Original subtitles

[reporter] Tell me how you felt when you first came upon

the actual scene of the shootings.

Um, you know, I was shocked.

You know, three guys and one woman

who worked closely with

and to see them--

the blood that came out of their bodies, lying,

you know, see that on the ground.

They're not there,

so you're just left

with the blood and the shells, and--

[reporter] That's all you saw, the blood and the shells?

Yeah.

[machines beeping]

I'm sorry it took me so long to get here, Stan.

I had to camp out for a whole day

in that damn Chicago Airport.

I got snowed in.

Chicago has two seasons, winter and St. Patrick's Day.

[Margie chuckling]

It's nice of you to come, Margie.

I know how you hate to fly.

Gotta hand it to you, big man, you got a loyal ex-wife.

It's more than I can say for myself,

and I got two of 'em.

[Bolander] So you didn't get shot, huh?

I hate to disappoint you, but no, I didn't.

All those bullets flying around, and you don't get hit.

Must've been born with a horseshoe up your butt.

[sighing] I feel so tired.

It's like I'm having a-- [mumbles]

[Bolander snoring]

Stan's right. I hate flying.

- I need a Manhattan. - [machines beeping]

Bolander, can you hear me?

[Munch] He's just taking a snooze.

What's the matter?

What's wrong?

Eyes unresponsive to light.

- His ICP? - [nurse] 22.

- The hell's ICP mean? - What's the--

Let's get him to OR.

[Munch] What's going on here?

We were just talking to him a few minutes ago.

He said he was a little tired.

What the hell's going on here?

He just felt-- We were just talking to him.

Can somebody tell me what's happening here?

[theme music playing]

[music fades]

[Giardello sighs] Captain, I need to talk with you.

- [Barnfather] Sounds urgent. - [Giardello] It is.

[Barnfather] Sounds official. What's the problem?

Three of my detectives are down, you're pulling the pin.

Nobody's pulling the pin, now.

Three of my detectives, my friends,

are in the hospital, in intensive care,

and the shooter, whoever it is, is walking the street.

My unit needs to pursue this.

Al, I don't have to justify a decision.

We're gonna work this out of other crimes.

I can't stand up in front of my people and say,

"Some other unit's taking over.

Detective [indistinct] will keep you posted."

And how exactly would you prefer to have me handle it?

Cut me some more slack.

We spent two days wasting our time chasing the wrong guy.

Give me more time.

Let Pembleton stay as the primary.

We'll get the shooter.

All right, tell you what, we'll compromise.

Homicide leads on your shift.

Use whatever personnel you want.

But Megan Russert's watch is back on regular duty.

Thank you.

48 hours, Lieutenant.

Either you have the shooter in custody,

or it's out of your hands.

[reporter] How do you feel about arresting the wrong man

in the shooting of your fellow officers?

I feel terrible.

Mistakes were made,

which we will labor vigorously to correct.

Okay, so we got 48 hours

before they take this case away from us.

What do we know?

We know that the shooter was in the building.

Was he a tenant? Was he visiting a friend, a relative, what?

Lewis, did you get a hold of the landlord?

- Mr., uh, what's his name? - Lebkowitz.

Yeah, I told him to meet us over at the same fall address.

I told him to bring everything he's got,

names, addresses, social security numbers, all of that.

Okay, we're gonna re-interview all the tenants

about the night of the shooting.

Did we overlook any information?

Are we missing any clues

because we were focused on Holton?

I just got off the phone with Munch at the hospital.

Stan's gone in for another operation.

Can you move your head to the left for me?

- [Felton groaning] - Any pain?

Good guess.

Now turn your head to the right.

That's gonna be rough for a while.

Raise your right arm over your head.

[Felton sighing]

You know, the only reason I'm putting up with this

is so I can get out of here sooner.

Lower your right arm. Raise your left.

[groans] That's as far as it'll go.

Try to raise it a little more.

Okay.

All right, lean forward, please.

Three o'clock in the morning,

and these student nurses come in here

to check on my legs.

They pull the covers back. I'm naked as a jay bird.

[doctor chuckles] Nothing they haven't seen before.

Wanna bet?

You this way on the job?

What way is that?

A bitching pain in the ass.

No, I'm an extraordinary bitching pain in the ass.

Lay back and try to relax.

Mm, Doc, what's on your mind?

[Felton groaning]

[reporter] Have you had the opportunity to speak

with any of the officers who were shot?

Uh, yes, I'm happy to say that I was able to speak

with Detective Beau Felton and Detective Kay Howard.

We're still-- we're still waiting for Stanley Bolander

to regain consciousness.

[reporter] What did the others say?

Well, their main concern

was with their fellow officers and detectives at the scene.

[reporter] Have any of them expressed any reservations

about being police officers

in light of what's happened to them?

Well, let me just say this.

I work with a very dedicated group of men and women,

yet I wouldn't be surprised

if some of them were apprehensive.

I feel real good.

I feel good that any [bleep]

can go around a corner store,

buy himself a semi-automatic weapon,

and go out and start blasting.

You know what else I feel good about?

I feel good about you people, you media mother [bleep],

gotta take the [bleep], put it on the evening news, okay?

Your ratings gonna be good.

You vultures ought to be ashamed,

you [bleep] asshole.

Okay.

I ran all the tenants through the computer.

Three of them come up dirty.

There's a parolee, did a bit for income tax evasion in 204.

And you remember that dancer? The one with the nice butt?

- 109? - Yeah.

Two counts of prostitution. Another black eye for showbiz.

But the one I really want to go to prom with

is this one, Gordon Pratt.

He's got a previous arrest

for illegal possession of an automatic handgun, Gee.

He paid a $500 fine,

and then they took his toy away from him.

[Bayliss] All right, in '91,

he was arrested for assault with intent.

It was some sort of a bar argument.

He got supervised probation out of that.

And he has an outstanding warrant

for assault just this last year.

Pratt lives in apartment 201.

201, that's the wrong door.

So he sees our squad coming, he grabs a gun,

he goes out his door, up the landing, and he waited.

They went to 201 by mistake, and he opened fire.

But it's not just that they went to any wrong apartment.

It's the fact that they knocked on his door.

Wait a minute, he shoots three cops

over assault and an outstanding warrant?

Doesn't make sense.

Maybe he's the kind of guy that doesn't want to make sense.

Okay, time to find this Pratt.

[dramatic music playing]

Nobody's home?

Boy, he had a grandstand seat to the coffee shop.

He could see our guys coming across the street.

Look at this. Plato's Republic?

- [Bayliss] Marx and Engels. - The Iliad.

- Mein Kampf. - And Sophocles.

Our boy got a postcard with a return address

of Libertytown, Maryland,

signed "Mom and Dad."

Check these out. Guns and Ammo.

American Handgunner?

[Walker] So, Mr. Pratt is one of these gun freaks.

- Mr. Lebkowitz. - [Lebkowitz] Yeah?

Is this Gordon Pratt?

- Yeah, that's him. - Look at that.

[Drummond] Why is this guy posing like Lee Harvey Oswald?

Well, maybe we're dealing with a serious case of wannabe.

Okay, okay, we got it in here.

Mitch, Tim, you guys wanna go pay a visit

to Mom and Dad in Libertytown?

- Yeah. - Okay.

I gotta go to the head first.

Give me the address.

[Drummond] Can we stop at the next gas station?

[Bayliss] We got lots of gas.

[Drummond] No, I have to use the john.

You just used it ten minutes ago.

Yeah, I know. I have to go again, okay?

[Bayliss] You're kidding me, right?

[Drummond] No, I'm not kidding you.

You got a bad bladder or something?

[Drummond] I don't think so.

Can you just stop at the next gas station?

[Bayliss] Gas stations are all closed and gone out of business.

Pretty symptomatic of what's going on in this country.

Pull over, will you? Here, pull over right here.

[somber music playing]

What time is it?

There's no clock in here.

You don't wear a watch?

I have an internal clock

which manages to get me just about everywhere.

- [Margie chuckling] - Late.

Hundreds of people down there,

all trying to sort out their day.

Maybe one of them down there,

maybe she's planning to leave her husband tonight.

[nurse] Mrs. Bolander,

your husband is coming out of OR now.

[Margie] What happened?

His intracranial pressure increased.

But we cleared it all out, and he'll be just fine.

- [Margie] For how long? - [doctor] We'll wait and see.

I guess it's safe to say

Stan won't be doing any cartwheels tonight.

[chuckling] Knowing Stan, I wouldn't rule that out.

Maybe you have BPH.

- What? - Benign prostatic hypertrophy.

- What the hell is that? - My uncle Toby had BPH.

Swelled his prostate up to size of the Goodyear Blimp.

Yeah, he had to get up dozens of times in the night,

just to go to the bathroom.

Listen, I drank too much coffee this morning.

- You see me drinking coffee? - It can be fixed, you know.

I don't need anything fixed.

My uncle Toby told me about this procedure,

it's called a transurethral resection.

Involves removing the central core of the bladder,

you know, it's like coring out an apple.

Nobody's gonna core my apple.

Well, Mitch, simply said,

you're at that age when men have prostate problems.

You're my prostate problem.

[Bayliss] There is this one minor, possible complication.

[Drummond] Oh? Which is?

[Bayliss] Impotence.

[dramatic music playing]

[doorbell ringing]

Baltimore City Police, this is a search and seizure.

- Is Gordon Pratt here? - No, he isn't.

Walt, these gentlemen are detectives from Baltimore.

- They're asking about Gordon. - Well, what's it about?

[Mrs. Pratt] Gordon isn't here, Detective.

Do you have any idea where your grandson is?

- [Mr. Pratt] I ain't got no grandson. - He's our only son.

We had him late in life.

We just want to ask him some questions.

It's possible he was a witness in a shooting.

When was the last time you saw your son, Mrs. Pratt?

It was three years ago at Christmas.

- Two. - Three.

Yeah? Well, maybe so. It seems like two.

[Bayliss] Have you talked to him recently?

[Mrs. Pratt] I tried to call him this week.

But the operator said the phone was disconnected.

- You called him long distance? - It was his birthday, Walt.

I wanted to wish him a happy birthday.

Well, no Gordon.

[reporter] How do you feel now?

Well, I'm, um...

I just hope we catch this guy.

[dramatic music playing]

[gun clicking]

[reporter] Does an incident like this affect your ability

to perform your duties as a police officer?

Well, you know, we're professionals.

That's what we're paid to do.

- Was Gordon ever in trouble? - [Mrs. Pratt] No.

- Never? - Never.

He was arrested twice.

Once for assault

and once for possession of an automatic weapon.

- Gordon was? When? - Not my son.

Why, he was always respectful of the law.

He wouldn't hurt anyone.

So, he never told you he was ever arrested?

[Mr. Pratt] Never. And he would.

One thing my son and I share

is a forthrightness between ourselves.

- He's never been in any trouble. - [Mr. Pratt] No.

He was gonna join you fellas once.

Wanted to be a cop?

He had one of the highest marks on the police exam.

Eight, nine years ago, wasn't it?

And he was set to enter the Academy,

and he woke up one morning,

and he came down to the breakfast table,

and he said to me, "I don't want to be a cop."

He said, "I don't think I could take orders from anyone."

Can you give us a list of Gordon's friends?

I don't know his friends anymore.

Not since he moved to the city.

Oh, I'd say he's comfortable in his own company.

The world has disappointed him.

[Bayliss] If he's not in his apartment,

where might we be able to find him?

I'm telling you, gentlemen, my son wouldn't hurt a flea.

[machines beeping]

- Kay? - Hey, Lieutenant.

How's it going?

Well, pretty good.

They've taken you off the critical list.

[Howard] Hmm.

[Russert] The doctors say you're gonna be just fine.

- Good as new, huh? - Good as new.

How good was that?

Look, Lieutenant, you really didn't have to come by, huh?

I appreciate the professional courtesy, though.

Well...

I just thought...

if there's anything I could get you.

Anything you need?

No, thanks.

Okay.

Uh...

[sighing] There's an oyster shell

in my top drawer back in the squad room.

Found it when I was a kid.

Had a little pearl in it.

Lost the pearl, of course, but still got that shell.

It's my lucky shell, huh?

Yeah.

[reporter] Supposing you do apprehend

the person who is responsible,

can he be expected to be treated fairly

by the Baltimore City Police Department?

Absolutely.

[reporter] How do you know that?

I'm responsible.

This is it. The Arundel Cement Company.

- Help you? - Yes. We're police officers.

I'm Detective Pembleton. This is Detective Walker.

We're looking for one of your employees, Gordon Pratt.

Yeah, me too.

He hasn't been here since last Friday.

Well, do you know where we can locate him?

Well, let me think.

- I'm not sure, actually. - He didn't call in sick?

No. No, he didn't.

What'd you want him for?

We need to ask him some questions.

Well, maybe I can provide some answers for you.

Would you like to have a seat?

[Pembleton snapping fingers]

- Do you have any idea where Gordon Pratt might be? - Not a clue.

Do you mind if we talk to some of your other employees?

- No, I don't mind at all. - Okay, thank you.

Listen, if you need anything else,

I'd be happy to be of service.

Any time, any place.

Just let me know.

So, you got along with this guy, Gordon Pratt?

We both understood where each other stands.

Even though he said that Blacks and whites

could never live together?

Is he wrong?

My father's been through the days of sit-ins, protests.

I got my high school degree.

Look at me now. Where did it get me?

My father told me since integration,

things have gotten worse.

I believe him.

If we had gone our own way, instead of wanting to mix,

we'd be a hell of a lot better off.

At least Gordon is straight up about what he thinks.

This about them cops getting shot?

- Mm-hm. - [man] Pratt might be involved?

We'd just like to ask him some questions.

Well, if I wanted to find him,

I'd be checking every massage joint in town.

Keeps bragging about some place

called The Tomcat Club, or something.

There's a few other joint down by the harbor.

He's a man that likes to reach out and be touched.

- If he asks who ratted him out. - Mm-hmm?

Tell him it was me. [chuckling] It'll drive him crazy.

- You and him don't get along? - He's a Yankees fan.

I mean, he lives here in Baltimore, right?

- Mm-hmm? - He's a damn Yankees fan.

He said something about Saturday being his birthday.

- Maybe he's still partying. - And where would he go to party?

Not any place I would go. The guy's un aburrido, man.

- What? - He's boring as hell.

Is this the most recent photo of Mr. Pratt?

Yeah, three years ago at Christmas.

Yeah, this is the original his parents gave us.

Looks can change radically in three years.

How does this photo compare

with the one recovered from his apartment?

Well, that one was taken in 1989.

- All right, get copies and hand them out to everybody. - Mm-hmm.

The physical description, is it accurate?

- 5' 8", 140 pounds? - Roughly.

Does he still have brown hair, brown eyes?

Does he wear glasses?

He isn't wearing eyeglasses in either of the photos.

- So you just assume that he doesn't? - [Walker] We just figured.

It would have taken no more than two seconds to inquire about that.

Well, I thought--

No, don't figure, think or assume.

Ask.

Is our Mr. Pratt armed?

I would say yes.

That's a given [indistinct].

It's a given that nothing is a given.

- [Munch] Stan's okay. - All right, great.

The second operation was a success.

He's off the ventilator.

They've sedated him so he could rest,

and I know one thing about me.

I gotta get back to work.

I'm beginning to smell like Lysol and blood.

- It's Pratt. - Are you still riding alone?

- [Lewis] More or less. - [Munch] I wanna ride with Meldrick.

- [Giardello] You got him. - [Munch] Okay. Let's go.

- [speaking other language] - What am I, your puppy?

[speaking other language] Let's go.

[Giardello] You heard the man.

[upbeat music playing]

Say it like we practiced.

I saw you in that fight last night.

- [Pratt] Where? - At the bar.

- [Pratt] More specific. - The Tomcat Club.

You beat that guy to death. Turned me on.

- Made me hot for you. - Yeah?

Made me wanna make you.

Made me wanna please you.

Do things I've never done.

- Like what? - Like everything.

[sighs] Damn it, you gotta be more specific.

Let's try it again from the beginning.

[Pembleton] Do not move or I will shoot.

That's better.

[dramatic music playing]

[reporter] How do you feel about your brother officers being shot?

Well, it can happen

in this business, in the line of duty,

and of course we all feel very badly about it.

Just like a relative or the family.

Hey. Hey, you.

What are you doing all dressed up and everything?

- Where are you going? - I got released.

Going home?

Isn't that a little quick?

Well, the docs figure I can do just as well at home,

as I could in here, so they said I could go.

I just gotta come back here three times a week

for rehab on my shoulder.

But other than that, I feel all right.

Wish I was going with you.

I mean,

wish I was going home, too.

What did the docs say?

Was shot twice in the heart, Beau.

It's gonna take some time.

You gotta be kidding. I didn't think anything could dent your heart.

Quit with the ice-maiden jokes, huh?

Listen, Kay.

The next time we go to make an arrest,

I'm going through the door first, understand?

- [Howard] Beau-- - No.

I've been rolling it back in my mind,

and I'm convinced that if I'd gone in first,

this wouldn't have happened.

I was the primary, huh?

I know that, but I'm a better shot.

Are you a better shot?

Since when are you a better shot?

I'm a better shot. Pooky said so.

This is Pooky. Lewis gave me Pooky.

And I think that Pooky should stay here

with you for a little while.

Hey, nice to meet you. [chuckles]

Well, I guess I should be going.

Can you stay a little while, Beau?

Sure, Kay. I'll stay as long as you want.

[dramatic music playing]

[Pratt] When do the rubber hoses come out?

I know all your tricks.

Do you, now?

Always been intrigued by the way you cops take a telephone book,

and hold it on the side of someone's head,

then you whack the phone book with a hammer.

[handcuffs clicking]

Sit down.

Someone's irritable here.

[groans]

[Pembleton] Place your right hand on the table.

May I call you "Detectives?"

Or should I call you, what, "Detective, sir?"

I have to advise you of your rights.

- You have the right to-- - [Pratt] I know my rights.

They were written for me on September 25th, 1789.

And I suppose your ancestors were around

to watch that signing, too.

Well, I know for sure yours weren't there.

Pembleton.

You know, I have nothing against

having African-Americans on the police force.

- Did you recover any weapons? - No, no gun.

It was one of those low-rent massage joints.

I firmly believe that policing should be done

under a home rules provision.

We swept the whole room. The whole place. Nothing.

- We need the gun. - Okay.

Since most crimes are committed by Blacks,

you should be the ones who investigate them.

[door shuts closed]

So, what's the game plan, fella?

Did he give you the scheme on how to break me down?

You're being charged with the attempted murder

of three police officers, Mr. Pratt.

Mr.?

Do you understand these charges?

Separate nations divided by a common tongue.

You can have an attorney present.

What for?

Why waste the good taxpayers' money? I didn't shoot anyone.

[Walker] Would you be willing to submit to a polygraph test?

- Maybe. - Yes or no?

The results are inadmissible in any Maryland courtroom.

Well, perhaps you'd be willing to take one

just to humor me.

I'm not humoring you now?

[Lewis] So you like to read about guns, huh?

I like to read, period.

Just read about guns, huh?

I go through phases.

One month it's cars, the next guns.

So why haven't you been back to your apartment

for the last four days?

You know, I'm reading the newspapers.

I listen to the radio. I hear about these cops.

And I tell you, I'm scared.

Three cops shot in my building?

How safe is it for me, the ordinary citizen?

What kind of ordinary citizen

has an outstanding warrant for assault?

The kind of citizen who believes

in his constitutional right to bear arms,

the kind of citizen who dies in two world wars

so people like you can walk around free.

[Bayliss] What do you mean, people like us? Cops?

Like three police officers you tried to kill?

[reporter] You were there when this incident occurred.

- What was it like? - A nightmare.

- [reporter] Were you scared? - There wasn't time.

- [reporter] How do you feel now? - Sad and angry.

- [reporter] Any stress? - Life is stress by definition.

[machines beeping]

I, uh-- I brought your shell.

[Howard] Thanks, Lieutenant.

[chuckles]

That's my partner.

Good night.

[reporter] So who do cops go to talk to

when they feel stress?

When something like this happens?

Reporters.

You don't like me very much, do you, Gordon?

I don't dislike you.

Well, tell me about all of those books

that we found in your room.

The Iliad. Homer, right?

Plato's Republic. The Communist Manifesto.

Aristotle's Poetics.

That's not Playboy, or Mad Magazine.

- Are you a genius, Mr. Pratt? - No.

I think you are.

Everyone's entitled to an opinion.

At the very least, you're smart.

Smarter than most.

Now, why the hell do you get caught

in some sleazy-ass massage parlor?

That knocks me for a loop. Help me out here.

I don't get the connection.

A man has to indulge in the Dionysian

to understand higher metaphysics.

Oh, the Dionysian.

Right.

You know, I like those Jim Thompson novels.

The Getaway is my favorite.

I'm not familiar with his work.

Oh, he writes about how these ordinary folks

of less-than-average intelligence get all screwed up

when the involve themselves in a complicated scheme.

Which is what you've done, Mr. Pratt.

You never read The Getaway?

Wasn't The Getaway made into a movie?

Twice. The one with Steve McQueen is a classic.

Well, I don't remember a remake of The Getaway.

Wasn't worth remembering.

How about After Dark, My Sweet?

It's a great read. There's a lot going on there.

- You need all that slam-bang action stuff. - Do I?

Well, Blacks are less intelligent, on average.

And more impulsive.

They have a different temperament than white people.

It's a matter of scientific research

that Blacks have a lower IQ than whites.

That's crap again.

Anything to make a loser like him feel superior.

[Giardello chuckles]

If Hitler had been accepted into art school,

who knows what would have happened?

Probably would have painted the camps in pastels.

Not every Black, of course, but on average.

On average.

It's not your fault. You're not to blame.

It's part environmental, part genetic.

It's genetic? Genetic?

Blacks have slightly smaller brains than white people.

- All white people? - In general.

- But there are exceptions? - There are always exceptions,

but they only go to prove the rule.

You...

you're an Ivy League man, aren't you?

- Huh? - [Pratt scoffing]

Harvard?

- Yale? - I didn't need college.

Hmm.

So you just picked all this stuff up on your own?

The truth is the truth. You know it when you hear it.

And the only time you hear the truth

is when you're the one talking.

[Pembleton] Truth is the truth, well--

Let him talk and talk all he wants.

The more he talks, the deeper he steps into the crap.

[knocking on door]

- We have smaller brains. - [Lewis] I know that.

Yeah, precisely. It's scientific.

Smaller brains, bigger penises. Ain't that the way it goes?

It is a fact that Blacks are more strongly sexually motivated.

Orientals are at the other end of the continuum.

Whites fall somewhere in between.

Why'd you shoot those three detectives?

I didn't shoot the three detectives.

What, are you too smart to shoot 'em,

or are you too smart to get caught?

Neither. I couldn't fool you guys.

You're right. You couldn't.

So, I understand

that you're a Yankees fan.

I can't be a Yankees fan? I root for 'em, too.

- Is that right? - [Pembleton] Mm-hmm.

But he was born and raised in New York City.

He grew up with the Yankees.

Oh, you mean, why don't I root for the home team?

[Pembleton] Makes me wonder.

I root for the original Orioles.

[Pembleton] Now, how's that?

Two different cities, or do I not know my geography?

You don't know your history. You're ignorant.

The original Os became what is now the New York Yankees.

Look it up.

1901, John McGraw fielded

the first Orioles team in Baltimore.

He moved them to New York,

renamed them the Yankees in 1902.

Any idiot would know that.

So you see, I am cheering for the Os

when I root for the Yankees.

Like I said, you're ignorant.

You're ignorant.

He who loses control, loses.

What have you been doing,

telling everybody about my problem?

I didn't tell anyone about your bladder, Mitch.

Hey, Frank?

Got the facts on Pratt's high school records.

[both laughing]

Bring this in with you in a couple of minutes, okay?

Got it.

[Pembleton chuckling]

Mr. Pratt's just told me a very funny old joke,

about how Negroes only remember two days out of the year.

Oh, right, their birthdays

and the day the new Cadillacs come out.

[Lewis and Pembleton laughing]

- [Pembleton] Pretty good joke. - [Lewis] Very funny.

It's a classic. Not old joke.

A classic always contains an element of truth.

[Pembleton] Your copy of Plato's Republic.

[Pratt] Yeah, go easy on the cover.

It's falling off.

[Pembleton] You know, I'm curious.

What was Plato's point in the Republic?

Point?

It's an entire thesis.

What was the main point of his thesis?

He makes a lot of points.

[Pembleton] Give me one of his main points.

[sighing] How the regular guy, the individual,

gets screwed by society.

How he's beaten down, and how he should rebel

against any form of government which restricts his freedom.

[Pembleton] Show me. Exactly.

[Pratt] It's not spelled out in a single sentence.

You have to study the whole book.

- You're an angry guy, aren't you, Gord? - No.

This "regular guy" who gets screwed by society.

That's not Plato. That's you, isn't it?

Hmm? No friends, no girlfriend.

All, all alone.

Plato prescribes solitude,

but he understands everyone has a need every so often.

Oh, yeah, sure, sure,

but you have to pay for your needs, don't you?

That isn't fair, is it?

You're forced to pay for physical intimacy?

And that disgusts you, doesn't it?

A genius like you

working in a cement factory

forced to pay some 20-dollar-an-hour hoe

to get kinky with you

just so you can feel some emotion.

I don't need sex.

Yes, but you need to feel. Don't you? Feel important.

Feel that someone appreciates how smart you are.

What exactly do you have in your life?

Two rooms and your books.

That's more than I need.

It's more than I want. It's...

more than I would ask for.

You gotta have been expecting big, big things,

a genius such as yourself, didn't you?

You must be so disappointed right now.

I accept my limitations.

But why would there be any limitations on you?

Because the system screwed me over.

- Oh, no. - Yeah, because of affirmative action.

Because of all these rights for women, and the cripples,

and anyone who's weak and helpless.

If you're white,

if you're strong or if you're smart.

Oh, there's no one beating the drums for you, huh?

A white government has let itself get co-opted

by all these minorities.

Oh, so that's why you shot the three detectives.

Because he was mad at the government.

- The white government. - Oh, right, right. Right.

It couldn't have been because you had an outstanding warrant,

and you got scared,

because you knew if we found you,

we're gonna lock you up?

I have every reason not to shoot cops.

And what might those reasons be?

Because I believe in an orderly society.

And you guys fight to keep it that way.

And I respect that.

I need to get some air.

Yeah, Mr. Sensitive over there, something I said?

No, no, no, no. I wouldn't worry about it.

[sighs] I had to get out of there, Gee.

One more of his wise-ass cracks,

and I was gonna put him through a wall.

Look at him, smiling.

He's scared.

Which makes him dangerous.

[Bayliss] Frank, I have this fax

of Mr. Pratt's high school records.

That's Morgan High in 1978, but...

Now, was there another Gordon Pratt in your class?

You flunked math? You never got a diploma.

Yeah, this is funny. You never even graduated.

- I had nothing left to learn. - [Pembleton] What's this?

Ooh, it's Greek to me.

It is. It's in the original Greek.

- Is that right? - Yeah.

- Read me something out of this. - [Pratt chuckles]

You wouldn't understand it, anyway.

No, just a small passage.

I've never heard the lovely, original Greek spoken before.

- [Pratt sighs] - I'd like to hear it.

[Pratt] Hmm. Okay.

Hmm?

You can't, can you?

Would you like me to translate?

[sighs] Roughly, he's talking about how the individual

is corrupted by his company.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

Let me show you what the Jesuits taught me.

"What I say is right or just,

means nothing but what is of interest

to the stronger party."

[Pembleton laughing]

[Pembleton singing]

You know, I've had about enough of you, nigger.

You shot those cops, didn't you, Gordon?

- [Pembleton laughing] - No.

If I had been the shooter, I would have nailed them all.

[bot laughing]

You want to make me feel small, right?

You want to ridicule me, so I lose it, so I confess.

Well, let me tell you how it's gonna go.

Charge me with the shooting, right now, and I'll go enter a plea,

and you know there isn't a judge in town

who's gonna let you hold me on your interpretations,

and whatever stray suspicions you might have.

Well, we'll hold you on that outstanding warrant for assault.

Oh, and I'll just plead out on that one, too.

Because all that was, was words.

Just like you and me are having right now.

Me and some idiot,

in a bar, having words about politics.

You must be very popular with your opinions, Gordo.

I don't have to be popular if I'm right.

You know, Gordon, if you're such an expert on the Yankees,

how come you didn't know that McGraw moved the Os to New York

in 1903, not '02?

[Bayliss and Pembleton laughing]

[Pratt] Get me a lawyer, and we'll see who gets the last laugh, all right?

Get me a lawyer, all right?

Get me a lawyer right now.

I want a lawyer.

I have my rights.

[Giardello] His rights?

Come on, get me a lawyer.

The son of a bitch.

[dramatic music playing]

Bye-bye.

Son of a bitch. Son of a bitch.

- Son of a bitch. - That son of a bitch is dead.

My partner lies in intensive care,

and that rotten, smirking, smart-ass piece of detritus

is gonna walk out of here

like he's going to some big day on the beach.

- Of course he's dead. - So what?

This is my fault, John?

[Munch] Well, who was in the box with my Mr. Esteemed, Mr. Pratt?

Okay, I was in the box there too, Munch.

Well, I wouldn't brag about it, Meldrick.

Hey, look, we took our swings. So why don't you lighten up?

- Well, maybe you didn't swing hard enough. - Hey. Hey, hey, hey.

So this is what we want, huh?

You wanna spit, bitch and moan at each other?

Until what? For what?

Cheers, right? We should celebrate our defeat.

Bury our dead. Eat our wounded.

- [Giardello] Exactly. - What?

Hey, is that some kind of joke about Stan?

Why are you constantly bustin' my balls, huh?

Hey, wait a minute. What is this, some kind of a stand-up routine?

Do it in your own time.

I want Mr. Pratt under surveillance.

I wanna know where, when, what, how,

and who he sleeps with, talks to,

and when he goes to the bathroom.

I want you guys over him every minute.

No, every second.

Well, I know the son of a bitch did it.

He knows he did it.

His momma knows he did it, and what are we doing?

We're standing around with our hands in our pants, playing pocket pool.

You got too cute, Frank.

- Excuse me? - [Munch] You heard me.

You got cocky,

and you let your feelings get in the way.

So maybe if you could have come up with the gun, John.

You know, a little piece of solid evidence.

- That would've been helpful, John. - I come up with the gun?

[Pembleton] Yeah, yeah, that would've been cute.

I've been at the hospital, you know.

Oh, you've been at the hospital, I forgot.

Daily reports from Dr. Kildare.

You know, for as little as you got accomplished around here,

maybe you could've taken some time

and visited the hospital,

or can't you be bothered?

[Lewis] Hey, hey, hey, hey. Hey. Hey. Come on.

- Come on, man. - You know, you got a mouth on you, John.

- You talk too much, John. - Yeah, no, no, no.

We're all talking, man. We're all talking.

That's all it is, is talk, all right?

Yeah, well...

so, what are we gonna do about the surveillance of Pratt?

I'm outta here. You know, I hate this job, I hate this place.

You know, I'm thrilled with each and every one of you.

[Bayliss] Come on, Frank. We gotta figure out this deal with Pratt.

Decide it on your own. I might screw it up, okay?

- Gonna see how Stan's doing. - Oh, great.

I'm sorry, man. I'm sorry.

[Lewis chuckling]

[machines beeping]

- What the hell's goin' on? - Stanley. [chuckles]

You're okay, big man. You're okay.

Your noggin started to swell up,

so the docs felt they should take you in

and pump some of the gas out.

- I went in for an operation? - Yeah.

They didn't find anything. You're a medical miracle.

There's nothing between your ears.

The docs feel they've discovered the cerebral black hole.

Time magazine cover boy, you're gonna be.

I'm in the hospital?

Well, this ain't the Baha Beach Club.

I'm in a hospital.

I've been shot in the head.

Jesus, Mary, Joseph.

- [Munch] And Margie. - Margie?

Margie, you're estranged?

You were talking to her before.

She got hungry, so I told her to get something to eat.

I recommended pastrami.

My ex-wife is here?

And you're here?

Existentially speaking, who can say?

Can I ask you one last question?

Sure, big man.

Who the hell are you?

[laughs] Oh, [indistinct].

- Tim. - Huh? Oh.

What are you doing back here?

What am I doing back here?

- Yeah. - Hmm.

See, I think the question is,

is, "Why would I even leave here?"

That's the question. You know why?

Because I love it here.

I love it here so much, and unlike Frank, I love my job.

So I think I'm just gonna stay here forever.

- Really? - Yeah.

Well, that's too bad,

'cause you look like you could use a little sleep.

Oh, well, I've been, you know,

getting a couple of beers across the street.

- No. - That's-- Yeah, yeah.

That's the good thing about owning your own bar.

You can get a beer at any time you want.

Even at eight o'clock in the morning, so.

Huh.

- That's something, isn't it? - Yeah.

- Okay, I gotta go. - Okay.

It's been a pleasure, Tim.

- Rest up. - [Naomi] Bayliss.

- Hmm? - [Naomi] Line one.

Oh, no, no, no, you see, I worked the night shift.

This is the day shift.

So you get someone else to take the call, okay?

- They asked for you. - They asked for me?

Yeah, they asked for Pembleton or Bayliss,

so pick it up, will you?

[indistinct].

I love it here. I just love it here.

I love it here.

Criminology, that's my specialty.

Tim Bayliss, Homicide.

Mr. Lebkowitz?

[dramatic music playing]

Really?

Yeah, I'll-- yeah, I'll be right there.

Called the cops three times.

Ah, you dialed 911?

Yes, yes and yes.

Each time, the operator told me someone was on the way.

[Bayliss sighing]

And no beat car showed up, huh?

[Lebkowitz] No, that's why I called

one of you homicide guys.

Oh, that's Gordon Pratt [indistinct].

Okay, I tell you what.

I want you to call that emergency number again.

And tell them that a Detective Bayliss

needs assistance, okay?

[Lebkowitz] How come a cop doesn't come the first time?

Uh, I don't know.

[reporter] We have an unconfirmed report

that the man suspected of shooting

three Baltimore City Police officers earlier this week,

Gordon Pratt has been found dead

in the lobby of his Mount Vernon apartment.

Pratt was apparently shot in the head at close range,

as he was returning home,

and this time, police sources report they have no suspects.

[reporter] Detective Bayliss, is it true

Gordon Pratt was your primary suspect

in the shooting of the three detectives?

Uh, yes.

[reporter] Pratt had only been released

- from police custody for two hours? - Yes.

- [reporter] Do you have any idea who killed Pratt? - Nope.

- No suspects? No motive? - No.

Detective Bayliss, is there any suspicion

of police involvement in Pratt's death?

No comment.

So you are investigating that possibility?

- Bayliss. - [male reporter] One more question for you.

Don't come in here.

[theme music playing]