Primer Contact

Season 1, Episode 10

## Image Gallery

**Primer Contact** is the tenth episode and season finale of the first season of USA Network's *Shooter*. It aired on January 17, 2017, at 10/9c.

## Plot

Bob Lee, Julie, Nadine, and Isaac must work together to breach the Russian Embassy, save Mary, shut down the conspiracy and its remaining players, and prove Bob Lee innocent once and for all.

## USA Recap

Bob Lee Swagger (Ryan Phillippe) has his wife Julie (Shantel VanSanten) back, and slowly the people conspiring against him have been eliminated. The real shooter, billionaire Lon Scott, blew his own head off trying to take Swagger, Julie dispatched Jack Payne (Eddie McClintock) and Grigory Krukov took care of Hugh Meachum. With Isaac Johnson (Omar Epps) seeming sincere about his desire to make restitution, everyone works together to get Mary back from the Russian Embassy where Krukov is holding her. But Agent Nadine Memphis (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) knows that won’t be the end of things; Swagger is still a wanted man.

**Cocktail Kerfuffle**

The group executes their plan to rescue Mary, which begins with Julie making a scene at a cocktail party attended by the Russian ambassador. As Julie publicly accuses the ambassador of holding her daughter, Johnson uses his badge to get in and “drag” her away before the Russians do. The Russian ambassador leaves the party to demand answers from Krukov. Meanwhile, Krukov gets a visit from the National Security Adviser (Beverly D'Angelo), who bluntly tells him to release Mary Swagger. She knows about Annex B but is more worried about the bad press from the Russians kidnapping a child. The Russian ambassador returns after chewing out Krukov over the phone and strolls into the embassy followed by his security detail, which includes Swagger. But Swagger is stopped by building security and told to wait.

**Diplomatic Help**

Inside, the ambassador orders Krukov to move Mary. Krukov promises he’s handling things and it will all be over soon, then he’ll wrap everything up by killing the Swaggers. The ambassador is not happy Krukov has involved a child. After Krukov leaves, the ambassador notices security hassling Swagger for not having ID. He barks at them for stopping his man, but as soon as Swagger’s through, he drops the act, having recognized Swagger. He checks that Swagger hasn’t hurt his regular security guard (he’s waking up on the floor of a car) and says he had nothing to do with taking Mary. He gives Swagger the key card to the safe room where Mary is and asks Swagger not to kill anybody.

**Extraction**

Swagger navigates the hallways to the safe room, narrowly avoiding Krukov. He knocks out the guard, then opens the door and scoops up his daughter. He puts something on her cot as he carries her out of the room. He commends her for being a great “mini-Marine” and tells her their mission is to get out of the embassy. When he has to take out a security guard, he distracts her by asking her to stand lookout. He rigs a fire in the kitchen and picks up Mary and runs for the exit as people stream out of the building.

**On His Own, Again**

Swagger meets up with Julie and reunites her with Mary, but he has to say good-bye one more time. He gives Julie the diamonds and the key to a prepaid motel room. She doesn’t want to leave, but he knows Krukov won’t stop coming for them. He promises he’ll be back by midnight, after he knows they’re truly safe. Then Swagger calls Johnson to relay his location to Krukov, and tells Johnson he can still have the diamonds. Johnson tells Krukov to kill Swagger, then jumps in his car to go help Swagger. But Agent John Renlow and Memphis stop him in the lot. Johnson had a deal with Swagger, not them.

**Milk and GPS Tracker**

Back at the embassy, the ambassador tells Krukov he’s being called back home. But Krukov isn’t done yet. He mentions GPS trackers so small someone can eat it without even knowing and we flash back to Mary eating a cookie in the safe room.

**Outmanned**

Out in the woods, Swagger sets up on a hill and prepares to hunt. Krukov and his men show up in the woods and Swagger picks them off like flies, but he can’t get them all and a dozen still come after him. Swagger switches check points and sets up on the Black King. The Russians use a smoke bomb to try to cloud their positions, but Swagger still manages to hit a few. Memphis, Johnson and Renlow arrive and hear the reports of fire and shots. Johnson pleads with Memphis to let him help Swagger and finally she frees him, promising him: “If you try to run, I’ll leave you on that mountain.”

**Motel With a View**

Julie and Mary reach the motel Swagger rented for them, which is off a highway next to the forest. Krukov tracks them there and starts shouting from outside, demanding the Annex B file. Julie tells Mary to hide in the bathtub just before Krukov blasts a hole through the front door.

**The Russians Are Coming**

In the forest, Johnson takes out one Russian before another one shoots him in the arm, then hits Memphis. Swagger is pinned behind a tree and announces he’s coming out and gives up his gun. He turns to face a Russian from about 15 feet away, then whips a knife from his back and flings it into the Russian’s throat before he can fire. He races to help Memphis. Her vest takes the bullet; she’s okay. Swagger picks up a gun and holds it on Johnson as he limps away. Johnson turns and tells Swagger he’s truly sorry for everything. Swagger takes out the bag of diamonds and tosses them to Johnson, telling Johnson he never wants to see him again.

**Long-Range Help**

Julie calls Swagger from the motel, where Krukov is blasting holes through walls. Swagger races to his original check point and sets up on the Black King. He looks through the scope to the motel below, a mile away. He tells Memphis to shoot at Krukov’s car to draw him out. When Krukov turns to inspect the blast, he steps perfectly into Swagger's sights, and the man who tried to set up the world's best sniper gets a deadly reminder of his skill. Krukov falls to the pavement, dead from distance.

**Brief Reunion**

Down at the motel, Swagger is reunited with his family again. He promises Julie it’s finally over, but their moment is short-lived as Memphis has to take Swagger into custody. She’s not happy about it, but he’s still the number-one suspect in the assassination of the Ukrainian president.

**Summoned By the CIA**

Later, Memphis, Swagger and his lawyer, Sam Vincent, are taken to the CIA headquarters to talk to the NSA director Gregson, who is sitting next to a tactical rifle. She has cleared out the ground floor of the building for the occasion and wants one thing: the Annex B files. Memphis suggests she ask Hugh Meachum for it, but Gregson says he’s recently retired, which is a nice euphemism for “killed by Russians.” She promises Swagger his life back if he turns over the file. He notes that she advises the president on which leaders to meet with, which means she put him in Seattle on a stage next to the Ukrainian president. She asks Swagger about the rifle next to her, which he recognizes as one used in the assassination. She loads a bullet in the chamber and turns it to face him, demanding the Annex B file. She pulls the trigger, but nothing happens. Gregson explains that someone shaved the firing pin down so it couldn’t fire, and therefore it couldn’t be the murder weapon. She tells Swagger he’s exonerated and asks for Annex B again. He suggests she check with the Russian ambassador and see if he found anything in the room where they were keeping his daughter. (Flashback to Swagger placing the thumb drive on the cot.)

**In the Clear**

After conferring with Gregson privately, Vincent tells Swagger and Memphis that the story will be that Lon Scott and Grigory Krukov cooked up a war from which they’d both profit, and Scott took the shot and framed Swagger. They found evidence in Scott’s house. They’ll say that they had a falling out so Scott killed Krukov at the motel then killed himself. The Russian ambassador will back the entire story. No one knows where Isaac Johnson is. Memphis asks Swagger if he knew the rifle Gregson had wouldn’t fire. We flash back to him in his shed working on the weapon, but he leaves her question unanswered. Bob Lee Swagger finally rejoins his girls, just in time for lasagna night.

**Who is Isaac Johnson?**

Gregson sits down with Johnson in a conference room. He’s angry that he nearly got killed. She reminds him he volunteered and says that Krukov and Meachum were the tip of the iceberg. The real problem is about to reveal itself, she says, handing him a phone. But he says he’s done. “Don’t send anyone after me,” he says.

“I won’t have to,” she says.

## Trivia

Coming soon.

 **Season 3** | "Backroads" • "Red Meat" • "Sins of the Father" • "The Importance of Service" • "A Call to Arms" • "Lines Crossed" • "Swing Vote" •"The Red Badge" • "Alpha Dog" • "Orientation Day" • "Family Fire" • "Patron Saint" • "Red Light"