Other People's Houses

"**Other People's Houses**" is the fifth episode of the first season of HBO Max's *The Flight Attendant*. It was released on HBO Max on December 3, 2020, along with the preceding episode "Conspiracy Theories."

## Synopsis

With fresh trauma, Annie's job on the line, and the FBI closing in, Cassie enlists Max in a plan that involves breaking and entering, computer fraud, too much vodka, and a Hello Kitty flash drive. Meanwhile, Annie's work life goes very dark.

## Plot

### Teaser

In a flashback, young Cassie and Davey Bowden are sitting outside on a porch. Davey asks their father why he's on the roof putting their Christmas lights up when it's only just now November. He answers that it's because he's "fucking festive," asking Davey bring his hammer up to him. Davey hesitates and he shouts for him to get up there. Cassie calls him a scaredy-cat and their father agrees with this assessment. He asks if Cassie wants to help him instead and Cassie abandons her Gameboy and grabs the hammer, climbing the ladder and bringing it up. "Wow, that was hard, wasn't it?" mocks their father. He knocks away a portion of the edge of the roof, scaring Davey, leading to more mockery. Cassie giggles and he asks how Davey became such a pussy, asking Cassie to get him another beer. The adult Cassie and Alex Sokolov stand watching from a distance. Alex comments that her father is an asshole. The young Cassie grabs a beer and Alex mocks her for it. A plane with a burning engine passes overhead. "Oh my God," says Cassie. "This is the moment I first wanted to be a flight attendant. This exact moment." Alex asks how she possibly found this inspirational. "Flight 7997," explains Cassie. "It was a miracle that no one died. An absolute miracle." She continues that the lead flight attendant was Cheryl McAdams and she was all over the news, for making everyone feel safe during the worst moment of their lives. "I wanted to be just like her," says Cassie. The young Cassie races towards the crashed plane, a plume of smoke billowing in the distance.

In the real-world, a stretcher leads away the dead body of Sabrina Oznowich. Cassie's phone buzzes and she gets a text from Buckley Ware, asking her if she caught up with her friend. Max stands next to her and asks to share some of her vodka. Annie Mouradian joins them and Van White of the FBI tells them he has some questions. Annie replies that she saw a woman commit suicide, asking if there's reallly that much more to say and why the FBI is there. "We go where she goes," replies Van. "You have no idea what's going on," comments Cassie and Annie pleads for her to handle it. Instead, Cassie babbles on about Lionfish using jets to smuggle weapons and the Sokolovs laundering money through Unisphere. She says that Miranda murdered Sabrina because she talked to her, so really this is her fault. "She means metaphorically, that was not an admission of guilt," comments Annie. Van asks if she has any proof and Annie declares that they're leaving. They walk and she asks Cassie what she's doing, that this could all blow up in her face. She asks where Cassie is going and Max tells her to give her a second. Cassie shouts that it wasn't suicide and she doesn't want to be next. Annie shouts at her to stop walking, that she has nowhere to go. "You're right," agrees Cassie, sobbing. Annie apologizes, saying that she doesn't have to do this alone. She pleads with Cassie to let her help her. Cassie hugs her and she promises it will be okay.

### For Annie

As Cassie sleeps at Annie's apartment, Max comments that she's lucky to have Annie to pick up all the pieces. Annie gets a call, from a man who says that it's about the recent favor that she requested. He says that he'd love to meet today to discuss her current outstanding debt. He tells her he'll send her the address and to meet at 3 P.M. "Of course," she agrees. "Work stuff?" asks Max and Annie rants about Cassie, saying that she has no photos and no witnesses and there's her drinking. She says Cassie's her best friend and she wants to believe her and that's where she's at. He says that he believes there's something in the shredded papers, but she replies that sometimes trash you get excited about is still just trash. She tells him she has to go, kisses him and leaves. Max wakes Cassie, who grumbles that it's early, but he informs her that it's 2 in the afternoon. "Oh my God," says Cassie, getting up. He gives her coffee and she says she really messed up, babbling to the FBI the way she did. She says it could be bad for Annie, but he says it's Annie and she'll be fine. "Max," she warns him and he admits that Annie is really upset and scared. She suggests that they think, that he could hack into Unisphere again. He tells her he tried and they've bulked up their security. He says that he might if he could get one one of their computers, but she tells him she's not allowed back there ever. He says he doesn't know what to tell her. In a hallucination, she tells Alex it's really bad and he says that they already were and are worse now. He says it isn't her fault, any of it. She tells him that what's happening to Annie *is* her fault, that her life is over if she gets disbarred. He tells her to just breathe. She does and kisses him. He tells her that if she tries something, it could make things worse, but she says she has to help Annie.

She goes into a flashback in which she tells Alex that she lives in a shoebox. He tells her of his own place, a "great location" with "killer views." He tells her that he can work from home. In the present, she tells Max she has an idea that could clean the whole mess up and get Annie off the hook. He says it sounds too good to be true and he's getting out, but she replies that there's a way they can get info without going back to Unisphere and she's going to need his help. He says it's "semi-questionable" and she wouldn't like it. She says she can't be the reason Annie gets in trouble and he has to help. "For Annie," he agrees. They head out, Cassie saying that they're going to sneak into Alex's apartment. She says that if he worked from home, there could be a computer and a lot of other things in there. He points out that among those things could be attack dogs and she says that if there are, they'll be starving and very weak. She tells him they're safer in there than outside with Miranda lurking around. She says they'll put the info on a flash drive. He says he doesn't like that he's actually starting to listen to her, but nevertheless sticks with her anyway. She introduces them to the doorman as Alessandra and her husband Brandon, saying her brother lived there. He tells her Alex was a nice man and she says she's sorting out her brother's affairs and would love to get into his apartment. She plays off what she recalls from the flashback of the doorman hating the statue outside the building to gain a confidence. The ploy works and she manages to get past him.

Meanwhile, Megan Briscoe calls Cassie, but it goes to voicemail. Megan gets another call from her shady contact, telling in "The last delivery was a great success." Megan tells him she's ready for a bigger project and he says he's surprised by the new enthusiasm. He tells her he'll text a place to meet. She sighs and he asks if she's okay. She tells him she thinks her best friend is avoiding her and it hurts. He tells her that her friend will come around. Back at Alex's apartment complex, they reach Max's place, 1115, and she asks him to crack the security panel. "I break into computers, not people's homes," he tells her, and she begs him to tell her he knows how it works. He tells her it could be one of over a billion combinations and she has a flashback of a sticky note with "Alex: 7226." She tries it and the panel gives a clear status. He asks how she possibly remembered that and she tells him that Flight 7226 was JFK to Johannesburg and she knows her flights. They enter and he says it's kind of exciting, but they need to get it done. She goes into a hallucination with Alex, in which she asks what if there are things in there about him she doesn't want to know. He tells her she could just go home, but she doesn't. "Who will Alex Sokolov turn out to be?" he asks mysteriously. Back in the apartment, Max tells her to focus on the computer. Elsewhere, Miranda Croft places a call to Cecilia, who chews her out for being in direct violation of Victor, placing them both in jeopardy. She tells Miranda it's not a joke and she shares that Cassie uses the name "Alessandra Ricci" and that Alex has a private workstation in his apartment. Cecilia tells her to stop, but Miranda says she has to be the one to fix it. Cecilia tells her that she won't do anything else, that Victor said to get on a plane.

### "Who kills themselves in the middle of doing laundry?"

Annie meets with the person who called her. He asks how her friend is and she replies that she's okay, or mostly okay. He tells her to take an envelope and hand-deliver it to a client, Jozef Jasar. She is to tell him that his family will be taken care of. She warns him that she could be arrested or disbarred, making her of no use to them. He suggests she doesn't get caught. She tells him she can't and asks if there's another option. He tells her she can pass and they will grant her another, but the next one will be even more difficult. She takes the envelope. Back at Alex's, Cassie and Max continue their search. Max tells Cassie he found the computer and she joins him. He says it has a direct link to the external server at Unisphere, but it needs a password. She finds a piece of paper with "West914" on it and he agrees, saying that people are lazy with their security. He types it in and another screen comes up: "Enter Authenticator code." He tells her that it'll be a randomly generated code sent to an app on his phone and probably a fob. He tells her he can't hack into it, but that the fob will probably be somewhere else in the apartment. "Let's find it," agrees Cassie. So, they begin a frantic search. Along the way, Cassie discovers a collection of *Playboy* magazines in chronological order. "Getting less sexy by the second," she comments and the hallucinatory Alex says that it's her opinion. She says he's "obsessive," and he replies that his apartment isn't telling a story, that what's there is just things. He says she's using the fob as an excuse and judging him. She points out all of the weird stuff in his apartment, like a taxidermy polar bear and a huge stash of Oxy pills with doctors from different names. He says he's sorry he's not living up to her expectations, asking how she would feel if he waltzed through her apartment without any context. He then does just that, saying she looks like a person who can't take care of herself. He says she's an alcoholic. She says she doesn't have a problem and he replies that she went to bed with him and didn't notice he had gotten killed. She shouts that he got himself killed. He says she's her father's daughter. She says she'll put on a show for him and starts dancing and drinking, with flashing lights.

Back in the real world, Cassie searches a shelf and finds the fob. A door opens in the distance. Miranda is shown entering the apartment. Cassie and Max hide as Miranda makes straight for the computer. Like them, she finds and enters the password, only to be hit the authenticator screen. "Damn it!" she shouts. She screams and smashes the computer in a rage, then leaves, slamming the door. Cassie and Max exit their hiding place. "So much for being safer here," comments Max as they find the smashed computer. "This is useless, it's completely destroyed," laments Cassie. He tells her not to be a pessimist as she goes downstairs and serves herself a drink. While there, she finds several envelopes of unopened mail. Among them is a letter from Lionfish and she tells Max excitedly that she thinks she found something and they don't need the computer. They leave and Cassie tells Max that they have to be ready for anything when they get to Lionfish. Along the way, they randomly run into Buckley Ware. He says he was just going for an afternoon run and he feels like the universe is telling them to hang out. He asks her if everything is okay with her friend. He asks about Max and how they know each other, but he says they're in a huge rush for work, promising she'll text him back. Elsewhere, calls her boss Diana Carlisle, starting to explain what she was asked to do. Diana cuts her off, saying again that she doesn't want to hear about it. Annie pleads with her to tell her to come back to the office, but Diana says it's better she doesn't know any of it. Furthermore, they shouldn't be discussing it on the phone. She hangs up on Annie.

FBI agents Kim Hammond and Van White are busy investigating Sabrina Oznowich's supposed suicide. Van finds an envelope that indicates Sabrina was seeing a therapist, which Kim points out doesn't equate to suicide, that she herself sees a therapist. They enter her room, where there's half-folded laundry. "Who kills themselves in the middle of doing laundry?" wonders Kim. She finds a new bolt on the door and Van wonders if maybe she was being harassed. Meanwhile, Megan Briscoe heads to a motel, where she receives a message to meet her contact in 202. Just then, however, a car pulls up and her husband Bill gets out. He asks what she's doing at a motel. She asks why he's following her and he tells her that he's not, that he was driving to the steakhouse for lunch when he saw her standing there. She tells him she was going to surprise him with a sexy birthday surprise and he just ruined it. He points out his birthday is next week and she says that it's *why* it was a surprise, that she was going to bring him there that night for dirty roleplay. "Can we do that?" he asks, giggling, and she agrees they can. She then asks just what he thought she was doing there, if he thought she was having an affair. He apologizes and she tells him it's okay, but the next time he sees her standing in the parking lot of a motel, not to be stupid. She tells him she'll him back home and she'll cancel the room, but not the dirty roleplay. He drives off. Her contact steps before her, handing her an envelope. She asks if it's everything and inside is a stack of cash. She smiles.

### Running towards the crash

Max and Cassie head to Lionfish, but find it protected by a padlock. Max uses a lockpick to break it open. They enter, finding the place seemingly empty and infested by rats and cobwebs? "Upstairs?" Cassie wonders. "Yeah," Alex agrees. They head upstairs, to a room filled with humming servers. Max calls it a gift, pulling a terminal forward. Meanwhile, Annie enters a secure building, trying and failing to slip an electronic device through a security checkpoint. The building turns out to be a jail, where she meets with a prisoner. He asks if he knows her and she tells him she's a lawyer at the firm that represents him, and works with her lawyer Martin. She tells him Martin is doing an amazing job. He agrees he's happy with Martin. She tells him might sound awkward, but she wants to hold his hand for a moment. She slips the envelope into his hand, saying that his family will be taken care of. He opens it and inside are two pills. He takes the pills and calls for a guard. Back at Lionfish, Max and Cassie discover a recording of Megan conversing with her contact in Korean. Max finds some data and tells Cassie that Max took money from Lionfish and moved it offshore, but it's unclear as to where. The amount, however, is very clear - $200 million. "Did they kill him over this money?" wonders Cassie. He tells her she needs to see something and he shows her a picture of her drivers license, listed with the status "Pending." She says it's her missing ID from Bangkok and asks Max just what's going on. Back at the FBI, Van hands Kim a file, telling her that "Bowden and a male companion entered an apartment building in Hudson Yards." He tells her that Alex Sokolov had a place there and Cassie just waltzed right in. He says it's looking more and more like they must have met prior to Bangkok.

Max and Cassie continue their hunt through the computer files, discovering the ID of a Kenneth Bell, who like most of the other people in the IDs is dead. The only one not dead, other than Cassie, is an Elena King, who is Pending like Cassie. She looks at the ID of King, and sees that it's not King at all, it's Miranda Croft. In a hallucination, Cassie asks Alex just what he got her involved with. "It's my fault? I'm dead," he counters. She asks just how many people want her dead, saying he's not the good guy anymore. He tells her she wanted that and she's mad now that he's not. He says that at the end of the day, they're just two strangers in a hotel room. Max asks her if she's okay. Elsewhere, in the dark of night, Miranda listens to affirmations, which don't seem to calm ehr down. She takes a call from Victor, who says that it sounds like she still might be angry that he benched her. She tells him she's not mad, but she is frustrated, and he was right to send her back. "You were even getting sloppy," he agrees. She tells him distance has cleared her head, but he says again that she was getting sloppy. "But now you're back in London and we're all good, right?" he asks. She agrees and he asks if she's lying to him. "Of course not," she replies and he ends the call.

Back at Lionfish, Cassie says they need to get this all back to the FBI, when suddenly an error message pops up on the screen. He tells her he can't authenticate himself, pulling out the flash drive and warning her that somebody knows they're there and is probably on their way now. There is a loud banging and they reverse course, running rapidly. As they run, she goes back into the flashback of the crashed plane. Alex tells her that she didn't just invent a narrative about him, she's doing it to herself as well. She told herself she was doing this to help Annie, that she says she wants to help people, but she's attracted to disaster. When she raced towards the plane, she wasn't concerned, she was excited. "It wasn't about helping people," realizes Cassie. "I was running towards the crash." In the real world, a car comes barreling towards Cassie and Max. Max shoves Cassie out of the way, but takes the full brunt of the impact. She flips over his body, shouting for help as a call comes in on his phone. Annie leaves a message, asking for them to spend some time together and watch a stupid movie. Cassie performs chest compressions, again shouting for help, as Cassie ends her message. The flash drive, bearing a picture of Hello Kitty, sits in the distance, having flown from his pocket.

## Cast

### Starring

* Kaley Cuoco as Cassandra "Cassie" Bowden

* Michiel Huisman as Alex Sokolov
* Zosia Mamet as Annie Mouradian
* T.R. Knight as Davey Bowden (credit only)
* Michelle Gomez as Miranda Croft
* Colin Woodell as Buckley Ware
* Merle Dandridge as Kim Hammond
* Griffin Matthews as Shane Evans (credit only)
* Nolan Gerard Funk as Van White

and

* Rosie Perez as Megan Briscoe

### Guest starring

* Deniz Akdeniz as Max
* Ritchie Coster as Victor
* Archie Kao as Jozef Jasar
* Jason Jones as Hank Bowden
* Owen Asztalos as Young Davey Bowden
* James Seol as Ro Sung Ho
* Briana Cuoco as Cecilia
* Terry Serpico as William "Bill" Briscoe
* Audrey Grace Marshall as Young Cassandra "Cassie" Bowden

and

* Bebe Neuwirth as Diana Carlisle

### Co-starring

* Bruce Baek as Hak Oh-Seong
* Ann Harada as Fuku Suku
* Rob Leo Roy as Doorman
* Brandon Morris as Agent Chavez (Checkered Tie Guy)
* Jason Furlani as Detective O'Brien
* Adam Ross Ratcliffe as Prison Guard
* Joe Pallister as Jozef Jasar