The Company You Keep (2023) s01e07 Episode Script

1
Previously on "The Company You Keep"
How long have you been sober?
Two years, three weeks, one day.
Why did you leave the way you did?
Maybe you should ask
your father about that.
Connor's in the air in two
hours, which is why I figured
we'd follow him to the airport.
If I feel any hint of your
investigation continuing,
I will expose your family
for the frauds you really are.
If you come work for me as my asset,
I'll protect your family while
you help me protect mine.
This Aaron Blenner painting
was recently purchased
by a man named Grigory Abramoff.
I want it.
Painting's in the truck.
That is the location of $2 million
worth of unregistered firearms.
This guy right here is Brad Wilford.
Daphne wants in on the gun trade.
You want the Maguire throne.
I help you get it,
you and I are truly square.
A little to the left.
No, Seamus, your left.
You're doing great work, Seamus.
You called?
I want your help delivering
that painting to Brad Wilford.
You want me to return the
painting that we just stole?
Well, you said you wanted
to prove your worth, Charlie.
Call UPS.
Or better yet, have Seamus do it.
Ouch.
It's above his pay grade.
What I need is an invitation
to Pine Grove.
What's Pine Grove?
The Davos of the defense industry,
an ultra-exclusive conference
where the 1% of the 1%
set the national security
agenda behind closed doors.
Jesus, can't rich people get
normal hobbies like the rest of us?
Why does Daphne
want to go to Pine Grove?
Brad Wilford will be
a featured speaker there.
I want to convince him
to sell his weapons to me.
But I need Brad to see me
as a businesswoman,
not just another criminal.
I need to get my asset into Pine Grove.
You turned an asset?
Who?
For their safety, it's need-to-know.
Now, this requires a light touch.
If Daphne suspects anything,
she'll cut them out.
This guest list is a who's who of D. C.
They're all on a first-name basis.
How do you plan to
infiltrate a place like that?
With a cover you can't vet.
Your name is Brook Stern Jr.
You're retired from
the government and now
consult for a weapons manufacturer,
which is a universal code for ex-CIA.
You realize you're asking
me to help a drug cartel
get into weapons trafficking?
The ends justify the means.
Is that how the CIA justifies
the secret assassinations
and regime changes?
Let's run it back.
Half the attendees
will be from the intelligence
community, so your asset better
have their cover down pat.
Brook Stern Jr., Yale, class of 2003.
I was in Panama.
Cómo estás usted?
Soy Brook Stern.
Bien.
Hey, you ever seen a Moldovan catfish?
I pulled one out of the Prut.
It was the size of a golden retriever.
Favorite restaurant?
La Sarkis.
Everyone gets the scallops.
It's a thing.
Skeleton Key,
Yale's infamous secret society.
Any member will recognize it.
Your objective is to figure out
the details of Daphne's plan
Her arrangement with Brad Wilford,
and how and where she's moving arms.
Security at Pine Grove is intense.
Anti-surveillance measures in place.
I want you to wear these at all times.
I'll be listening in.
So that's it?
Meaning what?
Well, last week, you said you loved me.
Last week, you were a bartender.
I'm still a bartender.
Nice to see you all.
Hey, don't make this harder than it is.
We're CIA informants, son.
You know what the CIA did
to Lydia's husband?
It was the cops, Mom.
He was an arsonist.
You should have asked us first.
Look, obviously this
situation is not ideal,
but big picture
For once, Charlie's love life
may solve our problems.
Thank you.
Are you taking his side?
Sure, Pop. Whatever you say.
- Be safe.
- Yeah.
See you guys in a couple days.
So what?
So I'm the bad guy now?
I'm on your side, babe.
You OK?
Yeah, I'm fine.
Whatever I did, I'm sorry.
I asked Simon about the night he left,
and I mean, it's probably BS, but
What did he tell you?
Nothing.
He said I should talk to you.
Pop, what don't I know?
I was in town visiting that weekend.
You were working late
that night bartending
at that place down in Soho.
And, uh, when I got home.
I found Simon passed out,
high out of his mind.
And that's when I heard her.
Ollie.
I found her in the bathtub.
The water was freezing.
Her lips, they They were blue.
I got her out of the tub.
I I warmed her up. I put her to bed.
When Simon woke up,
I told him that you'd given him
enough chances and that he
could screw up his own life,
but there was no way that I
was going to let him put you
and Ollie in danger.
She could have drowned.
I know.
So I gave him an ultimatum
to get clean or else.
Or else what?
Or else I'd kill him.
And what, he believed you?
I put a loaded pistol to his temple,
so yeah, he did.
You should have told me.
Why didn't you tell me?
You would have called him,
and then he would have talked
his way back into your life
But if I'd known, I wouldn't
have spent the last ten years
wondering why he gave up on us, on me,
after I gave him chance after chance.
That's why I did it.
I did what you couldn't.
If someone told me a month
ago that we'd be heading
to a West Virginia resort together,
I would have said they're insane.
You're telling me.
I've got to admit,
I'm impressed, Charlie.
Sorry, Brook.
Why don't I have a cover?
You've got two Ivy League degrees.
You do not need a cover.
And we're business partners?
Yeah.
I'll play along.
You weren't lying about the security.
Charlie, there you are.
Yeah, I'm here.
It's a really nice room.
You guys are living the high life.
Speak for yourself.
Since I have to stay
out of Daphne's sight,
my accommodations
are a little more rustic.
So Daphne's meeting
Wilford in 15 minutes.
Stick to her like a shadow.
Aye-aye, captain.
Does Brad know where to meet?
He knows.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Where do you think you're going?
Being partners is just a cover.
Daphne Finch.
At last, we meet.
Where's Grigory?
Oh, he's enjoying a one-way
red-eye back to Mother Russia.
Turns out illegal arms dealing
was a violation of his A-1 visa.
Oops.
So what is this, some kind of shakedown?
Brad, no. Come on, have a drink.
Yes, ma'am.
Blackmail is so short-term.
I like to work long-term.
OK, I'm listening.
Your company produces
the M2010 sniper rifle.
With my capital and shipping routes,
we could move ten times what
Grigory was able to handle.
Uh, let me break this down.
Um, for every 100 rifles
American Armory makes,
maybe 3 can disappear.
Chalk it up to quality control,
or factory rejects, et cetera.
But any more than that
and people way above me
start asking questions.
Now, I I like money,
but I prefer staying out of prison.
Good luck to you, Ms. Finch.
Every year thousands of weapons
made for and by the U. S. of A end up
in the hands of our enemies.
But what if we could stop it?
I have three words for you
End use monitoring.
With just a slight change
to our existing manufacturing,
we can outfit our military with weapons
that could be deactivated if they fall
into the wrong hands.
Any updates?
Nope.
She ditched me.
Get her to open up to you.
You're good at getting
women to trust you.
Yeah.
What can I get you, sir?
Two mojitos, please.
I don't actually like mojitos.
I was just messing with your sister.
Excuse me, could we swap
those out for two Negronis?
Thank you.
I love Negronis.
I know.
You know, a great Negroni,
it's all in the orange peel.
- Is that right?
- Yeah.
Hmm.
Of all the gin joints in the world
What are you doing here, Hill?
I could ask you the same.
I'm running countersurveillance.
There's a lot of foreign nationals
who'd love to infiltrate this place.
Saw the guest list.
We were told to give
Daphne Finch a wide berth.
I assume that's your doing?
I can neither confirm nor deny.
All right.
You should swing by for a drink later.
You talked to Leo.
You could have killed her.
You could have killed her, our daughter.
I know.
Once I came to, once
Once your father told me
what had happened, told me what I did
Everything changed for me.
So what, you just
You just walk away and never look back?
Leaving was the only way
that I could guarantee that I
could never hurt her again.
Your father was right, Bird.
I didn't deserve you.
If it hadn't been for him,
I would have never left.
You and Ollie were
the best parts of my life.
I spent the last ten years
wondering what was wrong
with me, trying to figure out
what was so awful about me
that you could just leave us like that.
I am so sorry.
I wish I could have
made that call sooner,
but I had to be damn sure
that I was sober for good
before I could ever even
think about reaching out.
But I want to know our daughter.
I I just want to be some
small part of Ollie's life.
So you going to tell me
what happened with Brad?
I mean, we're here.
It's a no-go.
He can only siphon off a small
number of the M2010 rifles
they produce.
OK. So we help Brad get more rifles.
OK. And how do we do that?
We create the supply, right?
We figure out how to get the
top brass at American Armory
to discontinue the M2010.
Well, that would give Brad a surplus
he'd be happy to unload.
But what would make
the CEO of a weapons company
want to stop manufacturing
a profitable weapon?
The key to getting someone to say yes
is to understand what it is they want.
People want one of three things
Money, power, or respect.
Henry Scoals, CEO of American Armory,
grew up the son of a
truck driver and homemaker
in rural Pennsylvania.
We play to his working-class
roots to butter him up.
Is this seat taken?
I can do that.
A 14-karat gold face mask.
Oh, wow.
Excuse me.
Uh, do people still drink beer here?
We have a Belgian white,
an imperial stout,
- and a seasonal
- You know what?
Whatever is cheapest.
Make it two.
Then once you got him talking,
you just drop the lure in the water.
Cheers, Henry.
As a kid, did you always
dream of running the world's
biggest gun manufacturer?
Hell, no.
I wanted to build colonies on Mars.
All right.
But when you grew up clipping coupons,
it's hard to say no
to the biggest paycheck.
A science geek at heart.
You ever think of investing
in new gun technology?
No.
As much as I'd love to,
arms manufacturing
is all about risk mitigation.
It's always about
the bottom line, isn't it?
That's the truth.
So it's money that drives him.
Scoals is open to
pivoting his production line.
He's just not comfortable
taking the financial risk.
So we take the decision
out of his hands,
get someone else to foot the bill.
We need him.
Congressman Eisenberg, chair
of the defense subcommittee
for appropriations.
They determine the DOD's budget.
Get the DOD to open their purse strings.
Yeah, well, good luck
getting five minutes with him.
This is a room full
of defense contractors.
He's basically prom king.
Not him.
The husband.
Come on.
Sorry about that. Sorry.
Hey, you, uh you've got
to swing from the shoulder.
Theo's been telling me that for years.
I've been telling him that for years.
See?
- Tennis?
- Pickleball.
Oh.
Oh, we were just talking about that.
Doubles? Tomorrow?
Ah. Come on.
All right.
Uh, how's 10:00?
Sounds great.
See you there.
No one runs for Congress for the money.
No, he wants respect.
So defense appropriation.
Were you military?
Oh, no.
Don't tell anyone. He's a pacifist.
I offer a balanced perspective.
It's like, how many weapons do we need?
The more we make, the more
wars pop up all over the globe.
OK. So what about end
use monitoring weapons?
Remote control guns?
I've heard of them.
Oh!
I mean, it could slow down conflicts
armed with illegal weapons.
Well, change doesn't happen overnight.
No, but it does start
with proper funding.
Even if hypothetically
I support the concept,
I don't have that kind of
political capital to spend.
Well, there's no oversight on earmarks.
What?
It's true.
10, 5, 2.
Oh!
That's game.
Nice game.
- Good game.
- Thanks.
- Good job.
- I see it now.
You're going to be the new
face of modern warfare.
You could be the Jimmy Carter of the
military industrial complex.
Go down in history.
- Indeed.
- Thanks, guys.
- Good game.
- Yeah.
Yeah, so subcommittee meets next week.
We will see what we can do.
We got him.
So your father told me about your fight.
Fight?
Pop screwed up, and I called him on it.
Yeah, that's what your
father calls a fight.
Look, I get that he was
just trying to protect us.
But, you know,
he had no right to keep it
from me all these years.
He should have told me.
Oh, damn it.
Here, let me do that.
You know, when your dad
got back from New York,
we talked a lot about what to do, OK?
But I got to tell you,
Bird, I was really happy
when he sent Simon packing.
You know, it was a clean break.
And we could spare you the pain
of knowing
what almost happened that night.
I know, but sometimes the stories
that we tell ourselves
to fill in the cracks
of what happened are, you know, they
They hurt worse than the truth.
Yeah.
We thought we were
protecting you, but
of course, you wouldn't know anything
about keeping your kid in the dark
in order to protect them, right?
So what do you think?
I think you are
conniving and manipulative.
I meant about the nails.
You think it's optimism
or masochism that
led us into this line of work?
Actually, I used to think
that the job found me
That my particular brand of
idealism, duty, and rebellion
somehow made me the perfect recruit.
"The Company" definitely has a type.
Now what do you think?
I think I liked the idea
that there was right and wrong,
good and evil.
It's a comforting idea.
If we're chasing down the bad guys,
then we must be the good guys, right?
But what if they're only the bad
guys because we're chasing them?
So Scoals is ready to make the weapon.
Congress is going to
show up with the cash.
All we got to do is get
the Department of Defense
to award a contract to American
Armory to produce a rifle,
and we're set.
The under secretary of defense
was my professor at Columbia.
No kidding.
No kidding. He loved me.
And he happens to be speaking
tomorrow in the Oak Room.
I'll invite him to dinner,
convince him how necessary
end use tracking weapons
are to the future of
American military supremacy.
To getting you what you want.
I'm just glad somebody finally gets it.
So how did you get
into our line of work?
Two generations of my family
tailored suits for wiseguys.
Collar Bar.
That's where we got the name.
It was my grandfather's shop.
- OK.
- Yeah.
And your dad?
Steelworker till '95.
The job dried up, pension along with it.
- Oh, that's rough.
- Yeah.
They needed money.
And grifting just kind of fit perfect.
I mean, the way he saw it,
so long as the guy above him
was cheating him out of what was his,
it's only fair to do
the same right back.
I get that.
You know, this is about
the most committed
relationship I've ever had.
No boyfriend?
It's kind of tough
in our line of work, no?
Yeah.
What about you?
Yeah, I was seeing someone.
Got bored?
No.
No, she broke my heart.
So money, power, respect.
Which one are you going for?
Nice try, Charlie.
But I'm not the mark.
The Green Revolution is being
throttled by access to cobalt.
75% of cobalt is stuck in high-conflict
regions like the Congo.
The future depends on resolution
and empowering these individual states.
Thank you, Under Secretary Bridges.
Mr. Bridges, so good to see you again.
Do I know you?
Daphne Finch.
I was in your global collaboration
seminar at Columbia, class of '09.
Lucky you.
Always good to see a Bonesman
who still respects the pin.
Brook Stern.
First time in Pine Grove?
It is.
I'll make sure you get an
invitation to tonight's event.
Great.
Nice to see you again.
I worked my ass off.
Published a paper on
biotech in the Global South
that that man called game-changing.
But me, he doesn't remember.
It's you, pale, male, and fake
Yale that gets the respect.
Is it fair?
No.
It'd be disappointing if it
wasn't so utterly predictable.
Maybe.
Not feeling like you belong. I get that.
Growing up, my
My mom took a second job
as a janitor, night shift.
And when our neighbor
couldn't look after me,
she used to wake me up
and take me with her.
One of my first memories
is lying on this blanket
on the floor of this fancy
office building bathroom
watching my mom scrub toilets.
It's humbling watching our parents
go through tough moments, isn't it?
You know, right now with my dad
He's got dementia.
I'm sorry.
Mm.
I was finishing my undergrad when
she told me she had cancer.
I deferred a year.
Doctors had a treatment plan,
and maybe
Maybe it might have worked
if she'd been able to afford
health insurance.
I thought if I was there
I could do something,
but it didn't matter.
I just watched her waste away.
She didn't see me graduate.
I really wish I could
have given her that.
I'm sure she would have been proud.
Patrick showed up at the funeral,
told me he was my dad,
offered to pay for my MBA.
I saw an opportunity, and I took it.
Mr. Stern?
You asked me what I want, Charlie
Money, power, or respect.
I want it all.
Let's go get it.
Meeting with an asset in the field.
That is a risky move, Officer Hill.
We need to talk.
The man you're meeting
tonight, Dalton Bridges
He's ex-CIA.
So if there are any weak spots
in your cover, he's going to know.
Anything you can tell me about him?
That he's a Boy Scout?
Look, that's not really
useful information.
You'll figure something out.
OK.
Hey.
That story you told Daphne
about your parents
Was it true or just a way
to get her to talk?
Both.
You know, there's a lot of things
I've wanted to tell you too.
Me too.
Hmm.
Ugh.
Guess our comms got too close.
Yeah.
Be careful, Charlie.
I'll do my best.
Diaz, get in here.
Better be important.
Someone is running surveillance
at the conference.
We've got to pinpoint the source.
Come on.
Stern, you made it.
Thank you for the invite.
Skip the formalities.
Where were you stationed?
Here we go.
That obvious?
Must be losing my edge.
Panama.
Then a stretch in Moldova.
Interesting.
You a La Sarkis or an Il Forno's man?
Oh, Il Forno.
I don't trust the seafood
in a landlocked nation.
Smart.
Good.
I've had my moments.
Hey, it's me.
Be right there.
Hey.
What's up?
We picked up an unauthorized
bug at Pine Grove.
That's ballsy.
We have to check everyone.
Hate to ask, but could we
take a look in your room?
Yeah.
Come right in.
So any guesses who it might be?
It's not you, right?
Vik, come on.
- Good?
- All clear.
I just have to give you a
quick once over. Protocol.
Of course.
Have at it.
All right. Wish me luck.
They're just the
leaders of the free world.
How bad could it be?
Let's go.
What brings you to Pine Grove?
Consulting?
My client has me checking out
end use tracking technology.
You know, keep the guns in
the hands of the good guys.
The end of war.
How noble.
I think Wall Street
just lost a few points
hearing us talk about it.
How many more?
We've located the signal.
It's coming from a lodge deep
on the edge of the property.
Rich people.
Let's hope they've still
got their clothes on.
All of these politicians
wringing their hands
on MSNBC about ending
the civil war in the DRC.
I mean, where do they think
the cobalt that powers
their smartphones comes from?
Without the cover of conflict,
we'd lose all access to the mines.
Wait. What happened to "the
future depends on resolution?"
We all know that's just spin.
This is a safe space, Stern.
I've got some contacts down there
doing some work to support the war.
I'm listening.
Got the infrastructure, short on arms.
Now, if things were
to shift to trackable weapons
in your current contracts, then maybe
some of the existing supply could end up
in the right hands,
help ensure that conflict
doesn't end any time soon.
So what do I have to do
to make this happen?
Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen.
FBI.
Everyone, I need you to relax.
We're just here to check IDs.
Come on. Come on. Come on.
I have to check everyone, ma'am.
Put your arms out to the side, please.
Are you carrying any weapons?
Pull that out and put it on
the table, please.
- What's your name?
- Brook Stern Jr.
Clear.
You're a lucky man.
Oh, there you are.
Before we got so rudely
interrupted last night,
there was something
you wanted to ask me for?
A DOD contract for American Armory.
Done.
Send my assistant the details.
I will.
Some of us have to make
the world go round, right?
That we do.
- Safe travels.
- You too.
Mm-hmm.
Won't Brad be pleased?
You know, once Connor's
out of the picture,
I'll need someone I can trust.
Flattered, but I prefer my own bed
to a federal penitentiary.
We just went legit.
Doesn't make it right.
Oh, I forgot.
Saint Charlie,
the Robin Hood of Baltimore.
You know, considering the hole
you just dug yourself out of,
I thought you'd enjoy
a little profit sharing.
Could help your dad buy
a few more comfortable years.
I'm here to pick up Ollie.
Listen, uh, I just wanted to thank you.
Thank me?
I'm the one who wanted
to shoot you, remember?
Rings a bell.
I'm sorry for all the pain
that I caused.
I wouldn't be here if
it wasn't for you, so
Step nine?
That's the one.
OK, then.
You're welcome.
But when you're down at Lucky's
licking your ice cream cone,
I want you to keep something in mind.
The owner's a regular here, and if you
so much as smoke a candy cigarette,
I'll get a call.
Am I clear?
Yeah.
Thanks, Bird.
Did you tell him?
Every word, just like you said.
Thanks, Pop.
Yeah, it's open.
Your stuff's on the table.
That was, um, close out there.
Yeah.
You almost blew your whole operation.
It's a good thing you had a friend.
You didn't seem to mind spending
the weekend with Daphne.
At your request.
Hey, when you were in the woods,
were you out there to save
your operation or save me?
The operation.
Right.
I'll be in
touch when we know our next move.
Yeah, OK.
Hey, Emma.
Your comms.
Right.
Hello?
It's Singh.
Everything OK?
I just got grilled for six hours.
A lot of questions about
why we came up empty-handed.
What did you say?
Nothing, but that's the last time.
Whatever it is you're up to,
you're coloring way
outside the lines.
And I don't like being used.
- Vik, I wasn't using you.
- Save it.
I just hope that asset
of yours is worth it.
Me too.