Original subtitles

Good enough to play God.

Gideon! Call over! Gideon!

Gideon!

Get down! Get out of the way!

9th Central, 2 -6 section, 10 -85, 10 -85. I have shots.

Vacant lot, Barrett and Clinton.

Backup needed. Last stand, the juvenile side.

Roger Central, we're on our way.

17 Zebra, 17 Zebra, I have a man down, Barrick and Clinton.

17 Zebra, 17 Zebra, I have a man down, Barrick and Clinton.

17 Zebra, 17 Zebra, we're 63, we're 63.

We're going to be all right.

We're going to have a little fun tonight.

We got the blues on the run.

We're going to have some fun.

Everything is going to be all right.

Well, you know the night time is the right time.

Yes, it be.

The kid got hit. Hey, hey, you can't go in there.

Hey, call a lieutenant.

Where's the backup?

You two don't go in there until it's safe.

For God's sake, get down.

No pulse, no breathing.

Come on, walk in front of them. Just walk in front of them.

Oh, come on now.

You're a paramedic.

Okay, thank you.

I'm tired, man.

Evening, brothers.

Sure is a cold one out here tonight.

But we got some hot soup in the kitchen.

Anybody need a social worker or a doctor, see me.

They call me fossil because I'm the oldest thing in the world. in this here

building. Ain't that right, brother?

Now, for you first -timers, McKenzie Mission is a private organization.

Not tonight, brother.

Oh, man, I didn't do nothing.

Rule number one, no drinking on or around the premises.

Now, them's the rules, and I strictly enforce the rules. That is why I...

Look, tomorrow is a new day.

You stay sober, you gotta be it. But not tonight.

So come on now, brother.

Brothers, there will be a short sermon in the chapel before dinner.

Now thank you and God bless.

Lucky, come on back tomorrow.

This is great chemical food.

Honey, if I ate yours, this is some coffee.

20 years, you'll learn where to go.

A kid like you should pay attention.

A kid?

A kid. A kid. As in young, inexperienced. Got a lot to learn.

17 -0, 17 -0. Man down.

841 Houston Street. Man down.

841 Houston. 841. Let's go. You've got a lot to learn. I've been doing this job

for almost a year now.

Oh, that long? Yeah, I was the best in the class, too, you know? Uh -huh. I bet

you were.

I bet you were a whiz. I bet you were wonderful.

Well, what are you waiting for? What, your nails to dry? What? Run. Give me a

break, Gideon.

Now, I ask you, does that look like a man of cardiac arrest?

Yeah, pulse is A -OK.

You the ambulance?

No, I'm the paramedic. That is the ambulance.

Did you call 911 and say that this man was having a heart attack?

Yeah, I'm the super.

Why did you do that?

If I say heart attack, it can come a lot quicker.

I don't know whether you're going to be able to understand this or not, but I

can't be in two places at the same time.

See, if I have to pick some worthless drunk up off the street, I can't be with

somebody who's having a real heart attack.

I'm required by protocol to put an IV in this man, put him in the ambulance, and

take him to a hospital.

All that takes time.

You see, it takes a great deal of time.

Because you don't like your scenery here, somebody might die.

Do you know what that makes you in case you're interested? Hey, Gideon, come on,

give me a hand here.

Okay, Fred, come on. Let's go.

Rise and shine.

Let's go.

That's it, Daisy.

That's it. Here we go. You remember how to walk, huh?

One, two, three. Here we go.

Thank you.

You drive. I'll keep all Fred here company.

Here we are, Fred.

Easy does it.

There you go. Atta boy. You take it easy.

Fifteen Foxtrot. Fifteen Foxtrot.

You've got a great job here. Meeting the cream of society.

and Pepsi on Friedman.

Your Puerto Rican mama falls in love with a kosher deli.

That's it, huh?

It's that simple.

Yeah. I took a lot of crap about it when I was in school.

Yeah?

Want to try Gideon on, besides?

I could tell you stories.

So what are your sister's names again? Come on, talk to me. Talk to me here.

Okay, that's Dolores Josefina.

Linda, Miraflora, and Moishe is the baby of the family.

We had our first Latino bar mitzvah.

Says if you need help to call you.

Well, I need help.

I'm at the McKenzie mission.

Uh, yes.

Hang on.

Oh, damn it!

Huh? Nothing of a... Believe it or not, right in the middle of my pack business,

amongst other things.

Can you hang on just a minute?

Yeah, sure.

Our kind always have to wait. We're used to it.

It's like blooming.

Help you, mister?

Well, I think perhaps I can help you, can't I?

You are Mr. Williams, you did call me, hmm?

You're the equalizer?

Yes.

I was expecting somebody, you know, younger.

Ah, well, there we are.

Fred, you landed with me.

If you have a problem I can help you with, fine. If not, perhaps I should

take these old bones back home.

So during the past three months, four men from this mission have all had heart

attacks after having been picked up by an ambulance.

Now, what particularly makes you suspect murder?

Mr. McCall, every week a doctor comes to this mission and gives the men a

complete physical.

There's nothing in these about those men having any heart problems. Nothing.

Living on the streets is hardly conducive to good health, is it, Mr.

Lucky was just 35, man.

Somebody killed those men.

Somebody who could get away with it.

Nobody give a damn because they're winos.

He wasn't born a wino, Mr. McCall.

He had an accident way back driving home from his honeymoon.

His wife died instantly, and he's been dying one day at a time ever since.

Did you call the police?

Sure. All they do is give me the look.

Same thing with the autopsy people. I've been there, too.

All they got is a mouthful of died unnatural causes and a face full of

You know, murder is a very serious charge, Mr. Williams. You've nothing to

support it.

Mr. McCall, those men were murdered.

Mind you, I think perhaps this is worth looking into.

Look, just because you do... That surprises you, doesn't it?

Well, we're not used to people like you helping out.

Surely you are not judging a book by its cover, Mr. Williams.

It's not good to start a tour with an attitude.

Man, I can't get rid of that friend.

Heart pounding like a bass drum, then he goes down the tubes. I just don't make

any sense.

That's nothing.

Two months ago, Mauro and me had the 3 to 11 tour.

I got an OD.

I did everything wrong.

I practically killed the guy myself.

Come on, sure. You, the pride?

No matter what you do, it's not going to work.

All you can do is try to do the right thing.

And you do that.

Thanks, Gideon.

No, thanks.

We're partners.

Yeah, I know that, but thanks anyway. No, no thanks.

I am your partner.

That is sacred.

That is a trust.

Whenever you are up, I am up. Whenever you bleed, I bleed.

No matter what's going on out there, that is the most important thing.

So you've got to go way beyond thanks, Chiquita.

What's the matter with you?

What, long hours, low pay, getting shot at? Come on, it makes me laugh.

So it's a perfect job for you.

Perfect.

I'll restock in here. Yeah, check the bus.

to go to tax home.

You bet you must not.

Writing your memoirs, McCall?

My epitaph, Mr. Stock.

IRS wants to know what I do and why it is apparently that my work generates no

income. But I'll be with you in a minute. I just want to finish one item.

No problem.

Why not just call control about this tax thing?

You are joking. I can handle this myself, thank you very much.

It's your funeral.

Control didn't tell me a thing. Just said I was on loan till Mickey gets

Unusual circumstances surrounding some deaths on Lewis Street.

Skid Row?

Do you know, I think you're right. I think it is Skid Row.

Oh, come on, McCall.

How come you didn't say it was the Bowery? Because you wouldn't have come

would you?

What are the details of their death? We're looking for a common denominator.

I would suggest that you pay a visit, first of all, to our favorite computer

hacker.

All right, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do.

McCall, just ask me one question. Why don't you ever call me in for a job on

Park Avenue?

It's your hair.

What?

Your hair.

It's parted on the wrong side.

Pardon, Guinness Book of Records.

1 ,100 pounds.

We had to roll him onto a piece of plywood.

And we couldn't fit him on his bedroom door.

He put three medics in the building.

Get the hell out of here. One of them, the guy, had a hernia as big as a golf

ball.

You're buying it.

You see, you're buying this. The whole thing.

Damn you,

kid.

You're really something else, man.

Get out of here.

Hey, Gideon, are you okay?

Well, yeah, I'm... Oh, Fred here just reminded me of somebody, huh, Fred?

A little deja vu time, huh, Fred?

Yeah, I'll tell you what, Fred. Why don't you go to the plaza?

Here's a quarter, guy. Go to the plaza.

On me.

Thank you, Ron Roberts.

At least... That's what I'd use.

It paralyzes the central nervous system.

They use it in emergency rooms to get an air tube down violent patients.

You've got about 30 seconds to get the tube in, otherwise they lose

consciousness from lack of oxygen and go into cardiac arrest.

There are other ways of inducing a heart attack, of course, but pancuron is the

hardest to detect.

It's pretty sophisticated stuff.

Thank you, Doctor.

Dr. Molinari.

would not be picked up in an autopsy?

Not unless you're looking for it.

But even then you'd have to look pretty hard.

Should I be looking for it?

Not if I can help it.

Thank you, Doctor.

Ain't life funny?

One day eating peanut butter sandwiches and the next day capons.

Capons from some charity do last night.

Lot of good people helping us out.

to introduce you to my colleague mr stock jacob stock mr stock has some very

intriguing information yes uh our common denominator senior paramedic edward f

gideon he was with the ambulance in all four deaths they call him the pride his

rep makes him the best paramedic in the city he's been decorated for bravery

four times and he was in every ambulance that picked up one of your dead wife

You learning?

Well, you recognize him?

No, I ain't never seen him.

Gideon, huh?

The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.

Judges 718.

Gideon the Hornblower.

So what do we have?

We have a healer who might possibly be a killer.

So now we take care of Mr. Gideon, huh?

No, no, no, wrong. Now we do not take care of Mr. Gideon. Now we find proof

against Mr. Gideon.

Besides a hero, if we bust them without decent evidence, things will get ugly in

a hurry.

So what do we do, wait until another brother goes down?

I would suggest to you, Fossil, that you and I are on the same side.

Yeah, I heard that before.

I would also suggest to you that not everybody cares about the difference.

Not everybody.

I want you all to be careful out there.

It's slippery.

You know how long it takes to stop one of these buses.

Okay, that's all.

Ah, wait.

Follow me.

There's someone who wants you to meet. Come on.

Friedman, Gideon, this is Robert McCall.

He's a friend of Lieutenant Brannigan's. A crisis management consultant and your

driver along for this tour.

Miss Friedman?

Mr. Gideon?

Welcome aboard.

Thank you.

So much of a fashion statement, but they can't miss it. They got one on.

They? We got a man down in traffic to find out pretty quickly. There he is.

Oh, I see.

Hey, Tonto, you gonna finish that by dinner? What do you think? Don't you

have it.

Let me be a hand?

No. You know what observer means?

It means watch.

Ah, thank you.

It seems that your partner doesn't particularly care for observers.

Well, you know how it is. You start to look at the world as damn enough.

You can understand that, can't you?

17 Zebra. 17 Zebra.

No, no, that's not. Come on.

Sir?

Okay, let's go.

Thank you.

His pal made the call. Says Romeo here took three bags of heroin.

Heroin? I'm a 60s man. I see much heroin these days.

Well, crack.

Blood pressure, 104 over 80.

Respirations shallow.

Pulse running 86.

tracks on his arm sure pal they're gonna make you even

better hey listen got to give you some medication that'll

counteract the junk keep you from checking out

I got him, man.

Need help, Mr. Gideon?

Night.

See you tomorrow.

Hello?

It ain't the Observer.

You didn't get enough on the tour?

No, I'd like that.

60 % of the people killing themselves, 20 % killing each other, the rest of

killing us.

Why don't you do it?

That's a pulse.

Every time it thumps, it makes me smile.

Look, what is your game?

You're into crisis consulting like I'm into stocks and bonds. Oh, I'm a crisis

consultant, believe me. I really am.

At the moment, my crisis is Ed Gideon. I think he's yours as well, isn't he?

You know, I think perhaps we ought to go and talk somewhere, don't you?

Come on.

No way, man.

No way.

I'm afraid so.

He's the only possible link with all four deaths.

You can't prove that. We don't even use Pankhuron.

You're fishing, man.

You took what you got into court. They'd bounce you in a minute. Yes, indeed

they would, which is why I need your help.

Death is part of our business. It happens every day.

You get drunk dying in your ambulance every day? No, we don't.

Gideon is the best. He's been a medic for 20 years, and he's got a scrapbook

thicker than the Bible with the lives he's saved.

Good enough to play God, is he?

Hey, look.

When I was a kid, I saw these medics save a guy.

And this may sound really stupid, but that was it for me.

Gideon is the best there is.

And you're telling me he's a killer?

No way, man.

I'm not buying it.

Gideon, it burned out.

Gideon is suffering from combat fatigue.

He needs your help.

Contact me here.

Here's my number.

Or at the McKenzie Mission.

Anytime.

He's my partner, man.

Yes, I know.

The allergic to medications?

A problem with the feed system?

He's in arrest.

All right, put him down.

What do we got? What do we got?

Give me the light pack.

We're losing him.

No, we're not. No, we're not. No, we're not.

Clear.

No pulse. Check him again.

Clear.

Not a pulse.

We got him.

Converted.

Get him in the bus.

Okay, one, two, let's go.

You're going to be terrific, mister.

You're going to be terrific.

Hey, get him out of here, okay?

Okay.

I don't know.

A civilian jerk?

Well, we were all civilians once. I mean, you know, sometimes you just got

this. The guy goes in, he fills out a form, he's got to ride along. That's the

way to go.

Do you have anything interesting to say?

Hey.

Are you okay, Gideon?

Yeah, I'm okay.

Why?

I don't know, you're... You sometimes get this look on your face.

I get stressed out sometimes.

I mean, we all get stressed out, you know?

Ain't no big thing, okay?

Okay?

And about McCall.

We just do the right thing.

Yeah, Kimo Sabe, we do.

Way to go, Tonto.

17 zebra, 17 zebra.

My turn.

Come on, Gideon.

Big Sky girl, huh?

Yeah, you know, they got people out there that are so tan, man.

We can go to Arizona, you know, kick back and smooth things out.

We can get through this.

No, no, you don't understand.

They need me.

They need me here.

They need me.

Without me, the good guys don't... They need me to do the right thing.

All right.

Okay, that's okay. Okay, okay, okay.

I'm all right. I'm all right. Just sit there, okay?

It's my boyfriend.

Okay.

It's okay.

Okay.

Mr. McCall.

Working late, huh?

Ever read it?

See a soul man diligent in his business and he shall stand before kings.

Proverbs 22, 27.

2229.

That's what I said.

But I know you didn't come here to trade scripture with me.

No, Mr. Williams, I did not.

I, um, I need you to do me a favor.

I want you to teach Mr. Stock how to be like a wino.

Uh, one of your gentlemen.

Man, I have done some things in my time.

But have you taken a good look at him lately?

I mean, I like him and all, but he looks like he's right out of one of them ads,

you know, with the clothes with the little alligators on them.

I don't think it could be done.

It sounds like you got a job for me.

Ah, no, no.

No, it could be a little dangerous, so I couldn't do that, Mr. Williams.

Mr. McCall, I knew a man once that looked like me, except he drank.

He drank everything he could get his hands on.

He got so broke he couldn't buy his daughter a pair of shoes.

He woke up one day, his family was gone, his wife, his daughter, even his cat

left him.

He found himself out here on this line.

The man there gave him shelter and got him right.

There's a lot of men out there like that guy, Mr. McCall.

The Bible says, The last shall be first.

And every one of those men needs a day at the head of that line. You know what

I'm saying, Mr. McCall.

Mr. Williams, I would deem it a great honor if you would consider working with

me.

17 Zebra. Go ahead, 17 Zebra.

17 Zebra.

I'm 99 and I'm going home.

Hold on, Zebra. I got a man down. Zoomed intoxicated. Corner University in

Bowery. This is 17 Zebra. Look, it's been a long tour, man.

You're the closest bus, Zebra.

Say no to the shower much, huh?

Would shower muskets help?

I don't say okay.

He's got a pulse. He's breathing.

Okay, Fred, come on. Rise and shine. Rise and shine. Rise and shine. Hey, who

are you?

I am Robin Hood, and you are one of my merry men. Okay, Fred, upsy -daisy.

I am Fred.

I'm Ray.

Ray Charles.

You know me? Uh -huh. You heard of me?

I love you.

We're going to do the right thing, huh, partner?

Yeah.

We are.

Whoa.

Hey, I'm Ray.

Who are you?

Me? I'm an angel, Ray.

17

Zebra,

17 Zebra.

Yeah, I am on my way. I am on my way.

What?

What did he say?

I know,

sweetheart. I know, sweetheart.

It's going to be all right. It's going to be okay.

Gideon, come on.

Gideon, that's a friend, man.

Don't you worry.

It's going to be okay.

Gideon, what are you saying?

Gideon?

It's going to be fun.

He couldn't move.

Man, there are some terrible kind of demons inside of him.

He had a puncture, they order.

He just grinned at me and got up and walked away.

And he made me three minutes late.

And she was very brave.

She was worried about everybody but herself.

And I... I promised her it was going to be all right. You know.

I wasn't. Yes, I know.

You will finish it all.

I will.

You're going to be all right, come on.

I'll catch you.

One day.

Miss Friedman, fill the puncture on the vial.

with dexterous you

did the right thing

supposed to remember what he just told you.

Coming up next here on Plus, The Rockford Files is tonight.

American favourite.