Neither Kayce (Luke Grimes) nor Andrea (Ash Santos) are having a restful night as CBS’s Marshals season two, episode four begins. Kayce’s dreaming of the pain he experienced after the Yellowstone brand was burned into his chest, while Andrea is obsessing over her father’s murder. At least their sleepless nights make it easier for Kayce to text Andrea about teaming up on a takedown. Their conversation indicates this is becoming a thing, and neither seems to mind.
Andrea’s got a list of fugitives they can try and bring in, and they round up quite a few before the sun rises.
(The following is a recap of season two, episode four – “Blast Radius” – and there are spoilers.)
Belle (Arielle Kebbel) and her son return to their car after grabbing breakfast and are shocked that her driver’s window is smashed in. A man approaches and warns her the casino needs its money now. She’s got 48 hours.
Miles (Tatanka Means) visits Maddie (Morgan Lindholm) at the bar and she admits her dad seemed off during their father-daughter night last night. Miles knows why Cal’s off, but he promised his boss he wouldn’t tell her.
Cal (Logan Marshall-Green) is working out when Belle arrives at work, and she’s definitely preoccupied. Cal admits he told Gifford about his cancer, and Gifford’s coming in to talk. Gifford wants to make sure that if Cal needs to leave, there’s someone to take his place. He suggests Andrea, but Cal thinks she’s a little green. Gifford thinks he should start training her.
One of the fugitives Kayce and Andrea rounded up wants to make a deal, claiming he’s got important info to share on serial bomber Rudy Carpenter. (Rudy’s the guy Cal and Kayce let go.) Andrea fills Cal and Gifford (Brett Cullen) in on the offer, and Gifford believes they need to see what he’s offering since Carpenter is Cal’s “white whale.”
Cal wonders why Rudy would still be in Montana and Andrea thinks he’s trying to reconnect with his ex-wife, Audrey. Unfortunately, the fugitive they pulled in doesn’t have any solid info on Rudy’s location. Andrea points out that there are businesses around the parking lot where their fugitive saw Rudy, and Cal says he’ll take Miles there to check things out. Kayce and Belle can talk to Rudy’s ex-wife, while Andrea stays at the station to quarterback.
Andrea’s not happy about being sidelined.
Cal has a chat with Kayce about all the warrants he and Andrea are clearing, and Kayce admits he needs to keep his mind busy. Cal confesses he doesn’t like the way Gifford’s treating him and now his biggest failure, Rudy, is back in the picture.
A short while later, Kayce’s definitely out of place at a golf resort and Belle realizes he knows nothing about the sport when Kayce asks if it takes an hour to finish a round. (Audrey’s out on the course.) Belle points out his family belonged to the club, and Kayce confirms Beth and Jamie did – but he was “born for the barn, not the country club.”
Kayce and Belle ride out to the 5th hole on horses. The golfers aren’t happy to see them riding through the course, and Belle’s frustrated when Kayce just rides onto the green to speak with Audrey. The men with Audrey make the mistake of getting pushy and trying to get Kayce and Belle to leave. They quickly learn that Belle and Kayce shouldn’t be messed with.
Audrey explains that they’re the bodyguards she hired because she’s scared of Rudy. Audrey hasn’t seen him lately but knows he’ll never be taken alive. “Good luck catching him,” says Audrey, adding, “He always has an escape plan.”
Back at the station, Gifford suggests he can teach Andrea how to handle the political side of the job since he knows she’s ambitious.
Miles obtains gas station security footage of the time Rudy should have been in the area. He tells Cal that he thinks Maddie’s going to figure out what’s wrong and admits he knows Cal fell asleep while they were watching a movie. Miles also admits he doesn’t like keeping this a secret from Maddie.
They watch the footage and see a figure who might be Rudy drop a bag behind the gas station. The trash bins are full, so there’s a possibility the bag is still there. Cal plays the cancer card (Miles’ words) and Miles has to dumpster dive for the bag. Fortunately, he finds it quickly in the first bin.
They examine its contents and find a paper with a string of random numbers and letters, along with a broken shotgun. It matches the gun registration of one that’s connected to Rudy, confirming they’re on his trail.
Cal returns to the station and is irritated to see Andrea at his desk with Gifford teaching her his job. Gifford brags about Andrea’s tip paying off, but Cal doesn’t want to jump the gun. They are 48 hours behind Rudy right now.
Cal’s not happy that Gifford’s going to stick around for at least another day.
The team, minus Cal, hit the bar that night and Maddie wonders where her dad is. Miles acts weird when he says Cal’s at the office, calling it totally normal behavior. After Maddie walks away, Miles confesses he’s feeling awful about lying to her. Kayce admits he didn’t tell Tate right away when Monica got sick, and Belle says she’s currently lying to her son about how dangerous her job is.
Cal calls the team in early the next morning after the tech guys discover that paper in Rudy’s bag leads to a message board on the dark web that belongs to a local gang, The Disciples. One of the gang members wants to trade a safe place to shelter for Rudy’s knowledge of explosives. Cal learned the brothers who run the gang, Paul and Nick, have outstanding warrants, so the team can legally move on them.
The team approaches the chop shop where the brothers work, and Miles and Belle move in from behind while Cal, Andrea, and Kayce pull up to the front and take up positions. The Disciples shoot first and gunfire is exchanged. Gang members are hit as the team moves in and places everyone inside under arrest. Unfortunately, Carpenter isn’t with them.
Cal questions Paul (Keenan Henson) and informs him he’s after Rudy. Paul claims he doesn’t know Rudy, and Cal promises that if he provides info, he can get years knocked off his sentence. Paul doesn’t give up anything and asks for a lawyer.
Andrea’s questioning Nick (Zach Livingston) and getting nowhere when Kayce takes over. Cal had warned her to go by the book, but Kayce has other plans. He threatens to drop a car on Nick, and Nick reveals that Rudy has blasting caps. Cal joins them just after Nick gives up that info and he’s pissed they didn’t stick to the book. Cal’s adamant they need to make sure the charges stick when Rudy goes on trial.
Back at the station, Gifford warns them that the blowback on the team will be severe if this active fugitive investigation escalates. He loops in other agencies, upset at the possibility Rudy’s going to set off bombs.
Miles learns Nick was texting a burner phone that’s probably Rudy’s. That burner phone was pinging at an industrial part of town last night, and Andrea calls Kayce and Cal with that information since they’re near that area.
Kayce reminds Cal that he’s equally responsible for letting Rudy go. Cal confesses that he’s worried about Gifford grooming his replacement and that the treatments are giving him time to think about his mistakes.
Cal and Kayce pull up to the spot and there are already cops there responding to a break-in. It’s a commercial construction supply company and eight barrels of industrial explosives are missing. That’s enough for Rudy to bomb a city block.
Back at the station, Andrea and Miles look at security footage of a white van leaving the area after the burglary. Gifford’s angry about how this has escalated into what could be another Oklahoma City-sized event and directs his anger toward Cal. Cal assures him they’re doing everything possible to find Rudy.
Miles announces there’s a hit on the van and Cal orders all air assets to that location.
Kayce and Andrea have a quick conversation, and Kayce reveals Gifford seems to be looking for Cal’s replacement. Andrea doubts that it’s her, and she’s not interested in being in charge. Neither is Kayce.
Belle’s making sure Cal stays hydrated and suggests he take a short power nap. He refuses, even though Belle’s got a point that the team needs him sharp and at his best. Suddenly, he notices the video Miles is watching and spots a crater. Cal realizes that it’s from Rudy testing his explosives.
The crater is on an old farm near Bozeman, and the team heads there. They move in on the farm while keeping in mind Audrey’s warning that Rudy always has an escape plan. Belle gets a visual on Rudy’s van, and Cal repositions his team.
Miles sees Rudy (Braxton Hale) doing something with his van and Cal yells at Rudy to get on the ground. Rudy starts shooting and the team hits him a few times before he runs into the barn. Andrea and Kayce move in and locate him injured but alive. Instead of following Kayce’s orders, he uses his phone to set off a bomb inside the barn.
Kayce and Andrea are thrown into the air as the episode ends.
- Season 2 Episode 1 Preview
- Season 2 Episode 2 “End of Watch” Recap
- Season 2 Episode 3 “Falling Sky” Recap
