Michael volunteers to help the CIA find Max's killer, even though he is the prime suspect. At the same time, he helps out a former Army sniper who wants revenge on the people who nearly beat his sister to death.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Unlike some other clients, Ethan wanted all in so that he could be there when the guy who beat his sister gets deserved punishment. His cover ID is being someone that Brad can consider a friend, a role that Ethan absolutely hates.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: In talking about her beloved dog, Pearce alludes to how she can be a very friendly figure most of the time but absolutely ruthless when working a case.
- Call-Back: Sam notes Michael's tendency to eliminate cars on the fly.Jesse: I better see my car again.
Sam: I know the feeling, buddy. - Dirty Cop: Fiona and Jesse pose as these in order to force the shifty clerk to hand over the store's security camera footage. As Michael's narration notes, the type in such locations are more scared of the cops that abuse their authority than of the honest ones.
- Greed: Brad noticeably takes an interest in the gold watch that Sam is wearing during the initial meeting. The others reel him in with the promise of more money, perks, and (to Jesse's lament) a quality car.
- He Knows Too Much: Brad beat Ethan's sister so severely she had to be hospitalized. The rest of Brad's group is worried about what'll happen when she wakes up, to which Brad promises to silence her for good. The team exploit this to bait Brad into making such an attempt, with the police storming in almost immediately.
- Hope Spot:
- Unhappy as he was, Ethan was doing his part in the plan just fine, until he overheard Brad plotting to kill his sister to shut her up. Then he storms off to handle this the sniper way.
- Michael hoped the security camera footage would exonerate him and reveal the true killer. Maddie shows him that the video shows a guy doing a flawless impression of Michael (i.e. appearance, clothes, mannerisms).
- I Owe You My Life: Michael's old Special Forces CO came to him about Ethan's case. Despite everything else going on, Mike just couldn't say no to the guy that pulled him free of a burning jeep.
- Improperly Paranoid: After the whole mess with Ethan's sniper rifle and Fiona having to run cover, Brad is absolutely freaked and worried someone is out to kill him. He's right, of course, but the team later plays to this by convincing him it's his fellow scam artists out to get him.
- Irony: While arguing about the speed of the plan, Ethan says that Brad keeps calling him on the phone. Jesse makes light of Brad unknowingly reaching out to the guy that wants to kill him.
- It Never Gets Any Easier: Ethan insists he wouldn't have any regrets about simply putting a bullet in Brad's skull, but Michael warns there's a very big difference between killing on the battlefield and what he's proposing. In the end, Ethan says he'll be trying for a CIA job, but he asks if all that comes with the job ever does get any easier. Michael says no.
- It's Personal:
- The client of the week has a lot of trouble keeping calm, because the victim is his sister and she's in a coma after a vicious beating.
- Pearce volunteered to lead the investigation into Max's death, having worked several missions with him in the past and knowing the man's family.
- It's What I Do: When asked if he would do it all over again if he had the chance, Michael says being a spy is just who he is and all he can do.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Brad is scammed into destroying his own property, betraying his cohorts, wrecking the operation, and attempting to silence a witness. Michael later reports that Brad's been locked up with his ex-cohorts, who were not pleased by his betrayal and reacted accordingly.
- Loophole Abuse: Michael coyly reminds Pearce that "someone" not officially back in the CIA yet doesn't have to follow the same investigative procedure that she does. She retorts that not knowing exactly what he's doing means she can't be held responsible.
- Noodle Incident: According to Maddie, when Michael came home on leave from the army, he was most displeased to find out his old girlfriend was now with some other guy. He stole the guy's motorcycle and crashed it into the Miami River.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Maddie keeps Michael from giving up on Ethan by reminding him of how he was also an angry, headstrong kid at that age and had to grow as a person. Mike takes this to heart and talks to Ethan about the dangers of selfish anger, saying that's what people like Brad do.
- Red Herring: Brandon is the first suspect for the beating of Ethan's sister, due to being the boyfriend. He just works for the guy who did do it.
- Running Gag:
- The more feminine touches that Fiona has brought to the loft, much to Sam and Jesse's confusion.
- Jesse's concern about his car.
- Shadow Archetype: Ethan shares a lot of Michael's backstory, being an angry kid with military training and a hatred of seeing loved ones get hurt. Michael points out he never resorted to murder like Ethan tried to do with Brad. Maddie says that just means Ethan needs someone who's been in his shoes to teach him better control.
- Shutting Up Now: Jesse, upon seeing no one shares his amusement over Brad reaching out to the guy that tried to kill him.
- Skewed Priorities: Michael gets through to Ethan by talking about how he's too focused on revenge no matter the cost rather than the beat-up sister who's gonna need him when she wakes up.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork:
- Brad's cohorts aren't very pleased with him, due to the danger of exposure from his attack on Ethan's sister and how he's recklessly buddying up to seemingly rich strangers. Ethan is later able to use this to turn Brad against them and screw himself.
- Ethan flying off the handle at a moment's notice does not endear him to Michael, especially after the attempt to pick Brad off with a sniper rifle. Mike's about ready to kick Ethan to the curb and find a new angle on all this, until Maddie talks to him.
- Wham Shot: The one on the tape who bought the gun that killed Max is a dead ringer for Michael.
- Wild Card: Elliot wants payback for his sister, to the point of jeopardizing the plan and taking a sniper rifle onto a roof.
