- Nate and the team investigate a fatal explosion in a coal mine and uncover far more than the negligent practices they suspected.
- West Virginia coal mine owner and CEO, Dan Blackwell (Bruce Davison) took US disaster relief money from a tragedy two years prior, and bought himself a pretty little Attorney General, Debra Pierce. One of the miners consults the team about the hazardous working conditions (methane gas leaks) which caused the deaths of 12 fellow miners and were never fixed with the disaster money. Pierce is standing for reelection with Blackwell's money lining her PAC account. Enter perky Kelly Beth Laughlin (of the Maysville Laughlins?) in the homestretch of the campaign. The rest of the team works to salt, sandbag and sabotage Blackwell. Will Parker excel at the grift? Or, is stealing souls too tiring for a cat burglar?—LA-Lawyer
- A shift changes at a coal mine and one supervisor tells another about a slightly high gas reading. The boss man (Bruce Davison) drives up and tells them to get to work.
Hollingsworth notices the ground shaking beneath him and looks at the mine entrance in time to see it explode in a fireball. The boss man's only reaction is to tell his lackey to call his lawyer.
Two Years Later Hollingsworth meets with Nate at bar HQ. He tells him he lost 12 men in the explosion, caused by a build-up of methane due to substandard ventilation. They just want safe working conditions.
The CEO of the mine Dan Blackwell (Davison) received government money after the explosion for mine safety, but no improvements were made. Nate promises to find the money and put it to use.
Up at condo HQ, Hardison tells the team that Blackwell put all his safety money into the political action committee (PAC) of West Virginia attorney general Debra Pierce. He's received more than 400 citations for safety violations in the last two years and Pierce holds up his appeals indefinitely.
Nate wants to take them both down by convincing Blackwell his mine is valuable. "We're going to sell the guy his own mine," Nate says.
In the mine, a kid named Corey shows Eliot to section C, a rickety unused portion of the mine.
Sophie and Hardison show up as mine safety inspectors and Blackwell has his guy Clark show them around. Then Nate walks to Blackwell's office doing a gentlemanly huckster, complete with bowtie, offering to buy the mine.
Blackwell blows him off and Nate leaves a card.
At the state capitol, Parker prepares to go in.
Flash to Sophie giving her grifting pointers, comparing it to bank robbery. She tells Parker to find Pierce's weak spot.
Pierce (a Sarah Palin knock-off, complete with poofy hair) practices in the mirror. Parker comes in, with West Virginia accent, giving her campaign consultant pitch.
Parker plants a bug and is hired when she volunteers to work for free.
In the abandoned section C, Eliot talks to 18 year old Corey who is supporting his mom and sister after his dad was killed in the explosion two years ago.
Flash back to Hardison prepping Eliot on a complicated gizmo that will allow them to communicate when he's in the mine. Eliot puts them in place and tells the "inspectors" Hardison and Sophie that section C is ready. Hardison pulls out something he says is reading dust and sees a high reading.
Parker settles in at Pierce's, reporting that she's just raised $400.
Flash back to Parker doing office recon, bugging everything and downloading Pierce's computer.
Blackwell's guy Clark reports back on the fishy dust readings Sophie took. They are suspicious of them and Nate's offer coming on the same day.
Sophie meets up with Nate at the diner Clark recommended. Blackwell watches in the corner.
Nate knows they're being watched and says good-bye to Sophie, who is quickly joined by Blackwell. She tells him she's a mineral extraction expert. She says Nate owns land around Blackwell's. She says they're mining a mineral called colten that's used for cell phones and computers.
She says using their process Nate will be able to mine the colten out from under Blackwell.
Parker confirms with Hardison that she planted the forms he gave her.
Blackwell calls Pierce to look for a mineral rights application from Nate. Pierce finds it. He asks her to lose it, but she says she can put it on the bottom of the pile.
Blackwell calls Sophie, asking for a demonstration of her mineral extraction process.
The next day Hardison scans a mine wall and says it's got lots of colten. Blackwell does a surface test in a small vial and it comes up positive.
Flash back to Eliot putting colten dust on the walls.
Blackwell thinks it sounds good, saying maybe he'll be able to lay off some of "these hillbillies."
Nate does research into Blackwell's finances, finding he's given $500,000 to Pierce's PAC. They ask him for $600,000 and Blackwell says he'll give it to them the next day at Pierce's fundraiser.
Nate tells Eliot he can leave the mine, but he doesn't want to leave the miners a man short for the day.
Eliot chats with Corey, suggesting he learn how to work the machines for career advancement.
Pierce checks her polling numbers and finds them way up. Nate wants it so she'll feel comfortable enough to turn over the PAC money.
Pierce meets with Blackwell. Sophie and Nate listen in. Pierce refuses to give up the PAC money and suggests he use the mine's money instead, which would bankrupt the mine.
He calls Clark, telling him to empty the mine and tell the men not to come in tomorrow. Nate tells Sophie his back-up plan: "We're going to convince him you're a lying greedy bitch."
Outside the mine, Nate plans to get Blackwell in the mine so he'll stall blowing it up. He tells Blackwell there's no colten in the mine. Blackwell leaves Clark a message telling him not to plant the device.
Sophie and Parker try to find a way to spook Pierce so she'll take out the PAC money. Parker's recon intel isn't exactly insightful. She mentions a closed door meeting Pierce had with Blackwell but it sounded like they were working out.
Hardison pulls up the sound file and hears them doing it. Just the leverage Sophie needed.
Down in the mine, Eliot looks for the bomb.
Sophie sidles up to Pierce, referring to Blackwell as "Danny." She thanks Pierce for her contributions and mentions something Blackwell said last night, "or was it this morning?"
Pierce checks her account on her phone and sees a $500,000 transfer pending. She thinks Blackwell has betrayed her on several levels.
In the mine, Nate shows Blackwell how they faked the positive test.
Eliot sees Corey's lunchbox and realizes he's still there and goes looking for him.
The walls start shaking around Nate and Blackwell until one collapses and they're both knocked out. When they come to they realize they're trapped.
Hardison can't get a signal from Nate.
Pierce stops the PAC money transfer and tells Parker to get new locks on her door to keep Blackwell out.
In the mine, Eliot finds Corey, who was practicing on the machinery. Eliot hustles him out.
Pierce intercepts Sophie as she's trying to leave the fundraiser, telling her she's moving the money where no one can find it and cops are coming for her. Parker distracts Pierce long enough for Sophie to get away. Pierce calls the troopers and tells them to meet her at the mine.
In the mine, Eliot and Corey run into Blackwell's guy Clark, who picks up a pick-ax. Eliot grabs one and they size each other up.
Trapped in the mine, Blackwell reads the oxygen gauge and realizes they've only got about two hours.
Eliot and Clark swing pick-axes at each other.
Nate asks Blackwell why the intercom doesn't work. Blackwell says all the safety measures were faked and all the money went to Pierce. As Nate's looking for a way out, Blackwell hits him over the head with a board and knocks him out.
Meanwhile, Eliot continues to fend off Clark and eventually knocks him out.
Blackwell calls for Clark and Eliot helps him out from behind the fallen rocks.
Blackwell comes out of the mine and is met by the troopers, who arrest him. Blackwell says Nate was responsible, but they find the detonator in his pocket.
Flash back to Eliot finding the small bomb and turning it off, then slipping it into Blackwell's pocket as he helped him out form behind the rocks.
Blackwell wants to know what caused the explosion.
Flash back to Hardison prepping for the fake explosion with micro-detonators, surround sound, dust spray, modified oxygen meter.
Then Hardison leads Nate on where to stand in the mine before he blows it down around him.
The troopers put Blackwell into the back of their car with Pierce, who tells him they heard everything.
Flash back to Nate fiddling with the intercom and Hardison telling him his comm is back on and they just need Blackwell's confession, then Nate asking Blackwell about the intercom.
Outside, Pierce and the troopers hear Blackwell confess to funneling all the money to her.
They drive off in the back of the car yelling at each other.
Flash back to Parker asking Pierce at the fundraiser about guests wanting to make a corporate donation and Parker reminding her about a different PAC she set up. Then Pierce transferring funds into it.
Outside the mine, Sophie reports that Parker got Pierce to transfer all her money away. "Yea, I nailed it," Parker says, "I'm a grifter. I grift."
Eliot finds Corey outside the mine. Corey asks who he is. He says he was there to make the mine safe. Corey's upset Eliot is leaving. Eliot tells him to stay safe and submits to a man hug.
In Blackwell's office, Hollingsworth meets with Nate and Eliot. Nate tells him the board removed Blackwell and is making him mine supervisor. They give him the $500,000 to help with mine safety. Eliot asks him to look out for Corey, and that has has a knack for the machines.
The miners report for their shift.
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