Major Crimes (2012–2018): Season 6, Episode 6 - Conspiracy Theory: Part 1 - full transcript
A well-known attorney known for her work in defense of oppressed women is found dead and the long list of high-profile suspects includes family, a film director and a former football player. Rusty and Gus deal with issues regarding their relationship.
[ Police radio chatter ]
Boggs: Oh, finally, a detective!
I phoned this in more
than 10 minutes ago!
People say there's no
crime in the palisades,
but, uh, I'd call this a
crime, wouldn't you?
[ Siren chirps ] Uh-huh.
It's a crime.
And we need to
tent off this car.
[ Car doors closing ]
Tao: I'm thinking the two
shots were fired from about here,
pretty close up.
Oh, well, thank you
for joining us, Julio.
Sanchez: I'm
sorry I'm late, sir.
I had to wake my neighbor
and ask her to look after Mark.
So, what'd I miss?
Well, earlier tonight, the
one-and-only Bonnie Pearl,
lawyer to the
downtrodden and abused,
was shot to death parked
in the middle of the road
behind the wheel
of her Mercedes.
So, what happened?
She stopped, rolled down the
passenger window, and adios?
Ha!
You know who people
in the palisades stop for?
Nobody. Who the hell are you?
Frank boggs. Akv security.
He was first on the scene.
Provenza: I tell
you what, frank.
Why don't you take
a little stroll outside
and see if you can find
anything we may have missed?
Of course, sir.
Ah, keep on eye on Barney
fife here, if you would,
in case he decides to walk
off with some souvenirs.
Ah, that's why we
couldn't find casings.
My guess? A copper-jacketed
.38 fired from a revolver.
Kendall?
Kendall: It's very
straightforward, guys.
Our victim faced the shooter
and one bullet struck her
above the nasal cavity,
passing out the back
of her skull and through
the driver's side window.
- She died instantly.
- Oh, my god.
- What? What?!
- These pearls... they're fake!
- What?
- Those pearls
were her signature.
And they're phony?
Might explain why
someone took the purse
and not the necklace.
This is what I'm talking about!
All right, frank. What is it?
Must have ricocheted
under a shrub.
Take a look.
It's a solid-lead, bullnose,
medium-caliber bullet, sir.
Two different bullets.
Two different guns.
Dr. Morales: This is the
bullet that killed your victim.
It's the only one that
tested positive for blood
and, unlike the Pearl
necklace, it's very real.
Commander, what are you
doing here in the first place?
I mean, I think we can
handle an autopsy prelim.
It's a very high-profile
murder of a prominent attorney.
And two kinds of bullets
suggest that there are
two killers lying in wait.
Yes, but Bonnie's
purse was stolen.
I mean, this murder
could be random.
Nothing random
happens in the palisades.
Bonnie Pearl was always
David taking on Goliath.
Could be some Goliath
hired a couple of shooters
to fight back.
Would Craig Curtis qualify?
Uh, who's Craig Curtis?
Who's Craig Curtis?
Former heisman trophy
winner, first round draft pick.
Oh. Well, it's not like he
was nominated for an Oscar.
Craig Curtis was injured
his fourth season in the pros.
He retired. He started a
chain of restaurants, didn't he?
Oh, yeah. Um, tackles!
Huge tvs, big
burgers, cute girls.
Tasteless... the way they
dress those waitresses there.
There's a reason they
call them "breastaurants."
Sykes: Right. Well, Bonnie
Pearl was representing several
former tackles
employees who are suing
for having been forced to
retire at the ripe old age of 30.
- Really?
- Well, that sounds reasonable.
Who wants to go the same
job their whole life long?
And I'm telling
you, if Bonnie Pearl
had her sights on Craig
Curtis, then he had a motive.
Sharon: Amy, check Bonnie
Pearl's Wikipedia page.
Didn't she go through a
tough divorce recently?
Ah, yes, from Jerry Pearl.
Wow. It says she pays him
$15,000 a month in alimony.
You don't kill someone
who's paying you
a ton of spousal support.
No, or I would've been
dead 30 years ago.
I'm not finding
Jerry Pearl in L.A.
What about her son?
Uh, Stan Pearl.
Says he's an
associate at her firm.
Well, I think it's time
that we did a good
once-over at Bonnie's office.
We should try to notify
Bonnie's son and her ex-husband
before they hear about
all this on the news.
[ Elevator bell dings ]
Tao: LAPD.
Why is the press here? Did
they show up on their own?
No, Bonnie's holding a news
conference when she arrives.
Regarding?
Wrongfully terminated
tackles employees.
May I help you with something?
What? Help us?
Uh, oh, yeah.
Uh, we'd like to see Ms.
Pearl's appointment calendar
and call logs for the past week.
Oh. I can't share that with you.
Coffee?
Excuse me,
detectives. Leslie kraus,
Bonnie's personal assistant.
We need her permission
to show you her schedule.
She'll be here shortly.
Oh, I doubt that, ma'am.
Can you tell us where
Ms. Pearl's son is, please?
Stan can't override me.
Bonnie's call logs are
privileged and confidential,
and I... actually, they're not.
And we have a warrant.
Fine, Lucy, go
ahead and print up
Bonnie's appointment calendar.
Where would we find
Stan Pearl, please?
We're not asking again.
In the office down the hall,
just past the supply closet.
- Uh, lieutenant?
- Hmm?
I should, uh, speak to
the wrongfully terminated
ladies just to eliminate
them as suspects.
Wes, these women
were her clients.
What motive could
they possibly have?
We're not leaving
here till I find out.
[ Sighs ] Okay, look.
For five years, I
lived undercover
surrounded by girls
with swastikas tattooed
on their bodies, okay?
Maybe I'm a little desperate,
but I have to start
meeting new people, sir.
Go. Go.
♪♪
Sorry to interrupt.
Detective Sanchez.
Detective Paige.
LAPD major crimes.
We need to talk to you
about your mother, sir.
It'll have to wait.
I'm helping her with a news
conference any second now.
You have more
time than you think.
Could you tell us where
your mother was last night?
Uh, at a late meeting with
our clients in the tackles case.
And when did you
last speak with her, sir?
Uh, she said hello to me
in the hallway yesterday.
And your father? Any idea
where we might find him?
Sleeping with whatever barfly
was sitting next
to him at last call?
We're not close.
What's this about?
I'm sorry, Mr. Pearl.
But just after midnight,
your mother was found
shot to death in her vehicle, a
short distance from her house.
You're mistaken.
This is a publicity stunt
of some kind, isn't it?
It's not a publicity stunt.
Mr. Pearl, do you still own
a condo on blazedale drive
about a mile south of
your mother's estate?
Uh, yes. Yes, wait.
Hold on. She's really dead?
Oh, god.
[ Sighs ] Oh, god!
This is gonna be
really big news!
Mr. Pearl, we prefer
that you not make
a public statement
about your mother's death.
We're only just getting
started investigating.
Well, this isn't
about you, is it?
No. It's about your mother
and finding her killer.
Right. You do your job.
I'll do mine.
Leslie?! Oh, Leslie?
I need you to pull my mom's
estate documents asap.
And follow the trail of empty
liquor bottles to my dad.
Oh. And tell him if he even
thinks about trying to sue
for my mom's
assets, I will crush him
like a bug.
Crush him!
Her assets? What?
[ Claps ] We're
getting started early.
Here. Come together.
All right, come
together. Tighter.
Okay. I begin today
with terrible news.
Last night, while traveling
home from a work session
with these women,
who were wrongfully
terminated by
tackles restaurants,
my mother, Bonnie Pearl,
was assassinated in her car.
Please, please.
[ Weeping ] Oh, I'm sorry.
Excuse us. I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
My mother's, uh, personal
journey may be over,
but her mission continues,
and her spirit presses us on.
Buzz, turn that down.
I guess the cat's
out of the bag.
Out of the bag? It was just
run over by an 18-Wheeler.
Stan Pearl seems to be
something of a chip off the old block.
More like a splinter.
Mason: Well, he's certainly
turned this investigation
into an all-out major crime.
Buzz, the volume?
And we will use every
last legal resource
at our disposal to make
sure that justice is served!
And we will do that, too.
Thank you.
[ Knocking at door ]
[ Sighs ]
Hey. Hey.
I have it. No, I'll carry it.
No, I got it. Don't just grab
it from me and shut the door.
Gus, I said I have it. At least
let me say a decent goodbye.
This may be the last
time we see each other.
You really want
it to go this way?
[ Door closes ]
Don't apologize again
for sleeping with Aiden.
I don't want to hear
how sorry you are, okay?
Okay.
What's that on your wall?
Oh. Uh, those are
people who died recently,
and they're connected
to Phillip stroh.
It doesn't concern you.
How can you say that?
Of course I'm concerned.
Phillip stroh?
Are you safe? Gus, I... I have
an undercover detail that
goes with me everywhere.
They're outside right
now, monitoring the garage
and the elevators
and the stairs.
And they clear the condo
every time I come inside.
I am 100% safe.
A gun? Seriously?
I... sorry. I didn't...
Think you that you would
be coming back to my room.
And this isn't...
Wait.
This isn't mine.
This is a gift
that I gave to you.
Unless, of course,
you don't want it.
I do.
I... I just thought...
I'll read it.
Look...
I won't say I'm sorry again.
But I will say that it's not
just you and me I screwed up.
My whole life is
just kind of ruined.
How come?
You know what
I'm doing right now?
I'm waiting tables at a diner.
Why are you doing that?
When... when I messed
up and I did what I did
with Aiden, and then
I stopped because...
Because I was
still in love with you,
he fired me and said I
couldn't use him as a reference.
Oh. How many times?
What?
Did you "mess up" with Aiden?
How many times?
You never did tell me.
Was it three?
Six?
You can't remember?
What do you need a gun for
when you always
go for the jugular?
You have a good life, rusty.
I hope one day,
we can be friends.
Maybe.
[ Door opens ]
[ Door closes ]
♪♪
Alex: We weren't trying to go
back to the way things were.
We just wanted to
reach a settlement.
And to stop tackles...
Or Craig, really,
because Craig is tackles...
from doing this to other women.
Sharon: Just to understand...
The contracts at all
tackles restaurants specify
you are models, not servers?
Calling us models gives Craig
a big say over our appearance.
Like how much we can
weigh and how old we can be.
Our contracts expire
on the day we turn 30.
'Cause everyone knows men
can't look at a 30-year-old woman
without vomiting.
Wow. Now, that is
really, really rude.
Mm-hmm. And what does
this cordiality waiver mean?
Basically, whenever
a guy slaps our ass,
we had to be a good
"teammate" and laugh it off.
- [ Scoffs ]
- Craig told me,
"men come to tackles
for beer, burgers and boobs."
I think he was limiting
my contributions.
- Hmm. I don't know.
- Chief!
What? No, I just mean
this cordiality clause
sound ridiculous.
Back me up, guys.
Back me up.
You're backing up
just fine on your own.
Brin: They put out a
calendar every year,
and then they pressure
us into posing for it.
Here.
I'm September 2017.
[ Giggles ] It's just
a little past August.
You can see how
they make us look.
Oh, [ Chuckles ] Past August.
Alex: Last night, Bonnie said
she was negotiating with Craig,
but didn't want to
take his first offer.
Look, I know he's a scumbag,
but at least this guy Curtis
told the women what
they were signing up for.
It doesn't matter how well
tackles explained things.
Yeah, you can't legally
agree to be molested.
It voids the contract.
That's exactly
what I was saying.
Alex: Until we can
figure out what's next.
You guys, we've
all been forced into
a major, major career change.
Man, this calendar is...
Very offensive, commander.
Um... so last night,
you're in this diner together
when Bonnie leaves.
We all stayed behind.
Well, except Vanessa.
Vanessa has a different
idea on how she thinks
the settlement should work.
Because there is not
enough money in the world
to compensate me.
Trying to put a dollar
amount on what happened,
it's infuriating.
We can't get her to reasonable.
And that's a problem
because Craig won't settle
unless we all a... Would
you quit making this
all my fault?!
♪♪
I don't know what's
gotten into her.
But the rest of us, we just
want to cash out and move on.
But now that Bonnie's dead,
I guess that really
depends on Stan.
It's a shame this
guy Craig Curtis
was at work last night
surrounded by customers.
Otherwise, he'd
be perfect for this.
Here they are, lieutenant.
Gosh, there's about 40 of them.
We found so many
press conferences
where Bonnie Pearl
attacked powerful people,
that we've only pulled video
on cases where she took out
restraining orders
against the defendants.
Like rock star Troy Matthews,
who was accused of groping
his kid's nanny.
Oh. That makes me mad.
All right, Julio. Then
why don't you find out
where Troy was last night?
Yeah, and who he was
with. There were two shooters.
Buzz: Then we have real
estate developer Kyle Bixby,
accused of defrauding his
fiancée, a Tibetan Princess,
before jilting her at the altar.
Paige: Can we turn
up her talking about this
Kyle Bixby for a moment?
I demand respect
for all of my clients,
regardless of
income, social status,
or country of origin.
Mr. Bixby is worse than a fraud.
He is an emotional rapist.
Oh. I'll take Kyle and company,
though he sounds like a guy
who would hire somebody.
Tao: She may have had
the charm of a car alarm,
but she was pretty
hard to ignore.
Well, no one can deny she
turned press conferences
into an art form.
Speaking of artists,
our primary suspect
from this list was film
director Erik Walsh.
Anyone remember this
video that went viral of him
losing it on the set
of his last movie?
You're not gonna
take your top off?!
You've known this
scene has been coming
for the whole movie!
Where the [bleep]
are you going, Craig?
- Remember it?
- That's right, get off my set!
How can we forget it?
They show this video
every year at our sexual
harassment seminar.
You're getting paid sick
money to show those tits!
All you do is just remove it.
You did it when
you were a little kid.
We all have 'em, look! Boobies!
Big [bleep] deal!
Look, nothing... nobody cares
if you take your
[Bleep] clothes off!
I'm gonna give
you a little advice.
You should show your tits
now because in a couple years,
no one's gonna want to see 'em
and you're only gonna get hired
for your "talent."
Get off my set! Get
off my [bleep] set.
Steve, if you cut, I swear to...
Didn't Erik Walsh have
to pay out something like
$2 million to this young lady?
Yes, and afterwards, he
was picked up multiple times
on or about Bonnie
Pearl's estate.
Was it six months ago, buzz?
[ Siren chirps ]
And then, we have these.
[ Alarm sounds ]
Flynn: This Erik Walsh dirtbag
obviously wanted to strike back
at Bonnie Pearl
for quite some time.
But she was driving
home alone at night.
She had to know how
much Walsh hated her.
Why would she
stop her car for him?
That's an excellent question.
Excellent!
Look. As an uber driver,
I was well within my rights
to throw that guy
out of my prius.
He took his shoes off!
And he was smoking pot!
We don't care about that.
- What?
- Look, we brought you here
because Bonnie Pearl was
found shot to death late last night.
Shot to death?
Mmm.
Wow.
Oh!
You think I was involved
because the bitch cost me
everything I own and
has me in directing jail
for the past five years
and counting, huh?
Tao: Andy, fyi...
"directing jail" means
no one would hire
Walsh to direct.
You honestly think
weren't smart enough to
figure that out?!
No, I'm pretty
sure it's obvious.
[ Laughs ] What are you, the
bad cop or something, huh?
Why don't you take
it easy there, pal.
Where were you last night?
I was in my studio apartment.
That's where I
live... In koreatown.
Was anybody with you?
No! If you asked a month
ago, I would've told you my wife.
But since she left me for
an actor... a freaking actor!
And filed for divorce
last Friday, no, I was alone.
His wife leaving him might
answer the timing of it all.
But why would Bonnie stop
for Mr. Walsh and a friend?
Provenza: Well,
according to LAPD records,
you spray-painted Bonnie Pearl's
front gate with curse
words, dug through her trash
for compromising information...
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I keyed her car.
I, uh, slashed her
tires. I drained her pool.
Well actually,
that's not listed here.
Well, you know what?
Whatever! Okay?
I was nothing compared
to what that hag did to me!
And for what?
I was only asking some
ludicrously overpaid
actress to follow the script!
And yes, I undressed
in front of her...
And 90 members of the crew.
But the nakedness was to
show my vulnerability, okay?
Stuff like that
happens every minute
of every day in Hollywood.
Flynn: So you didn't
do anything wrong?
I didn't say that, asshole.
I was simply saying that
there's more of a gray area
to this situation
than people outside
the business would think.
Oh, you know what was funny?
As I'm digging through
Bonnie Pearl's garbage,
guess what I found?
Recyclables! Okay? So, yeah.
While she's paintin' me to
be some neanderthal monster,
Bonnie is refusing to recycle.
Hypocrite!
Well, he seems mad
enough to kill someone.
But two people fired on Pearl.
And who would
work with this guy?
The shooter might not
have had an accomplice.
The bullets were different, yes.
But the rifling was,
in all practical ways,
identical on both.
Hold on. Francine, are
you saying two different
kinds of ammunition were
loaded into the same gun?
Sure looks that
way. It's crazy, huh?
And the weapon wouldn't
jam? It would just keep firing?
The reports would
be strikingly different.
But it would fire, yes.
So our victim was murdered
by a single shooter?
I don't know how
many people were there,
but they only used one gun.
Hey.
What is all that stuff
stacked beside your bed?
Uh, well, Gus insisted
on returning everything
that I left at his place.
So he came by. How'd that go?
Ah, we both have
other things to do.
I... I have to keep my focus
on getting into law school,
and Gus is struggling
to find a decent job.
Struggling?
Why's he struggling?
Well, because when they
stopped sleeping together,
Aiden fired him.
And wouldn't give
Gus a reference.
What? Yeah.
That's the kind of guy that
Gustavo Wallace chose over me.
I'm not sure Gustavo
thought about it that way,
but the way Aiden is
treating him is, in fact, illegal.
Illegal? Mm-hmm.
How?
You can't hold back
references or fire an employee
just because they
won't sleep with you.
So you're saying that's a crime?
Well, we don't
jail people for it,
but it's against the law, yes!
Gus could sue for damages.
Okay. Well, Gus says
the restaurant world
has its own set of rules,
like not ringing up drinks
and money under the table.
It's lots of looking
the other way.
It's irrelevant, your honor.
It may be an atypical workplace,
but it is still covered
by the justice system.
Flynn: His mother might have
thought he was smart enough
to practice law, but
mini-Pearl strikes me
as just dumb enough to load
a gun with different bullets.
And Bonnie probably
would've stopped for him.
And lowered her
passenger window.
At midnight.
Mini-Pearl... I mean,
Stan... Is Bonnie's sole heir.
I mean, except for
personal bequests,
he inherits his
mom's whole estate,
including her law practice.
And he lives just down the
road from where she was found.
What about our other
potential suspects?
Troy, our
nanny-groping rock star,
had a good alibi witness, ma'am.
Who? Sydney, Australia,
where he's appearing in concert.
And after Mr. Bixby
jilted his Tibetan Princess,
he was convicted of tax evasion.
So he's not really available.
It feels odd that Craig
Curtis isn't down here.
I know he has an alibi,
but tackles was his whole...
Is it really out
of the question?
Bonnie Pearl was about to
attack this guy's business,
and his character, at one of
her famous news conferences.
And tackles has lots
of security people.
Craig wouldn't necessarily
have to pull the trigger himself.
It is possible to
follow up on Stan Pearl
and Craig Curtis
at the same time.
Mike? Any progress in
decrypting the call logs
from Bonnie's office yet?
Unfortunately, no.
They're kept in a
code that I can't break.
Well, maybe we can find someone
who can decipher this for us.
Stan: What is wrong
with you people?!
Excuse me? Our financial advisor
just informed me
that despite being
my mother's primary beneficiary,
probate cannot proceed
while I'm under
investigation for her murder?!
You're surprised to
find you're a suspect?
Yes!
And not only do I refuse
to answer your questions,
but I am also prepared to
sue unless you remove this
career-harming
cloud of suspicion!
Fine. You have the
right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and
will be used against you...
Wait, what?! You're
not going to arrest me!
We aren't? I thought we were!
Your mom was shot to death,
and you don't have an alibi!
No one benefits more from
her death more than you do,
and you're not
answering questions!
But... but what if you're wrong?
What if i'm completely innocent?
Then we'll apologize.
We always do that
when we're wrong.
We have no other suspects.
Come on. Of course
you have other suspects.
My mother was a vicious,
ruthless machine who destroyed
anything and
everything in her path!
So you didn't like
her very much?
Oh, I meant...
Yes, yes, yes.
I loved her.
I have so many great
memories of, uh...
Very personal moments.
We always had Christmas
together. [ Chuckles ]
Almost always.
Really often.
And forget that! Craig Curtis
is the one you should
be investigating.
He has an entire
chain of restaurants
that's up for grabs.
Tao: We heard Bonnie
was trying to reach
a financial agreement with him.
Bullshit! She was
going to decimate Craig.
Whereas, I am prepared
to reach an immediate,
mutually beneficial
agreement between tackles
and its wrongfully
terminated employees.
And Craig knew that.
This just got
interesting. Mm-hmm.
So you were colluding with
Craig behind your mother's back.
Yes.
No! Wait! Uh, let me step back.
Uh, I need to figure out
the proper way to respond
to that question.
Oh. He's not a
great lawyer, is he?
If you mean "not great"
by his intent to walk himself
on to death row,
then no, not so great.
Sanchez: Before
your mother's murder,
did you imply to Craig
that you'd go easier on him?
You keep trying to
make this about me!
Craig Curtis has an empire
my mother was going to destroy!
Utterly!
I believe her goal was to find
a reasonable
deal for her clients.
My mother would've kept
those women protesting
outside of tackles until
Craig went bankrupt.
Right, because nothing
destroys a business faster
than lining up beautiful
young women outside it.
I think we know enough
to warrant a deeper inquiry
into Craig Curtis's life.
Detective Paige? Amy?
The man seems to have a
thing for attractive young women.
Mm.
Well, we're do our
best, but we're over 30.
Well, no one would ever know.
Police work keeps you young.
Look at my wife.
Stan: Curtis knew that
I was his only way out.
Okay. And this settlement
that you want to make,
your clients signed off?
Well, there's one girl
who might be a hold-out.
But we can always drop
her from the deal. [ Laughs ]
Do you recognize this call log
and all the hieroglyphics
beside each number?
- Of course.
- All right, then.
If you are really so innocent,
you'll decipher
these codes for us.
Starting from the top,
working your way down.
We need to know everything.
[ Clears throat ]
Craig: Well, I guess you guys
are having trouble figuring out
which of the hundreds
of people Bonnie Pearl
pissed off was willing
to go the distance, huh?
You got to admire her,
though. Tough lady.
Sykes: She was, Mr. Curtis.
Though it's surprising
you seem to like her,
considering she was
threatening your livelihood.
And referred to you on multiple
occasions as a "sexist pig."
It was the game.
She would say
something, I would respond.
I mean, it was
all about publicity.
For both of us.
Look, every time Bonnie
trotted out those girls...
And they're still hot... I bet
every guy watching thought,
"if those are the
girls that tackles fires,
can you imagine the
girls that they keep?"
Wow.
I mean, I even made sure
she knew my schedule...
Craig Curtis.
Man, what a career he
was supposed to have.
Yeah. We don't
grill a guy who made
two super bowl
touchdowns every day.
Guys who thought it
was their job to hurt me.
But you weren't
concerned about the impact
that her protests might have
on your restaurant chain, tackles,
and your reputation?
Just the opposite.
Look, our newest location is
opening up in Hollywood tonight.
Ladies, consider
yourselves invited,
- [ chuckles ]
- And I am counting on
a big, noisy protest
to drum up publicity.
And as for when Bonnie and
those other rejects call me sexist,
I laugh... because
nobody appreciates women
more than I do.
And my customers.
- Hm.
- So the culture you promote...
The outfits and the
physical flirting...
Hey, if men wanted to be
served beer by little old ladies
covered head to toe in
burlap, I'd give 'em that.
They don't.
Everybody gets this,
including my investors...
Who, by the way, happen
to be some of america's
most influential citizens.
Rick fox partnered up with me.
He'll be signing books tonight.
We are not a porn team.
Chief. Commander.
I've been decoding the
call logs with mini-Pearl,
and something jumped out.
For the past month,
there have been dozens
of incoming calls
about tackles designated
by the cities
"burbank/dallas sa"
with no phone numbers listed.
- Burbank? Dallas?
- How does Stan Pearl
explain that?
Well, he's not sure,
but he thinks it's
a whistle-blower
who worked at tackles
in either Burbank or Dallas.
And the "sa" probably
means "settlement agreement."
But I can't find an
employee from both places.
Bill Landon... self-help
guide to millions... Whoa.
Did he just say bill Landon
was one of his investors?
He'll be there tonight, too!
Bill has a sizable
financial stake.
The Landon method has tons
of fans on "badge of justice."
You work on "badge of justice"?
Well, yeah, I, uh, consult
and I write for them a little.
You watch?
No, but my mother
loves that show.
Would she like to visit the set?
Flynn: Do you mind, Michael?
Some of us are trying
to solve a murder here.
Craig: Bonnie wouldn't
bother suing me
if she didn't know
that my restaurants
were super successful.
Sykes: You claim to
hire women as "models,"
but your w-2 forms
list them as "servers."
A clerical error.
[ Sighs ] Look, I cannot
imagine being questioned
by two more lovely
ladies, but can you tell me
why you are wasting
your time with me
when Bonnie's ex-husband
is such an obvious suspect?
We've been looking for him.
How do you know Jerry Pearl?
Because he spends
a lot of time at tackles.
As my guest,
always complaining
about how he despises...
Despised his ex-wife.
Okay, I'm not gonna lie.
Jerry's a pain in
the ass, but, hey,
it was a cheap way
to drive Bonnie crazy.
Oh, we're not done here.
- Yeah, we are.
- One second, sir.
You want the LAPD off your back?
Why don't you use
that phone and invite
your good friend, Jerry Pearl,
to the opening of your
Hollywood restaurant tonight?
'Cause he's already coming.
See? I'm way ahead of you guys.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
I've got to run.
Well, we know how we're
spending our evening.
You expect me to authorize
overtime so your team
can go to one of
these "breastaurants?"
Seriously? Even if we have to
stay there all the
way to last call.
Major crimes takes on
the tough assignments.
Is it just me, or
is Craig Curtis'
knowing exactly where
Bonnie's husband is going to be
seen a little convenient?
[ Insects chirping ]
Gus: Hey.
I, uh, didn't expect
to see you here.
I, uh...
You want to come up?
I don't know if my new
roommate's home, but...
I'm not... I'm not
going inside, okay?
I came to talk to you
in-person because
what Aiden did to you
was against the law.
Oh, man.
Listen.
It was my mistake.
If you really want
to go over this again,
then don't be mad at Aiden.
Be mad at me. Oh, I am.
What you did...
Hurt.
But what Aiden did was
illegal and actionable,
and you should sue.
You... you expect
me to stand in court
and tell the whole world
that this guy screwed me,
and then he screwed me?
It's not worth it.
Okay. Well, maybe
it isn't just about you.
I got to go.
Is there anything else
you want to discuss?
Well, were you in love with him?
♪♪
[ Gate buzzes ]
[ Door opens ]
♪♪
[ Gate slams, dog barks ]
♪♪
[ Chanting ]
Say it loud, say it clear!
Dignity's worth more than beer!
Say it loud, say it clear!
Dignity's worth more than beer!
Okay, everyone. Spread out.
Find me inside the
moment you have eyes
on Bonnie Pearl's ex-husband.
Women: We are
strong! We are bold!
Stan: Whenever a woman
has been wrongfully terminated,
Bonnie Pearl is there.
Whenever a woman is being
paid 80 cents on a man's dollar,
Bonnie Pearl is there!
And whenever really
hot women are treated like
they're not really hot,
Bonnie Pearl is there, too.
Brin, we're looking for Vanessa.
Sorry, can't help.
Vanessa didn't
bother showing up.
- Hey, Mike.
- Hm?
Get a load of this dirtbag.
He's barely old
enough to be here.
Wait. I think I recognize him.
Dr. Landon brought his family
to the "badge of justice" set.
That's his son, um, Seth.
Wait, wait, wait.
Dr. Landon came to the set
of a television show?
Half our actors have
attended his seminars.
My line producer messengered me
one of Landon's books
to get it autographed
women: [ Chanting ] We are bold!
Tackles can't say we're too old!
We are strong! We are bold!
Tackles can't say we're too old!
Rick: Craig sold this
to my business partners
as a sports bar.
I've never even been
in a tackles before.
This personal appearance
is brought to you by my reps.
Gonna be having a
little talk with them later.
Also with my date,
who I brought with me...
Who was just over there.
Where did she go?
Rick?
Rick fox?
Hey!
Hey, uh, would...
Would you mind signing
one of these for my wife?
I mean, she loves the Lakers.
Thanks. [ Laughs ] Yeah.
What's her name? Uh, Louie.
Uh, it's short for Louise.
Louie, okay.
Vicky: It's printed on
recycled paper and every dollar
goes to our foundation's
no-kill shelters.
Dr. Landon? I'm a
long-time follower.
Would you mind signing
this to Ronnie O'Hara?
[ Laughs ] I love
a dog-eared copy.
It means you're
doing the hard work.
Good for you, Ronnie.
So your last name's O'Hara?
Uh, o-apostrophe-capital-h.
All right.
How do you know
Craig Curtis, sir?
Well, uh, after he was
injured, put on the bench
for life, Craig came
to one of my seminars.
There you go, Ronnie. My
family may not totally agree
with how he applied
the Landon method,
but, uh, we are
proud of his work ethic
and his persistence.
Take care, Ronnie.
♪♪
Jerry Pearl?
Yeah?
What?
Who are you?
♪♪
Sharon: Well, I'm glad
we're not cutting into your
period of mourning, Mr. Pearl.
[ Door closes ]
Is that a reference
to Bonnie's death?
Because I am in pieces
over what happened to her.
And you're putting those
pieces back together
by attending the
opening of a restaurant
populated by half-naked women?
Is that it? [ Chuckles ]
Everybody mourns
in their own way.
Have a seat.
Mr. Pearl, are you
going to deny there were
serious issues between
you and your ex-wife?
Uh, the divorce.
Okay, look.
Did I make mistakes
as a husband? Sure.
Could I have been more
attentive? Absolutely.
Should I have slept with
so many of her friends?
Probably not.
Bottom line, I
treated her like crap.
I took her for granted.
And she left me.
And yet, you fought
for half her assets.
[ Laughing ] Hey, we may not
have had a fairy-tale romance,
but, you know, for 30
years, we were partners.
Craig Curtis said
that you told him
you despised your ex-wife.
What else was I gonna say?
The guy gave me
unlimited free booze
and introduced me to
all the lovely young girls
who work here.
Even the older,
over-the-hill ones, too.
And forget them. My ex-wife
and I were still very close.
Even... even Stan
doesn't know this,
but after our divorce,
my sex life with Bonnie
actually improved.
In fact, when I heard the news,
you know the very first thing
that came through my mind?
There goes my next 10
years of spousal support.
You know the second thing
that came through my mind?
The killer had to be
that crazy director guy.
Erik Walsh. Total loon.
It was maybe,
what, two weeks ago
and Bonnie and I
were... At her place.
And, despite a restraining
order, this guy shows up again!
For the fifth time!
The last report we
have of Mr. Walsh being
at your ex-wife's house was
more than six months ago.
That's because Bonnie
started feeling sorry for him.
I mean, the guy shows up,
he's ranting about his wife,
left him, you know.
I mean, I thought he had
a gun so I got rid of him.
But Bonnie, she
refused to call it in,
and here we are.
Yes, Mr. Pearl, here we are.
♪♪
Wait, are all the women
here assigned names
of different places?
Not just places,
tao. Football cities.
♪♪
Pardon me, um,
you must be Dallas?
Oh, that's right, honey.
I'm the Dallas in Hollywood.
And you are?
LAPD in tackles.
And I have a few
questions I want to ask you.
But before that, do
you have any idea
if there was a Dallas at
the Burbank restaurant?
Oh, sure. She's new, though.
The old Dallas in
Burbank is suing us.
I think her name was
Vanessa or something.
♪♪
[ Knock on door ] Excuse me.
Commander, I'm
sorry to interrupt,
but I thought you
should know this.
I think we found our
burbank/dallas sa.
And her name is Vanessa.
♪♪
♪♪
Hey!
Rusty, right?
[ Chuckles ]
So dressed up!
You're off to your
first communion?
[ Chuckles ] Yeah, it's, uh,
nice to see you
again, too, Aiden.
Is there someplace
private we could talk?
Right here works for me.
And, uh, if you wanted
to thank me for sending
Gus back to you...
Don't even act like
that's what you wanted.
Gus dumped you, not
the other way around.
Yeah.
Okay.
I lost out to you.
Is that what you wanted to hear?
We even now?
Because, believe me, there's
plenty more where Gus came from.
Satisfied?
Not quite.
What you're gonna read there
is a summary I put together
of Gus' severance package
along with a glowing reference
that you're going to sign.
I would have asked
you to write it yourself,
but I'd rather
not stay that long.
Gus wasn't up to the job.
Why would I give him severance
pay or a recommendation?
Because if you don't,
then I'm going to make sure
you're taken to court
for sexual harassment.
Ha!
Sexual harassment?
Look, I know you don't
want to believe this,
but Gus was more than willing.
Until he wasn't.
Which is when you fired him.
And you've said it, Aiden, there
is more where Gus came from.
Were there more before Gus, too?
Or was he the very
first employee that you
treated to promotions all
the way to your bedroom?
Because one well-publicized
court proceeding could
end up being just the
beginning of your troubles.
If I leave here today
without your signature
and a check covering
two months of Gus' pay,
you have no idea how
ugly this is going to get.
Or maybe you do.
Nolan: All right,
miss burbank/dallas.
Let's return her glasses.
[ Insects chirping ]
I just had an idea.
Assuming we're done
here at a reasonable hour,
how about grabbing a drink?
Let me guess. You
struck out with Denver,
Miami, and Houston,
so you decided
to take a swing
at highland park?
Or maybe everything
I was searching for
was right here on
my doorstep all along.
After everyone else
turned you down!
I love being
someone's 48th choice.
You knock on doors
until one opens.
[ Knocks on door ]
[ Door handle clicks ]
Safety check?
♪♪
[ Door hinges creak ]
♪♪
Vanessa?
Vanessa?
Are you here?
♪♪
Vanessa?
♪♪
Aw, man.
Oh, man.
Man.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Boggs: Oh, finally, a detective!
I phoned this in more
than 10 minutes ago!
People say there's no
crime in the palisades,
but, uh, I'd call this a
crime, wouldn't you?
[ Siren chirps ] Uh-huh.
It's a crime.
And we need to
tent off this car.
[ Car doors closing ]
Tao: I'm thinking the two
shots were fired from about here,
pretty close up.
Oh, well, thank you
for joining us, Julio.
Sanchez: I'm
sorry I'm late, sir.
I had to wake my neighbor
and ask her to look after Mark.
So, what'd I miss?
Well, earlier tonight, the
one-and-only Bonnie Pearl,
lawyer to the
downtrodden and abused,
was shot to death parked
in the middle of the road
behind the wheel
of her Mercedes.
So, what happened?
She stopped, rolled down the
passenger window, and adios?
Ha!
You know who people
in the palisades stop for?
Nobody. Who the hell are you?
Frank boggs. Akv security.
He was first on the scene.
Provenza: I tell
you what, frank.
Why don't you take
a little stroll outside
and see if you can find
anything we may have missed?
Of course, sir.
Ah, keep on eye on Barney
fife here, if you would,
in case he decides to walk
off with some souvenirs.
Ah, that's why we
couldn't find casings.
My guess? A copper-jacketed
.38 fired from a revolver.
Kendall?
Kendall: It's very
straightforward, guys.
Our victim faced the shooter
and one bullet struck her
above the nasal cavity,
passing out the back
of her skull and through
the driver's side window.
- She died instantly.
- Oh, my god.
- What? What?!
- These pearls... they're fake!
- What?
- Those pearls
were her signature.
And they're phony?
Might explain why
someone took the purse
and not the necklace.
This is what I'm talking about!
All right, frank. What is it?
Must have ricocheted
under a shrub.
Take a look.
It's a solid-lead, bullnose,
medium-caliber bullet, sir.
Two different bullets.
Two different guns.
Dr. Morales: This is the
bullet that killed your victim.
It's the only one that
tested positive for blood
and, unlike the Pearl
necklace, it's very real.
Commander, what are you
doing here in the first place?
I mean, I think we can
handle an autopsy prelim.
It's a very high-profile
murder of a prominent attorney.
And two kinds of bullets
suggest that there are
two killers lying in wait.
Yes, but Bonnie's
purse was stolen.
I mean, this murder
could be random.
Nothing random
happens in the palisades.
Bonnie Pearl was always
David taking on Goliath.
Could be some Goliath
hired a couple of shooters
to fight back.
Would Craig Curtis qualify?
Uh, who's Craig Curtis?
Who's Craig Curtis?
Former heisman trophy
winner, first round draft pick.
Oh. Well, it's not like he
was nominated for an Oscar.
Craig Curtis was injured
his fourth season in the pros.
He retired. He started a
chain of restaurants, didn't he?
Oh, yeah. Um, tackles!
Huge tvs, big
burgers, cute girls.
Tasteless... the way they
dress those waitresses there.
There's a reason they
call them "breastaurants."
Sykes: Right. Well, Bonnie
Pearl was representing several
former tackles
employees who are suing
for having been forced to
retire at the ripe old age of 30.
- Really?
- Well, that sounds reasonable.
Who wants to go the same
job their whole life long?
And I'm telling
you, if Bonnie Pearl
had her sights on Craig
Curtis, then he had a motive.
Sharon: Amy, check Bonnie
Pearl's Wikipedia page.
Didn't she go through a
tough divorce recently?
Ah, yes, from Jerry Pearl.
Wow. It says she pays him
$15,000 a month in alimony.
You don't kill someone
who's paying you
a ton of spousal support.
No, or I would've been
dead 30 years ago.
I'm not finding
Jerry Pearl in L.A.
What about her son?
Uh, Stan Pearl.
Says he's an
associate at her firm.
Well, I think it's time
that we did a good
once-over at Bonnie's office.
We should try to notify
Bonnie's son and her ex-husband
before they hear about
all this on the news.
[ Elevator bell dings ]
Tao: LAPD.
Why is the press here? Did
they show up on their own?
No, Bonnie's holding a news
conference when she arrives.
Regarding?
Wrongfully terminated
tackles employees.
May I help you with something?
What? Help us?
Uh, oh, yeah.
Uh, we'd like to see Ms.
Pearl's appointment calendar
and call logs for the past week.
Oh. I can't share that with you.
Coffee?
Excuse me,
detectives. Leslie kraus,
Bonnie's personal assistant.
We need her permission
to show you her schedule.
She'll be here shortly.
Oh, I doubt that, ma'am.
Can you tell us where
Ms. Pearl's son is, please?
Stan can't override me.
Bonnie's call logs are
privileged and confidential,
and I... actually, they're not.
And we have a warrant.
Fine, Lucy, go
ahead and print up
Bonnie's appointment calendar.
Where would we find
Stan Pearl, please?
We're not asking again.
In the office down the hall,
just past the supply closet.
- Uh, lieutenant?
- Hmm?
I should, uh, speak to
the wrongfully terminated
ladies just to eliminate
them as suspects.
Wes, these women
were her clients.
What motive could
they possibly have?
We're not leaving
here till I find out.
[ Sighs ] Okay, look.
For five years, I
lived undercover
surrounded by girls
with swastikas tattooed
on their bodies, okay?
Maybe I'm a little desperate,
but I have to start
meeting new people, sir.
Go. Go.
♪♪
Sorry to interrupt.
Detective Sanchez.
Detective Paige.
LAPD major crimes.
We need to talk to you
about your mother, sir.
It'll have to wait.
I'm helping her with a news
conference any second now.
You have more
time than you think.
Could you tell us where
your mother was last night?
Uh, at a late meeting with
our clients in the tackles case.
And when did you
last speak with her, sir?
Uh, she said hello to me
in the hallway yesterday.
And your father? Any idea
where we might find him?
Sleeping with whatever barfly
was sitting next
to him at last call?
We're not close.
What's this about?
I'm sorry, Mr. Pearl.
But just after midnight,
your mother was found
shot to death in her vehicle, a
short distance from her house.
You're mistaken.
This is a publicity stunt
of some kind, isn't it?
It's not a publicity stunt.
Mr. Pearl, do you still own
a condo on blazedale drive
about a mile south of
your mother's estate?
Uh, yes. Yes, wait.
Hold on. She's really dead?
Oh, god.
[ Sighs ] Oh, god!
This is gonna be
really big news!
Mr. Pearl, we prefer
that you not make
a public statement
about your mother's death.
We're only just getting
started investigating.
Well, this isn't
about you, is it?
No. It's about your mother
and finding her killer.
Right. You do your job.
I'll do mine.
Leslie?! Oh, Leslie?
I need you to pull my mom's
estate documents asap.
And follow the trail of empty
liquor bottles to my dad.
Oh. And tell him if he even
thinks about trying to sue
for my mom's
assets, I will crush him
like a bug.
Crush him!
Her assets? What?
[ Claps ] We're
getting started early.
Here. Come together.
All right, come
together. Tighter.
Okay. I begin today
with terrible news.
Last night, while traveling
home from a work session
with these women,
who were wrongfully
terminated by
tackles restaurants,
my mother, Bonnie Pearl,
was assassinated in her car.
Please, please.
[ Weeping ] Oh, I'm sorry.
Excuse us. I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
My mother's, uh, personal
journey may be over,
but her mission continues,
and her spirit presses us on.
Buzz, turn that down.
I guess the cat's
out of the bag.
Out of the bag? It was just
run over by an 18-Wheeler.
Stan Pearl seems to be
something of a chip off the old block.
More like a splinter.
Mason: Well, he's certainly
turned this investigation
into an all-out major crime.
Buzz, the volume?
And we will use every
last legal resource
at our disposal to make
sure that justice is served!
And we will do that, too.
Thank you.
[ Knocking at door ]
[ Sighs ]
Hey. Hey.
I have it. No, I'll carry it.
No, I got it. Don't just grab
it from me and shut the door.
Gus, I said I have it. At least
let me say a decent goodbye.
This may be the last
time we see each other.
You really want
it to go this way?
[ Door closes ]
Don't apologize again
for sleeping with Aiden.
I don't want to hear
how sorry you are, okay?
Okay.
What's that on your wall?
Oh. Uh, those are
people who died recently,
and they're connected
to Phillip stroh.
It doesn't concern you.
How can you say that?
Of course I'm concerned.
Phillip stroh?
Are you safe? Gus, I... I have
an undercover detail that
goes with me everywhere.
They're outside right
now, monitoring the garage
and the elevators
and the stairs.
And they clear the condo
every time I come inside.
I am 100% safe.
A gun? Seriously?
I... sorry. I didn't...
Think you that you would
be coming back to my room.
And this isn't...
Wait.
This isn't mine.
This is a gift
that I gave to you.
Unless, of course,
you don't want it.
I do.
I... I just thought...
I'll read it.
Look...
I won't say I'm sorry again.
But I will say that it's not
just you and me I screwed up.
My whole life is
just kind of ruined.
How come?
You know what
I'm doing right now?
I'm waiting tables at a diner.
Why are you doing that?
When... when I messed
up and I did what I did
with Aiden, and then
I stopped because...
Because I was
still in love with you,
he fired me and said I
couldn't use him as a reference.
Oh. How many times?
What?
Did you "mess up" with Aiden?
How many times?
You never did tell me.
Was it three?
Six?
You can't remember?
What do you need a gun for
when you always
go for the jugular?
You have a good life, rusty.
I hope one day,
we can be friends.
Maybe.
[ Door opens ]
[ Door closes ]
♪♪
Alex: We weren't trying to go
back to the way things were.
We just wanted to
reach a settlement.
And to stop tackles...
Or Craig, really,
because Craig is tackles...
from doing this to other women.
Sharon: Just to understand...
The contracts at all
tackles restaurants specify
you are models, not servers?
Calling us models gives Craig
a big say over our appearance.
Like how much we can
weigh and how old we can be.
Our contracts expire
on the day we turn 30.
'Cause everyone knows men
can't look at a 30-year-old woman
without vomiting.
Wow. Now, that is
really, really rude.
Mm-hmm. And what does
this cordiality waiver mean?
Basically, whenever
a guy slaps our ass,
we had to be a good
"teammate" and laugh it off.
- [ Scoffs ]
- Craig told me,
"men come to tackles
for beer, burgers and boobs."
I think he was limiting
my contributions.
- Hmm. I don't know.
- Chief!
What? No, I just mean
this cordiality clause
sound ridiculous.
Back me up, guys.
Back me up.
You're backing up
just fine on your own.
Brin: They put out a
calendar every year,
and then they pressure
us into posing for it.
Here.
I'm September 2017.
[ Giggles ] It's just
a little past August.
You can see how
they make us look.
Oh, [ Chuckles ] Past August.
Alex: Last night, Bonnie said
she was negotiating with Craig,
but didn't want to
take his first offer.
Look, I know he's a scumbag,
but at least this guy Curtis
told the women what
they were signing up for.
It doesn't matter how well
tackles explained things.
Yeah, you can't legally
agree to be molested.
It voids the contract.
That's exactly
what I was saying.
Alex: Until we can
figure out what's next.
You guys, we've
all been forced into
a major, major career change.
Man, this calendar is...
Very offensive, commander.
Um... so last night,
you're in this diner together
when Bonnie leaves.
We all stayed behind.
Well, except Vanessa.
Vanessa has a different
idea on how she thinks
the settlement should work.
Because there is not
enough money in the world
to compensate me.
Trying to put a dollar
amount on what happened,
it's infuriating.
We can't get her to reasonable.
And that's a problem
because Craig won't settle
unless we all a... Would
you quit making this
all my fault?!
♪♪
I don't know what's
gotten into her.
But the rest of us, we just
want to cash out and move on.
But now that Bonnie's dead,
I guess that really
depends on Stan.
It's a shame this
guy Craig Curtis
was at work last night
surrounded by customers.
Otherwise, he'd
be perfect for this.
Here they are, lieutenant.
Gosh, there's about 40 of them.
We found so many
press conferences
where Bonnie Pearl
attacked powerful people,
that we've only pulled video
on cases where she took out
restraining orders
against the defendants.
Like rock star Troy Matthews,
who was accused of groping
his kid's nanny.
Oh. That makes me mad.
All right, Julio. Then
why don't you find out
where Troy was last night?
Yeah, and who he was
with. There were two shooters.
Buzz: Then we have real
estate developer Kyle Bixby,
accused of defrauding his
fiancée, a Tibetan Princess,
before jilting her at the altar.
Paige: Can we turn
up her talking about this
Kyle Bixby for a moment?
I demand respect
for all of my clients,
regardless of
income, social status,
or country of origin.
Mr. Bixby is worse than a fraud.
He is an emotional rapist.
Oh. I'll take Kyle and company,
though he sounds like a guy
who would hire somebody.
Tao: She may have had
the charm of a car alarm,
but she was pretty
hard to ignore.
Well, no one can deny she
turned press conferences
into an art form.
Speaking of artists,
our primary suspect
from this list was film
director Erik Walsh.
Anyone remember this
video that went viral of him
losing it on the set
of his last movie?
You're not gonna
take your top off?!
You've known this
scene has been coming
for the whole movie!
Where the [bleep]
are you going, Craig?
- Remember it?
- That's right, get off my set!
How can we forget it?
They show this video
every year at our sexual
harassment seminar.
You're getting paid sick
money to show those tits!
All you do is just remove it.
You did it when
you were a little kid.
We all have 'em, look! Boobies!
Big [bleep] deal!
Look, nothing... nobody cares
if you take your
[Bleep] clothes off!
I'm gonna give
you a little advice.
You should show your tits
now because in a couple years,
no one's gonna want to see 'em
and you're only gonna get hired
for your "talent."
Get off my set! Get
off my [bleep] set.
Steve, if you cut, I swear to...
Didn't Erik Walsh have
to pay out something like
$2 million to this young lady?
Yes, and afterwards, he
was picked up multiple times
on or about Bonnie
Pearl's estate.
Was it six months ago, buzz?
[ Siren chirps ]
And then, we have these.
[ Alarm sounds ]
Flynn: This Erik Walsh dirtbag
obviously wanted to strike back
at Bonnie Pearl
for quite some time.
But she was driving
home alone at night.
She had to know how
much Walsh hated her.
Why would she
stop her car for him?
That's an excellent question.
Excellent!
Look. As an uber driver,
I was well within my rights
to throw that guy
out of my prius.
He took his shoes off!
And he was smoking pot!
We don't care about that.
- What?
- Look, we brought you here
because Bonnie Pearl was
found shot to death late last night.
Shot to death?
Mmm.
Wow.
Oh!
You think I was involved
because the bitch cost me
everything I own and
has me in directing jail
for the past five years
and counting, huh?
Tao: Andy, fyi...
"directing jail" means
no one would hire
Walsh to direct.
You honestly think
weren't smart enough to
figure that out?!
No, I'm pretty
sure it's obvious.
[ Laughs ] What are you, the
bad cop or something, huh?
Why don't you take
it easy there, pal.
Where were you last night?
I was in my studio apartment.
That's where I
live... In koreatown.
Was anybody with you?
No! If you asked a month
ago, I would've told you my wife.
But since she left me for
an actor... a freaking actor!
And filed for divorce
last Friday, no, I was alone.
His wife leaving him might
answer the timing of it all.
But why would Bonnie stop
for Mr. Walsh and a friend?
Provenza: Well,
according to LAPD records,
you spray-painted Bonnie Pearl's
front gate with curse
words, dug through her trash
for compromising information...
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I keyed her car.
I, uh, slashed her
tires. I drained her pool.
Well actually,
that's not listed here.
Well, you know what?
Whatever! Okay?
I was nothing compared
to what that hag did to me!
And for what?
I was only asking some
ludicrously overpaid
actress to follow the script!
And yes, I undressed
in front of her...
And 90 members of the crew.
But the nakedness was to
show my vulnerability, okay?
Stuff like that
happens every minute
of every day in Hollywood.
Flynn: So you didn't
do anything wrong?
I didn't say that, asshole.
I was simply saying that
there's more of a gray area
to this situation
than people outside
the business would think.
Oh, you know what was funny?
As I'm digging through
Bonnie Pearl's garbage,
guess what I found?
Recyclables! Okay? So, yeah.
While she's paintin' me to
be some neanderthal monster,
Bonnie is refusing to recycle.
Hypocrite!
Well, he seems mad
enough to kill someone.
But two people fired on Pearl.
And who would
work with this guy?
The shooter might not
have had an accomplice.
The bullets were different, yes.
But the rifling was,
in all practical ways,
identical on both.
Hold on. Francine, are
you saying two different
kinds of ammunition were
loaded into the same gun?
Sure looks that
way. It's crazy, huh?
And the weapon wouldn't
jam? It would just keep firing?
The reports would
be strikingly different.
But it would fire, yes.
So our victim was murdered
by a single shooter?
I don't know how
many people were there,
but they only used one gun.
Hey.
What is all that stuff
stacked beside your bed?
Uh, well, Gus insisted
on returning everything
that I left at his place.
So he came by. How'd that go?
Ah, we both have
other things to do.
I... I have to keep my focus
on getting into law school,
and Gus is struggling
to find a decent job.
Struggling?
Why's he struggling?
Well, because when they
stopped sleeping together,
Aiden fired him.
And wouldn't give
Gus a reference.
What? Yeah.
That's the kind of guy that
Gustavo Wallace chose over me.
I'm not sure Gustavo
thought about it that way,
but the way Aiden is
treating him is, in fact, illegal.
Illegal? Mm-hmm.
How?
You can't hold back
references or fire an employee
just because they
won't sleep with you.
So you're saying that's a crime?
Well, we don't
jail people for it,
but it's against the law, yes!
Gus could sue for damages.
Okay. Well, Gus says
the restaurant world
has its own set of rules,
like not ringing up drinks
and money under the table.
It's lots of looking
the other way.
It's irrelevant, your honor.
It may be an atypical workplace,
but it is still covered
by the justice system.
Flynn: His mother might have
thought he was smart enough
to practice law, but
mini-Pearl strikes me
as just dumb enough to load
a gun with different bullets.
And Bonnie probably
would've stopped for him.
And lowered her
passenger window.
At midnight.
Mini-Pearl... I mean,
Stan... Is Bonnie's sole heir.
I mean, except for
personal bequests,
he inherits his
mom's whole estate,
including her law practice.
And he lives just down the
road from where she was found.
What about our other
potential suspects?
Troy, our
nanny-groping rock star,
had a good alibi witness, ma'am.
Who? Sydney, Australia,
where he's appearing in concert.
And after Mr. Bixby
jilted his Tibetan Princess,
he was convicted of tax evasion.
So he's not really available.
It feels odd that Craig
Curtis isn't down here.
I know he has an alibi,
but tackles was his whole...
Is it really out
of the question?
Bonnie Pearl was about to
attack this guy's business,
and his character, at one of
her famous news conferences.
And tackles has lots
of security people.
Craig wouldn't necessarily
have to pull the trigger himself.
It is possible to
follow up on Stan Pearl
and Craig Curtis
at the same time.
Mike? Any progress in
decrypting the call logs
from Bonnie's office yet?
Unfortunately, no.
They're kept in a
code that I can't break.
Well, maybe we can find someone
who can decipher this for us.
Stan: What is wrong
with you people?!
Excuse me? Our financial advisor
just informed me
that despite being
my mother's primary beneficiary,
probate cannot proceed
while I'm under
investigation for her murder?!
You're surprised to
find you're a suspect?
Yes!
And not only do I refuse
to answer your questions,
but I am also prepared to
sue unless you remove this
career-harming
cloud of suspicion!
Fine. You have the
right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and
will be used against you...
Wait, what?! You're
not going to arrest me!
We aren't? I thought we were!
Your mom was shot to death,
and you don't have an alibi!
No one benefits more from
her death more than you do,
and you're not
answering questions!
But... but what if you're wrong?
What if i'm completely innocent?
Then we'll apologize.
We always do that
when we're wrong.
We have no other suspects.
Come on. Of course
you have other suspects.
My mother was a vicious,
ruthless machine who destroyed
anything and
everything in her path!
So you didn't like
her very much?
Oh, I meant...
Yes, yes, yes.
I loved her.
I have so many great
memories of, uh...
Very personal moments.
We always had Christmas
together. [ Chuckles ]
Almost always.
Really often.
And forget that! Craig Curtis
is the one you should
be investigating.
He has an entire
chain of restaurants
that's up for grabs.
Tao: We heard Bonnie
was trying to reach
a financial agreement with him.
Bullshit! She was
going to decimate Craig.
Whereas, I am prepared
to reach an immediate,
mutually beneficial
agreement between tackles
and its wrongfully
terminated employees.
And Craig knew that.
This just got
interesting. Mm-hmm.
So you were colluding with
Craig behind your mother's back.
Yes.
No! Wait! Uh, let me step back.
Uh, I need to figure out
the proper way to respond
to that question.
Oh. He's not a
great lawyer, is he?
If you mean "not great"
by his intent to walk himself
on to death row,
then no, not so great.
Sanchez: Before
your mother's murder,
did you imply to Craig
that you'd go easier on him?
You keep trying to
make this about me!
Craig Curtis has an empire
my mother was going to destroy!
Utterly!
I believe her goal was to find
a reasonable
deal for her clients.
My mother would've kept
those women protesting
outside of tackles until
Craig went bankrupt.
Right, because nothing
destroys a business faster
than lining up beautiful
young women outside it.
I think we know enough
to warrant a deeper inquiry
into Craig Curtis's life.
Detective Paige? Amy?
The man seems to have a
thing for attractive young women.
Mm.
Well, we're do our
best, but we're over 30.
Well, no one would ever know.
Police work keeps you young.
Look at my wife.
Stan: Curtis knew that
I was his only way out.
Okay. And this settlement
that you want to make,
your clients signed off?
Well, there's one girl
who might be a hold-out.
But we can always drop
her from the deal. [ Laughs ]
Do you recognize this call log
and all the hieroglyphics
beside each number?
- Of course.
- All right, then.
If you are really so innocent,
you'll decipher
these codes for us.
Starting from the top,
working your way down.
We need to know everything.
[ Clears throat ]
Craig: Well, I guess you guys
are having trouble figuring out
which of the hundreds
of people Bonnie Pearl
pissed off was willing
to go the distance, huh?
You got to admire her,
though. Tough lady.
Sykes: She was, Mr. Curtis.
Though it's surprising
you seem to like her,
considering she was
threatening your livelihood.
And referred to you on multiple
occasions as a "sexist pig."
It was the game.
She would say
something, I would respond.
I mean, it was
all about publicity.
For both of us.
Look, every time Bonnie
trotted out those girls...
And they're still hot... I bet
every guy watching thought,
"if those are the
girls that tackles fires,
can you imagine the
girls that they keep?"
Wow.
I mean, I even made sure
she knew my schedule...
Craig Curtis.
Man, what a career he
was supposed to have.
Yeah. We don't
grill a guy who made
two super bowl
touchdowns every day.
Guys who thought it
was their job to hurt me.
But you weren't
concerned about the impact
that her protests might have
on your restaurant chain, tackles,
and your reputation?
Just the opposite.
Look, our newest location is
opening up in Hollywood tonight.
Ladies, consider
yourselves invited,
- [ chuckles ]
- And I am counting on
a big, noisy protest
to drum up publicity.
And as for when Bonnie and
those other rejects call me sexist,
I laugh... because
nobody appreciates women
more than I do.
And my customers.
- Hm.
- So the culture you promote...
The outfits and the
physical flirting...
Hey, if men wanted to be
served beer by little old ladies
covered head to toe in
burlap, I'd give 'em that.
They don't.
Everybody gets this,
including my investors...
Who, by the way, happen
to be some of america's
most influential citizens.
Rick fox partnered up with me.
He'll be signing books tonight.
We are not a porn team.
Chief. Commander.
I've been decoding the
call logs with mini-Pearl,
and something jumped out.
For the past month,
there have been dozens
of incoming calls
about tackles designated
by the cities
"burbank/dallas sa"
with no phone numbers listed.
- Burbank? Dallas?
- How does Stan Pearl
explain that?
Well, he's not sure,
but he thinks it's
a whistle-blower
who worked at tackles
in either Burbank or Dallas.
And the "sa" probably
means "settlement agreement."
But I can't find an
employee from both places.
Bill Landon... self-help
guide to millions... Whoa.
Did he just say bill Landon
was one of his investors?
He'll be there tonight, too!
Bill has a sizable
financial stake.
The Landon method has tons
of fans on "badge of justice."
You work on "badge of justice"?
Well, yeah, I, uh, consult
and I write for them a little.
You watch?
No, but my mother
loves that show.
Would she like to visit the set?
Flynn: Do you mind, Michael?
Some of us are trying
to solve a murder here.
Craig: Bonnie wouldn't
bother suing me
if she didn't know
that my restaurants
were super successful.
Sykes: You claim to
hire women as "models,"
but your w-2 forms
list them as "servers."
A clerical error.
[ Sighs ] Look, I cannot
imagine being questioned
by two more lovely
ladies, but can you tell me
why you are wasting
your time with me
when Bonnie's ex-husband
is such an obvious suspect?
We've been looking for him.
How do you know Jerry Pearl?
Because he spends
a lot of time at tackles.
As my guest,
always complaining
about how he despises...
Despised his ex-wife.
Okay, I'm not gonna lie.
Jerry's a pain in
the ass, but, hey,
it was a cheap way
to drive Bonnie crazy.
Oh, we're not done here.
- Yeah, we are.
- One second, sir.
You want the LAPD off your back?
Why don't you use
that phone and invite
your good friend, Jerry Pearl,
to the opening of your
Hollywood restaurant tonight?
'Cause he's already coming.
See? I'm way ahead of you guys.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
I've got to run.
Well, we know how we're
spending our evening.
You expect me to authorize
overtime so your team
can go to one of
these "breastaurants?"
Seriously? Even if we have to
stay there all the
way to last call.
Major crimes takes on
the tough assignments.
Is it just me, or
is Craig Curtis'
knowing exactly where
Bonnie's husband is going to be
seen a little convenient?
[ Insects chirping ]
Gus: Hey.
I, uh, didn't expect
to see you here.
I, uh...
You want to come up?
I don't know if my new
roommate's home, but...
I'm not... I'm not
going inside, okay?
I came to talk to you
in-person because
what Aiden did to you
was against the law.
Oh, man.
Listen.
It was my mistake.
If you really want
to go over this again,
then don't be mad at Aiden.
Be mad at me. Oh, I am.
What you did...
Hurt.
But what Aiden did was
illegal and actionable,
and you should sue.
You... you expect
me to stand in court
and tell the whole world
that this guy screwed me,
and then he screwed me?
It's not worth it.
Okay. Well, maybe
it isn't just about you.
I got to go.
Is there anything else
you want to discuss?
Well, were you in love with him?
♪♪
[ Gate buzzes ]
[ Door opens ]
♪♪
[ Gate slams, dog barks ]
♪♪
[ Chanting ]
Say it loud, say it clear!
Dignity's worth more than beer!
Say it loud, say it clear!
Dignity's worth more than beer!
Okay, everyone. Spread out.
Find me inside the
moment you have eyes
on Bonnie Pearl's ex-husband.
Women: We are
strong! We are bold!
Stan: Whenever a woman
has been wrongfully terminated,
Bonnie Pearl is there.
Whenever a woman is being
paid 80 cents on a man's dollar,
Bonnie Pearl is there!
And whenever really
hot women are treated like
they're not really hot,
Bonnie Pearl is there, too.
Brin, we're looking for Vanessa.
Sorry, can't help.
Vanessa didn't
bother showing up.
- Hey, Mike.
- Hm?
Get a load of this dirtbag.
He's barely old
enough to be here.
Wait. I think I recognize him.
Dr. Landon brought his family
to the "badge of justice" set.
That's his son, um, Seth.
Wait, wait, wait.
Dr. Landon came to the set
of a television show?
Half our actors have
attended his seminars.
My line producer messengered me
one of Landon's books
to get it autographed
women: [ Chanting ] We are bold!
Tackles can't say we're too old!
We are strong! We are bold!
Tackles can't say we're too old!
Rick: Craig sold this
to my business partners
as a sports bar.
I've never even been
in a tackles before.
This personal appearance
is brought to you by my reps.
Gonna be having a
little talk with them later.
Also with my date,
who I brought with me...
Who was just over there.
Where did she go?
Rick?
Rick fox?
Hey!
Hey, uh, would...
Would you mind signing
one of these for my wife?
I mean, she loves the Lakers.
Thanks. [ Laughs ] Yeah.
What's her name? Uh, Louie.
Uh, it's short for Louise.
Louie, okay.
Vicky: It's printed on
recycled paper and every dollar
goes to our foundation's
no-kill shelters.
Dr. Landon? I'm a
long-time follower.
Would you mind signing
this to Ronnie O'Hara?
[ Laughs ] I love
a dog-eared copy.
It means you're
doing the hard work.
Good for you, Ronnie.
So your last name's O'Hara?
Uh, o-apostrophe-capital-h.
All right.
How do you know
Craig Curtis, sir?
Well, uh, after he was
injured, put on the bench
for life, Craig came
to one of my seminars.
There you go, Ronnie. My
family may not totally agree
with how he applied
the Landon method,
but, uh, we are
proud of his work ethic
and his persistence.
Take care, Ronnie.
♪♪
Jerry Pearl?
Yeah?
What?
Who are you?
♪♪
Sharon: Well, I'm glad
we're not cutting into your
period of mourning, Mr. Pearl.
[ Door closes ]
Is that a reference
to Bonnie's death?
Because I am in pieces
over what happened to her.
And you're putting those
pieces back together
by attending the
opening of a restaurant
populated by half-naked women?
Is that it? [ Chuckles ]
Everybody mourns
in their own way.
Have a seat.
Mr. Pearl, are you
going to deny there were
serious issues between
you and your ex-wife?
Uh, the divorce.
Okay, look.
Did I make mistakes
as a husband? Sure.
Could I have been more
attentive? Absolutely.
Should I have slept with
so many of her friends?
Probably not.
Bottom line, I
treated her like crap.
I took her for granted.
And she left me.
And yet, you fought
for half her assets.
[ Laughing ] Hey, we may not
have had a fairy-tale romance,
but, you know, for 30
years, we were partners.
Craig Curtis said
that you told him
you despised your ex-wife.
What else was I gonna say?
The guy gave me
unlimited free booze
and introduced me to
all the lovely young girls
who work here.
Even the older,
over-the-hill ones, too.
And forget them. My ex-wife
and I were still very close.
Even... even Stan
doesn't know this,
but after our divorce,
my sex life with Bonnie
actually improved.
In fact, when I heard the news,
you know the very first thing
that came through my mind?
There goes my next 10
years of spousal support.
You know the second thing
that came through my mind?
The killer had to be
that crazy director guy.
Erik Walsh. Total loon.
It was maybe,
what, two weeks ago
and Bonnie and I
were... At her place.
And, despite a restraining
order, this guy shows up again!
For the fifth time!
The last report we
have of Mr. Walsh being
at your ex-wife's house was
more than six months ago.
That's because Bonnie
started feeling sorry for him.
I mean, the guy shows up,
he's ranting about his wife,
left him, you know.
I mean, I thought he had
a gun so I got rid of him.
But Bonnie, she
refused to call it in,
and here we are.
Yes, Mr. Pearl, here we are.
♪♪
Wait, are all the women
here assigned names
of different places?
Not just places,
tao. Football cities.
♪♪
Pardon me, um,
you must be Dallas?
Oh, that's right, honey.
I'm the Dallas in Hollywood.
And you are?
LAPD in tackles.
And I have a few
questions I want to ask you.
But before that, do
you have any idea
if there was a Dallas at
the Burbank restaurant?
Oh, sure. She's new, though.
The old Dallas in
Burbank is suing us.
I think her name was
Vanessa or something.
♪♪
[ Knock on door ] Excuse me.
Commander, I'm
sorry to interrupt,
but I thought you
should know this.
I think we found our
burbank/dallas sa.
And her name is Vanessa.
♪♪
♪♪
Hey!
Rusty, right?
[ Chuckles ]
So dressed up!
You're off to your
first communion?
[ Chuckles ] Yeah, it's, uh,
nice to see you
again, too, Aiden.
Is there someplace
private we could talk?
Right here works for me.
And, uh, if you wanted
to thank me for sending
Gus back to you...
Don't even act like
that's what you wanted.
Gus dumped you, not
the other way around.
Yeah.
Okay.
I lost out to you.
Is that what you wanted to hear?
We even now?
Because, believe me, there's
plenty more where Gus came from.
Satisfied?
Not quite.
What you're gonna read there
is a summary I put together
of Gus' severance package
along with a glowing reference
that you're going to sign.
I would have asked
you to write it yourself,
but I'd rather
not stay that long.
Gus wasn't up to the job.
Why would I give him severance
pay or a recommendation?
Because if you don't,
then I'm going to make sure
you're taken to court
for sexual harassment.
Ha!
Sexual harassment?
Look, I know you don't
want to believe this,
but Gus was more than willing.
Until he wasn't.
Which is when you fired him.
And you've said it, Aiden, there
is more where Gus came from.
Were there more before Gus, too?
Or was he the very
first employee that you
treated to promotions all
the way to your bedroom?
Because one well-publicized
court proceeding could
end up being just the
beginning of your troubles.
If I leave here today
without your signature
and a check covering
two months of Gus' pay,
you have no idea how
ugly this is going to get.
Or maybe you do.
Nolan: All right,
miss burbank/dallas.
Let's return her glasses.
[ Insects chirping ]
I just had an idea.
Assuming we're done
here at a reasonable hour,
how about grabbing a drink?
Let me guess. You
struck out with Denver,
Miami, and Houston,
so you decided
to take a swing
at highland park?
Or maybe everything
I was searching for
was right here on
my doorstep all along.
After everyone else
turned you down!
I love being
someone's 48th choice.
You knock on doors
until one opens.
[ Knocks on door ]
[ Door handle clicks ]
Safety check?
♪♪
[ Door hinges creak ]
♪♪
Vanessa?
Vanessa?
Are you here?
♪♪
Vanessa?
♪♪
Aw, man.
Oh, man.
Man.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪