01x06 - The Reaper

[bunniefuu]

♪ You takin' sh*ts at a b*llet,
k*ll season ♪

♪ I be fresh to death,
it's k*ll season ♪

♪ All this water on my neck,
it's k*ll season ♪

♪ You know my drip gonna leave
'em... it's k*ll season ♪

♪ It's k*ll season

[WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ON P.A.]

♪ All this drip gonna make 'em drown ♪

GARZA: They call him The Reaper,

an elusive international sn*per
with at least nine known kills

throughout Europe and Asia.

m*rder for hire,
all high-profile targets.

Now, sadly,

this is his only known photo,
but two days ago,

agents working off
of a tip from Interpol

linking The Reaper to payments
made from a shell corporation

raided a home in Malibu Canyon.

Strip.

Now!

Now, The Reaper wasn't there,

but his girlfriend
was captured without incident.

Zora Maddis.

She's currently being held
at Ventura County Jail

for conspiracy to commit m*rder
and awaiting her arraignment.

She in the know
or caught in the crossfire?

Ah, that's an unknown.
But she's not just arm candy.

She went to Stanford.
Works as a corporate translator.

So she's got a lot to lose.

And I assume she said "no" to a deal?

Yeah. And intercepted
dark web communiqués

have led us to believe
that The Reaper is here

in Los Angeles to carry out
his next hit.

So there's a clock ticking.

- Which is where you come in.
- Me?

Simone, I want you to go
undercover as an inmate.

Get to know Zora.
Find out anything you can

about The Reaper's true identity
and his next target.

♪♪

GARZA: Your new name is Cheryl Waters.

Cheryl?

Couldn't I get something with
a little more flare to it...

Like Nefertiti? Or Jamika?

Your backstory and identification
have already been created.

You were booked for possession
and assaulting an officer.

Ooh, Cheryl is spicy.

Can we just slow our roll here, Matt?

Simone's a probationary agent.
She's not ready for this.

You're a terrible wing man.

Simone taught in prisons
back in D.C. as a volunteer.

- And she's good with people.
- See?

And Zora may be our only key

to catching The Reaper
before he kills again.

If anyone even gets the hint
that Simone is FBI, she's dead.

You're right, which is why you are going
to go undercover with her.

As a sheriff deputy.

To make sure that doesn't happen.

Ha!

♪ Come along with me ♪

CARTER: Let's run though it again.

Only the Warden's gonna know
we're undercover.

We can't trust the guards.
And definitely not the inmates.

And I won't be able to watch
your back every moment.

Simone, I know you love a challenge,

but you don't have to do this.

Carter, I got this.

Trust me.

[INMATES WHOOPING, HOLLERING]

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

WOMAN: Yeah. New meat.

[CONVERSATIONS CONTINUE]

♪♪

[DOOR BUZZES]

♪♪

What'cha reading?

My name is Cheryl.

What's your name, girl?

Nobody.

♪♪

BRENDON: Hey, boss.

The Evidence Response Team
dropped off everything

from The Reaper's Malibu rental.

Oh. He's got good taste.

Ah. Anything to indicate
who his next target is?

GARZA: Not so far.

But he's gonna have to work
a little harder

to finish the job, considering
this was left behind.

[WOLF-WHISTLES] Well, that is a beaut.

. RPR, to scope,

sh**ting a hand loaded
grain subsonic round.

It's all custom made.

That's a good eye.

- I did a movie once where I...
- Right.

BOTH: Where you played a sn*per.

"sh*t Through The Heart."

It was a romantic comedy.

It was really kind of sweet, actually.

Anyway, I spent two weeks training
with the best in the business.

It's how I aced firearms at Quantico.

Well, the barrel on this one

was made with a stainless - ph alloy.

There are only a handful
of gunsmiths in the world

who are skilled enough to craft one.

And since The Reaper lost his w*apon,

he's gonna need to find
someone local to replace it.

And quick.

Any names come to mind?

Yeah. Guy by the name of Dave Barber.

Whoa. [CHUCKLES]

"Boomstick" Barber?

That's my guy.
That's the guy who trained me.

He's an... He's an armorer.

He supplies firearms to actors
on movie sets.

Well, maybe actors aren't
the only people he supplies to.

The Reaper needs to replace his w*apon,

so go find out if Boomstick was
commissioned to make him one.

Let's go.

[RADIO CHATTER]

[DOOR BUZZES]

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

Yo. You get my smokes?

I... don't have discretionary yet.

Mm. Alright.

Well, maybe I just take these.
As a deposit.

Hey. Leave her alone.

Really?

You sure this the hill
you wanna die on, new girl?

- Ooh!
- Oh, shut up!

I will put your ass in the infirmary...

With pieces missing.

Give me those.

Walk!

- Ooh!
- Yeah!

I'll see you.

Here you go.

I didn't ask you to do that.

So I'm not all of a sudden
your jailhouse bitch, okay?

Whoa.

Shorty, you ain't even my type, alright?

It's... It's just that nobody
survives in here alone.

So I wanted to make a deal.

I watch your back, you watch mine.

Bet.

Hey, new guy. Take stink duty.

Plumbing's down in this wing.

Walk the inmates
to the bathroom down the hall.

For how long?

Oh, hell, yeah. I gots to go.

Hey.

I know you.

Move, inmate.

[GRUNTING]

You ain't no "Officer Jenkins."

All those nights you sat
working undercover in my club?

Eyeing all my girls, watching 'em grind.

You're Carter Hope. Eff. Bee. Eye.

The man who ruined my life.

You ruined your own life, Jazmine...

Getting in business
with organized crime.

I did my time.
I'm on the up-and-up now, baby.

Then why are you back inside?
Because when you're an ex-con,

any misdemeanor dust-up lands
you right back behind bars.

Judge saw an ex-con and set
my bail at two-hundred K.

Two hundred thousand for as*ault?

No way I can pay that.

Now I'm trapped here waiting for trial.

Or I was...

until Christmas came early.

You gonna get me out of here.

- How am I supposed to do that?
- Figure it out.

Or I'm gonna tell everybody up
in here you an undercover Fed.

I'll throw you in solitary.
Have you transferred out.

Not before I yell out to anyone
who can hear me that you a G-Man.

Word spreads quick around here.

I'll see what I can do.

See to it fast.

I'm really bad at keeping secrets.

So where's this Boomer guy?

Boomstick.

Right now, he's working
on the set of "Hot Suspect."

Am I supposed to know what that is?

It's a wildly popular TV show.

[RINGTONE PLAYS] Oh.

Hello?

Hello. This is Officer Chen,
from the LAPD.

We... We met a few weeks ago...

Hey, Lucy.

You remember me?

Of course I remember you.

Yeah, you're my hero.

Living proof you can come out
of the rookie years unscathed.

No, I'm super scathed,
but I'm still standing.

Um, look, I don't mean to bother you,

but we got a call
about an attempted break-in

at your storage unit.

And when we showed up to arrest them,
the suspect said to call you.

Miles Butkus. Do you know him?

Yeah. You could say that.

He's my dad.

Oh. Uh, I'm sorry.

We have him in holding.

Okay. We're in the middle of
something right now, but we can...

Can I come there and...
And grab him after this?

- Is that okay?
- Yeah. Sure thing.

Alright. Thank you.

♪♪

So your real name is Brendon Butkus?

That was your takeaway?

[CHUCKLES]

[CHAMBER CLICKING]

- Hey. Boomstick.
- Hey.

Brendon!

- Hey. How are you?
- Hey! Bring it in, boy!

Ahh! Boomstick!

- Boom!
- There he is.

- How you doing?
- I'm good.

Good. Oh, this is, uh, my boss,

- Special Agent Laura Stensen.
- Hi.

Actually, we need your help
with something.

Uh, here, have a look at this.

Ooh, . RPR.

- Custom job.
- Mm-hmm.

Ooh. Looks European.

You make one of those recently?

Oh, well, uh, if I did,

it's because the Second
Amendment affords me that right.

Well, to a point.

We are looking for a wanted fugitive

who was in the market
for a custom precision r*fle

- just like that.
- Well, it's not really my place

to ask what a customer plans
to do with a legal firearm.

Mm. So, unless I know he's planning

to commit a crime with it,
I'm in the clear.

Well, now we are telling you
he I planning to commit a crime.

So unless you want to be charged
as an accessory,

you need to tell us everything
about this customer,

starting with when you're supposed
to turn over the w*apon.

♪♪

You just did. Stay right there.
Stay right there.

Sir, I think we have eyes on The Reaper.

[CAR ALARM CHIRPS] Hollywood and Gower.

Hey!

- Oh, he made us!
- Hey! FBI!

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

♪♪

[g*n COCKS]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[BOTH GRUNTING]

[GROANS]

[GRUNTS]

[HANDCUFFS CLICKING]

[GRUNTING]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[GRUNTS]

♪ I can't stand you, none of y'all ♪

♪ You fast-talking know-it-all ♪

♪ Only get the tip,
cold hearted, I'm glacier ♪

♪ Miss me with that,
now you caught the vapors ♪

♪ Step on me,
I will hold that vendetta ♪

♪ You right now, I'm a whole era ♪

♪ Megawatt smile, and I got that juice ♪

♪ Can't ever rein us in,
now we on the loose ♪

♪ I can't stand none of y'all ♪

[HORN BLARES]

Stop, stop, stop!
I'm sorry. I need help.

I'm sorry.

♪ Hit the gas to the max, we go hard ♪

♪ Foot on the pedal, and we go hard ♪

[TIRES SCREECH]

Suspect is heading east on Hollywood
Boulevard, escaping in a gray BMW!

I don't want to talk about it.

LAURA: Well, The Reaper is in the wind.

And he has a new r*fle.

GARZA: Which means
he definitely has a target.

Gotta be why he hasn't split town.

BRENDON: Plus the girlfriend.

You think a guy who kills people

for a living has a soft spot for a girl?

- Well...
- No. This is not a movie.

- I'm just saying...
- We don't know enough about this guy

to rule anything out, sir.

Okay, well, LAPD has a BOLO out
for the vehicle that he carjacked,

but he's probably ditched it already.

And Boomstick's cooperating,

but he said he'd never met
the guy before today.

All their correspondence is encrypted.

The Reaper paid in cash.

Alright. Well, what about
the car he came in?

It's registered to a dummy corp.

It's being processed as we speak.

Hopefully the GPS gives us something.

Okay. We'll take whatever we can get.

You guys are on your way
back to the ranch?

Yeah. Almost.
We have to stop by Mid-Wilshire for a...

Uh...

just a small... matter.

- Make it quick.
- Yeah.

Thank you.

Hey, "Nobody."

Zora.

That wasn't so hard, was it?

Remember when I said we should
have each other's backs?

Well, I need a favor.

I figured you didn't help me

out of the goodness of your own heart.

Look, I see you.

Salon cut, manicure, nose in a book.

You're smart. Got money.

A lawyer?

- 'Cause I could use one.
- What'd you do?

Trusted the wrong person. My girl.

I thought she was on the up-and-up,

said she worked
for this courier service.

Asked me to drop a package.

Next thing I know, I'm
delivering a kilo of cocaine

to an undercover narc.

Damn. She sold you out.

I'm still in love with her.

That's... That's crazy, right?

- I know the feeling.
- You do?

Damn. Why do the trouble-makers
always got to be so sexy?

I don't know... It was the
Italian accent that doomed me.

Ooh, yeah, I love me an accent.

Where you meet him at?

I mean, in town or... Wait.

Better yet, he got a sister?

We met in Milan.

Mm.

I fell hard... Followed him back to L.A.

And look where it got me.

They offered me a deal
to turn on my girl.

But I just couldn't do it.

She's just gonna let you take the fall?

I don't know because

- I'm trying to get ahold of her, but...
- Break it up.

We... We just talking.
I don't care, inmate. Come on.

What... Okay!

What the hell is wrong with you, Carter?

I was just starting to connect with her.

I've been made. I arrested one
of the inmates three years ago.

How did we not know she'd be here?

We rushed the op.

There was no time
to background everybody.

And she's threatened to talk.
So I'm pulling the plug.

- No, you're not.
- Excuse me?

Zora's a tough nut,
but she's starting to cr*ck.

She's telling me stuff about The Reaper.

That, um, he's Italian, they met
in Milan, she's in love with him.

I am so close.

Don't fool yourself.

Ops like this normally take
weeks to form a bond.

And I know you're the queen of charm,

but if you push too far, too
fast, she'll see through it.

Carter, I don't need
her life story, okay?

I just need enough clues to help
us figure out this guy's identity.

Hold your nerve.

I got this.

Okay. But you got to work fast now.

Our cover could blow up at any minute.

I didn't even do nothing!

So your real name is Brendon Butkus?

I know, right? [DOOR BUZZES]

There he comes.

- See you, guys.
- Brace yourself.

Hey, Dad.

Hey, kiddo! Man, you're
looking sharp, as always.

Oh. Thanks. A hug. Yeah.

Yeah. Alright.

- Miles Butkus.
- Oh. Hi.

- I'm his old man.
- Yeah.

And you must be his partner.

Uh, training agent. Laura Stensen.

Well, I'm mortified
that we're meeting like this.

I just got into a pinch,
and I know how busy Brendon is.

You know, he's got an important
job, doing important things.

So you figured you'd just break
into my storage locker

and grab some
"Vampire Cop" swag to sell?

Well, you weren't using them.

Why do you need the money?

I didn't want to tell you like this.

I'm sick.

Lymphoma.

- Doc says it's pretty bad.
- Right.

The chemo is very expensive,
so I just needed to pay for it.

Mm-hmm.

I know. It was stupid.

Sir, I'm so sorry to hear
about your health challenges,

but, you know, breaking and
entering is a serious crime.

Mm. Brendon and I have
always shared everything.

I promise I had no ill intent.

Could we just...

Yeah.

What's up? Hey.

Would you like me to void this arrest?

If you could. I-I'm really sorry.

I think this is all just
a big misunderstanding.

He should've been
on the rental agreement.

And, again, I'm... I'm really sorry
for putting you through all this.

- Is... Is that okay?
- Mm-hmm.

Yeah? Okay, great.

- Okay.
- Thank you.

Alright, where am I taking you?

Oh, no. You know, I hate to be,
uh, cold-hearted here,

but our case can't wait for a carpool.

Oh, I can take him home.

Oh. I owe you.

- Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
- No, no, you don't owe me.

Uh, actually, I wouldn't be mad
if you signed a "Vampire Cop" T-shirt.

For my roommate.

Oh. Sure.

Where would you like me to sign it?

Okay, so, really big across the chest,

but just don't get any of it
on your face.

Ah.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

♪♪

Hi. Sorry about that out there.

That guard has just been riding
me ever since I got here.

I was able to sweet-talk him
into some extra dessert, though.

Don't get too excited.
The food here is a hate crime.

No doubt... Although you're used to

being all fancy in Italy and everything.

Actually, there's some
great restaurants in L.A.

You got one you love, though,
o-on the romantic side?

In case I get my life straightened out.

My boyfriend took me to a great
place downtown last week.

Talk to me.

Six-course tasting menu,

up on a rooftop overlooking
Walt Disney Concert Hall.

It was magic.

And cheap as hell, right?

Definitely. [LAUGHS]

Good looking out.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

♪♪

♪♪

You know your dad is lying
about the cancer thing.

Yeah. I do.

It's... It's how he's always been.
You know, outlandish stories

to get money, sympathy, leverage.

It's his superpower.

Wow. There's a lot to unpack there.

Don't analyze me, okay? Please.

I... It's just this dance we do. My...

My mom ran out on me when I was a kid.

He stayed. He's...
He's the only parent I've got.

I hear you, but I j... [RINGTONE PLAYS]

Oh. [CELLPHONE CLICKS]

Yep. We're almost back, sir.

Well, the GPS data
from The Reaper's rental car

shows one stop
before picking up his new r*fle.

A Bitcoin ATM in West Hollywood.

To get cash for the r*fle.

You any good at de-anonymizing
crypto-currency?

I was the best in my Academy class.

It's all a matter of
whether we can get access

to the digital wallet The Reaper used
to withdraw cash from the ATM.

Then I can decrypt the wallet of origin

by searching the blockchain...
Yada yada yada,

we find out who paid
The Reaper to do the hit.

So can you handle it, FOA,

or do I need to get an egghead
from the Cyber Squad?

Give me a sh*t, boss.
I won't let you down.

So get your ass back here...
Lights and sirens.

Yes, sir.

[SIREN WAILS]

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

Bathroom. You're up.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

[CONVERSATIONS CONTINUE]

♪♪

Hey. We need to talk.

Later.

This can't wait.

And I'm feeling real talkative.

Know what I'm saying?

Stay right here.

♪♪

I told you I'm working on it.

Not good enough.

Now, I saw you working your
little "case" with that newbie.

You better help me out here,
or I'm dry snitching both of you out.

Threatening me is not
gonna help your situation.

Then what is?

My daughter is pissed at me...
Because I'm me...

And won't take my calls.

Look, I hear you, and
I'm moving as fast as I can.

But I will help you, okay?

You have my word.

♪♪

♪♪

ZORA: What the hell are you doing?

- That's mine.
- SIMONE: I'm sorry.

I'm all twisted up about my girl.

And I wanted to talk to her,
and I saw you had a line out.

Stay the hell away from my stuff.

And you better not say anything.

Ah! [CHUCKLES] Trouble in paradise?

Just a little misunderstanding, ladies.

Stay away from me.

- But...
- Walk!

WOMAN: Ooh!

♪♪

BRENDON: I was able to isolate
The Reaper's crypto wallet

from an ATM transaction.

He received a down payment
last week for $ ,

from a man named Mikhail Bugrov.

Well, he's been on the FBI's
radar for a few years.

Son of a Russian oligarch.

He's been busy building
his own empire...

Sports team, social media
companies, high-end real estate.

Word is he uses whatever shady
tactic he needs to get his way.

So there's a long list of people
he could conceivably want k*lled.

Alright. Well, we're gonna need
to narrow that list down, and quick.

If Simone and Carter can't get
us a path to The Reaper,

then the next best thing
is to figure out

who The Reaper is after.

And this Bugrov guy is our best chance.

Yeah, but how?
Like, he's not gonna cooperate with us.

Let's see if we can rattle his cage.

Get him to slip up.

Do your profiler thing,
see what you can find out.

My "profiler thing?"

Matt... It doesn't
really work like that.

I understand that, Laura.

But there is a sn*per loose in the city.

It's all we've got.

- Good luck.
- Mm-hmm.

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

Hello in there.

I'm bored.

But I look amazing.

Thank you for coming in, Mr. Bugrov.

Oh. This is my first time at FBI.

Sleek building.
How much you pay for this?

Instead of real estate prices,
why don't we talk about

a crypto payment we tracked
from your virtual wallet

into the account of a prolific assassin?

What exactly are you
accusing my client of?

I believe the word "assassin"
answers that question...

Try to keep up.

Now, there are a few obvious targets...
Like your brother... Vladlen...

Who you've been feuding with
for a few years.

- We're leaving.
- No, this is enlightening.

Tell me more.

Okay. Well, if not your brother,

then how about your
former business partner...

Josh Fischer?

He's suing you, right?

And then there's the nasty custody
battle with your ex-wife, Daria.

No, don't forget Malcolm Abbott.

He reupholstered the seats on my G ...

Did a shockingly bad job.

The man deserves to suffer.

Okay, you can joke all you want,
but we are in this now.

And the smartest thing that
you could do in the short-term

is to call this thing off.

And in the long-term?

Give us The Reaper.

Or we will tear your life apart
looking for him.

DALTON: That's it, we're leaving.

You know, you might look pretty
if you didn't dress like a boy.

And you might be handsome
if you didn't have your face.

LAURA: He sees this as a game.

People are just pawns to play with.

He wasn't fazed by any of our questions,

but narcissistic sociopaths rarely are.

So we're no closer to knowing
who he put the hit out on and why.

Okay. We're gonna need to get a warrant

for all of Bugrov's communications.

No judge is gonna sign off
on a blanket warrant.

But it doesn't hurt to try.

[CELLPHONE RINGING]

It's Carter.

[CELLPHONE THUDS]

Tell me you got something
off of Zora's phone.

She caught me.

CARTER: It's my fault, I got distracted.

One of the inmates knows I'm a Fed.

I've been doing my best to keep
her quiet, but it's been a thing.

I'm not gonna get anything else
out of Zora now.

Okay. I'll call the Warden
and get you two out of there.

Carter, confiscate Zora's phone

and bring it back
for the techs to analyze.

Uh, before you go, Simone,
maybe you can help us

with something off of what
you've gleaned from Zora.

I'm building a profile for The Reaper.

Now, he's an international assassin
who's been undetectable for years,

then a few months ago,
he starts making mistakes.

- Gets sloppy.
- Want to know why?

The easy answer is
it started after he met Zora.

Maybe he fell in love with her
and it threw him off his game.

- That's what I said, he's...
- No. I don't know.

I mean, Zora is not a complete
innocent in all of this.

She was arrested in a house
with a sn*per r*fle and stacks of money.

She had to know who she was dating.

What is it?

Okay, I first thought
that Zora was lovestruck

and in over her head.
But now I don't know.

This girl got a burner phone
up in County Jail

with no discretionary.

Nothing to even trade for it.

She must've jacked it off
another inmate.

Right? But we are talking about
Miss Bookworm with the glasses.

Come on. Something's up.

Neither Zora nor The Reaper
are fitting their profiles.

GARZA: Wait, wait, wait, wait,

- his shoes...
- What?

sn*pers spend countless hours
lying in wait,

mostly on their stomachs.

They wear down the
tops of all their shoes.

Really?

Brendon, you might have been in a movie,
but I was in the Marines.

- Oh.
- Look at those.

LAURA: Yeah. They're pristine.

No wear pattern.

What about Zora's?

Tops of the shoes are worn down.

Zora's The Reaper.

[GROANS] We're almost there.

Oh!

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

[WERWULF'S "BUGS" PLAYS]

Aah! DEPUTY: Hey!

♪ I'm rollin' through your town ♪

♪ And I'm looking for you ♪

♪ So come on, baby, hop on my bike ♪

♪ We'll hit the streets, let's cruise ♪

♪ I got a good feeling ♪

♪ That you like what you see ♪

♪ I'm blasting off through the night ♪

Deputies down, infirmary hallway.

Code- , lockdown.

♪ So, baby, come with me ♪

- ♪ I'll show you what I mean ♪
- Damn.

♪ I got just what you need ♪

♪ Ah, ha-ha-ha-ha ♪

Let's go.

[TIRES SCREECH]

Zora's accomplice picked her up
outside the jail

in this unmarked van. I put out a BOLO.

Yeah. Kinda looks like
the guy we chased down,

thinking he was The Reaper.

SIMONE: That's her boyfriend.

Okay, I'm good at knowing
when someone is BS'ing me.

And everything Zora told me
about her man is true.

Including the fact that it's
his fault that she was in jail.

Because he makes mistakes. Trips her up.

She knows he's bad for business,
but she can't give him up.

She loves him too much.

Oh! [SNAPS FINGERS]

She told me about a restaurant
he took her to last week.

- She give you a name?
- No.

But she said it had
a six-course tasting menu

with a rooftop view of
the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

That's Futamono's.
Best tuna cigar in town.

I'm sorry, tuna what now?

- It's a...
- GARZA: Well, it's worth a sh*t.

Let's scrub surveillance
footage from last week.

Get some coffee, people.

It's gonna be a long night.

[CELLPHONE RINGING]

Hey, Daddy.

Ooh, hey. There you are.

[CHUCKLES] I was worried.

I'm sorry. I've been tied up.

Is there a problem?

Yep, with your lady.

Look, I went to Dina's showcase
last night, with Ruth.

And your girlfriend was
all cozy with another woman.

Turns out, it's her ex-fiancée.

Wh... Hold up, Dina was engaged?

Until last month, according to Ruth.

[STAMMERS] I got to go, Daddy.

[SIGHS] Here you are.

Oh. Thank you.

Um...

Did your dad make it home okay?

No news is good news with him.

Y... You know, Brendon, I-I know you

asked me not to analyze you.

But I-I just can't help it.

Miles casts a huge shadow
over your life.

And I know he was there for you,

and that does mean something.

But I-I see the dynamic.

You're the parent to your parent.

It shouldn't be that way.

He gave up everything
for me to be an actor. I...

Did he?

Or maybe he didn't have
anything to begin with.

Maybe he put all of his dreams
for himself into you.

And that is an unfair burden
for you to carry.

What am I supposed to do?

He's my dad.

I can't just cut him off.

You can talk to him.

Have an honest conversation.

Because placating him,
accepting his lies...

[SIGHS]

...that does nothing for you.

Thank you for coming in.

So, you saw my mother in jail?

How's she doing?

Jazmine's fine.

She wants out, though.

Look, me and my mom
haven't been talking.

And I hate that she's locked up,
but with her bail that high,

I'd have to put my house up
as collateral to get her out.

I mean, how'd she even land
back in jail, anyways?

She popped off on a customer
when he messed with one of the girls.

See? She's a wild card.

You know she's protective
of all her employees.

Don't act like she's a saint.

I know she's not.

But she is your mother,
who raised you on her own.

And she must've done something right

because you got a good head
on your shoulders, a house...

That I worked my ass off for.

I mean, come on, if Mama messes up...

Misses a court date or whatever...
I'm out on the street.

Look, I brought you down here
because I made some calls,

and I got the bail
reduced to five thousand.

Why would you do that for her?

Because what's happening to her
is not right.

Her bail should have been
five K in the first place.

She might have made some mistakes,

but she doesn't deserve
to lose everything over this.

No one does.

So, will you bail her out?

Yes.

Great.

- Thanks.
- Of course.

Let me show you out.

Jazmine didn't have
any leverage on you anymore.

Most people would have told her
to go to hell.

I made her a promise.

What's the point of the badge
if you can't do a little good?

Well, you're a better man
than I, Carter.

Yeah. I am.

[JESSICA BETTS'
"MISSING YOU MORE" PLAYS]

SIMONE: D, we need to talk.

My dad told me about
your showcase last night.

Mm-hmm.

How's that ex-fiancée of yours?

[CHUCKLING] Oh, man.

Cutty spying on me now?

No. Looking out for his baby girl.

- Now, I'm not mad...
- Really?

'Cause you're sounding
a little hot right now.

Why am I learning about an ex-fiancée
from my dad and not you?

I wanted to introduce you all
at my show,

but you canceled on me
at the last minute...

Like you always do.

You wanted to introduce us? For real?

Yes.

Damn, girl, I really like you.

I'm trying to invite you into my life.

I want this to be more.

Look, you have every right
to ask for that.

It's just, I am finally living my dream.

And I... And I've seen
the toll that this job

and the hours take on agents,
their partners, their families.

♪♪

And I understand
if you're not down for that.

♪♪

So this is the end of the road.

Is that what you want?

No.

But relationships are about timing.

And I guess this just isn't ours.

Hey. We found them.

Surveillance photos from Futamono's.

We got a clear photo
of Zora's boyfriend/accomplice.

Alexander Perry.
He was caught on traffic-cam footage

going east on Olympic toward downtown.

He could be heading to where
Zora is planning her hit.

- Damn.
- Yeah.

Suit up, guys. Move out.

BRENDON: Let's do it.

[ADONA'S "CONTROL" PLAYS]
♪ This is control ♪

MAN: Five minutes
until the target arrives.

[CELLPHONE BEEPS]

- Hey! FBI!
- CARTER: Freeze!

You're under arrest!
You're under arrest!

Turn around.

[CELLPHONE RINGS] ♪ This is control ♪

Talk to me...

We got him in custody,
but there's no sign of Zora.

Okay, well, listen to this.

The warrant came through, and we
just received Mikhail Bugrov's emails.

Bugrov has been pissed about
not being able to acquire

a huge tract of land from the South Bay,

because one guy on the land
trust is blocking the deal.

His name is James Knox.

Where's Knox now?

He's leaving a board meeting
at Elm.

That's only a few blocks from here.

SIMONE: We got in touch with
him. He's in a secure room.

And LAPD is moving in to protect him.

So we need to get to Zora
before she figures out

that her target isn't showing up
and decides to take off.

Sir, I should go down there.

No, no, no, no.
You are here for a reason.

You're the only one who knows Zora.

I need you here at thirty thousand feet

helping me game plan, okay?

Elm is a half a mile north of here.

If you calculate windage and terrain...

There. [SNAPS FINGERS]
That building right there.

Zora'd have a perfect sh*t from
one of those high floors or the roof.

- Right there.
- Let's move.

I got him.

- SIMONE: Carter?
- Yeah?

Does Alexander have a burner?

I might have an idea
on how to stall her.

♪♪

[CELLPHONE VIBRATING]

[KEYPAD BEEPS]

What is it, Alexander?

Actually, it's
your jailhouse bestie, Cheryl.

AKA Simone Clark, FBI.

[CHUCKLES] You know, I almost liked you.

Sorry for the charade.

But you're an internationally
wanted hit woman,

so neither of us was being honest.

You weren't lying about
one thing, though.

Alexander. He is cute, girl.

And I know you love him.

So you won't leave him behind
to take the fall.

You overestimate my affection
for tesoro.

For anyone.

Carter, talk to me.

We are never gonna find her
if we have to search floor by floor.

She's too good a sh**t
to be set up in the window.

She'll be back in a perch.

She's not gonna want
to sh**t through the glass,

so look for a broken window,
or up on the roof.

Ninth floor. Second window down.

North-facing side of the building.

Alright. Copy. We're on our way.

Face it, girl... We got you.

No, you don't.

Yes, we do. We know who you are.
We know who your man is.

And we know who hired the hit
on James Knox.

[SCOFFS]

Who's James Knox?

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

Knox is not the target.

You need to get there fast.

Copy.

We got the payments from
Bugrov's account to yours.

Oh, sweetie, nice try.

Bugrov isn't the mastermind
behind this operation.

He's the target.

♪♪

Bugrov must have been going to
the same meeting that Knox was.

- Keep her talking.
- Zora.

You don't want to do this.

I know real love when I see it.

And, girl, you got it bad.

Takes one to know one.

How's your girlfriend?

We broke up.

Sucks to be you.

No, not at all.

But I'll still do you a solid.

Turn over your client list

and help us take down the people
who ordered the hits

and your man won't have
to serve jail time.

We'll even offer you a deal
to extradite you to Italy

so you can serve your time near him.

Bravo. You are good.

You almost had me convinced
there for a second.

It was fun talking to you,
but I have a job to do

and a big wide world to disappear into.

Tell Alexander we'll always
have Parco Sempione.

[KEYPAD BEEPS]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]

♪♪

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

♪♪

♪♪

Hey.

[GRUNTS]

♪♪

[GROANS]

[GRUNTS]

[WOOD CLATTERS]

Ha!

♪♪

♪♪

Ugh!

[WHIMPERING]

[LAURA AND BRENDON BREATHING HEAVILY]

[BREATHES DEEPLY] Come here. Hey.

We got her in custody.

[BREATHES SHARPLY]

[LAUGHS]

Turns out it was Daria,
the estranged ex-wife,

who paid The Reaper to turn
Bugrov into pink mist.

And she used his crypto account
to pay for it?

- Yes.
- Damn, that is cold.

You know, not gonna lie,
I was tempted to let Zora take the sh*t.

Well, you did the right thing.
Agents have her in custody.

Now Zora's on her way
back to County Jail,

under strict isolation this time.

No more breakouts for The Reaper.

Ah. Hmm. It's a helluva job, guys.

I'd say this calls for a drink.

I will not say no to that. Mm.

Laura?

Uh, who are they?

Uh, excuse me,
I got to deal with... this.

We're gonna go check and see
what that's about, right?

Most definitely.

I'm free!

- Yeah.
- And it's all because of you.

My hero.

Mom, please...

Uh... Oh, there it is. [CHUCKLES]

No. I-I just made a call.
It was your daughter that came through.

That's my baby girl.

You kept my cover. So I kept my word.

And in my life, that is rare.

So I brought something to say thank you.

I tried to talk her out of it.

VIP passes to my strip club,

drinks on me, bring all your friends.

Couldn't possibly accept...

Oh, no. Yes, you can. We will take it.

What? Strip clubs are a fascinating bit
of social anthropology.

You said we could get a drink.

You looking tasty in that suit, G-man.

Mom!

Okay. Thank you so much.

[GARZA AND LAURA LAUGHING]

Don't you miss it?

The acting, the adulation, the money.

[CHUCKLES] Acting was your dream.

This is mine.

You begged me to get you
into the industry.

And you loved it.

No, can we just stop, please?

Just stop with all the lying
and the manipulation,

the breaking and entering,
the... the fake illnesses.

It's just... It's got to stop.

But I really am sick.

No, you're not.

You're... pathological.

We... We can't keep going on like this.

Like what? I gave up my career.

I gave up everything to support you.

And this is how you thank me?

You... You didn't give up
anything, okay?

You didn't give up anything.
You never latched onto anything

of your own in the first place.

Okay, I guess I'm a monster.

Oh, stop playing the victim.

You still have time to find
your own thing.

And you're gonna have to.

I'm cutting you off.

- Until you get your stuff together.
- What?

This, this right here...
This is my dream.

And I'm not gonna let you
mess it up for me.

Even if it means
not having you in my life.

I'm so sorry
I've made you feel like that.

[SIGHS]

You're very stressed.

You're obviously exhausted.

I'm not mad. It's okay. It's okay.

- Okay.
- Get some rest...

- Mm-hmm...
- and I'll call you next week.

Yeah, okay. You didn't hear
a word I just said, did you?

- I'm very proud of you, son.
- Yeah, okay.

Special Agent Stensen.

Good to see you again.

And I love your outfit.

Thank you, Mr. Butkus.

♪♪

You have the talk?

[CHUCKLES] Yeah.

Think things are gonna change?

No.

Not yet.

But thank you for the advice.
I appreciate it.

Well, you can also thank me
for tonight's entertainment.

Hmm? Let's go.

You deserve to blow off some steam.

[SIR JOE'S "BABY I'D DROP
EVERYTHING" PLAYS ON STEREO]

Mm-hmm. Ah-ha-ha-ha.

[CHUCKLES] Mm.

[PLATE THUDS]

Daddy, listen, I'm not
supposed to tell you this.

But I was in jail.

For an assignment.

The Feds locked you up?

Just for a day. But it was crazy.

I-I don't know how you kept
your spirits up for eight years,

knowing you were innocent.

And even if you weren't,

to be locked up in a cage like that?

How did you stay sane?

Fighting to get home.

To you, to your mother.

It gave me life.

We lost so much time.

No. You only lose
what you can't let go of.

That's in the past.

It's over.

Hmm?

Mm.

[DOORBELL RINGS]

You expecting Miss Ruth?

No.

Hey. What's going on, B?

- Come in. Come on.
- Hi.

Sorry, you weren't answering your phone.

[DOOR CLOSES] Yeah.

So, what you doing tonight?

I got some VIP passes.

Strip club.

Normally, I would be about that life.

But tonight, I'm wiped.

Jail do a number on you?

Dina and I broke up.

Oh, no.

Oh, man, I'm so sorry.

You... You want to talk about it or...

- Brendon.
- Yeah?

Have some pie.

Oh! Homemade.

Thank you, Cutty.

You a fan of sweet potato?

I most certainly am.

Wait, you will be stuck here.

That is what we call a Cutty creation.

It's like cr*ck.
But slightly more addictive.

[CHUCKLES]

- Give me that.
- No.

You need to go on and go to the club.

No. This is exactly where I want to be.

Everything okay?

It is now.

- Brendon...
- Mm-hmm?

...we have a saying in this household.

Ain't nothing in the world
that can't be fixed...

BOTH: With a little bit of love
and a whole lot of pie.

[LAUGHS] I'll eat to that.

Hey. [CHUCKLES]

Mm-mmm. Let me see
what this is all about.

Ah!