The Player (2015): Season 1, Episode 6 - The Norseman - full transcript

CAL: Previously on
The Player...

Detective Brown,
this is Special Agent
Rose Nolan with the FBI.

Justin Foucault
has been on my radar

as part of a domestic
terror investigation.

Take a look at these.

Why are you
telling me this?

You're very close with someone
who matches the profile.

I found some old
pictures on a SIM card.

The dates are
off by three days,
it doesn't make any sense.

I was thinking
about those
dates you showed me.

There was one
active phone number.



7-0-2 is a Vegas number.

Alex.
Where are you?

Don't try and find me,
please.

(THRASH METAL MUSIC PLAYING)

GINNY: (ON VIDEO)
Alex, I have to go.
Don't try and find me, please.

They'll kill you if you do.

ALEX: Ginny?

(TAPS KEY)

(CLANKING)

Oh.

Uncle Alex, sorry.
I thought you'd be at work.

Ah. Dani,
what are you doing here?

It's been a while
since I visited.

So you just thought
you'd come check on me?



Yeah.
Hey, where's your mom?

Uh... Thanks, kid.
(LAUGHING)

You wanna tell me
what you're doing here...
Oh, cool bike.

...alone, from Phoenix? Dani.

Mom went psycho.

And I can't deal
'cause she's such
a hypocrite, okay?

She has three
tattoos that I know of,

and she goes nuclear
when I get one little one.

So you got a tattoo?

Mmm-hmm.

It means freedom
and safe travels.

ALEX: Hmm.

Sailors get them.
Hmm.

Sailors.
Not exactly top
choice for role models.

(LAUGHING)

Listen,
can I stay for a few days?

Please, I can't go back.

Not until she calms
down a little bit.

Dani, you know
I'm always here for you,

but we gotta let
your mom know what's up.

Does she even
know you're here?

No, I left when she
went to her shift.

(STUTTERING)

You can't just hide out.

I didn't know
where else to go!

Fine. You can stay
for a few days.
Okay.

I'll call your mom.
But then you and I,

we have to have
a very serious talk, okay?

Sure.
Okay.

(CELLPHONE CHIMES)

(GROANS)

And we'll have that talk
when I get back from work.

(CHUCKLES)
The coolest uncle ever.

Yeah, we'll see about that.
In the meantime, just don't...

Don't touch the liquor?

Do not touch the liquor.

Okay.

All right, I love you.

I love you, too.
Bye.

Thank you, Uncle Alex.
You're welcome.

So, what's the connection?

No connection.
Just a pattern.

Former Special Forces guys.

They can all be placed
at a series of
unrelated crime scenes,

and then they end up
dead or disappeared.

And there's your friend,
Alex Kane.

CAL: You following him?

We both know
he's hiding something.

What's this?

That was taken at the Occam,

where he's been spending
an unusual amount of time.

No, no, no. I mean her.

Been trying to
figure that out.

Whoever she is,

she's using some
sort of high-intensity

infrared device to
obscure her features.

Check this out.

ROSE: Where did you get this?

Justin Foucault,
the ex-Special Ops
found dead in the desert.

This was taken two
days before he died.

With our mystery blonde.

(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)

I trust Ginny's niece
found her way to your
apartment well enough.

Hey, let's not spy
on my family.

Hardly spying.

The Instagram of
the new tattoo,
the tweet "Mom sucks."

A cell phone
search for your address,

and an online purchase
of a bus ticket from
Phoenix to Las Vegas.

Teenagers don't
leak information.

They shout it unto
the digital void.

(KEYPAD BEEPS)

(DOOR OPENS)
I couldn't help but notice.

We have a new bet.

(CHUCKLES)

Or we could shake
hands like civilized men.

Good morning, Mr. Kane.
How are you doing?

Or any number of
common greetings
would do.

So what's all this?

Cold case homicides,
courtesy of LVPD storage.

The murders are connected.

How?

A serial killer has
been targeting Las Vegas

for nearly two decades,
and nobody knows it.

In the last 48 hours
of October 1996,
two people were killed.

Their heads and hands
were never found.

Hmm.

What, does this
actually bother you?
No.

This sort of
killer offends me.

They're chaotic, messy.

Nine years later,
on October 31st, 2005,
two new victims were found.

After all that time,
the police dismissed it
as a copycat.

Well, not all of them did.

Cal Brown was
a rookie on the '96 case.

He thought the '05
murders was the same guy
but he couldn't prove it.

I know, I read his notes.
I'm impressed,
he's quite good.

But we can connect some dots
he couldn't see.

(CONSOLE CHIMES AND BEEPS)

The dates of
the murders and the number

of the victims
correspond to the patterns

on the Winterfest
cycle of a Norse

pagan calendar meant
to honor the dead.

The pagans made sacrifices

by severing
the heads and hands
of those who were offered up.

Lovely. So this guy's
a wannabe Viking priest?

I call this charming
fellow "The Norseman."

Our data predicts
he will strike
again this year,

and that he'll take
two more victims
in the next 72 hours.

That's between
now and Halloween.

That is,
unless you can stop him.

The bet.
(CONSOLE CHIMES)

Can Alex Kane
stop The Norseman

from completing his ritual
before midnight, October 31st?

Well, we're about
to find out.

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

(CROWD CHEERING)

Wanna get out of here?

(BOTH LAUGHING)

I could go for a swim.

But I don't have a suit.

Oh, no.

Neither do I.

(GIGGLES)

(SCREAMING)

(BOTH SCREAMING)

(SPEAKING
SCANDINAVIAN LANGUAGE)

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

(SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE)

(CLEARS THROAT)
You were right.

Yes, sir, on it.

It's your guy again, isn't it?
You always said he'd be back.

I swear, man, the only time
you don't pop up
at the crime scene

is when you're part
of the crime scene.
(CHUCKLES)

You ready to tell me
who you're working for?

Well,
as a security consultant,

technically,
I work for myself.

For tax purposes,
it's called an S Corp.

You know,
you can really transform your

financial portfolio if
you sign up for that.

(STATIC)

That's funny.

Hey, I think we found
something over here.

What, in the men's room?

CAL: Yeah, thinking
the guy got hit
on the way out.

(BEEP)

Alex?

(DRYERS WHIRRING)

(STATIC)
Alex, your mic is distorted.

Well,
this is not at all alarming.

You know who I am, Cal?
What I do?

What you did.

You telling me you're working
black ops again, on US soil?

I'm telling you
I'm working for
some very serious people.

And these people
work out of the Occam?

No. The Occam's
a new client. That's it.

Just wanna make sure
you're not in over your head.

I appreciate that, Cal. I do.

But I wanna help
you catch this guy.

You just have to promise me
not to ask for details.

The people I'm with,
they don't play
well with others,

but they have resources.

Now, this killer
is not gonna stop,
you and I both know that.

Not unless we do
something about it.

So let me help you, Cal.
Please.

Almost got him in '05.

(COMPUTER BEEPS)

Patrols spotted a guy
peeping a couple
of the crime scenes.

(CELLPHONE RINGING)

Big, weird dude
named Bron Torvald.
Lived out in the sand hills.

What the...

Didn't have enough to arrest,
but I questioned him.

Then he disappeared.

It's Vegas. People disappear.

I know, but right
after he disappeared,
I got this.

Ah.

It didn't match any
of the known victims,
we could never ID it.

I was getting close,
Torvald was sending a message,

"back off."
Hmm.

Weird thing is,
right after that,
he just went quiet.

Been off the map ever since.

Raised in foster homes,
so no next of kin listed.

No way to track him down.

Anything else
connect the victims?

He finds them online,
that's how he makes contact.

That's it, that's all I got.
(CELLPHONE RINGS)

Vegas PD.
Hmm.

You want me to say
hi for you?
(BEEP)

Kane.

What?

I'll see you later.

She did what?

(SIGHS HEAVILY)

(CELLPHONE RINGS)

Oh, good. Yup?

Okay, what the hell
were you doing just then?

Yeah, the restroom,
I'm guessing all that

concrete and piping
bugged out your tech.

Okay, my tech is not buggy.
You know the rules, Alex.

Which rule did
you see me break?

Are we good?
'Cause I got
something for you.

I need you to check out
a guy named Bron Torvald.

Cal made him for
the killings back in '05,
but he went underground.

Already on it.
Looks like a lovely fellow.

Hey, also check out
all the victims'
online activities

in the days before
they were killed.
That's how he finds them.

Now, let's wrap this up
before he grabs another one.

(CONSOLE BEEPING)

(BEEPING AND DIALING)

Johnson, old friend,
how are you?

I'm well, Samuel.
Good to hear your voice.

This new player of yours,
Alex Kane,
he is quite the showman.

Our friends
like him very much.

Almost as much as
they like watching you play.

Well, glad to hear
The Gamblers are
enjoying themselves.

Unfortunately,
there is a more
pressing concern.

How can I help?

An FBI agent is
digging into our enterprise.

Rose Nolan.

She's currently
working with the LVPD.

I would like her reassigned.

Preferably out of the country.

Consider it done.
(DOOR OPENS)

Sir, we're about to begin.

Ah! Duty calls.

But we should have
a proper get-together.
It's been too long.

I'll visit soon.
You can buy me
lunch at The Drake.

Done.

Hmm.

(ALEX SIGHS HEAVILY)

Thank you.

(SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE)

Shoplifting? Really?

I didn't have any money.

You know that's not
a legal defense, right?

Dani, what's going on?
This isn't like you.

Nothing. I don't know.
I'm just stupid.

Hey.

You and I both
know that's not true.

What, um...
What did you steal, anyway?

A snow globe of Vegas.

A snow globe of Vegas?

Well, that was
pretty stupid, wasn't it?

(CHUCKLES) Yes.

(CHUCKLES)

What am I gonna do with you?

I don't know. I just...

I wanted to get you something
to say thanks for
letting me stay.

A joke present,
you know?

You wanna do
something nice for me?
Make peace with your mom.

Are you gonna
tell her about this?

She finds out you
did jail time under

my watch, I'm in as
much trouble as you.

(CELLPHONE RINGS)

One sec.

Yeah.

I called you because
I didn't want
you hearing voices

in front of your
niece like a crazy person.

That's so considerate of you.

But you need to move. Now.

You found him?
Almost.

You were right,
he's been scouting
his victims online.

Can you track his IP address?

What a novel idea.

I'm on it. Move, now!
(BEEPING)

I gotta go.
What?

You're gonna stay here
for a few more hours.

What?
What am I supposed to do?

Think about what you did,
feel remorse,
vow to walk a better path.

Welcome to the criminal
justice system, kid.

What? What? Uncle Alex!

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

(CELLPHONE ALERT CHIMES)

(ALERT CHIMES)

(ALERT CHIMES)

ALEX: How'd you find him?

All of the victims
talked online with strangers

whose names
referenced Norse mythology.

(ALERT CHIMES)

A user with that same address
is active right now.

He's meeting his
next victim as we speak,
he's leading her right to him.

He's making a game of it.

So, he's making
a game of murder.

What kind of
a monster would do that?

(ALERT CHIMES)

You're taller than
I expected.

Hey, where are we going?
I thought we were
gonna dance.

(MUFFLED VOICE)
I wanna show you something.

ALEX: Come here. Trust me.

You do not want
to date this guy.
Aah!

Bron Torvald, right?

(FIGHTING GRUNTS)

(GUNSHOTS)

(WOMAN SCREAMS)

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

MAN: Hey!
(WOMAN YELLS)

CAL: Freeze!

Get down on your knees!
Get down on your knees!

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

(HANDCUFFS CLICKING)

Bron Torvald,
you are under arrest.

But this isn't...
Who the hell are you?

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

CAL: I have no idea
who this guy is.

No license,
no record, clean prints.

I would have bet
a thousand bucks
Bron Torvald was our killer.

Shouldn't gamble on crime.
It's a sucker's game.

Guess I had
the wrong guy in '05,
unless he really is a copycat.

I don't suppose it
would do me any good

to ask you how you ended up
tangling with
him in that club.

All's well that ends well.

Just wanna pick up my niece
and get out of here.

Speak of the devil.

Hey, thank you.
Hey.

Thank you for
getting me out of there.

Also, I hate you.
Well, you'll get over it.

Come on, I'm starving.
You can hate me
over breakfast.

Okay.

(MOUTH FULL)
Oh, that's hot.

(CHUCKLES) Is it good?

But it's very good.
Yeah, very good.

Wanna split a beer?

(CRUNCHES)

No? I'm kidding.

So, have you had a chance
to talk to my mom?

I did.

And she was worried
but I was able
to calm her down.

Since when has she
been worried about anything

other than herself
and how to get the next guy?

Yes.

But she never stops
thinking about you.

I don't know. She just...
She never listens to anyone.

She wouldn't even
listen to Aunt Ginny
who's, like, way smarter.

They used to
fight all the time.
Don't you remember?

Yeah,
sisters are complicated.

Yeah, well,

maybe everything would
have been less complicated
if Ginny was my mom.

I shouldn't have said that.
I'm sorry.

Dani, your mother
loves you.

And yes, she can be...

She can be a lot
of work sometimes.

And I'm sure
she's overreacting
about the tattoo.

But she is trying.

You know, this doesn't
just represent freedom.

It also means
loyalty to family.

And it always comes
home after its travels.

Yeah, Ginny told me that, too.

Did she?
Mmm-hmm.

Huh.

You know...

I've got something of
hers I think she'd
want you to have.

Really?

Here.

Oh, wow.

Thank you.
Put it on.

Okay.

(CRUNCHING)

DANI: Thanks.

(CHUCKLES)

You earned it.
Best grilled cheese ever.

What can I say? Nailed it.

(SINGSONGY) Nailed it.
(LAUGHS)

(PHONE RINGS)

(CONSOLE BEEPS)

Johnson.

That lunch at The Drake,
maybe we should do it
sooner rather than later.

Why? Is there a problem?

Your Agent Nolan,
her posting is
Directorate Priority.

She's protected.

What are you saying?
She's untouchable?

I'm saying I can't touch her.

Which, if not alarming,
is very interesting.

That it is.

That it is.

When can you be in Chicago?

May take me
a couple of days.
Okay.

In the meantime,
we shouldn't talk on
the phone until you do.

(LINE DISCONNECTS)

Hmm.

Sooner or later,
we'll figure out who you are.

But what
I'm curious about is why?

Why do you go around
just cutting off
people's heads?

My gods require tribute.
Idun wanted a girl.
And who am I to say no?

(SCOFFS)

This is a cycle of sacrifice
that's existed for centuries.

I'm just a pawn in
a much greater game.

Well, this year,
your gods are gonna
go hungry.

Because this time, I got you.

Oh...

One more thing.

Who is Bron Torvald?

What is his
connection to you?

He is the man you killed.

I what now?

After you questioned him,
he discovered my work.

He was going
to betray me,
betray our gods.

Sounds like a good dude.

We survived together.
All the foster homes.

He's my brother.

And because of you,
I had to kill him.

(SIGHS)

It was his skull you sent me.

(WHISPERS) Yeah.

It was my promise
you'd see me again.

Yeah, and here we are.

I killed my own brother

to serve my deities.

Do you really think
there's anything

you can do to stop me
from serving them now?

I can lock your crazy ass up
and throw away the key.

(DOOR CLOSES)

(GAGGING)

(CLICK)

(HANDCUFF UNLOCKS)

(GRUNTS)

(GUNSHOTS)
Uhh!

(OFFICERS
SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)

What's he doing?

(CANISTER POPS)
(GAS HISSING)

(COUGHING)

(CANISTER POPS)

(BEEP)

(CELLPHONE RINGS)

Yep.

Alex, you need to
get back to
the police station now.

The bet is not over.
The Norseman broke free.

Get eyes on Cal.
Why?

Because it's a grudge.
He's after Cal.
That's why he hasn't left yet.

I need you to...

Yeah, I'll stay here.
Yes. Stay put.

(COUGHING)

I got no shot.

(GUNSHOTS)

(COUGHING)

(SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)

(SHELL CASINGS FALL)

(CLICK)
Damn it.

CASSANDRA:
Leaves the station,

moves up the street,
goes into a garage.

ALEX: And he never
comes out.

(CONSOLE CHIMES)

It connects to an old
delivery tunnel system
for the casinos.

Which means he could be
anywhere in the city.

Yeah. Perhaps he'll
circle back and strike
Detective Brown.

No, his sacrifices
take priority.

That's why he ran
when he couldn't get
a clear shot at Brown.

He still needs
his second victim,
it's his compulsion.

His deadline is midnight.
So where's he going to look?

He said he pays
tribute to the gods. Okay?

I checked,
and each of his victims

matches the attributes
of a particular Norse god.

Age, gender, appearance.

That girl tonight
was going to be

his sacrifice to
the goddess Idun.

(CONSOLE CHIMES)

And now he needs
her replacement.

Down to the wire.

There's extraordinary interest
amongst The Gamblers.

The odds have decisively
turned against you.

You must be delighted.
Go back to
the station footage.

Mmm-hmm.

ALEX: Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Slow, slow, slow down.

The booking files.
Why would he...

Dani's file
was in there.

He was looking at her
when we brought him in.

She's going to be
his next sacrifice!

Inform The Gamblers.

And remind them
that the clock
stops at midnight.

(LINE RINGING)
Come on, Dani.
Pick up the phone.

Pick up the phone, Dani!

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

(MUSIC PLAYING OVER EARPHONES)

(MUSIC STOPS)

Hey. Are you
on your way up?
ALEX: Hey!

Someone's coming after you.
What?

You need to get out
of the apartment, find a cop,

and tell them that
someone is
trying to abduct you.

It's the man from
the police station.
He got out.

(GATE OPENS)

Dani! Can you hear me?

Dani!

(SCREAMING) No! No!
He's here, Uncle Alex!

Uncle Alex! Help me!

Dani!
Please!

It's him! Please!

I have my final tribute.
And I promise you,
it will be a worthy death.

Listen to me.
You... Wait! Listen...
(LINE DISCONNECTS)

No! No! No, please don't!

(BEEPS)

(REVS ENGINE)

(TIRES SCREECH)

I don't have him
on any feed.

I've lost him.

Alex?
Alex, are you there?

I don't know what
vehicle he's in.
I can't track him.

I am!

(BEEPING)

Where the hell
are you going?

I'm following them.

I don't understand.
You put a tracker on
The Norseman? When?

I put a tracker on Dani.

I wired it to an old
necklace of Ginny's.

(TIRES SCREECH)

(BEEPING)

(REVS ENGINE)

(BREATHING ERRATICALLY)

(ENGINE REVVING)

CASSANDRA: What's going on?

They're here.

(SOFTLY)
Cassandra, call the police.

You know I can't do that.

She's a 15-year-old kid.

If anything happens to her...

I can't lose another
person to your game.

Not my game. The game.
To which we are both bound.

Alex?

Alex!

(PANTING) No!

(METAL SCRAPING)

(THRASH METAL MUSIC PLAYING)

I know you're scared.

You may not be able to
understand this,
but it's a great honour.

It's very sharp.

And I'm very good
at what I do.

There will be no pain.

Okay?

Only peace
when it's done.

(SNIFFLES)

(BLADE SCRAPES)

Can I ask you a question?

(VOCE BREAKING) Why?

Why are you doing this?

Each of the gods
needs a tribute.

And each of us has
a story to be offered.

(BREATHING ERRATICALLY)

This is my story.

And when your
sacrifice is done,

I will etch your story
onto your skull,

so that you will live
forever in their eyes.

(STATIC)

Cassandra, can you hear me?

That's great.

(GROANING)

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

(GROANS)

(GRUNTING)

(GROANS)

(COUGHS)

(GROANS)

Wait! Wait, wait, wait!

(CRYING)

The offering must be
made by midnight
before the harvest.

(WHIMPERING)

(GASPING)

(BREATHING SHALLOWLY)

It's time.

(DANI WHIMPERING)

No! (SOBS)

Wait. Wait, don't!

Wait! Wait!

(PANTING)

Uncle Alex!

(GRUNTING)

Dani, run!

(GRUNTING CONTINUES)

(GROANS)

(PANTING)

(GROANS)
(SOBS) No, please!

ALEX: It's after midnight.

It's over.
Your sacrifice is lost.

(DOOR OPENS)
JOHNSON: Indeed it is.

October 31st
has come and gone.

And The Norseman
has not claimed
his final victory.

The bet is over. You win.

(GROANS)

Excellent work, Mr. Kane.

You and your niece
should leave.

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

Who are you?

Oh, I'm the Pit Boss.
I tidy up.

(GRUNTING)

(WEAPONS WHOOSHING)

(BONES CRACK)
(GROANS)

(GRUNTING)

(CHOKING)

(BONES CRUNCH)
(GRUNTS)

(FOALS' ALBATROSS PLAYING)

♪ You got an albatross
around your neck

CAL: What do we got?
Anonymous tip.
Some lady called it in.

Is forensics
still on the way?

Show me.

♪ You got
a hundred broken lightbulbs

♪ Above your head

♪ They said that
you had it coming

♪ But i wouldn't bet

♪ 'Cause you got
a slowly ticking time bomb

♪ And then you see red

♪ Sunblind

♪ Sunblind

(CONSOLE CHIMES)

♪ You got an albatross
around your neck

♪ Around your neck

♪ You got a pile
of broken wishbones

Hey.

We're almost
to your place.

Who was that guy?

The one that helped us?

He's someone I work with.
Someone very good at his job.

And your job,
it's really dangerous, right?

Yeah, it is.

Just be careful, okay?

I can't lose you, too.

ALEX: Here we are.

Now why don't you go
make peace with your mom?

I will.

Thank you.
Okay.

Hey, you take care
of yourself, okay?

(SNIFFLES) Okay.

Dani,
cut her some slack, okay?

Okay.

Gin martini,
shaken, dirty and wet.

Has to be
just right, huh?

I know what I like.

(CHUCKLES)

Haven't seen you
around here before.

Should you have?

Yeah. This is one
of my favorite joints.

Not a lot of people
know about this place.

Always passed by.
Figured it was time to
drop in and say hello.

Thank you.

Hmm.

I know that
you're protected.

But not protected
as much as you think.

Oh.

What's life
without a little danger?

Well, some would say
that the person who temps fate

has never been
in real danger.

I'm more interested
in the person
who can tell me

why highly-trained, former
Special Forces operatives

keep disappearing
from Las Vegas.

Would you know
anyone like that?

Drink's on the house.

Aren't you going
to have another?

Not this time.

Well, I'm sure
we'll see each other
again soon.

As much as
I would like that,

that would be

unfortunate.

(GATE OPENS)
WOMAN: (OVER TV) Why, yes...

...forget you are like
all the rest of them.

MAN: (OVER TV)
Only it's true, ain't it?

Well, ain't it?

I believe a "thank you"
may be in order.

Thank you for
stopping that psycho.

Now, do you wanna
tell me why you kept

the game alive while
my niece was in his hands?

No, I'm not talking
about the matter
I assisted you with.

But you're welcome.

I'm talking about
the phone number
you slipped into my hand.

Where did you
get it?
Ginny left it.

And I called it.

And I talked to her.

The number's dead now,
but I knew
if you checked it...

Yes, indeed.
The number is dead.

However, I was able
to narrow the zone

and ran facial recognition
on the area.

This is two days ago.

That's... That's her.

Who is that guy?
Where is this?

Answer to
the first question,
I don't know.

To the second,
Miami International Airport.

Well, they could
be anywhere by now.

Indeed, they could.

But this is a trail,
and we will follow it.