“The Piper” is episode twelve of season two of Special Unit 2.
Two security guards are talking as jewellery is being stolen from the place they are supposed to be guarding. They finally notice and the robbers all run outside. And remove their balaclavas, revealing they are all children.
Captain Page announces that there has been a string of unsolved burglaries, children carrying out complicated and sophisticated heists. Jon explains that the kids are all in a trance. Hypnosis, medication, mind control link. The Pied Piper of Hamlin is not just a story. Children are easier to affect en masse than adults. But they don’t know much. Page tells Jonathan to find something out.
Kate asks if that means the suspect they arrested is not responsible. It is; they have to release him. So, Kate and Nick go and find a locked-up Carl. He’s speechifying about how all the links are his people and they will rise up. Until the door is opened. He’s released – but he needs to find them some mind control links. Carl knows one; one of the nastiest, most ruthless links there is.
A car salesman wearing sunglasses is telling a woman that she wants all the extras and she’s agreeing when he sees Carl and runs into his office. Nick and Kate are already there, also wearing sunglasses. Nick removes the salesman’s sunglasses, revealing swirling eyes. The salesman says he isn’t behind the burglaries. He doesn’t need to steal and doesn’t work with kids. He’s also left the network of mind controlling links; they were too controlling. He won’t give them up, though. Kate offers $100. The Piper controls a third of the city’s kids and there’s going to be an armoured car heist. He gives the details. Then he and Carl; get into an argument over a car. Captain Page’s personal car, which Carl stole. Carl is put back in the Hole.
Nick and Kate are performing surveillance on various children as Captain Page waits in the van. The armoured car rolls up and a kid distracts the guard at the back with a hurt knee. Three more kids break into the vehicle from underneath. Nick sees them head off with identical knapsacks. He and Kate follow them into a play park, and Nick sees one head out the back and drop a knapsack into the back of a limo. Inside the limo is someone who looks like the creature on the backpack. The limo drives off.
The limo’s plate said ARNIE heart U. According to Page, that’s the star of a local TV show. They know very little about the actor in the suit. He goes everywhere in costume. Page says they can’t take action unless they know the person in the suit is a link. They need to infiltrate the inner circle to determine if he is a link. Jonathan starts showing them the show; Arnie has two sidekicks. Miss Understanding and Mr Goodthoughts. Jonathan thinks Mr Goodthoughts is the most likely target, as Jonathan has his FBI file. And Mr Goodthoughts is caught leaving an adult theatre and fired.
Kate and Nick head to see Carl. They have a job for him. Anything, as long as it doesn’t involve kids or costumes. He’s convinced to try. Carl heads to the auditions, and is shown in. The focus group is children. Carl is really, really bad. But the kids end up laughing at him and his responses and the man running the audition gets interested. He’s never seen the focus group react like this before. Carl is hired.
Carl becomes a new character, Mr Meanjeans. This gig goes on longer than expected, because Arnie never comes out of character. And those children affected by the Piper are at risk.