All language subtitles for Covert Affairs S03E06 Hello Stranger

Previously on Covert Affairs.
I'm sending you back to the DPD.

But this mission isn't dead yet.

Langley has asked me to
evaluate your well-being in the field.

Who ordered the assessment?
I can't marry you. Parker,

you should have this
back. Goodbye, Arthur.

You'll begin therapy.

I didn't need it after my
injury, and I don't need it now.

You taught me how to play G, and
I never won. The game is over,

and the king of the army will
rise again in the same square.

Do you think Egypt will...

Is that the Prime Minister? What's
wrong, Saeed? Call the doctor! Come on!

Hold on, Yazem! Hold on!

Yesterday, Yemeni Prime Minister
Azam Halabi suffered a heart attack.

State is allowing him to enter the
U.S. for medical treatment only.

He's currently en
route to the Mayo Clinic,

where he will undergo surgery later today.

This is a special
situation we defer to State.

No planned action at this time.
What are we getting in return?

I assume it has to do with oil?

It does have something to do with
oil. Yemen is not an OPEC nation.

They make their own deals.

So state is trading lower
gas prices for a man's life.

Is that why the CIA
isn't allowed anywhere near

the place they're
worried will mess up the deal?

While the prime
minister's here in the country,

I'd like to try and
turn his chief of staff.

His name's Saeed Al-Mukri, and I
think he could be a valuable asset.

Anna, you're not the
first person in this building

who's wanted to turn Saeed Al-Mukri.

I've been following him, and
I think he could be a friend.

How so? When he was a grad
student at Oxford in 2000,

an editorial appeared
in Political Analysis.

The article condemned the
attack on the USS Cole and called

for greater collaboration
between Yemen and the West.

And although there was no
byline to the editorial,

I could hear his voice in the article.

If he wrote it, I
think he could be turned.

I'd like to make the play.

Halabi took in al-Mukri when his
parents died. They're like family.

Al-Mukri will definitely be traveling
with him. Surgery lasts three hours,

after which they get on a
plane straight back to Yemen.

It's a very short window of time.

How do you plan to approach?

A cold pitch.

It's the only way, given the time frame.

So you think you can turn the
Prime Minister's right-hand

man based on an article
he might not have written?

He's being underutilized at home.

He's ambitious, and he's itching to do
more, to find a bigger way to contribute.

We could be that way.

But the risk is too high
and the timeline too short.

May I have a moment, please?

So let's move on.

Sure.

I want to give you a copy of the
brief I wrote on Sayed al-Mukri.

Maybe it'll change your mind. Annie,

your interest in this
individual is not the issue here.

We don't have a single asset in Yemen.

The CIA has decided the
whole country's a black hole,

that no Yemeni man or woman would
ever work with us. I don't accept that.

Do you?

I am not responsible for CIA
policy. I am responsible for you,

and I am not prepared to send you into a
situation that's primed for you to fail.

Never mind the state doesn't
want us to jeopardize their deal.

What you're proposing is
akin to flying to Cuba

for three hours to try
to turn Castro's son.

Said and I may have grown up
on opposite sides of the globe,

But we both raised ourselves in
the absence of strong parents.

We traveled by ourselves.
We learned other languages.

We chose a life of service to our nations.

I may not have met him yet, but I
already know how to speak to him.

If anyone from State Department sees
you, you will turn around and fly home.

If you meet with Saeed and he
turns you down, you will fly home.

If you even think you're about
to get caught, you will fly home.

That's a yes.

You have three hours.
Don't make me regret this.

Oh, hey, let me walk you to the elevator.

You only say that when you
want to talk about something.

Why do you assume I want to
talk to you about anything,

particularly about Joan's
decision to let you do this mission?

How could you know she gave
me the op that just happened?

Because I know you, and when you believe
in something, whole armies won't stop you.

Which is why, despite your
attempts to keep things quiet...

I know about Parker.

And what happened at Allen's.

Wow.

She flipped the script. She did.

Are you okay?

I'm fine.

Augie?

I'm going to be fine. Now,
you have a plane to catch.

We're gonna talk about this, right?

Drinks at Allen's this week. We
might need to find a new place, but hey,

Variety's the spice of life right now.

I am not going to get
blamed for undermining your op.

I'm sure Joan will find some other
reason to keep me in the doghouse.

What is going on between you
two? The friction's so palpable,

I'm almost glad I can't see it.

He asked A.O. Levine for a
full cogent profile on me.

Well, you have been through a lot lately.

Maybe she just wants to make sure
you're doing okay. Al knows you well.

That's what he said.

Well, it just might be true.

You sound like you're on her side.

I'm on your side.

Which reminds me why I
wanted to talk to you.

Oh, you admit it. You do want
to talk to me about something.

What can I say? I'm a talker.

What you're about to do is a huge gamble.

If you get there and decide not to go
for it, I won't think anyone will see you.

No one will.

I know what I'm doing.

Like I said, the whole army is.

Call me when you land.

A lobby will be arriving
by a private medical jet,

pre-cleared for landing by the FAA.

So hit me.

What are my roadblocks?

Said and Halabi will be traveling
with a small protection detail,

but your real problem will
be the State Department.

So the scary part is that they bought
out the whole wing or the whole floor.

Neither. A shutdown on any level
would draw too much attention,

and they don't want
anyone poking around while

we treat the leader of a hostile nation.

And I mean anyone. The public, the
press, or your friendly neighborhood CIA.

Forget it.

Got to admit, it seems a
little counterproductive

working against our own government.

Yes, why can't we all just get
along? Come home safe and unseen.

You can rant about
bureaucracy later. It's not a rant.

It's just a difference of
opinion. Spoken like an operative,

all fired up to turn an
asset. You got a game plan ready?

Yeah, I think we'll go with the basic
version. Everyone has a favorite vice.

It looks like you're gonna
have to wait to hear about mine.

They've just begun the procedure. Your
three-hour countdown starts now. Okay.

Sir, I'm sorry. Smoking's not
permitted in or around the hospital.

You claim this is a free country?

It's hard, waiting for
important news without a cigarette.

You must know some secret.

No secrets.

I know a spot.

Probably the only spot
where they'll let you smoke.

I'm okay.

Not here.

Mayo Clinic is the
size of a college campus,

and security has a problem with
smoking for some unknown reason.

Where?

Out this door.

Good spot.

Yeah.

As-salamu alaykum, Mr. Omukri.

I've been looking forward to meeting you.
Forgive me, we don't have a lot of time.

Ms. Sembeck, unbelievable.

The CIA can't even let a
sick man see a doctor.

We're welcoming to see the best
doctor in the world. At tremendous cost.

We're just having a conversation.

Conversations with the CIA are never free.

We haven't demanded anything.

The CIA and the State
Department are two separate things.

That's a distinction you
like to make, isn't it?

I don't know which operatives you've
met in the past, but I'm not them. No,

you're blonde. Perhaps
someone now thinks that's my type.

There's no agency plot here, Mr.
Al-Mukri. We have things in common,

and so I came to see you on my own terms.

The only thing worse than a CIA operative
is a CIA operative with a personal agenda.

We have a shared agenda. The
distance between villages is short.

You wrote that, and I believe
it, that we're all related.

I didn't write that, but okay.

We're great friends.

Great friends who pounce on
each other in moments of crisis.

The man who I've sworn to serve
faithfully is fighting for his life downstairs,

and you see that as a
political opportunity.

I see this as the only
opportunity to speak with you,

to convince you that we have
a chance to change things.

Spoken like an American.

All promise and hope, no regard for risk.

We're both at risk here.

No.

I am the one standing in a
hostile nation under careful watch.

I have traveled far and fought
hard to stand here with you.

Yet I don't even know your name.

You know everything about me.

I'm exposed and vulnerable while
you remain anonymous and protected.

How can you have a conversation with me
and hide your identity at the same time?

How can I connect with you when you
haven't even shared with me your name?

How do I know that's the truth?

Because it's the truth.

Do not approach me again, Annie Walker.

I don't know what you mean.

All right, you're
going to play it that way.

Your being here is in direct
violation of American diplomatic policy.

Come on, let's go call your parents.

Steve, we respect the fact that the
State Department is facilitating this.

Are you trying to apologize because
you're terrible at it? I apologize.

The agency never intended to
compromise your authority.

But that's exactly
what you're trying to do.

Why else would you send an
operative here? We didn't send her.

To build national security.

You're either deliberately
breaking a promise you made,

or you've got a rogue
agent under your roof.

We didn't make any
promise. You dictated terms.

Perhaps while
temperatures are running high,

we should avoid
questioning each other's motives.

Everyone on this call wants the State
Department's deal with Yemen to succeed.

Are you selling my
partner in this, Arthur? I'd

like to think we can work together, yes.

American people finally get some
relief from soaring energy costs,

and an old man gets to see a great
doctor. Do you support both those ideas?

Of course I do. Then why
are you screwing it up?

The CIA comes in, everybody gets
nervous, they start to reconsider deals.

I know you don't want to
be responsible for that.

I understand your point of view,
Steve. You understand, or you...

I agree.

Then you'll send her home right away.

Right away.

Good.

Play the what-if game with me.

Ooh, one of my favorites. Okay,

a brilliant young operative flies to
Minnesota to turn a valuable asset.

What if she's caught by
the State Department?

She calls for advice.

What if Joan and Arthur cave
to state and send her home?

If we're talking about the same operative,

she uses whatever time she has
left to pursue her objective.

What if she's been
banned from the building?

Then she finds a way to make him leave it.

Augie, you're brilliant.

Augie?

How's it going?

Fantastic, and I have a feeling
it's about to get even better.

It is.

Today's your lucky day. We're
going to shake things up a little bit.

How?

A field trip.

You could probably use some fresh air.

Well, I don't live in this
office, Augie. I just work here.

Besides, we'll be here for the
hour. That's how this works.

Oh, I'm sorry. The other week, you
presented yourself as an unconventional shrink,

working with veterans,
offering to let me skip sessions.

Is that just a cover?

What did you have in mind?

I'll take the cigarettes.

Which ones?

All of them.

You're gonna show me how to get
across the street blindfolded?

Orientation and mobility training.
When I did it, I didn't have a choice.

It'll help you to understand me better.

Augie, I... And the more that you protest,

the less time you're gonna
have to get the hang of it.

That's the spirit.

You ready?

I'm ready.

There you go.

All right, how does this work?

Okay, this can's a couple of inches too
tall for you, so choke down a little bit.

You're gonna hold it waist high,
about a foot in front of your body.

Think of it as an
extension of your index finger,

but it should be underneath the
shaft. That way, if you hit something,

you're not gonna stab
yourself in the stomach.

See? Mm-hmm.

Very good.

This little aluminum tube is
about to become your best friend.

Cigarettes?

You can bum one of mine.

It takes me four
minutes to smoke a cigarette.

That's how much time you have.

Mr. Olmouc, I'm surprised I didn't take
you for a man who shuts down conversations.

What sort of man did you take me for?

You've given the right support.

A leader.

That's what you tell all of us, isn't
it? Flatter us, make us feel special.

I've never said that to anyone before.

I came here to speak to you.

Then speak.

I'd like to work with you.

It's never going to happen.

Why not?

Because the CIA has wreaked
havoc in my part of the world.

You keep referring to me as
a mouthpiece for the agency.

I know you wouldn't like
to be thought of that way.

You're your own person. Person whom you
have just met and yet claim to know so well.

This is why we are enemies,

because you make assumptions about
us and you act as if they are true.

You don't really believe we're enemies.

I believe your country is only
interested in mine because we have oil.

You're right.

If that's your pitch,
it's not a very good one.

I'm being honest.

We're interested in you because of oil,

and you're interested in us because
of our technology, our universities,

and sometimes our health care.

As you can see, we can be very giving.

Empty hand, reaching for
help in the guise of affection.

Reminds me of the prose
you wrote in that article.

I didn't write that article.

I've fallen in love with a ghost.

Said, I don't have time to play
these games, and neither do you.

You can't be happy with your country's
place in the world or your position in it.

Work with me.

You mean spy for me?

I mean, work with me. We can
share information and ideas.

We can build a bridge between our
nations that no one else is willing to build.

I am not a builder of bridges.

I serve at the pleasure
of the Prime Minister,

and I accept the position he has
given me. But you're here now.

Got cigarettes?

Got any cigarettes in Minnesota?

Maybe.

Or maybe you just like talking to me.

What are you doing?

I don't think we've been
seen, but we have to go.

What are you talking about?

That car over there has
stained apartment plates.

Can you run?

I'm not running anywhere with you.

We don't have time to negotiate this.

You're unsupervised and
off the hospital campus,

which is a violation
and puts us both at risk.

We have to go now.

Okay, we're at the corner.
I've got you all lined up.

There is a dip in the
concrete called a cutout.

I'm gonna want you to
step out into that cutout.

Oh, wait, wait, wait, stop! I said
onto the cutout, not into the street.

Sorry, I thought that... No, it's okay.

Just take a breath.

Very good. Now, here are the ground rules.

You are gonna have to lean into your
other senses. Listening is everything.

We want you to feel the
ground with your feet.

It'll tell you
everything that you need to know.

Now take a breath.

What do you smell?

Exhaust.

Something even less pleasant.

A dog.

There's left a calling
card, so watch your step.

Now, you are gonna sweep the cane
back and forth in front of you,

like you're clearing the way
for each step. And when we start,

you're gonna keep sweeping and breathing.

That's right.

Okay, we've got parallel
traffic. You hear that?

Uh-huh. I hear it.

And we're safe. Let's go.

Okay.

That's it. Nice and steady.

Whoa, whoa.

Take your blindfold off.

It's crazy. Yeah, it happens. Most
people veer toward their dominant leg.

Now come line yourself back up, put
your blindfold on, and keep going.

Okay.

That's it. Keep going.

Keep going.

Alright, you did it!

I did it!

Oh my god, that was amazing!

Let's do it again.

Atta girl.

Be sure we lost them.

Let's sit near the back door just in case.

How you feeling about
those cigarettes now?

Oh, I'm not winded. It's just adrenaline.

Yeah, keep telling yourself that.

Counter, booth. The one at
the back, please. Mm-hmm.

Does this sort of
thing happen to you a lot?

It happens.

Mostly my job consists
of talking to people.

I'm hungry. Let's order something.

Western food doesn't really interest me.

Everything's on a ban.

Can I have a turkey sandwich on whole
wheat, and can you bring the check with it?

I'll have a hamburger,
toasted bun, please.

It's like going to Japan
and not ordering sushi.

I barely recognized you
in that meeting today.

Since when do you
compliment the State Department?

You detest Steve Barr and all
his cronies. You always have.

You put me in an impossible position.

Arthur, I probably should
have talked to you first. Yes.

But I took a chance.

Are you angry because I didn't defend
your operation or because I didn't defend you?

You know, in this case,
they're the same thing.

You realize you're almost out the door?

Yes. The promise of the
Chinese ambassador post is

pulling you away like
you no longer work here,

like you've already gotten the job.

The choice I made today was the
right call, given the facts that I had.

You know what, Arthur? You're
gonna make a great politician.

My father was a dear friend
to Prime Minister Halabi,

and when my parents died, he took me in.

I was 12 years old.

I remember not long after
I moved into the palace,

a small bird hit the bedroom
window and injured its wing.

The prime minister, he had falcons for
some time, so I knew something about birds,

so he taught me how to repair the
wing and nurse the bird back to health.

And I remember asking him every
day if we can let the bird go.

And he said something
to me I'll never forget.

He said, it would be cruel
to let the bird go too soon,

but it would surely die on its
own, being weak and unable to fly.

And that just because I want the bird to
be free, doesn't mean that it's ready.

You think the Yemeni people are
little birds with broken wings?

I think a nation chooses
when and how to change.

It's up to the leaders to
listen. It's progressive thought.

Does your mentor share your views?

He's not just my mentor. He's my family.

He saved my life.

So you share all his views?

You disagree with your mentor?

I've had a few mentors.

And I disagree with them every day.

How do you respect a
man you disagree with?

Both my mentors are women.

CIA is indeed a complicated place.

I respect them.

They succeeded where few women have.

And even when we disagree, I
know they'd look out for me.

I believe in you.

I imagine I would fail to lose that.

I feel horrible.

So is this how the CIA works?

You talk to people like
they are on Oprah's couch?

I asked you to reveal
something about yourself.

If that were only fair, I'd do the same.

It won't stay out long.

Circle back.

We're walking, huh?

Wish I would've worn comfortable shoes.

I'm, uh, sorry this didn't
work out the way you wanted.

Well, it's not about me.

What do you want to happen?

I wanted them to make a full recovery.

That's all.

You're right.

I'm right?

You couldn't have written that article.

Whoever wrote it has courage and vision.
That's not you. You have fear and caution.

You've taken to insulting me.

You really think that's going to work?

I don't know.

How do you convince someone in
ten minutes that you believe

in them more than they
believe in themselves?

Be grateful for what a Zem has given you,

but look for ways to
realize your own potential.

I am one of those ways. We are. Right now.

Annie, I can't.

Where are you going?

I'm done.

Annie, you don't know
what you're asking of me.

I do.

Even if I agreed to work with the
CIA, I wouldn't be talking to you.

You would disappear. I couldn't.
And what happens if I get caught?

If someone in Yemen discovers our work?

We have emergency protocol for asset
protection. I could teach that to you.

Does that apply to my
sister and her family? Yes.

You can guarantee that now, or
you'll have to ask your mentor.

I have to ask her.

But here's a number
where you can reach me.

Memorize it and destroy the card.

Hello. Hey, it's me.
Annie, you missed your plane.

We agreed that if you got caught, you
would get on a plane and come back home.

Joan, I got him to
talk to me. You did what?

He has some requests regarding
asylum for him and his sister,

but it's all pretty standard. Stop.
There's something we need to talk about.

Prime Minister had another heart
attack. He's in critical condition.

I have to talk to Saeed.

I don't want to lose him, Joan.

You have to come home. If the prime
minister of Yemen dies on our soil,

the last thing anyone wants is for a
CIA operative to be found on the sea.

Can we grant him asylum or not?
Annie, you're not listening to me.

We cannot grant asylum. The state will
never allow it, not after today. No,

we have to make this happen.

The State Department is trying to
avoid an international incident.

They're looking for you.

Annie, you need to get on a plane. No,
not before I talk to him. Sorry, Joan.

Yeah, fire hydrant came out of nowhere.

Yeah, they do that.

Oh, even to you? Oh, I bump
into stuff about 14 times a day.

And I've been known to walk into the
ladies' bathroom, sometimes on purpose.

The truth is, being blind's
hard. It's difficult every day.

Do you ever want to stay home?

Yeah, sure, but I don't.

So when you're not up
to it, what do you do?

I keep going because I have to.

About five years ago after
my injury, All I wanted to

do was get back to my
unit, keep serving my country.

But I didn't see how I
could do either of those

things when I couldn't
even cross the street.

I found myself on a corner just like
that one, frozen, turned around, Lost.

So I threw my cane away, I
heard it hit the ground,

and just walked into
traffic counting on somebody

else to finish the job
the explosion did me.

Some drivers have good reflexes.

You're a survivor.

What does that feel like?

I'm lucky.

I'm a lucky guy.

Oh, hey, look at that.
Our time's almost up.

You better get back for your next victim.

Because?

I opened up. I shared. Come
on, Doc. Congratulations.

You got what you wanted after all. I got
my gold star, right? It's nice knowing you.

No, we're not done yet.

How do you figure?

You talked about what inspired
this field trip in the first place.

You walked into my office with your own
blueprint for what therapy should be.

Yeah, it was pretty damn good.

Are you always trying to
manage people and situations?

We have that.

Sayid!

This is my last chance. I really need
you to listen to me. Listen to me, please.

What are you doing?

Hassan had another heart attack. I know.

I'm going to see him.
Now let me out of here.

We both fear that we may lose our mentors,

or that our mentors may
lose faith in us, but

this is your choice.
Your wings have healed.

Annie, please, let me out of here.

I fear you'll see the Prime
Minister's second heart attack

as some kind of sign that he
needs you now more than ever.

But your loyalty cannot save him.

There is something
bigger that we can save now.

Save what, Annie?

Yemen? America? The world? Not today.

Not all at once.

But a piece of it.

Did you speak to your
boss about my request?

She said it's not possible.

I'm sorry.

Do you disagree with your mentor on this?

I do, absolutely.

But not enough to do anything about it.

So now you understand my position.

Perhaps we do have a lot in common.

Fate is what happens to us.

Destiny is what we make
in spite of our fate.

I wrote that article such a long time ago.

How did you know it was me?

Because it was courageous.

You weren't waiting for someone else to
tell you you were ready. You already knew.

What is this then?

Prime Minister Assam
Halabi of Yemen passed away

last night at the Mayo
Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

The U.S. State Department had made
arrangements for Halabi to receive medical

treatment there after suffering his
first of two myocardial infarctions.

The late Prime Minister's aides and
personnel have returned to Yemen,

where the state of the
government remain in flux.

We turn now to our
correspondent in Sana'a.

So this is what a deal
with state looks like.

You're gonna say I told you so?

I don't believe in I told you so.

The thing went
sideways. It is not your fault.

If I had two more
minutes, I would have said yes.

You know the greater
truth about turning an asset.

You gotta cast a lot of
lines before you catch a fish.

This is the toughest thing that we do.

I thought I had him.

The strangest thing, spending
so long reading about someone,

their whole life unfolds in front of you.

It felt like I could see its
potential. You believed in him? Yeah.

How angry is she?

Annie? Can you step inside, please?

Close the door.

Have a seat.

Do you have any questions about why
I couldn't grant Sayid's request?

They don't matter now. They matter to me.

Annie, this job, this life is wonderful.

To me, it is.

But it can also be frustrating.

Never more so than when
uncertainties drive decisions.

Well, the future's uncertain.

Yeah, it is.

Look, I know this was painful, and
it's okay to be angry with the CIA.

It's even okay to be angry with me.

Joan, I've thought about this a lot,
and I've requested a department transfer.

Do you want to go back to work for Lena?

I don't know. I left it blank on the form.

Well, I'm sorry to hear that.

I appreciate everything you've done for
me. I just think it's time to move on.

Annie, there's a Yemeni man on the asset
line. He says he'll only speak with you.

What?

Just Jonah? Of course. We
spoke this morning. She made

it clear that if he
called, it was to be your asset.

Congratulations.

Annie, you gonna take the call?