Plot

When Reese and Finch discover that their latest POI has connections to Cold War Soviet espionage circles, they quickly learn how covert ops were handled in a world before The Machine.

The next number that the machine spews out is that of Wallace Negel, an ex-German national who emigrated to the United States in 1980. However, they learn that Negel has not made any electronic transactions since 1987, which to both Reese and Finch can only mean one thing: that Negel is an alias and that he is a spy, probably working for the East Germans in the Cold War battle. On further investigation, they do learn his real name is Ulrich Kohl, and that he is an ex-Stasi operative who worked in a four-man team killing East German defectors worldwide. On tracking Kohl, Reese finds his first victim, who was one of the people on his four-man Stasi team. On further investigation, they believe Kohl's current mission is to kill his entire team, who have relocated to New York, and that the reason has something to do with his deceased wife Anja. Reese finds that he is not alone in trying to find Kohl, and that information from that competing force may add another name to Kohl's current hit list. Through the process, Reese also reminisces about the time he was given the alias "John Reese".—Huggo

Finch tells Reese that the machine gave the number of the mysterious German Wallace Negel, who has emigrated to USA in the 80's. Reese investigates in the cemetery, and they conclude that he was probably a spy from East German in the Cold War. Soon Finch investigates old files and learns that Negel is the alias of ex-Stasi agent Ulrich Koh, who operated with three other men assassinating defectors and vanished. When Ulrich kills a man named Hauffe in New York, Reese and Finch find that Hauffe was one of the fellow operatives of Ulrich's team. Further, the killing is associated to his beloved wife Anja, who died in a car accident in 1989. Soon Ulrich tries to kill the Wall Street lawyer Wernick, poisoning him in a restaurant, but Reese gives an antidote to him in exchange of information. Then Ulrich goes to a construction site to kill the third agent, Steiller, and he learns that Anja is alive before killing him. Now Reese has one more name to protect.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

An older gentleman using the name Wallace Negal (Alan Dale) is getting off a train with a younger man Heinlein (Lee Aaron Rosen) following him.

Negel has come up in Finch's machine. Based on the fact he has a foreign background and has made no electronic transactions in 24 years they guess the name Negal is an alias. There is a cemetery plot under his name.

Finch goes to see a shady bookstore owner, Pilcher (Austin Pendleton), who has cold war intelligence.

At the cemetery plot Reese finds German coins.

The bookstore guy finds the real name for Negal, Ulrecht Kohl. He was part of a team that would hunt down East German defectors and kill them.

Finch finds out that Kohl's wife, Anja, was killed in a car accident in 1989. Kohl was never heard from after that point.

Kohl knocks on a door. An old man, (Kent Broadhurst), answers and when Kohl shows him a picture of his wife Anja the man says "It can't be you." Kohl shoots him and goes inside.

We flashback to 2006. It seems we are looking at Reese's first CIA mission. He's working with a woman, Stanton (Annie Parisse), who is explaining the way thinks work. She also tells them they know he tried to see his girlfriend during a recent trip. That is a no-no for him now.

Reese goes to the apartment of Hauffe. The man is dead and he sees marks on his neck that indicate interrogation. On the phone Finch reads off that there were three members of his team, Steiller, Vernick and Hauffe. Heinlein, who is German Intelligence, sneaks up from behind Reese. Reese knocks him out and calls Fusco to give him a head's up that more murders might be coming.

Reese tells Finch that Kohl is seeking revenge on his former team for something, possibly his wife's death.

We see Kohl kill yet another one of his former team members, Wernick (Larry Pine), by sticking him with one of his needles at a restaurant. Kohl also shows him a picture of "my Anja." The man says he didn't know "they" would go after her. Kohl said he was caught on put in a hole but never stopped planning.

Reese jumps in the responding ambulance and gets Wernick to tell him what Kohl us up to before he dies. It was a joint effort between the U.S. and Germany. The team was told if they gave-up Kohl they could have nice lives in America.

Steiller is the last target. Using a pin found on the last victim Reese and Finch out the team must have been meeting at a German society called Volk.

The German Intelligence officer tells Carter and Fusco that Kohl escaped during a transfer. He mentions that Kohl "doesn't exist" and bringing him back a high priority. A German representative comes in with an order from the State Department to shut down the interrogation.

Finch finds the Volk membership roster. He finds a man named Stagans whose credit scores only go back to 1988. Finch calls Steiller (Sherman Howard) to warn him. Kohl walks up just as Steiller tells Finch that Kohl is dead. We hear Kohl and Steiller talk while Reese rushes to the scene. Before Kohl can shoot him Steiller hands Kohl a phone. A woman answers and Kohl looks shocked. "Anja is alive?" he says. Steiller says Kohl's revenge "was for nothing" and goes for Kohl's gun. Kohl pushes him off the roof right before Reese arrives. Reese thinks Anja will be next on Kohl's list.

Fusco texts Reese with information on the German Intel officer's car. Reese pulls a large caliber sniper rifle out of the trunk of his car and takes aim. He hits the car's engine block and the vehicle careens into a fence. The intel officer slips Finch an address.

Kohl arrives at Anja's place and finds Reese waiting. Kohl grabs Reese's face and disables him by cutting off both arteries.

We see that Finch is elsewhere with Anja (Laila Robins) .

Reese wakes up across the table from Kohl who pulls out his needles. He sticks one in a nerve and asks Reese for the location of Anja. Reese flashes back to 2006 when the woman he was with killed two other men.

Carter hears about Reese shooting the intel officer off the road. Finch calls Fusco looking for help with Reese. He sends him an address.

Kohl talks to Reese about taking lives for his country. He tells Reese he has to see Anja.

Anja tells Finch she loved Kohl and he loved her. She fled to the Soviet Union. The Americans found her and showed her photos of what he had done. The Americans stages the accident to make it looks as if she was dead.

Kohl finds a picture of a young woman in the kitchen. He looks through albums and finds her name is Marie. Reese tries to convince him not to do anything stupid. Kohl is right about to shoot Reese when Fusco comes in and distracts him. Kohl escapes.

Kohl finds Marie (Aubrey Dollar). He shows her his gun and tells her to call Anja. Kohl tells Anja that if she meets him he won't hurt Anja.

Reese tells Finch that he doesn't think Kohl will let Marie leave.

At the meeting place Marie tells Kohl her real father died a hero after helping her and her mother get free. He tells her he knew her father "once." Finch and Anja arrive, at about the same time as Reese. We see that Carter, Fusco and a team are also therein the park.

Anja tells Kohl that she felt trapped. She says she was afraid of the person he'd become and asks for forgiveness. Kohl points his gun at Anja and Reese points his gun at Kohl. The camera cuts away and we hear a shot. When we cut back Kohl has been shot. Reese has Finch take the women away. Reese sees that there were no bullets in Kohl's gun. Kohl says he never would have hurt them and was counting on Reese shooting him. He says the part of him that survived was Marie. Kohl dies and Reese leaves just before the cops arrive.

We return to the 2006 flashback just after the shots. Stanton tells Reese to dispose of the gun and the bodies. He seems upset that they didn't even question the men. She tells him the threat is real and "your country needs you." Before leaving she tells Reese that he no longer has any old friends.

Kohl is buried under a different name in the plot he had years ago acquired as a stash site. Reese and Finch note that they will be a similar situation when they die.