The Catch recap: 'The Bad Girl'

Mother-daughter angst, an almost-fourgy, and a big reveal sure to change Ben and Alice’s relationship all take center stage in tonight’s episode of The Catch. But before I get to recapping “The Bad Girl,” can I just say how refreshing I find Rhys’ obvious bisexuality — especially since the show doesn’t feel the need to label the character or otherwise explain his interest in men and women alike? Rhys’ sexuality doesn’t define him, nor is it linked to his moral ambiguity (that’s mostly due to his chosen criminal profession and otherwise questionable values). It’s just one aspect of how he’s portrayed — and one of many qualities that make him one of the most interesting characters on the show.

Okay, I’m off my soapbox (for now). Let’s break down what happened at the midway point of The Catch‘s second season, shall we?

All in the family

The first person to get tied up this episode is Tessa Riley, the mysterious girl who last week claimed to be Margot’s long-lost daughter. Here’s the scoop: She’s 15 and hasn’t seen her adoptive parents, Steven and Susan, in more than a year. Apparently, said adoptive parents were “desperate to curry favor” with the Kensington firm — so when Sybil approached them with Margot’s infant daughter, they were more than happy to provide a solution… in cash. Yep, Sybil sold her own granddaughter. That’s got to be a new low, right?

Anyway, Tessa’s been on the run since she was expelled from school for threatening to blow it up. Margot doubts the girl is telling the truth but pretends to comfort her so she can get close enough to rip a few hairs from Tessa’s head, with which she instructs Alice to get a DNA test.

Almost immediately, Alice thinks Ben could be Tessa’s father. Her instincts are right, of course, but more on that later. For now, Sophie’s snooping around in the girl’s burner phone to see who she’s working with — there’s no way she could concoct this entire assassination plot on her own, right? Their suspicions are corroborated when Tessa gets a cryptic text: “Initiating phase two. Going dark. Rendezvous as planned.” Yep, even though Tessa’s all tied up, Margot’s life is still in danger.

Speaking of Margot, she pays a visit to her own mum behind bars. She wants to know what her mother — who’s being extradited to England the following day — did with her baby all those years ago. Sybil quickly ‘fesses up to selling Tessa to a “perfectly boring couple in Sheffield,” and she doesn’t seem too remorseful about it, either. “You made the right decision, you know,” she tells Margot. “Giving her up. Parenting’s a cruel business; you’d never have stomached it.” Ouch. Talk about mummy dearest.

Meanwhile, Sophie tracks Tessa’s burner phone to a store in Burbank. It was purchased by a Felix McCall, one of Margot’s lieutenants at the Kensington firm who just so happens to be an expert in firearms, tactical assaults, and demolitions. In other words, he’s a bomb-maker, which makes it even more imperative to find him immediately.

A quick chat with Tessa confirms she’s partnered up with Felix — in more than one way. Margot’s maternal instincts kick in as she hilariously threatens to kill (or castrate first, then kill) the man who deflowered her 15-year-old daughter. But when she and Danny look for Felix at his apartment, they discovered he’s wired the door with enough C-4 to level the entire building. Uh-oh.

Margot’s fleeting protectiveness disappears as she returns to the AVI offices and points a gun at her daughter’s head, claiming she’ll count to three and shoot unless Tessa tells her where to find Felix. She stops after two, seemingly unable to end the life of her little girl. Did anyone else have a fleeting thought that she might actually do it?

In a surprising confession to Alice, Tessa admits to thinking Margot didn’t abort her because she genuinely loved her father — whom Tessa knows by name. She tries convincing Alice to let her “get rid of Margot” herself, since Alice’s life isn’t likely to get any easier once Ben finds out about her. She throws in a “step-mummy” for good measure, a word I’ve never heard sound quite so threatening before.

When we see Margot again, she’s looking over a list of businesses in the financial district, where the AVI team tracked Felix’s phone after his text to Tessa. She recognizes her mother’s legal firm on the list, which means Sybil’s in danger — especially today, when she’s leaving prison to be extradited to England. We flash quickly to Sybil being led to a van by two armed guards, whom Felix swiftly kills before turning his gun on the former head of the Kensington firm. “Hello, Sybil. Your granddaughter sends her regards,” he says before opening fire. Luckily (or not?), Sybil’s able to pull the van door shut and dodge the bullets just long enough for Danny to tackle Felix out of nowhere and tie him up (that’s No. 2). That’s when Margot gets in the van and drives off with her mum in what must be TV’s easiest prison break of all time.

As it turns out, Margot’s chartered a jet for Sybil to escape somewhere with lax extradition laws. In her own way, Sybil thanks her daughter and suggests she and Tessa come visit once she’s settled. But the small expression of pride on her mother’s part leads Margot to change her mind and ask her to stick around for a bit. It’ll be interesting to see this mother-daughter dynamic unfold, especially if/when Rhys reunites with his estranged family.

Back at AVI, Alice hands the (already opened) DNA test results to Margot, who declines to look. “I already know she’s mine,” she says before sitting down with Tessa for another chat. Perhaps taking a hint from her own mother, Margot says she feels “oddly proud” of Tessa’s plan to kill her and offers to tell Tessa why she failed. “I already know. I underestimated my target,” Tessa says, as she gives her mother a small smile. Another twisted mother-daughter relationship on this show? Yes, please!

While all this is going on, Ben’s story this week begins with him sending Alice a link to a luxury overwater condo in Belize, where he wants to move once his FBI deal comes to an end. (Hey, if Alice doesn’t want to go, I volunteer as tribute.) Meanwhile, Rhys strolls in after an all-nighter spent with Chloe Jackson, another elite thief with whom Rhys robbed a liquor store (and jewelry store) the night before. Ben warns Rhys against getting caught, worried an arrest might jeopardize his own deal with the feds. Rhys, of course, says there’s nothing to worry about.

Ben takes this bit of intel about Chloe — who’s apparently one of the world’s most wanted criminals — to Diaz, tempting her with the idea that arresting Chloe means she could close at least 10 open investigations. He’s bringing her the case in hopes that she’ll shave a few months off his CI arrangement, but we don’t get an answer to his request just yet.

At first, Rhys is a bit ticked off at Ben for giving Chloe to the FBI, but once Diaz runs her hand down his arm and says she’s impressed with how Rhys “worked overtime to get close to Chloe” (Ben’s words), he quickly changes his tune. He doesn’t know what Chloe’s in town to steal, but he manages to clone her phone during a hotel rendezvous with her and a room service delivery guy named Raul. With this new info, they discover Chloe has hired three others to help her with the mystery heist, including a getaway driver named Charlie Lowell. The plan is to arrest Lowell and the other two, forcing Chloe to hire a new crew at the last minute — a crew consisting of Ben, Diaz, and Rhys. Though she doesn’t usually work with strangers, Rhys tempts her by describing Ben and Diaz as “just their kind of fun.” Kinky.

During an intro at Rhys’ house, Chloe says she’s glad they have some time to “get to know each other better” before promptly getting naked. As she gets thisclose to Diaz and Ben, Rhys starts taking off his jacket as if it’s really going to happen. (Silly Rhys.) They’re talking shop as Chloe’s about to plant one on Ben, who gets a perfectly timed call from Alice (a.k.a. “the babysitter”). With Tessa’s arrival weighing heavily on her mind, Alice called to ask Ben if he ever wanted kids. After a bit of prodding, Ben finally admits that yes, he wanted kids, and he’d be thrilled if Alice were pregnant. (Side note: She isn’t.)

Back inside, Ben feigns having a sick child at home so he and Diaz can make their escape. When it seems like Chloe’s about to call off the deal, Diaz plants a kiss on her that leaves Rhys and Ben with big, gaping smiles on their faces. (I swear, I totally thought they were about to giggle like schoolgirls.) A taste of what Chloe was looking forward to is all she needs to officially hire the trio.

What Chloe’s planning on stealing is a 1957 Mercedes Gullwing, for which a buyer is willing to pay $4 million. Knowing full well that Rhys is up to no good — and that he plans to steal the car from the evidence impound after the FBI arrests Chloe — Ben tells him to back off, lest he end up in jail. Just then, Chloe (posing as a security guard) initiates the burglary, so Rhys pulls the fire alarm and evacuates the building.

Ben and Diaz take off in the car and attempt to meet up with Chloe but realize something’s amiss when they see cops heading their way in the distance. Since they can’t say they’re FBI without compromising Ben’s CI status, they ditch the Mercedes and quickly determine they’ve been set up. Remembering his earlier chat with Rhys, Ben suggests they head to the impound lot — where, moments before, Rhys found Chloe and confronted her. She tries using her wily ways of seduction to convince Rhys to steal the car with her and partner up, but he instead chooses to tie her up (that’s No. 3) and leave her in the car for the FBI to find. And just like that, Ben and Rhys are two for two with the FBI.

Alice arrives home to Ben pouring wine and talking excitedly about Belize. She says they should hold off on moving, prompting suspicion from Ben just as his cell phone lights up with a call from Margot. Alice encourages him to pick up the phone, knowing he’s about to learn the truth about Tessa. In the next scene, a stunned Ben and Alice return to the AVI offices so Ben can meet his daughter — and so Alice can stand by, looking unsure as she watches her fiancé bond with his new family.

Odds and Ends

• Margot: “No 15-year-old is equipped to survive on her own, and you’re not attractive enough to have gotten by on your looks.”
  Tessa: “Well, you can’t fight genetics.”
• “There’s no way that’s Margot’s kid. When you give birth, isn’t your body supposed to change? Don’t the hips widen? I heard the hips widen…” —Danny
• Ben: “She’s bad for you.”
  Rhys: “She’s the worst. She’s cocaine, cookies, and cognac, all of which she’s asked me to pick up on the way back.”
• Margot: “I’ll kill him.” (referencing Felix, who deflowered her daughter)
  Alice: “Margot?”
  Margot: “No, you’re right. I’ll castrate him first, then I’ll kill him. You coming? No? You’ll only try and talk me out of it.”
• Ben: “Don’t kid yourself. You’re one of the good guys now.”
  Rhys: “Let’s not get too carried away. I almost shot her in the head and stole the car myself.”