Undercovers Episode 1.11 The Key to It All

Flashback to five years earlier. Samantha and Professor Shilling run through the halls of a storage facility until they arrive at an unmarked locker. Shilling opens the locker with a uniquely shaped key. Inside is a stack of passports, foreign money and documents that he's put aside for safety. He swaps his current passport for another, places a thin folder inside the locker and locks it. According to Shilling, "these people" will not stop until they have the folder, the contents of which are unknown to Samantha. With the folder now safe, Shilling and Samantha part ways, each getting into their own car. But as Shilling shuts the door, his car suddenly explodes and bursts into flames. Samantha runs to his aid, but it's too late.

Back in the present day, Samantha bustles around Bloom Catering's kitchen. Without Lizzy, she's stressed. Who are they going to leave in charge when they go on their next mission? She refuses Steven's suggestion to hire a replacement, because she wants to keep the job open in case Lizzy returns. Later that night, Steven finds a pair of plane tickets to Athens that Samantha has cleverly placed as bookmarks in his book. As an apology for her recent stressed-out demeanor, she surprises Steven with a vacation to Athens that Shaw has agreed to pay for. Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, five suspicious businessmen enter the lobby of the Hotel Kishon. Armed with submachine guns, the men proceed to herd the frightened guests out of the lobby and into the ballroom. They continue through the halls of the hotel, ordering all the guests to make their way downstairs.

Now on their vacation in Athens, Steven and Samantha relax in bed together, enjoying their much-needed break. But their great escape comes to a halt when both their cell phones go off. It's Shaw, who informs that a group of terrorists have taken over a Tel Aviv hotel and are holding the guests hostage. The terrorists' identity and demands have yet to be determined, but Steven and Samantha are to hop on a waiting plane and head to Tel Aviv immediately.

In Tel Aviv, Hoyt briefs the Blooms on the hostage situation. There are roughly 50 hostages, including some Americans, whom they believe are being held in a ground-floor ballroom. Steven and Samantha need to end the standoff before Shin Bet, the local Tel Aviv SWAT team known for their brash measures, move on the situation. The team sets their plan: Hoyt will infiltrate Shin Bet's ranks and coordinate intel, while Samantha finds a way in and recons the terrorists directly, and Steven smuggles in weapons for the strike. Meanwhile, disaster appears imminent at Bloom Catering, where Charlie struggles to gain control. Shaw arrives and orders everyone to leave per the Blooms' orders. They are to take a week's paid vacation due to a scheduled health inspection.

A group of terrified hostages sit on the floor of the ballroom as Shin Bet sets up operations outside the hotel. One of the hostages turns out to be an undercover cop, who attempts to take down the terrorists himself. He shoots one man, but is immediately shot down by another. Hearing the gunshots, Shin Bet calls for emergency medical help. Hoyt intercepts the call to inform that a trauma physician is en route. Samantha arrives on the scene dressed as the requested physician. The commander informs her that once she enters the hotel, she's on her own. Samantha makes her way past the barricade and enters the building.

Hoyt enters the command unit dressed as a Shin Bet special agent and attempts to join operations. The commander doesn't fall for his act and demands that he leave. Hoyt manages to swipe one of their walkie-talkies on the way out, then returns to the safe house. He learns that Shin Bet is planning to infiltrate the hotel by zip-lining onto the roof. Determined to find another way in, Steven examines the hotel's schematics. There's a tunnel beneath the hotel's sub-basement, and if Steven can somehow get through the tunnel, he has his way in. Steven drills a hole through the tunnel's ceiling and successfully makes it into the hotel's basement.

Inside the ballroom, Samantha sutures the wounded gunman and overhears the terrorists discussing their plan to search the basement for a missing hostage. They also mention unknown signal interference, which she realizes is coming from her earpiece. She removes the earpiece, shuts it off, and puts it in her backpack. Steven stealthily maneuvers his way around the basement until he turns a corner and bumps into a woman who appears to be a hostage. But when a guard rounds the corner and she shoots him dead with effortless precision, it's obvious she's not just a harmless guest. She's Agent Anderson, a CIA agent whose cover was blown. Steven and Samantha were not sent to appease the hostage situation, but rather they were sent to rescue her.

Anderson explains that the men holding the hotel hostage are Russian Special Forces, sent to obtain a special package she's carrying. Refusing to reveal the contents of the package, Anderson instructs Steven that his only duty is to get her out of there. He calls Shaw, who won't reveal the package's contents either, and orders Steven to focus on getting Agent Anderson out safely. Hoyt learns that Shin Bet aborted their plan to sneak in via the roof, and now plan to bust through the front door under cover of darkness. He radios Steven, urging him to get there as soon as possible. Steven informs Hoyt of the change in mission plan, and tasks him with guiding Agent Anderson out of the hotel to safety. Steven is staying behind to rescue Samantha.

As Steven makes his way toward the ballroom he finds a locker room and changes into civilian clothes. Found by one of the gunman, Steven pretends to be one of the hostages. He pleads with the gunman, who proceeds to bash him in the head with his gun. The gunman brings Steven to the ballroom and turns him over to Samantha to stitch up. Steven updates Samantha on the mission, explaining that Hoyt is guiding Agent Anderson to safety as they speak. Then they realize there's a major problem: Steven gave Agent Anderson his earpiece, which means the gunmen are tracking her every movement.

Agent Anderson follows Hoyt's directions to safety, unaware that she's being tailed by one of the gunmen. She makes it to the entry hole, and it seems as if Hoyt will get her out safely. Suddenly the gunman turns the corner and fires, shooting Agent Anderson to the ground. Hoyt runs for his life. Back in the U.S., three men from the Inspector General's office arrive at Bloom Catering to plant surveillance devices.

Just as Samantha finishes stitching Steven's wound, two gunmen burst into the ballroom carrying Agent Anderson, who is clearly dead. The men inspect Anderson's body and find the package in her bra strap. The boss opens the package and pulls out a key - the same key Shilling used to open the locker five years earlier. He explains to the gunman that it's useless now, as he killed the one person who knew where the file was hidden. A gunman explains that Anderson had someone helping her, who drilled a hole in the basement to get in. The boss realizes the interloper is Steven and proceeds to deliver a powerful blow to his head. The Russian boss interrogates Steven, demanding to know his identity, and refusing to believe he's not working for the CIA. He aims the gun at Steven's head. Right before he's about to pull the trigger, Samantha interjects.

Captured and tied to a chair, Steven and Samantha watch as the Russian boss kills his whole team. Samantha sends a message to Shin Bet through the Russian's walkie-talkie, asking them to stand down. After switching clothes with Steven, the Russian boss takes Samantha out of the hotel with all the hostages as a method of escape. Realizing what's happening, Hoyt rushes to get Steven out of harm's way. The Russian boss realizes Samantha knows about the key Agent Anderson kept in her bra.

Steven and Hoyt reach Samantha just in time. Samantha manages to escape, but gets shot. In turn, she kills the Russian boss. Just as Steven's about to open Shilling's file, Agent Anderson's boss enters and demands he hand it over. Steven and Samantha return to Bloom Catering to demand answers from Shaw, who doesn't have any. After he leaves, Samantha tells Steven that she knew about the locker and the file because she put it there five years prior, along with Professor Shilling before he died. She doesn't know all the details, but it was part of a top-secret operation.