There will be unmarked spoilers ahead!
The team is brought in to protect a notorious criminal, A.J. Bancroft, who was forced to flee the country 20 years ago, but wants to come back to see his long-lost daughter for Thanksgiving. In exchange, he will deliver his blackmail diary to General Stockwell, which contains information that can bring down half of Washington DC. Along the way they discover that Bancroft actually had two children. Ellen is his daughter, and his son is Templeton Peck, aka Faceman.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Disappeared Dad: A.J. did this to both of his children. He apparently ran out on Face because he just wasn't ready to be a father. He at least lived with Ellen long enough for her to know him, but then ran out on her as well when his criminal past finally started to catch up with him.
- Friendship Moment: After A.J. dies and Murdock has to break the truth to Face, Face gets extremely upset. In the process of their argument, he calls Murdock "the one person he always thought he could count on" (implying he doesn't think so anymore), and ends up shoving Murdock to the ground. Afterward, Murdock stands back up and is the one to tell Face off, telling him about just how hard it was to keep the secret, and insists that if A.J. hadn't died and had instead been the one to tell Face the truth, then Face would be thanking Murdock for letting him do it. Face is clearly sorry, but Murdock stops him from apologizing and gives him this:
Murdock: There's one thing about you and me that I've always liked, and that's our fights. Cuz we don't have to...stumble over our - our lips...apologizing.
- I Have This Friend: Murdock finds out that A.J. is Face's father. A.J. wants to be the one to tell Face the truth himself and swears Murdock to secrecy, but then he can't find the courage to tell him. Both A.J. and Murdock skirt around the issue when talking to Face, with Murdock pretending he's asking for advice about his girlfriend, and A.J. pretending it's all about his daughter.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Subverted. A.J. Bancroft is Face's father, but never gets the chance to tell him so before he passes away. It then falls to Murdock to tell Face the truth.
- Noodle Incident: The episode never elaborates on just what sort of criminal enterprises A.J. Bancroft was involved in, only that he was involved in something pretty bad and has files that can implicate a large number of powerful people in it too. Ultimately, it doesn't matter because the focus of the episode is on the interaction between him and the two children he abandoned. Knowing what he did would only serve to dehumanize him and lessen the drama.
- Poorly Timed Confession: Murdock finds out partway through the episode that one of their clients for the episode, A.J. Bancroft, is Face's Disappeared Dad. Bancroft begs Murdock to let him break the news, but he can never quite work up the nerve and dies before managing to do it. This leaves Murdock to tell Face about it. As Face has always been upset about never having a family growing up, he understandably does not react well.
- Retired Monster: It's never made clear exactly what crimes A.J. committed, but they were apparently pretty bad. He was forced to flee the country 20 years ago, though, and has apparently spent the intervening time behaving himself on his private island. His current desire is only to see his children again before he dies.
- So Proud of You: Bancroft is talking to Face and just can't work up the courage to tell him that Face is his son, but he manages this:
A.J.: Any father would be proud of you.
- You See, I'm Dying: The reason why A.J. wants to come back to the States despite being a wanted criminal there. He knows he's terminally ill and wants to see his children again before he dies.
