Covert Affairs (2010–2014): Season 1, Episode 8 - What Is and What Should Never Be - full transcript
After Annie witnesses a suspicious purchase at an art auction, her follow-up brings a surprise visitor - Ben Mercer - back into her life.
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Look,we're not gonna bust you
If you say you're a... Call girl.
We don't like to use that term.
Ben mercer-- we move too
quickly,He could slip away again.
Ep the girl working,keep her out
there,And let's see what he does.
Hopefully,she'll lead us right to him.
- Let him go,annie.
- You're right.
It's stupid. It's time to move on.
- Hassan's down.
- Who fired the shot?
The order was to take him alive.
Who fired?
Drop the weapon!
Drop it now! Get on the ground!
I didn't--
I don't--
Put the gun down.
Move away from the
weapon and lie facedown.
I just heard.
Where is she? The bureau's got her?
Yes. See,this is what happens,arthur.
You put annie in harm's
way,she gets harmed.
Was mercer involved?
Do I need to authorize an ops team?
I have an operative in federal custody,
One who's lucky to be alive.
We can talk about you and your agenda
When I get her back here safely.
I know you.
Let's see,you're not
dressed like a call girl.
Who do you work for today?
- The smithsonia
- do you,now?
We can do the "he said,she
said" back-and-forth thing
When I get back.
Covert
affairs Season 1 Episode 8
You mean the one she didn't call,
Because we didn't let
her call anybody yet?
- That's her.
- Yeah,I got it.
I'd like to speak with my client,alone.
Your client.
She's as much your client
as this is my gavel.
Just understand that we expect
A little interagency
communication and support.
Right this way.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
I said I was your lawyer.
- Did they buy it?
- No.
But you might as well treat me like one,
Because it's gonna be the same advice.
You're sitting in a federal
interrogation room,annie.Why?
- I-I-- I didn't--- A blanket denialIs not
gonna get you anywhere with them or with me.
I'm looking for a
detailed,moment-by-moment explanation.
- I've been trying to work it through.
- Right. So you're confused,maybe in shock?
I understand.
So let's just work through it together.
Take a deep breath and
start at the beginning.
Two days ago,
I attended an auction at bramble's
As part of my smithsonian cover.
Do I hear $500,000?
Thank you,ma'am. $500,000.
Do I hear $750,000? $750,000?
Sir,$750,000. Thank you.
Do I hear $1 million? $1 million?
Thank you. Do I hear...
Bidding on the,uh,velvet elvis?
Oh. I hear the brushwork's amazing.
Yeah. I'm holding out on
the dogs playing poker.
- There's a dogs playing poker?I'll
have to add that to my list.
- You bidding on multiple lots?
- Yeah.
My resources are pretty good.
Funded corporate viper.
We private buyers don't
really care for your kind.
Just don't go for the piece I'm after.
You better hope not.
Fair warning and...
Sold for $5.75 million.Thank you,ma'am.
The renoir is now closed for bidding.
Next up is lot 33,
Thomas cole's 1832
painting a wild scene.
We'll open bidding,please,at
$1.5 million.
$1.5 million.Thank you,sir.
Do I hear $1.75 million?$1.75 million.
Thank you. Do I
hear 2--$2 million?
$2 million. Thank you very much.
Do I hear 2.25?
Don't look at me.
$2.25 million,sir?
Thank you. Do I hear 2.5?
2.5? $2.5 million.
Thank you. Do I hear 2.75?2.75?
Two and three-quarter million
dollars-- thank you very much.
Do I hear 3--
$3 million?
$3 million,sir. Thank you very much.
Do I hear 3.25? 3.25?
$10 million.
$10 million.
Ladies and gentlemen,do I hear 10.1?
$10.1 million?
Very well. Fair warning,and...
sold for $10 million.Thank you.
The cole is now closed for bidding.
That was a gross overbid.
- Excuse me,miss jacklin?
- Yes.
Who was the man that
bought the cole painting?
I-I'm sorry. We can't
release personal information.
Our bidders value their privacy.
I understand,but let me ask you--Wasn't
that bid a little outrageous?
I think if you can pay
outrageous,You can buy outrageous.
This happens from time to time.
Yeah,but the-- the
painting was not worth that.
Apparently,it was.Excuse me.
- August.
- Ann.
So if we see something that
we don't think feels right,
The company wants us to report it,right,
No matter how ridiculous?
Encourages it,in fact. Why?
You see your gardener
buying too much fertilizer?
Somebody wanted me to watch a
certain lotAt bramble's this morning.
- They even circled it on my lot schedule.
- And...?
And the piece sold for
way more than it was worth.
How much more?
$6,maybe $7 million.
File a civ ob.
May tick something in the server.
Civilian
observation-- right.
File a civ ob,catch the unabomber.
Or a stupid art collectorWho
pays too much for a painting.
Hey. We still on for tonight?
Sure. But just to clarify,it's
just a family barbecue--
Paper plates and paper napkins.
I totally understand
what you're trying to say.
I'll dress casually.
So she was working at the
smithsonianWhen you met her?
- I- I'm confused.
- Not exactly.
I wasn't at work. I was,uh...
Actually,we met at a
coffee shop near her work.
So... What is it you do,jai?
Ann says that you're some
kind of a g-man or something.
I think that usually means the fbi.
No,I'm-- I'm just a suit-and-tie
man for the state department.
I,uh,have a number
instead of a name at work.
Oh,my god.
He's,like,the george clooney
of wherever he's from.
Nice. He's actually
third generation d.C.
But that bone structure is ridiculous.
Okay,you're making me
self-conscious here.
Oh,come on,you're one of the beautiful
people too,Which is why it works.
- Is it serious?
- I don't know.
I haven't been on a date in a while.
Aha. Finally,she admits it.
It's a barbecue date.
It's not a serious dateIf everyone
has hickory sauce on their chins.
Oh,come on,you can tell
if has potential or not.
I'm not too much of a mom.
I remember new romance...
Sort of.
That was fun...
As far as barbecues go,
With paper napkins.
- And paper plates?
- Mm.
- Dates are so much fancier.
- They are.
I appreciate the lack of pressure.
And I appreciate the understanding.
We've all had relationships
that take time to get over.
Are you talking about me?
You're a little gun-shy...
A lot gun-shy.
I guess I am.
All I'm saying is I've been there.
If you want to take
your time,take your time.
I'm around.
There's nothing I like
more than a good barbecue.
Hello,annie.
Ben.
I'm not sure whether I,uh...
Apologize first for leaving
you in sri lankaOr...
Breaking into your home.
Sri lanka.
Leaving you was the hardest
thing I ever had to do.
"had to"?
You changed things for me,annie.
And you left me.
I was in love with you,
And you skipped out with a note.
- If I would have stayed any longer,You would have been in danger.
- From what?
My mission.
I was with the agency.
I knew it.
With stas on the train tracks...
It was you who saved me.
I was tracking him.
I'm on my own now.
- A-and somehow that's my responsibility?-
I was in love with you,annie.
That was it.
I thought so longAbout what I would
say to you if I ever saw you again,
And now I realize I don't want to talk.
I want you to talk.
Why are you here? Now?
The cole painting at the auction.
You marked it on my program.
There's more there.
Keep digging. Just push it hard.
What kind of cryptic nonsense is that?
You show up two years
later out of the blue,
And you expect me to "push it hard"?
You push it hard.
I don't believe you.
There's an arms dealer...
Seref murat.
The auction is one of the
ways he moves his money.
That's why that guy overbid so much.
Murat's number two,russ hilburn.
He wasn't just buying
a thomas cole painting.
He was buying a cole and schematicsFor
a russian missile-guidance system.
- That doesn't make sense. The cia would want
to stop that.- Why-- - they want to control it.
They want to control him.
I want to stop murat.
So just to be clear...
You're not asking for forgiveness.
You're asking me for a favor.
What do you want me do to?
Go to sophie jacklin,the
bramble's director.
Ask her about February
22nd,lots 19 and 75.
It may take some coaxing,But I think
she'll come into langley with you.
And if you have to
use my name,you use it.
- You know her?
- Call her mona lisa,
And she'll know you're not bluffing.
No.
Annie...
I know this is a lot to take in.
- The cia-- -
forget protocol.
The agency is using you to get to me.
You can't believe anything they
say about meOr anything I've done.
Do not trust joan and arthur.
Maybe I don't deserve this,
But I'm asking you to trust me.
Trust the man you fell
in love with in sri lanka.
I know that sound.Access denied.
Someone's gonna throw a net
over you in five,four...Three...
I mock your attempt at humor.
What,are you looking
for kennedy's assassin?
Just blown password.
I'm checking on some stuff for joan.
Careful. The walls around
here have eyes and ears.
Try to avoid major felonies.
- damn password.
- at least turn downYour speakers.
- Who called your attention to the auction?
- Sophie jacklin.
She called me yesterday morning.
And what did she say on the phone?
That she needed to see me,alone.
Excuse me!
Excuse me.
We're closed.
I-I need to speak to miss jacklin.
Sorry. I
- I haven't much time.
- I'm annie walker.
- From the smithsonian,yes.
You were upset about the
price of the cole painting.
It was exorbitant.
Like I told you,you
know,people have their reasons.
I can't really guess why
someone might bid what they bid.
What about February 22nd,
Lots 19 and 75?
May I see your credentials,please?
I need another 15 minutes.
Yeah,well,make them wait.
Something urgent's come up.
In my office. Yeah.
So,um...
Lots 19 and 75 on...
Was that the 22nd of February?
Don't play games with me.
I have no idea what
you're talking about.
Do you want me to mention murat?
Maybe you should show me
your other credentials now.
Fbi? Interpol?
Well,you can't be cia.
What makes you say that?
Because they would
have sent someone else.
So tell me,annie walker,
Who the hell are you?
I'm not here to arrest you or kill you
Or whatever you think.
Put the gun down.
Oh,you just happen to be
interestedIn those particular lots.
I know about murat's deals
And hilburn making the transactions.
That was him at the auction,wasn't it?
- You must think I'm naive.
- I was sent here to help you.
By whom?
You haven't told me anything yet.
I was sent by Ben mercer.
Ben's dead.
I saw him last night.
I don't believe you.
Believe me,mona lisa.
Who was he to you?
He didn't tell you?
Ben has many secrets.
He was my contact at the agency.
He was the operative
who first approached me.
I facilitated certain financial
transactionsFor the company,
Similar to what I do
for hilburn and murat.
Ben made me feel safe,protected.
When they told me that he'd been
killed,It wasn't the same anymore.
I felt exposed.
You started double dealing.
No,I-I was having some
financial troubles,
And russ hilburn's money
looked awfully good.
So why...
Why didn't Ben come himself?
Ben's in a complicated situation.
A
- and so are you.
It's the russiansWho are
selling the plans to murat,right?
I don't know anything about any plans.
They don't tell me.
That's not gonna hold upWhen
they start handing out indictments
Or when murat and hilburn decideThat
you're the one causing this problem.
They'll kill me.
But they won't have the chanceIf
you come with me to langley now
And tell us what you know.
We have to hurry.
Um,hilburn's men are on their
way nowTo pick up the painting.
- That's who you were with on the phone?-
If you're here when they arrive,they--
Look,they're not the kind of
menTo waste time asking questions.
There's a side exit
through the warehouse.
You always pack that much heat?
I don't even know if it works.
I guess what you said about hilburn...
It's not the first timeI thought
about what they might do to me.
Hello,sophie.
Something wrong?
The cole is waiting
for you in receiving.
You are supposed to be alone.
This is a friend
of mine-- annie.
- She dropped by.
- Which is whyYou're hurrying out with your gun.
I've never seen you with a weapon.
Look,this must be some
kind of misunderstanding.
Miss jacklin?
Go,go,go!
The loading dock's through that way.
- Hey,do you want this?
- no,keep it.
Keep moving towards the dock.
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It works.
Drop the weapon!
Drop it now! Get on the ground!
I didn't--
I don't--
Put the gun down.
Step away from the
weapon and lie facedown.
Sophie jacklin tipped you to the
overbidAnd then denied anything was wrong
When you approached her afterwards?
Sh-- she was worried
she was being watched.
She told you that.
When she called me...
Yesterday morning.
And what did she say on the phone?
That she needed to see me,alone.
So she knew who you worked for.
She didn't say,Only that she had
information for me about the buyer.
What'd it say?
Confirms two men at your shootoutWere
turkish,foreign nationals,
Which is why you're in
federal custody,not state.
Find anything yet?
I'm in the middle of it now.
She deleted her history,tried
to cover her tracks.
On a civ ob?
It's not like annie to work off book.
So ms. Jacklin took
you back to her office
And told you the buyer was payingFor
more than just a thomas cole.
The only reason you you hesitateIs
because you're trying to handle me.
You do that,and you lose,annie,
Because I am much,much
better at this than you.
Just answer. What did she say?
It was a money exchange
For schematics for a russian
missile-guidance system.
- If the russians were the
sellers,who were the turks?
Who was it that overbid
for the cole painting?
She didn't say.
She didn't say. Really?
After being such a
fountain of information.
Sophie jacklin was a cia asset.
She had been for six years.
Did she bother,after all that,
Telling you why she didn't
contact her regular handler?
No,ma'am.
Did she tell you who
her first handler was?
No,ma'am,she didn't.
Haven't got much here.
You get her search history restored?
Working on it.
Looks like she was diggingInto some
pretty serious classified stuff.
Hey,have you ever run across
anyone named Ben mercer?
Never heard of him.
Uh,listen,I got to make another call.
- I'll see you back at the shop.
- Yeah.
Wrong guy,annie.
Mm-hmm?
What exactly were you searching
forIn the agency database?
Art comps-- activity
from the auction house.
I don't believe you.
I don't believe a single
thing you've told me.
And as far as the feds
out there are concerned,
You work for the smithsonian.
Do you know what that means?
That means you are a
citizen ripe for prosecution.
That means you are
responsible for four bodies.
So unless you start opening up,
Unless you start telling
me the absolute truth,
I am gonna hang you out to dry,annie.
Believe me,I will.
Tell me about Ben mercer.
This is the day she was arrested?
Yeah,earlier--Before the
place got all shot to hell.
Mick...
That was my friend who died.
Good man.
- I'm sorry.
- it's my fault.
I had a feeling she was trouble.
Miss jacklin,she knew
something was wrong.
Watch this move here...
Ah. Bang.
Should have pulled the trigger.
How much did you not disclose about
mercerDuring your initial with us?
Why are you so interested in Ben?
Because he is in this
up to his eyeballs.
And is that why I was
recruited by the agency?
Have you seen him?
Have you seen him?
Yes.
Annie went to sophie,not
the other way around.
Nothing in the auction house
database on who the buyer was.
Jacklin must have deleted it.
Nothing in annie's home either.
Auggie confirmed her looking
into mercer at the agency.
And she just admitted contact with him.
I still have four bodies
that I have to account for.
So don't try and pull your spook magicAnd
disappear the case from my docket.
This is domestic through and through.
I'm not finished talking
with my client,mr. Rossabi.
But I'm about to be.
No more games,annie.
If there's a weapons plan in play,
You need to tell me everything you know.
Who's the buyer?
Believe me,whatever you think you know,
I promise you,it is not the whole truth.
Ben mercer is a liar
who abandoned the agency.
You need to make a
choice right now,annie,
Because this is
it-- right now.
The name of the buyer,
Or I will leave you
here to be prosecuted.
I guess annie opened up.
What do you think
they're gonna do to her?
That's up to joan.
How forgiving did she look?
You could tell as much as I could.
Ben mercer was a cia operative.
He turned sophie jacklin six
years agoAnd made her an asset.
That's it?
That's all you're gonna
give me?I already knew that!
There is no quid pro quo,annie.
I don't owe you anything.
- After I-- -
after you what?
Finally stopped lying,breaking
protocol,And did your job?
You do understand
that you could be fired
Or tried for treason
for what you've done.
Do you understand that?
He went rogue,annie.
That's all that matters in the end.
You never answered my question.
Are you using me to get to him?
Is that why you recruited me?
We recruit people for
all kinds of reasons.
What matters is how they perform
in their dutiesOnce they're here.
If they don't perform,we'd let them go,
No matter why they were recruited.
So where do I stand?
What's my status here?
I thought I said to
avoid major felonies.
I'm sorry,auggie.
I didn't make things
too hard for you,did I?
My problem is I like you,
So I'm always gonna
try and cover for you,
Which I now see is going to lead
meStraight to potential treason.
If they would just be
straight with me about Ben,
I could settle it in my own head.
- What do you know
about-- - I can't,annie.
Even if I did know something,I can't.
So...
How bad was the fallout,anyway?
I have to report to fbi agent rossabi.
It's part of my release and
something about good will,
To help him with the bramble's shooter.
You know what that is,right?
A huge break.
Don't kid yourself.
- Joan must like you.
- Ha! Right.
I can't stop thinking about sophie.
- I feel like it's my fault.
- Hey,don't do that,annie.
Just tell me it gets easier.
When it does...
That's when you have to
start worrying about yourself.
Where do you keep your gunWhen
you're being a museum curator?
I don't carry a gun.
And I'm not a curator.
I'm in acquisitions.
Is that a spook cover deal,Or are
you actually qualified for that?
Oh,I'm fully qualified.
Want to quiz me?
You don't really have
a badge to flash,do you?
I have a library card.
It's like a badge.
It's badge-like.
Agent rossabi,fbi. You
got a crime scene here?
Not bad for a bunch of art majors.
You guys tore it up.
This is where the director went down.
For all intents and
purposes,agent rossabi,
She was in my custody.
Ah,it was the first time you
lost someone on your watch.
Can't let it take you down...
Whether you're a cop or an art dealer.
A colleague of mine said that earlier.
It feels like something that people
sayTo avoid the ugly feelings.
You got to own the ugly
feelings.That's our responsibility.
You just don't get lost in the guilt.
Can't afford it in our line of work.
That's 20 years' worth of my salary.
About-- it's
about 20.
Well,the bad guys left it teetering.
It was clearly teetering.
- The cole painting's down here.
- Great.
This is the one
Standard issue switchblade?
See,I bet the smithsonian
doesn't let you have these.
Important enough to come back for.
What the hell?
He had to come and get it after
your shootout,In the last 24 hours.
Or the last five minutes.
You can't possibly
view this as my fault.
I did exactly
what you said--
Interdepartmental... Whatever.
Can I help it if it took usTo what
you guys are supposed to be finding?
- No.
- Do we have any other leadsOn where hilburn might be headed,
Any other intel?
Nothing actionable yet.
What do you want me to do?
Just...Go home.
Go home and stay home for
the rest of the night.Please.
Thomas P***
Hello,smithsonian.
It's you... The guy from the auction.
You're russ hilburn.
- The other guy-- -
oh,he's also on the payroll.
Like to keep them
guessing,just in case,well...
And you don't work for the smithsonian.
Actually,I do.
But you file more than one tax return.
Is that how you treat
iconic american art?
It wasn't really about the
pieceSo much as the packaging.
Take her inland.
Dumping's not allowed in the harbor.
He said don't kill me in the harbor!
No. He said don't dump you here.
I can kill you wherever.
That's not really a fair fight.
Have harbor patrol pick up hilburn.He
can't be more than a mile out.
Joan had you tail me?
I think it worked out.
She told me mercer left her a matchbook
With hilburn's slip number
written on the inside cover.
She went after hilburn
herself-- no backup.
Well,I think she thought mercer
would be there,Not hilburn.
And you accuse me of
putting her in harm's way.
My guess is mercer thought
annie would report it,
Just like she did with the auction.
Why write it on a matchbook?
He was probably trying to
order the way things went down,
To make sure annie brought
sophie here firstTo protect her.
Can't say he accomplished that,did he?
Sometimes men can be misguidedWhen
they think they're helping women.
We're not using annie as bait anymore.
It's not your call.
As long as annie works for us,Mercer's
gonna be keeping tabs on her.
Annie is in this,Whether
she wants to be or not.
See ya at home?
Covert
affairs Season 1 Episode 8
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Look,we're not gonna bust you
If you say you're a... Call girl.
We don't like to use that term.
Ben mercer-- we move too
quickly,He could slip away again.
Ep the girl working,keep her out
there,And let's see what he does.
Hopefully,she'll lead us right to him.
- Let him go,annie.
- You're right.
It's stupid. It's time to move on.
- Hassan's down.
- Who fired the shot?
The order was to take him alive.
Who fired?
Drop the weapon!
Drop it now! Get on the ground!
I didn't--
I don't--
Put the gun down.
Move away from the
weapon and lie facedown.
I just heard.
Where is she? The bureau's got her?
Yes. See,this is what happens,arthur.
You put annie in harm's
way,she gets harmed.
Was mercer involved?
Do I need to authorize an ops team?
I have an operative in federal custody,
One who's lucky to be alive.
We can talk about you and your agenda
When I get her back here safely.
I know you.
Let's see,you're not
dressed like a call girl.
Who do you work for today?
- The smithsonia
- do you,now?
We can do the "he said,she
said" back-and-forth thing
When I get back.
Covert
affairs Season 1 Episode 8
You mean the one she didn't call,
Because we didn't let
her call anybody yet?
- That's her.
- Yeah,I got it.
I'd like to speak with my client,alone.
Your client.
She's as much your client
as this is my gavel.
Just understand that we expect
A little interagency
communication and support.
Right this way.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
I said I was your lawyer.
- Did they buy it?
- No.
But you might as well treat me like one,
Because it's gonna be the same advice.
You're sitting in a federal
interrogation room,annie.Why?
- I-I-- I didn't--- A blanket denialIs not
gonna get you anywhere with them or with me.
I'm looking for a
detailed,moment-by-moment explanation.
- I've been trying to work it through.
- Right. So you're confused,maybe in shock?
I understand.
So let's just work through it together.
Take a deep breath and
start at the beginning.
Two days ago,
I attended an auction at bramble's
As part of my smithsonian cover.
Do I hear $500,000?
Thank you,ma'am. $500,000.
Do I hear $750,000? $750,000?
Sir,$750,000. Thank you.
Do I hear $1 million? $1 million?
Thank you. Do I hear...
Bidding on the,uh,velvet elvis?
Oh. I hear the brushwork's amazing.
Yeah. I'm holding out on
the dogs playing poker.
- There's a dogs playing poker?I'll
have to add that to my list.
- You bidding on multiple lots?
- Yeah.
My resources are pretty good.
Funded corporate viper.
We private buyers don't
really care for your kind.
Just don't go for the piece I'm after.
You better hope not.
Fair warning and...
Sold for $5.75 million.Thank you,ma'am.
The renoir is now closed for bidding.
Next up is lot 33,
Thomas cole's 1832
painting a wild scene.
We'll open bidding,please,at
$1.5 million.
$1.5 million.Thank you,sir.
Do I hear $1.75 million?$1.75 million.
Thank you. Do I
hear 2--$2 million?
$2 million. Thank you very much.
Do I hear 2.25?
Don't look at me.
$2.25 million,sir?
Thank you. Do I hear 2.5?
2.5? $2.5 million.
Thank you. Do I hear 2.75?2.75?
Two and three-quarter million
dollars-- thank you very much.
Do I hear 3--
$3 million?
$3 million,sir. Thank you very much.
Do I hear 3.25? 3.25?
$10 million.
$10 million.
Ladies and gentlemen,do I hear 10.1?
$10.1 million?
Very well. Fair warning,and...
sold for $10 million.Thank you.
The cole is now closed for bidding.
That was a gross overbid.
- Excuse me,miss jacklin?
- Yes.
Who was the man that
bought the cole painting?
I-I'm sorry. We can't
release personal information.
Our bidders value their privacy.
I understand,but let me ask you--Wasn't
that bid a little outrageous?
I think if you can pay
outrageous,You can buy outrageous.
This happens from time to time.
Yeah,but the-- the
painting was not worth that.
Apparently,it was.Excuse me.
- August.
- Ann.
So if we see something that
we don't think feels right,
The company wants us to report it,right,
No matter how ridiculous?
Encourages it,in fact. Why?
You see your gardener
buying too much fertilizer?
Somebody wanted me to watch a
certain lotAt bramble's this morning.
- They even circled it on my lot schedule.
- And...?
And the piece sold for
way more than it was worth.
How much more?
$6,maybe $7 million.
File a civ ob.
May tick something in the server.
Civilian
observation-- right.
File a civ ob,catch the unabomber.
Or a stupid art collectorWho
pays too much for a painting.
Hey. We still on for tonight?
Sure. But just to clarify,it's
just a family barbecue--
Paper plates and paper napkins.
I totally understand
what you're trying to say.
I'll dress casually.
So she was working at the
smithsonianWhen you met her?
- I- I'm confused.
- Not exactly.
I wasn't at work. I was,uh...
Actually,we met at a
coffee shop near her work.
So... What is it you do,jai?
Ann says that you're some
kind of a g-man or something.
I think that usually means the fbi.
No,I'm-- I'm just a suit-and-tie
man for the state department.
I,uh,have a number
instead of a name at work.
Oh,my god.
He's,like,the george clooney
of wherever he's from.
Nice. He's actually
third generation d.C.
But that bone structure is ridiculous.
Okay,you're making me
self-conscious here.
Oh,come on,you're one of the beautiful
people too,Which is why it works.
- Is it serious?
- I don't know.
I haven't been on a date in a while.
Aha. Finally,she admits it.
It's a barbecue date.
It's not a serious dateIf everyone
has hickory sauce on their chins.
Oh,come on,you can tell
if has potential or not.
I'm not too much of a mom.
I remember new romance...
Sort of.
That was fun...
As far as barbecues go,
With paper napkins.
- And paper plates?
- Mm.
- Dates are so much fancier.
- They are.
I appreciate the lack of pressure.
And I appreciate the understanding.
We've all had relationships
that take time to get over.
Are you talking about me?
You're a little gun-shy...
A lot gun-shy.
I guess I am.
All I'm saying is I've been there.
If you want to take
your time,take your time.
I'm around.
There's nothing I like
more than a good barbecue.
Hello,annie.
Ben.
I'm not sure whether I,uh...
Apologize first for leaving
you in sri lankaOr...
Breaking into your home.
Sri lanka.
Leaving you was the hardest
thing I ever had to do.
"had to"?
You changed things for me,annie.
And you left me.
I was in love with you,
And you skipped out with a note.
- If I would have stayed any longer,You would have been in danger.
- From what?
My mission.
I was with the agency.
I knew it.
With stas on the train tracks...
It was you who saved me.
I was tracking him.
I'm on my own now.
- A-and somehow that's my responsibility?-
I was in love with you,annie.
That was it.
I thought so longAbout what I would
say to you if I ever saw you again,
And now I realize I don't want to talk.
I want you to talk.
Why are you here? Now?
The cole painting at the auction.
You marked it on my program.
There's more there.
Keep digging. Just push it hard.
What kind of cryptic nonsense is that?
You show up two years
later out of the blue,
And you expect me to "push it hard"?
You push it hard.
I don't believe you.
There's an arms dealer...
Seref murat.
The auction is one of the
ways he moves his money.
That's why that guy overbid so much.
Murat's number two,russ hilburn.
He wasn't just buying
a thomas cole painting.
He was buying a cole and schematicsFor
a russian missile-guidance system.
- That doesn't make sense. The cia would want
to stop that.- Why-- - they want to control it.
They want to control him.
I want to stop murat.
So just to be clear...
You're not asking for forgiveness.
You're asking me for a favor.
What do you want me do to?
Go to sophie jacklin,the
bramble's director.
Ask her about February
22nd,lots 19 and 75.
It may take some coaxing,But I think
she'll come into langley with you.
And if you have to
use my name,you use it.
- You know her?
- Call her mona lisa,
And she'll know you're not bluffing.
No.
Annie...
I know this is a lot to take in.
- The cia-- -
forget protocol.
The agency is using you to get to me.
You can't believe anything they
say about meOr anything I've done.
Do not trust joan and arthur.
Maybe I don't deserve this,
But I'm asking you to trust me.
Trust the man you fell
in love with in sri lanka.
I know that sound.Access denied.
Someone's gonna throw a net
over you in five,four...Three...
I mock your attempt at humor.
What,are you looking
for kennedy's assassin?
Just blown password.
I'm checking on some stuff for joan.
Careful. The walls around
here have eyes and ears.
Try to avoid major felonies.
- damn password.
- at least turn downYour speakers.
- Who called your attention to the auction?
- Sophie jacklin.
She called me yesterday morning.
And what did she say on the phone?
That she needed to see me,alone.
Excuse me!
Excuse me.
We're closed.
I-I need to speak to miss jacklin.
Sorry. I
- I haven't much time.
- I'm annie walker.
- From the smithsonian,yes.
You were upset about the
price of the cole painting.
It was exorbitant.
Like I told you,you
know,people have their reasons.
I can't really guess why
someone might bid what they bid.
What about February 22nd,
Lots 19 and 75?
May I see your credentials,please?
I need another 15 minutes.
Yeah,well,make them wait.
Something urgent's come up.
In my office. Yeah.
So,um...
Lots 19 and 75 on...
Was that the 22nd of February?
Don't play games with me.
I have no idea what
you're talking about.
Do you want me to mention murat?
Maybe you should show me
your other credentials now.
Fbi? Interpol?
Well,you can't be cia.
What makes you say that?
Because they would
have sent someone else.
So tell me,annie walker,
Who the hell are you?
I'm not here to arrest you or kill you
Or whatever you think.
Put the gun down.
Oh,you just happen to be
interestedIn those particular lots.
I know about murat's deals
And hilburn making the transactions.
That was him at the auction,wasn't it?
- You must think I'm naive.
- I was sent here to help you.
By whom?
You haven't told me anything yet.
I was sent by Ben mercer.
Ben's dead.
I saw him last night.
I don't believe you.
Believe me,mona lisa.
Who was he to you?
He didn't tell you?
Ben has many secrets.
He was my contact at the agency.
He was the operative
who first approached me.
I facilitated certain financial
transactionsFor the company,
Similar to what I do
for hilburn and murat.
Ben made me feel safe,protected.
When they told me that he'd been
killed,It wasn't the same anymore.
I felt exposed.
You started double dealing.
No,I-I was having some
financial troubles,
And russ hilburn's money
looked awfully good.
So why...
Why didn't Ben come himself?
Ben's in a complicated situation.
A
- and so are you.
It's the russiansWho are
selling the plans to murat,right?
I don't know anything about any plans.
They don't tell me.
That's not gonna hold upWhen
they start handing out indictments
Or when murat and hilburn decideThat
you're the one causing this problem.
They'll kill me.
But they won't have the chanceIf
you come with me to langley now
And tell us what you know.
We have to hurry.
Um,hilburn's men are on their
way nowTo pick up the painting.
- That's who you were with on the phone?-
If you're here when they arrive,they--
Look,they're not the kind of
menTo waste time asking questions.
There's a side exit
through the warehouse.
You always pack that much heat?
I don't even know if it works.
I guess what you said about hilburn...
It's not the first timeI thought
about what they might do to me.
Hello,sophie.
Something wrong?
The cole is waiting
for you in receiving.
You are supposed to be alone.
This is a friend
of mine-- annie.
- She dropped by.
- Which is whyYou're hurrying out with your gun.
I've never seen you with a weapon.
Look,this must be some
kind of misunderstanding.
Miss jacklin?
Go,go,go!
The loading dock's through that way.
- Hey,do you want this?
- no,keep it.
Keep moving towards the dock.
g***
It works.
Drop the weapon!
Drop it now! Get on the ground!
I didn't--
I don't--
Put the gun down.
Step away from the
weapon and lie facedown.
Sophie jacklin tipped you to the
overbidAnd then denied anything was wrong
When you approached her afterwards?
Sh-- she was worried
she was being watched.
She told you that.
When she called me...
Yesterday morning.
And what did she say on the phone?
That she needed to see me,alone.
So she knew who you worked for.
She didn't say,Only that she had
information for me about the buyer.
What'd it say?
Confirms two men at your shootoutWere
turkish,foreign nationals,
Which is why you're in
federal custody,not state.
Find anything yet?
I'm in the middle of it now.
She deleted her history,tried
to cover her tracks.
On a civ ob?
It's not like annie to work off book.
So ms. Jacklin took
you back to her office
And told you the buyer was payingFor
more than just a thomas cole.
The only reason you you hesitateIs
because you're trying to handle me.
You do that,and you lose,annie,
Because I am much,much
better at this than you.
Just answer. What did she say?
It was a money exchange
For schematics for a russian
missile-guidance system.
- If the russians were the
sellers,who were the turks?
Who was it that overbid
for the cole painting?
She didn't say.
She didn't say. Really?
After being such a
fountain of information.
Sophie jacklin was a cia asset.
She had been for six years.
Did she bother,after all that,
Telling you why she didn't
contact her regular handler?
No,ma'am.
Did she tell you who
her first handler was?
No,ma'am,she didn't.
Haven't got much here.
You get her search history restored?
Working on it.
Looks like she was diggingInto some
pretty serious classified stuff.
Hey,have you ever run across
anyone named Ben mercer?
Never heard of him.
Uh,listen,I got to make another call.
- I'll see you back at the shop.
- Yeah.
Wrong guy,annie.
Mm-hmm?
What exactly were you searching
forIn the agency database?
Art comps-- activity
from the auction house.
I don't believe you.
I don't believe a single
thing you've told me.
And as far as the feds
out there are concerned,
You work for the smithsonian.
Do you know what that means?
That means you are a
citizen ripe for prosecution.
That means you are
responsible for four bodies.
So unless you start opening up,
Unless you start telling
me the absolute truth,
I am gonna hang you out to dry,annie.
Believe me,I will.
Tell me about Ben mercer.
This is the day she was arrested?
Yeah,earlier--Before the
place got all shot to hell.
Mick...
That was my friend who died.
Good man.
- I'm sorry.
- it's my fault.
I had a feeling she was trouble.
Miss jacklin,she knew
something was wrong.
Watch this move here...
Ah. Bang.
Should have pulled the trigger.
How much did you not disclose about
mercerDuring your initial with us?
Why are you so interested in Ben?
Because he is in this
up to his eyeballs.
And is that why I was
recruited by the agency?
Have you seen him?
Have you seen him?
Yes.
Annie went to sophie,not
the other way around.
Nothing in the auction house
database on who the buyer was.
Jacklin must have deleted it.
Nothing in annie's home either.
Auggie confirmed her looking
into mercer at the agency.
And she just admitted contact with him.
I still have four bodies
that I have to account for.
So don't try and pull your spook magicAnd
disappear the case from my docket.
This is domestic through and through.
I'm not finished talking
with my client,mr. Rossabi.
But I'm about to be.
No more games,annie.
If there's a weapons plan in play,
You need to tell me everything you know.
Who's the buyer?
Believe me,whatever you think you know,
I promise you,it is not the whole truth.
Ben mercer is a liar
who abandoned the agency.
You need to make a
choice right now,annie,
Because this is
it-- right now.
The name of the buyer,
Or I will leave you
here to be prosecuted.
I guess annie opened up.
What do you think
they're gonna do to her?
That's up to joan.
How forgiving did she look?
You could tell as much as I could.
Ben mercer was a cia operative.
He turned sophie jacklin six
years agoAnd made her an asset.
That's it?
That's all you're gonna
give me?I already knew that!
There is no quid pro quo,annie.
I don't owe you anything.
- After I-- -
after you what?
Finally stopped lying,breaking
protocol,And did your job?
You do understand
that you could be fired
Or tried for treason
for what you've done.
Do you understand that?
He went rogue,annie.
That's all that matters in the end.
You never answered my question.
Are you using me to get to him?
Is that why you recruited me?
We recruit people for
all kinds of reasons.
What matters is how they perform
in their dutiesOnce they're here.
If they don't perform,we'd let them go,
No matter why they were recruited.
So where do I stand?
What's my status here?
I thought I said to
avoid major felonies.
I'm sorry,auggie.
I didn't make things
too hard for you,did I?
My problem is I like you,
So I'm always gonna
try and cover for you,
Which I now see is going to lead
meStraight to potential treason.
If they would just be
straight with me about Ben,
I could settle it in my own head.
- What do you know
about-- - I can't,annie.
Even if I did know something,I can't.
So...
How bad was the fallout,anyway?
I have to report to fbi agent rossabi.
It's part of my release and
something about good will,
To help him with the bramble's shooter.
You know what that is,right?
A huge break.
Don't kid yourself.
- Joan must like you.
- Ha! Right.
I can't stop thinking about sophie.
- I feel like it's my fault.
- Hey,don't do that,annie.
Just tell me it gets easier.
When it does...
That's when you have to
start worrying about yourself.
Where do you keep your gunWhen
you're being a museum curator?
I don't carry a gun.
And I'm not a curator.
I'm in acquisitions.
Is that a spook cover deal,Or are
you actually qualified for that?
Oh,I'm fully qualified.
Want to quiz me?
You don't really have
a badge to flash,do you?
I have a library card.
It's like a badge.
It's badge-like.
Agent rossabi,fbi. You
got a crime scene here?
Not bad for a bunch of art majors.
You guys tore it up.
This is where the director went down.
For all intents and
purposes,agent rossabi,
She was in my custody.
Ah,it was the first time you
lost someone on your watch.
Can't let it take you down...
Whether you're a cop or an art dealer.
A colleague of mine said that earlier.
It feels like something that people
sayTo avoid the ugly feelings.
You got to own the ugly
feelings.That's our responsibility.
You just don't get lost in the guilt.
Can't afford it in our line of work.
That's 20 years' worth of my salary.
About-- it's
about 20.
Well,the bad guys left it teetering.
It was clearly teetering.
- The cole painting's down here.
- Great.
This is the one
Standard issue switchblade?
See,I bet the smithsonian
doesn't let you have these.
Important enough to come back for.
What the hell?
He had to come and get it after
your shootout,In the last 24 hours.
Or the last five minutes.
You can't possibly
view this as my fault.
I did exactly
what you said--
Interdepartmental... Whatever.
Can I help it if it took usTo what
you guys are supposed to be finding?
- No.
- Do we have any other leadsOn where hilburn might be headed,
Any other intel?
Nothing actionable yet.
What do you want me to do?
Just...Go home.
Go home and stay home for
the rest of the night.Please.
Thomas P***
Hello,smithsonian.
It's you... The guy from the auction.
You're russ hilburn.
- The other guy-- -
oh,he's also on the payroll.
Like to keep them
guessing,just in case,well...
And you don't work for the smithsonian.
Actually,I do.
But you file more than one tax return.
Is that how you treat
iconic american art?
It wasn't really about the
pieceSo much as the packaging.
Take her inland.
Dumping's not allowed in the harbor.
He said don't kill me in the harbor!
No. He said don't dump you here.
I can kill you wherever.
That's not really a fair fight.
Have harbor patrol pick up hilburn.He
can't be more than a mile out.
Joan had you tail me?
I think it worked out.
She told me mercer left her a matchbook
With hilburn's slip number
written on the inside cover.
She went after hilburn
herself-- no backup.
Well,I think she thought mercer
would be there,Not hilburn.
And you accuse me of
putting her in harm's way.
My guess is mercer thought
annie would report it,
Just like she did with the auction.
Why write it on a matchbook?
He was probably trying to
order the way things went down,
To make sure annie brought
sophie here firstTo protect her.
Can't say he accomplished that,did he?
Sometimes men can be misguidedWhen
they think they're helping women.
We're not using annie as bait anymore.
It's not your call.
As long as annie works for us,Mercer's
gonna be keeping tabs on her.
Annie is in this,Whether
she wants to be or not.
See ya at home?
Covert
affairs Season 1 Episode 8