Previous recap: Ambush (November 9)
Following recap: Intel (November 30)
As a downed power line sparked overhead, David rushed to Victoria's side and called her name. He realized she wasn't breathing, and he instructed Emily to call 9-1-1, but Emily stood in the doorway and seethed. David repeated his request to call for help as he administered CPR, and Victoria gasped for breath. A relieved David ordered Emily to give him the phone, and he called for an ambulance.
Emergency technicians loaded Victoria into an ambulance, and David assumed that Emily hadn't helped because she'd been scared. Emily clarified that she hadn't been afraid, but Victoria hadn't deserved any help. David argued that Victoria had been in need, and Emily retorted that she'd been in need her whole life, but he'd let his daughter suffer by doing nothing. An EMT asked if David would be joining them, and Emily pleaded for a response, but David chose to board the ambulance instead.
Daniel raced after Margaux in the hotel lobby, but she ranted that she'd been the target of a jealous mental patient because he hadn't been able to keep it in his pants. He conceded that he'd let things go too far to keep Louise as a client, and Margaux snapped that she couldn't believe she'd let herself fall in love with him. Daniel grappled for a response and swore that he could do better, but Margaux walked away. Louise spotted Margaux and sweetly extended an invitation to her room for martinis and girl talk, but Margaux hissed that she was onto Louise's game. Margaux accused Louise of locking her in the steam room on purpose, but Louise pointed out that Margaux had no proof. Margaux realized that Louise was willing to go to great lengths to be with Daniel, and she warned that Louise had made an enemy out of her.
Nolan chugged a drink at the yacht club bar, and Jack said he'd been looking everywhere for Nolan, who divulged that he'd voluntarily incapacitated his phone. Jack reported that Vince had possessed the knife that had been used to kill Conrad, and he thought that the guy had clearly been framed. Jack asked if Emily had killed Vince, and Nolan admitted that Emily had only planted the knife, but Charlotte had killed Vince in self-defense. Jack worried that they all could get burned if Emily hadn't covered her tracks, and Nolan speculated that all their problems would be solved if Emily simply told her father the truth.
Emily engaged in a vigorous training exercise, and Nolan informed her that he had good news and bad news. He reported that Victoria was still alive, and Emily asked for the good news. Nolan revealed that Victoria was sedated, so Emily could talk to her father with no interference, but Emily countered that David didn't want to talk to her. Nolan thought that Emily could explain why she'd refused to help Victoria, but Emily huffed that there was no explanation for David's photos. Nolan advised that Emily had a second chance to win her father back, but she had to do it calmly and soon, before Victoria's black heart started ticking on its own again.
Louise breezed into the hospital with a bouquet of flowers, and she told a security officer that Victoria was her dearest friend. The officer asked if Louise was family, and Louise thrust the flowers at him and instructed him to give them to Victoria on her behalf. Louise envisioned her mother complaining that Louise hadn't given her flowers when she'd been in the hospital, but her mom noted that Louise had put her there. Louise's mother suggested that Louise find a way to Daniel's heart, and she mentioned that Louise's daddy hadn't been able to stand the sight of her until she'd been pregnant with Louise's brother. Louise questioned how she was supposed to get pregnant if Daniel wouldn't sleep with her, but her mom advised that it only took one time.
Daniel headed back to his room after a workout, and the concierge handed Daniel a handwritten note. Daniel excitedly rushed to his room and heard the shower running, and he amorously remarked that someone had started without him. He stripped and got into the shower, but he found it empty. A woman entered, closed the shower door, and began to caress his chest from behind. He turned and was stunned to see Louise, who playfully asked who he'd been expecting.
Daniel stormed out of the shower, and Louise reasoned that she'd thought he'd wanted to blow off steam after his quarrel with Margaux. He pointed out that Louise had written the note on Lemarchal stationery, and he threatened to make sure she was sent back to the institution. Louise admonished him for judging her after she'd been the only person to give him the time of day, but he contended that it didn't excuse her actions. Louise ranted that he had no idea how good he had it, and she called him a "stubborn bastard" who wouldn't even visit his sick mother in the hospital. Daniel ordered Louise to get out, and she sobbed as she grabbed her clothes.
Nolan entered the yacht club bar, and the bartender promptly quit. Nolan offered to negotiate terms, but the bartender asserted that based on what he'd seen on television, Nolan's money wasn't his own. Patrons started to leave, and Margaux faced off with Nolan and threatened to use her publications to expose what had happened in the steam room unless he hacked into Louise's sealed criminal record. He protested that he liked Louise, but Margaux called Louise a violent psychopath who needed to be locked up. Nolan contended that any enemy of Margaux's was a friend of his, and he refused to make a deal.
Later, Nolan encountered Louise at the bar, and he remarked that she looked like she needed cheering up. He revealed that he'd followed her advice to take what he wanted, and he'd purchased the club. She commented that getting what one wanted was easier said than done sometimes, and not everything could be bought, but she was glad he'd found a slice of happiness. Nolan replied that as owner of the club, his happiness was contingent on hers, and he wondered how many drinks it would take to make him good at his job.
Nolan asked Louise what she liked best about being a "southern Kennedy," but Louise quipped that her mother definitely hadn't been Jackie O. Nolan pointed out that Louise's brother was Congress' golden boy, and she noted that most people believed what they read, but she went with her gut, which was why she didn't believe that Nolan was a bad guy. She excused herself to go to bathroom, and he accidentally jostled her tablet computer and spotted the doctored photos of Louise and Victoria. Nolan groaned and wondered why he couldn't find a normal friend.
At the police station, Ben crowed that Jack's partner was the man who'd found Conrad's murderer, and Jack joked that Ben needed a moustache in order to be called "Magnum." A senior officer introduced them to Kate Taylor, an FBI agent who was following up on Conrad's case. Ben asserted that he was the most familiar with the case, but Kate wanted Jack to guide her through it, since he had history with the major players. Ben sarcastically mumbled his congratulations to Jack.
Jack reported to Kate that Vince had served time for possession of a deadly weapon and that Vince had paid his rent in cash. Kate asked about Vince's phone, and Jack said that it was a burner phone from which Vince had deleted the history. Kate theorized that the phone could have been planted, and she stared at security footage from a parking lot where the car that had been used to try to kill David had been stolen. She spotted a tattoo on the thief's hand, and Jack concluded the same man who had killed Conrad had also tried to take out David.
At the hospital, Emily covertly tried to examine Victoria's records, but a security officer asked if he could help her. She said she was there to see Victoria, and he informed her that only family was allowed. David approached and informed Emily that the next few hours would be critical, but Victoria should recover, although he wasn't sure whether that was what Emily wanted. David recalled that Emily purposefully hadn't called for help, and he said that the Amanda he remembered had cared about every living creature. David understood that he was no longer the man he had been, and he suspected that life had hardened Emily, too.
Emily contended that David had no idea what she'd been through because of what Victoria had done, and she said that Victoria had taken everything from her and that Victoria was lying about it. David countered that Emily was also lying by pretending to be someone else, and Emily defended that she'd done it to punish the people who'd hurt him. Emily insisted that she would have done anything for the father she'd lost, but she recognized that David was no longer that man, since he'd been alive the whole time. David swore that he hadn't taken the photos, and Emily asked who had, but Victoria suddenly flatlined. The doctors rushed in, and Victoria covertly released her hold on one of her medical tubes.
A doctor informed David that Victoria was stabilizing, and Victoria dazedly mused that David had saved her life. Kate asked for a moment of David's time, and Emily watched as orderlies wheeled Victoria away for tests. Kate disclosed that she was there about Conrad's murder, since the FBI had discovered the body of a man who'd had a knife containing Conrad's DNA. Kate showed David a photo of Vince's body and said that the FBI believed it was the same man who had tried to run David down, and David flashed back to Vince threatening him with photos of Amanda and Carl. David fibbed that Vince didn't look familiar, and Kate wanted to place David in protective custody, but David insisted on staying at the hospital while Victoria recovered.
Jack spotted Emily and pulled her aside, and he informed her that the FBI was investigating Vince's overdose. Emily mentioned that she'd seen Kate talking to David, but she thought that the authorities would be happy to close the case as soon as possible. Jack was surprised when Emily revealed that she'd told David the truth, but she and David had been interrupted. She added that there was still a lot she didn't understand, but it had been a start. Kate called to Jack, and Emily watched as Kate told Jack that Vince appeared to be the perpetrator in Conrad's murder. Kate said that she owed Jack a drink, and Jack locked eyes with Emily as he left with Kate.
Emily confronted David about who had taken the photos of Amanda and how he'd obtained them, and he accused Emily of stealing them from his safe deposit box and taking his knife. Emily conceded that she'd led the authorities away from him, since she was a daughter who would do anything to protect her father. He reminded her that he'd written the journals to implore her to forgive, but she pointed out that he'd also detailed every person who'd helped to destroy him, and he'd killed Conrad. Emily admonished him for taking Victoria's word over hers when Victoria had stolen Emily's life away, and she asserted that she'd dedicated her life to clearing his name, but David snapped that he'd never asked for her help. Taken aback, Emily rushed out, accidentally dropping a crumpled photo of her and David.
Over drinks, Jack told Kate about the fire at the Stowaway, and he mentioned that the bar had been his childhood home. She replied that she'd had no roots for a long time, but she'd dreamed about being close to the ocean, so she'd selfishly hoped Conrad's case would last the whole summer. Jack jumped up to stop a bar scuffle, and a drunken Ben sarcastically declared that it was Detective Porter to the rescue. Ben testily asked if Jack was on a date or if the FBI had already made Jack a job offer, and he raged that he'd been busting himself for years, whereas Jack had only been on the force a short time. Jack argued that he'd never wanted the case or the reminder of the man who'd taken his family away. Jack advised that there would be other cases, and he warned Ben to back off or risk losing his badge.
Emily sat on the porch swing at the beach house, and Daniel approached and remarked that he had a feeling of déjà vu. Emily reminded him of their deal to stay out of one another's business, and he swore that he didn't want to fight. He admitted that he'd felt guilty about not visiting his mother, but he'd only made it as far as the beach, and his curiosity had gotten the best of him when he'd seen Emily. He jokingly asked if she'd been crying because Victoria had survived, but he realized that she was upset because she'd told David the truth. Emily ranted that she'd expected to have a chance with her father, but David didn't have the guts to stand up to Victoria. Daniel scoffed at the idea that Emily was giving up, and he called it a waste that she'd put Daniel "through hell" for nothing.
David sat at Victoria's bedside, and he asked what she remembered about the prior night. She recalled that he'd noticed she'd been wearing the earrings he'd given her, but an angry Emily had arrived. David clarified that Emily was really his daughter, and he demanded to know if Victoria had been aware of Emily's true identity. Victoria stated that she'd never been able to see David in the eyes of the girl who'd claimed to be Amanda, so she'd arranged a DNA test, but Emily had changed the results in order to prolong the lie. Victoria contended that Emily had attacked her and locked her up when she'd confronted Emily about the truth, and she whimpered that she'd been terrified that if she'd told him or anyone else, Emily would lock her away again. David told Victoria to get some rest.
In the hospital parking lot, Emily spotted a surveillance photo of David inside a parked car. Meanwhile, two men barged into Victoria's room and demanded that David go with them. David tried to fight them off, but they threatened to kill Victoria if David resisted. David pleaded with them not to hurt Victoria, and Emily burst in and attacked the men while David set off an alarm. The men ran off, and Emily whispered that she'd never been there before she dashed away. Security personnel entered and asked David what had happened.
Later, David summoned Emily to the parking lot, and she said that he owed her an explanation. David revealed that a rival of Conrad's had spun the story about the prison stabbing to sneak David out, and the man had asked him to do terrible things, but David had refused until the rival had shown him photos of the girl he'd thought was his daughter. David continued that the rival had threatened to kill Amanda, so David had done what he'd had to do until he'd heard about Amanda's death, and he had escaped and had stayed off the grid until he'd learned his name had been cleared.
David credited Emily with clearing his name, and he declared that he was proud of her, but he couldn't be her father because it was too dangerous. Emily asserted that he had no idea what she was capable of, but he said that he'd lost her once, and it was his turn to protect her. He kissed her forehead and proclaimed that he loved her "infinity times infinity," and he stalked off.
Daniel entered Victoria's room, and his mother was surprised to see him. He reported that Margaux had said she loved him the night before, and he'd wanted to say it back, but he didn't know if he was capable of feeling anything real. He continued that it would be easy to blame Emily, but his feelings of being closed off went further back. Victoria realized he blamed her, and she swore that Conrad's business practices had forced her to make a despicable choice between David and Daniel's lives, but she would always choose Daniel. Daniel retorted that she always had an explanation because she was terrified to be alone, but he didn't want that to happen to him, and he walked out.
At the office, Margaux listened to a message from Daniel, who sincerely said that he was sorry about everything and that he needed to see her. She hung up and gazed at an article about Lyman Ellis' campaign trail. Nolan entered and asked if she'd resorted to actual research out of desperation, and she asked if Nolan had reconsidered her offer. He said that he had a counteroffer, since he was interested in the subject matter, but his price for unsealing criminal records had gone up. He requested her help to clean up the damage to his image the disastrous David Clarke interview had caused.
At the manor, Emily updated Nolan about her conversation with David, and Nolan griped that the "Conrad wannabe" was the only thing keeping Emily from reuniting with her father, but Emily remarked that it was for the best. She added that David didn't want her to be part of it, but she wanted a relationship with her father, so she'd let David take care of it while she kept chipping away at the hold Victoria had over David. Nolan said he had an idea of what she could use, and Emily suggested that they talk about it the next day, since that day had already been a long one.
After Nolan left, Emily sat by the fire, and she picked up a fireplace poker and held it over the flames until it turned red from the heat. She turned off the security cameras on her way to a back room, where a man had been bound and gagged. Emily ripped off the duct tape over his mouth, and she held the fiery poker near his face and ordered him to start talking.
Previous recap: Ambush (November 9)
Following recap: Intel (November 30)
