Original subtitles

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You haven't lost your touch, old friend.

Forget the police stuff.

Come work for me.

What do you pay? Mr. Wu has a good lunch crowd.

Not many restaurants in L.A. serve authentic Chinese food.

Just how authentic are we talking?

Please try some.

My specialty, zhu shao chou.

Oh, pork intestines.

Very tasty. Wu's father taught me how to make it.

So, uh, you and Mr. Wu have been friends for a long time?

Our fathers were in the army together.

I also trained his daughter.

Wu and I grew up together.

Mm. Mm.

Oh, my goodness. It's the division.

They're paging me.

I better get going.

Uh, it was really delicious, though.

Um, maybe next time.

Okay. I'll see you after lunch.

Okay. Mm.

Hi, Dad. Vanessa, you made it.

Can't stay long. I have to teach a watercolor workshop in an hour.

Come. I want you to taste something.

Is Sammo in L.A.? It's been a long time, Sammo.

How is my goddaughter?

Happy to see her cooking hasn't changed.

Just the right amount of zhu in your zhu shao chou.

Mm-hmm. Hey, wait, guys.

What are you doing?

Timothy. What's going on here?

I saw this man put something in the food.

What? Hey, man!

Aah!

is this?

My father's had a heart attack.

Mommy.

How is your father?

He's hanging in there.

Ah, Xinyi.

You must come back to the restaurant when there is less excitement.

The delivery man had arsenic.

Who would want to poison your food, old friend?

Nathan Babbitt.

You mean the guy who has those ads on TV with the dancing chicken?

Yes. He's been trying to buy the Silver Pond for six months.

He wants to tear it down and build one of his restaurants on the site.

Dad, why didn't you tell me?

Has he tried to strong-arm you before?

No.

Last month he made me a final offer.

Twice the value of the property.

But I refused to sell.

I know how much you love the restaurant, Dad, but that sounds like a good deal.

You could retire on that money.

There are many Babbitt Longstreet chicken restaurants.

But there is only one Silver Pond.

It's just a restaurant, Dad.

It is more than that, Vanessa.

Sammo is right.

It is our family's legacy.

Your grandfather passed it on to me.

And one day, I will pass it on to you.

Get some rest, Dad.

What am I to do, Sammo?

The Silver Pond has survived for 50 years.

We will make sure it survives for 50 more.

So, tell me, Haney. What's a big Texas cowboy like you doing poisoning a little old

Chinese restaurant?

Temporary insanity?

They put too much MSG in my Kung Pao chicken.

I don't think so. You see, this is an authentic Chinese restaurant.

Maybe he thought a little sprinkling of arsenic would add to the authentic flavor.

Hey, anything would help that crap.

Who hired you? I deliver restaurant supplies.

Was that Mew?

It's his.

Oh, shucks.

You missed him. Yeah.

Not in time. Press star 69.

I got a reverse on that number.

Belongs to a ranch in Hidden Valley.

And guess who the owner is?

Our friend Nathan Babbitt.

Yeah, I guess Mr. Babbitt didn't take who's no for a final answer.

Guess not. Good.

Why don't you two mosey on out, Bar, and say howdy to Mr. Babbitt.

My pleasure.

Payday, in case anyone forgot.

In the nick of time.

Thank you. I thank you, and Mrs. Winship, she also thanks you.

Sammo, perfect timing.

Here's your first paycheck.

Thank you. Oh, Sammo, Sammo.

I thought you were getting vouchers, man.

Not anymore. Now I get checks with loss of taxes.

Take it out. Painful, right?

Yeah.

Tell me, you have a bank account yet?

No. The pain is just beginning, Sammo.

Trust me.

When you get a chance, go to my branch.

I'll get you the address.

Grace, I'll meet you downstairs, okay?

Okay.

I brought you takeout.

Oh. From the silver pond?

You are not hungry?

You know, um, I'm...

Actually, I'm going to have to eat on the run.

But, uh, thanks anyway.

Grace, your parents called again.

Okay, thanks.

You two must be the detectives you called.

That's right. Detectives Malone and Chen.

Hi.

I'm Nathan Babbitt.

I'd shake your hand, but mine are kind of full.

This is Rhonda. She was hatched this morning.

So, what can I do for you?

We're investigating a case of food tampering at a Chinese restaurant called the

Silver Pond.

You heard of it? Hmm.

If I remember right, I tried to buy it, but the old guy wasn't interested,

so I moved on.

That old guy.

What was his name?

Woof. Boy, he was mule stubborn.

But I'm sorry to hear he's having problems.

Mm-hmm. Do you know a man by the name of Frank Haney?

Oh, yeah, Frankie.

I hired him as a branch hand when he first came to town about a month ago.

He was terrible. Kept messing up.

Showed him a front gate myself.

Doesn't seem like there's a whole lot to mess up here, Mr. Babbitt.

Oh, Detective, you found me out.

I'm just out there pretending to be old McDonald.

I corporate farmers and bakers for you.

And trust me, it's not as easy on the eyes.

Someone from the farm tried to call Frank on his cell phone today.

Do you know anything about that?

Yeah, I think I can help you with that, Miss Tree.

My, my farmer's been trying to get that cell phone back for some time.

Hmm.

I haven't built a business by letting people take advantage of me.

Well, if there isn't anything else, I gotta get Rhonda back to her mama.

Do chickens like being petted?

I don't know. But it sure does make me tender.

Yes, we offer basic checking, premium checking and supreme checking.

You know, most people just come in and sign up for the basic checking and never get

the benefits of all our special offers.

But do you know what I'm thinking here, Sammo?

I have no idea.

Well, I'm thinking that you are not most people.

No, I'm thinking that you are a VIP checking kind of guy.

How much does VIP checking cost?

Nothing. No, absolutely nothing.

And you get to write unlimited checks.

Yes, and you get your very own special VIP line where you don't have to mingle with

the customers with the lower balances.

You get to use any ATM without a service charge and you can call our VIP 24-hour

hotline and get a live person instead of that awful, awful recording.

Plus, are you ready?

You get a platinum card with a monstrous limit so you can spend, spend, spend.

The only condition is that you keep a minimum daily balance of $10,000.

So now, if you will just sign for us right here,

we can arrange for a direct wire from your existing bank, which is...

First Bank of Shanghai.

I have 387 yen in my account.

Terrific.

Yes, I'll do the math.

That's $50.

You are not a preferred customer.

What kind of customer am I? My mind's a blank.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go to lunch.

What about checks?

The sunsets are always a safe bet.

Sunsets make me sleepy.

Uh, you

know, Pat, how about the dolphins?

I mean, everybody loves flipper.

Nope.

I'll get this one.

Ah, terrific.

Yes, great.

And that would be...

It took you over two hours to reach the monumental choice of standard green.

Yes.

The guys from Pan Pacific sent you over, didn't they?

Hi.

Very funny.

Very funny. Sammo!

Wow.

This is, um, this is unexpected.

I came on your father's behalf.

I wish you'd called first.

This is really not a good time.

I'm in the middle of something.

Vanessa!

I'm getting a cramp.

I can call you later.

Sammo, it's not what you think.

Come in.

Hey.

How's it hanging? I'm hanging good.

Chad's my model.

Why don't you take five?

Can I get you guys something to drink?

No, I'm fine.

So I'm guessing my father didn't send you here to look at my artwork.

The silver pond needs your help.

Timothy is old.

Sammo, I don't know the first thing about running a restaurant.

You know more than you think.

Look, I understand that place is my father's life, but...

ever since my mother died, it's been really difficult for me to go in there.

She worked there every night.

I grew up in that place.

I have to move on with my life.

Is that why you quit martial arts?

How did you know I quit?

At the restaurant, your basic skills are still there,

but your body and mind are not working together.

After I came back from China, I wanted to try new things.

So I took up painting.

I think I'm pretty good at it.

You are also a very good martial artist.

One does not mean you cannot do the other.

You sound like Mom.

Yes, she understood.

I'm going to the restaurant tonight.

I hope I will see you there.

So you teach martial arts, huh?

You know, I've always wanted to learn some of that Kung Fu stuff.

Think you could give me a lesson sometime?

Yes, but you must wear clothes.

Cale, your boy Haney got himself arrested.

The cops traced him back to my ranch.

Now I brought you and your crew up here from Texas because I thought you were pros.

LAPD's got homicides stacked up like airplanes over LAX. They don't give a damn

about some piss-ant Chinese restaurant.

Well, that piss-ant Chinese restaurant is sitting on a gold mine.

I got less than a week to get ownership.

Could I make myself any clearer?

Well, Wu's in the hospital.

Maybe he'd be open to another offer.

He might. I think he needs to be softened up just a little bit more.

Got anything in mind?

I think it's time we show these Chinese what a real Texas barbecue looks like.

Fire!

Everyone, quickly!

Get the customers out!

Samu, Samu!

The restaurant is on fire!

People, he's still inside!

Rabbit one.

The fight is not over.

Do not surrender.

Samuel, look at this place.

Dad took out a loan for earthquake repairs.

When the bank finds out the Silver Pond has shut its doors, they'll foreclose.

Then you must keep the doors open.

I will help you.

My father loves this restaurant, but he would never ask anybody to sacrifice their

lives for it.

This is not just your father's restaurant.

It belongs to all of us.

Your grandfather hired me the first day I arrived from China.

I got married here.

All my children worked here.

I've grown old here.

With your help, we can do this.

It won't stop.

Your opponent is weakest when he thinks he has won.

Please, please, Vanessa.

Well, we have a lot of work to do if we're going to be open for lunch tomorrow.

Samuel, I'd be honored if you'd be our guest chef.

Only if I can pick the specials.

Joe, easy there, Mr. Moore.

What are you doing here?

Heard you were having a problem with your ticker.

Thought I'd stop by.

To see if I was dead yet?

I'm glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humor.

Ah, watch your little present.

Hope you like it.

It is a grave insult to bring a Chinese person to clock in the hospital.

Really? Didn't know that.

The silver pond is not for sale.

I heard the silver pond is closed.

It's not about to be reopened any time soon.

You heard wrong.

Well, either way, here's my absolute final offer.

You don't seem to understand, do you?

It's never been about the money.

My daddy was like you.

Busting his butt trying to make ends meet with a broken-down chicken stand on the

edge of interstate 10.

It was never about the money with him either.

But I took that little stand of his and turned it into a national chain that

challenges the big boys.

I wasn't about to be held back by him.

And I am certainly not about to be held back by some proud immigrant Chinaman whose

idea of a tasty meal is stir-fried kitty cat.

You're lucky I'm trapped in this bed.

Really?

Just, uh, consider my offer.

You have till tomorrow. You, uh, rest easy now, you hear?

You,

uh, rest easy now, you hear?

It's like he's back in China. He always used to cook me meals after training.

Oh, by the time Sam was starting training me,

McDonald's had opened up a branch in Shanghai.

Let me tell you, it was Big Macs all the way.

You missed out, though.

He's a great cook.

You ever try his chū shāo zhōng?

Uh, it's not one of my favorites.

I think it's a texture thing.

chū shāo zhōng zhōng jiāng liú yòu lán dǒu chā shāo I, uh, I'm sorry.

Excuse me, sir. I don't understand.

I missed everything after rice.

qīng zhǎng hāo mǎ Numbers.

shí liù shān shí shān shì shí xì Numbers.

shí liù What kind of numbers?

Grace? Time to eat.

Samo, buddy, friend of mine, I couldn't look at another plate of mù shù anything,

man. I know.

That's why I made this.

Okay.

Okay. What is it?

Meatloaf. Meatloaf?

Bring it over here.

What, you cook it in a wok?

Get it?

Wok?

Wok.

Okay, so the lab has identified the remains of their mom's body.

Okay, so the lab has identified the remains of their mom's body.

It seems like gasoline was poured into an empty bottle of Babbitt's barbecue sauce.

It seems like gasoline was poured

He was sending a message.

Isn't that enough for an arrest?

I mean, if it was a Coke bottle, it wouldn't give us the right to arrest the

president of Coca-Cola.

What about intimidating my father at the hospital?

No, it wouldn't hold up in court.

Babbitt's lawyers would say that he was dropping by with a gift and a business

proposal.

There are hundreds of places in L.A. Babbitt could put one of his restaurants.

Why is he so desperate to get his hands on the silver pond?

That is what we must find out.

Come to Babbitt's Lone State Chicken, home of Tex, the Texas rooster,

and the hottest, tastiest buffalo wings in town.

Now, only $4.

95 a box.

I do not understand.

Buffaloes do not have wings.

No, they're just called buffalo wings.

Because they were invented in a bar in Buffalo, New York.

Ah, like Peking duck.

Exactly. Now, maybe you can explain to me why we're sitting here watching Babbitt's

TV commercials.

You must know your opponent to defeat him.

Grace, your mother's holding on line four.

Um, tell her that I'm out on a case, and I'll call her right back.

OK, sure.

Thanks. Your parents have called many times.

You never talk to them.

Why?

I'm just, I'm too busy.

They just call and nag me about coming back to China.

They want to know why I want to be a cop and when I'm going to get married.

You are their only child.

They want you to be happy.

But I am happy, Sam.

I'm here in America.

Doing what I'm doing.

Tell them.

They will still love you.

I know that. They don't want to hear it.

I know how Vanessa feels.

In America, we're too Chinese.

And in China, we're too American.

Pepe, do not worry about something you cannot change.

Yes, you have two cultures.

You are lucky. You are special.

Hey, it's Tex.

I love your commercials, man.

You really know how to move.

We're here for the franchise owners meeting.

Wait.

Huh?

Probably get this all the time.

But since you're the first one here, can you show me a little bit of the achy

breaky moves? That's not bad.

That must be new. Oh, right.

The time. You better get going.

Why don't you go in the... to Tex? Where the hell did that chicken go?

There he is.

Hey!

You're not a babbitt chicken.

You're a dead duck.

Take your head off and put your hands in the air.

Get him!

don't even want to know how you got these, Samuel.

Planning and zoning was very surprised to hear that I knew about their new freeway

off-ramp. It was supposed to be under wraps until the bid announcement next week.

Looks like Mr. Babbitt had some inside information.

Whose property will become very valuable.

That's why he wants to get a hold of it.

All these hungry commuters coming down the off-ramp, he's going to make millions.

Now we have motive.

Good morning, sir. Timothy, is there a problem?

The health inspector is here.

You're the owner?

His daughter.

Inspector Hotchkiss, I'm conducting a random inspection.

The inspectors were just here last month.

They gave us an A rating.

What part of random don't you understand?

We can conduct a spot check at any restaurant at any time we see fit.

I'm sure your visit here is just coincidental, right?

Move or I'll have you arrested.

Your plates haven't been washed properly.

Oh, what are those?

Droppings?

Yeah.

There are no droppings.

We have no problems.

My father's fanatical about keeping this restaurant clean.

Really? Fanatical, eh?

That's pretty far from what I'll be saying in my report.

Roach infestation is a very serious violation.

I'm gonna be closing this restaurant down until further notice.

You can't do this.

Fine.

Get to done.

Hi.

Any nude men? Have you talked to your father?

I can't face it, Samu.

He'll think I've failed.

You are being too hard on yourself.

I've tried my best. I don't know what more to do.

You have been pending.

Helps relieve my frustration.

So would Tai Chi.

Louis and Grace are going to the health department.

I appreciate the effort, but it'll take weeks to get another appointment.

We must keep the restaurant alive.

How, Samu?

What have we got left?

How are we gonna take this guy on?

We must find the strength.

You have the strength.

Come on. Find it.

You're impossible.

Yes, I know.

I'm sorry. if you

can get past the grease.

And you'd be?

I'd be the LAPD. Heard you shut down the Silver Pond today.

So?

So we'd like you to go back and take a second look.

Until you can tell me that cockroaches are a delicacy,

that place is staying closed.

What do we have here?

Hey, don't touch that!

Take a look at this, Grace.

If you don't have the roaches, Mr. Hotchkiss here will provide it for you free of

charge. I collected those from a restaurant before lunch.

Yeah, right.

Hey, what is Babbit paying you to fix the inspections?

Talk to my lawyer.

Get him off me!

Get him! My health inspector got busted, which means the Silver Pond is going to be

reopening. I'm not about to let that happen.

I think it's time we hit Mr. Wu, but it hurts the most.

One window open, you believe this?

And this guy's reading War and Peace.

You think they're waiting in Brentwood?

I don't know.

Yeah, well, I don't think so.

I'm telling you, they're the friendly bank.

Come in and wait forever is what they really mean.

They have been very friendly to me.

Yeah, wait till you get the bank charges.

Hey!

Hey!

Would you just open up another window?

Next, please.

I'm here to pick up my checks.

Here you go, sir.

Oh, there must be a mistake.

What seems to be the problem, Mr. Long?

My name is Samuel Long, not the Salmon Long.

Everyone down! Now!

Get down! Now!

Do you hear me, Chairman Mao? Grab the floor!

What's the matter?

You don't speak English?

I said, you don't know how to speak any English?

You have very bad breath.

Say what? A mint might help.

Whoa! Whoa!

Aah! Don't shoot me, man.

Don't shoot me.

Don't shoot me. Don't shoot me. Chad, I'm really sorry.

We just got the all-clear from the health inspector.

Howdy, ma'am. We'd like you to come with us.

I promised to protect your family, and I failed.

No.

It's my own fault.

I valued the restaurant above all else.

You did not know this would happen.

I knew Babbitt wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted.

I was too proud.

And now my daughter is paying for my pride.

Hello.

Hello, Mr. Wu.

This is Nathan Babbitt.

I am so sorry to hear what happened to your daughter.

I just want you to know that I'm keeping her in my thoughts.

Where is she? Sir, I couldn't tell you, but I am willing I'm sorry, sir.

I'm sorry.

I'm willing to put all my resources at your disposal to help you get her back.

Is that something you'd like me to do?

Silver Pond is yours.

Why, that's excellent, Mr. Wu.

I'll have my lawyers bring over the papers first thing in the morning.

What about my daughter?

As soon as I get off this call, I'm going to put my people out there looking for

her, If

Kale's here, he's probably in the office licking Babbitt's boots.

Ow!

Shh! Huh?

Where do you think you're going? Go.

Go!

There she is!

Get her!

Ah! What the hell is going on here?

Yes, here are your free Panda checks, your free on X card,

your free tote bag with three free t-shirts extra, extra, extra large.

This is very generous.

Well, hey, I mean how many of our customers actually save us money?

Yeah, and last but certainly not least, here is the number of your 24-hour personal

teller, a service designed to suit your busy lifestyle needs.

Does this mean I never have to come back in the bank?

Yes. Good.

Chu Xiao Zhong, to welcome you back.

Thank you so much Sammo for everything you have done.

Not me. You have honored our family, Vanessa.

Now you're truly a part of the legacy of the Silverpond.

Only if I can keep Sammo.

Vanessa, let's eat, okay?

Oh my goodness, that's more than enough.

Sammo, what time do you think it is in Shanghai?

I'm thinking of calling my parents.

Eat first, before it gets cold.

Okay. Oh, that's my phone.

Hello? Hi, Mom, I was just thinking about you.

I'm fine, thanks.

L'chaim. L'chaim.

What is it?

Well, we have a lot of work to do if we're going to get ready for opening lunch for

tomorrow. What am I to do, Sammo?

The Silverpond has four players.

Our first player is our free girl.

Thank you.