Liar Liar

Liar Liar is the second episode of the first season of Pursuit, and the second episode of the series as a whole. Michael tags along with Frank and Joe as they do a job for a client that involves salvaging some of the client's old furnature and returning it to them. Things take an unexpected turn however, when the guys realize that the town they're headed to is contaminated with radiation.

1971
We see Frank at the age of nine as he reads a comic book in his room. Suddenly, his father barges in and begins yelling at his son about the broken chandelier in the living room. Frank diverts the blame to his grandfather, but his father doesn't believe him. Frank continues to stick to his story however, and his father leaves the room, slamming the door behind him. Frank smirks to himself as he knows he has angered his father.

1992
We cut to Frank as he stands at his grandfather's doorstep. His grandfather answers the door and gets excited as he sees Frank. They sit together in his living room, talking and conversing about old times. Frank mentions that his father never forgave his grandfather for breaking the chandelier as the two men laugh to himself. Frank then asks his grandfather why he covered for him when it was really Frank who broke the chandelier. His grandfather reveals that he took the blame so Frank wouldn't continue to be hurt by his abusive father. Frank then begins tearing up as he thanks his grandfather for everything he's done for him.

2011
Frank sits in a jail cell as his grandfather stares at him from the other side. His grandfather tells him that he has bailed him out of jail, but that this is the last time. He emphasizes his wish for Frank to have a family and to leave his life of petty crime. He then makes Frank promise him that he won't commit anymore crimes. Frank hesitates, but finally promises his grandfather.

November 25th, 2012
Frank walks up to a mini mart as he stands outside the door. He puts on a ski-mask, pulls out a handgun and kicks open the front door to the store. He yells, "Everyone get down on the floor now!" as everyone in the store stands still in shock. Suddenly, a customer inside the store tackles Frank, bringing him to the ground. While being wrestled to the ground, Frank's gun accidentally goes off, shooting and killing the store's cashier.

We then see Frank in an orange jumpsuit, as he has been convicted of murder and sentenced to prison.

January 11th, 2014 (Day 2)
Michael awakes to the sounds of cabinets opening and closing as he approaches Frank, who is making eggs on a mini-stove in his bar area. They both greet each other as Frank hands Michael a plate of eggs. Joe walks in the room as him and Frank begin talking about the job they plan on doing today. Joe says the job looks pretty easy, labeling it a "milk run." Michael begins to show curiosity in the mission as Frank explains to Michael that him and Joe do jobs for friends and customers, and this job involves recovering some old furniture for a client. Frank then mocks the client's description of the town where the furniture is located, quoting them by saying it's “the last place you’ll ever set foot in.”  The guys then arrive at the town and see that it is fully irradiated and too toxic to set foot in. Michael then mocks Joe's earlier statement by saying, "Um, a milk run?"

Michael and Frank return to Frank's house as they retrieve radiation suits. Now wearing the suits, the three guys enter the city and then split up. Frank and Michael head to the City Hall building to see what they can loot, while Joe heads to the client's house to get the furniture.

Joe enters the house as he takes off his helmet and places it on a chair. He walks into another room when he suddenly becomes startled and worried.

We cut to Michael and Frank as they look through the City Hall building for loot. Michael notices a large cabinet full of ammunition. Frank asks Michael if there is anything in the room he is in as Michael answers no. He then begins to steal several boxes without telling Frank. Frank then enters the room, and concludes that Michael must've been a con artist in the old world since he was able to lie to Frank with such skill.

Michael and Frank sit in the main lobby of the building as Michael asks Frank how he knew he was lying to him. Frank tells Michael the reason is because he is a liar himself.

Frank and Michael enter the client's house as they attempt to find Joe. They approach Joe as he tells them to stay quiet. Michael and Frank then see what Joe is looking at; a large skunk-like creature that is sitting in the room in front of them. Joe tells them that this creature is similar to a skunk, except instead of releasing an awful smell, the creature releases a toxic poison.

The guys stand still as they continue to look at the creature in the room in front of them. Michael asks Joe if their masks will stop the creature's poison, but Joe says that making the slightest move could trigger the creature's defense mechanism. Joe then makes the guys promise him that they will do everything he says and nothing else as they agree to what Joe says. Joe then begins telling them what they should do next, but Frank interrupts him by throwing him out of the doorway and lobbing a grenade into the bedroom, killing the creature. Joe stands up and begins yelling at Frank, asking him why he promised to follow his plan and then ignored it. Frank responds, "I lied."

Michael and Frank sit in their living room as Frank tells him that Joe is delivering the furniture to the client. Michael then asks Frank what he did back home since he was a liar too. Frank then responds by saying that he was a petty criminal and that, "It never meant to get violent…no one was supposed to die." Frank then has a quick flashback to when he killed a cashier in a mini mart. Frank then turns around to see the same cashier standing outside of his house. Frank, not knowing how to react, sits in silence as Michael wonders what he is staring at. Frank suddenly runs out of the house as he stands in front of the cashier. He falls to his knees in astonishment. Suddenly, the cashier walks away as Michael and Joe run up to Frank and ask him what he is seeing. They continue to try and get a response from Frank, but he simply sits in shock and awe.

Trivia

 * Frank's voice is changed to sound much older in this episode. His voice remains this way for the rest of the series.
 * This is Michael's first ever job with Frank and Joe.
 * We find out Frank was a petty criminal and an expert liar in this episode. We also find out his father was abusive and his grandfather was his closest father figure in his life.
 * Frank sees the ghost of someone significant in his life, like Michael did in the previous episode.
 * It is apparent in this episode that Joe is very knowledgeable and also precise. This is foreshadowing the next episode where we find out he was a troubled doctor.
 * Joe leaves the mini mart with a bottle of alcohol seconds before Frank robs it.
 * When we see Frank in 1971, he is reading a Destiny comic book. This is a reference to the flash game Destiny, created in 2007 by Niskey Entertainment.
 * Frank's motive behind robbing the mini mart wasn't revealed until "On The Road Again."