02E02 - Sting of the Tail

Chuck is able to identify on surveillance footage that Patrick Lloyd has returned to Washington, DC. The team is easily able to track him without ever seeing his face. Having tracked him for several months now, Hannah and Damian realize that he has either truly eluded them or is leading them into a trap of some sorts. Lloyd's reemergence is at a bad time for Tom who, with Alex and Alex's mother Eva, is going into the annual correspondents dinner, which is supposed to be light-hearted. That light-hearted tone is not helped by Seth being the speech writer, he who has to insert a few jokes, in the process realizing that he has a different sense of humor than the average Joe or Jane. In the Lloyd matter, Tom has to balance the need for national security against his vow to the public to be transparent in the matter. He does however understand that he is not a one-person show as government and has to keep Congress and a Homeland Security Senate Subcommittee abreast of what's happening. When Hannah and Damian believe they have Lloyd cornered, Tom has to make an even more difficult decision to do what he believes will be the best thing for public safety - especially if thousands of lives are at risk - against doing something potentially considered illegal. If they get wind that he is contemplating doing the latter, civil libertarians may make the decision for him. That decision for Tom becomes even more difficult when he believes Lloyd's grudge is now personal against him, which also means against his family.