When former marine and abrasives factory worker Thomas Montgomery (Garrett Dillahunt) learns about online poker from his friends, he quickly meets someone new: a young woman named Katie who uses the screenname “TalHotBlond.” Despite being married to the wonderful Carol (Laura San Giacomo), Thomas begins an online affair with Katie which takes up more and more of his time. Oh, also, Thomas told Katie he is a 21-year-old marine sniper about to ship out to Afghanistan. Will all of his lies hold up once Carol figures out the password to his laptop computer? And what will happen when Katie starts talking to one of Thomas’s work pals who goes by the screenname “Beefcake?”

Erik and Justin fall over themselves to praise the work of director Courteney Cox as they dissect the subtext and themes, make new connections about Thomas’s past, and discover how Cox made the best Lifetime movie ever. Erik is convinced that certain fantasy scenes are meant to represent Thomas’ psychotic breaks. Justin outlines the formal conventions of a Lifetime movie and reveals the truth about Michigan’s CHUD population. Erik reveals his antipathy toward the film version of Ordinary People, and both explain why Catfish had to be a work of fiction.