Allegiance (2015): Season 1, Episode 5 - Tipping Point - full transcript

Previously on Allegiance...

This operation will collapse the American

economy in a single blow.

We're calling it Black Dagger.

D.C. is setting up a joint
task force to stop it.

The best plan we have to stop it

is to find the SVR files Mikhail stole.

They're on encrypted hard drives,

secure inside a laptop.

If Alex beats you to that laptop,

you'll all be dead.



Alex and the FBI team aren't driving.

They're flying.

- We got it.
- There's nothing here.

The SVR got here first.

That one. Black Dagger.

The entire hard drive is deleting.

Did you decrypt the file?

We're talking about a
half a mile blast radius.

Whoever planned this operation

was probably filmed with that camera.

The judge, well, he may just
decide that this task force

is nothing more than a recipe
for constitutional infringement

and shut you all down.

What do you got, Alex?



See? There he is.

It was you, wasn't it?

Yes.

And now, it's time to tell you everything

so you understand why.

- How long?
- It started when I was 17.

You knew?

Since before we were married.

I don't... how?

Who does this?

I'm on my way.

On your way? Did you go
get air in Connecticut?

I know. I'm sorry.

- I lost track of time.
- Michelle.

Hey, it's Sam.

What part of "this FISA judge
could shut our task force down"

did you not understand?

I'm sorry.

You best darken this doorway
in the next five minutes,

comprende?

I'll be there.

I didn't have a say in
what my future would be.

My father sent me to
boarding school in Switzerland

under an alias when I was nine years old.

When I was 17, I came back to Russia

and learned that my
father was a KGB general,

and I was shipped off to
the red banner institute

to begin my training.

Did you hurt anyone? Any Americans?

No. It was just intelligence collection.

Against your own country.

You were asked to recruit him.

Your father was living in Moscow.

Then he was working for
an American energy company.

The KGB wanted to steal its
deep water drilling technology,

but your father refused.

We fell in love instead.

All your father ever tried to
do was to get me out of a life

that I was forced into,

a life that I never wanted.

I agreed to keep my eyes open,

that's all,

to try to spot people
vulnerable to recruitment.

How long did it take them to
get you to do more than that?

They threatened to hurt my family, Alex.

Then, you should've gone to the FBI.

- You should've gotten out.
- I did get out.

For seven years, and then they came back.

Why?

You.

They came for you.

Remember your steps, Alex.

Oh, remember your steps, Alex.

Our whole life, it's a lie.

No.

Not the love.

Not the family.

I know this is a lot.

I can't imagine what you're thinking.

I think you're traitors.

This is about something much
bigger than us right now, Alex.

The SVR has a plan.

Codename Black Dagger.

How do you know that name?

It was on Mikhail's laptop.

Which you stole from City Hall.

Yes, and then we brought
it to the FBI field office

- to turn it in.
- That's a lie.

I would've heard about that.

When we arrived at the federal building,

we checked the laptop to make
sure it had something real.

We triggered an auto-delete program.

We were only able to catch a
few fragments before it was gone.

Read this.

Five psi blast radius of
half a mile in New York City.

That's... tens of thousands
of people would die.

This has to be a fake.

This would start another war.

Only if someone could
prove that Russia did it.

Nothing stays secret for very long anymore.

They know that. They
would never take this risk.

Alex, you figured out that
Mikhail stole the files

that he did.

These are the files that
were on Mikhail's computer.

Well, I only have your word for that.

Yes.

Even though you've been
lying to me every day

of my entire life.

Let the judge know we're ready.

Are you okay?

I'm okay.

Good, because Judge Dale is a pit bull.

He'll rip your throat
out if he doesn't like

what you have to say.

All right, let's begin.

Black Dagger is real, and
we need to try to stop it.

If it's real, then we need
to take this to the FBI.

If we do that, the SVR knows
that their plan has been burned,

and they change the when
and the where and the how.

What are you talking about?

They have a mole inside
the U.S. government.

How else could they catch
Mikhail before he could defect?

And how could they know what case the CIA

put you on before you even
arrived in New York last week?

You have an answer for
everything, don't you?

Just like you did my entire childhood.

Where are you going?

I'm late for a hearing with a FISA judge.

My colleagues are expecting
me to swear to new evidence

we found that someone broke
into Philadelphia City Hall

and stole Mikhail's laptop before us.

Then we're asking for a
warrant for the Masonic Temple's

security footage which you will be on.

Are you actually asking me to
let you march a forensic team

back to Philadelphia City
Hall, again in secret,

as well as to mandate a Masonic Temple,

arguably protected by first
amendment religious freedoms,

to turn over all its
internal camera footage?

Mr. O'Connor and I just
returned from Philadelphia where

we discovered an old tunnel
running from the Masonic Temple

to the basement of City Hall.

This would explain how Russian operatives

could've gotten past
several layers of security

and into the room where we
believe the laptop was hidden.

Further, we acquired video that showed one,

possibly two, figures entering
the back entrance of the temple.

Finally, we found residue
of what we believe is

a chemical agent thieves use
to freeze and break the lock.

Think about what you're doing.

Think about what you've done.

If you turn us in, your mother
and I go to prison, Natalie too.

I think you belong there.

And Sarah, where does she belong?

You will destroy our
entire family and for what?

We don't have enough information
yet for the FBI or the CIA

to stop Black Dagger,

but we might be able to
stop it if you help us.

On our own?

Do you realize how crazy that is?

Is it? We beat you to City Hall.

You know how governments work.

You can't defeat the
SVR playing by the rules.

Mr. O'Connor.

Mr. O'Connor?

This whole thing was your idea, correct?

Based on your theories,

and you've been staring into
space for the last five minutes?

Sorry, sir.

I take it you will attest to the same facts

as Special Agent Prado?

Sir, I need a minute to consider my answer.

The CIA and FBI have resources you don't.

Resources we'll have if you help us.

You work the leads your
task force can handle.

We'll do everything else
they're not allowed to.

We work together as a family.

The moment we have enough
information to prove

that Black Dagger's real,
we go straight to the FBI.

I'm sorry, Alex...

About everything.

Don't.

Alex, no matter what happens,

we love you.

I don't want you to consider your answer.

I want it unvarnished. And
remember, you're under oath.

That is what I'm considering.

- The boy's gone off the rails.
- He'll be fine.

Mr. O'Connor, when you're
under oath, you tell the truth.

It's simple.

Do you believe this to be an SVR operative?

I believe there's every possibility

that the man in that footage
is not breaking into the temple.

Wind speeds during the day were
between 8 and 12 miles per hour.

He was most likely shielding
himself from the wind

trying to light a cigarette.

What about the residue on the gate?

Denatonium benzoate.

It's a chemical compound
found in canned air

which could be used to freeze metal,

but it's also a bittering
agent found in rat poisoning

to make it unappealing to pets.

I'm confused.

Are you telling me an SVR
agent stole the files or not?

Under oath, Sir...

No.

Having looked at all the possibilities,

there's no way I can possibly
stand by my original theory.

What the hell was that?

- Submarine your own theory?
- Sir, I'm sorry.

I could've sworn you still had
your spine when we left Philly.

Just talk me through your thought process.

One minute, you're shouting
about SVR operatives

breaking in through the Masonic Temple.

An hour later, it was most
likely the cleaning crew?

Everything just started
to unravel in my head.

I couldn't say for certain
that my theories were correct.

You could've mentioned
that before I stood up

and spouted a story you sold me on.

You saw the judge's
face. He wasn't buying it.

Tactically, it was better
for me to take a hit

than for him to blame the entire
task force and shut us down.

Don't expect a thank you.

We all knew there was
a chance we could lose,

but it was worth the risk.

Alex O'Connor went in
front of a FISA judge today.

Do you know why?

No.

I told you the bug in his shirt

died last week when we
were in Philadelphia.

He met with his parents before the hearing.

What did they discuss?

Surely Katya debriefed you.

No.

She's a difficult one to keep in harness.

If half the men in the SVR had her will,

we'd own the world.

Listen, don't worry. I...

I do worry, Dobrynin, about your excuses.

The O'Connor family are your assets,

your responsibility.

You will know every
conversation that they have,

every move they make.

If you cannot accomplish
this, I have men who will.

You understand?

It is nice how you have made
a life for yourself here.

Enjoy, because if your
reassignment becomes necessary,

it will not involve a
flight home to Russia.

They're bank accounts,

information we took from Mikhail's egg.

Whoever controls them

might lead us to who
will carry out the attack.

The SVR will hire an outside operator.

They want levels of deniability

between them and the
execution of the operation

and a person they know can deliver.

It'll cost big money.

So what do you want from me?

Treasury maintains a database

to track suspicious money transfers.

FinCEN. It's for law
enforcement agencies only.

CIA doesn't have access.

Yes, but your task force
is full of FBI agents.

I won't steal an FBI agent's access code.

Stopping the SVR means your hands

will have to get dirty, Alex.

Stealing the code is what
the operation requires.

And lying to me about your affair.

Is that what the operation required?

Yes.

This is gonna get a lot
worse before it gets better.

But I promise you as
soon we get what we need,

we go to the authorities.

For now, this is the play.

What's this?

Tradecraft.

The phone is untraceable, clean.

We switch them out once a week.

Just to be safe.

Alex, draw us a floor
plan of the task force.

You don't want to be in either bullpen.

There's too many people looking
and no way to track them.

And this is where your boss sits?

- Yes.
- Well, you couldn't go in there

without being noticed by a lot of people.

This is you?

Then this is your obvious target.

No.

But you have reason to be in there.

No, not now.

Why?

No. Just pick another desk.

Whose desk is it?

It's Michelle's, my partner.

- You like her?
- Of course I like her.

She's my partner.

Are you... Romantically interested in her?

- No.
- Honey, it's okay if you are.

She is my partner.

I am not gonna steal from her,

especially after what
happened in court today.

Then you need a peace offering.

- How does she take her coffee?
- What?

Tomorrow, you bring her a
cup. You spill it on her.

When she leaves to clean up,
you're alone with her computer.

This is what you're really like.

Everything calculated,
thought out, designed.

Every lie I've ever told you has cost me.

How do you do it? How do you
look at someone in the eye,

someone that you care
about, and deceive them?

You remind yourself that
it's for the greater good,

and you hope that someday
they'll forgive you.

Give him time, Katya.

He'll come around.

When Michelle leaves her
desk, you insert the skimmer

into her card reader like this.

Listen for the click.

When she inserts her ID
and types in her password,

the skimmer will record both
electronic transmissions.

You'll have a perfect clone of her login.

I guess you do more in Silicon Alley

than develop dating
websites and music apps.

You're really not gonna say anything?

About what?

About this.

Everything you found
out about us, about me?

What do you want me to say?

Call me a liar, yell, hit the wall.

- How would that help?
- It would help me, okay?

It would help me if you were mad at me.

- That makes no sense.
- It makes sense to me.

I mean, this is worse. You're ignoring me.

You know, I get it now.

Why everything was always
so tense between you and mom.

She ruined your life.

Now she's doing it to you.

She and dad.

I'm sorry this is happening to you.

Sorry it happened to you.

You can always talk to me.

Good night.

I have to get up early in the morning

and go commit a felony.

Peace offering.

You usually have a coffee around 10:00,

splash of milk, no sugar.

Should I think it's
weird that you know that?

No.

Yesterday, before the hearing,

you could've said, "Michelle,
I'm having second thoughts."

Instead, you made me look like an idiot.

- It wasn't my intention.
- You blindsided me.

You didn't trust me with your doubts.

If you can't trust me,

Brock should assign you another partner.

I don't want another partner.

I do trust you.

Okay.

O'Connor, follow me.

Leave the coffee.

What's going on?

A distinguished member
of the bureau's internal

counterintelligence staff has decided

to pay us an unannounced visit.

- For what?
- Polygraph us.

What, right now?

Make it fast.

Every minute he's with you is a minute

he's not doing his job for me.

Brock, someday, I swear,

I'm gonna catch you in a good mood.

Special Agent Faber.

- Jason Faber?
- Yeah, that's right.

- How do you know my name?
- You were one of the agents

that led the Robert Hanson investigation.

Ah, well, always nice to
meet a student of the game.

Not that this is a game.

Uh, what?

Mole hunting.

Is there a mole?

There's always a mole, Alex, always a mole.

Somewhere, somebody's trying
to betray this country,

and I have the distinct honor
and privilege of finding 'em

and ensuring they spend 23
hours a day in a tiny little cell

for the rest of their lives.

So you ready?

Uh, I haven't taken a poly

since finishing analyst training.

There's nothing to worry about.

Unless you got something
to worry about, right?

You remember the last time you were here?

I'm not sure.

It was the week I moved in.

You kept telling me my furniture
was in all the wrong places.

Well, I was probably wrong
because it looks really nice.

I know why you're here.

You're worried about Alex.

His whole world changed overnight.

And whose fault is that?

He seemed okay when he left last night...

Considering everything.

Just the thought of him in that office

acting on his own, yes, I am worried.

Chew your lip to bits
like that when it's me

out in the field?

Do you remember when you were little

and we used to walk to Prospect Park,

and you and Alex decided
that your favorite horses

on that carousel were brother and sister?

Buster and Babs.

Well, we would... we would leave the house,

we'd be holding hands, and we'd walk.

Two seconds later, you had to take off.

You had to run. You had to go fast.

You would get so far
ahead that I had to choose.

Do I stay with Alex or
do I chase after you?

I remember.

You always chose Alex.

It's not because I love you any less.

But I had faith in you.

I knew that if you got lost,

I knew that you would find your way home.

I'm surprised you use a Gauge Pro X.

Accuracy rate's barely over 60%.

That's okay. Truthfully,
I don't need the machine

to know when people are
lying 'cause I can read minds.

But it's good to have
some charts to take to D.C.

How does it feel, Alex?

What?

I don't know. The long fall from grace.

Golden boy whiffed big.

Does it sting?

Is that your first question?

No, just curious.

- Do you work for the CIA?
- Yes.

Is Russian your first language?

My mother spoke it in
the house, growing up.

So that's a yes?

I learned English and
Russian at the same time.

Call it a yes with hesitation.

Did you attend Princeton University?

- Yes.
- And you received a bachelor's

and master's degree after 3 1/2 years.

Yes. Uh, well, 3 years.

Oh, I misread that.

You're smarter than I thought.

Do you like ice cream sandwiches?

I'm sorry?

I-I'm not sure.

I don't have an opinion. Neutral.

It's a yes or no question, Alex.

Well, no, it's not. It depends on...

You're making this more
complicated than it is, son.

I know how it is.

The sight of a polygraph can
make you forget your own name.

Almost done, relax.

Ice cream sandwich, yea or nay?

- Yea.
- Have you ever had

an unreported contact with a
foreign intelligence operative?

What?

Maybe a friend of your
mom's showed up one day

- asking for a favor?
- That's not a question.

Have you ever spied on your country, Alex?

No, never.

Do you work for the FBI?

That, and I do a little
exotic dancing on the side.

Do you work for the FBI?

No. Thank God. No offense.

Do you work for the FBI?

That's what my badge says.

I can see you haven't changed
much since you worked for me.

Doesn't the Bureau have some rule

against giving a poly to someone you know?

No. It's actually harder to lie to someone

you know than to a stranger,

so that would be a pretty silly rule.

Just get to what you
want to know, all right?

Some of us actually have to work today.

You take care of your father.

Liver cancer, is that correct?

He has nine months, maybe less.

It's more information than I asked for,

but I'm sorry to hear that.

Must be expensive and lonely too.

You gonna give me a hug now?

Caregivers make perfect
recruitment targets.

You think I'd sell my
country out for a couple

of bucks and a Russian honey?

You tell me.

Kiss my ass, Faber.

Have you had contact with
any suspicious individuals

- in the past year?
- Besides you?

And no, I have never told anyone
you lied about your handicap

when we played Pinehurst.

Your bosses have any
idea how insolent you are?

Insolent?

Is your son studying for
the SATs or something?

No way you know that word on your own.

Are you currently taking any medications?

Claritin, midol, Advil.

A lot of Advil for the hangovers.

Funny.

- How about narcotics?
- No.

No.

You did use cocaine
four years ago in Miami.

To protect my cover so I
didn't end up with a bullet

- to the back of my head, yes.
- How many times?

That operation is compartmented,

and I'm not supposed to
talk about it to anyone,

not even my old supervisory agent

who hasn't been completely read into it.

No. Lucky for us, I have been.

So let's talk about how
many times you used cocaine.

I didn't lie about my handicap.

I was just having an off day.

Let me hook you up to one of your machines.

We'll find out for sure.

What's the story with Mr. Twitchy?

Who?

Oh, Alex?

He's different. The best
analysts usually are.

- Why?
- Bombed his poly.

I mean, he practically broke the machine,

his readings were so erratic.

You saying he was lying to you?

No, I'm just saying the machine

- doesn't work on him.
- Oh, I'm not surprised.

I asked him if he liked
ice cream sandwiches.

You'd have thought I asked
Oswald if he killed Kennedy.

Well, if you redo the test,

and just tell him the brand
and flavor of ice cream sandwich

and every single ingredient
in it, ambient air temperature,

the time of day, and what he had for lunch,

I bet you a hundred bucks
you get a normal reading then.

Well, that's great,

but I don't have that
much time on my hands.

Jason, no BS.

Why's one of the Bureau's
most experienced spy catchers

coming up here doing
field polygraphs in person?

You're smart enough to know
the answer to that question.

I don't feel a need to answer it.

Richie, come on.

What?

My paper's due in two days.

So finish it at my dad's place.

Come on. He's not getting home until 7:00.

Great. I can work while you smoke a bowl

and play some videogames.

Yeah.

You can be a real tool sometimes.

Come on.

Hello, Richie.

Who the hell are you?

You and I need to have a talk.

Dude, you need to take your hand off me.

What is this?

I need you to help me
with something with Sarah.

Here's the field report you wanted.

I'm starting to think
you want me to hate you.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Alex.

Hi.

So the surveillance footage
from the Masonic Temple.

What about it?

You convinced me that it would show us

who broke into Philly City Hall.

Judge Dale denied our warrant.

We don't need the judge.

An ex-CIA buddy of mine
is a Mason up in Philly.

He still has the clearances for me

to tell him the situation.

He got us the tapes no problem.

Wait, what?

Just because you lost
confidence in yourself,

kid, doesn't mean I did.

A bureau agent made it to the temple

just before their system
did its 72 hour recycle

and erased all the footage.

For once, the fates are on our side.

Has he seen the footage?

No. He sealed the hard drive,

and it's headed straight back here.

That's great.

I can't wait to see who
did this in handcuffs.

Me too.

- Hello?
- It's me.

Alex, how's it going?

A federal agent is
transporting a hard drive

with security footage
from the Masonic Temple

to the task force offices.

- You're both gonna be exposed.
- You're sure?

Yes.

I can't stop them from
watching it once it gets here.

Okay. Go back to work.

We'll take care of everything.

It's open. Hey.

I bought every magnet in the store.

Do you think that's gonna be enough?

It's hard to say. I mean,
there's no way to know

how close the magnets have to
be near the drive to erase it.

Here.

The closer we get, the
better chance we have.

Oh.

I'm sorry again about
before with the drink.

It's okay.

Hey. Do you remember the name Oleg Zhulov?

SVR officer first told Irina Semovetskaya

about SVR's plot to attack America.

He just ditched our surveillance on him.

So he's gone operational?

That or he's blowing town
before SVR fireworks start.

Either way, I want him put back in a box.

Have TSA put him on a no fly list.

Alert Customs, Immigration,
and the Coast Guard.

On it.

I'll do a link analysis
of known associates.

I just hope the time we
spent getting rectal exams

from Dr. Faber didn't cost
us our chance to get him.

He's here. Grey overcoat
carrying a manila envelope.

Oh, no.

It's 915 not 519.

Zhulov, Z-H-U-L-O-V.

First name, Oleg.

I need any surveillance.

Uh-huh.

Alex.

I'll need to call you back.

You ready to find out who
beat you to the egg in Philly?

There we go.

Oh, oh, no.

Oh, no.

No, come on.

No, come on.

You got to be kidding me.

Yup. I understand.

Thank you.

Well, that's not a happy face.

The Masonic Temple reset
their video service an hour

after our copy was made.

They can't recover it?

No. That was our only shot.

You're a regular Zen master, huh?

What?

If that video footage panned out,

you're back to being the golden boy.

Instead, it's a bust, and
you don't even drop your head.

It was bad luck. No time to dwell.

Something else'll turn up.

Healthy perspective.

See you around, Alex.

You did it. The drive was wiped.

We're not in handcuffs, so I figured.

How can you be so at ease doing this stuff?

How are you holding up?

You could tell mom she
doesn't have to send you

to check up on me.

I'm not here because of mom.

I'm here to check up on you.

Your big sister who loves you.

Tell me it gets easier.

Doing it, yes.

Living with it, no.

Sarah will be home from
the library in 15 minutes.

What have you got?

According to FinCEN, the account numbers

we can identify are registered
to a Wall Street firm,

Hensley financial services.

The specific accounts are under
the control of Scott Tolliver,

a senior broker.

So who is the money going to?

That's the problem.

The destination account
isn't possible to ID.

The money is electronically
chopped into thousands

of transactions in a
process known as "packeting."

It's a technique used by
money launderers to clean cash

and mask its final destination.

Then we need to speak with this Tolliver.

If he's moving the money,
he's our link to Black Dagger.

And why would he talk to you?

If he's laundering money,
he's breaking federal law.

That gives us leverage.

We are also breaking federal law.

You have been for 20
years, and now I am too.

Tolliver's a criminal trying to get rich.

You're trying to stop the
SVR from crippling America.

There's a huge difference, Alex.

All right. So how do we get to him?

Stoli rocks and a Cohiba.

You smoke cigars?

No. I buy them to stir my cocktail.

No, the Esplendido.

I don't know a lot of
women who are connoisseurs.

Then you don't know
the right kind of women.

- Put that on my tab.
- Sure you want to do that?

It's gonna add $500 to your Amex,

and I'm not even gonna say thanks.

Well, it's a thousand,
and I'll take my chances.

Each of these is made from
individually dried leaves

and hand rolled by the
number eight roller in Cuba.

Did you know that only the
female number eight roller

is allowed to make the Esplendido?

You know, you're not supposed
to smoke that in here.

I do a lot of things
I'm not supposed to do.

Are you clear?

We lost the SVR tail an hour ago.

- You sure?
- Yeah.

- What are you doing here?
- I'm sorry I was such a jerk.

I brought these DVDs.

I thought they might help
you finish that paper.

Come in.

We're studying.

Nothing else.

Okay.

Tom Hardy was way cooler as Bane.

Too bad I can't write my paper
on the "Dark Knight Rises".

_

The night Vasso was murdered,

another man, SVR, was shot.

It never made sense they'd
take out their own shooter.

Was that you?

He was going to kill you.

I had no choice. You are my son.

How many people have you killed?

None.

That was the first time.

I want to believe that.

You should.

There they are.

Oh-ho, timber.

Shut up.

I'm 1% sober.

Okay then. Follow me.

Wow.

You must have some killer parties here.

You're about to find out.

I like the sound of that.

Alex, she's gonna be okay.

You want something to drink?

How about some music?

To set the mood?

No. I want to dance.

You're a bad girl, aren't you?

You have no idea.

No peeking yet.

You like to play games.

Come on, Natalie. Get it over with.

Ah! Bitch.

Katya, Katya, wait, wait, wait, wait.

Alex, stay right here.

Dad, dad.

Dad, knock it off.