In Manhattan, Mac and Jack take an elevator up in an apartment building dressed as Santa and a reindeer. The elevator opens on a mother and son, and the agents wish them a very Christmas. As the elevator continues up, the boy stares at them and finally points out that Jack is carrying Mac's bag. He then asks "Santa" why he's in their elevator, and points out that the bag is moving and making noise. Mac claims that it's Tickle Me Tony, and Jack starts punching the man inside. The mother quickly gets off and Jack calls after her, saying that they're the good guys.
Later back in LA, Wilt is making Christmas dinner and gets a text from Leanna that she got his Christmas gift. As Wilt finishes the call, Riley comes in and asks who he's talking to. He claims that he's talking to his father and offers to tell her about the Boxer Christmas pastrami tradition. Meanwhile, Mac tells Sam and Jack that he can't rule out the existence of Santa. He's worked out equations to convince Jack that Santa does exists, and broke into his apartment dressed as Santa to drop off presents. Sam says that she has yet to see proof of Santa but keeps an open mind. Wilt and Riley serve cocoa and Sam says that it's her first Christmas celebration in a long time.
Matty comes in and tells them that Christmas is on hold because they have a problem. The bomb that Mac built a week ago in LA went off in a building occupied by a maintenance man, and he was killed when a section of the wall collapsed on him. Jack says that he cleared the building, but Matty tells them that the LAPD has a warrant for Mac's arrest and they need to maintain their covers.
The doorbell rings and Mac answers it. It's Lt. Greer with the LAPD. He and his officers place Mac under arrest and read him his rights as they take him off.
At the station, Mac is booked and Greer interrogates him. He doesn't say anything and Greer shows him photos of the dead man, George Ramsey. The detective also shows him photos of Ramsey's family, and Mac eyes the cock. Greer tells him to look at him, and says that Mac is there for good so he might as well start talking.
At Phoenix, Matty tells the team that Mac can't reveal that he's a secret agent. Riley says that she cleared their digital tracks during the mission and they wonder what evidence LAPD has on Mac. Jack wants to go in and get Mac forcibly if need be, and Riley warns that erasing the evidence won't make the case go away. Matty warns that there's no exfil at the end of the mission, but Jack insists on getting Mac out of trouble and asks Matty to work the phones.
Greer asks Mac where he learned to build IEDs. Detective Turner calls Greer out and says that his ex called and asked if Greer is taking their daughters to the Christmas parade. Turner has pulled up a file on Mac, showing that he received an honorable discharge in 2012 and was an EOD specialist. Mac is currently employed by Phoenix after DXS shut down a year ago. Turner says that he didn't find any red flags, and Greer points out that Mac has gaps in his phone usage.
Jack insists that he swept the building before Mac detonated the bomb and the place was empty. The others point out that he might have missed someone, and Sam offers to provide a fresh set of eyes. They describe the mission.
Wilt and Mac are in the lab playing ping-pong. Sparky points out that Mac isn't playing at full strength, and Mac tells Wilt that he's been trying to cheer Wilt up after Leanna. He figures that it wasn't easy for Wilt after he and Leanna had to go their separate ways. Matty calls the team in and explains that the CIA is tracking a shipment of stolen G36 assault rifles. Phoenix has received intel that the shipment is going to be sold in LA at a warehouse. Since it's on US soil, the CIA has come to Phoenix to retrieve the guns before the deal goes down.
Greer shows Mac part of an assault rifle and says that Forensics found it and a lot more in the warehouse debris. They figure that Mac is an arms dealer and Greer shows him a piece of the bomb that Mac made.
Matty tells the team that the CIA won't accept any connections to the Op. The government won't help Mac out of jail, and Riley wonders what evidence the LAPD has.
Greer has a surveillance photo of Mac leaving the warehouse. He knows that all of the security cameras in the area were out, but they got surveillance on a street-view camera. The police also found Mac's fingerprints on what was left of the bomb. Mac asks for his phone call, and the detectives explain that they're charging Mac with domestic terrorism and he doesn't get a call.
Agent Vincent Whittaker and the FBI arrive at the police station.
Matty tells the team that Mac has been charged with domestic terrorism. Jack wants to break in and rescue Mac, but Matty warns that Mac will be on the run for the rest of his life. Sam suggests that they use the existing evidence to get mac released.
Whittaker enters the interrogation room, and gives Greer and Turner an hour to complete their interrogation. Mac tells Greer that he's not who they think he is, and Greer reviews Mac's life. He points out that Mac burned down his high school football stadium, and it all adds up to a domestic terrorist. Greer tells Mac that he has to tell the truth.
Jack tells Matty that they cleared the building before Mac blew it up. Riley suggests that Ramsey was already dead in the building before Jack and Mac got there.
Riley is in the van knocking out the security cam3ras in the area, while Wilt is on the street. Mac and Jack go in and Mac picks up a discarded pop bottle and cuts it open. He uses it to jimmy the lock on the door and they go in. Jack props the door open and they sweep the place searching for the guns. Riley picks up an 18-wheeler inbound with an escort of two sedans, and they figure the weapons deal is going down. Mac and Jack find the guns and discover that there are more guns than they expected or can carry out. Mac offers to build a bomb to destroy the guns but warns that it could bring down the building. Jack goes to the door to barricade it, and discovers that someone moved the cinder block.
The team figures that someone entered the building and killed Ramsey. Riley brings up the photo of Ramsey and Wilt says that he saw Ramsey drive away up on a motorcycle outside of the warehouse.
Jack goes in posing as Mac's lawyer and enters the interrogation room. He tells Greer that Mac has the right to counsel and asks for a word alone with his friend. Greer and Turner reluctantly leave, and Jack tells Mac that Riley cut the cameras and speaker. He shows Mac a photo of Ramsey and explains that he left the warehouse before it exploded. Jack tells Mac to determine how Ramsey was apparently killed, and Mac checks the crime scene photos and confirms that Ramsey doesn't have the injuries to match a bomb-explosion victim.
Jack calls Matty and tells her what Mac has found. To clear Mac, they have to find the real killer. Mac remembers that he got too lucky, and found sodium hydroxide at the warehouse. He didn't think about it at the time, and also found cold medicine and nail polish remover. Mac figures that someone left the components there. All of the items are ingredients in manufacturing meth, and Matty confirms that the La Ola Cartel has recently been involved in meth manufacturer. Riley confirmed that the warehouse owner H. Ruiz was using shell companies. She uses the DA files to identify Hector Ruiz, and they figure the cartel killed Ramsey for fleeing and dumped his body in the rubble. Jack says that he's heading back to Phoenix and then they'll talk to Ruiz, and then he'll come back and get Mac out.
The team and a group of assault gents break into Ruiz's apartment but there's no sign of him.
Turner tells Greer that no one has ever heard of Jack's cover identity as a lawyer. Whittaker tells Greer and Turner to take Mac to the basement which is under renovation for questioning since he's too comfortable in the interrogation room.
Riley finds a printer with a file that confirms that Ruiz made a fake police ID. Matty tells Jack and Sam to go save Mac.
Ruiz enters the station and sees Mac being taken to the basement. He follows Mac and the detectives, drawing his gun and attaching a silencer. As Greer and Turner meet up with Whittaker and his men, Hector opens fire. Mac and the detectives take cover, and Mac says that Ruiz is with La Ola Cartel. The officers left their guns at their desks, and Mac uses their bullets to pick the lock on his handcuffs.
The cartel man kills finishes off Whittaker and his men, while Mac makes a dart out of the gunpowder and blasting cap from the bullet. He ducks out of cover and throws it near Ruiz. The dart explodes and Turner grabs the gun from Ruiz and orders him to surrender. Jack arrives and Mac tells Greer that Jack is with him.
The police book Ruiz and charge him with the murder of Ramsey and the three FBI agents. Greer informs Jack and Mac that they received an anonymous email about the cartel's involvement. He dismisses the explosion as a meth lab blowup, and they let Jack go with a warning. Greer asks them what they do, and Mac says that he works at a think tank. They wish each other a Merry Christmas and Mac leaves with his friend.
Back at Mac's house, the team celebrates Christmas. Sam went in as a "social worker" and convinced him to tell them everything about the cartel. Wilt serves Christmas pastrami and starts explaining his family's tradition. Jack and Riley bow out, and Jack gives her presents from him and Elwood.
Sam goes to her place to get everyone's gifts, and hears someone whistling. She goes out and discovers that it's Murdoc. When she reaches for a knife, Murdoc shoots her and confirms that she's not wearing a Kevlar vest. He leaves her to die and walks out. Sam crawls to her phone.
Mac returns home and Matty gives him a present. It's a box of paper clips, and Matty tells him that he can make sculptures out of them if they help him think. Mac starts to second-guess himself, and Matty says that he convinced her to ignore her doubts about him. When she says that she trusts him, Mac starts to tell her about her father. Wilt brings over a gift from Mac's dad, which Mac recognizes the wrapping paper from the last present his father gave him. He steps away and calls Sam, and hears her moaning in pain.
Written by Gadfly on Dec 16, 2017