Almost Paradise (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Reef Eel Soup for the Soul - full transcript

_

Governor.

Aren't you supposed to be
avoiding sugar, Governor?

You're worse than my doctor.

You said you'd fire me if I
let you have another shakoy.

If this election goes south,

we could both be out of a
job by the end of the day.

So I am going to eat my feelings

and you and my blood sugar

are just gonna have to deal with it.

This campaign's gonna kill me.



_

My name is Alex
Walker. I'm ex-DEA.

I quit the agency because my
friend and partner betrayed me.

One of my first assignments
took me to an isolated beach

right here on this island.

I sold what little I had and
bought myself a gift shop.

There's peace, no stress, no drama.

Boy, was I wrong.

You doing okay, bud?

I'm just peachy, man.

It's just, uh, judging from
the sweat stain on your back

and the postcards strewn around
your shop suggest otherwise.

Don't do that, man. Don't
play detective with me.

- I invented detective.
- How about you take a break?



I got just the thing.
Cures all kinds of stress.

The only thing I gotta
do is hang this fish.

You realize no marlins swim
in Filipino waters, right?

Thank you, Ernesto!

All right? It's a good luck charm.

I'm starting to think you just like

being really angry all the time.

Don't do that either, okay?
I know what you're doing.

- What am I doing?
- A very rudimentary reverse psychology

they teach bad cops
with boundary issues.

I was just under the impression
you were trying to change.

- You're still doing it, man.
- Hey, this will help.

Come on.

- Come on.
- All right, man.

But if there's any chanting, I'm out.

What have you got against chanting?

You wanted to see me, Chief?

Come in. Which do you prefer?

- Uh, the left one?
- Me, too.

- Is that all?
- No, sit down.

I didn't ask you here just to talk
about my campaign for governor.

You're a good detective, Kai,

one of the best in my department.

- Thank you.
- That's why I chose you

to take on a special mission for me.

I've been hoping for
another opportunity.

Are we talking a murder case?
Something undercover?

I'm assigning you to Governor
Rosales's protective detail.

The governor's protective detail?

- That's, um...
- Not what you were expecting?

No, it's just that type of job

is normally reserved
for someone more junior.

Kai, maintaining the integrity

of our democratic process
is most important to me.

- Of course.
- That's why why I need someone I can trust

to keep a close eye on the governor

and report anything
that might be suspicious.

In fact, report everything back to me.

Are you asking me to spy on her?

Just because I'm running
against the governor

doesn't mean I forgo my responsibility

- to keep her safe.
- Of course, it's just...

Excellent. You'll do it?

- Yes, it's just...
- Good.

And Kai?

Let's keep this between us.

People from around
the world come here to sample

Cebu's amazing street food.

It's a source of great
pride for our community.

No, no. They've been
plastering those things

- all over my damn gift shop.
- Not a fan of politics?

Politicians are
like diapers, my friend.

They need to be changed
'cause they're both full of...

Shameful how so many of these
vendors have been closing down.

- What happened?
- I don't know.

But it's not good for the neighborhood.

Ah, the crown jewel of Cebu.

I'm telling you, this stuff is
going to cure your hypertension.

My friend Gabriel had diabetes.

Ate this? Cured.

My cousin Manny, balding at 19.

Ate this? Cured.

My Uncle Tito had, shall
we say, intimacy issues...

And he ate this and
he was cured. I got it.

It's because of the special ingredient.

What the hell is this?
What's the special ingredient?

The soul of the community.

I got two questions.

What is in this and is it dead?

It's reef eel soup, caught in
the ocean behind this restaurant.

And yes, it's dead, normally.

Eel sou... norm... eel soup,
man? Like a sea snake?

And what do you mean normally?

Just try it. He put
yours in a special bowl.

It's an honor.

- Here, eat.
- Hmm.

I'd rather have hypertension.

Look at that. It just moved.

Hey, an egg, all right?

I grew up with eggs. I
can get behind an egg.

An egg, I trust.

Why is this crunchy?

- It's a balut.
- What the hell's a balut?

Fetal duck. The crunchy part's the beak.

But you eat that,
you're gonna feel strong.

I feel betrayed.

White people.

Back away from the chef.

What?

Stay away from this, American.

Come on, man. Are you done yet?

My sea snake soup is getting cold.

This isn't over!

You okay, chef?

You should've stayed out of it.

Let me get this straight.

I was just supposed to stand there

and watch him choke you to death?

You only made things worse.

Told you I'd be back.

_

_

Excuse me.

Now we know why the other carts closed.

Someone is shaking them down.

Bayani told me to stay out of it.

You thought you were protecting him.

Yeah.

Hell of a job I did.

Mr. Bayani, we're sorry to bother you,

but I need to ask you a few questions.

What can you tell us
about your attackers?

Do you remember how many there were?

Were they tall? Short?

We can catch these guys.
Chef, I promise you that, okay?

But you need to cooperate with us.

- I don't want your help.
- No, look.

I know I made a mistake, okay?

And I am sorry, but let me fix it.

There's nothing you
or anyone else can do.

Why?

Next time, they will kill me.

Who will kill you?

Chef, please.

Are you sure, doctor?

Because if you're telling me I have
to choose between sugar and death,

I think I might take death.

Yeah, yeah. I'm kidding.
No more bibingka.

Governor.

You must be the detective Ocampo
sent to join my security detail.

Kai Mendoza, Governor.

Are you here to spy on my campaign?

Are you his mole?

I know how it looks, but I assure
you I don't have an agenda.

- Not yet.
- I'm sorry?

Everybody's got a pure heart

until someone offers
them something they want.

All I want is to keep Cebu safe, ma'am.

- You're an idealist?
- You say that like it's a bad thing.

Excuse me, Governor, Mr.
Montrose is here to see you.

Send him in.

Mr. Montrose, a pleasure to meet you.

This is Detective Mendoza,
my security detail.

Governor, I was hoping we could
have this discussion in private.

Of course. Detective, if you
wouldn't mind stepping outside?

- You wanna slow down?
- I came to this country for the culture,

- not to burn it down.
- You didn't set that fire.

No, but it's my fault
Bayani's in the hospital.

If I wouldn't have interfered,
they wouldn't have retaliated.

We've got no idea why he was targeted.

Yeah, but we know what he looks
like. I know what he looks like.

And if we can find him
here, we can arrest him.

So what is this, the unofficial
official bad guy bar of Cebu?

Yes. Before we go in, you should know...

they don't like surprises.

You! Freeze!

You!

Get up. Get up!

If you ate the duck egg,
you would've had him.

Well, it didn't stay
down, did it? Come on.

That's a good deal!

Everything okay, Governor?

Men like that think just
because they have money

they can buy whatever
and whoever they want.

I know you did it. I know you did it.

Why don't you confess and make
it so much easier on yourself?

- Your friend got anger issues.
- He's working on it.

You think this is angry?
You think this is angry?

I'm not even annoyed, man.
You wanna see angry, punk?

You think I'm scared of you?

I know you're scared
of me because I saw you.

I saw you take your hand and I
saw you put it around Bayani's neck

hours before he was assaulted

and his place was burned to the ground!

Why did you do it? Huh?

Why did you do it? What did he owe you?

He owe your protection money?

You got the wrong guy.

Alex.

We get one witness, you go
to prison for a long time.

Not the local jail. Big boy lockup.

You don't have anything on me!

Mr. Walker here was a witness

to your assault and attempted extortion.

You're not gonna stop nothing!

I'm just the guy who takes orders!

- From who?
- I tell you that, I'm dead man.

We gotta find out
who he's working for.

You said that food stalls
have been shutting down

- all over town recently, right?
- Yeah.

Yeah, and I bet Face Tats in there

is not the only thug shaking down chefs.

It feels like you're heading
towards one of those ideas

that puts me in mortal danger.

If he ain't gonna
give up his crime boss,

let's see if his boss can come to us.

Be honest, do I need more
padding in the shoulders?

Yeah, more padding.

So how did the special operations go?

Anything to report?

- Well, something kind of strange happened.
- Do tell.

The governor was in a meeting
that got pretty heated.

In a meeting? That's it?

I get heated meetings every day.

I want to know about the corruption,

money changing hands, vote rigging.

Sorry, sir, didn't
witness any vote rigging.

Keep at it.

I have an important meeting coming
up with a very important donor.

- Who's the donor?
- A Canadian gentleman who shares my vision

of bringing more jobs to Cebu.

So, if you don't mind...

Luis, I want to be able to
see these shoulders from space.

Oh! Mr. Montrose.

- You're here early.
- Good to see you.

_

You must be new around here, huh?

Finest lechon in the Philippines, boys.

- Fresh off the spit.
- Well, here's the thing, Chef.

My friend and I work for the
people in charge of this area,

and they didn't approve your business.

I did not realize I
needed your approval.

Well, now you do,

and not having it is a problem.

A problem?

Do you get what I'm saying?

I do, but, uh,

I made an arrangement with someone

who offered to provide
me with protection.

Oh, really?

And who did you make
that arrangement with?

Señores.

I believe I am the man
you are looking for.

If I could introduce myself.

My name is Diego Caballos,

and this man is under my protection.

What? What?

I just bought that hat.

What are
you going to do with that?

You're gonna burn.

No.
We are going to burn.

Your boss is gonna have
to pay for my dry-cleaning.

Our boss is gonna have
you killed, Spanish Fly.

You are in no position to make threats.

Now, tell me, why are you
trying to shake down my clients?

We just wanna make people move along.

We don't want no money.

We just want them to leave.

Who's your boss?

You know we can't tell you that.

Well, it looks like we're gonna
have to slow-roast them, chef.

Tell me, how do you like your
low-level criminals cooked?

- Well done.
- Well done. Let's start with the big one.

No, no, no!

I'll tell you anything you want!

Please. Please, no. Not the fire!

- Hey, pleasure doing business.
- Likewise.

In the meantime, enjoy Cebu, hmm?

_

It's all trash?

_

Testing, testing.

Alex, do you copy?

- Copy.
- So who do you think this guy is?

Hopefully just some local thug

trying to throw his weight around.

Here comes the cavalry.

Remember, if you get into any trouble,

the code word is...

Yeah, avocado. I got it.

He's on his way.

I am in no rush.

Oh, gracias.

No, no, no, no.

You all look beautiful.

Oh, thank you.

Mr. Caballos.

Walker?

I hear you're the man that's
trying to mess with my business.

No, no, señor. You are
messing with my business.

I run the area where I
met your two compadres.

I have no idea who you are.

Who am I am, Mr. Caballos?

As you can see,

I'm the man that's in charge.

What the hell is going on?

You were about to walk
into the middle of a sting.

Good thing I saw you coming.

- You're investigating Montrose?
- You know this guy?

Not exactly.

There is no need for theatrics.

Tell your snipers to stand down.

Did he just say snipers?
As in more than one?

Alex, are we in an avocado situation?

I just want to talk.

What do you want to talk about?

I want to know why you and your
pandilleros over there

- are chasing down my clients.
- What clients?

The chefs, like the one
they tried to attack today.

They are under my protection.

I'm afraid your clients

are getting in the way of my plans.

And what plans are we
talking about, señor?

Well, that's my business, Mr. Caballos.

Mr. Caballos?

Well, if you're
clearing out the land,

it must be some sort of development.

Maybe a beautiful beach-front resort?

Very lucrative, I'm sure.

I don't think they're
talking about a resort, Alex.

I followed him to the docks.

But that wouldn't explain
the shipping containers.

Excuse me? How do you know...

The ones you inspected earlier today,

the ones filled with trash.

I have no idea what
you're talking about.

I saw him at the capitol
and at the police station...

I also know that you have taken meetings

with Governor Rosales and
her opponent Señor Ocampo.

Now, what would a Canadian businessman

be doing shipping in tons
of trash to the Philippines

while simultaneously clearing
out businesses in low-income areas

and cozying up to local politicians?

My guess? You're clearing
the land for a dump.

Mr. Caballos...

And I also know you have
been funding Ocampo's campaign

so when he is governor

he will grant you the permits needed

for you to complete your conversion.

And if I was,

what do you think I'd be willing to do

to keep that information quiet?

Oh, oh, oh.

Before you kill me, señor,

would you like to hear why
your plan is going to fail?

What are you up to, Alex?

Enlighten me.

- Ocampo can't win.
- Why not?

Because the governor
is fixing the election.

And how would you know that?

Because I work for her.

And the chefs,

they pay me to operate in
Cebu, but I am the middleman.

She is the, how you
say, real crime boss.

Fortunately for you, my friend,

I have grown tired of the scraps

- that are given to me by my employer.
- Meaning what?

Meaning for the right
price, I could work for you.

And how can you help me?

Señor, have you ever
fixed a fixed election?

Hey. You can't fix an election.

We're not fixing anything.

We don't even know
anything about this guy.

- All we have is a last name.
- Found him. Paul Montrose.

His business visa
lists him as a lobbyist

and former political
consultant out of Canada.

He's a corporate fixer.

I've heard of a fixer
before, but corporate fixer?

When a multi-billion dollar
international corporation

wants to bend the law
to get what they want,

they send somebody in like Montrose.

He functions as a go-between

for companies who don't want
to get their hands dirty.

According to the database,
Montrose has been accused

of working for a blood diamond
mining company in Africa,

an Amazon deforestation corporation,

and, well, you get it, other bad guys.

We just have to find
out who he works for.

No idea. He's been off
the radar for awhile.

I remember something down at the docks.

There were these shipping
containers with an owl logo on it.

Katorn Limited was on the barge
anchored out into the channel.

Katorn Limited has turned coastal areas

into recycling dumps all over the world.

- China, Brazil, Argentina.
- Yeah, and now Cebu.

- Poisoning the marine life.
- Destroying the community.

Not if we can stop him first.

- How are we gonna do that?
- Guys like Montrose,

they think everybody can be bought.

He thinks everyone is
as corrupt as he is.

Then we just need to prove it.

The problem is, he's an intermediary.

I mean, it's almost
impossible to link him back

to any of the companies
that he works for.

And if he does gets caught,
they send in another guy,

the whole thing starts over again.

Why do I have a feeling
you have the mostly

illegal plan to stop him?

Mr. Caballos,
again, so I'm clear.

Working for the governor,

I have access to her security cards.

This allows us into any
locked area of the capitol.

Explain how this is gonna work.

In the Philippines, señor,

the absentee votes
are manually tabulated.

With a military base on the island,

there are enough absentee
ballots to tip any election.

Now, Governor Rosales, she
has the power of her office

to change the rules of the election.

The hand count for the province
happens inside the capitol.

- That's smart.
- And I have a man in the tabulation room.

Last election, I swapped the
ballots with enough fake votes

to get Governor Rosales reelected.

This time we use these fake ballots.

To ensure Ocampo comes out on top.

You sure about this?

Let me know when the van arrives.

How are we doing?

He's on his way.

You look good in a hat.

Not everyone can pull that off.

- Let's just get on with it.
- Okay.

Absentee ballots.

I will see you in three years.

For your first election
tampering, Señor Montrose,

you have done very well.

Now, about my payment.

Sorry, Mr. Caballos,

but when it comes to
manipulating democracy,

I find it's better not
to leave loose ends.

I'll dispose of these.

- Kill him.
- Wait, wait.

You're going to kill me?
In a government building?

No, no. Of course not, no.

He's gonna knock you out,

then kill you somewhere
you'll never be found.

- Good-bye, Mr. Caballos.
- Señor. Señor.

Are you sure
you want to do this again?

Because the last time, you
almost got slow-roasted.

But now there's only one of you.

Yeah, about that.

There's still two of us.

I could've... I could've
taken both of them by myself.

Like the time with
the kid on the scooter?

That was the duck egg...
the fetal egg thing.

Let's have this conversation later.

What about you, big
boy? How are you feeling?

Nah, nah, I'm good. I'm good.

Did you really have to do that?

That was for Bayani.

What was that one for?

That was just for fun.

What? What the hell? Trash?

Feels bad, doesn't it?

Being used?

Taken advantage of?

Pisses you off, right?

What's going on?

Election tampering is a
serious crime on this island.

I didn't tamper. He did.

Who, me?

Nah, that's not what
the camera saw, man.

You're gonna have to explain to a judge

why you were inside
delivering fake absentee votes.

And so what now? You gonna arrest me?

No. A one-way trip back to Canada

is all you're ever gonna
get out of the Philippines.

Save us all a big headache.

Leave the island and never come back.

No, no, no. You're afraid.

- You know I can get out of this.
- Oh, you can stay,

but then we'll then arrest you.

Maybe your high-priced
lawyers can get you out.

Or maybe something happens to
you in our jails before that.

If I were you, I wouldn't take the risk.

Take the ticket, Mr. Montrose.

Next time, we won't be so nice.

By the way, I lied.

Hats are not a good look on you, man.

Governor.

This campaign's gonna kill me.

I think it's time we made a deal.

You intend to shoot me, Mr. Montrose?

No, I intend to make you an offer,

and this time you're going to listen.

I'm all ears.

One hundred thousand U.S. dollars.

It's enough to buy you every
last shakoy in the country.

I'm afraid not, Mr. Montrose.

How much do you want?

I don't think you have
that kind of money.

If I don't, the
people I work for do.

How's a million dollars sound to you?

That's a lot of money.

I can make it happen right now.

Just grant the land
rights and the permits

and you tell me we have a deal.

This is my personal bank account,

the one I use for wire transfers.

You're gonna accept wire transfers?

The money spends the same.

This money is coming directly
from my company's account

so it must remain private.

Enter your routing numbers.

One million dollars.

Pleasure doing business with you.

There are 7,000 islands
in the Philippines.

We could make a lot of money together

turning every single one of them
into a dump for western waste.

We could,

except you'll be in prison.

And your company will be banned

from ever doing business
in this country again.

Excuse me?

You just bribed a government official,

and I have a record of it.

You set me up.

I've spent my whole career
trying to stop people like you,

people who think they can
come in and destroy my country

just so they can line their pockets.

At least you're gonna die
with your principles intact.

Should've used that plane ticket.

Mr. Montrose, you're
under arrest for bribery.

Add in extortion, soliciting arson,

and assault and battery with intent

to commit grievous bodily harm.

And by transferring funds
over international lines,

Katorn Limited has committed
enough financial crimes

to be permanently barred from
operating in the Philippines.

All we needed was the paper trail.

What do you want?
I'll give you anything.

I'll give you more money
than you could ever imagine.

- Not everyone can be bought.
- Not when the cost

is the lives of good
people, right, chefs?

Detective Mendoza, if I
ever need protecting again,

you'll be the first person I call.

Call me Kai.

And I wanted to thank you

for prepping me on the situation.

You're welcome, Governor.

You didn't tell me he'd have a gun.

He was never gonna use it.

How did you know that?

He's Canadian.

Looks like Montrose's trash

is going back to where it came from.

Wanna see?

No, I'd rather watch something else.

Come on.

Hey.

How are you?

Hey.

Good to see you. It's been too long.

Hi there.

There he is.

_

Is it time?

It's time.

You sure about this?

Mm-hmm.

Oh.

Here. For the one you lost in the fire.

This just might work.

- Good?
- Yeah, good. Good.

As the leader of the investigation

into the foreign interference
in the Cebu elections,

I bravely volunteered to go undercover

as Governor Rosales's opponent.

And I'm very happy to
put all of my support

behind Governor Rosales

and wish her the best
in the next three years.

Is it just me or do his
shoulders look bigger?

You guys ready?

You brought this thing all
the way from the United States?

It's a good luck charm.
All right, up, up.

I never took you for
a superstitious guy.

Yeah, well, I got multitudes.

No way you know what that means.

Either way, I appreciate this, guys.

It's nice to have...

- Community?
- Yeah, let's stick with that.

What'd you stuff this
thing with? Concrete?

Keep going, keep going,
keep going, keep going.

Hup!

- Not bad.
- That's perfect.

Maybe we don't make such
a bad team after all.