You... You all right, son?
Are you hurt?
Son, do you need help?
Hey. Hey.
What's this?
A trust account. For your child.
I... I can't take this.
I'm sorry.
When I was young, I loved fairy tales.
I was always partial to shape-shifters,
who seemed good and sweet
but they were full of unimaginable darkness.
"Once upon a time, there lived a woman in the woods.
"She was neither purely evil, nor purely good.
"She gathered unwanted children
"and gave them a home in which to stay.
"She promised them they'd live forever and a day.
"She changed them into colors, so beautiful, so bold..."
"She cared for them so sweetly, they never grew old."
You know it.
Lady Ambrosia. Ugh, always creeped me out.
I'm more of a Wizard of Oz fan.
You just can't beat a farm girl in great shoes.
Every culture has their versions
of a mythic creature who takes children.
The Germans have Der Grossmann, the Mexicans, La Llorona.
But there are whispers that Lady Ambrosia is not a myth.
That there's a real woman out there,
takes unwanted children and raises them
with the promise of eternal youth.
This little boy turned up out of nowhere yesterday,
and I wonder if Lady Ambrosia played any part in his disappearance.
Missing children turn up.
He wasn't "missing".
He died four years ago.
And he's not the first.
I love Annapolis.
I had a friend who went to the Naval Academy
and we used to go to this little Italian restaurant, Maria's.
On the water, is it even still open?
I don't think we know it. Beside the point.
Anyway, um, it seems like a lovely place to raise a child.
It really is. Um, we've got great schools.
And outdoor activities...
Oh, there's this tall ship, it looks like a pirate ship.
It's in the harbor.
Uh, we take my niece, she is obsessed with it.
Can I be honest?
I like you guys a lot.
And you're probably too polite to ask about it,
but you do know about my past?
Yeah, we do.
All we want is a healthy baby.
And we know that with this process, there are compromises.
I'm sure if we work together, we can come up with a plan.
But I have gotten my hopes up before,
so I just wanna make sure you're completely comfortable
with me being a part of my child...
Our child's life.
Three children. All missing and presumed dead.
Mary Jones died on a family camping trip in 2003.
Jeffrey Childs disappeared from his backyard two years later.
In 2012, Ethan Linley drowned on the Ohio River.
All three were later found alive.
All three had traces of these ritualistic patterns
painted on their bodies.
Were they able to explain what had happened?
Identify their captors?
No. Jones was also autistic, and Childs was blind.
Can you zoom in any closer on the patterns on Ethan's body?
Hang on.
Okay.
They don't look like strokes from a paintbrush.
It looks like finger-painting.
Check with his doctor. If Navabi's right, lift the prints
from the finger-paint in the photos and run them.
Ressler, take Keen to that hospital,
I want a psych eval on the kid.
Agent Ressler. Judy Sickler, Child Services.
This is Elizabeth Keen, she's a clinical psychologist.
She'll be assessing the child.
Well, that might be tricky. He's a sweet boy, but non-verbal.
I understand he's autistic. Is there any sign of abuse?
Aside from a few bumps and bruises, being a little dehydrated,
he got a perfect bill of health.
Hi, Ethan. I'm Liz.
I'm here to help.
Okay, how are you feeling?
How do you feel?
Don't think you're gonna get that back.
First thing he's been excited about all day.
Ah...
I can't believe that he's here.
Ethan.
It's me.
It's Dad.
I just...
I don't understand. Where did you find him?
The cops won't tell us anything.
They're still investigating. But, we'll give you two a moment.
I can't imagine what it must have
been like for them, all these years,
thinking their child was dead.
What is it? What's wrong?
It's Aram.
Apparently two weeks before Ethan disappeared,
the Linleys tried to give him up for adoption.
All right, children.
Who else is excited to celebrate Matthew today?
Everybody!
Yay! Yay!
All right, children, let's stop here.
My little angels, this is where it begins!
We're going to celebrate who?
Matthew!
♪ 'Cause don't you know it's Matthew's day
♪ He'll be safe and always play
♪ Today's the day he learns to...
Fly!
♪ He'll be so happy in the... ♪
Sky!
And then what's he going to be in the sky?
Butterfly!
Beautiful butterfly!
Whoo! Matthew!
Matthew! Bye-bye!
How beautiful! How many butterflies?
One, two, three, four, five...
How many? Can you count them?
Six, seven...
Ten, 20, 30, 40.
So beautiful.
I know what you've done, Theodore.
I know what you've done.
Ethan Linley disappeared on May 20th, 2012.
In the six months before he "passed away",
his parents met with four different adoption agencies.
Ethan apparently requires around-the-clock care.
Medical therapy, speech and language therapy.
In fact, Jeanne quit her job to be Ethan's full-time caregiver.
My cousin has special needs.
The burden it places on his parents,
the way they deal with it is incredible.
I'm not saying it's easy,
but I'd never give up my kid for adoption.
People give their kids up for all kinds of reasons.
Investigators may have talked to
the Linleys about adopting out Ethan,
but I doubt they spoke with adoption agencies.
Question them, see what they know. Get warrants.
There's something these parents aren't telling us.
Number 34.
Hey.
How you doin'?
I've seen you before.
I doubt it.
Yes, it's you. I know, I know you from my spin class, right?
Hot Stuff.
I think you have me mistaken for somebody else.
No, no. You are one kooky little white man.
I'm telling you, when Calvin plays Donna Summer?
Mmm-mmm. Mmm-mmm-mmm.
You just go. I'll tell you.
Now, you know all the girls in the class got a crush on you, right?
Especially me. I think you're really sexy.
Thank you.
So, you wanna get some food after this, Hot Stuff?
Like I said, I think you have me mistaken for somebody else.
♪ Lookin' for some hot stuff baby this evenin'
♪ I need some hot stuff baby tonight
Come on, we can have some fun!
♪ I need some hot stuff baby this evenin' ♪
Forty-five minutes, Glen? Forty-five minutes.
Make it quick. I'm meeting Trudy
for a nooner at the Old Colony Inn.
Vasilia Patinka, former KGB, I need you to find her.
It'll take time. I'm stacked up. Stacked up?
Employee training's always 1st of the month.
We're getting the parking lot re-striped,
I gotta get the cones,
I gotta book the DJ for the New Year's party.
It's February.
Always thinking ahead, "Hot Stuff."
I do not wait for 45 minutes in that petri dish of humanity
unless I absolutely have to.
This is a matter of life and death, Glen.
So is my nooner with Trudy.
As the French say, "La petite mort."
If you find this woman, if you get it done fast,
your tawdry liaisons at the no-tell motel will be a thing of the past,
as I will personally introduce you
to two young ladies you will never forget.
Soft, warm, blonde and willing.
Willing?
Tell Trudy you have to cancel.
Noah. It's Jeanne Linley.
Have you heard? About Ethan? He's back.
You told me that he would never be found.
And now he just shows up?
Calm down. It's gonna be fine.
Calm down?
I didn't work directly with the Linleys, Noah Shuster did.
Could we speak with him? I have to go.
We need to talk. You know where to meet me.
One hour. We'll figure this all out.
Noah finds homes for children who are difficult to place.
Kids with emotional disturbances, special needs, health issues.
That's strange, he was just here.
Do you have a home address, contact information?
Yes, of course.
Client information is privileged.
Not anymore.
They said yes?
Open adoption, you can have qualified contact. Everything we wanted.
It's great, and I can't thank you enough.
Wow. This is really gonna happen.
Um...
I'm sorry. Um, hang on, just a sec.
Liz! Liz it's me!
Tom? Where are you?
Listen, it's all good! I figured out another way to make some cash.
Boys, we're here.
You can celebrate later, we have work to do.
Tell the ball and chain you'll call her back.
What's going on?
All you need to know right now is that everything is gonna be fine,
all right? We are free.
From what?
From Reddington, all of it.
Hey, look, don't make any moves on the adoption.
Tom, what have you done?
I'll meet you at your place tomorrow night.
I'll bring Wing Yees and I'll explain everything, all right?
I got a good feeling.
I gotta go.
I know you like to watch.
You could have called anybody to do the job with,
but you called me.
You need me. We need each other.
Come with me to Zurich, right now.
Gina. I can't.
Freezing out there, hop in.
I'm so sorry about all of this.
I don't need an apology, Noah, I wanna know how this happened.
That does nothing to solve the issue at hand.
What's important is that we come up with a solution.
Now... Now?
Make her go to sleep.
I think Mother hurts the children.
I don't think she turns them into butterflies.
Come up here.
You need to stop questioning your mother.
You let Ethan get away.
Now, you need to help us
clean this mess up. Do you understand?
Sorry, Dad.
It's me again, where are you?
Please call me when you get this.
Mr. Linley. This is Agent Navabi. You need to come with us.
Why? Is something wrong?
Noah Shuster? I don't know who that is.
What's going on? He was the adoption agent
that you and your wife met about Ethan.
The day after he disappeared, $25,000 from one of your accounts
was transferred to his.
That's ridiculous. I never... Sir, you're gonna have to come with us.
I can't. My wife is not here.
All right? She said she was going out for coffee,
she hasn't come back. I don't know what's happened to her.
Now you want me to leave Ethan alone?
He'll be taken care of. By who?
Come on.
You hungry?
How do you feel about waffles?
Ah. No toaster. No microwave, no problem.
No problem.
I know, the whole idea that Mozart'll
improve cognitive skills is a myth,
but they say babies start learning in the womb, so...
On the off chance it'll get him into Harvard...
Oh!
It's okay, Ethan, it's okay. It's just a smoke alarm.
It's fine. Ethan?
What happened? Is everything all right?
What are you doing? Put that away! What are you doing?
Get out! Get out!
One last chance. Zurich.
You know I can't.
Thanks, boys.
Torch it. Call me when it's done.
I want him gone.
He's here for your protection.
I don't want his protection any more than I want your money.
The money isn't for you.
It's very generous.
I can appreciate that it comes from a place of concern.
But it's dirty money and I just don't want it.
I don't need it.
No, but your child does.
I'm giving my child up for adoption.
Why would you do that?
How can you, of all people, ask me that question?
The life I have because of you is no place for a child.
I can't even make a waffle without one of your people
bursting into my home with a gun.
You think your life is too dangerous for a child.
But what is your life without one?
I can tell you from personal experience, not much.
What?
You and Tom agree on something?
He wants you to keep the baby.
Yeah.
Oh, my God, that's it.
The key to these abductions is parental consent.
No child can be adopted out without both parents agreeing.
So, I had Aram look over Noah Shuster's case files.
There were 93 cases, including Ethan's,
where parents considered adoption,
then backed out.
Of those, 16 kids died or went missing within a year of their visit.
Sixteen kids with cognitive, physical or psychological issues.
According to Ethan's father, adoption was his mother's idea.
He was working extra shifts
to pay for Ethan's private school and therapies,
leaving her alone with him.
He was trying to appease his wife by meeting with Shuster,
but he maintains that he never wanted to go through with it.
Well, conveniently for him,
she's not around to challenge his side of things.
No, but she had access to a personal trust account from which
she transferred money to Shuster.
She could have paid him off,
and he could have taken her to cover it up.
I think this Lady Ambrosia is using Shuster
to identify mothers and fathers
who wanna get rid of their kids but can't because
their spouses won't consent.
I searched the National Child Identification Program
and of the prints we lifted, and the finger-paint on Ethan's body,
seven of them belonged to that group of missing children.
We need to find this Noah Shuster
and figure out where this city of lost kids is.
You lied to me!
We had a deal. Two ladies for you, one address for me.
Ladies. The kind that walk on two legs.
Preferably hairless.
I want the address.
You think it's funny? Little dogs?
I thought they'd be a nice gesture. I thought you'd like them.
I don't like them.
Or maybe you're afraid they won't like you.
Dogs are very intuitive, they'll know if you're hiding something.
I am hiding something. I hate dogs.
They're homeless.
I'll call ya when I decide to race the Iditarod.
Yeah, you know what? Forget it,
just forget it, I'll take them back.
Your friend, Vasilia Patinka,
she's living under an alias in Gaithersburg.
1632 South Perry Drive.
What about the dogs?
I love 'em. Taking an early lunch so we can hit the dog park.
These little marshmallows are gonna get my wienie roasted.
You are beautiful, Anya.
It's magical work. Magical!
Isn't Anya going to make the most gorgeous butterfly?
Oh, looks like someone's coming through our door.
We need to talk.
The grownups will be right back.
Help your friends.
It's gone too far.
The FBI came to the office!
If they have Ethan, if he leads them here...
Well, you can't let that happen!
You know, what we do matters.
Unwanted children feel loved here.
We keep them safe until...
We have to let them go.
You took care of Ethan's mother, you take care of him.
Theo says you hurt them.
He knows.
He doesn't know. I can handle him.
Can you handle Ethan?
Oh, no.
Agent Ressler!
20 minutes ago, Noah Shuster logged into the DCFS website.
Why wasn't his access denied?
He searched for Ethan
and in his file, his temporary emergency guardian
is listed as...
Jesus. Call Keen. Get units there now.
Hello?
Noah Shuster looked up Ethan in the foster system
and found your address. We think he's coming for the boy,
Agent Ressler's on his way.
Ethan, I just realized I don't have an extra toothbrush.
We're gonna have to go back to the store. Okay?
Let's go!
Drop it! Okay.
We're taking the boy.
Ethan. Run! Go. Go!
Ethan?
Thank God! Ethan?
You can come out now. Everything's okay.
You're safe now. You're safe.
I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important.
How did you find me?
What you endured most people never recover from.
I doubt I would have.
But you've turned it into a calling.
Nikolai would be proud.
I never blamed him for what happened.
He blamed himself.
The Glasnost Files.
There's something in them I need to see.
That was another life.
One of the bravest men I ever knew was deaf.
Zeeb Pasha.
A communist I shared a cell within a military prison
outside Ankara.
Zeeb and I were interrogated by the K section.
Foot-whipping, hung by our wrists, electric shock.
I was nothing more than a groaning heap in the corner.
Every time our guard passed the cell,
Zeeb would start signing.
His fingers were a blur,
pointing and tapping.
Twisting and swirling.
The same thing over and over, again and again.
And lo and behold, one night, our cell was left unlocked.
Turns out, the guard's daughter was deaf.
And old Zeeb had been signing
"my wife, my daughter, my life."
Six words, unspoken, convinced that guard to let us go.
Such a beautiful language.
Like that girl just then. What did she say to you?
On her way out?
I'm grateful for you.
The Glasnost Files.
I said no.
What if I could give you answers about your daughter,
would that change your mind?
The only thing that could change
my mind is you bringing her back.
But since that's not possible, the answer is no.
I don't care who you have approval from,
I am not leaving Ethan in your care.
I feel like I've made a connection with him on some level,
and that he might tell me where he was being kept.
Where the other children are being held.
You need to say goodbye.
Hey, Ethan.
You're going to go with Miss Sickler now.
And she's going to take you to a place that is so safe.
And you're going to be surrounded by people who care about you,
and no one is ever going to hurt you again.
Okay?
You took Noah Shuster?
Baz did. After he saved you.
What is your interest in this case?
Same as yours. Missing children.
Brimley is in there
speaking to the only man who can tell us where to find
Lady Ambrosia.
I need to take Butterscotch for a walk.
When I get back, I'm gonna need some ground mineral salt
and a corded Dremel drill.
Come on. That's it. Very good.
When I said that Baz saved you,
I wasn't looking for a thank you.
I'm just relieved.
I found a couple.
To take the baby.
Thinking about it is one thing,
but actually doing it, that...
How did she do it? My mother?
Your parents loved each other very much.
The Cold War was hard.
Too hard for your father.
When the Soviet Union was collapsing,
he took you from her.
She gave up everything to follow him.
To follow you.
The night of the fire.
That's what they were arguing about?
Your mother...
Despite what he'd done, she wanted him back.
She wanted them to be a family.
As much as it pains me to say it, he was probably
the only man she ever really loved.
And I shot him.
It was an accident.
Tell me. I need to know.
Your mother was never the same after that.
The man she loved, killed by the child she adored.
It was...
Just too much.
Two months later, she went to Cape May.
Left her clothes on the beach, walked into the ocean
and was never seen again.
So that night, I killed both of my parents.
You were a child.
There should never have been a gun for you to grab.
Looking back, I'm not sure I shouldn't have
raised you myself.
I don't want you looking back with that kind of regret.
Where are they?
They're ugly, then they're beautiful.
Answer me. Where...
Your father... I'm ugly.
Where is he?
He took him. The man with the gun.
A policeman?
Oh, my God. Why don't you have answers for me?
I thought that you made them beautiful
to keep them from being like me.
Look, we have to talk about this later.
Your job is to prepare Anya.
He refuses to leave.
I didn't want to force him and make things worse.
I think he wants to speak with you.
Hey, Ethan.
Can I come in?
So you decided to stick around, uh?
Ethan, what is this?
Ethan drew this? Isn't it amazing?
Look at the patterns on the wings.
They remind me of...
The finger-painting.
That's the same pattern that was painted on Ethan
and the other two kids who escaped.
Same dark edges, same spotting.
So whoever was holding these kids
was painting them like butterflies.
Some sort of ritual?
Feniseca tarquinius.
Also known as the Harvester Butterfly.
Highly localized. Related to a species found in Africa and Asia,
the only carnivorous butterfly in North America.
Carnivorous?
If there is a ritual, maybe it involves this species.
Why would Ethan want me to know that?
Track all sales of this species
of larvae for the past 12 months.
I want a location.
We need Shuster, but Reddington has him.
Keen, where the hell is Reddington?
I believe you abducted Anya Patinka. Where is she?
If that's who you're looking for, you're too late.
It's her birthday.
I don't know what that means.
Lady Ambrosia. She...
She means well.
By abducting children?
We always try to keep our process as humane as possible...
What process?
Anya is turning 12.
The end of adolescence.
She'll be transformed.
We use nitrous. The children are happy, relaxed,
euphoric for their rebirth.
And the other children?
They help prepare for the celebration
while the wrapping of the butterfly child continues.
Where is she?
We call it the Colony.
An abandoned schoolhouse.
Route 2, south of Richmond.
After our son died,
she wanted to save other children.
She turns them into butterflies.
Sets them free
so they can stay children forever.
Okay. This is amazing.
Uh, well, maybe not amazing. I mean, how many people
are in the market for carnivorous butterfly larvae?
Aram.
Okay. I tracked nine shipments in the last six months.
Eight to sanctuaries, wildlife preserves and zoos.
And the ninth?
Exactly.
Oh, Anya.
I know you can't hear me, but...
You're almost there.
You're almost home.
Oh, bless you child.
Bless you.
Anya Patinka.
Where is she?
Who the hell are you?
Her fairy godmother.
I hear it's her birthday, we've come to celebrate.
It's been some time since freshman English,
but I seem to recall that fairy tales about
abandonment, death and witches
are supposed to allow children to
deal with their fears in symbolic terms.
But there's nothing symbolic about this place.
You're a real witch.
I don't know who you are,
but if you don't get off my property
right now, I'll call the police.
I believe they're already on their way.
While we're waiting, how about I tell you a story?
It's about a mother, her two sons and a canoeing accident.
You talked to Noah.
The family lived by a river.
The boys often took a canoe out to fish.
One day the canoe tipped. Inexplicably,
the elder son, the golden child,
the champion swimmer, drowned.
While the younger, the lesser child, survived.
The way Noah tells it,
you allowed Theo to believe it was his fault.
That he was the reason his brother died.
That he would have been better off dead.
They could have died together.
As a beautiful and innocent...
Theo would have been spared all of this.
By "this", you mean the horror of being different?
Is that why you kill them?
I save them!
From what?
I make sure the damaged ones
don't grow up to be outcasts like Theo.
Hated, pitied. No one loves an outcast.
Not even his mother.
I couldn't send my son away.
But when I look at him, I see what these children shouldn't be,
and what they won't be.
Because I see the life I save them from.
I'm ugly.
From where I sit, there's only one ugly person in the room,
and it's certainly not you, Theo.
She's breathing.
She'll be okay.
Excellent. We must be going.
Theo...
You are entitled to, as much as anyone,
happiness, joy,
a mother's love.
Theo, stop him.
Stop him!
Theo, what are you doing? Stop him!
Theo. Theo? Theo?
What? No! Please!
Theo. Theo! What are you doing?
Let me go!
I'm not asking you again!
No!
Follow me.
Hey, Tom.
I'm just wondering where you are.
Give me a call when you can.
Anya?
Anya!
Baby!
I still don't understand it. Reddington's interest in this case.
What does he get?
Thank you.
It just keeps getting worse.
"'How can I get there?' asked Dorothy.
"'You must walk. It is a long journey
"'through a country that is sometimes dark and terrible.
"'However, I will use all the magic arts I know
"'to keep you from harm.'
"She came close to Dorothy and kissed her gently on the forehead.
"'When you get to Oz,
"'do not be afraid of him.
"'But tell your story,
"'and ask him to help you.
"'Goodbye, my dear.'"