The Courier

What's going on?
You're acting funny.
Nothing.
Okay.
Tell me.
Tell me.
I need to ask you about something, and I need you to tell me the truth.
Of course. What is it?
I don't get it.
A man was shot and killed in that hotel.
Okay.
So, what's the question?
Were you involved?
I-in... in what?
The murder.
You're not going anywhere.
Liz. Stop! The people that I work for are very powerful.
Now, I need you to tell me everything that you know.
I don't know anything.
You're hurting me! Damn it, Lizzy! Do not lie to me! I don't know anything! I swear! Yeah, well, I wish that I believed you! Rise and shine.
The day is waiting.
Let's go, let's go, let's go! Oh, God. I hate you right now.
Do you? Wake up, wake up, wake up.
[ Laughs ] Get her, Hudson! Get her! Stop it, both of you! I know that you've had a rough few nights, but today is gonna be a really great day.
Why?
Well, I have a doctor's appointment.
You hate doctors.
Yeah, but it's not for me.
It's...an ultrasound for our baby.
I thought Jeni was having second thoughts.
Yeah, she said we're the only married couple she knows who don't totally hate each other, so she's... she's giving us a baby.
That's... That's great news.
It's amazing! When you get home from work tonight, you are finally gonna see what this little monster looks like.
Wait. I'm not invited?
I just know how busy you get.
But call if you can't make it.
[ Sighing ] Oh, God.
Oh, God.
It's so good to see things finally getting back to normal around here.
[ Shakily ] My name is... is... My n... My name is Seth... Seth Nelson.
P-p-p-please, please... I'm begging you.
D-don't... Why are you doing this?
Save your breath, kid.
[ Muffled ] Please, don't do this.
[ Sobbing ] Please...Don't! What... What are you?
You got... You got the wrong guy! Please! Help me! Somebody! Your sources were correct, sir.
The Iranian is attempting to procure a high-level-intelligence package.
We believe it could lead to the answer you seek.
Have it intercepted.
That may prove...difficult.
The seller hired the Courier to make the exchange.
The last time we attempted to intercept him... I'm well aware of the men and resources we lost in Cairo.
Perhaps this is an opportunity to let our new...friends at the FBI carry the water.
RESSLER: I've been ordered to include you in the oversight committee brief on Reddington next week.
Cooper told me.
Here's the profile I prepared on him.
Have I told you yet I don't place much stock in profiling?
And by "much," I mean "none." It's never once helped me solve a case.
You know what has?
Hm?
Facts.
Yeah.
I also prepared a profile on you.
"Uptight, fueled by an inner rage, "capable of the occasional moment of tenderness, "which likely brings on the desire to stay up all night watching Asian porn." Not even close.
Huh. How about this?
You don't trust me.
You think I'm tainted somehow... Maybe a traitor.
You resent the fact that Reddington wants to work directly with me instead of you.
Speak of the devil... It's the devil.
What is this place?
Something of a hideaway.
It used to be home to one of the finest American writers who ever lived... Fredrick Hemstead.
Never heard of him.
No, you haven't. Nobody has.
Dear Fredrick was waiting tables when we first met... strange little man, built like a fireplug.
He was living here with his mother until she died.
Poor Fredrick couldn't afford to stay on, so I bought the place for him.
Please.
Sadly, Fredrick died without ever being published, but this place is chock-full of his work... Manuscripts, poems, unsent letters, and lots and lots of this.
What is that?
No earthly idea.
Some sort of distilled alcohol, I think.
There's bottles of the stuff stashed everywhere.
Would you like me to pour you a few fingers?
Why am I here?
Have you ever wondered how criminals who know they can't trust one another are still able to conduct business with each other?
They replace trust with fear and the threat of violence.
The next target on the blacklist is a physical embodiment of both.
He's known as the Courier, and his involvement in a transaction virtually guarantees success.
Once he's hired to make a delivery, he can't be bribed, he can't be stopped.
If either a party attempts to double-cross the other, he kills them both.
The perfect middleman for an imperfect world.
Cooper's not gonna sanction a black op against the U.P.S. driver of crime.
He will when you tell him the Courier is scheduled to deliver a package worth $20 million.
At that price, it could be anything from a genetically engineered virus to a very important person's head in a bag.
Does he have a name?
I'm sure he does.
I don't know it.
Skip to the part where you tell me how you expect us to find him.
I know the man he's planning on delivering the package to... An Iranian spy named Hamid Soroush.
Where are they making the exchange?
At the Winston farmer's market in... 2 hours and 45 minutes.
My 1:00?
[ Camera shutter clicks ] Could be him.
Same height, right age.
You reading me, Haircut?
Stay on him.
When it rings, pick it up.
MEERA: He just gave him something.
[ Cellphone rings ] It's a cell. He's moving.
What's he saying?
I don't know. We've got nothing.
Get someone to point a mike at this guy.
He's off.
Excuse me.
Can you break a $100?
I think he just made contact.
All teams start casually moving to the east side of the market.
Do not spook this guy.
Chang, get closer on the produce guy's face.
I think he made us.
Tactical teams, you're up.
I want south side sealed off from the outside.
Just made contact.
Shots fired! Soroush is down! I don't have eyes on the shooter! All teams, move in now.
You hit?
It's not my blood.
Suspect's heading north on 6th.
I need local air and law-enforcement support now.
Keys! Give me the keys! Give me the damn keys! MAN: Air support on the way.
Engage... Two minutes.
Cut him off at the next intersection! Do it.
We're at the corner of 10th and Spencer.
The Courier's vehicle has been disabled.
MEERA: Move and you're dead.
Put your other hand up.
LIZ: Get your hands up! Put it up now.
Put your arm up now.
I can't.
Put your other arm up.
Oh, my God.
RESSLER: Let's try this again.
What were you supposed to deliver?
Please. Help us, and maybe we can help you.
What about that Iranian spy whose head you exploded all over my partner?
Huh? You remember him?
He had banking codes with a $20 million wire transfer in his pocket.
You're a courier.
You were supposed to give a package to the Iranian.
Where's the package?! COOPER: We found nothing at the farmer's market, nothing in his vehicle, nothing on him.
What was he supposed to be delivering?
RED: I don't know, Harold.
Might it be conceivable your people actually missed something?
You're not telling us everything.
Let me put your mind at ease.
I'm never telling you everything.
I did my job here.
I gave you a Blacklister.
There he sits.
Obviously, good cop/bad cop isn't working here, so let's try bad cop/worse cop.
How's the arm?
Looks painful.
Where's the package?! Smile all you want.
We're just getting started, pal.
Why did he kill Soroush?
RED: Obviously, he spotted one of your agents, and poor Soroush paid the price.
There's a knife wound in his chest, scars all over his body.
You know how he got them?
That's interesting.
I always wondered if the stories were true.
RESSLER: No, we'll just stick him in some hole.
I think you may need to call a doctor.
I've read about cases like this.
Your suspect has congenital anhidrosis.
It's a rare genetic disorder.
He can't feel physical pain.
That makes sense.
And the scarring?
People with the disorder obviously get injured more often, but not... not like that.
That... That's something else entirely.
We're more interested in the knife wound in his chest.
We think he might have placed evidence... inside of it.
-What evidence?
-We're not sure.
That's why you're here.
Boo.
SETH: My name... My name... My name is Seth... Is Seth Nelson.
W-why are you doing this?
Please... That's the only thing on the chip taken from his chest?
LIZ: Newspaper's from yesterday.
Time stamp on the video file is 4:29 this morning.
It's a proof-of-life video.
The oxygen mask, the tanks... Wherever this guy is, his hours are numbered.
We didn't find a package because there wasn't one, sir.
Soroush was putting up $20 million for this guy.
We just stopped him from delivering a ransom payment.
LIZ: We got a hit when we ran his name and face through the DMV servers.
Seth Nelson... Lives in Maryland with his parents, works tech support for a cable company.
Assuming each oxygen cylinder was full, he has maybe 20 hours before his air runs out.
Ultrasound machine.
I want to know what other surprises the Courier has hiding inside him.
I also want to know why anyone thinks this kid is worth $20 million.
He's probably worth more.
My CIA sources just confirmed he's an NSA analyst... one of their best... and only one of three people allowed to write and access the security protocols and software.
If he's coerced into working for a foreign power or criminal network, the damage would be catastrophic.
We need to make the Courier talk.
There must be something he wants.
The guy's a psychopath.
Luckily, we happen to have our own psychopath.
[ Chuckling ] This is hilarious.
Fredrick wrote to the editor of the Washington Post almost every day... thank you... about any and every subject.
Listen to this one.
"Dear Mr. Bradley, what is up with all the rabbits"... I need to know what you're not telling me about the Courier.
And what do I get in return?
My gratitude.
Tell me what you've learned about your husband.
The gun that I found in the box is connected to an open homicide.
Of whom?
It's...classified.
I can't read the file.
I imagine you've found ways around that particular obstacle.
I know it happened in Boston last year.
I think it was a Russian tourist who was murdered... Victor Fokin.
You lived in New York at the time.
Why would you think your husband would be in Boston?
Because I was there with him.
He supposedly had a job interview, and we made it into a small vacation.
A few years ago, some of my associates encountered the Courier in an opium den in Cairo.
He killed two of them.
If he still has a taste for the poppy, there's a man who may be able to help us.
You're talking about a drug dealer.
I'm talking about a friend... a philosopher who practices an ancient ritual going back thousands of years.
There's a good chance he could be helpful in locating the Courier's safe house.
All I care about is finding Seth.
Call your friend.
I want the Courier's safe-house address.
Thank you.
For what?
For being honest with me.
In my life, I don't encounter that frequently.
Got a name. Tommy Phelps.
Run it through the databases, see if it's even real.
You guys need to see this.
He had the Iranian buyer under surveillance for several days.
And this woman, I think she's the seller... responsible for kidnapping Seth and hiring the Courier to pick up her money.
Why the surveillance?
According to Reddington, the Courier kills anyone who tries to double-cross him.
He probably wanted to know where to find them if something went wrong.
Find out who this woman is.
DR. PIKE: He has five objects embedded inside him.
Some are surrounded with scar tissue... Been there for years.
What objects?
We've only been able to identify two.
A key and another chip.
The others are just shadows.
I need a higher-resolution scan to I.D. them.
Take him to Walter Reed.
I want everything inside of him cut out.
The kid has... what... 14 hours of air left?
I can tell you where he is.
In exchange for what?
Immunity.
I talk, then walk.
Never gonna happen.
Then the kid's dead.
I've been trying to figure out if there's anything in this world you care about.
How about him?
Care about your little brother... Tommy?
We're bringing him in from Petersburg Federal Prison right now.
Anything you want me to tell him?
You finally find him?
Tell me about your brother... Who he works with, his contacts.
Tell me about the people in his life.
There are no people in his life.
There's you.
Tried to help you break out, didn't he?
From what I understand, he'd do anything for his little brother.
What's he moving now?
A 26-year-old M.I.T. grad.
Lady, you don't understand Tommy.
I know his condition prevents him from feel... No, I mean you don't understand him.
Our old man knocked us around when he needed to, which didn't bother Tommy.
But dad hated that... Felt like he couldn't control his own son, and he couldn't.
So when he was 11, dad started hosting these dogfights.
Not with two dogs, but with a dog and Tommy.
Well, we had this barn.
People would come from miles around.
They'd get drunk and make bets.
What it did to him over time... Tommy's broken.
Somewhere in his head, a switch flipped.
I wish I could help you, but... You know how it goes.
You're here because somebody screwed up.
The deal went sideways.
And now the buyer and seller have targets on their head, if they're not dead already.
RED: Her name's Laurence Dechambou.
She's ex-French intelligence.
She now makes a handsome living selling secrets, mostly of a technological nature.
I really don't understand any of it.
But she's clearly stepping up on this one, trying to make a legacy for herself.
She owns that nightclub.
Last time I was there, we had a great deal of fun, until she tried to strangle me with her stocking.
I'll get a warrant.
You'll have it by the time you get there.
She won't talk, and even if she did, what would you expect her to say?
She may know Seth's location.
She won't.
She's the only lead we have.
We arrest her and take our chances.
This is a bad idea, Harold.
MEERA: Actually, there may be another option.
She had to hand over Seth to the Courier somewhere.
We find the location, we might get lucky.
There could be security-cam or ATM footage of the exchange.
And we use it to track the Courier's movements last night.
That could lead to Seth.
And why would she tell you that, again?
She doesn't have to.
She's still expecting her money.
We send someone in as the Courier, tell her the exchange was a setup, the deal's off... she can pick up Seth where she dropped him off.
And we follow her to the drop-off point.
If you really want her to talk, I should meet with her.
Every time you "meet," someone ends up dead.
We've gotten off to a rocky start.
You've killed three people.
I'm not perfect.
If we did this, we'd be operating under the assumption that Dechambou has never met the Courier face-to-face.
It's too risky.
He's right.
Let me go. I can do this.
First sign this is going south, I want that club swarmed.
Or just bend over any available piece of furniture and let her slap you on the ass.
She loves that.
Liz: Oh, my God. Tom.
Oh, God. He's gonna kill me.
I'm so sorry.
You need to come home.
Okay? I canceled the ultrasound.
Liz?
I can't do this right now.
Look, I don't... I don't care what's going on at work, okay?
You and I need to talk.
Something incredibly important came up.
I don't care! You and I need to talk about something, and it's more important.
I promise we'll talk as long as you like, but later.
This is an emergen... LIZ: All teams stand by.
Our man is entering the building.
Here to see Dechambou.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Line's over there, slick.
You need to make an example here.
You have to hurt him.
That's what the Courier would do.
You know, I think we got off on the wrong foot here, uh... Isn't that her over there?
That was hot.
You know he can hear you, right?
Yep.
Hey. Come with me.
Let's go. Come on.
[ French accent ] Would you mind excusing me for a moment?
You injured my doorman... Forced your way into my club.
Is there a reason why I should not kill you right now?
You kill me, you kill Seth Nelson.
You're... What the hell are you doing here?
We agreed the money was to be dropped off at a specified location.
Plans change.
No. They don't.
The only reason I employed you was to shield me from unwanted attention, and you're at my front door?
There is no money.
The Iranian was working with the FBI.
I killed him.
I've known Soroush for years.
Well, if he didn't set me up, that leaves only one other person... you.
And I never trusted him.
That's why I employed you.
The bastard screwed us both here.
Your NSA geek is where you left him last night.
We're done.
Don't contact me again.
Wait! How do I know it's really you... That I'm not being set up myself?
Not my problem.
They say you can't feel pain.
Prove it.
We're coming in.
All teams prepare to mobilize.
First team, swarm the north doors on my... Is this what you need to see?
You want to watch me bleed, see if I react?
I've already lost the only thing in this world I've ever loved.
I have nothing in this world, except this job.
Impressive.
Except for one mistake.
If the Iranian is dead, the real Courier would have killed me, too.
Which makes me wonder... Get out... now! Who the hell are you?
Asset compromised.
Hit the building.
She kidnapped Seth but has no idea where he is.
[ Cellphone vibrating ] Yeah, well, the kid has less than eight hours of air left.
Somebody had better get that Courier talking.
What do you suggest?
Torture him? He doesn't feel pain.
He does feel pain.
He's got a brother serving 15 years in Petersburg... The one thing in the world he cares about.
Offer to reduce or commute his sentence in exchange for telling us Seth's location... The life of a stranger for the life of his brother.
[ Snaps fingers ] Call the marshals.
Get him back here.
We'll cut him open later.
He wounded two of the marshals and killed one with a concealed knife.
He was searched multiple times.
We think he used one of the objects hidden inside him.
He was carrying around his own escape package.
Prisoner transport was found abandoned in Woodbridge, Virginia.
There's also a report of a stolen vehicle at the same site.
Local police are searching for him now.
According to his brother, Woodbridge is where he grew up.
Well, Seth could be there.
Find him... now.
In the meantime, see if you can get anything out of Dechambou.
She may not know where Seth is now, but she knows where she dropped him off last night.
I have a better suggestion... Let her go.
That's not gonna happen.
God, are you FBI.
When this woman was working for French intelligence, she was on track to be you, Harold.
Since she's come over to my side, she's only gone up from there.
You really think you're gonna be able to prove anything against her?
We'll make something stick.
It's only a matter of time.
You don't have any time.
Pick her up in a week, in a month... next time.
But right now, if you want to save that man's life, you need to release Dechambou.
I'll make her talk.
How?
You don't want me to answer that.
How do I know you won't use what she says to get Seth for yourself?
You don't.
But I don't see that you have many other options left.
Okay.
Release her.
But if you screw me on this... I'll consider it a bonus.
RED: Better make it a double.
If this is about that incident in Paris... Oh, we'll always have Paris.
What do you want?
So many things.
But right now, I want some information.
Where is the NSA agent?
I have no idea.
He was handed off to the Courier.
Yes.
And he's been compromised.
Who do you think he'll blame for that?
Not me.
The Iranian must have been working with the FBI.
Laurence, the Iranian is dead, and you're next.
You know that.
I did nothing wrong.
The world is rarely a fair place.
That's why it needs people like me.
I'll get you out of the country and guarantee your safety.
There's a private jet awaiting your arrival right now.
In exchange, you give me the location where you dropped the kid off last night.
He's worth $20 million.
That $20 million is about to die.
This is not a negotiation.
How dare you?
I don't care who you are.
And I'm not going to let you swoop in at the last minute and profit from a mistake made by somebody I hardly know.
Oh, he knows you.
He knows where you live, where you work, where you play.
He knows you better than I do, and I know where that lovely little freckle is.
I give you a day and a half before he finds you.
Try to be brave.
Wait.
I will help you.
Vehicle matches the description.
MEERA: I have blood here.
All teams, we have the suspect's vehicle on the south side of... He's outside! Freeze! On your knees.
Freeze! Turn around! On your knees! Hands where we can see them.
Check him.
He's dead.
How much time does that kid have left?
Less than 40 minutes.
At 4:00 a.m., Dechambou left Seth in the back of a pickup truck at this rest stop in Manassas.
The Courier took the proof-of-life video at 4:29 a.m... Just under 30 minutes later.
Assume he spent 20 minutes minimum with Seth at the site.
That would give him 10 minutes of drive time from the rest stop, so he has to be somewhere in this radius.
This entire area's inaccessible.
The only place with road access is here at this open area.
He has to be here.
How much air does he have left?
30 minutes tops.
With Dembe driving, we might make it just in time to see him die.
If we find our NSA friend and he's still alive, he might prove helpful.
You want Seth for your own reasons.
So should you.
He's in the dirt.
What?
The refrigerator... It's a coffin.
The Courier buries things under his skin.
He's in the dirt... right here.
He's not breathing.
I died once in Marrakech... Two and a half minutes.
You wouldn't believe what I saw on the other side.
[ Weakly ] Who... Who are you?
The FBI... and friends.
Seth.
We called your parents.
They're gonna meet you at the hospital.
H-how can I ever repay you?
I'm sure we'll think of something.
Don't even think about it.
What? The boy wishes to express gratitude.
I'm merely playing my part in the ritual.
You saved that kid's life, Keen.
Good job.
That story you told Dechambou about...your job being the only thing left... that was... I was undercover.
I said what I had to say to sell it.
MAN: Agent Keen, got a delivery for you.
Sign here, please.
Thank you.
♪ No one can save me, no, no one can save me ♪ ♪ No one can save me, no, no one can save me ♪ ♪ No one can save me, no one can save me ♪ ♪ No, no one can save me, no, no one can save me ♪ ♪ No, no one can save me, no, no one can save me ♪ ♪ No one can save me, no, no one can save me ♪ This man, the young NSA agent... He allowed you access to the classified networks?
He did.
And I understand this was a one-time offer.
Yes.
The right question, and we could've made the world tremble.
Finally found our adversary.
Why did you waste it on the girl?
Not "wasted," my friend.
Circumstances are far more complex than we ever imagined.
I'm betting on the long play... The future.
Your future's arriving now.
Funny... all these wonderful manuscripts, and my favorite thing about this place is still the view from the sofa.
I love how the light breaks through the trees.
I don't even know why I'm here.
Tom?
What's going on?
You got to see this.
Sit down.
We need to talk.
That's funny.
I was just gonna say the same thing to you.