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The con is on...

Hustle Aired From February 24, 2004 - February 17, 2012 On BBC One

Plot:
Hustle follows a group of London-based con artists as they attempt to dupe money out of their victims ("marks"). Despite their chosen trade, they adhere to codes such as "bad behaviour breeds bad luck". In particular they adhere to the first rule of the con "you can't cheat an honest man" because an honest man doesn't want something for nothing.

Each episode also amounts to a confidence game played upon the viewers through the use of misdirection and hidden plot details that are revealed at the end of the story. Not all cons depicted are successful, and some episodes focus on the characters dealing with the consequences of their actions. However, even if a con does fail, the characters usually come out on top in some way or other.

In addition to one long con, each episode features a number of short cons played by the major characters on members of the public. The short cons demonstrate the seemingly endless array of tricks professional con men possess and the ease with which short cons can be played.

Cast:

Adrian Lester	Michael Stone
Marc Warren	Danny Blue
Jaime Murray	Stacie Monroe
Robert Glenister	Ash Morgan
Robert Vaughn	Albert Stroller
Ashley Walters	Billy Bond

Info Taken From: Wikipedia
Image Adapted From: tv.com

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[ Last edited by spratt89 at 4-23-2012 16:15 ]

spratt89

1. The Con Is On   
Mickey "Bricks" Stone has just been released from prison, having served a sentence for attacking his wife's boyfriend. An expert at the "long con", he assembles his old team of fellow hustlers to pull off one last con before he retires for good. His team is diverse, ranging from old hand Albert Stroller, to the alluring Stacie Monroe, and the jack-of-all-trades Ashley "3 Socks" Morgan. Their "mark" is a greedy business man and with the con all going to plan, short con player Danny Blue enters the picture to try and join the team and could jeopardize the score. With the police hot on their trail, will Mickey and his crew be able to pull off the con successfully, or will Danny bring it all crashing down?

2. Faking It   
Danny makes a big mistake and blows a con, which makes Mickey question if Danny is right for his crew. Albert is viciously beaten after cheating in a card game and the team decide to wreak revenge the only way that they know how - by playing the long con.The stakes are higher than normal with Albert out of the picture. Can they pull off the con, or will the Mark, a ruthless and violent person, cause even more harm?

3. Picture Perfect   
Mickey Bricks and his team of con artists decide to dabble in the world of art this week, when they set up an elaborate scam to swindle a greedy gallery owner, by faking an early Mondrian painting.

4. Cops and Robbers   
Mickey crosses paths with Victor Maher, ex-fraud squad officer, now head of security at a bank. Victor blackmails Mickey into doing something he normally wouldn't do.

5. A Touch of Class   
Desperate for a lucrative con, the team decides to fleece a bitter, rich divorcee but Mickey's feelings for her begin to cloud the issue.

6. The Last Gamble   
In the season finale, Mickey and his team attempt one of the oldest, most ambitious cons - 'the wire'.

SOURCE
contributed by bala

spratt89

1. Gold Mine   
The gang are back and despite his better judgement, Mickey gives Danny a chance to run his own scam. However, the object of the scam has a habit of sending con men to jail so the risks for the gang are high. And it doesn't make them feel any better to discover that Danny plans to convince the man, a savvy property developer, that there's a goldmine in the heart of London.

2. Confessions   
The gang are on the verge of completing a job but Albert's gone AWOL. When he finally appears it's all too late because 'the mark' has pulled out - but Albert has a new plan.

3. The Lesson   
Danny has found a potential new member of the gang, Trevor (played by Lee Ingleby). He's a short con artist, who's very good at what he does, but his marks are not always the greedy; he also targets the elderly and the poor.

4. Missions   
The team's plan to con an auction house with a comic book forgery goes awry when corrupt copper, Sam Phillips (played by Fay Ripley), decides she wants in on the play.

5. Old Acquaintance   
When Stacie claps eyes on her estranged husband Jake who left her five years ago taking everything she owned with him, she's certain he is to be the gang's next mark. Having graduated from the short con world to the professional poker circuit, he's good and he won't be an easy target. But the team swears to exact revenge on him for Stacie.
Is Stacie really prepared to leave her friends for love? Or has she really got another card up her sleeve....?

6. Eye of the Beholder   
Mickey's got a plan and this one is like no other. They're going to steal the Crown Jewels. Will he be able to get the others to join him on such a dangerous mission?

SOURCE
contributed by bala

spratt89

1. Price For Fame   
Mickey's team is back in London, so the con is on. Just back from Las Vegas, the crew is a little low on funds, so their eager to get back in the game. Their target? Benny Frazier.

2. Albert's Challenge   
After two seasons of clashes of methods, Mickey and Danny finally put it all on the line. In a head-to-head competition, the two men are dropped naked in the middle of London and must use all of their skills as con men to make it through the day - whomever has acquired the highest monetary value of goods wins. The rub is that if Mickey loses, he declares that he'll hand over the role of leader to Danny. Are big changes a foot? Will Danny's moxie ultimately win him control of the crew?

3. Ties That Bind Us   
Fellow con-man James Whittaker Wright III enlists the help of the Hustle crew to avenge his legendary grifter grandfather's treatment by Cornfoots Merchant Bank. Posing as enterpreneurs and investors they try to get back at the bank by a massive con. But have the Hustle crew forgotten just how devious James Whittaker Wright III can be?

4. A Bollywood Dream   
One of Albert's long time concierge contacts, Harold, asks Albert to target a man who's caused a lot of suffering in the Asian community - Kulvinda Samar, a greedy sweatshop owner and ardent fan of Bollywood films. The gang agree to use a classic movie-investor con on Samar - given it's Bollywood they'll have a lot to learn, but as ever, they're determined to make it perfect.

5. The Hustler's News Of Today   
After a completely false exposé in a newspaper, one of Stacie's friends attempts suicide out of shame the article caused. To help right this wrong, the Hustle crew decide to take down the men responsible - the editor Frances Owen and reporter Tim Millen. The con? To convince these two muck-rakers that they have the biggest Royal scoop ever and that they'll be making headlines. Of course if Mickey and the gang have their way, their headlines will be a little different than the way they intended.

6. Law And Corruption   
The Hustle crew find themselves under the thumb of DCI York, an unconventional cop set on catching "The Ghost" - the legendary thief Adam Rice. DCI York blackmails the gang into helping him, so they make contact with Rice and talk their way into his latest scam. While stealing from a country-house, they try to arrange for Rice to get caught red-handed. Can the Hustle gang escape this dodgy copper, or will York nick them all?

SOURCE
contributed by bala

spratt89

1. As One Flew Out, One Flew In
The Hustle crew are back, but they are short a man - Mickey Stone. Mickey is off in Australia to pull off a major con and Danny uses this opportunity to prove to everyone that he's capable of being the new boss. Of course Danny's never been shy about taking on a challenge and for his first time as leader, Danny and the gang are off to Los Angeles. The con? To sell the Hollywood sign to a Texan...

2. Signing Up to Wealth  
Back on their home turf, the gang set about getting back to business as usual - playing the long con. Porn czar Dickie Brennan has his eye set on owning a prize-winning horse and his ruthless ways make him confident that he'll get what he wants. Of course, the Hustle crew are more than willing to lend a hand, even though they know nothing about horses. Meanwhile, Danny is focused on finding a new grifter to complete the team and begins interviews. Billy Bond isn't giving up on getting noticed and will stop at nothing to joing the gang even though Danny has his heart set on a pretty lady member.

3. Getting Even   
Eddie is getting the squeeze and it's up to the "Hustle" gang to set things straight. Although not an official grifter, Eddie is more than a bartender, he's a member of the crew. So when his father is held ransom by the owner of his Father's nursing home - it's personal.

4. A Designer's Paradise
Billy finally gets his shot to play the inside man with Danny. Using the "Emperor's New Clothes" as inspiration, the crew are looking to con Clarissa Bartwell, an immoral "fashionista".
While exploiting Clarissa's passion for fashion, Billy runs into trouble with someone from his past. Unless Billy can hand over 20,000 pounds, this certain someone threatens to blow their cover. Can Billy keep this threat away long enough to complete the con, or is his first long con going to be his last?

5. Conning the Artists   
Eddie's bar is the "Hustle" crew's hangout and the place to go when celebrating the success of a recent con. Unfortunately, their most recent celebration comes to a grinding halt when they are taken hostage. A man claiming that the gang dishonored his family has come to seek revenge and this time it's not about money - it's personal. Can the grifters negotiate their way out, or have they gone too far and must pay the ultimate sacrifice?

6. Big Daddy Calling   
It's back to the US for the crew as they seek some revenge of their own. Mafia boss Johnny Maranzano has beaten up Albert and to settle things the gang decides to pick the apple of Johnny's eye - the Big Daddy fruit machine and its $5 Million dollar jackpot. Las Vegas may be grifter heaven, but it's going to take a miracle to devise a con to steal from a casino that never closes and is under 24/7 security. The stakes are high, because it's not about not getting caught, it's about not getting killed.

SOURCE
contributed by bala

spratt89

1. Return of the Prodigal   
Mickey has been in Australia and after trying to sell the Sydney Opera House he is back to London to make more money. When he arrives back he finds out that half of his crew have gone to America and his mentor Albert is locked up. After speaking to Albert he learns of some property developers who want to make some easy money.

2. New Recruits   
Emma and Shaun become team members and are shown what a long con involves. Also, Carlton Wood and Harry Fielding have stolen a security system and Mickey wants to use the new recruits to teach them a lesson.

3. Lest Ye Be Judged   
The gang go after a judge who is yet to collect his reward, so it's down to Mickey to help convince him to get it. Elsewhere, things are not looking good for Albert.

4. Diamond Seeker   
Mickey and the crew get themselves into trouble when they come across a diamond whose owner is willing to to do whatever it takes to get it back.

5. Politics   
Sean goes undercover in MP Rhona Christie's office after the gang discovers they can make a profit out of her illegal dealings. The whole operation is put in jeopardy though when the gang start to take it out on each other.

6. The Road Less Travelled   
In the season finale, past victims of the gang's cons team up to bring down the team and get their money back.

SOURCE
contributed by codebreaker

spratt89

1. And This Little Piggy Had Money   
Albert sets about prepping the next scam once he realises that Emma and Sean really will be helpful to the crew. The latest target is Piggy Richardson who has been in the public eye following his part in taking pension money.

2. The Thieving Mistake   
The crew run into a friend of Ash's who goes by the name of `Liability' Finch. Despite being given instructions to keep a low profile, Sean decide's to help him out anyway.

3. Tiger Troubles   
Albert goes to Chinatown to complete a deal with Phil and Czech Charlie, when Phil collapses and dies Albert decides to cut his losses but Charlie wants the cash or else. Mickey and the team need to find a mark and get half a million pounds and quickly. The answer, a wannabe playboy Luke Baincross.

4. The Father of Jewels   
During a deal the gang are about to close worth £50,000, Sean becomes distracted by someone who he knows from the past, and they have a score to settle. Sean lets the current mark walk off with the money. When Sean finds out this man is his dad, he wants the gang to con him.

5. Conned Out Of Luck   
The unthinkable happens when Mickey is conned by Mervyn Lloyd, a cocky business man, who dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur like 'The Dragons'. As Mickey's luck will be bad now, due to the Grifting Code, the gang set about conning Mervyn without him. Meaning the baton has passed to Ash.

6. The Hush Heist   
The team have just finished a con when they find out the mark is an undercover police officer. Mickey and the team are locked up and they get forced to do a job for two MI6 officers, who happen to be friends with DCI Britford. The target is the National Bank of Syria and the heist is the unknown contents of a security box - the problem is the vault is like Fort Knox.

SOURCE
contributed by codebreaker

spratt89

1. Silent Witness   
The team has three targets set for them by Albert who are an arrogant aristocrat called Viscount Manley, corrupt MP Jeremy Garret and shady judge Stanley Mead. The team find it hard to decide which of them is the most deserving of their special treatment. After Eddie's niece is caught up in a modelling scam though the choice ends up being made for them.

2. Old Sparks Come New   
The team are close to closing in on a small con in a café until Joe Ryan, a former boyfriend of Emma's, shows up unexpectedly and blows their cover. Emma ends up agreeing to see him again so she can find out what he has been up to. After finding out that he has hit hard times following the death of his wife and becoming involved with a dodgy money-lending business called Dosh4you the team have found their next mark.

3. Clearance From A Deal   
Mickey and Albert visit the first Wendell Casino to open in in the country. The Wendell family are well known for their strict policy on cheaters and have a rogue's gallery on show of anyone who has ever been caught. Albert isn't happy when he sees a picture of his grand father Charlie Stroller up on the wall. Albert is determined to do what ever it takes and clear Charlie's name even it it means that the whole team's pictures end up hanging up on the wall.

4. Benny's Funeral   
Albert, Mickey, Ash, Sean and Emma attend the funeral of a fellow grifter called Benny. Benny had a history with the team having helped Mickey out of a difficult situation years ago and nearly taking Ash's place in the group. Ash bumps into a panicked man that looks like Benny after the funeral. Ash the chases after him and learns that Benny is still alive. Benny explains to Ash why he had to fake his own death and the team decide to help him.

5. Episode 5   
After Ash discovers that the local football club where he grew up has gone bust and closed down, he wants the teams help in dealing with the greed that has taken over the sport.

6. Episode 6  
The team show up at Eddie's bar after an all-night card session to discover they've received an unusual delivery. After they look inside the box, they are surprised to find Cool Hand Cooper, a popular character from the grifting world. The soon learn that he posted himself to the bar as part of an elaborate prison escape and that he is serious trouble.

SOURCE
contributed by codebreaker

waterlilybarb

1. Episode 1
The team take on take on gold dealer Dexter Gold who is well known for parting the elderly from their treasures in return for a pittance.

2. Episode 2
Mickey finds himself being taken prisoner by a gangster and international art collector called Petre Sava, who wrongly thinks the team were behind the theft of his stolen Picasso painting. The gang find themselves facing a race against time to find the missing painting and return it before Mickey becomes Sava's latest victim.

3. Episode 3
The police end up catching up with the Hustle conmen after corrupt police officer DI Fisk is bribed into helping bring them down. The team move onto their latest mark, Linda Runcorn, the crooked CEO of an online hotel and restaurant guide. They have no clue they are being watched though. Fisk ends up arresting Sean’s ex-girlfriend on false charges and blackmails her into spying on the gang so he can catch them.

4. Episode 4
After one of the teams friends called Carol suffers a heart attack, the gang find out that she’s been the victim of a sham diet plan run by American Dr Dean Deville and his wife, Dana. Mickey comes up with a weight-loss scam to sell them a a new miraculous diet pill, but knows they'll first need to gain their trust.

5. Episode 5
Albert decides to return to an old haunt and soon discovers that it’s been pulled down by ruthless property tycoon, Dale Ridley. He ends up recruiting the rest of the team to deliver a special form of retribution.

6. Episode 6
Mickey beleives that he has found the ultimate mark in multi-millionaire businessman Madani Wasem. The stakes end up being much higher than usual as Wasem is extremely dangerous and the kind of mark they usually try to avoid dealing with.

Source
contributed by codebreaker