Hostages (2013–2014): Season 1, Episode 2 - Invisible Leash - full transcript

Previously on Hostages...

Who gave the order to shoot?

I did. I'm FBI Special Agent
Duncan Carlisle.

He switched places
with the hostage.

What if you'd been wrong?

I wasn't.

When is Mommy coming home?

Mommy needs to rest, honey.
So she can get better.

Dr. Sanders! How does it feel
to be responsible

for the life of the President
of the United States?

His life is no more important
than any of my patients'.



Which is to say, it's the most
important thing in the world.

- How was your day?
- Not as exciting as yours.

- It was just a press conference.
- With the President.

Mom, what are you doing home?
Did you get fired?

I came home early to cook dinner.

- Are you ready?
- Let's do it.

Why are you doing this?

You are going to kill the President
of the United States, Ellen.

Otherwise,
we will kill your family.

DUNCAN:
We know all your secrets.

Sometimes you have to do
a bad thing for a good reason.

ELLEN: Mr. President.
How are you feeling?

I have full confidence in you.

We've just been told
that the President



will not be undergoing
surgery today.

He was mistakenly
given a blood thinner

only hours before
his scheduled surgery.

REPORTER: Dr. Sanders.
How do you feel about this setback?

- Are you upset?
- No. I don't give up that easily.

Excuse me, Dr. Sanders?
We need you to come with us.

Now.

Are you okay?

I can't believe this is happening.

I'm positive I gave him
the right medication.

I have no idea what...

You are not to blame, Angela.
Everything's gonna be...

Ma'am. Please step into
the conference room.

Dr. Sanders.
Agent Hoffman.

Won't you have a seat.

Is everything all right
with the President?

Yes.
Thanks to you, Dr. Sanders.

But as you might imagine,

the Secret Service takes any
potential threat to the President's life

very seriously, so I'm here to find out
exactly what happened.

Good. I'm glad.
I feel terrible about this.

About what?

About someone accidentally
giving him the wrong medication.

Why are you so sure
that it was an accident?

I suppose I can't imagine
someone doing this on purpose.

Other than you, how many medical
professionals had direct access

to the President this morning?

Two doctors and five nurses.

And how did you know that the President
had been given a blood thinner?

When he was in pre-op,
I noticed an unusual amount of blood

forming around
the catheter in his arm.

I was concerned that he might
not be clotting properly.

So I ordered additional tests,
and when I saw the results,

I realized he must have been
given a blood thinner.

And I called off the surgery.

Because it would have
been too risky?

Because he would have died.

Anything out of the ordinary happen
prior to that point in time?

No. Not at all. I did everything
according to standard procedure.

Is there anything else
we should know?

Sir. You asked to see these
the second they came in.

Excuse me a moment.

How are Morgan and Jake getting along
with your new house guests?

I'm sorry for the interruption.

Is there anything else
you would like to share?

Jake? Morgan?

Where's my family?

I'm impressed.

Where are they?

I knew you were resourceful, Ellen,
but I have to admit,

I didn't see this coming.

Brian!

Jake!

Save your breath, Ellen.

What have you done with them?

Did you really think you'd
get away with this?

That there'd be no consequences?

Please... I just...
I couldn't go through with it.

But I will,
I can definitely do it.

You expect me to believe that?

Just tell me
you didn't hurt my family.

Please.

You should have thought
about them sooner.

It's not too late.
I didn't say anything.

Nobody knows you're here.

I can still do what you want.
Nothing has changed!

If only that were the case.

Your clever little ruse has made
everything much more difficult.

No!

One of them has to die.

It's up to you.

No, I... I can't...

Then I'll kill them all.

Please. Don't do this.

Nice, thick walls.

Nobody will hear a thing.

Is it him?

- Her?
- Not my children!

So the answer is Brian.
Good.

But I want you to do it.

Please...

No, please... I...

You can do it, Ellen.

- No, I can't.
- You can.

No, no, I can't... I...

Yes, you can.

You're tougher than you think.

I'm gonna count to three.

One...

Two...

Three.

See?

You are a killer.

You're okay, you're okay.
You're gonna be all right.

Ask me, you should have
shot him for real.

Sometimes a mind game
is more effective.

Let me know when you want
me to bring them upstairs.

How come you didn't tell me
this was about the President?

Would it have made a difference?

Don't play hostage negotiator.
Not with me.

You know how this works, Archer.
The less everybody knows, the better.

It protects us all,
in case things go sideways.

I'm a big boy, D.
I don't need protection. Just facts.

Okay.
Ask me anything you want.

Who else is involved?

My contact is an official inside
the White House. That's all I know.

- You trust him?
- No.

You really didn't ask?

Why not?

None of my business.
Truth is, I don't really care.

I want to know what's going on.
Is this guy a terrorist? A lunatic?

No, not even close.

I signed on for a simple blackmail gig,
24 hours, in and out.

Not an assassination attempt.

You saying you want to walk?

Depends on the deal.

He'll make it right.
He's a stand-up dude.

Stand-up dudes don't lie.

You done?

Yeah. All set.

Good.
Let's get the family upstairs.

There.

Beginning tomorrow, you're going
to return to your normal lives.

For the next two weeks, you will
carry on as if nothing is wrong.

We'll be watching you.
Listening to you.

Every move you make,
even when we're not with you,

we'll be with you.

You will do as we say.

You will come home
at the exact time we tell you.

If you say a word about this
to anyone... anyone...

a friend, a teacher, a dog...

the rest of your family
will be killed.

What's that?

Wash your hands, Dr. Sanders.

Take off your shirt, Jake.

- What?
- I won't ask again.

What the hell are you doing?

You're gonna implant
a GPS chip into everyone.

Think of it as an invisible leash.

You're the surgeon, Ellen,
I'm happy to do it myself if you want.

Your choice.

Stop, please.

Hang in there, sweetheart.

I know, baby. You're doing great.
We're almost done.

Okay, I'm just going
to close it up.

MORGAN:

It'll be done soon.
I promise.

- I'll do the cutting.
- No.

Excuse me?

No one touches Dr. Sanders.

I'm not worried about you, Ellen.

As long as I have your family,
you're not going anywhere.

SANDRINE: Your devices have
all been cloned.

We can listen to every call,
read every text,

track every Google search.

Even when your phones are off,

we can still hear you,
we can still find you.

We need to talk.

Brian's had half a dozen texts.
What do you want to do?

Take him for a drive.

You. You're coming with me.

What are you talking about?

- Let's go.
- No!

What the hell is going on?
Where are you taking him?

Quiet. You've lost the right
to ask questions.

- Your friend Sandrine.
- Yeah.

When you brought her on
it was a one day operation, in and out.

Now it's more complicated.

She'll be fine.

I met her in Afghanistan,
she's tough as hell.

- Where are we going?
- Keep your mouth shut.

Why are you doing this?

My daddy didn't pay
enough attention to me.

I can't believe this.

Where the hell
did you take my husband?

This whole thing would be over
right now if you had just...

Just killed the President.

We'd be gone. And you'd be free,
like nothing ever happened.

- But you chose to break our agreement.
- I chose not to kill my patient!

If the Secret Service
figures out you're responsible

for giving Kincaid blood thinners,
this whole plan falls apart,

which would be problematic.
For everyone.

I'll make sure
they don't find out.

I promise.

Is my husband going to be okay?

Please. Just tell me.

Are you kidding me?

You heard the man.
Back to normal.

Think of this
as another Tuesday night.

Take me home.
Right now. I can't...

Look... I know what you think,
but I love my family.

I'm not a priest.

Look, I just want to be
with my wife and my children.

Please take me home.

It doesn't matter what you want.

Here. This will help her forget
that you're two hours late.

And that you're married
with two kids.

Go in there and give your
girlfriend what she wants.

And I'll be listening, so...
make sure you put on a good show.

Hi.

Hey. Sorry, it was just...
hard to get away...

- Ellen's upset about the surgery.
- Yeah.

- The President...
- I saw the news.

Seems messy.

You okay?

Yeah... Yeah, I just...
I need a drink.

So what are we celebrating?

Us.

Our time together.

Our time together, all right.

You really want to toast
to one night a week?

Aw, I didn't mean it like that.

How 'bout I amend the toast?

Okay.

To freedom.

To freedom.

So...

Since when do you write
such long text messages?

The ones you sent me tonight
didn't sound anything like you.

Some of them were even longer
than two whole words.

BRIAN: I was just, you know...
Just trying to have a little fun.

SAMANTHA: How 'bout that last one,
was that just fun?

What do you mean?

Do you love me?

Of course I do.

Are you sure?

Are you sure you're not just
trying to calm me down?

'Cause I was annoyed...

I was annoyed
when you didn't show up.

You didn't even call, you know,
I don't like feeling...

I'm sorry.
It's just family stuff...

It's not easy.

I know. It's not easy for me either,
dating a married man.

Are you sure you're okay?

Yeah. I'm fine.
I've just got a lot on my mind.

Stuff at home is
very complicated.

What do you mean?

I can't talk about it.

SAMANTHA:
So, it's about your wife?

Yeah.

Maybe you need
to just be honest with her

and tell her
you don't love her anymore.

But I do.

Want some?

They're good. They're made out
of rice, they're kind of salty.

Where's my father?

Tell your friend it's a stupid idea.

Getting a cash advance
off his dad's credit card.

We need 1,200 bucks.
By tomorrow.

This guy Nico...

We sold his weed,
but never paid him

because my father
found all the money.

Maybe you could help me out?

Sorry, Ace.

Come on,
it'll take like 20 seconds.

My dad probably hid the cash
in his bathroom. You could just...

Not my problem.

Why didn't you just kill
the President?

I did what I thought was best.

If I'd killed the President,
you would...

never forgive me.

And I wouldn't forgive myself,
because I would be a murderer.

I thought about...

what I would want you to do.

Give in...

or fight back.

Someday when you're a parent
you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Mom...

What's gonna happen to us?

I am gonna find a way out of this.
I promise you.

I love you, Mom.

What the hell are you doing,
Kramer?

Looking for aspirin.
I got a headache.

Are you using again?

Like I said, I got a headache.

I've put my faith in you.
Don't make me regret it.

BRIAN:
Sorry, I just...

SAMANTHA:
Are you playing hard to get?

BRIAN:
I'm not in the mood.

SAMANTHA:
Well, I can fix that.

Hey, what happened
to your back?

I had a mole removed.

Are you leaving?

SAMANTHA: There's a real estate conference
in Miami next month.

I was thinking
maybe we could go.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

Okay.

You know, we've been seeing
each other for two months,

we've never spent
a weekend together.

Okay, yeah. That sounds good.
Sounds nice.

Gotta go.

All done here. Need me to
take care of anything else?

I'll be back at the house in an hour.
I'll meet you there.

I love you.

Quentin Creasy,
White House Chief of Staff.

This is my son-in-law,
Special Agent Duncan Carlisle.

I've heard good things about you.

This matter we're discussing
is a necessary component

of something much more important
than the life of any one man.

Truth is, I like the President
very much.

But sometimes
history calls upon us

to do something bigger
than we ever expected.

Sometimes we're asked to help
shape the future of the world.

You have your reasons.

I have mine.

My partners have a very low
tolerance for failure.

It's a delay. Not a failure.

I'm not sure there's a distinction.
Not in this context.

What Duncan is trying to say is,
we can still right the ship.

Except for the delay,
nothing has changed.

The key players remain in
position to execute the plan.

Except now the Secret Service
is investigating.

Now you tell me what happens
when they discover that

Dr. Sanders is responsible
for the blood thinner.

They won't.
I'll make sure of it.

My God.
I thought you were...

I'm okay.

What happened? What was
the big deal with your phone?

I have no idea. I think
they're playing mind games.

Where did she take you?

Nowhere.
We just drove around.

Did they say anything
else to you?

Yeah. The leader, he's worried
that the Secret Service

is gonna find out what I did.

What is it?

I have to be at the hospital
at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow.

What for?

They want me to take
a lie detector test.

A polygraph is an inexact science.

People beat them every day.

Nothing more than a measurement
in variations in heart rate, breathing,

body temperature and perspiration.

Biology, Ellen. You're a doctor.
You can do it.

How do you know
so much about this stuff?

Don't worry.
I'll help you get through this.

You want to help me?
Call off your plan and go home.

You're a world-class surgeon, Ellen.

If you can keep your
hand steady on a scalpel,

when millimeters mark the
difference between life and death,

you can certainly do this.

DUNCAN: A polygraph requires
an accurate baseline reading.

If they know what your biorhythms look
like when you're telling the truth,

they can detect the change
when you're lying...

It's all about
mental discipline, Ellen.

Control your body's signals
from the beginning

and they won't be able to see
any variations under stress...

Is your name Ellen Sanders?

Yes.

Is your husband's name
Brian Sanders?

Yes.

Do you have two children?

Yes.

Did you knowingly give the President
a blood thinning medication?

No.

Are you aware of any plots
to assassinate the President?

No.

- Ellen, do you have a minute?
- Yeah.

I just really need
to talk to someone.

Sure, yeah, come on in.

- What's going on?
- Ellen, you've known me, what?

Six years? Have I ever given
a patient the wrong meds?

You are an excellent nurse,
Angela.

The Secret Service thinks
it's my responsibility.

That all this is my fault.

They questioned me for almost
three hours today.

They asked me if I was a terrorist!

They've been asking me
the same ridiculous questions.

But I'm the one
that they're focusing on.

I was the surgical nurse!

You just need to stay strong
and tell the truth.

You've done nothing wrong, okay?

I'm sorry, I gotta go. Can I...
Can I come find you later?

Yeah.

The polygraph was inconclusive.

You did it.
You beat the lie detector.

Thank God.

But you're taking the wrong
approach with Angela.

How do you know that I'm...

You need to stop reassuring her
that she's innocent

and start convincing her
that she's guilty.

Angela needs to confess.

- But she didn't do anything wrong.
- Ellen...

She's one of my best friends.
There has to be another way.

There isn't.

Talk to her.

Now.

MAN:
Did you warn the suspect

before you discharged your firearm
at the bank, Agent Carlisle?

No. The opportunity
didn't present itself.

What caused you to fire
on the suspect?

He was attempting to escape
the scene with a hostage.

But why resort to lethal force?
Why not continue to negotiate?

He was under
way too much duress.

In my estimation, he wasn't
thinking rationally at that moment.

So, I chose to eliminate
the threat altogether.

How could you possibly
have known

the suspect was pretending
to be a hostage?

I made a calculated bet,

based on the data available to me
at the time.

A calculated bet?

As a hostage negotiator
my goal is to understand,

and more importantly,
to empathize with the captor.

To get inside his head,
to understand his options, his emotions.

The only thing more stressful
than being held hostage

is actually taking someone hostage.

The danger, the fear,

the constant risk analysis
is almost overwhelming.

As such,
these situations are volatile.

When the walls are closing in,

a captor will do anything
to accomplish his mission.

DUNCAN: Just like a hostage, he will do
whatever is necessary to survive.

If the captor is smart enough,

he can convince his hostage
to do whatever he wants.

He can coerce that person into
becoming his emotional partner,

into believing
they share the same goals.

What I'm saying is, when you've
done this job as long as I have,

you understand the psychology
of a hostage crisis.

Let's just talk through
this together.

Just examine the different choices.

What choices? That jackass Hoffman
thinks I'm Bin Laden or something.

It's ridiculous.

They want me to take
another polygraph tomorrow.

I... I need a lawyer.

I can't keep
answering these questions.

If you think that makes sense.

I have no idea
what makes sense anymore.

I keep telling them exactly what I did,
but they don't believe me.

They just keep waiting
for me to change my story,

or admit I made a mistake.

Maybe you should.

Should what?

I'm just thinking out loud,

but maybe the easiest way
to get through this thing

is to simply admit
you made a mistake.

But I didn't.

I know you think you didn't,

but it's your job
to administer the meds, right?

If you didn't make a mistake...

So now you don't believe me either?

No, I'm not saying I don't
believe you, the truth is,

it doesn't matter what I think.
It's what they think.

All I'm saying is,
if you take responsibility for this,

you'll probably just get a reprimand.

Yeah, and my reputation
will be trashed.

For the rest of my life, I'm gonna be
the nurse that almost killed the President.

But if you don't,
they'll just keep digging.

And if they find even the smallest
inconsistency in your testimony...

they'll file charges.

I mean, we're talking about
the President of the United States.

The techs are sweeping
for evidence.

Prints, DNA, trace...
Floor by floor, room by room.

If Sanders took the heparin from one
of the pharmaceutical closets...

We got a problem.
Any way to get in front of this?

No. Security is too tight.

- Hello?
- You took the heparin

from the pharmaceutical room
on the 4th floor, correct?

Yes.

Did you touch anything?

What do you mean, "Did I touch anything?"
I opened the door.

- Were you wearing gloves?
- No.

Is there any other plausible reason
for you to have been in that room

on the day
of the President's surgery?

No.

What's our next move?

We need to end
this investigation tonight.

And how are we supposed
to do that?

We give them somebody to blame.

Excuse me, do you mind?

I have to ask,
what in the world is

an attractive lady such as yourself
doing here all alone?

I'm waiting for a friend.

How about I keep you
company while you wait?

- No, thank you.
- Come on.

Let me buy you another glass of...

What's that, Pinot? No, too dark.
More like a... Petite Syrah?

Hey, honey.
Sorry I'm late.

I just got here myself.

How you doing?
I'm Tom.

- Thank you.
- No worries. Just trying to help out.

Look, I don't want to intrude.
I'm sure you're waiting for someone...

No. Truthfully I don't know
if she's even gonna show up, so...

Can I buy you a drink?

Yeah, why not?

Great.

Can I have a shot of whiskey?

Headed out, sir?

Following up on a lead.

MACHINE: Hi, this is Angela,
leave me a message.

Hey, it's me.
Just got to the bar.

Sorry I'm so late.

I guess just call me
if you get this.

Excuse me. Hi.

I'm supposed to meet a friend here.
Maybe you've seen her?

A woman, dark hair, pretty,
about 35?

Yeah. You just missed her.

She and her boyfriend
left about a minute ago.

Boyfriend?

What did he look like?

Angela?

HOFFMAN: Dr. Sanders.

Hi. You scared me.

Did you lose something?

No... I was just looking
to see if Angela was around.

We talked about getting
together tonight., but...

- So she's not home?
- No. I don't think so.

I rang the bell,
but she didn't answer.

If you don't mind me asking,
what are you doing here?

I mean, is everything okay
with Angela?

I just had a few
routine questions.

I'll catch up with her tomorrow.

You have a nice night,
Dr. Sanders.

Where have you been?

Where's the other man?
The black guy?

I don't know. Why?
What's going on?

Turn on the news.

What? What's happened?

It's about Angela.

A vehicle registered to Angela Nix,
34, of Arlington, Virginia

was found abandoned
by the Chesapeake Bay this evening.

What appears
to be a suicide note

was posted on Ms. Nix's Facebook page
only hours ago.

In it, she expressed extreme remorse
over what she described as her

"careless and near-fatal mistake,"
prior to President Kincaid's surgery.

You son of a bitch.
You killed her.

No. You killed her.

What?

Actions have consequences, Ellen.
You failed to honor our agreement.

You failed to convince your
friend to confess. You did this.

Angela's death is on you.