- The team uses a crooked politician's love of baseball to take him down but end up with more than they expect.
- Lieutenant Patrick Bonanno's wife Wendy gets Nate's help after he was critically wounded in a mysterious shooting. The team goes after his only unofficial case, corruption in Belbridge, Massachusettes. Mayor Bradford Culpepper III, is up for reelection. His campaign sponsors include Kadjic and real estate entrepreneur Lionel Gitt - actually Nate. Realizing Culpepper's passion is baseball, he pretends to be building a new stadium for a nearby team he's buying, hoping to be bribed with illegal funds. But the team didn't count on another party.—KGF Vissers
- Nate believes in taking care of one's own. To him, that includes Lt. Patrick Bonanno of the State Police, their "handcuffs" guy. Nate visits Wendy Bonanno (and son, who is the age Sam would be) in the ICU after Pat is brutally shot, finds Pat was always "on to him" and decides the official inquiry is headed in the wrong direction. Pat had an off-books investigation into political corruption in Belbridge; the team is honor bound to take down its crooked mayor. But things are not always what they seem: the mayor has partners. Super Happy Power Go and Lucille give hostages and illegal arms a run for the money ... until Interpol arrives. The two-part episode is directed by himself, creator, Dean Devlin, and discusses baseball and the con.—LA-Lawyer
- Lt. Bonanno meets with two FBI guys under a bridge. He tells them the target of the investigation has the police in his pocket and now he thinks they're getting help from someone in his department. One goes to get a file from their car and Bonanno gets suspicious. He dives into his SUV just as they pull out automatic weapons and start spraying bullets. He climbs out the opposite side of the SUV and gets off a few shots, but also takes a few.
Cut to Nate introducing himself to Bonanno's wife at the hospital as she waits for him to get out of surgery. She tells him Bonanno had figured out Nate was the one tipping him off sometimes. She doesn't know what cases he was working on. Nate turns to leave but she's their son waiting nearby. He thinks of his own son, whose death set Nate on is do-gooding path.
Cut to Nate in the bar HQ. He leaves Sophie a fourth message asking her to come back. Then he does a shot and calls again, rambling that she's wasting her time trying to figure out who she is.
Tara comes for Nate and downs his shot to keep him from doing it.
Upstairs, the Leveragers aren't exactly thrilled at Nate's plan to get involved with police. Eliot reports that whoever shot him was using military grade weapons. Nate rails against their reluctance, saying "if we don't settle the score on this, why do we do this?"
Hardison pulls up Bonano's current files, including a car theft ring. But Nate's interested in a public corruption case with few files. From the crime scene, Nate deduces Bonanno knew his attackers because he met them in a remote location. Hardison looks up the target of the investigation and suggests again that they take a pass.
Cut to Nate and Tara at a fundraiser for Brad Culpepper III, the mayor of Belbridge. He gives a rousing campaign speech that mentions a waterfront development in his bid for a third term.
Via earpiece, Nate tells the team to gather info on Culpepper.
Hardison and Eliot suit up to go into a house. Parker pouts on a rooftop that she never gets to do anything fun. Then she turns and swan dives off an office building.
Nate is introduced to the mayor as a developer and Tara is a PR flak from New York. A man (Paul Blackthorne) sitting with the mayor takes note that they're doing background checks on donors.
Hardison and Eliot go to Bonanno's house, saying they're from the crime lab, they're to check it out. The cop out front says he's just housesitting and they bully their way in.
Culpepper chats up Tara and Nate, mentioning his grandfather and father were mayors before him. They got his attention with the maximum donation.
Parker's snooping in the mayor's office is interrupted by an aid. Tara feeds Parker a story to tell about the mayor having knocked her up which gets the aid to leave her alone in the office again.
Nate and Tara learn that the mayor was briefly in the major leagues. He tells them Belbridge is a pro-business city.
Eliot finds a file taped under a drawer with Bonanno's investigation notes in it. He was looking into Kirsch Industries, which was buying up property on the water front. Parker finds a file with Kirsch on it. It's based in the Caymans. They assume it's a front company for the mayor, for the waterfront park. Parker reports that there are baseball bats all over the office and that gives Nate an idea. He and Tara cut short their chat. Nate announces they're taking a field trip.
Cut to a ballpark in a nearby town. Tara doesn't think Culpepper seems like the type who'd order a hit. Eliot is puzzled by a page in Bonano's notes that says "Maltese Falcon."
Nate arrives and announces they're going to steal the ballpark, then the team.
The mayor gets a call from his guy (Blackthorne) reporting that Nate and Tara are taking pictures of the waterfront.
Nate lays out his plan for Tara. He wants to let the mayor think they're going to build a ballpark on his land, ask him for a bribe and then bust him when he gives it. They think whoever shot Bonanno will flip when the mayor comes down.
Tara wants to know how they're going to convince him they're building a ballpark with no team to play in it.
Back to the ballpark, where Eliot introduces himself to the manager as the new catcher. He says he was personally hired by the owner to spy on the team.
Flash back to Hardison building Eliot's baseball bona fides, including a Japanese commercial for an energy drink. Eliot says there's just one problem -- he doesn't like baseball, or any sport where you can't score on defense.
Back at the ballpark, the manager and team slowly begin to panic as Eliot reports the owner told him not to sign a long-term lease.
Eliot takes a few cuts in BP and kills it, seeming to enjoy baseball after all.
Back at the loft, Hardison calls a sports show to ask about the rumors the Beavers are leaving town. Then he calls again using another voice and Parker does the same.
Nate and Tara wait outside city hall, pleased that the rumors have picked up steam. The mayor runs over to talk to them. As he chats to them his aid swaps out blue prints.
Back in his office, Culpepper is thrilled to see it's a ballpark. He thinks it can be his legacy. He remembers reading the rumors about the Beavers leaving Palmerston.
Cut to the ballpark. Eliot's behind the plate and Tara and Nate are sipping champagne with the owner in his box.
The team conferences on the mound, asking Eliot if the rumors are true. He says they are.
Culpepper visits Nate and Tara in the owner's box and Nate steps out to talk to him. Culpepper tells him he wants the park in Belbridge but Nate says he likes another city's incentives better. Culpepper says he'll write him a check for $250,000 the next day.
Nate calls the team to leave, but Eliot's at the plate and 3 for 4 and not going anywhere.
Back at the bar HQ, Eliot's high on his baseball accomplishments. Culpepper calls Nate to tell him there's a slight change of plans, he'll be getting cash instead. He says his partners wants in an are fronting the cash. He gives Nate a location.
We see the same guy (Blackthorne) from before along with two no-necks. He tells the nervous mayor it'll be a good thing, he just has to keep the heat off them a little longer.
The team isn't happy about the change. If it's not a check they can't tie it to the mayor's campaign fund and bust him. And Eliot doesn't like the idea of meeting at the waterfront. They're all hesitant, but Nate talks them into it.
Eliot and Hardison arrive at the waterfront, claiming to be from Homeland Security. One of the security guards recognizes Eliot as the baseball player. Hardison looks around the security booth and thinks something isn't right.
Meanwhile, Nate and Tara walk into a huge warehouse. The mayor meets them. Parker walks under the dock and sees guys with automatic weapons unloading something. The boxes say soybeans on them, but are padlocked.
Tara asks the mayor where his partners are. He tries to get them to go over the terms of their deal.
Hardison examines the security system and realizes it's not anything like the $20 million Culpepper claimed to have spent on the port for security upgrades. Parker opens a box down below and reports the beans are made of guns, and hand grenades.
Tara and Nate turn to leave when the team all gets feedback in their ear pieces. Nate frisks the mayor and comes up with a wire, then the mayor starts saying "jungle monkey" -- which they recognize as a code word.
Out front, Hardison and Eliot hear sirens. The FBI is closing in.
Tara and Nate are surrounded. Parker, Eliot and Hardison regroup and put on FBI jackets to blend in, not quite sure what to make of the fact Culpepper is an FBI snitch.
Hardison scans for a cell phone and calls an agent. He tells the agent in charge that if they come in they'll kill the hostages. The FBI stands down for the moment.
Inside the warehouse, Tara says Culpepper being a snitch explains why he never got arrested. Nate mentions the name Bonanno and Culpepper says he knew that would come back to haunt him. Nate knocks the mayor over and picks up a wrench, telling him Bonanno had a family.
But he realizes they're stuck and lets him go. The team decides to make sure of the grenades, but they need a detonator and somewhere to put them.
Hardison realizes his van is about to be sacrificed.
Nate calls the agent and says they're releasing a hostage. Culpepper comes out and Hardison drives his van near the warehouse where it explodes in a huge ball of fire.
The FBI agent checks with her team and someone reports that the other agents took the other hostages.
Flash to Nate and Tara coming out different warehouse doors with blindfolds and the Leveragers picking them up in a car and driving off.
Hardison is angry at Nate, saying he screwed up and cost him his van. But he gets in the car and they race off.
The FBI agent talks to the mayor, angry at him for letting Tara and Nate get away. She threatens to break their deal, saying that now she has no way to find them. Zoom up close to James Sterling, Nate's old nemesis.
To be continued....
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