Épisode Isabella Stone S04E13 - The Blacklist Saison 4

Sur les lieux d'un accident de voiture à Paris, un homme et une femme récupèrent une enveloppe dans la prothèse de la  jambe du conducteur du véhicule qui est  mort. Il s'agit d'un dénommé Plumber, un coursier de Red.

Pendant ce temps, Liz annonce à Tom que l'avion de son père s'est écrasé et que son père est mort mais Tom déclare s'en moquer.

Red rencontre un des ses collaborateurs, Stratos Sarantos, qui s'inquiète comme beaucoup d'associés de Red de la mort de Plumber et de bien d'autres de ses hommes de mains.

Liz arrive et Red lui présente le nouveau nom sur sa liste, Isabella Stone qui l'a pris pour cible. Cette femme dont il ne connait que l'alias utilise le scandale, l'humiliation, le vol, le meurtre, la diffamation... pour atteindre ses victimes et ceci sans se soucier des dommages collatéraux.

En visionnant les vidéos de sécurité du bar dans lequel se trouve le coursier avant son accident , Aram remarque un homme qui semble le surveiller puis le suivre, cet homme, c'est  Charles Murphy, un ancien agent du NCIS. Il n'a pas d'adresse fixe mais il possède un garde-meuble à Fredericksburg en Virginie.

Tom va voir Red afin d'en apprendre davantage sur son passé mais Red refuse de lui répondre en lui expliquant qu'il sortira ne rien de bon des histoires du passé et en  lui rappelant qu'il est à présent le mari d'Elisabeth et le père d'Agnes.

A Fredericksburg, Liz, sans mandat et contre l'avis de Ressler, force la porte du garde-meubles et y découvre les cibles passées d'Isabella (Smoll, Plumber) mais surtout les prochaines, c'est à dire Stratos Sarantos et son épouse Corina.

Liz téléphone immédiatement à Red qui s'empresse de prévenir Stratos qui est à Monte-Carlo avec Corina mais la machination d'Isabella est déjà en place. Son acolyte Murphy drogue le mari tandis que son autre complice étrangle sa femme. Isabella  simule une dispute avec Stratos, dont la raison est Reddington, devant témoins et retournent dans la chambre.  Stratos est retrouvé,  inconscient la main sur le cou de son épouse et il est accusé du meutre et conduit en prison.

Ressler depuis le début de l'affaire est contrarié à cause de Reddington, de ses affaires personnelles qui empiètent sur le travail de la Task-Force ; il ne peut pas être auprès de son frère hospitalisé pour un pontage et s'inquiète pour lui. Au lieu de cela, il se retrouve avec Samar à Monte-Carlo.

Red téléphone à Cooper pour l'informer que le seul point commun entre tous les meurtres de ses associés est une de ses compagnies écran. Red se fait du soucis pour Stratos qui s'avère être un ami de longue date et qui ne risque pas de le trahir : c'est pourquoi sa vie est en danger.

Dans un aéroport, Murphy échange la valise d'un des passagers, un médecin qui se rend au Nigéria, avec la sienne.

Dans l'hôtel où est morte Madame Sarantos, Samar et Ressler découvrent une chambre adjacente depuis laquelle une femme a téléphoné afin de prévenir la sécurité de l'agression. Cette femme est vite partie d'autant plus qu'elle était inscrite à l'hôtel sous une fausse identité, Hallie Johnson. Aram, grâce à la photocopie du passeport fournie à l'hôtel, parvient à découvrir son véritable nom : Charlotte Hart. Elle et Murphy travaillent pour Judith Pruitt/Isabella Stone.

Judith était la femme de Gavin Pruitt, PDG de Pruitt Sécurité, un des premiers systèmes pyramidaux de Wall Street à s'être écroulé fin 90, accusé de parjures, fraudes sécuritaires, blanchiments (entre autres) et condamné à 10 ans de prison. Il n'avait cessé de clamer son innocence avec le soutient total de sa femme mais avait été poignardé par un détenu.

Tom décide de faire quelques recherches sur sa propre disparition lorsqu'il était enfant. Il contacte le détective Kotchwar qui lui apprend que l'enquête avait été abandonnée quand Christopher Hargrave avait été déclaré mort.

Red se rend à Monte-Carlo pour aider son ami mais celui-ci est tué lors de son évasion. Sur le chemin du retour, Dembe s'inquiète des risques pris ces dernières années, ces derniers mois par Red et qui ont pour conséquences la mort des gens autour de lui. Red ne sait quoi répondre.

Judith Pruitt est localisée, par Aram, à un gala de charité pour la fondation du docteur Justin Sperry qui aide les personnes dans le besoin à travers le monde. A ce moment-là,  un des médecins bénévoles de la fondation Sperry a été arrêté par la douane nigérienne alors qu'il tentait de faire passer 22 millions de dollars en bons au porteur appartenant à une société écran de Red. La fondation se retrouve accusée de recevoir des fonds d'un criminel et de n'être qu'une façade pour la contrebande au profit du fameux Raymond Reddington.

Sperry quitte le gala de charité discrètement et Judith aimablement se propose de le raccompagner chez lui. Sperry est paraplégique et cloué sur un fauteuil roulant. Liz arrive au gala trop tard mais elle se rend  immédiatement chez lui quand elle apprend que Judith Pruitt est parti avec lui ; comme les autres, elle va le tuer pour finaliser son plan.

Dans la maison de Sperry, au bord de la piscine, Judith lève le masque, elle le menace et lui demande de lire sa confession devant une caméra. Sperry refuse, lui disant que personne ne le croira parce qu'il n'y a aucun fondement aux rumeurs. Judith argumente expliquant que non seulement elle a des preuves mais qu'en plus les gens ne se fient qu'aux apparences. Tout le monde le croira coupable et c'est ce qui importe.

Liz arrive avec une équipe du FBI chez Sperry. Judith tente de couvrir sa fuite en envoyant Sperry dans la piscine avec son fauteuil mais les agents l'arrêtent ainsi que ses 2 complices tandis que Liz saute dans l'eau pour sauver Sperry d'une mort certaine.

Judith est conduite au Bureau de Poste pour y être interrogée ; cependant, elle refuse de coopérer alors que leur but est commun, faire tomber Reddington pour l'emprisonner comme l'un des criminels les plus recherchés.

Red offre un coucou suisse qu'il a remis lui-même en état à Liz pour Agnes. Il lui raconte comment Sperry et lui se sont rencontrés, 10 ans plus tôt lorsque la sclérose en plaques ne l'avait pas encore rendu infirme. Extrêmement déterminé, seul face à lui et ses hommes, il avait réquisitionné le convoi de Red près de la frontière congolaise qui transportait du « matériel » afin de transporter des réfugiés à Ekata. Red avait accédé à sa demande. Oui, il a fait des donations anonymes à sa fondation mais sans aucune contrepartie, jamais ça n'a été pour ses affaires ou à son profit.

Cooper ayant refusé à Red le droit de parler à Judith, celui-ci prend les choses en main et organise son extraction par une de ses équipes lors de son transfert. Judith Pruitt/Isabella Stone se retrouve aux mains de Raymond «Red» Reddington.

En rentrant à la maison, Liz trouve Tom au milieu de nombreux dossiers et regardant une vidéo d'un détenu, Richard Game, qui affirme et explique comment il a tué Christopher Hargrave des années auparavant.

 

Résumé proposé par mnoandco

 

 

PARIS, FRANCE

STREET

The scene of a car crash. A body lies across the hood of the car, having crashed through the windshield. A man and a woman walk up

WOMAN : Whoa. You got him good.

The man reaches into the front seat and pulls out an artificial leg. He shakes it to dislodge some wadding. The woman reaches inside and pulls out a rolled package, bonds of some sort

WOMAN : I get a kick out of this job.

KEEN'S APARTMENT

LIZ : Tom. Tom, honey, wake up. I was feeding Agnes–
TOM : She okay? What’s wrong with–
LIZ : No, no, she’s fine. I was watching the news and there was a plane crash. Honey, it was your father’s plane. He died.

TV Announcer: « Authories have confirmed the plane belonged to Howard Hargrave, a sometimes controversial figure in the field of private military contracting. His firm, Halcyon Aegis, is among the largest … »

LIZ : I’m sorry.
TOM : For what? I’m not gonna pretend I feel something when I don’t.
LIZ : Honey, he was your father.
TOM : I guess. I never really knew him. I know it sounds cold, but my father, my mother, that family, whoever they are. I’m not really that interested.
LIZ : Come on, honey. You must have some questions.
TOM : You know, when I met my mother, she offered me a job.
LIZ : As an operative, which seems like it would be your dream job.
TOM : I meant what I said when I turned her down. They’re my past. You and Agnes are my future and that’s what I care about.
LIZ : You can care about us and still look for the answers you need.
TOM : We’ll, that’s the thing. I’m not really looking for answers. Except for one. When did I become the old guy who falls asleep on the couch?

RESTAURANT

  At a small restaurant in D.C.

STRATOS : Is it true about the courier?
RED : Yes.
STRATOS : I’m sorry, Red.
RED : Stratos, we have to take the bitter with the sweet.
STRATOS : Unfortunately, it’s not just one courier. People are talking about other setbacks.
RED : I have a lead on three cargo ships in Marseilles. If they are as advertised, we should purchase them. Your travel itinerary. I booked a room for you and Corina at La Madison de Mon Ami. A very quiet, lovely villa on the outskirts of Monte Carlo. I put $25,000 on account in their private casino. An anniversary present. Chin up, old friend. Drink some champagne, kiss on the balcony, tip well at the tables. We’ve been through worse.

Liz enters the restaurant

STRATOS : I’ll report back once I’ve seen the ships. And for this, thank you so much, Red.

Stratos leaves

LIZ : Where in your empire does he fit in?
RED : Mediterranean shipping operations.
LIZ : You have multiple shipping operations?
RED : A courier of mine was murdered in Paris last night. A man named Plumber, killed by our next Blacklister.
LIZ : Thank you.
RED : For what?
LIZ : Admitting upfront why you’re giving us this case. It’s a refreshing change.
RED : I heard about Tom’s father. How did Tom react?
LIZ : Disinterested.
RED : Good.
LIZ : Why do you say that?
RED : The woman you’ll be looking for is quite literally a character assassin. Her objective is to utterly obliterate her target by any means necessary. Scandal, public humiliation, extortion, theft, murder.
LIZ : And her next target is you.
RED : Yes. She’s ruthless and will go to any length to vanquish her victim with no regard for collateral damage.
LIZ : Me.
RED : I’m concerned.
LIZ : What’s her name?
RED : I only know an alias. Isabella Stone.

POST OFFICE

WAR ROOM

LIZ : Dr Eric Bannon, a world-renowned cardiologist, was charged in a series of angel-of-mercy killings, due to lethal prescription drug interactions that were in fact engineered by Isabella Stone.
COOPER : How?
LIZ : She hacked Bannon’s passwords in order to access the inpatient dispensary and changed the patients’ prescription drug regimens. Twelve died. Now, according to Reddington’s sources, one of the victims had a brother, Ryuu Fujimoto, who engaged Isabella Stone to orchestrate Bannon’s downfall.

Ressler's cellphone rings

ARAM : 2011, Bangladesh. Fire broke out in a Dhaka ghetto sweatshop. Sixty-eight perished, 27 were children. Subsequent news coverage exposed horrific working conditions which were blamed by activists on the factory’s primary contractor, Fit Thread Jeans, and their CEO, haute couture designer, Cynthia Brooks. Now, the scandal rocked the industry.

Ressler, to the side on phone

RESSLER : Has he been admitted yet? … Has the doctor said anything? … Okay, let me see if I can come out. … No. I wanna be there. Bye.

WAR ROOM

SAMAR : You said Stone went after one of Reddington’s couriers.
LIZ : Yes, and one of his accountants. According to our last Blacklister, Natalie Luca …
ARAM : Typhoid Mary.
LIZ : Stone used her to kill Reddington’s accountant and money-launderer, Zack Smoll.
COOPER : Ressler, Navabi, get with DGSE. See what they can tell us about the murdered courier.
RESSLER : With all due respect, sir. It seemsthat Reddington gave us this case to protect himself.
LIZ : Against someone we should be interested in taking down anyway.
RESSLER : We’ll, can we at least put a clock on it?
COOPER : Why? Is there somewhere else you have to be?
RESSLER : Look, I’m just saying. If it turns out we end up doing all the heavy lifting for him, maybe we shouldn’t devote too much time to it.
COOPER : I understand there’s a line, Agent Ressler, and that you think he’s crossed it, but I disagree. Reddington insists his courier’s death was part of a larger threat and we’re going to investigate it.
SAMAR : Everything okay? With the phone call?
RESSLER : Yeah. It’s just stuff.
SAMAR : “Stuff”?
RESSLER : Yeah, stuff. Everything’s fine.

POST OFFICE

SAMAR : Thank you for coming, Director. We were hoping the DGSE could tell us about the hit-and-run in Paris.
DIRECTOR : We actually know very little. No identification. No cell phone.
RESSLER : We understand he had more than $30,000 on US bills on him.
DIRECTOR : Counterfeit bills. Untraceable.
SAMAR : We’d like to review any eyewitness reports.
DIRECTOR : We’ll, I’ll forward them from the police prefecture – if you tell me why you are so interested in a random hit-and-run.
RESSLER : We believe the victim was a courier.
DIRECTOR : For whom?
SAMAR : We’re not at liberty to say–
RESSLER : Raymond Reddington. Your intel could help us with him.
DIRECTOR : You will have the eyewitness reports within the hour, as well as surveillance footage.
SAMAR : You have video from the hit-and-run?
DIRECTOR : Of a nearby bar where the victim had been moments before the incident. If it helps you find Raymond Reddington after all these years, I’ll be happy to help.

KEEN'S APARTMENT

Tom is watching TV coverage of the plane crash that took his father’s life

TV Announcer: « Officials have confirmed that there were no survivors in the recent crash of the private plane owned by CEO of Halcyon Aegis, Howard Hargrave. Investigators are still on the scene and will continue … »

Tom, on phone

TOM : Dembe. Tell him it’s me. We need to talk.

MONTE CARLO, MONACO

HOTEL ROOM

 CORINA : I love this place.
STRATOS : I know you don’t like him, but Mr Reddington, he takes care of his people. Come on. I want to go to the tables.
CORINA : Darling, I’m basking. And I’m dying to bask in that beautiful bathtub.
STRATOS : Bask away but hurry. I need my good luck charm. Mmmm.

They kiss. She swats his butt lightheartedly as he leaves

Corina steps into the bathroom, shedding her white terry robe to reveal a black bra and panties. She turns on the water in the tub, takes a red gown from the closet and steps back into the bedroom. Two women, dressed in black are standing there. Isabella Stone is middle-aged and has short-cropped blondish hair. Her assistant, Charlotte Hart, the woman from the site of the hit-and-run, has long black hair.
Corina Gasps

CORINA : Please don’t shoot.
ISABELLA STONE : Oh, honey, I’m not going to shoot you. The gun is only to make sure you stay quiet while Charlotte strangles you.

Charlotte stangles Corina

ISABELLA STONE : We need the dress.

POST OFFICE

RESSLER : Bypass surgery? Did you get a second opinion? … Well, when is he scheduled to go under? … Yeah. I’m gonna get there as soon as I can. … You too, Mom.

He hangs up
Aram walks up

ARAM : Hey. Extra large cherry Slurpee says I can get Mr Cooper to say “You’re going to Fredericksburg.”
RESSLER : What are you talking about?

 The team gathers around Aram’s desk

COOPER : What do we know?
ARAM : Okay, so, I think I found something. I’ve been combing through the security footage that the Paris police sent us from the bar, and watch this. Do you see it?
COOPER : See what?
ARAM : Hideous sweater. The coffee cup in the corner.
SAMAR : What about him?
ARAM : I think he’s watching Mr Reddington’s courier.
RESSLER : How can you tell?
ARAM : Okay, check it out. At 42 minutes and 11 seconds in, the courier gets up to go. Now, watch the sweater.
LIZ : So what? He’s thirsty.
ARAM : No, no, no. Watch, watch. See how long he’s holding the cup in front of his mouth? How he is trying to be discreet?
LIZ : He’s talking into a mike.
ARAM : And following Mr Reddington’s courier out the door.
COOPER : Can you get a better image?
ARAM : I can, and I did. Courtesy of new software I downloaded from FAVIAU. FAVIAU: Forensic Audio and Video Image Analysis Unit. The chief engineer and I are in a hacky sack circle.
SAMAR : Hacky sack?
ARAM : Oh, yeah. They are making a huge comeback. Footbag workouts are actually a great cardiovascular exercise. It’s good for balance–
COOPER : Sounds great. How about that image?
ARAM : Right. Boom.
RESSLER : That’s a pretty picture. You get an ID.
ARAM : Yes. Charles “Chip” Murphy. Former NCIS agent. Delaware driver’s license.
COOPER : Address.
ARAM : No fixed address since his discharge five years ago. But he does own a storage unit in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
COOPER : You’re going to Fredericksburg.

WORKSHOP

Red is in a backlit workshop, tinkering with a tiny, intricate piece of machinery
Tom has come to see him

TOM : My father is dead. She’s the only one left who knows who I am.
RED : You’re Elizabeth’s husband and Agnes’ father.
TOM : Who I was.
RED : You need to stay away from Scottie Hargrave.
TOM : Yeah, I know. You said that. My question is why?
RED : My question is “why not?” You have a wife and a child and a life. Leave well enough alone.
TOM : I told Liz I would, that it doesn’t matter. And it doesn’t. It wouldn’t, except that you told me not to let Scottie Hargrave know that I am her son, that if I did I would never find the truth I’ve been looking for. What does that mean?
RED : He’s dead, Tom.
TOM : What truth? You knew my father.
RED : I had a brief professional relationship with your father, a man who wrestled with significant demons. I know his wife, your mother, is a manipulative creature whose own husband didn’t trust her, whose answers to the questions you want to answer could never be trusted. All that really matters is that you vanished off the face of the earth nearly 30 years ago, and yet here you are. Leave the past in the past, Tom. Nothing good will come from digging up secrets.

MURPHY'S STORAGE FACILITY , FREDERICKSBURG

ATTENDANT : Sorry, sport. I can’t let you guys in a unit unless you guys have a warrant.
LIZ : Can you at least confirm the name of the lessee?
ATTENDANT : No. Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta get back to the front office.
LIZ : Give us a minute, okay? We gotta make a few calls.

Attendant leaves

RESSLER : Let me call the U.S. Attorney’s office in Richmond, see if I can’t get an ETA on that warrant.
LIZ : We don’t have time for that. For all we know, Murphy’s on his way back from Paris right now. If there is something incriminating in here, then he might come back and get it before we can get a warrant.

Liz fishes for something to break the lock

RESSLER : Jesus, Keen, you just got your badge back.
LIZ : Because of Reddington. He needs our help.
RESSLER : So what? We just drop everything? We put off everything to help this guy? No, it’s too much, Keen. The guy demands too much. I’m not going in there without a warrant, and neither should you.

Lock clicks
Liz enters the storage locker. The room has a computer and file cabinets. She defeats the lock on a file cabinet, takes out files and begins going through them

WORKSHOP 

 Cellphone rings; Dembe hands phone to Reddington

DEMBE : Raymond.
RED : Elizabeth.
LIZ : We found a pop-up safe house used by one of Stone’s operatives, Charles Murphy. He has dossiers and photographs of Zack Smoll, your courier, and the man you were meeting with the other day.
RED : Stratos?
LIZ : Sarantos, yeah. And there’s a file on a woman with the same last name, Corina Sarantos? Is that his wife? His sister?
RED : I have to go.

He hangs up

LIZ : Reddington, wait ...

CASINO AT THE HOTEL, MONTE CARLO

Murphy slips a vial of something into Stratos’ drink

STRATOS : 7 or 11. 7 or 11. Yes!

Stratos downs the rest of his drink
Murphy into small handheld mike

MURPHY : He just took the sedative. Cue the wife in 30 seconds.

Cellphone rings

STRATOS : Raymond. I’m at the tables.
RED : Stratos, listen to me. You’re in danger.
STRATOS : I can’t hear you.

Man at table, speaking French

STRATOS : I gotta hang up.
RED : Stratos.
STRATOS : I’ll call you right back.

Phone snaps shut

STRATOS : Yes!

Isabella Stone, dressed as Corina

ISABELLA STONE/CORINA  : You son of a bitch.
STRATOS : Corina, what are you–
ISABELLA /CORINA : You are drunk!
STRATOS : What the–

Isabella slaps Stratos

ISABELLA STONE/CORINA : How dare you! We talked about this. Talked about you, Reddington.
STRATOS : Lower your voice.
ISABELLA STONE/CORINA : You should be ashamed of yourself.
STRATOS : What the hell is wrong? What did I do?
ISABELLA STONE/CORINA : Not here.

They head up the staircase. Cellphone rings

ISABELLA STONE/CORINA : Don’t you dare pick that up!

HOTEL ROOM

Stratos and Isabella/”Corina” enter the hotel room where Corina’s body is propped against the bed
Cellphone rings
Stratos, groggy

STRATOS : Hello?
RED : Stratos, listen to me. You and Corina, you’re in danger.
STRATOS : Red, I can’t

Stratos gasps, collapses

RED : Stratos? Are you there? If you can hear me, get out of the hotel. Stratos? Stratos? Are you there?

Isabella peels off her wig

ISABELLA STONE : Let’s move.

 Minutes later, Corina’s body is wearing the red dress. Murphy presses Stratos’ fingers against Corina’s neck

ISABELLA STONE : Perfect. Although I do think I wore it better. On my signal. Set.

Isabella calls the Hotel security
On phone

ISABELLA STONE : Hotel security, please. Y-yes, the- the- The people in the room next door are having a terrible row. Hurry! I think he’s killing her!

Charlotte Hart screams, from the adjoining room

MONTE CARLO

 SAMAR : I’m excited. This is my first time in Monte Carlo. A lifetime of traveling the world, and I finally make it to the Côte D’Azur. My favorite number is 36. So if we get the chance, we’re going to the roulette table, and we’re placing a hundred on red 36.

Ressler is non-responsive

SAMAR : What? You don’t like 36? You don’t like red? Hey.
RESSLER : My brother’s going in for surgery.
SAMAR : Oh, God. Is it serious? What’s wrong?
RESSLER : What’s wrong is I’m here in Monaco when my brother’s going in for surgery. I mean, maybe if it was for the right reason, I-I wouldn’t have a problem, but it’s not. It’s for Reddington. He might as well sign our checks. We work for him.
SAMAR : What’s wrong with your brother?
RESSLER : It’s his heart. They found a blockage. He’s gonna go in for a bypass in the morning.
SAMAR : I’m sure he’ll be fine. A bypass is very common these days. It’s good they caught it.
RESSLER : So this guy Stratos, what do we know?

RED'S PLANE / POST OFFICE

RED : He was framed.
COOPER : Judging by the preliminary crime scene analysis, I’d have to disagree.
RED : I can count the things I envy in this life. Their relationship was one. Corina was his soul mate.

POLICE, MONTE CARLO

Stratos is being interrogated by Etienne Chiras. Ressler and Samar are observing

STRATOS : I didn’t kill my wife.
CHIRAS : Hmm. Tell me about Raymond Reddington.
STRATOS : There’s nothing to tell.
CHIRAS : She didn’t like him, did she? Is that why you killed her? Because she didn’t want you working with Reddington?
STRATOS : I didn’t kill my wife.
CHIRAS : She pushed you
STRATOS : No!
CHIRAS : And slapped you.
STRATOS : That was not her!
CHIRAS : She taunted you in public and five minutes later, a witness reported hearing her scream for her life.
STRATOS : That woman, whoever she was, she was not Corina.

RED'S PLANE / POST OFFICE

COOPER : First, your courier and the bearer bonds. Now Stratos. How are they connected?
RED : They’re not. But those bonds are traceable back to a shell company I own. A fact which I’m confident Isabella Stone will use to my disadvantage.

AIRPORT

Murphy on phone

 MURPHY : Nigeria. Yeah, one week. Because they need doctors, Albert. You should come next time.

Murphy exchanges the doctor’s rolling suitcase for his own and walks away

 POLICE, MONTE CARLO

CHIRAS : We have witnesses in the casino, in the stairwell, the next room.
STRATOS : Listen to me, please, believe me When I went back to the room, Corina was already dead.
CHIRAS : We have your fingerprints on her neck.
STRATOS : Because they put them there.
CHIRAS : Ah.
STRATOS : Somebody drugged me. My hands, they put my hands on her neck.
CHIRAS : “They” did? The people who framed you? A mild-mannered leasing agent for cargo ships, here to celebrate your wedding anniversary.
STRATOS : Our 23rd.
CHIRAS : Tell me about Raymond Reddington.

RED'S PLANE / POST OFFICE

 COOPER : How much does Stratos know about your operations?
RED : I first met Stratos Sarantos when he was running guns to Cypriot resistance fighters in 1987. For more than 20 years, he’s overseen my shipping concerns from the Bosphorus to the Suez Canal. He knows enough.
COOPER : So you are afraid he’ll talk.
RED : Stratos is very loyal. I’m not afraid he’ll talk. I’m afraid of what they’ll do to him when he won’t.

POLICE, MONTE CARLO

CHIRAS : You know who they are? FBI.

RED'S PLANE / POST OFFICE 

RED : Your people are on site?
COOPER : Yes. With all the necessary extradition documents.

RED : That won’t be enough.

POLICE, MONTE CARLO

CHIRAS : They want me to give you over. But you’re up on a murder charge. So you’re not going anywhere.

RED'S PLANE / POST OFFICE 

RED : Isabella Stone is like Stratos to me. Baited the hook. Until he helps them reel me in, the only place he’s going is a very deep, dark hole.

HOTEL ROOM, MONTE CARLO

At the hotel room, Chiras, Ressler, Samar and investigators

GAUTIER : We reviewed the hotel security footage from the corridor. One way in, one way out.
The only two people to enter this room in the 27 hours preceding the murder, besides the maids, were Monsieur Sarantos and the victim.
RESSLER : Who found the body?
GAUTIER : Hotel security. There was a call from a guest complaining about a loud commotion.
SAMAR : A guest? Is this an adjoining room?
GAUTIER : Yes. Room 21.
RESSLER : Did you interview them?
CHIRAS : Her. No. Unfortunately, she checked out soon after the incident. Quite shaken, according to the clerk.
SAMAR : We’ll need access to the room.
GAUTIER : Mm-hmm.
RESSLER : So much for one way in.

POST OFFICE

ARAM : All right, the hotel takes photocopies of every guest’s passport. This is the person registered in room 21 the day of the murder.
COOPER : Hallie Johnson?
ARAM : Oh, no. It’s a fake. A very good one, but FACE Facial Recognition gave us another hit.
Her real name is Charlotte Hart.
COOPER : Did you find a connection between her and Murphy?
ARAM : They both worked for this woman, Murphy as a private investigator, and Hart as an event planner.
LIZ : Isn’t that Judith Pruitt, the one whose husband was arrested?
ARAM : Yeah, Gavin Pruitt, CEO of Pruitt Securities, one of the first big Wall Street pyramid schemes to go down in the late ’90s. Pruitt insisted he was innocent, but in the end, he was convicted on 11 felony counts Perjury, money laundering, securities fraud. Sentenced to 10 years at FCI Petersburg. In the end, he was stabbed to death by a fellow convict.
LIZ : What if he was innocent? Or Judith thought he was innocent?
COOPER : She stood by him. Through the trial, the sentencing. Her support was unflagging.
LIZ : Look at the victimology. Dr. Eric Bannon, an esteemed cardiologist, butchering his patients for fat fees. Cynthia Brooks, an international fashion icon, exploiting Third World child labor–
COOPER : Red Reddington, crime kingpin.
LIZ : Powerful and guilty as sin, all of them. What better way for the bereaved wife of an innocent man – a powerful man, destroyed, humiliated, imprisoned, and murdered – What better way for her to strike back than to inflict the same fate on the guilty?
COOPER : I’ve heard that she’s very active around town. Political fundraisers, charity events.
ARAM : Oh, yeah, you’re right. Uh, from what I’ve been able to find, she’s been keeping up social appearances ever since her husband died. I did some digging on social media and found this.

A video pops up of a kitten mewing with a carton of Chinese noodles on its head

ARAM : Sorry. It’s not that. All right, this is it. According to their event page, she is a major donor and will be at their fundraiser this afternoon at the Mandarin Oriental hotel.

KEEN'S APARTMENT 

Tom is going through old newspaper clippings about his parents, Halcyon Aegis (“Private Military Group, Halcyon Aegis, Wins Pentagon Contract,” “Halcyon Aegis Company Announces Third QT Profits Up 24%”), and his own disappearance (“Hargraves Double Reward for Information on Son’s Disappearance”). He then searches “Christopher Hargrave disappearance” on his computer

 KOTCHWAR'S HOUSE

Knock on door

TOM : Um, Detective Kotchwar?
KOTCHWAR : Nope, he’s retired.

TOM : Uh, sir. Sir? Please, just one- one minute. 30 years ago, you were the lead detective in the disappearance of a boy who vanished from a rental home in Ocean City. His name was Christopher Hargrave.
KOTCHWAR : Yeah, he didn’t vanish.
TOM : Can you tell me what happened?
KOTCHWAR : He died.
TOM : Sir, that’s not possible.
KOTCHWAR : What makes you think that?
TOM : Because I’m Christopher Hargrave.

MONTE CARLO

STREET

POLICEMAN : Monsieur Leroy Bloom?
RED / LEROY BLOOM: 25 years in Chicago parking on the street, and my car gets taken in Monte Carlo. I’m telling you, my mother used to say, a driver’s license is nothing but an invitation to injury and heartache. She was agoraphobic–
POLICEMAN : Monsieur, did you see the person who took your vehicle?
RED : Yes, absolutely I saw them. They took the damn thing right in front of me. They had the audacity to wave as they went away.
POLICEMAN : A description?
RED : Uh, well, the one, the- The white one had a ponytail. The other, the black one, very worked out. He must drink a ton of those muscle shakes.
POLICEMAN : The car?
RED : Gray Mercedes. CLS-550. License plate “B” as in boy. “A” as in apple–
POLICEMAN : Please, just say the letters.
RED : Right, okay. Uh, BA 204 T R. God knows where they are now and what they’ve done to my car.

CHARITY EVENT, MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL 

JOY : Ladies and gentlemen, our fundraising efforts have once again exceeded our goals, allowing us to continue to help needy people in every country on earth. I now have the distinct pleasure to introduce the man behind all this good work. Our chairman, Dr. Justin Sperry.
Dr JUSTIN SPERRY : Thank you, Joy. Good afternoon, friends. Isn’t this a glorious day? I’m sure you all feel terrific. You know why? Because it feels good to do good. We’ve saved thousands and thousands of lives by delivering everything from basic medical care and immunizations, to advanced prosthetics and sophisticated surgical procedures. Facial reconstruction. Spinal fusions.

Isabella, quietly into mike

ISABELLA STONE : Right on schedule.

MONTE CARLO

STREET

POLICEWOMAN [in french] : BA 204 T R, deux suspects appréhendés en garde à vue, un homme noir, 1m88 , un homme blanc ...

POST OFFICE

ARAM'S DESK

ARAM : One of the physician volunteers for the Sperry Medical Foundation was just arrested by Nigerian Customs for trying to smuggle $22 million in bonds held by one of Mr. Reddington’s shell corporations. Oh, man. It is all over the news. Sources allege that the charity’s a front to bypass inspections and move contraband between borders. The chairman of the foundation is Dr. Justin Sperry. And he is the keynote speaker at today’s charity gala.

Crowd murmuring

Joy comes up and whispers something to him

Dr JUSTIN SPERRY : I- Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen.

Dr Sperry abruptly leaves the stage

POST OFFICE

ARAM'S DESK

LIZ : This is part of Isabella Stone’s campaign against Reddington. She’s killed others because they worked for Reddington. If Sperry does, too, discrediting him may not be all she has planned.
COOPER : Get a SWAT team and get to that event now.

CHARITY EVENT, MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL 

Crowd murmuring, shouting
Isabella whispering into mike

ISABELLA STONE : And he’s on the move. It’s time.

POLICE, MONTE CARLO

At a police lineup

RED : That’s them. 100%. Ponytail. Muscle shake.
POLICEMAN : D’accord, Monsieur Bloom. We’ll need your passport again for some paperwork. And you should have your car right away.
RED : I can’t thank you enough. And I apologize in advance.

Red punches the policeman, points gun at him

RED : Drop it, please. And would you do me the courtesy of sliding it over? Lovely.
Unlock it.

Chiras about to enter

CHIRAS : Reddington.
RED : Ah, ah, ah, ah.

Chiras joins the policeman and guard in the cell, which is locked behind them
Red, Dembe and Baz come to the cell holding Stratos

RED : Stratos.
STRATOS : I knew you’d come.
RED : Time to go, my friend.

Lock clicks

CHARITY EVENT, MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL 

At the now empty room in which the charity event had been held

LIZ : Agent Keen, FBI.
JOY: Great. You’re here to arrest him now? You’re too late. He’s gone.
LIZ : I’m not looking for Dr. Sperry. I’m looking for this woman. Judith Pruitt.
JOY: I don’t understand. Judy’s the only one that was nice. Everyone else walked out. Some people stormed. They said the most horrible things about Justin after all the good work he’s done.
LIZ : Do you know where she went? Did she say?
JOY: She’s with him. She insisted. Said he shouldn’t be alone, so she followed him home.
LIZ : He can drive?
JOY : Of course not. He uses a service. It picks him up and takes him where he needs to go.

POLICE, MONTE CARLO

 Alarm blaring
Red, Stratos, Dembe and Baz are making their way through a labyrinth of corridors. Guards show up and a gunfight  ensures. Stratos is shot in the back. Red grabs him, and spins him around, shooting  

Stratos sinks against a wall

STRATOS : I can’t.

Red pulls back Stratos suit coat and sees he is bleeding heavily, shot through his right lung

RED : Oh, we gotta get you out of here.
STRATOS : I can’t make it.
RED : Yes, you can.
STRATOS : Go. You have to go now.
RED : No. No, no, I’m not leaving you.
DEMBE : We need to move. He won’t survive the escape.
STRATOS : He’s right. Red, I won’t make it. Just give me a gun. It’s okay.
DEMBE : We go now, we can make it.
STRATOS : Please go. It’s okay. Go.

Gunfire  and alarm continue

RED : Whatever happens, whatever you do, just know your children will be cared for and your honor is intact.

Gunfire  and alarm continue
Red hugs Stratos and kisses him, then reluctantly leaves
At last, the three climb a staircase toward sunlight
We heard a gunshot
Red hesitates

DEMBE : Raymond, no.

Dembe grabs Red by the arm to get him to leave

WASHINGTON, DC

FBI'S CAR / POST OFFICE

 SAMAR : Aram, we just touched down. We’re heading to you now. Where are we on the case?
ARAM : Okay, we have a lead on Isabella Stone and the man we believe to be her next target, the chairman of the Sperry Medical Foundation. They’re on their way to his home in Falls Church right now.

Ressler on phone with an unknown person

RESSLER : Okay, well, what did the doctor say?
SAMAR : Can you text me an address?
ARAM : Yeah, sending now, along with satellite imagery of the property.
COOPER : Agent Keen and a team are en route.
RESSLER : All right, well, please call me when he gets out then.
SAMAR : Have you called ahead?
ARAM : Yes. Oh, and Sperry’s a paraplegic with a live-in nurse. I’ve tried calling a bunch of times, but, uh, no one’s picking up.
SAMAR : Keep trying. What’s her name?

SPERRY'S HOUSE

Dr JUSTIN SPERRY : Gretchen! Gretchen!
ISABELLA STONE : I don’t think she’s in any condition to hear you now. She has quite the drinking problem. My friend, Mr. Murphy, took the liberty of letting himself in when she was at the dry cleaners picking up your suit today. Slipped a little something into her brandy.
Dr JUSTIN SPERRY : I don’t understand. What do you people want?
ISABELLA STONE : Oh, nothing’s that not well within your skill set, Dr. Sperry. All we want is for you to tell the truth. Charlotte.

Charlotte has set up a video camera

RED'S PLANE /COOPER'S OFFICE

  Red and Dembe are flying back in Red’s private plane
Red on phone with Cooper

COOPER : I told you, we’d handle Stratos.
RED : Yes, but you failed.
COOPER : Breaking him out was never our intention.
RED : I did what I thought was necessary.
COOPER : And now he’s dead, a man you said would do anything to protect you.
RED : Isabella Stone.
COOPER : She used the bonds to expose your involvement in the Sperry Medical Foundation.
RED : I’m told you have the location.
COOPER : Correct. Keen, Ressler, and Navabi are in pursuit.
RED : I need to speak with her the moment she’s detained.
COOPER : Oh, that’s not gonna happen.
RED : I wasn’t asking permission.
COOPER : Hey. I stood by you. Signed off on cases that are increasingly personal to you. I have done that. Over the objections of both agents I respect and superiors I answer to. So before you start telling me what it is you wa–

Red hangs up on Cooper
Red sighs

DEMBE : Maybe we shouldn’t have gone there, Raymond. You keep putting yourself in more and more danger every year, every day. And people are dying all around you.
RED : I don’t know how to respond to that.

SPERRY'S HOUSE

Dr JUSTIN SPERRY : I’m not going to read this. Th-This is nonsense.
ISABELLA STONE : Is it? Because my source was quite certain that Reddington has donated millions to your foundation.
Dr JUSTIN SPERRY : You have no proof.
ISABELLA STONE : Ah, but we do. Our source has provided us with a boringly large number of financial documents detailing wire transfers between Reddington’s shell companies and the Sperry Medical Foundation.
Dr JUSTIN SPERRY : And the rest? This allegation that we’ve acted as some sort of personal courier for him to-to move contraband? That’s a disgusting lie. And you know as well as I do that those bonds were planted in my doctor’s suitcase.
ISABELLA STONE : Which is why I am so glad that I can count on people buying into appearances. Cubic zirconia. But the bonds, they’re just not damning enough. I so need your cooperation.
Dr JUSTIN SPERRY : Forget it. I-I won’t do it.
ISABELLA STONE : Oh, you will. And I urge you to be convincing. After all, your life depends on it. To enter the water strapped into that wheelchair, a last tragic act of a desperate man, his charity exposed as being part of an underground shipping cartel for a notorious criminal.
Dr JUSTIN SPERRY : Nobody’s gonna believe this.
ISABELLA STONE : Oh, I think they will. Trust me, Dr. Sperry, no matter how sterling your reputation, people will believe the most awful things.

Isabella pushes Sperry’s wheelchair right up to the edge of the pool

Dr JUSTIN SPERRY : All right, all right, all right! All right.
ISABELLA STONE : All right. I’m glad we’re on the same page. Let’s get started.
Dr JUSTIN SPERRY : Ladies and gentlemen, those of you who have been kind enough to support the Sperry Medical Foundation in the past with your contributions, and especially the brave and skilled physicians who have selflessly volunteered their services, I owe you all a heartfelt apology and a confession. For decades, I have not only accepted millions of dollars from Raymond Reddington, a known criminal, but have deliberately subverted our stated mission using our access to various host-nations

FBI storm the scene

Dr JUSTIN SPERRY : Oh! Help! Help!

Isabella pushes the wheelchair into the swimming pool

– FBI!
– Hands! Let me see.

Gunfire 

- Show me your hands now! Up! Now!

Liz dives into the pool, unstraps Sperry and pulls him to the surface

OUTSIDE SPERRY'S HOUSE

Police radio chatter

Man speaking indistinctly over radio
Liz sits in the back of a van, wrapped in a blanket
Isabella Stone is led out and put in a police car

Car doors close

POST OFFICE

CELL

Samar and Ressler are interrogating Isabella Stone

SAMAR : Who were you working for? Who contracted you to go after the people working for Reddington?
ISABELLA STONE : You should be thanking me.
RESSLER : For what?
ISABELLA STONE : For targeting him, hurting him.
SAMAR : The name.
ISABELLA STONE : Unless I’m mistaken, Reddington is on your most-wanted list.
SAMAR : And to get him, we need to get the people close to him. The person who hired you knows who those people are.
RESSLER : See, you wanna hurt Reddington. We wanna capture him. It seems like we both want the same things.
ISABELLA STONE : I can assure you, we do not.
RESSLER : Hmm. Well, you’re looking at life in prison, so maybe you help us and we’ll help you.
ISABELLA STONE : Oh, I can help you. But I’m never gonna do that.

WORKSHOP

RED : I was relieved to hear about Justin. He’s a good man.
LIZ : Is there any truth to Stone’s allegations?
RED : Only in so far as I’ve made substantial anonymous contributions to his foundation. But there have never been any strings attached. I consider Justin to be a saint. Or as close to a saint as one can be in this world.
LIZ : You know him?
RED : I met him a decade ago in West Africa. The WHO and the Gabonese Ministry of Health had declared a hemorrhagic fever outbreak in the Ogooué-Ivindo Province. I happened to be in the area transporting materials to the Congolese border when we ran into an improvised roadblock of broken crates and rusty barrels. And I ordered my men to clear the road, when out steps this young, skinny kid, fresh out of Harvard Medical School. Justin hadn’t yet lost the use of his limbs. Although, even then, he was showing early signs of the ALS that would eventually claim his mobility. But he was fearless. A lion. He demanded to commandeer our convoy in order to transport refugees to Ekata. He was unarmed. I had a security detail of a dozen international battle-hardened mercenaries.
LIZ : What did you do?
RED : In the face of that kind of will, I re-organized my cargo and complied with his demands. What progress have you made with Isabella Stone?
LIZ : None. She won’t cooperate. If someone hired her to come after you, she won’t say who.
RED : The truth will out. It always does.
LIZ : What is this?
RED : For Agnes.
LIZ  : Oh, it’s beautiful.
RED : You’ll find your time with her goes by too quickly. That’s why cuckoo clocks are perfect. I don’t really care what time it is. I just want to hear the birds sing.

POST OFFICE

RESSLER'S OFFICE

 SAMAR : Your brother?
RESSLER : He’s fine. But he might not have been. I should’ve been there.
SAMAR : You were working. Whether Reddington is involved or not, it’s your job.
RESSLER : He’s my brother. I should’ve been there.

ISABELLA'S CONVOY

 Police vehicles transporting Isabella Stone are caught in a trap laid by Red’s men. Vehicles careen and  crash  in a fiery melee. The vehicle containing Isabella Stone is rolled over. She is hurt but conscious

KEEN'S APARTMENT

Tom is sitting on the floor surrounded by papers listening to a video of a man :

Richard Game: « When I went into his room, there was a little light on. Like a night-light. Enough to get around. »
Man: « And you had a knife at that time? »
Game: « Yeah. When I came in through the kitchen, there was a thing there, holds knives, by the oven. I grabbed one. »
Man: « And did you put the knife in your pocket? »
Game: « Yeah. Didn’t need it. When I walked up to him, he was sleeping there. Like a doll or something. »

 Liz arrives home

LIZ : Hey, babe. You know, I was thinking about your dad, and you’re right. We should just let it lie. I don’t think that there’s any reason for us to look into your past.
TOM : Yeah, about that.
LIZ : Honey, these are police reports. What do those have to do with your dad?
TOM : They don’t. They’re about me.

Liz, referring to the video

LIZ : Who’s that?
TOM : That’s Richard Game. The man who murdered me.

On video

Game: « When I picked him up, he sorta looked at me a minute. Like maybe he knew me. Then he started slapping, or hitting. So I put my hand over his mouth. Guess he was trying to fight. »

LOCATION UNKNOWN

In a frozen storage locker, a hood is removed from Isabella’s head
She faces Raymond Reddington

RED : Isabella, we have much to talk about

 

Adapté du site «The Blacklist Classified», mise en page par mnoandco