Counterpart (2018) s01e08 Episode Script

Love the Lie

1 MIRA: The world is not a nice place, Clare.
- [KEYS JANGLE.]
- [GASPS.]
[GRUNTING.]
CLARE: She's marrying him? MIRA: Her father put him on the director track in Strategy.
You are going to be the one who changes everything.
- PRIME: You have a mole.
- ALDRICH: It's Quayle.
It's been him all this time.
- Cyanide, Peter.
- QUAYLE: Take it, you fucking spy! I'm giving you a way out.
These are your orders.
What about the personal effects? You'll get them when your marks are dead.
I finish the contracts, you pay.
Are you mad? They want you dead.
SHAW: Do you still love your ex-wife, Howard? Stay the fuck away from her.
ERIC: My mother's always been difficult.
She wants what she wants.
Their mother wants her back in England.
You're a real fucking asshole.
We're going to Potsdam.
Him, too.
The hell? - [PHONE RINGING.]
- [BIRDS CHIRPING.]
- [RINGING CONTINUES.]
- [FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING.]
Yes? POPE: Have I reached the dry cleaners? No.
This has never been the dry cleaners.
I beg your pardon.
I must've dialed the wrong number.
[CLICK, DIAL TONE.]
As you can see, the district has not Lukas, take over, please.
So, the results of the election were very much the same He called for the dry cleaners.
LUKAS: And there's the election.
However, the issues, voting districts, and media coverage bore little similarities.
Health Amendment Two.
Everyone gather your things.
We have a surprise today.
Aldus is going to take you on a special trip.
[CHILDREN CHATTERING, CHUCKLING.]
Everyone.
[EXHALES.]
Go to the pantry There's a safe.
Combination, 40-12-31.
Repeat it back to me.
40-12-31.
Get the leather pouch.
They'll be here soon.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
[INDISTINCT SHOUTING.]
[SHOUTING CONTINUES IN DISTANCE.]
SHAW: Em, what is this? I don't know.
[SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY.]
[QUIETLY.]
: Get down.
LUKAS: Somebody's there! SHAW: Fan out.
[GUNS COCKING.]
LUKAS: Move.
Visitors.
They're here.
Do you have the pouch? Think about all we've accomplished over the years.
Think about all we still have to do.
Our legacy only survives if we can protect this secret.
- [AUTOMATIC GUNFIRE.]
- MAN: Get down! Take cover! [INDISTINCT SHOUTING.]
[GUNFIRE, SHOUTING IN DISTANCE.]
[INDISTINCT SHOUTING.]
- [GUNFIRE.]
- [SHOUTING.]
[GUNFIRE.]
[GROANING.]
[SHOUTS.]
- [SHOUTS.]
- [MAN SHOUTING.]
[SHOUTING IN DISTANCE.]
[SCREAMS.]
- [GRUNTING.]
- [GUNFIRE, SHOUTING IN DISTANCE.]
You're leaving? Help me with this.
What about the others? Their work is finished.
Ours isn't.
Are you coming or not? [STARTS ENGINE.]
[FIRE CRACKLING.]
[MAN SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY IN DISTANCE.]
SHAW: Did you find anything? Everything was destroyed before we got here.
No paper trail, no documents, no nothing.
The hell is this place? I don't know.
We pull up here, into a fucking firefight? I thought it was a dead drop.
[SCOFFS.]
Ian, I had no idea it would be this.
There's something I need to show you.
It's from their side.
They're comparing timelines between our worlds.
Events, traditions.
They were teaching kids about life over there.
A school.
[SIGHS.]
[CREAKING.]
Down here! [FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING.]
What's wrong? Oh, dear God.
[EXHALES.]
- [PHONE RINGING.]
- [DISTANT TRAFFIC SOUNDS.]
[RINGING CONTINUES.]
Charlotte? Try not to sound so disappointed, Howard.
Did I wake you? Terribly sorry.
Thought I should let you know I'm in town.
You're in Berlin? Came in overnight.
I'm at the hospital.
Why? What's wrong? Haven't they reached you yet? Your wife, our Emily, she's woken up.
[STEADY BEEPING.]
[SPENCER CRYING.]
Come on, Spencer.
Come on, come on, please, please.
[CRYING CONTINUES.]
Come on.
Come on.
[SPENCER WAILING.]
[WAILING CONTINUES.]
- How is she? - Doctors aren't sure how much she can understand, if anything at all.
They're calling it a first step.
First step of many, we hope.
Good to see you, Howard.
Been a long time.
[MONITOR BEEPING STEADILY.]
Emily? Can you hear me? [FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING.]
CHARLOTTE: She's a warrior, our girl.
Soldiering on.
Even as a child, she had that fighter's heart.
[CHARLOTTE SIGHS.]
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE, TRAFFIC PASSING BY.]
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING.]
No, no.
Keep still.
[SHUTTER CLICKING.]
- Don't move.
- I don't like it.
[LAUGHS SOFTLY.]
Why? Do you think a photograph will steal your soul? There's supposed to be peace in sleep.
But not yours.
You were restless all night.
Delete them.
You want some breakfast? I'm sorry, but I have to go.
Must be important.
Tell me something about yourself.
There's not much to know.
You come to Berlin for what, a big job? Maybe you're the CEO of a company? Or you live out of a backpack.
And I just invited a homeless person over for a one-night stand.
But I guess it wasn't even a one-night stand.
Technically, I mean.
Thank you.
[BIRD CHIRPING.]
[CROW CAWING.]
EMILY PRIME: What are you doing? I'm calling the Office.
18 people are dead, and half of those are children.
Yeah, and last time I spoke through official channels, I was nearly killed.
Until we know who our friends are, I'd like to keep this between us.
Are you sure Alexander Pope was behind all this? Right now I'm finding it hard to believe that anyone's capable of this.
But if we're going after Pope, then we need to be really sure of our ground.
Must be something they didn't destroy.
You okay? I'm fine.
Maybe you should go to the car and get some fresh air.
I'm fine.
You should see this.
EMILY PRIME: These are reconnaissance photos.
They look like they're from the other side.
Okay, look.
They're forging a visa.
These are customs papers crossing from our side to theirs.
And they're using this man's.
- [EMILY PRIME EXHALES.]
- What? Well, that's what this place is.
The classrooms.
The children they didn't want us to question.
Why else would you teach kids about the other side? They're sending agents to replace their counterparts.
Do you still have friends in Customs? In Facial Recognition.
See if this man went through the Crossing over the past few days.
I'll go with him.
What, he can't go on his own? You need to find your friend from the lie exam.
Oh, Kaspar? This place was already burning when we got here.
He's the only person who knew we were on our way.
[EXHALES.]
Fuck it.
Check in with me if you find anything.
[SPENCER CRYING.]
[SPENCER CONTINUES CRYING.]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING.]
[CRYING CONTINUES.]
She needs to be fed.
[CRYING CONTINUES.]
I'm not gonna hurt her She's my daughter.
How long has it been? Do you remember when she broke up with you? Before the wedding.
She caught you with someone else.
We were gonna wait, but that precipitated a faster move.
I had to switch that night.
So what happened to her? [SPENCER CONTINUES CRYING.]
My Clare.
What happened to the woman I asked to marry me? She was extracted.
I don't know, she was they gave her a new life, probably on my side.
It's not for me to know.
I'm just an operative.
[CRYING CONTINUES.]
I swear I'm the woman you married.
I'm the mother of our child.
Please let me feed her.
[CRYING CONTINUES.]
Please.
[CRYING CONTINUES.]
[SPENCER COUGHING.]
[CRYING CONTINUES.]
[CLARE CRYING QUIETLY.]
- [SPENCER QUIETS.]
- [TREMBLING SIGH.]
She has your eyes, you know.
CLARE: Shh, shh.
DOCTOR: These are all positive steps, but it's still early.
Every patient with a traumatic brain injury - responds differently.
- Of course.
DOCTOR: It might be months before we understand the full extent of her impairment.
These injuries, motor skills tend to recover much more quickly than cognitive function.
What she means is, we need to be more patient.
Yes.
And depending on Emily's progress, you might want to consider moving her to specialized rehabilitation.
I'd be very happy to offer some recommendations, Mrs.
Burton.
Oh, that would be wonderful.
Wherever you think would be the best place - for her recovery.
- Of course.
Good day.
Thank you.
[TEXTING.]
What the hell are you doing? I'm sorry? The esteemed Charlotte Burton.
Suddenly steadfast mother of the year? I know my daughter and I have had our ups and downs over the years but I'm here now out of love.
I find it strange Eric hasn't spoken a word to me since his last visit, except to tell me that you refused my request to supervise Emily's care.
So what did you two talk about? We just got some things straight.
You moved her out of the old hospital? Without telling us? Was that out of spite? No, Charlotte.
Believe it or not, it had nothing to do with you.
I brought her here because it's a better hospital.
Huh.
I shall be taking an apartment in Berlin, beginning of the month.
Emily's recovery is gonna be long.
I don't suppose you'll be able to handle that aspect financially.
Especially in a place like this.
See you around.
You did well last night.
I know it's not the kind of thing that you are accustomed to.
How do you do this? How do how do you [SIGHS.]
how does it not get to you? You find ways to cope.
I didn't say they were good ways.
Look, if these people really are sending operatives across the fenceline we need to make him aware.
Are you serious? Howard's the only one we can trust over there.
There are things I could do to reach out, but your status is so much better than mine in the Office right now.
I'm going to need you.
I need your help.
What do you need me to do? You can't keep me here forever.
Sooner or later you're gonna have to do something.
Are there others? Like you? I think it's better if we didn't discuss this.
I don't give a fuck what you think.
This is an act of war.
Your side is declaring war.
My side doesn't know anything about what's happening.
They wouldn't know what to do about it if they did.
Do you think we're all so blind over there? The flu killed hundreds of millions.
My parents.
Decimated Europe.
And all that time, your side wasn't affected.
What, you don't, you don't think that if something like that happened, you don't think that I would know about it? An operation of that size? You're so naive.
Pretty soon, people are gonna give a long, hard look at this charade we call diplomacy.
Sooner or later everything's gonna change.
I'm turning you in.
That would be a mistake.
Think about your life.
What will people say when they realize it was your wife all along? You are not my wife.
Letting me siphon your intelligence, access your resources.
And what about Spencer? A child born of two worlds.
Have you thought it through? You really think they're just gonna release her? There's nothing you can do.
It's all underway.
Peter, I'm sorry for what I've done to you.
I really am.
But I think it's time you realize that we're both trapped in this.
You and me.
Together.
[HUMMING.]
[CHOKING.]
[CLATTERING.]
[CLATTERING STOPS.]
HOWARD: So, do you recognize this man? Did you see him cross over? Yes, sure.
A few days ago.
He was part of a diplomatic envoy.
Went with these two.
Not due back for another day.
What do you need with them? Oh, it's not important.
Just a routine check.
Thank you.
[DOORBELL RINGS.]
I heard you were ill.
May I come in? Sorry.
It's a bit of a war zone, I'm afraid.
We had a party, uh, last night.
You know you could have called, you know? I thought it was safer not to.
Why? What-What-What-What's happening? I picked up a taste for this years ago.
Russian recipe.
Three things those bastards left us worth holding on to: poetry, counterintelligence and soup.
[BOTTLES CLATTER.]
[CHUCKLES SOFTLY.]
Mmm.
So, is there any news on the mole? On-on Sha-Shadow? What do you think? About the soup.
Yeah, no.
It's-it's really nice.
Thank you.
My concern with these molehunts is that they turn people against each other.
When there's fear of trust, everyone's worried about self-preservation.
Yeah, well, I mean, something has to be done though, - doesn't it? - Yeah.
You know, I've been thinking recently about my other.
Me on the other side.
I knew him.
You you knew him personally? Yeah.
We played chess.
Across the cable.
We made moves through code.
I had a board in my office, board in his.
- You're kidding.
- No.
It was like Kasparov playing himself.
Always ended in a stalemate.
Neither of us made any mistakes.
Other people in our trade usually are sloppy, like artists.
It's a problem.
Too many flaws.
But never us.
So I thought.
I-I planted an operative on the other side.
I picked her because I knew she had certain qualities that he would appreciate.
And, um, one day she came back with a message that he'd fallen in love.
And that he wanted to defect for her.
Your other wanted to come over and work for us? Would have been a coup.
But would have ruined me at the same time.
Every day they would have looked at me and wondered, what would be my price? So I killed her.
To stop him from coming.
From what I heard, he broke down.
Went mad.
But I survived.
One point or the other, we all must make that choice.
The cause versus ourselves.
If you want to survive.
You understand me, don't you? No, I'm not certain that I do, actually.
I think you understand exactly what I'm talking about.
I won't involve the Office in this yet, but I'm leaving men outside your house.
I'll be at the Walcot tonight.
10:00.
Eating at the bar.
I hope you make the right choice.
[DOOR OPENS.]
[DOOR CLOSES.]
[WOMAN SPEAKING GERMAN OVER P.
A.
.]
Merhaba, Raash.
I need to get a message to a mutual friend on the other side.
Looks a little like my ex-husband.
QUAYLE: Where the fuck have you been? PRIME: Listen, someone from the other side wants to meet with me.
I need you to get me into an Interface room tonight.
What? They do, uh, end of market reports after hours all the time.
I need you to make sure no eyes or ears are on this meeting.
Howard, th-th-this is not some kind of straightforward request.
What the s-situation here is pretty fucking critical.
Look, if somebody over there needs to speak with me in a hurry, there's nothing more important.
Make it happen.
8:00.
WOMAN: Getting information from those panting perverts in Records is one thing, but getting your ex-husband into an Interface room? Unwatched? - As always, I - Yeah, I know.
You appreciate my support.
One of these days you're gonna tell me what this is really about.
- Thank you, Cara.
- Yeah.
I'll figure something out.
Have the bastard meet me tonight.
CARA: Each camera's outfitted with its own backup power source.
Shutting one down would raise flags.
Loose screw? Easier to explain.
- Thank you.
- Fuck you.
You should know better than to drag her into this.
- Night off.
- [COUGHS.]
Deputy Directors want to perform a systems simulation.
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES.]
Poor bugger owes me four box seats next time, not two.
Get him the message.
I've been looking into the Embassy's network on this side.
Went to a, uh, compound outside of Potsdam.
It was a a school.
Not formally funded by your Office, but, uh we believe they were training sleepers.
Sleeper agents.
Operatives.
Three names.
Oskar Wolfe, Helen Moller and Rashad Roumani.
They're all on that side now on false visas.
So we thought you should know.
We? Yeah, maybe you thought it would be someone else sitting here.
Maybe your ex-wife? The one you told me died of cancer? I-I don't even know where to start.
She's alive, you're divorced, a daughter.
PRIME: Yeah, people tend to do desperate things when they learn about their other versions.
So you were doing me a favor? We really shouldn't be here.
Thanks for the intel.
I'll look into it.
Is there is there just any truth to you? After all I've seen of your life, the things you've done, is-is there is there a shred of honesty in you? [PRIME LAUGHS.]
Look at you, Howard.
Believe me, I'm looking.
[PRIME LAUGHS.]
Not long ago, I sent you over there like a doe in the woods.
Now you're a spy hunter, bringing me actionable intelligence.
What's your point? PRIME: Think you owe me some gratitude.
- For what? - For waking you the fuck up.
What the hell were you before me? Pathetic little meek sad sack, loyal hubby with your flowers on the nightstand, and your fucking poetry.
Now look at you.
Now there's something breathing behind those eyes.
You enjoying yourself with my family? They hate you.
[SCOFFS.]
Yeah, that sounds about right.
Although less and less lately.
It really hasn't taken that much to steer your life out of a skid.
A little kindness, little attention.
You'd be amazed the difference it makes.
Restoring some good to the ashes of your life.
Where's my gratitude? PRIME: You love this, don't you? Running around, poking your nose into all the little details of my life, every fiber of my being.
We've been helping you.
"We" again.
You have feelings for her, Howard? What? PRIME: Come on, it's right there in front of you.
A second chance, right? Or at least an opportunity to, you know, compare and - contrast? - She is not my wife.
PRIME: You want to move back into your old apartment? Cohabitate, maybe break bread with the daughter you never knew? That's not my life.
That's yours.
It's not mine.
Yeah, speaking of your life, we've been sitting here for a while and, you haven't even asked about Sleeping Beauty over here.
Her condition is unchanged, by the way.
Not sure I can say the same about you.
Or even myself.
Jesus fucking Christ.
This is killing me, being stuck in your life.
Every time I look in the mirror now, I see more and more of you looking back.
All the worst parts.
The-the weakest, saddest parts of me are just taking hold.
I don't blame you for not missing it over here.
It's better over there.
I do miss it.
I miss her.
You don't even know who the fuck she is.
Geez, you're uh, so fucking blind.
Sorry about your, uh, go partner, by the way.
I don't think he'll be around anymore.
- Andrei? - PRIME: Yeah.
I-I-I don't know how the fuck you managed to miss all of that.
He meets you in the hospital.
His sister is admitted the same day? What a coincidence.
Huh.
Course you never even met her.
But he needed to know, "How's your wife doing, Howard? How-how is she?" What are you what are you talking about? PRIME: What the fuck do you think? They were fucking.
Jesus Christ! How do you not see that? How much denial do you have to be in to continue to idealize her the way you do? I know my wife.
What? I'm-I'm sorry.
I don't I don't think I caught that.
She's a-a spy, Howard.
She's a fucking fraud, just like my wife.
She's a survivor who will do anything and anyone to get what she wants.
- Okay.
Enough.
- PRIME: You think your life is so much better than mine? Your little paltry existence? Bullshit bits and pieces of phrases from a fucking Hallmark card? PRIME: You willingly let her deceive you.
- I know.
- PRIME: You go tiptoeing along.
Jesus fucking Christ.
No wonder life hits you like a wrecking ball.
Goddamn it, I said I know! I fucking know! All those years.
The late nights, the-the the cover stories.
You think a man doesn't question things? HOWARD: I knew I knew everything about her.
Not the not the job, details, but about the lies.
I knew about about Andrei, sure.
Because he wasn't the first.
She's human.
She made mistakes.
We worked through them.
That's something you wouldn't understand.
Caring enough to-to work on your marriage.
I love her for everything she is, and for everything she isn't.
And in the end, that-that capacity for love, the ability to love someone unselfishly is the only thing that will separate me from you.
You need to stay the fuck away from my life.
It's not yours.
It's a fucking vacation rental.
And sooner or later, I'll be back, and you'll come back here, and nothing will have changed.
I guess we have nothing left to say.
[BUZZER SOUNDS, LATCH CLICKS.]
[HIGH-PITCHED ELECTRICAL BEEP.]
[HIGH-PITCHED BEEPS.]
[TRAIN HORN BLOWS.]
[DOOR RATTLING.]
- [DOOR OPENS.]
- [DOG BARKING IN THE DISTANCE.]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING.]
[DOOR CLOSES.]
[GASPS SLIGHTLY.]
GRETA: You break into my apartment? You can't do that.
It's weird.
I'm sorry.
Do you have nowhere to go? [DISTANT HORNS HONKING.]
I wanted to see you.
[BALDWIN SIGHS.]
[GRETA MOANING.]
[HORN HONKING.]
[ENGINE REVVING, HORN HONKING.]
[INDISTINCT, LIVELY CHATTER, PIANO PLAYING.]
[GLASSES CLINKING, INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
[ALDRICH IN GERMAN.]
Vodka, pure, please.
[BARTENDER IN GERMAN.]
Right away, sir.
[GLASS CLINKING, INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
Danke.
You know, I never really appreciated what it is we do.
This game.
I know what people think of me, how I came to this position, how I'm not qualified to And they're right.
I'm an idiot, and I know how this looks.
I know.
I know how this looks from where you sit.
I know it looks like all the fingers point at me, but it's not me.
I'm not the mole.
Who is it, then? Look, I'm not innocent.
I'm responsible for the leaks.
But I've been manipulated for years, like a complete fucking fool.
That's probably why they chose me.
Who did this to you? I can protect you, but you have to tell me who's been manipulating you.
It's Howard Silk.

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