01x05 - Unter Druck

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Berlin Station". Aired October 2016 - February 2019.*
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"Berlin Station" follows Daniel Meyer/Miller, who has just arrived at the CIA foreign station in Berlin, Germany. Meyer has a clandestine mission: to uncover the source of a leak who has supplied information to a now-famous whistle-blower named Thomas Shaw. Guided by veteran Hector DeJean, Daniel learns to contend with the rough-and-tumble world of the field agent: agent-running, deception, the dangers and moral compromises.
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01x05 - Unter Druck

Post by bunniefuu »

Previously on "Berlin Station"...

What if I told you that I had a way to get eyes and ears inside the Berliner Zeitung?

All the documents Shaw has and will leak... we'll be a step ahead.

Okay. I'll make sure no one else in this station has access.

It's so nice to finally meet one of Danny's friends from the embassy.

Well, you're so shocked I haven't mentioned Patricia to you before?

What? You think I'm trying to hit on your fun and attractive cousin here?

Houjin Lin called me last night.

Said he's antsy, wants to take a walk.

Bang.

Lin: I am former Major General, People's Liberation Army.

This is the gratitude I get for trading secrets?

With Thomas Shaw out there, you're a big enough risk just sitting home watching TV.

Clare: Swingset forked over an envelope of cash to Iosava.

What's the benefit of waiting?

I am not walking into an interrogation room without knowing the answers I'm looking for.

Would you really be okay if Jason Wolfe got the Deputy Director job?

This isn't about money.

We will never be able to work together.

You devious piece of sh*t. You only did this to discredit me.

I would get out from under his thumb while you can.

What the f*ck was that? We had a plan.

Well, I think it succeeded.

Valerie: I followed Ruth Iosava today.

Been so busy watching him, haven't paid any attention to her.

So, she's sending men out, not bringing them in.

Not men. Girls.

ISIL brides.

Steven: Julian De Vos. Unredacted.

De Vos was sent to a black site, escaped, and you were contracted to k*ll him.

What the f*ck happened?

People don't escape those things.

Someone let him out.

[David Bowie's "I'm Afraid of Americans" plays]

♪ Johnny's in America, low techs at the wheel ♪
♪ I'm afraid of Americans ♪
♪ I'm afraid of the world ♪
♪ I'm afraid I can't help it ♪
♪ I'm afraid I can't ♪
♪ I'm afraid of Americans ♪
♪ I'm afraid of the world ♪
♪ I'm afraid I can't help it ♪
♪ I'm afraid I can't ♪
♪ I'm afraid of Americans ♪

[Queen's "Under Pressure" plays]

♪ Mmm num ba de ♪
♪ Dum bum ba be ♪
♪ Doo buh dum ba beh, beh ♪
♪ Pressure ♪
♪ Pushing down on me ♪
♪ Pressing down on you ♪
♪ No man ask for ♪
♪ Under pressure ♪
♪ That brings a building down ♪
♪ Splits a family in two ♪
♪ Puts people on streets ♪
♪ Oom, ba, ba, ba ♪
♪ Oom, ba, ba, ba ♪
♪ De, de, da ♪
♪ Ee, de, da ♪
♪ That's okay ♪
♪ It's the terror of knowing what the world is about ♪
♪ Watching some good friends ♪

Screaming, "Let me out"

♪ Let me out! ♪
♪ Pray tomorrow gets me higher ♪

[Cellphone chimes]

♪ Pressure on people, people on streets ♪
♪ De, de, de ♪
♪ Mm-hmm ♪
♪ Da, da, da, ba, ba ♪
♪ Okay ♪
♪ Chipping around ♪
♪ Kick my brains around the floor ♪
♪ These are the days it never rains, but it pours ♪

[Song fades]

You afraid you will jump or fall?

What are you talking about?

Well, you know, when you're standing on the edge.

Everyone's afraid of one or the other.

They're afraid they'll accidentally fall or... purposefully jump.

Fall.

You see, I'm the opposite.

Afraid I'll jump every time.

Deliver to Ingrid directly.

What's on it?

Chinese defector Houjin Lin.

Spilled nuclear secrets in exchange for resettlement in Germany.

We've already made enemies of the Agency.

Now you're antagonizing the Germans.

That's the point.

There will be consequences.

And they will be on my terms.

I want them all to be afraid of me.

[Man speaking German]

[Woman speaking German]


Hello? Hi.

And you are?

Daniel. I work with Steven.

Well, come in, Daniel.

[Door closes]

Kelly: Can I grab you a coffee?

Uh, no, thanks.

Okay.

What are you doing in my house?

It's the Berliner Zeitung tap.

The Zeitung's about to drop a new Shaw leak.

Houjin Lin.

He knows Lin defected and spilled Chinese nuclear secrets, and worse, he has photographs of the nuclear test site Lin oversaw.

Corpses, deformed bodies... all of it.

You got to be sh1tting me.

My name is all over the cable traffic.

And Robert ran point. He moved him in.

He babysat for the assh*le.

If this comes down...

I'm done.

Unless...

...we undermine the story before the headline drops.

Discredit the leak, discredit the source.

Now, in an ideal world, Shaw feels us closing in around him and he... he slips up and he does something irrational.

Leads us right to him.

Yeah. Okay.

I'll speak to the Germans, and I'll keep you posted on the details of the operation.

I was hoping to follow up on the Julian De Vos file.

I need access to that Moroccan black site... a list of everyone who came in contact with him.

There is no way he escaped on his own.

No.

Lin takes precedence.

Sure.

Morning, Mary, Tom.

Morning.

Ken.

It's Carl.

Carl.

Jane, any messages?

Of course not.

Thanks.

Franz. Hector DeJean.

I've got an extra ticket for the Deutsche Oper on Saturday night.

Let's, uh, get some drinks, make a night of it.

Tschues.

Shaw's going to expose incriminating evidence about Houjin Lin, and he's calling it a joint operation because he knows that you helped us exfiltrate Lin from China.

This could permanently destroy our relationship with the Chinese.

That's assuming they can prove it.

[Sighs]

What are you proposing?

Discreet relocation.

It's risky.

I don't see an alternative, Hans.

[Sighs]

[Indistinct conversations]

[Sighs]

Hey. We good?

Sure.

You don't sound very convincing.

If you're asking if I was able to mend relations with the Israelis after you left me high and dry, the answer is yeah, we're good.

No, you and me.

Sure.

Um, Valerie's gonna brief me on Iosava in five.

I want you to join.

Okay.

[Scoffs]

Yes!

sh*t.

First I'd like to thank the Academy, and, uh, the other nominees in my category.

I'd also like to thank my agent... my secret agent.

Yeah, you're an assh*le.

Hey, come on.

I still love you.

Even if you are a poor f*cking loser.

Did you just say what I think you said?

What? That you're a poor f*cking loser?

You f*cking love me?

Okay, I'm glad this isn't going to your head.

Do you want to pick out rings together?

Better yet, invite our parents to dinner?

f*ck off.

I would, but I'm really enjoying this.

Honestly...

I hate you.

[Chuckles]

Morgen.

Morgen.

[Scoffs]

[Horns honking]

♪♪

I'll drive.

So, where are you from?

Germany.

You ever lived anywhere else?

Why would I do that?

Oh, I don't know.

Experience sunshine, eat something other than glorified hot dogs.

Yeah, that's the appeal.

Ah.

Grew up in East Germany.

Says an entitled man from West Berlin.

Ow. You always this charming?

You always this inquisitive?

[Chuckles]

♪ We're done with all this stressin' out ♪
♪ Let's live it up, turn it up ♪
♪ Time is feelin' right ♪
♪ No more waiting ♪
♪ Yeah, tonight's the night ♪
♪ We're gonna go-oh ... ♪


Ah, they're just kids.

21st-century terrorism. Fuckers play dirty.

You sure about this?

It tracks both financially and ideologically.

Am I sure? Of course not.

But Ruth Iosava went to two separate travel agencies and paid two tickets, one way, in cash.

So, my gut's telling me that they are moving radicals out of Germany and not refugees in.

And if I'm wrong, I will shoulder the blame.

Okay, who... who am I looking at?

They all attend the same international girls' school.

We have confirmation that Yasmin, this girl here on the left, she already made it to Syria.

The other two?

Uh, Girl in the middle... Daayna, German citizen.

And Sabina, technically one of ours.

Dual citizenship, but both these girls have tickets to Istanbul leaving Schonefeld tomorrow morning.

So, the parents are moderates?

Yeah, seemingly.

No, nobody's f*cking moderate anymore.

I'll check with Mossad and see if these girls are on their radar.

L-L-Let... Let's hold off on that.

I'd really rather not get another intelligence agency involved.

Oh, I'm sorry. Who appointed you Deputy Chief?

No. J-Just... For now, we'll hold off.

And you let Robert know if and when he needs to reach out.

Okay.

Yeah, be sure to let Robert know.

Uh, Johnson already has a surveillance team on both these girls as of this morning.

Hopefully an opportunity arises and Clare can make contact.

Best-case scenario... we directly link these girls to Ruth and Aleksandre Iosava before they depart Schonefeld.

Worst case?

I'm sure we're gonna find out.

[Door opens, closes]

Well, you're really laying it on thick.

Unintentionally.

It's safe here.

What do you want?

When was the last time you attended a service?

Oh, boy. Uh, I don't know. [Sighs]

I was 13, I guess.

Technically a man, except for my voice, which had the unfortunate tendency to cr*ck every time Rachel Burkowitz would enter the room.

[Chuckles]

She was something else.

Listen.

If you want my allegiance because my last name is Kirsch...

I recommend you look elsewhere.

We want your allegiance because you are one of the most valuable American intelligence officers in Europe, positioned for upwards mobility.

Your support would be a huge gain for Tel Aviv.

A huge gain?

No.

My loyalties are not for sale.

Should be.

Neither Steven Frost nor the Agency grant you the respect you deserve.

They don't see your full potential.

We do.

♪♪

[Knock on door]

Nobody home.

[Door opens]

[Indistinct talking on TV]

It smells like ass in here.

Who the f*ck are you?

Who the f*ck is he?

Esther: You're being relocated.

Get dressed.

Germany's no longer a safe haven.

Tegel Airport is too heavily monitored.

We'll transfer you to Poland and you'll fly out from there.

And go where?

United States of America.

[Scoffs] f*ck that.

It's the best we can do.

United States not safe, okay?

Too many g*ns, too many GMOs, plus Chinese spooks everywhere.

I don't know where that came from. It's not mine.

German residence is not an option.

With all due respect... f*ck you.

I recommend you listen to the lady.

If not, I'll take it upon myself to make your address public.

I'll give you an hour, two tops before someone puts a b*llet in your head.

Honestly, it would make my life so much easier.

You're just a job.

Whether you live or die doesn't matter to me.

Either way, I get paid.

Nice try, cocksucker. I'm not going.

[Grunts] n*zi bitch!

[Groans]

[Door opens]

What's going on? Why are they here?

Sit, Bora.

No.

I insist.

I don't have time for this.

Oh, neither do I.

But you gave Iosava 20,000 Euro in cash.

I knew this would happen.

You knew what would happen?

When two white men exchange money, it's called a business transaction.

When two brown men do exactly the same thing, it's called funding terrorism.

Are you funding terrorism?

I won't dignify that with an answer.

Aleksandre Iosava is a militant salafi.

A reformed Islamic radical who is collecting money to house displaced refugees.

They risk their lives to make it to a foreign country where they'll face bigots like you.

[Chuckles]

If lying to you means helping them, so be it.

That money that you gave to Iosava is not funding refugees.

It is being used to smuggle young girls into Syria, where they will be r*ped and beaten and r*ped again for the rest of their lives.

So, you tell me, Bora.

Which f*cking side are you on?

Hallo.

[Both laugh]

[Sighs]

I need to piss.

Don't spill.

What I need to do will not fit in this bottle.

We're not stopping.

[Sighs]

[Indistinct conversations]

[Sighs]

Hey.

Purse?

[Sighs]

[Sighs]

For someone who gave up smoking, you always seem to have a lot of cigarettes on hand.

[Chuckles]

No judging.

Never.

You make contact?

Uh, Daayna, German, is more dominant.

Shocker, I know.

[Chuckles]

I'd say this whole thing is her idea.

Sabina is reserved, shy.

She's just along for the ride.

They open up?

A little, but nothing damning.

They're acting like normal, lying, sexed-up teenagers.

Buying lingerie.

Well, can't buy it in Syria.

It's the most coveted item on the black market.

They smart?

They might be smart enough to pull this off.

[Sighs]

Hector loves me.

He said that?

What can I say? I'm irresistible.

I'll assume you said something snarky in return.

[Chuckles] Of course I did.

Mnh.

Hey.

You love him?

Of course I do.

sh*t.
[Skype ringing]

Oh. Hey, Molly. I was looking for Noah.

We had a Skype scheduled.

Well, Noah's unavailable.

Um, okay. He's 13.

I think he can squeeze me into his schedule.

Well, he wanted to go camping with Billy.

So, um, I'm gonna...

I'm gonna need your help here, Molly.

You got to... You got to work with me.

He's my son, and you can't keep me from talking to him.

You want to talk to him so badly, why don't you hop on a plane and come see him?

Oh, I see. I'm definitely not stopping you from doing that.

Oh, right, yeah, well, you're the one who started this clusterfuck, Molly.

You left Berlin and took my son with you.

You could've come with us.

[Scoffs] You know as well as I do that leaving was not an option for me.

I have a job in Berlin. You know what I do.

I don't have time for this. [Scoffs]

[Skype chimes]


f*ck.

[Mug shatters]

f*ck!

Lin: One last question...

Where am I going to live in the United States?

Scottsdale, Arizona.

What's in Scottsdale?

The desert.

Ugh. You know, I burn real easy.

Enough. This is not open for negotiation.

Look, Germany has a population of, what, 80 million?

The U.S... 300 million.

Where do you think you'll stand a better chance of staying hidden?

Between her legs.

Will you shut the f*ck up?

[Chuckles]

[Laughs]

[Indistinct conversation]

[Camera shutter clicking]

[Pump dings]

I need to piss!

I can either do it on this nice leather seat or outside... It's your call.

Go ahead and piss your pants.

There's no way in hell you're getting out of this car.

You want to f*ck the n*zi, don't you?

She's never gonna f*ck you.

Is that right?

She can smell your p*ssy a mile away.

[Sighs]

[Chuckles]

Oh, f*ck. sh*t, sh*t.

I need to get out of here.

Pull yourself together.

If you get out, you're gonna get hurt.

You don't give a f*ck about me, remember?

Here's the thing.

When I decide to finish something, I do.

Promises aren't worth sh*t.

I bet you have some colleagues in Beijing who'll say the same thing about you.

[Cellphone chimes]

Hi. Can I get a table for one, please?

Thank you.

Hector.

Hey.

Hey.

How are you?

What a surprise.

Hello. Hector DeJean.

Sarah. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, too.

Look, I don't want to interrupt.

No, no, no.

I was just leaving.

It's okay. See you.

Cheers.

Okay, bye.

Bye.

Do you want some company?

No, I-I'm just gonna grab a bite and...

I have my babysitter till midnight.

Well, if you insist.

So, how is the little guy?

He's great, like always.

[Chuckles] How are you?

I'm great. Thank you.

Just let them get on the plane.

We'll have a team waiting for them in Ataturk.

You know there will be somebody waiting for them in arrivals to transport...

It's too risky. We could lose them.

No, we won't lose them, and we need to get a better handle on how this entire operation works.

We... We need to know what routes they're taking, how and where they're getting them across the border.

But at what cost? At what cost? Sacrificing children.

We'll do everything in our f*cking power to protect them, but we cannot ignore the blatant opportunity that we have here.

We need to understand the intricacies of how these young women are being moved.

Otherwise the body count will become a hell of a lot more than just these three.

I say we stop them before they get on the plane.

Now, when Laura was that age, she was highly impressionable.

And if you thr*aten them with calling their parents or harangue them with jail time, they'll talk!

These girls aren't Laura, Steven!

They probably won't talk, and then we'll have lost our only opportunity for gathering meaningful intelligence.

Robert, the confession by the girls ties them to Iosava, then we allow the Germans to come in and make the arrest.

That's if the Germans cooperate.

Valerie? It's your op.

Don't drag me in here and ask my opinion only to completely disregard it.

Watch it. Watch it.

This is becoming a f*cking thing.

It's your call.

Stopping the girls at Schonefeld is the most risk-averse option, because once they're out of the country, possible missteps increase exponentially.

Oh, I get it now... You found a new friend to push around and "yes" you to f*cking death.

Oh, Jesus Christ. This is not personal.

Of course this is f*cking personal.

All right, Valerie, would you excuse us for just a minute?

Oh, gladly.

Thank you.

No, Valerie, stay. I really think you should hear this.

I-I-I did two years in Baghdad and another four in Amman working the takfiris.

My knowledge of Islamic fundamentalism alone is what landed me the job of Deputy f*cking Chief here in Berlin.

I-I worked Abu Muhammed al Maqdisi long before anyone knew who he was.

I ran Zarqawi into the f*cking ground!

So, should I go on?!

Yeah, I know a thing or two about salafis.

I'd wager to say there's no one here in this room who knows more.

Why don't we just calm down?

My title in the hierarchy of this station is above yours for a reason, so don't f*cking tell me to calm down.

Your behavior is inappropriate and unacceptable.

It's reckless and self-serving, and I swear to God, if this sh*t continues, Steven, I'll...

What?

You will... will f*cking... You will what?

Nothing.

We're all good.

[Chuckles] You never told me that.

You can't say anything.

Danny will k*ll me if he finds out I told you.

[Chuckles] Hmm.

You're beautiful.

You're drunk.

No, I'm not.

I'm a middle-aged single mom.

That should be enough to scare you off.

You want to scare me away?

Danny warned me about you.

Did he?

Yeah. Said you were trouble.

Oh, I'm definitely trouble.

There's no doubt about that.

[Speaks German]

[Speaks German]

[Chuckles]

Um...

I need to get home.

Can't leave my babysitter waiting any longer.

Sure.

Yeah.

That was nice. Thank you.

Would it be inappropriate if I called you sometime?

If you insist.

Good night.

Good night.

[Door opens]

♪♪

Trip okay?

We managed.

Everything arranged at the drop-off point?

Yes, ma'am. Everything ready and waiting in Beijing.

Beijing?! What the f*ck?!

You said I was going to United States!

I lied.

You cannot send me back there.

The moment I step foot on Chinese soil, they take me to labor camp and I die.

If you're lucky.

[Cursing in Mandarin]

You could use a drink.

Is that an invitation?

Maybe.

I left Germany once.

I packed everything I owned into a suitcase and bought a one-way ticket to Patagonia.

Why Patagonia? Apart from the obvious.

Childish whim.

In my mind, it was the epitome of beauty.

How long did you stay for?

Only a week.

I received a call. Father had fallen ill.

Felt obligated to return to Germany.

He was furious with me.

What, for going home or for leaving in the first place?

No, that I saw him as week, someone in need of help.

He wouldn't allow me to enter his hospital room.

d*ed the next morning.

Oh. Sorry.

Is any part of that story true?

[Chuckles] Yeah, some of it.

I did the same thing.

When I moved back to the States, I told people my mom d*ed of cancer.

Esther: Why?

Because when your mom dies the way mine did, it leads to questions...

Who did it? Did she burn alive?

Were her limbs blown off?

Questions you didn't know the answers to.

Questions I didn't want to deal with.

But everybody understands the word "cancer."

Kids empathized, felt badly for me.

At 12, I wanted that more than anything in the world.

Yeah. Thanks.

Nice.

Yeah, my family's been in Germany a long time.

[Chuckles]

Is this you?

Yeah.

You look happy.

I was.

Here.

Danke schoen.

Bitte schoen.


Prost.

Prost.

You're different than I was expecting.

Really?

What were you expecting?

To despise you.

And instead?

[Chuckles]

[Groans]

[Grunts]

♪♪

[Woman speaking German over P.A.]

[Speaks German]

Yeah.

[Door alarm beeps]

How old are you?

16.

Valerie: That's unfortunate. Try you as an adult, you know?

Try me for what?

For joining the banned Islamic t*rror1st group Daesh.

Where's Sabina?

[Door beeps, opens]

[Door closes, locks]

Clare: Okay.

[Sighs]

They've whored themselves out to Western culture.

They shove McDonald's hamburgers down their throats, walk through Christmas markets, and still they try to call themselves devout Muslims.

If anyone should be ashamed of their family, it's me.

Do you feel responsible for Lin?

Why should I?

Because we knew from the beginning we were sending him back.

It's a job.

Doesn't relieve you of the guilt.

It does for me.

What's important to Germany is more important than my petty emotion.

To what end?

There isn't one.

Historically, that really hasn't worked out so well for you guys.

[Chuckles] Hey.

May I remind you that you're in my bed?

Lin comes to us looking for a way out, a new life.

What do we do?

Bleed him dry, sacrifice him to save ourselves.

What the f*ck happened to our integrity?

It's no longer important to do what's right.

The only thing that matters is that we don't get caught doing something wrong.

Got to admit the system's f*cked.

You're starting to sound like Thomas Shaw.

You do know you're looking at about 5 to 10 years prison, bare minimum.

Allah will protect me.

And what about Sabina?

Girl like that won't last very long, Daayna.

This was my idea, not hers.

You want to protect your friend, tell me about Ruth Iosava.

We pray together.

But she was gonna help you, wasn't she?

Once you got to Istanbul, Ruth's friends were gonna meet you and accompany you to the border.

Then what?

Your boyfriend was gonna meet you and take you to Palmyra?

Allah will protect Sabina, too.

[Breathing heavily]

Fu-u-u-ck.

[Sighs]

That was nice. Thank you.

You want something to drink?

I ca... I can make you a cup of coffee.

Take that as a hard no.

[Speaks Romanian]

I-I'm sorry. I don't... I don't know what you're saying.

Um, y-you're welcome to stay.

I-I was gonna make myself some breakfast.

Maybe some eggs and bacon.

Pancakes.

[Siren wails in distance]

[Door opens, closes]

Esther: Get dressed.

We're leaving.

Where are we going?

Valerie: Now what? Can't hold them here much longer.

The parents are gonna start asking questions.

Could take their passports.

Other ways to get out of the country if they want it bad enough.

There's nothing we can charge them with?

Traveling to a conflict zone isn't illegal.

We have nothing on paper alluding to any sort of future terrorism or v*olence.

Some worthless online love letters.

We calling it?

No. Not yet.

[Door beeps, opens]

[Door closes, locks]

♪♪

[Door opens]

Your refugees were on their way to Syria.

Daayna and Sabina... two 16-year-old girls.

All thanks to your generous contribution.

I wanted to believe and do the right thing.

Naive no longer.

And to be perfectly blunt, you no longer have the luxury of options.

So, you will stay and play and you will force Iosava's hand.

[Speaking German]

[Congregation replies "Amen"]

[Organ music plays]

[Man singing in German]

Tell Tel Aviv they have my full support going forward.

Why the change of heart?

The Agency's f*cked.

Everyone's more concerned with self-preservation than they are with gathering real intelligence.

Partially as a result of Shaw, partially poor leadership.

Whatever.

I can accomplish much more with you than I can with them.

Their shortcoming is our gain.

The Americans made the mistake of finding you expendable.

We will not.

Name your price. Money's no object.

I don't want your money.

What do you want?

I'll be in touch.

Do you know where we are?

My mom d*ed on that asphalt.

I never made it to Patagonia.

Went as far as the airport, but never got on the plane.

It was something my father and I were planning on doing together.

But he d*ed before we could.

Why did you bring me here?

The GDR took great pride in those embedded west of the wall.

Risking their lives for the cause.

The dead became martyrs.

One by the name Lukas Becker.

Your mother was sleeping with a Stasi spy.

He was developing her.

You think you're clever?

You're not.

You're transparent.

Feeding me childhood secrets in the hopes of what?

Working me?

You still don't trust me.

No.

I-I don't.

♪♪

[Knock on door]

[Shirley grunts]

[Shuddering]

Jesus Christ.

Hey!

You listen to me. This will never happen again.

Do you hear me?

Never.

[Sighs]

There you go.

I think...

There.

It's okay. I got you.

♪♪
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