Original subtitles

Alex, good morning.

Hey, what are you guys doing here?

Uh, we wanted to buy you breakfast.

Too late.

We'll get the coffee, then.

I've been here for two years, guys, you've never bought me breakfast.

What do you want?

Ocampo got a tip from a contact at Interpol,

and they've had a spike in alerts from the Philippines.

Mm.

And the word "Mactan" popped up more than once.

And?

And that's it.

Well, we thought maybe you could get in touch with your pal Lockhart

and get the skinny.

Chief Ocampo just wants in on whatever's going on.

Right, and for that I get breakfast?

That doesn't rate dinner, rate drinks?

It's just a phone call.

Yeah, well, I don't exist to advance Ocampo's career.

It's not all about his career, okay?

Look, if something's going down, we need to know about it.

To protect our people.

Okay, well, the problem is, is that if I ask them for a favor,

then I owe them a favor.

I don't want that.

That's the way I learned you can't help...

Hang on.

I know I locked this door when I left.

Hey, guys.

God dang! What are you doing, man?! You scared the hell out of her.

I'm sorry.

Don't bring that in here. What, are you making a sacrifice?

It's not a sacrifice.

I'm trying to manifest a Ferrari.

Shouldn't you manifest a driver's license first?

It's not for me.

It's for my dad.

It's for you dad?

It's Ghost Month, and my friend Lim says

that during Ghost Month, you can offer the spirits

what they wanted the most during their lives.

My dad, he used to look at pictures of Ferraris in car magazines.

I know he's a restless, hungry ghost.

Can I come back after school to restock on merchandise?

I have to buy more construction paper. I wanna make him an SUV.

Go get the construction paper. I'll restock the shelves.

Thank you.

-Hungry ghost?

It's a Chinese Buddhist tradition.

People who suffer violent or mysterious deaths

are believed to manifest themselves as restless spirits.

Plus, there are special rules, which, if you don't follow...

then these hungry ghosts can make things quite unsettling for you.

Are you serious?

You're not in Kansas anymore.

Well, I'm from Texas, and it's stupid.

Have I ever told you the story about my sensei?

Here we go.

My sensei's name was Michael Batacan.

He was my martial arts instructor at the Academy.

Batacan never liked me. He worked me harder than anyone else.

Constantly berated me.

"Alamares! Matuon! Focus!"

We never spoke again after the Academy.

But one night, years later, I was in the thick of it,

fighting off three members of the Balanbam gang.

What I didn't know was there was a fourth man

with a knife behind me.

Then, from out of nowhere, I hear that unmistakable Batacan bark.

"Alamares! Matuon!"

It made me turn, and I avoided death that night.

When I looked around for Batacan, no one was there.

Later, I found out that he had died in a car accident an hour earlier.

And let me guess, this was during Ghost Month.

It's not superstition, Alex. It's a belief that death isn't final.

Spirits can transcend, make themselves felt by the living,

especially when they have unfinished business.

No disrespect, Ernesto, but I'm from Texas, all right?

We only believe in the three G's: God, guns, and gas production.

"Ghosts" starts with a G,

and they have their ways of making you believe.

Did you do that?

That's, like, seven bucks, man!

My name is Alex Walker. I'm ex-DEA.

One of my first assignments took me to an isolated beach

right here on this island.

I sold what little I had and bought myself a gift shop.

Just peace, no stress, no drama.

Boy, was I wrong.

Alex, this market is a great place

to find Ghost Month merchandise to sell at your gift shop.

Let me get this straight.

People buy this stuff, then they burn it,

and then they gotta buy it again?

You're absolutely right. I'm selling the wrong stuff in my gift shop.

Well, those are nice.

It's very, uh, resort-y.

Yeah.

Kai, I appreciate you showing me all this,

but I have a feeling this is not why we're here, so what is?

Alex, we're friends, right?

Mm-hmm.

And friends do things for one another.

Like make phone calls to Washington to get information

-that a friend really needs. -And there it is.

Look, this is our island.

If they know something we don't, we need to be clued in.

It's only right.

What makes you think Lockhart's gonna give me any answers?

He idolizes you. You're like a hero to him.

I hear he even cites you as an example to young desk jockeys.

Yeah, 'cause I'm the poster boy for field agent mental health.

What is this again?

It's a remembrance wall for the dead.

Ernesto said there's rules to this Ghost Month thing.

What are they?

Is it like "step on a crack, break your mother's back"?

No, that's matricide.

Let me see if I can remember all of them. Um...

Don't hang your clothes outside through the night.

Don't stand too close to a wall or sleep facing a mirror.

Don't take the last ride of the day. Don't take pictures at night.

And, oh, don't whistle in the dark.

Ernesto believes in all these?

Well, you know him.

He's, uh, very in touch with his spiritual side.

Wonder if I'm always gonna be a fish out of water.

Well, that's really up to you, Alex.

If you don't wanna be an outsider,

you really have to let this place become a part of you.

And you could start by helping us by calling...

-Ooh.

What was that for?

Taking a picture at night.

Ghost Month.

I'm a rule breaker.

You gonna start whistling in the dark now?

Let me give you a lift home before you start attracting hungry ghosts.

Is that the last ride to the hotel?

-Might be. -I'm gonna catch it.

Alex, you don't have to prove anything.

Hey, Ghost Month, baby, huh? I'll see you soon.

Unless the ghosts get me!

My brother.

The usual?

Yeah. Double, please.

Straight up.

Rough night, huh?

Uh, just...

strange.

Ah.

Cleo? Brother? Psst.

Anything wrong?

Don't look now.

Hey, don't look now.

The guy in the red jacket, is he staring at me?

There's nobody there.

Who are you?! What do you want?!

As you can see, it's a two-week NBI training course.

I would travel to Manila next month.

Which is traditionally a slow period in Mactan, Chief.

I like your ambition.

The National Bureau of Investigation is very selective.

Congratulations on being invited.

There's a small cost involved, Chief. Transportation and lodging, mainly.

Yeah, and we're gonna have to pay your salary while you're gone.

It's not a vacation, sir.

I'd be learning things I could share with the whole department.

Of course.

Have you made any progress with Walker on the Interpol alerts?

For now, Alex doesn't think he could be of any help to us, Chief.

Has he made the call I requested?

Not yet, sir.

The first thing that my father taught me when I was a child

was that everyone has something they want.

For instance, I love Choco-Stix.

If I did my chores, I would be rewarded.

Now, I know there are things that you want.

This training program, for example.

And you know that there are things that I want.

It's quite simple.

You get what you want when I get what I want.

You know what I'd like to do with the Choco-Stix right about now?

Don't get too upset, partner.

The Chief knows that you doing the program will benefit the whole department.

We'll get you there.

The only thing he's interested in is a headline in the newspapers.

Yeah, that's good. You got the hair down.

But the lips are...

I think the lips are thinner, but the eyes--

What's going on, Alex?

Last night after I left you, somebody started following me.

I first saw him on the jeepney,

and then I saw him back at the bar at the hotel.

And then I think he broke into my room.

He broke into your shop?

Sorta.

What do you mean?

Well, I turned, he scared me, and I confronted him.

-So you had a fight? - Maybe.

I mean, something happened, and then I woke up.

It was a dream?

I wasn't asleep on the jeepney and I was awake at the bar.

You okay, Alex? You look a little shaky.

-What? -What about this, Mr. Walker?

Oh, that's good. That's real good. That's him.

That's the guy. This is the guy.

What? You guys know this guy?

You're certain that was the man you saw?

Ernesto, I've been trained to observe things. This is the guy.

Believe it or not, we happen to know exactly who that is.

Who's this guy?

You're not gonna tell me who the guy is?

We'll tell you,

but you have to make that phone call to Lockhart.

Yeah, yeah. Bingo. That's the guy.

His name was Ivan Ramos.

What's his name now?

Alex, he's dead.

Ivan Ramos was killed in an explosion at his factory a year ago.

There was an investigation. No foul play was discovered.

His death was ruled a tragic accident.

This guy's not dead. Guys, I just saw him.

Maybe he has a twin.

No, not even a brother.

Ghost Month.

No, there's an explanation for this.

Well, maybe you shouldn't have taken that last ride.

Oh, no, don't. Not you, too.

There were hundreds of pictures on that wall of remembrance.

You know, you could've subconsciously fixated on that one.

And you're always kidding around about breaking the rules and attracting ghosts.

Maybe the power of suggestion, and a drink or two,

made you see things.

-Or it's Ghost Month. -Stop.

All right? I don't hallucinate when I drink.

Most of the time.

And I had seen this guy before an ounce of alcohol touched my lips.

Either way, we've kept up our end of the bargain.

Yeah.

"Join the State Department," my father said.

-"See the world," my father-- - I'm sorry, sir.

There is a call for you on line one. He says it's urgent.

-Who is it? - He wouldn't say.

-Lockhart. Who's this?

It's Alex Walker.

We spent a month together one week in a Filipino typhoon.

Walker. Your voice is actually triggering.

I'm getting flashbacks of wind, rain, automatic weapons fire.

Yeah, well, I'm glad you have such a strong memory of our time together.

What can I do for you, ex-Agent Walker?

Interpol alerts concerning the Philippines.

What do you got for me?

There's a book of rules and regulations about an inch thick

regarding inter-governmental communications

and the sharing of information.

Talk to me off the record, then.

Every email, text, and phone call I make

is recorded by the United States Government.

There's no such thing as "off the record" anymore.

Yeah, but you're a maverick, right? I mean, you don't play by the rules.

Enjoy the sunshine in Mactan, but you know how it is, Walker.

There's always a storm brewing.

I've been there during typhoon season.

Weather changes in a weekend.

Yeah, well, see, you're not as useless as you look, Lockhart.

You could've been a great balding weatherman.

At least I'm not scamming tourists with knockoffs.

I get my merchandise from Singapore just like everybody else.

Or China.

And sell to the Europeans on vacations at an obscene profit.

Oh, you're just mad 'cause I'm a free man

and you're still part of the machine.

You hear that? That crackle?

That's your brain calcifying.

Trust me, Walker, you're gonna come crawling back to us.

You sure about that?

As sure as the sun sets in the East.

Thanks for trying, Walker,

but I guess you don't have the juice anymore.

-You happy?

That was humiliating.

I'm sorry you had to do that.

What are you talking about? You should be happy.

He just gave us a ton of information.

-He did? - Yeah, he did.

Hey, the sun doesn't set in the East, man.

He's giving us confirmation. It's Friday.

This weekend, something's going down in Mactan

between a European buyer and contraband from China.

That's why he was saying all that stuff about how the weather changes

during the typhoon season.

And the knockoffs from China.

Fentanyl as heroin?

Yeah, he said everything we needed to know without saying it out loud.

What about the crackle and your brain calcifying?

That was an insult.

Oh.

Man, this Lockhart's good.

So I guess we're all square.

No, we're not all square. I still got an open case here, all right?

And I'm not convinced that there's a dead man following me around.

You owe me one.

So I'm gonna take this file just for today.

You know what I mean? Just peruse it over, you know?

Later.

Did you know Ivan?

Oh, something like that.

But I don't know you.

I'm his mother, Cecilia.

Are you a Sun Devil?

Am I a Sun Devil?

Arizona State Sun Devils,

where he went to school-- where we went to school.

That's how I know him.

Yeah, I'm American. Alex Walker.

I know, I could tell.

-Huh. -That's why I asked.

Miss Ramos, can I ask you...

Please don't be offended by this, but are you sure that Ivan...

is dead?

Of course, he's dead.

I know, it's just, you know, I mean, you know how things go.

It's like the last time I saw him, back in the States,

he seemed so...

alive.

I do still speak with him, you know.

You do?

He's a hungry ghost.

He built that business with his bare hands.

How could he make such a tragic mistake?

No, I don't believe that that explosion was an accident.

You think there was foul play?

I don't want to make accusations, but who benefited the most

after Ivan died?

His new partner, Joshua.

He came into the business

when Ivan needed a loan to grow the factory.

And not even a full year after Ivan died,

he seduced Nina.

Nina is...?

Ivan's widow. He married her.

She doesn't understand that he's evil.

And he runs the whole company now.

Someday, the truth will come out.

And finally, Ivan can rest.

Can I tell you a secret?

Of course.

I'm going to speak with Ivan tonight.

Will you come with me?

Yes, ma'am.

The path through the Afterworld is dark and dangerous.

That's why we need a trusted guide.

Her name is Shaman Evangeline.

She's in extremely high demand, especially during Ghost Month.

She will perform the Pag-anito.

The what?

It's like a Filipino seance.

How did you hear about her?

The internet. Five-star ratings.

Nina is meeting us here.

I thought that with Ivan's wife, a devoted friend, and me present,

it should give Evangeline the best chance to summon Ivan's spirit.

Okay.

The shaman will be with you shortly.

I'm so sorry. Sorry I'm late.

I know how important this is to you.

Nina, I'd like you to meet Alex Walker.

He was a good friend of Ivan's from Arizona State.

- Yeah. -Alex?

Pleasure's mine.

I don't remember Ivan mentioning your name.

Yeah, well, we kind of lost track when he moved back to the Philippines.

I'm really sorry to hear about his passing.

Ivan told me he didn't have many friends in America.

So you must have shared his great passion.

Yes, I did.

You sang together?

Yeah, it was more of a Waylon-and-Willie thing,

if you know what I mean.

Ivan's passion was opera.

Yeah, yeah, it was.

Mine, too.

The problem is, is that you can get your ass handed to you

in Tempe, Arizona, for stuff like that.

So we had to keep the opera on the down low.

The shaman is ready for you.

We call upon the anito

and the spirits of the dead to join us.

Feast on our offerings

and guide us in our journey.

Ivan?

Ivan Ramos.

Your family and friends wish to greet you warmly

and to communicate their love and sadness

upon your passing.

Join hands with me.

We reach across the great divide

that separates the living and the dead.

Ivan, use my body and my voice.

Announce your presence

and let us embrace your spirit.

He's with us.

Mother.

It's been so long.

Ivan, is that you?

Yes, Mother.

My love, can you see me?

My beautiful Nina.

I miss seeing your beautiful face.

My son, have you been able to find any peace?

I'm still troubled. I roam the unknown.

Alone and confused.

Is there something you want to tell me?

I know you must. I feel your presence constantly.

I want to tell you something.

I love you, Mother.

But I want to know more about your death. We know the police were wrong.

Ivan, why are you still a hungry ghost? What happened?

How did you die?

So many things to tell for one session.

Is it possible for you to purchase a series of sessions?

All right, all right, all right. That's it.

Game over, Madame Bullshitska.

- Alex-- -No, it's a con. It's a con.

How dare you! I've got a five-star rating on Yelp!

I bet you do.

I'm gonna show you something.

You get a little column of water mist right about here...

and then...

...project an image of the deceased on it.

How do you get cold air in the Philippines?

How's that?

Now, the voice and everything else...

...controlled by foot pedals.

- Cecilia. -Cecilia! Cecilia!

- Cecilia. -Mother! Mother! Mother!

You're preying on a distraught mother.

A widow.

You're a fraud.

I have to make a living, that's true,

but I am no fraud.

I have a gift.

And I'm not a liar.

You are.

You don't know Ivan.

You saw him.

That's why you're here.

I feel he wants to tell you something

beyond the grave.

He didn't say anything to me.

Ivan revealed himself to me.

Just like he did with you.

Prove it.

When I saw him, he was wearing a red jacket.

And he only said two words:

"The Skull!"

Hey, where's Cecilia?

She felt too angry and humiliated to stay.

Also, she felt like a fool to think

that this was the way to connect with her son.

Are you okay?

Hey, listen to me.

It's over, all right? That was fake.

I know. I know.

But recently, I've been seeing Ivan in my dreams.

I feel like he's angry with me.

That's why I came here even though I know Cecilia hates me.

Why would you say that?

Because I married Ivan's business partner, Joshua.

Cecilia thought he was evil,

and that he had something to do with Ivan's death.

And recently, Joshua, my husband...

he's been acting differently.

Abrupt, secretive...

And you're starting to think that Cecilia is right about him.

I don't blame you if you think I'm crazy,

but I think Ivan is trying to warm me from the Beyond.

Okay. I don't think you're crazy.

What are we doing here? This is a closed case.

'Cause you owe me one and I don't have a car,

and I think something was overlooked.

I think Ivan's partner, Joshua, wanted the factory for himself.

Because a fake shaman said a dead man spoke to her?

You can't dismiss a warning from the Beyond.

Not during Ghost Month.

What does "the skull" mean anyway?

Maybe it's literal.

Like there's some forensic evidence involving a head wound

that the coroner overlooked.

We gotta exhume Ivan's body.

Are you out of your damn mind?

Look, his mom said that he was suspicious, all right?

And the wife says he's acting hinky. She's scared. She could be in danger.

Yeah, okay, can you please get an affidavit

from the ghost so we could show it to the judge?

Okay, look, that's him.

It's Joshua Bautista, Nina's current husband.

Let's follow him.

Well, I think both of our cases just had a head-on collision.

What are you talking about?

The g--

-The guy shaking hands with Joshua? - Yeah?

Sobek Kruskal.

He's one of the most notorious drug traffickers out of Eastern Europe,

known to the DEA, known to Interpol...

as The Skull.

Wait!

Please, what do you want from me?!

Hungry ghost. Hungry ghost.

Joshua Bautista?!

Nina? It's Alex Walker.

That's what I'm calling about.

Can you meet me somewhere?

These two men in the photographs

we have had under surveillance since Friday.

Joshua Bautista, a Filipino citizen,

proprietor of RB Import-Export in Mactan,

and Sobek Kruskal, AKA The Skull,

a Hungarian national.

We have reasons to believe that a fentanyl smuggling operation

is imminent.

Our goal is to catch them en route with the shipment.

Now, if there aren't any more questions, go get prepped.

Thank you.

I'm so glad you called.

He just got worse last night. Now I'm really scared.

All right, listen to me, I'm here now.

And I'm not gonna let him hurt you.

Is that the reason why you wanted to see me?

It's a little embarrassing, but I had a dream.

About me?

No. Ivan.

And Joshua, too.

You know what?

When Ivan died, I was weak.

It felt like I'd lost everything.

And Joshua, he made me feel safe again.

Yeah. You were vulnerable.

You had gone through a traumatic experience, all right?

That's not-- That's not your fault.

No, I should have listened when Cecilia warned me about Joshua,

that he only wanted the factory.

And if I'm out of the way, it's all his.

Listen, some things are getting ready to happen.

Very dangerous things I don't think you should be around.

What do you mean?

It's better if you don't know.

Do you have friends or family that are not on the island,

somewhere you can just go stay for a few days?

I do.

But why are you doing this, Mr. Walker?

Just because of a dream?

And maybe...

I'm starting to care about you.

Right.

Kruskal is there, preparing the trucks.

The unit is ready to roll out on my command.

Hang on. Why are you waiting for the trucks to hit the road?

Why not just storm the loading dock?

Because we don't know what kind of defenses they have inside the factory.

They're more vulnerable on the highway.

They're on the move.

We're a go!

-Let's go.

Nina, what's up? What's going on?

Alex, I'm scared.

Well, where are you?

I'm at the factory.

I told you to stay away from the factory.

Yeah, but he made me come here after I confronted him.

He's really angry. He has a gun.

All right, look, just stay away from him, okay?

Get somewhere and hide. I'm on my way to you.

-Alex, we gotta go. -Just stick with the plan!

-Alex!

Intruder!

Hey, hey, hey.

She told me you'd come.

Take it easy.

Huh?

Take it easy.

Nobody's gonna get hurt.

Are you okay?

I'm fine.

He raised his gun. I had to shoot.

He's dead.

Don't touch him. Don't.

Nina?

Men are so predictable.

Cecilia was right. Ivan's death wasn't an accident.

But it wasn't Joshua.

You arranged the explosion.

I'm guessing you romanced some demolition expert.

Why?

Because he doesn't want to make real money.

And I have expensive taste.

What about Joshua?

Same.

Lack of ambition.

But more of an idiot, like you.

You're right, Alex.

You're going to protect me.

That's why you killed Joshua and he killed you.

That's what the police is gonna think.

You walked right into it when you faked being Ivan's friend.

Oh, you're such an easy mark.

And what's next for you, Nina?

I have plans with a European investor.

And killing Ivan, killing me,

it's just the cost of business?

I'm afraid so.

But I must admit, I will wonder what might have been.

You were so sweet when you told me you cared for me.

I didn't say that.

-No? -No.

I said maybe I was starting to care about you.

-And then maybe I didn't.

I'm so happy you're alive.

-Please! -Ivan was my friend.

My partner.

How could I let you do this to me?

-The dishonor!

You get all that?

Put him in the back. Come on.

Heard it all, loud and clear.

Man, we are making this too easy for the Regional Prosecutor.

I almost feel sorry for her.

I bet you this is the first time she couldn't flirt her way out of trouble.

Well, beauty is a burden.

Trust me.

Tell me about it.

Oh, you, too?

Yeah, well, for professional reasons,

I hide that part of my life from you.

Love hurts.

Yes, it does.

You all right, man?

I should be. I'm alive.

I wanna thank you.

And I wanna punch you.

There's a lot I gotta work out.

Yeah, well, it's gonna take a minute.

When you came to me this morning and told me what she was gonna do...

You didn't believe me.

I was angry at you for making me see her for who she is.

Yeah, well, I wouldn't beat yourself up about it too bad.

You weren't her first victim and you sure as hell wouldn't have been her last.

Heck, I bet even The Skull

would have been crying in his beer before too long.

You know, there's something I still don't understand.

How'd you know I was innocent?

You saw me meet with Kruskal.

How'd you know I was being set up?

Ivan told me.

Ivan?!

Man, come on!

He talked to you?

Not exactly, all right?

I had a nightmare, right?

He was chasing me through the woods and he buried both of us in a grave.

And I knew right there, we were both in danger.

I knew we had the same common enemy.

That's it?

That's not it. I mean, there was more to--

Listen, man, it was a hell of a nightmare!

So I-- I owe my life to a dream?

I guess sometimes you gotta listen to your dreams.

Last night, under my leadership, the Mactan P.D.

shut down a sophisticated international drug trafficking operation,

seized over two million dollars' worth of contraband,

and arrested its principals.

This should demonstrate that

well-funded international agencies like Interpol

are not the only ones who can use modern, rational,

and scientific crime-fighting techniques.

-And t--

I'll take your questions later.

For now, I'd like to bring your attention to two people

who were most influential in this success.

-Detective Kai Mendoza...

-...and Detective Ernesto Alamares.

Congratulations are in order for our colleagues.

And Detective Kai Mendoza has been chosen

to take part in a prestigious training program

at the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila.

We are very proud of her.

What are you doing?

You burning cars again?

I didn't wanna smoke up the shop again.

Well, I got something for you.

There you go.

-An SUV! -That's right.

Thank you.

You think he'll like it?

Oh, I know he's gonna like it.

See, where he's driving, they don't give speeding tickets.

Who's the joss money for?

Well, that's for my dad.

He was always broke.

You're back?

I never left.

Yeah, well, that's not creepy at all.

I want to thank you.

Do I get to make a wish now or something?

I could use next week's winning lottery numbers.

It was a joke.

Are you here to tell me something?

What is it I need to know?

If you're lucky, your life is filled with people.

And family.

And love.

But in a blink, it's over.

Most of the names are forgotten.

The days, too.

All this happens quicker than it takes for an arm

to reach out and draw back-- as if touched by flame.

I hope now you can find peace.

You won't see me again, Alex.

You held my hand at the edge of a cliff,

but it's time for me to let go and see what's on the other side.