Courtesy of CBS
Warning: Spoiler Alert
Thirty seconds out of the gate and we have to see Drew making another attempt to create something with Paige that cannot happen. Luckily, there is a new job and that whole situation has to get shelved.
On the surface this feels like a typical bank heist, but at this point in the progression we know better than to accept anything on the surface. An uncrackable safe as been cracked. This case was brought to Cabe by way of an old Interpol colleague. The last time a case was brought in by an outside agency, we had problems.
As a precautionary measure by the thieves, they leave small metal boxes at the crime scene that run on a timer. When that timer pops, the box opens releasing acid and oil. The acid burns through any DNA and the oil makes fingerprints impossible. Sylvester picks up one of these boxes. The moment he does, our Interpol friend yells out, but she’s too late. The box explodes literally in Sylvester’s face.
At the hospital, the entirely team circles around the doctor. Sylvester is stable but critical. There is a shrapnel situation and he hit his head on the fall causing swelling around the brain. Everyone is concerned but Walter has that Walter look in his eyes where he tries desperately to appear as if he’s not shaken, when he clearly is. Moments before the explosion, Sylvester suggested that aiding in the apprehension of violent criminals is risky and doesn’t play to their strengths. Something that is clearly weighing on Walter. The one good thing is that Megan does her physical therapy at that hospital. She is to be Walter’s eyes and ears at the hospital while the rest of the team focus on the job.
At HQ Walter is in full focus mode but clearly is the only one. Toby struggles to get through a deduction that he normally would breeze through effortlessly. Ultimately deriving to a stopping point where Sylvester normally would have taken over. Toby demands to take a minute, despite Walter’s objection. Happy follows him out of the room. They have a short conversation about the comic book collection that Toby owes Sylvester and levels of grieving. People process things differently. Happy prefers to break stuff while Toby internalizes and displaces his frustrations.
The doctor tells Megan that they pulled out a one inch piece of shrapnel that was lodged in Sylvester’s sternum. Any other landing-place and Sylvester would already be dead. She is able to get that piece to Walter. The piece is large under the circumstances. It also has a piece of plastic that creates a buffer between the acid and the metal. They decide to pay one of Happy’s connections who does this sort of thing. She doesn’t believe “Dirty John” is going to talk.
The plan involves Toby playing up the ‘other suspect’ which he does nicely. A sniveling, wimpy other suspect. Cabe comes in with a scalpel. He goes to Toby first. He makes it appear that he stabbed Toby in the hand. Toby of course plays it up. Dirty John seems all too cooperative now.
Megan sits at Sylvester’s bedside trying to get him to wake up. It’s a little sweet in a strange sort of way. Maybe I’m reaching, but it seems to me that something may be developing that has never developed for Sylvester before. In the last episode, Sylvester had to watch Megan. At first, he was hugely annoyed by her. Then they both began to open up. At the end, she even kissed him on the cheek. In addition, Sylvester is essentially in the brother role for Walter. Which would help the following sentence seem plausible. I think, on some level, Megan may be falling for Sylvester. Nothing strong and nothing even physical at this point. Just a theory, but it could be a positive for both people. When Sylvester gets through this of course. Problem is, he just started experiencing violent seizures.
The seizures were caused by the swelling around his brain, so naturally, that is not good news. Simone (the Interpol lady) attempts to get through to Walter. His ‘Good Will Hunting’ behavior seems to be his outlet. He comes back with “I don’t get pissed”. Eventually she appeals to his analytical side by sharing the pain she’s been going through for 7 years. It does help to at least motivate Walter on the appropriate target.
The next heist is not a bank vault as previously hypothesized. It’s an armored car used to move 100 million dollars in diamonds to a different location. The ‘Ghosts’ the criminals in question were double crossed by a drug cartel boss. The first heist was an announcement. Hoping to force said cartel boss to quickly move the diamonds so that they could intercept them.
The armored car heist was quick and efficient. And done exactly as the team predicted.
With Megan at his side, Walter wakes up slowly. Disoriented and confused he asks where Walter is.
The team is in pursuit of the Ghosts who are on motorcycles. They have a 3 minute head start so Walter instructs Simone to take a side street. Cabe pursues behind and Simone on a route to intercept. They do, and are able to drive one of the Ghosts into a dumpster. Walter jumps out all ‘John McClane’ and gets an elbow to the face. It appears that Walter’s plan failed. But alas, he was able to slip his cell phone into the rider’s backpack. Creating a lo-jack situation.
The cops arrive at the location intended and see nothing. The size and agility of a motorcycle allows them to use ‘alternate’ paths. They are in the sewer. Using that information, Happy gets out and Cabe directs them back towards her. She finds a work truck and grabs a massive pipe wrench. Doing some quick math she strikes a fire hydrant shooting tons of water at them with no time to maneuver. It immediately takes them out. One disadvantage with motorcycles. Two wheels vs four wheels limits control, especially in water. Toby jumps out of the SUV and stands before Happy, who revels in her triumph.
Toby (to Happy): Sometimes you just have to break stuff.
Walter gives chase on the third guy and alleged leader of the group. He takes to the roof, never a good idea. He begins to climb down the wall and loses his grip just as Cabe and the cops arrive. He asks Walter to help him up. Walter is hesitant as this guy is directly responsible for Sylvester’s current situation. When he attempts to help the guy up, he slips falling multiple stories and landing on and imploding a parked car.
Walter keeps on trying to convince those around him that he doesn’t have ‘those emotions’, but the irony is that he may be the only person involved that believes that.
They all travel to the hospital where Sylvester has been awake for a while. Earlier, Toby was broken up because Sylvester once sold his entire “Happy Fun Guy” comic book collection to cover Toby’s rent and Toby has as of yet not paid him back. So, with everyone in the room, that’s exactly what he did. Most then leave to give him time to rest. Walter then asks Sylvester to solve a brain teaser. This ‘teaser’ is exactly the situation that Walter found himself in trying to pull up the bad guy. Sylvester tells him that he would have been pulled over the edge. Even if that had nothing to do with his hesitation. Walter leaves Sylvester and Megan. As he walks away he says, “see you at work”. To which Sylvester does not look pleased to hear.
Sylvester goes into a panic attack over the prospect of going back to work. He is adamant that Megan not tell Walter. Then she promises that they will get through this together. A process that maybe builds a foundation of affection perhaps?
Simone comes around the corner to find Walter. She’s less cold now since she finally can take a seven-year sigh of relief. She then invites Walter to join her for that stiff drink she’s been waiting for. He agrees, and I am remarkably alright with it, for now.
Paige is out on a kind of date with Drew dipping french fries in Frostees (or milkshakes), something I am absolutely against. First, absolutely against Paige and Drew rekindling anything. And as one married to a woman from western Pennsylvania, I am also very much against dipping fries into frozen ice cream based treats. Drew begins to inquire, something I wish he wouldn’t do. Paige is visibly elsewhere, mentally. She claims to be thinking about the team. Drew asks if it’s Walter? She reiterates that it’s the whole team. While I yell at the television, “Yes it’s Walter!”
Walter is out with Simone having that drink, and I’ve got to say I am feeling less alright with this harmless drink. Matter of clarity, I am really uncomfortable with Simone’s intent of violating the personal space rule. Her eyes, lips and proximity to Walter’s face tells me I’m not going to like what happens next. She leans in to kiss him and he is, to my delight, unphased. She offers to continue the celebration at her hotel room. Walter actually does a wonderful job of saying no, but putting the emphasis on his need to be elsewhere.
Walter and Paige separately arrive at the hospital. Where Cabe, Toby and Happy already are. There is an introspective moment when Paige looks up as if she believes this is where she’s supposed to be, with her new family.
