Four years ago, in the bustling streets of Chicago, Illinois, Frank, Luke, and Ruby stood at a hotdog stand, seemingly in the midst of a pleasant encounter. However, as Frank was about to offer Ruby a drink, a drive-by shooting erupted, claiming Frank and Ruby's lives in an instant. Frank held his infant daughter until she passed away, while Luke frantically dialed for help, but by then, it was too late.
In the present, the group faces an urgent situation. Their quest to question Thiago is hampered by a dearth of leads, save for a few snippets from the past. Sidney convinces Frank to join her in a strategic move—to confront Thiago head-on in the cage, seeking to rattle his nerves. Sidney threatens him with uncovering the CIA's efforts to erase his past, a move that would make him a liability and potentially "take him out." All this while, Havlock listens in on their every word.
Despite these threats, Vincent shrugs them off with confidence, vowing to be ready to sacrifice everything for the mission. "Are you?" Thiago challenges Sidney and Frank boldly.
Yet, there's another matter to contend with. Along with the power returning, there are the "fugitives of the week" to track down—Julian Steel and Marcus Ramsey still at large. News of Vincent Thiago's detention reaches Langley, where Bradford is closing in on neutralizing the dead man's switch to a point where Havlock can no longer access the file or trigger it. Once Langley gains access, they will scrub the Archive, effectively removing Havlock's leverage.
The situation with Thiago has spiraled out of control, and Bradford is forced to assert his authority. It is then revealed that Thiago was also a protégé of Sidney's father. With the power restored, the radios have been recalibrated, and a transmission signal has been detected within the command post. When Sidney hears this, she realizes that Vincent is wired, and without checking him beforehand, Sid easily finds the wire.
Sidney initially believes this to be the work of the CIA, until they trace the signal back and discover it's Havlock. However, Frank has a family emergency and must leave, heading back home. Sarah and Luke are present and show off the gun hidden inside one of Frank's books since the Chicago incident.
Frank explains that the gun belonged to a fugitive he had been chasing for months, Paddy Coogan. The police had been trying to arrest Coogan for a long time, but the prints on the gun didn't match his, so they hid the evidence to ensure his arrest. The irony is that despite Coogan's long criminal record, this was one crime he was actually innocent of.
Pissed and determined for revenge, Coogan ordered a hit on Frank, which ultimately led to Ruby's death. Luke is fuming that he has been blamed for this whole time when it's actually Frank's fault. Sarah is in shock and walks away.
Frank's familial predicament remains in limbo, as he is compelled to prioritize the pressing matters at work. Earlier, while tracing a signal, Frank stumbled upon a lead to Havlock's whereabouts—a fire tower in a remote location. En route, they managed to apprehend Marcus Ramsey. However, when they arrived at the fire tower, Havlock had already fled, his hasty exit marked by sloppy work that was out of character for him. Sidney realized that he might be emotionally driven and swiftly tracked his movements.
You see, Havlock desired the location for an NSA listening post that housed a copy of his data. He threatened a low-level security operative to divulge the location, and as he headed to the dock, Frank and Sidney were hot on his heels. The maritime vessel was at sea, and by the time anyone there realized what was happening, it was too late. Havlock dismantled most of the security intel, stole their weapons, and locked up the rest of the individuals. In the archives, Havlock found the files and began searching for what he needed. Bradford buried her head in the sand, unwilling to let Sidney know that the dead man's switch was down—a crucial detail in Havlock's scheme. By the time Sid and Frank reached the dock, Havlock was already on the move.
After grabbing the data, Havlock hotwired a car and took off, with Sid and Frank in hot pursuit via a plane. They played a dangerous game of chicken, with Havlock crashing his truck but being saved from the wreck by Sidney just as the police arrived.
Back at the Command Post, Frank updated Sidney on their final inmate. They had an unconfirmed sighting of this individual in Tulsa, where his brother currently resides. Frank shrugged it off, deciding that this was now Oklahoma's problem. Frank demanded that Sidney be allowed to ride along with Havlock, believing she would be invaluable in assisting with the investigation. Frank staked his neck out for her, giving Sidney a chance to clear her name. The pair developed a newfound respect and understanding for each other before parting ways.
However, this was soon dismantled when Frank perused the old photos they had gathered and remembered Sidney's words. In the photos of Thiago, there was a little girl, and the pieces fell into place. The man standing next to Thiago was Robert Scofield, Sidney's father—a revelation she had known her whole life. This meant that Thiago did not work for the CIA...he worked for Sidney. Sidney had been lying this entire time and pulling the strings. She had downed the plane and was behind everything.
