The Playbook

"**The Playbook**" is the sixth episode of the Paramount+ series *Rabbit Hole*. It premiered on April 23, 2023.

## Synopsis

As Weir struggles to cope with the loss of his team, his relationship with Ben falls prey to Weir's paranoia and mistrust. After connecting the dots between Senator Nora Evers and Crowley, Weir and his team make a plan to finally reach Crowley by staging a heist at maximum security facility. Meanwhile, a distraught Intern enlists Eliza for help.

## Plot

It is 1983 in Central America. Ben Weir is with a young Crowley, who is telling him that the U.S.'s democracy really isn't all that different from that there. Ben asks if they're really having this conversation and Crowley rages about the guy on the floor by them, complaining that they've been grooming him for months. Ben says that he told him no heroin, but that they don't listen. Crowley continues that they had programmed the man to kill a guy and then this happens. He asks what this all has to do with democracy. He asks why they're giving control to the people they're working for when they could be selling it to the highest bidder or taking it for themselves. "Time for change," he tells Ben.

In the present day, a news report describes Senator Nora Evers increasingly popular campaign for U.S. President, despite the public's wariness of her proposed Shared Data Act. Another reporter states that the former vice president, once a clear front-runner, abandoned his campaign. Another reporter describes how a crowded field has dropped to just a few with another candidate dropping out.

John sits, trying to soothe and having visions of the death of his team. Ben asks him if he is okay. John replies that he's thinking he should just do Ben's part of this, but Ben tells him they have to stick to the plan. John replies that he killed the plan. Ben says that he's sorry, that he must have said it a thousand times. John replies that it's actually the first time and that it doesn't matter, that he just wants to be done. "And then what?" asks Ben, telling John that it matters to him what he thinks of him. John replies that he must have been something back in the day, but he just doesn't believe him in anymore. "She's coming your way," Hailey tells John over an earpiece. Ben gets out, telling a guy that Senator Nora Evers's motorcade has been delayed, that a madwoman out front caused a traffic jam. The scene cuts to show that this, in fact, Hailey. Nora Evers exits from a door and tells the man that she's not waiting. She gets into the car.

"Billy, tell me have more wine," she demands, but the man across from her is not Billy, but John. She curses, asking who he is. He tells her that he only wants to talk and not to be afraid. She asks who said she was afraid. He tells her that someone has been illegally feeding millions to her campaign and they can prove it. She, however, tells him that what he has on her is not enough, that it may dominate the news for one cycle and delay her campaign until the next election, but that's it. She explains that she was kidnapped, blindfolded and taken by a man to a safety deposit box. Inside was a safety deposit box containing hugely compromising materials, so much so that if they got out that anyone who even has her last name would be changing it. She tells him that she hears the man's voice in her sleep and regrets playing ball with him, but there's no way she can help. He asks if she would help if they could get her case back.

Evers tells John that it won't happen, that she was blindfolded and she knows the number of the box, but nothing else. He asks some questions about the trip she made and Edward Homm deduces it as having been 1550 Girard, that it's an ultra-secure private depository used by shady rich people. Evers asks if John can get the briefcase. The scene changes to show John at 1550 Girard with Evers's campaign manager. Things back up to show Ben questioning him about this, asking if he really agreed to a chaperone. John tells him that he handled it, that he didn't have a choice. Ben replies that there's always a choice and John tells him he doesn't get to say this to him now. He tells John that the man, Lanneman, will screw them. Lanneman replies that he could say the same about him, that whatever's in the briefcase is valuable and doesn't leave his sight.

Ben asks John what his part is. "Nothing," replies John, saying that he doesn't want anyone getting hurt. Ben asks if he's cutting him out and he replies that he'd love to call his team and get some help, but that someone got them killed. He tells him that he and Homm are in the van. Hailey asks if this goes for her too and he tells her she's with him. He explains the place's security that it uses ultra-red sensor system and you're given an escort, but the system gets triggered if you go off the assigned path. The vaults themselves are accessed by two keys. He explains that the simple version is that they walk in with a case identical to the one in the vault, distract the escort, switch the cases out, and walk out the front door. Hailey asks how he's even going to unlock it and he reveals that he already made a copy of the master key during his earlier visit.

Hailey points out that he still hasn't told her what he wants *her* to do and he tells her that the admission fee to get in is a $20 million deposit in escrow for the duration of their visit. "No!" she shouts, realizing that he's referring to the money she stole in cryptocurrency. He tells her she'll get it right back, and she asks if he thinks he can just use her money. He asks if she's really serious, that they'll be long gone before they realize they've been robbed. He promises it won't go wrong and she curses, but seems resigned.

On his podcast, Morgan Shaw discusses Edward Homm, saying that he's talked about him before but that new evidence has come to light. He continues that James Weir is wanted for his murder, but his source tipped him to footage of a shootout involving Weir as well as someone who could very well be Edward Homm. While the footage is grainy, his source also told him to contact the morgue. He did, and Homm's so-called body was "accidentally cremated" before it could be DNA tested. He states that he thinks that Edward Homm is not dead, that he stumbled onto something really big and had to underground. In the hideout, Homm discusses the podcast with Ben, saying that it's probably not good. Ben tells him that Shaw is a lunatic that nobody listens to and Homm replies that he has 23,000 hits. Ben chuckles at this. He asks him how his wound is and he tells him it'll scar for sure. Homm asks him how his is, but gets no answer. "Just part of the job," he comments, and Ben tells him they're not blood brothers. Homm asks Ben if he really thinks Shaw has an informant and he tells him that it doesn't matter, that they're not where they think they are. Meanwhile, at his office, Crowley preps some agents for an ominous job.

John goes to Hailey and hands her a phone, telling her he needs her to load in her crypto wallet info and make a transfer. She sighs, but takes the phone, asking what if everything that's happened so far has simply been engineered to get her to this moment. "It's what you do, right?" she asks and he agrees that it is. She points out that all she has is his word and he chuckles at the irony of it. He gets up and starts to walk off and the curses, saying that she'll do it. He thanks her and she tells him he should get some sleep, to just close his eyes. He leaves and she loads in her information. He comments to Lanneman that they have about a few thousand square feet if he wants to find his own space, but he says he's not taking his eyes off him. Hailey completes the transfer and sees a message on the phone, "Continue chat?" She enters the Magic Squares app and sees John's messages to Valence, asking if he's there.

Hailey takes the phone to Ben, asking if he thinks John is trying to reach Valence. Ben agrees that he might have a back-channel going and Hailey replies that e-mailing a dead friend is a level beyond exhaustion even for someone who hasn't slept in a couple days. Ben tells her that sometimes John just doesn't think clearly, that he calls it "going down the hole." He says that John needs help, that he should be with him on this op. Hailey tells him she'll keep an eye on John. Ben muses on her going and his not, saying that John thinks he's going to hurt somebody, yet he's the one trying to contact a dead man. He asks Hailey if John told her the plan, saying that he's worried about John too and that if there's a problem with the plan, she doesn't have the experience to see it. She tells him that she sees what he's doing, using reverse psychology to play on her empathy. He tells her he's not playing, that John is his son, but she just wishes him good night.

Kyle and his girlfriend Eliza join a crowd listening to a man railing against the Shared Data Act. Eliza happily joins the crowd's chants, while Kyle just stares. Later, the two are together, and Kyle asks Eliza if she's going to help him. She complains that she's never done anything like this and he tells her she can help or get out of the way. He says he has do "this" for him, that he can't live like this anymore. She sputters, then pleads with him to stay. He pulls out a gun, saying to forget it, that he'll do it himself and to forget about him, that he shouldn't have told her. As he starts to talk out, she screams, pleading that she will help him and to just not leave her. He hugs her, telling her it's alright.

John outlines the plan, that he and Lanneman will go in first and take possession of their new box. Hailey will come in after, posing as a potential client, and by that time they should be in the vault. Lanneman will distract the escort, allowing them to make the switch. He tells Hailey that none of it will be possible until the alarm system is defeated, which will be her job. Hailey looks stunned, asking how, that she doesn't know alarms or computers. John tells her that she doesn't have to, that the weakest element is the human element. He holds up a pen, saying it's all she needs. "A pen?" she asks and he clarifies that it's an infrared laser pointer. And so the op begins. As Hailey takes the tour, she points the laser pointer, causing the security to activate. "What is this?" she asks, and inside the vault, Lanneman asks why the door is closing. John tells the guard that Lanneman has PTSD and is claustrophobic. As Hailey continues to mess with the sensors, Lanneman poses as having a full-on panic attack. As John does his thing, Lanneman shouts about having been locked in a box in Iraq and how he's not about to have that happen to him now.

As Lanneman continues, however, he claims that they killed everyone in his unit in Iraq, shot his whole team. This triggers John, causing him to have a vision of his team being killed by Kyle. As the doors open, John tells the guard that he's sorry, that they should just lock up. As they move to exit, John stares at something in his hand, and a key in the box. As Hailey continues to play her role, John radios that they have to get out, that he screwed up and left a key in Crowley's box and they have to get out before they discover it. "The vault?" asks the man with Hailey and she tells him that they will go see it. She pretends to accidentally set off the alarm and snatches the key. She exits the building, comming John that they're good. "Well?" asks Ben as she gets back in the van and she tells him it was like clockwork.

John exits and Lanneman tells him it was a hell of a performance. He asks him if he knows someone named Pete. "Who's Pete?" asks John and a man comes up and points a gun at his head. Lanneman tells John that this is Pete and to give him the briefcase. Ben curses and goes to John, saying that he knew was going to happen. John tells him to calm down, that it's fine. "You okay?" asks Hailey. "Yeah," John tells her. "The briefcase you walked in with was a decoy, right?" she asks. She outlines that John gave Lanneman the decoy and put the real briefcase back in the box. "Guess I should go back in and get it," agrees John.

Back in the safe house, John holds up a phone for Hailey, saying that he thought she might want to look in on her money. She tells him that he has to hand it to her, that it was black-belt level trust on her part. He agrees that it was impressive, that he screwed up and wouldn't be standing there if not for her. He tells her he's sorry for putting her in that position, that he doesn't know what happened. She says it just proves that he's a human being, one who can screw up, but one who can also ask for help and apologize. "What?" she asks, when he says nothing in response to this and he tells her he wants to kiss her. She giggles, saying that friend once told her that everybody's a sucker for confidence. He kisses her.

John calls Evers and she tells him that he's good and that she guesses he owns her now. She asks what she can do for him and he says it's still the same, that she gives them what they need to find Crowley and she gets her case back. He tells her that they'll text her an address at 3 P.M. Meanwhile, Crowley calls Kyle, asking if he's in position. "Almost," Kyle tells him and he tells him to hurry up. As some men setup with sniper rifles, Kyle tells Eliza that "the master dies today." Senator Evers goes outside for a campaign speech. She calls John, telling him they're going to be a little late, that her people added a stump speech. He complains that he said 3 P.M. sharp, that he doesn't think it's a good idea. She tells him not to be dramatic, that she'll be there, but as she says this, a shot rings out. She falls to the ground, shot in the head, and Eliza in the crowd holding a gun, though the shot did not come from her.

Eliza drops the gun and Lanneman chases, John cursing. "Got him in my sights," comments the sniper and Crowley tells him to do it. As John curses, wondering what happened, the sniper kills Lanneman and Eliza races away. She rushes into the arms of Kyle, waiting by a vehicle. Hailey and John watch the footage of the shooting on the news, the reporter continuing that the Senate Majority Leader has called for an immediate vote on the Shared Data Act, with the polls now showing strong bipartisan support. "Why would Crowley kill his own candidate?" wonders Homm and John explains that this was never what this was about. By having Evers assassinated, Crowley has reshaped the narrative: a bright young senator cut down in her prime by the radicals she promised to protect us from. He has turned her into a martyr, guaranteeing that the Shared Data Act will pass, at which point he will gain access to thousands of data points on any American with a cell phone or computer and can control anyone or anything. Crowley is seen entering the offices of Arda Analytics.

Kyle kisses Eliza, telling her that she did great. He tells her that she's perfect, that he knew it from the day they met. In a European accent, he tells her that they had to scrape so many girls' Facebook profiles in order to find her. A passion for politics, angry and lonely, with struggles with mental illness. But most importantly, someone he could stand to have sex with he says. He tells her she hasn't been on her meds for six months, that he's been changing them to homeopathics. He tells her he hit and pet her to manipulate her. As he chokes her to death, he tells her that his boss said that when he handed her the gun, she would take it because she wanted to and because she loved him. He chokes her to death. "L-O-L" he says. A news broadcast comes on, saying that Senator Evers has passed away after having been in critical condition. Ben curses and the report continues, saying that the shooter was identified as being Eliza. Ben calls it straight of the patsy playbook. He recalls 1989 and the patsy that he and Crowley had set up. As John, Hailey and Homm review information on Eliza Wells, John receives a ping on his phone, a message on the Magic Squares app. "I'M SORRY, JOHN, BUT I HAD TO MAKE IT LOOK REAL," reads the message.

## Cast

### Starring

* Kiefer Sutherland as John Weir
* Meta Golding as Hailey Winton
* Enid Graham as Josephine "Jo" Madi
* Rob Yang as Edward Homm
* Walt Klink as Kyle ("The Intern")

and

* Charles Dance as Dr. Ben Wilson

### Guest starring

* Megan Follows as Senator Nora Evers
* Peter Weller as Distinguished Man
* Matt Baram
* Phil Burke as Ben Weir
* Maia Jae Bastidas as Eliza Wells
* Eddie G. as Lanneman
* Matthew MacFadzean as Morgan Shaw
* Mark Winnick as Young Crowley

### Co-starring

* Milan Carmona as Shared Junkie
* Onna Chan as Crowd #3
* Lincoln Alexander Estridge as Crowd #4
* Ryan Helt as Reporter on TV
* Blaire Johannes as Hunter #2
* Sean James Lee as Harland
* Yael Leon as Crowd #1
* Yvette McKoy as Hunter #3
* Brendan McMurty-Howlett as Hayden
* Brian Quintero as Crowd #2
* Fane Tse as Benzo
* Jeffrey Wetsch as Security Chief