CALLEN: I located
one of Hetty's protégés.
Just promise me you won't let this consume you.
Oh!
I'm so sorry.
Is it dinner for one?It is.
I'm Greg. My friends call me G.
Leah.
[grunting]
[grunting continues]
...Seventeen.
Seventeen.
Finish the job.
ANNA: Hey.
You fell asleep.
Come on. It's getting late. We need to finish up packing.
You sure you don't recognize the voice?
No. He's not Russian, though.
But the girl I'm pretty sure is Katya.
They never did anything like that
when I was at the Institute for Noble Maidens.
I almost feel sorry for her.
Almost.
Did you figured out what "Pembroke" means?
Well, it's either a fort in Malta,
a college in Oxford or a breed of Welsh corgi.
Or it's the man who's on this film.
Either way, Katya's gone to great lengths
to keep me from finding out.
Okay, well, now
we need to start packing 'cause we have movers coming tomorrow.
One more time.
♪
So you ghosted him.What? No.
You haven't texted him back.
That's ghosting.
I didn't text him back yet. I will.
It's been three weeks.
Yeah, and everyone knows ghosting happens after four.
[laughs]
Now you're just making stuff up.
[grunts]
[speaks Arabic]
Okay, if you're such an expert
then...
what am I doing wrong?
You know, I-I meet these guys, they're good guys,
nice guys,
and then after a few dates, like, I'm out. What is it?
Is it them? Is it me?
It's me, isn't it?I think you have
trust issues.
We deal with
criminals and liars on a daily basis.
Who wouldn't have trust issues?
Yeah, but not everyone's boyfriend
stole their identity
and made a deepfake, so...
Okay, Noel was not my boyfriend. I met him once
and then I kicked his butt.
Yeah, well, there was still a connection.
Yeah, well, it wasn't real.
He was playing me.
Yeah, but it felt real,
just like the deepfake,
and I think that it messed with your head
a little bit, and your heart.
Oh, 'Tree,
you're gonna make such a good dad one day.
Like a sitcom dad. Like Danny Tanner.
You know what?
I-I know exactly what your problem is.
Yeah?You're a jerk.
[laughs]Yeah, and you're hogging the bag.
All right?
KENSI: Hey, you know how she
learned how to speak English?
By watching the Paranormal Activitymovies
over and over again with her friends.
Which then inspired her to make her own
movies on her phone, which are really good,
you know, and she's only 14 years old.
Sounds like she came to the right town.
Yeah. Pilar has been through so much,
and she is still so hopeful and happy.
Rosa asked us to, uh,
help her out, and I...
I don't want to let her down.
When is Deeks' appointment with the refugee resettlement office?
It's at 9:00, so soon.
He's gonna meet with her case worker first
and then with a buddy of his from law school.
He's an immigration lawyer.Is it a difficult case?
I mean, that's what he's gonna find out.
Hm.
I know what it's like
not to have a home or a safe place to go to.
I just want to make sure she's okay.
You and Deeks watching her back,
she'll be okay.
Just like Rosa was.
Yeah. Okay, bye. Bye.
Who's that?
Arkady.Yeah? Everything good?
I've decided to stay at his place
for a little while.
What are you talking about?
We-we just signed the papers for the new place in the Marina.
Are you breaking up with me?
No.You sure?
No, Callen.
I love you.
But the last few months, they've been...
Hard, yeah, I get it, but...
Katya hasn't called in weeks. Not since I got that film reel.
Yeah, that film reel.
Ever since you found it, you've been obsessed.
Because I think it may put a stop to all this.
I just need to find out
why it's so important to her.
You of all people have to understand this.
I know.
I know, look, and I do.
I'm just tired of letting Katya define our relationship.
I think we should
take a step back, just for a little while.
[cell phone vibrates]
It's okay, go. We'll talk more in the evening.
Okay.
Admiral.
[door opens]
KILBRIDE: We'll need your office
to send over anything that pertains to her work.
Of course. Right away.
Oh, good, you're here.
Agents, I assume that you remember ONI
Officer Akhil Ali.
How could we forget?
What are we under investigation for now?
Actually, I'm no longer with the Office of Inspector General.
Ali's been promoted to run the ONI field office
here in Los Angeles.
He manages the collectors.ROUNTREE: Collectors?
What's that?FATIMA: The Office
of Naval Intelligence trains officers
to approach and collect visiting foreign assets
as potential sources of intelligence.
That's right.
KILBRID: Well, one of his collectors
has gone missing and we need to find her.
I'll let Ali brief you.
I just need access to your system.
Yeah, of course. I'll get you set up.
Agent Callen, my office, now.
What'd I miss?Last night,
I received this message.
CALLEN [on recording]: Hi, Admiral. It's Callen.
Listen, I think I should just be honest with you.
I can't do this anymore.
I can't keep working cases and pretend like
there's not something between us,
and I know you feel it, too.
I just can't stop thinking about what you'd look like
in a sexy little sailor suit.
[machine beeps]
That wasn't me.You think you'd still
be alive if I thought it was?
[chuckles]
The problem is it took
a 20-minute phone call to convince
Director Vance otherwise.
The director got a call like this?
Not just him.
Over the last 24 hours,
NCISHQ-MTAC and Cyber
have flagged hundreds
of inappropriate videos and messages
posted on social media
and e-mailed to federal law enforcement officials.
All of them featuring you.
I thought they were working around the clock
to take down the deepfakes.That's happening,
but it seems Ms. Miranova
has enlisted bot accounts to
disseminate them at an alarming rate.
They're barely keeping up.
This has to be in retaliation for the film reel.
She wants me
sidelined so that I can't go after her.
And that's what we need to talk about.
Up until now, these deepfakes
have been no more than a nuisance.
The, uh, product of a sexually frustrated
and psychopathic troll,
but now they are becoming
a liability,Hold on a sec.
interfering with your capacity
to present as a respectable member of this agency.
Do you really believe that?
I believe that this whole thing is Looney Tunes.
If you had told me a year ago
that I would be dealing with
mischievous digital facsimiles of my agents
trying to seduce me
with prank phone calls,
I'd have moved to a yurt in Mongolia,
never to be heard from again, but, apparently,
this is the idiotic world
we have chosen to live in.
The director is not only worried about the damage
that Katya has already done,
he's worried about the damage that she could do.
He has asked me to remove you from the field until
these deepfakes stop.
And what if they don't stop?
Our missing officer is Maria Varza.
She's been working as an intelligence collector
for the last six years.
Most recently, she's been cultivating a relationship
with a visiting professor from Iran,
Dr. Roxana Jarrahi.
Professor of Genetics.
She's worked for the top
research centers in the world.
The Curie Institute, MIT, Max Planck.
After CRISPR was discovered,
Dr. Jarrahi was one of the first researchers
to start working with it.
She's made significant contributions
to the field.
You think she had anything to do
with Officer Varza's disappearance?
Jarrahi received some funding from sources
with ties to the Iranian military.
ONI thought she could help us glean
whether Iran is trying to develop genetic weapons.
Genetic weapons? What is that?
Genetic tools like CRISPR target specific sections of DNA.
Theoretically, you could distribute
an inert virus programmed
to only attack someone with a specific genetic sequence,
or a family,
or a whole race of people.
My God.Exactly.
What kind of intel did Varza get from Dr. Jarrahi?
Nothing yet.
She'd just been establishing a rapport,
but Varza had dinner with Dr. Jarrahi
at a restaurant last night where she hoped
to make an official overture.
I was hoping your office could get access
to the restaurant'scameras.
Yeah, absolutely.
I was expecting an update from her this morning.
When it didn't come, I called.
When I didn't get an answer, I went to her house.
The front door was unlocked, but Varza was gone.
KENSI:You said Dr. Jarrahi
was receiving funding from people
with ties to the Iranian military.
I think we need to consider the possibility
that she has stronger connections than that.
Maybe Jarrahi was already collected,
just not by us.
[gunshots]
[door closes]
Didn't expect to see you again so soon.
How you doing, Nate?
I'm good. How are you?
[chuckles] Pretty sure we covered that last week.
A lot can change in a week.
I'm doing all right, Nate.
I'm dealing with it.
I can see that.
So is this gonna be a regular thing now,
you checking up on me?
Callen, if you don't want to talk about Katya,
you don't have to.
I don't want to talk about Katya.
I want to stop Katya.
Maybe I can help with that.
I've been studying Katya,
and I've drawn up a psych profile.
Yeah, well, so has the FBI and the CIA.
I don't need to read another one to know that
she's a sadist driven by revenge.
Except they got it wrong.
She's not driven by revenge.
She's driven by obsession.
When one plays out, she just hops on board another one.
Look, think about it.
First it was Anna. Now it's you.
Now, I think if we can identify a new obsession,
we might be able to draw her out, or at least
get her to stop harassing you.
What about an old obsession?
Possibly.
If you could reignite it. Why?
'Cause I think I found one.
Only you're... you're gonna think I'm crazy.
I don't like that word.
Try me.
SAM: No signs of a struggle.
No signs of a break-in either.
Yeah, well, Ali did say the front door was unlocked.
Yeah. Well, I found Varza's keys,
so whoever took her didn't bother locking up behind them.
Yeah, if someone took her.
You think she ran?
Didn't rule it out yet.
You talk to Callen?
Yup.
And how's he doing?
Says he's fine.You believe him?
No.[chuckles]
Ali also said Varza had a computer.
Haven't found one anywhere.
Well, couldn't find a cell phone anywhere either.
Rountree,
you get a trace on Varza's phone yet?
Negative. It's still turned off,
but I was able to gain access to her security system.
She only has exterior cameras.
They show her pulling into the garage 25 minutes
after she left the restaurant. But then-- get this--
the system was deactivated at 2:14 on site.
So far, no indication it was hacked.
Start digging into Varza's records.
See if she had a motive to sell intel or flee the country.
You got it.
Okay, so
whoever was involved in Varza's disappearance--
potentially Varza herself--
didn't leave us any witnesses,
didn't leave us any physical evidence,
turned off all the cameras and took all the computers.
Not all the computers.
So, you've heard that voice before?
Yes.When you were a boy
in Hetty's training program?
Correct.Which means that
the man from this KGB Noble Maiden film...
Was also involved in the CIA's Drona Project.
Look,
Katya may be driven by obsessions,
but her obsessions lead to revenge.
I think she was hunting down this guy
when she was embedded here as a spy.
This film reel was her only lead.
[sighs]
You think I'm crazy.
I don't like that word.
Fine. Delusional.
Let me put it to you like this, look,
is it more likely that your mind is fabricating this
aural connection based on perceived parallels
between yours and Katya's upbringing?
Yes. [scoffs]
But is it impossible that this...
instructor is someone who worked in both worlds?
The CIA and KGB actively recruited
from one another during the Cold War. They stole
technology, tradecraft, even training.
Add to the fact that the... that the Drona Project
is based on a Soviet program, no, no,
it's definitely not impossible.Wait.
How do you know Drona is based on a Soviet program?
Admiral Kilbride told me.
Wait, he didn't tell you that?No.
Why wouldn't he tell you that?Well, it might have to do with the fact
that I broke into some sealed archives
and he threatened to fire me.
But...
I'm already halfway out the door.
Might as well see what else he knows.
Yeah, this is gonna go well.
So, how do I look?
Uh... cool.
I think. I don't... really know.
I don't spend a lot of time around undergrads.
Yeah, I'd be worried if you did.
Right. Uh...[chuckles]
Here's your school ID.
Dr. Jarrahi normally eats lunch
at the school cafeteria every day at 12:30,
but...But she's currently observing the fast for Ramadan, as am I.
Another thing we can bond over.
That makes three of us.
I'm also fasting,
and I started going to the mosque.
Oh, I'm glad to hear it.
I was actually wondering if you had
any plans for Eid?
Oh, I, uh...
usually just do something with my family.
Right, yeah, of course.
Hey.
You, uh, got anything on Varza?
I checked her bank accounts, e-mails, calls.
Nothing indicates she was planning on
selling classified information, and after what
Sam and Kensi found on the data log in Varza's car,
safe to say she was definitely kidnapped.
Her trunk was opened and closed
at 8:16 last night
outside the restaurant where she was dining with Jarrahi.
And then it opened and closed again at 2:08 a.m.
while it was parked in her garage.
Six minutes before her security system went down.
Varza's kidnappers didn't have to break in.
They were driven in.
They were hiding in the trunk of her car.
If you're hoping to purge your memory of that voicemail
by another session of gun range therapy,
I'm afraid I've already
reserved it for that very purpose.
CALLEN: You told Nate
the Drona Project was based on a program
that was started by the Soviets.
Was that program the Institute for Noble Maidens?
That was a confidential conversation
between me and Dr. Getz.
With all due respect, Admiral,
confidentiality only applies to doctor-patient conversations,
not work-related conversations.
How about classified ones?
Admiral, you asked me here to help Callen.
Remind me never to do that again.
This isn't about me. This is about Katya.
I think when she was in L.A. working as a spy,
she was looking for somebody from the Drona Project.
And why the hell would you think that?
Because I recognize the instructor's voice
from the Noble Maiden film.
I think he worked on Drona, too.
Do you have any idea how crazy you sound?
[groans]He really doesn't like that word.
Look, Admiral,Excuse me? What...
I am trying to stop the deepfakes.
Was the Drona Project based
on the Institute for Noble Maidens?
Yes.
And what about Pembroke?
Does that name mean anything to you?
No. That's all that Hetty told me.
Thank you.
Do you not understand
what is happening here?
He's seeing connections that aren't there.
He's falling down a rabbit hole,
and instead of pulling him out,
you're leading him in deeper.
You know, that may be true, Admiral,
but I've known Callen a lot longer than you have.
With or without me,
he's gonna see this thing through.
Wherever it may lead.
Aren't you Dr. Roxana Jarrahi?
That's right. And you are?
[chuckles] Fatima Khadem. Can I sit?
Apparently, you can.Sorry, I'm just...
I'm so excited to meet another Iranian scientist.
I'm graduating next month, and I'm actually waitlisted
for the graduate program in biochemistry.
I have no sway over admissions. If you don't get in this year,
there is always next year.
ALI [over comms]: Jarrahi's a workaholic.
Focus on her research.
FATIMA: I know. That's...
not actually why I'm here.
I've been following your work for years.
I just think there are so many real-world,
viable applications for your research,
but it's still in the testing phase-- why is that?
I mean, like your mosquito gene drive.
Like, that could save millions of lives.
What's holding it up?
In a word: fear.
Well, maybe if people could see the results...
Let me stop you. You seem like
an eager and enthusiastic student,
and I am sorry you weren't admitted,
but I have a lot of work to do,
and I'm sure you do, too.
Plan B. Wealthy parents want to fund her research.
Sorry to bother you.
No. What are you doing?
[Iranian pop song playing]
Oh...
These things, like, never sync up.
You listen to Googoosh?Oh, yeah, she's amazing.
It's kind of retro, I know, but
I love her. I'm actually gonna see her at the Bowl this summer.
Me, too. I just bought tickets last week.
Not surprised. Pretty sure half of Tehrangeles will be there.Mm.
I just hope she plays "Gharibe Ashena."
Oh, please, she has to.
If she doesn't, the-the crowd will revolt.
Yeah, and I'll be the one leading them.
What made you interested in my work?
FATIMA: Well, so my parents moved here
during the Revolution, and both of them are doctors.
These are the files on the Drona subjects.
I haven't been able to ID very many of them,
but the ones I have, most of them are dead.
One of them died in action.
One of them was killed in the line of fire.
Two of them by suicide.
The only one who is alive
is her.
Leah Novak.
She lives in L.A. Have you spoken to her?
I have.Did you ask her
her if she recognizes the voice from the film reel?
No.Why not?
Mm...
It's complicated.
KENSI: Hey.
Got your text. When'd you get here?
Uh, like, 20 minutes ago.
I was just catching up on the Varza case.
Where's Sam?
Oh, he dropped me off
and now he's headed to the university
to provide backup for Fatima and Ali, but, um...
so, what happened with Pilar's case manager and your friend?
What did they say?
They said a lot, actually. There's a lot to go through,
and I certainly don't regret this career change.
So?
So, um...
Pilar's parents were murdered
by a gang in Guatemala.
Yeah.
And, um...
and they threatened to kill her, too,
and so, last month, she fled here by herself.
Oh, my God.
The good news is they think that
she has a really strong case for asylum.
Okay, well, that's good, and is there anything
that you and I can do in the meantime?
My friend is helping her with the application for asylum,
and he said that it would be good for us
to find someone for her to talk to.Yeah.
Just that because she's been through
this traumatic event, that...
the more she's able to speak about it,
obviously, the better her chances are.
Right. Um...
I mean, we can put her in contact with Nate, maybe,
or he can recommend someone else she can talk to.
Nate is a great idea.ROUNTREE: Hey, guys.
So, I found something interesting
on the security cam footage from the restaurant last night.
Varza and Jarrahi, they enter at 8:00 p.m.,
followed by these two guys.
15 minutes later, one of them leaves
and never returns.
The timecode matches the same time
that Varza's trunk was opened.
Huh. The other one stayed inside to keep an eye on Varza
while his buddy broke into her car.
I'm guessing he follows her out
after she leaves.ROUNTREE: Yeah, but, first,
Jarrahi leaves very quickly.
Followed by Varza and then our second mystery man,
So, who are these guys?
No idea. I mean, I ran
their faces through facial rec, all the databases.
It's like they don't exist.
In hindsight, it wasn't the best approach.
I just don't get it. Leah wasn't a suspect,
she was a subject like you. Why would you lie to her?
Because she was Homeland Security
and her file had been redacted, which lead me to believe
that she didn't want to be found.
I just felt that an indirect approach
would be the most productive.
I also think you could've tried a little harder with your alias.
I mean, Greg? It's basically the English version of Grisha.
And what about Drona--
does she remember being a part of it?
CALLEN: I don't know. We had dinner a few times.
I tried to ask her about her childhood,
but then I had to cut it off.
NATE: Why?
Oh. [knock on door]
Greg. What are you doing here?
And who's this?
We need to talk.
I don't know if I've heard him before.
I don't speak Russian.
He's saying that, uh,
pain is just a state of mind.
That doesn't ring a bell for you?
Do I remember going to some special school
when I was younger? Yes.
That's because I had ADD.
No one talked about pain being a state of mind.
This is why you lied to me?
You have to understand that in Agent Callen's line of work,
trusting others can be dangerous.
I work in cyberspace, Dr. Getz.
You don't need to tell me that people are liars.
I'd like you both to leave now.
Callen.
Does the name Pembroke mean anything to you?
Go to hell, Greg.
Or whatever your name is.
Did they have fewer CAG repeats?
That can often mean that symptoms go unnoticed
prior to death.
You send the photo of our two mystery men to ONI?
Yeah. We've got nothing on them.
You know what that means.
Most likely Iranian intelligence agents.
Non-official covers.
Except these guys have no cover.
They're untraceable.
It's not looking good for finding Varza.
JARRAHI [over comms]: I wish we could make faster
progress.
SAM: Fatima, I need you to accelerate.
Push her on Varza.
Agreed. So, uh, five months in L.A.
How do you like it so far?
Hmm, no idea. I work all the time.
I've barely left the campus.
I haven't even seen the ocean yet.
No way. You have any friends?
I have a cat, but she's not very friendly.
Have you met any other Iranian expats here?
'Cause there's a lot of us.
No. Not really.
ALI [over comms]: That's a lie.
Varza's cover story was that
she was a pharmaceutical businesswoman from Tehran.
FATIMA: I read this article about
an L.A. businesswoman from Tehran.
She works in pharmaceuticals.
She actually wants to use CRISPR to create new drugs.
I bet you she'd be really fascinated in your work.
You know of her?Who are you?
What?
SAM: Fatima, the two guys
who snatched Varza are headed your way.
I have to go.
Wait, did-did I say something wrong?
Stay away from me!
SAM: Let her go. Let her go.
See if they follow her.
They're staying with Fatima.
Follow Jarrahi. Once you're clear,
ID yourself and escort her to safety.
What about these guys?We've got 'em covered.
[car lock chirps]
Hey.
Can I help you?
Or you?
Come with us, please.
That's funny, I was gonna say the same thing.
Federal agents. Hands on your...
[honks]
[grunting]
You should have kept running.
ONI. Stop! [grunts]
Where's Jarrahi?
Campus security's watching her. Thought maybe
you could use some help.This is how you help?
By letting him crash into you?
Does it look okay?
Yes, Maria and I had dinner last night, but I left early
because of what she told me.What exactly did she say?
That she was working for the Office of Naval Intelligence
and that she wanted to recruit me to spy for them.
Which is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.
I would have laughed if I wasn't so angry.
What kind of information could I even provide?
You've received funding from people
with ties to the Iranian military.
And we have intelligence indicating your country is
interested in developing genetic weapons.
Is that what you think I do?
Doctor, you have to understand,
the tools you work with are very powerful.
I understand their power, Agent Namazi, thank you very much.
That is why I do not do business with the military.
Any military. I wish I could
help you find Maria, but I can't.
Am I free to go now?
It may not be safe for you to leave just yet.
He's right. We need to find out who these men are
and what happened to Officer Varza.
KILBRIDE [over comms]: I have an answer to that first question.
Will you, um, get her settled upstairs?
Doctor.Thank you, Doctor.
Go ahead, Admiral.
I spoke to the head of the Middle East desk
at the FBI field office.
The two men you have in custody are indeed
Iranian intelligence agents.
Now, Sam can keep trying, but these guys are trained
to die before they talk.
I'm afraid we're gonna have to find Varza another way.
Understood.
NATE:I was thinking maybe I could take a look
at some more of those Drona files.
CALLEN: Sure. Have at it.
Who knows, maybe I'll find something
that helps us identify one of the subjects.
Who knows?
Look, Callen, I-I know today was rough,
and you probably feel like
you're right back where you started,
but believe it or not, you actually made some progress.
Anna moved out.
Well, technically, we both moved out,
but she's not gonna be moving back in with me.
I'm sorry, Callen.
She says that I'm obsessed about Katya.
I'm starting to think she may be right.
Who knows, I may be ruining my life
more than Katya is.
Well, that's the thing about obsessions.
The strongest ones feed off each other.
And Katya's obsessed with you,
which makes you obsessed with her and vice versa.
So, what-- you're saying if I ignore her
she's just gonna stop?
No, probably not.
I mean, you know, Katya's unpredictable.
She's driven by obsession, but she's also sadistic,
and she's totally, just totally...
You can say it.
She's crazy, okay?
She's pure, unfiltered, bat poop crazy town.
She... She's crazy.
Feels pretty good, doesn't it?It does.
It really does.Mm-hmm.
Just don't tell anyone I said it, please.[phone vibrates]
I'm not gonna say a word.
Leah.
A few years ago, I reunited
with one of my foster moms.
She gave me some old things
I'd left behind, including some documents.
One of them is a Department of Education
special ed enrollment form.
They list an address in Cypress Park.
What's the address?
I just texted you a photo of the document.
I hope you find what you're looking for, Agent Callen.
[beep]
SAM: They're not gonna talk.
We need to backtrack their movements
for the past 24 hours.
We may have a lead on Varza.Yeah,
but it's a long shot.
She's underselling it. It's a sure thing.
It's promising.It's solid gold.
What is it?We were looking over
Varza's files on Dr. Jarrahi,
and it turns out that one of her sources of funding
is an Iranian-American businessman.
Reza Shaheen.
He has a biochemical business and he's
close friends with several Iranian army generals.
Yeah, we ran digital forensics on the cell phones
you guys confiscated from the intelligence agents.
One of them called Shaheen early this morning.
Boom. Solid gold.
Where's Shaheen now?
Shaheen is in Abu Dhabi. Hasn't been to Los Angeles
in months.
Like I said, it's a long shot.
Wow. Riddle me this, Batgirl.
Why would one of these guys call Shaheen
if he was not somehow involved?
SAM: Does Shaheen
own property in L.A.?
He's moving all of his business out of California,
but he still has one asset.
It's a warehouse in Hawthorne.
Send me the address. Kensi, Deeks.
Yep.We'll meet you there.
[sighs] No answer.
Does it look familiar?
No.
Let's take a look around back.
MAN: I'll be with you in a moment.
Please feel free to look around.
We're having a sale on lemon trees.
50% off. If you buy one,
I'll send you home with a free begonia.
Beautiful, aren't they?
I've been shaping these trees their whole lives.
Ever since they were little saplings.
So, what can I help you with today?
Finish the job.
I'm Arnold Baines and this is my garden.
Uh, Nate.
And this is my friend,
Greg.
Uh, he just moved,
Hi.and is looking for some plants to liven the place up.
I suggested a peace lily or a ficus, but that's just because
those are the only two plants I can name. [chuckles]
You're not alone in that respect.
The world is flora-illiterate.
If I had my way, they'd teach botany
starting in elementary school.
We'd give every kid a lily,
let them nurture it with water and sun
and then take it away
and let them watch it wither and die.
That sounds pretty intense for elementary school kids.
Eh, kids are more resilient than we give them credit for.
Besides, it's only by understanding life
that one comes to truly respect it.
Is that why you work on bonsai trees?
People have compared it to foot binding.BAINES: Oh, no.
Bonsai is not designed to stunt growth but to encourage it.
To stimulate the brain and, yes,
even the soul of the trainer.
And, my friend, if you're going to speak on a subject,
get the pronunciation right. It's "bone-sigh."
It's Japanese. It's a beautiful language.
Do you speak it?
I did at one time, but I'm out of practice.
I'm sorry, was that, uh, Russian that you were speaking?
I'm afraid I don't speak Russian.
Just what I was looking for.
Snake plant.
One of the heartiest household plants you can find.
Doesn't need a lot of water, doesn't need a lot of light.
Just time.
DEEKS: Yo, maybe we missed something.
Oh, let it go, babe. It was a bust.
Varza was never at the warehouse.
And I don't care if he is in Abu Dhabi,
Shaheen had something to do with this, he has to.
I know the SAC at the Middle East field office.
I'll call her, tell her to bring in Shaheen
for questioning.
This isn't over.KILBRIDE: Actually, it is.
I just got off the phone with LAPD.
They, uh, picked up Officer Varza an hour ago.
They found her in a state of delirium
about a mile from her house.
And the State Department has ordered us
to release the Iranian intelligence agents
and to drop any investigation of Reza Shaheen.
SAM: You got to be kidding me.
They kidnapped a Naval officer.
Why are they doing this?KILBRIDE: The greater good,
or so they claim.
It seems that the never-ending talks
on the Iran nuclear deal have hit a crucial stage.
Neither side wants to ruffle feathers.
Does Varza know what happened to her?
Does she remember anything?
She's still being treated at the hospital,
But as far as we are concerned, this case is closed.
For now. We will keep very close tabs
on Shaheen. The minute the deal is done
or falls through...
he's ours.
FATIMA: I'm so sorry
about everything.
Me too.
I was naive believing the world would see my work
the way I intended it.
But until we learn to start trusting one another,
every good thing will look like a threat
instead of an opportunity to make a better world.
[door opens]OFFICER: Right this way.
How's Varza?Physically okay.
She has no memory of the last 24 hours.
Found traces of benzodiazepine in her system.
It's used to extract information during interrogations.
Who knows what all she told them.
Did you have them take a look at that?No. I'll be fine.
As long as I get something to eat soon.
Well, it's almost sundown.
Do you want to break fast together?
Yeah. I-I'd love that.
I know it's traditional to start with
three dates, uh, to break a fast.
Well, why don't we just start with one date
and see how it goes?
No, I meant dates, the pitted fruit.
I brought some if you...Akhil.
It was a joke.
Oh. Right.
Come on, I know a place.
Were those in your pocket all day?
Yeah. Got a little smushed when I was tackled.
[laughs]
Hey.KENSI: Hey.
So, I got something else from the case officer.
This is the number
for Rosa's aunt's house.[gasps]
I thought you might want to check in on her.
Oh, my gosh, of course I do. Thank you so much.
Of course.Okay.
[line ringing][exhales]
[speaking Spanish]
Gracias.
De nada.
Rosa?
Hi. How are you?
It's so good to hear your voice.
Yeah. I, uh, how's everything? Are you in school?
I know, I... Yes.
I remember those days. [chuckles]
When?
That's amazing. That's amazing.
[knocking]
[man speaking Russian]
Hey. Thanks for coming.
That's him?Yep. That is Arnold Baines.
I pulled up the permits and the certificates of ownership
for the house in Cypress Park.
Arnold Baines bought the parcel in 1986.
The previous owner was a behavioral psychiatrist
by the name of Howard Pembrook.
Pembrook, Pembroke.
What happened to him?He died the same year.
Except he didn't, Nate. He just changed his name.
Arnold Baines is Pembrook.
Arnold Baines is the guy in the film.
C-Come on, he... he's got the same voice.
I-I'm not so sure.
You saw how he acted.
He understood me when I spoke Russian.
Callen...Nate,
I'm not making this up.I know, I know.
Why don't we just pick this up tomorrow?
L-Look at it with fresh eyes.
Sure. Yeah, that's fine.
I'm-I'm not doing much else.
We'll get her, Callen.
We will.
♪
[phone vibrates]
Hey. How are you?
I'm sorry about this morning.
I'm sorry, too.
Listen, Callen, I don't want to take a step back.
And I really don't want to move in with Arkady.
I don't know what I was thinking.
No, you were right.
I-I have been obsessed,
and I can promise you it is over now.
I'm headed to the new place now.
You there?
I'm just finishing up work.
I will see you soon, all right?
Bye.
Seventeen.
Captioning sponsored by CBS
and TOYOTA.
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org