Picture Perfect was the third episode in the first series of the BBC crime drama Hustle, which was broadcast for the first time on March 9th 2005.
Synopsis[]
Mickey is convinced the crew are under a jinx after learning that Ash and Albert conned an honest man, which goes against the grifting code. To make amends, he reluctantly opts to go forward with a con on a greedy gallery owner that Danny has roped in.
But there are many hurdles to overcome, including Danny's impetus moves to bring the mark into the con, as well as a forger who proves highly tricky. The only hope the crew have is to ensure they leave nothing to chance, if it means securing the means to undo the jinx on them.
Full Plot[]
At an import/export warehouse, Albert secretes himself in the building, with a bag containing a live pet rat. Hidden from sight, he watches on as the owner and his assistant are approached by Mickey and Stacie - both under the guise of environmental workers. Claiming there is an infestation of rats, Albert's rat helps to support their story, whereupon they advise the owner and his assistant to stay away for a while whilst work is done to exterminate the problem. With the building under the control, Mickey and Albert disappear, while Danny arrives to greet the team's mark - Meredith Gates (Orla Brady), a gallery owner who is interested in a painting she has been hearing rumours about. Danny states he wants to pay its price of £500,000, but needs a partner to help secure it; he is willing to pay half its price, if she pays the other half. Delighted she agrees to this, Danny presumes they are on.
One week earlier, Danny, preparing to be discharged from the hospital, is playing cards with another patient, while overhearing Meredith complaining to the nurse. As he prepares to leave, he overhears Meredith talking about money, and takes interest in her - to the point he visits the private room she had, and locates a ticket to an exhibition she is holding at her gallery. On his way out, Danny convinces the administrator that the money he gave him for an investment will go forth towards the scheme they talked about, unaware he was conned out of it. Heading to the gallery, Danny examines the artwork on display, while encountering Bea Watson, a up-and-coming art journalist. In their conversation, he learns that Meredith is extremely greedy, having cheated promising artists and collectors out of valuable paintings, paying only a fraction of their real value. Hearing she is a huge fan of the work of the artist Pier Mondrian - who famously went from picture-postcard paintings to abstracts some time after Picasso - he hints at seeking to purchase a Mondrian for himself, learning that Meredith paid £250,000 for her latest Mondrian artwork.
Meanwhile, Mickey is at Eddie's Bar, talking with Stacie about a letter he has received from Rachel's lawyers, confirming she intends to go ahead with divorce proceedings. Feeling that recent events have been against them, the pair are distracted by Albert and Ash rushing inside, and asking Mickey to not divulge to a factory owner named Naveen where they are, stating he is following them. When Mickey sees the man enter, looking for them and finding himself being told they are away, he states that he merely wishes for them to see what has happened to him after they conned him, giving his address to his factory. When Mickey questions the pair, he learns that Ash and Albert conned Naveen whilst he was in prison, not realizing he was in a desperate situation with serious debts; both took him for £50,000. Mickey declares that the pair's action has placed the crew are under a jinx, as the grifting code states they must never con a honest person - he points out recent events as clear examples of this. Mickey particularly questions Albert if he can live with himself for what he did, when they go to see Naveen's factory, watching receivers moving in on the business.
At their hotel, Danny reunites with the crew, declaring his intention for them to con Meredith. He reveals that he believes they can dupe her into buying a fake Mondrian that they will make out to pre-date Picasso's Abstract style of artwork. Mickey is not eager to go forward, but does not explain why to Danny. Refusing to let this go, Danny convinces Ash to help him set things up, beginning with circulating fake rumours about the painting. Later, he leaves a note for Mickey at Eddie's, inviting him to a wine bar. When he arrives, he finds out Danny is going ahead with the con against his instructions, and assumes the role of an art collector based on a business card Danny had waiting for him, as he finds himself drawn into a conversation with him and Bea. The pair spin a tale about the painting being valuable, though Mickey denies it to capture Bea's attention, hinting it to be a Mondrian. After she leaves, Mickey questions Danny for doing this, and states he's going along with the con because they need the money from it for something important; he effectively keeps quiet about Naveen's situation.
Needing a forger, Mickey and Danny join Albert to meet Tip Jones, an eccentric but brilliant art forger, but also a very tricky and deceptive man. Meeting Tip at his studio, the group find him in a vegative state, being looked after by a carer. When the carer leaves, Albert informs him they have a job for him, worth considerable money, to which Tip reveals himself to be of sound mind and body. The group learn he is faking his condition to avoid being taken to court by the police for a piece he was found to have forged. Willing to help them, he points out that Meredith is an expert on Mondrian's artwork, effectively stating he can make a piece, but will need an original. Agreeing to this and securing other materials, Mickey decides to steal the canvas Meredith acquired recently; Ash is sent to the gallery to evaluate security, whereupon Mickey and Stacie steal the canvas, leaving behind a fake to cover up the theft. Although annoyed at how they handled the painting, Tip welcomes their efforts to secure what he needed, and delights in making the fake Mondrian that will "detrone" Picasso for a brief while.
Whilst Tip is left to make the forgery, Mickey arranges a meeting with Bea at a cocktail bar, with an earpiece to allow Albert, Stacie and Ash to discreetly help him answer her questions about the painting. During the conversation, Mickey notices Bea make an odd gesture when he asks her if she believes him. Before they part ways, Bea points out that Danny has gone off on his own path to rope in Meredith, without authorisation, prompting Mickey to berate him for doing this when they see each other. Flashing back to the present, following the meeting with her at Danny's "business", Mickey shoots down Danny's believe they are on, pointing out they still have a way to go, including securing the forgery from Tip, highlighting they face danger if things go wrong; particularly with him concerned over the jinx they have. One week later, Mickey heads to Tip's studio in a frantic state; its the day of the meeting with Meredith, and the crew do not have the forgery by this time. Tip, playing mind games, calls Mickey and directs him to a suitcase in the studio containing his work, but which is locked with a code. As he makes his way to the gallery, he checks in on Ash and Albert, who reveal they are ready on their end with their assigned task.
Danny and Stacie arrive, finding Bea in attendance, while Meredith has her gallery experts on hand to examine the painting when it arrives. After a near call with a security guard, whom Stacie met in the guise of another character during their their theft at the gallery, Meredith prepares to leave after waiting long enough, in order to attend a party with her nieces. Mickey arrives, just in time, to ensure the deal proceeds as planned, revealing the painting to her. In the hands of her experts, the group listen as the forgery is considered "genuine", until one of the experts notes it was done on a fine canvas - something Mondrian wouldn't have done. Almost fearing their con is over, Bea suddenly suggests the painting could be genuine, possibly by the canvas being originally used for a commission from the artist's first style. With an x-ray machine, Meredith is delighted to discover the painting is considered by her team to be the genuine deal, after finding a hidden landscape under the abstract art. Swiftly, she offers Mickey the full £500,000 to claim sole ownership of it, as the crew had planned; Mickey accepts, and he, Danny and Stacie leave the gallery. Danny delights in the knowledge Meredith will not want to be ridiculed in the press when she discover she bought a forgery, and claims Mickey was worried too much about the crew being under a jinx, as they clear up loose ends to their con.
Meeting with Tip, the group pay him his fee, but are shocked when he demands the rest of the money they made, threatening to expose them - through an accomplice - for the theft of the Mondrian from Meredith's gallery. Finding him un-cooperative to revealing who his contact is, Mickey nonetheless reveals he already prepared for this moment, to which Tip is shocked to discover he called in the police; more precisely, the detectives who sought to take him to court. Discovering he has been ratted out for faking his condition, Mickey and the others leave, denouncing any connection to the money Tip received. Outside the studio, Danny questions how Mickey knew about the double-cross, until Stacie notices a car on the street trying to start up, with Bea at the wheel. Mickey reveals the answer - Bea was Tip's associate, and that she happens to be an art student not a journalist. Eager to leave, she reveals she won't expose them, but only if she can keep the Mondrian; Mickey refuses to let her do so, insisting it must be returned, but reluctantly lets her go with it.
As Bea departs, Ash and Albert turn up, in possession of the Mondrian - the pair had intercepted Bea on Mickey's instructions, in order to recover the painting from her car. Heading off, Danny questions how Mickey knew Bea was lying. Mickey states that he knew because Bea had done a throat slash gesture in the cocktail bar with her finger, often done by those with guilt; Mickey planned ahead because of this, and his suspicions were confirmed when Bea did the gesture again when the painting was about to be revealed. Relieved they have won, Danny delights in knowing they still have £350,000 to split between them, but Mickey states some of the money needs to go to the person linked to their jinx. Angered, Danny questions why Mickey did not tell him about Naveen, to which he simply apologises and points out they need to do this or face a damaged reputation for conning an honest person. Reluctantly, Danny heads to the roof of the factory, deciding to do the right thing, but instead of slipping down £100,000 of their earnings from the con, he sends all of the money down, to the delight of Naveen and his staff. When Danny reunites with the crew, he remarks it is only money, and the crew walk off to the news their jinx is lifted.
Characters[]
Team[]
- Mickey Bricks
- Stacie Monroe
- Danny Blue
- Albert Stroller
- Ash Morgan
- Tip Jones (outside contractor)
Mark[]
Quotes[]
Mickey: I think we're under a jinx.
Ash: scoffing Oh come on!
Mickey: Why do we have codes, Ash?
Ash: Because it's the decent thing.
Albert: No. The decemt thing is not to grift at all, and we have a code because bad behaviour makes bad luck.
Ash: There's no jinx, mate.
Mickey: pushing a deck of cards to Ash Cut.
Ash (after cutting and finding a Joker): sigh
Trivia[]
- The mark of the episode is Meredith Gates.
- About 13 minutes into the episode, there is a scene where Danny is talking to Bea Watson (the art critic). She mentions that Meredith Gates, the Mark, paid £250,000 for a Mondrian and Danny is suddenly drawn to her and drinks from Meredith's wine glass. The music that plays is 'Daydream In Blue' by I Monster.
- In a nod to consistency, there is a flashback to Danny in the hospital recovering from last episode's gunshot wounds.
External links[]
- Picture Perfect on Internet Movie Database
- Picture Perfect at the Hustle series 1-4 archive at BBC Online
- Picture Perfect at TV.com
Gallery[]
