Wilkes has something fun to show Carter: his ability to manipulate zero matter. The tissue sample from Jane Scott’s body still has some tell-tale signs of zero matter in it, and when Wilkes moves his hand around the jar, the zero matter follows. He leaves it there too long, and the zero matter is sucked out of the jar, into Wilkes. What’s more, it makes him temporarily corporeal. It also “draws” him to the location of Jane Scott’s missing corpse: the county’s cold storage building.
Carter and Jarvis break into the cold storage via the vents. Before they can drop into the room holding the corpse, Frost and Chadwick enter. From their hiding spot in the vent, Carter and Jarvis find out that the corpse had the same effect on Frost, that it “called her” here. Frost makes her husband open the coffin, and she uses her power to suck the zero matter out of Jane Scott. Her eyes turn black for a moment, then she makes a new pronouncement: she needs an atomic bomb.
Wilkes figures out that Frost wants a bomb to replicate the original atomic tests that created the rift and zero matter. The only place that has bombs is Roxxon, which is a virtually impenetrable fortress just outside the city. Carter needs some kind of disguise to get past Hugh Jones, who heads up Roxxon, in order to get the one-of-a-kind key that would get her into the complex where the bombs are held. She and Sousa have a hell of a time convincing Dr. Samberly to give up one of his toys, but he finally does: a “memory inhibitor” that will make someone forget the last two minutes. Of course, there is the slight risk of brain damage.
While Jones’ secretary is at lunch, Carter goes in undercover as a new hire. Jones spots her and instantly starts flirting with her, promising to give her extra attention when he gets back from his lunch. The elevator doors have just closed on him when he realizes that he recognizes Carter – she is an agent! He rushes back into the office, where Carter brain zaps him and sends him out to lunch. This time he doesn’t even get to the elevator before he remembers who she is. This time, Carter is ready for him, and the second jolt knocks him out briefly. Carter returns to searching his office for the key, when she realizes the key must be on his person. It takes three more zaps before she finally finds the key hidden in Jones’ belt buckle. She gives him one, final zap for good measure and hurries out. Jones’ secretary returns and Jones, now conscious, emerges from his office. “Did you have a good lunch?” she asks. Jones looks at his askew clothing and undone belt. “I must have!”
Carter’s team is desperately short handed. They need more than just her, Jarvis, and Sousa. But who can they trust? Carter wants Rose. She has all the same training as any other agent, she just doesn’t have any field experience. Sousa protests, but Carter wins. Rose is thrilled to be part of the mission. The three go to the lab in hopes of pilfering some of Samberly’s toys, but he catches them. Rose flirts with the doc, who is desperately in love with her, and agrees to loan out some of his prototypes – but he gets to go, too. Maybe it is because he is a man, or maybe Sousa is just resigned to the idea, but he does not put up a fight. The team of misfits is now complete.
Frost uses her “connections” to assemble her own team. Against her husband’s wishes, they go seek the help of Joseph Manfredi, a top-ranking mafioso who dated Frost many years ago. She promises Manfredi freeway contracts; all she wants is a few men who are discrete and good with their hands. Manfredi agrees, but wants his name kept out of the papers. It’s a deal.
Carter’s team rolls out. Samberly and Rose pose as a married couple who get lost and need directions from the Roxxon security guards. Samberly tosses a device at them, which electrocutes the guards and knocks them out. Next they hit the elevator, and the key Carter stole works to get them into the highly-classified section of the building. When the elevator opens, a guard tumbles inside. Frost is already here. They have to hurry. Samberly ducks into a utility room and finds a security panel that will unlock all doors. That’s great, but that means that Frost and her team now have the same chance to find the bomb, too. They have to hurry even more.
They finally find the bomb room, and Samberly starts messing around in the security panel for that specific room. Unfortunately Jarvis gets locked in, alone, with the bombs. Sousa, who had handled bombs in the war, was supposed to be the one to remove the uranium rods. Now, he will have to walk Jarvis through the task while Samberly works desperately to unlock the door. He is getting frustrated, so after she kicks some goon’s ass, Rose flirts with him, restoring his confidence and unlocking the door. By now, Jarvis has finished removing the uranium rods and securing them in a portable case. Sousa sends the three to the car while he goes for Carter. If they aren’t out in ten minutes, they are to leave and go secure the uranium.
Carter has gone after Frost, and first tries talking to her. She offers to help her, to fix her. Frost laughs. She has never felt more powerful, and doesn’t want to be fixed. Next step is a fight. Frost gets her hands on Carter, but before she can suck out her energy, Carter takes a tumble over a ledge. She dangles off the edge, but rather than take Frost’s proffered hand, she drops to the ground. Sousa arrives just in time to see this, and sees that Carter has impaled herself on a piece of rebar.
Unwilling to go to the hospital, Sousa and Jarvis rush Carter to Violet’s house. The nurse, who had agreed to marry Sousa earlier in the episode, takes a beat, then starts barking orders to the boys. The injury turns out to look worse than it is. The rebar missed all her organs, and Violet was able to get the bleeding under control pretty easily. Even still, Sousa was really scared. Violet sees this moment between them, but says nothing. Jarvis helps Carter to the car, despite Violet urging her to stay there for a few days. Left alone for a few minutes with Sousa, Violet confronts him: he moved to Los Angeles because he was running from Carter. She thinks he is in love with Carter – and Sousa can’t deny it. He says nothing. I love the fact that Violet doesn’t bullsh*t around. She just confronts her man directly. Most other shows would turn this into rom-com nonsense.
Frost is furious that she lost out on the uranium and insists Chadwick call Jones and get more. Chadwick refuses, throwing his glass across the room. He refuses to ask for another favor, refuses to put himself in another ridiculous situation. This was a disaster, and he needs Frost to stop. Frost won’t accept this attitude and puts her hands on him, warning him to watch his tone. Chadwick looks duly frightened, and she leaves him alone. After Frost goes to sleep, Chadwick places a phone call. He wants an emergency council meeting. “They will want to hear this!”
Back at Stark Manor, Carter is tucked into bed and she tells Wilkes that the rebar didn’t hurt as much as Frost’s touch hurt. Zero matter comes from a “dark place, a painful place, not a place you want to be,” Wilkes warns, but promises that is a conversation for another time. To lighten the mood, Carter turns on the radio, but suddenly, Wilkes fades and disappears.
You can check out a preview for next week’s 2-episode event below!
