Person of Interest (2011–2016): Season 5, Episode 7 - QSO - full transcript

You are being watched.
The government has a secret system...
secret system...
A system you asked for to keep you safe.
A machine that spies on you every hour of every day.
You granted it the power to see everything...
to index, order, and control the lives of ordinary people.
The government considers these people irrelevant.
We don't.
But to it, you are all irrelevant,
victim or perpetrator, if you stand in its way.
We'll find you.
_
Hey, Detective.
Busy day directing traffic into a river, Cocoa Puffs?
No? Nothing?
Hmm?
I'm not in the mood.
Guess stumbling on a pile of bodies can ruin your day.
Yeah.
What do you know about that?
At least you made it out with your life, right?
Yeah, my life and a pile of dust.
Tunnel's too unstable to retrieve any of the evidence.
Department's gonna want to know what I was doing there.
Not sure what to tell them yet, or who I can trust.
Sorry to hear that.
You know the story behind this, don't you?
Someone's killing people and burying the proof.
Why did you have me look into that city planner?
Did you know it was related to Elias's partner, Bruce?
About that.
What's this?
An exit strategy.
For you and your son to disappear off the grid,
just in case.
Just in case?
It's my fault you're in here.
I should have looked into the city planner, not you.
If you continue with this investigation,
just remember,
there's a reason John and Harold are presumed dead.
Mind if I take this?
How many hours have you been sitting out here now?
How's he doing?
Not bad, all things considered.
Got a lot of questions you and Harold aren't gonna answer.
The only way to keep Lionel safe is to keep him in the dark.
Does Harold still feel the same way?
Ask him yourself.
Some army we've got, huh?
I understand you and John want to keep guard over Fusco,
but the Machine seems to think he's safe.
Mr. Reese and I will both feel better when we
determine that for ourselves.
We were so busy scrambling to catch up.
Samaritan killed those people
right under our noses.
Well,
we've found our footing now.
Soon it will be time for us to go on the offensive.
I got to start my next mission.
Got a matinee to catch.
Take care, Ms. Groves.
Wonderful show.
- Thanks. - Mm-hmm.
I'll handle this mission.
Will you just answer me about Shaw?
_
I just want to know if Shaw is still...
AM 520, WKCP.
No.
Rerouting radio signals into my cochlear implant
is not an answer.
I know it's dangerous with you know who listening,
but what's the point of having an open artificial intelligence
at your disposal
if She's too afraid to talk to you directly?
Harold and I got you back up and running.
Now let's get back on track.
We need to be actively looking for Shaw's exact location.
- Come in. - Miss Durov?
Please forgive my impertinence.
My name is Vasily.
I just wanted to tell you that your performance today was...
you are a revelation.
I never imagined when I was invited to the ballet that...
You never should've accepted that invitation.
What?
Get down.
, Vasily.
Those tickets weren't a bribe, Vasily.
Your enemies lured you into an assassination.
Marry me.
There. I have your number now.
I may need something from you soon.
I'll call you.
Thanks for the flowers.
_
Until the late 1780s.
Let's go.
So the next stop
is the lace-making demonstration in the parlor.
I don't see any backpack.
Listen, I've waited long enough.
No more roundabout instructions.
Quit being a wimp and talk to me.
Facility with...
looked like Washington D.C....
AM 520, WKCP.
He can't stay on our heels forever.
Shaw is out there somewhere.
_
How about over by the fireplace?
Okay, and three, and two...
Though this centuries-old house
has been turned into a tourist attraction,
residual paranormal energy remains.
This electromagnetic frequency meter will help to determine
whether the haunting rumors are true.
- Cut. - Great.
You think they'll let us into the attic?
You want me to get the EMF meter in the backpack?
Am I going ghost hunting?
Or am I going Shaw hunting?
I refuse to do one more mission
until I know that what I'm doing is going to lead me to Sameen.
_
Weird, I just got a text from a random number.
Hold on, guys.
Maybe this is a message from beyond.
"WKCP.
"UFO.
Find her. Run."
What do you think it means?
Got the backpack. Gonna have to improvise.
Hey there, UFO.
How much for the shirt?
Sure, we don't yet have definitive proof,
but based on the evidence, we can't completely discount
the existence of extraterrestrial life.
You're listening to Mysterious Transmissions on AM 520, WKCP.
In a minute, we're gonna open up the phone lines.
I want to hear what you've all been up to...
You must be Brittany, right?
Is that voice coming from the speakers right now?
Weird stuff you see on the streets?
- Lights in the sky? - Yes.
Strange men showing up at your door
asking questions that don't make any sense?
You must be here for the producer gig.
Take me to your leader.
Take a little break here, and when we get back,
we're gonna lift the veil together.
No.
Sameen, stop resisting!
Hold still!
Sunny skies for all of next week
as the fall weather rolls in
and temperatures start dropping.
So his producer quits out of nowhere,
and then his engineer quits.
Max refused to cancel his show for tonight,
so luckily HR had your résumé on file,
and you seem like you might be as much of a kook as he is.
No offense.
None taken.
You're listening to Mysterious Transmissions,
where we don't like the taste of the lies they feed us.
We have a super-sized show tonight.
From sundown to sunup I will be here with you
talking conspiracies, paranormal,
the strange things lying just beyond our understanding.
If anyone's ever mocked you for asking questions,
I'm here to listen.
Coming to you from a humble studio
halfway to the ionosphere,
this is Max Greene on AM 520 WKCP.
Mysterious Transmissions
is brought to you by the Coronet Hotel Group,
your premier destination for luxury hotel...
- Hi there. - Hey, Max.
This is Rose, Susan's replacement.
- Thanks, Brittany. - Sure.
You guys have fun.
Call today to book a stay with Coronet Hotel.
Nice to meet you.
Oh, pleasure's all mine.
1-800-555-0195.
- Nice outfit. - Hmm, thanks.
And we'll make the burning smell go away.
Now I know many of you are aware that my long-time producer,
Susan, quit out of the blue last night.
Something about a bank error in her favor.
Anyway, we all wish her very well,
but I'm here with my new producer,
and if you'll all indulge me,
I have a couple of questions for her.
Headphones on.
Rose is sitting across from me right now wearing a shirt
that says "They exist."
I think we can all agree to that,
but what about Fermi's Paradox, Rose?
They exist, so where are they?
I think non-human intelligence is already here, Max.
Most people are just too oblivious to see it.
Some think we haven't met any intelligent life
because it's all been destroyed by a technological singularity.
Thoughts?
I think sooner rather than later,
we're gonna find out just how true that theory is.
- Let's take some calls.
Mysterious Transmissions.
You see the trails across the sky.
Mysterious Transmissions.
Do you really think tinfoil hats are that weird?
Mysterious Transmissions.
Have you really considered...
Mysterious Transmissions.
I want to talk to Max again.
- What's your name? - Warren Franco.
He knows me.
Okay, Warren.
Let me put you on hold a minute.
Okay, I've got our friend Warren back on the line.
I take it you haven't finished with me yet?
I need to properly explain myself.
Chinese satellites are the real threat.
- How so? - Mind control waves.
I've measured them. They're real, and I think you
don't want to listen because they're controlling your mind
as we speak.
I don't think anyone's controlling my mind,
but anything is possible.
Don't be patronizing.
It makes you sound like some kind of shill.
I know when I'm in control,
and these days I don't feel like I'm...
- Root? - Hey, big lug.
Mind flashing your badge and getting some info for me?
- What are you doing? - Searching for Shaw.
Machine put me on a mission that may lead to her.
What can I do?
I need help looking into someone named Warren Franco.
Who's that?
Some nut who keeps calling this radio show,
Mysterious Transmissions on AM 520.
You and Harold would like it.
The host is more paranoid than we are.
Are you working a number?
Can't a girl ask her cop friend
to look up a creepy guy without getting the third degree?
I just want to know if this guy has anything
to do with finding Sameen.
- Okay. Be careful, Root. - Thanks, John.
Thought you were a real killer.
Better not wet yourself...
Left her alive?
A bit worn down, are we?
Just bored.
You people need to get more creative with these simulations.
I agree.
Shall we take another field trip?
Oh, but it's so much fun
getting you shot a thousand different ways.
Bandage Ms. Shaw's hands.
Wouldn't want her getting the car bloody.
Mr. Reese, how's Detective Fusco?
Still won't see me.
Think you could help me find info on someone?
You know if I'm going to help you with your cover job,
I should request a stipend from the NYPD.
It's for Root.
Is Ms. Groves working a number?
You know how it is with her.
What's the name?
Warren Franco.
Warren Franco, 5251 East 33rd.
Looks like retired military.
Currently unemployed.
Did Ms. Groves say how Franco's important to her mission?
All I know is she's working at a radio station,
and he calls there a lot.
- Which one? - AM 520.
Thanks, Finch.
But it was your grandmother's spirit the whole time?
Oh, yeah. I just smile whenever I hear that glass shatter.
It just goes to show if we stop ignoring
what is right in front of our faces,
we might find the peace we're looking for.
Thank you for your story, Greta.
Remember, everyone, just because people tell you to shut up
doesn't mean you have to listen.
The things you believe, the patterns you see,
they're coming from somewhere,
and if you need help making sense of it, I'm here for you.
Okay, I think it's time for a little break.
Then I will be back with more of your calls.
You're listening to Mysterious Transmissions on AM 520 WKCP.
Tomorrow only, come on in...
Max, that guy earlier, Warren?
Oh, he's harmless. Been calling in for years.
My listeners have a tendency to get defensive.
I can't fault them for that.
Don't tell me no one's ever called you crazy.
I don't mind because I know I'm right.
Well, you'll get no argument from me.
Warren really doesn't have anyone.
Plus, he knows what you and I both know.
What's that?
The world has gotten pretty weird lately.
He's been helping me with a project.
Listen.
Radio and now broadcast...
- Interference? - Yeah.
Like when your cell phone rings and it makes your speakers buzz.
It's usually caused by poorly set-up equipment,
so when I heard it for the first time a few weeks ago I just
made a note to myself to talk to the station technicians,
but then I realized something.
Listen.
Duh-duh-duh.
It's specific. Duh-duh-duh.
It's a pattern, a code.
- Morse code? - No, it's proprietary.
It's the kind of thing where you need a special key.
I showed it to Warren off the air,
and he has cryptography training,
and he didn't recognize it.
Here, look.
When you do the kind of work I do,
steeping yourself in conspiracy theories day in,
day out, you get good at recognizing patterns,
and sometimes the patterns are just coincidence,
but sometimes...
sometimes they're real.
Tonight I'm announcing this discovery on the air.
I'm hoping my listeners will help figure out
what the messages mean and who they're coming from.
These messages are a secret for a reason, Max.
You sure whoever's doing this
is gonna be happy you're exposing them over the air?
This is our chance to prove to the world
that we're not crazy.
I'm not gonna let that slip away.
I got it.
Mysterious Transmissions.
It's Warren. I want to talk to Max.
- Warren. - Oh, yeah.
One sec.
Welcome back, skeptics.
We have Warren back on the line.
- They've done it. - What do you mean?
The Chinese. They're onto me.
I can feel myself being controlled.
What are they making you do?
They're gonna make me kill myself.
Okay, Warren, buddy, just take a second.
No one can make you kill yourself.
I have to, Max.
I have to.
You don't have to do anything.
John, that guy Warren's on the phone with Max right now.
I think he's about to kill himself.
I just reached his apartment.
NYPD.
Warren Franco?
Don't see anyone here.
I'm taking a look around.
Where are you now, Warren?
I don't remember getting these pills, Max.
Someone put them here.
I just need to take a couple.
Rose, I think we're gonna have to call 911.
Do you see him anywhere?
Max is about to call 911.
I think he's a little too late.
Warren's already dead.
Looks like a suicide,
but this guy's been dead for hours.
Note says this is Warren.
Don't you dare talk down to me.
Warren, listen.
You have plenty to live for.
Max is definitely still talking to someone
calling himself Warren.
I just know what they're telling me to do.
Spent some time working at the phone company.
Let's see if my log-in credentials still work.
Okay.
The call's originating from a landline
in Warren's apartment.
That's a spoofed call.
Warren's voice, too.
Someone using recordings from his calls to Max
to digitally recreate his speech.
How'd this poor guy earn a faked suicide?
Max found a secret code hidden in the radio signals
and enlisted Warren to help him decode it.
Spoofed a call location,
stole a man's voice.
Then faked his suicide?
Doing something important here.
I think Max pissed off Samaritan.
I didn't call you so you could talk me out of it.
- I called to warn you. - Warn me?
Yeah.
You're next.
Is Greer too busy to monologue today?
Is that why he sent his mini-me
to take me on a pretend field trip?
Only Samaritan can save the human race from itself.
By eliminating key people,
we can affect change that will save countless lives.
Butterfly flaps its wings,
hurricane in China, blah, blah, blah.
Can we just get the simulation over with?
Right this way.
Here's the thing, John.
Max plans to talk about this code on the air,
exposing Samaritan's means of communication to the public.
It's already killed one person to keep its secret.
I need to get Max out of the station fast.
I'm coming to help you.
You need to stay away. If Samaritan's after Max,
you can't put your cover at risk.
Besides,
it thinks it's taking out a nerdy talk show host.
It's not expecting me.
You know what, Warren?
- Maybe you're right. - Huh?
Maybe it would be better if we just killed ourselves.
- What the... - There's no place to hide, Max.
Uh, that's not me.
Death is our only sanctuary.
What's going on?
This is Max Greene on 520 WKCB.
I got to go.
This will be my last broadcast.
Root? Damn it.
Friends, the voice you just heard is not me.
I feel better. I was worried.
Are we broadcasting?
- That feeling is gone now. - My board's down.
Know what I'm talking about.
If you can hear me, call the station.
The phones too.
I knew you'd come around, Max.
Glad to hear you're going to go through with this.
Everything we've done in our lives...
We're locked in.
The mind control comes in waves.
Sometimes I feel like I'm in control,
and sometimes I don't, but...
Target's with a co-worker.
Roger that. Moving in.
More and more I feel like I've lost control.
What is happening?
It's a radio play.
They're trying to make you look nuts so no one bats an eye
when you wind up dead.
What? Who?
Are there any tools around?
Thanks.
How are we gonna get out of here?
The electrical lock on that door is magnetic.
A lot of magnetic locks can be confused
by a strong enough rare-earth magnet.
Luckily for us most people have one sitting
around their home attached to their computer's hard drive.
Come on.
Where the hell is everyone?
We can't use the front way out.
Is there another exit?
I think there's a fire escape on the other end of the office.
Hug the right side of the hall under the security cameras.
satisfaction, they'll execute some kind of code.
How is any of this possible?
Someone's spoofed your voice.
It's called concatenative synthesis.
They took hours of your show and assembled a fake message
to sell the idea that you wanted to kill yourself.
But who would do that?
The people whose code you discovered.
Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
So the code is real?
It's not a coincidence that my team quits and then you
just happen to show up as the perfect replacement, is it?
Is your name even Rose?
Max, you've upset a very powerful being.
We need to stop the Q&A, and get you off its radar.
Did you say "being"?
How's your hand, Sameen?
Just get on with it.
Have you ever heard of the thylacine?
It's an extinct animal species,
an ecological tragedy.
On the other side of this door is a woman
who is working to bring the thylacine back to life.
Her name is Dr. Ayumi Kagawa.
She is an axis,
a point at which humanity's fortune can swing dramatically.
Tonight, Dr. Kagawa has fully sequenced the thylacine genome.
In 15 years, she will attempt to reintroduce this creature
into an ecosystem that has long since moved on.
Samaritan has the foresight we,
as humans, do not,
and it has seen the dominos fall.
The shifting ecosystem would affect agriculture,
the food supply, the spread of disease,
and thousands of people will die.
A butterfly flaps its wings.
Are you done yet?
Samaritan has attempted to sidetrack her work many times,
but she is as tenacious as she is brilliant,
which leaves us with one option.
If Kagawa is eliminated...
Point made.
Can I wake up now?
Not one victory for the Machine.
Interference? From what?
We're in a Faraday cage.
It's coming from the Samaritan laptop.
Wait. No signal can get in here.
Or out.
Interesting.
Ms. Groves.
How's it going, Harry?
Are you running?
Taking the stairs.
How goes your little simulated showdown?
Having a little trouble with the laptop.
I caught it doing something new.
It's attempting to send out electromagnetic pulses,
trying to connect with the whole network
of Samaritan-infected devices around the world:
laptops,
printers, phones.
It's a modified version of the Funtenna hack.
That's what Samaritan's using.
That's what Max found.
What did Max find?
Electromagnetic pulses cause buzzing in the AM radio signal.
Buzzing that most people would write off
as harmless interference,
but a trained Samaritan operative...
Would recognize it as hidden code.
Is this about the messages?
Who are you talking to?
Using older technology like radio
would allow Samaritan operatives
to hide in plain sight,
receive secret messages in the field,
or send them to...
Operation centers.
I know why the Machine sent me here.
Wait. Barricade the door.
I'll be back soon as I can.
Wait! Wait, wait, wait!
What Machine? What's a Funtenna?
Ms. Groves, I know what you're thinking,
but it's far too dangerous.
Harold, this radio station
can communicate with any Samaritan facility.
The Machine wants me to send a message to Shaw.
The Machine wants me to send a message to Shaw.
Has Ms. Groves been identified by Samaritan?
_
Has she put Max Greene in danger of being killed?
_
That's not very helpful.
Yeah, Finch?
I believe Ms. Groves is about to do something excessively risky.
Color me surprised
'cause I'm almost to the radio station now.
Samaritan operatives may already be on the premises.
If you go in there, make sure you hide your identity.
Don't worry.
They won't see me coming.
Give me a break, Doc.
We're doing another simulation already?
No need. Did you enjoy your field trip?
First real time out of the facility since you got here.
Real time?
What are you talking about?
Prominent genetic researcher
Dr. Ayumi Kagawa was gunned down in her lab last night in what
police are calling a random act of senseless violence.
No.
Her lab was ransacked, destroying...
You're full of it. That was a simulation.
This is another trick.
That... that...
Or we're still in the simulation now.
How's your hand?
No, no, no.
No, this isn't real.
No.
No! No!
_
It sounds like you don't know what's real anymore.
The EMF meter.
Okay.
Come on.
The printer.
You've been infected by Samaritan, haven't you?
Hope you don't mind if I use you to talk to my friend.
I...
Operatives? How many?
Two.
Is Max safe?
It's okay, Max.
I'm a friend. Come with me.
Oh, so John showed up after all.
That should really kick in.
Couple more minutes now.
Sorry?
There's no safe.
You try anything, I'm gonna stick this through your eye
all the way into your brain.
You know as well as I do there's no way to escape.
There's cameras everywhere.
Guards outside this door.
The only way that you get out of this facility is in a body bag.
Oh, I know,
but I'd rather be dead than be your guinea pig
for one more day.
Someone get over here! I need a key card.
Shaw,
please get this.
Four, A.
Four.
Four alarm fire.
Root.
Grab her. Get her arms.
Put your hands up and turn around.
I'll give up without a fight
if you promise to leave Max alone
and take me to the facility where Sameen Shaw is being held.
Who?
I wasn't talking to you.
I cannot see you, but I recognize your behavior.
You are an acolyte of the Machine.
Now we're on the same page.
You heard my terms.
Do we have a deal?
If you are willing to surrender,
I will take you to the facility where Sameen Shaw is being...
What? No!
I almost had her, John!
We need to get out of here now.
Called in a favor.
Dispatch is sending a unit this way to investigate a break-in.
Now explain to me
what the hell were you thinking
offering yourself up to those guys?
It was my best shot at finding Shaw.
You keep going off half-cocked like that,
you're gonna get yourself killed.
I'm not Lionel.
I don't need you to protect me.
I got a message to her.
- How do you know? - The Machine helped me do it.
- I know. - Where are we going?
We have to get you off the grid.
Talk to someone about getting you a new ID. Come on.
You're gonna have to live underground, on the run,
- but at least you'll be... - On the run?
For how long?
This is nuts.
That's no life.
I'd rather be dead than leave now.
Everything I've talked about on my show is true.
A nefarious entity tried to fake my suicide.
The world has changed, and now I've got proof.
We can't force him to go.
Root, we have to go now.
- I'm not hiding. - Fine.
You can keep doing your show,
keep subtly hinting that there's something weird going on,
but you have to lie about tonight.
Lie?
Those people were going to kill you
before you could expose them.
If you never mention the code,
they won't have any reason to come after you anymore.
Understand?
Fine.
I promise.
I'll lie.
It seems we may temporarily have matching gaits, Detective.
Wonder Boy send you?
I'm here of my own accord.
You tell Elias his childhood buddy was dead?
No, not yet.
Yeah, that sounds about right.
Before you go, I need to speak with you.
I'm...
sorry we haven't been completely forthright.
We...
just didn't want you to get hurt.
I think you need to get your eyes checked, Glasses.
Where the hell do you think we are, huh?
If you're trying to protect me, it ain't working.
I got a tunnel full of bodies that somebody tried to bury.
What is it you guys aren't telling me?
- Please, go back to your job... - This is my job.
After everything that's happened,
you and John still can't show me the respect,
of telling me what the hell's going on.
Lionel...
No.
I'm done.
Hello out there.
You're listening to Mysterious Transmissions on AM 520 WKCP.
This is Max. I don't know who's still listening,
but let me apologize for the last couple hours of dead air.
We had some technical difficulties, to say the least.
I made a promise to someone, but after some serious thought,
I have to break it.
Max.
A few weeks ago,
I discovered secret messages hidden in the airwaves.
The static you've been picking up in our signal?
It's a sophisticated code
belonging to a shadowy organization.
Damn it. I'm going back.
It's too late, John.
Max made his choice.
I'm certain the code contains instructions
for covert operatives,
but I need your help to prove it.
Because of them, an innocent man named Warren Franco died.
I'm gonna open up the phones.
You're on with Mysterious Transmissions.
Max, I think your theory is very interesting.
You're really onto something there,
but I can do you one better.
- Is that so? - Yes, sir.
I am 80% sure that I was abducted
by honest-to-goodness extraterrestrials last night.
See, I was leaving the store when...
I'm sorry to interrupt, my friend.
I would love to hear your story at another time,
but right now I think we have more pressing issues,
so let's go to another caller.
You're on with Mysterious Transmissions.
What do you got?
I know what the messages are.
Great, lay it on me.
It's Electronic Voice Phenomena.
I know because that's how Marie Antoinette
communicates with me all the time,
and apparently her power increases in the fall.
Max overestimated how much his listeners care.
It's better if Samaritan thinks Max is just a kook
no one's gonna believe.
Look, I don't think you guys understand what we have here.
This is proof...
This is proof...
_
This is 911. What's your emergency?
Hi. Hi, I need help.
I think my coworker just had a heart attack.
- What happened? - Samaritan got to the radio host.
The Machine told me the mission was complete.
You left him alone?
Did you know Max Greene was going to die?
_
That's not an answer.
_
We never should have trusted the Machine's word.
Damn thing's been acting strangely
since we put it back together.
She's not acting strangely.
She's doing exactly what She's programmed to do.
- Ms. Groves... - The Machine can tell us
where to go, who's in trouble, but we still have free will.
Max chose to risk his life.
She can't stop him from doing that,
and now Shaw knows that we haven't given up on her.
I wish we could've saved Max,
but if we were able to give Shaw some kind of hope?
Maybe it was worth it.
A lie by omission is still a lie.
And using the idea of free will
as an excuse for...
moral attrition?
I'm not sure I'm comfortable with where this is going.
Thank you for helping me send that message.
I know you're trying to do the right thing,
even if Harold doesn't see it yet.
Ready for the next mission?
Vasily?
Hi, it's the ballerina.
I didn't think you were going to call.
Let's go on a trip.
I want to see your hometown.
Plateliai? Certainly.
In fact, my father is the administrator
of Zemaitija National Park.
I can take you.
I would like that very much.