Human Target Episode 2.06 The Other Side of the Mall

It's almost Christmas, but the Applebaum family is not of good cheer. Dad Richard thinks his boss is after him because he anonymously wrote the FDA about their company's product. Mom Rachel thinks he's being silly. Son Joel lounges in the back seat with his laptop. Suddenly, an SUV rams them! They crash, and a blond man tells his thugs to get what they need, then kill the family. But the police are coming, so they split.

Next day at HQ, Chance warns Winston not to get a Christmas tree as he does every year. He knows that Chance doesn't like Christmas. The Applebaums arrive, seeking help. Richard explains about his FDA letter, which detailed all the research Hoxton Moss Pharmaceuticals is covering up about its new cholesterol drug.

Ilsa tells Chance that she's leaving for Uganda tonight, to help out at her charities. He says that the holidays can be tough, especially if you've lost someone. Ilsa insists this isn't about her husband's death. She departs, saying, "Happy Christmas, Mr. Chance." (That's how they do it in England.) "We say, 'Merry Christmas,'" Chance replies. Ilsa knows, but she thinks it sounds silly.

The team heads to the suburbs, where it's all plastic reindeer and fake snowmen. They agree they're in hell.

At the Applebaums', Rachel needs Joel's laptop so she can work on her book club list and her blog. The plan: Chance will pose as a temp at Richard's company; Ames will go to school with Joel, then to his mall job; and Winston will stay home with Rachel. But her book club is today: "The Secret Life of Bees." Winston knows it.

Chance plants a tracker on Richard's boss, Nick Meachem. Guerrero poses as a janitor - a janitor who intimidates people into picking up their own trash - and steals Meachem's keys.

Ames hangs out during Joel's shift at the hot dog stand. A girl named Jamie asks if he's going to Billy's party tonight. Joel always has cool music.

Meanwhile, Chance takes action when Meachem lures Richard into a setup. In Meachem's office, Guerrero finds a business card with a Swedish phone number and address. But whatever that means, Meachem isn't trying to kill Richard. He confronts him about writing the letter but just makes legal threats.

Elsewhere, the blond guy from earlier is tracking something on a laptop. He orders his thugs to move in . . . on the Applebaum house. The thugs start shooting, and Rachel hides as Winston blasts back. One of them drops a cell phone, which Guerrero later delves into.

That night, Chance asks who would want to kill Rachel. Richard thinks it's because of her blog, gossiping about the whole town. Ames talks Joel into sneaking out to Billy's party down the street. She says leave the laptop, but it has his music on it - the music Jamie likes. At the party, Jamie's happy to see Joel. Then the thugs roll up. They're after Joel! But Winston and Chance come to the rescue.

Guerrero learns that the thugs work for Severinsen Klement, a Swedish game designer turned hacker. He specializes in zombie bots, software that secretly takes over your computer when you play a video game. It can do anything from blackmail to corporate espionage.

Joel has indeed played Zombie Circus. Klement accessed the Hoxton Moss mainframe through Joel's computer; the laptop used to be Richard's work machine, so all his company passkeys are still embedded in it. But there's more: Joel hacked into the game company's site. The game sucked, and it gave his computer a virus. For revenge, he erased all their files. Copies of the stolen Hoxton files are still on the laptop, and that's why Klement wants it.

Guerrero grabs Meachem in his office. The exec is going to help Guerrero's boss contact Klement. But first, he's going to get a few staples in the forehead.

Chance makes a deal with Klement. Joel will deliver the laptop to the hacker's man at the mall. Joel's parents say no; he's only 16. But after a pep talk from Chance, Joel decides he can handle it. He's about to hand off the laptop when Jamie runs up, accidently ruining the plan. The thug grabs Joel.

Mayhem at the mall! Guerrero and Winston battle thugs dressed as security guards, while Chance scatters shoppers as he rescues Joel. The kid's OK, but Klement gets the laptop. Chance leaps onto the giant sleigh suspended overhead and soars toward the hacker. BAM! Laptop recovered.

Later, at the Applebaums', Richard says that Meachem was acting alone, and his company is cooperating with the FDA. Jamie tells Joel that he was like a real-life action hero. Ames urges him to get Jamie under the mistletoe. He can handle it.

At HQ, the team gathers around Winston's unstoppable Christmas tree. Guerrero shares the scotch he stole from Meachem, and they shudder about the suburbs. Soon, Chance is alone with the tree. He unplugs it immediately, then hears the elevator and plugs it back in.

It's Ilsa. She says Chance was right. She threw herself into work to forget about Marshall being gone. It didn't help. He pours her a drink. She says she never liked Christmas much, even before her husband died. It always seemed like a time for normal families, and that wasn't her. They toast to abnormal families.

"Happy Christmas, Mr. Chance."

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Pucci."

Ilsa leaves. Chance unplugs the tree and picks up the scotch bottle. A little holiday spirit, after all.