01x10 - The Artist

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Ransom". Aired: January 2017 to May 2019.*
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"Ransom" follows an experienced crisis and hostage negotiator, and his team, who solve kidnap and ransom cases with the most dangerous criminals in the world.
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01x10 - The Artist

Post by bunniefuu »







[Alarm ringing, blaring]

Zara: Come on, Max!

- Almost there!
- Ugh!

You said that minutes ago.

Whew!

- Hi.
- Hi.

- Can I get, um...
- Hey.

Ooh, can I get a hot chocolate?

- Whipped cream on that?
- Yeah, go crazy.

For you?

Oh, I'll just have a water, please.

Oh, come on.

You really know how to make
a girl feel good about herself,

you know that?

What are you talking about?

You're like Superwoman.

Oh, stop.

What? You're a kick-ass ex-cop,

you've got a husband and two kids,

you're great at your job, and
you run five miles every day.

And you are brilliant and beautiful,

and you have your whole life
ahead of you.

You've got nothing
to feel bad about, Max.

Thanks.

Ever.

Maxine?

It is you.

How long has it been?

I don't know. Uh, six months?

- Zara Hallam.
- Um... sorry.

Zara, this is my, um...

uh, my friend.

- Reynolds Baker.
- Friend.

Oh.

Well, I'll let the two of you,
um, catch up.

Thank you.

Wow.

Sorry about that, Dr. Baker.

What are you doing in Montreal?

Giving a lecture at McGill.

What are you doing in Montreal?

Oh, well, I, um...

I-I live here now.

Yeah, I got that job with Eric
Beaumont at Crisis Resolution.

I know you think that's a bad idea.

Not my place to judge, Maxine.

Only to observe that this might be

an unhealthy response
to your mother's death?

It's going really good, though.

Eric and his team are amazing.

And [sighs]

I really feel like I'm helping people.

Do you and Mr. Beaumont
ever talk about things?

- Server: Your drink.
- Uh...

Yeah, not really.

We're so busy all the time.

You wanted answers, Maxine,
about your mother's death.

I got some already.

From who?

You're not talking to Damien Delaine?

S-Sorry to interrupt.
Art theft in Toronto.

- Ransomer's asking $ million by noon.
- Oh, okay.

I got to run.

It was good to see you.



Oliver: Nice place.

Zara: But no time to enjoy it.

"$ million for the safe
return of the paintings.

Turn this on : p.m."

That gives us three hours.

Well, why steal
a collection of paintings

only to ransom them back to the owners?

Fast buck?

No faster than the black market.

Unless they don't have

the connections to fence the goods.

Art thieves without a sell-on strategy?

Well, maybe they're
first-timers, opportunists.

Hard to believe first-timers
would know there was ransom insurance.

Well, they might.

How much did Nathalie
insure these paintings for?

Their book value... $ million.

[Maxine scoffs]

I'm... I'm sorry.

Not... Not being funny,

but $ million for paintings like this?

Didn't realize you
were a critic, Maxine.

Well, you can share both your opinions

with the art-gallery director.

[Doorbell rings]

Eric: Oh, that'll be
room service. My latte.

Better make it quick.

Eric: Oh, nice place.
How's their record for security?

Zara: Spotless.

They've got a Four-Tech system...

motion sensoring, pressure
plinths, vibration tags,

round-the-clock monitoring.

If it's so good,

how come private security didn't arrive

until after the thieves had escaped?

Because the thieves were fast?

Nathalie: Good. You're here.

- Zara: Hey.
- Hi. - Hi.

Eric Beaumont, negotiator.

Gwyneth Davenport, gallery director.

We appreciate your discretion,
Mr. Beaumont.

Of course. The stolen paintings

were on loan from Isabelle Kalish.

Our gallery has hosted collectors

and their paintings for over years.

If word got out that
we were careless in some way...

Just to clarify, Miss Davenport,

the police have not been
notified about the theft?

Well, Nathalie a-assured me
that you could negotiate

the paintings' return
without the police.

Uh, that's the plan, yeah.

It would help to see
where the paintings were taken.

Yes, of course.

Please, this way.

- I'll grab the equipment.
- Mm.

You have something to tell me?

What do you mean?

Come on, Nathalie. I know my wife.

- Ex-wife.
- Not yet you're not.

Your people already briefed us.
What are you doing here?

I pushed to insure these paintings...

over my supervisor's objections.

Now you're being held responsible?

Personally.

For a $ -million policy.

So if I don't get these paintings back,

you lose your job.

No pressure.

There's something else.

Something else is wrong.

No. Nothing else.



The exterior doors were undamaged.

Th-This is the only sign
we even had a break-in.

Maybe they hid somewhere
in the gallery after closing.

The alarm was triggered
at : this morning?

Yes, that's right.

Yeah, and your security team

responded in less than five minutes.

Pretty fast, but not fast enough.

Oh, uh, CCTV did catch a glimpse of...

of one of the thieves out back.

Can we see that footage?

Yes, of course.

Were these all here during the break-in?

Yes.

The only paintings

that were stolen belonged to Ms. Kalish.

Well, her collection
was nearest the door.

I guess once they triggered the alarm,

they took what they could and ran.

Was anyone here last night?

Just Jasper.

Jasper?

Oh, yes. He's always here.

Gwyneth: Jasper Edwards.

He came to the gallery three years ago.

He's the most brilliant restorer
I've ever come across.

He has no family,
no life outside of this room.

Except when he goes to the burrito stand

two times a day.

He puts his shoes on for that.

Does he have autism?

Well, he's on the spectrum.

Mm. Painting makes sense.

Obsessive, laser-sharp focus.

Tendency to have high levels of
processing on certain patterns.

Would you mind if I spoke to him?

No, of course not. Just...

be careful, though.

He doesn't really like strangers.

Nathalie: Okay, I understand.

Well, please call me
as soon as you get the result.

Thank you.

Hey.

Everything okay?

My mother's sick.

I'm sorry to hear that.

Is it serious?

I'm sorry.
That was unprofessional of me.

No. Nathalie, it's fine.

We've known each other for a long time.

Don't tell Eric, please.

Okay. Can I ask why, though?

I mean, I know he'd love
to help if he could.

Just don't tell him, okay?

Yeah.

You got it.

[Classical music
plays through headphones]

Are you the police?

No.

I don't like police.

My name is Eric.

My name's Jasper.

I didn't see anyone
take the paintings, or hear.

I had my headphones on.

[Hums]

I like the music you're listening to.

Mozart, isn't it?

You're waiting for me to leave.

Okay.

I like to paint alone.

You have a lot of tubes of this one.

What color is this, Jasper?

Is it ocher?

Ocher light?

Naples, maybe?

I call it yellow.

So it is.

You've got some on your watch.

[Chuckles]

Yes, I do.

Uh-huh.

[Laughs]

Hm.

The thread from the bit
that drilled through the lock...

clockwise or counterclockwise?

Clockwise?

That's right.

Drill bits rotate clockwise.

So the shavings should have
landed on the outside.

So this lock was drilled
from the inside.

Yeah, looks that way.

So how did they get in?

And why did they have
to drill their way out?



Maxine: Is this her house?

Zara: This is it.

Oliver: The stolen paintings have
been in Isabelle Kalish's family

for three generations.

She kept $ million
worth of paintings in there?

I read this used to be one of the
nicest neighborhoods in the city.

And it's been their family home
for generations.

But Ms. Kalish is in danger
of losing it.

- Why?
- Well, apparently her teacher salary

doesn't cover payments
on the refinance loans.

I bet $ million would.

Button cam? Really?

You don't suspect she stole
her own paintings, do you?

I suspect everyone.



This is Zara Hallam, intel.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Oliver Yates, profiling.

- Hi.
- And last but not least,

- Maxine Carlson...
- Art expert.

Isabelle Kalish.

I can't tell you how much I
appreciate your coming, Mr. Beaumont.

Oh, not at all.

I, uh, gather you normally
hung the paintings here

before you loaned them to the gallery.

People think I'm crazy.

But it... it just doesn't feel
like home without them.

And have you ever

loaned the paintings
out for exhibition before?

No. First time. And now this happens.

And why did you decide
to loan them out now?

When the gallery
first approached me, I said no.

But when I thought about it,

I realized that I was betraying
my grandparents' memory.

They were dedicated collectors.

Betraying how?

After the w*r, they discovered
that one of their paintings

was stolen from a Jewish family
fleeing the Nazis.

It turned out the painting was
a Rubens worth over $ million.

And my grandfather tracked down
the rightful owners

and gave it back.

So, if he could do that,

I thought the least that I could do

is share all this beauty
with the public.

It'd be helpful to know
if anyone's ever tried

to acquire your collection, Ms. Kalish.

Well, Isabelle's had many
offers, but she'd never sell it.

This is Sydney Graves, my fiancé.

Yeah, I mean, $ million
is a lot of money, Ms. Kalish.

Oh, don't think I haven't told her that.

What those paintings mean to me
is beyond value.

I want to pass them on to my daughter.

Like my grandparents and
my parents passed them on to me.

Eric: Can you bring up the paintings
in Ms. Kalish's collection?

Oliver: Here you go.

One minute to call.

Looking for something?

Mm-hmm.

Eric Beaumont, Arnaud Castel.

It's Arnold, please.

Hi.

Arnold's the one who valued
the collection at $ million.

Ah, you do value appraisals.

Ah. Authenticity determination, as well.

[Telephone ringing]

: . One minute early.

Okay, everybody settle.

This is Eric.

Synth voice: Who are you, Eric?

Oh, I'm a negotiator,

and I would like to give you
what you want.

How's that sound?

Do you have $ million?

Well, $ million's a lot.

Even if the insurance company
were willing to pay,

it would take time
to get that kind of cash.

But I could give you $ , .

That offer's not enough.

So you're saying you want
to sit on this for a week,

maybe two, give the police time
to track you down?

I think that you want as much money

as you can get right away
so this is over.

Am I right?

I need more.

I'd really like to help you with that.

But I agree. $ , is not enough.

Let me see if I can persuade
the insurance company.

Up to $ , okay?

I've twisted their arm
and got you another grand.

So that's $ , .

We wanted $ million.

But you're getting
$ , with no police.

That's not bad for a day's work.

I'll forward payment instructions.

[Sighs]

Well, you were quite right
about Mr. Beaumont.

I'll arrange for the cash.
Thank you, Eric.

That was easy.

Too easy.

Something's wrong.

Okay, CCTV picked up a figure
leaving at : this morning.

Maxine: One minute after the alarm.

So, someone opened the door

for the intruder from the inside,

drilled through the lock...

Trying to make it look like a break-in.

Yeah.

Oh. Looks like
it's Jasper's burrito time.

[Tires screech]

Help! Help! Hey!

- Wait!
- [Horn honks]

- Aah!
- Hey! Hey, hey!

[Grunts]

[Tires screech]

Are you all right?

Yeah.

I couldn't get a proper sh*t.

Eric: That yellow look the same to you?

Jasper's been kidnapped.

Max got partials on the driver.

Oliver: I'll run facial recognition.

Eric: Who would want Jasper, and why?

[Computer beeping]

Okay, here we go.

Who would want to kidnap Jasper?

Well, someone who needs his expertise.

You think this is connected

to Ms. Kalish's stolen paintings?

Or it's an awfully big coincidence,

and I hate coincidences.

Can you check Jasper's room?

What am I looking for?

Well, for anything that shows us
how he's mixed up in this.

Come with me.



Mm. It's true what they say
about you, Jasper.

The work you have done for us
is the best I have ever seen.

Now we just need you to do
the rest of the job, hmm?

The easy part.

We don't have time for this.

We don't have time for this.

No touching! No touching! No touching!

Mnh. Aah! [Whimpers]

I hear there's a genius brain in there.

[Whimpers]

Be a shame to spill it.

Hey. Scaring him doesn't help. Huh?

Hey. Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh.

Look, our buyers are not
gonna wait around for long.

Yes. Yes, I know.

Leave us, baby.

[Whimpering]

[Door opens, closes]

[Whimpering]

It's just you and me now.

Everything will be all right
if you start working.

Hey. We need to move fast for Jasper.

You got anything?

Yeah, it's gonna take forever
to get an I.D. from these.

What did Nathalie tell you?

What did Nathalie tell me about what?

Well, listen, you don't want
to betray her confidence.

I get it. But she told you something.

Was it... Was it about Evie?

[Sighs]

Mnh-mnh.

Well, somebody's ill.

Sister, her mother.

I'm gonna go with sister.

Mother.

Thanks, Ollie.

No laptop. No computer.

But I found Jasper's phone.

- No contacts.
- Mm.

Yeah, people with autism
can be isolated,

find it difficult
to form relationships, so...

Boulder Creek.

Oh, could be a school. Camp, maybe?

[Sighs]

"Boulder Creek
Special Education Program."

Maybe he was close to someone there,

like a teacher, mentor,
someone like that.

Exactly like that.

Sydney Graves, Isabelle Kalish's fiancé,

was also Jasper's teacher.

Oliver: That's how Isabelle met him.

They're both teachers. Okay.

Sydney: Well, Isabelle's
had many offers.


Isolating the audio profile

of Sydney's voice from Eric's button cam

alongside the disguised voice
from the phone call.

Synth voice: That offer's not enough.

Isolating the word "offer."

Sydney: Offers. Synth voice: Offer's.

Same intonation. Same tone.

Exactly the same pitch.

So that's a match?

Sydney stole his fiancée's paintings.

He persuaded Jasper to let
the thieves into the gallery.

But why steal them when they're on loan?

He could have taken them
from their home at any time.

And why kidnap his own former student?

$ , . It's all there.

Do we have the instructions
for the exchange?

Yeah. Came in a few minutes ago.

Downtown swanky hotel, room ,

: tomorrow morning. Why?

Let's have that appraiser meet us there.

You're going through with this?

Nathalie insured those paintings.

It's our job to get them back.

Is everything okay?

Of course.





[Lock beeps]

[Telephone ringing]

[Beeps]

Synth voice: Put the briefcase
on the bed and then open it.


There's a safe in the wardrobe.
The code is .


The key is to the room
where the paintings are.


When the money's in the safe,
I'll give you the room number.


[Beeping]

Zara: This one's legit, too?

"Improvisation" by Niko Korbinian.

. No doubt.

- And this is the last one.
- Ah.

It's my favorite.

"Formation in Yellow."

Rrok, .

[Beeping]

Listen, we can take it from here.

Go be with your mother.

[Sighs]

[Exhales sharply]

You should've told me, Nathalie.

This is my life, Eric.

I'm just trying to make it
easier for you.

I didn't ask you to.

What's wrong with Irene?

They think the cancer's back.

Well...

I can confirm the authenticity
of all nine canvases.

These are the Kalish paintings.

Eric: Thanks, Arnold.

Fine. I'm going.

You know how much I love you.

See? Got what you wanted again.

Thank you, Mr. Castel.
Really appreciate your help.

Of course. And well done.

All of you.

What the hell is going on?

You paid when you knew
Ms. Kalish's fiancé was involved.

Oh, Mr. Castel is right.
These are the real paintings.


All except for this one.

They got Jasper to forge it.

How'd you figure that out?

From the half-dozen empty tubes
of yellow paint in his studio.

So he fooled the appraiser.

Either that, or Mr. Castel is in on this

with Sydney Graves, Isabelle's fiancé.

How are we gonna prove that?

I'm not sure yet.

But I am pretty sure that
Jasper's life depends on it.



You stole my grandmother's paintings?

It's not that simple.

Please, would you just...
would you just...

Oh, my God.

For what it's worth, he's
telling the truth, Ms. Kalish.

It isn't that simple.

You see?

He only intended to steal the paintings
from the gallery long enough

to collect the insurance money.

I did this for you.

And for her.

Why?

[Scoffs] Do you really need to ask?

We can barely cover our expenses.

And I know that you would
never sell those paintings.

You betrayed me, Sydney.

I can't believe you used Jasper
for this.

Whose idea was it, Mr. Graves?

Was it yours or Mr. Castel's?

Mr. Castel's.

So, he has the $ ,
that we left in that safe?

He said that we would split it.

Yeah. Mr. Castel has
double-crossed you, Mr. Graves.

He used you to get to Jasper.

Drita: You wish you were
back home, I bet.

I know how that feels.

Eugene: Sorry to interrupt.

But if he don't get on with it,
we're gonna lose millions.

Just a reminder.

You know, Jasper,

you can go back any time you want.

Hm?

All you've got to do is finish this.

Call Mr. Castel.

Not all the paintings were returned.

"Formation in Yellow" is a forgery

Jasper Edwards painted for Mr. Castel.

And why would he get Jasper to do that?

Drita: Jasper still won't work.

And we're running out of time.

If he doesn't work,
then we move on, then.

Yeah, well, he won't listen to me.

You got him to paint before, right?

He's too scared.

Okay, then this is over.

- No, wait. Wait. Wait.
- Ohh! Oh!

I know someone who can
talk him into anything.

[Whimpers]

Well, then, call him.

You know, I think...

I think the value of my role
has been underrepresented.

What?

I delivered you the painting and Jasper,

and now you still need my help.

% hardly seems fair, does it?

How's %?

Okay. % it is.

Yeah.

[Cellphone ringing]

It's Arnold Castel.

What do you want me to do?

Take the call.

Nothing's changed. Just talk to him.

[Ringing continues]

Yeah?

What?

Yes, I will... I can talk to him.

Okay. Yeah.

Yeah. All right. I'll see you there.

Well done, Mr. Graves.

Jasper's refusing to work.
He wants me to go persuade him.

Isabelle: I don't understand.

You're saying they still have

the real "Formation in Yellow"?

That's right. Yeah.

So, Arnold must have made Jasper

paint the copy that they returned.

And now they want him to do what?

Well, that's what we need to find out.

"Formation in Yellow"

is the least valuable piece
in the entire collection.

[Cellphone chimes]

Oliver and Zara.

Facial recognition came through.

They've identified
the woman driving the van.

Drita Jakupi. Kosovan national.

Specializes in
the illegal-artifact trade,

specifically finding
n*zi-looted art to order.

n*zi-looted art? I-I don't understand.

I suspect the real "Formation in Yellow"

isn't a part of your collection,
Ms. Kalish.

It never was.

It's a forgery.

Hiding a much more valuable painting.

The Rubens.

And Arnold used me
to help steal it for him.

And now they need Jasper
to remove the forgery

and restore the old master underneath.

My grandfather never returned it
to that Jewish family.

[Voice breaking] He hid it...

from all of us.



Well?

I, uh... I called him.

Yeah. So is he coming?

He is.

No worries.

Great.

Then we don't need you anymore, do we?

[g*nshots]

Aah!



This is the place?

Yeah, this is it.

This is the address
where he said to meet him.

So, all I have to do is get Jasper
to start restoring the Rubens?

As long as he's useful
to his kidnappers, he's safe.

What about me?

You're the only person
who can get Jasper to work.

- They need you, too.
- Okay, but wh...

what about when he's done
with the paintings?

Well, then, we get you out of there.

Hey, t-t-that's
the van that took Jasper.

Who's that?

Zara: I recognize him.

That's the man who kidnapped him.

You've never seen that man
before, Mr. Graves?

Never.

- Change of plan.
- What?

Give me your shirt.

Whoa. What happened?

Arnold's dead and that man k*lled him.

[Ringing]

- Man: Front desk.
- It's Ms. Denard.

Can you order a taxi
to the airport, please?

There's a car waiting.

A Mr. Beaumont ordered it for you.

Th-Thank you.



Okay, Sydney.

Hurry up.

Pardon me? Are you with Arnold?

You Sydney?

Give me your phone.

Hands up. Hands up.

Come with me.

Get... Get... Get in!

Okay, okay.

[Engine starts]



[Maxine sighs] I hope this works.

[Jasper whimpering]

Oh, my God.

Arnie? Arnie?

Drita: Arnold couldn't make him work.

You understand what that means for you?

- [Jasper whimpering]
- Uh... yeah.

Um...

but I can see your problem.

I mean, how can he be inspired

with a dead body just lying here?

Well, we can't...
we can't just leave him here.

Someone will see.

Maybe we could cover his body.

You get back inside.

Okay. Okay.



It's Arnold.

Mr. Beaumont said he was dead.

Drita: Where's Eugene?

Eric: He's getting rid of the body.

Eric has his phone.

Arnold is dead.

Gwyneth: Nathalie?

Gwyneth. Is Eric here?

No, he's trying to get Jasper back.

Jasper?

Jasper, my restorer.

Mr. Beaumont didn't tell you?

He's been kidnapped.

You didn't know?

Give me a second.

Oliver: Signal triangulates
to this location.

There's that van again.

[Cellphone rings]

Hey, Nathalie.

Nathalie: Where are you?

And don't you dare lie.

Yeah.

Now get on with it.

[Humming]

Hey, Jasper.

Remember me?

That other man is out back
covering up the body.

It's better without him here, isn't it?

He wants us to stop him
from going back inside.

Oliver.



Listen, I know you don't
like the police,

but in a few hours, they're gonna come

and take that man away.

Okay.

A few hours.

There is a valuable painting
hidden in here.

That's why they want you
to remove the forgery.

What is it?

He would like to know
what he's uncovering.

A Rubens.

What is that worth?

I'll get $ million for it.

Wouldn't you like to see that, Jasper?

Uh-huh.

Could you show me how you work?
I'd really like to see that.

Uh...

Excuse me?

Who the hell are you, mate?

Ugh!

You know, it's very modern of me
to let you do this.

You mean I'm way faster than you.

Basically.

Help me turn him over.

Where's Eric?

He lied to me.

Inside.

With?

[Sighs]

A $ -million painting and...

a g*n to his head.

And where are the police?

He said to call them in a few hours.

Okay. I'll call them now.

Nathalie, please.

He knows what he's doing.

You know he does.

- [Sighs]
- [Cellphone beeps]

He's taking a long time, isn't he?

Your friend.

Is it because you're from Kosovo?

Is what because?

Well, that you do this.

Essentially profit from genocide.

You know nothing about me or my country.

Well, I know you left home
to escape a-atrocities of w*r.

It's just that, you know,

most people witness that kind of horror,

they... they spend their lives
trying to get away from it.

But you...

you run right towards it.

Eugene!

He's not coming back.

[Sirens wailing in distance]

What is this?

A choice.

I'm not Sydney Graves.
My name is Eric Beaumont.

- I'm a negotiator.
- [Vehicle doors closing]

How many innocent people
do you think d*ed

to get that painting out of the
hands of its rightful owners?

Don't move.

- Don't! Don't! Please don't!
- Stop.

Try leaving with that, you're
just like the people you fled.

It's not the same. Sit down.

Not finished. Not finished.

You think all those people

who d*ed in your country would agree?

Shut up!

You know you won't get away with it.

You know it.

I'll destroy it.

No, I don't think you will.

If I see you again, you're dead.

[Door opens]

[Door closes]

It's gonna be all right, Jasper.



Eric: Okay. You're right over here.

Can I go home now?

Yeah, of course. We'll take you.

Maxine: We're gonna get
you home now, Jasper, okay?

You told me this was over.

I said we could handle it from here.

It was my decision
to stay or go, not yours.

You should be home
with your mother, Nathalie.

The PET scan came back negative.

My mother's fine.

[Sighs] Okay. Thank God.

You see? When something bad happens,

I still want to be with you.

But I can't do this anymore.

I wanted to thank you all.

And you, too, Jasper.

I spoke with the police, Ms. Kalish.

You're free to take your paintings home.

I told Sydney I'm gonna
leave them with the gallery.

All but one.

Jasper, I wonder if I could
get your help with something.



David: You didn't have to come
all this way, Ms. Kalish.

No, but I did.

This was restored
with great care and love.

And now it's where it belongs.

Home.
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