The Blacklist (2013–…): Season 7, Episode 1 - Louis T. Steinhil (No. 27) - full transcript

After being abducted by Katarina Rostova, Reddington finds himself alone in hostile territory unsure of who, if anyone, he can trust; with few leads to go on, Liz and the Task Force venture into unknown danger as they race to find him.

- Allez, allez.
- Pass. Pass!

Vas-y, vas-y, vas-y!

N'importe quoi.

Hey, hey. Shh, shh, shh, shh!

_

_

_

My God, man.

- Where is he?
- What? I don't...

- Reddington! Where is he?!
- Okay, okay!

Arrêtes. Stop. Put down the gun, eh?



Aah!

You run the network, Joubert.

If Reddington was smuggled out
of Paris, you'd know.

- Smuggled?
- Who got him out?

Reddington is impossible to track.
He's like a ghost.

What about the strike team?

What strike team?!

Hey, hey, if Reddington was in France,

I would know, and I would tell you.

I would.

Take this phone, Joubert,

and call me if you hear something.

What do you mean, smuggled out of Paris?

Is Reddington in trouble? Is he?



What happened to Reddington?!

Il est réveillé. Il est...
hé, appelle Docteur Busson.

Dis lui qu'il est réveillé!

- Where... Where am I?
- Il lutte contre les sangles.

Il ne peux pas bouger. Dis
lui qu'il do it rester immobile.

What happened?

Mr. Reddington, please be calm.

You are in a hospital. You're in Paris.

I can't feel anything.

Why can't I move?

Why can't I feel anything?

Do you recall the incident?

How about the rescue?

Mr. Reddington, I'm sure
you have many questions,

and, uh, a great many police
waiting to speak with you.

But my only job is to care
for your physical health,

and I'm concerned you may
also have cognitive damage.

So I need you to tell me what,
if anything,

you remember about the incident.

Do you know who did this to you?

Katarina.

I don't.

Police had a local gang
under surveillance

when they saw you
being pulled from a van.

So they caught them...
the people who did this.

Well, the inspectors intervened,
but they got away.

You'd been drugged and beaten
within an inch of your life.

Why can't I feel my legs?

Look, the people who did this to you,

they shattered your spine...
L-two, three, and four.

The neurosurgeons performed
an emergency surgery...

a laminectomy.

They removed the shattered bone,
fused your spine.

But I can't walk.

Tell me when you feel this.

There.

I can't walk.

There are tests to perform,
work to be done,

but time will be the only real judge

of what functions
you will eventually recover.

Why am in this thing?

Patients living with the
challenges of immobility...

So I'm paralyzed.

People in your condition...

- I'm paralyzed.
- You're immobile.

And while you are immobile,

you're prone to both
pulmonary complications

and pressure-related injuries.

By moving you up and down,

this will help you avoid
an embolism and pressure ulcers.

Will I ever walk again?

Mr. Reddington, you're lucky to be alive.

Okay, so, I ran background
checks on all the applicants.

Yeah? Who is your top choice?
Mrs. Doubtfire, right?

Would be, if she weren't three
months behind on her rent.

What about "Hand That Rocks the Cradle"?

Two stints in rehab.

- "The Manny"?
- 17 unpaid parking tickets.

Well... I have more than that.

One scofflaw in the family is enough.

- Are they all bad?
- Bad? No.

Just, uh, not good enough
to be Agnes' nanny.

Is it just me, or does it seem like

everyone has a skeleton in the closet?

You know, after Samar left,

I spent six months drowning my sorrows

in kielbasa and Ingmar Bergman movies.

Then Ressler insisted
I sign on to a dating app.

When I refused, he signed up for me.

I swear, he is more of a yenta
than my own yenta.

First three names he swipes right
on... their background checks...

bankruptcy, credit-card fraud,
and a restraining order

for slashing their ex-boyfriend's tires.

Now we are both eating Polish sausage

and playing chess with Death.

Well, I need to keep looking.

Mrs. Williams is helping me out
as a favor.

I need someone who's permanent.

This is Keen.

Elizabeth.

Raymond's gone.

- Gone where?
- Taken.

Tell me what you know.

- We came to Paris.
- When?

Six days ago, for a meeting.

With who?

Someone I don't know. Someone he trusted.

How do you know you can trust
him if you don't know who he is?

Because he insisted on going alone.

He went without you?

- Why would he do that?
- I don't know.

He's in trouble, Elizabeth.

I need your help to get him out of it.

Who's there?

I was beginning
to think that you didn't exist.

And yet, voilà... here you are.

René Oban. Chief Inspector, DGSI.

I've been hunting you for years.

Well, this must be very exciting for you.

Mm. It was.

Like chasing an illusion.

Reality is... much less interesting.

Welcome to yours.

A Frenchman who states
the obvious... how unusual.

Like a Swiss who argues.

Or an Italian who doesn't.

I have been hunting you
and Katarina Rostova.

- Fun.
- We know that she is in Paris.

And at the risk of stating the obvious,

it cannot be a coincidence
that you are here, as well.

202-555-0100.

Tell me about Rostova.

Call the number.

We know about the Townsend Directive.

We know that it is
a standing order to kill Rostova

and that it is very much in play.

I want you to tell me who is
coming for her and where she is

so I can get to her before they do.

She has some intel that I want,

and obviously I cannot get it
from her if she's dead.

You said you prefer illusion to reality.

Mm. More than you can possibly imagine.

I may have seemed like
an illusion, but she is one...

someone you can never find.

202-555-0100.

I am not interested in talking
to your lawyer.

Then you must not be interested
in talking to me,

because you can't do one
without the other.

What's his name?

Marvin Gerard.

Sounds French.

What's the status?

Reddington is being
interrogated as we speak.

And Annapolis knows we're coming?

Yes, everything is on schedule.

So. Joubert.

Problem?

Uh, one of Reddington's men found me.

That was to be expected.

He shot two of my men.

And he'll shoot more unless you tell him

where Reddington's being held.

No, no, I-I would never do that, ever.

I just think that you should
know that they are close,

and they are getting closer.

Thank you, Joubert.

For your concern and kindness.

How I wish we lived in a world

where kindness wasn't a liability.

I have intel on Keen. Should I act on it?

Not yet. I'm hoping we won't have to.

Clean this up and meet me in Annapolis.

And, Berdy...

Yes, boss?

Say a kind word over his grave.

Yes, the Raymond Reddington.

- Positively I.D.'d in Paris.
- I talked to Morgan.

He hasn't heard from him.
Can you reach out to Chuck?

Okay, so, I reviewed all the CCTV footage

from the Paris neighborhoods
that Dembe thought

Mr. Reddington might have gone to.

Nothing.

Wherever he went,
he didn't want to be seen.

- French police are on line one.
- I'm on with French police.

The secret police.
They called the 0100 number.

I didn't know we had an 0100 number.

- We don't.
- I'll have to call you back.

Harold Cooper.

Yes, this is René Oban with the DGSI

calling for Marvin Gerard.

He's not available right now.

Mm, well, he will be when you tell him

I have Raymond Reddington in custody.

Inspector Oban,

this is the Assistant Director
of the FBI, Harold Cooper.

We have arrested Marvin Gerard
and have a tap on his lines

in the hopes that we might find
Raymond Reddington.

Apparently, we have.

- Is any of this true?
- No, but he doesn't know that.

If you have Reddington, we need to meet.

If you have him. I'll need verification.

Yes, understood.

But since I am in Paris
and you are in Washington,

uh, might I suggest
a meeting at our embassy

between you and our attaché?

Fine. Make the arrangements.

You're quite lucky, tapping the
number Reddington gave me to call.

Luck had nothing to do with it.

Oh, no, I don't suppose it did. Hm.

Think he suspects?

Suspects what? What... What was all that?

0100 is a dedicated line,

a way for Reddington to let us
know if he's been arrested.

He demands to speak to his lawyer,

and we pretend like we just arrested him.

This Inspector Oban,
I want a full rundown on him.

Hang on, hang on.

Mr. Reddington goes 30 years
without getting caught,

and now he's been caught twice
within the last year.

He wasn't caught last year.

Wasn't caught? He was nearly executed.

He was arrested, but he wasn't caught.

What's the difference?

I turned him in.

- You what?
- Why would you do that?

So he couldn't get in the way
of me trying to find out

- his real identity.
- Whose real identity?

Reddington's.

Wait. Wh... What?

And you knew about this?

Yeah.

And I promised Reddington
I'd keep it to myself.

They deserve to know.

Know what?

That the real Raymond Reddington
died in 1991

and the man you know as
Reddington was once a KGB agent

named Ilya Koslov.

That's impossible. I knew Reddington.
I served with him.

It's a long story.

And I'll tell it to you
after we get him back.

Reddington, who you say is dead.

It doesn't matter who he was.

I thought it did, but it doesn't.

And once you hear the story,

I don't think it'll matter to you.

The only thing that matters
is that Reddington...

our Reddington... is in French custody,

and we have to get him back.

Ressler, Aram, run a check
on this René Oban.

Keen, circle back to Dembe and press him

on who Reddington may have been
meeting with.

I'll reach out to Main Justice
and explain the situation.

Which one?

The one about getting him back.

Once we do that,
we can figure out the rest.

Or try to.

Ah, pardon.

Director Cooper!

Patrick Briaux,
Homeland Security Attaché.

Ici, s'il vous plaît.

Where we going?

To have a private conversation.

Surely you know we can't do that
in the embassy,

since all the listening devices

were installed by your government.

I share your desire for caution.

Mine concerns René Oban.

He was with the DGSI
until three years ago.

After that, there's no record of him.

Does the FBI have a record
of you after six years ago?

If they do, I couldn't find it.

Fair enough.

But before I say anything,
I need proof that you have him.

He was picked up near the Seine,

badly beaten and unable to walk.

We expect your full cooperation

in returning him to our custody.

You're a mystery...
an agent who doesn't exist.

And yet, when we call
Reddington's lawyer,

you pick up and demand his return.

I wonder...

Is that because he's your fugitive

or because you work for him?

A friend in high places.

Do you have Reddington or not?

This photo tells me nothing.

I have Cooper. Put him on.

Nothing will come from this.

Yes?

30 years ago, Raymond Reddington heard

classified testimony in connection with

a U.S. intelligence officer
killed in Kuwait.

What was the soldier's name?

Daniel Hutton.

So it is you.

Were you expecting someone else?

I wasn't sure. Now I am.

- Is it true about your injuries?
- It is.

But I've been paralyzed before.

The spine of a blowfish pierced
my wet suit off Pit...

- Satisfied?
- Not remotely.

An extradition request
will be made within the hour.

Cheer up. I'm a man of my word.

You did as I asked,

so I'll tell you
what you're dying to know.

About Rostova?

The blowfish.

I was stung off Pitcairn Island
during a brief assignation I had

with a rapturous descendant
of Fletcher Christian.

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Okay, I'm clear.

Jiro wants to know

if you want him to intercede
with the extradition.

No, tell his people to hold.

Is this the updated Cooper file?

It is, but Werner says
it's a work in progress.

The DOJ files are understandably
difficult to access.

Okay. How's our patient? He's stable.

Respiratory rate
and O2 saturation are good.

- Last dose was at 10:00.
- What are the levels?

He's fine above L2.

Is our client here?

Yes.

Dose him again.

Cooper made contact.

And?

Still a mystery.

As is whether he has
a connection to Reddington.

It's a work in progress.

- And Reddington?
- Still thinks he's in Paris.

But if he thinks he can wait
for the FBI's extradition order,

he's gonna be less inclined to talk.

Then use that to your advantage.

How?

We're up against a clock.
We need a plan B.

It's not gonna take them long to
find out what's happening here.

Yes, well,
if you're any good at your job,

this will all be done
by the time they do.

Good news.

I'm told you're going to get
into a chair soon.

Right now, I'm a little less
concerned with what I can't feel

than by what I can...

an insufferable itch on my cheek
that I'm unable to scratch.

Would you be so kind, Nikola?

Tell me where.

Uh, the right cheek.

Yeah, that's right. A little higher.

Oh, no, a little higher than...
A-Almost...

I don't know
whether to be impressed or disgusted.

It appears your American friends,

they are more fond of you
than I had anticipated.

They've asked my government

to proceed with extradition proceedings.

Now, sadly for you,
that will not be considered

by the French government
unless I sign off.

And I will not consider that

until after you have told me
about Katarina Rostova.

We need to change his
dressing to avoid infection.

Ah, you see... another incentive

for you to tell me what I want to know.

Sepsis.

Could you give us a moment? Wait outside.

I may not have told you what you want,

but I told you all you need.

You'll never find Rostova.

Ah, yes, yes, yes,
because she's an illusion.

What does that mean?

She's a figment

of the collective imagination.

I don't believe you.

In fact...

I am thinking that she did this to you.

Did she?

Why are you protecting her?

Some people in this world are soul mates.

Katarina Rostova and I shared one.

Betraying her would be like
betraying myself.

What have you found?

Reddington's in French custody.
Cooper's working on extradition.

Then we'll get him back.

Well, we hope so, but, uh,
his physical condition...

What about it?

It's not good.

Tell me.

Let me get this straight.

Raymond Reddington is your father.

The real one.

But he's dead because
you shot and killed him.

When I was 4, yeah.

And after he dies,
your mother, Katarina Rostova,

puts you in foster care

and escapes from the KGB,
FBI, and the Cabal

with the help of
her oldest friend, Ilya Koslov,

who nips and tucks his way
into becoming Mr. Reddington

in order to access the millions

that the real Reddington
didn't even know he had,

in order to finance her disappearance.

Is that it?

Pretty much.

You're definitely gonna need therapy.

And now that you've told me, so am I.

Listen up.

I just got off the phone with Panabaker.

The French are denying everything.

But, uh, you went to the embassy
and spoke to the attaché.

Maybe they're gonna wait
until they can bleed Reddington

of all the intel they can
and then hand him over.

Whatever their motivation,

the French know this is
a priority for us,

and they will use that to their advantage

in negotiating extradition.

But the attaché, Briaux...
you said he was cooperative.

He was, which is why I'm going
back to the embassy personally

to deliver the extradition paperwork.

Ah, Mila, my dear!
You are a sight for sore eyes.

You did not eat a bite.

My God, no.

Eating even a swallow of that gruel

with all the bread and cheese,
chocolate and wine

on the other side of these walls?

That's more torture than a man can brave.

Well, at least you'll be able to
get out of this bed.

Ah!

My chariot arrives.

Mr. Reddington, let's get you
moving around, shall we?

I've been on the run half my life.

I suppose now I'll be on a walk.

Or a roll.

You're a very dark man.

Yes, well, walking or rolling,

I intend to show my gratitude
by sharing with you

the finest night of drinking and dining

one can possibly imagine.

- Are you comfortable?
- Quite.

That ought to keep me from running.

Harold Cooper, FBI,
here to see Patrick Briaux.

Yes, sir. Go right ahead.

Monsieur Briaux.
Harold Cooper to see you, sir.

Mr. Cooper.

What can I do for you?

Patrick Briaux?

Yes.

Something wrong?

Keen. Elizabeth, it's me.

Did you talk to Briaux?

Yes, I'm...

I'm with him right now.

We have a situation.

I got something. Take a look at this.

So, these are the surveillance feeds

from inside the embassy,

which show Briaux waiting in line

to request a visa application.

But once he gets it, he leaves.

Never filled it out.

He was just lingering outside,

chatting up the guards,
waiting for you to arrive.

I'll issue a BOLO, circulating the image

with MPD and surrounding jurisdictions.

The real Briaux insists that Reddington

is not in French custody and
regrets the misunderstanding.

Well, if Reddington isn't being
held by the French police,

who is holding him?

Maybe the person he met with.
You have no idea who that was?

I only know it was someone
Raymond felt safe with.

And Raymond never feels safe with anyone.

Whoever it was must've known
we were in the dark

and reached out anyway,
had Briaux come to meet you.

Why? What were they hoping to gain?

Maybe confirmation
that he's our informant.

He has a lot of enemies.

Now one of them may suspect
he's working with us,

and if that's the truth,
we may have just signed

Reddington's death warrant.

Briaux, or whatever the hell
his name actually is,

he's our only lead.

Let's find him.

Sous les etoiles on danse avec
la lumiere de la lune ♪

What the...?

Liam.

Hey, the hell's this?

Something's wrong with the picture.

Do me a favor. Get Colton.

I'm on it.

Good evening, Mr. Reddington.
Time to change your dressing.

Yes, Mila, please, do come in.

Let me ask you something.

Do I frighten you, Mila, with
all the police and the guards,

the handcuffs?

No. To me, you seem like, uh...

I don't know the word.

You seem like a nice man.

I'm glad.

Ah!

Would you mind turning up the music?

I love this song.

Mila, please, just a little more.

I remember hearing this
wafting across the courtyard

and through the window
of my apartment on Rue Jacob.

It could have been my mother.
She loved this record.

Aah!

Ohh!

Unless you want whatever is in here,

I suggest you be still.

- Please. No.
- Who are you working for?

A-A woman. I don't know her name.

- Katarina?
- Maybe. She's Russian.

And the beating?

Don't, please. I'm begging you...

Tell me about the beating.

It was a story.

Like Inspector Oban and the doctor.

They'll be here any moment.

I can't hear anything with the
music, and I've got no video.

- There was no surgery.
- No.

- And we're not in Paris.
- No.

Then why the chair?

Why can't I feel my legs?

Answer me.

The surgical drain in your back,
i-it's not to collect fluids.

It's an epidural.

When we change your dressing,

we're pushing sensory
and motor blockades...

tetracaine and bupivacaine.

And what happens if I don't get
the scheduled dose?

If you don't, then...

you walk.

Aah!

Signal looks fine.

It might be the camera,
some internal glitch.

Whatever's happening, it's no accident.

Get in there.

You make a sound, I'll kill you.

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_

I'm sorry.

Uh, my French is really only good enough

for restaurants and little old ladies.

Do you speak English?

- Some, yes.
- Ah. Lovely.

In that case, may I ask a favor?

I-Inspector Oban...

the one with the crooked little grin...

would you please tell him
I'd like to speak with him?

There's an important matter
I'd like to discuss.

She killed her father.

I can't imagine the burden that carries.

If we tell Justice
who Mr. Reddington really is,

will they shut us down?

Rather than stay in business
with a KGB agent?

I would.

MPD just found Briaux's visa application

in the trash outside the embassy.

They lifted a print.

Tell me we have an I.D.

Briaux's real name is Michael Hansen.

Lives off Vermont and North Crescent.

High-end grifter who stings anyone

from Vegas big shots to tech VCs.

And gullible FBI agents.

Well, he's one of the best,

which means that whoever has
Reddington is even better.

As soon as we pull a warrant,

we can get Hansen to tell us who that is.

- How long will that take?
- An hour, maybe less.

Definitely less.

I'm guessing he's not waiting
for a warrant.

No, he isn't.

Neither am I.

I understand crossing lines
for your father,

but now who are you
crossing the line for?

A man I've grown to like.

FBI!

Where's Reddington?!

I don't know!

Aah!

Then you're gonna tell us who does.

Louis T. Steinhil?

That's what they call him.

That name's what, an alias?

It's an anagram.

The letters spell "The Illusionist."

How does he operate?

I get a call, a character to
create, a script to follow,

and a boatload of money.

And you do what he says,
no questions asked?

In my world, everyone wants
to work with Steinhil.

The man has an incredible reputation.

Tell us about it, this reputation.

The thieves who set fire
to the Vasa Museum

and took three Dutch masters?

They weren't thieves,

and they didn't steal the paintings.

They worked for Steinhil,
who posed as a fireman,

cleared the building, and took
the masterpieces himself.

I'm telling you, The Illusionist
is everywhere and nowhere...

a fireman, a casino boss.

A French cop.

Sure, if the illusion calls for it, yeah.

Listen, it was just a job.

I don't know who he is or what
he's done with Reddington.

You said he pays well.

Very.

How?

Cash? Wire transfer?

You asked to see me.

Yes, I did.

There's something you should know.

It's an urgent but private matter.

Mm.

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_

Please.

Take off your coat. Have a seat.

Something's wrong.

Tell Colton we got an emergency.

We lost the feed again.

Oh! Ha-ha! The keys.

I asked you here, Inspector Oban,

or whoever you are,

to tell you how much I admire your plan.

And I do... or I did.

The paralytic agent...
that was your pitfall.

The medications wear off

when not administered every four hours.

I'm overdue for my next dose, so...

The next time you want to convince me

I've broken my spine,

you damn well better break my spine.

Hey, put that down. Don't touch me.

It's either a bullet in the head
or a needle in the arm.

I'd take the needle.

- What is it?
- Ketamine.

The same tonic used
to knock me out on the street.

For a man your height and weight,

150 milligrams should do the trick

and give you the most wonderful dreams.

Or it might kill you.

I'm pretty sure it's the dreams.

But I'm no doctor, and you're no cop.

Either way, I suppose
pharma-karma's a bitch.

He has a gun.

Where are we?

Hansen couldn't lead us
to The Illusionist,

but there's a chance his money can.

Aram's tracing it now,
and I'm hunting for childcare.

Turns out Steinhil isn't the only one

who isn't who he appears to be.

I'm beginning to think no one is.

I'm sorry I didn't tell you before.

Why didn't you?

Hey.

So, um, I was able to trace
the payment Hansen received

to an account in Paris.

Now, the account's in the name
of a shell corporation,

so the I.D. trail is a dead end, but...

and I am 74% confident
there is something to this...

I found several other payments
out of the Paris account,

one of which was used to rent
a small warehouse in Annapolis.

So?

So, three other payments were made

to rent medical equipment that,

according to the rental company,

were sent to that same warehouse.

You think that's where
they're holding Reddington.

I know we think he's in Paris,

but maybe that's just another illusion.

Get Ressler. Tell him
we may have located Reddington.

Got it.

I do have an answer
to your question, by the way.

When this is over,
I look forward to hearing it.

Aram, text me that address and
notify the FBI in Annapolis.

- What about local authorities?
- Not yet.

I don't want to scramble units
that might expose Reddington

until we know what we're dealing with.

Understood. Address is on its way.

Stop! Stop!

Don't move!

Drop the gun!

- Turn around!
- Hands on the wall!

Good to see you again, Raymond.

Get him in the van.

We're too late.

What happened?

Nurse says he got to
one of the contingency weapons.

- Our exposure?
- Well, we found it on him.

Doesn't look like any calls went out,

but we're taking precautions.

What about the Elizabeth Keen intel?

- Is it solid?
- 100%.

Give it to the Movers, just in case.

He's coming to!

Dose him again.

The nurse, the one who let this happen...

Bring her to me.

We know you all worked for Steinhil.

What we want to know is
who he worked for.

The employer. We want a name.

We know the hospital is fake.

- We assume the injuries were, too.
- So?

So Reddington isn't paralyzed.

He's been on the run 30 years.

If we could make him think
he couldn't run anymore...

She thought he'd talk.

She?

I don't have a name.

A description, then.

Nobody knows who she is.

But you know what she wanted
Reddington to talk about?

- Yes.
- Which was what?

Not what. Who.

Some woman.

Do you know her name?

I know she's dangerous. A Russian.

A Russian.

Russian.

Katarina Rostova.

This is who my mother is to me...

an aura that surrounds me.

For better or for worse, I don't know.

They're in there asking them about her.

Whoever took him, it's because of her.

He'll be okay.

You don't know that.

Apparently, Reddington died 30 years ago.

He rose from the grave once.

I'm pretty sure he will again.

- - I
didn't tell you because you're honest.

You'd want to report
Reddington's misrepresentation

to Main Justice.

And I don't think you should.

What makes you say that?

Because he's not my father.

I don't understand.

When I thought he was my father,
I hated him for abandoning me.

I thought he shirked responsibility.

But now I know he takes it on
even when he doesn't have to.

I was nobody to him.

The illegitimate daughter
of a childhood friend.

And he devoted half his life to me.

Do you know anyone else who does that?

Because I don't.

Feeling okay?

I'll be fine.

I don't like this, Raymond.

The whole ordeal pains me.

Surely you understand that.

I went to great lengths
to pretend to hurt you.

We're past that now, Raymond.

This is very real.

I can assure you that,

before we're finished...

...you're going to tell me

everything I want to know.

Miss?

Shall we begin?