In the sixth episode of "The Last Thing He Told Me," Owen, alias Ethan, finds himself transported back to a pivotal moment in 1999, where he chance encounters his girlfriend Katherine during a brief respite from his diner job. As they embark on a drive together, Katherine shares her aspirations for tackling the LSAT exams, her eyes gleaming with determination.
However, their idyllic journey is abruptly halted by the unfortunate occurrence of a flat tire. This unforeseen incident prompts Katherine to reach out to her father, Nicholas, for assistance. Owen, still bearing the lingering aroma of the diner on his clothes, can't shake off a sense of apprehension about meeting Katherine's father for the first time. Katherine, sensing his discomfort, tries to reassure him with a comforting smile.
Upon receiving Katherine's call, Nicholas swiftly arrives to lend a helping hand in fixing the flat tire. He gently ushers Katherine into his car, instructing her to wait comfortably while he and Owen attend to the matter. During their conversation, Nicholas engages Owen in light-hearted banter, punctuated by probing paternal inquiries about his intentions towards Katherine.
With his inherent charm and a shared empathy for those starting from humble beginnings, Nicholas portrays himself as a paragon of virtue, casting prosecutors in a sinister light. Owen, opening up under Nicholas's charm, reveals his yearning to escape Texas and explore the vast world beyond. In response, Nicholas counsels him to reconsider, his voice tinged with wisdom.
Upon returning to the Marshall's office, Grady fills Hannah in on the enigmatic figure of Nicholas Bell and the formidable challenges they faced in uncovering his clandestine activities, despite his ostensibly clean record. Owen had previously furnished incriminating evidence against eight high-ranking members of the Campanos organization, Nicholas among them, forcing him to flee Austin with his daughter Bailey and adopt new identities. The revelation of The Shop's fraudulent records had sent shockwaves, and Owen, recognizing the impending peril, had made the prudent decision to depart.
Hannah finds herself questioning the reasoning behind Owen's decision to remain silent about Avett's misconduct, despite having uncovered it. Grady hypotheses that Avett might have been leveraging some deep-seated secret from Owen's past, effectively blackmailing him and silencing his voice against the inflated figures. Instead of confronting Avett directly, Owen opted to adopt a more covert approach, sneaking his discoveries to Grady through a discreet phone notepad.
However, Hannah's mind remains troubled by Bailey's abrupt disappearance. She feels an urge to personally embark on a search mission for her, but Grady reassures her that a member of their team will eventually track her down. Furthermore, returning home is now out of the question for them.
Grady delves deeper into the predicament Owen is facing with Hannah. Owen had courageously handed over substantial evidence of Nicholas' organized criminal activities to the federal authorities. But due to the vast and intricate web of the mob, its members managed to slip through the legal noose with remarkable ease, while those who dared to expose their dealings faced threats or even death. Being an integral part of Nicholas' inner circle, Owen found himself ensnared in these perilous waters.
Grady elaborates on how Nicholas used his magnetic charisma to manipulate Owen. Under Nicholas' powerful sway, Owen unwittingly disclosed some of his own strategies for evading detection. He even went ahead to devise an encryption system, intended to safeguard Nicholas' conversations pertaining to illicit matters. Nicholas, however, was hesitant to betray Owen, and Owen, in turn, refrained from reading the encrypted messages until Kate's tragic demise, which subsequently triggered a cascade of chaos.
Owen believed that the Campanos were behind Kate's murder, despite their denial. This led him on a mission to implicate Nicholas and other members of the organization, holding them fully accountable for her untimely death. As a result, Nicholas was sentenced to six years in prison for not turning against his cronies.
In the present scenario, Grady urges Hannah and Bailey to join WITSEC, due to an information leak that had previously hindered Owen and Bailey's enrollment. Being a junior then, Grady was powerless to assist them. But now, armed with authority, he intends to provide them with new social security cards and identities, paving the way for a fresh start.
Hannah voices her objections, hinting that Owen might have harbored the intention for her and Bailey to remain confined to the safety of their home. Grady elucidates that by venturing to Austin and potentially drawing Nicholas Bell's attention, Hannah inadvertently disrupted their meticulously laid plans. Yet, she is distressed by the magnitude of Bailey's life transformation and puzzles over Owen's silence regarding their precarious circumstances.
Bailey steps into Andrea Reyes' abode, her presence immediately acknowledged by the latter. As Bailey's phone battery dwindles to its last breath, Andrea extends a warm invitation inside. Nicholas is promptly informed of Bailey's unexpected visit to Andrea's sanctuary. During their conversation, Andrea unravels the tale of her mother Katherine's bond with Owen and their compelled exit from Austin, shadowed by an intricate dilemma. She further divulges Owen's suspicion towards Nicholas in connection with Kate's tragic demise. Andrea then unveils a treasure trove of old photographs and her wedding video, in which Bailey catches a glimpse of herself intertwined with Kate and her extensive family.
Through a secure communication line, Hannah reaches out to Jules, urging her to connect with Bailey's friend, Bobby, to ascertain her whereabouts. Jules ventures to Bobby's residence but returns empty-handed. Hannah personally engages with Bobby, eventually uncovering that Bailey had disclosed Andrea's address to him. Grady, armed with this information, speeds his team to Andrea's place, outpacing Nicholas' men.
In the office, Hannah immerses herself in preparing her WITSEC documents. She inquires about Owen's will and the identity of Bailey's designated guardian through Jules, discovering that the role has been bestowed upon her. This revelation instills a profound sense of duty within Hannah, prompting her to contemplate a bold step that could dramatically reshape their futures.
Concurrently, an officer informs Hannah of their successful contact with Bailey. Hannah subtly advises Bailey to place her trust in her and keep the impending action under wraps.
Bailey arrives to find Hannah's absence, as Hannah makes her stealthy way to The Never Dry bar. She meets Charlie, expressing her earnest desire to converse with Nicholas. The episode concludes on this tense exchange, leaving viewers to decipher that Hannah's daring decision might have been deeply influenced by Owen's confidence in naming her as Bailey's guardian.
