In the Decima lab, the doctor checks on Sameen and reports that the mission failed. Greer asks her if she's tired of turning the gun on herself in every mission, and suggests that he take her on a "field trip" to see that the people that she refuses to betray are not the heroes but the villains.
Reese arrives at a hotel and asks Finch why he's there. Finch says that the newest Number belongs to a marriage license, and figures the threat will arrive at the wedding itself. The wife-to-be is Phoebe Turner, daughter of Kent Turner. She's heiress to her father's billion-dollar horse racing empire. The groom is Will O'Brien, a public defender, and Finch suggests that some members of the family may not want the marriage to go. Phoebe's sister called for the police, and Reese finds a uni outside. When Reese flashes his badge, the uni says that it's a good thing that he's in character and asks if he can run interference if things get rough. Reese knocks on the door and the bachelorettes drag him in. The other "officer" starts stripping, and Reese tells Phoebe's sister Janna that he's there for security.
Finch apologizes for setting Reese up, and then calls Fusco if he can enlist his help for the weekend. Fusco says that he has a job and hangs up, and goes to the empty office he's using. He's keeping a board with all of the missing people.
Finch monitors the simulations between the clones of the Machine and Samaritan. He tells Root that it's going well, and she says that she needs a place to crash for a few nights. Finch invites her to stay there while he attends the wedding, and explains that he has an invitation to the wedding. He wired 500 euros to Will's estranged Uncle Ralph in Ireland, and Ralph won't be coming because he's drunk.
As Finch gets into his car, he checks in with Reese. Reese says that Janna invites him to the wedding, and she told him that Will's ex-girlfriend, Becca, is a bridesmaid. Kent plays favors, and was going to hand over his empire to Phoebe. However, when Phoebe met Will, Kent decided to leave his dynasty to the oldest daughter, Karen. Phoebe still will inherit $300 million, and Finch figures that the best way to stop the threat is to make sure the wedding happens. He says that the wedding takes place at the Turner family farm upstate.
The next day in Central Park, Greer and Sameen watch a street musician and a woman with a baby carriage watching her. Greer admits that they work for Decima, and Sameen wonders why he brought her there. He points out two high-frequency traders, and says that their actions put several companies out of business. One of the companies maintained air conditioners, and another provided affordable vaccines to low-income countries. Elderly people and children perished, and the two men are killers... and will kill again. Greer asks Sameen if white-collar prison is sufficient punishment for them.
Reese drives to the Turner estate and finds protestors outside the gate protesting against Kent's treatment of horses. Once they park, Finch joins Reese and they go into the manor. As Reese spots Kent, Finch explains that Kent is rumored to drug his injured horses so they run in peak condition. Kent steps away to take a call, and Finch listens in as Kent says that his current champion thoroughbred is to get a full week of recovery.
Janna joins Reese and says that the protestors are always there. She mentions that they're taking Kent to trial in a month, and offers to get Reese a drink. Once she leaves, Finch figures that someone in the family is the perpetrator because Will would get half of Phoebe's fortune. They go to look for Will and Phoebe.
At the stables, Reese locates Phoebe with Karen. Phoebe is talking about how she walked in on Will making out with Becca. Karen asks what Will said, and Phoebe admits that she ran away. Her older tells her that the thing that she and Will has is real, and Becca can't change that. The family photographer, Maggie Reynolds, comes over and takes a picture. Reese introduces himself and Maggie says that she's been taking photos of the Turners for 15 years and they never realize that she's there.
At the subway station, Root and Bear are eating when the payphone rings. Root answers it and the Machine gives her a Number.
Finch sneaks into Kent's office and looks around. Will come in and mistakes Finch for Ralph, and Finch puts on a fake Irish accent. The groom says that Becca threw himself at her that morning, and she was acting out of character. Finch tells Will not to let Phoebe get away, and Will invites Finch to honor them with a song. When Finch tries to get out of it, claiming that it might upset Will's father, Will points out that he's dead and Finch suggests that he's still watching.
At the station, Fusco finds Root at his desk. She has Bear with her, posing him as a service dog, and says that civil planner Howard Carpenter is in charge of construction on the underground tunnels for all five boroughs. Root figures that Howard might have something to do with the missing persons, and wants Fusco's help protecting him.
At the Turner manor, Finch is going through Kent's desk when Reese comes in. Finch explains that he's tapped into all of the manor security cameras, and they see Kent taking a call. Kent is complaining that it didn't work. Finch has accessed Becca's banking records and discovered that Kent transferred $10,000 into her account. On another camera, Will and Phoebe are kissing, and Reese figures that Kent's plan didn't work. Finch warns that Kent may take more desperate measure to stop Will from marrying Phoebe, and they head to the wedding ceremony.
As Reese and Finch take their seats, Kent brings Phoebe in. A protestor comes in the back and Finch spots him, and Reese realizes that the man has a gun. Reese moves toward him and realizes that the killer doesn't have a clear shot. Finch spots a second crasher, and the first one slips out. The second man leaves as well, and the officant finishes the ceremony. Reese figures that Kent hired two assassins to make sure the murder goes as planned, and Finch figures that they'll return to finish the job.
Greer takes Sameen to a club and explains that one man is the vice president of a company that manufactures parts for commercial airlines. The VP is cutting corners, and is making a deal with the other man to buy the cheap parts. However, anywhere from one to seven of the jets will down because of the deal that the two men make. Greer points out that if they killed the two men then they'd save 2,100 souls. Sameen tells him that his plan to convince her isn't working, and Greer asks why she hasn't tried to escape.
In the park, Fusco takes Bear walking and looks for Howard. He spots the man waiting for someone, and is unable to clone his phone. Bruce joins Howard, and Fusco listens in as Howard gives Bruce a permit. Bruce says that it isn't his company and will ask around if he feels like it. Once Howard leave, Fusco approaches Bruce and asks what Howard wanted. Bruce explains that several of the five families have construction contracts, in the city. Howard never received a payment from Bruce, but a company requesting the demolition permit doesn't belong to one of the five families. Fusco wonders why Bruce is still handling criminal matters after Elias advised him not to, and Bruce points out that no one has told him the new player is. He figures that they're keeping Fusco in the dark as well, and suggests that it's frustrating enough to question one's loyalty.
Finch and Reese return to the office, and Finch says that he'll have Fusco check for details on the lawsuit. He brings up the camera footage from the ceremony, only to discover that the cameras shut off during the ceremony. Reese figures that Maggie might have captured the killers on film, and they agree that Reese will steal the camera and bring it to Finch, and he'll clone the memory chip. Root comes in with the camera wearing a caterer's uniform and explains that the original caterer got caught on a health violation when Bear ran in with a rat in its jaw. Maggie is passed out in a nearby chair, and Root admits that she drugged her. Reese wonders why Root is really there, but she avoids the question.
Finch brings up the photos and finds no photos of the killers. In the reception hall, the DJ calls Finch out to sing. Finch has no choice but to go on stage and promptly freezes. Will brings him a drink and tells him to sing whatever comes to mind. After taking the drink, Finch starts to sing. Reese and Root are in the crowd, and spot the two killers come in with a third. The three men head out, and Reese and Root follow them and attack. Finch sings louder to cover the noises, and Reese knocks out his man with a wedding present. Root finally pins her opponent's hand to a table with a butcher knife. Meanwhile, Finch finishes and everyone applauds. Reese finds a photo of the killers' targets on his opponent: it's Maggie.
Back in the office, Finch tries and fails to find Maggie on the surveillance feeds. Reese and Root search the grounds, and Fusco sends Finch information on the lawsuit. It shows that Maggie is a witness for the prosecution. Finch figures that the protestors believe that Maggie's photos show that Kent is drugging his horses. While Finch searches for the photos, he spots the last killer dragging Maggie off of the grid.
At the station, Fusco puts out an APB on Howard. He had a flight to Cancun but never made his flight. Fusco then goes to the office and adds Howard's photo to the other missing people. Fusco then goes to his desk and calls Finch, and says that Howard has gone missing after he was bribed by the new player in town. Finch finds the photos and tells Fusco that he has to go, and advises Fusco to proceed with extreme caution. Fusco plays back the conversation he recorded and writes down the name of the permit that Howard mention. The detective looks up the permit and discovers that it's for a tunnel in Jamaica, Queens.
As Reese searches for Maggie, Finch recovers a deleted photo from Maggie's photo. It was taken the night before the championship horse's big race, and they figure it shows Kent doping the horse Reese finds the third killer questioning Maggie. She insists that she deleted the photo, and he prepares to shoot her. Reese jumps him and knocks him out with a horseshoe. As he cuts Maggie free, Finch tells him that he recovered the photo and it wasn't Kent drugging the horse.
Karen arrives with the other two killers, and Maggie says that she deleted the photos just like Karen asked. The older sister says that Kent doesn't approve of doping, and her two hired killers prepare to kill Reese and Maggie. Root rides up on a horse and kneecaps them, and Reese tells Karen that he's not going to let her ruin Phoebe's day.
That night, Greer drives Sameen to an underground card game. He explains that the players are Chechen militants who are planning to use a bomb to trigger an international incident by blowing up the Russian Consulate. Greer points out that the Machine may not have detected the incident in time, leading to 207 people dead. Sameen asks what Greer is going to do to fix it, and Greer tells his agents to move in. They take out the militants and recover the explosives, and Greer says that Samaritan was the one that detected the plot.
At the Turner manor, Maggie thanks Reese for saving her life. She's figured that he's not stripper security, and says that none of the memories there are her. Reese says that he understands.
In the reception room, Root and Finch are sitting together. The last dance starts, and Root invites Finch to join her. He agrees and as they dance, Root says that she knows the Machine can't beat Samaritan and Finch has kept the information from her. He admits that he didn't know how she'd react, and Root assures him that she wouldn't do something drastic without his permission. She insists that they have to give the Machine the tools to act, and Finch says that he's worried that they could control themselves if they have absolute power. He wonders why she came to the wedding, and Root says that she didn't like being alone in the subway. Finch realizes that she was lonely, and Root says that she just likes weddings.
Finch and Root return to the table where Reese is waiting, and he says that Karen and the killers will be spending the night in the wine cellar. He pours some bourbon out and they share a toast. Kent and Will hug, and Reese figures that they can give them one night before the family's world crashes when the photo comes out.
Greer takes Sameen to a rooftop and says that someone wants to meet her. She steps forward to where Gabriel--Samaritan's human avatar--is waiting. Gabriel says that it's an honor to meet her.
Fusco and Bear check out the tunnel and find Bruce, Howard, and all the missing people dead on the floor. He calls Finch and says that the new player in town is responsible for all the missing persons. He demands to know what's going on, just as the explosives go out and the tunnel collapses.
Sameen realizes that Gabriel is speaking for Samaritan, and that the ASI wanted her to join its team. Gabriel explains that humans will destroy each other. When Sameen says that Samaritan hasn't shown her any plans, Gabriel takes out a remote and triggers the explosives at the Russian Consulate. The avatar says that the Russians would have gone to war against the U.S. More bombs go off, and Sameen realizes that none of it is real. Gabriel says that it will be real if she doesn't let Samaritan protect humans from themselves.
Sameen wakes up from the simulation and Greer asks if she's had a change of heart.
Written by Gadfly on May 24, 2016