The 12-Step Job - Recap

Jack Hurley is driving to his job, eating greasy food and digging out napkins from the discarded bottles of whiskey. As soon as he arrives at his capital investments office, Jack spots inspectors going through his files. His secretary, Pam, tells him that she had no choice but to show them everything. Jack turns around runs out the door. Inside, Michelle Colby notices him leave.

Later, Michelle meets with Nate and Sophie, and tells them that the donations that she was in charge with were stolen, and she could go to jail once the disappearance is discovered. She explains that her money manager, Jack, claimed he could grow her food pantry’s funds. Michelle made sure that he checked out, but discovered that her checks for a new pantry were bouncing. She called Jack’s boss and discovered that his company had no record of her account. Nate explains that the company is falsifying the records to avoid being on the hook for Jack’s embezzlement. He assures Michelle that it isn’t her fault. As she goes, Michelle asks why he does it. Nate tells her he does it for the same reason that she does.

Once Michelle leaves, Sophie realizes that he’s been drinking alcohol out of a soda can. Nate insists that what is important is that they track down Jack and save the food pantry.



The team goes to work and Nate points out that Michelle would need at least seven years to sue Jack’s firm, time she doesn’t have. Alec brings up the files on Jack but there’s no sign of him on the grid. Sophie figures that Jack has liquidated his cash and they track his pattern of expenditures. Nate figures that as an addict, he’ll stay in LA. He has Parker break into Jack’s condo while Nate and Sophie check retail outlets and Alec and Eliot check out his favorite haunts. Once they find Jack, they’ll follow him to the money.

Alec and Eliot hit the 12th bar and Alec spills a Slushie in Eliot’s car. As they argue, Jack comes out with a woman and tries to get her to go with him. She refuses and Jack starts to pull out. Men block him off and start beating him. Eliot and Alec go to Jack’s help and manage to take out the thugs while Jack drives away. Alec shoots the thug’s car and leaves with Eliot. Nate and Sophie find Jack around the corner. He’s crashed into a lamppost and fallen asleep in a drunken stupor. They wonder what to do and Nate figures they need to run a game on Jack.



Jack wakes up and finds himself in a room. Nate is there and explains that Jack has hit rock bottom and now he’s in rehab at the Second Act Rehabilitation Center. Meanwhile, Sophie checks in as a renowned doctor and meets with Dr. Frank, the head of staff. He explains that they totally isolate the patient from the outside world. Sophie meets with her new group: Sam, Marcy, Parker posing as a kleptomaniac, Nate posing as an alcoholic, and Jack. Jack admits he’s a compulsive gambler, eater, and liar. However, Sophie focuses on Nate’s alcoholism and they start arguing about her boots. Nate finally redirects her back to Jack, who doesn’t remember where his car is. He explains that he put his car somewhere downtown and left the receipt in his car.



After therapy, Parker breaks into the storage room to get Jack’s coat with the receipt. As she leaves, Dr. Frank finds her with his proscribed anti-depressants. Parker takes them and snarls.

Once they have the keys, Eliot and Alec find Jack’s car. As Alec sits in the driver’s seat, Eliot notices that the seat is too far forward and realizes someone else has been in the car. He looks on the underside and spots a pressure-sensitive bomb. Eliot tells him to stay put and warns him that they have two minutes. Alec figures they have to reboot the system and has Eliot check under the hood. He tells Eliot to yank the wires at the same time that he reboots the system, and warns they have a half-second to pull it off.

They succeed but the Mexican thugs from the bar pull up. Another car also pulls up with a group of Korean criminals. The two groups realize that Hurley stole money from both of them. The Korean leader, Jin Kwon, tells Eliot and Alec to hand over the money. Alec claims to be a Jamaican criminal after the money Hurley owes him but nobody buys it. Eliot holds up the bomb and tells everyone to calm down or he’ll set it off. The two groups retreat and Eliot and Alec get out.



Sophie wakes up Nate and asks where Jack is. He doesn’t know, and Sophie tells him that Alec and Eliot are on their way and Nate looks horrible. She realizes that he hasn’t had a drink in 48 hours and he’s going through rehab. Nate claims that he’s pretending but Sophie isn’t fooled.

Eliot and Alec arrive and ask to see Nate. The receptionist explains that only family members can see the patients. Eliot claims to be Nate’s brother and flirts with the receptionist, while Alec pretends to be Eliot’s life partner. Once they’re inside, they tell Nate what happened. He figures the Koreans were using Hurley’s company to launder their counterfeit money. Eliot figures the Mexican, Esteban, as a hitman for a drug cartel. Nate tries to concentrate and Sophie tells Eliot that she’ll get the name of the people close to Jack and they need to run him down.

Back in group therapy, a much cheerier Parker talks about her foster parents and has a major breakthrough. When Marcy points out the flaws in her story, Sophie interrupts and suggests they all try and make amends. Jack raises his hand but Sophie focuses on Nate again and asks who he wants to apologize to for hurting. Nate suggests that he might be worse sober than drunk, and Sophie talks about burdens. She gives Jack a pad and tells him to write down everyone that he needs to apologize to and then call them.



Eliot and Alec talk to the waitress at the bar. She explains that Jack bought a car and was trying to convince her to take it. They go back to headquarters while figuring that Jack isn’t all bad. Sophie gets word that Nate tried to escape. She goes to the rehab center and takes Nate back to his room. As they go down the hall, they hear Jack apologizing to Pam. Once she hangs up, she talks to the new batch of SCC inspectors, unaware that they are Kwon and his men. Kwon is interested in learning which rehab center Jack is at.

Nate insists he just needed some air at first, but finally admits he needed a drink. He tells her to help him by giving him something to do. Sophie tells him that Jack spends as much time performing random acts of kindness as he does indulging himself. Nate doesn’t believe it and says that he knows about addicts and how they manipulate people. Sophie tells him to think about it and leaves.

When Nate turns around, he finds James Sterling in his room. Sterling says that the company sent him and they plan to pay for his bill to make up for killing his son. Nate punches him and hits the wall. “Sterling” continues to taunt him, holding a glass of whiskey.



Nate goes to the rec room and watches Jack and Parker play Charades with the others. Finally Nate breaks, grabs Jack, and demands to know where the money is. Jack claims that his wife left him and Nate slams the door shut.

Kwon and his men arrive and search the rehab center.

Nate forces Jack to admit that he stole from the charity. Jack explains that he wanted to help Michelle by cleaning out her account and quadrupling her money with the tricks he learned.

A bright, cheery Parker spots Kwon and his men. As she brushes past one of them, she pauses.

Jack tells Nate that he was going to give back the money. He asks Nate if it’s okay to cheat and lie if you’re doing it to help someone. Parker comes in and guiltily admits that she took one of the Korean thug’s guns. Nate tells her to get out through the air vent but Parker refuses to go, saying she’s making progress. When he grabs her, Parker points out that he doesn’t usually touch anyone. Disgusted, Nate shoots out the window lock with the stolen gun and climbs out with Jack.



Nate takes Jack to a taco shop and feeds him in return for the location of the money. He then calls the others and tells them that the money is in the car. Sophie is disgusted that Nate disrupted Jack’s treatment and Eliot wonders why they’re helping him. Nate insists that they have to help Jack or the two gangs will kill him.

Nate and Jack drive to the parking lot with Jack’s car. The two gangs are there and want their money, and Jack asks for a second. He goes to his car and they hear a beeping noise. Esteban has his men check the car and confirm that there’s a bomb underneath. As the gang members back away, Jack tells Nate to run away. He takes cover as the bomb goes off. Kwon figures that the Jamaicans took the money because that’s what he would do. Once the two gangs drive away, Sophie and the others run up. Eliot had planted the bomb beneath the van and then pulled Jack clear on an automotive creeper.

Jack assumes that Nate and Sophie were working together to heal him. When Eliot asks where the money was hidden even though he searched it, Jack explains that the money was hidden in the tires. Later, Jack gives the money to Michelle. Nate provides him with a new identity and a chance to start over. Jack insists that he’s playing it straight for now on and will find a support group when he arrives. He offers to be Nate’s sponsor if he ever needs one and they quickly get him out.



That leaves one thing to do. Parker is entertaining her fellow patients with a game of Pictionary involving museum floor plans. Sophie comes to get her released. Outside, Parker hugs everyone and Nate assures them that the anti-depressants will wear off in 24 hours. As the others leave, Sophie looks at the rehab center and asks Nate if he’s ready to finish what he’s started. Nate says that he needs a drink and walks off.



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