Season 2, Episode 3:
Masquerade
The latest number is Sofia Campos, the headstrong, party-girl daughter of a Brazilian diplomat planning on running for his nation's presidency. Reese arranges to be hired as Sofia's bodyguard, suspecting that her father's political enemies will target her, but they soon discover that Sofia and her friends have unwittingly become involved with a gang of drug dealers who are cleaning house.
Meanwhile, Carter takes over the investigation of Alicia Corwin's murder, despite Fusco's advice that she let this one go. She goes to the morgue to see Alicia's body and finds Mark Snow there for the same reason; he claims he's been reassigned and no longer cares about finding Reese. They both learn from the coroner that someone made a postmortem incision in Corwin's arm. When Carter calls the CIA to find out what Snow's up to, she learns that Snow has been missing and his partner, Agent Evans, turned up dead several months ago. The audience learns that Hersh was responsible for the incision in Corwin's arm: he took out a microchip, and whatever is on it has him very concerned. And Snow reports back to Kara Stanton, who has wired him to an explosive vest and is forcing him to help her mission of revenge.
Tropes in this episode:
- Arbitrarily Large Bank Account: In order to make Reese's credentials hold up, Finch had to buy a security company and a credit bureau.
- Badass Boast: Reese asks for 3 and a half minutes to take down the Bad Guy Bar. When Carter says there's ten guys in there, he asks for four minutes. As Carter points out after saving his life, it took a bit longer than that.
- Bait-and-Switch: When Agent Snow is seen leaving the morgue the viewer is led to believe that she must've tampered with Alicia's corpse, only for it to be revealed right afterword that someone else has beaten him to it.
- Bar Brawl: Reese versus 10 thugs. Guess who wins. There was another in a nightclub where a group of thugs led by Monty tried to kill Sofia.
- Bilingual Backfire: Sofia speaks insultingly of Reese in Portuguese; she's taken aback when he shows he's understood her.
- Break the Jerkass: From all indications, it seems that the five weeks Mark Snow has spent with Kara Stanton since we last saw them in "Matsya Nyaya" have been very effective in helping cut him down to size.
- Cadre of Foreign Bodyguards: Sofia's father decides to hire Reese for the usual reasons of this trope.
- Car Fu: Carter and Reese take down a hitman by ramming their car into the hitman's car, which then hits the would-be assassin.
- Climactic Music: "She's Long Gone" by The Black Keys.
- Comfort Food: Reese cooks Your Favorite for Sofia after the attempted murder in the nightclub.
- Continuity Nod: Mark Snow is still limping from the bullet wound he received at the end of "Matsya Nyaya".
- Destination Defenestration: Opens the episode.
- Dirty Coward: Jack, who sold out Sofia and Gaby to Monty to save his own skin.
- Ditch the Bodyguards: Sofia tries this with Reese several times throughout the episode.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Sofia is a subtle example. Her hard-partying ways are a reaction to the loss of her mother.
- Evil Redhead: Jack has vivid red hair and tried to get his girlfriend Sofia murdered.
- Explosive Leash: For Mark Snow.
- Five-Finger Discount: Reese pickpockets the wallets of the other applicants for the bodyguard job, to prove he's more suited to the job.
- Good is Not Nice: Reese plants an expensive watch on Sofia's last bodyguard so he'll be fired, and he can take the job. Then, he steals the wallets of the other applicants, making them look bad so he'll be hired.
- Have You Told Anyone Else?: Knowing it will lead to her death, Sofia says she hasn't shown the video to anyone else, so the killer won't go after Reese.
- Heroic Safe Mode: Finch has been in one of these since his abduction by Root, but it starts (against his will) to break down, leading him to a full on Heroic BSoD when he leaves the safety of the Library for the first time since his abduction.
- Hidden Depths: Reese is apparently a talented cook. Who knew!
- High Altitude Intimidation: Reese does this to Jack at the end, and appears to be enjoying it.
- Human Shield: Reese puts one of Monty's men in the path of Monty's gun during a night club brawl.
- Leave No Witnesses: The motive for the murders.
-
Moment of Awesome: "This is a break-up." - Not So Above It All: Finch eventually lightens up towards Bear, throwing his ball and (attempting) to offer Bear treats and take him out for a walk.
- No, YouReese: Why don't you wait in the car?Carter: Why don't you wait in the car?
- Omniglot: Sofia is fluent in six languages.
- Over-the-Shoulder Carry: Reese carries a drunk Sofia out of the nightclub.
- Puppy-Dog Eyes: Bear gives his best Care Bear Stare.
- Rich Bitch: Sofia at first. She gets better.
- Shoot Him, He Has a Wallet!: Averted; Reese readies his gun when the car that's been following them pulls up along side, but doesn't react when he sees the man is only a paparazzo, except to calmly snatch his camera.
- Slasher Smile: Holy cow, Reese, don't ever do that again!!
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Reese does one of these after leaving Sofia with Fusco.
- Tempting Fate: Reese says at least Sofia isn't dancing on tables, turns and sees Sofia has just got up on the bar to dance.
- Warrior Therapist: Reese (having dealt with people dealing with trauma after battle, or perhaps even having it himself) is this in a good way for Finch, anticipating for the traumatic events of the last couple of episodes to catch up with Finch sooner or later and gently helping an in-denial-and-reluctant-to-ask-for-help Finch work through the worst of it.
