Designated Survivor (TV Series)

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Kiefer Sutherland: Tom Kirkman

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• Tom Kirkman : Corporal, how long you been here?

  First Soldier : This is my second tour of duty, sir, so four years.

  Tom Kirkman : Extra bacon for you.

  First Soldier : Thank you, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : So you're from Boston?

  Second Soldier : Yes, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : Does that make you a Red Sox fan?

  Second Soldier : Yes, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : [teasing]  No bacon for you, Private.

  Harry : Oh, come on, Mr. President. He's a growing boy.

  Tom Kirkman : Okay, fine. I'll make an exception just this one time.

• Tom Kirkman : I'm going to be honest with you. I believe that my predecessors made their fair share of mistakes. The most obvious one to me is their failure to understand your country's history. For thousands of years, Afghanistan has relied on tribal leaders to govern. And to try and implement a Western democracy without truly understanding that was shortsighted, and to many Afghans, deeply disrespectful. For that, I am sorry. I would like to extend my hand in partnership, but I need to know do I, in fact, have a partner?

  Mullah Bahri : You don't with me, sir. Not as things stand. America devotes all its resources to propping up a corrupt regime.

  Tom Kirkman : A regime that, at least, fights terrorism.

  Mullah Bahri : That uses your money to buy Ferraris and bomb our children.

  Tom Kirkman : Sir, both our nations have been down this road before. Promises were made, our money spent, yet everything remained the same. What I'm interested in is whether or not we can work together to effect meaningful change.

  Mullah Bahri : There is a way. Changing hearts and minds one person at a time takes generations. At least it used to. But I have a faster method.

  Tom Kirkman : I'm listening.

  Mullah Bahri : Technology. With just a few keystrokes, I can compel millions - a new Arab spring.

  Tom Kirkman : The old one led to an Arab winter.

  Mullah Bahri : Because the West didn't follow through. My people turn to extremism out of desperation.

  Tom Kirkman : So if we were to help you reduce the desperation...

  Mullah Bahri : I'll reduce the extremism. And you can monitor me online. Make sure I'm holding up my end of the bargain.

  Tom Kirkman : This is very promising. Mullah Bahri, thank you for your time.

  Mullah Bahri : Ah, please. My followers refer to me as Zowan Haleek. "The young one".

  Tom Kirkman : Zowan Haleek. I like that. And it is true. You are very young to lead so many.

  Mullah Bahri : Yes. Because they know if they want a future, they can't look to the past.

• Mullah Fayad : What are you offering?

  Tom Kirkman : To begin with, money and logistical support.

  Mullah Fayad : I've been offered these things before. There's water in the well, but it quickly runs dry. There's an old Pashtun proverb: it's the same donkey, but with a new saddle.

  Tom Kirkman : [he laughs]  There is an American proverb: those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.

• Mullah Fayad : You dismiss the past. My family has lived in the same village for 800 years. This country is rooted in tradition.

  Tom Kirkman : With all due respect, sir, you're wrong. I have great respect for your country's history and its traditions.

  Mullah Fayad : Then why did you meet with someone who has no respect for them?

  Tom Kirkman : Mullah Bahri.

  Mullah Fayad : An infidel and a liar. Now, how can I find common ground with someone who consorts with a man like that?

  Tom Kirkman : Would you not agree if one is to play the game, it is important to know all the player?

  Mullah Fayad : Perhaps. But the fact that you treat him as my equal says much about you. To be honest, I'm not sure I can trust you.

  Tom Kirkman : I appreciate your forwardness, and can only hope that some day soon, we can remedy that.

• Tom Kirkman : Twenty years of service. What made you enlist?

  Harry : Well, I wanted to be a pilot, but bad eyes put a stop to that. And Maddy got pregnant, but I knew I could cook.

  Tom Kirkman : Boy, can you. So, you have kids?

  Harry : Yes, sir. My daughter, Scarlett, just graduated from Temple. Top of her class.

  Tom Kirkman : [a nearby explosion rocks the room]  What the hell was that?

  Mike Ritter : [entering]  Mr. President, we need to go now.

• Tom Kirkman : Was the base hit?

  Aaron Shore : No, sir. Suicide bomber leveled a market a few miles away. It was a coordinated attack. CIA safe house was also raided.

  Tom Kirkman : American casualties?

  Aaron Shore : Four of our agents are dead, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : Was Kevin Dean one of them?

  Hannah Wells : They think he got out. He was seen leaving the back of the safe house.

  Tom Kirkman : Is there any way we can reach him?

  Hannah Wells : No, sir.

  Mike Ritter : Mr. President, we need to get you on this plane right now.

  Tom Kirkman : Just listen to me.

  Mike Ritter : I'll listen on the plane, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : Mike, please just stop for one second. Hear me out. I know you can physically pick me up and put me on that plane against my will, and I would have absolutely no recourse. Hell, they'd probably give you a medal. But if I leave now, we send a message to the enemy that all it takes is one coordinated attack and we bolt. Let's finish this.

  Mike Ritter : [into his wrist walkie]  Phoenix is not rising. I repeat, Phoenix is not rising. Air Force One, stand by.

• Tom Kirkman : [watching a news report of a suicide bombing]  Well, one of them's betrayed us already.

  Aaron Shore : Yes, sir. Nothing happens in Kabul without Mullah Bahri or Mullah Fayad knowing about it.

  Tom Kirkman : And both of them have strategic reasons for doing this.

  Aaron Shore : Yeah, Bahri can point to the need for a civilizing influence on a violent culture.

  Tom Kirkman : And Fayad can claim he's still fighting the infidel, protecting his nation's sovereignty. His people will rally around that.

  Aaron Shore : We need more intelligence boots on the ground. We... we can re-deploy personnel from Khost or Beirut.

  Tom Kirkman : I don't want to do anything until I talk to both of them again. See if you can get 'em back here.

  Aaron Shore : Yes, sir.

• Tom Kirkman : Kendra, I know you've been trying to reach me. I'm sorry. What is it?

  Kendra Daynes : Yes, sir. I wanted to update you on the situation with the First Lady's subpoena. I confirmed that the account in St. Lucia was opened by Eric Little during the same time that your wife and her mother were vacationing there.

  Tom Kirkman : Right, three days before Icarus landed their government contract.

  Kendra Daynes : Yes, sir. The account shows no activity. It's still flush with $2 million.

  Tom Kirkman : Where are we at with Little's murder investigation?

  Kendra Daynes : No developments on that front, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : Have you been able to tie Eric Little to Patrick Lloyd yet?

  Kendra Daynes : No, sir. There is no evidence that connects the two.

  Tom Kirkman : Every trap that son of a bitch has laid for me I've walked straight into.

  Kendra Daynes : I'm working every angle I can. What's important right now is our strategy; how the First Lady responds to the subpoena. I need to huddle with the two of you as soon as you get back and just make sure you're on the same page, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : I understand. Anything else?

  Emily Rhodes : Kendra.

  Kendra Daynes : I have Emily. I think she needs you.

  Tom Kirkman : Can it keep?

  Kendra Daynes : Can it keep?

  Emily Rhodes : Yeah.

  Kendra Daynes : Yes, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : Thank you.

• Tom Kirkman : Have we heard from Mike or Hannah yet?

  Aaron Shore : No, we can't raise them, sir. We think they may have come under fire.

  Tom Kirkman : We "think"?

  Aaron Shore : We're deploying a backup team as we speak, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : Son of a bitch. What about Bahri and Fayad?

  Aaron Shore : Well, it's just as expected. Condolences, expressions of outrage.

  Tom Kirkman : Crocodile tears.

  Aaron Shore : At least from one of them.

  Tom Kirkman : Have they agreed to my request for a second audience?

  Aaron Shore : Yes, sir, but how are you gonna get the guilty party to tip his hand?

  Tom Kirkman : I'm gonna try and get them to discuss the one thing they like talking about more than themselves.

  Aaron Shore : Each other?

  Tom Kirkman : Exactly.

• Mullah Bahri : Fayad is an animal. Many of my followers are dead, killed at that market attack.

  Tom Kirkman : I'm very sorry for your loss.

  Mullah Bahri : But Fayad isn't. The only tradition he wants to continue is one of bloodshed.

  Tom Kirkman : Do you have proof of this?

  Mullah Bahri : Al Amin is reporting that the explosive used at the market bombing was triacetone triperoxide.

  Tom Kirkman : That's not proof. Even I know TATP is made from hydrogen peroxide, which is legal and readily available.

  Mullah Bahri : But not in Kabul. We have a massive shortage. But you might be interested to know who owns a company in the Waziristan province of Pakistan that manufactures that chemical.

  Tom Kirkman : Mullah Fayad.

• Mullah Fayad : Bahri is a liar!

  Tom Kirkman : Not about your country's shortage of hydrogen peroxide, or Thamin Chemicals, a shell company that you own, which these articles of incorporation prove.

  Mullah Fayad : I own many things.

  Tom Kirkman : Except this thing is used to manufacture the raw materials to make bombs that are killing American soldiers.

  Mullah Fayad : We manufacture this chemical for medical purposes. I did not kidnap Mr. Dean. I did not bomb the market.

  Tom Kirkman : If you are lying to me... I promise you, we will hunt you down.

  Mullah Fayad : We all die, Mr. President. But I didn't meet with you to talk about death. I met with you to talk about life. But if you call me a liar, then I have an enemy; the same enemy I have always had.

• Aaron Shore : Hannah and Mike are on their way. Dean's with them.

  Tom Kirkman : Thank god. How far out are they?

  Aaron Shore : About ten minutes.

  Tom Kirkman : Did Dean forward any intel on the attackers?

  Aaron Shore : Yeah, he heard them speaking Urdu as he was fleeing.

  Tom Kirkman : That means they're most likely Pakistani.

  Aaron Shore : Dean's conversational in Urdu. He's not fluent. We've transcribed his notes about what he overheard.

  Tom Kirkman : Let me see.

  [taking a moment to read the document] 

  Tom Kirkman : Well, now we know who to trust. Contact Mullah Bahri. Tell him he was right. I want to shore up our partnership.

• Tom Kirkman : We now know that the attackers were Pakistani.

  Mullah Bahri : I knew it. Fayad is a snake.

  Tom Kirkman : And not a very clever one. The TATP trail led straight to him.

  Mullah Bahri : Well, Fayad is a simple but brutal man.

  Tom Kirkman : So you said. But he was not responsible for today's attack.

• Tom Kirkman : We have drone footage of your compound from yesterday. Four cars, all with Pakistani license plates.

  Mullah Bahri : I have many Pakistani followers.

  Tom Kirkman : And we know what they were following. Our CIA station chief overheard the attackers talking. They kept referring to "the child". "We need to do this for the little one." You gave me a very loose translation for Zowan. Gentlemen, please come in.

  [a group of soldiers enter] 

  Tom Kirkman : We killed one of the attackers and retrieved his cell phone. Your number was in it. Your name, your number. You planned the attack.

  Mullah Bahri : Mr. President...

  Tom Kirkman : You killed Americans! And for that you will pay. You will never see your precious sunlight again.

  Mullah Bahri : You come to our country, desecrate it, and you expect to be welcomed like heroes? You are invaders. And invaders deserve death.

  Tom Kirkman : This is the part you always get wrong. You provided sanctuary and assistance to the people who attacked my country - September 11, 2001. Take him into custody.

• Harry : I made this for you, sir. A little taste of home. Cheesecake. The recipe's from Morty's on West 76th.

  Tom Kirkman : That's two blocks from where I grew up.

  Harry : I Googled you.

• Tom Kirkman : Why the hell aren't you home yet?

  Harry : Sir?

  Tom Kirkman : Well, you told me you enlisted right before your daughter was born, said you wanted to get your twenty years. And then you said your daughter just graduated from college. And that's at least twenty-two years, so why the hell aren't you home yet?

  Harry : My wife, Maddy, died three years ago, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : I'm very sorry.

  Harry : Lung cancer. She was supposed to have two years; turned out to be two months. And I wasn't there. And my daughter... she never forgave me.

  Tom Kirkman : When was the last time you talked to her?

  Harry : A year. And it didn't go very well. You see, sir, I... I don't have a home to go to anymore.

  Tom Kirkman : You can always go home. Doesn't mean it's gonna be easy, regardless of whatever's happened or how many miles away you are. Truth is, all you have to do is knock.

  Harry : Yes, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : I'm gonna recommend to your C.O. that you get some leave. When that comes, I suggest you take it, go to Philadelphia. Well... you'll know what to do then.

  Harry : I'm gonna knock.

• [last lines] 

  Aaron Shore : Sir? What is it?

  Tom Kirkman : I'm gonna need the contact information for the families of the four men we lost today.

  Aaron Shore : Yes, sir.

• Tom Kirkman : You get back to Philly often?

  Harry : [Kirkman hands him a cup of coffee]  Uh, not as often as I'd like. Thank you, sir. Waiting on my twenty.

  Tom Kirkman : Twenty years in this man's army. How long you been away?

  Harry : Pretty much all of it, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : Are you married?

  Harry : Yes, sir. Maddy; high school sweetheart. She was a waitress when we met. You might say food brought us together. We always used to talk about opening up a restaurant in Passyunk, serve the swells.

  Tom Kirkman : Well, we're gonna have to work on getting you back home to her soon.

• Tom Kirkman : I've got some business to take care of. Hey, would you mind whipping me up something while I'm gone?

  Harry : What'll you have, sir?

  Tom Kirkman : A taste of Philadelphia, Chef.

• Tom Kirkman : [surprising a group of soldiers in Afghanistan]  The reason I'm here is because I want to express my deepest gratitude, not only for myself, but on behalf of the American people for your incredible sacrifice and service. Each and every single one of you has answered our nation's call to protect her. You are the front line of America's longest-standing war. Now, some of you are new to Bagram, some of you have been here for several tours, but America thanks each and every one of you. Having said that, it is my honor to be able to serve you breakfast today. Where the hell is Harry?

  [applause as Harry raises his hand] 

  Tom Kirkman : And I heard Harry just got his first Michelin star.

  Harry : Second, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : [laughter]  Let's hope I'm not the reason you lose one of them. Come on, let's eat!

• Tom Kirkman : I know you both have been working hard to lay the groundwork for this, so why don't you walk me through it?

  Kevin Dean : We've been fighting this war for the last sixteen years, sir. 2,200 American troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001, 20,000 wounded.

  Hannah Wells : Of the 98 U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, twenty of them operate here.

  Aaron Shore : 40% of the country's controlled by warlords. That's three million Afghans living under insurgent control.

  Hannah Wells : Which brings us to our mission, sir. Mullah Fayad, Mullah Bahri; the two most powerful warlords in Afghanistan.

  Kevin Dean : And with U.S. backing, one of them will consolidate power in this region over the next few months. We can make them a trusted ally.

  Hannah Wells : The problem is, sir, chatter suggests that one of them is planning a major attack on U.S. soil. We back the right horse, he can help us stop it.

  Tom Kirkman : And we can finally bring our troops home.

  Kevin Dean : Yes, sir. Unless we back the wrong horse.

  Tom Kirkman : Then we bring a terrorist into the fold. So, all of our assets, all of our intel, and we still don't know which one we can trust?

  Hannah Wells : No, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : Well, I hope these meetings help your people make the right call, because if we get this wrong, we could be responsible for our nation's next 9/11.

• Mullah Fayad : Thank you for the sugar, Mr. President.

  Tom Kirkman : The more sugar, the more honor. And you are a man deserving of much.

  Mullah Fayad : As are you.

  Tom Kirkman : I was hoping that we could strike a deal that would be honorable to both of us. This cycle of violence must stop.

  Mullah Fayad : It will, if your soldiers leave my country.

  Tom Kirkman : If you were to expel the terrorists that have planted their flags here and closed the madrasas that teach your children to hate America, we would glady do just that.