01x02 - Walter's Walk

[bunniefuu]

Move, and I'll k*ll you.

[gasps]

[distant seagulls crying]

Cereal is breakfast.

Popsicles are not breakfast.

I'm not getting in the middle of that.

Michael and I are doing this will thing, And I need you to sign.

Sign what?

Just this document saying that you'll be the girls' guardian.

If something happens to both Michael and me.

Oh, can I- can I think about it?

Think about what?

It's a no-brainer.

Um, it's just that I'm late for work, And the Smithsonian is surprisingly strict.

I'm Annie Walker.

I work here.

Annie?

I got to change perfumes.

It's the sound of your heels- very distinctive.

Give me a hand?

Yeah.

Thanks.

Mingus box set, headphones...

You're not quitting, are you?

Don't get your hopes up.

The entire D.P.D. is moving.

Into a brand-new, state-of-the-art, "welcome to the 21st century ten years too late" facility.

Day?

I didn't get the memo.

Well, that's because you weren't here three years ago.

When they actually did send out a memo.

Saying that we were moving in a week...

Battle of bureaucracy.

My sister wants to make me her kids' guardian.

What's the CIA policy on that?

Uh, don't ask, Don't tell your family you're on a mission in Colombia.

Nice, huh?

Finally, a space with windows...

Or so I'm told.

Annie...

Just the person I was looking for.

I have an assignment for you.

We need you to debrief the walk-ins.

Sure. What are walk-ins?

People who come directly to our headquarters.

Claiming to have intel.

We need you to debrief them, in case any of it is actionable.

Parker in security will set you up.

Walk-ins are nut jobs, right?

Crackpot city.

We'll bring in the walk-ins one at a time, Debrief them, write a report.

Anything actionable- come and see me.

[sighs]

There's a red panic button under the desk.

Use it if you feel at all threatened, And the spos will handle it.

And here.

Pepper spray?

Welcome to walk-in duty.

[door closes]

And what can the CIA do for you?

In 1983, Castro and Reagan.

Have a secret meeting in Cyprus...

Where they lay down plans.

For controlling the world's sugar supply.

I only use sweet'n low.

No cubes.

And don't even get me started on stir sticks. Oh!

I know who k*lled Kennedy.

It's been well-documented.

That Kennedy was k*lled by Lee Harvey Oswald.

Ted Kennedy.

Ah-choo.

Bless you.

I'm here on behalf of my son.

Have you heard of numbers stations?

Shortwave radio transmissions, right?

Walter told me that, uh, he decoded a message.

How?

Numbers stations are essentially unbreakable.

He's studying computer science in college, And he used his computer to help decipher the message.

Walter said that the clue.

Led him to a mail boxes, etc. In Rockville, And, um, he saw a man take a secret coded message.

Out of the P.O. box...

A, uh, blue airmail envelope.

Could have just been the mail.

Look, I know this sounds crazy, But, um, Walter claims that the man saw him, And now he's really scared.

What type of code was it?

I-[scoffs]

I don't know.

Can you come out to the parking lot with me?

This is my son Walter.

The one in college?

I told you he was smart.

[intriguing music]

♪ ♪

Hi, Walter.

Are you a CIA operative?

Yes.

Which of the four directorates are you in?

That's classified.

Yeah, I figured you might say that.

What are you reading?

It's a spy novel called the Parsifal Mosaic.

It's pretty much my favorite.

So have you come to check in on my numbers station?

I'm gonna try, but I need the specs first.

The numbers station's still broadcasting new messages.

On this bandwidth.

You can listen to them.

Do you have any recordings of previous broadcasts?

Walter didn't want to bring tapes into Langley.

My son is very scared. He isn't sleeping.

If-if this turns out to be nothing, That's good, but peace of mind would mean a lot.

Can you please look into this for us?

I'll see what I can do.

It's nice to meet you, Walter.

Keep those files accessible.

[telephone ringing]

Jai Wilcox.

Good morning, Joan.

It's a beautiful new op center. You should be proud.

I don't remember assigning anyone desks yet, Especially not to someone who doesn't work in my division.

I do now, Courtesy of the DCS.

So the DCS decided my division.

Needed a dose of CIA royalty.

Arthur didn't tell you about this?

I'm surprised. He's your husband.

What are you hoping to do here at the D.P.D., Jai?

Consider me a utility infielder.

So you have a mediocre arm and can bat.230.

From either side of the plate?

I will support you in any way you need.

Welcome aboard, jai.

Classified?

[giggles]

You know you can trust me.

Here, you...

Auggie?

Yeah?

What do you know about numbers stations?

I haven't thought about them in years.

Neither has anyone else.

One of my walk-ins thinks he found one.

That's still active.

Do you think you or your team could look into it for me?

Yeah, no problem.

You think you can look into this for me?

[chuckles]

Rookies do lunch runs, huh?

Ah, the food court here runs its course.

After about six months.

Separate receipts, please...

We're all on government salaries.

Ah, sandwich runs...

I remember those Halcyon days.

Jai Wilcox?

It's been too long, my friend.

When did we become friends?

Annie, meet Jai Wilcox, my friend.

Hi, Annie.

Hi.

Jai is the embodiment of the man, And I mean that in a slightly pejorative way.

Yalie, works for Arthur Campbell, And as if that weren't enough, his father is Henry Wilcox.

Like the Henry Wilcox, The former head of clandestine service?

Definitely.

And let me just say that you are already making a name.

For yourself up on the seventh floor.

Which begs the question, what is the seventh floor.

Doing here on our floor?

I'm working here...

Special liaison, new initiatives.

Joan's aware of this?

She is. She's thrilled.

Yeah, sounds like Joan...

To be thrilled about an interloper.

Being installed in her division.

[chuckles]

It's nice meeting you, Annie.

Nice to meet you.

Good-looking guy, huh?

No.

Nice try.

[triumphant music on radio]

Don't forget the pickles.

14.487 megahertz.

14.487.

This long-distance dedication goes out to STU.

♪ ♪

So they're still broadcasting?

Squatter's rights.

They play these annoying songs over and over.

So nobody can steal the bandwidth.

Three, nine, seven, one, Five, six, four, seven, five...

Six, six, four...

These numbers aren't random.

[woman continues reading numbers]

This is a complex cyclic permutation.

It's a sophisticated encryption.

And what could it mean?

It means...

Annie's walk-in may have uncovered.

An active spy transmission.

[cell phone ringing]

Hello?

I have a Helen Newman calling.

Put her through. Hello?

Annie, I think Walter was right.

We're being followed.

Helen, come back to Langley.

Come back?

It was when we left Langley that we started being followed.

I need to protect Walter.

I should never have exposed him to this.

Helen.

Helen?

[sighs]

[cell phone rings] Helen?

Annie, do you have a contact number for that woman?

We think her son might be on to something.

I'm beginning to think that too.

There has been no further contact.

From Helen Newman since her last call.

Police have put out a missing persons, But so far, nothing.

The shortwave transmissions that Walter deciphered.

Emanated from Belfast, So as a result, we've looped in our U.K. desk.

Branch?

These broadcasts and Walter's account.

Of the dead drops sync up with recent movements.

By members of the Irish Republican Army.

The I.R.A.? Really? Is this 1987?

Despite the Belfast agreement, The I.R.A. have been actively recruiting.

And perhaps planning new att*cks.

Possibly here on American soil.

We've been working the back channels with MI6, And they feel that the signals were intended.

For a Michael Cahill.

Cahill is a former I.R.A. captain.

Who had a hand in the Bishops Gate bombings of 1993.

And the attempt on Vauxhall Cross in '94.

Timing suggests something imminent.

Both those att*cks occurred during lent.

We're now 20 days in.

Cahill was sent to prison.

In '95 and was released six months ago.

Supposedly a changed man, he decided to move to America.

To be free of the politics of his former life.

How did we give this guy a visa?

Can you enhance the image of his passport, please?

That's an I.C.E. issue.

We need to focus on what's important here.

Auggie in the tech division.

Will continue to monitor the numbers station broadcasts.

The U.K. desk will interface with mi6 to track Cahill.

Annie Walker...

We'll be sending you to miss Newman's apartment.

In Bethesda to see if you can find her, the son, Or any recordings of the numbers station.

Here's your protocol.

You'll meet your MI6 liaison at 5:00.

Interactions with foreign operatives.

Need to be authenticated.

You didn't think we were sending you alone, did you?

No.

Of course not.

That doesn't look like it belongs in the new D.P.D.

It doesn't even look like it belongs in the old D.P.D.

I assume you're talking about the machine and not my vest.

We pulled it out of the CIA museum downstairs.

It was used in the '60s to decipher russian spy code.

During the cold w*r.

Whoever's running this numbers station.

Is pretty sharp.

If you type the word "nuclear" into an email, The NSA's all over it.

But this spy has gone analog in a digital world.

Aren't there computers that can handle this sort of thing?

Yep, and they are cranking away.

On the most sophisticated modern codes as we speak.

But Big Bertha here could come in very handy.

If our spy's using a more archaic sequencing.

Good luck.

No, I don't need luck. I need Walter's tapes.

General, we have a- a long history.

Of covering each other's assets, so to speak.

Arthur?

A moment, please.

Joan, I'd like to introduce you.

To Teppo Koivu and Reijo Numenin.

Of the Finnish Intelligence Service.

Joan Campbell, head of the D.P.D.

Pleasure.

Arthur, may I have a word?

I was in a meeting.

Finnish intelligence- are you serious?

Do they even have spies?

Did I miss couples therapy?

Why is jai Wilcox now a member of my staff?

I would have thought you would have wanted somebody.

Of his caliber at the D.P.D.

You know, it's bad enough you put Annie in the field.

To draw out Ben Mercer, But now you have someone spying on her?

No, it's not- that's not it at all.

Then he's spying on me.

Oh, so this is couples therapy.

Joan, with Conrad gone, Jai's a key part of our transparency initiative.

Please trust me.

Next time a little heads-up would be great.

Transparency between us would be nice too.

Go to the market and follow your protocol exactly.

If it tells you to wear a polka-dot bikini, Wear a polka-dot bikini.

And good luck.

Are you interested in honey?

[british accent] these days, it's about all I eat.

I could recommend a good brand.

Could you write it down?

My memory's not quite what it used to be.

[tires squealing, horns honking]

I think we're good.

Yep. I should think so.

Nice job.

James Elliot. A real pleasure.

I'm Annie.

Can you believe the script in that protocol?

Always so pedestrian and food-related, right?

Actually, it's the first one I've ever done.

Oh, well, there's the difference.

Between CIA and MI6.

You're allowed at your age and experience.

Out into the field.

Mi6 is a lovely outfit, but it's ten years.

Before you're even allowed to stretch your legs.

Outside Vauxhall Cross.

[scoffs]

[chuckles]

Now this dinosaur is outrageous.

It's encryption through obsolescence.

By the time the CIA has a technology vetted, It's already five years old.

I- it may not look cool, but it's secure.

Or maybe British Intelligence.

Isn't quite as ponderous as I thought.

Total encryption, less than four ounces.

Now you're just showing off.

Eyes on the road, love.

Okay, so what's the plan?

Yuppie couple visiting friends.

I love it.

Economical and I don't need to scale any fire escapes.

Could you hold the door?

Honey, we forgot the Chardonnay.

Cisa...

Italian, top of the line, Wafer tumblers, top and bottom.

Thanks.

That's the end of the first lesson.

There's a pop quiz later.

Bring your #2 pencil.

And an apple for the teacher.

It's today's mail.

Helen and Walter didn't come back here.

Student loan, orthodontist bill, Paycheck from Bethesda nursing service.

She really is a working mom.

Walter looks just like his dad.

Le Carré, Graham Greene...

He has a thing for old spy novels.

Yeah, well, I respect that.

Classic spy novels weren't about flash and gadgets.

They were more about the...

The human element.

The life.

So that's what this job is, wearing a trench coat.

And smoking cigarettes near a lamppost?

Trench coats, yes. Cigarettes, no.

I'm on the patch.

Congrats.

I'm halfway there.

Whoa.

Whoa.

This is a lot of equipment for a nurse's salary.

Catalogued by date, time...

Shortwave channel.

It's meticulous.

The tapes end last week.

Walter must have taken the recordings.

Of the numbers stations with him.

You check the boxes.

I'm gonna surveil the rest of the apartment.

[doorbell rings]

Elliot.

[doorbell rings]

[knock at door]

Nothing of interest in the kitchen, by the way.

No I.D.

There's a back exit through the kitchen.

Come on.

Ooh. Wait a minute.

Bethesda police scanner has alerted all units.

sh*ts fired at the address of Helen Newman.

Average response time for Bethesda P.D. Is what, Six minutes?

Why couldn't it have been in D.C.?

Their cops are so much slower.

[siren wailing]

Your suit still looks great, love.

[American accent]

Hey, what's going on?

We heard a g*nsh*t.

Stop.

A few questions first.

Hey, McElroy.

Lieutenant wants you upstairs to look at the body.

I'll handle these two.

So according to your statement, You saw nothing, heard nothing, And were just heading back to Langley, correct?

Correct.

Have a nice evening.

[exhales deeply]

[british accent] bloody mess back there.

Helen was right.

Someone was really after them.

It wasn't just one of Walter's spy fantasies.

They must be terrified.

One thing you can say about the I.R.A...

They are dogged.

How do you stay calm...

When you pull the trigger?

I'm not calm.

I'm focused.

You'll get there.

You know, those spy novels are right about one thing...

The toll it all takes...

The toll it takes on living a normal life...

Family.

Is it worth it?

I wouldn't know.

I don't have much by the way of family.

Good night, Annie.

Good night.

[door opens]

[sofi bonde's fallout]

♪ ♪
♪ I seem to forget how ♪
♪ easy I fall out ♪
♪ I'm not yours, and... ♪.

So how's Jai working out?

Honestly, I still have issues.

With the DCS installing him in my division.

Without my permission.

The DCS doesn't need your permission.

He outranks you.

Just at work.

May I take your order?

Hi. I'll have the salmon, please.

I'll have the bone-in rib eye, rare.

Thank you.

What was that look?

When we first met and you were married, We'd have these illicit dinners, and you'd order that.

Then later during our courtship, We'd have these romantic dinners, And you'd order that.

And now we're doing this, Whatever this is, And you order the same thing.

The one constant in our lives.

Seems to be how you order steak.

Oh, we work in a job where there's misdirection, Double-talking, sometimes lies.

Here's the truth.

I want this to work between us.

[cell phone ringing]

Ignore that.

Continue to stare into my eyes.

Maybe you should answer it.

What if it's an invasion or something?

No.

Then this phone would be ringing.

[cell phone continues ringing]

♪ you ♪
♪ with you, with you ♪
♪ I want to be with you ♪

[knock at door]

Hey.

Hey.

I didn't hear you come in last night.

We missed you at game night.

Yeah, I was, uh- I was tired.

Well, the girls were wondering where you were.

About the will...

I don't think I can do it.

Well, you can do it. You just don't want to.

I don't need to be judged by you.

No, you just need to be nurtured, fed, Entertained, and supported, but only on your terms.

That's not true.

Clearly, you're either not ready.

Or uninterested in taking care of anyone.

Besides yourself.

I'm sorry I even asked.

[door slams]

You know, you can wail on that thing all day, But there's no b*ating the heavy bag.

Isn't that the point?

Not really. What's going on?

My sister thinks I'm ungrateful.

Because I won't sign her will.

I couldn't help a working mom and her son, And apparently, I have a knack.

For losing hand-to-hand fights...

Despite my training.

Other than that, I'm fine.

Okay.

Kind of threw a lot at me there.

Let's see if we can't, uh, Break it down one piece at a time.

Come here and put your hands on my shoulders.

Yeah.

Now, right from where you're standing, Try to push.

Okay, okay.

Come in closer.

Push again.

I love the instructors at the farm, But the fight training they do there is basically useless.

Fights are frantic and ugly, And they are won at very close range.

Try the bag again.

This time stand right next to it.

And weave away when it swings.

I'm assuming it's good.

♪ such a lovely sound ♪.

Ready?

Go.

Okay, show me again. Show me again.

♪ we will put this ♪.

Oh, and then here?

Elbow-no, no, no. Come on. Watch.

Go. Down. Yes.

Great.

All the way around. Good.

And...

Whoa!

[laughs]

It's dirty, right?

[talking indistinctly]

[both laughing]

Ooh!

[claps]

That's the one.

Two pieces are in play.

Firstly, we've I.D.'d the body of the courier.

He's I.R.A. And a former associate of Michael Cahill.

Secondly, we've had reports.

That Michael Cahill's on the move.

Cahill just left Baltimore on the marc train.

Heading to D.C.

He'll be arriving at union station.

In less than an hour.

He has a reputation for not tolerating mistakes.

We assume he's coming in to clean up the courier's mess.

The joint task force of DHS and MI6.

Will detain him there.

That's all for now.

What?

Helen and Walter- what are we missing?

We've gone down this road.

The hard drive you took was corrupted by Walter.

Before they left.

The cops have come up with nothing.

They found Helen's car parked in a long-term lot.

She's turned her cell phone off. They're off the grid.

I still think Walter's tapes are the key.

Annie...

In intelligence gathering, as in life, We all want to believe the roles we play are critical, But this is bigger than you now.

What if this doesn't end with Cahill and the courier?

What if Helen and Walter are still in danger?

Are you pushing this because you think.

They're relevant to this case, Or is it because you feel bad that they've gone missing?

Honestly?

Both.

Where's the harm in letting her follow the thread?

Follow protocol.

And don't get caught.

I can't control whether or not.

You've been placed in my division, But decisions about my officers are always mine.

And always final.

I understand.

I'm not sure that you do.

But you will.

Go.

It's a go.

Copy that.

Mr. Cahill...

Please, come with us.

[telephone rings]

Spruce knob cabins.

Hi, I'd like to speak to one of your guests...

A mother and son that just checked in.

They said they weren't taking any calls.

I'm sure they did.

This would go quicker if you said something.

Seems like you filled in most of the blanks already.

What are you doing in D.C., Mr. Cahill?

Came to see an old friend.

I'm gonna need a little more than that.

From where I'm sitting, There are just too many threads that lead back to you.

I've told my friends. I've told my former enemies.

I'm a peaceful man. I've moved on.

And you are either lying or telling the truth.

And it's your job to sit here, judge me, And decide.

No.

The truth will emerge.

We can't hide who we truly are.

[knock at door]

I had a feeling you'd find us.

You were right, Walter, About everything...

The numbers stations, the dead drop, the spy ring.

We really need your tapes.

It could be important.

Listen to me, Walter.

Every day the CIA is deluged with calls.

And satellite photos, transmissions, emails, Walk-ins, chatter.

We put you in the wrong column.

We're sorry.

I'm sorry.

But this isn't a spy novel.

This is real, And your tapes could make everything better.

I promise you'll be safe.

Enjoying the great outdoors?

[chuckles] does the CIA issue mosquito repellent?

There's a bit of an echo.

This is the only place I get reception up here.

Fine, hit it.

Big Bertha's gonna do her thing.

All you have to do is kick back and eat some mores.

[woman reading numbers]

Stu, you've been riding me all day.

About when we can start.

It's showtime.

Yeah, go.

What's it like taking care of Walter?

Hmm.

It's wonderful.

He's got a very active mind, and I...

I just try to be there.

When it comes to your family, You do whatever you have to do.

I mean, sometimes I think I'm being overly indulgent.

This time it turned out he was on to something.

That's when we reached out to everybody.

Everybody?

You know, the CIA, the British Embassy.

You contacted the British Embassy?

Yeah, last week.

We spoke to their intelligence offices.

Stay here.

Auggie. Auggie, are you there?

Stop.

Auggie, are you there?

Annie?

How far did we drill down on James Elliot?

He claimed MI6 had no file on Helen and Walter.

But Helen says they went over there.

To share their intel last week.

Well, maybe he didn't get the file.

He's on the case.

Reading the file would have been the first thing he did.

Plus, he's on the nicotine patch, And he said we're halfway there...

20 days into lent.

Well, being a catholic isn't a crime.

His file says he's anglican.

I hear you, But that doesn't mean he's a double agent.

We need something concrete.

Here's something concrete.

He's tracking my phone.

Annie, just get out of there. Go.

He's here. He's after Helen and Walter.

They're here.

Search the cabin.

There's a crawl space under the cabin.

We need to get to it from right here.

I had a feeling something like this would happen.

[softly] go, go.

[softly] go. Go, go, go.

Aah! Aah, aah!

[breathing heavily]

[indistinct chatter over police radio]

Walter's tapes were the key. Everything fell into place.

It was a plan for a car b*mb outside a british bank in D.C.

And Elliot was a double for the I.R.A.?

Yes. He set Cahill up.

He was the one who called him to d. C....

Set the courier up as well.

Why?

Well, it helped build the case against Cahill.

And build your trust for him at the same time.

Double agents have never been known for their morals.

Thanks.

I'll call you back.

What you said about being a spy and having a family...

Was that part of your cover, or did you mean it?

That's what you want to know?

[scoffs]

Does it even matter now?

It matters to me.

It was true.

It was the only true thing I told you.

Mr. Cahill...

I'm in the unfortunate position of having to apologize to you.

Intelligence gathering is not perfect.

We made a mistake. You're free to go.

I came here looking for a new life, But it seems to me you can't ever escape.

The mistakes of your past.

So look forward.

That's all any of us can do.

So tell me about Annie Walker.

She's smart, intuitive.

Well, the fact that Ben Mercer's gone underground.

Means anything she can provide will be critical.

I want you to continue to get close to her.

How close?

As close as you need to.

Joan isn't exactly happy about the situation.

You let me worry about Joan.

Walter, thanks again for all your help.

It ended like the Azzuri matter.

And he ends up shaken, but alive.

Alive and rewarded.

These headphones are for you.

Keep in touch.

Reference-grade grades.

Only the best for you, kid.

Thank you for reaching out.

I know Walter appreciates everything you've done for him.

I do too.

Thank you.

♪ hey, I sent you ♪
♪ when I met you ♪
♪ oh oh-oh oh ♪
♪ and I meant to resurrect you ♪
♪ oh, my, oh ♪
♪ ♪

You're an amazing aunt.

The girls love you more than anything.

And I don't need a piece of paper.

To prove that you'd be there for them.

I know you would.

♪ ♪

I signed it 20 minutes ago.

If anything happens, I'll be here.

When it comes to family, you do...

Whatever you have to do.

You're sneaky. You had me go through the whole speech.

That's good.

That's convincing.

♪ and why don't you say ♪
♪ what you said ♪
♪ what you said last? ♪
♪ and I meant to resurrect you ♪.