The Agency (2024) s02e03 Episode Script
Spymaster
1
[ROBINSHAW] A contact in our
foreign office will reach out
to negotiate Samia Zahir's release.
In exchange for recruiting this man.
If she survives interrogation,
she'll be on her way to Abu Dhabi.
You must call my father
and tell him I'm innocent.
If I talk to anyone,
I'll tell them what really happened.
- [GRUNTS]
- [PEOPLE EXCLAIM]
Viking's family
his sister and his mother
they're here.
[HENRY] Owen in the field.
Who'd you say you work for, again?
I'm an Air Force nurse, ma'am.
[HENRY] What if the road leads all
the way to Central African Republic?
Then we pop the champagne.
I'm worried.
Naomi she's super close to her NOC.
If I take her off Gremlin,
who handles her?
[MARTIAN] Me.
[NAOMI] When you were in the field,
did I ever make a single mistake?
Not one.
What are your thoughts
about getting closer
to Hassan Zamani?
[DANNY] I'm testifying against him
next week. You know that, right?
Don't testify.
[HENRY] Aspects of certain recent
operations have brought to light
the possibility of security breaches.
This is a mole hunt.
["UNANCHEKESHA (MOVE ON)"
[BY MARIOO PLAYING] ♪
Sexy, sexy, sexy ♪
She's so sexy, sexy ♪
Sexy, sexy, sexy
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
♪♪♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[MEN EXCLAIM]
[BOSKO] Okay. Let's run it.
Weak points first.
Well, the biggest challenge, by far,
is winning the sister's trust.
She's got to believe in Owen.
He's got to get her to agree
to travel to see her brother.
Ideally, we have her draw Viking away
from Valhalla's territories.
CAR, Chad, Mali
they're all strongholds now.
Russia's either in with
or on their way to becoming
the government in these places.
[BLAIR] Abuja, Nairobi or Lagos
are safer for us.
We can run an exfil from there.
And if he doesn't come quietly?
Okay.
But maybe
a little more quietly.
Clear?
[PORTENTOUS MUSIC]
How do they make contact?
Likely, he reaches out to her.
We don't know yet.
What if she's playing both sides?
I mean, she called Owen, right?
Confidence level is good.
She's an Air Force nurse
caring for an alcoholic mother.
Okay, kick tires.
Let's make sure Owen is the cheese,
not the mouse in this.
- [KEYPAD BEEPS]
- [DOOR OPENS]
["LOVE IS BLINDNESS"
BY JACK WHITE PLAYING] ♪
Love is blindness ♪
I don't want to see ♪
Won't you wrap the night ♪
Around me ♪
Oh, my heart ♪
Love is blindness ♪
Blindness ♪
Love is blindness ♪
I don't want to see ♪
Won't you wrap the night ♪
Around me, yeah ♪
Oh ♪
My love ♪
Love is blindness ♪
Oh, love is blindness ♪
Blindness ♪
[SOMBER MUSIC]
- [CHAINS RATTLE]
- [LOCK CLICKS]
[DOOR OPENS]
[GASPS, GRUNTS]
[RECEIVER CLATTERS GENTLY]
[DIALING]
Yeah?
[MARTIAN] United Arab Emirates.
Who do I talk to?
I worked on Bowieknife, which you know,
or you wouldn't be calling.
What drawable resources do we have?
Zero. UAE is an agency blind spot.
We don't spy on them for
gigantically stupid diplomatic reasons.
And unofficially?
Unofficially, we have liaisons
with countries that do.
India has a bunch. Iran.
China has the most.
No, those guys don't love us.
Are you in touch with Indian resources
in position?
What is this about, Martian?
[PERCUSSIVE MUSIC]
I got a timecoded handler
meeting with Gremlin
in five minutes. Can I talk
about this with you later?
Sure.
[RECEIVER CLATTERS]
[FOLDER THUMPS LIGHTLY]
Everything okay?
Fine.
I think.
[COMPUTER BEEPS]
[SOFT CHUCKLE] Popeye.
[CALL TO PRAYER PLAYING IN DISTANCE]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[ROBYN] My brother left five years ago.
First to Syria.
To begin with, he emailed. A lot.
Sent pictures.
Mm, then not so much.
Then, you know, just stopped.
Do you know where he is now?
Last we heard, he was in
some place called Kaga-Bandoro,
- up north.
- Mm.
Working for some private company.
Was he working for an engineering
or
Sorry. Construction?
Uh
- security company.
- Mm.
I believe they're mostly Russians.
I know what you're thinking.
Really, I'm not judging.
I would be scared too. If my brother
was in that situation,
I would be worried.
Now I understand
why you want to go out there.
I just
I want my big brother home safe.
Of course.
Maybe
- Oh, God.
- I am so sorry.
- It's fine.
- Uh
[URGENT MUSIC]
[OWEN] Here, I'll help you. Sorry.
- Did it get on you?
- Smooth.
[ROBYN] No.
[OWEN] Look, Robyn,
I can't promise anything.
But the NGO
really has ways
of getting people into places
that no one else can go.
So, maybe if you were to go down there
and you were able to meet up with him,
you could convince him to come home.
It's all I want.
[BLAIR] I'm just asking
why Owen was chosen
when a more experienced officer
was available.
Meaning you.
For example.
Well, because he's a man.
Men have balls.
No balls, no missions.
- That's very funny.
- [SCOFFS]
You want to know
why he was chosen over you?
Want to know that?
Because you think lying
is a cause for raised eyebrows.
You know, if that had been Valhalla
instead of a bunch of Foggy Bottom
pencil-dicks,
both our spouses get folded flags.
Well, I'm not married, sir.
[SHORT CHUCKLE]
Oh, so all that was imaginary.
Like your future here.
I heard it went great with Bosko.
Man, news travels fast around here.
Was it awful?
Standard.
No, it was hell.
As in?
As in he hates me
and I think I'm getting fired.
Bosko isn't the kind of guy who
leaves you wondering what he thinks.
He thinks I have no poker face.
Thinks I can't lie.
Well, to lie to anyone
your mother, your boss,
an interrogator, DCI
you just need to know
how to lie to yourself.
You're the first person needs to buy it.
Did you lie as a child?
[SOFT CHUCKLE] Incessantly.
Did you lie to get into Harvard?
How do you know I went to Harvard?
You majored in history.
MSc in global affairs.
You've been reading up on me. Why?
Your career interests me.
- Why?
- I'm ambitious.
I want to know how it's done.
You have time to check up on me?
It's not like it's classified.
Reading an exemplary colleague's résumé
is hardly checking up.
Then what is it?
I have to go.
[DARK MUSIC]
Did someone ask you to look into me?
Is this part of an inquiry?
No. Not at all.
Okay. Now, sit down.
You said you wanted to learn. Sit.
Look at me.
Be still.
Relax your face.
Not hot, not cold.
Smile slightly.
No, that's too much.
I should wonder
if you're smiling or not.
Now, find an answer
as neutral as your expression.
Tell me the truth.
Were you asked to look into me?
And if I was?
Would you tell me?
Why should I tell you anything?
Can I trust you?
Of course you can trust me.
That's pretty good.
Tell me something.
You ever heard of Samia Zahir?
Are we still playing?
We're always playing.
A professor.
Disappeared two and a half months ago,
being held in the Sudan.
She's in the hands of the UAE
intelligence services out there.
What about her?
Well, I'd like to know about her.
What would you like to know?
Anything you know
or can find out, going forward.
Why exactly would I do that?
Because you're ambitious.
And you want an exemplary
colleague with a perfect résumé
and storied career to mentor you.
[PROPULSIVE MUSIC]
[SAMI WHIMPERING SOFTLY]
[CUFFS SNAP]
[HAUNTING MUSIC]
When did you learn Paul Lewis
was working for the CIA?
[WOMAN ON TV] It's the new me,
it's gonna be amazing. Anyway.
It's all right for a couple
of hours, and then I'm wilting.
- [AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
- [DOOR CLOSES]
Oh, about mid-afternoon,
I'm wasting away.
Shoes on. Grab your coat. Let's go.
Why?
You wanted grown-up shit,
we're doing it.
- Let's go.
- Where are we going?
It's a surprise.
Okay.
[CHUCKLES]
Why are you being weird?
Because I'm weird.
[CHUCKLING] Okay.
[GENTLE MUSIC]
Did you know those lions were made
from melted-down Napoleonic cannons?
I did not.
Did you know
that the plural of cannon is cannon?
I did not know that.
[QUIET, INDISTINCT CHATTER IN DISTANCE]
I love it.
A few years ago
they scanned it and found
a completely different picture
underneath.
He changed what he was painting
as he painted it.
[CHUCKLES]
Trust you to prefer the one
no one can actually see.
[SOFT CHUCKLE]
Meaning?
Your grandmother spent ages
looking at this one.
Maybe she liked
horny goat boys and shit.
- I don't know.
- [CHUCKLES] Ew.
Or maybe she liked it because
they just had sex
and the man's falling asleep.
- [MARTIAN] I hadn't noticed.
- [CHUCKLES]
Do you want to see my favorite?
- Sure.
- Mm.
Very early use of linear perspective.
- [MARTIAN] Mm.
- Mm-hmm.
But that's not why it's my favorite.
Why is it your favorite?
The random 3D gherkin.
[BOTH LAUGH]
[POPPY] Like, why is it even there?
Do like a gherkin.
Me too.
I'm gonna say six out of ten.
Solid Dad work, but I'm gonna deduct
four points
because I had to yell at you
to get you to do this.
Okay. Room for improvement.
Next time I shoot for a ten.
Next time I pick where we go.
Cool. Where do you want to go?
Nope. You just have to trust me.
That's your new favorite thing, right?
[LAUGHS]
[DANNY] Can I ask you a question?
[DARYA] Sure.
[DANNY] How likely is it
I'm being followed?
I don't want you to think
I'm some pussy Westerner
who judges a country
she knows nothing about.
[SHORT CHUCKLE]
You are afraid of the Pasdaran?
So I'm not being crazy.
Relax.
They're all over us.
If you've been seen with me or Hassan
they'll be following you.
There'll be a car outside right now.
Should I do something? Tell someone?
Who, your embassy?
Big help they will be.
Fuck them.
They see us, we see them.
You get used to it.
It's all a game.
I'm not getting used to it.
That's because you're a Westerner pussy.
[GIGGLES]
I have a question for you.
Are you fucking my boyfriend?
No.
- Have you tried to fuck my boyfriend?
- No.
Is he trying to fuck you?
You told the truth.
Three times.
- So he tried.
- I told him no.
He is persistent.
He will try again.
When he does, tell me.
I'm persistent, too.
I bet you he told you
I was cool with it.
That's exactly what he said.
You think he'd be cool
with me fucking other guys?
No, he would go insane.
Which is why, when I do,
he never finds out.
Where is that prick, anyway?
[SIGHS] This is what he does.
He tells me to meet him and then
makes me wait around for hours.
- He's in some meeting, right?
- Mm.
- With his father.
- Does he work for him?
What do they do together?
[DISCONCERTING MUSIC]
I'm hot.
I'm gonna swim.
So, all that time
you were his sexual partner,
and you didn't know, huh?
- The affair started?
- In London.
Yeah. Before, in Addis.
- At first.
- We met in Addis.
I was a married woman then.
We became more once I separated
from my husband.
[LIGHTER CLATTERS SOFTLY]
[LIGHTER CLICKS]
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
This look to you like
two people about to
wait years to have sex?
I don't know, looks to me like, uh
it's already on, no?
Lie to me again, and I'll find out.
Then we won't be friends.
You can go back to your cell.
You-you know what the RSF do
to the ones I send back?
Oh
They welcome them with a nice flogging,
and then you pass out.
After that, God knows.
God knows.
The affair started that night.
♪♪♪
How's the water?
Great.
Thank you.
Do I interest you?
That question can mean different things
- to different people.
- Stop the bullshit.
Darya told me you asked
what I was doing with my father.
Is that bad?
Why do you want to know?
In Europe, we tell each other
what we do.
It's usually the first thing
we ask people.
I don't want to tell you
what I do with my father.
Okay. That's fine.
And stop being so afraid of me.
To live free in Iran,
you must be brave.
[SOFT CHUCKLE]
- [SHRIEKS, LAUGHS]
- [GRUNTING, SHOUTING]
- Hey, hey! [BARKING]
-
[HASSAN LAUGHS]
[MARTIAN] What do you got?
[SIMON] A Russian passport pinged
into Brussels Airport
from Nairobi last week.
Yuri Siniyovich
aka Vernon Crawford aka Viking.
Moscow Centre have printed passports
for these Valhalla guys before.
Do we have any ongoing travel data?
He bought a train ticket on the
same card used for the flight.
In and out of central Antwerp same day,
then he was on a red-eye
back to Nairobi.
And we're pulling more
information from border control
and the airline.
Pull baggage information
from the airline system.
Traveled with
one checked bag, weighing four kilos.
What about the return flight?
Uh, return was
Oh, whoa.
Two bags on the way out
weighed in at a total of 32 kilos.
- That's a lot of Toblerone.
- [MARTIAN] Central African
Republic to Antwerp
means one thing. Diamonds.
How much cash weighs in
- at 30 kilos?
- In dollars?
Euros. Numbers are similar.
Large bills. Hundred-euro bills.
That's three or four million, cash.
[MARTIAN] Get CCTV from Brussels Airport
and Antwerp Centraal Train Station.
I want eyes on this guy.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC]
[BIRDSONG]
It's nice to be outside, huh?
Tell me, when you spoke to
the American agent in London
what did he ask about your
work at the negotiations?
Nothing.
As far as I knew,
he didn't know about them.
[DRY CHUCKLE]
It's a mistake to think I'm a fool.
I betrayed no secrets. None.
Okay, so you knew nothing.
You were fooled. Framed, even.
But he-he must have
asked you questions, no?
I just want to know what you said.
- I didn't say anything.
- Not even by accident?
In the heat of the moment,
before or after, maybe?
What do you mean?
Can you tell me everything
you told Paul Lewis?
As you lay there, quivering in his arms?
I told him nothing.
I chose my country over being a traitor.
- Why do you think I'm here?
- I don't know.
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
I don't know.
But if you think I won't find
out, you are very much mistaken.
[SIGHS]
[INTRIGUING MUSIC]
[PHONE RINGS]
Hello?
- [MARTIAN] Isaac Lelov?
- Yes.
[SOUTH AFRICAN ACCENT]
This is Dan van Broenk
from De Klerk Security Systems.
Your company's just been flagged
by our compliance department.
- Really?
- Yes.
[SHORT CHUCKLE]
This must be some random audit.
Well, I'm afraid
it's more serious than that.
A decision was made to freeze
your company's allocation
at next month's diamond auction.
We get 80% of our gemstones from you.
It's the other 20%
we're concerned about.
De Klerk's is a publicly listed company
with a reputation to protect.
Provenance investigations are ongoing
in liaison with the Belgian police.
If you cooperate fully, you have
nothing to fear from the investigation
and your allocation at our
monthly market can be restored.
Are you there, Mr. Lelov?
Wh-What do you need us to do?
Did you or your company transact
with a man named
Yuri Siniyovich last week?
He may have used his American passport.
Vernon Crawford?
Yes. Yes. Him, I remember.
My father bought from him last week.
What was the nature of this transaction?
Large cut blue. Roughly eight carats.
How did Mr. Crawford
get in touch with you?
This man came to us on introduction
from a local Antwerp broker.
Mikkel de Bruyne. Mike.
He's very reputable here.
He works for Frederik and Samuels.
We've never had trouble with him before.
Your cooperation has been noted.
Should Mr. De Bruyne
or Mr. Crawford contact you,
you are to call this number.
Do you have a pen?
[PORTENTOUS MUSIC]
[CRAIG] What are you doing?
[NAOMI] CCTV blackspot.
[CRAIG] How do you even know that?
[NAOMI] I need a favor.
Iran desk is still
across Gremlin. If anything
bugs you about that mission,
I want you to come to me.
[CRAIG] That is a total
line cross and you know it.
[NAOMI] Why do you think
I've literally backed you
- into a corner, Craig?
- [CRAIG] If anyone finds out,
I am fucked.
[NAOMI] I need this.
And it's not personal.
This is me doing my job.
I need ongoing intel,
even if we break up.
I just need to know
what's happening with Gremlin.
[TAPS KEY]
[SYRINGE CLATTERS]
You're the one who doesn't hurt me.
I try.
Okay, darling, you're all done.
- Let me help you up.
- Yeah.
[TV PLAYING INDISTINCTLY]
Oh.
Will you turn the volume up for me, luv?
Thank you.
May I use your bathroom?
Oh, yeah, sure.
[NARRATOR ON TV] Delicately
hinged, rimmed with tiny spines,
and armed with microscopic
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[ROBYN] Hello?
[VIKING] Motherfucker,
you're late. You okay?
[ROBYN] I saw on the news.
They said there was fighting near you.
[VIKING] Well, don't buy fake news.
You know better than that.
[ROBYN] On TV they said intense clashes.
Said a lot of your boys got killed.
[VIKING] Bullshit. We own this place.
I told you, fucking media spins lies.
Don't buy into it.
[ROBYN] Sorry. I want you back home.
We have track and trace for the phone.
Viking is calling
from a landline in a hospital.
He's following protocol.
Human shields for outbound comms.
Could be he already knows he's a target.
[VIKING] my brothers.
[ROBYN] They're not your brothers.
They're not kin. We are. Mama and me.
[VIKING] How is Mama?
[ROBYN] Not good. Getting sicker.
It's getting out of control.
I'll pray for her.
All right. Stay strong. I got to go.
She's ready.
How do you know?
Because she didn't mention you.
[HENRY] She's trying to play him.
Feel him out.
Lay the groundwork to ask to come visit.
She trusts you more than she trusts him.
She's ready.
- Danny.
- [DOOR OPENS]
- Have a look at this.
- [DOOR CLOSES]
What do you see here?
Nothing.
In ten years the country's
capital will be there.
A new capital with
earthquake-proof buildings.
I need a detailed seismic evaluation.
You'll be leaving in a few days.
This is an official assignment letter.
Keep it with you at all times.
Don't forget you're in Iran.
You could run into
a difficult policeman anytime.
This is an amazing opportunity.
Thank you.
You should know
the Zamanis ordered the study.
Hassan Zamani
will be traveling with you.
- In fact, he recommended you.
- Oh.
- O-Okay.
- Be careful, Danny.
If this boy is interested in you,
it's likely for unwholesome reasons.
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
[BLAKE] Consider what prison
does to a mind.
Turns them against the state
but also against their fellow man.
Hitler's imprisonment
after the Munich Putsch.
The Muslim Brotherhood
tortured in prison after
the assassination of Sadat,
who founded Al Qaeda.
We're social animals.
We want to be part of the herd.
What Viking believes
his herd did to him,
he will never forgive.
So he turns on them.
- What about the sister?
- Mm, deep nostalgia
for her past, surrounded by love,
unlike her lonely present.
Find a way to access that.
You'll control her.
So, talk about her childhood?
Talking's good, but
eyes as well as ears.
Ask for photographs of her
as a kid. Her brother.
Where they're from.
Make her feel connected.
Use pictures to connect to her memory,
fix her loneliness.
There's a chance
she may want our relationship
to be sexual.
Why do you want
to go into the field, Owen?
Are you scared of being lost?
Hurt?
Is it to prove something?
Are you building profiles
of targets here
or of me?
Both.
[HAUNTING MUSIC]
[ROBYN] This was before Dad died.
Vern's ten here. I'm six.
- [DISHES CLATTERING]
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
He won that at chess club.
- He was really proud.
- [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
Grampa taught him to play.
I was never any good.
Vern read books about it.
Got real good.
There's so much here that you can use
to remind him of who he is.
Who he was.
I Look at him.
He's, like, the all-American boy.
[SOFT CHUCKLE]
I lied to you.
About what?
We talk.
We call each other.
Okay.
Vernon showed me how to do it
so no one knows we're talking.
It's a really complex system.
'Cause he's so paranoid.
I mean, I think he's just
worried that I'd get in trouble.
What with where I work and everything.
If anyone found out.
[OWEN] Well, you're in touch.
That helps, right?
Have you spoken recently?
[ROBYN] Yesterday.
But it's hard over the phone.
I mean, he won't he won't open up.
But if I could just see him,
I know I could
convince him to come home.
Hey.
Robyn, if you just volunteered
and you were out there at the same time,
you could arrange to meet him someplace.
Would you come with me?
Of course I would come.
I could use some moral support.
Good job, Owen.
[BOSKO] So,
where are we on that other thing?
Yes, the elevators are bugged,
but the recordings
all go to me before anyone else.
So fire at will.
I've built a matrix
of who knew what and when
and referenced it
against known breaches.
No clear suspects yet.
Any unclear suspects?
I can tell smoke from fire.
Not even smoke. Just staffers
breaking protocols.
- Nothing damning.
- Who?
Naomi violated need to know,
reached over the fence.
[ELEVATOR BELL CHIMES]
Why would she do that?
Oh, I intend to find out.
My contact in Indian
intelligence came through.
You know him?
- No.
- Saeed Al Bukhatir.
Apparently, he's handling
her case for the UAE.
- And?
- NESA spymaster from Abu Dhabi.
When the UAE intelligence
agency was purged in 2021,
he rose to the top.
We actually trained him.
In the war on terror,
we sent instructors
from Langley and the Farm into the UAE
to build a modern intel unit.
And guess what.
Now they're all over the world.
He's one of their best,
albeit with a nasty reputation.
- For what?
- Lot of his cases end abruptly.
They use him as a black hat.
He makes people disappear.
Thank you for this. It's useful.
Boy, you really are good.
What do you mean?
The lying. Hiding your feelings.
You didn't think I'd find the file?
[UNEASY MUSIC]
Our recruitment attempt at Samia Zahir.
Maybe you thought I wouldn't
guess whose name was redacted.
Now you know why I asked.
Well, I can't imagine.
Must be brutal.
Feelings are just another enemy.
I can teach you how to beat that enemy.
Make sure you do a complete
mapping of the formations.
Okay.
Call me if you have any problems.
I will. Thanks.
[VAN DOOR SLIDES CLOSED]
[KNOCKS LIGHTLY]
- Yeah?
- Can I talk to you?
Shoot.
Iran desk received this cable
from Tehran.
An informer warned a photo
of a Spanish female
was tacked to the wall
of a Pasdaran office.
Someone named Daniela Acosta.
And?
Apparently she was photographed
with Hassan Zamani,
who is also a Pasdaran target.
They're mounting an operation
against Hassan and his friends.
I thought you might want to know,
as he was a POI in Gremlin's case.
Thank you.
Craig.
That cable contains
Gremlin's cover identity.
Doesn't leave this room.
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
Henry Ogletree, London Station here.
I have a message for Tehran,
emergency procedure.
Code is 68-14-12
Golf Tango.
That's it.
Awaiting your confirmation.
Shit.
[DANNY] Mind I ride with you?
The other van's full.
Sure.
[PHONE RINGING]
[MOUSE CLICKING]
Daniela. Daniela!
Middle Eastern pop music playing ♪
[DANNY] Be honest.
You're really organizing
a desert rave, aren't you?
Are you suggesting I'm not interested
in the field of desert seismology?
Why can't I be organizing a rave
and a study for profit
and one for the government?
Simultaneously.
I told you, I have important
plans for the future of Iran.
What my father can't do in the open,
I do behind the scenes.
[DANNY] So, your father agrees
with your modern vision?
[HASSAN]
Let's just say he's listening
[ALL EXCLAIMING]
[HASSAN] Fuck you!
[MENACING MUSIC]
- [DANNY] Hassan, what's happening?
-
- [HASSAN] I don't know.
- [DANNY] Hassan!
-
- What's happening?
Do as they say.
[CHATTER CONTINUING]
[SLOW, PULSING MUSIC]
[ROBINSHAW] A contact in our
foreign office will reach out
to negotiate Samia Zahir's release.
In exchange for recruiting this man.
If she survives interrogation,
she'll be on her way to Abu Dhabi.
You must call my father
and tell him I'm innocent.
If I talk to anyone,
I'll tell them what really happened.
- [GRUNTS]
- [PEOPLE EXCLAIM]
Viking's family
his sister and his mother
they're here.
[HENRY] Owen in the field.
Who'd you say you work for, again?
I'm an Air Force nurse, ma'am.
[HENRY] What if the road leads all
the way to Central African Republic?
Then we pop the champagne.
I'm worried.
Naomi she's super close to her NOC.
If I take her off Gremlin,
who handles her?
[MARTIAN] Me.
[NAOMI] When you were in the field,
did I ever make a single mistake?
Not one.
What are your thoughts
about getting closer
to Hassan Zamani?
[DANNY] I'm testifying against him
next week. You know that, right?
Don't testify.
[HENRY] Aspects of certain recent
operations have brought to light
the possibility of security breaches.
This is a mole hunt.
["UNANCHEKESHA (MOVE ON)"
[BY MARIOO PLAYING] ♪
Sexy, sexy, sexy ♪
She's so sexy, sexy ♪
Sexy, sexy, sexy
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
♪♪♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[MEN EXCLAIM]
[BOSKO] Okay. Let's run it.
Weak points first.
Well, the biggest challenge, by far,
is winning the sister's trust.
She's got to believe in Owen.
He's got to get her to agree
to travel to see her brother.
Ideally, we have her draw Viking away
from Valhalla's territories.
CAR, Chad, Mali
they're all strongholds now.
Russia's either in with
or on their way to becoming
the government in these places.
[BLAIR] Abuja, Nairobi or Lagos
are safer for us.
We can run an exfil from there.
And if he doesn't come quietly?
Okay.
But maybe
a little more quietly.
Clear?
[PORTENTOUS MUSIC]
How do they make contact?
Likely, he reaches out to her.
We don't know yet.
What if she's playing both sides?
I mean, she called Owen, right?
Confidence level is good.
She's an Air Force nurse
caring for an alcoholic mother.
Okay, kick tires.
Let's make sure Owen is the cheese,
not the mouse in this.
- [KEYPAD BEEPS]
- [DOOR OPENS]
["LOVE IS BLINDNESS"
BY JACK WHITE PLAYING] ♪
Love is blindness ♪
I don't want to see ♪
Won't you wrap the night ♪
Around me ♪
Oh, my heart ♪
Love is blindness ♪
Blindness ♪
Love is blindness ♪
I don't want to see ♪
Won't you wrap the night ♪
Around me, yeah ♪
Oh ♪
My love ♪
Love is blindness ♪
Oh, love is blindness ♪
Blindness ♪
[SOMBER MUSIC]
- [CHAINS RATTLE]
- [LOCK CLICKS]
[DOOR OPENS]
[GASPS, GRUNTS]
[RECEIVER CLATTERS GENTLY]
[DIALING]
Yeah?
[MARTIAN] United Arab Emirates.
Who do I talk to?
I worked on Bowieknife, which you know,
or you wouldn't be calling.
What drawable resources do we have?
Zero. UAE is an agency blind spot.
We don't spy on them for
gigantically stupid diplomatic reasons.
And unofficially?
Unofficially, we have liaisons
with countries that do.
India has a bunch. Iran.
China has the most.
No, those guys don't love us.
Are you in touch with Indian resources
in position?
What is this about, Martian?
[PERCUSSIVE MUSIC]
I got a timecoded handler
meeting with Gremlin
in five minutes. Can I talk
about this with you later?
Sure.
[RECEIVER CLATTERS]
[FOLDER THUMPS LIGHTLY]
Everything okay?
Fine.
I think.
[COMPUTER BEEPS]
[SOFT CHUCKLE] Popeye.
[CALL TO PRAYER PLAYING IN DISTANCE]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[ROBYN] My brother left five years ago.
First to Syria.
To begin with, he emailed. A lot.
Sent pictures.
Mm, then not so much.
Then, you know, just stopped.
Do you know where he is now?
Last we heard, he was in
some place called Kaga-Bandoro,
- up north.
- Mm.
Working for some private company.
Was he working for an engineering
or
Sorry. Construction?
Uh
- security company.
- Mm.
I believe they're mostly Russians.
I know what you're thinking.
Really, I'm not judging.
I would be scared too. If my brother
was in that situation,
I would be worried.
Now I understand
why you want to go out there.
I just
I want my big brother home safe.
Of course.
Maybe
- Oh, God.
- I am so sorry.
- It's fine.
- Uh
[URGENT MUSIC]
[OWEN] Here, I'll help you. Sorry.
- Did it get on you?
- Smooth.
[ROBYN] No.
[OWEN] Look, Robyn,
I can't promise anything.
But the NGO
really has ways
of getting people into places
that no one else can go.
So, maybe if you were to go down there
and you were able to meet up with him,
you could convince him to come home.
It's all I want.
[BLAIR] I'm just asking
why Owen was chosen
when a more experienced officer
was available.
Meaning you.
For example.
Well, because he's a man.
Men have balls.
No balls, no missions.
- That's very funny.
- [SCOFFS]
You want to know
why he was chosen over you?
Want to know that?
Because you think lying
is a cause for raised eyebrows.
You know, if that had been Valhalla
instead of a bunch of Foggy Bottom
pencil-dicks,
both our spouses get folded flags.
Well, I'm not married, sir.
[SHORT CHUCKLE]
Oh, so all that was imaginary.
Like your future here.
I heard it went great with Bosko.
Man, news travels fast around here.
Was it awful?
Standard.
No, it was hell.
As in?
As in he hates me
and I think I'm getting fired.
Bosko isn't the kind of guy who
leaves you wondering what he thinks.
He thinks I have no poker face.
Thinks I can't lie.
Well, to lie to anyone
your mother, your boss,
an interrogator, DCI
you just need to know
how to lie to yourself.
You're the first person needs to buy it.
Did you lie as a child?
[SOFT CHUCKLE] Incessantly.
Did you lie to get into Harvard?
How do you know I went to Harvard?
You majored in history.
MSc in global affairs.
You've been reading up on me. Why?
Your career interests me.
- Why?
- I'm ambitious.
I want to know how it's done.
You have time to check up on me?
It's not like it's classified.
Reading an exemplary colleague's résumé
is hardly checking up.
Then what is it?
I have to go.
[DARK MUSIC]
Did someone ask you to look into me?
Is this part of an inquiry?
No. Not at all.
Okay. Now, sit down.
You said you wanted to learn. Sit.
Look at me.
Be still.
Relax your face.
Not hot, not cold.
Smile slightly.
No, that's too much.
I should wonder
if you're smiling or not.
Now, find an answer
as neutral as your expression.
Tell me the truth.
Were you asked to look into me?
And if I was?
Would you tell me?
Why should I tell you anything?
Can I trust you?
Of course you can trust me.
That's pretty good.
Tell me something.
You ever heard of Samia Zahir?
Are we still playing?
We're always playing.
A professor.
Disappeared two and a half months ago,
being held in the Sudan.
She's in the hands of the UAE
intelligence services out there.
What about her?
Well, I'd like to know about her.
What would you like to know?
Anything you know
or can find out, going forward.
Why exactly would I do that?
Because you're ambitious.
And you want an exemplary
colleague with a perfect résumé
and storied career to mentor you.
[PROPULSIVE MUSIC]
[SAMI WHIMPERING SOFTLY]
[CUFFS SNAP]
[HAUNTING MUSIC]
When did you learn Paul Lewis
was working for the CIA?
[WOMAN ON TV] It's the new me,
it's gonna be amazing. Anyway.
It's all right for a couple
of hours, and then I'm wilting.
- [AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
- [DOOR CLOSES]
Oh, about mid-afternoon,
I'm wasting away.
Shoes on. Grab your coat. Let's go.
Why?
You wanted grown-up shit,
we're doing it.
- Let's go.
- Where are we going?
It's a surprise.
Okay.
[CHUCKLES]
Why are you being weird?
Because I'm weird.
[CHUCKLING] Okay.
[GENTLE MUSIC]
Did you know those lions were made
from melted-down Napoleonic cannons?
I did not.
Did you know
that the plural of cannon is cannon?
I did not know that.
[QUIET, INDISTINCT CHATTER IN DISTANCE]
I love it.
A few years ago
they scanned it and found
a completely different picture
underneath.
He changed what he was painting
as he painted it.
[CHUCKLES]
Trust you to prefer the one
no one can actually see.
[SOFT CHUCKLE]
Meaning?
Your grandmother spent ages
looking at this one.
Maybe she liked
horny goat boys and shit.
- I don't know.
- [CHUCKLES] Ew.
Or maybe she liked it because
they just had sex
and the man's falling asleep.
- [MARTIAN] I hadn't noticed.
- [CHUCKLES]
Do you want to see my favorite?
- Sure.
- Mm.
Very early use of linear perspective.
- [MARTIAN] Mm.
- Mm-hmm.
But that's not why it's my favorite.
Why is it your favorite?
The random 3D gherkin.
[BOTH LAUGH]
[POPPY] Like, why is it even there?
Do like a gherkin.
Me too.
I'm gonna say six out of ten.
Solid Dad work, but I'm gonna deduct
four points
because I had to yell at you
to get you to do this.
Okay. Room for improvement.
Next time I shoot for a ten.
Next time I pick where we go.
Cool. Where do you want to go?
Nope. You just have to trust me.
That's your new favorite thing, right?
[LAUGHS]
[DANNY] Can I ask you a question?
[DARYA] Sure.
[DANNY] How likely is it
I'm being followed?
I don't want you to think
I'm some pussy Westerner
who judges a country
she knows nothing about.
[SHORT CHUCKLE]
You are afraid of the Pasdaran?
So I'm not being crazy.
Relax.
They're all over us.
If you've been seen with me or Hassan
they'll be following you.
There'll be a car outside right now.
Should I do something? Tell someone?
Who, your embassy?
Big help they will be.
Fuck them.
They see us, we see them.
You get used to it.
It's all a game.
I'm not getting used to it.
That's because you're a Westerner pussy.
[GIGGLES]
I have a question for you.
Are you fucking my boyfriend?
No.
- Have you tried to fuck my boyfriend?
- No.
Is he trying to fuck you?
You told the truth.
Three times.
- So he tried.
- I told him no.
He is persistent.
He will try again.
When he does, tell me.
I'm persistent, too.
I bet you he told you
I was cool with it.
That's exactly what he said.
You think he'd be cool
with me fucking other guys?
No, he would go insane.
Which is why, when I do,
he never finds out.
Where is that prick, anyway?
[SIGHS] This is what he does.
He tells me to meet him and then
makes me wait around for hours.
- He's in some meeting, right?
- Mm.
- With his father.
- Does he work for him?
What do they do together?
[DISCONCERTING MUSIC]
I'm hot.
I'm gonna swim.
So, all that time
you were his sexual partner,
and you didn't know, huh?
- The affair started?
- In London.
Yeah. Before, in Addis.
- At first.
- We met in Addis.
I was a married woman then.
We became more once I separated
from my husband.
[LIGHTER CLATTERS SOFTLY]
[LIGHTER CLICKS]
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
This look to you like
two people about to
wait years to have sex?
I don't know, looks to me like, uh
it's already on, no?
Lie to me again, and I'll find out.
Then we won't be friends.
You can go back to your cell.
You-you know what the RSF do
to the ones I send back?
Oh
They welcome them with a nice flogging,
and then you pass out.
After that, God knows.
God knows.
The affair started that night.
♪♪♪
How's the water?
Great.
Thank you.
Do I interest you?
That question can mean different things
- to different people.
- Stop the bullshit.
Darya told me you asked
what I was doing with my father.
Is that bad?
Why do you want to know?
In Europe, we tell each other
what we do.
It's usually the first thing
we ask people.
I don't want to tell you
what I do with my father.
Okay. That's fine.
And stop being so afraid of me.
To live free in Iran,
you must be brave.
[SOFT CHUCKLE]
- [SHRIEKS, LAUGHS]
- [GRUNTING, SHOUTING]
- Hey, hey! [BARKING]
-
[HASSAN LAUGHS]
[MARTIAN] What do you got?
[SIMON] A Russian passport pinged
into Brussels Airport
from Nairobi last week.
Yuri Siniyovich
aka Vernon Crawford aka Viking.
Moscow Centre have printed passports
for these Valhalla guys before.
Do we have any ongoing travel data?
He bought a train ticket on the
same card used for the flight.
In and out of central Antwerp same day,
then he was on a red-eye
back to Nairobi.
And we're pulling more
information from border control
and the airline.
Pull baggage information
from the airline system.
Traveled with
one checked bag, weighing four kilos.
What about the return flight?
Uh, return was
Oh, whoa.
Two bags on the way out
weighed in at a total of 32 kilos.
- That's a lot of Toblerone.
- [MARTIAN] Central African
Republic to Antwerp
means one thing. Diamonds.
How much cash weighs in
- at 30 kilos?
- In dollars?
Euros. Numbers are similar.
Large bills. Hundred-euro bills.
That's three or four million, cash.
[MARTIAN] Get CCTV from Brussels Airport
and Antwerp Centraal Train Station.
I want eyes on this guy.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC]
[BIRDSONG]
It's nice to be outside, huh?
Tell me, when you spoke to
the American agent in London
what did he ask about your
work at the negotiations?
Nothing.
As far as I knew,
he didn't know about them.
[DRY CHUCKLE]
It's a mistake to think I'm a fool.
I betrayed no secrets. None.
Okay, so you knew nothing.
You were fooled. Framed, even.
But he-he must have
asked you questions, no?
I just want to know what you said.
- I didn't say anything.
- Not even by accident?
In the heat of the moment,
before or after, maybe?
What do you mean?
Can you tell me everything
you told Paul Lewis?
As you lay there, quivering in his arms?
I told him nothing.
I chose my country over being a traitor.
- Why do you think I'm here?
- I don't know.
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
I don't know.
But if you think I won't find
out, you are very much mistaken.
[SIGHS]
[INTRIGUING MUSIC]
[PHONE RINGS]
Hello?
- [MARTIAN] Isaac Lelov?
- Yes.
[SOUTH AFRICAN ACCENT]
This is Dan van Broenk
from De Klerk Security Systems.
Your company's just been flagged
by our compliance department.
- Really?
- Yes.
[SHORT CHUCKLE]
This must be some random audit.
Well, I'm afraid
it's more serious than that.
A decision was made to freeze
your company's allocation
at next month's diamond auction.
We get 80% of our gemstones from you.
It's the other 20%
we're concerned about.
De Klerk's is a publicly listed company
with a reputation to protect.
Provenance investigations are ongoing
in liaison with the Belgian police.
If you cooperate fully, you have
nothing to fear from the investigation
and your allocation at our
monthly market can be restored.
Are you there, Mr. Lelov?
Wh-What do you need us to do?
Did you or your company transact
with a man named
Yuri Siniyovich last week?
He may have used his American passport.
Vernon Crawford?
Yes. Yes. Him, I remember.
My father bought from him last week.
What was the nature of this transaction?
Large cut blue. Roughly eight carats.
How did Mr. Crawford
get in touch with you?
This man came to us on introduction
from a local Antwerp broker.
Mikkel de Bruyne. Mike.
He's very reputable here.
He works for Frederik and Samuels.
We've never had trouble with him before.
Your cooperation has been noted.
Should Mr. De Bruyne
or Mr. Crawford contact you,
you are to call this number.
Do you have a pen?
[PORTENTOUS MUSIC]
[CRAIG] What are you doing?
[NAOMI] CCTV blackspot.
[CRAIG] How do you even know that?
[NAOMI] I need a favor.
Iran desk is still
across Gremlin. If anything
bugs you about that mission,
I want you to come to me.
[CRAIG] That is a total
line cross and you know it.
[NAOMI] Why do you think
I've literally backed you
- into a corner, Craig?
- [CRAIG] If anyone finds out,
I am fucked.
[NAOMI] I need this.
And it's not personal.
This is me doing my job.
I need ongoing intel,
even if we break up.
I just need to know
what's happening with Gremlin.
[TAPS KEY]
[SYRINGE CLATTERS]
You're the one who doesn't hurt me.
I try.
Okay, darling, you're all done.
- Let me help you up.
- Yeah.
[TV PLAYING INDISTINCTLY]
Oh.
Will you turn the volume up for me, luv?
Thank you.
May I use your bathroom?
Oh, yeah, sure.
[NARRATOR ON TV] Delicately
hinged, rimmed with tiny spines,
and armed with microscopic
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[ROBYN] Hello?
[VIKING] Motherfucker,
you're late. You okay?
[ROBYN] I saw on the news.
They said there was fighting near you.
[VIKING] Well, don't buy fake news.
You know better than that.
[ROBYN] On TV they said intense clashes.
Said a lot of your boys got killed.
[VIKING] Bullshit. We own this place.
I told you, fucking media spins lies.
Don't buy into it.
[ROBYN] Sorry. I want you back home.
We have track and trace for the phone.
Viking is calling
from a landline in a hospital.
He's following protocol.
Human shields for outbound comms.
Could be he already knows he's a target.
[VIKING] my brothers.
[ROBYN] They're not your brothers.
They're not kin. We are. Mama and me.
[VIKING] How is Mama?
[ROBYN] Not good. Getting sicker.
It's getting out of control.
I'll pray for her.
All right. Stay strong. I got to go.
She's ready.
How do you know?
Because she didn't mention you.
[HENRY] She's trying to play him.
Feel him out.
Lay the groundwork to ask to come visit.
She trusts you more than she trusts him.
She's ready.
- Danny.
- [DOOR OPENS]
- Have a look at this.
- [DOOR CLOSES]
What do you see here?
Nothing.
In ten years the country's
capital will be there.
A new capital with
earthquake-proof buildings.
I need a detailed seismic evaluation.
You'll be leaving in a few days.
This is an official assignment letter.
Keep it with you at all times.
Don't forget you're in Iran.
You could run into
a difficult policeman anytime.
This is an amazing opportunity.
Thank you.
You should know
the Zamanis ordered the study.
Hassan Zamani
will be traveling with you.
- In fact, he recommended you.
- Oh.
- O-Okay.
- Be careful, Danny.
If this boy is interested in you,
it's likely for unwholesome reasons.
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
[BLAKE] Consider what prison
does to a mind.
Turns them against the state
but also against their fellow man.
Hitler's imprisonment
after the Munich Putsch.
The Muslim Brotherhood
tortured in prison after
the assassination of Sadat,
who founded Al Qaeda.
We're social animals.
We want to be part of the herd.
What Viking believes
his herd did to him,
he will never forgive.
So he turns on them.
- What about the sister?
- Mm, deep nostalgia
for her past, surrounded by love,
unlike her lonely present.
Find a way to access that.
You'll control her.
So, talk about her childhood?
Talking's good, but
eyes as well as ears.
Ask for photographs of her
as a kid. Her brother.
Where they're from.
Make her feel connected.
Use pictures to connect to her memory,
fix her loneliness.
There's a chance
she may want our relationship
to be sexual.
Why do you want
to go into the field, Owen?
Are you scared of being lost?
Hurt?
Is it to prove something?
Are you building profiles
of targets here
or of me?
Both.
[HAUNTING MUSIC]
[ROBYN] This was before Dad died.
Vern's ten here. I'm six.
- [DISHES CLATTERING]
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
He won that at chess club.
- He was really proud.
- [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
Grampa taught him to play.
I was never any good.
Vern read books about it.
Got real good.
There's so much here that you can use
to remind him of who he is.
Who he was.
I Look at him.
He's, like, the all-American boy.
[SOFT CHUCKLE]
I lied to you.
About what?
We talk.
We call each other.
Okay.
Vernon showed me how to do it
so no one knows we're talking.
It's a really complex system.
'Cause he's so paranoid.
I mean, I think he's just
worried that I'd get in trouble.
What with where I work and everything.
If anyone found out.
[OWEN] Well, you're in touch.
That helps, right?
Have you spoken recently?
[ROBYN] Yesterday.
But it's hard over the phone.
I mean, he won't he won't open up.
But if I could just see him,
I know I could
convince him to come home.
Hey.
Robyn, if you just volunteered
and you were out there at the same time,
you could arrange to meet him someplace.
Would you come with me?
Of course I would come.
I could use some moral support.
Good job, Owen.
[BOSKO] So,
where are we on that other thing?
Yes, the elevators are bugged,
but the recordings
all go to me before anyone else.
So fire at will.
I've built a matrix
of who knew what and when
and referenced it
against known breaches.
No clear suspects yet.
Any unclear suspects?
I can tell smoke from fire.
Not even smoke. Just staffers
breaking protocols.
- Nothing damning.
- Who?
Naomi violated need to know,
reached over the fence.
[ELEVATOR BELL CHIMES]
Why would she do that?
Oh, I intend to find out.
My contact in Indian
intelligence came through.
You know him?
- No.
- Saeed Al Bukhatir.
Apparently, he's handling
her case for the UAE.
- And?
- NESA spymaster from Abu Dhabi.
When the UAE intelligence
agency was purged in 2021,
he rose to the top.
We actually trained him.
In the war on terror,
we sent instructors
from Langley and the Farm into the UAE
to build a modern intel unit.
And guess what.
Now they're all over the world.
He's one of their best,
albeit with a nasty reputation.
- For what?
- Lot of his cases end abruptly.
They use him as a black hat.
He makes people disappear.
Thank you for this. It's useful.
Boy, you really are good.
What do you mean?
The lying. Hiding your feelings.
You didn't think I'd find the file?
[UNEASY MUSIC]
Our recruitment attempt at Samia Zahir.
Maybe you thought I wouldn't
guess whose name was redacted.
Now you know why I asked.
Well, I can't imagine.
Must be brutal.
Feelings are just another enemy.
I can teach you how to beat that enemy.
Make sure you do a complete
mapping of the formations.
Okay.
Call me if you have any problems.
I will. Thanks.
[VAN DOOR SLIDES CLOSED]
[KNOCKS LIGHTLY]
- Yeah?
- Can I talk to you?
Shoot.
Iran desk received this cable
from Tehran.
An informer warned a photo
of a Spanish female
was tacked to the wall
of a Pasdaran office.
Someone named Daniela Acosta.
And?
Apparently she was photographed
with Hassan Zamani,
who is also a Pasdaran target.
They're mounting an operation
against Hassan and his friends.
I thought you might want to know,
as he was a POI in Gremlin's case.
Thank you.
Craig.
That cable contains
Gremlin's cover identity.
Doesn't leave this room.
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
Henry Ogletree, London Station here.
I have a message for Tehran,
emergency procedure.
Code is 68-14-12
Golf Tango.
That's it.
Awaiting your confirmation.
Shit.
[DANNY] Mind I ride with you?
The other van's full.
Sure.
[PHONE RINGING]
[MOUSE CLICKING]
Daniela. Daniela!
Middle Eastern pop music playing ♪
[DANNY] Be honest.
You're really organizing
a desert rave, aren't you?
Are you suggesting I'm not interested
in the field of desert seismology?
Why can't I be organizing a rave
and a study for profit
and one for the government?
Simultaneously.
I told you, I have important
plans for the future of Iran.
What my father can't do in the open,
I do behind the scenes.
[DANNY] So, your father agrees
with your modern vision?
[HASSAN]
Let's just say he's listening
[ALL EXCLAIMING]
[HASSAN] Fuck you!
[MENACING MUSIC]
- [DANNY] Hassan, what's happening?
-
- [HASSAN] I don't know.
- [DANNY] Hassan!
-
- What's happening?
Do as they say.
[CHATTER CONTINUING]
[SLOW, PULSING MUSIC]