Counterpart (2017–…): Season 2, Episode 10 - Better Angels - full transcript

There's an agent
who's reached out

from their side offering
pertinent intelligence.

Howard.
I made his return

a condition of this meeting.

May I have my husband back?

This is who
my daughter has become?

I'm not your daughter.

I've been planting soldiers
in their world for years.

How come I don't get a shot?

There's something more important
I need for you to do.

One of them came back
into my life.



I saw him and some others
moving refrigerated boxes.

And you think
it was a flu virus?

- Theflu.
- What's your friend's name?

Spencer.

Just tell me how
it's gonna be released.

Stop.

Fuck.

What are you doing?

Friend of yours?

There's a meeting today

with both Managements and Indigo.

Don't let Mira
in the same room with them.

It's a trap.

Mira, no.



I hear she's still alive,
your daughter.

You should see her.

Ooh. Oh. Ooh.

Mira?

Papa.

Mama.

Upstairs has an urgent message.

It must be read
to all departments at once.

Thank you, everyone,
for gathering together

on this historic day.

Upstairs would like to thank
all of you for your dedication

to this Office.

We know
it has been a trying time.

"When this organizing body..."

"...first established

"the Office of Interchange,

"it was done in the spirit
of diplomacy and goodwill.

"The belief that through
negotiation and collaboration,

"we could cultivate a common
trust between our worlds.

"In the end, we were wrong.

Wrong to believe
in common trust."

Wrong to believe that goodwill
between our worlds was possible.

Wrong to believe that our...

"...believe our human experiment

"could be the success
we so badly wanted it to be.

"Several weeks ago, our worlds

"experienced an act of terror.

Now we have word..."

"...of an even graver threat.

A threat that can no longer be
responsibly ignored."

Management has convened today,

and in light of this threat,
has decided that,

in 24 hours,

we will close the Crossing
from both sides.

"Permanently and irrevocably.

"You will be given one day to
negotiate and execute the return

of all crossers
in opposing worlds."

"Once that has completed,
we will begin the process

"of terminating
the Office of Diplomacy

in its current role."

- Thank you.
- "Thank you."

"Thank you..."

...for your years of service.

"...for your years of service."

No. Ian.

Where's Nomi?

She'll be okay.

And how do I know that?

I suppose you have no guarantee,
except that I may need

your services again someday,
and killing her

wouldn't seem like a good
way to do business.

Nomi will be safe.

You'll get a message
when she's dropped off.

Goodbye, Mr. Shaw.

It was a deal.

We all entered into it together.

Do you have proof
of this arrangement?

Talk to Peter Quayle.

He no longer works for this office.

What about Josef Aldrich?

He's dead.

Have you heard any rumors of an
escalated attack on our world?

No.

Have you heard
any intentions of this being

carried out
within the next 24 hours?

I've told you everything I know.

Please. Please, may I go home?

Howard,

you violated the Neuman-Schwartz
act by crossing illegally

into the other side.

Why did you do it?

I just wanted to protect my wife.

It's her.

Clare?

Guess again.

- Howard?
- Pretty good.

- What the fuck are you doing?
- Shut up.

I have your wife and her friend.

H-Howard, if you hurt her,
I swear to fucking God...

She's fine. She says hi.

And she'll be back in your warm
embrace as soon as she's told me

what her people
are gonna do next.

Y-You don't understand, Howard,
sh-she's working with us now.

I turned her. I-I've got...
I've got Temple here right now.

Oh, well, that saves me
a phone call.

You can fill her in.
I'm sure she'll be

amenable to this arrangement.

What-what arrangement?

The one where I trade your wife

and her intel for my
freedom on this side.

Indigo is about to strike.
I'm gonna find out exactly how

and then I'm gonna come back
to you, looking for guarantees.

Understood?

No. Look... I-I don't even work
for the Office anymore.

Ah. Well, it sounds like

you're gonna need some time
to work this out, then.

- You got my number.
- Okay, Howard. H-Howard!

How...

Apparently you were telling the truth.

I told you.

They're going to release a flu
virus. I was trying to stop it.

You want to stop it...
let's go in there

and talk to your friend
and find out how.

He won't talk to me.

Well, you have a great talent
for manipulating people,

so I have a lot of confidence
in you. Let's go.

You have 30 minutes.
Have a nice chat.

Okay, here's the last one.

Ramon Paul. Diplomatic attaché.

- We have him.
- What do you want?

The warm blood perfusion system,
the one you recently developed.

We can't give that up.

You have something
that would increase

our organ transplant
success rate by over 50%.

And our ambassador
died in your custody.

How about desalination
techniques?

With zero carbon emissions.

Only for a physical copy

of a one terabyte flash drive.

You got it.

I can't believe you asked for
the immunotherapy regimen again.

I figured it deserved
one more shot,

you know, before we
never speak again.

I'm gonna miss this.

Me, too.

You were perfect.
Everything she wanted us to be.

But not who I wanted to be.

What we had was enough for me.

I was happy.

No, you weren't.

But you could be.

The other night, I saw it.

The real you.

You mean, the one who thought
he was in love with you?

Well, I still love you, Spencer.

And not just for old time's sake.

Then why are you doing this?

We have a chance
to do something good

for once in our wretched lives.

Doesn't that mean
anything to you?

This world doesn't fight fair.

If we don't destroy them,
they'll destroy us.

You're wrong.

You know how I know
you're wrong?

'Cause I dream about her.

My other.

I keep seeing
this little girl...

the one whose life
I envied and hated.

But we've been taught to believe

that the existence
of this other world

is some kind of...

aberration of nature.

But what if this is
all nature's plan?

And the real test isn't
whether we can eradicate

this other side of ourselves?

What if it's about acceptance?

Think about your parents.

I bet there's not a day
that goes by

when they don't regret
giving you away.

I don't have parents...
I have Mira.

And I thought I had you.

And what do you think
is gonna happen to me

if you don't tell me
where the others are?

In one of Mira's old cabins...

outside of Potsdam.

I don't know where the cabin is.

It's too late anyway.

By now they've injected themselves.

They are carriers of the virus...

going in every possible direction.

Clare, betraying her...

will never fill the hole
she created within you.

He was living here with you?

Until yesterday evening, yes.

I didn't know, Howard.

He was pretending to be you.

How could I have known?

There was so much
I couldn't remember.

Emily, I-I don't even know
where to start.

The... the woman you knew...

I am...

...not that person...
anymore.

When I got out of hospital,

I discovered some
of the things I did to you.

I knew who you were.

I don't understand.

Why did you put up with it?

I thought it was love.

Accepting you...
unconditionally.

But now I think...

it was something
more like cowardice.

Like if I confronted you...

I would lose you.

And you didn't want to lose me.

I didn't.

We've really fucked this up,
haven't we?

Yeah.

I look at this person I was

and I really don't
like her at all.

I want to be better now.

So do I.

Well, maybe...

...um, do...

...do you think
we can start over?

I don't know.

I don't want to be her.

I can escape.

- I can.
- We all would like

to be the better version...

of ourselves.

I ju... I just...

I don't know if it's possible.

No, I-I won't believe it
because I think

- we can evolve...
- It doesn't matter

what you believe.

Emily, I-it... I've seen it.

Howard, you're nothing like him.

I think we have a choice.

And you can reject
the worst of him

and I can accept
the best of her.

- Her honesty and...
- Emily.

I-I, I... I just...

I don't know how to save us.

Yes?

Sorry to disturb, Mrs. Silk.

There's a visitor downstairs.

Walked right up
and asked for you.

Well, who is it?

It's him.

Well, send him in.

Do you want us to stay?

No, it'll be fine.

Well, look who's back.

What are you doing here?

Was gonna ask you
the same thing.

- I live here.
- Okay, can...

Could you two stop, please?

Sorry, I didn't know
I'd be interrupting a reunion.

I won't be here long.

Good.

I know what these people
are gonna do.

You know anything about a little
remote cabin in the woods

outside of Potsdam?

Yes, uh, M-Mira had a place
like that on the other side.

I went there a couple of times.

Could you find it on this side?

Yes, I think I could.

Those fanatics are there
right now

turning themselves
into carriers for a virus.

They're releasing another flu?

They'll throw a hand grenade
in this world

and close the doors.

We need to go there right now.

Wait. No, Emily...

I need to contact Temple.

She can be trusted,
she'll get a good team together.

Emily, please, you-you-you're
not ready for this.

Howard, people are going to die.

I can't stand by,
I refuse to stand by and watch.

Okay, well,
then I'm coming with you.

It's not really your area
of expertise.

Yeah, I'm not asking you.

You can't shut me out anymore.

Let's go.

Howard, where the hell is my wife?

I don't know. Ask him.

H-How the hell did you get back?

I heard you had some trouble
last night.

- I'm okay.
- No...

What-what's going on?
Why are you all here together?

Howard brought me
some information.

He said he'd got it
from two Indigo agents

he apprehended.

It's a remote cabin

west of here.

I think I can remember the way.

The people who are going
to release the flu?

Yeah.

I'm sorry, who are you?

I'm Naya Temple.

You must be the real Howard.

If this checks out,
I want my deal.

You'll get it.

Everyone, follow me.

Are you hurt?

Shot, actually.

No shit?

Also imprisoned...
been interrogated,

isolated, sleep-deprived,
starved...

...beaten.

How was your month?

You two, stay put.

Guard them.

I want this house surrounded.

One team on the left,
one team on the right,

and one team on entry.

There's no cars.

Maybe we're too late.

So, you gonna miss it?

Playing husband?

Wait.

Bring them back.

Bring everybody back.

The whole house is rigged.

Nobody take another step.

We have a shot.

We could take her out right now.

No.

She might be the only one
of them still here.

If she dies,
then we have nothing.

Let me talk to her.

No. We'll call a negotiator.

There's no time.

Naya, I know these people.

I've been tracking them for years.

Emily, no... no.

Cover her.

Do you mind if I sit?

I was supposed to have
done this hours ago.

Done what?

They left me
with the explosives.

Said I had to clean up.

Where are your friends?

What's your name?

Ethel.

I have to die here.

And is that what you want?

I just wanted to be someone else.

I didn't ask for this.

I wanted to paint.

Have some stupid job
I hated, maybe.

Meet someone.

Be a mum.

- I don't know.
- You can still have all those things.

All you have to do
is talk to me.

She won't let me.

Mira doesn't control
you anymore.

She's not here.

You can be free.

It's all fake here.

What is?

Me.

Nothing I am is real.

It's-it's funny, I recently
discovered the same thing.

Why is that?

I lied.

To everyone around me,

to myself, to my...

...husband.

I...

I do this thing where I run away

from anything that's too hard.

Then I woke up.

I realized I didn't want
to do that anymore,

and that there was this...
this person

that I could be if...

...if only I listened to her.

Do you think there's a person
you could be, Ethel?

Where are your friends?

Westbahnhof.

They take different trains at 11:00.

They die out there,

- I die right here.
- No.

You're not gonna die here

because we're both going
to listen to our better selves.

Emily, can you hear me?

Help! Someone help!

Get her out of here, fast.

Howard, she's not your wife.

It's okay, we're getting you
to the hospital.

Don't try to talk.
Don't try to...

What is it? What is it?

Here, here.

Okay, okay.

I have it. You're gonna be okay,
you're gonna be okay.

Stay with me. It's okay.

You're gonna be okay.

Emily, Em-Emily...

Emily...

You're gonna be okay.

You'll be okay!

I'm sorry.

She didn't say
anything beforehand?

What's the precedent here,

when it comes to involving
the police?

We don't.

Peter, those rules
don't matter anymore.

We need all the resources
we can get now.

Get on your knees.

Okay.

You never should have
answered her letters.

I'm sorry.

You-you should have
told her to stay away.

You should have told her
to go back to her life,

our life, her life with me,

and then she might
still be alive.

Howard...

...you're right.

I'm sorry.

Do it.

Go ahead.

I would...

if I were you.

I think she meant that for you.

You'd better go.

You don't have much time.

I'll tell the others.

London.

Paris.

Munich.

Istanbul. Warsaw.

Madrid.

No!

What happened?

Is it done?

It's done.

So we're free?

There's no place for us here.

- What are you talking about?
- I made a new deal.

It's better.

It's what we should've done
a long time ago.

Multiple
casualties have been reported.

Quarantine at Westbahnhof Station

remains a necessity...

as the investigation is still ongoing.

Names of victims
have not yet been released,

and officials have not commented

on the motive for the attack.

The passengers have been
advised to avoid the area

until further notice.

Bring this one into custody.

We'll question him later.

I got her.

Howard Silk tells me
you're the one

who got the intel out of him.

Did it work?

Yeah, we've got people
at the station

cleaning up the bodies,
quarantining the area.

It was good work.

Because of what your people did,

they're closing down
the Crossing for good.

But I have a feeling
there are still more of them.

Aren't there?

Your people in our world.

I want to help.

Good.

My father can never know
who I really am.

We'll keep your secret.

A-And Peter must be reinstated.

Same position.

He's of no use to me.

I don't have any credibility
without him.

We'll work something out.

But from now on,
you report directly to me.

And I'll protect your family.

Now I intend to pray four rak'as

towards the Mecca I never knew.

Allahu Akbar.

Amiyn.

Ian?

Ian?

I know this note is a sad
way to leave things between us,

but I hope you'll understand.

I don't think we'll be seeing
each other again,

not for some time.

The truth is,

there's never really been
an Ian Shaw.

Before we met,

I had another life in their world,

one that I lost...

but never really let go of.

I guess I was torn

between a love that was real

and a life that wasn't.

But now I have
to leave that all behind.

And you were right

when you said our best work
has always been together.

So I leave you with Mira.

I wish
I could have given you more.

Wesley.

So...

Mr. Schmidt.

Please, call me Spencer.

- Didn't take long.
- What didn't take long?

For your father-in-law
to pull some strings,

get your job back.

You know, actually...

it wasn't him this time.

You wouldn't be anything
without her.

No, you're right, I wouldn't.

Well, the Crossing's closed now.

For good this time.

We've sent everyone home.

Except no one seemed
to ask for you.

I have just one question for you...

Spencer.

How does it feel?

To know that you have
absolutely no one.

Do you know the reason
we all admire her so much?

You're fanatics.

Ask her.

Ask her what happened to her other.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Is she asleep?

Yeah.

How was work?

It was fine.

I met Spencer.

And?

If this is ever gonna work,

there's something
I have to tell you.

I...

I don't even...

Can we not, maybe not
do it tonight?

Yeah.

I was thinking about the name.

Spencer.

Do you think it's too late
to change it?

Not if you don't.

Mm, maybe something
a bit more girly.

Like...

How about Sara?

- With an "H"?
- No, not with an "H."

- "Sah-ra"? No. Veto.
- Oh. Okay.

- You know what's pretty?
- Hmm?

Griselda.

Griselda? Oh, God.

Glad you're kidding.

Scheie.

I thought you'd appreciate that trick.

Except this time I made sure
it's a lethal dose.

Very clever...

impersonating management,
shutting down the Crossing.

My work is done.

I wouldn't be too sure of that.

You shouldn't underestimate
the abilities of my other.

What was it like, meeting her?

I never met mine.

Her life was too perfect.

And I know what happens
when you...

see a life you...
never got to have.

Maybe you should have...
given it a try.

There might have been
some hope for you.

My other will die
in her own time.

They all will.

Howard, how are you?

Naya Temple.

We didn't get a chance
to speak at the funeral.

Yes, I remember.

I just wanted to say
how sorry I am.

Your wife...
She saved millions of lives.

I hope you know she was a hero.

That won't
bring her back, though.

Listen...

there's still a transition
underway at the Office,

and I wanted to say that...

there's a position
waiting for you in Strategy.

Like your other.

Do you really think,
after all of this, that...

she would want me
to be more like him?

No.

I suppose not.

No, thank you. I...

I won't be coming back.

I've been thinking lately,
this life is not for me.

It's time I found a new one.

She'd be happy
to see you this way.

If she were still with us.

Yeah.

If.

Thanks for stopping by.

Ah...

How long

have I been asleep?