The Finder Episode 1.06 Little Green Men

In Washington, D.C., Walter meets Dr. Jack Hodgins of the Jeffersonian Institute. Hodgins says that six months ago space shuttle pilot Chuck Bradshaw and copilot Jeremy Wren were reentering the Earth's atmosphere when a UFO traveled past them at twice their speed. Bradshaw decided not to report this, but Wren did and was told it was "a sunspot."

Then Hodgins shows Walter a video of the UFO that Wren, who died in a car accident two weeks ago, posted to the Internet, but has since been modified to obscure the original footage.

Meanwhile, Bradshaw - who had been fired for alcoholism, but doesn't drink - asked Hodgins to clear his name. Now Hodgins wants Walter to find the UFO, which crashed somewhere on Earth. Although Walter doesn't believe in extraterrestrial visitations, he takes the job. As Hodgins explains that Bradshaw is in hiding, Walter spots him walking down the street.

Back at the bar, Timo tells Willa that he's given Uncle Shadrack that $10,000 worth of diamonds to call off their arranged wedding, but Shadrack wants to see them in person.

Meanwhile, a man wearing glasses watches Bradshaw tells Walter that mission commander Ed Scanlan was the person who described the UFO as a sunspot; two weeks after the sighting, Scanlan retired, registered a technology patent, and became rich.

Walter calls asteroid tracker Dr. Messing and learns nothing other than the shuttle entered the atmosphere during the time in question. Hodgins suspects alien involvement, while Walter suspects a corporate cover-up.

Walter and Hodgins meet Scanlan in a park. He stonewalls them until Walter, drawing on Scanlan's astronautical fraternity with Wren and Bradshaw, gets him to admit that "sunspot" is a coded warning - and now they've been warned.

Then Walter notices a man wearing glasses watching them as he walks a dog that matches a nearby "lost dog" flyer. Walter calls the dog, it comes, and the man runs. Walter chases him, but he escapes. Hodgins phones the number on the flyer, and a distorted voice directs Walter to a parking garage.

After Walter calls Leo and explains what's happened, Willa offers to do a backward search on the Internet to find the original UFO posting. Then when Walter arrives at the garage, the man removes his glasses and stares at Walter, who falls to the ground.

Walter comes to in a psych ward, where a woman named Pope tells him that not everything missing is lost, but hidden - and should not be looked for. She also threatens to ruin Walter's, Willa's, and Isabel's lives unless he stops looking.

Walter awakens in the bar with Hodgins, Leo, and Willa. The distorted voice told Hodgins where to find him. Walter dismisses everything Pope said and summons Isabel. Leo agrees it was a bluff; otherwise Pope would've kept Walter confined. While Hodgins refuses to back down, Willa isn't worried, Leo has nothing to lose, and Isabel wouldn't enjoy life without Walter, so Walter and Hodgins return to D.C.

Willa finds an early version of the UFO video, which Walter shows to Scanlan. Scanlan says that they're staring at the sun, and he advises them to avert their eyes. Walter takes this as a message to check what else happened in space that day, and he learns that a cell phone satellite was damaged by "space junk."

Walter and Hodgins visit the company that insured the satellite, telling the agent that the military might be responsible for their loss. The agent hands them a copy of the insurance report, which gives them the satellite's position when it was hit.

Meanwhile, Timo and Willa meet Shadrack, who refuses to call off their arranged marriage because he wants to keep Willa within the gypsy family.

Walter and Hodgins review the company's animated re-creation of the accident; they learn that whatever hit the satellite landed in the Puerto Rico Trench. When they leave the room, the man wearing glasses enters and watches the re-creation.

Back at the bar, as Walter plans to attach a camera to an eel that can swim into the Puerto Rico Trench, Willa finds even earlier footage of the UFO, which shows a piece falling off before it landed in the trench.

Walter calls Dr. Messing and learns that the "space junk" would've dropped in the swamps of South Florida. When Walter, Leo, and Hodgins go there, Walter and Leo put on tinfoil hats. Walter starts digging near a scorched tree and finds a piece of metal with unusual markings.

Then the man with the glasses appears and demands that they hand it over. Walter agrees - if Bradshaw can have his life back. The man refuses, removes his glasses, and drops Hodgins with a look. Walter attacks the man and chokes him into accepting the deal. (Walter explains that the man's removing his glasses was a signal for a military plane to train a sonic weapon on them, but the tinfoil hats protected them).

Back at the bar, Walter, Isabel, Leo, and Hodgins learn that Bradshaw is now on the board of the company that insured the satellite. As Walter notes that what Bradshaw really wanted Walter to find was a way to get his life back, Hodgins asks Walter for his drawing of the piece of metal they found. The unusual markings were for traction and include the words "no step"; it was not the work of aliens, but a shadow group of government insiders and corporate honchos. Meanwhile, a shooting star - or something - flashes across the sky.