Michael comes slouching out of a crappy little building somewhere wearing a short-sleeved dress shirt and his hair over his forehead. He would look like a total spaz if it weren't for his zero body fat, chiseled features, and that bad-ass scar next to his eye. As his voice-over says, "Dealing with an aggressive adversary isn't always about showing strength," he seems to spot Gerard and his goons for the first time. When Gerard calls out to ask him if he's Jackson, Michael turns tail and runs, his arms flailing limply at his sides. "Sometimes it's best to show weakness," the VO continues. "If they believe they can dominate you, they'll drop their guard." And as Michael lets Gerard and his men catch up with him in an alley and throw him against a shed like a rag doll, he adds, "Of course, that means getting dominated." Hey, some people are into that.

Cut to a few minutes later, after Gerard has apparently explained the deal and "Jackson's" part in it. Michael plays the reluctant wuss, using a whiny, nerdy voice to protest, "Guys with guns, violence... That's why I got out of cooking meth! I mean, it's not my thing! It makes my chest tight!" He even takes a pull on an asthma inhaler, which is pretty funny. I briefly wonder where he got it, but then I remember he's working for someone who runs a clinic. Think there's a kid back at her clinic now who's really hoping he doesn't have an attack in the next couple of days? Gerard threatens Michael with a gun as Michael pretends to fret about what his Chechnyan bosses at the lab will do if they learn of his involvement in the imminent robbery. Gerard says that won't happen, and is even willing to offer a guarantee: "You do this, we never see each other again and you make some money. You don't..." Gerard ends his sentence with a wave of his gun, which I think is much worse than ending it with a preposition. Anyway, it looks like "Jackson" is in.

Later, Michael has led Gerard to the yacht Virgil has borrowed and is now loading with something while Michael and Gerard watch at a distance from a car in the marina parking lot. In a character voice that sounds even more nasal and geeky now that he's not being threatened, Michael tells Gerard that Virgil is the lab's courier, and gives some more details, like how the cargo is six "notsobig" canisters, and you have to pack it in special coolers. "You let this stuff warm up and it's a nasty cocktail." He laughs at himself like that's the funniest expression ever. Michael offers to train one of Gerard's guys on how to get it from the boat, and Gerard informs him that Michael will be handling that himself. Michael's playing the reluctant participant to the hilt, pleading a fear of boats and water and a susceptibility to seasickness, to the point of faking a near-panic attack on the spot. "Can you crack a window?" he gasps. Gerard, wondering how he auditioned for Burn Notice and ended up on Monk, says they'll get him some Dramamine, and a mask so he won't be recognized. Finally getting around to what he's actually supposed to be accomplishing on this operation, Michael changes the subject to where the stuff is going to be stored, but Gerard isn't talking about that. "You tell me what you need and we'll set you up, all right?" Girard snarls. "Now, look at that, old guy's got a girlfriend." Michael looks and sees that indeed, Madeline has just approached Virgil. There is not one level at which this is good news for him. He does a facepalm and keeps it there as he whines to Gerard, "Uh, can we go, before somebody recognizes me? I don't know who, but someone?" Yeah, because that would be awkward.