Faith, Hope and Clarity (2) - Recap

As the alarm bell rings, Cy asks Bret what they’re going to do, and Bret says they’ll have to improvise.

Sinclair and Mary Lou arrive at the upstairs Klondike Club and Arthur confronts them. The reverend tells him to get Kate to admit him.



As Bret comes downstairs, Delaworth asks Bret to sign the contract. Bret refuses until Delaworth insists on going with him.

Kate comes out to see Sinclair, who offers to buy Jasmine from her. He appeals to her intelligence and says that they don’t have to be enemies, and offers her $500. Kate demands $1,000 and Sinclair offers her $1,5000 in the interests of harmony.

Philo is in the street handing out Clarity fliers when Bret goes running past. The Indian scout spots him running upstairs and realizes that something is going on.

Sinclair is trying to get Kate to admit him to the Klondike Club when Bret comes up behind them. Kate tells Bret to start glad-handing the cattle barons and he quickly gives in. She then agrees to take his $1,500 on credit and invites him to come back the next night. Sinclair agrees and departs with Mary Lou, and Bret congratulates Kate on her success.



The next day, Philo confronts Arthur and Bret and demands a piece of what they’re up to. He wants the money for the Clarity movement and Bret agrees to check with the others first.

Tom signs the contract with Delaworth, but discovers that Delaworth is going to have a bear-wrestling contest to promote the saloon. When Tom points out that Delaworth was supposed to leave town, Delaworth explains that he’s decided to say and bolster the saloon’s profits.

While they wait for Sinclair, Mary Lou asks Bret what they’re going to do about Philo. Bret insists that there’s nothing to worry about. When Sinclair arrives, he asks if Bret is man enough to go with him as he bankrupts Kate. Bret agrees and demonstrates his system for the game of Red Dog poker that they’ll be playing.



Jasmine grabs Philo and claims that Sinclair sent her to Philo for safety and to commingle their “essences.” Philo is eager to go with her.

Bret explains the signals with his cigar that he’ll give to Rodney, his secret confederate, and how Sinclair should bet at the proper time. The cult leader is satisfied that they can take Kate down.

That night, Sinclair and Mary Lou arrive. Kate greets them and Mary Lou suggests that they play Red dog.

Jasmine and Philo pray together until Jasmine dozes off.

Sinclair soon wins $6,000 with Bret’s help. Philo storms in to get his share of the con, but pauses when he sees that Sinclair is there. Sinclair quickly gets Philo out into the hallway and tells him that he knows what he’s doing and that he plans to make money for the Clarity movement. Kate and Bret listen in and are relieved when Sinclair tells Philo to stay out of it and let him handle the situation with Bret and Kate.



The movement leader then goes to see Workman and tells him to withdraw the $20,000 in construction funds due from Boston. When Workman hesitates, Sinclair tells him to follow orders and stop worrying about it. After Workman leaves, Mary Lou and Bret arrive and Sinclair confirms that he reassured Philo. The movement leader is eager to double his construction funds and tells Bret to cooperate. Once Bret leaves, Mary Lou worries that they’re pushing Bret too hard. She suggests that they might get rid of Bret and then asks him to show her his temple.

The next morning, Workman goes to the bank to see Elijah. He wants to cancel the transfer of funds, insisting that they’ll be safer there. Elijah wonders if Sinclair knows about Workman’s plan.

Delaworth has set up the wrestling contest and wants Bret to act as the referee to promote the saloon. He assures Bret that people will flock at the mention of his name. When Bret balks, Delaworth threatens to shut down the Klondike Room. Bret grabs the wrestling sign and tells Jack to burn it, and then goes into the back office with Tom. Tom worries that Delaworth could blow the entire con and complains that Bret’s plan will fall apart. Bret tells him to cancel the con if he wants, but Tom will have to be the one to tell everyone they won’t be able to get their mortgage back. Tom finally explains that Delaworth now owns a controlling share in the Red Ox. Delaworth comes in and suggests they celebrate their partnership in the Klondike Club, and Bret angrily agrees.



That night, Sinclair comes to get the $20,000 check from Workman. Workman gives in and hands it over as Sinclair leaves for the Klondike Club. Jasmine comes in Workman admits to her that he’s in a lot of trouble.

At the Klondike Club, Delaworth admires the club and goes to talk to Bret. Bret is busy helping Sinclair win, and Delaworth congratulates the gambler on his business acumen. Once Delaworth leaves, Kate dismisses Sinclair’s current winnings and taunts him into betting more. Sinclair goes to the banker’s cage to cash his $20,000 check, but discovers that Workman placed a grocery list in the envelope. Sinclair immediately cashes in the $10,000, and Kate tries to dissuade him. When the movement leader threatens to call in the sheriff, Estelle reluctantly hands over the $10,000 seed money from the townspeople.

The next morning, Kate goes to the Klondike Club and discovers from Estelle that Bret has disappeared.

At his cellar room, Philo calls to the Voice and asks for an answer for everything that has beset him. Bret comes down and tells Philo that he’s welcome to participate in the con. He lies to Philo and says that Sinclair isn’t the mark, and offers the scout 10%. Philo waits briefly for the Voice to speak up. When it doesn’t, he agrees to help Bret.



Cy goes to his dead father Wilmot’s grave and admits that it’s the worse day of his life. Bret finds him and assures him that they’ll get the $10,000 back. When Cy proves reluctant, Bret says that he’ll tell the townspeople that Cy had a change of heart and starts to leave. Cy realizes that he doesn’t have a choice and goes after his friend.

Bret meets with the others and says that now is the time to go after Sinclair since he believes that he’s mastered the system and that Rodney is the key as a dealer.

At his office, Sinclair demotes Workman as the other movement members look on. Once they leave, Bret comes in and complains that Sinclair backed out of their arrangement. He suggests that Sinclair mortgage the land and asks for $10,000 right away. When Sinclair has second thoughts, Bret insists that they’re partners and repeats his demand. The movement leader figures that something is wrong and refuses to turn the money over. An angry Bret storms out of the office.

Philo rides up to the sheriff’s office and tells Dowd and Sturges that there’s been a cave-in at the El Dorado mine. Cy comes in and confirms Philo’s story, and Dowd and Sturges immediately ride off to rescue the mine workers. Once they’re gone, Bret, Rodney, Cy, and Fingers go into the office.



At the saloon, Angela is collecting money for the wrestling contest. Delaworth is there and spots Bret and the others go into the sheriff’s office. They set up Cy up as the deputy.

Sinclair meets with Mary Lou, who explains that Rodney is in jail for attacking someone who called him young. Without him, Bret doesn’t have a way to stop Kate. The movement leader figures that Bret knew about the arrest, and Mary Lou explains that Bret was going to use the $10,000 to bail Rodney out. Sinclair goes to the sheriff’s office where Fingers is claiming that someone broke his arms. Cy makes the appropriate bureaucratic comments and welcomes Sinclair and Mary Lou. Sinclair agrees to top Bret’s bail offer and pay in cash, and Cy lets him talk to Rodney. The movement leader offers to get Rodney out of jail in return for his help conning Kate without Bret’s help. Rodney readily agrees and Cy releases him.

As Cy leaves with the money, Dowd and Sturges ride back into town after realizing that Philo lied to them. Meanwhile, Sinclair goes to the bank to mortgage his land for $60,000. Elijah warns against it and notes that Bret is a conman and a charlatan. Undeterred, Sinclair leaves with his $60,000.

Bret and Tom go over clippings on Delaworth and call him into his office. Tom quickly leaves Bret to handle the matter, and the gambler tells Delaworth they’ve confirmed that he’s been kicked out of every major East Coast college. His father gave him a trust fund and shipped him out to the West, and Delaworth insists that it’s an equitable arrangement. Delaworth threatens to shut down the Klondike Club if Bret doesn’t cooperate with him.



That night, Mary Lou meets with Sinclair. When she wonders how Sinclair plans to keep Bret away, they watch as Jasmine intercepts Bret with orders to tempt him away. Bret plays along and they walk away, much to Sinclair’s satisfaction. He and Mary Lou go to the club and invites Kate to join him in a game. She finally agrees and they settle down for a game of Red Dog with Rodney as the dealer. Cy watches the exchange and reports to Fingers, who assures him that they can’t rush the con.

Kate bets $15,000 and Sinclair matches her bet. Sinclair wins the hand thanks to Rodney and puts all $60,000 up on the next hand. Kate warns him to be careful but Sinclair insists. However, she tells Rodney to put the deck down and have Sinclair take the top card. He hesitates then finally takes the top card. He loses and accuses Rodney of working with Bret to cheat Kate out of her winnings. Bret storms in and shoots Rodney dead. Delaworth comes in claiming to be a special inspector, and Workman testifies that Sinclair was in on it. He hustles Sinclair out and tells him that the Council of Elders is on their way and that Sinclair is on his own.



Once they’re clear, everyone celebrates and Rodney gets up. Philo comes in and sees what happened. Everyone, including Delaworth, celebrates. Fingers admits that he’s never seen a con run so well. Cy comes up and tells Estelle that he’s never going to do a con again. He and Estelle thank Bret for his help, and Kate complains that they didn’t tell her about the shooting. Bret thanks Delaworth for his help, and the young businessman asks for some help in return. Bret soon finds himself refereeing wrestling matches.

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