This is an episode that doesn't quite come together the way that it should. It begins very promisingly, with Nathan Ford taking up the cause of an old friend named Father Paul, a Catholic priest (played by guest star D. B. Sweeney) whose parish church is targeted for annexation by a ruthless real estate developer. It's an interesting choice, not just for the glimpse it gives viewers into Ford's life (we learn that he was at one point in seminary), but that we have the first case of a reluctant client: Sweeney's priest knows Ford well enough to doubt his methods.
Events soon justify Father Paul's skepticism. Unlike the first three episodes, when the cons the teams execute generally go to plan, the show gives us the first case of one that spirals out of control. In this instance, the plan to stage a miracle that would save the church works too well, it does little to deter the property developer, who instead moves to exploit it as the new centerpiece of a reenvisioned development. Worse, the miracle draws the attention of the Vatican, which launches an investigation that will end with Father Paul's defrocking. Backed into a corner, the team has little choice but to try for a last-minute scheme to get Nate's friend off the hook - and hopefully save the church in the process.
And it's here that all of the elements fail to gel. This is ultimately an issue with the writing, as the climax relies too much upon coincidence and a confession that seems more coincidental and opportunistic than planned. It makes for an unsatisfying ending to what is otherwise a fun episode in which everyone in the team does their thing, additional insight is provided into one of the main characters, and the first seeds of the season's resolution are sown for the viewer.
Events soon justify Father Paul's skepticism. Unlike the first three episodes, when the cons the teams execute generally go to plan, the show gives us the first case of one that spirals out of control. In this instance, the plan to stage a miracle that would save the church works too well, it does little to deter the property developer, who instead moves to exploit it as the new centerpiece of a reenvisioned development. Worse, the miracle draws the attention of the Vatican, which launches an investigation that will end with Father Paul's defrocking. Backed into a corner, the team has little choice but to try for a last-minute scheme to get Nate's friend off the hook - and hopefully save the church in the process.
And it's here that all of the elements fail to gel. This is ultimately an issue with the writing, as the climax relies too much upon coincidence and a confession that seems more coincidental and opportunistic than planned. It makes for an unsatisfying ending to what is otherwise a fun episode in which everyone in the team does their thing, additional insight is provided into one of the main characters, and the first seeds of the season's resolution are sown for the viewer.
