnes: Okay.
[ Agnes lays the recording camera down on the table ]
Red: Let’s look at this recipe.
Agnes: Everything’s in this bowl.
Red: “More information on the espresso powder below.”
Agnes: [ Laughs ]
Red: [ Chuckles ]
[ Red dips his finger in the batter and licks it off his finger ]
Red: Hmm. You’re still missing two crucial ingredients, a little more sugar, just that amount–
Agnes: Okay.
Red: – And also –
[ Red goes over to the refrigerator ]
Agnes: Uh, we don’t have any fancy European kind of stuff, if that’s what you — Mayo?
Red: [ Chuckles ]
Agnes: [ Incredulous ] In chocolate cake? But that’s disgusting.
[ Agnes makes a face ]
Red: No, it gives it the perfect level of moisture – There we go – And richness.
[ Red plops two heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise into the batter ]
Agnes: Ugh.
Red: The key – is to fold the ingredients together gently. When we’re done, if this isn’t the most decadent cake you’ve ever had, I will personally fly you to Vienna for a Sachertorte at the Café Demel. The world’s most famous chocolate cake, and its history is rife with controversy. It all began in 1832 with a prince.
[ Red tastes the batter again ]

 
[ Madison Park ]
[ Siya, Ressler, and Dembe are there, all dressed in plainclothes. Bo Chang waits nervously next to a food wagon. They are using comms ]
Ressler: Well, there’s still no sign of Wujing.
Dembe: Wasn’t he supposed to be here five minutes ago?
Siya: I’m gonna see if I can get a closer look.
Bo Chang: Should I stay here? Something doesn’t feel right. Wujing’s never late.
Ressler: Hold your position.
Siya: Knit cap. Black jacket, boots. My eight o’clock. Approaching Chang from behind.
⋘⋙
[ Alban Veseli, the Freelancer, walks up behind Bo Chang ]
Veseli: I’m here to pick up the package.
⋘⋙
Siya: It’s The Freelancer.
Ressler: Veseli? What’s he doing here?
Siya: Should we move in?
Dembe: What if Wujing is here? Shouldn’t we stand fast until he reveals himself?
⋘⋙
[ Bo Chang unzips his backpack to show Veseli the metal case ]
⋘⋙
Ressler: No, we can’t wait. We need to move in now. Now!
⋘⋙
[ Veseli tries to take the backpack but Bo Chang isn’t letting go ]
Veseli: What are you doing, man? What are you doing? What’s going on?
[ Footsteps approaching ]
[ Veseli pulls the backpack away and pushes Bo Chang down ]
Ressler: FBI! Stop!
[ Veseli grabs a motorized scooter and takes off ] [ Scooter revs ]
[ Ressler catches up to Veseli and pulls him off the scooter ]
[ Both grunt ] [ Veseli whallops⚡️Ressler with the backpack and takes off running without it ]
[ Siya retrieves the backpack ]
[ Veseli runs to the street. A car pulls over ] [ Tires screech⚡️]
Richard Deever: Get in!
[ Veseli gets in ]
[ Engine revs ] [ Tires screech⚡️]
Dembe: Was that–
Siya: Richard Deever. My former colleague.
Dembe: He’s still working for Wujing?

 
[ The Post Office. The team gets out of the yellow elevator with Bo Chang ]
Bo Chang: For the record, that whole thing at the park, not my fault. You’ll tell Reddington I tried, right?
Dembe: Walk.
⋘⋙
Siya: I can’t believe it was Deever. I would’ve strangled him with my bare hands if I could.
Ressler: I can’t say I can blame you. I mean, the guy did shoot you.
[ Cooper walks over ]
Siya: I’m so sorry. Seems my old pal Deever’s made a career of absconding with Veseli.
Ressler: Do we have any leads?
Cooper: The BOLO is out. Including a description of his sedan. We got every law enforcement officer in DC looking for him.

 
[ Inside Deever’s sedan ]
Alban Veseli: We need to ditch this car. They’re onto us. They’re more than onto us.
Richard Deever: Relax. We don’t have far to travel, and we’ll be safer there.
Veseli: Surprised to see you pull up. Didn’t know you were still working for Wujing.
Deever: I’m the reason why Wujing knows about the NSA weapon in the first place. They were developing it while I was at the CIA. Once I found out they were planning on bringing it before the board, I knew it was his chance to make a move. Wujing asked me to keep an eye on the drop as backup.
Veseli: Well, I’m glad you were there to grab me. Though I’m a little panicked as to what’s gonna happen when I show up to Wujing’s empty-handed.

 
[ Deever and Veseli enter a vacant industrial building ]
Deever: It’ll be fine. He’s just this way.
[ They go through a door and out steps — Red ]
Red: Hello, Alban.
[ Veseli raises this hands ]
Deever: Can I go now? I did what you asked.
Red: Not so fast.
Deever: That was our deal. You said if I brought him in, you would let me go.
Red: I never said I’d let you go. I said I’d let you live.
[ Chuck gives Deever a patdown ]

 
[ The Post Office ]
[ Siya’s cell phone ««»»««»» vibrating: “Nick’s Pizza” (Red) is calling. Siya picks up ]
Red: [ On phone ] Ms. Malik. How are you enjoying your time with the task force so far?
Siya: Well, today wasn’t so great. We lost Veseli, then Richard Deever, and didn’t even get eyes on Wujing.
Red: Deever, you and he share a past, do you not?
Siya: I’m pretty sure you’re aware he’s the CIA agent who betrayed me.
Red: Ah, well, the nice thing about this job is that your fortunes can change on a dime. I’m texting you an address. Hold on. It’s a new phone. Ah. There.
[ Cellphone beeps🔅]
Red: I suggest you get there right away.
Siya: Why?
Red: There’s a gift waiting for you. Consider it a belated “Welcome to the team.”
[ Cell phone chimes✨]

 
[ Siya arrives with a team at the address Red texted ]
[ They find Richard Deever tied up, with duct tape across this mouth ]
Siya: Well, hey, there, partner. Did you miss me?

 
[ Red and Cooper are talking on the phone. Red is busy with the jeweled fly pins he purchased at an antique store. He seems to be attaching them to clothing ~ his hat? ]
Cooper: I heard you paid Agnes a visit today. She was raving about the merits of mayonnaise.
Red: [ Chuckles ] Yes. I stopped by. I was hoping to speak with you about Herbie Hambright.
Cooper: Ah, Herbie. He’s a little starved for attention, isn’t he?
Red: Indeed. I think you should hire him, Harold.
Cooper: Excuse me?
Red: He so desperately wants to be part of a team. Your team, in fact. I think it would be wonderful for him. Though I should warn you, he’s not entirely a team player.
Cooper: What a ringing endorsement.
Red: He’s an unconventional choice. What can I say? You won’t find a more qualified forensic analyst.
Cooper: He did do great work for us, but he’d have to be vetted. Wasn’t he fired by the DA’s office for dropping the ball on a murder case?
Red: No, the DA.’s office dropped the ball, and Herbie left the job. It all took quite a toll on him. Of course, I’m biased. I adore the guy. Somewhere in all those frailties is an incredible mind. He sees things in ways that others don’t. I really think he could offer a fresh perspective.
Cooper: I’ll see if I can get him approved. On a provisional basis.
Red: That sounds just fine. Harold, I couldn’t help but notice that you forgot to inform me today about your plan to entrap Wujing.
Cooper: And you forgot to tell me that you found Deever.
Red: I didn’t forget.
Cooper: What about Veseli? The man Deever “rescued” for you. What are you going to do with him?
Red: [ Darkly ] Whatever the hell I want.
Cooper: I can’t in good conscience allow you to murder him. Or Wujing. Or any of these Blacklisters. ⋘⋙ So much for being more transparent with each other.
Red: You know, Harold, I have, in fact, been keeping something from you. Something big. It’s time for me to let you and the task force in. If we play our cards right, this war with Wujing will be over in 72 hours, and my connection to the task force will forever remain shrouded in secrecy. As if it was never there.

 
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Episode Songs

[ I could not find a song matching the lyrics at the beginning of this script

 
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❌❌❌ End 10:8 Troll Farmer, Part 2

🔴 Script 10:9 The Troll Farmer, Part 3 (№ 38)

 
Program air date: 4/23/2023 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-eqP
EntertainmentWeekly Recap: https://tinyurl.com/3s5zp6mw
 

Brief (Where we’re at): Wujing (Blacklister #84) hired Bo Chang, (the Troll Farmer, Blacklister #38) to arrange a disinformation event so he could get hold of a secret portable NSA-developed system capable of cracking into any computer system (“HexRoot”). Dembe suggested Wujing wants the device to access the task force’s files and expose Red’s relationship with the FBI. The task force nabbed Bo Chang after he had the device and, in hopes of nabbing Wujing, had him pretend to give Wujing a replica but unusable device. But instead of Wujing showing up for the drop off, Alban Veseli (the Freelancer, Blacklister #145) showed up instead, proving that Veseli is still working with Wujing. When the task froce closed in on him, Veseli lost possession of the (fake) device. He ran and was picked up by ex-CIA agent Richard Deever, Siya’s former partner who’d turned on her and MI6. Veseli was surprised that Deever was there to rescue him from the FBI, but Deever said Wujing has asked him to be there in case things went bad with the drop-off. Turns out, Red had gotten to Deever ahead of time and so Deever delivered Veseli to Red instead of to Wujing. Red left Deever tied and gagged as a gift for Siya. So, the FBI has Deever and Bo Chang in custody. Red still has Veseli and Red would not tell Cooper why.

Red apologized to Cooper for not having kept him up to date in his plans but says the time has come for him to let the task force in:

Red: You know, Harold, I have, in fact, been keeping something from you. Something big. It’s time for me to let you and the task force in. If we play our cards right, this war with Wujing will be over in 72 hours, and my connection to the task force will forever remain shrouded in secrecy. As if it was never there.

As Red talks to Cooper on the phone, he is carefully attaching the bejeweled pin of a housefly that he picked up at an antique shop to his signature fedora.

⭕ Script 10:9 The Troll Farmer, Part 3 (№ 38)

 
It’s night at the Post Office black site and the lights are dim, but Red is there with Chuck and some of his other associates. None of the agents on the Reddington task force are present ]
Chuck: Red. We’re all set.
Red: How many?
Chuck: Six. Four around the perimeter, two in the catwalks.
Red: Any obstructions?
Chuck: None. Wide angle, night vision, motion detection. We should have what we need.
Red: We should or we do?
Chuck: Red, uh–
Red: Check again. I told you, there’s no room for error on this. If we can’t see or, worse, Harold or anyone clocks a camera–
Chuck: That won’t happen. We’re talking about an eighth of an inch, but we’ll triple check. But I’m telling you, we’re good.
Red: Find some wood and knock on it.

 
[ Senator Cynthia Panabaker, formerly of the Department of Justice, is reading the riot act to Bo Chang (the Troll Farmer, Blacklister #38). Harold Cooper is also present. Working for Wujing (Blacklister #84), Chang pulled off a mass disinformation event to disguise an operation in which he managed to steal a secret hacking system developed by the National Security Agency (NSA). The system, called HexRoot, is capable of hacking into any system on earth and was being developed for use as a cyberweapon. The task force retrieved HexRoot and tried to arrange to use the planned drop-off to ensnare Wujing, but the operation failed ]
Cynthia Panabaker: [ Deadly serious ] Mr. Chang. Whether you realize it or not, you are currently attending what I like to call a Come To Jesus meeting. You have a choice to make, and what you do next will either be your salvation – or your ruin. We sent the mobile command module we recovered from your safe house to the NSA for examination. And guess what. They say the program you stole wasn’t on the system.
Chang: No?
Panabaker: No. Apparently, it had already been stripped and uploaded to an unknown location.
Chang: I see.
Panabaker: No. I don’t think you do, Mr. Chang. That’s why I asked Director Cooper to bring you to my office, so I could enlighten you. The HexRoot program is a national asset, the result of thousands of hours of development and more time and money than our government will ever formally acknowledge. Losing it is not an option.
Chang: But as you just said, it’s already lost.
Panabaker: Misplaced. Temporarily. Because you are going to return it and help us catch Wujing and everyone else involved.
Chang: Or?
Panabaker: Or you will discover what it feels like to have the full weight of the American government come bearing down on one tiny troll. [ To Cooper ] Two hours.
Cooper: Understood.
Panabaker: Not a minute more. If he hasn’t cooperated by then, I’m authorizing his transport to a CIA black site for more advanced interrogation.
Cooper: [ To Bo Chang ] On your feet.
⋘⋙
[ Ressler and Dembe Zuma are stationed outside the office ]
Ressler: Are we really doing this?
Dembe: I guess so. They’re coming out the door.
Cooper: Take him back to Interrogation. The senator set a two-hour clock. If he hasn’t cooperated by then, he’s leaving the country.
Ressler: She’s turning him over to the Agency?
Cooper: That’s entirely up to him.

 
[ Dembe and Ressler escort Bo Chang to a van with blacked out windows ]
[ Dembe hands Chang blackout goggles ]
Chang: Are those necessary? You already blacked out the windows. What am I gonna see?
Dembe: You don’t have to put them on. If you prefer, I can do it for you.
[ Chang puts on the goggles )
[ A panel separating the cab from the back slides open ]
Ressler: Two agents, one guest.
Driver: Check.

 
[ On the highway ]
Driver: 10 minutes out. We’re initiating the Access Protocol.
Ressler: You got our instructions?
Driver: Yes, sir.
Ressler: We need to be sure that this van isn’t followed.
Driver: Understood. We’re taking additional diversionary measures.
[ Panel slides ]
Chang: Wujing won’t stop. You know that, right? You can take all the measures you want. Eventually, he will figure out where you are.

 
[ They arrive at the Post Office ]
Ressler: Bo Chang. Previously admitted, returning from Senator Panabaker’s office.
[ Bo Chang goes through identification procedures ]
[ Beeping🔅🔅🔅]
Woman: Stand on the line. Hold still.
[ Beeping🔅🔅🔅]
Woman: Right hand.
[ Chang places his hand on a metal reader ]
[ Beeping🔅🔅🔅] [ Indistinct voices ]
Dembe: Are we clear?
Man: Prints are still running.
Chang: This is ridiculous. It’s me. I was just here an hour ago.
[ Beeping🔅🔅🔅] [ Photos and ID for Chang pop up ]
Man: [ Reading ] Chang comma Bo. A.K.A. Farmer comma Troll. Now you’re clear.
⋘⋙
[ They walk ] ⋘⋙ [ Elevator door slides ] ⋘⋙ [ More walking] ⋘⋙
[ Another elevator ] ⋘⋙ Elevator door opens ] ⋘⋙ [ Walking ]
⋘⋙
[ They reach the Post Office war room ]
[ Red is there. He looks up. Bo Chang tries to lunge at him but Ressler and Dembe hold him back ]
Chang: And there he is. Clock’s ticking, Reddington! I’m talking to a dead man.
Red: So dramatic. It’s sad. For all your talent, you never did have any judgment. Come on, Wujing. You’re finally out of prison, it’s a new day, and you choose to align yourself with a washed-up assassin who’s spreading rumors about things he couldn’t possibly understand.
Chang: He understands enough.
Red: You of all people know that what you think you see is rarely the full picture. I hope you’re hearing me, Chang. Because if you want to live through this, you’ll tell these agents what they want to know.
Ressler: Let’s go.
[ Dembe and Ressler tug Bo Chang away to interrogation ]

 
[ Interrogation room ]
[ Ressler flashes his card to gain access ] [ Beeps🔅]
Chang: It’s not just Reddington. They know your names. Ressler, Zuma, Malik, Cooper.
Dembe: Time’s up at 2:30. You have an hour and 27 minutes left.
Chang: Not just your names. – Your faces.
Ressler: Alright. We get it, Chang. We believe you. You’re a real tough guy. We’ll be back in five minutes to get your statement.
[ Door closes ]

 
[ The interrogation room, later ] [ Chang is not cooperating ]
Ressler: We’re wasting time. You have less than an hour. Where is Wujing? You know, the HexRoot program doesn’t officially exist, so how did Wujing know it was leaving the Pentagon? What does he want it for? Answer the question!
Chang: What do you think? It’s priceless.
Ressler: So he intends to sell it.
Chang: Of course. Every enemy this country has, and half of its friends would pay a fortune for a copy of that software.
Ressler: No, it’s not about the money, is it?
Chang: Come on, man. Everything’s about the money. It’s just not the man’s top priority.
Ressler: He wants to take down Reddington.
Chang: Wrong. We don’t want to take down Reddington. We want to expose the truth. The truth will take down Reddington.
Ressler: So why did he come to you?
Chang: Because I was on Marvin Gerard’s list. And because Wujing knows that I have the skill set to use it to hack your system.
Ressler: Looking for what exactly?
Chang: All of it. Every case file. Every Main Justice directive. His immunity agreement. Everything that proves Reddington’s connection to the FBI.
Ressler: Yeah, but our archives are secure.
Chang: Your archives are offline. Doesn’t mean they’re secure.
Ressler: Well, it means that you can’t access them outside of this building. Why? What’s he gonna do? Attack a federal facility?
Chang: Who knows?
[ Knocking on door ✽ ✽ ]
[ Door opens. Beeps🔅]
⋘⋙
[ Ressler and Dembe talk outside of the room, with the door left open ]
Dembe: Any luck?
Ressler: Mmm-mmm. Panabaker scares him, but Wujing terrifies him.
Dembe: Well, he’s not gonna like the CIA.
Ressler: Hmm. Well, Reddington said he wasn’t gonna talk. I hate it when he’s right.
Dembe: Stick to it.
⋘⋙
[ Inside the room, Bo Chang removes a paper clip from the papers in left front of him and hides it up his sleeve ]
⋘⋙
[ Ressler steps back in ]
Ressler: The Agency’s sending a team over to pick him up. That was about your Agency escort. Transport team’s on its way.
[ Under the table edge, Bo Chang uses the paper clip to try to undo the handcuffs ]

 
[ It’s 2:25pm ]
Ressler: So, Wujing, how much does he know about this place?
Chang: Your time’s up.
Ressler: [ Scoffs ] My time? See, I don’t get it, Chang. I mean, why not cooperate? You can’t help Wujing now. Why not try to help yourself?
Chang: Because I’m not buying what the government’s selling. Any way you slice it, I’m going to prison for a long time, and on the inside, I need friends, not enemies with a long reach like Wujing.
Ressler: You really think a guy like Wujing is gonna appreciate your loyalty?
Chang: We’ll see. To be honest, I’m less interested in helping him than I am in hurting Reddington.
Ressler: Well. Safe travels, Chang. You’re the CIA’s problem now.
[ Door opens. Beeps🔅]
[ Ressler leaves ] [ Door closes ]
[ Bo Chang has freed himself from the handcuffs ]
⋘⋙
[ Outside the room ]
Ressler: [ To Dembe { No dice. Still talking tough. Seems like he knows something that we don’t.
[ They walk down the hall ]
⋘⋙
[ Inside, Chang gets up and goes to the ID reader by the door that includes a keypad ]
[ He short circuits the keyboard ] [ Electricity⚡️crackles ] [ He keys in combinations ]
[ Door beeps🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅] [ Door beeps 🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅] [ Door beeps 🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅]
[ Door unlocks ✽ ]

 
[ Bo Chang steps out into the corridor ] [ Dembe and Ressler don’t notice Change ]
[ Suspenseful music playing ]
[ Chang ducks in and out of doorways until he is clear of Ressler and Dembe. Then he walks through corridors, avoiding people, and ascends a flight of stairs ]
⋘⋙
[ Siya walks by the interrogation room and sees Bo Chang’s handcuffs lying on the table ]
[ Siya initiates an alarm using her tablet computer: Her display⚡️flashes⚡️ ]
[ Alarm🚨blaring⚡️Lights 🚨flashing ]
[ Dembe and Ressler run over to Siya ]
Dembe: What happened?
Siya: I don’t know. He must’ve gotten out somehow.
Ressler: What do you mean? I was just with him. His hands were cuffed, and the door was locked.
Siya: Well, he’s out and on the move.
[ Alarm🚨blaring⚡️Lights 🚨flashing ]
Dembe: Where?
Siya: I would think looking for an exit.
[ Ressler places a call ]
Ressler: Alright. Code red. We got a runner at large in the building. Bo Chang. He’s on foot.
Last seen in Box One. He probably took the east corridor. Initiate a full lockdown.
[ Cooper appears on the landing ]
Cooper: Dembe, what’s going on?
Dembe: Chang is making a run for it.

 
[ Alarm🚨blaring⚡️Lights 🚨flashing ]
[ The team converges in the war room ]
Ressler: Hey.
Cooper: Who’s got eyes?
Siya: Cameras are coming up now.
Cooper: There he is. He’s found the east corridor.
Ressler: Alright. We’re on it.
⋘⋙
[ Bo Chang continues his flight ]
Chang: [ Breathing heavily ]
[ Alarm🚨blaring⚡️Lights 🚨flashing ]
[ Ressler and Dembe mount the same staircase Chang has a minute or so earlier ]
[ Chang reaches an exit door but it’s locked. He grabs a fire hydrant and ‼️bangs the‼️door handle‼️with it ]
⋘⋙
[ Cooper and Siya watch the surveillance feed from the war room ]
Cooper: He’s almost out
⋘⋙
Ressler: We’re approaching the ground floor.
⋘⋙
[ Chang hits ‼️the handle again and it flies off the door. He escapes ]
⋘⋙
[ Seconds later, Ressler and Dembe arrive to find the open door ]
Dembe: He’s gone.
Ressler: What do you think?
Dembe: [ Chuckling ] I think it worked.
[ Both laugh ]

 
[ The yellow elevator opens and Cynthia Panabaker steps out, looking around unbelieving. She walks over to Cooper ]
Panabaker: [ Astonished ] Well, shut my mouth and call me Shirley.
Cooper: It’s incredible, isn’t it?
Panabaker: Astounding! I’d say I’d never seen anything like it, but that certainly isn’t the case. What– How? Harold, what am I looking at?
Cooper: Believe me, I had the same question. Reddington brought me here for the first time a few days ago, right after the Troll Farmer was arrested.

[ Flashback: ]
Red: Harold, you look flummoxed.
Cooper: What on earth?
Red: [ Chuckles ] I see. All things considered, I’d take that as a compliment. It has been quite an undertaking.
[ Cooper stands in the middle of an almost-finished exact replica of the Post Office ]
Cooper: You said you had something big to tell us.
Red: Yes, well – the “something big” is a building.
Cooper: Our building. The Post Office. I don’t understand. When did you do this? How did you do this?
Red: I started the same day you and the Task Force returned to work, the day Jennifer Moores died.
Cooper: The day of the explosion at the Chinese Consulate?
Red: Yes. Wujing was asking questions about my connection to the FBI. It wasn’t difficult to reason that Marvin Gerard must have told him about the work we’ve been doing.
Cooper: You knew Wujing would be looking for proof.
Red: Proof that could only be found at the Post Office. I started searching for a suitable space right away.

[ Flashback in Flashback: ]
Realtor Andrea Athens: Mr. Reddington, this place checks a lot of your boxes. Thirty thousand square feet, no windows, high ceilings.
Red: I don’t need high ceilings, Andrea. I need at least two stories, not just a mezzanine.
Andrea: They do fully catered events, which means it has a working kitchen. I know you didn’t request that–
Red: You’re right. I didn’t. A kitchen is nice, but I don’t need it. And this has been open to the public. The place I need has to be discreet. I need it to be invisible.
Andrea: That doesn’t exist. A vacant space that large in this area? Remember, I can only show you what’s available.
Red: So it does exist. It’s just being used by somebody else.
Andrea: Are you saying you want to buy someone out?
Red: How about I buy you lunch and you tell me everything you know about the companies that have factories in the area?

Cooper: Wujing was looking for the Post Office, so you decided to build a duplicate?
Red: Duplicate. Decoy. Dummy. Interesting that all those words start with “D.’
Cooper: I’m catching up. Wujing knows what the Post Office looks like. There are Blacklisters on Marvin’s list who were held there. Some were interrogated there.
Red: Thank goodness for all your protocols, Harold. All those blindfolds and blackout vans. Wujing knows what he’s looking for and how it looks, just not where to find it.

Panabaker: It’s uncanny! If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was standing in the actual building.
Cooper: Reddington’s had construction crews working around the clock.
Panabaker: And all of this works? The overheads, the terminals? The workstations all have power? Remarkable. All for an illusion?
Cooper: Yes. All for an illusion that isn’t an illusion. It’s not a movie set. There are no Styrofoam walls. [ Tapping ✵✵✵✵ ] It’s an exact reproduction of the original.
Panabaker: So Reddington didn’t build a fake Post Office. He built another Post Office?
Cooper: Down to the last detail.
Panabaker: Okay, Harold. I’m up to speed on the what. You’re gonna have to help me with the why.
Cooper: There’s a reason I brought Chang to your office this morning.
Panabaker: And it wasn’t just so I could read him the riot act?
Cooper: No. We had to get him out of the real Post Office so that after the meeting, we could bring him back here.

[ Flashback: ]
Cooper: You want to let Chang escape?
Red: Yes. Uh, from this building. The duplicate Post office, to allow him to set the trap. If Chang escapes, he’ll immediately go back to Wujing and tell him where he was being held. And when he does, Wujing will not be able to resist the urge to act. He’ll gather his troops and come charging in here, and you and the Task Force will be waiting.
Cooper: That could work.
Red: It will work, Harold. One move. One stealth move. Nobody will see it coming.

Panabaker: So Chang believes he escaped? How’d you manage that?
Cooper: It wasn’t that hard, actually. All we had to do was manufacture an opportunity, and once Chang jumped at it, the rest was easy.

[ Flashback: ]
[ Chang short-circuits the keypad ] [ Electricity⚡️crackles ] [ Door beeps🔅]
⋘⋙
[ Cooper and Siya watch the video feed of Chang trying the guess the passcode 🔅🔅🔅🔅🔅 ]
Siya: Look at that. He used the paperclip to short the panel. He’s trying to reset and recode the sequence. Even for him, that’s a long shot.
Cooper: I agree. We should give him some help.
[ Siya presses a button ] [ Door unlocks ]

Cooper: From there, it was just a matter of letting Chang stay one step ahead. We knew that he was in the stairwell, headed for the east exit door. The fire extinguisher was Reddington’s idea so it wouldn’t seem too easy. We got there in time to stop him, but we waited until he was in the clear.

[ Flashback: ]
Ressler: We’re approaching the ground floor.
Cooper over earpiece: He’s almost out. A few more seconds.
[ Extinguisher clangs‼️]

Cooper: It worked beautifully. We gave him just enough time to get away.
Panabaker: So what now?
Cooper: Now we see if Reddington is right. If he is, Chang went back to Wujing and is telling him exactly where we are.

 
[ Wujing is meditating ]
[ Zhang Wei clears throat ]
[ In Mandarin ]
Zhang wei: Wujing. Sorry for the interruption. This couldn’t wait.
[ In English ]
Wujing: I was told you were arrested.
Chang: I escaped.
[ In Mandarin ]
Zhang Wei: The pickup was secure. He’s clean. He’s not wearing a wire.
[ Bo Chang approaches Wujing and crouches alongside him ]
[ In English ]
Chang: You were right. I saw Reddington with my own eyes. Inside the FBI’s facility. Wujing, I know where it is. I can take you there.

 
Panabaker: Harold, if Reddington’s right, Wujing is gonna attack this place with everything he has.
Cooper: Yes. He’ll want to strike quickly, before we’ve had the opportunity to fortify our defenses.
Panabaker: Most likely at night.
Cooper: And time is money. This war is costing him a fortune, a fortune he doesn’t have.
Panabaker: So this is going to happen in the very near future.
Cooper: I’m betting on it. And when it does – we’ll be ready.

 
[ Wujing and Zhang Wei examine large scale satellite images laid out on a table. Bo Chang is also there ]
[ In Mandarin ]
Zhang Wei: Here are satellite images of the address Chang provided. This is the main building.
Wujing: We’re any blueprints available?
[ In English ]
Zhang Wei: No, but we had Chang prepare a layout of the interior.
Wujing: So, we are limited by what he can recall?
Zhang Wei: Yes, but – what we see does match with what we know. The entire complex is nearly 40,000 square feet. Well hidden from the street. Now, I sent a team to scout the location. There are no entrances accessible to the public.
Wujing: Hmm. The primary workspace is subterranean?
Zhang Wei: Yes, with a second level that includes office space and several catwalks.
Wujing: [ Pointing ] Harold Cooper’s office.
Zhang Wei: Possibly. That’s consistent with the intel we have.
Wujing: How many guards are there?
Chang: I don’t know. They put me in an interrogation room. But a lot.
Wujing: [ Scoffs ] We also have a lot.
Zhang Wei: We’re going in?
Wujing: With enough mercenary power to neutralize any resistance. The new leader of Henrik Fisker’s group, what is his name?
Zhang Wei: Sven Hollufson.
Wujing: Hollufson. Yes. Call him. Tell him we finally know where to find the proof we have been seeking.

 
[ The Post Office ]
Cooper: Let’s be clear. If Wujing attacks, he’s intentionally assaulting what he knows to be a heavily guarded federal facility.
⋘⋙
[ Sven Hollufson has joined Wujing ]
Wujing: To succeed, we need to be clever. After Chang’s escape, the FBI knows their location has been compromised.
Hollufson: So they may be expecting an attack?
Wujing: We should assume so.
Hollufson: Then we can’t enter from the same point that Chang used to get out. The FBI knows that spot is vulnerable. I guarantee they’re shoring it up as we speak.
⋘⋙
Siya: Chang knows how he got out. What are the chances Wujing tries to get in the same way?
Ressler: Well, it’s possible. He may not trust that exact entry point, but the most likely approach is definitely one of the stairwells along the lower perimeter.
⋘⋙
Wujing: We are not gonna be using any of the exterior access points along the lower perimeter.
Hollufson: We’re not?
Wujing: [ Chuckling ] No. We need to surprise them. I have another idea.
⋘⋙
Cooper: The plan is to allow Wujing’s people to enter the building, make their way to this room, then cut off any escape routes behind them.
Dembe: If they come, he’ll have some serious firepower.
[ The yellow elevator doors clang ‼️open and armed SWAT officers pour out ]
Cooper: We’ll be ready. I’ve reassigned 20 of the SWAT officers who normally guard the Post Office. Thanks to Cynthia, Main Justice is sending 15 more. When Wujing gets here, these officers will be positioned around this room and in the catwalks, ready to engage and disarm them.
Siya: And what if Wujing’s guys aren’t down with that plan?
Cooper: If they resist, they’ll be overpowered and arrested. Wujing’s in for quite a surprise.
⋘⋙
Wujing: Instead of attacking from the ground level, our operatives will come from top down. Hollufson: Our access point will be the neighboring building immediately to the west.

[ Flashforward: ]
[ A truck pulls up alongside the Post Office building ] [ Hissing💨]
[[ Additional fastforward action continues to unfold, reflecting the planning discussions … ]]

Hollufson: Once there, we will move to the roof. From there, we will cross to the roof of the target building.
Wujing: Mr. Chang will handle matters from there.
Chang: The program we stole from the NSA has– Well, let’s just call it a masking component. It’s complicated, but bottom line, it can be used to conceal an intrusion.
Hollufson: So you can get us into the building undetected?
Chang: Yes. But don’t get me wrong, the building’s defenses are robust, so they won’t be fooled forever. When I disable the alarming systems, they will adapt and alert to the attack.
Wujing: But by the time the intrusion is detected and the FBI reacts, we will already be inside.
⋘⋙
Cooper: All checkpoints report.
Siya: [ Over earpiece ] Standing by.
Ressler: Nothing here.
Dembe: No sign of Wujing.
Team Leader One: This is Team Leader One. We’re in position. All clear.

 
[ Bo Chang is with the Nordic mercenaries on the roof of the Post Office ]
[ He uses HexRoot to disguise their activities ] [ Beeping🔅🔅🔅]
[ The mercenaries, Bo Chang, Zhang Wei and Wujing exit an elevator ]
Chang: The masking program is working.
Hollufson: They don’t realize the elevator has been commandeered?
Chang: No. The system hasn’t detected the intrusion. But it will.
Hollufson: How long do we have?
Chang: Long enough. This elevator will take us to the primary workspace, the underground war room.
Wujing: Even if their system discovers the error, they won’t have time to react before we strike.
Hollufson: Weapons ready!
Chang: We’re almost there.
Wujing: Mr. Hollufson – I don’t care what it takes or who we kill. I want control of this facility.

 
[ Cooper looks at his watch ]
SWAT Leader: How confident are you?
Cooper: About the attack? An hour ago, I would have said very. Now I don’t know. We’ve got solid systems in place, and there’s nothing on the radar.
Ressler: The lower perimeter’s clear.
Dembe: Maybe Raymond overestimated how quickly Wujing would react.
Ressler: What, you think he’s not coming?
Dembe: Ah, he’s a careful man. Maybe he wants more time to prepare.
⋘⋙
[ Inside the elevator ]
Chang: Seconds away. ⋘⋙ Here we are.
⋘⋙
[ The SWAT team are ready, aiming their rifles at the elevator ]
[ Elevator doors open ]
SWAT leader: Don’t move!
[ It’s just Siya ]
Siya: Whoa! Fellas! It’s just me. Upper floors are clear.
⋘⋙
[ The Nordic mercs and Chinese guys step out of the elevator ]
[ The Post Office is dark and empty, apparently deserted ]
Zhang Wei: I don’t understand. Where is everyone?
Hollufson: Wherever they are, they’ll be back, so let’s just do what we came here to do and not be here when they return.
Wujing: Get to work.
Chang: It’ll take a few minutes for HexRoot to override their defenses. Once I’m in, I can upload their archive to our server.
Hollufson: Watch the entrances. Stay alert.
[ Wujing sees Red’s fedora lying on a table. He picks it up and looks at the bejeweled fly fastened to it ]
[ Wujing scoffs ] [ Gunshot 💥] [ Wujing is shot in the head ] [ Body thuds ]
Zhang Wei: No! No!
[ Red walks in, holding a pistol in one hand, pointing away from everyone, and a large white napkin in the other ] [ Hollufson and his crew point their weapons at Red ]
Red: Easy, gentlemen. Easy. Everybody, relax.
Sven: Drop your weapon.
Red: Now, Sven– Uh, may I call you Sven? Sven, what’s done is done. You have guns, we have guns.
[ Red’s armed associates appear ]
Zhang Wei: He’s dead. Kill them!
Hollufson: Hold! This is my operation now. Nobody fires!
Red: Well reasoned. I was counting on the prospect that cooler heads would prevail.
Hollufson: You’re not walking out of here. Count on that.
Red: Well, the truth is, we should all be leaving here fairly shortly. How are we on time?
Chuck: The Bureau’s still in position. Nobody’s left the building.
Red: Good news. It seems we have a moment to chat.
Hollufson: The “Bureau.” So it’s all true. You do work with the FBI.
Red: Of course.
Hollufson: So you admit that you’re an informant?
Red: An informant? Sven. I’m Raymond Reddington. I run the most intricate and lucrative criminal operation in existence. A global enterprise that you and Wujing have – or had – neither the knowledge nor the experience to even remotely comprehend. I’m at the apex of the criminal pyramid, an increasingly competitive and brutal world, where those that are under are constantly scheming and striving to get on top, and yet, here I am. I’m still here – at the tippy top. And thriving. Always have. Why do you think that is, Sven? Uh, that’s unfair. I make it sound as if there’s only one reason, and in truth, there are many, but one of the most important has always been my relationship with law enforcement.
Hollufson: You feed them information.
Red: I trade intelligence. The lifeblood of any covert operation. You know this. Success is a function of access and information. The world’s elite criminals have always cultivated relationships with law enforcement. I’m no different, except that I do it better, with a little thought and a little imagination and the visionary purpose that’s made me who and what I am.
Hollufson: A lot of people, including some of our own, have gone to prison because of you.
Red: We’re having a philosophical conversation, an exchange of ideas, so I’m gonna try to contain my disappointment.
Hollufson: Tell me I’m wrong.
Red: “There’s no honor among thieves.” You know that saying? I despise that saying because the fact is, in this life of ours, there are lines that even criminals should not cross, a standard of conduct even for those who earn their livelihood by breaking the law. Do I use my leverage with law enforcement to hold those who violate that standard accountable? Yes, I do. Those individuals have forfeited the right to operate freely, and every single one of them is lucky they are held to account by others instead of being held to account by me. ⋘⋙ Sven, my associates make money. A lot of it. My rising tide has been lifting all boats for decades, and as long as that is the fact, how I do what I do, who I leverage and why – is nobody’s business but my own. You’re wondering why I’m telling you this.
Hollufson: And what happens now?
Red: Well, perhaps the why will answer the what. You men are mercenaries. Hired hands. This was never your fight. Were you paid in full? Because now your employer is dead, and you’re available for hire once again.
Zhang Wei: You’re not serious.
Hollufson: Quiet. So what are you suggesting?
Red: I’m offering. You need work. I have work.
Zhang Wei: Enough!
Red: You can live to fight another battle, another day, and when that battle comes, you can fight it with me.
Chuck: Mr. Reddington, we’ve got movement.
Red: Time’s up. Sven, in or out?
Hollufson: In.
Red: Good. Then there’s only one matter left to resolve, what to do with you, Zhang Wei. You were never just a hired hand. You were Wujing’s closest confederate, killer, confidant. Innocent people died because of you. Generally, I prefer to do these things myself, but I only have 13 rounds left in my Browning. I hate to waste even one of them on a piece of trash like you. And as it happens, I just hired an army. Imagine, you dying at the hands of the very man you hired to eliminate me. It’s just– Ah, the hell with it. [ 💥 ]
[ Zhang Wei grunts ] [ Body thuds ]
[ Red walks over to Bo Chang, puts his hand on his shoulder and peers at the HexRoot screen ]
Red: How are we?
Chang: All clear.

 
[ In the (real) Post Office war room, the task force finds the bodies of Wujing and Zhang Wei ]
Ressler: There’s no rigor mortis. They’ve been dead for less than two hours.
SWAT Leader: Facility’s clear. No other bodies and no signs of Reddington.
Ressler: Looks like both have single gunshot wounds, but M.E.’s coming down.
Siya: [ Sighs ] We won’t get any help from the cameras. The security history from the last six hours has been wiped. No records found.
Cooper: There were hardly any guards left behind. Most of them were with us when this happened.
Dembe: When what happened, exactly?
Cooper: I don’t know. Reddington must have done this, but–
Siya: I’m sorry. Reddington not only murdered two men, but he did it in our war room. Is that really what we’re saying?
Ressler: No cameras. No logs left behind showing anyone going in or out. So we’re blind on this?
[ Cooper’s cellphone rings✨] [ Cooper looks at it ]
Cooper: It’s him.
[ Ringing continues✨✨✨✨]
Dembe: Harold. Answer it.
[ Ringing continues✨✨✨✨ ]
[ Beeping🔅] [ Cooper opens his cellphone to speaker but is silent ]
Red: Say something, Harold. I understand. And I’m sorry. But I do think it was best for you and the others to be nowhere nearby when things reached their inevitable conclusion.
Ressler: I mean, all of this? Just so you could kill him?
Red: No, Donald. Not “just.” Wujing’s misguided crusade simply put a spotlight on a much larger problem. The Post Office has always been a liability. I’ve known as much for some time, of course. I tried to accept, or at the very least, ignore it. That, too, had to end.
Dembe: So you turned the Troll Farmer?
Red: No. I found him first.
Dembe: Because you knew he was on Marvin’s list, and Wujing needed him to access our archives.
Red: You know this, Dembe. What wins wars?
Dembe: Anticipation.
Red: Mmm.

[ Flashback: ]
[ Red talks with Bo Chang in his garage/office near the Post Office ]
Red: Are you sure you won’t have something? It doesn’t have to be tea. Have one of those sodas you like, the flavored ones. You know, uh–
Chang: I’m good. I’m actually not drinking those anymore. I have – You don’t need to know this, but I have adult onset diabetes. I don’t know why I’m telling you that. I’m just nervous.
Red: A Mello Yello! [ Chuckles ]
Chang: Yeah. Good memory.
Red: Mmm. I’m sorry to hear about the diabetes. Getting older is a drag. And you don’t need to be nervous. If I meant you any harm, you’d know by now.
Chang: How’d you find me?
Red: It took some doing, but most things are possible with the proper motivation.
Chang: I didn’t think you’d want to do business, you know, after I went to prison.
Red: Right. Well, we should talk about that. You may not love everything you hear, but I’m hopeful that when all is said and done, we can find a way to forgive and forget.
Chang: Forget what?
Red: There’s a man who calls himself Wujing. Long story short, he’s an enemy of mine, and he’s looking for new friends, friends to help him move against me.
Chang: Never heard of him.
Red: That’s not surprising. But he has heard of you. I believe your name was on a list he was given.
Chang: A list?
Red: Of criminals who might be sympathetic to his cause. Wujing is looking for you, Chang, and when he finds you, I want you to agree to help him.
Chang: You want me to help him come after you?
Red: No. But I want you to agree to help him.

 
Cooper: So this was all a setup. Taking Chang to the duplicate Post Office, convincing us to let him “escape” so he would give Wujing that location.
Ressler: You wanted us to think he escaped. Wanted Wujing to believe it. You played us both.
Siya: But Chang didn’t give the address of the duplicate building to Wujing. He gave him the real Post office.

[ Flashback: ]
Chang: I saw Reddington with my own eyes, inside the FBI’s facility. Wujing, I know where it is. I can take you there.

Dembe: And Wujing attacked the real building, and you were waiting there for him.
Cooper: You didn’t build that duplicate Post Office to fool Wujing. You built it to fool us!
Red: To protect you, Harold. To insulate you and the Task Force from what I intended to do. Now you can honestly say you were not involved.
Ressler: What? So we should be, what, grateful?
Red: You can be whatever you’d like to be, Donald.
Siya: Something’s missing. You wanted to confront Wujing, I understand that. But why here?
Red: As I said, to solve the larger problem. I needed Chang, I needed the HexRoot program, and I needed access to your network.
Cooper: Our network? Our archives. They’re offline. They can only be accessed from inside the building.
Red: Well, I didn’t just want to access them, Harold. The HexRoot program is much more than just a hacking tool. Once the program is inside a system, its secondary reason for being kicks in.
Siya: It deploys a virus.
[ Siya does a search on “Red Reddington”: no records are found ]
Siya: You deleted the archives!
Red: Of course not. We just removed any reference to me and any mention of a reliable source or a confidential informant.
Cooper: [ Angrily ] You went too far this time, Raymond.
Red: Perhaps.
Cooper: No, not perhaps! We are not just the Reddington Task Force! We are the FBI‼️ Main Justice will never let this stand.
Red: I don’t care about Main Justice, Harold. But you and your team, that’s another matter.
Cooper: You’re not listening. The Attorney General knows that we can’t control you, but he won’t let you control us, not at this level.
Red: The Attorney General has never known more than a fraction of what you do.
Cooper: That’s because I walk a very thin line. I do the best I can to control the flow of information because I believe that our work needs to be done. But redacting our archives, leaving bodies in the war room? You’ve put me in an impossible position! Even if I try, how long do you think I’ll be able to control that?
Red: I suppose we’ll see.
Cooper: You’ve finally done it. Torn it all down!
Red: You’re angry, Harold. Take some time to think about how or whether we can continue. I’ll do the same.
[ Phone beeps🔅and shuts ✽ ]

 
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Episode Songs

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❌❌❌ End 10:9 Troll Farmer, Part 3

🔴 Script 10:10 The Postman (№ 173)

 
Program air date: 4/30/2023 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-es9
EntertainmentWeekly Recap: https://tinyurl.com/369fkadp
 

Brief (Where we’re at): Cooper is furious at Red. Not only did Red abscond with a super-secret government cyber weapon (HexRoot), but he killed Wujing (Blacklister #34) and his right hand man Zhang Wei in the Post Office and left the bodies there. He also tricked the task force by constructing a duplicate of the Post Office black site and had the task force wait there while he trapped Wujing and the mercenary army Wujing had hired ~ the remnants of Henrick Fisker’s Nordic army ~ in the actual Post Office. Cooper says Red has “finally done it. Torn it all down!” Red asked Cooper to “Take some time to think about how or whether we can continue. I’ll do the same.”

But truth be told, Cooper doesn’t know the half of it. In addition to stealing Hexroot, Red not only recruited Bo Chang (The Troll Farmer, Blacklister #38) to work with him and provide the computer skills Red lacks, but he turned Fisker’s army as well. They will now be supplementing his security forces. That’s in addition to Alban Veseli (The Freelancer, Blacklister #145) whom Red stole from the task force’s grasp during a failed operation to entrap Wujing. Red did allow the task force to keep Richard Deever, former CIA, who had been Siya Malik’s partner when she was actively working for MI6.

In the give-and-take world of Red’s relationship with the FBI, Red appears to be ascendant. With Wujing out of the way, the curse that Marvin Gerard (Blacklister #80) placed on Red ~ the threat of the criminal world finding out about Red’s work with the FBI ~ seems to have abated. That is, if Red’s relationship with the FBI actually still holds.

⭕ Script 10:10 The Postman (№ 173)

 
[ A prison dining room ] [ Chattering indistinctly ] [ Whispering ]
[ Three large prisoners enter the room, walking as a group ]
[ Prisoner Lu Fernan sits at a table, eating ] [ A prisoner walks up to Lu ]
Prisoner: They’re coming for you. Get out.
Lu’s Table mate: Hey, Lu. They look serious, Lu. You wanna–
[ Lu stands, takes out an automatic pistol and shoots 💥💥💥💥💥💥 💥💥💥💥💥💥]
[ Lu turns around, places his weapon on the table, and raises his hands in the air ]
[🚨Alarm blaring🚨] [ Guards shouting ]
Guard: Down on the ground!
[ Grunting ]

 
[ Ressler sits at a cafe table with recovering addict Jonathan Pritchard. Ressler has recently become Pritchard’s Narcotics Anonymous (NA) sponsor ]
Jonathan Pritchard: I’m going to meetings every day. And between that and our one-on-ones, I’m doing better.
Ressler: And work’s been good?
Pritchard Sure. You know. You work for Uncle Sam, too. Keeping the ol’ republic afloat isn’t exactly, uh, therapeutic.
Ressler: [ Chuckles softly ]
Pritchard: But my– My coworkers are supportive, keep telling me how good I look.
Ressler: You do. I wasn’t lying.
Pritchard: Ah, it just makes me realize how busted I was before.
Ressler: Hey, I was a wreck at your point in recovery. I hadn’t even shaved yet.
Pritchard: [ Chuckles ]
Ressler: There’s gonna be some tough days ahead. I’m not trying to freak you out. Just preparing you.
Pritchard No, I-I know. I know. But right now, I’m just really happy to be back in the world of the living.
[ Cellphone dings🔅]
[ Check arrives ]
Ressler: [ To waitress ] Oh. Thank you.
[ Pritchard looks at his phone ]
Pritchard: Ah, the nation calls. I’ll see you soon?
Ressler: Yeah. We’ll meet here, uh, day after tomorrow. But you call me if you need anything, okay?
Pritchard: Yeah, sure.
[ Pritchard leaves. Ressler leaves a tip ]

 
[ Agnes is sitting alongside Red at the Coopers’ kitchec table. She is showing him an online game ]
Agnes: See? So, here, me and my friends are all little crew mates on this spaceship together, and we’re all running around–
Red: [ Chuckles softly ]
Agnes: –just completing different tasks. Except one of us is secretly an imposter.
Red: Sabotaging the mission. This is ingenious.
Agnes: Mmm-hmm. But Madison totally sold me out last game.
[ Horn 🔊honks ]
Harold Cooper: Agnes, your ride.
[ Cellphone ringing✨]
Agnes: Bye, Pinkie. [ Little kiss on the cheek ] Bye, Pops. [ Hug ]
[ Agnes leaves ]
Red: Mmm. Remember when foursquare and tetherball were the pinnacle of playtime? Now they have virtual spaceships.
[ Vehicle door closes ] [ Vehicle departs 💨 ]
Red: Oh, for goodness’ sake, Harold. You’re angry. I understand.
Cooper: You murdered Wujing and Zhang Wei in the Post Office. You brought an army there. You used a stolen NSA tool to delete government records.
Red: Well, when you put it like that–
Cooper: “Angry” doesn’t begin to cover it.
Red: I understand.
Cooper: What you’ve done, Raymond–
Red: I would do again in a heartbeat.
Cooper: We hunted Wujing for months. At a steep cost to the U.S. government. We put people’s lives on the line. And the FBI has nothing to show for it, save for a few minor arrests.
Red: Uh-huh.
Cooper: We are not a hit squad! Wujing, Zhang Wei, Alban Veseli, all dead. Perillos is gone, I assume dead. Bo Chang is in the wind.
Red: Right.
Cooper: This won’t end here. An official investigation hasn’t come down from Main Justice yet, but when it does, how do I explain to them why this task force should continue to exist?
Red: There’s never been a fixed paradigm for how we operate, Harold. What the task force was on its first day was different than what it was on its second. Or third or tenth. And different from what it is today. All I can say is – the danger that Marvin Gerard unleashed, it’s done. Criminals are dead. My connection to the FBI has been erased. As we’ve changed course many times before, we’re changing course again. It is what it is.
Cooper: That’s what I tell the Department of Justice? Cynthia Panabaker? Congress? “It is what it is”?
Red: [ Chuckling ] I don’t know what to tell you, Harold. If you choose not to continue with me, I understand. But if you wish to carry on, keep everyone working – I have a case.
Cooper: This situation will not just go away, Raymond.
Red: Okay, well, tomorrow can worry about itself. But this morning, there was a horrific shooting at the Sussex State Prison in Virginia. A leader of El Calavera crime syndicate took down three rival gang members and a couple of unlucky bystanders, one of them a guard.
Cooper: The prisoner had a gun?
Red: A Glock. Automatic. My associate Paulie Diamond was shot in the hip. Decent thief. Fantastic chess player. We played through the mail for years. Now the fate of my bishop is in limbo.
Cooper: How does a prisoner get an automatic pistol?
Red: The authorities don’t seem to know. It didn’t come in through the usual pipelines. I believe it to be the work of The Postman.
Cooper: I already regret this. But who is that?
Red: I’m thrilled you asked. He’s a smuggler of prison contraband. In a very short time, he’s almost completely dominated in the Mid-Atlantic market.
Cooper: We crossed the globe trying to stop Wujing. Now you want us to hunt down a local black-market courier? What’s the angle, Reddington?
Red: The angle is he’s rising fast, spilling blood, making headlines. If you are so anxious to prove your worth to the Department of Justice, deliver The Postman now, before he goes national.
Cooper: “The Postman.” Does he have a real name?
Red: I believe his birth name is Lawrence Nelson. I maintain we can still do good work together, Harold. And it can start with bringing Lawrence Nelson to justice.

[ Flashback: ]
[ A jury room ]
Foreperson: Today, we’ll be determining the verdict of the State of Maryland vs. Lawrence Nelson. We’ll begin by taking a preliminary, anonymous vote to see where we all stand. It’s been a long trial. Hopefully we can be efficient in our deliberation.
Male Juror: I knew kids growing up like Lawrence Nelson. I don’t think there’s much to discuss.
Female Juror: I’ve been praying. His soul will find salvation in jail. I know it.
⋘⋙
Foreperson: Um, we have 11 votes for “guilty” and one vote for “not guilty.”
Male Juror: Who in the hell thinks that kid’s innocent?
Foreperson: We can keep it anonymous for the time being.
Male Juror: N-No, I’d love to know ’cause they sure weren’t sitting in the same courtroom as I was. Perhaps they’re confused or asleep.
Foreperson: Sir!
Young Harold Cooper: It’s okay. I voted “not guilty.”
Foreperson: Right. Well, thank you for being for being forthcoming, um, Juror Number–
Young Cooper: Harold. My name’s Harold Cooper.
[ Jurors murmuring ]

 
[ The Post Office war room ]
Cooper: Prisoners call him “The Postman.” Served 25 years in a Maryland prison starting at 18 years old. Was released five years ago on good behavior, then he vanished. No one’s seen him, including his P.O.
Dembe: Twenty-five years. Why?
Cooper: First-degree murder. He shot his manager at their workplace, a convenience store in Baltimore.
Ressler: I’m sorry, but w-we’re gonna hunt down the local kingpin of prison contraband because what, he injured one of Reddington’s cronies? What about the people that Reddington killed in this very room just last week?
Cooper: Reddington’s actions with respect to Wujing were frustrating, I know. They will be dealt with in due time.
Siya Malik: Look, I’m not losing sleep over the loss of evil men, but Reddington told us a pack of lies. Why should we believe him that the Postman is even worthy of our attention?
Cooper: Because Larry Nelson’s a dangerous man. And that doesn’t come from Reddington. That comes from me.
[ Cooper brings up case files on Larry Nelson ]
Cooper: In Pennsylvania, Nelson outfitted an entire cellblock with Wi-Fi routers, allowing imprisoned cartel members to complete drսg deals from the comfort of their prison cell. And this morning, five men at Sussex were shot by Lu Fernan, the leader of the La Calavera crime syndicate. Not only is Nelson making life more dangerous inside prisons, that danger is spilling out to the rest of the world, and we have no–
[ Video beeping 🔅🔅🔅 ]
[ Herbie Hambright appears on the overhead display ]
Herbie: Hey, sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Hi. It’s me. Hello. Um, did I miss anything? What did I miss?
Cooper: Just your first morning of your trial employment period.
Siya: Is he videoconferencing from home? You can do that?
Herbie: Sue’s got some sort of stomach bug. Um, we– We gave her this new brand of peaches.
Maybe that was it, but, oh– Whatever’s coming out of her is not peach-colored.
[ Siya looks uncomfortable ]
Cooper: Herbie, I would recommend fluids and a call to your pediatrician’s office. In the meantime, Malik and Ressler are about to roll out to Sussex State Prison. Dembe will get you up to speed as to why.

 
[ Ressler and Siya interrogate Lu Fernan at Sussex prison ]
Ressler: So, how did you get the weapon inside? We know it wasn’t a guard. You could grease every palm from here to Rikers, and a guard wouldn’t walk into a cellblock and hand over a gun.
Lu Fernan: It must’ve been a little bird.
Siya: Hmm. Maybe it was the Postman.
Fernan: [ Chuckles ] Didn’t think I’d hear that name.
Siya: Tell us how you two communicate.
Fernan: Or what? You gonna lock me up for a long time? I rat on that guy, and he’s gonna put a– a grenade in my soup or a rattlesnake under my pillow. He can get anything to anyone for the right price.
Ressler: So you’re afraid of him.
Fernan: Wouldn’t you be? I got a syndicate to run from inside this prison here, okay? Best of luck.

 
[ Groans ] [ Eugene Campos takes off a HAZMAT mask and makes a call ]
[ Keypad dialing ••• •••• ]
[ Cellphone ringing✨]
Eugene Campos: The compound isn’t pure enough. To get this right, I need one more delivery.
Lawrence Nelson: [ On phone ] Eugene. Ever the perfectionist. Shouldn’t you be in bed?

Man on loudspeaker: Lights out, 9:00 p.m.

[ Buzzer sounds ] [ Cell doors slam⚡️]
Campos: I need more product.
Nelson: [ On phone ] I’ll send Rudolph. Tomorrow. I’ll oversee it myself.
[ Phone snaps shut ]
[ Campos bundles up the equipment he’s been working with and puts it in a storage compartment in the wall ]
Man: [ In distance ] Let’s get a move on!
[ Campos flops onto his bed in the prison as the lights go out ]

 
[ The Post Office war room ]
Ressler: We interviewed inmates at three of the prisons where Reddington believes the Postman operates. No one will talk. So no leads on the Postman’s mysterious delivery network?
Dembe: Sussex transferred us a huge cache of security footage, but it’s gonna take manpower to get through. I’m going to assign the task to Herbie.
Cooper: Good. Do we have any other avenues to pursue?
Siya: Yeah, Lu Fernan clearly has confederates working for him on the outside, and one of them must’ve paid for that gun, so we checked his log of visitors–
Ressler: And it turns out Fernan’s brother moved $10,000 just three days before the attack.
Siya: The payment went to a shell company which has an account at Acordia Bank in New Jersey. It’s a regional outfit. We’ve contacted them, but they’ve been very – cold.
Cooper: I’ll reach out to Reddington. He may be able to warm them up.

 
[ Cooper’s office ] [ Cooper is scrolling through old newspaper articles about Lawrence Nelson ]
[ Cellphone buzzes ]
Cooper: [ Answering ] Cooper.
Red: Apologies for the missed call. I just returned to the creature comforts of the Big Apple. Anything urgent?
Cooper: Yes. Do you know anyone at Acordia Bank in New Jersey? Lawrence Nelson may have an account there.
Red: Ah. I’m glad you judged him a worthy target, Harold. I’ll darken some doorways, see what I find.
Cooper: Mmm-hmm.
Red: Is everything alright? You sound a little – distracted.
Cooper: It’s just that someone from my past has suddenly popped out of the woodwork.
Red: Ghosts like to do that, don’t they? Pop out of the woodwork. I hope it’s a friendly one.
Cooper: This one’s definitely not that. Let us know about the bank.
[ Phone beeps🔅]

[ Flashback: ]
[ The jury room for the Lawrence Nelson trial 25 years ago ]
Young Harold Cooper: I’m not saying he’s innocent. I’m just unconvinced of his guilt.
Male Juror: You’re honestly claiming reasonable doubt?
Cooper: I don’t know. That’s why we’re here.
Female Juror: Okay, fine. Can we establish the facts we all can agree on?
Cooper: Sure.
Female Juror: So, this young kid, Larry, he’s on trial for murdering his manager at the convenience store where he worked. A day before the murder, she fired him. You agree?
Cooper: Yes.
Female Juror: The following night, she was found dead in her car. She was parked outside the store. One shot to the head. Cash stolen from her wallet – and Nelson’s DNA on the purse. So we have motive, we have evidence.
Cooper: But DNA testing is still quite a new forensics technique.
Male Juror: It’s not that complicated. There’s either DNA or there’s not.
Cooper: It’s not complicated because you want to go home.
Male Juror: Okay. What about this? Two days ago, his girlfriend swore on a Bible, took the stand, and told us that Lawrence Nelson privately confessed to the murder. How do you explain that?
Cooper: He is insistent that conversation never happened with her.
Male Juror: And he’s obviously lying! We don’t need to sit around talking for hours to figure that out.
Cooper: I’m sorry, but I won’t destroy this kid’s life because I’m in a hurry. Let’s start from the beginning. Can we see the diagram of the crime scene again?

 
[ Accordia Bank in New Jersey ]
[ Banker Benny Seaver is there late, watch golf on tv ] [ Golf crowd applauding lightly ] [ Club strikes ball ]
[ Knocking on door ✽ ✽ ✽ ] [ Red walks in ]
Benny Seaver: Sorry, sir. We’re closed.
Red: Yes, Benny, I’m aware. That’s why I’m here now. I’m in search of information regarding one of your personal banking clients. Lawrence Nelson.
Seaver: And who are you exactly?
Red: Perhaps a new friend. My name is Raymond Reddington.
Seaver: Oh.
Red: Benny, your colleagues left ages ago, and you’re here, what, watching golf? Why aren’t you at home?
Seaver: I like the peace and quiet, which you are currently disturbing.
Red: I can only imagine. My heart goes out to you, Benny. You and your Erica – [ Red checks their wedding photo ] yeah – only just got married last year? I bet it hasn’t been easy with your elderly mother-in-law moving in, has it? And Laurel’s quite a piece of work, isn’t she?
Seaver: How do you know?
Red: Now, I happen to be very close associates with Rick Bruckner. Do you know Rick? Along with a hefty portfolio of rehabilitation and retirement facilities, Rick also happens to own the Golden Glen Assisted Living Home. I’m sure you’ve done your research, and you know it’s a very exclusive, very expensive place. I tell Rick all the time he’s running a racket. He and I used to bet on the horses in Dubai. Truth be told, I fronted Rick some spending money after he lost quite a bundle to the Sultan of Sharjah. But I know for a fact Rick would happily find a spot for Laurel at Golden Glen at a much reduced rate if I were to ask on your behalf. And I can assure you, Laurel will be so comfortable. ⋘⋙ Benny. Are you following?
Seaver: Laurel’s moving to Dubai?
Red: Oh, dear.
[ Red gets up and pulls out his gun ]
Seaver: Hey. Stop. What– What are you doing?
Red: Honestly, friendship has its limits. Now, give me your records pertaining to Lawrence Nelson, or I’m gonna blow out your kneecap.

 
[ Knocking on door ✽ ✽ ✽ ] [ Herbie Hambright answers his door ] [ He’s carry a tray of sandwiches ]
Herbie: Hey. Come in. Come on in.
[ Dembe enters ]
Herbie: Sue’s asleep. She’s feeling much better. Uh, PB&J, bananas and mayo, or roast beef? It’s halal.
Dembe: [ Chuckles ] Thank you, Herbie.
Herbie: Where’s the rest of the gang? I made enough for everyone.
Dembe: Raymond assessed Nelson’s financial transactions and ID’d someone who works for him, so Malik and Ressler are following up on that lead.
Herbie: Okay, well, then I guess I’ll make this snappy, if you want to just come over here. So, I’ve been eyeballs-deep analyzing the security footage from outside Lu Fernan’s prison cell. We know that Tuesday night his cell was searched, because that’s protocol, and they found zilch.
Dembe: And the shooting took place the next morning, correct?
Herbie: Right. So the question is– how’d he get the gun if he never left his cell?
Dembe: I don’t know.
Herbie: That’s the thing. It’s not what you see. It’s what you hear. Sussex records audio on their CCTV cameras, so I listened to the night leading up to the shooting over and over. I isolated and enhanced sound using a piece of audio software, and listen to this.
[ Whirring ]
Dembe: What was that? A power line? A very big fly?
Herbie: Close. Watch.
[ Herbie picks up a controller and presses a button ] [ Beeps🔅]
[ A small drone starts flying around Herbie’s living room ][ Whirring ]
Dembe: A drone. He’s using drones.
Herbie: Yep. The Postman is using drones.
Dembe: And no guards saw it?
Herbie: Based on that audio, the one he’s flying is incredibly quiet, likely custom-made. Really cool. But bad. Cool and bad. I would think that prisons have gotten wise to this type of smuggling, but a drone like the one he designed, that quiet, that would be really hard to detect. And I would bet you a roast-beef sandwich that if you went to Lu Fernan’s prison cell, you would see that his window’s been tampered with.

 
[ Meanwhile, as Herbie described what might be happening in Lu Fernan’s cell, it actually was happening, with Lawrence Nelson directing the movement of the drone using what looks like virtual reality vision ]
Nelson: Steady. Steady. This is one delivery we cannot afford to drop.
[ Whirring softly ]
Nelson: Excellent.

 
[ An interrogation room at the Post Office ]
[ Gina Abbott, who is going to be interrogated, sighs ]
[ Door opens and closes ] [ Ressler enters ]
Ressler: Thanks for coming in to speak with us, Gina.
Gina Abbott: The four federal agents who showed up on my doorstep didn’t give me the impression I had a choice.
Ressler: Hmm. So what can you tell me about Lawrence Nelson?
Gina: I never met a Lawrence Nelson.
Ressler: Two days ago, an inmate shot up a prison with an automatic pistol. Now, we traced the payment for that pistol to a bank account belonging to Nelson. Now, there are multiple payments directly from his bank account into yours.
Gina: Okay.
[ Door opens ] [ Siya enters ]
Siya: Hi, Gina.
[ Door closes ]
Siya: We actually have Nelson in custody.
[ They don’t have Nelson in custody ]
Siya: She might as well know. Nelson just told us that you run the operation, that you communicate with the prisoners and operate the drones – and that you call yourself “The Postman.”
Gina: The who? What are you talking about?
Siya: Smuggling contraband.
Gina: With drones? I don’t know the first thing about drones. Look. I wasn’t lying to you. I do business with Larry Nelson, but I’ve never met him.
Ressler: Hmm. Clever. So what kind of business do you do with Nelson? ⋘⋙ Look. You’re smart enough to know how this goes. You give us something about Nelson, we do something for you. Simple as that.
Gina: I buy stuff. He tells me, I buy it. I was sourcing counterfeit bags when he recruited me. Hermes. Louis Vuitton. But for him, the things I sourced are much more – varied. Drսgs, weapons, high-tech toys. A beautiful ukulele once. I never knew what it was all for. I never asked. I was just a middleman. I’m sure there are others.
Ressler: So how would you get it to him?
Gina: He’d send me contraband requests with drop locations. Different places every time.
Siya: And you never wondered what these items were for?
Gina: No. For what he was paying me, no, I never wondered. Or cared. He had so many requests that I started getting other people in the bag world to help me. We all agreed that it’s way more interesting to track down a gun than a Chanel quilted mini.
Ressler: [ Chuckles ]
Gina: But the items he’s been ordering recently? Strange.
Siya: Strange in what way?
Gina: Like, scientific. I’ve been getting chemistry equipment and chemicals. Things I have to go to labs for. I can’t pronounce half of it. I can show you, if you want.
Ressler: Oh, we insist.

 
[ Cooper visits the Warden at Pittman Correctional Institute ]
Cooper: Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Warden. My team is deep into an investigation of a former inmate of yours.
Warden: Right. Lawrence Nelson.
Cooper: Waiting on getting his case files, but I wanted to talk to somebody who remembered him.
Warden: Couldn’t forget that kid if I tried. Lawrence Nelson was bright, hardworking. Was transferred here from a pretty tough high-security prison for good behavior.
Cooper: That must’ve helped him in front of the parole board.
Warden: Oh, yeah. So did his associate’s degree. He earned it in electrical engineering while he was here.
Cooper: Why did he choose that field? He was inspired by his cellmate, a chemist. Brilliant guy. Still here. Larry hated this place. Maintained his innocence throughout, but he used the time well.
Cooper: Do you think he was innocent?
Warden: It’s rare that a man would stick to the same story for 25 years. If they’re guilty, they usually give up the fight. But it’s easier for me to believe that he did it.
Cooper: Why?
Warden: Because either way, he’ll never get those 25 years back.

 
[ The Post Office war room ]
Ressler: So, you said you found something?
Herbie: Yes, I was looking over the list you sent over, the items that Gina Abbott purchased for Larry Nelson? When I first saw the chemistry equipment, I assumed it was some sort of drսg manufacturing operation. But then I noticed this.
[ Clicks ✽ and beeps 🔅]
Herbie: Rosaries.
Ressler: Rosaries? As in Catholicism?
Herbie: Yeah, brought me right back to Father Phillip telling me I was going straight to hell for not using a hall pass. That’s a heavy load to put on a kid with a small bladder, especially right before his bar mitzvah.
Siya: Herbie. Focus.
Herbie: Right, yeah. The- The reason that the rosaries stood out is because religious objects aren’t banned in prisons.
Ressler: So why smuggle them in?
Herbie: Well, as it turns out, these aren’t just any rosaries. They’re sourced in the Philippines with beads made from the seeds of the abrus precatorius vine. The rosary pea plant. And that is bad.
Ressler: So we’re worried about peas?
Herbie: Oh, yeah, big-time. The dried peas themselves aren’t dangerous. They’re used in jewelry all the time. But one of the most dangerous toxins ☠️ on the planet is extracted from them, abrin.
Dembe: I’ve never heard of abrin.
Herbie: You’ve heard of ricin, though, right?
Siya: Sure, an old favorite assassination tool of the KGB.
Herbie: Well, abrin is 75 times more lethal and way more rare. There’s no antidote. If you grind up these seeds and process them with sodium hydroxide and methyl ethyl ketone, which were both on the Postman’s contraband list, you get abrin.
Siya: So Nelson’s helping a prisoner make a deadly toxin ☠️?
Herbie: Yeah, and judging by the orders, whoever it is, is making a lot of it. If it were to get into a food or water supply–
Ressler: Or a prison kitchen.
Herbie: –thousands could die.
⋘⋙
[ Eugene Campos, Lawrence Nelson’s former cellmate who is a chemist, loads small vials of fluid into a holding container ]
⋘⋙
Siya: The orders don’t include any destinations. I didn’t see any indication of what prison the materials were being sent to.
Herbie: Me neither, but I did notice that some of the order numbers repeat.
Dembe: They’re not order numbers. They’re prisoner numbers. Prisoner numbers vary state by state, but all are unique.
⋘⋙
[ Eugene Campos pries a pane from the window of his cell. A drone flies over and he pulls it in ]
⋘⋙
Dembe: This one, for example, 8978/0324. That’s a federal prison number. The last four digits refer to the sentencing court’s jurisdiction. And the number assigned to the rosaries … [ Keyboard clacking ] He’s sending the rosaries to a prisoner at Pittman Correctional Institute.
Siya: That’s the prison where the Postman finished his sentence.
Ressler: And where Cooper is right now.
⋘⋙
[ Eugene Campos attaches the payload (the vials of liquid) to the drone and sends it on its way ]

 
[ The Warden’s Office at Pittman Correctional Institute ]
[ Cooper is just ending a phone call ]
Cooper: What’s the name of Nelson’s former cellmate, the chemist? You said he was still here.
Warden: Eugene Campos. Yes, still here. Why?
Cooper: Put the prison on lockdown now. We have to talk to him. He may be in possession of a chemical-warfare agent.
⋘⋙
[ Eugene Campos’ cell ]
Guard: Search his cell.
[ 🚨Alarm blaring🚨 ]
[ Guards shouting indistinctly ]
[ Campos is forced to the floor ] [ Handcuffs clicking ]
[ Cooper walks over to the window with the pane removed ]
Cooper: [ To Campos ] It’s gone, isn’t it?
⋘⋙
[ The drone delivers its payload to Lawrence Nelson ]

 
[ The Post Office war room ]
Cooper: We were wrong. We thought Larry Nelson was sending materials into the prison so abrin could be manufactured and used inside.
Siya: But he sent the materials in so he could smuggle the finished toxin ☠️ out.
Ressler: Did Nelson’s chemist friend indicate where it was going?
Cooper: I questioned him. Eugene confirmed that he made abrin using materials Nelson supplied, but he refused to say for whom or why.
Herbie: And we don’t have time for him to change his mind. I took a peek at the evidence from Eugene’s cell. From the residue, it looks like he was grinding the abrin down into a very fine powder, which you would really only do if you wanted to aerosolize it. And with this guy’s engineering ability–
Siya: He could create a chemical ☠️ weapon.
Herbie: Abrin is bad enough when ingested, but if it’s inhaled, that’s a whole different story. It’s bleeding from the nose, fluid in the lungs, respiratory failure, death.
Ressler: So the only question is, where is it headed?
Dembe: Maybe he’s selling it.
Cooper: I’ll see what Reddington has to offer. In the meantime, put out an APB for Nelson. Coordinate with local PD and set up a perimeter.

 
[ Red’s swank bathhouse digs in New York City ]
Red: He’s using drones? Honestly, Harold, the things people think of and what they do with the things.
Cooper: Wish drones were the end of it. Have you heard of anyone in your circles looking to buy a chemical ☠️ weapon? Aerosolized abrin, to be specific.
[ Knocking on door ✽ ✽ ] [ Cooper waves Siya in ]
Red: Abrin? [ Chuckles ] Oh, my. I knew some Sri Lankan separatists who dabbled with the stuff years ago. But, well, they’re dead.
[ Siya leaves a bankers of files on Cooper’s desk ]
Red: Abrin? You’re sure he’s selling it?
Cooper: Do you think he would use it for his own means?
Red: You tell me, Harold. You know Mr. Nelson much better than I do.
Cooper: You’ve known this whole time that I served on his jury.
Red: It came to my attention.
Cooper: You know, serving on Larry Nelson’s jury, that was the first time I ever sent anyone to prison.
Red: It must’ve been difficult.
Cooper: It was. I was never sure we made the right decision, but I guess I don’t have to wonder anymore. He’s unmistakably criminal.
Red: As a man with some criminal experience, I can assure you that sometimes forces much greater than ourselves help to lead us to those waters.
Cooper: Well, regardless of how he got there, he’s now in possession of a chemical weapon that could kill hundreds. I’ll keep you updated.

[ Flashback: ]
Young Harold Cooper: I recognize that it’s improbable, but maybe there’s a reason his girlfriend would’ve lied about his confession.
Female Juror: Oh, here we go again.
Cooper: She was already at the police station for some other reason when she made the accusation. And before we send a man to prison, I think we should know why.
Foreperson: That information was struck from the record by the judge. We’re not to consider it.
Cooper: Then what about his alibi?
Male Juror: [ Stands up ] You really want this kid to be innocent. But guess what. Sometimes people do bad things! Especially kids from his neck of the woods. Trust me. I grew up there.
Cooper: It’s not fair to throw this kid’s life away because he reminds you of kids from your high school.
Male Juror: You’re putting words in my mouth.
Cooper: Larry said he was at a family cabin near Tuckahoe State Park. A neighbor saw him there.
Male Juror: But no one can confirm that he was there at the time of the murder. And running away to a remote cabin doesn’t really scream “not guilty.”
Cooper: He said he went there to be alone, to think. So that’s why he was there, alone.
Foreperson: Okay. Okay, okay. Why don’t we take a breather? And when we get back, we’ll take another vote.
[ Male Juror leave angrily ] [ Door slams⚡️]
Foreperson: Okay.

 
[ Cooper’s office ] [ Knocks on door ✽ ✽ ]
Ressler: Hey. You called?
Cooper: I’ve been reading Lawrence Nelson’s old case files. I found a possible location to his whereabouts. Buried in his past. It’s a long shot, but it’s a cabin located at 1414 Tuckahoe Road.
Ressler: Alright. Malik and I are on it.

 
[ The cabin on Tuckahoe Road ] [ Lawrence Nelson is there. He has a cylindrical holder holding 8-10 vial of the poison ☠️ liquid. He packs it into a duffel bag along with a face mask and zips the duffel shut ]
[ He looks at a monitor ] [ Beeps🔅]
⋘⋙
[ Soon after, the FBI breaks ⚡️the door in ]
Ressler: Clear.
[ Lab equipment is arrayed on tables around the room ]
Siya: Herbie was right. This guy is quite an engineer. Hey. Come here. Look at this.
[ On the wall is a detailed floor map of a building ]
Ressler: These are schematics for an HVAC system.
Siya: He’s gonna take out a whole office building.
Ressler: It says Baltimore, Maryland, but there’s no address. So, which building?
 

[ Flashback: ]
[ The foreperson, a short-haired Black woman, approaches Cooper at the break table ]
Young Cooper: [ Sighs ]
Foreperson: Did you serve?
Cooper: I did. Navy. Finished my service a little over a year ago.
Foreperson: Ah. I knew it when I spotted you. I-It’s in the shoulders, how we carry ourselves. I myself had the distinct honor of pushing paper at Fort Shafter.
Cooper: No kidding. Oahu?
Foreperson: Yeah, yeah, tough gig.
[ Both chuckle ]
Foreperson: Now I work over at the Baltimore VA now.
Cooper: Now, that is a tough gig.
Foreperson: Yes. The system leaves a lot to be desired. Boy, is that an understatement. Hmm. Listen, Cooper. I can tell you want him to be innocent, and I understand. But we both know that decisions can’t be made based on emotion.
Cooper: I’m just trying to do right by him.
Foreperson: Oh, come on, though. If he didn’t do it with the evidence as is, he’s got to be the unluckiest SOB in Baltimore.
Cooper: Unlucky isn’t a crime.
Foreperson: You want to do right by him. What about her?
Cooper: Who?
Foreperson: The victim. Carrie Baker. If you really don’t believe, based on evidence, that he killed that woman beyond a reasonable doubt, I respect that. But we never have enough information in life. You consider all the facts that you have, and you make the best choice you can. That’s how you do right by people.
Cooper: Hmm.
Foreperson: You want to save him. You have it in your eyes. But you can’t save Larry Nelson from what he’s done. You can’t save him from himself. You served. And you know you can’t save ’em all.
⋘⋙
[ The jurors are back in their seats ]
Foreperson: Please raise your hand if you believe the defendant is guilty.
[ Eleven hands go up, then, reluctantly, young Harold Cooper raises his as well ]

 
[ Cooper’s office ]
Herbie: Hey. Mr. Cooper? Here are the rest of the files the courthouse sent over. They were sitting outside.
Cooper: Thank you. Any update on Malik and Ressler?
Herbie: Uh, they’re still at the cabin. They sent me scans of his schematics. It appears he’s targeting a government building in Baltimore, but I haven’t narrowed it down from there.
Cooper: Thanks, Herbie. Stay on it.
Herbie: Yeah.
[ Herbie leaves ]
⋘⋙
[ Cooper opens the file box that Herbie brought. He opens a file and reads ]
Cooper: What the hell?
[ Ressler’s cellphone rings✨]
Ressler: Ressler.
Cooper: I think I know the building that Nelson’s targeting. It’s the Attorney General’s office in downtown Baltimore. It’s where the state’s Attorney General, Christopher Jay, is based.
⋘⋙
[ Lawrence Nelson is giving instructions to his assistants. He stands alongside a large wooden crate ]
Nelson: You’re gonna drive directly to the loading dock of 200 Saint Peter Place.

 
[ Ressler and Siya are still at the cabin. Cooper talks to them by phone ]
Cooper: Before Christopher Jay was Maryland Attorney General, he was a city prosecutor who sent an innocent man away for 25 years.
Siya: An innocent man? You’re talking about Nelson? The Postman?
Cooper: It’s too much to get into right now, but I believe that the star witness in his murder case all those years ago was compromised and that Christopher Jay let it happen. If Nelson knows this, too, then he has a motive to go after Jay and the people who work for him.
Ressler: So it’s a revenge play.
⋘⋙
[ Nelson gets inside the crate. He puts his mask on and has his duffel bag ]
⋘⋙
Cooper: Confirm that the Baltimore AG’s office building matches Nelson’s schematics, and if they do, call the state police and pray we’re not too late.
⋘⋙
Nelson: Seal it up!
[ The two men fasten the lid to the crate with Nelson inside ]

 
[ Cooper calls Red ]
Cooper: You were right. Larry Nelson is using the chemical weapon himself. He’s going after the Maryland Attorney General, targeting the HVAC system.
Red: Was the Maryland Attorney General once his prosecutor?
Cooper: Yes, we’ve evacuating the building now, but we still have a madman moving through the city with a bioweapon. And we have no idea where he is or what he’ll do if he’s cornered.
Red: So you have to figure out how he plans to get the weapon inside.
Cooper: He can’t walk right into the AG’s office.
Red: The only people who work on the city’s pipes and vents are Local 4809.
Cooper: A union?
Red: Plumbers and Steamfitters Union. Who knows? Maybe one of them might help a madman for a buck.
Cooper: I’ll give their offices a call.
Red: I can do you one better. I happen to know a few of them, and they cheat at bowling. I don’t know how they do that, but they do.

 
[ Lawrence Nelson is experiencing a bumpy ride inside the wooden crate ]
[ Metal ‼️ thudding ] [ Wheels 🌀 rolling ] [ Thudding ‼️]
[ Finally, someone removes the top of the crate ]
[ Nelson stands ] [ Guns are pointing at him ]
SWAT officer: Hands up! On your knees!
[ Nelson gets on his knees ]
Nelson: Where the hell am I?
[ The SWAT takes the contraption with the vials of poison ☠️ ]
Cooper: You’re in federal custody, Mr. Nelson. I’m Harold Cooper. You may not remember me, but we’ve met before.

 
[ Nelson sits quietly alone at a table; The task force (except Cooper) stands by the yellow staircase ]
Siya: So, Reddington made a call, huh?
Dembe: Raymond knows Fred Alonso, boss of Local 4809. They repair the HVAC systems in the city of Baltimore. Alonso tipped off Raymond as to who might be delivering the crate to the building. Raymond’s guys grabbed the vehicle and had it delivered here.
Ressler: What about the weapon?
Herbie: It’s being disassembled now. They wouldn’t let me watch, but hopefully I can sneak into evidence before they get rid of the aerosolization tank ’cause, boy, that has got to be a beautiful piece of engineering.
Dembe: Well, maybe evidence will let you keep one of the drones, at least.
Herbie: Wait. Really?
Dembe: No.
Ressler: [ Chuckles ]

 
[ Lawrence Nelson sits in an interrogation room ]
[ Door opens ] [ Cooper enters with a file folder ]
Nelson: I’m not signing a confession.
Cooper: It’s not a confession. It’s a 30-year-old transcript of your old girlfriend’s first conversation with the police on the night of Carrie Baker’s murder, the same conversation that made her the star witness against you in court. That transcript should’ve been given to your counsel. It wasn’t.
[ Nelson reads ]
Nelson: She doesn’t mention me. [ Looking up at Cooper ] At all.
Cooper: The BPD was investigating her for drսg charges. The fact that she gave them a story about you less than 24 hours after the murder and that the prosecution withheld this information at trial suggests that she may have testified against you as part of a quid-pro-quo deal orchestrated by the prosecutor.
Nelson: Hmm. She was scared to go to prison. So she sent me instead.
Cooper: The prosecutor, Christopher Jay, he had political ambitions, wanted to improve the homicide clearance rate, so he did what he could.
Nelson: How are you so familiar with my case?
Cooper: I was on your jury.
Nelson: Oh. So you fell for her story, too.
Cooper: I voted to convict because the evidence was overwhelmingly against you.
Nelson: Unlawfully so, it seems.
Cooper: I’m sorry. I remember. You were so adamant then that you were innocent.
Nelson: Well, I was telling the truth.
Cooper: We have to hold you accountable for your new crimes. Still, I’m gonna do everything I can to have the original crime expunged from your record. And I’m going to try to hold Christopher Jay accountable, too.
Nelson: What difference does it make now?
Cooper: It makes all the difference.

 
[ The war room ]
Siya: Hey, congrats on your first case, Herbie.
Herbie: Thank you. Anyone want to go out, celebrate?
Dembe: What were you thinking?
Herbie: I know a great bar nearby. I mean, I’m not drinking right now. I have to stay sharp for a tournament, but this place has a really good table. Maybe you guys would be down for a little casual game?
Ressler: I’m sorry. Are you talking about–
Herbie: Foosball, yes. Yes, I am.
Ressler: I’m sorry. I got a phone call I got to deal with.
Siya: Thank you so much, but I got, like, laundry to do.
Herbie: Alright. No. I totally get it. It’s not for everybody. Don’t worry about it.
Dembe: I’ll go with you, Herbie.
Herbie: What? Really?
Dembe: Yes. Why not? I like soccer. Why not soccer on a table?
Herbie: Exactly. Yes.
[ They head toward the elevator ]
Herbie: And just like soccer, it is deeply technical and has a growing fan base in America. Also, by the way, it dates back to the 1890s.

 
[ Ressler walks over to a cafe table and sits down across from Jonathan Pritchard, whom he is sponsoring for NA ]
Ressler: Hey. I just got your message. What’s, uh– What’s going on?
Pritchard: Yeah, yeah, it’s- It’s- It’s been, um – Not good.
Ressler: It’s okay. It’s all part of it.
Pritchard: You know, the thing about, um, being back in the world is that, um, people are watching you. You may be doing better, but everybody’s expecting you to mess up, so– Why not get it over with?
[ Pritchard takes out a pill bottle with pills in it and puts it on the table ]
Pritchard: My dealer called. I blocked his number, but he got a new phone, and, um – Just hearing his voice, it brought me back. Figured it was gonna happen anyway, so–
Ressler: Hmm.
[ Ressler takes the top off the bottle and dumps all the pills into a half-full coffee cup ]
Pritchard: Don, you realize you just destroyed $400?
Ressler: And I’ll do it again the next time you call. And the time after that. So stop wasting your money.
[ Ressler beckons to a waitress ]
Ressler: Excuse me. Would you mind clearing these and getting us another round of coffee? Thank you.
[ Then Ressler addresses Pritchard ]
Ressler: We’re gonna wait here until the meeting tonight, okay? I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.

 
[ Agnes is studying at the kitchen table with her laptop open ] [ Suddenly, her screen lights up ]
[ Video call ringing✨] [ Beeps🔅] [ Red’s face appears, smiling ]
Agnes: Whoa! I didn’t know you knew how to video call!
Red: [ Chuckles ] No. My friend Herbie walked me through it. Did you open the gift?
Agnes: What gift?
Red: Well, there should be a delivery man on your porch right now.
Agnes: Hold on!
[ Door opens ]
[ Agnes comes back with a box, which she begins to open ]
Red: Now, I know that a lot of people today are partial to games with animation, lights, colors, and sounds. But this will make you better at all of them. Madison doesn’t stand a chance.
Agnes: [ Gasps ] Oh, my gosh! It’s so cute!
[ It’s a chess board with pieces ]
Red: [ Laughs ] Yeah. I thought it was cute.
Agnes: But, Pinkie – I have no idea how to play.
Red: Well, I’m down a chess partner, and I thought I could teach you.
Agnes: But you’ll beat me.
Red: Yes, I’ll trounce you.
[ Door closes ] [ Cooper is home ]
Red: It’ll be very dispiriting, but not for me, of course. But here’s the thing about chess. You and your opponent have the exact same information. No one is hiding anything. Everything is right there on the board and in your head.
Cooper: I don’t know, Agnes. Even when you think it’s all laid out for you, Pinkie can be very tricky. You’ll not just have to think several steps ahead. You’ll be replaying every move you made since you began the game. Playing against him will make you sharper, and since this is practically math homework, you can play for a little.
Red: Excellent! Okay. So, let’s get you set up. Now, smoke before fire. That means the white pieces move before the black. …

 
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❌❌❌ End 10:10 Postman

🔴 Script 10:11 The Man in the Hat

 
Program air date: 5/7/2023 in the US
Script Permalink: https://wp.me/pDKwi-etf
EntertainmentWeekly Recap: https://tinyurl.com/4ab6365c
 

Brief (Where we’re at): Red is still on the outs with Cooper, who is angry over Red having tricked the task force and killed his enemy Wujing (Blacklister #84) and Wujing’s right hand man, Zhang Wei, in the Post Office. Red also stole a top secret cyber weapon with the help of Bo Chang, the Troll Farmer (Blacklister #38), who is now in Red’s employ.

So, Red gave Cooper a case that involved Cooper personally. It had to do with the very first time Cooper was involved in sending a man to prison. Cooper was on the jury of a man named Lawrence Nelson 25 years ago. As a young man, Cooper alone of the 12 jurors believed Nelson might have been innocent, but the other jurors pressured him to change his vote to guilty. In the intervening time, Nelson completed his prison sentence and began a criminal enterprise which earned him the name The Postman (Blacklister #173). He used minicopter drones to smuggle contraband in and out of prisons.

In reviewing Nelson’s old files, Cooper discovered that Nelson had indeed been innocent. Nelson had been framed by an over-zealous prosecutor with political ambitions, who became the Attorney General of Maryland. What’s more, Nelson’s recent criminality was focused on getting revenge against the AG. So why did Red give this case to Cooper?

Cooper: … I was never sure we made the right decision, but I guess I don’t have to wonder anymore. He’s unmistakably criminal.
Red: As a man with some criminal experience, I can assure you that sometimes forces much greater than ourselves help to lead us to those waters.

Might Lawrence Nelson’s life have been different if Cooper had continued to hold out for his innocence? It’s possible. Fate, Red seems to be hinting, turns on just such contingencies.

⭕ Script 10:11 The Man in the Hat

 
[ Philadelphia PA ] [ A roadside convenience store called the Quick Stop Deli ]
[ Inside the store, which also sells an assortment of marijuana products, a young man with his hair braided in corn-rows is live-streaming about the store’s stoner offerings ]
Sammy: [ Lively and upbeat, spinning around ] What’s up, fam? I’m back to help you with all your smoking needs in the birthplace of America, City of Brotherly Love, the city that loves you back. [ Chuckles ] Like me. Sammy D. And I’m live at the Quick Stop in Crum Lynne shopping for a decent blunt wrap. Let’s take a look at the inventory, shall we? Oh, wow! Check this out. This is like your OG smoker paradise right here. You got your basic hemp leaf, organic wraps. Shoot, flavors galore. You can’t go wrong. Rose petal wraps.
[ The clerk, Ji-Min, is checking out a heavyset woman named Francine who just bought a soft drink ]
[ Door bell chimes✨] [ Someone enters ]
Sammy: [ Sniffs ] If you want to feel boujee, I guess. [ Chuckles ]
⋘⋙
[ Francine leaves the store ] [ Door bell chimes✨]
[ Francine passes a straggled, desperate-looking young man. His name is Jack ]
[ Ominous music plays ]
[ As Francine passes Jack, he pulls back his jacket, revealing a revolver ]
[ Once in the store, Jack locks the door ] [ Lock clicks ✽ ] [ Jack turns around, pointing his gun ]
Jack: Hands in the air!
Ji-Min: [ Gasps ]
Jack: Everyone! Now!
[ Woman screams‼️ ]
Jack: [ To Sammy ] You, with the phone! Drop that phone!
[ Sammy, freaked out, shakes his head and keeps livestreaming until Jack bats the phone away from him ]
[ Behind Jack, in the next aisle, is a man wearing a fedora. It looks like Red ]

 
[ In his kitchen, Harold Cooper pours himself a cup of coffee ] [ Cellphone rings✨]
Cooper: Harold Cooper.
[ Dembe is calling. He’s driving ]
Dembe: Harold, I sent you a news link.

Anchorwoman: We’re following breaking news as we come to you live this morning. Local police are working a hostage situation at a convenience store outside Philadelphia.

Cooper: Why am I watching this?
Dembe: A young man was live-streaming when the gunman entered. The footage went viral. I think I saw Raymond inside. I’m on my way to pick up Ressler.
Cooper: Wait. Reddington is holding up a food mart?
Dembe: He appears to be a hostage.
Cooper: Why is he in Philadelphia?
Dembe: I don’t know. I tried calling him, but he wouldn’t answer.

Anchorwoman: This video contains threats of violence–

Cooper: Hold on, Dembe.

Anchorwoman: –and may be disturbing to some viewers.

[ Sammy’s video: ]
Sammy: Two hundred and sixty-eight followers!
Jack: Hands in the air! Everyone! Now!
[ Woman screams‼️ ]
Jack: You, with the phone! Drop that phone!
[ A glimpse of the man in the fedora appears ]

[ Keyboard clicking ]
Cooper: It does look like him, doesn’t it? You really think that’s Reddington?
Dembe: Can we take a chance it’s not? If Raymond is arrested in front of TV cameras, we can’t help him.
Cooper: This task force is already hanging by a thread. Cynthia Panabaker is coming in to the Post Office today. She wants a briefing on the status of Wujing and the Troll Farmer.
Dembe: You haven’t told her?
Cooper: That Reddington executed Wujing and recruited the Troll Farmer? No, I haven’t figured out how to explain that yet. This is not the day to be behind the curve, so let’s get ahead of this hostage situation.

 
[ Agent Siya Malik barges into Cooper’s office ]
Siya: I’m sorry to barge in, but there’s a viral video out there, and I swear it looks just like Reddingt–
Cooper: Reddington. I know. Ressler and Dembe are on their way.
Siya: What can I do?
Cooper: We have a separate fire to put out. I need you to conduct an inventory of our case files.
Siya: Seriously? W-Why?
Cooper: Senator Panabaker is on her way here right now. She doesn’t know Reddington used the HexRoot program to tamper with our database. If Main Justice learns the truth, I need to find out exactly what damage he’s done.
Siya: I’ll do whatever you need, but my security clearance doesn’t give me access to all of your cases.
Cooper: Oh, you’ve tried to open them?
Siya: [ Awkwardly ] Uh– I was curious about some of my mother’s old cases, specifically her last case.
Cooper: You want to know why she was killed.
Siya: It’s why I joined this task force. I’ve asked around, but nobody can tell me anything because it’s above my clearance level.
Cooper: Not anymore. I received approval for your interim TS/SCI clearance a couple of days ago. Our entire system is open to you, but today I need you to stay on task. Conduct a damage assessment and report to me.

 
[ Police radio chattering indistinctly ] [ Siren🚨wails ] [ People chattering indistinctly ]
[ Dembe and Ressler pulls up outside the Quick Stop Deli ] [ The scene outside the convenience store is problematic: multiple police cars, people mulling around ]
Dembe: Look at this. This is not good. I just hope Raymond isn’t inside.
Ressler: There’s a Zoomer Car. Isn’t that how he’s been getting around these days?
Dembe: One of the ways. How do we explain our presence here?
Ressler: Lie.
[ Ressler sees the Officer in charge ]
Ressler: Ah. Agent Ressler, FBI. This is Agent Zuma. The suspect inside that store fits the profile of a man we’ve been chasing for multiple armed robberies across state lines.
Officer: Thank God. We’ve been doing out best here till the big guns arrive.
Dembe: We’ll take it from here. What’s the situation inside?
Officer: Subject is armed and barricaded with an unknown number of hostages. We’re maintaining a perimeter with six uniforms, two covering the back exit.
Ressler: Have you attempted to make contact?
Officer: No. I mean, sort of. I was the first responder. When I pulled up, the assailant saw me through the window and shouted to stay back or he’d start killing hostages. We’re just– We’re a small borough, you know? We don’t get these kinds of situations out here.
Dembe: Did anyone make it out of the store when the gunman entered?
Officer: No, but there was a woman inside right before. County sent over this mobile command truck. She’s waiting in there.
Ressler: Thank you.