Nikita (2010–2013): Season 4, Episode 3 - Set-Up - full transcript

Previously on Nikita...

Deputy Director of the FBI,
a Secret Service supervisor,

and the
president of the United States.

All high level,
all clearly compromised.

Amanda switched them.

The United States will
not negotiate with terrorists.

Perfect replicas.

Someone who's been physically

and mentally altered to act
as a replacement.

I can now confirm that
the secret Cayman accounts

in Nikita Mears' name
was, in fact, funded



through a key third party

that we are closing in on
as we speak.

You've got the wrong person!

Can you hack into
the FBI's communication log?

Find who Amanda is communicating
with at the NSA.

No matter how
the FBI autopsy plays out

this has already forced us
to accelerate our time line.

Don't forget, we still
have one more ace in the hole

and his mission
is just beginning.

Tensions continue to escalate

between the United States
and Pakistan

...following
the assassination of...

All Pakistan's leaders officially have
denied any involvement.

NSA intel confirms
that Pakistani intelligence



paid $50 million to...

The payment was hidden by,
and I quote

"an elaborate
money-laundering scheme...

funded by a mysterious
third party."

Alexandra Udinov

the most famous Russian
party girl

since Anna Karenina.

Number seven on Maxim's
Top 25 Richest Hotties.

Wouldn't know it to look at you.

You can't just arrest me
like this.

Oh, this is a rendition.
It's not an arrest.

And I highly suggest
you do not remain silent.

Who are you?

Well, I am a forensic
accountant by training.

I pull apart terrorists'
financial networks.

Now do you know why you're here?

Should I?

I'm just
a Russian party girl, right?

I mean, unless you need
fashion advice... Which you do.

I can tell you
the new Burberry collection

just hit the shelves at Harrods.

Do you want to go check it out?

Only if you can get me
a few of these.

Maybe in rose gold.

I know who you really are.

You're somebody who pays other
people to do her dirty work.

People like Nikita.

Nikita

- the assassin.
- So you do know her.

No, I have eyes, ears,
and an internet connection.

The only thing
I know about Nikita

is that she wears
too much black.

And what does Nikita say?

She believes
she is being framed

...such as Deputy FBI Director
Matthew Graham

...who she assassinated
just days ago.

I am so sure of that

that I will make this offer.

Do a DNA test on his body

and compare it
to the samples already on file.

Do that,
and I will turn myself in.

Are you sure it was spec ops?

Yes, judging from
their call-outs and movements

absolutely.

Probably deployed by the Agency.

Sonya, where are you now?

In another room
in the same hotel.

Sam and I managed
to salvage some gear.

Alex is probably
in a CIA safe house

at least for the next 24 hours.

They're gonna start
with routine questioning

and then ship her out of there.

Extradite her to the States.

No, Alex is not
an American citizen.

They'll declare her
an enemy combatant

rendition her to a black site.

Sonya, get me Sam on the line.

- What?
- Hey.

I'm glad you're there.

I know what you're gonna ask.

The answer is good-bye.

They're gonna
put Alex in a hole.

Is that what you want?

I'll tell you
what I don't want.

I don't want to be on the top
of every terrorist watch list

- in the world.
- Yes, but you do want Amanda.

Now's your shot.
After what she did to you?

Hey, hey, hey-

You're not talking to Owen here,
all right?

You're talking to Sam.

And Sam knows when to get up
from the table and cash out.

He's gone.

Sonya, we're coming to you.

- How long for wheels up?
- We don't need to.

We have a way to end this today.

We killed Graham's double
for a reason.

Once they test his DNA

once they see
it doesn't match what's on file

it'll blow the lid
off this whole conspiracy.

No, it won't be that easy.

Shop's got another sleeper
inside the NSA

the one who's planting
all this intel.

If they went to
all the trouble for Alex

you can bet they're gonna try
to control the DNA results.

Not if we get ahead of it.

Birkhoff can hack into Quantico,
monitor the autopsy.

Once they run his DNA,
we make sure it doesn't match.

Autopsy's in an hour.
Where's... Where's Birkhoff?

Nerd.

We need you.

Surgery should take
about three hours.

Good.

Which reminds me...

are you prepared
for the DNA tests?

A bad result could expose us.

Don't worry about the autopsy.

We have a secret weapon,
remember?

Anything?

- Nerd?
- Huh?

Yeah, I'm... I'm getting there.

No match.

We got it.

Hang on a second.

What is it?

There's somebody else
in the system.

- From where?
- I don't know.

Damn it.

They've taken over
the whole system.

- Wait. How did this happen?
- I don't know.

Obviously she had somebody else
in there, somebody good.

Better than you?

Talk to me, Fletch.

Who's our next target?
Amanda's double inside the NSA?

Hey, whoa.
This is Birkhoff's rig.

Why are you messing with it?
You know how he gets.

He's been using
his laptop since yesterday.

Yeah, so?
What...

What's with the

"conspiracy voice"?

It's nothing.
Forget it.

It doesn't sound like nothing.

It's just... It's a theory
I'm working on.

Okay.

Birkhoff can't seem
to find our mystery man

- at the NSA.
- It's Birkhoff. He'll get it.

Like he got the DNA hack?

Okay, when have you ever seen
Birkhoff get handled like that?

Never, and when he does,
he always circles back

to tell you why
it wasn't his fault.

I'm telling you, he's off.

It's just Nerd being Nerd.

Forget it.

Fletch.

What if that's not Nerd?

Okay. Wait a second.

You're saying that Birkhoff...
You think...

You think that Birkhoff
is one of Amanda's...

Oh, man. Ryan,

you need to step away
from the wall of crazy, okay?

Think about it.

Everything he is doing
or not doing

the NSA lead, the busted hack

it's helping the other side.

What if Alex is in custody
right now because of him?

We've been compromised before.

Amanda turned Alex against us.

She turned you
against the president.

If what you're saying is true,

then why hasn't he shot us
in our sleep?

Why hasn't he crashed the plane?

Maybe he's deep cover
for a reason.

Okay, it's the Shop.

Their plans have plans.

- Wall of crazy.
- Yep.

Okay, you know what?

This is exactly why
I didn't want to say anything.

I'm trying to find proof.

Oh, no.

You want to test this.

I can test it.

How?

Make it personal.

If it's not Nerd, I'll know.

Well, you said write down
everything I know

about money laundering.

It was a good offer, Alexandra.

You should have taken it.

Now you've lost
any hope of amnesty.

You've got the wrong girl.

Nikita's the one
who shot the president.

And was paid
quite handsomely for it.

$49.6 million deposited
in her very own Cayman account.

And you said I'm spoiled.

You bought yourself
an assassination

the way you'd buy a Lhasa Apso
or Birkin bag.

No receipt, no return.
Where's your proof?

Potwar basin

one of the oldest oil-producing
regions in the world.

- Do you know where that is?
- Pakistan.

Very good.

And do you know which
industrial giant won a contract

with that government
for 37 new wells?

Zetrov

the company founded
by your father.

I divested from Zetrov
two years ago.

You did.

Your trust did not.

A substantial amount
of active shares

were tied to the Pakistan deal.

It created a dividend
in the amount of...

Oh, look at that

$49.6 million

the exact sum Nikita was paid.

That's how you link me to her?

Your evidence
is barely circumstantial.

G20 Summit, Toronto.
You remember that, don't you?

That dress is a stunner,
Alexandra, but Nikita.

Oh, you can't lose in red.

Unless you have someone coming
to bust you out of here

I highly suggest
that you pick up that pen,

and you start writing.

Enjoy.

Move.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Sam.

Did you not think
we would find you?

I try not to think of you, ever.

Mmm. Tsk, tsk.

Mr. Braga wants his payments.

It's coming.

You're not this foolish.

Tell me good things.

I can't.
Sam just killed me.

- Samuel.
- Did we not talk about this?

Did I not assure you payment
was forthcoming?

You said you had a line
on the money...

Something
about an ex-girlfriend.

I hit a snag.

You did not need to send guys.

I need
the first installment, Sam

and it needs to be
at least $25 million.

Otherwise,
I will send more guys.

And I'll kill them too.

Hey, can I talk to you
about something?

I'm sorry, I can't talk to Ryan

because he's buried
in his wall of crazy.

And I can't talk to Michael,

because he's part
of the problem.

Well, maybe he's not
the only problem.

What?

I don't know.
Never mind.

Look, maybe you're right.

Maybe...

I keep self-sabotaging
because I don't know

what happily ever after
looks like.

I've never had happiness
or normality

in my life ever, so...

I don't know.

Maybe when
this is all over, I'll

I'll find out.

Look, there's something
I got to tell you.

I don't even know how to start.

Beginning works for me.

Okay.

I'm not really Seymour Birkhoff.

Wait, wait.
Let me...

Let me back up.
That's not the beginning.

My mom had already raised
two kids

by the time I was born.

I was an accident.

My dad completely ignored me.

He was into computers.

I know...
Big surprise, right?

He had all this gear
lying around the house.

I was, like, nine
when I used his 486

to hack the power company
and shut down our street.

Totally screwed him up at work.

I got really good.

I was running with
phone freakers and hackers.

We were really far out there.

And my dad thought
he could set me straight

with military school.

Well, the day I found that email

I started making plans.

I was 15 when I faked
my own death

in a sailing accident.

You faked your own death?

Call it a reboot.

If you're not Birkhoff,
then what's your real name?

My first name is Lionel.

You changed your name
from Lionel to Seymour?

Don't ask.

Get away from him!

That's not Seymour Birkhoff.

Ryan, I know.
Put the gun down!

What the hell is wrong
with you, man?

Birkhoff, drop the gun.

Somebody better tell me what
the hell is going on right now!

Put it down!
We'll figure this out

okay?

Put it down.

This was buried on your laptop.

Ronald Peller.

That's him...
Amanda's double in the NSA.

Birkhoff covered it up.

Wait a minute.
He thinks I'm a...

You think I'm a... You got to be
freaking kidding me, man.

- I am not a double.
- Birkhoff,

who's Ronald Peller?

He's my father.

All right?

My birth name is Lionel Peller.

Why did you keep this from me?

What?

That my dad is your next target
in the war against the Shop?

Nikki

as much as I hate
the son of a bitch,

I can't let you kill him.

Chief strategy officer,
Cyber Crimes Unit

catches hackers for the NSA.

That's not ironic?

He's a very big fish.

He's got access to systems
throughout the government

if not the world.

I guarantee you he is a bigger
part of the Shop's plan.

They wouldn't double him just
to plant some intel on Alex.

Look, we are not killing him.

It's not him.

They replaced him with a double.

And who said anything
about a hit?

Did you guys forget
what happened to Graham?

The second we took out
the double

Amanda put a bullet
in the real one.

If she finds out
we know about Ronald

he becomes compromised, useless

and she will wipe out
the evidence.

There is a way to do this
without any collateral damage.

- No!
- Just hear me out.

Amanda won't kill your father

if she doesn't think
the double's compromised.

We can use the double
to save your dad.

- How do we do that?
- Catch and release.

We grab him, let him go

follow him back to their base...

get in there and get your dad.

Looks like I don't have
a choice.

I told Michael to land.

Find alternate transport
to Mumbai.

We'll head back to D.C.

Hey.

This is gonna work.

We're gonna save him, I promise.

The DNA was a perfect match.

You handled yourself well.

What happens when I refuse
to cooperate?

You won't.

Ahh.

That's just a taste
of what's coming.

You treat me like a terrorist.

Do you even know what
I've been doing in Mumbai?

Let's keep talking
about Toronto.

Turkish minister
of intelligence says

you tried to purchase

a cache of
U.S. intelligence documents.

You were obsessed with trying

to identify
the Black-Ops group

that killed your parents.

That's why you want revenge.

You think my country
made you an orphan.

I was trying to save
your country.

All of this was engineered.

The Zetrov deal,
the Cayman account.

You're being played.

Everything's a conspiracy
with you, isn't it?

Should I have my DNA tested too?

You're the only fake
in this room, princess.

I'm going to ask you
one more time.

Who are you?

My father was gunned down
in front of me

when I was 13 years old.

I was sold into slavery,
but I lived.

I came out a drug addict,
but I got clean.

I've killed dangerous men

and I've watched people I love
die in my arms.

You want to know what I am?

I'm a survivor.

So you do me a favor,

and turn up the music
on your way out.

And I assume
there's no mention of Alex

- on the local police band.
- Negative.

I've been trying to narrow
down a signal spectrum

the CIA might use.

Tap the U.S. consulate.

The Agency field office
is there.

They've got to be talking
to the safe house.

Cavalry's here.

Sorry I'm late.

I was talking about me,
actually.

Get out.

Aren't you gonna say "please"?

She usually says "please."

She's not gonna say it again.

All right, look,
I changed my mind.

Alex did me a solid
back at the docks.

She put a bullet in a guy
before he put a bullet in me.

So I'm guessing the plan is

to raid the CIA safe house,
if you ever find it?

Either of you super spies
thought of bribing an official?

You need money for that.
Alex's assets are frozen.

She's broke?

She has a little bit left
in her Swiss account

but only she can withdraw it
personally.

What about your money?

Tied up.

Investments... I couldn't get it
fast enough anyways.

Look, last I checked,
it was Special Forces

that grabbed Alex,
at least four of them.

Situation like that

two door-kickers
are better than one.

Even Owen could do that math.

Are you sure
he's going to go there?

Ronald Peller likes to
get his mail in the morning.

Doesn't like to deal with it
at night.

Likes to read it on his desk
at work.

Yeah, that's weird.

Definitely your dad.

Just make sure
you get him alive.

I got the backup right here.

Nikki!

Nikki!

Who the hell are you?

Come on.

He'll be ready for insertion
in seven hours.

How does that fit
with Mr. Peller's time line?

Perfectly.

We have a situation.

I'm reaching into my pocket
for my glasses.

- It is you.
- The one and only.

We got about
four hours.

I thought we had all day.

Your dad's a CSO
with level-one clearance.

If he doesn't check in,

NSA starts looking.
It's protocol.

Now, does he have
a comm device or not?

It's the glasses.
They're full duplex.

- Amanda can hear everything.
- Good.

Sorry about that kidnapping.

I hope we didn't rough you up
too much.

I'll live.

Mr. Pei/er,
I'm not here to hurt you.

I'm here to make you an ally.

Really?

Put these on.

I'm gonna ask you
some questions.

Just think of them
as security questions.

Why should I cooperate?

Because once I know
you're not an imposter,

I'm going to share
all my intel with you.

Uh, Nikki

ask him how he takes his coffee.

Just trust me.

How do you take your coffee?

Milk and cream.

But not Half & Half.

So Half & Half.

Separate cream
and separate milk.

The dairy solids react
differently.

So you get a richer flavor.

Separate cream, separate milk.

The dairy solids react
differently.

So you get a richer flavor.

What is it?

Listen to how he's pausing.

I don't think it's Amanda.

She's got my real father
coaching him.

Confirm it.

Make the questions
more personal.

All right, Nikki...

You have a wife?

Late wife, Rosemarie.

Kids?

Lilly and Lyle are grown

and a third child
who passed away.

Name?

His name was Lionel.

Lionel.

Ask him how he died.

How did he die?

Sailing accident.

They found the boat

floating

empty.

Nothing on it except a

dead tarantula.

All they found was
a dead spider.

That's it.

He's on the other side.

Only my father would know that.

Congratulations.

You passed the test.

What happens next?

You are gonna help me find
the real imposters

inside the NSA.

See?
They don't know what he is.

Or so it seems.

Haven't you been listening?

They're going to release him.

Best-case scenario

he tells us exactly
where they are.

Worst-case, we find out
everything they know.

What about this place?

Egress is good.

Not isolated enough.

Sonya narrowed down the signal
from the consulate.

She said it'd be
in this neighborhood.

You sure are eager to find Alex.

Aren't you?

Of course, but you walked away.

I still don't get why.

It was an impulse.

Sort of like when Nikita
took off on you.

- All set.
- All right.

Let's just go through
this again.

You sit him down, you do
a fake search on the NSA server

- act like you found the double.
- I thank him

I give him this,
send him on his way.

As soon as he uploads
this bad boy to Amanda

it will ping us
with her location.

We go save your real dad.

Hang on.

Amanda had your dad
coaching him, right?

Yeah. So?

So she'll put him in the server

when you're hacking,
just to monitor you.

I mean, your dad's probably
the one

who beat you during
the DNA hack.

What's your point?

Send him a message.

Something embedded, something
only your dad can read.

Why would I do that?

So you can talk to him.

Nah, I think that's too risky.

Nerd.

He could give us
his exact location.

And even if he can't,
we'd have a mole on the inside.

- No.
- Amanda won't kill him

- if he's not comp...
- No.

You're that afraid, are you?

Afraid?

Afraid of what?
I'm not afraid.

- "Afraid."
- You are his son.

Talk to him.

Come on, Nerd.

What Easter egg
is he going to use?

The name of that tarantula
he left on the sailboat.

It was his favorite pet.

But when his grades started
to suffer,

his dad thought it was
a distraction, so he killed it.

Birkhoff made it seem
like he got drunk

and was gonna bury it at sea.

Pop sounds like
a piece of work.

This is the same monkey
from the coroner's office.

That's him.

You said you knew this guy?

Does it matter?

I recognize a few things.

His name is Seymour Birkhoff.

You might know him
as the Shadowalker.

He's on the Agency's list.

I don't doubt it.
He's had his moments.

He designed
a very useful program.

Yeah.
Shadownet.

That's right.

Can I see a picture of him?

What you expected?

No.

What do you got?

Time for your transfer, Alex.

Unless you've changed your mind.

You're not just doing this
because of the assassination.

Something's coming,
and you think I know about it.

I already told you.

I am not gonna share
unless you do.

Who am I gonna tell?

I'm just a trust-fund baby.

We've been monitoring chatter
by Pakistani intelligence.

We believe an operation
is in the works,

but we haven't been able
to pinpoint exactly where.

The Pakistani man.

That must be what
they're gonna use him for.

They're going to put him
somewhere

- in Pakistani intelligence...
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

What Pakistani man?

I found four of them
on the docks.

Same place I found that.

They're gonna
surgically alter his face

turn him into one
of their imposters.

Go time.

I'll meet you outside.

Unh! Unh!

Unh!

Freeze!

Hands!

Not bad
for a trust-fund baby.

Not bad for an accountant.

Sorry we're late.

You look surprised.

I am.

What is taking so long?

Hold on.

Boom!

- We got our double.
- What?

Here we go.
Give him the bait.

- Let's go get Amanda.
- Sheryl Stein.

It says right here she was promoted
just after the G20.

President Spencer
must have known about that.

So?

It'll all make sense
once you read this.

It's everything we know
about the Shop.

- The Shop?
- You'll see.

Come on.
Let's go.

He did it.

We did it.

That flash drive
will be useful.

Everything we need
to tear them apart.

Why did you do it, Lionel?

What did you say?

You asked for his picture.
Why did you ask for...

You had a third child
who passed away.

Sailboat accident.

Lionel.

Execute fail-safe

Now!

Don't move!

Unh!

You don't have to do this.

I'm not going back
to live in the sewer.

If anything happens to you,
Amanda kills my...

I think that's everything.

Yep.
That should be helpful.

You came back for me.

Yeah, well, I sort of
ran out on you first.

Yeah, Michael told me.

He would do that.

Look, we're a team.

We can't work together
if we can't trust each other.

Yeah.
No, I hear you.

- Thank you.
- Alex.

It's Ryan.

Thanks for your help.

I guess having me back
wasn't such a bad thing, huh?

Guess not.

Yeah, I've run the stats
on the Pakistani man you found.

Height, build, blood type.

He doesn't match up
with any high-ranking officials

- in Pakistani intelligence.
- Keep looking.

I'm telling you, they've got
something big planned for him.

They'll never see him coming.

It will be trickier
without Peller

but we'll make it work.

It had to be done.

You wasted a valuable asset.

We can't see this through
as designed

without Peller in place.

We have the Stuxworm.
We can improvise.

Oh, I Will.

Despite your posturing

you clearly don't have
the wits to defeat Nikita.

You were played, Amanda.

We do this my way.

He was a son of a bitch

but he didn't deserve this.

I know what you're feeling.

I just don't know
how to make it better for you.

Well, at least
I got to talk to him.

If you hadn't pushed me
to send that message

I never would've had the chance.

I wanted to keep my promise.

I'm so sorry.

You want to promise me
something?

Promise me you'll take
your own advice.

Stop running.

What you run from you run into.

You never cease
to amaze me, Nerd.

This is not over.

For years, I tried
to discover his secret.

All those sessions...
I could never crack him.

You don't know anything
about him.

But you do.

The secret is somewhere inside

that decrepit little psyche
of his.

A valuable password

to an absolutely
invaluable system.

The only system
that could ever bring us down.

You'll never crack Shadownet.

Not without him.

Yes.

Lionel may be out of reach

but the building blocks

of his personality are

right here, aren't they?

You know, back when
he worked for me

I wanted to use more extreme
measures on your son.

But my boss at the time...
He wouldn't allow it.

Well, guess what.

I'm my own boss now.