The Blacklist (2013–…): Season 3, Episode 14 - Lady Ambrosia (No. 77) - full transcript
A child who had been missing and presumed dead reappears, prompting Red and Liz to hunt down a woman who is known to abduct children; Tom puts himself in a consequential position after aiding Gina.
[♪♪♪]
[♪♪♪]
You all right, son?
Are you hurt?
Son, do you need help?
-Hey.
-Hey.
- What's this?
- A trust account for your child.
I can't take this. I'm sorry.
When I was young, I loved fairy tales.
I was always partial to shape-shifters...
...who seemed good and sweet...
...but they were full
of unimaginable darkness.
Once upon a time,
there lived a woman in the woods.
She was neither purely evil,
nor purely good.
She gathered unwanted children
and gave them a home in which to stay.
She promised them
they'd live forever and a day.
She changed them into colors,
so beautiful, so bold.
She cared for them so sweetly,
they never grew old.
[LAUGHING]
- You know it.
- Lady Ambrosia. Ugh.
Always creeped me out.
I'm more of a Wizard of Oz fan.
You just can't beat a farm girl
in great shoes.
Every culture has their version
of a mythic creature who takes children.
The Germans have Der Grossmann,
the Mexicans, La Llorona.
But there are whispers
that Lady Ambrosia is not a myth...
...that there's a real woman out there,
takes unwanted children...
...and raises them
with the promise of eternal youth.
This little boy turned up
out of nowhere yesterday...
...and I wonder if Lady Ambrosia
played any part in his disappearance.
- Missing children turn up.
- He wasn't missing.
He died four years ago.
And he's not the first.
[♪♪♪]
I love Annapolis. I had a friend
who went to the Naval Academy...
...and we used to go to this little
Italian restaurant, Maria's, on the water.
- Is it even still open?
- I don't think we know it.
LIZ:
Beside the point.
Anyway, it seems like a lovely place
to raise a child.
It really is. We've got great schools,
a lot of outdoor activities.
Oh, there's this tall ship in--
lt looks like a pirate ship.
It's in the harbor. We take my niece.
She is obsessed with it. Heh, heh, heh.
Can I be honest?
I like you guys a lot, and you're probably
too polite to ask about it...
...but you do know about my past?
CHRIS: Yeah. We do.
All we want is a healthy baby.
And we know that, with this process,
there are compromises.
I'm sure if we work together
we can come up with a plan.
But I have gotten my hopes up before,
so I just want to make sure...
...you're completely comfortable
with me being a part of my child...
Our child's life.
LIZ: Three children,
all missing and presumed dead.
Mary Jones died
on a family camping trip in 2003.
Jeffrey Childs disappeared
from his backyard two years later.
In 2012 Ethan Linley drowned
on the Ohio River.
All three were later found alive.
All three had traces of these ritualistic
patterns painted on their bodies.
Were they able to explain what
had happened?
-Identify their captors?
- No. Jones was also autistic...
...and Childs was blind.
Can you zoom in any closer...
...on the patterns on Ethan's body?
ARAM: Hang on.
Okay.
SAMAR: They don't look like strokes
from a paintbrush.
- It looks like finger painting.
COOPER: Check with his doctor.
If Navabi's right, lift the prints
from the finger-paint, and run them.
Ressler, take Keen to that hospital.
I want a psych eval on the kid.
Agent Ressler.
Judy Sickler, Child Services.
This is Elizabeth Keen.
She's a clinical psychologist.
She'll be assessing the child.
That might be tricky.
He's a sweet boy, but nonverbal.
I understand he's autistic.
ls there any sign of abuse?
Aside from a few bumps and bruises,
being a little dehydrated...
...he got a perfect bill of health.
Hi, Ethan. I'm Liz.
I'm here to help.
Okay, how are you feeling?
How do you feel?
JUDY:
Don't think you're gonna get that back.
First thing he's been excited about
all day.
[JEANNE GASPS]
JEANNE:
I can't believe that he's here.
Ethan.
Hey. It's me.
It's dad.
I just-- I don't understand.
Where did you find him?
The cops won't tell us anything.
They're still investigating,
but we'll give you two a moment.
I can't imagine
what it must have been like for them...
...all these years,
thinking their child was dead.
[CELL PHONE RINGING]
What is it? What's wrong?
It's Aram.
Apparently,
two weeks before Ethan disappeared...
...the Linleys tried to give him up
for adoption.
All right, children, who else is excited
to celebrate Matthew today? Everybody.
[ALL CHEERING]
All right, children, let's stop here.
My little angels, this is where it begins.
We're going to celebrate who?
CHILDREN:
Matthew!
ALL: ♪ Because don't you know
It's Matthew's day? ♪
♪ He'll be safe and always play
Today's the day he learns to fly ♪
♪ He'll be so happy in the sky ♪
AMBROSIA: And then what's he going
to be in the sky?
CHILDREN:
A butterfly!
AMBROSIA:
A beautiful butterfly.
- Whoo! Matthew!
CHILDREN: Yay!
[THUMP]
[ALL CHEERING]
AMBROSIA:
Matthew! Bye-bye!
How beautiful!
How many butterflies? How many?
Can you count them?
[ALL CHATTERING]
- So beautiful.
CHILDREN: Wow!
AMBROSIA:
There he goes.
There he goes.
I know what you've done, Theodore.
I know what you've done.
[♪♪♪]
Ethan Linley disappeared
on May 20, 2012.
In the six months
before he "passed away:..
...his parents met
with four different adoption agencies.
Ethan apparently requires
around-the-clock care, medical therapy...
...speech and language therapy.
In fact, Jeanne quit her job
to be Ethan's full-time caregiver.
My cousin has special needs.
The burden it places on his parents...
-...the way they deal with it is incredible.
-l'm not saying it's easy...
...but I'd never give up my kid
for adoption.
People give their kids up
for all kinds of reasons.
COOPER: Investigators talked to
the Linleys about adopting out Ethan...
...but I doubt they spoke
with adoption agencies.
Question them.
See what they know. Get warrants.
There's something these parents
aren't telling us.
WOMAN:
Number 43.
Hey. How you doing?
I've seen you before.
I doubt it.
Yes, it's you. I know I know you,
from my spin class, right? Hot stuff.
I think you have me mistaken
for somebody else.
No, no.
You are one kooky, little white man.
I'm telling you, when Calvin
plays Donna Summer... Mm-mm-mm.
You just go, I tell you.
Now, you know all the girls in class
got a crush on you, right?
- Especially me, I think you're really sexy.
- Thank you.
So you want to get some food after this,
hot stuff?
Like I said, I think you have me mistaken
for somebody else.
♪ Looking for some hot stuff, baby
This evening ♪
♪ I need some hot stuff, baby, tonight ♪
- Come on. We could have some fun.
- I bet we could.
[RAYMOND LAUGHING]
Forty-five minutes, Glen?
Forty-five minutes.
Make it quick. I'm meeting Trudy
for a nooner at the old Colony Inn.
Vasilia Patinka, former KGB,
I need you to find her.
- It'll take time. I'm stacked up.
- Stacked up?
Employee training is first of the month.
We're getting the parking lot re-striped.
I gotta get the cones.
I gotta book the DJ
for the New Year's party.
-It's February.
- Always thinking ahead, hot stuff.
I do not wait for 45 minutes
in that petri dish of humanity...
...unless I absolutely have to.
This is a matter of life and death, Glen.
So is my nooner with Trudy.
As the French say, "La petite mort."
If you find this woman,
if you get it done fast...
...your tawdry liaisons at the no-tell motel
will be a thing of the past...
...as I will personally introduce you
to two young ladies you will never forget:
Soft, warm, blond, and willing.
- Willing?
- Tell Trudy you have to cancel.
[PHONE BEEPING]
[LINE RINGING]
Noah, it's Jeanne Linley.
Have you heard about Ethan?
He's back. You told me
that he would never be found...
...and now he just shows up?
- Calm down. It's gonna be fine.
- Calm down?
I didn't work directly with the Linleys,
Noah Shuster did.
RESSLER: Could we speak with him?
- I have to go.
- We need to talk.
- You know where to meet me, one hour.
We'll figure this all out.
[♪♪♪]
Noah finds homes for children
who are difficult to place...
...kids with emotional disturbances,
special needs, health issues.
That's strange. He was just here.
Do you have a home address,
contact information?
Yes, of course.
Client information is privileged.
Not anymore.
They said yes?
Open adoption, you can have
qualified contact, everything we wanted.
It's great,
and I can't thank you enough.
Wow. This is really gonna happen.
[PHONE BEEPING]
I'm sorry. Hang on, just a sec.
MAN: Yeah!
- Liz! Liz, it's me.
- Tom, where are you'?
-lt's all good.
I figured out another way
to make some cash.
Boys, we're here. You can celebrate later.
We have work to do.
Tell the ball-and-chain
you'll call her back.
What's going on?
All you need to know is that everything
is gonna be fine, all right? We are free.
- From what?
- Reddington, all of it.
Hey, look, don't make any moves
on the adoption.
Tom, what have you done?
TOM:
I'll meet you at your place tomorrow night.
I'll bring Wing Yee's,
and I'll explain everything.
I got a good feeling. I got to go.
[♪♪♪]
I know you like to watch.
[BEEPING]
You could have called anybody
to do the job with, but you called me.
You need me. We need each other.
Come with me to Zurich right now.
Gina, I can't.
NOAH:
It's freezing out there. Hop in.
I'm so sorry about all this.
I don't need an apology.
I wanna know how this happened.
That does nothing
to solve the issue at hand.
What's important is that we come up
with a solution.
Now what-- Unh!
[GRUNTING AND GASPING]
NOAH:
Make her go to sleep.
[JEANNE CONTINUES GRUNTING
AND GASPING]
♪ I turned around on the lawn ♪
♪ Now the sun don't shine
Life's a waste of time ♪
♪ Since you turned me away ♪
♪ Oh, how I try ♪
♪ To hold on to you ♪
I think mother hurts the children.
I don't think
she turns them into butterflies.
Come up here.
You need to stop questioning
your mother.
You let Ethan get away. Now you need
to help us clean this mess up.
Do you understand?
Sorry, Dad.
It's me, again. Where are you?
Please call me when you get this.
Mr. Linley, this is Agent Navabi.
You need to come with us.
- Why? ls something wrong?
- Noah Shuster.
I don't know who that is.
What's going on?
He was the adoption agent that you
and your wife met about Ethan.
The day after he disappeared,
$25,000...
...from your account
was transferred to his.
GEORGE: That's ridiculous. I never--
- Come with us.
I can't. My wife is not here.
She was going out for coffee.
She hasn't come back.
Now you want me to leave Ethan alone?
- He'll be taken care of.
- By who?
Come on.
You hungry?
How do you feel about waffles?
Ugh. No toaster, no microwave.
No problem. No problem.
I know, the whole idea that Mozart
will improve cognitive skills is a myth...
...but they say babies start learning
in the womb...
...so on the off chance
it'll get him into Harvard...
[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING
OVER SPEAKERS]
Oh!
Unh!
[SMOKE ALARM BEEPING]
It's okay, Ethan. It's okay.
It's just a smoke alarm. It's fine.
Ethan?
BAZ: ls everything all right?
- What are you doing? Put that away!
Get out! Get out!
[ALARM STOPS]
One last chance, Zurich.
You know I can't.
Thanks, boys.
[MEN SCREAM]
Torch it. Call me when it's done.
[♪♪♪]
LIZ: I want him gone.
- He's here for your protection.
I don't want his protection any more
than I want your money.
RAYMOND: The money isn't for you.
LIZ: It's very generous.
I can appreciate that it comes
from a place of concern.
But it's dirty money,
and I just don't want it. I don't need it.
No, but your child does.
I'm giving my child up for adoption.
Why would you do that?
How can you, of all people,
ask me that question?
The life I have because of you
is no place for a child.
I can't even make a waffle...
...without one of your people bursting
into my home with a gun.
You think your life is too dangerous
for a child.
But what is your life without one?
I can tell you from personal experience,
not much.
What?
You and Tom agree on something.
He wants you to keep the baby?
Oh, yeah.
Oh, my God. That's it.
The key to these abductions
is parental consent.
No child can be adopted out
without both parents agreeing.
So I had Aram look over
Noah Shuster's case files.
There were 93 cases,
including Ethan's...
...where parents considered adoption,
then backed out.
Of those, 16 kids died or went missing
within a year of the visit.
Sixteen kids with cognitive, physical,
or psychological issues.
According to Ethan's father,
adoption was his mother's idea.
He was working extra shifts to pay for
Ethan's private school and therapy...
...leaving her alone with him.
He was trying
to appease his wife by meeting Shuster...
...but he never wanted
to go through with it.
Conveniently for him, she's not around
to challenge his side of things.
No, but she had access
to a personal trust account...
...from which she transferred money
to Shuster.
She could've paid him off,
and he could've taken her to cover it up.
I think Lady Ambrosia's using Shuster
to identify mothers and fathers...
...who wanna get rid of their kids...
...but can't
because their spouses won't consent.
I searched the national
child-identification program...
...and of the prints lifted
from the finger-paint on Ethan's body...
...seven belong to that group
of missing children.
We need to find this Noah Shuster...
...and figure out
where this city of lost kids is.
You lied to me!
We had a deal:
Two ladies for you, one address for me.
Ladies, the kind that walk on two legs,
preferably hairless.
I want the address.
You think it's funny? Little dogs?
I thought they'd be a nice gesture.
I thought you'd like them.
- I don't like them.
- Maybe you're afraid they won't like you.
Dogs are very intuitive.
- They'll know if you're hiding something.
- I am hiding something.
- I hate dogs.
- They're homeless.
Oh....
I'll call you when I decide
to race the Iditarod.
You know what? Forget it.
Just forget it. I'll take them back.
Your friend Vasilia Patinka...
...she's living under an alias
in Gaithersburg, 1632 South Perry drive.
What about the dogs?
I love them. Taking an early lunch
so we can hit the dog park.
These little marshmallows
are gonna get my wienie roasted.
[♪♪♪]
AMBROSIA: Well, you are beautiful, Anya.
Heh, heh.
It's magical work. Magical.
Isn't Anya going
to make the most gorgeous butterfly?
Oh, well, it looks like someone's coming
through our door.
We need to talk.
The grown-ups will be right back.
Help your friends.
It's gone too far.
The FBI came to the office.
If they have Ethan,
if he leads them here--
Well, you can't let that happen.
You know, what we do matters.
Unwanted children feel loved here.
We keep them safe
until we have to let them go.
Now, you took care of Ethan's mother,
you take care of him.
Theo says you hurt them. He knows.
He doesn't know. I can handle him.
Can you handle Ethan?
[♪♪♪]
ARAM:
Oh, no.
Agent Ressler.
Twenty minutes ago Noah Shuster
logged into the DCFS website.
Why wasn't his access denied?
He searched for Ethan, and in his file
his temporary guardian is listed as--
Jesus. Call Keen. Get units there now.
[LINE RINGING]
[PHONE VIBRATING]
Hello.
Noah Shuster looked up Ethan
in the foster system...
...and found your address.
We think he's coming for the boy.
Agent Ressler is on his way.
Ethan, I just realized
I don't have an extra toothbrush.
We're gonna have to go back
to the store, okay?
Let's go.
- Drop it.
- Okay.
We're taking the boy.
Ethan, run! Go now!
Ethan?
Ethan?
[PANTING]
Oh, thank God.
Ethan, you can come out now.
Everything's okay.
You're safe now. You're safe.
[♪♪♪]
I wouldn't be here If it wasn't important.
How did you find me?
What you endured,
most people never recover from.
I doubt I would have.
But you've turned it into a calling.
Nikolai would be proud.
I never blamed him for what happened.
He blamed himself.
The Glasnost files,
there's something in them I need to see.
That was another life.
One of the bravest men
I ever knew was deaf.
Zeeb Pasha,
a communist I shared a cell with...
...in a military prison outside Ankara.
Zeeb and I were interrogated
by the K section.
Foot whipping, hung by our wrists,
electric shock.
I was nothing more
than a groaning heap in the corner.
Every time our guard passed the cell,
Zeeb would start signing.
His fingers were a blur...
...pointing and tapping,
twisting and swirling.
The same thing,
over and over, again and again.
Lo and behold,
one night our cell was left unlocked.
Turns out the guard's daughter
was deaf.
And old Zeeb had been signing:
"My wife, my daughter, my life."
Six words, unspoken,
convinced that guard to let us go.
Such a beautiful language.
Like that girl just then,
what did she say to you on her way out?
"I'm grateful for you."
The Glasnost files.
I said no.
What if I could give you answers
about your daughter?
Would that change your mind?
The only thing
that could change my mind...
...is you bringing her back.
But since that's not possible,
the answer is no.
JUDY: I don't care who you have approval
from, I am not leaving Ethan in your care.
I feel I've made a connection with him
on some level...
...and that he might tell me
where he was being kept...
...where the other children
are being held.
You need to say goodbye.
Hey, Ethan.
You're gonna go with Miss Sickler now.
She's gonna take you to a place
that is so safe.
And you're gonna be surrounded
by people who care about you.
And no one
is ever gonna hurt you again.
Okay?
- You took Noah Shuster?
- Baz did, after he saved you.
What is your interest in this case?
Same as yours, missing children.
Brimley is in there
speaking to the only man...
...who can tell us where
to find Lady Ambrosia.
I need to take Butterscotch for a walk.
When I get back...
...l'm gonna need
some ground mineral salt...
...and a corded Dremel drill.
Come on, poopsie, let's go.
That's it, very good.
When I said that Baz saved you,
I wasn't looking for a thank-you.
I'm just relieved.
I found a couple to take the baby.
Thinking about it is one thing,
but actually doing it...
How did she do it, my mother?
Your parents loved each other
very much.
The Cold War was hard.
Too hard for your father.
When the Soviet Union was collapsing,
he took you from her.
She gave up everything to follow him,
to follow you.
The night of the fire,
that's what they were arguing about?
Your mother, despite what he'd done,
she wanted him back.
She wanted them to be a family.
As much as it pains me to say it,
he was probably...
...the only man she ever really loved.
- And I shot him.
- It was an accident.
Tell me. I need to know.
Your mother
was never the same after that.
The man she loved
killed by the child she adored...
...it was...
...just too much.
Two months later she went to Cape May
and left her clothes on the beach...
...walked into the ocean,
and was never seen again.
So that night I killed both my parents.
You were a child.
There should never have been a gun
for you to grab.
Looking back, I'm not sure
I shouldn't have raised you myself.
I don't want you looking back
with that kind of regret.
[♪♪♪]
- Where are they?
- They're ugly, then they're beautiful.
- Answer me. Where--? Your father...
-l'm ugly.
-...where is he?
- He took him, the man with the gun.
A policeman?
Oh, my God.
Why don't you have answers for me?
I thought that you made them beautiful
to keep them from being like me.
Look, we have to talk about this later.
Your job is to prepare Anya.
[♪♪♪]
Yes, mother.
He refuses to leave.
I didn't want to force him
and make things worse.
I think he wants to speak with you.
LIZ:
Hey, Ethan. Can I come in?
So you decided to stick around, huh?
Ethan, what is this?
COOPER:
Ethan drew this?
LIZ: Isn't it amazing?
Look at the patterns on the wings.
- They remind me of--
- The finger painting.
The same pattern that was painted
on Ethan and the two kids who escaped.
Same dark edges, same spotting.
So whoever was holding these kids
was painting them like butterflies.
Some sort of ritual?
Feniseca tarquinius,
also known as the "harvester butterfly."
Highly localized, related to a species
found in Africa and Asia...
...the only carnivorous butterfly
in North America.
Carnivorous?
If there is a ritual,
maybe it involves this species.
Why would Ethan want me
to know that?
Track all sales of this species of larvae
for the past 12 months. I want a location.
RESSLER: We need Shuster,
but Reddington has him.
And, Keen,
where the hell is Reddington?
I believe you abducted Anya Patinka.
Where is she?
[SIGHS]
If that's who you're looking for,
you're too late.
-It's her birthday.
- I don't know what that means.
Lady Ambrosia, she means well.
- By abducting children?
- No.
We always try to keep our process
as humane as possible.
RAYMOND:
What process?
What process?
Anya is turning 12...
...the end of adolescence.
She'll be transformed.
We use nitrous.
The children are happy, relaxed...
...euphoric for their rebirth.
[ANYA & THEO LAUGHING]
RAYMOND:
And the other children?
NOAH:
They help prepare for the celebration...
...while the wrapping
of the butterfly child continues.
RAYMOND:
Where is she?
We call it the Colony,
an abandoned schoolhouse.
Route 2, south of Richmond.
After our son died,
she wanted to save other children.
She turns them into butterflies...
...sets them free,
so they can stay children forever.
[♪♪♪]
[GRUNTS]
[GRUNTING]
Unh!
[DOOR THUDS]
[♪♪♪]
[GASPS]
Okay, this is amazing.
Well, maybe not amazing. I mean,
how many people are in the market...
-...for carnivorous butterfly larvae?
- Aram.
Okay, I tracked nine shipments
in the last six months.
Eight to sanctuaries,
wildlife preserves, and zoos.
- And the ninth?
- Exactly.
Oh, Anya. I know you can't hear me,
but you're almost there.
You're almost home.
Oh, bless you, child.
Bless you.
Anya Patinka, where is she?
Who the hell are you?
Her fairy godmother.
I hear it's her birthday.
We've come to celebrate.
[♪♪♪]
It's been some time
since freshman English...
...but I seem to recall that fairy tales
about abandonment, death, witches...
...are supposed to allow children
to deal with their fears in symbolic terms.
But there's nothing symbolic
about this place.
You're a real witch.
I don't know who you are...
...but if you don't get off my property now,
I'll call the police.
RAYMOND:
I believe they're already on their way.
While we're waiting,
how about I tell you a story?
It's about a mother,
her two sons and a canoeing accident.
You've talked to Noah.
The family lived by a river.
The boys often took a canoe out to fish.
One day, the canoe tipped.
Inexplicably, the elder son,
the golden child...
...the champion swimmer, drowned...
...while the younger,
the lesser child, survived.
The way Noah tells it, you allowed Theo
to believe it was his fault...
...that he was the reason his brother died,
that he would have been better off dead.
They could have died together,
beautiful and innocent.
Theo would have been spared all this.
By "this,"
you mean the horror of being different.
Is that why you kill them?
- I save them.
- From what?
I make sure the damaged ones
don't grow up to be outcasts like Theo...
...hated, pitied.
No one loves an outcast.
Not even his mother?
I couldn't send my son away.
But when I look at him...
...l see what these children shouldn't be
and what they won't be...
...because I see the life
I save them from.
I'm ugly.
From where I sit...
...there's only one ugly person
in the room...
...and it's certainly not you, Theo.
She's breathing. She'll be okay.
Excellent. We must be going.
Theo, you are entitled
to as much as anyone...
“happiness, joy---
...a mother's love.
Theo, stop him. Stop him.
Theo, what are you doing? Stop him.
Theo. Theo. Theo, what--?
Oh, my God! No!
Stop. Theodore, what are you doing?
Let me g-- Let me go!
I'm not asking!
Theodore James!
Let me go right now.
No!
[AMBROSIA SCREAMING]
[THUDS]
[♪♪♪]
[CHILDREN CHEERING]
[♪♪♪]
[THUDS]
Follow me.
[♪♪♪]
♪ Here's another cold day ♪
♪ In that old November way ♪
[MOUTHING]
Thank you.
♪ Once again it's begun
I'm stuck and out astray ♪
♪ And you came in ♪
♪ Like a wave ♪
[KEYPAD BEEPING]
LIZ:
Hey, Tom.
I was just wondering where you are.
Give me a call when you can.
♪ Just breathe ♪
Anya?
Anya.
Anya. Anya.
[VASILIA SOBBING]
On, baby.
♪ There's no use riding waves
Crashing ashore ♪
♪ Through the same pale grin ♪
I still don't understand it,
Reddington's interest in this case.
What does he get?
♪ Just breathe ♪
Thank you.
♪ Just breathe ♪
♪ Just breathe ♪
It just keeps getting worse.
LIZ:
"'How can I get there?' Asked Dorothy.
'You must walk.
It is a long journey through a country
that is sometimes dark and terrible.
However,
I will use all the magic arts I know...
...to keep you from harm.'
She came close to Dorothy
and kissed her gently on the forehead.
'When you get to Oz,
do not be afraid of him...
...but tell your story
and ask him to help you.
Goodbye, my dear."'
♪ Just breathe ♪
[♪♪♪]
[♪♪♪]
You all right, son?
Are you hurt?
Son, do you need help?
-Hey.
-Hey.
- What's this?
- A trust account for your child.
I can't take this. I'm sorry.
When I was young, I loved fairy tales.
I was always partial to shape-shifters...
...who seemed good and sweet...
...but they were full
of unimaginable darkness.
Once upon a time,
there lived a woman in the woods.
She was neither purely evil,
nor purely good.
She gathered unwanted children
and gave them a home in which to stay.
She promised them
they'd live forever and a day.
She changed them into colors,
so beautiful, so bold.
She cared for them so sweetly,
they never grew old.
[LAUGHING]
- You know it.
- Lady Ambrosia. Ugh.
Always creeped me out.
I'm more of a Wizard of Oz fan.
You just can't beat a farm girl
in great shoes.
Every culture has their version
of a mythic creature who takes children.
The Germans have Der Grossmann,
the Mexicans, La Llorona.
But there are whispers
that Lady Ambrosia is not a myth...
...that there's a real woman out there,
takes unwanted children...
...and raises them
with the promise of eternal youth.
This little boy turned up
out of nowhere yesterday...
...and I wonder if Lady Ambrosia
played any part in his disappearance.
- Missing children turn up.
- He wasn't missing.
He died four years ago.
And he's not the first.
[♪♪♪]
I love Annapolis. I had a friend
who went to the Naval Academy...
...and we used to go to this little
Italian restaurant, Maria's, on the water.
- Is it even still open?
- I don't think we know it.
LIZ:
Beside the point.
Anyway, it seems like a lovely place
to raise a child.
It really is. We've got great schools,
a lot of outdoor activities.
Oh, there's this tall ship in--
lt looks like a pirate ship.
It's in the harbor. We take my niece.
She is obsessed with it. Heh, heh, heh.
Can I be honest?
I like you guys a lot, and you're probably
too polite to ask about it...
...but you do know about my past?
CHRIS: Yeah. We do.
All we want is a healthy baby.
And we know that, with this process,
there are compromises.
I'm sure if we work together
we can come up with a plan.
But I have gotten my hopes up before,
so I just want to make sure...
...you're completely comfortable
with me being a part of my child...
Our child's life.
LIZ: Three children,
all missing and presumed dead.
Mary Jones died
on a family camping trip in 2003.
Jeffrey Childs disappeared
from his backyard two years later.
In 2012 Ethan Linley drowned
on the Ohio River.
All three were later found alive.
All three had traces of these ritualistic
patterns painted on their bodies.
Were they able to explain what
had happened?
-Identify their captors?
- No. Jones was also autistic...
...and Childs was blind.
Can you zoom in any closer...
...on the patterns on Ethan's body?
ARAM: Hang on.
Okay.
SAMAR: They don't look like strokes
from a paintbrush.
- It looks like finger painting.
COOPER: Check with his doctor.
If Navabi's right, lift the prints
from the finger-paint, and run them.
Ressler, take Keen to that hospital.
I want a psych eval on the kid.
Agent Ressler.
Judy Sickler, Child Services.
This is Elizabeth Keen.
She's a clinical psychologist.
She'll be assessing the child.
That might be tricky.
He's a sweet boy, but nonverbal.
I understand he's autistic.
ls there any sign of abuse?
Aside from a few bumps and bruises,
being a little dehydrated...
...he got a perfect bill of health.
Hi, Ethan. I'm Liz.
I'm here to help.
Okay, how are you feeling?
How do you feel?
JUDY:
Don't think you're gonna get that back.
First thing he's been excited about
all day.
[JEANNE GASPS]
JEANNE:
I can't believe that he's here.
Ethan.
Hey. It's me.
It's dad.
I just-- I don't understand.
Where did you find him?
The cops won't tell us anything.
They're still investigating,
but we'll give you two a moment.
I can't imagine
what it must have been like for them...
...all these years,
thinking their child was dead.
[CELL PHONE RINGING]
What is it? What's wrong?
It's Aram.
Apparently,
two weeks before Ethan disappeared...
...the Linleys tried to give him up
for adoption.
All right, children, who else is excited
to celebrate Matthew today? Everybody.
[ALL CHEERING]
All right, children, let's stop here.
My little angels, this is where it begins.
We're going to celebrate who?
CHILDREN:
Matthew!
ALL: ♪ Because don't you know
It's Matthew's day? ♪
♪ He'll be safe and always play
Today's the day he learns to fly ♪
♪ He'll be so happy in the sky ♪
AMBROSIA: And then what's he going
to be in the sky?
CHILDREN:
A butterfly!
AMBROSIA:
A beautiful butterfly.
- Whoo! Matthew!
CHILDREN: Yay!
[THUMP]
[ALL CHEERING]
AMBROSIA:
Matthew! Bye-bye!
How beautiful!
How many butterflies? How many?
Can you count them?
[ALL CHATTERING]
- So beautiful.
CHILDREN: Wow!
AMBROSIA:
There he goes.
There he goes.
I know what you've done, Theodore.
I know what you've done.
[♪♪♪]
Ethan Linley disappeared
on May 20, 2012.
In the six months
before he "passed away:..
...his parents met
with four different adoption agencies.
Ethan apparently requires
around-the-clock care, medical therapy...
...speech and language therapy.
In fact, Jeanne quit her job
to be Ethan's full-time caregiver.
My cousin has special needs.
The burden it places on his parents...
-...the way they deal with it is incredible.
-l'm not saying it's easy...
...but I'd never give up my kid
for adoption.
People give their kids up
for all kinds of reasons.
COOPER: Investigators talked to
the Linleys about adopting out Ethan...
...but I doubt they spoke
with adoption agencies.
Question them.
See what they know. Get warrants.
There's something these parents
aren't telling us.
WOMAN:
Number 43.
Hey. How you doing?
I've seen you before.
I doubt it.
Yes, it's you. I know I know you,
from my spin class, right? Hot stuff.
I think you have me mistaken
for somebody else.
No, no.
You are one kooky, little white man.
I'm telling you, when Calvin
plays Donna Summer... Mm-mm-mm.
You just go, I tell you.
Now, you know all the girls in class
got a crush on you, right?
- Especially me, I think you're really sexy.
- Thank you.
So you want to get some food after this,
hot stuff?
Like I said, I think you have me mistaken
for somebody else.
♪ Looking for some hot stuff, baby
This evening ♪
♪ I need some hot stuff, baby, tonight ♪
- Come on. We could have some fun.
- I bet we could.
[RAYMOND LAUGHING]
Forty-five minutes, Glen?
Forty-five minutes.
Make it quick. I'm meeting Trudy
for a nooner at the old Colony Inn.
Vasilia Patinka, former KGB,
I need you to find her.
- It'll take time. I'm stacked up.
- Stacked up?
Employee training is first of the month.
We're getting the parking lot re-striped.
I gotta get the cones.
I gotta book the DJ
for the New Year's party.
-It's February.
- Always thinking ahead, hot stuff.
I do not wait for 45 minutes
in that petri dish of humanity...
...unless I absolutely have to.
This is a matter of life and death, Glen.
So is my nooner with Trudy.
As the French say, "La petite mort."
If you find this woman,
if you get it done fast...
...your tawdry liaisons at the no-tell motel
will be a thing of the past...
...as I will personally introduce you
to two young ladies you will never forget:
Soft, warm, blond, and willing.
- Willing?
- Tell Trudy you have to cancel.
[PHONE BEEPING]
[LINE RINGING]
Noah, it's Jeanne Linley.
Have you heard about Ethan?
He's back. You told me
that he would never be found...
...and now he just shows up?
- Calm down. It's gonna be fine.
- Calm down?
I didn't work directly with the Linleys,
Noah Shuster did.
RESSLER: Could we speak with him?
- I have to go.
- We need to talk.
- You know where to meet me, one hour.
We'll figure this all out.
[♪♪♪]
Noah finds homes for children
who are difficult to place...
...kids with emotional disturbances,
special needs, health issues.
That's strange. He was just here.
Do you have a home address,
contact information?
Yes, of course.
Client information is privileged.
Not anymore.
They said yes?
Open adoption, you can have
qualified contact, everything we wanted.
It's great,
and I can't thank you enough.
Wow. This is really gonna happen.
[PHONE BEEPING]
I'm sorry. Hang on, just a sec.
MAN: Yeah!
- Liz! Liz, it's me.
- Tom, where are you'?
-lt's all good.
I figured out another way
to make some cash.
Boys, we're here. You can celebrate later.
We have work to do.
Tell the ball-and-chain
you'll call her back.
What's going on?
All you need to know is that everything
is gonna be fine, all right? We are free.
- From what?
- Reddington, all of it.
Hey, look, don't make any moves
on the adoption.
Tom, what have you done?
TOM:
I'll meet you at your place tomorrow night.
I'll bring Wing Yee's,
and I'll explain everything.
I got a good feeling. I got to go.
[♪♪♪]
I know you like to watch.
[BEEPING]
You could have called anybody
to do the job with, but you called me.
You need me. We need each other.
Come with me to Zurich right now.
Gina, I can't.
NOAH:
It's freezing out there. Hop in.
I'm so sorry about all this.
I don't need an apology.
I wanna know how this happened.
That does nothing
to solve the issue at hand.
What's important is that we come up
with a solution.
Now what-- Unh!
[GRUNTING AND GASPING]
NOAH:
Make her go to sleep.
[JEANNE CONTINUES GRUNTING
AND GASPING]
♪ I turned around on the lawn ♪
♪ Now the sun don't shine
Life's a waste of time ♪
♪ Since you turned me away ♪
♪ Oh, how I try ♪
♪ To hold on to you ♪
I think mother hurts the children.
I don't think
she turns them into butterflies.
Come up here.
You need to stop questioning
your mother.
You let Ethan get away. Now you need
to help us clean this mess up.
Do you understand?
Sorry, Dad.
It's me, again. Where are you?
Please call me when you get this.
Mr. Linley, this is Agent Navabi.
You need to come with us.
- Why? ls something wrong?
- Noah Shuster.
I don't know who that is.
What's going on?
He was the adoption agent that you
and your wife met about Ethan.
The day after he disappeared,
$25,000...
...from your account
was transferred to his.
GEORGE: That's ridiculous. I never--
- Come with us.
I can't. My wife is not here.
She was going out for coffee.
She hasn't come back.
Now you want me to leave Ethan alone?
- He'll be taken care of.
- By who?
Come on.
You hungry?
How do you feel about waffles?
Ugh. No toaster, no microwave.
No problem. No problem.
I know, the whole idea that Mozart
will improve cognitive skills is a myth...
...but they say babies start learning
in the womb...
...so on the off chance
it'll get him into Harvard...
[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING
OVER SPEAKERS]
Oh!
Unh!
[SMOKE ALARM BEEPING]
It's okay, Ethan. It's okay.
It's just a smoke alarm. It's fine.
Ethan?
BAZ: ls everything all right?
- What are you doing? Put that away!
Get out! Get out!
[ALARM STOPS]
One last chance, Zurich.
You know I can't.
Thanks, boys.
[MEN SCREAM]
Torch it. Call me when it's done.
[♪♪♪]
LIZ: I want him gone.
- He's here for your protection.
I don't want his protection any more
than I want your money.
RAYMOND: The money isn't for you.
LIZ: It's very generous.
I can appreciate that it comes
from a place of concern.
But it's dirty money,
and I just don't want it. I don't need it.
No, but your child does.
I'm giving my child up for adoption.
Why would you do that?
How can you, of all people,
ask me that question?
The life I have because of you
is no place for a child.
I can't even make a waffle...
...without one of your people bursting
into my home with a gun.
You think your life is too dangerous
for a child.
But what is your life without one?
I can tell you from personal experience,
not much.
What?
You and Tom agree on something.
He wants you to keep the baby?
Oh, yeah.
Oh, my God. That's it.
The key to these abductions
is parental consent.
No child can be adopted out
without both parents agreeing.
So I had Aram look over
Noah Shuster's case files.
There were 93 cases,
including Ethan's...
...where parents considered adoption,
then backed out.
Of those, 16 kids died or went missing
within a year of the visit.
Sixteen kids with cognitive, physical,
or psychological issues.
According to Ethan's father,
adoption was his mother's idea.
He was working extra shifts to pay for
Ethan's private school and therapy...
...leaving her alone with him.
He was trying
to appease his wife by meeting Shuster...
...but he never wanted
to go through with it.
Conveniently for him, she's not around
to challenge his side of things.
No, but she had access
to a personal trust account...
...from which she transferred money
to Shuster.
She could've paid him off,
and he could've taken her to cover it up.
I think Lady Ambrosia's using Shuster
to identify mothers and fathers...
...who wanna get rid of their kids...
...but can't
because their spouses won't consent.
I searched the national
child-identification program...
...and of the prints lifted
from the finger-paint on Ethan's body...
...seven belong to that group
of missing children.
We need to find this Noah Shuster...
...and figure out
where this city of lost kids is.
You lied to me!
We had a deal:
Two ladies for you, one address for me.
Ladies, the kind that walk on two legs,
preferably hairless.
I want the address.
You think it's funny? Little dogs?
I thought they'd be a nice gesture.
I thought you'd like them.
- I don't like them.
- Maybe you're afraid they won't like you.
Dogs are very intuitive.
- They'll know if you're hiding something.
- I am hiding something.
- I hate dogs.
- They're homeless.
Oh....
I'll call you when I decide
to race the Iditarod.
You know what? Forget it.
Just forget it. I'll take them back.
Your friend Vasilia Patinka...
...she's living under an alias
in Gaithersburg, 1632 South Perry drive.
What about the dogs?
I love them. Taking an early lunch
so we can hit the dog park.
These little marshmallows
are gonna get my wienie roasted.
[♪♪♪]
AMBROSIA: Well, you are beautiful, Anya.
Heh, heh.
It's magical work. Magical.
Isn't Anya going
to make the most gorgeous butterfly?
Oh, well, it looks like someone's coming
through our door.
We need to talk.
The grown-ups will be right back.
Help your friends.
It's gone too far.
The FBI came to the office.
If they have Ethan,
if he leads them here--
Well, you can't let that happen.
You know, what we do matters.
Unwanted children feel loved here.
We keep them safe
until we have to let them go.
Now, you took care of Ethan's mother,
you take care of him.
Theo says you hurt them. He knows.
He doesn't know. I can handle him.
Can you handle Ethan?
[♪♪♪]
ARAM:
Oh, no.
Agent Ressler.
Twenty minutes ago Noah Shuster
logged into the DCFS website.
Why wasn't his access denied?
He searched for Ethan, and in his file
his temporary guardian is listed as--
Jesus. Call Keen. Get units there now.
[LINE RINGING]
[PHONE VIBRATING]
Hello.
Noah Shuster looked up Ethan
in the foster system...
...and found your address.
We think he's coming for the boy.
Agent Ressler is on his way.
Ethan, I just realized
I don't have an extra toothbrush.
We're gonna have to go back
to the store, okay?
Let's go.
- Drop it.
- Okay.
We're taking the boy.
Ethan, run! Go now!
Ethan?
Ethan?
[PANTING]
Oh, thank God.
Ethan, you can come out now.
Everything's okay.
You're safe now. You're safe.
[♪♪♪]
I wouldn't be here If it wasn't important.
How did you find me?
What you endured,
most people never recover from.
I doubt I would have.
But you've turned it into a calling.
Nikolai would be proud.
I never blamed him for what happened.
He blamed himself.
The Glasnost files,
there's something in them I need to see.
That was another life.
One of the bravest men
I ever knew was deaf.
Zeeb Pasha,
a communist I shared a cell with...
...in a military prison outside Ankara.
Zeeb and I were interrogated
by the K section.
Foot whipping, hung by our wrists,
electric shock.
I was nothing more
than a groaning heap in the corner.
Every time our guard passed the cell,
Zeeb would start signing.
His fingers were a blur...
...pointing and tapping,
twisting and swirling.
The same thing,
over and over, again and again.
Lo and behold,
one night our cell was left unlocked.
Turns out the guard's daughter
was deaf.
And old Zeeb had been signing:
"My wife, my daughter, my life."
Six words, unspoken,
convinced that guard to let us go.
Such a beautiful language.
Like that girl just then,
what did she say to you on her way out?
"I'm grateful for you."
The Glasnost files.
I said no.
What if I could give you answers
about your daughter?
Would that change your mind?
The only thing
that could change my mind...
...is you bringing her back.
But since that's not possible,
the answer is no.
JUDY: I don't care who you have approval
from, I am not leaving Ethan in your care.
I feel I've made a connection with him
on some level...
...and that he might tell me
where he was being kept...
...where the other children
are being held.
You need to say goodbye.
Hey, Ethan.
You're gonna go with Miss Sickler now.
She's gonna take you to a place
that is so safe.
And you're gonna be surrounded
by people who care about you.
And no one
is ever gonna hurt you again.
Okay?
- You took Noah Shuster?
- Baz did, after he saved you.
What is your interest in this case?
Same as yours, missing children.
Brimley is in there
speaking to the only man...
...who can tell us where
to find Lady Ambrosia.
I need to take Butterscotch for a walk.
When I get back...
...l'm gonna need
some ground mineral salt...
...and a corded Dremel drill.
Come on, poopsie, let's go.
That's it, very good.
When I said that Baz saved you,
I wasn't looking for a thank-you.
I'm just relieved.
I found a couple to take the baby.
Thinking about it is one thing,
but actually doing it...
How did she do it, my mother?
Your parents loved each other
very much.
The Cold War was hard.
Too hard for your father.
When the Soviet Union was collapsing,
he took you from her.
She gave up everything to follow him,
to follow you.
The night of the fire,
that's what they were arguing about?
Your mother, despite what he'd done,
she wanted him back.
She wanted them to be a family.
As much as it pains me to say it,
he was probably...
...the only man she ever really loved.
- And I shot him.
- It was an accident.
Tell me. I need to know.
Your mother
was never the same after that.
The man she loved
killed by the child she adored...
...it was...
...just too much.
Two months later she went to Cape May
and left her clothes on the beach...
...walked into the ocean,
and was never seen again.
So that night I killed both my parents.
You were a child.
There should never have been a gun
for you to grab.
Looking back, I'm not sure
I shouldn't have raised you myself.
I don't want you looking back
with that kind of regret.
[♪♪♪]
- Where are they?
- They're ugly, then they're beautiful.
- Answer me. Where--? Your father...
-l'm ugly.
-...where is he?
- He took him, the man with the gun.
A policeman?
Oh, my God.
Why don't you have answers for me?
I thought that you made them beautiful
to keep them from being like me.
Look, we have to talk about this later.
Your job is to prepare Anya.
[♪♪♪]
Yes, mother.
He refuses to leave.
I didn't want to force him
and make things worse.
I think he wants to speak with you.
LIZ:
Hey, Ethan. Can I come in?
So you decided to stick around, huh?
Ethan, what is this?
COOPER:
Ethan drew this?
LIZ: Isn't it amazing?
Look at the patterns on the wings.
- They remind me of--
- The finger painting.
The same pattern that was painted
on Ethan and the two kids who escaped.
Same dark edges, same spotting.
So whoever was holding these kids
was painting them like butterflies.
Some sort of ritual?
Feniseca tarquinius,
also known as the "harvester butterfly."
Highly localized, related to a species
found in Africa and Asia...
...the only carnivorous butterfly
in North America.
Carnivorous?
If there is a ritual,
maybe it involves this species.
Why would Ethan want me
to know that?
Track all sales of this species of larvae
for the past 12 months. I want a location.
RESSLER: We need Shuster,
but Reddington has him.
And, Keen,
where the hell is Reddington?
I believe you abducted Anya Patinka.
Where is she?
[SIGHS]
If that's who you're looking for,
you're too late.
-It's her birthday.
- I don't know what that means.
Lady Ambrosia, she means well.
- By abducting children?
- No.
We always try to keep our process
as humane as possible.
RAYMOND:
What process?
What process?
Anya is turning 12...
...the end of adolescence.
She'll be transformed.
We use nitrous.
The children are happy, relaxed...
...euphoric for their rebirth.
[ANYA & THEO LAUGHING]
RAYMOND:
And the other children?
NOAH:
They help prepare for the celebration...
...while the wrapping
of the butterfly child continues.
RAYMOND:
Where is she?
We call it the Colony,
an abandoned schoolhouse.
Route 2, south of Richmond.
After our son died,
she wanted to save other children.
She turns them into butterflies...
...sets them free,
so they can stay children forever.
[♪♪♪]
[GRUNTS]
[GRUNTING]
Unh!
[DOOR THUDS]
[♪♪♪]
[GASPS]
Okay, this is amazing.
Well, maybe not amazing. I mean,
how many people are in the market...
-...for carnivorous butterfly larvae?
- Aram.
Okay, I tracked nine shipments
in the last six months.
Eight to sanctuaries,
wildlife preserves, and zoos.
- And the ninth?
- Exactly.
Oh, Anya. I know you can't hear me,
but you're almost there.
You're almost home.
Oh, bless you, child.
Bless you.
Anya Patinka, where is she?
Who the hell are you?
Her fairy godmother.
I hear it's her birthday.
We've come to celebrate.
[♪♪♪]
It's been some time
since freshman English...
...but I seem to recall that fairy tales
about abandonment, death, witches...
...are supposed to allow children
to deal with their fears in symbolic terms.
But there's nothing symbolic
about this place.
You're a real witch.
I don't know who you are...
...but if you don't get off my property now,
I'll call the police.
RAYMOND:
I believe they're already on their way.
While we're waiting,
how about I tell you a story?
It's about a mother,
her two sons and a canoeing accident.
You've talked to Noah.
The family lived by a river.
The boys often took a canoe out to fish.
One day, the canoe tipped.
Inexplicably, the elder son,
the golden child...
...the champion swimmer, drowned...
...while the younger,
the lesser child, survived.
The way Noah tells it, you allowed Theo
to believe it was his fault...
...that he was the reason his brother died,
that he would have been better off dead.
They could have died together,
beautiful and innocent.
Theo would have been spared all this.
By "this,"
you mean the horror of being different.
Is that why you kill them?
- I save them.
- From what?
I make sure the damaged ones
don't grow up to be outcasts like Theo...
...hated, pitied.
No one loves an outcast.
Not even his mother?
I couldn't send my son away.
But when I look at him...
...l see what these children shouldn't be
and what they won't be...
...because I see the life
I save them from.
I'm ugly.
From where I sit...
...there's only one ugly person
in the room...
...and it's certainly not you, Theo.
She's breathing. She'll be okay.
Excellent. We must be going.
Theo, you are entitled
to as much as anyone...
“happiness, joy---
...a mother's love.
Theo, stop him. Stop him.
Theo, what are you doing? Stop him.
Theo. Theo. Theo, what--?
Oh, my God! No!
Stop. Theodore, what are you doing?
Let me g-- Let me go!
I'm not asking!
Theodore James!
Let me go right now.
No!
[AMBROSIA SCREAMING]
[THUDS]
[♪♪♪]
[CHILDREN CHEERING]
[♪♪♪]
[THUDS]
Follow me.
[♪♪♪]
♪ Here's another cold day ♪
♪ In that old November way ♪
[MOUTHING]
Thank you.
♪ Once again it's begun
I'm stuck and out astray ♪
♪ And you came in ♪
♪ Like a wave ♪
[KEYPAD BEEPING]
LIZ:
Hey, Tom.
I was just wondering where you are.
Give me a call when you can.
♪ Just breathe ♪
Anya?
Anya.
Anya. Anya.
[VASILIA SOBBING]
On, baby.
♪ There's no use riding waves
Crashing ashore ♪
♪ Through the same pale grin ♪
I still don't understand it,
Reddington's interest in this case.
What does he get?
♪ Just breathe ♪
Thank you.
♪ Just breathe ♪
♪ Just breathe ♪
It just keeps getting worse.
LIZ:
"'How can I get there?' Asked Dorothy.
'You must walk.
It is a long journey through a country
that is sometimes dark and terrible.
However,
I will use all the magic arts I know...
...to keep you from harm.'
She came close to Dorothy
and kissed her gently on the forehead.
'When you get to Oz,
do not be afraid of him...
...but tell your story
and ask him to help you.
Goodbye, my dear."'
♪ Just breathe ♪
[♪♪♪]