Season 2, Episode 6:
The High Road
Reese: "The past is a difficult thing to outrun."
Graham: "Maybe it's time to stop running."
Reese recruits Zoe Morgan to be his wife when he goes undercover in the suburbs to keep an eye on the latest number: a seemingly average family man whose past may have come back to haunt him.
Tropes present in this episode include
- Break-In Threat: The criminals show Graham his daughter's necklace, which had gone missing earlier.
- Concealing Canvas
- Dead Person Impersonation: The real Graham Wyler died in 1997, and Lloyd Pruitt assumed his identity.
- Delivery Guy Infiltration: The robbers dress as caterers.
- Did They or Didn't They?: Did John and Zoe stick around for one more night of "poker" at the end of the episode or not? It's also worth noting that the sleeping arrangements during their time undercover are never specified, especially when you consider that they were definitely specified when John shared a hotel room with Carter in "Bad Code" (he slept on the floor) and when Maxine spent the night at his place in "Bury the Lede" (he slept on the couch). Judging by the events of "Booked Solid", and later, "Lady Killer", it's probably safe to say they did.
- Dressing as the Enemy: Reese knocks out a robber and dresses in his balaclava and catering coat.
- Fast-Roping:Finch: Mr. Reese, they have hostages and there are two other armed men. I don't think you're going to be able to simply walk through the front door.
Reese: Wasn't planning on it. [jumps off the balcony] - Fingerprinting Air: Modern technology is amazing, but Reese's trick of highlighting a fingerprint with gunpowder and then taking a picture on his phone to be run through a database probably wouldn't work.
- Fish out of Water: John Reese. In the suburbs. Need I say more?
- Gilligan Cut: Reese asks the cop who catches him in the no-parking zone if he can get off with a warning. Cut to Reese dropping the ticket on Finch's table.
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: When Reese has to get into the building being robbed, Zoe calls up a resident she knows and tells him that she's downstairs with an exotic dancer. Needless to say, he's disappointed.
- Highly-Visible Ninja: The Man in the Suit has to dress down somewhat.
- Incredibly Obvious Tail: Turns out the Man in the Suit sticks out in the suburbs. Finch gets around the problem by buying the house across the road. Of course, Reese needs a wife to go with it.
- It's a Long Story: Reese enjoys introducing his "wife" to Carter, without much explanation.
- It's Personal: Graham's former partners still hold a grudge after he bailed on the heist that got them arrested 12 years before, and they make it clear that this time he's the one who will go down.
- The Matchmaker: The Machine, of all people, for Finch and Grace.
- Meet Cute: Several examples are mentioned, and at the end of the episode we get to see Finch meet his future fiancee.
- Mirror Scare: A robber sees a glass door unlocked and pulls it closed, revealing Reese reflected from behind him.
- Never-Forgotten Skill: Graham is still able to crack a safe like a pro despite not having practiced in years.
- Retired Outlaw: Graham/Lloyd.
- Safecracking: Graham Wyler. Finch says that this is a lost art. He doesn't mention that the reason it's a lost art is because it doesn't work anymore:
modern safes are designed so that thieves can no longer work out the combination by listening to the tumblers. - Ship Tease: John/Zoe.
- Shipper on Deck: The Machine keeps drawing Finch's attention towards the beautiful woman painting in the park. It takes a while for him to get the hint.
- Small Town Boredom: John and Zoe suffer from this. Playing poker helps, apparently.
- This Is the Part Where...: "Is this the part where we get divorced?"
- A Threesome Is Hot: Zoe gets into the tower residence by telling a lawyer she knows there that she and a friend are coming up to visit him. His face falls when he sees Reese instead of the exotic dancer she promised.
- Tired of Running: Why Graham decides to turn himself in to the police at the end.
- Title Drop: "It's a high road job."
- Troll: Reese yanking Zoe's chain by pretending to propose to her.
- The Trouble with Tickets: Reese gets ticketed for parking in a No Parking zone. He asks the cop to let him off with a warning. It doesn't work.Finch: Shall I pay this out of petty cash?
- Vehicular Sabotage: The Wylers' car gets set on fire.
- We Need a Distraction: Finch sends a burst of noise through the penthouse sound system to distract the robbers.
- With This Ring: Reese asking Zoe to be Undercover as Lovers. She definitely Did Not See That Coming.
- Women Are Wiser: Zoe and Carter try to restrain Reese's violent tendencies.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Everyone knows that Graham will be killed once he helps with the robbery.
