Numb3rs (2005–2010): Season 4, Episode 9 - Graphic - full transcript
In this episode, it is discovered that someone has stolen, recreated and sold several copies of an extremely rare comic book. Christopher Lloyd plays the original creator of the comic book, who no longer benefits from his past creations. Having thought that his comics wouldn't be worth much in the future, he either lost or sold his entire collection and regrets it now that he and his wife live on very little. His young friend and fellow comics artist, played by Ben Feldman, publicly humiliates the rich man who owned the original before it was stolen.
(Beck's "Mixed Bizness" playing)
♪ I'm mixing
business with leather ♪
♪ Christmas with Heather ♪
♪ Freaks flock together ♪
♪ Makin' all the B-boys scream ♪
(camera shutter clicks)
♪ All right ♪
♪ All right ♪
♪ Turn it up, now ♪
♪ Turn it up now ♪
♪ All right ♪
♪ All right... ♪
♪ Turn it up now ♪
(over PA): Now, at the
Sklar Graphics booth,
Miles Sklar will be unveiling
Ultraworld number one,
the world's rarest and
most valuable comic book.
♪ I'll comb your hair,
rewrite your diary ♪
I present...
the long lost, and only copy
of Ultraworld Number One.
(applause, cheering)
♪ She can look
right through me ♪
♪ And make all the
B-boys scream ♪
And that completes the greatest
comic book
collection in existence.
(applause, cheering)
MAN (shouting): Okay, everybody!
On the ground! Now!
(several gunshots)
Open it! Open it!
Do it! Okay, okay.
Let's go, let's go!
(over walkie-talkie):
What's going on over there?
(gunshots, screaming)
(people screaming)
how game theory can be
applied to casual relationships.
Between friends,
what's the strategic goal?
After all, there's no
commodity being sought, right?
Let's think about this.
Even the most
causal relationship
is built around a very
important commodity.
Thank you.
Information.
When a friend shares
information, they place a value
on our intention not
to use it against them.
And we, in turn,
are expected to share
our information with them.
We can call this
symmetrical information,
and it's the foundation
of partnerships
between countries,
corporations,
lovers and friends.
You are very popular.
You have 17 new text messages.
Okay, so for next week,
chapter 15 of Theory of
Games and Economic Behavior
by John von Neumann
and Oskar Morgenstern.
So... you're done.
Thank you all.
Uh, Professor Eppes?
Yeah, hi. Peter Lange.
Yeah, uh, biochemistry, right?
Uh, no, uh, Vanity Fair.
I'm writing a profile on you.
So, um...
have you always
taught game theory?
Uh, yeah, yes. It's
applied mathematics.
I don't always
have this many students.
That's due to the
popularity of the book.
Right. Oh, I'm also gonna
have to talk to friends
and your family members.
Really?
Well, because your book,
The Attraction Equation,
is on the best-sellers list,
you're seen as, you
know, a friends expert,
a kind of, uh...
relationship guru.
So I want to know about
your own relationships.
(sirens wailing)
DAVID: Private security
guard. Christopher Jenssen.
Off-duty cop?
High school football coach.
Wife says he moonlights
to make extra money.
Has four kids, one
starts college next year.
Robber shot Jenssen, then he
fired into the crowd and hit one.
This is all for a comic book?
Worth lots of money.
This Sklar has
one of the biggest
comic collections in the world.
Including the ashcan edition
of Ultraworld number one.
What's the what?
Ashcan edition of a comic,
it's when a publisher,
he only prints one copy,
never intended for sale.
Often times, it was
thrown in the ashcan.
This one in particular,
the one that was stolen,
was drawn in 1962 by Ross Moore.
He's a visionary.
He's a legendary artist.
How do you know all this?
(chuckles)
I started my first
collection when I was nine.
I still have a few thousand.
Aha.
A comic book geek in the FBI.
Sweet.
Oh, man.
Absolute pleasure
to meet you, man.
I'm a big fan of your work.
I have a first edition
of NanoPunk. Mint.
Oh, yeah? Well, I'm a
big fan of your work, too.
Bank robberies and stuff.
(chuckles)
Don, this Seth Marlowe.
He's an incredible artist,
and he's also an
expert in comic history.
Ah...
You know this guy Miles Sklar?
Oh, yeah, yeah.
He is, uh, everything
that's wrong
with the comic book industry.
How's that?
He started out as a
promising young artist,
but he said that there
wasn't enough money
in comic books, and so
he created a character
that he would sell to TV
and, uh, the toy companies,
and he made millions.
What would you
say this... What is it?
Ultraworld number one.
What's that worth?
Uh, maybe $2 million.
If it's actually authentic.
He never had it authenticated?
So, what, you're saying
it could be fake? Yeah.
If it's real, it belongs to the
guy who created it, Ross Moore.
He's a...
a legend in this business.
Ross Moore, that hack?
Yeah, he wrote
it... decades ago.
Look, he sold it,
he lost it, whatever.
I paid for it, so it's mine.
He can't come around now
asking for it because it's valuable.
How did you get it? I found it.
It was at an estate sale
in Syracuse, New York.
It was in a box with
300 other comics.
And you got it
for an investment?
Yes, I will sell it
when it's at its peak value,
which should be
right after Moore dies.
He's not doing very well,
so that shouldn't be very long.
Nice for you, I guess.
Comics are a business.
I'm rich because
I understand that.
And this was the first
time it was shown? Yes.
I normally keep it in
an undisclosed location
in a locked safe.
I only brought it
to the convention
because there were
these rumors that it's fake.
In retrospect, a bad idea.
MEGAN: Talk about
arrested development.
You can't deny
the cultural impact
that comics have
had on this country.
You got Lichtenstein, Warhol...
Hugh Jackman in
a Wolverine outfit...
That was hot.
Agent Sinclair!
There's a wild rumor
that Ultraworld just
sold on the black market
for 50,000 bucks.
What? Who bought it?
MAN: Who says they
bought it? That's impossible.
How would you
know? Because I know.
Hey, sir? FBI.
We need to speak
to you for a second.
Uh, I don't know anything.
He didn't ask you anything yet.
Three guys are fighting
over there... they all say
they bought
Ultraworld. No way! I...
You what? Let me see your hands.
Oh, God.
There's copies everywhere.
So much for our rare
one-of-kind comic.
So people bought a stolen
comic, even though a man died.
That's just
obsessive collecting.
Three hours after the robbery,
buyers got an e-mail
from someone claiming
to have acquired the actual
comic from the robbers.
Mm, hey there.
You with us? Yeah. What?
I mean...
How did the buys go down?
It was cash only, ranging
from five to 40,000 dollars.
The seller met with buyers
over a six hour period,
each at a different
public place.
General description
is a white guy, mid-20s.
MEGAN: Is there any
chance that the real one
was sold along with the
fakes? Tech said all the copies
are of similar quality,
all done in old paper.
But because Sklar never
had his authenticated,
there's no way of knowing
if it's the real
Ultraworld number one.
Well, someone thought
it was worth killing for.
MEGAN: You know, that shooter
reacted to minor
resistance with rage.
Maybe there's an
aggression disorder.
There'd probably
be a violent record.
Yeah, and check it out.
Those locations are
pretty evenly spaced, huh?
We know what that means.
Somebody tried to make them
look random, but they're not.
Yeah, why don't
you run it by Charlie?
All right.
You doing okay?
Yeah.
CHARLIE: So the fakes were sold
at 14 locations within
a five-mile radius.
Well, that's excellent,
because I can get you a
probable base for the seller.
All right, how about
the copies themselves?
Dude, I love forgery problems,
because I can
compare the copies,
see if they're drawn
by the same person.
I just wish I knew more
about comic books.
Well, you've come
to the right place.
Hey, you're the,
uh, FBI math guy.
Yeah, yeah, that's me.
I've been getting
a lot of press.
I'm Charles Eppes.
Seth Marlowe.
All right, Seth.
And I guess you're an expert
on comic collecting and history.
And I see that you're
an artist yourself.
Yeah, these are my people.
(chuckling): All right.
What do you want to know?
What makes a comic valuable?
Rarity, age and condition.
Which is why a lot of
collectors don't even read them.
They just buy them
and seal them up.
The book's condition.
This one's mint,
perfect. Never been read.
And now it never will be.
It's only good for showing off.
And, uh, what does this...
this yellow sticker mean?
That it's been
doctored. Cuts the value.
People paint faded copies,
spray them with cooking oil
to make them shiny,
use tape on smudges,
which takes off some
of the original ink.
How about forgery,
is that common?
If you're good enough
to fake a comic,
you're good enough
to be drawing your own.
CHARLIE: Highly
rare comic is valuable,
that'd be motivation
for forgery?
Rare ones are well-known
to the collectors.
All right, so all I'll need is
copies of Ross Moore's work
drawn around the same time that
he drew Ultraworld number one.
You know Ross Moore?
He's a friend. I'll talk to him.
MOORE: That's the
old stuff you want.
That's from 1962.
Two weeks after I
drew Ultraworld one.
It's exactly what we need.
Thank you so much.
How are you feeling today, Ross?
(groans) All right, as long as
I don't try to do
anything too fast.
I got emphysema,
kidney problems...
I beat the big "C"
a couple years ago.
Mr. Moore, it's a real honor.
I've always loved your books.
I own a lot of them.
Probably more than I do.
I sold most of my
collection, years ago.
Hey, you had no way of knowing
how crazy the market
was going to get.
Threw old books
out. Gave them away.
We left behind boxes of
stuff when we moved offices.
I didn't mean to
lose Ultraworld,
but somewhere back
then, it got misplaced.
I'd sure like to have it back.
Why that one?
Well... Iris...
supported me when
I was getting started,
stuck with me all this time.
With my health problems,
we're pretty broke.
But after I'm gone,
she could sell it, live
well the rest of her life.
And that'll happen.
If there's any
justice in this world.
Huh... justice?
Kid, you read too
many comic books.
Charlie's sending
over a hot zone map
so we can target
the seller's locations.
That's great.
You asked for these
files from Karen Silver
in the Art Crime Unit?
Um, yeah, it's just some stuff
on known forgers in the area.
Mm.
Hey, what do you
know about Karen?
Does she, uh...
she got a boyfriend?
What's her story?
She's married.
Oh, really?
Why? You looking
to meet someone?
You know, it's
just back in Idaho
it was pretty
easy to meet girls.
Knew just about everybody
who lived in the
town where I grew up.
I know some pretty
interesting women.
Hmm, I'm sure you
do. Smart, successful,
great sense of humor,
but you'll leave out
"big-boned, owns 17 cats."
I will bet you 20
bucks I can set you up
with someone and you'll like it.
20 bucks? All right, you're on.
ALAN: You know
what I really liked?
I loved those Fabulous
Furry Freak Brothers
or anything by R.
Crumb or Harvey Pekar.
Yeah? Me, no, I
wanted adventure.
The quest for cosmic answers.
Oh, you were into superheroes.
Well, Daredevil, Fantastic Four.
Of course, my
favorite was Galactus.
That's the guy who ate planets.
Yeah, well, he was
stellar Darwinism.
He was necessary to the
survival of the universe.
Huh?
Yeah, he was the third force
along with eternity and death.
Larry, he wanted
to eat the Earth.
But he didn't.
Hey, David, I found
a printing house
that deals in vintage paper.
They had a request
for '50s-era pulp paper.
That's what the
forgeries are printed on.
Yeah, and the guy used a
fake name and paid cash,
but I got a description,
and he was wearing
a Dr. Strange T-shirt.
"By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth!"
What?
Uh, Dr. Strange's catchphrase.
You know, when he'd use... Yeah.
Charlie's map shows
an area that's central
to all the forgery sales.
All right, we can
run down records
of all the male
residents in the area.
Might not need to.
I checked out the
businesses in the hot zone.
There's a comic
book store right there.
So I called to see
if there was any
unusual activity recently.
Like the way you're thinking.
Day after the robbery,
a guy walked in,
he bought $20,000-worth
of collectible comic books.
He was wearing a
Dr. Strange T-shirt.
Same as the guy who
bought the vintage-era paper.
Yep. He might be
trying to launder
the money from
the forgery sales.
This guy a regular customer?
The kind they might
know by name?
He's the kind that puts in
in an order for more books.
You're kidding me.
So they not only
know his name...
they have his home phone number.
(knocking)
I think I hear water running.
MAN: Gentlemen,
I'm in the shower!
(glass breaks)
He's going out the back.
Man, who's gonna
tackle this guy?
Whoever gets there last.
Hey, give me the
keys to your car now!
(blows landing)
(suspect groaning)
Ladies, ladies, FBI!
Please, let him go, okay?
Please, let him go.
Thank you.
You dropped your
cape, Super Boy.
So we know you
bought vintage paper.
Same paper you used to make
the forgeries of Underworld #1.
It's not a crime to buy paper.
You don't have anything else.
How about indecent exposure?
What?
Naked carjacking.
It's the worst kind.
Mark Vaughn, gentlemen,
classic con personality,
goes along with the
mail fraud and the scams.
Yeah? You think robbery?
Yes, but he's not our shooter.
He knows how to
control his emotions.
He's not our forger.
He's got no background in art.
I'm kinda thinking he
might be on a team,
maybe two other people.
Right, maybe one's an artist...
and the other's the killer.
Yeah, so we run
down his associates,
look for the
trigger-happy psycho?
Yeah, that sounds good.
Thanks, guys.
Anybody else think Don's
been a little off these days?
Kinda hard to say,
but maybe a little.
Especially since
he broke up with Liz.
Maybe one of us should go and...
you know, see if he
wants to talk about it.
You volunteering?
Hell, no.
(laughs)
I'd spent my entire
life with comic-book art,
especially Ross Moore's
and I can't tell if
this is real or not.
Well, that's 'cause what
you do is you look at the style,
the form of drawing techniques.
Silly me. What do you do?
Fractal number estimate.
It's based on Mandelbrot's
use of fractal dimension
to measure the
jaggedness of a coastline.
So what's going on in here?
Oh, hello.
Other than a very hot
woman looking very hot?
Charlie, I'm sorry, I've
been swept off my feet.
I'm going to have to
run off with this man
because he is so smooth.
Oh, you mock me.
Seriously, what are you doing?
I am using the
fractal-dimension analysis
to evaluate the
wrinkliness of these lines.
The wrinkliness?
An authentic piece of
handwriting or drawing
will have a smoother ink
edge than one that is forged.
So for instance, when
I sign my own name,
the pen moves quite rapidly.
The movements of my
hand are fast and fluid,
thus minimizing the contact
between paper and pen.
The faster the hand movement,
the smoother the
edge of the ink.
However, when someone
copies my signature,
it's an imitation
of my movement.
It's not as natural for
the forger, so it's slower.
The slower the pen,
the longer the
contact with the paper,
the more time for ink to
be absorbed into the paper
which creates an
irregular or wrinkly edge.
Fractal dimension allows
us to compare the wrinkliness
and detect the fake.
These fractal comparisons
are telling us the same thing.
That none of the
copies we analyze
were drawn by Ross Moore.
Yet there are similarities
across multiple points
of edge comparison.
Which means?
The same artist
drew all the forgeries.
And we can try to match
the forger's style
to a specific comic book
artist if you can get us samples
of artists that are capable
of copying Ross Moore.
He did inspire an entire
generation of artists,
but, uh, yeah,
I-I can help you round
up the usual suspects.
Great.
This guy you got, Mark
Vaughn, he's your basic grifter.
Any real bad guys he knows
he met courtesy of
the state of California.
In prison.
During a stint a
couple years ago,
he bought protection
from Gordon Garrity, 44.
A real sweetie.
Armed robbery, home invasion,
assault with intent,
voluntary manslaughter.
I ran a check for you.
He skipped two
parole appointments.
There's a warrant out.
Well, thanks very much.
Thanks for running the check.
Appreciate it.
This guy is not going
to be easy to find.
Doesn't sound like it.
But, um, what about her?
She your type?
Of course, form flourished
all through the '30s and '40s,
particularly during
World War II, you know,
when people felt so
frightened and futureless.
The comic book heroes embodied
the hope that good would triumph,
power was in the
hands of the right.
With great power comes
great responsibility.
That's right, and
the way of the hero
is the path of self-sacrifice.
CHARLIE: Hey, Seth,
you got anything for us?
Yes, sir.
These are all done by artists
who could draw like Ross
Moore if they wanted to.
Oh, it's surely
not Harry Hoodle.
Come on. I've
read all his books.
This is all based
on drawing style.
Look, man, I'm giving you stuff
from some of my
best friends here.
I see you bought my book.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
You want to sign it for me?
Might be worth
something someday.
Yeah. I'll tell you what.
I'll sign one of mine
if you sign one of yours for me.
How about a NanoPunk?
Cool.
LARRY: You know that
magazine writer called me?
Do you think I
should talk to him?
Oh. Both my publisher
and my publicist
think you should.
Yeah, but do you?
Larry, it was never
my intent to go down
in history as some
crackpot expert.
There's something to be said
for being an expert.
So, have you found
your mystery forger?
No, not yet.
There's still a lot
of artists to test.
I think you should
consider economics.
What was the result
of the robbery
and the forgeries?
Uh, somebody made
money on those forgeries
and at this point,
Sklar's copy has
been totally discredited.
So fake books, a real book.
Now, what does economic
theory say about the value
of false goods
commingled with genuine.
Genuine goods lose value, right?
Okay, so putting our
thinking caps on here,
who would want to devalue
Ultraworld and discredit Sklar?
I think I know whose art
I need to analyze next.
(crowd cheering over TV)
Hey.
Oh!
Hey, I know who the forger is.
Yeah.
It's Seth Marlowe.
Yeah? Can you prove that?
No, but I have a theory.
And it's far too
elegant not to be true.
It's elegant
because it all fits.
It's not just about theft,
it's about making people doubt
that Sklar's
Ultraworld was real.
Well, we know that
Seth hates Miles Sklar.
Right, and if Sklar's was fake,
then he can't claim the
real one when it shows up,
and it will.
You think the real one
is in Seth's possession?
He's gonna try and make
his ownership look legitimate?
He didn't steal it for himself.
He wants to give
it to Ross Moore.
Charlie's telling me his
theory on Seth Marlowe.
It's "elegant."
Yeah, I know all about it,
but he doesn't have
any proof. It's a hunch.
You have hunches.
You follow them.
Yeah, well, Charlie,
you know, look,
we don't exactly think
of you as our hunch guy.
Hey, you know, I had a hunch
about the Eppes Convergence
way before I had the math.
Einstein had a
hunch about relativity
decades before
it could be proven.
Hey, I don't want to get
in the middle of a
brother thing here,
but, um, do you want
my professional opinion?
Of course. Seth
doesn't fit the profile.
He has no criminal record.
He's a really well-known artist.
He's a historian, a collector.
He stands more to lose
than he stands to gain.
Those are both excellent
professional opinions
to consider, however
once considered...
they don't change my
hunch, but thank you.
Hunch.
Gordon Garrity,
our robber's prison
buddy... He's not turning up.
We're going through
his known associates
trying to put together
a geographical map
of his past crimes.
So, what's Charlie got?
Elegance, no proof.
Uh, excuse me.
I'm Peter Lange.
Yes. I'm writing the
piece on Charles Eppes.
I was unaware that Vanity
Fair has a mathematics section.
LANGE: We don't.
Culture, society,
media, celebrity...
Where Professor
Eppes now finds himself.
Around here,
he was famous before
he wrote the book.
I, uh...
I want to write about...
you and his other friends.
Okay, well, he's
well-liked on campus.
Wherever he
goes... Yeah, I know,
he's the most popular
professor on campus,
but he has few close friends.
A former teacher,
a former student.
Yeah, well,
I think he just chooses to live
by Benjamin
Franklin's old adage:
"Be civil to all,
social with many, known to few."
Few. Being... two?
Come on.
You know, I was a
total geek in high school.
I know what it's like.
You know, Charlie's
passionate about the world,
but he thinks about it in
terms of numbers and patterns.
How many people
can he share that with?
Other mathematicians?
Yeah, but few of us
started college at 13.
Charlie wasn't part
of a social peer group
until he was an adult.
So the fact that he's
as compassionate
and engaged as any of us...
I mean, I think that's his
greatest accomplishment.
Hey, Seth,
this is Charlie.
Charlie, yeah, we...
we know each other.
He's helping the
FBI find Ultraworld.
Trying to.
Yeah, you've been great.
So, um...
what brings you here?
I could use a couple more
samples of Ross' work.
I wanted to meet the man
everybody's talking about.
These kids today, they make
too much about us old guys.
We were just trying
to make a little money,
have some fun.
You created a new art form.
What, comic books?
What's all this?
This guy, always bringing stuff.
Seth, I don't know what Iris
and I would do without you.
You give us so
much of your time.
I know you've got more
important things to do.
No, not more
important than this.
You guys, we found
something on Garrity.
Let me guess... he's
a fan of comic books.
Yeah. How'd you know?
'Cause I was just telling Don
that some of Seth Marlowe's
fans live in state prisons.
And they write their favorite
comic book artists letters.
Yeah, we found the same link.
Garrity wrote a
letter a year ago...
Sent it from the High
Desert State Prison
to Seth Marlowe.
Right, well, I'm sure the guy
gets a thousand of these a year.
Yeah, but how many of
them are from inmates?
And how many are from guys
who have a direct
connection to Mark Vaughn?
SETH: What do I
think of Miles Sklar?
I think he got a
mega-dose of vitamin K.
K for Karma.
(laughing)
Parades around claiming he owns
Ultraworld #1...
But he never got
it authenticated.
I wonder if that's because
he knew that it was fake.
It's not a fake.
I'm an artist, not a forger.
Come on, if you
were a real artist
you would have given
the comic back to Moore.
But you were
waiting for him to die,
ya freakin' vulture.
An artist... like you,
the creator
of that lame NanoPunk?
Oh, yeah, and your
Mr. Bobble Head
is a superhero for the ages.
(laughter)
SKLAR: Hey, I was robbed.
I was robbed and a man died,
and it's all a big joke to you.
I don't think it's a joke.
In fact,
I have an idea about how
some good can come of this.
The final event of this
convention is the comic auction.
Let's add some items
to that list, shall we?
Everybody who
bought a fake Ultraworld
can put it up for sale.
Yeah, I know, they're forgeries,
but, hey, come
on, they're famous.
And the money that we raise
can be split between the buyers
that got ripped off,
and Ross Moore.
I'll buy one myself.
(applause)
What do I get out of
something like that?
(crowd grumbling)
Hey, I'm not a bad guy!
I'm a victim!
(chuckles)
Interesting proposal.
An auction.
It wasn't too
"we-are-the-worldish"?
No, not at all. It's great.
So what brings you back to
the land of the Uber Nerds?
I just came down to let you know
that my analysis is
close to identifying
the forger in this case.
How exactly does a
mathematical analysis
turn into a criminal conviction?
I mean, you're working
with probabilities, right?
It's not like hard
physical evidence.
Given the right circumstances,
it can lead to that.
Yeah, but, in that case,
even if he math does
implicate someone,
if there's no evidence,
if there's no...
no link to the crime,
you can't prove anything.
Yeah. I guess you're right.
Although,
if you're not privy
to the FBI's case files
and you're not part
of the actual crime,
you can't know that
there's no evidence.
Yeah. I guess I
wouldn't know that.
The ballistics report on the nine
millimeter used at the robbery.
Stolen from a retired
cop's apartment
in an assisted-living residence.
How does that help us?
Well, it wouldn't if it weren't
for this other piece
of information here.
Garrity's mom...
Look where she lives.
Rancho Vista Assisted
Living. Same address.
This guy stole a gun
while visiting his mother?
Maybe he was doing
more than just visiting.
Oh, yeah.
Violent ex-con who
wants to get back
into his old ways
of doing business.
Can't hang out with
his former associates.
Doesn't want a residence
with his name on the lease.
He can say he
lives with his mom.
Mrs. Garrity, ma'am, we need
you to come with us, okay?
What the hell?!
It's okay, we're FBI.
You can just
come with us over...
Gordy! Gordy!
A little help, please.
Gordy, it's the damn feds!
Ma'am, stop with the cane.
Ma'am, ma'am please, please.
Let's do it.
Guys, go that way.
(indistinct shouting)
Garrity, freeze!
(grunts)
Tell them I'm on the
other side of the building.
That's not going to happen.
Do it. No way.
I said do it!
(gunshot)
He shot himself.
Yeah, he's dead.
You okay? Yeah, yeah.
David, I found this at
the mother's apartment.
Oh, great, let's
get it to Charlie.
Right. Hey, how you doing?
I'm okay, man.
Thanks for asking.
You know, for a minute there,
I almost believed
a man could fly.
So, I analyzed the copy that
you guys found with Garrity.
What'd you come up with?
It's not authentic.
It's another forgery.
Okay, was it done by whoever
made the other forgeries?
Yeah, same artist.
Okay, well, assuming
it was a copy
stolen from Sklar, that
means Sklar owned a fake.
No, I just think that's what
Seth wants everyone to believe.
(footsteps approaching)
So, uh, are you doing
a slam job on my son?
No, but I am profiling the
man behind a self-help book
supposedly based on real science
that offers a simplistic
fix to difficult issues.
Well, let me say this right
off, it's not a supposed science.
Yeah, but we're talking
about people's emotional lives,
we're talking about making
money on their desire
for easy answers.
There's nothing simplistic
about Charlie's thinking,
I can tell you that.
And he didn't write the
book to make money.
Then why did he write it?
You mean now or
when he was nine?
Both.
Okay...
Charlie was an awkward kid.
But he trusted math.
I mean, he felt safe with math,
so I guess it was
natural to try to use math
to help him get
along with other kids.
Did it work?
Uh, no, not at all.
(chuckles) Well, then...
Why write the book now?
It's not like it's gonna add
to his professional standing,
and it could even diminish it.
You know, uh, to be honest,
I don't think he really
thought that one through.
Really? He just thought it was
an interesting application
of game theory,
and that everyday
people would read it.
So, he wanted to write
it for a wider audience.
Charlie thinks
math is beautiful.
And he wants everyone
to love it the way he does.
Hmm.
DAVID: You found something?
CHARLIE: Yeah.
You know, most forgers
want their forgeries
to fool everybody
forever. Right? Not Seth.
Yeah, 'cause at some point, he
wants the real copy to be acknowledged.
Right, he has to prove
that the fakes are fake,
so you know what he
did? He marked them.
You found this mark? Only
'cause I went looking for it.
See these lines
of varying length?
Yeah.
They are identifiable as a
simple representational code.
Each length represents a
different letter or number.
And look what it spells out.
(chuckles)
"Miles Sklar 2007."
Why would he put
Sklar's name on it?
Ah, 'cause Seth's got a
wicked sense of humor.
Charlie, this is really wild
stuff, but you understand
it really doesn't give us
evidence against Seth Marlowe.
That evidence'll
come at the auction.
Oh, you think that's how he
plans to launder the real copy...
Throw it in with the fakes.
A genuine good
commingled with false goods.
In auction theory, we talk
about equilibria or symmetry.
All the bidders have the
exact same information,
except Seth knows
something the other bidders
don't know, which is
that the original copy
of Ultraworld #1 will
be an item up for bid.
So, asymmetrical information
creates asymmetrical bidding.
Charlie, this guy,
he already knows that
we suspect him, right?
So, he's gonna have
to use a straw man
or a proxy to do
the bidding for him.
Right, and that straw
man will be bidding
off of Seth's information.
Now, this asymmetry will
almost certainly
create a situation
called jump bidding,
which is when
a person enters a far
larger bid than necessary
to be the current
winning bidder.
I don't understand. What's
the advantage of that?
It's like a bike race.
Typically, there's no advantage
to jumping ahead of the pack,
so racers tend to
stay clustered together
and switch off the leads.
But there is a strategy
of taking the lead early
to exhaust the competition.
Jump bidding is like
quickening the speed of the race.
It encourages the early
exit of some bidders,
and discourages the
late entry of others.
So, when someone makes
a big bid during the auction...
That Seth's straw man.
And you're going to be
able to tell the real one?
It's the one without
Seth's code drawn into it.
Okay.
(overlapping chatter)
Hiya, Seth.
Professor Eppes.
You come here to catch
the evil mastermind?
I'm here to bid on one
of the famous forgeries.
Who knows? The
real one could be here.
I think they're all
fakes, if you ask me.
What, exactly, are
you looking for, Charlie?
Just looking.
AUCTIONEER: Okay, let's get
started on this special auction
of 14 versions of the
famous Ultraworld #1,
proceeds to benefit the
sellers, and the renowned artist
Ross Moore.
Item one: Ultraworld #1.
Not authenticated.
Believed to be a forgery.
We'll start the bidding
at $500. Do I have $550?
$550! I have $550.
$600. $600. I have $600.
Do I hear $650?
I have $650.
$650 going once, twice and sold.
Moving to Item number two.
$650 going once, twice and...
This is item number five.
Moving to item number five.
Again, we'll start the
bidding at $500. I have $550.
I have $700. Do I
have $750? Sold.
Moving now to item
number nine. Sold.
Going once, twice and sold.
This is item 11, Ultraworld #1,
again unauthenticated,
possible forgery.
What do I hear? $700!
I have $700. Do I have $750?
$750. Do I have $800?
$2,000.
Here we go.
$2,050. I have $2,050.
$3,000.
I have $3,100 over here.
$4,000.
I have $4,000. $5,000.
$5,500.
$8,000.
$10,000. I have $10,000.
Do I hear $10,500?
$15,000. $20,000.
$20,000. Going once, twice,
three times, and sold!
(alarm chirps)
You figured it out.
Your math stuff worked.
Sklar had the real one, huh?
The authentic copy
of Ultraworld #1,
and then you stole it.
Ultraworld #1 belongs
to Ross Moore.
Not to me, and certainly
not to Miles Sklar.
A man was killed.
Unfortunately, nothing
can change that.
But giving the comic back
to Ross is going
to change a lot.
Your fan from prison
almost shot my brother.
Charlie, please.
Come on. Please, man.
I know you understand
what this is all about.
Why I did this. Let me give
the comic back to Ross.
It doesn't work like that, Seth.
Charlie.
Okay, Seth, get your hands
behind your back, please.
We're taking you in
for some questioning.
Vaughn and Garrity, both
fans, read my stuff in prison.
How did you sneak the
real copy into the auction?
I'm the Ross
Moore expert, right?
Everybody
let me examine
their Ultraworld #1.
I swapped the
real one for a fake
owned by a guy who
promised to sell it in the auction.
What were you going
to do with it, genius?
Give it to Ross.
And then,
in six months or so,
I'd pretend to have
found the hidden message
with Sklar's name
in the forgeries.
Well, if it isn't
the crime-fighting professor.
Come to help me
engineer my escape?
No.
Yeah, it was kind
of a long shot.
You heard that Miles Sklar
got the real copy of
Ultraworld #1 back?
Figured that would happen.
He gave it to Ross Moore.
What?
Why?
Partly the intense
public pressure.
I mean, the guy
was being vilified.
That never bothered him before.
And, of course, he made
a big publicity splash
over giving it to Moore,
just in time to
promote his new comic.
Okay, that's... that's
the Sklar I know.
Still...
he gave it back.
Hey, boys. Good job.
Thanks.
What are you guys
doing this weekend?
Anyone want to grab a bite
or something?
Yeah. Sure. Sounds good.
We haven't done anything
outside of work
for a while, right?
There's life outside of work?
News to me.
Colby Granger,
someone at my
desk for you to meet.
Her name's Simone Voray.
She's in my Krav Maga class.
She's French. She
has a little accent.
And a degree in literature.
She was a star
gymnast in college.
Now she's an acrobat.
You say she's a
professional acrobat?
Yeah. Cirque du Soleil.
Ready?
Guess it might just be me
and you this weekend, huh?
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, it's funny.
I remember reading all
those comics when I was a kid,
but I never saw
anyone drawing one.
Well, this one should be fun.
Reminds me a little of the
comics I wrote in the '60s.
I wrote under the name Paisley
McNasty.
Really?
I have a little trouble
picturing you as a hippie.
What?
Right.
You know, Charles,
you have a rather
distinguished chin there.
He's going
to be a superhero,
along with his brother.
Hold on. Wait a minute.
You think someone
actually might publish this?
An FBI agent who solves crimes
with the help of his
mathematician brother?
(laughing): It's great!
Aw, nobody would believe it.
Oh, that reminds
me. Charlie, look
what came in the mail
from that magazine.
That's the proof of the article?
I don't even know
why I'm looking at this.
This guy was
totally out to get me.
No, no, no, no.
It's not a hit piece.
Sure, he makes some
jokes at your expense,
but, actually,
they're quite funny.
"His brother Don,
a special agent
"in the Los Angeles
office of the FBI,
"believes Charles Eppes
has recently conquered
"the greatest
challenge of friendship.
'Charlie and I had our
issues growing up.'"
Yeah, to say the least.
"But if there's
anything stronger
"than the bond between brothers,
"it's the bond between brothers
who have become friends.
'Charlie's my friend.'"
ALAN: Donnie. CHARLIE: Aw...
I didn't even know the
writer wanted to talk with you.
I had to get my name in the
magazine somehow, right?
ALAN: Yeah, yeah. Right.
You can keep your
disposable media.
A magazine is old in a week.
A comic book...
well, that's forever.
DON: That's right.
Well, let's get back in
our Charlie's Angels pose.
This is more like Tango & Cash.
♪ I'm mixing
business with leather ♪
♪ Christmas with Heather ♪
♪ Freaks flock together ♪
♪ Makin' all the B-boys scream ♪
(camera shutter clicks)
♪ All right ♪
♪ All right ♪
♪ Turn it up, now ♪
♪ Turn it up now ♪
♪ All right ♪
♪ All right... ♪
♪ Turn it up now ♪
(over PA): Now, at the
Sklar Graphics booth,
Miles Sklar will be unveiling
Ultraworld number one,
the world's rarest and
most valuable comic book.
♪ I'll comb your hair,
rewrite your diary ♪
I present...
the long lost, and only copy
of Ultraworld Number One.
(applause, cheering)
♪ She can look
right through me ♪
♪ And make all the
B-boys scream ♪
And that completes the greatest
comic book
collection in existence.
(applause, cheering)
MAN (shouting): Okay, everybody!
On the ground! Now!
(several gunshots)
Open it! Open it!
Do it! Okay, okay.
Let's go, let's go!
(over walkie-talkie):
What's going on over there?
(gunshots, screaming)
(people screaming)
how game theory can be
applied to casual relationships.
Between friends,
what's the strategic goal?
After all, there's no
commodity being sought, right?
Let's think about this.
Even the most
causal relationship
is built around a very
important commodity.
Thank you.
Information.
When a friend shares
information, they place a value
on our intention not
to use it against them.
And we, in turn,
are expected to share
our information with them.
We can call this
symmetrical information,
and it's the foundation
of partnerships
between countries,
corporations,
lovers and friends.
You are very popular.
You have 17 new text messages.
Okay, so for next week,
chapter 15 of Theory of
Games and Economic Behavior
by John von Neumann
and Oskar Morgenstern.
So... you're done.
Thank you all.
Uh, Professor Eppes?
Yeah, hi. Peter Lange.
Yeah, uh, biochemistry, right?
Uh, no, uh, Vanity Fair.
I'm writing a profile on you.
So, um...
have you always
taught game theory?
Uh, yeah, yes. It's
applied mathematics.
I don't always
have this many students.
That's due to the
popularity of the book.
Right. Oh, I'm also gonna
have to talk to friends
and your family members.
Really?
Well, because your book,
The Attraction Equation,
is on the best-sellers list,
you're seen as, you
know, a friends expert,
a kind of, uh...
relationship guru.
So I want to know about
your own relationships.
(sirens wailing)
DAVID: Private security
guard. Christopher Jenssen.
Off-duty cop?
High school football coach.
Wife says he moonlights
to make extra money.
Has four kids, one
starts college next year.
Robber shot Jenssen, then he
fired into the crowd and hit one.
This is all for a comic book?
Worth lots of money.
This Sklar has
one of the biggest
comic collections in the world.
Including the ashcan edition
of Ultraworld number one.
What's the what?
Ashcan edition of a comic,
it's when a publisher,
he only prints one copy,
never intended for sale.
Often times, it was
thrown in the ashcan.
This one in particular,
the one that was stolen,
was drawn in 1962 by Ross Moore.
He's a visionary.
He's a legendary artist.
How do you know all this?
(chuckles)
I started my first
collection when I was nine.
I still have a few thousand.
Aha.
A comic book geek in the FBI.
Sweet.
Oh, man.
Absolute pleasure
to meet you, man.
I'm a big fan of your work.
I have a first edition
of NanoPunk. Mint.
Oh, yeah? Well, I'm a
big fan of your work, too.
Bank robberies and stuff.
(chuckles)
Don, this Seth Marlowe.
He's an incredible artist,
and he's also an
expert in comic history.
Ah...
You know this guy Miles Sklar?
Oh, yeah, yeah.
He is, uh, everything
that's wrong
with the comic book industry.
How's that?
He started out as a
promising young artist,
but he said that there
wasn't enough money
in comic books, and so
he created a character
that he would sell to TV
and, uh, the toy companies,
and he made millions.
What would you
say this... What is it?
Ultraworld number one.
What's that worth?
Uh, maybe $2 million.
If it's actually authentic.
He never had it authenticated?
So, what, you're saying
it could be fake? Yeah.
If it's real, it belongs to the
guy who created it, Ross Moore.
He's a...
a legend in this business.
Ross Moore, that hack?
Yeah, he wrote
it... decades ago.
Look, he sold it,
he lost it, whatever.
I paid for it, so it's mine.
He can't come around now
asking for it because it's valuable.
How did you get it? I found it.
It was at an estate sale
in Syracuse, New York.
It was in a box with
300 other comics.
And you got it
for an investment?
Yes, I will sell it
when it's at its peak value,
which should be
right after Moore dies.
He's not doing very well,
so that shouldn't be very long.
Nice for you, I guess.
Comics are a business.
I'm rich because
I understand that.
And this was the first
time it was shown? Yes.
I normally keep it in
an undisclosed location
in a locked safe.
I only brought it
to the convention
because there were
these rumors that it's fake.
In retrospect, a bad idea.
MEGAN: Talk about
arrested development.
You can't deny
the cultural impact
that comics have
had on this country.
You got Lichtenstein, Warhol...
Hugh Jackman in
a Wolverine outfit...
That was hot.
Agent Sinclair!
There's a wild rumor
that Ultraworld just
sold on the black market
for 50,000 bucks.
What? Who bought it?
MAN: Who says they
bought it? That's impossible.
How would you
know? Because I know.
Hey, sir? FBI.
We need to speak
to you for a second.
Uh, I don't know anything.
He didn't ask you anything yet.
Three guys are fighting
over there... they all say
they bought
Ultraworld. No way! I...
You what? Let me see your hands.
Oh, God.
There's copies everywhere.
So much for our rare
one-of-kind comic.
So people bought a stolen
comic, even though a man died.
That's just
obsessive collecting.
Three hours after the robbery,
buyers got an e-mail
from someone claiming
to have acquired the actual
comic from the robbers.
Mm, hey there.
You with us? Yeah. What?
I mean...
How did the buys go down?
It was cash only, ranging
from five to 40,000 dollars.
The seller met with buyers
over a six hour period,
each at a different
public place.
General description
is a white guy, mid-20s.
MEGAN: Is there any
chance that the real one
was sold along with the
fakes? Tech said all the copies
are of similar quality,
all done in old paper.
But because Sklar never
had his authenticated,
there's no way of knowing
if it's the real
Ultraworld number one.
Well, someone thought
it was worth killing for.
MEGAN: You know, that shooter
reacted to minor
resistance with rage.
Maybe there's an
aggression disorder.
There'd probably
be a violent record.
Yeah, and check it out.
Those locations are
pretty evenly spaced, huh?
We know what that means.
Somebody tried to make them
look random, but they're not.
Yeah, why don't
you run it by Charlie?
All right.
You doing okay?
Yeah.
CHARLIE: So the fakes were sold
at 14 locations within
a five-mile radius.
Well, that's excellent,
because I can get you a
probable base for the seller.
All right, how about
the copies themselves?
Dude, I love forgery problems,
because I can
compare the copies,
see if they're drawn
by the same person.
I just wish I knew more
about comic books.
Well, you've come
to the right place.
Hey, you're the,
uh, FBI math guy.
Yeah, yeah, that's me.
I've been getting
a lot of press.
I'm Charles Eppes.
Seth Marlowe.
All right, Seth.
And I guess you're an expert
on comic collecting and history.
And I see that you're
an artist yourself.
Yeah, these are my people.
(chuckling): All right.
What do you want to know?
What makes a comic valuable?
Rarity, age and condition.
Which is why a lot of
collectors don't even read them.
They just buy them
and seal them up.
The book's condition.
This one's mint,
perfect. Never been read.
And now it never will be.
It's only good for showing off.
And, uh, what does this...
this yellow sticker mean?
That it's been
doctored. Cuts the value.
People paint faded copies,
spray them with cooking oil
to make them shiny,
use tape on smudges,
which takes off some
of the original ink.
How about forgery,
is that common?
If you're good enough
to fake a comic,
you're good enough
to be drawing your own.
CHARLIE: Highly
rare comic is valuable,
that'd be motivation
for forgery?
Rare ones are well-known
to the collectors.
All right, so all I'll need is
copies of Ross Moore's work
drawn around the same time that
he drew Ultraworld number one.
You know Ross Moore?
He's a friend. I'll talk to him.
MOORE: That's the
old stuff you want.
That's from 1962.
Two weeks after I
drew Ultraworld one.
It's exactly what we need.
Thank you so much.
How are you feeling today, Ross?
(groans) All right, as long as
I don't try to do
anything too fast.
I got emphysema,
kidney problems...
I beat the big "C"
a couple years ago.
Mr. Moore, it's a real honor.
I've always loved your books.
I own a lot of them.
Probably more than I do.
I sold most of my
collection, years ago.
Hey, you had no way of knowing
how crazy the market
was going to get.
Threw old books
out. Gave them away.
We left behind boxes of
stuff when we moved offices.
I didn't mean to
lose Ultraworld,
but somewhere back
then, it got misplaced.
I'd sure like to have it back.
Why that one?
Well... Iris...
supported me when
I was getting started,
stuck with me all this time.
With my health problems,
we're pretty broke.
But after I'm gone,
she could sell it, live
well the rest of her life.
And that'll happen.
If there's any
justice in this world.
Huh... justice?
Kid, you read too
many comic books.
Charlie's sending
over a hot zone map
so we can target
the seller's locations.
That's great.
You asked for these
files from Karen Silver
in the Art Crime Unit?
Um, yeah, it's just some stuff
on known forgers in the area.
Mm.
Hey, what do you
know about Karen?
Does she, uh...
she got a boyfriend?
What's her story?
She's married.
Oh, really?
Why? You looking
to meet someone?
You know, it's
just back in Idaho
it was pretty
easy to meet girls.
Knew just about everybody
who lived in the
town where I grew up.
I know some pretty
interesting women.
Hmm, I'm sure you
do. Smart, successful,
great sense of humor,
but you'll leave out
"big-boned, owns 17 cats."
I will bet you 20
bucks I can set you up
with someone and you'll like it.
20 bucks? All right, you're on.
ALAN: You know
what I really liked?
I loved those Fabulous
Furry Freak Brothers
or anything by R.
Crumb or Harvey Pekar.
Yeah? Me, no, I
wanted adventure.
The quest for cosmic answers.
Oh, you were into superheroes.
Well, Daredevil, Fantastic Four.
Of course, my
favorite was Galactus.
That's the guy who ate planets.
Yeah, well, he was
stellar Darwinism.
He was necessary to the
survival of the universe.
Huh?
Yeah, he was the third force
along with eternity and death.
Larry, he wanted
to eat the Earth.
But he didn't.
Hey, David, I found
a printing house
that deals in vintage paper.
They had a request
for '50s-era pulp paper.
That's what the
forgeries are printed on.
Yeah, and the guy used a
fake name and paid cash,
but I got a description,
and he was wearing
a Dr. Strange T-shirt.
"By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth!"
What?
Uh, Dr. Strange's catchphrase.
You know, when he'd use... Yeah.
Charlie's map shows
an area that's central
to all the forgery sales.
All right, we can
run down records
of all the male
residents in the area.
Might not need to.
I checked out the
businesses in the hot zone.
There's a comic
book store right there.
So I called to see
if there was any
unusual activity recently.
Like the way you're thinking.
Day after the robbery,
a guy walked in,
he bought $20,000-worth
of collectible comic books.
He was wearing a
Dr. Strange T-shirt.
Same as the guy who
bought the vintage-era paper.
Yep. He might be
trying to launder
the money from
the forgery sales.
This guy a regular customer?
The kind they might
know by name?
He's the kind that puts in
in an order for more books.
You're kidding me.
So they not only
know his name...
they have his home phone number.
(knocking)
I think I hear water running.
MAN: Gentlemen,
I'm in the shower!
(glass breaks)
He's going out the back.
Man, who's gonna
tackle this guy?
Whoever gets there last.
Hey, give me the
keys to your car now!
(blows landing)
(suspect groaning)
Ladies, ladies, FBI!
Please, let him go, okay?
Please, let him go.
Thank you.
You dropped your
cape, Super Boy.
So we know you
bought vintage paper.
Same paper you used to make
the forgeries of Underworld #1.
It's not a crime to buy paper.
You don't have anything else.
How about indecent exposure?
What?
Naked carjacking.
It's the worst kind.
Mark Vaughn, gentlemen,
classic con personality,
goes along with the
mail fraud and the scams.
Yeah? You think robbery?
Yes, but he's not our shooter.
He knows how to
control his emotions.
He's not our forger.
He's got no background in art.
I'm kinda thinking he
might be on a team,
maybe two other people.
Right, maybe one's an artist...
and the other's the killer.
Yeah, so we run
down his associates,
look for the
trigger-happy psycho?
Yeah, that sounds good.
Thanks, guys.
Anybody else think Don's
been a little off these days?
Kinda hard to say,
but maybe a little.
Especially since
he broke up with Liz.
Maybe one of us should go and...
you know, see if he
wants to talk about it.
You volunteering?
Hell, no.
(laughs)
I'd spent my entire
life with comic-book art,
especially Ross Moore's
and I can't tell if
this is real or not.
Well, that's 'cause what
you do is you look at the style,
the form of drawing techniques.
Silly me. What do you do?
Fractal number estimate.
It's based on Mandelbrot's
use of fractal dimension
to measure the
jaggedness of a coastline.
So what's going on in here?
Oh, hello.
Other than a very hot
woman looking very hot?
Charlie, I'm sorry, I've
been swept off my feet.
I'm going to have to
run off with this man
because he is so smooth.
Oh, you mock me.
Seriously, what are you doing?
I am using the
fractal-dimension analysis
to evaluate the
wrinkliness of these lines.
The wrinkliness?
An authentic piece of
handwriting or drawing
will have a smoother ink
edge than one that is forged.
So for instance, when
I sign my own name,
the pen moves quite rapidly.
The movements of my
hand are fast and fluid,
thus minimizing the contact
between paper and pen.
The faster the hand movement,
the smoother the
edge of the ink.
However, when someone
copies my signature,
it's an imitation
of my movement.
It's not as natural for
the forger, so it's slower.
The slower the pen,
the longer the
contact with the paper,
the more time for ink to
be absorbed into the paper
which creates an
irregular or wrinkly edge.
Fractal dimension allows
us to compare the wrinkliness
and detect the fake.
These fractal comparisons
are telling us the same thing.
That none of the
copies we analyze
were drawn by Ross Moore.
Yet there are similarities
across multiple points
of edge comparison.
Which means?
The same artist
drew all the forgeries.
And we can try to match
the forger's style
to a specific comic book
artist if you can get us samples
of artists that are capable
of copying Ross Moore.
He did inspire an entire
generation of artists,
but, uh, yeah,
I-I can help you round
up the usual suspects.
Great.
This guy you got, Mark
Vaughn, he's your basic grifter.
Any real bad guys he knows
he met courtesy of
the state of California.
In prison.
During a stint a
couple years ago,
he bought protection
from Gordon Garrity, 44.
A real sweetie.
Armed robbery, home invasion,
assault with intent,
voluntary manslaughter.
I ran a check for you.
He skipped two
parole appointments.
There's a warrant out.
Well, thanks very much.
Thanks for running the check.
Appreciate it.
This guy is not going
to be easy to find.
Doesn't sound like it.
But, um, what about her?
She your type?
Of course, form flourished
all through the '30s and '40s,
particularly during
World War II, you know,
when people felt so
frightened and futureless.
The comic book heroes embodied
the hope that good would triumph,
power was in the
hands of the right.
With great power comes
great responsibility.
That's right, and
the way of the hero
is the path of self-sacrifice.
CHARLIE: Hey, Seth,
you got anything for us?
Yes, sir.
These are all done by artists
who could draw like Ross
Moore if they wanted to.
Oh, it's surely
not Harry Hoodle.
Come on. I've
read all his books.
This is all based
on drawing style.
Look, man, I'm giving you stuff
from some of my
best friends here.
I see you bought my book.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
You want to sign it for me?
Might be worth
something someday.
Yeah. I'll tell you what.
I'll sign one of mine
if you sign one of yours for me.
How about a NanoPunk?
Cool.
LARRY: You know that
magazine writer called me?
Do you think I
should talk to him?
Oh. Both my publisher
and my publicist
think you should.
Yeah, but do you?
Larry, it was never
my intent to go down
in history as some
crackpot expert.
There's something to be said
for being an expert.
So, have you found
your mystery forger?
No, not yet.
There's still a lot
of artists to test.
I think you should
consider economics.
What was the result
of the robbery
and the forgeries?
Uh, somebody made
money on those forgeries
and at this point,
Sklar's copy has
been totally discredited.
So fake books, a real book.
Now, what does economic
theory say about the value
of false goods
commingled with genuine.
Genuine goods lose value, right?
Okay, so putting our
thinking caps on here,
who would want to devalue
Ultraworld and discredit Sklar?
I think I know whose art
I need to analyze next.
(crowd cheering over TV)
Hey.
Oh!
Hey, I know who the forger is.
Yeah.
It's Seth Marlowe.
Yeah? Can you prove that?
No, but I have a theory.
And it's far too
elegant not to be true.
It's elegant
because it all fits.
It's not just about theft,
it's about making people doubt
that Sklar's
Ultraworld was real.
Well, we know that
Seth hates Miles Sklar.
Right, and if Sklar's was fake,
then he can't claim the
real one when it shows up,
and it will.
You think the real one
is in Seth's possession?
He's gonna try and make
his ownership look legitimate?
He didn't steal it for himself.
He wants to give
it to Ross Moore.
Charlie's telling me his
theory on Seth Marlowe.
It's "elegant."
Yeah, I know all about it,
but he doesn't have
any proof. It's a hunch.
You have hunches.
You follow them.
Yeah, well, Charlie,
you know, look,
we don't exactly think
of you as our hunch guy.
Hey, you know, I had a hunch
about the Eppes Convergence
way before I had the math.
Einstein had a
hunch about relativity
decades before
it could be proven.
Hey, I don't want to get
in the middle of a
brother thing here,
but, um, do you want
my professional opinion?
Of course. Seth
doesn't fit the profile.
He has no criminal record.
He's a really well-known artist.
He's a historian, a collector.
He stands more to lose
than he stands to gain.
Those are both excellent
professional opinions
to consider, however
once considered...
they don't change my
hunch, but thank you.
Hunch.
Gordon Garrity,
our robber's prison
buddy... He's not turning up.
We're going through
his known associates
trying to put together
a geographical map
of his past crimes.
So, what's Charlie got?
Elegance, no proof.
Uh, excuse me.
I'm Peter Lange.
Yes. I'm writing the
piece on Charles Eppes.
I was unaware that Vanity
Fair has a mathematics section.
LANGE: We don't.
Culture, society,
media, celebrity...
Where Professor
Eppes now finds himself.
Around here,
he was famous before
he wrote the book.
I, uh...
I want to write about...
you and his other friends.
Okay, well, he's
well-liked on campus.
Wherever he
goes... Yeah, I know,
he's the most popular
professor on campus,
but he has few close friends.
A former teacher,
a former student.
Yeah, well,
I think he just chooses to live
by Benjamin
Franklin's old adage:
"Be civil to all,
social with many, known to few."
Few. Being... two?
Come on.
You know, I was a
total geek in high school.
I know what it's like.
You know, Charlie's
passionate about the world,
but he thinks about it in
terms of numbers and patterns.
How many people
can he share that with?
Other mathematicians?
Yeah, but few of us
started college at 13.
Charlie wasn't part
of a social peer group
until he was an adult.
So the fact that he's
as compassionate
and engaged as any of us...
I mean, I think that's his
greatest accomplishment.
Hey, Seth,
this is Charlie.
Charlie, yeah, we...
we know each other.
He's helping the
FBI find Ultraworld.
Trying to.
Yeah, you've been great.
So, um...
what brings you here?
I could use a couple more
samples of Ross' work.
I wanted to meet the man
everybody's talking about.
These kids today, they make
too much about us old guys.
We were just trying
to make a little money,
have some fun.
You created a new art form.
What, comic books?
What's all this?
This guy, always bringing stuff.
Seth, I don't know what Iris
and I would do without you.
You give us so
much of your time.
I know you've got more
important things to do.
No, not more
important than this.
You guys, we found
something on Garrity.
Let me guess... he's
a fan of comic books.
Yeah. How'd you know?
'Cause I was just telling Don
that some of Seth Marlowe's
fans live in state prisons.
And they write their favorite
comic book artists letters.
Yeah, we found the same link.
Garrity wrote a
letter a year ago...
Sent it from the High
Desert State Prison
to Seth Marlowe.
Right, well, I'm sure the guy
gets a thousand of these a year.
Yeah, but how many of
them are from inmates?
And how many are from guys
who have a direct
connection to Mark Vaughn?
SETH: What do I
think of Miles Sklar?
I think he got a
mega-dose of vitamin K.
K for Karma.
(laughing)
Parades around claiming he owns
Ultraworld #1...
But he never got
it authenticated.
I wonder if that's because
he knew that it was fake.
It's not a fake.
I'm an artist, not a forger.
Come on, if you
were a real artist
you would have given
the comic back to Moore.
But you were
waiting for him to die,
ya freakin' vulture.
An artist... like you,
the creator
of that lame NanoPunk?
Oh, yeah, and your
Mr. Bobble Head
is a superhero for the ages.
(laughter)
SKLAR: Hey, I was robbed.
I was robbed and a man died,
and it's all a big joke to you.
I don't think it's a joke.
In fact,
I have an idea about how
some good can come of this.
The final event of this
convention is the comic auction.
Let's add some items
to that list, shall we?
Everybody who
bought a fake Ultraworld
can put it up for sale.
Yeah, I know, they're forgeries,
but, hey, come
on, they're famous.
And the money that we raise
can be split between the buyers
that got ripped off,
and Ross Moore.
I'll buy one myself.
(applause)
What do I get out of
something like that?
(crowd grumbling)
Hey, I'm not a bad guy!
I'm a victim!
(chuckles)
Interesting proposal.
An auction.
It wasn't too
"we-are-the-worldish"?
No, not at all. It's great.
So what brings you back to
the land of the Uber Nerds?
I just came down to let you know
that my analysis is
close to identifying
the forger in this case.
How exactly does a
mathematical analysis
turn into a criminal conviction?
I mean, you're working
with probabilities, right?
It's not like hard
physical evidence.
Given the right circumstances,
it can lead to that.
Yeah, but, in that case,
even if he math does
implicate someone,
if there's no evidence,
if there's no...
no link to the crime,
you can't prove anything.
Yeah. I guess you're right.
Although,
if you're not privy
to the FBI's case files
and you're not part
of the actual crime,
you can't know that
there's no evidence.
Yeah. I guess I
wouldn't know that.
The ballistics report on the nine
millimeter used at the robbery.
Stolen from a retired
cop's apartment
in an assisted-living residence.
How does that help us?
Well, it wouldn't if it weren't
for this other piece
of information here.
Garrity's mom...
Look where she lives.
Rancho Vista Assisted
Living. Same address.
This guy stole a gun
while visiting his mother?
Maybe he was doing
more than just visiting.
Oh, yeah.
Violent ex-con who
wants to get back
into his old ways
of doing business.
Can't hang out with
his former associates.
Doesn't want a residence
with his name on the lease.
He can say he
lives with his mom.
Mrs. Garrity, ma'am, we need
you to come with us, okay?
What the hell?!
It's okay, we're FBI.
You can just
come with us over...
Gordy! Gordy!
A little help, please.
Gordy, it's the damn feds!
Ma'am, stop with the cane.
Ma'am, ma'am please, please.
Let's do it.
Guys, go that way.
(indistinct shouting)
Garrity, freeze!
(grunts)
Tell them I'm on the
other side of the building.
That's not going to happen.
Do it. No way.
I said do it!
(gunshot)
He shot himself.
Yeah, he's dead.
You okay? Yeah, yeah.
David, I found this at
the mother's apartment.
Oh, great, let's
get it to Charlie.
Right. Hey, how you doing?
I'm okay, man.
Thanks for asking.
You know, for a minute there,
I almost believed
a man could fly.
So, I analyzed the copy that
you guys found with Garrity.
What'd you come up with?
It's not authentic.
It's another forgery.
Okay, was it done by whoever
made the other forgeries?
Yeah, same artist.
Okay, well, assuming
it was a copy
stolen from Sklar, that
means Sklar owned a fake.
No, I just think that's what
Seth wants everyone to believe.
(footsteps approaching)
So, uh, are you doing
a slam job on my son?
No, but I am profiling the
man behind a self-help book
supposedly based on real science
that offers a simplistic
fix to difficult issues.
Well, let me say this right
off, it's not a supposed science.
Yeah, but we're talking
about people's emotional lives,
we're talking about making
money on their desire
for easy answers.
There's nothing simplistic
about Charlie's thinking,
I can tell you that.
And he didn't write the
book to make money.
Then why did he write it?
You mean now or
when he was nine?
Both.
Okay...
Charlie was an awkward kid.
But he trusted math.
I mean, he felt safe with math,
so I guess it was
natural to try to use math
to help him get
along with other kids.
Did it work?
Uh, no, not at all.
(chuckles) Well, then...
Why write the book now?
It's not like it's gonna add
to his professional standing,
and it could even diminish it.
You know, uh, to be honest,
I don't think he really
thought that one through.
Really? He just thought it was
an interesting application
of game theory,
and that everyday
people would read it.
So, he wanted to write
it for a wider audience.
Charlie thinks
math is beautiful.
And he wants everyone
to love it the way he does.
Hmm.
DAVID: You found something?
CHARLIE: Yeah.
You know, most forgers
want their forgeries
to fool everybody
forever. Right? Not Seth.
Yeah, 'cause at some point, he
wants the real copy to be acknowledged.
Right, he has to prove
that the fakes are fake,
so you know what he
did? He marked them.
You found this mark? Only
'cause I went looking for it.
See these lines
of varying length?
Yeah.
They are identifiable as a
simple representational code.
Each length represents a
different letter or number.
And look what it spells out.
(chuckles)
"Miles Sklar 2007."
Why would he put
Sklar's name on it?
Ah, 'cause Seth's got a
wicked sense of humor.
Charlie, this is really wild
stuff, but you understand
it really doesn't give us
evidence against Seth Marlowe.
That evidence'll
come at the auction.
Oh, you think that's how he
plans to launder the real copy...
Throw it in with the fakes.
A genuine good
commingled with false goods.
In auction theory, we talk
about equilibria or symmetry.
All the bidders have the
exact same information,
except Seth knows
something the other bidders
don't know, which is
that the original copy
of Ultraworld #1 will
be an item up for bid.
So, asymmetrical information
creates asymmetrical bidding.
Charlie, this guy,
he already knows that
we suspect him, right?
So, he's gonna have
to use a straw man
or a proxy to do
the bidding for him.
Right, and that straw
man will be bidding
off of Seth's information.
Now, this asymmetry will
almost certainly
create a situation
called jump bidding,
which is when
a person enters a far
larger bid than necessary
to be the current
winning bidder.
I don't understand. What's
the advantage of that?
It's like a bike race.
Typically, there's no advantage
to jumping ahead of the pack,
so racers tend to
stay clustered together
and switch off the leads.
But there is a strategy
of taking the lead early
to exhaust the competition.
Jump bidding is like
quickening the speed of the race.
It encourages the early
exit of some bidders,
and discourages the
late entry of others.
So, when someone makes
a big bid during the auction...
That Seth's straw man.
And you're going to be
able to tell the real one?
It's the one without
Seth's code drawn into it.
Okay.
(overlapping chatter)
Hiya, Seth.
Professor Eppes.
You come here to catch
the evil mastermind?
I'm here to bid on one
of the famous forgeries.
Who knows? The
real one could be here.
I think they're all
fakes, if you ask me.
What, exactly, are
you looking for, Charlie?
Just looking.
AUCTIONEER: Okay, let's get
started on this special auction
of 14 versions of the
famous Ultraworld #1,
proceeds to benefit the
sellers, and the renowned artist
Ross Moore.
Item one: Ultraworld #1.
Not authenticated.
Believed to be a forgery.
We'll start the bidding
at $500. Do I have $550?
$550! I have $550.
$600. $600. I have $600.
Do I hear $650?
I have $650.
$650 going once, twice and sold.
Moving to Item number two.
$650 going once, twice and...
This is item number five.
Moving to item number five.
Again, we'll start the
bidding at $500. I have $550.
I have $700. Do I
have $750? Sold.
Moving now to item
number nine. Sold.
Going once, twice and sold.
This is item 11, Ultraworld #1,
again unauthenticated,
possible forgery.
What do I hear? $700!
I have $700. Do I have $750?
$750. Do I have $800?
$2,000.
Here we go.
$2,050. I have $2,050.
$3,000.
I have $3,100 over here.
$4,000.
I have $4,000. $5,000.
$5,500.
$8,000.
$10,000. I have $10,000.
Do I hear $10,500?
$15,000. $20,000.
$20,000. Going once, twice,
three times, and sold!
(alarm chirps)
You figured it out.
Your math stuff worked.
Sklar had the real one, huh?
The authentic copy
of Ultraworld #1,
and then you stole it.
Ultraworld #1 belongs
to Ross Moore.
Not to me, and certainly
not to Miles Sklar.
A man was killed.
Unfortunately, nothing
can change that.
But giving the comic back
to Ross is going
to change a lot.
Your fan from prison
almost shot my brother.
Charlie, please.
Come on. Please, man.
I know you understand
what this is all about.
Why I did this. Let me give
the comic back to Ross.
It doesn't work like that, Seth.
Charlie.
Okay, Seth, get your hands
behind your back, please.
We're taking you in
for some questioning.
Vaughn and Garrity, both
fans, read my stuff in prison.
How did you sneak the
real copy into the auction?
I'm the Ross
Moore expert, right?
Everybody
let me examine
their Ultraworld #1.
I swapped the
real one for a fake
owned by a guy who
promised to sell it in the auction.
What were you going
to do with it, genius?
Give it to Ross.
And then,
in six months or so,
I'd pretend to have
found the hidden message
with Sklar's name
in the forgeries.
Well, if it isn't
the crime-fighting professor.
Come to help me
engineer my escape?
No.
Yeah, it was kind
of a long shot.
You heard that Miles Sklar
got the real copy of
Ultraworld #1 back?
Figured that would happen.
He gave it to Ross Moore.
What?
Why?
Partly the intense
public pressure.
I mean, the guy
was being vilified.
That never bothered him before.
And, of course, he made
a big publicity splash
over giving it to Moore,
just in time to
promote his new comic.
Okay, that's... that's
the Sklar I know.
Still...
he gave it back.
Hey, boys. Good job.
Thanks.
What are you guys
doing this weekend?
Anyone want to grab a bite
or something?
Yeah. Sure. Sounds good.
We haven't done anything
outside of work
for a while, right?
There's life outside of work?
News to me.
Colby Granger,
someone at my
desk for you to meet.
Her name's Simone Voray.
She's in my Krav Maga class.
She's French. She
has a little accent.
And a degree in literature.
She was a star
gymnast in college.
Now she's an acrobat.
You say she's a
professional acrobat?
Yeah. Cirque du Soleil.
Ready?
Guess it might just be me
and you this weekend, huh?
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, it's funny.
I remember reading all
those comics when I was a kid,
but I never saw
anyone drawing one.
Well, this one should be fun.
Reminds me a little of the
comics I wrote in the '60s.
I wrote under the name Paisley
McNasty.
Really?
I have a little trouble
picturing you as a hippie.
What?
Right.
You know, Charles,
you have a rather
distinguished chin there.
He's going
to be a superhero,
along with his brother.
Hold on. Wait a minute.
You think someone
actually might publish this?
An FBI agent who solves crimes
with the help of his
mathematician brother?
(laughing): It's great!
Aw, nobody would believe it.
Oh, that reminds
me. Charlie, look
what came in the mail
from that magazine.
That's the proof of the article?
I don't even know
why I'm looking at this.
This guy was
totally out to get me.
No, no, no, no.
It's not a hit piece.
Sure, he makes some
jokes at your expense,
but, actually,
they're quite funny.
"His brother Don,
a special agent
"in the Los Angeles
office of the FBI,
"believes Charles Eppes
has recently conquered
"the greatest
challenge of friendship.
'Charlie and I had our
issues growing up.'"
Yeah, to say the least.
"But if there's
anything stronger
"than the bond between brothers,
"it's the bond between brothers
who have become friends.
'Charlie's my friend.'"
ALAN: Donnie. CHARLIE: Aw...
I didn't even know the
writer wanted to talk with you.
I had to get my name in the
magazine somehow, right?
ALAN: Yeah, yeah. Right.
You can keep your
disposable media.
A magazine is old in a week.
A comic book...
well, that's forever.
DON: That's right.
Well, let's get back in
our Charlie's Angels pose.
This is more like Tango & Cash.