Pretty Red Balloon - Recap

The episode begins with Lisbon telling Jane about the seminar on budget protocols; it is mandatory. But Jane doesn’t want to attend it. But Lisbon isn’t going to take no for an answer. Just then Cho arrives declaring a missing child’s case at the Marine county and the mother asked for the CBI specifically. Rigsby, Cho, Lisbon and Jane are on their way to the scene. The boy, 9 year old, was kidnapped. Another kid who was walking to the bus stop saw a vehicle feeling with the boy, Connor Flint, in it. The driver seemed to be in a hurry. Connor’s father died of cancer two years ago, so custody kidnapping is out of picture. Rigsby and Cho head to the bus stop while Jane and Lisbon go to meet the family.

The mother’s name is Elizabeth Flint. They arrive at the Flint’s and Beth is glad to see Jane; looks like they know each other and Lisbon is a little surprised. She is waiting for Jane’s reading. Jane tries to explain that he isn’t a psychic anymore. But she refuses to believe him and wants him to find Connor. Lisbon takes Jane aside for a moment. She realizes that Beth is one of Jane’s old clients; from his con days. She thinks that Jane should leave and Jane agrees with her. Just then Nate Glass arrives and introduces himself to Lisbon; he is Beth’s spiritual adviser. Another psychic!! Jane is intrigued and changes his mind. He goes back into the house; psychic calling! At the bus stop, Cho finds a red colored balloon animal. He calls Grace to check for any ransom calls.

She tells him that there aren’t going to be any, as there have been two other abductions in the Bay area with the same MO. The guys who were abducted were found strangled to death 12 hours later. Glass and Lisbon talk to Beth and Jane looks around the house. He then asks Beth if it was her idea that Connor traveled by school bus. She says that it was her brother, Deke’s idea. Her grown step son, Jonathan, also agreed with it. The house actually belongs to Jonathan and he is letting them stay as long as they want. Beth wants Jane and Glass to work together to find Connor. Lisbon asks Glass to leave the room and Jane tries telling Beth once again that he is not a psychic; he was a con artist. But she still doesn’t believe him and breaks down saying that Jane should help her find Connor.

At the office, Cho tells Rigsby and Grace that they will have to work all three cases to find the killer. at the house, Lisbon and Jane talk to Jonathan Flint. Jonathan tells them that he cares deeply for Beth. Just then Deke arrives and he says that Jane should be sent to prison for conning Beth. Deke tells them that he left Connor alone at the bus stop as Connor wanted it that way; he wanted to show his independence. Deke gets pissed as he feels that Jane is trying to pin all this on him. Jane declares that Deke is a gambling addict while Jonathan is addicted to anti-depressants as there is some unfulfilled emotional need. At the office, Rigsby and Grace interrogate two eye-witnesses in the other two abduction cases. Brady, the guy whom Grace was interrogating, says that there was a black SUV that he saw.

The eight year old boy who saw Connor’s kidnapping also gave a similar description of the vehicle. At the house, Glass pulls off a psychic vision, saying that he can see Connor. Jane obviously knows that he is fooling Beth. Jane tells her that Glass has been in and out of her house since the past two years and so he knew certain things about them. He uses this information and extracts money out of her. Beth gets angry at Jane and he leaves. Jane then talks to Glass and tells him to back off as this is police business and there is a life at stake here. Jane tells him that he too can be a suspect. But Lisbon arrives and tells Jane that during the first two abduction, Glass was elsewhere giving lectures. At the office, Jane tells Lisbon that the second boy, Regi’s case is bothering him.

He states that if he would have arrived three minutes later, he would have been alive. Grace gets some information that makes Brady Walton, the guy she interviewed, a strong suspect. They go to Brady’s house. Brady starts shooting at them. Grace manages to get inside the house and shoots Brady. Lisbon orders Grace to search the house for Connor, but the child isn’t there. Just then Jane calls Lisbon. Jane tells her to ask Rigsby to check his pocket for a note. It says that the balloon man didn’t take Connor. Lisbon arrives in Jane’s office and tells him that Brady has an alibi for Connor’s abduction. She wants to know how Jane knew that Brady did not take Connor. Jane says that something was off; things didn’t add up. The other two boys were older and had dark hair.

Jane says that he senses something fishier; more tangled. Lisbon interrogates Beth. It appears that Connor inherited 20 million dollars and if at all he dies, Beth inherits the money. Jonathan’s financials are strong and it looks like Beth needs that money. Beth is outraged. Her family arrives with the lawyer and she is allowed to leave. Lisbon now suspects Glass as he could earn a lot from this abduction. Jane suggests that he should ask Glass’ help to lead them to Connor. Rigsby arrives with the forensics report and says that there is no trace at the bus stop. But there were traces of fir and gun powder found. Jane realizes something. He goes to Beth, takes her hand and then pretends to be disturbed about something. Beth wants to know what and Jane tells her that he is sensing something.

He can see Connor standing in front of him. He says that someone is following him and he tries to describe the place where he is seeing Connor. He says that he can taste gun powder and he can see some trees and a cabin sort of things. Lisbon says that they need to get volunteers and Cho would search the forest. They would begin at the Flint property line. Next, we see a man wearing a hood and a knife in his hand, walking through the forest. He arrives at a cabin and unlocks the door. Just then Cho and Grace arrive and ask him to drop the knife. The man is Jonathan. Grace opens the door and finds Connor in the cabin. Jonathan is being interrogated and he says that he didn’t do anything to Connor and that it is a misunderstanding.

Lisbon says that Jonathan could not kill his baby brother and so he left him in the cabin; tied, with no food and water. He did it for Beth’s love. Jonathan admits that he always planned on bringing Connor back, so that it looks like he rescued Connor and Jonathan could earn Beth’s love. He then thought of killing Connor as Jonathan feared that Connor would recognize him and that Jane, who is a psychic, could tell everyone that Jonathan is the abductor. Cho tells him that Jane isn’t a psychic. Jonathan wonders how Jane knew about the details of the place where Connor was kept; it was so accurate. They tell Jonathan that they followed him to the cabin. Next, Jane brings Connor home. Glass is pissed as Jane is trying to steal his actions.

He then makes fun of Beth saying how she fell for his act. Jane records this and goes into the house. Beth puts Connor to bed and asks Jane how he did it, as everything he said came out to be true. Jane explains how he figured it out. It was by linking the traces that were found and moreover Jonathan’s expressions gave it away. Jane apologizes for all the lies he told her in the past. But Beth forgives him saying that he gave her hope. Jane and Lisbon leave. Jane is upset and Lisbon tries to cheer him by telling him that he gave Beth hope. Jane corrects her by saying that he sold her hope. Well, hope is worth at any price. The episode ends.

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