AUS Television: City Homicide, Episode 4.16 "Undercover"

City Homicide
Season Four, Episode Sixteen, Undercover
Original Air Date:  October 20, 2010

Jen and Nick, still undercover, must convince Muhammed Hartono that they can work for him again.  McCallister's plans for Jen and Nick aren't what they appear to be.  When things do not go according to plan, Homicide and SIS must team up to find Hartono's bomb before it is too late.

This weeks episode picks up where last weeks left off:  Nick and Jen are talking in the bedroom of the house they are staying in when masked men burst in.  The masked men aren't underworld figures but two men working with SIS.  McCallister isn't pleased with Jen and Nick's reaction to the masked gunmen.  Nick called Jen by her real name instead of calling her Trish.  McCallister is angry that they aren't handling the situation the way they should.  He orders Radcliffe to take them back to their house. 

One of McCallister's employees gives him photographs of Rhys and Allie going into Waheed's home.  The pictures make it back to Homicide where Waverley questions Matt about them.  Jarvis suggests that Matt's team has gone rogue on him but Stanley steps up for Matt.  Jarvis informs Matt that this incident reflects on Matt as a senior officer.  Matt is clearly extremely angry and assures Waverley he will be speaking to the team again.

Once Matt and Stanley are gone, Bernice tells Jarvis times like this make her regret Kingston being on the team because of how headstrong she is and the problem she has with authority.  Jarvis agrees she is that but he also says Rhys has a mind of his own as well.

Matt calls Rhys and Allie into his office.  Duncan arrives with them and, even though he doesn't need to be there, he stays.  Matt tears into Allie and Rhys about their night trip to Waheed's house.  When told about the photograph of Jen and Nick it doesn't matter.  He simply tells them that all bets are off.  They step out of line and he writes them up.  Duncan stays behind after Allie and Rhys leave and Matt tells him how Jarvis questioned his ability to lead the team.  When asked if he knew what Allie and Rhys had done, Duncan says he didn't know until afterwards and that being a team, you don't tell on a team member to which Matt replies "I'm part of the team, too".

Muhammad Hartono arrives at the home where Nick and Jen are living while McCallister and Burns watch from their headquarters.  Burns alerts them to his presence and when the bell rings, Nick answers the door and lets him in.  Once the formalities are over, Nick gets down to business telling Hartono they want to work with him again.  Hartono is troubled because after Wesley and Trish were "imprisoned" many of his friends were arrested both in Australia and overseas.  Without saying whether or not he will accept them back into his organization, Hartono thanks Jen for the water then leaves hastily. 

Burns questions the timing of Jen and Nick showing up and asking to rejoin Hartono.  McCallister says the timing is perfect.  They are wanting Abbott, the man who killed Supomo.  McCallister knows that Hartono will not let Jen and Nick get in the way of his operation and will send Abbott to kill them.  When he kills Jen and Nick, SIS will be able to get Abbott. 

Udiano Supomo, with Bernice Waverley at his side, holds a press conference asking for public help in the murders of his brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew.  Allie, Duncan and Rhys watch the conference from the office and Allie cannot resist commenting that even if they did solve the murder, the case would be taken out of their hands.  Allie is angry that four people have been murdered and Homicide's hands have been tied and they are supposed to be alright with that.

Don pays a visit to Nick and Jen to deliver a message from McCallister.  He wants Jen and Nick to crank things up a notch.  He wants them to go to Hartono this time instead of calling him to them.  Jen and Nick are uncomfortable taking things to another level like this but McCallister wants it done.  Nick offers to go alone and Don tells him he'll go in an hour.

Rhys goes to Bernice to let her know it wasn't Matt's fault he and Allie went to Waheed's home.  She insists that, as their senior officer, Matt is still responsible.  As she is showing him out of her office she asks him who had the idea to search Waheed's house.  Before he can answer, she says that she guessed it had to be Allie Kingston. 

Jen knows that something is up and she warns Nick.  Don comes into the room unannounced for Nick.  Don and Burns take Nick to where he can talk to Hartono and they insist they both have him covered.  Hartono tells Nick his services aren't required.  Nick makes it clear that he is not going away and that Hartono basically has no other option than to take he and Jen on again.  Jen and Nick wait for a call from Hartono.  She tells him that next time, she goes as well and they do it together.  Nick agrees.

The next morning, Hartono texts them that he wants Nick to meet him at his shop.  Burns and McCallister are watching Jen and Nick on the cameras as the two talk about meeting Hartono.  Burns wants to know if there is another way things could be done.  McCallister warns him not to get all bleeding heart on him.  Abbott will talk, Hartono won't.

Jen and Nick go to Hartono's shop and they are in doubt that anyone who will protect them is even around.  Burns is watching from his car with Don and another man standing by.  McCallister is in another car and is certain Abbott will make his move before they get to the shop if he is going to do anything.  None of the men watching Jen and Nick see anything but Abbott is there with a gun trained on the two.  Abbott takes a shot and hits an innocent man walking past Jen.  He takes another shot that hits Jen in the shoulder.  McCallister, Burns, Radcliffe and the other man move in to take Abbott. 

Homicide is called in and Duncan and Stanley arrive.  Matt, who is already on the scene, alerts Stanley to the blood where Jen fell.  Witnesses saw her being put into a car by a group of men.  Allie tells Stanley that it was Jen and Nick.  Witnesses reported that the man was calling out "Jen" and their descriptions were a perfect match to Jen and Nick.

McCallister is called into Bernice Waverley's office.  He is rude and wanting to get the meeting done and over with as fast as possible so he can "get back to where he's really needed".  Jarvis asks if Jennifer Maplethorpe is dead.  McCallister reluctantly provides them with the information that Jennifer was injured but not killed and that she was shot by the same man who killed Waheed and the Supomo family.  McCallister refuses to give Jen and Nick back because he "still has a use for them" but just what use is classified information.

Burns arrives at Jen and Nick's house.  He admits to them that they need to know when and where Hartono is going to strike and Abbott is the only way to get that information.  He tells them they don't believe the cover has been blown and that they still have guards on their home even though they won't ever see them or know they are there.  That night, they whisper a plan of how they are going to take matters into their own hands rather than trust McCallister.  Jen will fake a shopping trip and Nick will accompany her.  They will find Hartono and Abbott. 

As they are getting ready to leave for their fake trip to the shops, Radcliffe arrives and tells them to come with him.  McCallister, watching everything unfold as always, wonders where Radcliffe is taking the two.  McCallister orders Burns to tell him where Nick and Jen have been taken and when he tries to get into his locked office, the key won't work.  Burns tells him he is no longer in a position to threaten anyone. McCallister has been removed from the operation and Burns orders him to be escorted off the premises. 

Burns teams up with the Homicide squad to run a joint operation for Muhammad Hartono and Travis Abbott.  Jen and Nick arrive as the briefing is getting ready to start.  The briefing commences with information that Hartono is close to setting off his bomb in a high-density area and will be taking emergency services out with sniper fire once they arrive.  They have no idea where the bomb could be.

Abbott's car is found, burned out.  Stanley sends Allie and Duncan to handle that lead.  Matt is to organize a major search of the area and Rhys is to talk with the search team as Abbott could still be in the area.  A lead on Abbott turns up when a woman recognizes him as a tenant in her apartment building.  The police surround the building but Abbott is nowhere to be found.  They find the name Brian Hale written on a bill.  They bring Hale in for questioning.  Hale and Abbott were foster brothers.  Hale last saw Abbott two years ago but doesn't know exactly where he is.  Allie and Duncan find torn paper in a rubbish bin at Abbott's home and, when they put the pieces together, find it is a map and realize it is of a football stadium.  Hale recounts how Abbott used to like to shoot people even as a kid.

Hartono is setting up the bomb at the stadium when Homicide arrives.  Hartono is arrested and Allie, Nick and Duncan go after Abbott.  Nick finds him and fires on him.  Nick and Abbott fight before being separated by Duncan and Allie.

As they leave work that night, Nick tells Jen in the elevator that she will finally get to sleep in her own bed.  She replies that it will be strange without him there.

This was an excellent end to what started last week!  McCallister got what he deserved.  Jen and Nick are safe and back with Homicide where they belong.  Matt got his first real chewing out by his superiors.  Bernice has made things perfectly clear that she doesn't like Allie Kingston (course, we all knew that already!).  There was a lot going on this week.  I'm glad Jen is alright and I think we all knew that eventually, she and Nick would get back together.  This has been coming for a little while now.  While I've always wanted to see Jen and Matt together, I really like Nick so I'm not too unhappy with the pairing. 

I like that we saw all the characters this week, too.  This season, there have been some that we haven't seen much of in some episodes (Stanley!!).  One thing I love about City Homicide is the large cast.  They all bring something to the show and even if you only see them for a few minutes, it's still enough time to get that special something in.

It doesn't look like things are completely over for Jen and Nick.  From the previews for next week we learn they are having an affair once again and someone arrives at Jen's house unexpectedly.  Could the visitor be dangerous?  We'll find out next week!

For more information:
City Homicide Official Site:  http://au.tv.yahoo.com/city-homicide/
Internet Movie Database:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024932/
TV Rage:  http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-17228