With every episode packed with a good dose of action and laughter, Duster is turning out to be a tremendously fun watch! Trouble and Jim Ellis always seem to go hand-in-hand, and in episode 4 he has a contract killer tracking his every move. Meanwhile, Nina Hayes suffered from immense guilt when she learned that Leland Breen had died by suicide after her brief visit. Nathan Abbot was furious, but he chose to continue covering for Nina as long as she made sure that news of her trip to the psych ward didn’t reach the higher authorities. She had to prove that she was on the right track, and while the information Jim provided at the end of the previous episode was useful, she needed more evidence.
Spoiler Alert
What did the numbers Leland Breen mentioned signify?
When Awan noticed that Nina was under a lot of pressure, he offered to help. He couldn’t really brush aside what Breen had brought up when Nina asked for his advice to uncover the Saxton case. He’d asked Nina to ‘follow the numbers,’ and she assumed it was just another random thing he’d stated and probably meant nothing. But Awan was convinced there was more to the story. He wondered if the file numbers that they thought were not marked correctly had a deeper meaning. After several rounds of permutations and combinations, just when they were about to almost give up, Nina figured that maybe the numbers hinted at coordinates. Her guess turned out to be right, and they deduced that, according to the coordinates, Breen wanted them to head to the Navajo reservation. This was perhaps the only way Leland thought he could pass information to his replacement at the agency; after all, there were people within the system helping Saxton.
Awan was hesitant about traveling to the reservation, even though it was where he grew up. He later explained that since his mother was a White woman and his father a Navajo, he never really belonged to either of the two worlds. When he decided to work for the FBI, his father decided to cut ties with him. He thought his son was a traitor who had decided to sell his soul to the enemies. But Awan knew that joining the FBI would benefit his community eventually. While Nina sympathized with Awan’s situation, she also advised him to reconnect with his father. They had their reasons behind the decisions they made, but at the end of the day, they were family. When they arrived at the location Leland had hinted at using the file numbers, they discovered an abandoned car. They initially wondered if they’d misinterpreted his message, but upon checking the trunk of the car, they discovered a videotape hidden underneath a layer of soil. As a professor of logic and reasoning, Breen expected his replacement at the agency to successfully solve the puzzle and find the clue. Even though he was not completely stable when Nina met him, he remembered to pass on the most important information. We don’t know if Breen actually killed himself or if his death was merely framed as a suicide—but if he chose to end his life, maybe he did so because he believed he’d served his purpose.
What clue did Breen leave in the videotape?
When Nina brought the videotape to the agency, she realized that it had suffered significant damage due to the heat and dust. Awan tried to repair the tape to the best of his ability, and once they started playing it, Nina recognized a name Breen mentioned. That morning, Nina had met Jim at their usual spot. He demanded she provide him with protection and help him get rid of the contract killer, Enrico, but she established that she could only help him if he could offer her solid information and evidence. Jim had mentioned that Saxton had met a Russian guy with a birthmark on his face named Xavier. He had also stated that Saxton had mentioned that if the deal went successfully, it would change the course of his business. He added that Saxton was looking for a Russian translator before he met an antiques importer in Flagstaff. When Nina heard Breen mention Xavier in his video, she knew Jim was on the right track. Leland Breen instructed the viewer to expose Xavier’s network and to never trust anyone. Nina finally felt she was getting closer to arresting Saxton than ever before.
How Did Jim Strike A Deal With Enrico The Blade?
Remember how Jim signed a blood pact confirming his allegiance to the notorious Mexican gangster, Mad Raoul, in episode 1? Well, it turns out he was extremely upset after Jim failed to live up to his end of the bargain. He never showed up to work in Mexico, and now Mad Raoul wanted him dead. He’d sent his trusted killer, Enrico the Blade, for the mission. With a swift flick of his hand, Enrico could access his razor-sharp blades hidden in his sleeves. He had a photograph of Jim, and he followed him to Saxton’s warehouse in Scottsdale. Jim had managed to convince Saxton to drive his son to the warehouse. He knew that it was impossible to gather information from his boss, but Royce was gullible. Jim accompanied Royce to the warehouse, and on the way he mentioned how he felt neglected by Saxton. He wanted to climb the ranks, but he was always reminded that he was only a driver. Royce felt bad for Jim and promised to show him around the warehouse—this was exactly the response Jim had been hoping for.
Upon reaching the spot, Jim noticed that a few men were discussing a firearms shipment. He struck up a conversation with the data entry clerk and offered to help her get rid of the shipping manifests, and she happily allowed him to do it. Jim grabbed a few sheets that he thought could be useful to Nina. Royce showed off a vintage car that Howard Hughes had offered Saxton. While he didn’t know the nature of the deal, Royce was excited to take the car out on a drive. Jim warned Royce when he started to speed, but the young man couldn’t hear him clearly. Soon, smoke started to billow out of the car, and they ended up driving it to a nearby car repair shop.
Jim took a break and stepped into the washroom, and immediately after, he noticed a man staring at him. He quickly figured out the man was Enrico the Blade. After an action-packed sequence, both the men decided to take a break and have some whiskey that was lying around. Jim established that they had more in common than Enrico might have guessed. They both wanted to climb the ranks, but they had a long way to go. They were trying to make ends meet and win the trust of their bosses, but they were mostly neglected. Jim offered Enrico a deal—he was ready to let Enrico take the Howard Hughes car, and in exchange, he had to spare his life. Just when Jim thought he had a deal, he heard Royce scream, and he discovered that two young men with guns and masks had stolen the car.
In a surprising turn of events, at the end of Duster episode 4, Jim and Enrico paired up to take down the amateur carjackers. Jim sped his Duster, and Enrico used his sharp blades to take them down one after the other. At the very end of episode 4, Enrico agreed to accept the car, because he knew Mad Raoul would likely take the bribe and let Jim free. Even though they were meant to be on opposing teams, somehow their camaraderie was the highlight of the latest episode. Jim will be in trouble once again—it was under his watch that Saxton’s son was intimidated by two burglars and his prized possession, the Howard Hughes car, was gone—Saxton would not let him get away easily. While Jim knew the risks involved, he was ready to bet anything in the hopes of living for just another day. He knew his way out of tricky situations, and he believed he would come up with a solution once again.
