Original subtitles

Come on, Sid, let me buy you one.

Nah.

Told you, Im being good tonight.

Ill take a rain check, huh? See you mañana.

All right.

Sid Vicious.

Wainwright. Whatre you doing out here?

I heard they serve liquor. Join me for one.

Nah, Im heading home.

What, are you kidding me? Its 8:30. Youre not that old.

Boss is in early tomorrow, so if Im on time, Im late,

if you know what I mean.

Sid, its important.

Why am I getting the feeling that me running into you

aint just coincidence?

One drink.

Trust me, itll be worth your time.

(knocking on door)

Sorry, boss, but its not something

I should be talking about on the phone.

And couldnt wait till morning.

You be the judge.

I think that comes after you tell me what.

We got a problem.

I gathered that.

With Inspector Clifford.

Im listening.

A buddy of mine just whispered in my ear just now.

My guy swears hes got this right.

Right about what, Sid?

Clifford robbed a liquor store.

Tell your "guy" hes a month early for April Fools.

Nope, this aint a joke.

Well, what are you telling me?

Inspector Clifford robbed a store?

Yes, boss, but the robbery happened when he was 15.

(sighs)

Ah, that was my foot.

Oh, well, you got a big foot.

No, this is a small space.

Mm.

I think we might have a live one.

Just take a little nibble, so we can go home already.

Word.

Police!

Hey, hey!

Come here! Dont move!

Dont move!

Dont even think about it.

Stay where you are. Come here.

Whats your name?

Angela...

Do you have some I.D., Angela?

You want to tell me why youre taking a free ride?

You got plenty of money in here.

I didnt... I just-- Nobody was around.

Oh, so if no ones around, its okay to break the law?

You do that at clothing stores, too?

Yeah, thats a fancy jacket. Did you pay for this?

Of course. Yeah. Look, no--

I dont do this. I just...

Whats that?

Thats, um...

Thats weed, Angela.

I can explain.

No. Two strikes, youre out.

What?

Give me your bag.

Turn around.

Oh, my God, am I...

Getting arrested? Yes, Angela, thats what cuffs mean.

No, you dont understand, my father, he will kill me.

And to think, all that for three bucks, huh.

No, wait! Seriously. What if I tell you something?

Something what?

Something big.

Hey, Sean.

No, no, Im, like, five minutes away,

had to get gas, yeah.

Yeah...

No, Ill be right there.

Tell you what, just finish your homework, okay? Im on my way.

Hey, man, thank God youre here.

Theres a guy in there, he just tried to rob me.

Okay.

All right, calm down.

No, no, no, no, no. He robbed me, man! Im new here.

Its my first week.

I said stay where you are!

Its my first week.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Back up! Keep your hands where I can see them.

He came at me with this. I...

Put it down right now!

I didnt know what to do. Whoa.

Drop it.

Drop it right now!

(horn honking)

(shouts)

(gunshots)

♪

Yeah, Im sure. I dont want to go to the hospital.

(indistinct radio chatter)

Hey. Hey.

Hows the store owner?

Hes banged up pretty bad,

but hes not likely because of you.

Good.

How about you, how you holding up?

Its not my first shooting, you know.

The kid was young, thats all.

What does it matter?

He tried to stab me, I shot him, thats that.

Hey, nobodys saying its not a clean shooting.

The investigator already said it looks justified.

Okay, well, then what are we talking about?

Nothing. Just get some sleep, all right?

I will.

(phone ringing)

Hey.

DANNY: You mind telling me why your car

is in front of my place?

You okay, Danny?

Oh, Im fine. Thank you for asking.

What are you doing here?

Anthony told me what happened.

Anthony?

You can tell Anthony Im a big boy.

Well, I thought

Id hang out here with Sean until you,

you know, settled everything.

Well, Seans a big boy, too. Hes 16.

Yeah, and hes not 18.

Almost forgot.

So you really okay?

And thats exactly why Im here.

But its not like Im messed up or anything.

Im okay, just...

Look, its not my first rodeo.

I know.

So what? So...

I dont think its crazy to consider the possibility

that maybe this time is a little different than the others.

Why?

Because he was young?

He was out of his mind. He tried to stab me.

Or maybe because

your boys already lost one...

I can do this, Erin.

I know. Good.

And good night.

(chuckles)

Youre not going anywhere, are you?

Nope.

Didnt think so.

And when Dad calls, you promise to pick up?

He wont.

Course hes gonna call.

Bet you 20 bucks.

Youre on.

GORMLEY: His old man walks out when hes 12.

Moms working two jobs.

Brother and sister are older, so theyre doing their own thing.

So by the time Clifford is 15, hes got a new family.

BAKER: Street gang in the neighborhood.

Yeah, but from what I understand, he wasnt the heavy,

stayed mostly on the sidelines.

Well, he mustve gotten in the game at some point

cause Sids guy Wainwright arrested him.

For robbery in the first degree.

But he was the lookout, you said?

Doesnt matter. Guy with the gun and guy with the whistle

take the same charge.

"Acting in concert."

That thing you all do when you think my mind

is on something else, the elephant in the room?

I hate that.

Detective Reagan is gonna be just fine.

Of course he is, boss.

Okay, lets say we accept all of this at face value,

theres still one thing I dont get.

BAKER: NYPD does a background check

on all candidates. Theres no way he gets on the job

with a felony collar on his sheet.

Technically, he shouldnt have even been allowed

to take the test.

Clifford is his mothers maiden.

Ditched deadbeat dads name for his mothers

when he turned 18.

After he turned his life around?

Guy did a complete 180.

After that collar, becomes the golden boy.

Honor roll, volunteer work,

starts a neighborhood watch in his building.

Thats good. I can use that with the press if it comes to it.

You want me to get Clifford down here, boss?

No.

What about Wainwright?

Bring you the horse so you can hear it straight from his mouth?

No.

What about we stop asking questions

and give you some time to think?

Yes.

(door opens, closes)

Jamie, I got to talk to you.

I told you to 10-2. Back to the house now.

Hey, got to talk to you.

Sure, come on in, Officer Janko.

Jamie... Jamie?

I mean Sarge. We collared a turnstile jumper

and we flipped her, and shes got information.

Thats good and interesting,

isnt it? Dont start.

No, werent you the one that said spending your whole tour

twiddling your thumbs inside a broom closet

was a waste of your time and the taxpayers money?

Will you let me tell you?

As soon as Im done gloating.

Could you hurry up cause this is timely.

Its broken windows, Janko, broken windows.

Yes. You were right. I was wrong.

Now will you let me tell you?

I love these stripes.

Shes offering up information on where we can pick up a gun.

Gun collar, okay, you got my attention.

Not just any gun,

she says its the one used in the Morales shooting.

My sisters case?

Exactly.

You got to call her and tell her.

Oh, youre giving me the collar?

What? No, of course not.

Then I guess youre the one calling my sister.

Wh-- Jamie...

Ah, ah.

Sarge, come...

Hey.

What, do you need a masters degree

to run this thing?

Or just press "start".

Smart aleck.

Hey, Janko.

Hey, Detective Ab...

Abetemarco.

Of course. Sorry.

You looking for Erins office?

Yes.

Yeah, its that way.

Uh, thanks. Thanks so much.

Yeah, but youre going this way.

Um, um, Im sorry, what?

With me.

No, I have an appointment with Erin.

Had. She got called to court, so you got me instead.

Now, lets go.

Go?

You ask a lot of questions.

Thats gonna be a problem out in the field.

Out in the field?

Its fine in here, but out there,

I do the talking.

Keep your yap closed and your ears wide open.

You hear?

Uh... (stammers)

I-I think Im confused.

You got a tip on the gun.

The

gun, right?

Yeah, the one used in the Morales shooting.

Trial starts in a couple of days, which means

we aint got any time to blow, so lets not blow any.

Look, you riding shotgun with me on this or not?

Either crap or get off the pot.

Ill crap.

That came out really wrong.

What do we got?

DOA. These guys say a few hours at least.

Reginald Jassem. 571 Ridgewood Avenue.

Stabbed multiple times. Defensive wounds.

Crime of passion?

Well, if anyone happens upon a knife, let me know.

Didnt think so.

Any signs of forced entry?

(sighs)

BAEZ: Hes young.

Yeah.

Twenty-two.

Start a canvass?

You can.

I gotta notify next of kin.

Why dont you let me do that?

Why?

I think you know why.

Im fine.

(clears throat)

Mrs. Williams, my name is...

I know exactly who you are.

You can go, just as quickly as you came.

I just came to say that I...

Say what, that youre sorry?

Look, I will give you one guess

where you can stick your apologies.

Now, get the hell out of here.

Mrs. Williams.

What?

Nothing.

I shouldnt have come.

Youre damn right about that.

What did you think was gonna happen?

You think you can put two bullets in my baby one day,

and then come here looking for what, absolution on the next?

Youre right.

You ought to be ashamed of yourself...

for what you did, and what youre doing.

(salsa music playing)

♪

(lively chatter)

(laughter)

CLIFFORD: Commissioner Reagan.

Inspector Clifford.

Got a minute?

Whatd I just see?

Its a celebration, sir.

An officer in your house?

No, one of the kids from the neighborhood.

Hector Ruiz. Just got a full scholarship

to Amherst College.

And he kind of grew up in this house.

A repeat offender.

I like to think that we had a hand

in setting him on the right path.

Do we run a rec center or a police precinct?

No. But we do believe in celebrating

what deserves celebrating on our streets.

Hope police work doesnt get in the way.

I know how this looks, sir, and I get it.

And I would have rescheduled if Id known you were coming.

No, I like surprise visits for exactly this reason.

Lets me see the real deal, not the whitewash.

Commissioner, I know that everything I got going here

runs afoul of just about every rule in the book.

And then some.

But this is a good thing, and I stand by it.

So do I.

We cops use a lot of lingo, like

how we call our precincts houses.

"Precinct" conjures a fortress designed to keep people out.

Houses bring people in.

Bring enough people in, it becomes a home.

These are my people, and I try to look after them.

(clears throat)

Yes?

Are you Mrs. Jassem?

Yes. Can I help you?

It might be better if we talked inside.

(sighs)

You may want to take a seat.

Please.

Are you Reginalds mother?

Oh, my God. Whats happened?

(sobbing)

No. No... (muttering)

No, no, no!

My baby.

(sobbing loudly)

Youre a liar!

No, Im not.

Yeah?

Well, I went to the apartment where you said

the gun was stashed, and guess what.

The gun wasnt stashed.

Detective, I think that...

So, either youre a liar or Im a liar.

Are you calling me a liar, Angela?

No, no, not at all.

Thats good.

Because I dont like to be called a liar.

I get very upset when people use words like that

to describe me.

I understand youre not a liar. I would never say that.

No, but youre a liar.

No.

The gun isnt there, Angela.

So whatever deal you had is null and void and kaput.

Capisce?! Which means its time to call your old man.

No! Yeah.

Lets call daddy!

No. No, no!

Im gonna call him.

Angela could alwa...

Okay.

But you cant tell anyone where you heard this.

Do you promise?

My hand to God.

Im serious. Nobody.

Angela, didnt I just give you my word?

Were not going back to you calling me a liar,

are we?

No, no. Okay.

I think my cousin took it.

There you go.

Good girl.

Now, whats your cousins name?

Hey. Hey.

Howd it go?

How did what go?

The victims mother.

Be a nice change of pace if they let cops

notify lottery winners they won millions,

instead of being the Bad News Bear

every time the door opens.

So, nothing? Not nothing.

She said something about

the kids girlfriend.

They had an intense relationship.

Okay, well, thats consistent

with our crime of passion theory.

How intense? Dont know.

You know, the mom was kind of a mess.

She didnt make a lot of sense,

and what sense she did make was hard to make sense of.

I can understand the feeling.

Anything else?

Uh, the mom said she read text messages from

the girlfriend to her son.

The girlfriend was rough on him.

"Get a job, get a life." Stuff like that.

Okay, thats something. Lets dig into his phone.

What was the girlfriends name?

Uh, Rose... Rachel. Something with an "R."

Did you write it down?

Yeah, Im pretty sure I wrote it down, Detective.

Let me see.

Rebecca. Close enough.

You really knocked yourself out taking these notes.

Luckily, were not treating you for carpal tunnel.

Its like I said, the mother was a mess.

Okay?

Thanks.

You werent surprised, me showing up?

No.

I totally bought the "I was... just happened to be

in the neighborhood on my way to Costco" routine.

"With a bottle of whiskey in my hand."

Theres no one else in this room

but you and me, Danny.

Two BSers full of BS.

Look, I-Im not an idiot, Gramps.

And Im not being a jerk.

Im not.

Look, enough people line up telling you

that youre upset, you have to consider that.

Youre no idiot, thats for sure.

And for my money, youre not even upside down,

just maybe a little sideways.

If thats what you see...

You know what else I see?

Uh, my dining room table?

Your empty house.

Its not empty.

Seans upstairs doing his homework.

Not what I mean,

and you know it.

And its not just the house thats empty.

Hasnt even been two years yet, Gramps.

Linda was the one who got you through those others.

She also couldve gotten you through this one.

Yeah, but it wasnt in the cards.

So draw a new one.

(chuckles) You want me to start shacking up?

(laughs)

Thats your solution?

Im just thinking about your future.

You know, not for nothing, Gramps, but, uh,

Grandmas been gone, what, a hundred years?

I never saw you take up with another woman.

Hell, I never saw you even go on a date with another woman.

No.

I live alone with my son.

Have for the last 15 years.

Well, Dad, too.

I dont see him threatening Casanovas legend

since Mom passed away.

No.

He lives alone with his father.

For the last 15 years.

Whats the matter, you dont like pizza?

No, no, I-I do. Its just...

Too many toppings?

It is a lot of toppings.

Its all the toppings, except pineapple.

Oh, I love pineapple.

If you put pineapple on pizza, youre dead to me.

(laughs)

Im not kidding.

Come on.

Put some meat on them bones.

Thanks, its just, um...

Okay,

I-Im just unclear

on-on how you do things.

"Do things"?

For instance, what if it turns out

that Angela wasnt lying to us yesterday?

(laughs) What?

Whats so funny?

Everything you just said.

Okay, well, what would you have done if she wasnt?

I dont know, Janko, probably turned into a big giant pumpkin.

You are 100%, totally,

beyond a shadow of a doubt sure that she was lying?

Yeah. Even though you never even talked to her?

Yep.

You didnt even know her name till I told you.

True. You didnt even know what she told me

until we were on the way over to talk to her.

Thats right.

With all of that, you knew?

You absolutely knew that she was lying?

Yep.

How?

Because they always lie.

Uhp, you snooze, you lose, my friend.

Im sorry.

Me and my grandfather tied one on last night,

I mustve...

You didnt miss much.

You dont like the girlfriend for this?

Well, I love her for it, but I hate that she was at work

at the time of the murder and has the time card to prove it.

Well, thats great.

Dont get too comfortable.

Why, where are we going?

Square one. Back to the victims mother, talk to the family.

You mean, back to the victims mother

to get what I missed the first time I spoke to her.

I didnt say that.

No.

But those mocha brown Latina peepers of yours did.

Hazel, not mocha. Lets go.

Detective Reagan?

Why dont you take care of this; meet me over there when you can?

Yeah.

(clears throat)

Have a seat.

Look, I dont got a lot to say, all right?

Look, I dont know

if you got kids, or...

I do.

Then you know.

Then you know what you did was wrong.

I...

I dont want to hear it.

You took my sons life.

There is no way that that is right.

I know how you feel, and I know why...

You dont.

Did anyone ever shoot your kid dead?

Rip his soul out from inside him?

No.

I will never forgive you.

But Im, I will give you this,

and you better believe its a gift.

When you came to my door,

I could see that-that youve been carrying

the weight of t-this.

I could see that you know

that everything Im saying here is the bottom line truth.

I could see it in your eyes,

sure as Im seeing it right now.

That meant something to me.

The tiniest little something, but something.

So...

For what thats worth, and it aint much...

...there you go.

(door opens, slams)

(shuddering exhale)

ABETEMARCO: You know, in my line of work,

the ones who want a lawyer are usually the ones who did it.

Lawyer.

So you did it.

Lawyer.

You know, youre only making this harder on yourself.

Lawyer.

So if I get you a lawyer,

Im gonna have to collar you.

Is that what you want?

Lawyer.

Tell me where the damn gun is.

I texted legal aid, and theyre gonna

assign you a lawyer.

And Im sure you know this already,

but now that youve requested a lawyer,

you no longer have to talk to us.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell him that.

All right, uh, just give me the name of your parole officer.

Ha. But I didnt do nothing.

Thats not true. You violated your parole.

What violation? I didnt do squat.

Oh, you have a unique parole agreement

in that youre permitted to associate with known felons?

Known felons?

What you going on about, lady cop?

Officer. What Im going on about

is that kid in the red sweatshirt

and the LeBrons you were talking to

when we rolled up on you just now.

Head Bone?

Aka Jamie Flemings,

great kid

who I had the pleasure

of collaring myself last year.

Oh, come on, this aint right.

Dont worry about it.

Your lawyers gonna get you out of it.

Those guys are the best.

And Im sure he only has, like,

500 cases ahead of you right now.

This is wrong!

It doesnt have to be this way, Bobby.

Okay.

Ill tell you where the hammer is.

BAKER: If it was up to me, he stays.

And I say Clifford goes.

Two days ago, you were in here having his back.

That was before Wainwright dropped his ultimatum.

Boss?

Hey, Im listening.

He really said hed go to the press?

Says if we dont

give Clifford the axe, hell go

Live at Five

with it.

GARRETT: He say why?

He says that its the principle for him.

NYPD does not hire felons.

Especially ones who lie their way in.

Well, hes got a point there.

You think he should go, too?

What I think is, his value in the present

outweighs the sins in his past.

Boss, Garretts onto something. Why dont we just

bring Wainwright in here and lean on him?

No.

Why not?

Because he was passed over about a dozen times for promotion

before he retired, and one of the guys

who leapfrogged over him was Clifford.

And maybe a little because hes white and Cliffords black.

Thats unknowable.

All of which makes this a can of worms that wont open.

Well, then, what?

I havent a damn clue.

Howd it go with, you know, that woman?

Were all good there. What about her?

She give you anything we could use?

No. Honestly? Not a great vibe.

Cant really put my finger on it.

Fidgety, like she wanted you to get out quick.

Exactly. Yeah.

I clocked her body language.

You could tell all that from out here?

I could tell it from out here but I also noticed that

the first time I met her, she walked with a limp.

Today, somehow, she doesnt have one.

No, she does not.

(clears throat)

I really dont understand

why we couldnt do this over the phone.

Thank you for coming in.

Frankly, I find it pretty inconsiderate

of you to insist.

Medical records from Eastchester County Hospital.

The night your son was killed,

you drove 20 miles out of your way

for a wound that required 20 stitches.

Why would someone do that?

(inhales shakily)

Unless that somebody had something to hide.

Am I under arrest?

No.

Then can I go?

You can.

But before you do,

Id... like to let you know

that it is no easy thing to take another life.

I know it.

It is something you will never, ever get over.

Whether its the guilt

coursing through your veins like poison

or the sleepless nights stacking up on your chest

like a pile of bricks.

The nights you do sleep are ruined

when you awaken to realize that it wasnt a nightmare.

It was real.

Theres nothing you can do to change it.

I didnt...

What I mean is...

You dont have to say anything.

You dont.

But I want to promise you that if you do say something...

...youre gonna feel so much better.

(sobbing) You may even sleep like a baby again.

I know youre a good person.

I knew it the moment I met you.

And I know there is nothing...

(whimpers)

nothing on this Earth that would ever make you

intentionally hurt your baby boy.

(sobs)

Help us help you.

Please.

Sit down and talk to us about what happened.

Its okay.

(crying softly)

(sobbing)

Its gonna be all right.

You dont seem happy.

No, I am. I am.

Eddie, you got the gun.

Erins case went from a 60-40 maybe

that would stretch out for weeks

to a slam dunk plea bargain that took 20 minutes.

I know. Its awesome.

You dont sound awesome.

Its...

its nothing, really.

It should be nothing, but its something.

Youll tell me when youre ready.

Oh.

ABETEMARCO: Hey, uh...

Pardon the interruption.

I just wanted to give our superstar a little gift.

Pineapple pizza?

You had to be there.

Got it.

Well, I got to go get ready for the roll call.

See you, pal.

There you go.

Hes right, you know.

Something is bugging you.

Oh, you heard that?

And I think I got a pretty good idea what it is.

You love the results, uh, just not too keen

on how we got there.

Im just not so sure that I can

do this job if I have to lie

every time to get the job done.

So dont.

But you said...

Thats me.

I mean, thats my way.

Keep in mind, Ive been doing this a long time.

Im old school.

I-I found a tool

that works for me, so I use it.

But it really works.

It sure does, but that doesnt mean

its the only thing that works.

Youre young, learn from everyone. Be a sponge.

Im no Dick Tracy.

Im one guy with one tool.

Youve got plenty of room for lots of tools

on your tool belt.

(sighs)

Well, thanks.

Thanks, Anthony.

(exhales)

(door opening)

Hes here.

(sighs)

Have a seat.

Not that one.

That one.

Youre a smart guy, one of our best and brightest.

Maybe someday youll end up in that chair.

Hows it feel?

Its uncomfortable.

Sounds about right.

I got this, uh...

bear of an issue Im wrestling with,

one I cant find a resolution to.

So, youre the commissioner now.

Tell me what you would do.

Do with what, sir?

Well, theres a file in front of you.

The name and the photos have been blacked out

to protect this individual but somehow,

I think youll get the gist.

(exhales)

What that file doesnt say

is this stickup kid

goes on to turn his life around

and pursue his dream

of becoming a decorated NYPD cop.

If I may explain, sir...

Youre the commissioner now, you dont have to explain.

You have to decide...

whats going to happen to him.

I dont know.

Not an option. Not from where you sit.

But I dont know, sir.

You cant plead the Fifth, you cant pass the buck,

you cant buy a vowel.

Should he stay or should he go?

(exhales)

He should go.

Why?

Because the NYPD doesnt hire felons.

On top of that, he lied to get the job.

And he maintained that lie for 20 years.

What about the fact that for those 20 years,

he served as the gold standard

for what an NYPD cop should be?

Doesnt matter.

Hes a felon.

Hes got to go.

(exhales)

You know...

I dont think youd make a good commissioner after all.

But a cop like that...

Im keeping him.

(sniffles)

(sighs)

Commissioner, I dont know how to thank you enough.

Now get out of my chair.

(sighs)

(door opens)

(door closes)

And you owe me 20 bucks.

ERIN: For what?

Our bet.

You said hed call me.

Call you about what?

See there? Pay up.

You didnt call him after the shooting

at the gas station?

Was I supposed to?

That was my job.

Mm-hmm.

How is it your job?

As the patriarch.

But as his father?

Someday youll see.

See what?

Well, more like see when.

When to back off trying to suss out your kids problems.

That first time that you...

go to knock on the closed bedroom door

and something tells you "dont."

Like, let them handle it themselves?

Yeah, when its time.

Well, when did you know with Mom?

When she was 18 and threatened me with a restraining order.

(scoffs) I did not.

(laughter)

Practically.

Anyway, that was your moms duty.

What about Jameson?

Jameson? Jameson.

(laughter)

He was always cool, he...

Hmm.

like he instinctively knew

that the more advice you harvest,

the better the odds are to make the right move.

Now, I always felt the knock was welcomed.

And last but not least?

Uh, best for last. Sure.

Oh, thats easy.

When your dad was eight years old,

he got suspended from school

for... guess what.

ALL: Fighting.

So I go to his room, I sit him down

and I ask him what happened.

And he just gives me the bare bones.

So I said directly, "What did that kid say

or do to make you throw the first punch?"

And your dad says,

"Trust me, you dont want to freaking know."

What eight-year-old says,

"Trust me, you dont want to freaking know"?

(laughter)

Trust me, you dont want to freaking know.

(all laughing)

Captioning sponsored by CBS

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org