The opening scene of Episode 3 of The Last Frontier finds a group of fishermen deep in the wilderness encountering a young Caleb, the same kid who bolted from the clutches of the inmates in the previous episode. Meanwhile, Frank delves into the cooler and stumbles upon Sarah's car keys. With Havlock lurking in the wild, Frank rallies his team and sets out to outmaneuver the threat and track him down. They have just under 8 hours of daylight to do it, but the task is far from easy.
Up at the cabin, Officer Hayes arrives to check on Luke and Kira, unaware that they've already left. However, their absence soon becomes clear when an inmate sneaks up behind Hayes and knocks him out cold. The scuffle awakens Luke and Kira, who were napping upstairs. When Luke discovers the intruder downstairs, they engage in a frank conversation, with Luke revealing that his father is a Marshall. Kira, being wiser than her partner, finds Hayes' car outside and eventually stumbles upon the files that confirm their cabin's occupant is one of the escaped inmates.
After Kira shares her discovery with Luke, they try to devise a plan to escape, but their efforts are futile as they're held at gunpoint and forced to surrender. Meanwhile, Frank finds Sarah's car abandoned in the wilderness. Fuming with anger, he calls on reinforcements in the form of Hutch and his buddies. Although they don't find Havlock, they do manage to track down a few other fleeing inmates.
Finally, Frank catches up to young Caleb, who has been brought back to camp. The 8-year-old from New York learns about the dire situation involving his father and realizes the gravity of their predicament.
The chilling testimony of the child echoes through the air, and Caleb's recognition of the inmates on the wall as the ones who abducted his father sends shivers down his spine. He mentions a river, offering a subtle clue as to where their search should lead. Intriguingly, Havlock's chance encounter with the same criminals while supposedly camping doesn't raise any alarms, as he's able to blend in undetected among them.
Unfortunately for the inmates, their journey takes them to a transport service operated by Alyeska Arctic Adventures, where they're in the midst of a six-day Arctic Circle tour. This transport, known as the Tundra buggy, evokes memories of Jurassic Park: The Lost World! Despite the apparent lack of knowledge about the inmates among the staff, it's only a matter of time before they're confronted at gunpoint.
Outside, Frank maintains a cautious distance from Sidney, but her defiant bite reveals her own unsettling circumstances. She, like Frank, desires answers and isn't being told the full story about the prison transport.
As news of the hostage situation reaches our heroes, they assess the situation. The inmates are a raucous bunch, led by the formidable Argento Volpe and his henchmen Edward Porter and Spencer Todd Covington. Sam Barker, the boy's father, is also among them.
In the midst of this chaos, Frank manages to locate Sarah and bring her back to safety. However, when Sidney arrives with her own questions, Frank swiftly sends her away. Although he's at least slightly relieved that Sarah is back with him, there's still the lingering issue of Luke that they need to resolve.
Spencer Covington, the inmate leader, swiftly shifts his gaze to Havlock, who sits casually at his laptop. The radio chatter and heightened activity around him alert him to the fact that Havlock is a "special" individual. Covington demonstrates his prowess by effortlessly subduing all four men and taking control of the rig.
Sarah turns to Sidney and relays her memories of her capture. She understands that Havlock was printing numbers but suspects he has a hidden agenda involving Frank. She believes Havlock wants to control and manipulate Frank.
As Havlock communicates with Frank, he reaffirms his word, but there's more at play. Sidney's XenoGate passcode is also on the table. This code holds the identities and locations of every asset she has developed in the field.
While Sidney ultimately relents, their problems are far from over. Luke and Kira radio in, claiming to be fine (though they're not), before the radio is destroyed, leaving their fate uncertain for the moment.
Sidney reveals that the file mentioned earlier was actually her father's creation. He established this clandestine program in the aftermath of 9/11, but now the program he dedicated his life to is being weaponized against her.
As Sidney strives to honor her father's legacy, Frank opens up about losing his daughter two weeks before her ninth birthday. He blames himself for her loss and is tormented daily by the guilt that this job brings him. For now, the full story remains unknown.
As a helicopter appears in the frozen tundra, Havlock messages someone, promising to "contact at the Bluebird tomorrow." Frank lands and confronts Havlock and the others, eager to negotiate. He manages to save Sam, but Havlock bites back, revealing that he knows about Frank's secret.
As their conversation lingers, Sidney deftly attaches a chain to the front of the transport, lifting them effortlessly off the ground and into the air. Recall my mention of The Lost World? Well, as the inmates plummet one by one, they are promptly rescued by the authorities. The plan unfolds like a well-orchestrated symphony, and they manage to encircle Havlock, only for him to make a daring escape – driving off the cliff’s edge, still tethered to the helicopter. A fierce scuffle erupts between him and Frank as they race toward the precipice, each clinging to life by a thread. It’s a heart-stopping moment until Havlock re-creates a scene from The Lost World and must navigate the glassy terrain.
Eventually, Sidney catches up but hesitates to pull the trigger. Instead, he kicks in the glass and vanishes into thin air. The reason, as it soon dawns on us, is that she and Havlock were once romantically entangled in the past, with him manipulating her to achieve his desires.
Frank soon learns of this revelation and turns to Sidney for assistance. She warns him that this will be a treacherous journey, with Havlock poisoning his family against him. But why is it so difficult for her? The truth is that Havlock is none other than her husband!
