Ryan Hardy has a problem with relationships, and with good reason.   In a flashback, Claire draws some information out of him about his family.  He tells her that his mother died of cancer when he was fourteen.,  His dad, a beat cop, was killed in the line of duty and his brother, who was a New York City firefighter also died.  It wasn’t said, but he inferred that his brother was killed on 9/11.   Given that history, it’s easy to understand why he’s afraid to get too close to anyone.  All he has left is his sister, Jenny,  who stayed by his side after the Joe Carroll investigation which left him with a pacemaker, and turned him into an alcoholic.   Now, Maggie Kester has taken his sister hostage and she wants revenge for the death of her husband, Rick.

Maggie has an interesting background, as well.  When Carroll tells the agents that her real name is Margaret Schuller, they find that she’s a suspect in six unsolved murders in Little Rock, Arkansas.   We knew Maggie was nuts, but we didn’t realize she’d been killing people  already.   Carroll says that Maggie is a very special girl.  She’s resourceful, tenacious and impressive.  In their cult world, her work would be all of that.  Carroll also thinks that the marriage of Maggie and Rick is a perfect love story – again, only in Joe’s world.   Since her getaway from the agents, Maggie’s been found on surveillance video stabbing a stranger in a parking lot, presumably for his car.  At a hardware store, she had purchased rope, cord, tape and magnets.

Ryan receives a call from Jenny, telling him she’s in trouble, when Maggie takes the phone from her.  She tells Ryan that he’s to come to Jenny’s restaurant, alone, and Jenny won’t be killed.  As he races off, Agent Weston catches up with him and insists on going along.  They decide that Agent Parker doesn’t need to know here they’re going or why.    On the ride to Brooklyn, Weston tries to befriend Ryan, telling him about his own family and telling him that he can call him Mike.  Ryan only turns away and stares out the window.  When they arrive near Jenny;s restaurant, Ryan tells Mike to go around to the kitchen door, which will be left unlocked and Ryan enters the darkened building alone.    Jenny comes first, and Ryan will take care of himself.    As he walks between the tables, Ryan sees a note that says “put this on”.  It’s a blindfold and he complies.  Then he hears Maggie’s voice and she knocks him out.

When he come to, he’s bound to a table, “Dexter”-style.   Maggie is holding a knife and Jenny is tied to a chair.  She tells Ryan that Claire would have been a better choice but that Ryan will have to suit her purposes.   She proceeds to place the magnets she purchased at the hardware store on his chest.  Got that “Homeland” fans?  Murder by disrupting a pacemaker.  It’s working and Ryan’s heart is failing.   Weston finally comes in and strikes Maggie, then shoots her when she tries to stab him.  Ryan and his heart make it out of there all right and Ryan tells Jenny that she should probably go away for a while – sound advice.  Weston’s worried that he may be suspended for this, but it’s worth it if he’s managed to make any headway with Ryan.

Emma and Paul are still upset with having Megan tied up in the basement of the farmhouse.  They want Jake to get rid of her, kill her and bury her, before Joey finds out about her.  The problem is that he’s never killed anyone before.  In another flashback, he’s seen telling the cult about a girl that he killed, but it never happened.   He’s also seen telling Joe Carroll that he lied to him and the other followers.  Joe had assured him that it would happen some day, but that Jake has to do it on his own terms, when he’s ready.   Megan suggests that Jake just cut her enough to make her bleed, and the others will believe that she’s dead.  Instead, He unties her and tells her to run.  Emma and Paul take chase after her and she hides in the barn.  When she think they’ve left, she’s comes out from her hiding place, but the two come back, stab her and drag her back to the house.

Emma, trying to convince Paul that they should all just love each other, kisses him and the two get into the shower.  Jake finds Megan, back in the basement, and know that he’s really in trouble.  She’s been left alive, by Emma and Paul, and it’s his job to do what needs to be done.  When he goes upstairs, he finds the other two in the shower.   He wants to apologize for his failure and his lies.  They gather him into their arms, one of the creepiest things to watch, and they all share a group hug – even creepier.

The agents are examining the video of Joey that was sent to Claire, and they think they have an idea as to where he’s being held.

Empress