The Trap (2026) s01e03 Episode Script

[birdsong]
["Firestarter" by The Prodigy playing]
I'm the trouble starter
Punkin' instigator ♪
[treadmill beeping]
Hey!
You're really out of shape.
I want to learn self-defense,
not win a marathon.
If you're attacked, you'll need stamina.
-Right. Yeah.
-And be fast.
-Hey!
-Fast! Catch it!
Catch it!
Can I ask you something?
Yeah, sure.
Are you on strong medication?
Why?
Well, I only see reactions that slow
from ex-junkies and alcoholics.
[tense music playing]
THE TRAP
THE TRAINING
[Lisa] Sophie only ever leaves
her apartment at night to look for him.
It's like a compulsion.
She runs to try and find him.
And in order to forget.
And she runs from the memory
of Anna's murdered body.
And from her own guilt.
-For many times, she thought she'd…
-[clattering]
[distant clattering]
[tense music playing]
[clattering in distance]
[clapping]
[crunching]
I thought I heard something.
[reporter] One year after the official end
of major combat operations in Syria,
the conflict remains a defining issue
in international politics.
New developments in the country’s
northeast region…
RUDOW PUBLISHING
…have once again drawn the attention
of the German government
and the EU this week.
According to several
international observer missions,
a series of clashes has broken out
between remaining militias,
local security forces,
and units loyal to the Syrian government.
The United Nations described…
[news report halts]
What do you mean "not suitable"?
This man's won tons of awards.
You said so yourself, Katrin.
And it doesn't matter who interviews her.
Just that you get one.
If I were you, I'd be kicking myself too.
However, she wants him.
She insisted it be him.
And what if I go to Munich instead
and talk to her in person?
Katrin, let it go.
We'll only give out the address
the day of the interview.
And, um, between us,
we might still call the whole thing off.
What are you talking about?
I just told the chief editor's office
it was a go.
And they're making it the lead story.
Yeah, well, sorry. I have to go.
[disconnect tone pulsing]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Norbert] Yeah. Why not?
Oh, but they didn't get
the proofs in time.
-Those amateurs.
-Evening.
Yeah.
They really dropped the ball.
-[Robert] Mr. Rudow?
-Um, okay. Let me call you later.
Excuse me.
I wasn't sure if that was you, sir.
Yes?
Lenzen. Robert Lenzen.
I thought I'd drop by and…
Well, I'm the one doing the interview.
I thought I could stop by
-and meet you in person.
-Ah.
So that we could have
a preliminary chat about your star.
Oh.
Well, let's see if that happens at all.
What do you mean?
Lisa Konrad… How can I say this?
It depends on how she is…
Uh…
Have we met before?
[foreboding music playing]
That happens to me a lot.
Not the first time.
Ah. Well, the interview isn't
for another four weeks.
And I'll get the manuscript before then?
-A week before.
-Good.
But… I am still undecided, you know.
I just told Katrin as well, FYI.
She just called me, by the way.
Maybe something you should know.
It might be relevant to you.
Yeah, the whole situation
is not easy for Katrin.
She'll get over it.
[Robert chuckles]
Nice meeting you.
WE LOVE SOUR FRIES
[trainer] Push! Go, go, go, go, go!
Good! Good!
-["Firestarter" by The Prodigy playing]
-Good! That's it. You can do more! Go!
Harder! Push!
Go, go, go, go! Push! You got one more!
-Push, push, push!
-[Lisa groaning]
-Good! Very good.
-Ah, man!
[music halts]
Wanna try it?
So sorry. My shift at the cinema
starts soon. I've got to go.
But do you need anything?
Same brand?
A Carton.
[door closes]
That doesn't help.
No. But a gun might help me.
Do you know where I could buy a gun?
Oh.
Look where you shoot.
Hold the gun still.
The only thing to move
is your finger on the trigger.
What's wrong with you?
You're interested in books
all of a sudden,
and you visit your daughter
for the third time in four weeks.
I'm selling my parents' house,
so I'll be in town more often for a while.
Can I borrow this?
Or would you recommend another?
I don't think you'd like that.
It's about the complex inner lives
of sensitive people.
So then, this is her first book,
and this is her latest one?
Have you got a new girlfriend?
Here in Munich?
A woman of culture?
I'm still with the very cultured Katja,
in Berlin,
and I am still very faithful to her.
Let's not do this, Alex.
I'm interviewing this author,
so I have to read up on her.
I know nothing about her.
-You can read as much as you like.
-[door opening]
-Daddy!
-Hey!
What shall we do, my darling? A movie?
-Yes!
-Yeah?
[both chuckling]
CINEMA
A foreign film? For real?
And I thought a bit of practice might be
good for when we go on vacation to London.
Oh, yeah?
Oh, I messed up.
I just told you
what your birthday present is.
[foreboding music playing]
[phone trills]
-Hey. What can I get you?
-Hey.
Two bags of sour fries.
No one really buys those.
-But I love them.
-Then three of them.
-That'll be 10.50.
-You can hear the whole movie down here.
I can hear it in my place also.
But the rent is unbeatable.
Keep the change.
Thank you.
What movie is your favorite to listen to?
-[monitor squawks]
-[child] Mom!
Mommy!
Mommy!
Where are you?
I can watch things for you.
-No, it's okay. You can go back in.
-It's no big problem.
Mommy!
-I'll be back in a few minutes.
-Okay.
-Thank you.
-Mommy!
-Where are you?
-Three minutes.
[child] Mommy!
[Yuma] Hi, my darling. You okay?
I'm here. Everything's fine.
You just had a bad dream.
Come here.
Come here.
Everything is okay.
SEARCHING FOR GPS TRACKER
Everything is okay, my darling.
CONNECTING…
[birdsong]
[Sophie] Can I have a cigarette?
-[Lisa] I was too late.
-[Sophie] Too late!
[Lisa] Did she recognize him,
or didn't she?
[Sophie] I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry. So sorry.
Wake up.
You have to wake up now.
MONDAY 16 DEADLINE
MONDAY 23
[tense music playing]
[Lisa] Keep it together.
-[trainer] Ready?
-Mmm.
[trainer] Stop!
Stop! Stop!
[trainer yells] Stop!
I'm sorry.
[Dr. Anger] It smells like cigarettes.
It does.
We haven't talked about your parents
in a while, Ms. Konrad.
Well, there's nothing to talk about,
really, so…
Have you thought more
about inviting them over?
They wouldn't come.
Why not?
Because they…
My parents are kind of
stricken with their grief.
And you aren't?
I am, but with my parents,
it's like everything revolves around
their dead child.
And the alive one is fine.
You know what I mean?
Don't you miss your parents?
I miss my sister more than anything.
If I'd only been there, then she wouldn't
have been stabbed eight times and killed.
Is that what your new book is about, then?
Hmm? In all these years,
you've never written about your sister.
Well, literature is usually inspired
by the dark characters,
not the light ones.
Anna was lovable and funny
and kind-hearted.
Hmm. "Never speak ill of the dead."
No, not because she's dead.
Anna was really like that.
I've told you that many times.
Mmm, yet you're writing
a crime novel about her.
I never said I was writing a crime novel.
[tense music playing]
I thought because…
Well, because your sister was murdered.
I mean, I'm no expert, but still,
that's what crime novels are about.
Or are they not?
Please, Ms. Konrad, would you be so kind
and sit back down? Please?
You seem to be working out
a lot lately, yes?
Uh-huh.
Yes. It's good for me.
It balances out the sitting
for when I write.
Do you miss sex?
Uh, what kind of question is that?
Really? Sex?
I can hardly remember what that even is.
Okay, Ms. Konrad.
I'm not going to ask you
if you're taking your medication,
because you're an adult.
But the consequences
of long-term isolation
include sleep disorders, eating disorders,
impaired cognitive ability,
and even hallucinations.
Yeah, so what?
Being dependent on medication
is not a flaw, Ms. Konrad, it's not.
It's a necessity for your survival.
Do you understand me?
Ms. Konrad?
Hmm?
-Yes.
-Yes.
Good.
That's good.
So then, I'll prescribe you
something to help you focus.
And I'll leave it with Yuma.
It will also calm you down a bit,
and will help you concentrate.
Do you agree with that?
-Yes?
-Yes.
Good.
-Dr. Anger?
-Mm-hmm?
I'm at the final stage of my writing,
and I'd like to suspend our sessions
for the next two weeks.
[sighs]
"You don't have to answer me."
"Although I still have to ask you this…"
"this question right now."
[Narges] Has your daughter Sophie
ever been violent before?
What?
What my colleague means is,
was Sophie prone to violence as a child
or to fits of rage as a teenager?
No. What does Sophie say?
[Narges] Don't you talk to each other?
You and Sophie?
-Yeah.
-Yes, of course.
But you didn't know about
the charges filed against your daughter
the night of the attack?
What are you doing?
We think it was a crime of passion,
that's all.
Even though everyone that knew her says
Anna had been single for almost a year.
But what about the man Sophie saw?
Do you know anyone whose name
starts with "L-I" or "L-E"?
[Lisa] Mama.
Papa.
You have to ask them.
What should I ask?
If…
Anna… knew him,
then why had no one
seen him with her before then?
And if Anna didn't know him…
why would she let him in…
into her place?
What would she do that for?
Well?
How'd it go?
Should I worry about her?
She's exercising intensely.
She's compensating.
But that is quite normal.
Normal? In what way?
It's a part of her mental recovery.
Traumatic events, regressive repression,
memory distortion,
and then compensation
to perpetuate the state she's in.
If she's compensating,
why is she writing about the past?
Well, something may have
triggered her, hmm?
It's actually a good thing
that she's working out to compensate.
And what if she remembers?
That seems highly unlikely.
And if she does, I'll make it clear
that they are false memories,
aligned with her current condition.
Has she said anything
about the content of the book yet?
No, nothing.
I even had to drag it out of her
that it was about her sister.
Although I didn't press her further.
-Oh!
-[waiter] A rosé?
Thank you.
[waiter] Of course. Would you like ice?
Two, thank you.
Her deadline is in two weeks, so she wants
to pause therapy until then, I suppose.
What? But then, how are we going to…
-[waiter] Enjoy.
-Thank you
What if her writing brings everything
back up for her?
It won't. I mean…
You're overestimating
the power of literature,
and underestimating the power
of psychopharmaceuticals.
Her new medication will keep her calm.
That is, if she takes it.
To Lisa.
Sounds like all is well, then.
I'm… I'm doing this for her, too.
Mm, selflessness doesn't suit you.
If she remembers…
Well, then you're screwed.
[uneasy music playing]
There. You were hungry, yeah?
FORMER CIA OFFICERS
TEACH HOW TO DETECT DECEPTION
INTERROGATOR
INSIDE THE CIA'S INTERROGATION CELLS
SYSTEMIC QUESTIONING TECHNIQUES
[man] What color is your car?
[Lisa groans] That's enough.
What color is your car?
-I can't take this anymore.
-What color? Tell me.
I don't have a car.
What's your cat's name?
[Lisa laughs]
I have a dog.
And what color is your car?
-It's red.
-But you said you don't have a car.
Which is it?
[man]
It's about withstanding the pressure.
And suppressing your needs.
To get through it,
regardless of the conditions you're under.
This is why I'm putting you through
all of this.
RESERVIST ID
NILS CHRISTENSEN, MAJOR
Understand?
This is not research for a novel,
now is it?
What do you really want, Ms. Konrad?
You're preparing yourself for what?
What is it you want to find out?
I want to know why my sister was killed.
You've been awake for 30 hours straight,
and I've been grilling you
for over 14 hours,
and only now have you told me
your true objective.
Not bad for a beginner.
How did you know that I was…
I'm never told the real reason
someone brings me in.
But then this was just a test
about nothing but…
Now that I know what I'm dealing with,
we can start.
So, then. As I understand,
you're going to have a long conversation.
An interview. One that could be traumatic.
And you don't want to lose control
if you want to gain information.
And you also want to get a DNA sample.
Is that right?
[man straining]
-Ferdi! What are you doing?
-Uh-oh.
I was just going…
Why are you using the dog door?
Well, it wasn't locked, and… I gotta pee.
Have you seen Ms. Konrad today?
No.
You are now in the same
mental and physical condition
that you'll be in
when you give the interview.
You've been training for this,
but you'll probably get tense and upset.
And you're having withdrawals.
Of course, it's your decision.
But maybe you should postpone your detox.
-Mmm.
-Good.
Let's start with the external indicators.
Your posture,
expressions,
and gestures.
Mmm?
[knocking]
Lisa?
I know you have company,
so I won't disturb you,
but I have to go now.
So, just call me, okay?
GPS TRACKER
DISTANCE: 200 M, SIGNAL: ACTIVE
[car approaching]
BASSEM: K-KI 2366E
RESERVE MAJOR NILS CHRISTENSEN
HEAD COACH INTERROGATION TECHNIQUE
[Lisa] In that strange…
period, somewhere between…
In that strange period,
between utter shock and incapacitation…
For a long time, Sophie hasn't been okay,
but she's somewhere between functional…
and withdrawing into her own world
more and more.
She can no longer eat, sleep, love
or even paint as she once did.
Because Anna is everywhere.
She sees Anna dying,
her tormented and twisted face in pain.
Not the happy, pretty,
and lovable Anna she knew.
[doorbell ringing]
[buzzer sounding]
Is there any news?
[Leon] No.
Can I come in to talk?
Are you moving?
My boyfriend Marc is moving out.
-Ex-boyfriend.
-Ah.
He'll still have to sign a statement.
[appliance beeping]
I have a lot of sympathy for you,
with everything you've gone through.
I do think you should stop looking for him
on your own, though, and randomly--
I can't just sit around and do nothing.
New charges have been filed against you.
I only grabbed his arm. I didn't hurt him.
I just needed to be sure, okay?
Sophie, I'm trying to help you here.
-Then you need to find him!
-[loud crash]
The investigation will be closed
at the end of the month.
I came to tell you in person.
So much for your promise.
I need to ask you
to stop calling every day.
-Am I a bother then?
-No.
I just have to log your calls
into our case log.
I make more work for you. That's it?
[restrained, sorrowful music playing]
If I thought it would help us
find the killer,
then you could call me every hour.
He's still out there.
And he knows that I saw him.
Good luck, Sophie.
[Sophie] The killer and I are
the only ones who know who did it.
[Lisa] And he and I are the only ones
who know that this is not a crime novel,
but an invitation.
MY SISTER
I'm waiting for you.
The end.
DEAR MR. LENZEN,
ATTACHED IS THE MANUSCRIPT FOR "MY SISTER"
AHEAD OF OUR INTERVIEW ON JUNE 23RD
[tense music playing]
"On that morning, strangely enough,
Sophie had not screamed when she woke up."
"It was her own horrified voice
that was the sound waking her up
every single day,
ever since the murder of Anna,
her beloved younger sister."
[Lisa] He and I are the only ones
who know who did it.
[Lisa and Robert] "He and I are
the only ones who know
that this is not a crime novel,
but an invitation."
"I'm waiting for you."
[Lisa] You develop a special connection
to a place if you never leave it.
You're connected to it
with all of your senses.
And you can tell
when something is not right.
And something here is not right at all.
It's too quiet.
[Bukowski whining]
[whining continues]
Bukowski.
[Bukowski whimpering]
Come on. Come on!
[Bukowski whimpering]
[Yuma] Lisa?
Oh, there you are.
I thought you were writing a crime novel,
but you've broken all the genre's rules.
No resolution, no redemption.
I just read it and I'm totally enthralled.
But you can't ever, do you hear me,
ever reveal who it was to anyone.
-Lisa.
-Blood.
Out…
Lisa! Lisa!
Get me a bag!
There, breathe in and then out.
Lisa? Lisa!
We have to get a doctor.
[Norbert] You can take him. I'll stay.
I'm sure the doctor will be here soon.
Oh, Shelley. Please help her.
Do something!
[Dr. Anger] Oh my god. Lisa?
Lisa? Can you hear me?
Can you hear me? Lisa.
Norbert, go get my bag
from the trunk. Hurry!
[high-pitched ringing]
How long have you been
off your medications, Lisa? Hmm?
No, don't close your eyes.
Norbert!
[Norbert] I just finished reading it,
and she doesn't remember.
[Dr. Anger] Be quiet!
Disinfectant. Give it to me.
[heartbeat intensifying]
Hold it up higher.
[ringing trails off]
[birdsong]
[Norbert] Can she hear us?
[Dr. Anger] No.
[Norbert] What did you give her?
[Dr. Anger] You don't want to know.
But she'll sleep now, for many hours.
And when she wakes up,
she'll feel like a brand-new person.
Hmm?
So, now close your eyes.
[delicate outro music playing]