Copper (2012–2013): Season 2, Episode 9 - Think Gently of the Erring - full transcript

We have a man dead... Alderman Stephen Bartlett.
I'm certain the Alderman's farm girl
knows exactly what happened in that room,
and if Teresa Trembley doesn't know why it happened,
I can find out.
This will be sent to the family of Teresa Trembley.
The world will know the loss of Hazel Turner.
You will not get the aqueduct project
unless you get Lansing to withdraw his bid.
I can adjust my negotiation style.
Who's that?!
The Angel of Darkness, you orange bastard.
You got two choices:
You can sign this paper now...
...or I turn you into a flaming scarecrow.
I loved Ellen and I love you too,
more than any brother I ever could have had.
Okay.
- You got him? - Mm-hmm.
Let's set him over there.
Mmm.
Grab this arm.
Got him?
He's alive.
Freeman, I know the difference between dead and drunk.
Kevin. Kevin?
Stand back.
Goddamnit!
You let me be.
Mmm, we fought together on the battlefield,
we're not letting you fight this war on your own.
What about a mourning period? A few days at least.
Ellen's wake was two weeks ago.
No, no, that's not true.
Today is March 30th.
It can't be.
Ellen killed herself.
My wife...
I found her.
And then you put her to rest.
For you, the real escape is living.
Welcome back.
I like my bitches tight
Even better without sight
Screw 'em blind, they don't mind
'cause Jack-o's king of the night
I gotta take a piss.
Hey, take one of these whores with you, Jenkins.
They'll aim it for ya; that's what they're good for!
Another. Two.
I like my barkeeps to be quicker
than their tenement rats.
You think I come here for the crystal?
He's useless!
Hey, girlie, girlie, hi there.
Get me another drink, girlie.
There's no need for that.
- Yeah? - Agh! Jackass!
Agh! You lazy slut!
- Agh! - That's it!
Richie, toss him.
Are you okay?
Sir, I would really appreciate it if--
Hey! I would rather stay.
Ungh!
Agh!
Agghhh!
Oh! Agghhh!
Oh my God.
Agh! Agh! Agh! Agh!
Agh!
Agh! Agh! Agghhhh!
Agh! Aghhh! Agghhhh!
I didn't realize you were up.
Work don't stop 'cause the sun set.
And look at you, pulling that nightgown
like I have never seen your naked butt.
Momma!
Oh, calm.
Now I would have said the same thing yesterday,
before I walked in on you and Matthew.
Don't you ever tell my husband that you saw...
Oh Lord, I can't believe I'm having this conversation.
- Momma! - What?!
Promise me.
You always were nervous about your body.
What you ashamed of, girl?
Nothin'.
Night, momma.
Night.
I know it's late, sir, and I know how busy you are,
so I do apologize for... for keeping ya.
Please, sit. My office is always open
for the pressing concerns of my constituents.
My wife here, her brother, Seamus Walsh,
he's been in the tombs since he got mixed up
in the whole precinct's debacle.
We just hoped that you might--
You say you've got power.
Well, Seamus is a damn good fella,
better than you even, from what I hear.
General, she don't mean that, she--
If you don't have the grit to stand up for your family,
then someone has to.
My brother has talent and spirit,
which is being wasted in those blasted tombs.
From what I hear, your brother is a dolt.
Sure, maybe he falls into the coop
when he's stealing chickens.
But, even as a kid,
he always put meat on our table.
When I'm trying to free a prisoner, Sybil,
I usually avoid naming more crimes.
What's behind the action matters,
and Seamus' intent has never been criminal.
My, my, my, how you remind me of my first love.
Same persuasive spark.
In honor of that long lost young lady,
I will let Seamus walk.
Why thank you, General Donovan.
With a caveat,
for ours is not a heaven from which gifts rain.
The lads are digging new sewer line Uptown.
If Seamus can hold his own in a mucking gang,
he avoids prison.
The first day of work he misses
is the day he begins his sentence at Sing Sing.
Thank you, sir. Go on.
Thank you.
Lazarus returns.
It seems in two weeks, nothing changes.
Are you truly ready to face the blood and guts?
Some things a man was born for, like policing with this force.
Well, we do need you.
Hey, what the hell?
Just following orders, detective.
Your friend is headed to the tombs
under arrest for attempted murder.
Eva, what happened?
A man beat Lola,
so I stabbed him in the eye.
Please.
I know your mother.
Yes, the carriage, please.
Hey, Glynn, talk to the warden.
I want her in the governor's cell.
I don't need a damn cell!
You all act like no one has ever given a drunk
what he's asked for.
Donovan will know a way to get you released.
I'll come to see you after I talk to him.
This way. Come on, get in.
In the evenings,
I'm reminded of Thomas, how quietly he moved.
As a child, when the day was done,
he liked to lay down in the grass
and feel the heat of the day leave the earth.
We were always waiting for the moon to rise.
That was his way of pretending us free.
Oh, that boy...
He started and ended every day with hope.
Momma, tomorrow, when we go to the butcher,
I want you to remind me--
Sara...
Tell me what Thomas was like
in this city.
That was years ago now.
Just tell me what it was like
the last morning he was alive.
I don't know.
I'm sure we moved through our usual routine.
You do remember,
and the memories are not yours to keep.
You just want to hurry forward with this new life,
but sharing memories,
that keeps Louis and Thomas alive for us.
Get out! It's our block!
You're goddamn right!
A house is burnin'.
A home is on fire!
Only one company gets paid for the work,
they're just sorting out who.
Why is everybody in this city so violent?!
Would you neighbors ever see each other as human beings?!
You can't involve yourself
in every single problem here, momma.
Come on, this way.
Are you going to stoke that fire?
I was just thinking about those flames
taking everything from them people.
Tammany Hall will get them a new place.
The Irish take care of their own.
You really rise this early every day?
In Five Points, the only opportunity
for uninterrupted research is dawn,
which leads me to the purpose...
Oh, I'd offer you a taste,
but I know you'd give me that withering look.
I have traced a disease
sweeping through the Leonard Street tenement
to a dirty well.
Curing the stricken has been nearly impossible,
but if the source were to be...
I'll check the records,
but I doubt the Morehouse estate
owns a tenement.
Oh, my aim is greater than this building alone.
I have written a tract...
Which identifies all the water sources
within Five Points
at risk of contamination,
along with recommendations for the future.
I want the tract published,
but no one will accept the findings of a black man,
which demonstrates that northern freedom
is no absolute.
That I can't help with,
but if you were to publish
under the pseudonym of a white man...
Certainly the provost at my alma mater knows a doctor
both reputable and agreeable.
Yes.
Let's change lives.
If Ramsey lives we'll let the dusk settle,
and I can assure you'll walk.
If he dies?
A turn of events,
which would complicate your situation.
Liquored men die everyday,
by their own hands or plenty of others.
You're forgetting Ramsey isn't your ordinary
Five Points ruffian.
He's of Greenwich Village,
and those citizens love vocalizing their importance.
What am I supposed to do now? Here?
We Catholics have a thing called a retreat.
Not like a retreat in battle,
but a renewal of the soul.
Use your time here to reflect.
Let us work on your behalf.
I'm not used to being at someone else's mercy.
I'll have Freeman check on Ramsey.
We'll plan for either scenario.
Even if he lives, I have a feeling I'll hang.
This city, when minds are set...
There's been no public outcry, all right?
Hanging me also hangs my child, Corky.
Look...
You and your child, you're safe.
I promise to get you outta here.
After speaking to Freeman, stop by The Paradise.
I want Lola in charge, every penny, every prick,
and tell her to keep an eye on Richie.
I think he's started stealing from the till.
In this marriage, the two really have become one.
Can you outpace him yet?
Please remember you wouldn't be in this room
if it weren't for me, Norbert.
Do tell, what fresh hell is this?
A personal project,
none of your business responsibility.
"The abominable quality of downtown water...
runoff and waste causing grievous conditions..."
This doesn't concern you!
"We demand the responsibility for portable water
fall to each well's neighboring corporations,
with failure to comply resulting in fines,
and, if necessary, forced closures."
I assume you are among the "we" in question?
Are you aware another "we," you and I,
own half the corporations below 14th street?
Today's business lesson:
One does not levy fines upon oneself!
Business, and all its related lessons,
are done for the day.
I am sure you have somewhere else to be.
The fool thinks I can be outpaced.
I embrace the challenge.
Detective, drink?
No, I'm here on business.
I'll take a short one.
Christ, Lola, you look like you were bobbin'
when you should have been weavin'.
I wish I'd shot that animal before Eva had to stab him.
Was Ramsey going after her before she stabbed him?
He got what was due, if that's what you mean.
Well, emotions aside,
I'm trying to make a case for self-defense.
What do you think I'm gonna say, detective?
Eva Heissen is more than just my boss.
You too, Richie?
Eva didn't have a choice.
Let's not forget, the knife was Ramsey's.
And how many other witnesses will back you up
that don't work for Eva?
I'd say a dozen or more.
Any other than the regulars?
Out-of-towners maybe?
Any gonna back Ramsey?
His cousin, um...
Jenkins something... Paul, was here.
Let me guess,
He hightailed when the trouble started?
He's a souse.
Squanders his family's money all over downtown.
Could I have a word with Lola?
Eva says she wants you in charge,
and keep an eye on your barkeep.
Sure.
I'll keep the place spinning like a child's top.
Any problems,
you need any help of any kind,
just yell.
I can think of a thing or two.
Think of something else.
Old Pepper has always been my favorite,
though Robert does harbor a weakness
for Halpenny bourbon whiskey.
If I may suggest,
given the quantity of consumption,
A.M. Bininger & Company sells in bulk.
Actually, why should we be forced to choose?
Order them all.
A full case of each? Are you expecting a siege?
Oh, loosen up, James.
Here you go.
Why don't you taste, see which one you prefer?
I appreciate the offer, ma'am,
but I do not imbibe while at work.
How charming.
Ramsay lost an enormous amount of blood
and will certainly lose sight in the injured eye,
however, the wound did not penetrate deeply into the brain.
Will he live?
Yes.
There's always risk of side effects,
secondary trauma.
Hey, breathing's good enough for me.
Now to tell Eva the good news. Thank you!
Excuse me, is there--
Sorry, I'm on police business.
Hey, Maguire!
Ah.
Go on, be on your way anyway.
What brings such a pretty face down to this dump?
I'm looking for a Detective Corcoran.
Why's that?
He sent my parents a telegram
regarding a murder that I witnessed.
And what do you call yourself then?
My name's Teresa Trembley.
Tare an'ouns.
I watched Alderman Bartlett die.
The man who killed him had already gagged me
and then he was...
If you saw the murderer again, could you identify him?
Yes, I will never forget that man's face.
As the Alderman died, he looked me in the eye
and he told me I was next.
And, my dear, how did you avoid being such?
I gave the wall a kicking.
My neighbor, Mab O'Dwyer, she... hates any racket.
She threatened to come over and silence the noise.
As the man approached me, Mab's door opened.
The murderer must have panicked.
He ran.
Right away, I locked the door, I packed a few things,
and... I fled.
I'll let Kevin know the case has been reopened.
Detective Corcoran has enough trouble
to sort at the moment.
I trust you can handle this lead on your own.
Arrange for Teresa's hiding... now.
Major.
First, I would like to emphasize
that I am proceeding with the plan.
Though second,
my father has destroyed your document.
Why was your father in possession of my work?
I'm meeting with Doctor Wells,
Chief Medical Officer at Columbia College,
this afternoon.
But you have nothing to show him.
Then draft a new paper.
I'll convince Wells of our objective.
He is ambitious.
And when he agrees,
I will hand the new papers directly to him,
and your words will reach the public.
But if this Doctor Wells is as reputable as you claim,
he won't trust a verbal report from a businessman.
Then get writing.
We're going to make a mark on history.
And this time, script two copies.
Donovan doesn't make false promises.
Tenements all looking the same gives me the creeps.
I feel like I'm back in my old room.
Ah, this is no room.
This is a palace.
Because you, Teresa, are a queen.
Your throne.
Donovan began like us, you know.
He immigrated and found his place in the city,
climbed his way to the top.
Well, if not the top, the near top.
I don't know that I could climb anywhere.
I'm not even sure I knew what I wanted
coming to New York from Hamilton.
Well, that's what makes this city special...
you don't need to know up front.
I was promised a lot of things
by Alderman Bartlett.
In the end, all he left me with was fear
and that image of his death.
I don't think there's much of a future for me here.
Right...
But look at Donovan.
He had to quit the coppers
because his contracting business was so successful,
then Tammany noticed, and all these things,
one after the other.
But he started with a dirt floor,
knowing only he wanted more than dirt.
Here's the truth:
Greatness starts with... everyday boring stuff.
It's how you approach it that matters.
Well, maybe I've finally met the right people.
Ah, I see you have some pepper back in your step, detective.
I stopped by The Paradise and talked to some witnesses.
Eva's got a pretty strong claim of self-defense.
Ramsey pulled the knife.
He was a train wreck, smacked one of Eva's girls.
Ah yes, the dusky young Lola.
At least we've got cause to free her on bail.
I thought I had made myself perfectly clear
at the tombs, detective,
but obviously not clear enough.
I get this Ramsay isn't some anonymous guttersnipe, but we--
It's a mayoral election year, Corcoran,
in case you haven't noticed.
So every two years rich assholes get a pass?
I think by now you know me better than that, Kevin.
Eva's a businesswoman.
She kicks a lot of money up the chain.
She's a friend, and more.
I understand that, Kevin, I really do,
but please show some patience.
We rescue her together.
My doctor friend says Ramsay's sure to live.
Well, there you have it.
A glimmer of perpetual light.
Throw it over here.
You are gonna be bossing those girls around in no time.
How certain was Freeman?
Matthew always plays careful, especially with diagnosis.
Ramsay, the blind bastard...
...will survive.
Guard!
And so we live on.
Yeah.
Corcoran, out.
I need a word with Miss Heissen alone.
If it's anything to do with her case,
I'm not going anywhere.
You've already stuck your nose in enough.
Captain, I'd prefer Kevin stay.
Jack Ramsay died.
Found in his bed at Saint Vincent's.
I'm sorry, Eva, you'll be prosecuted for murder.
No, he can't be dead.
So go to the hospital and talk him out of it.
They'll be calling a grand jury post haste.
But you said...
In the army, we always have a second plan.
We'll start organizing your defense.
I'm just another Five Points immigrant in the tombs...
...disposable.
No.
Your friends will fight for ya.
I'll fight for ya.
I consider myself a survivor, someone who acts,
but within these walls there's no action to take!
Ramsey was the instigator.
We'll bury the grand jury with witnesses.
Kevin, I've been around New York long enough to know
the truth rarely wins the day.
Fixing this is my job, Eva.
I can't...
That's okay.
It's okay. It's okay, just, just be here...
Just allow it. Oh yeah...
Oh, oh...
These are deeds to properties in the aqueduct's right of way.
Organize my presentation.
I'm off to officially register my bid
in advance of tomorrow's council vote.
Everything will be waiting on your desk
when you get back from the meeting.
And, uh, good luck, sir.
Luck? I hope we've obviated the need
for the whims of fortune.
Not the desk, the lock box.
These documents will determine our future
in more ways than one.
To Governor Reuben Fenton.
I like that name, Reuben.
Is it true you frolicked with Mary Todd?
Full stop.
No? Exclamation, exclamation.
Excuse me.
You are not Governor Reuben.
Or the odd Mary Todd.
Are you a new friend?
I've decided to collect them again.
This must be the wrong residence.
The butler should not have allowed me through.
Ah!
Elizabeth... Doctor Wells.
This inebriate is your wife?
She...
Doctor, come with me to my parlor.
I wasn't aware...
From this lack of decorum, sir,
I trust nothing, much less a medical tract.
I have never encountered such brazen indecency.
Sir!
That doctor was my only remaining channel
for publishing Freeman's study.
What in God's name are you doing?
I want to dance, Robert!
I want to dance!
You keep up the act,
invitations will surely dry up.
Now please...
I don't want some boring uptown stodgy soiree.
Something dark, something downtown.
You can't even begin to fathom
the darkness of downtown.
Take me, Robert.
Hold me.
Oh, wait, I need some stuff. I'm gonna make a stew.
Let's see if everything is fresh.
Buy what you touch or move on.
We're just finding the best.
My momma's a fine cook.
Let me see...
I said, get yer soiled hands outta my goods!
There's disease everywhere!
That man is a doctor.
He will tell you what is a disease.
What kind of a world do you think this is, mammy...
...where a nigger can tell me what's what?
I don't know what kind of world this is, Mister!
Let's move on, momma.
This was a damn nice city 'til you people showed up!
Cost both my brothers their jobs.
You're worse than the Irish!
Their jobs?
Maybe they should have worked harder!
Momma, come on.
Okay, that's enough.
Matthew, no!
You speak to my family again
and I will put your thick head
through that window.
Matthew!
Let him go.
Please.
Momma, come on.
You have no idea the people I know.
Come on now.
Matthew!
Come on!
I'll speak to your filthy women whenever I want!
- And if I want... - Matthew!
I'll burn them!
I'll burn them all!
They're all the same.
As for the business of the proposed aqueduct,
all final bids must be delivered here,
City Hall, by midnight tomorrow.
At the public works meeting next week,
we will vote on the winning bid.
Construction on this project is scheduled to commence
the first of May.
We now close this meeting with a moment of silence
for the late Alderman, Stephen Bartlett.
Thank you for supporting my proposal.
Has there been any sign of Lansing?
Like a sparrow in winter, gone.
Perhaps he finally realized
he's no competition for me after all.
I bet not.
Why?
He sent an associate to register his bid
for tomorrow's vote.
Ah, well, then, may the best man win.
I took a risk backing your plan, Donovan.
I hope that decision does not come
to cause me embarrassment.
May our departed colleague rest in peace.
This meeting is concluded.
Freeman visited Jack Ramsay just before his death.
He said he would live.
We don't get a say, I guess. Death comes knockin',
no use trying to step out the back door.
Doesn't seem like death was knocking for Ramsey though.
Life's been giving us shite hands, Corky,
but Eva's a tough gal. She'll come out all right.
Thanks, buck.
Remember when The Paradise opened?
Yeah, right before the war.
Seems like we were kids back then.
Ah, we were.
She's always been there for us...
...a drink, a room, an ear.
There's no way I'll let Eva hang.
Kevin, just promise me you do this smart.
Do what?
Whatever the hell you're planning to do.
Well...
I've learned from General Donovan, haven't I?
Come on, I want to check on Eva's.
Me and Glynn already stopped in. No sign of Jenkins.
I want to make sure Lola's faring okay.
All right.
I gotta drop this meat off at home,
then I'll catch up with ya.
Great.
What were you like as a girl?
Like anyone, I suppose.
Dreaming of a husband, praying I'd turn out pretty.
Elizabeth, I don't believe that for a moment.
Please, I'd like to know how the woman I love came to be.
My youth wasn't easy.
Meaning...?
Was your father cruel?
No, no, nothing like that. He was a good man.
Just with five daughters when he had more use for a son.
Why are you suddenly so interested in my youth?
I feel we are formed into stone early in life.
I think moving forward we should indulge less.
Robert, don't be silly.
It's all fun,
but today you cost a friend of mine,
of ours,
something very dear to him.
A little incident...
A joke, Robert, that went awry.
I meant no harm, truly.
I know I introduced you to the opium,
so I deserve blame.
I like the way it makes me feel,
the peace it brings my turbulent mind.
Let's just take a vacation from the stuff, shall we?
Wait...
At least let me have a last little drop.
Fine.
But after this night,
we pursue different recreations for a while.
After the vote is held we need to get hiring lists drawn up.
Let's fill as many of the spots as we can with sixth wards.
After that, Tammany will give us lists for the other wards.
Well, Orrin Lansing, you want the gloves to come off,
then so be it.
Summon Detective Maguire immediately.
Contact Mister O'Malley at the funeral home.
I'll draft a letter to Mister O'Hearn's parents.
You came back to have fun
or are you still working?
I came for a long overdue drink.
Hey.
I went to Donohue's on Mulberry to borrow some bitters
and that jackass Jenkins was drinkin' there.
You and I both know this city demands
a certain level of humility and patience.
Do you remember our adjustment?
New rules, unfamiliar norms,
with a multitude of sounds and smells
distracting us from any real understanding.
These past few weeks, Hattie has become more unhappy
and less accommodating.
She is not progressing.
Momma's older and stubborn.
The way she conducts herself in this community,
it reflects back on us.
The man who attacked that shopkeeper
is not the man I want to be.
Remember that she only just learned her sons died.
And what happens when she learns the truth
of those deaths?
Will we have to... endure this adjustment
all over again?
Hey.
I take it the guy in the fancy suit is Jenkins?
Might be. He's the only one here I don't know by name.
I'll take a bottle.
You're from Greenwich Village. Jenkins, right?
Who wants to know?
Just trying to be friendly.
Nobody in this city is ever just trying to be friendly.
Well...
Ooh, I am unimpressed.
I want to make sure we get justice for your cousin.
Well, I heard that whore got locked up
and is gonna hang for killing Jack.
She will indeed, only...
Did your cousin have anything to do with what happened?
Did he provoke the stabbing?
Who cares about a whore?
Nobody.
I need to make sure our prosecutor
has a solid case to argue.
Yeah, I remember when that little sausage eater
was new in town.
Me and six of my friends,
we took her one night on my cousin's boat,
passed her around like a bottle of cheap booze.
You know, she is as nasty a little whore
as ever walked this city's streets,
and I'm gonna piss on her grave
for what she did to my cousin.
Agh! Aggghhhh!
Jesus, Kevin!
You're gonna kill him! That's enough!
This is how you do things smart, huh?
Let's go. Go!
I don't need a noose; this cell will kill me first.
How am I supposed to organize a defense from in here?
The truth of the justice system is the prisoner has no agency,
but you, my dear, have friends such as myself.
I keep hearing that.
I want to see it to believe it.
And yet you must.
I'll investigate your options tomorrow.
I hope you realize how tricky this whole scenario is.
It's trickier than even you think.
Huh. How so?
The baby I carry is yours.
Lucky you.
You'll have a fine specimen to continue your legacy of wile,
and my stature is something of a badge.
What about the public? The Tammany won't--
Careful now,
I have a lot of enemies.
If they hear you carry my child,
they might be inspired to target you.
Shh...
Thank you for coming
and for your discretion in this matter.
As discussed, you're here to assess
the new addition to the solarium.
Oh, is that all I get to assess?
I'm not here for your entertainment.
Uh, well, maybe not, but, uh,
you rich ladies certainly can be amusing.
- Ah! - Let me have it.
This comes straight from the Chinaman on Mott.
You'll find this a little more exciting
than your husband's strain, I think.
When in need of more,
you now know how to reach me.
Show yourself out.
Mister Maguire, did you get my files back?
I did.
And did Mister Lansing apologize
for what he done to young Milo O'Hearn?
Profusely.
And lastly, Mister Maguire,
did you explain to Mister Lansing
that his regrets came too late?
I did.
With pleasure.
Proceed.
No!
No!
Hush, Mr. Lansing, it'll be over soon.
Agghhhh!
Agghhhhh!
No! No!