Original subtitles

- People are irrational but predictably so.

I'm Alec Mercer. Welcome to Applied Psychology.

- You're the science guy. - That's Bill Nye.

I'm actually the behavioral science guy.

- After 19 years, the FBI is officially reopening the case.

Wes made the bomb. Peter planted the bomb.

But this third guy, Matthias, was behind it all.

The bomber met Matthias in an online chat room.

- Who is Rose?

- Another client emergency.

- Mm.

- I'm off to Paris.

- I am a yes to the dean's brunch,

a no to TED Talks.

And, oh, call Cuban's people back

and just tell them... I'm too slammed.

Oh, finally, if you want feedback

on your Fesmekker Grant proposals,

in hopes that one of you will be the pride of Wylton,

I need them by lunch tomorrow.

- Check your desk. - Teacher's pet.

Rizwan, how's yours?

- It's great, only, point of order,

given I'm still newish.

Since the Fesmekker Endowment doesn't need our proposals

for over a month, wouldn't it be a bit early

to show them to you?

- If they were due in a month, it would be.

- But they're due in 48 hours.

- 48 hours? No.

Yes?

No. How did I mess that up?

I really wanted to win.

Last night, I even landed on the experiment I'm gonna run.

- Yeah, it's OK. Mistakes happen.

Maybe you'll learn something from this negative feeling.

- There it is, Fesmekker Proposal due.

One month, 48 hours from now.

I am so paying to upgrade my calendar app.

I'll never get this done in time.

Professor Mercer's office.

Dr. Choi.

- Oh.

Dr. Choi.

- Who's Dr. Choi?

- His burn specialist.

- It's about his burns?

- No, most likely, it's about someone else's.

* *

- Thanks for coming all the way here.

I know it's a long drive out to the boonies.

- How severe are her burns?

- I'd say "you" severe, give or take.

Plus, she lost someone.

Thought you might be able to do your thing.

- You want me to give her

the "it's gonna be all right" speech.

- She's gonna need any piece of hope we can give her.

* *

Izzy, this is my old friend and patient Dr. Alec Mercer.

- Doctor as in minds, not bodies.

It's nice to meet you, Izzy.

- So you're the one who's gonna make everything OK, huh?

- That's the plan.

By the time I leave here,

it'll be like I waved a magic wand.

* *

You mind if we get real for a minute?

First, I'm sorry for what happened to you,

your boyfriend.

I understand he didn't make it.

I had a similar thing happen to me a long time ago.

I had up to fifth-degree burns on 60% of me.

- Got a couple sixes.

It's, like, to the bone.

- Ouch.

The point is, I survived.

You will too.

Plus, since that bomb got me,

the care's gotten 20 years better.

If you can, feel.

* *

Your scars won't have to feel like this,

and that's just one example.

You can come through this with a good life.

- I don't deserve to.

I did this.

It's my fault Chris is dead.

* *

You want to tell me what happened?

- Me and Chris, we were supposed to go

to some dumb house party.

But I was all, let's go be alone somewhere,

which is pretty much impossible in this town,

where everyone knows everyone.

But Mr. Rixton died, and that house was sitting there empty

while they were fixing it up.

We got in.

I lit some candles.

I don't know, we must have-- must have

knocked one over, 'cause next I knew...

* *

I killed Chris.

It was that drink I spilled.

It must have hit one of the candles,

and that's how the room went up so fast.

Except there wasn't nearly enough alcohol

in your vodka soda to catch flame.

- I don't-- I don't understand.

- You said the fire blasted up from the floor.

Did you tell the authorities that?

- No, I said it was the candles,

that it was my fault.

- Of course you did.

With a trauma like yours,

the mind wants to regain some sense of control,

power over an uncontrollable world.

I think that's why you're feeling so guilty.

Your mind wants to tell a story that at least makes sense,

so it's blaming you for the fire.

- So are you saying I didn't do this?

- I'm not sure what happened here,

but I do know a little bit more than I'd like to

about how fire behaves.

* *

And this--

this doesn't add up.

* *

- You're worried there's a crime here?

- That's what you can help me figure out.

There is a chance that my empathy for Izzy

is skewing my point of view.

Plus, since I never got closure in my bombing,

it's possible I've got a touch of patternicity.

- Patternicity, that's minds making connections

that aren't really there.

- Conspiracy theories

are partly built on the phenomenon.

- Maybe we should look at the physical evidence

they sent over.

- Says here the gas and power were off.

And the accelerant was paraffin.

- Could point to Izzy's candles, but...

if it started on the main floor, like she said--

- Fire spreads out and up.

But look at the upper story.

It's nearly untouched versus the basement,

which looks like--

- My old charcoal grill.

That's why the fire shot up through the floor at them.

It must have started down below.

- Poor Izzy.

- Paraffin could also be camp fuel.

I think it was poured out and lit in the basement.

- That'd be arson, then.

- And since Chris died,

that would also make it a homicide.

- Sorry about the--

everything.

Puck County'S been renovating the old municipal building

for two years, so we've learned to walk sideways.

That is, when my... boss is here.

- Who's also your dad, right?

You hesitated on "boss,"

and this guy here at the Nirvana concert

looks like you but with different hair.

- Yeah, that's Dad.

Fires are the family biz.

I only moved from fighting to investigating them

six months ago, which is no excuse.

My dad was unreachable on a scuba trip,

so I handled Izzy's fire.

Her candle story seemed straightforward.

- Room for one more?

- Marisa, thanks for coming.

Deputy Fire Marshal Ford, this is--

- Special Agent Marisa Clark.

- Please call me Tyler.

- I'm with the FBI. - FBI?

How much trouble am I in?

- You're not in any trouble, Tyler.

The bureau consults on arsons all the time,

and I've opened this case as an official arson homicide.

- So you did agree with my take.

- Mm-hmm.

That said, it does help when local authorities

ask for the bureau's support, kind of how you

have to invite a vampire into your house.

- I clearly need all the help I can get.

I still want to fix it.

So before you guys got here, I reexamined the scene.

Izzy's candles didn't start the fire.

They were soy-based.

I made a bad assumption, given the paraffin residue

that I found around the house.

- So we were right about the accelerant?

- Yeah, there was a heavy debris pile in the basement.

The floor underneath was soaked with liquid paraffin.

I'm sure you guys are five steps ahead of me.

But anytime I've seen arson, it's been

the owner chasing insurance money.

- No, it's a good point.

Izzy said the house's owner died.

Any idea who inherited it?

- That'd be the Rixton sisters.

- I admit I felt real anger towards Izzy and Chris,

and I know they paid a horrible price.

I rounded in the burn unit on my surgical residency.

But I had thought that this was on them

for busting into our dead father's--

our house.

But if it's arson-- - They weren't at fault.

I'm sure this is an emotionally confusing time for you.

- If it wasn't their fault, then--

I told you this was on me.

- Molly, you have to let that go.

- Why would you blame yourself?

- Because it was me

living in that house for the last five years.

Dad had late-stage Parkinson's.

Caring for him was an all-hours job.

So when the fire code got updated,

I punted on making the required upgrades,

like sprinklers.

And--and maybe if they had been in there, then--

- Caroline, what the hell?

You said someone else wanted to talk to us,

not the flipping' Men in Black.

- You must be Anna.

Special Agent Clark, FBI.

Dr. Mercer consulting.

- I'm confused.

Izzy and Chris burned down the house.

- Actually, we believe it was arson.

And as a matter of course, we have to ask

about the insurance money.

- Well, that's easy.

There is none.

- Assessor had the value of the home pegged at $600,000?

- True. But it wasn't insurable.

- We get a lot of wildfires.

Insurance wouldn't cover us until we got the upgrades,

which is never gonna happen now.

- Dad wanted it split evenly.

We couldn't all live there.

So it made sense to sell.

- Of course, we'll only get land value now.

With a three-way split, we each lost a big chunk of change.

Awesome. - Then I'll throw it to you.

Any idea who might have burned your house?

- A couple weeks ago, I found a spent campfire

in the basement, a squatter.

Then some local teens got in one night.

They threw a party.

It could be someone came back,

set the fire by accident or maybe--

- Anna, I'm pretty good at reading micro-expressions.

When she said "teens," your lower lip tensed.

That's anger.

Do you suspect someone?

- No, I'm good.

Fine.

Have you looked into Kat Schmitt?

She's Chris' ex.

I was working a couple weeks back at my diner

when she and him got into it.

- What about?

- Chris dumping her for Izzy.

Clearly, she's not over it,

since she kind of threatened to kill him.

* *

- I bring sustenance... and orders.

The professor needs us to check Kat Schmitt's socials.

He called them "the Insta."

- Yeah, looking for threats, boasts,

anything that links to the fire.

He called me too.

Did you let mayo touch this bread?

- You know, some theorize food aversions,

like your little mayo thing, can be overcome

by slowly adding those foods into your diet.

- So interesting.

Maybe you should write your grant proposal on that.

Oh, wait, you already did.

- You read my grant proposal? - Oh, come on.

You tried to use me as a guinea pig.

- No I didn't. I mean, I guess I did.

But I wasn't thinking of it that way.

So dare I ask, how was it?

- I'd say, given the rush, it was solid.

- Solid?

Oh, no. - What?

Solid is solid.

Seriously, come on. Let's check out that Insta.

* *

- Hey, stop!

* *

- There's another one? What the hell?

FBI! Stop! - Come on.

Don't move.

I said don't move.

- Wait a sec. Kat?

- Who's your blonde friend?

Eat it, pig!

All cops are bastards!

- So am I going to jail or what?

- Well, yeah, Kat. You just assaulted a fed.

- Maybe worse.

We're still trying to decide where to book you,

here with the cops or in D.C. with the FBI.

- My vote's FBI all day.

- D.C.'s a long drive.

You'd prefer two hours in those zip ties

over a five-minute trip to the cops?

You don't want the local authorities involved,

and I think I know why.

You created a distraction

so that that other young woman could get away.

You were protecting someone you cared about.

The other girl, the blonde--

she's your girlfriend, isn't she?

- Wait, is that why you've been showing up in the stands

at lacrosse games?

You're dating Dara Deacons?

- Tyler, shut up.

Please, you cannot tell anybody that Dara's gay.

OK, if her parents find out,

she's gonna get kicked out of the house.

- Dara's secret is safe with us,

but you've been ranting

about how you want Chris and Izzy dead.

That fire has made half your wish come true.

- What? Chris and Izzy are my--

were my friends.

OK, truth--

Chris didn't dump me.

I broke up with him when Dara happened,

but we stayed friends.

And it was, like, totally his idea

that I troll him online like some crazy ex-girlfriend,

you know, so that no one would suspect

that Dara and I were a thing.

- Dara's family is super traditional.

Makes sense.

- You ask me, I think some pyro

just wanted to torch the place.

* *

This mess is not gonna help

your houseguest user rating.

- Sorry. Izzy hit a big low.

She got her first look in a mirror.

So I pulled some newer burn and stem cell studies

from our med library to share with her.

- Is this good for you,

seeing how much better they can do for Izzy

than they did for you?

- Maybe not, but it's not about me.

- You look stressed,

and we don't want you falling prey to compassion fatigue.

- Nice use of "compassion fatigue."

* *

- You know, those first weeks after the bomb,

we practically lived in the burn unit.

But you were so--

I'm not sure anything I did or said helped.

I feel like I let you down, failed.

- Sis, you in no way failed me.

If I had to face that alone,

I don't know if I'd be here at all.

* *

So proof.

But with Izzy, what's the point of going through all that

if I can't do more?

I need to find a way to give her hope.

I just don't know how.

* *

- No, Chris and I didn't tell anyone

where we were going that night.

- Because you wanted some alone time?

- To make things dumber, we parked up a side road

and walked into the house to guarantee

the horror movie ending.

So there's no way you could imagine someone followed you?

- Far as I know, our only stalker was Kat.

And that was fake, like she said.

- That was admirable, by the way.

You're a good friend.

- Did you tell her that?

Did she tell you why she hasn't come to see me?

- Well, we had her preoccupied.

But now that her story's clear, I'm happy to.

- It's just, I don't get it.

Like, where is everybody?

A handful of my friends came right away for, like,

ten minutes, and that was it.

- People have a natural tendency

to exhibit disease-avoidant behavior,

even with something like burns.

But give it time.

Listen, when I was in a world of hurt,

one thing that helped was

working to catch whoever did that to me.

So you maybe want to keep going over this stuff?

- Excuse us.

We're gonna need to borrow the amazing Ms. Coldby.

- Oh, bandage change, right?

I'll come back afterwards.

- Hey, you see Kat, tell her don't come.

I don't want to see her.

- OK.

- Hey. - Caroline, hey.

- Is it true? You arrested Kat?

She was released.

We don't think she did it.

- Released--fantastic.

Oh, don't get me wrong.

I can sleep just fine with or without

someone's head on a spike.

- I get the sense that something's

been keeping you up. - The estate.

The sooner we're allowed to clear the rubble,

the sooner we can sell.

We're not gonna get much, but it'll be worth it

to finally move on from all this.

- In other words, someone could get this land

for less than it's worth.

- You think that could be the motive?

- They'd need to know about the insurance lapse.

- Well, you met Anna-- no filter.

She probably told everyone in the county.

You know, there was this one thing my dad told me.

A local church dogged him a while back

about selling to them.

They wanted to build a big retreat center on the land.

- Do you know which one?

- The Presbyterian on 2nd.

They were super aggressive.

- I told Reverend Snyder, leave the man alone.

He's sick.

- So it was Reverend Snyder who was pushing to buy the land?

- Mm-hmm.

- And how'd he take the rejection?

- He was sore until I found him

this parcel of land a few towns over.

Just put the foundation in for the retreat center last week.

- So no need to resort to arson.

Heavens, no.

Not that he ever would.

By any chance, are you aware of the situation

with the unhoused? - No, why?

- We've had some issues, fires getting out of hand.

Last one was a few months ago.

Burned the Riveras' stable.

It's right by the local unhoused camp.

Six horses died.

- Do you know if anyone specific

was seen setting fires?

- Sorry, wish I could help more.

All I know is what I've heard

from our Mercy Meadow volunteers.

- Mercy Meadow?

- They're a multi-church community outreach group,

do a lot of work with the unhoused.

I can get you their card.

- That would be helpful.

Thank you.

This is Jace. I should take it.

What's the latest on the Wes Banning case?

Did Cyber finally deliver? - Oh, yeah.

Headline is, over a few short days,

Matthias systematically chipped away

Peter Shelby's reservations

and convinced him to set that bomb.

- So Matthias was driving the train on the whole damn plot.

- The guy was careful, too,

broke the talks up over multiple chat rooms.

- If we're right and Matthias was the one

who scared Wes Banning at his parole hearing--

- At the least, Wes can describe the guy.

- Thanks, Jace.

Got to go.

- Did I hear "Wes Banning"? - It's been confirmed.

Matthias is our mastermind.

I'm hoping, now that I have more ammo,

Wes will see his only... play is--

Another fire?

- Make that two fires.

* *

- And a third.

* *

Liquid paraffin.

Makes three for three.

Thankfully, no casualties.

- Same as the scrapyard and that railroad outbuilding.

If we're dealing with a serial arsonist,

they've gone hot.

- That church secretary sent a location

on the local unhoused encampment.

- Center of the fire triangle.

- Guess we go check out that camp?

- I might have a better idea.

- You're welcome.

- Thank you. - Thanks.

- Well, I appreciate it.

- What are you up to?

You think I can't see you with your case face on,

floating questions with that soothing voice of yours?

- Soothing? I'm touched.

- I'm serious.

You said this was a day of outreach.

I even got my boy Spiro

to discount the food for Mercy Meadow.

Fess up.

Are you manipulating these folks?

- Is that what it looks like? - Yes.

- I can see how it might be mistaken

for a reciprocity play,

giving in hopes of getting back.

You're right.

Thank you.

Excuse me, folks.

I've been made aware that it might look like

there's a catch here, that we're only here

to get you to answer questions.

The truth is, we are looking for an arsonist.

And we would like you to share.

I just thought we should earn the right

to take up your time.

Either way, thank you.

And dinner is on us.

Hey.

- Look at you, feeding people and pets.

- I get you have no reason to trust me,

but there's a girl that's going through hell

with burns like mine.

And word is, your community

might have a problem with fire.

- What's that got to do with me?

- The church told every other person with an animal

to eat outside, but they let you and your friend right in.

Clearly, you have sway with this group.

- So you want me to tell you

which one of us crazies is your firebug?

- I bring no judgments.

After I was burned, I volunteered

with a lot of people in hard circumstances,

and they never made me feel judged.

I'm Alec, by the way.

- They call me King.

Look, you're wrong about one thing.

Folks around here, they don't have a problem with fires.

We had a problem with Pinter.

- Who's Pinter?

- He's a dark seed, hates everyone,

beats on animals.

Only people he'd talk to were them church ladies.

Guess what he likes.

Fires and matches.

Guy was obsessed with matches.

That's why this camp, we booted his scrawny ass.

- Any idea where he went since?

- He lives in a leaky old RV, parks on the back roads.

Can't miss it.

- Whatever Pinter might have done in life,

no one deserves to go like this.

- Fire started here.

Looks like Pinter was burning some rags

when he knocked over a jug of liquid paraffin.

- And ignited a few other jugs.

- It all points to him as our fire starter,

but it's too neat.

Even if he couldn't get to the door,

there would have been a window here

big enough to squeeze through.

Then there's this.

- His burn pit.

- Guy's careful enough to set up a fire break

but accidentally lights up his own van?

- Alec, did King say that Pinter

starts his fires with a lighter?

- No, matches, specifically matches,

which is no small thing.

With pyromaniacs like Pinter,

the specific tools they use to start the fires

can become an inseparable part of the compulsion.

- I think this lighter was planted,

and there's empty liquor bottles next to the body.

- Could be he's passed out drunk

when the real arsonist showed up,

lit some rags, dumped the jug.

- And staged his death, which means that Pinter was framed.

- Chris' death might have been an accident.

The arsonist might not have known

that Chris and Izzy were there, but this--

this was straight-up murder.

- Who benefits?

- That is the question.

The FBI techs combed Pinter's van.

There were no prints.

There were no tire tracks.

Place was wiped clean.

- FBI's still looking into liquid paraffin purchases.

But in camp areas like Puck County,

lots of folks stock up on it.

We ask again, who benefits?

- I can tell you one person who benefits--

because she won the Fesmekker Grant, that is.

Phoebe. - Oh, my God.

They just announced? - Yeah.

- Amazing.

I had every confidence. - Thank you.

- And happily, Phoebe's not the only person

who benefits today.

I had a chance to look through Mr. Asadi's proposal.

- Wait, I mean, you did?

- Your central premise is great.

Rookie mistakes in structure.

Tell you what.

If you're up for some revisions,

I will fund your work through the "Alec Mercer Endowment."

- Is this serious?

- Do you want me to be joking?

- No, no, just, I can't believe it.

Thank you.

* *

- You got a minute?

I couldn't help but sense that my offer to Rizwan

didn't land well with you.

- What? - No, it's great.

- I didn't mean to steal your thunder.

Winning Fesmekker is big.

I'm so very proud of you.

- Thanks.

I appreciate that.

It's just...

I worked so hard for that prize.

Makes me feel like--

- You didn't need to do any of that?

- I know it's petty and irrational.

And I really like Rizwan

and want to be happy for him, but...

Not everybody who plays should get a trophy, you know?

- Doesn't feel fair.

What?

- Phoebe, I'm sorry. I hate to do this to you.

But can we pause for a second?

Because your very valid feelings

may be the key to us finding this arsonist

before they strike again.

Cui bono-- who benefits--

that's the wrong question for this case

because no one benefits.

The right question to ask is, cui malo?

- Who was harmed?

- We've been looking at the house itself as the target.

Since no one benefited from its burning,

we've turned to asking who that would have hurt most.

- That would be you three.

Is there anyone that you can think of

that would want to make you suffer?

- Maybe my ex. He's not a good guy.

- Lord, it's not Aaron.

He's in Maui on some bro trip, posting nonstop.

- Wait, you didn't unfriend him?

- Caroline, you said you agreed to sell after the fire,

implying you disagreed before.

What did you disagree over?

- What to do with it.

Anna had the wild idea to convert it into a B&B,

and Molly wanted to live there and open an animal refuge.

- Rescue.

It's been a dream for years,

but I had to put it on hold for Dad.

- Course, neither my pick or Molly's

could happen without those upgrades.

But sawbones here wouldn't pony up for those

until we called a realtor.

- Because selling and splitting the money

was the only fair move.

- And how did that make you feel?

- Pissed, obviously.

I mean, she doesn't-- - Anna.

I don't know what this is,

but we're not continuing without a lawyer.

- Mm-hmm.

- You clearly think one of them did it.

Which one?

- It depends.

- That's a Mercy Meadows sticker.

- Whose car is this?

- That car is Molly's.

It's her.

- Just got off with Mercy Meadow.

Molly knew Pinter.

She volunteered with him, teamed up with a social worker

to help Pinter stop setting fires.

But when that horse stable burned down,

she physically attacked the guy

for murdering innocent animals.

She always seemed so even-keeled.

- Everybody's got a breaking point.

Pinter with his cruelty to animals--

he must have felt like the morally tolerable option

to scapegoat and kill.

- And a convenient one.

After spending all that time with him,

Molly must have thought that she saw

enough details of his fire setting to frame him.

- That tracks.

But the first fire-- I don't understand

why she would do that to her sisters or herself.

- Mm.

Marisa? - Hmm.

- I want you to divide this...

$500 between you and Tyler, any way you like.

If he accepts your proposal, you each keep your share.

If he rejects it, I keep it.

- Seriously? - Mm.

- 500 bucks? - Yes.

- All right, I'm game.

- 20 bucks sound good to you?

- 20 bucks? - Mm.

- 2-0 and you get 480?

- Mm.

- Is that your final answer?

- Mm-hmm.

* *

- Then you keep it.

Burn it, for all I care.

Exactly.

Humans have an innate fairness instinct.

If you treat someone unfairly,

they'll feel the need to balance the scales,

even if it means they suffer a loss themselves

in the process.

It's irrational, but it's what makes us human.

- Then I guess Molly felt like her sisters

treated her super unfairly.

- She torched the house to punish them.

- Now we just need the evidence to prove it.

- You think another visit to Molly?

- You're getting good at this.

- Uh-uh. It's Izzy.

She's not doing well.

You guys go ahead.

This is gonna take time.

No, no, no, no, I hear you.

Why don't we try--

how about distraction?

I can update you on the case.

- I can't take it. The pain is so bad.

I don't think I can do this.

- I'll come back as soon as possible.

We'll figure it out together.

* *

- Are you OK?

- I'm fine.

I'll call you back soon.

* *

Molly! Is that you out there?

Don't do this! Let me out!

Molly!

Damn it!

* *

* *

Damn it.

* *

* *

* *

* *

Dr. Mercer.

Dr. Mercer. Cops got Molly.

I figured you'd want her transferred into FBI custody.

Is Agent Clark here yet?

More importantly, are you OK?

- Am I?

- Your vitals look good.

Just take it easy the next day or two.

- Don't you worry about me.

Did you get that hard evidence on Molly?

- Paraffin residue in her car.

We got her. - Good work, Tyler.

I'm sure your boss will be proud.

- Thank you.

- Molly!

Lack of eye contact is an indication

that you feel guilty, and that's a good thing.

It means you're not a psychopath.

- My sister's getting me a lawyer.

- Better be sure it's a good one,

because I think you're going to go to prison

for a very long time.

I know the deck was stacked against you,

but you could have made better decisions.

- I just heard there was a fire.

I didn't know if you were alive or dead.

For a minute there, neither did I.

- Are you-- - I'm OK, Marisa.

- What about the sensitive area?

- Mm.

- I mean, with all that heat,

maybe the paramedics need to take a second look.

- You know it's not your job anymore.

You want me to call Rose?

- Rose is in Paris on a case.

Anyways, it doesn't matter.

Paramedic says I'm fine, couple scrapes,

little smoke inhalation.

It's nothing, right?

- Hey, you fool, it's me.

- I promise, when I have something

to say about all this, I will.

* *

- I better go deal with her.

* *

* *

- I wanted you to know I'm turning down the money.

- You're what? Why?

- 'Cause I didn't earn it.

That's why.

You won the Fesmekker Grant

because you were organized and prepared

and delivered great work.

I didn't live up to that.

- It's still a really good opportunity, Rizwan.

- I'm gonna take his notes so I can keep learning.

Maybe next time, I'll make sure to plan better, like you did.

So you don't have to be mad at me.

- I'm not mad at you.

I'll admit, I was a little upset for a minute.

But that was about me needing to be...

seen and recognized.

- Trust me, everyone sees you.

It's probably why I've felt even more imposter syndrome

than usual lately.

Are we overanalyzing our behavior?

* *

both: Nah.

- Heard about the fire.

Is Alec OK?

- Yeah, he will be. - I'm glad.

Speaking of, Wes Banning is too scared to make a peep.

So could another run at motive be the path to Matthias?

- OK, what's your angle?

- Well, there's one exchange in the chats

from Matthias to Peter that just won't leave me alone.

- "It has to be in three days, an hour after Sanford speaks."

I saw that too.

It verifies what Peter Shelby's mom told us,

that Peter set the bomb off early by mistake.

- And it was never their plan to hurt anybody at the event.

- But that just makes the motive less clear to me

because it obviously rules out assassination.

- Along with hate crime, I'd say.

Matthias is way too insistent on the when.

- Right, if you want to send a political message

without the bloodshed,

why risk the body count of doing it that night?

- Oh, I see I have you hooked.

Go with me.

With our best rational theories of the crime out,

what if I pull an Alec

and pitch something irrational?

Before the bomb, the best polls

had Sanford at a dead heat with his opponent,

and the worst, three points down.

- Jace, no.

- But after the bomb,

the Black community turns out huge,

and the man wins by five points.

- You honestly think that Sanford would set off a bomb

at his own campaign event?

I mean, I know politicians will do anything to win,

but that's a little-- - Far-fetched?

- Yeah. - Of course.

But 20 years on,

with all of our other theories in the trash,

how do we not pursue?

- All right.

You're right. I'm in.

But if we're gonna go down this road

with a four-term sitting Senator,

best buy some tap shoes.

- So it really wasn't my fault.

- No.

You and Chris were simply in the wrong place

at the wrong time, just like I was.

- Then why do I still feel guilty?

Survivor's guilt.

You survived when someone else didn't

and for no good reason.

But that's not what I came here to say.

I came here to say I'm sorry.

- Why?

You are the only person besides my parents

who actually comes by.

- I have been trying to give you hope.

In doing that, I haven't been honest with you,

not because I wanted to spare your feelings but...

because I wanted to spare mine.

I guess I didn't...

think that I could go through this again,

reliving the--

the pain

and the fear and...

this helplessness.

It was easier to...

placate you with promises that it gets better.

* *

- So what does that mean?

- It means that 20 years on,

I still have a lot of emotional ground to cover.

* *

That's how hard it is,

and I know that's not what you want to hear.

But the truth is,

what you're going through right now...

* *

it was--

it's the worst I've ever felt.

- * Ooh, child *

- And on top of that...

- * Things are gonna get easier *

- The person that you were, the old Izzy--

she's gone, and you have to grieve her.

- But what if I don't want to?

- Doesn't matter.

You don't have a choice.

The thing is, once I accepted that,

I realized something.

The worst thing that could happen to me

already happened.

And in a way,

that's a superpower.

It's true.

I had nothing to lose.

The old Alec was gone.

And the new Alec...

* *

Tried things the old Alec

would never have tried,

took risks the old Alec never would have.

It made me love my life again,

the wonder of it all.

* *

So...if I can get through the hard part...

- * Ooh, child *

- You can too.

- * Get easier *

- But what if I can't?

- You can.

- * Ooh, child *

- If you can get to the other side of this,

you can do anything you want.

- * Ooh, child *

- I want to get out of this bed.

* Things are gonna get easier *

* Ooh, child *

* Get brighter *