The Blacklist

My name is Dr. Michael Alexander.

I'm a senior programmer at DXE Labs here in Richmond.

I've worked in this position for the past 10 years,

and in that time, I have seen

the worst of humanity.

My coworkers are unethical sheep.

My management team has asked me to lie repeatedly.

Our research team regularly fixes data

to serve the stockholder interests.

Someone needs to stand up to this.

As a man of science,

I feel obligated to right these wrongs.

My name is Dr. Michael Alexander.

I'm a senior programmer at DXE Labs here in Richmond.

I've worked in this position for the past 10 years,

and in that time, I have seen

the worst of humanity.

My coworkers are unethical sheep.

My management team has asked me to lie repeatedly.

Hello?

Our research team... Mike, what the hell is going on?

What do you mean? I'm at work.

- I saw the video. - What video?

What are you talking about?

Michael, just come home to me.

Michael Alexander, put your hands up!

Police! Don't move! I said show me your hands!

- Don't move! - Hands!

Get on the ground right now!

What's going on?

What's in your hand?

It's... No... He's got a detonator!

No, it's just a...

Michael, talk to me!

- Michael? - Stay there.

- Call an ambulance. - Oh, my God.

- Right now. - What's happening?

Please talk to me, Michael.

Details are still coming in, but we're being told

the alleged bomber has been fatally shot by police.

The DXE Labs campus remains in lockdown

while authorities search for a motive in this crime.

*THE BLACKLIST*

*THE BLACKLIST* Season 07 Episode 06

Episode Title : "Dr. Lewis Powell"

Francesca nearly took your life.

And then she saved it. And Dom's.

Dom's not out of the woods.

You owe her nothing.

I want to reach out.

Just tell her there's an urgent matter we need to discuss.

- Elizabeth. - I spoke to Cooper.

He wants to bring Agent Park onto the Task Force.

He already told her about my involvement?

I did.

After vetting a lot of candidates.

- She's a good fit. - I disagree.

Of course you do. It wasn't your decision.

Ah, but it is my decision,

and I have a different choice.

Francesca Campbell.

She's a combat medic, not an agent.

True, but she's talented, and I like her.

Please just consider Park.

I know she seems straight-laced, but deep down,

I feel there's a darkness there you'll appreciate.

This strange incident at DXE Labs.

Oh, yeah, the bombing. Scary stuff.

It's hard to believe someone of Dr. Alexander's reputation

- would do something like... - It's hard to believe

because it's not true. There was no bomb.

He uploaded a confession video before he went to work.

The digital world is filled

with anonymous malcontents hiding behind screens,

conducting all manner of spurious acts.

Their latest pleasure seems to be

putting false words into the mouths of innocents.

What makes you think he's innocent?

Whoever uploaded that video was definitely stitching together

an assortment of old recordings.

Hey, there, Tadashi. Good to see you, too.

I'm pretty sure the opening came from an online speech

Dr. Alexander gave in March.

It's a really convincing deepfake.

"Deepfake." Kids today.

The video's a fake?

Not just a fake. It's an ultra-realistic counterfeit

made with A.I. software.

Whoever did this used a patchwork of old videos,

broke Dr. Alexander's speech down into phonemes,

added to or edited his words,

and then used a perimeter blending program

to synthesize the lower face region

and generate a believable composite.

And you wonder why I insist

on flip phones and dead drops. Honestly.

They rearranged his words? Edited the footage to...

To depict Dr. Alexander saying things he never said.

What about that last part?

Th-The one with the suicide vest?

It's altered footage from a video

uploaded by an activist group in Russia.

I'm telling you... This isn't some amateur 4chan joke.

I've never seen a deepfake this good.

Whoever released the video wanted this shooting to happen.

Suicide by cop.

Or rather, murder by cop.

Dr. Alexander held a high-ranking position

at one of the foremost defense contractors in the country,

giving him access to classified intelligence.

I fear his death may be the precursor

to something far more sinister.

A fake video triggered police response in Phoenix

to a shooting that never happened.

Doctored footage of a Silicon Valley tech firm

caused stock prices to crater.

And a U.S. senator lost her seat

after photos of an affair that never happened

went viral on social media.

Three deepfakes, three examples of malicious hoaxes

that led to real-life consequences.

And according to Reddington,

the shooting death of Dr. Alexander is simply the most recent.

Reddington believes Richmond police killed an innocent man?

Yes. By all accounts,

Dr. Alexander was a highly respected systems engineer.

Happy marriage, healthy children, successful career.

At DXE Labs, he designed an onboard intelligence system

for a new generation of battlefield drones.

Could be sabotage by a hostile foreign power.

Or corporate espionage... A DXE competitor looking for an edge.

Either way, the national security threats are very real.

I need your assurance

the job will be carried out as discussed.

Not a problem. Just send me the details.

Everything will be taken care of as discussed.

Very well. Payment has been wired.

The balance will be paid once the target has been eliminated.

Okay, so, the video was shared over 8,500 times

in the first five minutes alone,

but I was able to trace the very first upload

to an account named Mr.-underscore-Rite362,

but the problem is...

- I'm so sorry I'm late. - Agent Park.

I believe you met everyone on your first visit, except for Agent Ressler.

Oh, my gosh... Yes, Agent Ressler. Hi!

I mean hello.

- I've heard so much about you. - Not all bad, I hope.

No, all incredibly amazing.

The work you did hunting Reddington...

- It was relentless. - And ironic.

Aram's already briefed Agent Park on the details of the case.

Yeah, I was just explaining how the video originated

from the Reddit handle. I pulled the ISP.

Turns out this guy bounced all over the Internet,

hiding his location with a VPN.

Meaning we don't know who uploaded the video.

Not yet, no. Actually, I'm sorry.

That's why I'm late.

- We sort of do know. - We do?

I mean, uh, what do you mean?

I took a different approach...

Ran a search on the username itself

and found that same handle ran posts

on multiple other underground forums.

Luckily, on one, Mr. Rite failed to use a VPN,

so I contacted the ISP directly and sent a subpoena.

Turns out the address was leased to one Aiden McCullough.

Sixteen years old. An address in Bethesda.

I like her already.

Ressler, take Agent Park and pay a visit to Aiden McCullough.

Keen, see what you can dig up on the kid.

In the meantime, I'll reach out to DHS and CIA.

Okay, I'll just, uh... I'll just hang tight.

I'll be right here if anyone needs me.

Yeah, it's urgent. I got it, Dembe.

I'll see you soon.

Hand me the keys.

Put your hands behind your back.

In four miles, exit right.

According to the news, Reddington escaped from prison.

That's a pretty thin story

to hide the fact that you're in business with him.

- Have you read our case files? - Yeah.

Ever think he turned himself in

so you could help him further his career?

The thought's crossed my mind, yeah.

And you're okay with that?

You, of all people, helping him expand his empire?

Why Anchorage?

I read your file.

You read ours. I read yours.

Top of your class at the academy.

Could've gone to any field office... New York, L.A.

But you pick Anchorage. How come?

I liked the weather.

I only ask because it seems out of character.

Everything else is pretty predictable, by the book.

Yes, sir, no, sir.

Family, God, country.