Trama

The team cons a sleazy tabloid newscaster with the story of a government cover-up.

TV scandal show host Monica Hunter's lies ruin people's lives for the sake of her program ratings. Nate agrees to stop her and lets Sophie try 'playing his part' as mastermind, although his coaching remains required. A fake secret military prisons scandal is set up which can then expose her, but she decides not to air it as it fails to shock the average viewer. Another sting is mounted, even hastier.—KGF Vissers

Sophie wants to mastermind this plot to get over her latest bad accent, but Eliot and Hardison remember how her last con ended. The victims want only the return of their good name as the spoils of the con. Monica Hunter, tabloid TV Twinkie (stale) is a joke among the real yellow journalists and will do anything for a story that will command respect for her as a valid news woman. There is neither CIA nor Sydney Pollack...no code names like "Condor." Nate sees the con snowballing, just before Parker flies. Is Eliot really a member of The Council? Hardison gets to play a very Condor mailman.—LA-Lawyer

Monica Hunter hosts "Hunt for the Truth" (think Nancy Grace, but without the accent). She accosts a nice looking older man in his driveway, accusing him of causing a horrible school bus accident. She discloses that the driver, Ray Pennington, was being treated for "severe mental illness" at the time.

At Ray's house, his daughter turns off the TV, upset that he's watching "that whack job." He doesn't answer and she's worried. She runs into the garage to find him passed out in the car with the engine running.

Later, she tells Nate and Sophie that she found him just in time. And that he was cleared of all charges in the accident, which was ruled mechanical failure. She says no one pointed a finger at her dad until Monica Hunter homed in on him. As for the mental illness angle, she says he was on antidepressants after suffering post traumatic stress from the first Gulf War -- 14 years ago. But he hasn't been treated since.

Nate says they can probably get her enough money to pay for the house. But she's not interested in money. She wants Monica Hunter - and her dad's good reputation back. Before Nate can answer, Sophie says they're on the job. She wants to take the lead. He thinks it's about her break-up or need to control things.

But she just wants a new challenge. He gives her the dossier. It's her job. "Now," she says, "let's go get this bitch."

The team assembles in the loft. They take in the news that Sophie is running things, which means Parker will be running the con. Eliot reminds them of the last time Parker tried that and they had to blow up the offices.

Hardison gives his rundown. Monica's show has been tops in her time slot for eight years in a row. It has three parts: incriminating documents, embarrassing footage of the subject and an expert to make it look legit.

If the victim tries to sue the network, she buries them in lawyers. Sophie wants her to go on air with a fake story that will ruin their reputation, forcing her to apologize to Ray.

Nate butts in, mentioning that she has fame and money, what does she need? Respect.

Hardison shows emails that prove every time her contract is up she tries to get a job on a real news show and gets laughed out of the building.

They're off to DC to make news.

BNI broadcast headquarters. Hunter closes a show, asking which of your household appliances is killing you?

Inside, Parker reports via earpiece that she has the pass she was supposed to get. But she was supposed to get caught. Parker has a hard time stealing poorly. She rustles around at the desk, slamming a drawer to finally get Monica's attention.

Monica asks her what she's doing there. She says she's Cindy McAllen, from some podunk news station. That's Parker's cue to leave.

Monica follows her out. Parker spins her tale: someone at the Pentagon wants to meet with her, which is why she was stealing Monica's pass. This gets Monica to ask about the story. Parker says it'll bring down the President.

Parker takes Monica to her source who, she says, doesn't like strangers. They go to a dilapidated apartment. There are photos and conspiracy theory paraphernalia all over the walls. Hardison pops up in crazy hair with wild eyes. Monica opens the door to leave but see Eliot in the hallway, dressed every bit the sneaky G-man. She listens.

Hardison says Guantanamo is being replaced by a network of secret prisons in the U.S. The satellite photos were recently removed, until Hardison cracked the code. He says construction is going on underground.

Parker says a general at the Pentagon can confirm.

They plan to go see him tomorrow.

Monica leaves and calls her producer, saying she plans to steal Parker's story as soon as she has her source.

Sophie tells the troops they need to go steal a general, but Nate doesn't like her delivery, coaching her to make it more of a rallying cry.

In the Pentagon, Eliot intercepts a general coming out of a meeting, saying a senator needs to meet with him and his secretary needs to bring relevant documents ASAP. He uses a magnet in his pencil to grab the general's credentials off his chest.

With the general's office now clear, Nate strides in in full camo gear. Sophie thinks Monica won't notice he's not an older black man like the real general because Monica only pays attention to Monica.

Monica leads Parker and her cameraman to General Mark Chesler's office. She explains to Parker that if he refuses to talk to them, it means guilt and denial means "more guilt."

As they're walking down the hall, Eliot walks by Monica in his G-man gear. She thinks that means Parker's being followed, which means the story is big.

She knocks on the general's door and asks Nate about the secret prisons. He says he doesn't know what she's talking about. Monica keeps the door from locking after he walks away and they go through his office. They've replaced Nate in all the pictures. Parker finds construction memos, which provides the documentation Monica needs.

Monica can smell the big story, and gloats prematurely about scooping the Times and the Post. She tells Parker to bring tin foil hat Hardison to her studio, where they'll disguise him and call him her secret source.

At the studio, Hardison waits to go on air. But Monica instead introduces a piece asking if your nanny is running a call girl ring while you're at work.

Parker ask her what happened. She reviewed her ratings, which show her scare tactic stories do better than her real stories. "Monica Hunter is in the fear business," she says.

Sophie regroups, saying if she wants fear, that's what they'll give her.

Parker calls Monica as Cindy, saying the general called her and there's more to the story. She's right outside the coffee shop. Monica looks outside to see Parker get creamed by a car driven by Eliot the G-man. He stops and takes some documents in a red file off Parker then drives off.

Hardison takes Monica aside.

He leads her to a basement where General Nate is waiting for her. He starts talking about an antidote. She asks what for then adds: "Don't spin me general, I am Monica Frickin' Hunter, and I am on a Hunt for the truth."

He says three weeks ago there was a breach at a weapons research lab outside DC, something got in the water. A virally replicating chemical nerve agent. He says people should start getting sick any day now. She asks what it has to do with the prisons. He says they're safe houses for the elite.

Hardison lays on the crazy to explain that the virus will spread through the water supply. Nate says all the proof is in the red file Cindy took - the one Eliot took off her body. Nate tells her to use her other sources, it's code named "Project Destiny."

Back at the apartment, Hardison explains how he sussed out Monica's sources by comparing them to her stories. He's figured the four she'll contact. He checks her computer and sees her emailing and writes back as one of the people, telling her never to contact them again. They've also hacked her phone to intercept calls, leaving her with just one source she can talk to.

Cut to her chasing down that congressman. She wants the truth about Destiny. Flash to him at a strip club, telling a dancer he bought her a car.

So he reacts by telling Monica she can't ask him about that, it would be the end of him. And then he runs. She thinks the water story is true.

Back at her office, Monica watches people drinking water everywhere and slowly panics.

The Leveragers watch recent surveillance footage of her racing around her office. They wonder if they pushed too hard.

There's a knock at the door. It's Monica, telling Hardison to take her to a secret bunker so they can get video proof. He takes her to an army reserve base as General Nate follows behind. She hands Hardison the camera and sets up her piece. Then she climbs over the barbed wire fence in her business suit. Hardison follows.

Suddenly they're completely surrounded by army dudes holding guns on them.

Back at the command center, Sophie presents the glass half full: at least Monica buys the bunker story.

At the base, Monica is interviewed by an army guy. She says he doesn't have to lie to her, she knows about the bunkers.

In a separate room, Hardison tells his army guy that he met Monica in a bar and thought they were going back to her place. He didn't know it was an army base. "I thought it was a gated community," he says.

Through his ear piece, Hardison tells Sophie to get him out of there. Parker starts to leave, but Sophie reminds her she's dead. If Monica sees her, the whole con is blown. "Damn the con," Hardison says, "I am a black man caught on an army base with a video camera, I am going to jail forever."

Nate's five minutes away in camo, but his badge has already been reported stolen. Hardison gets Eliot looking up info on the army guy holding him, Abbot.

Meanwhile, Monica tries to convince her army guy to let her into a bunker to keep the public calm.

Abbot sits back down with Hardison, who immediately starts reciting his entire history, implying he's there to check him out.

General Nate drives on the base with a gruff nod. He finds the two guys who were interviewing Monica and Hardison and says their base has passed with flying colors by participating in a TV special showing how secure the base is.

After Nate walks away with Hardison and Monica one of the guys realizes he wasn't General Chesler. After giving Monica a bottle of what he says are anti-viral pills, Nate drives off with Monica before they can catch up.

After they get away the army guys figure out that Monica Hunter's ID was real and they know who she is. They call the police.

Nate and Monica go back to the apartment. She's fired up to use the satellite photos for her story but when they walk in, it's stripped clean. Hardison as the crazy dude is gone, too. Monica sees the red file on a table and grabs it. Eliot walks out from the other room dressed in a butcher's smock and looking suspicious. He says he was just cleaning up.

Then Nate advances on her, saying he's a patriot and implying he's in on it with Eliot. Monica fishes in her purse and Maces Nate. Then she runs. Eliot's relieved Parker switched that for water, but Nate's burning eyes seem to show she didn't.

Monica goes back to the station, wild-eyed and crazy haired, saying she needs to go on the air live immediately. The producer won't let her. So she runs onto the stage and interrupts a stock report.

Her assistant brings her a bottle of water, which she holds up, announcing the water has been poisoned. She talks about the elites in the bunkers as footage of her climbing onto the army base plays on the screen. Cut to Hardison, working the controls. Monica ramps up, saying she has the proof. She opens the red file, only to see page after page of "All Work and No Play Makes Monica a Dull Girl."

Police file onto the set, she says they're there to kill her because she knows the truth. She gets tackled. The producer finds the pills and asks if she's on anti-psychotics. As Monica is dragged away, the producer tells the other talking head to go with the story. She reports that Monica Hunter has just suffered a psychotic break live on-air.

Cut to another news channel, where Ray is telling a talking head he's glad to have his good name back. The anchor closes by asking how many other good people Monica Hunter destroyed.

At the loft, Nate brings Sophie a glass of wine, telling her to admit she had fun. She says it didn't really hit the spot. She's a grifter, for better or worse. Nate says she's searching for something. She says she feels a little bit lost right now. He tells her to take her time, whatever she needs, he's there for her.