Episode 603: Last Rites

Last Rites
Season 6, Episode 3

Air date	June 28, 2012
Written by	Ben Watkins
Directed by	Nick Gomez
Episode Guide
previous Mixed Messages	next Under the Gun

Last Rites is the third episode of the sixth season and the eighty-third episode overall.

Notes[]

Clients: Agent Pearce
Bad Guys: Ahmed Damour (target/murderer), Sharif Damour (son of a murderer)
Others: Ayn (anything you need),

Synopsis[]

When Agent Pearce learns the identity of her fiance's killer, she enlists Michael's help to seek revenge. Things get complicated, however, when they discover the man is under protection as a CIA asset. Meanwhile, Fiona seeks out a well-connected prison smuggler to find out who was behind an attempt on her life.

Spy Facts[]

In prison, there's no such thing as good attention. It's better to be a number than to be known because with anonymity comes safety. So whether you're dealing with a fellow inmate, a guard, or the warden herself; the last thing you want is for your name to be on their mind.
When you've been marked for death, hiding is a short term strategy. It might buy you time but it won't solve your problem. To do that, you need contact. It means exposing yourself to more potential threats, but it also means having the opportunity to find potential allies.
Effective interrogations take many forms but usually include 3 key elements. First, you need a target with the intel you're after. Then you need an interrogation team. Their job is to secure the target and do whatever it takes to obtain actionable intelligence. But getting useful information doesn't matter if you can't move on it, which is why you need a support team in the field. And of course the whole system breaks down if someone kills the target before he can talk.
Personal bodyguards are specifically trained to identify and prioritize potential threats, which means getting their attention is usually as easy as becoming the most immediate threat in the area.
The difference between a drug being called "medicine" or "poison" comes down to one thing: dosage. The recommended amount of prazosin will effectively regulate blood pressure. But taking too much, will trigger side effects that mimic the symptoms of an extreme viral infection. Once they kick in, instead of doubling down, you'll be falling down.
One of the easiest and most efficient ways to make incendiary devices begins with mixing aluminum powder and plaster of Paris. Once dry, it burns at about 3000 degrees, and can melt solid steel in under a minute. It's also completely stable, and safe to store until it's lit. Which is important because nobody should handle a deadly incendiary without a good night's sleep.
Hiding trackers in accessories is a go-to trick for spies. Jewelry and watches are attractive options but there's always a risk they'll clash with the target's outfit, and get left at home. On the other hand, a tracker that the target believes might save his life, is always in fashion.
Gram staining is a method of testing for the presence of certain types of bacteria. Positive results turn purple, negative results turn pink. If you need a positive result on a gram test, there's no need to bring in a lethal micro-organism, a little yogurt will do the job. And of course, no matter what color a slide turns, nothing sells scary like a big reaction.
Sabotage is best done in private when no one is around to see it. If you don't have that luxury, you have to take certain precautions. It's crucial to conceal the real reason for your movements so people don't get suspicious. It's also a good idea to use time delay devices so that when the fun starts, you'll be nowhere near it.
A successful ambush can end a battle before it ever begins. To pull one off, you need 2 key factors: the element of surprise, and superior positioning. The best staging areas offer a clear view of your target, while providing plenty of cover for you. Of course, it doesn't matter how good your position is, if you're the one that gets surprised.

Full Recap[]

Fiona is getting attention in prison, and that's not a good thing. She meets with the warden, who wants to put Fiona in the segregated wing for her own protection after the fight she had with D.B. Fiona doesn't accept the offer. The warden then hands her a visitor request from Michael, and Fi does sign that. The visit is in a few days and the warden just hopes Fi will last that long. Later, Fi meets Ayn, an inmate in her cellblock who can "get things," and asks her for help figuring out who's trying to kill her. Ayn says info like that doesn't come cheap. Fiona is willing to meet Ayn's "favor for a favor" request.

Michael is waiting to meet with Pearce, who arrives and is pretty shaken. She has a message from Anson, claiming he can help her find out who killed her fiancé. She hands Michael the file on "the man who killed my fiancé."

The killer is a CIA asset and Pearce isn't even supposed to know that file exists. Michael tells her Anson is clearly setting her up because he knows she'll overstep her bounds and go after a protected CIA asset. She says "some things are more important than a career." Michael tries to convince her that there's another option, noting that the CIA is only protecting Ahmed, the killer, until they get the intelligence they need from him -- the secrets he stole from Jay. Michael says that if they can take the intel, Ahmed is no longer worth protecting.

Sam doesn't think they can pull it off, but then sees that Ahmed is taking a cruise, which will provide an opportunity to isolate Ahmed. But they need a team. Michael says he can get it, and when Sam jokes that Michael wants to enlist Maddy and Nate it becomes clear that's actually the plan and Michael isn't joking.

Fiona meets with Ayn again, who requests that Fi get a door locked tight for two minutes. Fi says it's almost impossible, but gives Ayn a list of supplies she'll need.

Maddy and Nate will be following Sharif, Ahmed's son, in Bermuda while Michael tracks down Ahmed. Maddy doesn't like it, but Pearce confesses it's about the fact that Ahmed killed her fiancé, and Maddy's on board.

Michael, Pearce and Jesse follow Ahmed onto the cruise ship while Sam, Maddy and Nate stay on land behind Sharif. On the ship, Michael prepares to portray an infectious disease specialist who will be "treating" Ahmed once Ahmed is convinced he's fallen ill. They'll need to poison his drink, so Pearce and Jesse set out to do the job.

Jesse posts himself next to Ahmed at a craps table while his bodyguard watches closely. Jesse tries to switch drinks with Ahmed but is caught and offers to buy a replacement drink. The bodyguard goes to get it. Pearce sits at the bar while Jesse attempts to get the bodyguard's attention. Jesse takes the dice from Ahmed, prompting just enough of a distraction for the bodyguard to look away from the bar while Pearce poisoned Ahmed's drink. The bodyguard takes the drink to Ahmed, who downs it and should go down quickly. Soon enough, he's on the floor.

Jesse steps up to take the same medicine they gave to Ahmed so that he can be the example of how Ahmed's sickness is viral. Michael and Pearce bring Jesse in and Michael poses as a CDC doctor who is an expert on infectious diseases. He convinces the cruise ship's doctor to let him handle the sick patients and quarantine the area. Michael goes in to examine Ahmed and tells him he's contracted meningitis. Ahmed notices Jesse and remembers him from the casino. When he tells Michael that Jesse drank from his glass, Michael tells Ahmed that's probably how he infected Jesse. Michael asks the bodyguard to leave, then tells Ahmed he needs to send health officials to see Ahmed's son at home quickly. Ahmed resists at first, but when Pearce says it's important they make sure Sharif is safe, he relents.

Back in prison, Fiona gets her supplies from Ayn and she asks if there's a hit going on when the door Ayn wants locked gets locked. If there is, Fiona's out. Ayn says she can't promise everyone will come out smiling, but no one will be killed. Fiona makes an incendiary device out of the aluminum, plaster and other supplies Ayn provided. It can melt steel.

Nate, Sam and Maddy show up at Ahmed's house claiming to be from the WHO. Maddy is left with Sharif, and needs to convince him to wear a big wristband that contains a GPS. Sam and Nate go search the house and Sharif sends a guard with them. Maddy checks Sharif and asks him to wear a "heart monitor" because she's worried about his heart rate. He agrees after being convinced he could die. Meanwhile, Nate and Sam make it into Ahmed's office and claim there's a dangerous presence of the virus inside. Nate attempts to bug the office phone, but is caught before he's done. He says he was taking the phone apart because it was full of bacteria. He scares Sharif again by asking him if he's used the phone. When Sharif says yes, Nate tells him to pray.

Pearce tells Jesse she's worried she can't face Ahmed once more without killing him or breaking down, but he talks her through it. Michael talks to Ahmed and asks him whether there's anyone who would intentionally want to hurt him because the strain of the disease he has appears to be man made. Michael goes on to tell Ahmed that he isn't going to survive. Ahmed gets upset and shouts at Michael to leave. After Michael is gone, Ahmed turns to Pearce and asks if there's anything that can be done. She tells him no, and hands him a phone, telling him that if there's anything he needs to handle or anyone he needs to talk to, he should do it now.

Ahmed calls Sharif and asks him if he remembers what to do. Ahmed tells him to "do it now." Sharif asks where the files are, and Ahmed tells him.

In prison, Fiona casually follows two guards toward the door that Ayn wanted locked. When they close it, she covertly sticks her incendiary device to the door and lights it. The delayed fuse gives her time to casually walk back to where she'd been sitting. When the sparkler goes up, all hell breaks loose and the guards can't get in because the door is melted shut. Ayn signals to some other inmates, who go rob a cell of its cigarettes and other treats. Fi asks, "All this for a robbery?" Ayn explains it isn't a simple robbery. The inmate in that cell was trying to set up shop and Ayn had to send a message that it wasn't going to happen.

Nate and Sam follow Sharif out of his house, using the GPS tracker. They get to boathouse. Sam and Nate follow Sharif and his guard into the boathouse but are surprised when three other men show up. Sharif hands the men, who appear to be Russians, the file he just uncovered in the boathouse. They agree to pay him a big sum, but first they have to verify the data. Nate asks Sam what their next move is, and Sam admits, "We don't have one."

Sam calls Michael with the update, and Michael isn't sure what to do next. Pearce goes all in, busts into Ahmed's room and tells him the strain of the disease he has is "the St. Petersburg strain," and she nods to Michael to take over the explanation. A bit surprised, Michael plays it off and says it comes from Russia. This clicks with Ahmed, tricking him into believing the Russians made him sick on purpose, and he asks Michael and Pearce to leave the room. Ahmed immediately calls Sharif, who answers. Ahmed tells Sharif it was the Russians who made him sick. Sharif gets off the phone and starts shooting. After a big shootout, Sam asks Nate to cover him while he gets close. With one shot from Nate whizzing by Sharif, Sam thumps Sharif in the back of the head and secures the file. He calls Michael with the news.

Pearce comes into Ahmed's room and finds him anxiously waiting for a call back from his son. She tells him she understands the terrible feeling of not getting a call back when you expect one. She tells him about her fiancé and Ahmed realizes who she is. She tells him there's no virus, and they have the file.

"I'm not killing you, Ahmed," she tells him. "But, believe me, your life is over."

In prison, Ayn plays coy with Fiona, but when Fiona chokes her up against the bars of her cell, Ayn opens up. She says whoever is trying to kill Fiona is working with a dirty guard. Ayn tells Fiona it will work better for both of them if Fi just writes down what she wants her "boyfriend" to know and she'll make sure he gets the message.

Michael gets his visit with Fi. Through a big glass pane, he tears up at the sight of her in her orange jumpsuit. He tearfully promises her he's going to get her out. They cry while recalling how they first met at a pub in Belfast. He asked her to dance and she pulled a gun on him. And he said, "I assume that means yes."

After the visit, Michael gets his things and leaves but an inmate mopping the floor tells him he dropped a piece of paper. He says he didn't, but she insists he did. It's a note from Fi that tells Michael someone is trying to kill her and is working with a dirty guard. On the back of the form is the name and address of the guard.

Cast[]

Main[]

Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen
Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona Glenanne
Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe
Coby Bell as Jesse Porter
Sharon Gless as Madeline Westen

Recurring[]

Seth Peterson as Nate Westen
Jere Burns as Anson Fullerton
Lauren Stamile as Agent Pearce

Guest[]

Peggy Sheffield as Warden Mills
Dominic Rains as Sharif Damour
Zabryna Guevara as Ayn
Sope Aluko as Dr. Winnick
Gregg Weiner as Yevgeni
Faran Tahir as Ahmed Damour

Trivia[]

This episode does not start with “I’m Michael Westen I used to be a spy.”