Original subtitles

For nearly a century, Midtown Ballet has done the same production of The

Nutcracker.

It's been a rite of passage for generations of young ballet dancers.

It's pretty.

It's sweet.

It's tired.

It's time for a change.

That's why I bring you Drosselmeyer's Revenge, a modern pop -goth ballet about

the terror of a young girl reaching puberty.

If you read E .T .A. Hoffman's original Nutcracker story, you'll see that this

is the true theme of the piece.

As I'm sure you know, or you've read in the Times, I prefer a stripped -down

production, which is why this will be the only set.

Well, not this, but 30 feet tall.

My team calls it the contraption.

Equipped with AI sensors, the mouth opens and closes with the motion of the

dancers as they leap through it to the land of acid.

Motion sensors, like the doors at CVS.

If that comparison helps you understand.

How safe is that?

It's very safe, and I always demonstrate for my dancers before they do anything

risky.

Great, because we have the children to think about.

Lucky for us, there are no children in Drosselmeyer's Revenge. And no nuts.

I'm allergic.

Uh, no children.

Like, what about Clara?

That role is split between prepubescent Clara and teenaged Marie, both played by

dancers in their 40s.

And another thing, there will be blood.

Lots of blood.

This could be very exciting for us. No sugar plum fairies. No magical Christmas

tree. The audience will revolt.

Donovan Chase is big with young adults. We've always struggled to draw that

crowd. So get them after the holidays. Christmas is for the Nutcracker, not

puberty ballet.

It's true. Our Nutcracker ticket sales fund the company for the entire year.

Donovan Chase's orphan girl just recooked on Broadway in record time. He

doing something right.

That moment in Orphan Girl where a camera follows the orphans out on the

it's genius.

And there's no children in that cast either.

No. Paris, let's not play games. We all know you just want to preserve the role

of Clara for your daughter.

It's not about that, Elise.

Time to vote.

All in favor of approving Donovan Chase's ballet.

Sorry,

Noelle won't get to play Clara this year.

It's not about Noelle playing Clara.

I was supposed to play Clara.

Noelle has played every child part in the Nutcracker since she was six.

She's paid her dues. This was supposed to be her year. It's not fair.

Well, at least she'll have more time during the holidays. I don't want more

time. Honey, it's not the end of the world. Rich, she's allowed to be upset.

Noelle, take a second and breathe.

And tell us the worst that can happen if you don't dance Clara this year.

If...

I don't dance Clara this year.

I never will.

What about next year?

I'll be too old.

There's an age cutoff.

And freaking Samantha will do it. And she'll take all my parts and I'll never

dance again and my life will be over.

Do you have something to say, Rich?

You put this dream in her head. You figure out how to make her happy.

This is a slow yawn. I need it to snap.

If it were manually controlled, it'd be safe to move at that speed.

Don't use that word with me.

Safety is the enemy of art. The contraption must move organically with

dancers. Go to the computer, figure out how to speed it up.

We need it to cue the blood.

We gotta go easy on the blood. It makes the floor slippery.

The blood is the point. Go.

Lizzie. Yes?

Bring me my trail mix.

And no nuts.

If I die, it's because that idiot poisoned me. Come here. This is going to

disaster. We have everything in storage.

Mark my words, next year we'll be back to our tired old production.

Next year will be too late for Noelle.

Unless there's some catastrophe, this is our nutcracker this season.

I want to see it.

No, no, this is all wrong.

I have to go teach a class.

Not to the side.

Down. Can you nod?

At me, please?

Thank you.

Keith,

we need to talk.

Harris, I know. I'm sorry.

I had had a Negroni.

I won't do it again.

You need to stop texting me.

Rich is getting upset. I know.

I know.

How's your mom?

Fine. Did she ever...

Ask about me? What? Now?

That was over a decade ago. You need to let it go. Right.

I just wanted to let you know I was upset about Noelle not getting Clara.

Is she all right?

What's the holdup, Kevin? It's Keith.

I don't allow observers in the workshop before demonstration day.

I think it's the safety mechanism that's slowing the jaw down. Turn it off.

Mr. Chase, I'm sorry, but no, absolutely not. Excuse me?

I could...

Try changing the angle on the sensors so it shuts just as the dancers clear the

teeth. Fine.

Do that.

This is our fourth test, guys. Why does it feel like our first?

Why does no one speak to me when I speak to them? No one will nod. No one will

shake their head. You're all looking at the floor.

Can I get something?

This should help with the pain.

I hope so, with the holidays coming up.

I'll be back soon.

Take your time.

She is experiencing growth. She is experiencing blossom.

But with that blossom comes horror.

With that blossom comes fear.

Vulnerability.

We've come from battle.

Clara is weary.

Drosselmeyer's creature revives her, brings her to the giant that cracked her

head. He draws her to him. This is a seduction. This is our pas de deux.

It's the coming of age. It's horror and itchiness.

In its simplicity, he pulls her in.

The creature does his tour en l 'air for the final count of eight. And then

Clara will do her jeté and jeté through the mouth.

As the mouth closes, she goes into girl.

She comes out a woman.

This is a transformation. It's a transmogrification.

As the mouth closes, she opens.

Watch. On me.

Clara does her jeté. Jeté.

Through the mouth. Watch.

You bring them in with you.

Bring the audience into the mouth.

You shake them about.

Jeté. Jeté. Into the mouth. Puberty happens in here.

Sorry for the delay. We're running behind.

Not a problem.

Feeling better?

Yeah.

There's blood all the way over here.

Everywhere. But it's stage blood.

Most of it, anyway.

Oh, well, it's been a while since I've seen the nutcracker. I don't remember

blood. Oh, it's a Donovan Chase production.

Yeah, he directed that show Orphan Girl on Broadway. Just a few blocks from

here. Oh, I read about that one.

That's the one with the camera on the street and the audience sees the

performers on a screen in the theater.

Yeah, that part of the show is called the Orphan Walk. I mean, it's all over

internet. It's so theatrical.

Where is it cinematic? Donovan Chase, he loves technology and violence.

I can see that.

So I suppose what's listed here as the contraption is that thing.

Was it known to glitch?

No. It was working fine an hour ago.

Donovan and I smoothed out the kinks over the past few days.

How does it, you know... The contraption is computer -operated.

Who are you?

Oh, I'm Elsbeth Tassioni.

I'm an observer with the police.

You look so sad.

This shouldn't have happened.

This is Keith.

He's the Midtown Ballet technical director.

Donovan wanted the jaws to open and shut just as the dancers jumped through.

Well, that seems unnecessary and dangerous. It was a symbol of puberty.

And I thought mine was horrific.

So, how does it know when a dancer's gonna, you know, jump?

There are sensors.

Oh, like a garage door?

Sort of.

I'll show you.

Wait.

These sensors are facing the wrong way.

Oh, my God. The safety's off.

Someone has moved everything around.

Could Donovan Chase have done any of this without your knowledge?

No way. He didn't have the security code for the computer.

I made sure of that.

Who did have the security code?

Noelle!

I have good news!

Attention, everyone. I have an important holiday announcement.

It's that time of year again when we get to help brighten holidays for children

in need.

But this year, the NYPD toy drive is going to look a bit different. And here

elaborate is...

mayoral candidate Alec Bloom.

Alec? Thank you, Captain.

I'm proud to announce that I'm partnering with my opponents in the race

boost the NYPD toy drive.

We've each elected a police precinct to represent. The one that collects the

most toys wins.

Since I'm particularly fond of the fine folks at Precinct 11, I'll be

representing you.

My opponents and I may be battling it out at the polls, but I believe the

holidays are a time to come together.

So together, let's show the children of this wonderful city how much we care.

I hope we win.

I'm really not good with failure.

I hope so, too.

Marissa, I suppose this was your idea.

Hardly. I think it's a mistake. Why should Alec partner with his opponents?

What's the upside?

More toys for needy kids?

Exactly. Thanks to Alec. Except he doesn't get all the credit.

Doing good and good politics are not always the same. Are they ever?

I need coffee. You'll need a dollar.

I think what you're doing is wonderful.

What can I say? I love children, and I love Christmas.

Oh, gosh, me too.

Well, every other year when my son, Teddy, spends it with me. You remember

Teddy. He's, um, somewhere.

How could I forget? That article you wrote about me was great for us.

Seems like a terrific kid. Oh, he is.

He helped me bring a whole wagon full of...

Present for the toy drive?

Now I just have to wrap them.

Actually, we're not supposed to wrap the donations. It's a security issue in

case someone sends something naughty.

Oh. Not that there's anything naughty in here. I don't think so.

She brought that thing on the subway?

Yeah, it was a whole ordeal. Worse than a stroller.

Hey, can I ask you something in confidence?

What?

What's wrong?

I think I might have messed up in my article. The one about Subway Pete, the

worker who fed Alec Bloom when he was unhoused.

Well, the guy I found has dementia.

I think I might have profiled the wrong man.

Mistakes happen. You can always publish a correction.

Yeah, but what's weird is Alec acted like he knew exactly who he was, like

were old friends.

Maybe Alec just misremembered and played it up for the cameras.

Sure, but I can't find the real Subway Pete. I made over a hundred calls.

What are you saying?

I think Alec might have made it up.

That would be a shame, but he is a politician.

Yeah, something's not sitting right. I tried looking into his background, but I

keep hitting walls.

So, um, can you help me? I mean, you have access to pretty much every

there is.

Why is it so important to you?

You've seen the way my mother looks at him.

If there is something off, I think she'd better know sooner rather than later.

I'll see what I can do.

Excuse me.

What were you and Teddy thinking about? It better not be about a present for me,

because I told him I don't need anything.

Well, in that case, don't worry.

All right, detective, what do you have?

From the looks of it, a homicide disguised as an accident.

Our victim was a big shot choreographer and director named Donovan Chase. He was

working on a modern nutcracker ballet when he got crushed in this thing called

the contraption. What kind of contraption?

This kind, but giant. It's supposed to be a nutcracker head, but I think it's a

Christmas nightmare.

And...

You believe it's a murder because... The safety mechanism had been disengaged

and somebody had tampered with the sensors that control the mouth.

Yeah, and the dancers were supposed to jump through the mouth, which represents

puberty, but Donovan Chase jumped in first to demonstrate and then...

You kidding me?

No. Brace yourself.

The first suspect is Keith Dreyer. He was the ballet company's technical

director. His prints were the only one that were found on the control board,

his pin code was used to move the sensors.

But Keith's demeanor was hard to gauge at the scene. He was sort of devastated.

Oh.

Anyone else on your radar?

What was going on in Donovan's personal life?

He didn't have one. His life was his work. And lately, he was working on this

ballet. Oh.

What kind of production is this? The Nutcracker was supposed to be a

holiday experience.

I agree.

But Donovan Chase's production was dark and avant -garde and without children,

which just makes me sad. Because the dancing children, they're my favorite

There must be a lot of unhappy little ballerinas this year.

Actually, you make a good point.

Dance moms are anything like sports moms.

There must be a lot of unhappy parents.

Oh, yeah. There were many complaints.

Which was understandable.

Parents spend a great deal of money to send their children here.

As director of the company's school, I know how much The Nutcracker means to

them. Why is that? A traditional production of The Nutcracker can have as

as 100 children in the cast.

And all of my students, who went on to be principals, danced The Nutcracker as

children first.

Do you teach adults?

Because this place, it's so stunning.

All the...

Makes me really regret quitting dance when I was seven.

I was too self -conscious about monogamy. Yes, I do teach adults.

So how long has the company been putting on the traditional nutcracker? Since

before I danced Clara as a girl. Some good news, though.

With Donovan's production on hold indefinitely, the board has decided to

the traditional nutcracker sets out of storage and put it on for the holidays.

That is good news.

Forgive my ignorance, but why would the board bother hiring Donovan to revamp

the ballet in the first place?

It seems like his version was a little edgy for a holiday show.

They were trying to bring in new audiences, but I agree.

Donovan's Nutcracker would have been a grotesque departure from tradition.

Not that the classic Nutcracker is without flaws.

We only phased out the more racist costumes in the last decade.

And was there anybody else on the board that shared your opinion of Donovan's

work? Maybe.

But the only one who spoke up was Harris Monroe.

And where can we find him?

Sure, I admit it, I didn't like Donovan's take, but I was outvoted.

Still, what happened to him was just awful.

This is the battle scene. The Mouse King is coming. Why are you smiling?

Noelle's dancing is perfection, but her acting needs work.

I think your daughter's a beautiful dancer.

And her name means Christmas in French.

How wonderful.

It's a different spelling, so not really.

Were you aware of any conflict between Donovan and the company technical

director, Keith?

Some of the workshop crew said that they overheard them arguing.

I'm not really involved in the day -to -day. Well, where were you on Wednesday,

say, 3 .30?

Where was I?

Uh, I was at, uh, Noel's school.

for a parent volunteer holiday party until 2 .15.

And then I rush to physical therapy for a 3 o 'clock appointment.

I'm a dancer myself.

I used to be, but these days my focus is Noelle. But at my peak, I danced all

the big parts. The Cavalier, even the Nutcracker Prince as a teenager.

Wow, that's impressive.

Oh, wait, I see it now. Wow, you stand up so straight.

Just one more thing.

Considering your history, Donovan's rejection of the traditional nutcracker,

must have felt so personal.

Oh, no. Like I said, I'm not a dancer anymore.

No, but your daughter is.

Has she danced any of the big parts yet? What about the role of Clara?

No, she's never danced Clara.

Not yet.

But she has a chance again.

And it looks like a very good chance.

Well, she's certainly very talented, but in a cutthroat world like ballet, there

are no guarantees.

Oh, gosh, I bet.

Well,

it's a good thing she has you to help her. Wow.

Talk about emotive.

Harris could have killed Donovan to sabotage his...

staging so that Noelle could dance the part of Clara.

Normally I'd say it's a stretch, but I know some hockey moms who would

absolutely consider homicide to get their kid on the team.

It can't hurt to run Harris' alibi.

I'm on it.

Oh, um, do you want to get lunch in Times Square?

First, I know a really fun place. If you say it's your birthday, they let you

stand on the table.

I don't go to Times Square unless I'm looking at a body.

I want to go talk to Keith again. There's something about those weepy

They're very hard to read.

All right, I'll see you at the precinct.

I'll bet everyone here dances on Broadway.

You can just feel the artistic heartbeat of the city.

Oh, I agree. It's so glamorous.

Oh, hey, I know you. Rob, the choreographer.

He taught me the hot honey rag.

Hey, Red.

You working on another case?

I'm here for a groin injury.

Don't ask how it happened.

I won't.

So, is it always this busy in here? Because we've been waiting forever just

speak to somebody.

This? No, this is quiet.

But it's worth the wait. It's the only place that charges on a sliding scale.

Oh, I get it. I hear the arts are under attack.

The patient signed headshots.

Oh, I think he's dead now.

Wait, that's Harris.

Thanks for getting me back on the stage.

Huh.

You guys talking about Harris Monroe?

I know him. I haven't seen him here in ages.

Because he recovered from his injuries?

Figured it was because he doesn't dance anymore.

He doesn't have to. He married into money.

I wish I could do that. But I need love.

I hear you. If Harris doesn't dance anymore, then how did he re -injure

And if he has money, why would he come here?

No offense.

We might be looking at a joint effort.

Turns out our man Keith used to go out with Harris back in the day, a detail

that Harris failed to mention yesterday.

Really? Those two? I don't see it. And get this, Keith told me that Harris paid

a visit to the Nutcracker Workshop two days before the murder.

Harris didn't mention that either.

How's his alibi looking?

Ugh, shaky.

The physical therapist's office could only confirm that Harris checked out of

his appointment.

At 4 .15, there's no record of one who came in, and that clinic is notorious

running behind. So, Harris could have gone to the workshop, tampered with the

sensors, and then turned up late to PT.

Well, time of death was 3 .35.

So, if he slipped out right before Donovan died, do you really think that

noticed he was that late for his appointment?

Yes, that place is a zoo.

Literally. They have an entire wing dedicated to the Lion King.

Look, I don't care if the staff doesn't want to be back in the office. A mandate

is a mandate. Tell them to put on some real pants and get their butts to work.

Okay.

Yeah. Bye.

These people, they won't follow rules.

Sorry, but why aren't you in the office? Because I'm the boss, and I can't focus

in that environment. I'm rich.

I can tell. I hear you're looking for my husband.

Harris is out with our daughter.

What do you need him for? We have some follow -up questions regarding the death

of Donovan Chase.

I also wanted to bring Harris a little get well soon gift.

They're sugar plums. Get well from what?

His injury.

He was at physical therapy the day that Donovan was killed.

Right, right. Okay, right. Thank you. I didn't realize sugar plums were a thing.

Probably because they're not from this century. So is Harris at Nutcracker

rehearsal? Did your daughter land a role yet? To be honest, I'm not really up to

date. Ballet is their thing.

Uh -huh. I understand.

Well, Noelle must have been so disappointed when Donovan's kid -free

was announced.

A little disappointment is good for a child.

God knows she needs it.

Congratulations. We confirmed that you were at physical therapy at the time of

Donovan's death.

Great. I don't think Rich knew you were injured.

Sorry if we let that slip.

Oh, um, you're right. I didn't want to tell him that I hurt myself ice skating

at Rockefeller Center.

Tis the season.

Oh, tis the season. Indeed, I love ice skating in Rockefeller Center.

You keep that a secret from your husband?

No, I keep it a secret from Noelle, which is why I didn't want Rich to

accidentally tell her. We don't allow her to ice skate. We can't risk her

getting hurt and missing dance.

Is there anyone who can confirm that that's how you sustained your injury?

No, I was alone.

Oh, but I do have a receipt.

You went ice skating alone? Isn't that a little odd?

No.

It's actually quite relaxing. Yeah.

Yeah. I mean, the view, the decorations, all those people looking down on you.

You're never truly alone in New York City.

Someone's always watching.

Well, if you don't have any more questions.

Oh.

Bye. Bye -bye.

Thank you. Uh -huh.

Oh, by the way, Keith Stryer mentioned that you visited the workshop, but you

told us that you're not involved in the day -to -day stuff.

Oh, I just stopped by one day, just out of curiosity.

Was it to visit Keith?

Why would I visit Keith?

Because he told us that you used to date.

That was a long time ago.

I dated a lot of people before Rich.

It felt like Keith still had a thing for you.

Keith is a lonely guy.

Look, I feel awful for him. I mean, talk about wrong place, wrong time. People

are blaming him for what happened to Donovan, but I don't think he's capable

making that kind of mistake, intentional or not.

Boy, Keith is lucky to have you in his corner.

Thanks for the sugar plum.

You're backing anything up? Yeah.

I'm sorry I didn't tell you about ice skating. It's just... Sometimes I just

need to be alone.

I understand.

So, you want to tell me why the police are coming to our door?

Don't be upset.

But... Keith has been texting again.

Are you kidding?

That guy needs to get a life.

I know. It feels like he's getting more obsessive. Let me see what he wrote. No,

it's better if you don't see it.

But in the days leading up to Donovan getting killed on Wednesday, it just

like he was going to do something bad.

Well, why didn't you tell the detective or that other woman?

Well, because I didn't want to get Keith in trouble.

Just, honey, whatever you do, just promise me that you won't tell the

So, of course, I came to you immediately.

Harris wanted you to send these texts to us?

Harris doesn't know I'm here. I pulled the messages from our cloud drive. For

some reason, Harris is still protective of Keith.

Out of pity, I suppose.

Listen to this.

Someone's going to get killed.

Donovan better watch out.

That's very incriminating.

Keith was worried about safety.

There's one where Keith says he's heartbroken he won't see Harris anymore

Noelle not getting Clara.

It's pretty clear he blamed Donovan for that.

It's looking like Keith is our guy.

Donovan made his life hell. And I think he felt like he needed to protect the

company. He had been the technical director for decades.

And I think that...

that he sabotaged the contraption because he was still in love with harris

he wanted to spend as much time with him as possible then why not kill harris's

husband it's not like murder is a logical solution to someone's problems

deranged but the texts are damning you're not buying this the nutcracker

about romance it's about a little girl named clara or marie if you're going

the original story by eta hoffman right right harris was all about Clara.

He wanted so badly for his daughter to star in this year's production.

And he had access to the control board. We know he went to the workshop at least

once. He'd have to tamper with those censors within minutes of Donovan's

or else risk harming someone else.

He has an alibi?

He had the appearance of an alibi, but if he moved fast enough, he could have

committed that murder and then run the four blocks to his PT appointment. It's

tight, but it's not impossible.

Have you tested this out?

Oh, I'd love to.

I love the theater, don't you?

I got tickets to Operation Mincemeat. Oh, I hear it's amazing.

Yeah, I didn't get to see it, though. They were a gift for Teddy and Roy's one

-year anniversary.

You know, I didn't want to be the third wheel.

Okay.

So, that was some long four blocks from Donovan's workshop, but we made it here

in less than 10 minutes. Yeah, PT office is right here. Right. So, imagine it

took Harris less than five minutes to get to the second floor, making that a

total of 15 minutes late to his 3 p .m. appointment.

Yeah, which explains why he signed out at 4 .15 for an hour -long session.

Yes. Wait, what's that?

The orphan walk. Oh, that's so...

Oh, that's right. The theater's right there, and it's a matinee day.

Wait.

Matinees are on Wednesdays.

The murder was on a Wednesday.

Matinees are at 2 p .m., which means... We got it.

Orphan Guru does their on -camera segment halfway through their

-less show from 2 .57 to 3 .05 p .m. on matinee days.

Officer Hackett got the recording from last Wednesday. They keep it on a hard

drive for liability.

The camera passes right in front of the entrance to the physical therapy

building. If Harris is telling the truth, this video will show him going

his PT appointment.

But he won't be because he lied.

This ain't where our story ends.

Today's the day new life begins.

We're done with gadgets.

Three o 'clock.

Right on the dot.

And he didn't leave the building until 4 .15, which means... Your man has an

alibi. Wow.

Elspeth, you're actually wrong.

Nice, Lily.

Shoulders back, Mia.

Rory, very good.

Elsbeth. Good progress.

Hooray. Hooray.

Hooray. Run, run, run, run, run.

Everyone follow.

And hooray.

Hooray. Hooray. Leap.

Follow. Run, run, run.

Oh.

I'll be right back.

Ooh. I thought I might see you here.

Elsbeth. Good for you for giving ballet a try, even though you're clearly not

made for it. What's going on with your knees?

I guess you could say I've had ballet on my mind. Do you ever get fixated on

something and you just can't let it go?

Anyway, I have good news. We found video footage of the street that your

physical therapist's office is on. It's from Donovan Chase's Broadway show,

Pork.

And guess who we saw in the background?

You. Camera caught you going into your appointment 3 p .m. on the nose, just

like you said. So, you're in the clear.

Well, that makes sense.

Although I guess that means we won't be seeing you around anymore.

But I do hope you come see Noelle and the Nutcracker. Oh, I wouldn't miss it.

Wow, that is such a beautiful costume.

This is the perfect Clara.

How did you get it made so fast?

Oh, we ordered it last summer.

I can't believe I finally get to wear it. You ordered Noelle's costume before

she was cast?

That's oddly confident.

And how strange that you didn't cancel the costume when Donovan's kid -free

production was announced.

Well, it was custom -made Milan.

It's not like they do refunds.

Right. Of course not. Not Milan.

Well, I guess you got everything you hoped for.

Except for Donovan dying in the giant nutcracker head.

Is she okay?

No.

What is this?

Poker chips are not for children.

Officer Hackett.

Find whoever donated these and give them back, please.

Yes, sir.

What are we looking at here?

Oh, it's footage from Donovan Chase's Broadway show, Orphan Girl.

It's pretty cool.

Have you seen it yet?

No.

And I don't plan to.

I find it egregious to charge 400 bucks and then make me watch a video of the

street outside the theater.

It's called me old -fashioned. I don't know, Captain. Have you heard the

soundtrack? It's great.

It's called an original cast recording.

Even I know that. But keep up the good work.

That's weird.

That guy in the back, he keeps looking up.

Oh, that is weird.

I wonder what he's looking at.

I think we should find out.

Captain Wagner?

Hi, Teddy.

You found something on Alec Bloom?

I'm afraid so.

Oh, excuse me. Are you the performer that we saw in last Wednesday's Orphan

Walk? You were here for that.

You want my autograph?

Oh, yes, please.

No, we are on police business, but we did see your performance. You were very

good. Um, can you tell me what you are looking at here?

Oh, jeez.

It's dumb.

I'm a swing, and last Wednesday was my first time performing that track, so I

recorded myself.

Please, don't tell the producers I don't want to get fired. Oh, no, we won't,

but what's a swing?

I do love Broadway. I do, but I don't want to know how the sausage is made.

Swing is a member of the ensemble who can perform a bunch of roles. We get

called when someone is out, usually at the last minute.

There's a stomach bug going around, so I had a really good week.

Oh, I see.

So how did you record yourself?

I put my phone in the window of the dressing rooms on the balcony.

How long does your video run?

At least 45 minutes. I didn't get a break until nearly the end of the show.

Why?

Hello? Elspeth?

You said 6 .30. It's 6 .30. I don't have all night.

Ta -da!

What is wrong with you? That dress is bad enough.

You said you wanted to ask me one more question before you closed your case, so

go ahead.

Ask your silly question.

Actually, it's less of a question and more of a statement.

Tell me if I'm right.

You did?

come to this workshop the day of the murder. And I'm guessing that you hid in

this deeply disturbing Mother Ginger dress to avoid being seen.

Then you went to the control board and you typed in your old friend Keith's pin

codes, which you saw two days earlier when you came to see him. And then you

disengaged the safety and you turned the sensors around.

No one even noticed because they were all at the contraption.

for Donovan's dance demonstration at 3 .30. See?

You then raced back to your PT appointment where no one even realized

gone. That is a really cute picture of you in the waiting room, by the way.

is insane.

You checked my alibi. You have a video of me going into the physical therapy

building at 3, remember?

True. But that's not the only video we found.

Officer Hackett, luckily for us... A very enthusiastic swing in Donovan

Broadway show took a video of himself doing the orphan walk that day. And

what this video shows?

You, Harris, sneaking out of the PT building and rushing to this very

And here you are going back to PT after tampering with the censors.

You can't prove that. The only thing this proves is that I left my PT

appointment, which I have every right to do.

Wrong. We can prove that you were here because the workshop was covered in

blood, which you carried back to your PT office. This is insane. I wasn't here

when Donovan died.

Oh, correction. Stage blood, which is a proprietary blend and which we found on

the windowsill of the PT's exam room.

You left it there when you slipped back in mid -appointment. This place was

covered in the stuff.

I can't believe it.

Why me?

Why did you fixate on me?

Because you were so fixated on your daughter's ballet career.

I guess you could say your dancing is perfection, but your acting needs work.

Hands behind your back, please.

Wait.

I have one request.

I'm thrilled to announce that with a total of 875, Precinct 11

collected the most toys.

Yay! Of course we did.

I'd like to thank you all, especially Captain Wagner for allowing me to

participate. And me. I brought a ton.

Yes, thank you, Marissa.

Okay, enough yapping. Pop the champagne.

This is for you.

What?

You're always giving gifts. I wanted to give you one.

Orphan girl ticket?

You must have paid a fortune for these.

Oh, well, they were cheaper because they're for New Year's Eve when Times

is nuts. But it'll be over before that. And I've enjoyed working with you this

year. Oh, I've enjoyed working with you, too.

I can't accept these, the consent decree.

Oh. But if I pay you back for one ticket, would you happen

to sit next to me?

Absolutely.

All right, well, she'll be toast to closing the gate.

You go ahead.

Thank you.

Congratulations on a very successful toy drive.

It was a group effort.

Yeah.

Too bad there's no Miss Littell.

Captain Wagner wouldn't let me hang it.

HR.

What are you doing New Year's Eve?

I'm busy, actually.

Oh. But I'm wide open in January.

No plans.

Let's make a date, then.

That was good.

I need to speak with you.

This gives me no joy to say, but it might be best that you not get too

close to Alec Bloom.

He may not be fully honest about his past.

What do you mean?

I did some digging into his childhood and his story about being unhoused.

Alec's parents lived in the same apartment for over 16 years until he was

out of high school.

I confirmed it with the building's super, and there's nothing to indicate.

A lapse in housing.

Well, maybe there's some reason.

Well, could be.

But you should talk to Teddy about Pete Hannigan.

The man from Teddy's article?

Is that what you and Teddy were... I'm just telling you to be careful.

Merry Christmas, Elspeth.

What's wrong?

Nothing.

Happy holidays.