The Agency: Central Intelligence (2024) s01e01 Episode Script

1
"Love Is Blindness"
by Jack White ♪
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 ♪
Oh, blow out the candle ♪
Blindness ♪
So, how did it go?
How did it go?
Take a wild guess.
When did you tell her?
This morning.
Are you going somewhere?
I'm leaving.
I got a job offer
at an international
school in Jordan.
For how long?
I don't know.
So, when you say
you are leaving
are you leaving or are you
Both.
Mm. What strategy did you use?
I went for spineless,
dash of pathetic,
sprinkle of selfish.
What exactly did you say?
I said I didn't know why
I was in Addis anymore.
Tired of my job, couldn't
cope with my divorce,
missing my daughter.
Blah, blah, not forgetting blah.
When are you leaving?
Tonight.
Oh.
And what did she say?
She got angry, yelled.
Usual bullshit breakup scene,
just a touch more brutal.
It had to happen, I guess.
I knew you wouldn't
stay forever,
especially now with
everything that's going on.
I'll be fine. I can, uh,
stay with family in Khartoum.
The university there
asked me for help.
Are you sad?
Me too.
It was good.
Really good.
She cried.
Tried to get physical.
Thank you for not
telling me sooner.
It would hurt more.
She never wants to
see my face again.
How are you feeling now?
Never better.
fucking spinal cord.
I'm serious, man.
I've had pain. I've been shot,
I've been kicked in the balls.
Nothing comes close.
It's like someone
- put their hand up your ass.
- Where are we going?
- The Airlock.
- It's like they put their
- fucking hand
- The Airlock is back there.
Someone's been away a while?
It's like you put
your like someone's
got their fucking hand
up your ass, right?
And then, like, fucking
spread inside your spine.
It's like a central
nervous disease.
- Sure.
- She said it's a migraine.
I'm like, "That's
not a fucking"
From now on, you always travel
in and out via the Airlock.
And if you're going
on to Nine Elms,
you should change
transport en route.
If you're on two or four wheels,
- swap to a bus or vice versa.
- Swap to a bus or vice versa.
It's not easy ♪
It's not easy ♪
Baby, now ♪
Let me hold you
tight, my love ♪
It's not easy ♪
I want to hold you every day ♪
So that I can fall
in your loved arms ♪
It's not easy ♪
Darling ♪
You've made me lose my mind ♪
It's not easy ♪
I want to lose
my mind every day ♪
So that I can fall
into your loved arms ♪
It's not easy ♪
Let me now know ♪
I want to hold you every day ♪
I'll never, never let you go ♪
Every day ♪
Hey, hey ♪
Every day you know
I love you so much ♪
It's not easy ♪
It's not easy ♪
It's not easy ♪
It's not easy ♪
Let me know, now ♪
I want to hold you every day ♪
I'll never, never let you go ♪
Every day ♪
Hey, hey, hey, hey ♪
Every day, you know, love ♪
It's not easy ♪
I want to hold
you tight forever ♪
I want to ♪
It's not easy ♪
I want to love you ♪
Fuck!
This is where
Coyote was stopped.
Vulica Lienina.
It's on the freeway
in downtown Minsk
near the concert hall.
This is Coyote's route
based on cell towers used.
CCTV of the intersection
shows him skidding backwards
through a red light
at 60 miles per hour
- before crashing.
- Was he chased?
It's unconfirmed. Maybe
he thought he was.
Or maybe he thought
he was Batman.
The police station
on Vulica Suchaja.
Our team is a block
away, ready to move.
Cook up an arrest in
the same precinct.
- Send someone in.
- Okay.
And I want to know the
second they report.
All right.
Frank.
Who trained him
to be interrogated
under the influence?
It was me.
Get me the tape.
Sure.
That arrived for you.
Why do you have to
say it like that?
You know I have back
pain. I'm on pills.
Mm.
Hope you don't mind, I
took it for a test-drive.
Pretty snazzy for
the chicken coop.
Well, I think it's
kind of great.
That's why I bought it.
Coyote was arrested.
Shit.
What are you looking for?
Oh, the usual.
Anything.
I'm Owen Taylor. I'm
your new handler.
- Where's Blair?
- She got transferred.
Where?
It's classified.
Okay. So, goodbye,
Blair. Hello, Owen.
Shall we begin?
I studied the file, and
if you're okay with it,
why don't we start
with last contact made
with Colonel Saroka.
What's this?
Kentucky.
We need to know you
can keep your cover
under the influence.
I can't drink this.
We can't let you go to Minsk
unless we know you
can keep your cover
- I can't do it.
- Uh, listen
No.
I've been sober six years.
If I'm drunk, someone
forced me to drink.
And if someone in Belarus
forces me to drink,
it's already too
late. I'm blown.
- It's protocol.
- Find somebody else.
Long time ago,
my first postman told me
there's training, protocol,
and then there's your gut.
I'm in the program myself.
Eleven years and counting.
"Back" by Milah & Boi Blue ♪
- This a li'l vibe ♪
- This a li'l vibe ♪
- I feel amazing ♪
- I feel amazing ♪
- Back with a play ♪
- Back with a play ♪
- This shit is crazy ♪
- This shit is whoo ♪
- Back in the trey ♪
- Back in the, uh ♪
- I'm feeling wavy ♪
- I'm feeling wavy ♪
- I'm feelin' fly ♪
- I'm feelin' ooh ♪
This feel amazing ♪
It was dangerous.
It was wrong.
It had no future.
But I wouldn't have
missed it for the world.
I want to see my daughter.
- Thank you. Thank you.
- You're welcome, sir.
- Thank you, sir.
- Morning.
- Morning.
- Morning.
Morning.
Morning, ma'am. Morning.
Chief?
What's happening in Belarus?
So far, nothing special.
Great. What does that mean?
It's too early to call.
So, it's too early to call
that absolutely nothing
special's happening in Belarus?
I didn't say
"absolutely nothing."
I said "nothing special."
Yeah, so far.
Any change, you'll
hear about it first.
Good.
Because one place I want
absolutely nothing special
to happen right now
or, frankly, ever
is Belarus.
- Hello?
- Yeah, it's Ogletree.
You have those training
tapes I asked for?
There's a problem.
The file's corrupted.
- What about the backup?
- Same.
The fault must be on
the original recording.
Media error.
Nothing we can do.
This wasn't flagged at the time?
Well, no one asked to
see them until now.
My predecessor
didn't watch them?
No. He trusted me.
Find a way to un-fuck the
tape, I'll trust you, too.
Whose place is this?
I rented it from some guy
who lives in Cape Town.
He's a painter or a sculptor.
Just the one bedroom?
When you come over,
I'll sleep on the couch.
It's temporary.
Then it's perfect.
So, mission accomplished?
Or does anyone actually
say anything like that?
All the time.
Did you kill people?
Dozens. Hundreds. Oh, shit.
I can't tell you. I just did.
Bad news for you.
Mint tea?
But did you, like, swap
hostages? Find nuclear weapons?
How's it going at home?
With Mum? It's the same.
Where are you going on vacation?
Uh, Portugal.
With Luke?
Luke?
Your boyfriend, isn't he?
Ah.
You see, "Luke" is a code name.
I'd tell you his real
name, but, you know,
I'd have to
My mission
was to make contacts,
meet people in a
certain environment
observe them, get to know them,
and see if they knew
anything useful.
Yeah, but how do you get
that information out of them?
By, like, blackmailing them?
That rarely works.
It's people who want to help
or advance their own cause.
My job was to identify
relevant people.
By making friends with them?
Friends are people you
like. Acquaintances.
Hmm.
So you left us for six
years to make acquaintances?
You'd prefer I kill people?
Wouldn't drink
that if I were you.
- Here.
- I don't need that.
Take it. Buy something you
wouldn't have otherwise.
Okay.
- Also
- I know.
I'm about to get followed,
like in Istanbul, right?
It's just procedure.
Making sure I'm not
being traced by anyone.
Keeping us all safe.
And if some creep follows me,
I can, like, call out, right?
That's the upside.
Red dot.
Zap.
I'm happy you're back.
There, I said it.
Yeah?
Our operator picked
a fight, got pinched.
They're taking him in.
Yeah, I can see that.
Vulica Suchaja.
Got it.
Okay, so, our man, he's
on his way to the tank.
They're gonna release
him within 24 hours.
Hopefully, he can tell us
what's happened to Coyote.
Odysseus returns to Ithaca.
Barely through the door, and
I already need footnotes.
Pretty neat, huh?
St. Paul's, the city.
Can almost see the river.
It was either this
or two floors down,
but that was smaller
and reeked of cat piss.
Well
thanks for the wine.
Let's take a walk.
Ran past the Russian
Embassy this morning.
Used to be three satellite
dishes on the roof.
Now there's 30.
You saw that, huh?
Yes, sir, Cold War's back.
It's chilly as fuck.
Just a heads-up,
but we might have stepped into
some deep shit in Belarus.
Like I said, it
could be nothing.
Is that why I'm back?
This happened yesterday.
Your exfil started months ago.
So why am I back?
Six years is a long time.
Thanks.
Hey, I do want you
to train a new agent.
Super smart.
Green but full of promise.
Who is he?
She.
Daniela Ruiz Morata.
I'd like you to oversee
prep before we ship.
While the dirt's still on you.
See if some of it rubs off.
Where to?
Iran.
In at the deep end.
There's a shallow end?
Time.
I I didn't follow
It won't be a nice dialect
teacher questioning you.
It'll be cops, guardsmen.
Rude and rough.
Here. Street Farsi 101.
Read, learn, digest.
Do the cops really
talk like that?
In Iran, you get swept up and
grilled for crossing the road.
In that room, if you don't
understand, you panic.
Panic, you make a mistake.
One mistake
you're dead.
Thank you.
Think you have
some friends here.
Yeah, look at this guy.
It's good to see
you again, buddy.
- Thanks.
- Welcome back.
Come on.
Hey. Hey!
- Look.
- Hey.
Yeah.
Welcome home, buddy.
It's good to have
you back, Martian.
Hey, Frank.
Back in the fold.
Can we
Dance?
We're in 3D.
Strange.
It is strange.
How are you settling in?
Good.
Saw my daughter,
some old friends.
Followed everywhere I go.
Phone's probably tapped.
Well, I can tell you
about that if you want.
Well, it's great
to finally meet,
given you know practically
everything about me.
Well, now,
hopefully, I can get
to know the real you.
I mean it.
Thanks for watching
over me out there.
Mission accomplished.
Absolutely.
Uh, the driver's license?
- I haven't found it yet.
- What?
I have two huge trunks
I haven't unpacked.
As soon as I find
it, I'll bring it in.
Nothing else AWOL?
It's all there.
Okay. Email addresses?
Paul Lewis
as in Jerry Lee
@gmail.uk.
PaulLewis@gmail
no longer exists.
- Paul.
- Lewis
26@googlemail.gb.uk.
Mm.
Oh, this one's still active.
Thought I closed it.
No, you have to click
on some tiny box
down in settings to validate it.
Hey, presto.
A roll call of the hurt,
the angry and the deserted.
Uh, there's nothing recent.
You want to take a
look before I zap it?
Sure.
Coffee?
- Black.
- Okay.
How bad is it?
Let's see.
Anger, confusion, concern.
Mm-hmm. Yeah, must be weird,
especially when it
happens so fast.
Kind of like getting
the bends, huh?
Okay. Kill it all.
Cool.
Danny Ruiz Morata.
It's an honor.
Two men at the
counter behind you.
Blue suit?
To the left.
Tall guy, pink shirt,
and a guy, fake tan, about 30.
Surname, first name, job
and phone number. Both.
You have 15 minutes.
- Hi.
- Yeah?
- Can you spare a few minutes?
- Yeah, of course.
I'm in charge of the new menu.
- I'm Dara. Nice to meet you.
- Hi, I'm Richard.
- What was your name again?
- Dara.
- Dara.
- Nice to meet you.
- What's your name?
- It's Scott. Nice to meet you.
Scott, nice to meet you as well.
- Are you guys regulars?
- Uh, yeah, yeah.
Oh, good.
I just, I just have
a few questions
Names, jobs,
cell numbers.
Congratulations,
but orange guy just left.
Pink one stayed.
Now he likes you.
Soon as I leave, he'll
be coming over to you.
You're not a field
agent, you're undercover.
You don't get to
jump in and out.
We watch, we position,
we learn, we vanish.
There but not there.
Engaging but forgettable.
Too far out, you never
get what you need.
Too close in,
you become the target.
No, stay. Order something.
Okay. So, to explain
There's nothing to explain.
I turned it on a touch
because I really did think
I was leaving with you.
This is the lesson.
Never rely on the
op to make you safe.
Rely on yourself.
Bring me a report, 9 a.m.
Hey.
Measuring my desk?
Who pulled me out of
Addis in such a hurry
and then left me months
in a safe house in Jordan?
Well, who do you think?
Bosko's big picture.
Strategy is Henry.
I'm just tactics.
I didn't ask who pulled me back.
I mean, who do I have to thank,
after six years, for
the 48-hour notice?
Oh, that was me.
It was like moving house.
The lease is up in three months,
you forget to weed the yard,
clean the windows, the john.
You did a job to
the end. Be proud.
How long did you
wait to tell me?
Is this the girlfriend?
Listen, I get it.
It's rough to drop and breeze.
Suddenly, you're a
heartless asshole.
You know who doesn't feel
like a heartless asshole?
A heartless asshole.
Fires continue to burn
at the university in
the capital Khartoum.
Reports of dozens of casualties,
including students and
faculty employees
- Still here?
- All night, baby.
How long you
planning to watch me?
Way above my pay grade.
I'm going for milk.
Want anything?
Ketchup.
Give me one of those
prepaid phones.
Too late. Dinner's over.
Dessert.
Hello?
It's Paul.
You calling because of the
attack at the university?
Yes.
I'm alive.
I'm still here.
Do you still worry about me?
Of course.
How's Amman?
How's the new school?
I'm in London
seeing my daughter.
You're in London?
Yes.
Me, too.
How much longer is the unit
planning on watching me 24-7?
Standard protocol.
When I came back from Beirut,
I was followed for months.
Did I ever tell
you about Beirut?
Yes, but only as part of every
conversation we've ever had.
Two years training.
I'm there one month.
Bam, my cover is blown.
- You should write a book.
- Maybe I should.
But I can't. Why?
'Cause it's a secret,
just like you.
Which is why you wear a tail
till we know it
all stays that way.
What I know is that he's
in counterterrorism.
All right. Do we have
any leads on the source
of finance for the investment?
No, we don't.
Can we trace the transfer?
If he's hidden money offshore,
that could be a lever
we can use on him.
Could.
- Hello?
- Our operator
was released 30 minutes ago.
So?
So, they released our
operator 30 minutes ago,
but there's no
trace of Piotr Rybak
or anyone else in there
with a DUI charge.
They're sure?
What the fuck? No
one saw him leave?
Maybe he's in a basement.
They checked every floor.
Coyote's gone.
How's my tie?
Fuck your tie.
Excuse me.
Two, three, four,
five, six, seven.
Coyote's phone's still
pinging at the station
where he was taken 48 hours ago.
So he arrived at the station.
At 3:17 a.m.
- Friday morning.
- But he's no longer
- at the station.
- No.
And no one saw him leave.
How many do we
have in the field?
London was running nine.
With Martian back,
we've eight out.
- Including Coyote?
- Yes.
Henry, in your own time,
what the fuck happened?
We have three theories.
Coyote was arrested
on a simple DUI.
Coyote is blown and abducted.
Coyote has
organized his own disappearance.
The fact that he's disappeared
favors the last two theories.
If he was drunk, that
favors them, too.
Who's this? Who's
this? Who are you?
I'm Owen, sir.
- Owen?
- Yeah.
Owen. What are you
doing in here, Owen?
Owen is Coyote's handler.
Blair was his original handler.
Also involved in training
prior to the agent
being activated.
Okay, okay, okay, okay.
So why don't you
- Right.
- Say it again, Owen.
The fact that he disappeared
favors the last two theories.
- And if he was drunk, that
- No, no, no, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no. No, you see,
you're saying words, and as
soon as they enter my ears,
I'm going like, "What
the fuck is Owen saying?"
It's confusing.
Is that why you're here, Owen?
To make things difficult for me?
Coyote refused alcohol
interrogation training.
If he was drunk, it's possible
he lost control with the police
and he blew his cover.
Why did he refuse training?
Martian's asking you
a question, Frank.
Why did he refuse training?
Well, for self-stated
personal reasons.
Meaning?
He's in the program.
Recovering alcoholic.
Six years sober.
He knows his conversations
with handlers are recorded.
I reviewed everything. I
didn't see anything amiss.
Oh, you didn't see anything?
We don't know where he is.
We don't know what
the fuck happened.
Did I miss anything here?
We're currently
evaluating risks.
All right. I want the absolute,
stone-cold worst
fucking picture.
Now.
Of the 52 targets
identified by Coyote,
he's aware of four
that we recruited.
All operating in
Belarus and Russia.
Coyote also
knows of these
nine operations currently
ongoing in Ukraine.
Thunderbird in Mariupol,
Rattlebox in L'viv,
Tonic in the Donbas,
Felix in Bakhmut,
and, to a lesser degree,
Niagra off the coast of Odesa.
Put all sources on standby.
Suspend upcoming operations.
Roughly 60%
of all covert activities
in Russia and Ukraine
may be compromised.
Great morning.
Great morning, people.
Henry.
Well, we got a real small window
to clean this up.
Yeah, agents back,
ops reactivated, or it's
our dicks and balls.
Actually, yours
first and then mine.
Call in your office, sir.
- I'm busy.
- It's Langley.
All right, all right,
all right, damn.
Talk to me about Belarus.
Belarus is a situation
we're across.
So far, nothing special.
It's early days, but for
now we're seeing this
very much as a local problem.
Jim,
we both know there's no such
thing as a local problem
in Belarus.
Yeah, there's an unfolding
situation in Minsk.
Once we have a degree of
clarity, we'll fold you in.
You know about
new domino theory?
Yes, sir, yes.
- Domino theory is the theory
- No, I didn't ask about
domino theory, I asked
about new domino theory.
New domino theory is that
the United States exists
three dominoes away from
full nuclear exchange.
As we speak, there are 7,000
nuclear weapons pointed
at American targets.
Minsk is a big fucking domino.
Yes, sir.
Three dominoes, Jim,
that's all it takes.
Thanks.
2 p.m., or whenever
I'm feeling bad,
I can take another half, right?
But once you feel the migraine
coming, it's too late.
So you have to sort
of It's complicated.
The point is, my energy level
Think he's trying to lose us.
His own grandma and grandpa?
Did you tell him the
vehicles have trackers?
I forgot.
He's trying to fuck us.
That's what he's doing.
He's trying to fuck us.
I don't get it.
Jesus Christ, Frank.
Why hide the truth?
It was a gut call. It
wasn't relevant to the op.
Until our boy's in a
Minsk police station,
cuffed to a chair with
two pints of vodka in him.
He had six years.
That's control.
Isn't that what I
was there to train?
- Self-control?
- Keep telling yourself that.
Let me know how it
feels walking past a pub
- on your way home tonight.
- Oh, fuck you, Henry.
- It's a disease.
- If an agent has a disease,
don't you think it
ought to be in his file,
before we stake
lives and millions
in taxpayer dollars on him?
Watch out for Martian.
Why?
Or don't. It's up to you.
Because he's dangerous.
Goodbye, Frank.
Why are you in London?
It's a training course
at the Royal College,
sponsored by UNESCO.
I've been made a director
of the Sudanese Centre
for Cultural Heritage.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
Are you here alone?
Mustafa is joining us.
Wait, is that going
to be a problem?
My husband is in Addis.
We should have told him
about the backup tracker.
the whole family.
- Uh-huh.
- Except for you.
You know, I'm so
good. I'm so good
I know. I'm not
thinking about
- Was Diane there?
- Oh, my God.
- The one that got away?
- I can't believe that you're
you well, she's pregnant
with her second child.
- Two?
- Yes. So you can put it
out of your mind. Yeah.
- Hey, baby.
- Hey.
- Want to talk to Charlie?
- Hey, Henry.
Hey, Charlie.
- He looks tired.
- Yeah, he's always tired.
So, Mom and Dad are good.
- Yes.
- How's Pop?
Well, his leg's better.
But guess what that means?
- He's in the car again.
- Hide the keys.
- I know.
- Yeah, exactly.
Throw the keys in the lake.
Ah, he's made of stern stuff.
Well, he's gonna do himself
some damage sometime.
Or somebody else.
Can I have a word?
Yeah, sure.
- Bye, bro.
- Bye.
I want to ask you something.
You don't have to answer.
Okay.
What's the code name
of your operation?
You know the rules, sir.
You don't know,
I can't tell you.
Not even my favorite
brother-in-law.
And bridge partner
and part-time rebbe
who you choose to
completely ignore.
Still pissed I
didn't join the Navy?
You got to get over this, sir.
Okay. It's need-to-know.
I tell you.
If I'm wrong, say
no. Understand?
Roger that. What's this about?
Felix.
Why are you asking this?
Nothing to worry about.
If you don't know, I
can't tell you, right?
So, how's your new job going?
I changed my mind.
- I've been writing.
- What?
A novel? Nonfiction?
Fiction.
Can you tell me?
Give me the, uh
The logline.
A tiny mouse dreams of being
A ballet dancer?
- Shit.
- I love it.
It's been done, right?
No, no, I got goose bumps.
Seriously.
What is it about?
A man risks it all
to get what he wants.
Well
at least he knows what he wants.
Isn't that the real problem?
Not anymore.
I'm seeing someone.
Wow. Really?
Okay.
It's complicated.
She's married.
Hmm.
Do we know her?
I never mentioned her.
Maybe you do.
Sami Zahir.
She's a historian
at the university?
Yeah.
Social anthropologist.
Married to Dr. Mustafa
Zahir, cardiac surgeon.
So long as he's not
a cop or a minister.
How long has it been?
Twenty-four hours.
Do you think it'll last?
Maybe, maybe not.
I'll keep you posted.
Uh, charge to my room.
Of course. Name and number?
Paul Lewis. 303.
Thank you, sir.
Don't bother. Unless
there's some problem.
What kind of problem?
Two things. First, if anything
about her doesn't add up,
anything points to
her playing you.
She's not in the game.
By definition, if you're
in this game, nobody knows.
You know that.
What's the second thing?
"Love Is Blindness"
by Jack White ♪
One, two, three,
two, two, three ♪
If you fall in love.
Wow. Okay.
Why's that?
Oh, because of the only thing
anyone really knows about love.
It's all you need?
No.
That it's blind.
Love is blindness ♪
I don't want to see ♪
Won't you wrap the night ♪
Around me? ♪
Oh, my heart ♪
Love is blindness, yeah ♪
Love is blindness ♪
I'm so sick of it,
I don't want to see ♪
Why don't you just
take the night ♪
Wrap it all
around me, now? ♪
Oh, oh, my love ♪
Blindness ♪
Oh, love is blindness ♪
Blow out the candle ♪
Blindness ♪