Still recovering from her brush with old enemy Thomas O’Neill, Fiona brings Michael in to help Calia, a recently widowed mother being blackmailed to take part in an insurance scam targeting city funds. Meanwhile, Michael tries to learn more about a dangerous new contact, responsible for the murder of Michael’s former CIA contact Diego, a British scientist’s death in a hotel fire, and a stadium shooting.
At the center of the insurance scam were a father and son who used precision drivers to engineer Calia’s husband’s crash into a city vehicle. Calia’s husband was supposed to sue the city, but with him dead, the ring pressured Calia to sue the city and turn over the money.
Michael needed access to sealed city medical records to learn more about the scam, but Tina, the woman in charge of the records (Tyne Daly) was immune to Sam’s charms. Sam suggested Maddie approach Tina, and Maddie got too close to her for Michael’s liking: befriending Tina, inviting her to the house, revealing Michael’s real name…. This was a juicy central conflict for the episode. Michael managed to infiltrate the insurance scam ring as a driver, but when he was forced to obtain more city records, Maddie was forced to turn on Tina—leaving her soured on the deceptive, manipulative aspects of Michael’s work.
I was glad Tyne Daly had more than a cameo role. This made Maddie’s friendship with Tina, and subsequent qualms about betraying her, more palpable. Tina did seem a bit too innocent and naive, but this accentuated how unaware average citizens were of operators like Michael, Fiona, and Sam. Maddie was upset in part because Tina’s records theft would cost her her job. Upset as she was, Maddie put on a great act as the coldhearted heavy to get the records. Bravo, Sharon Gless.
Michael’s clients-of-the-week still tend to feel a bit superfluous to the larger story arc, but the series would have less flavor if Michael were allowed to pursue the larger story without interruption. It must be getting difficult for the writers to elevate the threat to Michael each season, but his latest contact, legendary killer Mason Gilroy, does seem the most ruthless yet. I look forward to the rest of the season.
