- The Machine suddenly provides six numbers, one of whom has a place on remote Owen Island. Because of a tropical storm Finch and Reese are trapped there with eight others, and one is them is methodically killing the others, one by one.
- Coinciding with a storm hitting the eastern tri-state area which may require evacuation of coastal residents, the machine has not provided any numbers in three days, leading Reese and Finch to believe that there might be something wrong with it, especially what Stanton may have done to it prior to her death. When the machine does provide a number, it provides six men simultaneously, five who are officially missing or have ceased their electronic footprint. Reese and Finch decide to focus on the sixth, Jack Rollins - Finch at his New York apartment, Reese at his rented home on Owen Island just off the northeast tip of Long Island - while Carter is tasked with finding out more about the missing or off-the-grid five. Their early guess is that their unknown perpetrator has killed the five taking over their identity moving from person to person, Rollins the next on the list. A common bond between their three individual investigations is Special Agent Alan Fahey, an FBI paper pusher. By reading the missing persons and off-the-grid files of the five, Carter sees Fahey's name, he who has noted a similarity between the five cases. Fahey also shows up at Owen Island looking for Rollins. Reese, acting as a US Marshall, and Fahey team to find what may have happened to a now seemingly missing Rollins. But because of the storm, those few who did not evacuate have convened at the small police station with Reese and Fahey, those people who include the local dipsomaniac bartender, a young grocery store clerk, a just married couple from out of town, an out of town developer, a fisherman and a drifter along with the sole deputy on duty. As they get further into their investigation, Carter and Finch individually come to the conclusion that the killer is one of those stuck on Owen Island. The problem becomes getting that information to Reese as the storm has shut down much of the communications and transportation networks. Reese and Fahey would then have to figure out which one he is. During this process, Carter tries to find out what baggage Beecher is carrying that cost her the FBI position, which is all the more difficult as Beecher himself presses her to find out why she has suddenly turned cold on him.—Huggo
- The Machine has not delivered any number for three days and Finch and Reese go to the movie theater to kill time. They believe something may be wrong with The Machine, but suddenly it provides six numbers. Five of them are missing, but the sixth, Jack Rollins, lives in New York. Reese visits his apartment that is empty, and Finch finds that he rented a house in Owen Island. Despite the stormy day, Reese travels to the island to find Rollins. When he arrives at Rollins' house, he stumbles upon FBI Agent Alan Fahey, who is also looking for Rollins. Reese poses as a US Marshall and team up with Fahey to proceed the investigation together. Finch visits Rollins' apartment again and finds that he had been incinerated in the furnace. Reese and Fahey head to a small police station, where people that has not been evacuated are looking for shelter with Deputy Erica Schmidt. The island has no communication, and Finch flies to Owen Island to update Reese. When the deputy is found dead, stabbed on the chest, Reese and Fahey learn that the killer is inside the station. But who is he? Meanwhile, Carter and Beecher drive to Owen Island to help the investigation.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Open with a storm approaching the New York region.
Reese and Finch walk out of a movie and talk about not having heard from either Agent Shaw or the machine. Finch wonders if it's related to Stanton and her virus. A nearby payphone rings. It's the machine.
The guys are given six numbers from various parts of the country that don't seem to have any connections. Three of them are listed on a missing persons database and the others are completely off the grid. Jack Rollins, a Brooklyn antiques dealer, is the only local name.
At Rollins' home/office Reese finds a rental property bill. He's left town in a hurry for an island property in Suffolk County, the heart of the area expected to be hit by the storm. Reese heads for the beach.
Carter looks into the missing person files from the machine's numbers. An FBI desk jockey named Alan Fahey (Luke Macfarlane) did the paperwork on all of the files. Carter asks about Detective Cal Beecher (Sterling K. Brown) and learns that he's probably bad news.
Carter calls Fahey, who says his only job is to file reports. She says her lead connecting the cases is confidential and he isn't interested in hearing any more.
Reese arrives at Rollins' rental house, while Finch searches his home. In the basement Finch finds empty photo frames, which matches the files of the other missing person, whose homes were found without pictures. Finch and Reese get cut off just as Reese realizes he's not alone in the house and Finch's dog, Bear, finds something in the furnace. Reese turns a corner and comes face to face with Fahey, who has his gun drawn. Reese pretends to be a U.S. Marshall looking into Rollins.
Finch found what appears to be burned human remains in Rollins' basement, with only the teeth still visible. He wonders to Carter whether they might be looking at a string of murders. Carter agrees, thinking they might be looking at a serial killer. With phones not working Finch thinks he needs to go warn Reese in person.
At the local police station Fahey and Reese show Rollins' picture to the only remaining officer, Deputy Erica Schmidt (Becky Ann Baker), still on duty. She can't help them because of the weather. Fahey takes Reese aside and says he thinks they're on the trail of a killer.
Beecher drops by to see Carter. He wants to know what he did wrong and she basically blows him off.
Fahey thinks that the killer has been taking the identity of each person he kills. Reese thinks the killer could be on the island. Gradually people start to filter into the station to avoid the weather. One of them mentions they saw someone prepping a boat for travel.
At the docks Reese and Fahey find two guys on the dock. They bring them both back to the station.
At the station Reese finds that Finch has arrived, now under arrest for landing his plane in the middle of town. Reese talks Deputy Schmidt into letting Finch go for a moment. Finch tells Reese they need to consider who the killer has been and therefore what he might look like.
Fahey shows Reese that someone recently tried to burn the Rollins identity, meaning he's moved on. This indicates the killer could be anyone with them in the station.
Carter asks Beecher to look at security camera footage of Rollins in Chicago. In the second image Rollins is taller and left-handed.
Reese asks Fahey to allow Finch to help him investigate everybody in the station. His plan is to use some hidden equipment to record whether or not the person is lying.
One of the fishermen seems nervous about something. The cop thinks it's weird a drifter would come to town in winter looking for seasonal work.
Carter conducts a Skype interview about one of the other names on the list. The missing student has a roommate named Declan who requested a change. She can't find a Declan in the school records. Carter tries to connect with the station where Reese and Finch are holed up but can't get through.
The power goes out and Reese turns on the generator. When the lights come back on the on the Deputy is lying dead with a knife in her chest.
Carter leaves to follow-up on her lead and Beecher demands to go with her.
The locals begin to get riled-up. Reese targets one of the guys from the docks, named Victor Engquist (Dennis Flanagan). He immediately starts to punch Reese then admits he was lying because he's a Marine who deserted during a second tour. It was his knife, but he didn't kill her. They realize the fisherman, Ethan Mattson, (James Andrew O'Connor) is missing and Reese goes after him.
On the drive Carter brings up Beecher possibly being dirty.
Reese finds some marijuana on the dock, realizing that's what Victor was trying to protect. He's a small-time smuggler. Viktor tries to attack him and Reese quickly knocks him out. Reese opens his trunk and finds a body wearing an FBI jacket. Ethan uses the distraction to knock Reese out.
Finch figures out that Fahey is the killer. Fahey sneaks up behind him and sticks a gun to his head. He tells him if he makes a sound he'll start "hurting innocents." Fahey said he killed the deputy because he couldn't be sure what she heard over the radio. Fahey asks Finch if he is "like me." Finch says, "you have no idea. You're an amateur at this."
Ethan is about to dump Reese into the water. Reese turns the tables and knocks him out with a paddle.
Finch assures Fahey he'll never get off the island. Fahey responds that Finch will fly him off the island. He says he is living people's lives better than they did, but Finch counters that all he does is hurt people. Fahey raises his gun to kill Finch but Carter arrives from behind and takes him out. As they turn away Finch realizes that Fahey also had body armor. Fahey pops up but is cut down by Beecher who walked in from the other side of the room.
Reese tells Finch he's glad the machine was smart enough to give them all of the false IDs. But Finch is still worried about the machine having gone down for three days. He wonders what that might mean for the future.
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