Counterpart (2017–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - The Crossing - full transcript

Howard Silk start to discover about the parallel dimension, what will flip his life upside down.

Police. Fuck off.

Fuck off.

Huh?

How did he get away?

Fuck, fuck, fuck,
fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

Yeah, it's me.
We have a problem.

Something went wrong
with the deal. Yeah.

Baldwin's gone.

We moved in as fast as we could.

The whole place is
fucking crawling with police.

Wait. Listen, listen,
he's not going anywhere.



'Cause I've got his visas
right here, yeah.

He didn't get them.

He can't get to their world.

No, there was a hooker
in the bathroom.

She might have seen something.

Yeah.

Bring her to you.









Why do you punish yourself?

Come on, now.

Even a game lost
is a game well played.



Spoken like a man
who is about to lose.

I'm trying to teach you.

There's your problem.
You're too nice.

And this always ends the same.

Oh, well.

Next time.

Sometimes I get the feeling
you let me win these games.

Where would be the lesson
in that?







"I took the long way
to work today."

"The weather was too hot
for riding."

"It never cools off
at this time of year."

"My mother loves the winter,
but she lives in the south."

"Mine is partial to spring."

"Flowers in the air."

"Orchids."

"Always a good season
for orchids."

Y-You have...

The girls are saying
you've got a meeting upstairs.

You should stop charming
those women.

Is it the Strategy job?

Howard. My brother.

Honestly? I do not think
you should waste your time.

- Oh, you don't?
- No.

Just let it go.
Pretend it never happened.

I think you're just afraid
you're gonna miss me.

This way, please.

Wait, please. In the circle.

This way.

Oh. Hello.

They brought this in.

I'd share it, but...

Oh, what's that, your resume?

No, we have it on the, um,
on the computer.

Yeah. Howard...

Silk.

Howard Silk.

Been in the Office 29 years.

Worked your way up to Interface.

As you can see, I've made
Row Designation six years now.

Oh, sorry to hear about
your wife, by the way.

How-how is she?

Uh, sh-she's improving.

- Yeah?
- Thank you. Yeah.

Her coworkers
speak very highly of her.

I've never met her myself,
but, uh...

At my last review, uh,

they mentioned there was
an opening in Strategy.

- Sorry, where do you live?
- Sorry, what?

- Where do you live?
- I'm sor...

- Uh, Veilsdorf.
- Do you like it there?

- It's quiet.
- Drives me mad.

I went out with a girl from
there once... not very long.

I mean,
you have to get into a cab

to find a decent meal,
don't you?

As-as you can see, I, uh...

I've been with Interface
for quite some time now.

Mm. No, yeah, one of our best.

No one has ever
had a complaint about you.

Excellent. Uh...

I was hoping there would be
room for me in Strategy.

An opportunity to serve
at a higher level.

More relevant.

I'm sorry, Howard,
but that post has been filled.

When?

Howard, you're an Interface man.
Everyone likes you there.

There's no need to
upset the cart, is there?

I-If... if I could
just have an interview...

You know, Oversight were looking
at your tapes from this morning.

Apparently, there was
a non-approved exchange.

Uh, I'm sorry.

- Uh, uh, "non-approved"?
- Hmm.

Man of your experience,
you'd think you'd know better.

The man had a...

a spot on his...

With all due respect,
Mr. Quayle...

I have come to this building
every day and done my job.

I understand secrecy, security.

Three decades
I've given to this office.

But, honestly,
sometimes it scares me.

I don't know what we do here.

I certainly don't understand

why telling a stranger
that he has a spot on his tie

makes one shred of difference.

Howard, it's been 30 years.

If it was gonna happen,
it would have happened.

Yeah.

Howard.

We're celebrating. Drinks?

What's the occasion?

Eh, Marcel, the bastard.

He got himself
that Strategy job.

Why don't you come?

Uh, uh, no, I can't.

Um... plans.

Congratulations.



Yeah, okay.

I've been trying you all week.

Should have occurred to me
I could've just found you here.

Yes, it should have.

My mother's
always been difficult.

It's no secret.

But I'm the one
who still has to live with her.

She wants what she wants.

You came all the way here
just to tell me that?

There's been no improvement.

Yes. Concussive trauma
can take up to a year...

I know, Howard.
I've spoken to them, too.

But we have to be realistic.
It's been six weeks.

They're moving her
to long-term care.

All our mother wants
is to have her at home...

if the time comes.

Have a look at this.

Sign it when
you've had a moment.

She wants her
surrounded by family.

I'm her family.

I tell you what,
I'll pop it over here.

Please think it over.



I have a new book.

"You, only.

Only you... exist."





You know who I am?

Yes.

Aldrich. Housekeeping.

Do you know why
we might want to speak?

I told you,
he doesn't know a damn thing.

He's nobody.

Go and get him.

Sorry. It's his job
to be disliked.

I... Have I done
something wrong?

Listen, Howard,
we have a bit of a situation.

Um, something we need
to bring you in on.

Me?

Someone's walked in
from the other side.

It might be a defection.

Don't really know
what else to call it.

I'm-I'm sorry,
the other side? I...

Well, typically we don't
entertain this sort of business.

Strangers come over,
we turn them away.

But this one is... different.

He... he's valuable.

And...

Well, he's only willing
to speak to you.

Just, whatever you do...

don't panic.

This is a bad idea.

Wha... What...

Hi, Howard.

Well, this is disappointing.

Why did you come over, Howard?

I'm Howard.

Does he really not know
what's going on?

What level are you?

- He's an Interface man.
- Enough.

- He's wasting our time.
- Believe me, I'm not.

But I have to be back
in about 12 minutes,

so let's discuss terms.

First, no one outside this room
knows about this arrangement.

Why would we listen
to a word you have to say?

Because if you don't,
people start dying.

A kill order came out
from my side,

targeting people on your side.

- Bullshit.
- Yeah, I get it.

You're skeptical.
You've made that very clear.

If there is a problem,
we go to the Fourth Floor.

Your Fourth Floor
may be compromised.

He's lying.

There's no intelligence
to confirm any of this.

All due respect,
your intelligence

is kind of a shit show
right now.

Okay, well, this was fun.

Got to go.

Wait.

Who's on the list?

Not till I know where you stand.

I'll be back tomorrow.
Longer visa. "Courier duty."

You have until then
to make up your mind.

And we're gonna need this one,
so you might want to...

I don't know, read him in.

Wow. Interface.

Perfect.

- What is this?!
- Oh, shut up, Howard.

J-Just let me think
for a second, okay?

He looks exactly like me.

He is you, Howard.

Really, do you have any idea
how lucky you are?

No one... no one...
Gets to meet their other.

Other? -Everyone
wonders about it, but...

Mr. Quayle, you brought me
into that room.

Please tell me what is going on.

30 years ago,
during the Cold War,

there was an experiment,
an accident, in this building.

Eastern scientists...

Something went wrong.

They opened up a passage
directly beneath us.

When you go through this door,
you come out the other side,

you're in another world,
identical to ours.

I... Identical to ours?

Same events, same experiences.

So, where this building stands,
where we are now,

- this is called the Crossing.
- Wh...

But... Identical to ours?

He-he... he looks
exactly like me,

but he is nothing like me.

So, when this door opened,
our paths began to branch off.

More and more, over time.

This... this is not my job
to tell you this, Howard.

You shouldn't even...

What you need to know is
we keep a lid on it.

We trade information,
we gather intelligence

- from the other side.
- What-what kind of intelligence?

That's not important. To you.

Okay, okay, okay. Okay.

Okay, who else knows about this?

Out... Outside this building?

What do you think?

I-I don't know...
Governments, world leaders?

Some. That's... It's murky.
I don't...

Look, Howard, you know this now.

But you do not know this.

Is he gone?

- Yes. He gave me a name.
- From the kill list?

Emily Silk, his wife.

- Wh-What about my wife?
- She's in the hospital.

- Albert Schweitzer.
- Okay, we'll put a watch on her,

- as a precaution.
- Hold... What, are you saying

- my wife is in danger?
- No, no, she's fine.

Howard, you know what?
Go back to work.

Wh-What does my wife
have to do with any of this?

We'll handle it.
She'll be safe.

We'll be in touch.

What did he say?

We have to be very cautious
about it.



Gin and tonic, bitte.



Hey. Hey.

- Marcel.
- Ja?

Very quiet this morning.

Do you think...

life is just
a sum of our choices?

You do something and I react.

You do it often enough...

my reaction changes.

We're changing, all the time.

Those choices define who we are.

No.

Who we are is not about choice.

It's not?

You are who you are.
I am what I am.

And the game only ends one way.

Know your problem?

You're too young.



Purpose of visit?

Bringing the embassy pouch.

12-hour visa.

It's better on my side.

One of ours was killed
last night.

Not here.

You know who carried this out?

Don't know much about her.

Her?

Yeah, we didn't know that
until the other night.

She skipped out on a crash
meeting by posing as a hooker.

Handle is Baldwin.

She's a contract assassin.

Killed some good men on my side.

That your dead man's dossier?

Marcel.

Double tap entry.

No witnesses.

Marcel was killed?

Howard, you wouldn't happen
to have any cream, would you?

So why did they target this man?

I don't know.

He was Strategy?

He was just promoted.

Hmm.

Look, I'm sorry.
We've done our part, all right?

We... we keep doing
everything you've asked for.

It's time for you
to be a little more forthright.

What is this about?

There's been some infighting
in leadership on my side.

You've been aware of it?

We heard a few things.

There's a faction,
may be trying a takeover.

Unclear who, exactly.

They're hard-line, ideological,
don't care much for diplomacy.

What do they want?

It's been bad on my side
for months now.

Contentious, defection talk.

People have been disappearing.

- And now the fight spills over.
- So what is this?

They're just picking off
our people at random?

It's not random.

I don't know what it is,
but it's not random.

Ah, enough. We have to
tell the Fourth Floor. -No.

Right now, nobody knows
about this arrangement.

We need to keep it that way.

I... I'm-I'm sorry
to interrupt, but I...

I don't understand.

Why do they want to hurt Emily?

My guess is
to send me a message.

By threatening my wife?

Wh-Why not yours?

My Emily's dead.

Cancer.

What's your designation?

Officially, I'm 4C, Diplomacy.

But I'm Section Two.

I've spent my career building

our clandestine operational
network on your side.

So Section Two is real.

What about, uh, the other Emily?

Where is she, at work?

No.

Um...

six weeks ago,
she was crossing the street,

and a...
a car came out of nowhere.

Kid driving,
wasn't paying attention.

She's in a coma.

So she's in a hospital?

Yeah. -All right.
I need to know everything.

If Baldwin is operating
on this side,

your wife may be
her next target.

We have guards.

- Hold 'em back.
- Hold them back?

Look, the only advantage
we have right now is

she doesn't know I'm here.

She's methodical,
she studies routine.

One break in that,
and she might call it off.

- When do you visit?
- Every night.

All right, I'll go
in your place tonight.

Howard, why do you think
I brought you in on this?

For your great tactical skill?

Your in-depth knowledge
of this whole fucking thing?

I need to pretend to be you,
take Baldwin out myself.

You don't make these decisions.

Yeah, you're right. I don't.

He does.

Fine.

We'll arrange things on our end.

We'll be ready in...

What-what do you think?

We start immediately.

Excellent.

You two stay here until then.

Get acquainted.

If he makes one left
instead of a right, kill him.



Like looking in a mirror?

This was my favorite tie.

I lost it years ago.

Keep it.

I-I haven't worn it in years.

Okay, let's talk routine.

You go in,
straight up to her room.

Anyone you interact with
regularly?

Uh... the nurses.

I say hello.

No one else, really.

Here, I-I want you to try this.

It's from the bakery downstairs.

No, thanks.

Please, indulge me. It's a...

I spent a summer in Maine
when I was a kid.

Yeah, I was there.

Yes, of course. I'm sorry.

Right. We spent.

Remember Dad got the...
the funnel cakes?

Yeah. I really can't.
High cholesterol.

Really?

Yeah. You don't have it?

I-I don't think so.

Okay.

There's so many things
I want to ask you about.

Memories and... feelings
that I've had my whole life

that only belonged to me.

And now it's... us.

We share... genetics.

A childhood.

So?

So how did we get to be
so different?

You'd drive yourself crazy
trying to chart it out.

Seriously, people have.

What kind of music
do you listen to?

I don't care for it.

Favorite food?

Taste buds must be the same.

I don't know. American, I guess.

Chinese.

It's fascinating.

Tell you what
I've been wondering.

How come you never
got out of Interface?

All these years,
you never moved up.

What held you back?

I don't know.

- Just, uh, life, I guess.
- Seriously?

- Life? That's your excuse?
- Well...

I mean, I'm not,
I'm not making excuses.

You have regrets?

Yeah, some.

See, this is what's
so fucked up.

Genetics, childhood...
Doesn't matter.

We're helpless
to our experience.

Difference between you
and me could be a single moment,

one little thing gone wrong.

Or right.

Okay, routine.

At the hospital.

Um...

I, uh, I read to her.

Books she likes.

Um, you know, poetry, mostly.

Whitman, Rilke, you know.

Stay in touch
with any of her family?

- Just Eric.
- That piece of shit.

- Eric always had it out for us.
- Yeah.

Tried to talk her
out of the wedding?

Wedding?

Yeah, the... wedding.

28 years ago, October.

We eloped.

28 years?

Wasn't that
right after we'd met?

When you know, you know.

Our first date, when she, uh,
left the table to wash up,

I said to the waiter,
"I'm gonna marry her."

I just knew.

I... I couldn't get
to sleep last night.

I was...

I was so excited.

I... I was thinking,
if there's another me,

that means there's another her.

But...

She gonna make it?

It's too early to tell.

Were you, um...

Were you there...
for her at the end?

Uh, I, um...

I wasn't perfect.

You have regrets.

Which one are you?

- Fuck off.
- It's time.



Oh, wait. Uh, can you
pull over right here?

What is it?

I'll be right back.

Here. I always
bring her flowers.

Radio.

Give him one, too.

Uh, we got two men
on every exit.

He told you everything?

Yeah, take a right
off the elevator, room 322.

Flowers.

Give me a gun.

Our guard is never down.

All right.

Keep your people
out of sight, huh?

Howard, wait.

Um... the, uh...

the nurse on duty tonight
is named Talia.

Keep him out of sight, too, huh?

Pull around back.





What did you talk about,
the two of you,

in your apartment?

Cholesterol.

10:00.

There's a visitor.

- Is it her?
- No.

Male. 40s, well dressed.

Uh, that could be Eric.

- Who the fuck is Eric?
- Her brother.

Okay. What do I need to know?

He left a contract on the,
on the table by the door.

What is this?

You didn't sign it.

No. No, of course not.

You weren't going to.

It's... complicated.

Get rid of him.

Well, I'm leaving
for the airport.

So what do I tell her?

Listen.

Their mother wants her
back in England.

Howard, sign the fucking thing,
get him out of there.

It's time to let go, Howard.

Let her be with family.

This is about me, isn't it?

You tried to warn her
away from me

- from the beginning.
- Stop it.

She was in love.

She was happy.

And you tried to ruin
the one good thing she had.

I'm gonna ask you one more time,

and then I'm gonna leave
'cause this is childish.

She will sue you
until you submit.

You understand that?

Sign it.

Let's be done with this.

Just sign the fucking thing.

No.

- Oh, for fuck sake.
- I'm sorry?

I said no.

Let me tell you something, Eric.

This is something
very few people will tell you.

You're a real fucking asshole.

Guys like you
confuse words with action.

I don't.

So I will be very, very clear.

If you or anyone in your family

try to take her away from me,
we will be done.

There will be
nothing left to say.

And believe me, Eric,

the last thing you want
is me with nothing left to say.

Incoming female.

Howard, what in God's name...?

- Shh.
- I think it's her.

Go.

Whoa.

Listen to me.

Someone is coming up here
to kill her.

- What?
- Shut the fuck up.

Stay in this room,
stay away from the door.

I'm trying to save your life
here. Do you understand me?

Eric.

Do you understand me?

Yeah. Yes.

Not a fucking sound.



Where is she?

Coming up the elevator now.





What are...?

She's on the second floor!

Second floor!



Outside! Fast!

You okay?

She got away.

Where you going?

To check on my wife.

What the hell is happening?

Just get on the plane, Eric.

It's okay, you can go.

It's safe.





So what happens next?

She'll try again.

And?

I'll get another visa.

Might take 24 hours,
maybe longer.

Meantime, you keep watch.

We're gonna need that one again.

I'll talk to him.



You know, I remember
when I first found out.

It doesn't normally happen
like this, you know.

There's-there's people
you have to talk to.

There's, like, doctors
and psychiatrists.

You're read in.
There's this whole process.

And you, you...

You...

Do you have any idea

the world that's just
opened up to you, Howard?



So we can count on you
to help us?

Thanks for the ride.

Howard. H...

Howard.

Howard!

What do you want?

I'll tell you what I want.

I-I want the promotion that I
should have had three days ago.

Howard, that-that's
not even possible.

And real access.

Real operational knowledge.

I think, after 30 years,
I deserve that.

Okay, Howard, look,
you don't understand.

Uh, it doesn't work like that.

Here's what I do understand.

You need me now.

So, I guess you got to...

I don't know... figure it out.



Scotch.

♪ At the dark end

♪ Of the street

♪ That's where we always meet

♪ Hiding in shadows

♪ Where we don't belong

♪ Living in darkness

♪ To hide our wrong

♪ You and me

♪ At the dark end
of the street ♪

♪ You and me

♪ I know time

♪ Is gonna take its toll

♪ We have to pay

♪ For the love we stole

♪ It's a sin

♪ And we know it's wrong

♪ Oh, but our love

♪ Keeps coming on strong

♪ Steal away

♪ To the dark end
of the street ♪

♪ Mmm, mmm

♪ They're gonna find us...

What on earth have you
been doing over there?

♪ They're gonna find us...

You don't want to know.

♪ Someday

♪ You and me

♪ Ha

♪ At the dark end
of the street ♪

♪ You and me

♪ And when the daylight hour

♪ Rolls around

♪ And by chance

♪ We're both downtown

♪ If we should meet

♪ Just walk on by

♪ Oh, darling

♪ Please, don't cry

♪ Tonight we'll meet

♪ If we should meet

♪ Just walk on by me

♪ Oh, darling

♪ Please, don't cry

♪ Tonight we'll meet

♪ At the dark end
of the street ♪

♪ Mmm... ♪