Chase Episode 1.02 Repo

Outside a liquor store, a tattooed man approaches Derrick, a teenager standing beside his shiny silver Mustang. The tattooed man asks Derrick, "How much? How about you make me an offer for the car." Confused and a little creeped out, Derrick and his friend drive off, passing a police car nearby. Moments later, Derrick speeds along, bragging about the Mustang to his passenger. Derrick's father got the car at an especially good price because he found it at an auto auction in Abilene. Suddenly, the tattooed man appears in the next lane, and after a thrilling car chase, he rams Derrick's car off the road. As Derrick hangs upside down in his overturned car, the tattooed man kneels next to him, points an incredibly sharp tool at his victim's face and says, "You should have made me an offer."

At H.E.A.T., a gecko startles Luke. Marco and Daisy explain that Gordon the gecko belongs to Jimmy, and is a sure sign that Natalie's kicked him out of the house again. Annie interrupts the fun with somber news: a fugitive has just killed Derrick Winters, a state trooper's son. Annie pulls up the link chart on the tattooed killer Eduardo "El Lobo" ("the wolf" in Spanish) Lopez. He served time for drug possession and distribution. A witness saw him drag racing with the two teens. Derrick's passenger died on impact; Derrick died from a puncture wound to the head. Cops found fingerprints on the car radio and inside the door. Was it revenge? After all, Derrick's dad Chuck helped put El Lobo away four years prior. Annie decides to investigate.

Annie interviews Chuck at Derrick's funeral. Chuck recalls nabbing El Lobo in Mexico with 10 pounds of dope. El Lobo resisted arrest, claiming they had no right to bust him. Chuck assumed El Lobo meant the matter was between him and the Mexican cops; Chuck felt El Lobo would have tried to pay them off. After Chuck reminisces about his slain son, a determined Annie vows to catch El Lobo. Annie joins Jimmy and Luke, who report that a Latino male matching El Lobo's description was seen leaving a known chop shop in Midlands. The owner of the auto body shop is Clive Barnes, an ex-con who shared a cellblock with El Lobo in prison. That could only mean one thing: the chase is on!

The gang breaks into Clive's chop shop. Clive makes a run for it but Luke and Jimmy tackle him to the ground. Clive won't talk, so Annie threatens to tell his parole officer about his bad choice of friends. Intimidated, Clive admits that El Lobo came by for some tools, but is long gone. El Lobo borrowed a punch chisel - used for drilling holes in metal - and a reciprocating saw. Lobo claimed he needed the tools to fix his girlfriend's car. Clive saw him drive off in a white Cutlass. At a diner, El Lobo notices cops eating breakfast at a nearby table. El Lobo covers their tab, explaining to the waitress that "they're guests in [his] country, and you always fatten the hog first."

Annie and her team track El Lobo's white Cutlass to the front yard of Maricela Ortiz's home. The U.S. Marshals unceremoniously break in and interrogate Maricela. She admits to harboring El Lobo, but claims she had no idea he was a fugitive. She met him at the DMV where she works; he stood up to a rude customer for her. El Lobo asked Maricela to pull up registration on a Mustang GT, claiming he wanted to buy it back. El Lobo was angry that the government seized it when he went to prison. Annie recalls that Trooper Winters bought that same Mustang for his son at a federal auction. It was a seized vehicle that used to belong to El Lobo! Annie and Jimmy posit that El Lobo wasn't after Trooper Winters or his son - he was after "his" car!

Back at H.E.A.T., Marco pulls up El Lobo's prison library reading list. His favorites include The Mexican-American War, A People's History of the United States, and Reconquista. The last one piques Annie's interest. Reconquista is about Mexicans who believe the U.S. stole Texas after the war. Annie recalls that El Lobo told Trooper Winters that U.S. officers didn't have the authority to bust him. Annie realizes that Lobo doesn't believe in the authority of the U.S. government to arrest him, seize his property, or put it up for auction. El Lobo's a twisted repo man, taking back what he feels the U.S. government unfairly stole.

El Lobo examines a truck. The owner approaches and tells El Lobo to get lost. Eerily calm, El Lobo asks the man how much he'd like to offer for the truck. The man counters that it's already paid for. "You paid the wrong person," El Lobo replies. When the owner insults El Lobo, the fugitive responds by stabbing him with a punch chisel, removing the Texas flag from the Bronco, and driving off. Later, Annie finds the dead body. A neighbor overheard the victim saying something about making El Lobo an offer to buy the car. Annie guesses that it's because El Lobo thinks he's still the owner of the Bronco. Just then, Marco approaches the gang with chilling news: the U.S. Attorney's office seized three additional cars from El Lobo and sold them at federal auction. That means three more car owners are in terrible danger!

At H.E.A.T., Annie assigns the three remaining auctioned cars to the agents: she and Jimmy will track down a GTO owned by Robert Jamison; Luke will find a Lincoln in Waco; and Marco and Daisy will locate a Ford pickup truck owned by Terry Bowden. Jimmy and Annie arrive at Robert Jamison's home. His ditzy wife Rachel says a Latino man carrying a toolbox just came by asking about the GTO. Annie and Jimmy sense danger and immediately rush to the garage! They find Robert on the floor, dead. There's no sign of El Lobo and oddly, the GTO's still there. Annie notices the driver door ajar and feels under the car door. A serrated edge cuts her finger. She demands the car be impounded and investigated more thoroughly. Why would El Lobo cut open his car and not drive off with it?

Marco and Daisy arrive at Terry's house, but he and the Ford pickup are missing. That's because Terry's at a used car dealership, trading his car in for a Camaro. In the middle of the negotiation, Terry gets a message from Marco but disregards it. Terry accepts a paltry $500 for the truck and pays the dealer for the Camaro in cash. Back at Terry's house, a nosy neighbor volunteers information about Terry to Marco and Daisy. Terry's dating Charlene, whose mother Delores has cancer. Terry's an unemployed shrimper who left that morning with many of his belongings. To the neighbor's dismay, however, Terry left Charlene's dog Reba behind. Annie inspects Robert Jamison's car and finds a secret compartment with a ripped $100 bill stuck inside.

El Lobo arrives at Terry's home and kills a police officer guarding the premises. He listens to Terry's messages from Marco and the used car salesman, both regarding the pickup. Before leaving, El Lobo notices Charlene's dog Reba. At H.E.A.T., Jimmy and Annie have figured out that El Lobo has hidden his retirement money in secret compartments in each of his vehicles. Annie and Jimmy realize that El Lobo must be looking for Terry - and more importantly, the pickup truck hiding the cash. Annie pulls up Terry's file: he's an out of work shrimper in major debt; why would he run? Jimmy guesses that perhaps Terry found the money hidden in the car. Luke enters, inadvertently confirming Jimmy's thesis: Terry just traded in the used Ford pickup for a Camaro - and tellingly paid in cash.

Terry surprises Charlene outside a grocery store in his new Camaro. He sold his truck and shrimping boat in order to buy Charlene a fancy wedding ring. Before Charlene has a chance to accept his proposal, Terry tells her they're going to Vegas. They can tell Charlene's mother Delores the good news when they return. As for Reba, Terry will pick her up while Charlene tries on a wedding dress. Tipped off by the used car dealer's message on Terry's machine, El Lobo shows up at the dealership to check out his Ford pickup. When the dealer offers the car to El Lobo for $4500, El Lobo chillingly asks him what color balloon he'd like: red, white or blue?

Moments later, Annie and the gang arrive at the dealership. They see Robert's GTO in the lot and immediately surmise that El Lobo's swapped one stolen car (Robert's GTO) for another (Terry's pickup). They pop the trunk and find the used car salesman dead, laying underneath red, white and blue balloons that float into the sky. Terry arrives home and discovers the dead bodies of the slain police officer and Charlene's dog Reba. Before he can react, a gunshot rings out and his living room window explodes. It's El Lobo, and he's steaming mad. Terry grabs a rifle and shoots El Lobo's tire. Before El Lobo can retaliate, Terry speeds off in the Camaro.

Annie and Jimmy search Terry's ravaged home and quickly assess that El Lobo came back for his money and Terry fled. If they can find Terry or Charlene, they reason, El Lobo won't be too far behind. Marco enters, listing Terry's recent credit card charges: a wedding dress, condoms, Gatorade, and chaser pills. This could only mean one thing: a Vegas wedding! And judging by a picture of Italy hanging on a kitchen cabinet, there's a honeymoon too, or more likely a move. Dressed as hospital staff, El Lobo enters Dolores' hospital room in the cancer ward. He subtly reaches for his punch chisel but reconsiders killing her when he discovers Dolores' "in case of emergency" cell phone. El Lobo spares Delores and pockets the phone, knowing it's the perfect link to her daughter Charlene and her thieving fiance Terry.

Annie and Jimmy arrive in Vegas. Jimmy reveals that Natalie kicked him out after finding a gun Jimmy kept hidden at her home. Jimmy argued that it was a gift from his grandfather, but she wouldn't hear any of it; then she sold all his belongings at a yard sale. Daisy arrives with rental cars for the gang and they head out to the Strip. Terry and Charlene's quickie marriage is interrupted by a phone call. Thinking it's her mother, Charlene answers and excitedly shares the news that she just got married. When El Lobo threatens Charlene, she Charlene hands the phone to Terry. Terry tells El Lobo to leave them alone, arguing that he got the money fair and square. Somehow, it doesn't sound like El Lobo's too convinced.

In a gorgeous penthouse on the Strip, Terry packs hurriedly while Charlene plies him with questions. Who was that creepy man on the phone? How did he get Delores' cell phone? Terry says he called the hospital and Delores is fine. As for the man, well, that's a little more complicated. Terry explains that he bought El Lobo's car at auction - and found a million bucks hidden inside! After her initial excitement, Charlene asks if perhaps they should return the money instead of living in fear of El Lobo's revenge. Terry says he can't; the wedding, the hotel room, and the ring are all paid for and there's no turning back. Touched, Charlene gives Terry back the ring and explains that he always had her love; he didn't need to earn it with fancy things.

Annie and Jimmy discuss the case as they drive towards the Strip. In order to get Charlene to abandon her entire life, Terry must have promised her the moon. He had been researching airfares to Europe, so a trip to Italy can't be too far off. But in the meantime, Annie's willing to bet that Terry's introducing her to Venice by way of Las Vegas: the couple's probably staying at the Venetian! El Lobo drives towards Vegas when he gets a call from Terry, who says he has the money. Now all they need is a meeting place.

Annie and the gang arrive at Terry's Venetian suite to find Charlene hiding under the couch cushions. Charlene won't talk, fearful that involving the authorities will complicate matters. Annie counters that if Charlene ever wants to see Terry alive again, she better start talking - and fast. Terry meets El Lobo at a seedy diner and hands over Charlene's wedding ring, the keys to the Camaro, and the remainder of El Lobo's money. Terry admits he's out $1500 for the cost of the wedding and surprisingly, El Lobo responds by saying he respects Terry's honesty. Shockingly, El Lobo accepts the offer and congratulates Terry on his wedding.

El Lobo is driving off with the money when Delores' emergency cell rings. El Lobo hears Annie's stern voice on the phone. She tells him to turn himself in or face consequences. To Annie, El Lobo's not just any ordinary thief; he's the murderer of a State Trooper's son. El Lobo ignores Annie's warning. Cops arrive on the scene and carry El Lobo away on a stretcher. State Trooper Winters approaches Annie and thanks her for avenging his son's death. Terry and Charlene arrive to retrieve Dolores' cell phone. After some playful ribbing about Terry's grand honeymoon plans, Annie tells the newlyweds that she'll try to get them some reward money for their rather spotty cooperation.

The gang has a celebratory drink at a bar. Annie presents Jimmy with his grandfather's gun. She went to the yard sale, where Natalie was only too happy to get rid of it. Jimmy's grateful but can't help wondering why Natalie wanted to change him. Annie suggests that perhaps it's Natalie who'd changed. As Annie and Jimmy commiserate over the impossibility of finding a mate who accepts the U.S. Marshal lifestyle, they share a look and Annie smiles.