Original air date: February 13, 1999

Written by: Juan Carlos Coto

Directed by: Chuck Bowman

Jarod gets in over his head when he tries to help a man who inadvertently got mixed up with two of the biggest loan sharks in Atlantic City.

Jarod’s Discoveries:

Jarod’s Occupations: Wiseguy

Jarod’s Aliases: Jarod

Behind the scenes insights and the Creator’s Take

Official Synopsis

Jarod assists a man caught in the middle of a turf war being waged by Atlantic City loan sharks.

Sydney, Broots and Miss Parker fly into stormy weather on their return trip from Hawaii, the location of Jarod’s last pretend.  During the flight, Miss Parker lets it be known that she is anxious to make an appointment once the plane lands.  Sydney correctly deduces that the appointment is with a new love interest.  Parker tells him about Thomas, a fix-it man who is performing work on her house (see episode 3ABP10).  Meanwhile, Jarod stands on a pier, his body wrapped in chains that are hooked to an anchor.  A shadowy figure tosses the anchor at Jarod’s chest, sending him plummeting into the black water below.  As Jarod struggles with the chains, he recalls the events that led up to his dilemma.  It all started when Jarod received a message from Argyle (see “Unforgotten” from the previous season), instructing him to meet at a comedy club in Atlantic City.  Argyle, whose middle finger is covered with a metal splint, borrowed $5000 from a loan shark named Sonny Faddis.  Despite his better judgement, Jarod agrees to help Argyle pay back the money.

Jarod secures the money from Centre funds.  He then accompanies Argyle to his father Benny’s apartment.  He watches as Benny swallows medication to treat his brain condition.  It soon dawns on Jarod that Argyle borrowed the $5000 for his father.  Argyle admits this is true.  He wishes to fly Benny to Vatican City so he can hear the Pope present mass (Benny is convinced that the Pope’s last appearance at Giant Stadium added three years to his late wife Adela’s life).  It turns out that Benny used the money to place a bet with a bookie, as he wanted the Vatican trip to be first class all the way.  Unfortunately, the bet didn’t pay off.  Jarod drives Benny to Faddis’ restaurant.  Benny hands Faddis the cash, but moments later, Faddis signals his underlings to attack him.  Argyle manages to escape, and runs off to Jarod’s awaiting car.  Argyle explains that his debt is still not paid, as he must make good on an errand.  It turns out that casino workers skimming for Faddis leave a duffel bag filled with cash in a particular dumpster.  Argyle’s mission is to retrieve the bag.  Jarod accompanies Argyle on the assignment.  But they encounter trouble when a man named The Cuban pulls a gun on them.

It turns out that the duffel bag in question didn’t belong to Faddis…it belonged to The Cuban.  Argyle’s dog rushes The Cuban and a scuffle ensues.  Argyle grabs the duffel bag and jumps into the back seat of Jarod’s car.  The Cuban fires a shot, giving Argyle a flesh wound.  Argyle opens the duffel bag…and discovers grimy paper inside.  Later, Benny uses his World War II medic’s kit to minister to his son’s wounds.  Meanwhile, Jarod uses his laptop to research The Cuban’s background.  It turns out that he is one of the biggest loan sharks in Atlantic City, second only to Faddis.  Jarod also turns his attention to a key, marked “Orlani 11,” that Faddis’ thugs planted in Argyle’s jacket pocket.  Jarod approaches Faddis and promises to deliver Argyle to him for twenty thousand dollars.  Through Faddis, Jarod eventually realizes that Orlani is the name of a fancy restaurant, and that the key fits a humidor.  It turns out that Benny recognized the name, and decided to take matters into his own hands.  When Benny inserts the key into the humidor, Faddis’ thugs descend upon him.  Jarod intercedes in the nick of time.

Meanwhile, aboard the airplane, Miss Parker reminisces about her last time together with Thomas.  While doing work inside the house, Thomas discovered a room hidden behind a wall.  He handed her a painting that he found inside the room, and told her about his plans to tear down the wall.  But Parker insisted that he leave the wall alone.  Thomas then noticed the initials “CP” on some stationery.  He realized it was created by Miss Parker’s mother…and that she knew about the room all along.  Growing more distant, Miss Parker told Thomas to finish up his work and expect a final paycheck upon her return from Hawaii.  Back in the present, Miss Parker tells Sydney that she deliberately let Thomas out of her life.

Meanwhile, Jarod tells Argyle that his father has been faking his illness.  He tells both men that Adele is gone, but they need not lose each other.  Later, Jarod deduces that Faddis had been stealing The Cuban’s duffel bags all along.  The Cuban had deliberately left the decoy bag to catch the thief.  Faddis had ascertained this, and sent Argyle to fetch the bag, creating a patsy thief.  Argyle, it turns out, was supposed to die at the dumpster, and The Cuban was supposed to find the key on his person, leading him to the humidor and a cigar box fingering Argyle as the perpetrator.  One question still remained: what did Faddis do with The Cuban’s dead couriers?  Jarod remembers that Faddis once spoke of “taking a long walk off a short pier.”  He and Argyle travel to the pier, where they discover the couriers’ bodies beneath the water.  But while arranging a plot to ensnare Faddis, Argyle and Jarod are attacked by Faddis’ henchmen.  When Jarod regains consciousness, he finds himself bound with chains.  Faddis tosses the anchor into his chest, causing him to fall off the pier.  But it turns out that Jarod’s plot was never interrupted by the henchmen: they were deliberately led to the pier, where their actions, and Faddis’ actions, were recorded on videotape.  The footage of Jarod’s plummet over the side of the pier was sent to the police, who would later search the water and discover the couriers’ bodies.  Jarod then informed The Cuban about Faddis’ double-cross, sealing the loan shark’s fate.

When Miss Parker returns home, she discovers that Thomas fixed the wall leading into the old room.  But now, the wall features a locked door.  Thomas gives her the key.  Miss Parker explains her previous behavior, and Thomas kisses her hand.

Meanwhile, Jarod assumes the identity of a monsignor… and arranges for Benny and Argyle to meet the Pope.