Twenty Years Later

Victoria Ford goes to see her lawyer, Roman Manchester. Roman tells Victoria that she will be indicted for first-degree murder, but he cannot mount her defense until the case goes to trial. Victoria is upset that Roman is not doing anything to defend her. Roman says the physical evidence against Victoria, including her blood and urine at the scene of the crime, are difficult to combat, and Victoria insists that she was not at the house in the Catskills two months prior. The man she is accused of killing is her lover, Cameron. Pregnancy and an abortion drove them apart, and Victoria’s husband left her after finding out about the affair and Cameron’s murder. Roman tells Victoria that she needs money for bail, and Victoria plans to ask her friend, Natalie Ratcliff. An explosion rocks the office.

Greg Norton, a technician at the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office, mixes a serum with pulverized bone to increase the odds of successful DNA extraction. For three years, Greg has worked in the Medical Examiner’s Office trying to identify the remains of those who died in the 9/11 attacks, and the office has not yet found any matches via DNA with the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). However, as Greg returns to his computer, he sees that there is a match. Greg calls over to his boss, Dr. Arthur Trudeau, the head of Forensic Biology, who tells Greg to run the test again. The match was for Victoria Ford, and, if the test is successful a second time, the office will notify Victoria’s sister, who lives in New York.

Avery Mason became the lead anchor of the news program American Events after the previous host, Mack Carter, died one year prior. Avery hosted segments on American Events before Carter’s death and garnered high ratings. She was chosen as a temporary replacement following Carter’s death, and she increased the program’s ratings and audience, leading to her present fame. Avery’s specialty is true crime, but she also produces uplifting stories, such as that of a mother saving her four children from a sinking vehicle. For that story, Avery found that the mother used a segment produced by Mack Carter to help her escape the vehicle. Avery is now preparing to recreate Carter’s segment, in which she will submerge herself in a minivan lowered underwater, then escape using Carter’s methods. Avery then plans to investigate the newly identified DNA of Victoria Ford in New York.

Avery is nervous as she prepares to escape from a submerged minivan. Her producer, Christine Swanson, reminds her of the abort signal, which will alert scuba divers to help Avery out of the minivan if she forgets the survival instructions. When the crane releases, the minivan falls into the water, and Avery begins to panic. The water flooding into the vehicle reminds her of when her sailboat sank off the coast of Manhattan. The sailboat incident reminds Avery of her brother, Christopher, and she considers giving the abort signal. However, she remembers the mother from the news story and resolves to escape the minivan. She kicks out the window and slips through, then she swims to the surface. Christine produces the video, releases teasers online, and the episode, titled “The Minivan,” sets a record for American Events’ ratings.

Avery arrives at Mosley Germaine’s home on the beach for a celebratory party. Mosley is the head of HAP News, which runs American Events, and he is highly regarded for transforming the news agency into a competitive and popular conglomerate over the past three decades. His home is opulent, and Avery knows that he wants to negotiate her contract for the next season of American Events. Prior to the party, Avery and her agent turned down Mosley’s previous offer, and Avery intends to use the high ratings she garnered in recent episodes to her advantage. Avery suppresses thoughts of her hatred for her father, focusing on how to strategically manage the party. She resolves to hide on the beach with Christine until dinner.

Avery and Christine lounge on the beach with Katelyn Carson, another news host. Mosley and David Hillary, the owner of HAP Media, approach the group, and Mosley asks Katelyn and Christine to leave so they can discuss Avery’s contract. Avery explains that she needs to consult her agent, Dwight Corey. Mosley and David ask why Avery rejected their previous offer, and they insist that they offered Avery a salary on par with that of other news hosts. Avery delays the conversation, thinking she deserves more money for getting high ratings. All three go inside to dinner, and Mosley gives a speech centering on teamwork.

As Avery prepares to run part of a Navy SEAL obstacle course for a segment, she talks to Dwight. Dwight says Mosley offered $750,000 a year for four years in her new contract, and Dwight advises Avery to take the deal. Avery wants at least $1 million per year, since her predecessor, Mack Carter, was making $8 million. Dwight says that Mack was an anomaly, but Avery points out that she has increased advertisement revenue for HAP News by 12%, and she knows that she has a dedicated audience. Dwight insists that Avery needs to have content planned for the upcoming season to justify their demand for more money, and Avery says that she plans to investigate Victoria Ford. For her first year as the host of American Events, Avery made $500,000, and she tells Dwight to remind Mosley and David that her prior contract was a bargain for them.

Walt Jenkins sits on his porch in Negril, Jamaica, with his dog, Bureau. Walt moved to Jamaica from New York three years prior, and he relishes the solitude of the island. He loves the local rum and gets along well with the locals. Walt finds a plane ticket to New York and reflects on his previous occupation in surveillance for the FBI, noting that he subconsciously hid the ticket where he would be sure to find it to remind himself of his upcoming trip. He tries to read but is distracted by thoughts of what he will do back in New York, thinking about a woman from his past.

Avery drives from California to New York to visit family and begin investigating Victoria Ford. Avery is trying to avoid leaving traceable details about her trip. She notes that she spent a lot of money when she first became the host of American Events, but she is glad she made her money legitimately, unlike her father. Avery had a happy family, but her mother died, and her father is in prison. In a dream, Avery relives the day her sailboat, the Claire-Voyance, sank. Avery and her brother, Christopher, took the sailboat out, but inclement weather sank the ship. Christopher disappeared in the chaos, and Avery was saved by the Coast Guard.

Avery stops in Sister Bay, Wisconsin, on her way to New York. Avery spent every summer in Sister Bay at Connie Clarkson’s sailing school. Avery developed her skills quickly, becoming a chief instructor during her college years. Avery has conflicting memories of both childhood innocence and family against the “betrayal” and “destruction” caused by her father. When Avery arrives, Connie calls her Claire.

Walt arrives at the Time Warner Building’s Ascent Lounge in New York for the annual Trauma Survivors’ New York Chapter meeting. The meeting hosts both survivors of traumatic events, like plane crashes and car accidents, and the families of those who did not survive. Walt returns to New York each year for this event, as he survived being shot twice, once in the neck and once in the heart, during his service with the FBI three years prior. Walt sits at the bar waiting for a specific woman to arrive. Dr. Eleanor Marshfield, the surgeon who operated on Walt after he was shot, approaches him at the bar and asks how he is doing, but she leaves abruptly to deal with an emergency at the hospital.

Scott Sherwood, who was Walt’s boss during his time at the New York State Bureau of Criminal Investigation in the 1990s, is excited to see Walt, noting that he hasn’t heard from him in three years. Walt explains that he lost touch with most of his friends and family after being shot, and he currently lives in Jamaica. Noticing the woman he came to see, Walt excuses himself after offering to host Scott in Jamaica and exchanging phone numbers. Walt greets the woman, Meghan, and they hug, saying they have missed each other.

Avery notes that she changed her name from Claire Montgomery to Avery Mason when she was 28 years old. As Avery graduated from law school, her father, Garth Montgomery, was indicted on charges of fraud, and she changed her name to avoid being associated with her father’s crimes. Beginning in the late 1980s Garth Montgomery ran a Ponzi scheme, a type of financial fraud in which investors are paid large returns using the funds of new investors. When Garth was indicted, Avery realized that her summers in Wisconsin, her sailboat, and her family’s wealth were all stolen from investors in her father’s business. Garth also had an affair with a woman whom he supported financially, and Avery’s memories of his late nights and business trips became indicators of the affair. Avery’s mother, Annette, died of a heart attack shortly after her husband’s arrest, and Avery believes it was the result of his betrayal. Avery fears that someone will uncover her family’s past, which she thinks undermines her journalism.

Connie tells Avery that she invested $2 million with Garth one year before his arrest, and she lost all of it. Avery thinks of Connie as a surrogate mother, and Connie remembers Avery’s brother, Christopher, as one of her best students. Avery remembers that Garth disappeared after the indictment. The government suspects that he fled to Mexico or South America, but Avery has a postcard that might reveal his location.

Avery and Connie spend the next day sailing, then Avery continues her drive to New York. The postcard from Garth shows a cabin and the numbers “777” written on it, which tell Avery that Garth never left the country. Though Avery is going to New York to investigate Victoria Ford, she is also planning to find her father.

Avery arrives in New York and meets with Dr. Livia Cutty, the chief medical examiner of New York, who confirms that the Medical Examiner’s Office would welcome talking to the American Events team concerning new methods for identifying victims of 9/11. Livia reviews how 9/11 affected both New York and the United States, noting how many of the bone fragments found after the attacks were burned too severely to be identified by traditional means. The new technique pulverizes the bone to access undamaged cells in the bone’s interior for identification. The person recently identified is Victoria Ford, and Victoria’s closest living relative is her sister, Emma Kind, who lives near the Catskill Mountains. Avery notes that a news story related to 9/11 needs to be handled delicately as they approach the 20-year anniversary of the attack.

Walt sits at a bar in Jamaica thinking about Meghan Cobb, the woman he saw in New York. Walt met Meghan three months after his second divorce, and they were together for a year after that. Then Walt was shot during a surveillance operation; his partner, Jason Snyder, died of his injuries. Walt’s life fell apart, including his relationship with Meghan, and he now regrets that he lacked the courage to confront her about “her lies.” He only sees Meghan on the night of the Survivors’ Meeting each year, and he is slipping further into alcohol addiction.

James Oliver, Walt’s former boss at the FBI, shows up in a bar where Walt is drinking, and Walt realizes that Scott divulged his current whereabouts. James tells Walt that he needs him to come back to New York to help with a new operation related to a case Walt investigated in 2001, the murder of Cameron Young, a wealthy novelist, in which the prime suspect was Victoria Ford. Walt remembers that he was under scrutiny from the media and government in Cameron’s case, and some government officials may have taken unethical steps in furthering the case against Victoria. However, Walt remembers doing his job perfectly, and he provided sufficient evidence to indict Victoria of Cameron’s murder.

James explains that Avery Mason is going to reopen Cameron’s murder investigation because Victoria’s remains were recently identified. James tells Walt that Avery’s real name is Claire Montgomery and that she is the daughter of Garth Montgomery. James enlists Walt to help Avery investigate Victoria’s involvement in Cameron’s death with the aim of getting information on Garth’s location, and Walt agrees.