'In Plain Sight': God, the Devil and Don

It's comforting to know that In Plain Sight will be returning for a second season of savory Mary and Marshall goodness. This week's storyline just goes to show how the series is getting stronger with every passing episode.

Don and Ruth Ferguson are seemingly at their wit's end with their marriage and are trying to find the quickest way out. As they're being counseled by the priest of their church, it's becoming painfully clear that the Catholics don't really have the spiritual answers they're looking for. On the way out, they overhear an argument between the priest and another man. Our happy couple runs back in and Don intervenes, but not before the man shoots the Father dead. Ruth whacks our mystery man unconscious and comes to find he's the biggest racketeer in Boston.

Flash forward sixteen months and we find Don and Ruth making like the old days and running a homeless shelter/soup kitchen... this time in Albuquerque. In walks Mary with a lost and found box from her work. She quickly asks Don (presumably for the 47th time) why the two just won't divorce already. Devout Don points out that it's God's will and sensing the conversation is turning awkward, Mary beats a hasty exit.

Meanwhile, Brandi is hanging out with Mama Shannon while she's cutting lime wedges in her new role as bartender. Brandi wonders why Mary has all of a sudden rekindled her interest in Raph even though she's continually asked to help out with whatever he needs. Jinx cautions Brandi not to go down that road, especially when she has bigger issues at hand... like knowing the difference between basic produce items.

On the other side of the restaurant, Mary and Raph attempt to clear the air about the whole engagement debacle when Marshall calls to tell her Don is dead. She bolts for the scene, which turns out to be a canyon where his car crashed and burned. Bobby D pops up to once again question Mary's involvement in just about anything.

Marshall informs Mary that the racketeer, Joseph Connor, is still in prison but his two sons have kept an active interest in Don and Ruth's dealings.

Back at the shelter, Ruth is rather insistent that she see his body, at the very least to offer one last prayer. When Mary attempts to move Ruth to a new safe house, she is rebuffed on the grounds that her people need her and that she must be there for them. I'd like to think that I'm a nice person, but she's killing me with kindness.

Brandi and Raph sit outside in the car discussing the finer points of baseball, noting that if not for his torn ACL, he could be living it up in Miami playing for the Marlins. It's at this point she launches into quite the pity party, what with the "It must be really nice to be good at something" line of reasoning. The conversation moves to her dad's gambling addiction and how he won the car they're having the conversation in. Brandi reaches over into the glove box to show off the original car registration, which elicits quite the response from Raph when she appears in an unlikely position. The two share a near moment before Jinx (moment killer!) calls and asks about her whereabouts. After the fact, Brandi tries to make a move and is shot down almost immediately.

Back at the restaurant, a random theater guy asks Jinx if he can hang up a flyer announcing auditions. She squeals in delight when she finds it's her favorite show they're doing. She receives a less than enthusiastic response from the manager, who believes she is far too good to play the part of the whore. The next day, the two wonder why they, along with many in the world, never fulfill their childhood dreams. Blah blah blah, I'm not really feeling this plotline going anywhere.

Mary takes Ruth to the morgue to identify Don's body. Ruth attempts to offer up one last goodbye, but as they get ready to leave, the coroner offers up information that Don would have been dead inside two months anyway... being an alcoholic and all. Ruth claims this impossible, seeing as how he was always helping the homeless sober up.

In the hallway, Marshall informs Mary that the brothers Connor flew cross-country to kick off a fishing vacation but have not been heard from since they left the San Diego airport. Since the FBI appears to be lacking the help the duo need, they decide to take the matter up personally, but not before Marshall wonders "who can know the inner workings of the criminal mind?" Mary answers with a dry "isn't that kinda our job?" delivery.

Back at Casa de Mary, Raph's brushing his teeth in the kitchen when she walks in the door. Thanks to the case, she's apparently brushing off plans with him yet again. As she explains how she's making more of an effort in the relationship, Brandi calls his phone. When Raph ignores the call, Mary becomes the jealous girlfriend, wondering why he's taking an interest in her at all. Two ringing phones later, Raph finally answers Brandi's call. We split-screen to an explanation of what the other night meant to the other, which basically amounts to nothing. Mary then calls Brandi to find out what's up, which basically amounts to nothing. She storms out of his place, prompting Raph to ask Brandi what she did to cause that. Feeling that she's getting no respect, Brandi succinctly tells Raph to go to hell.

I somehow sense he would have been better off not tearing his ACL.

Raph later calls Brandi to officially end things, even though nothing ever happened in the first place. She's not taking this friendship breakup well.

Back at the crime scene, Mary and Bobby D go over details of the incident. Bobby D calls in a Native American guide to help define the possible suspect and how he got away. Initially, Mary is suspicious of the guide's credentials, but when he suspects the bad guy(s) could be long gone down the I-40, Mary begins to think this may never be resolved.

On their way into the shelter, Marshall tells Mary that Don's last phone call was to the shelter itself. When Mary tries to ask Ruth about it, she notes that Phil, a regular to the shelter has gone missing and is likely off his meds. It's admirable that Ruth is putting her duty before herself, but this is getting ridiculous. Before they leave, they notice a car that looks awfully dusty for the city. Turns out, the car belongs to the shelter cook.

Inside, Peter O'Dell admits his shady past but promises that the bad days are far behind him. In walks Bobby D with brown bags full of evidence, all which implicate Peter the cook in the crime. Long story short, Peter helps Don disappear but swears when he dropped Don off at the free clinic, he was alive and well. While Bobby D cuffs Peter, Mary gets a call from Ruth telling her that Phil is alive and telling everyone that Don is dead.

Oy vey.

At the church, Mary attempts to question Phil. Since the meds haven't quite kicked in, it's basically an exercise in futility until Mary stops taking Phil's words literally. She asks if he helped Don go to heaven.

By heaven, Phil means upstairs in the church where Mary finds a bruised and bloodied, yet much alive Don in hiding. He explains the circumstances of how he first met Ruth and how despite being connected spiritually, they were never together romantically. He claims this is God's will, and while Mary is skeptical at the process he took to achieve this result, she only wants Don to be truly happy. She's willing to accept that Don's "death" is the only way everyone can be better served in the end.

Later, as Don is escorted from the church, he quotes Matthew 4:18-19 to Mary as she's simultanesouly being told by Marshall that the Connor brothers were captured in Mexico with a large amount of heroin. We fade from the scene with Ruth in the arms of Peter and Don looking content.

Are you now excited for season two? Did this storyline have a little too much religion for you? Will any of the principle characters ever consummate any of their respective relationships?

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