The Shield (2002–2008): Season 7, Episode 5 - Game Face - full transcript

previously on "the shield"...

teenage
resident Lloyd denton --

he's our shooter.

there's speculation

bundy's first murders

were committed

in his early teens.

are you saying

this kid's a serial killer?

this guy's all i've got.

vic:



i'm targeting cruz pezuela.

aceveda's one-man

campaign bankroll?

he's buying up farmington

with cartel money.

blackmail -- that's how

pezuela's getting everyone

on board the train

to cartel town.

where's our blackmail box?

aceveda: i am in possession

of the box

until the time to turn it over

to justice.



what about the files?

the armenians are making a hard

play for your barrio sand box.

this piece of shit rezian

has taken something

that belongs tome.

you want to give me a clue

what all this is about?

the mexis are using to blackmail

their way up to the top.

sold out to the armos.

which lit the fuse for

the blood feud we're stirring up

between rezian

and the mexicans.

we need a quick armenian

political win.

give me the name,

i'll put it in play.

the city controller --

robert martin.

he's in the blackmail box?

robert, oh, my god!

i need a medic!

their march turns

into a goddamn killing.

that was never part

of the plan.

martin was

my colleague, vic.

i did not sign up

for this!

detective mackey,

amando rios.

amando will speak

for me.

give me a name,

and i'll run with it.

vic: rios isn't

just some beaner.

he's got a face

only a cartel could love.

if rios gets spooked, we lose

our best shot at pezuela.

p7never heard of him.

david aceveda,

federal agent olivia murray.

aceveda: that fed

in the clubhouse --

i thought i'd seen her name

somewhere before.

she's in the blackmail box?

pezuela got her

in his pocket.

how much have

you told her?

enough to get us

both killed.

i'm supposed to get

a minute's sleep

knowing olivia could have

ratted us out to pezuela?

just because olivia has been

pezuela's eyes and ears

doesn't mean she's been

passing along the intel

we've been feeding her.

do you think

she's holding on to it,

maybe use it

against pezuela herself?

she's up to her manhole

in shit lake.

that's whati'ddo.

dangerous part for us, though,

is not knowing.

you two work closely.

did he have enemies downtown?

aceveda: a city this size

with the money and power

at stake?

but at the end of the day,

robert was a glorified

accountant --

not a very sexy target.

and your people

didn't see anything?

heard shots, and then

it was complete chaos.

why was your team deployed there

in the first place?

wyms:

detective vendrell has been

working with an armenian c.i.

who's given us a couple

of wins recently.

we've been hearing

some chatter

that there's been some, uh,

armenian-mexican friction.

so your assessment --

this is organized-crime

syndicates squaring off?

martin was clearly

the target,

and there's not a banger

out there

with a merit badge

for marksmanship.

have to wonder if those shots

weren't meant for mr. aceveda --

you being a mayoral

candidate now.

uh, vic, do you --

do you have any change?

this kouf guy's becoming a real

rock star in the department.

with him leading

the investigation now

and our involvement,

this could all blow back on us.

take a deep,

cleansing breath.

neither one of us had anything

to do with that shooting,

by word or deed.

we damn sure know

who's responsible.

when you've got

a minute...

sure.

and the slightest whisper

of impropriety

is a political career ender.

do you know how much

she's told pezuela?

i'll handle her...

but it's got to be gently.

your problem is, you're trying

to have it both ways.

you want to take down pezuela,

win a landslide as a reformer,

but not until he pays

all your bills.

oh, sorry.

i only got 50 cents,

and you're about a dollar.

what's up, buttercup?

got a situation i could use

a little help on.

ask, and you shall.

i need to run it

by your captain first,

make sure it's kosher.

then i'll hit you

with the details.

uh, anything come back

on the intel i gave you?

nothing so far.

hope it wasn't

a bum steer.

not like you to be

off the money.

okay, well,

give me a shout --

it gets you

to that bigger fish.

you'll be the first to know,

believe me.

i got to go.

olivia needs us to backstop

her on something.

i'm waiting on the details.

am i, uh...

am i missing something?

olivia's carrying water

for pezuela.

she's in the box of sins.

what?

her brother got jammed up

with some mob bookies.

pezuela got wind somehow,

got proof.

could explain why she's become

a fact of life

around here all of a sudden.

this prick owns a federal agent

who's up our ass,

collecting intel.

you boys gonna let me

in on this?

i just found out myself.

we're still not sure about

the size of pezuela's hook.

well, it's pretty goddamn clear

what we need to do.

we'll give the box

to rezian

so that the armenians

can return it to pezuela,

and he lays off.

not yet.

are you not understanding

that this master plan of yours

is backfiring?

rezian still has our families

in the crosshairs.

now pezuela has sicced

a fed on us.

i understand the situation.

return the box and get credit

for brokering a peace deal.

our money train debt

is paid in full.

now, explain to me

how that is not

in all of

our best interests.

another time.

king rat's gaytan echevarria --

cuban, miami-based.

he's visiting l.a.

doing what?

he's meeting martin blez,

number-two denim manufacturer

in the world.

echevarria's looking to clean

his drug benjamins

by plowing them into

a legit biz -- blue jeans.

so, how does the strike team

fit in?

echevarria's daughter, noelle --

freshman at s.c.

she got carjacked this morning

at 8th and hoover.

three black males

ordered her boyfriend

out of the car at gunpoint,

drove off with the girl.

our surveillance picked up

the boyfriend

telling her old man

what happened.

that neighborhood,

it's probably gang-related.

hence the strike team.

with his daughter missing,

echevarria's not focused

on business.

bad guys love

their kids, too.

this meeting with blez

is our one opportunity

to take down

the whole network.

it doesn't make,

a high-dollar 18-month

investigation

goes out the window.

so you need the strike team

to find the missing girl

so daddy will get back

to the dirty business.

without tipping echevarria

the police are involved.

he hasn't reported

the kidnapping.

our surveillance intel

has got him

using his own muscle

to find her.

taking matters

into his own hands --

could get a lot

of people hurt.

he knows law enforcement's

involved

and he didn't drop

the dime,

he'll figure out

he's being watched.

murray: description of

the echevarria girl's car.

not like we can put out

an apb

if we need to keep this

on the down low.

my best recommend is start

with the local chop shops.

see if anyone's trying

to unload her nissan.

let's pull all the files

on car thefts

for the last six months --

suspects, arrest records,

similar m.o.s.

got it.

your surveillance come up

with any intel

on the kind of muscle

echevarria's traveling with?

four guys -- cuban and jamaican,

armed, long list of crimes.

when's this meet with denim dude

supposed to go down?

blez's jet gets

into van nuys around 6:00,

assuming our cuban

doesn't cancel the meet.

that doesn't give us

a lot of time.

let me say it again --

echevarria gets a whiff

of police anywhere near this,

he will get spooked

and bolt.

understood.

you drop the bomb that olivia

is in pezuela's blackmail box.

now she's walking us

into a sketchy case

with out-of-town players.

you think

she's setting us up?

we got to assume she's gonna

give pezuela a heads-up.

maybe he decides

to strike first.

or maybe you're just

being paranoid

and this is exactly

what she says it is --

a random street crime

that could possibly wreck

a high-profile

i.c.e. collar.

either way,

we got to watch our backs.

i pulled the most

recent 10851s.

chop shop on manzanita

specializes in stolen parts

for japanese street racers.

we'll start there.

ride with me.

vendrell:

we didn't get a chance to finish

our earlier conversation.

you were about to explain

what's more important

than keeping

our families safe.

nothing.

settle this beef between

the armos and the mexis.

just let pezuela have

whatever it is that he wants.

just get us off

the hook already.

i can't do that.

if you think you're gonna

use this box

to squeeze your way into keeping

some detective career...

look, i-i don't have to remind

you of all the bad shit

we've been responsible for.

you're the one

who wrote it all down.

well, that was

"bad shit volume i."

the next installment has ronnie

doing zadofian's murder.

since we're being honest

about things,

it means we're all

blood brothers now.

pezuela's a scorpion.

he can and will

unleash a level of violence

and corruption in farmington

that'll turn this place

into little mexico city.

i can't let that happen.

i don't trust anyone else

to stop him,

including robbery-homicide.

if it's not pezuela

shitting on the streets,

it's going to be

some other asshole!

putting pezuela away

is a down payment

on me being able to live

with myself.

now, if you can't

understand that,

at least respect it.

dutch.

i got a call

from beth insardi

wanting to know

if i was deliberately

ducking the subpoenas

on the kleavon gardner trial,

subpoenas whichyou

have been intercepting.

i want to know why.

captain, you've been busy --

it was my fault.

uh, danny was just following

my instructions.

give us a minute.

apparently, kleavon

is defending himself pro se

in his murder trial.

and i-i just didn't think

you need the stress

of being drawn

into that circus.

because of my illness?

your last encounter with him

landed you facedown

on the stairs

and in the hospital.

does danny know why you had her

running interference for me?

of course not.

cops duck subpoenas

all the time.

as far as she's concerned,

we were sparing you some

unnecessary aggravation.

icanhandle my own affairs.

this guy's had it in for you

from the beginning.

he killed a woman

who looked like you

just to make his point.

i want this prick to get

the justice he deserves,

and if it means

giving a deposition --

kleavon is a confessed

serial killer

facing the death penalty.

what better way to spend

his final days

than lobbing shitballs

at you?

let's not humor him.

he's coming in this afternoon.

i'll get it over with.

fine.

see if this guy's

part of the chop shop.

we got a rabbit.

we got a rabbit.

watch it!

i'm walking here!

ronnie,

get in front of him.

we're moving to intercept.

get out of the car!

let me see your hands!

get out!

get down!

don't move.

"llewellyn wang"?

farmington grand prix

means you know why we're here.

i had nothing to do

with it, man.

i ain't never even heard

of this missing chick.

ohh!

where's the girl?

i don't know.

and neither did

those dead homies,

but those gusanos

kacked them, anyway!

you lost me.

we was kicking it.

i went out back

to take a leak,

and that's when the shit

jumped off.

what kind of shit?

four caribbean dudes

showed up,

started sweating everybody

about some cuban girl

they're looking for.

my friends were like, "what

the hell you talking about?!"

dudes went at 'em

with knives and shit!

you're gonna take us to where

this gangster party went down.

they're back there.

gardocki: vic.

zorro wannabe?

from this angle,

i'm reading an "n."

missing girl's name

was noelle.

they weren't wishing him

an early merry christmas.

we're on the record

in the matter

of people

vs. kleavon kwame gardner.

the witness

has been sworn in.

all parties present

have been advised

that this deposition

is being videotaped.

please state your name.

claudette wyms.

would you describe your

relationship to the defendant?

i investigated the murders

you committed

and arrested you for them.

when you say i committed

these murders,

what you are expressing

is a personal,

very biased opinion.

enjoy this charade

while you can,

because you are gonna be

sentenced to death

for the murders

of pauline walker,

mary simpson, lana gregory,

and all those women you killed

back in texas.

did you interrogate

any other suspects besi--

i didn't have to.

so you made up your mind

from the jump,

which means that this so-called

investigation

is really just an exercise

in closed-mindedness.

mr. gardner,

the purpose of a deposition

is to ask questions,

not put words

in the witness's mouth.

i'm just trying to see

how she developed this theory,

accusing a black man,

when everybody knows

that serial murder

is a white man's crime.

shade's got nothing to do

with it.

the evidence pointed

overwhelmingly to you

and only you,

and let's not forget,

you confessed --

we've got it on videotape.

are you currently taking

any prescribed medication?

don't answer.

that's completely irrelevant.

have you ever seen

this before?

let the record show i'm holding

a prescription bottle

recovered from a trash barrel

at miss wyms' home.

label reads --

"corticosteroid,

"60 milligrams, 3 refills.

patient's name --

claudette wyms."

you son of a bitch.

echevarria's crew --

conducting a q&a

about his missing

little girl.

what's the next move?

ronnie and julien

are out talking

to the local shot callers

on the d.l. --

los mags, one-niners,

spook street.

there's a "get out

of jail free" card

for anyone who dimes

the missing car.

i just hollered at a buddy

in robbery-homicide --

third carjacking in a month

involving sexual assault.

so, m.o. is,

they steal a fresh whip,

take it and mommy

for a joyride.

every boy's dream twofer.

i.c.e. surveillance capture

any of this on videotape?

they're focused

on echevarria.

all you should be thinking about

right now is finding this girl.

hey, darling,

i don't need you

or anybody else managing

my thought process.

uh, think maybe we should have

a talk with deena?

doesn't feel like her stilo.

no, but grand theft auto --

she knows all the players,

and we need all the information

we can get.

we'll be in touch.

deena!

aah!

put the gun down!

drop the gun!

drop the gun,

god damn it!

you stupid bitch!

god damn it, deena!

sorry.

gardner: were you taking

this steroid medication

at the time

of my interrogation?

you arewayover the line.

goes to her

state of mind.

my reading of the law books

says that this is relevant.

were you on drugs

at the time

of this alleged confession

you mentioned?

please keep in mind,

you are under oath.

i need a bathroom break.

hmm, not surprising.

frequent urination is one

of the less dangerous

side effects.

claudette?

okay, okay.

you need to shut this down

right now.

he's entitled

to conduct discovery.

what is she on meds for?

you need to talk toher

about that.

how serious?

she doesn't need

her medical history

to become an issue

for the department.

i could get the judge

to seal the transcripts.

they'll be unsealed

when this goes to trial,

used to attack her credibility

inallcases.

and that's our system,

isn't it?

who is this guy?

just a guy i've been

working with lately.

accomplice,

in other words.

i came back from a run,

and i found him like that.

busted out the shotgun

when i heard you rolling up.

i did say sorry, right?

the people responsible are

looking for a silver nissan 300.

you know anybody who traffics

in a load like that?

could have been anyone. there's

a lot of demand for jap cars.

the jackers have been

targeting females.

they grab the car,

help themselves to the cooch.

you know anyone who rolls

like that?

ghost town piru's been boosting

for initiation lately.

so has hollis lane.

i liked him.

he could have been

the one.

we were talking about getting

out of the game.

i'd think about sticking

to that plan, even without him.

you became quite ill during

my interrogation, as i recall --

disoriented,

unsteady on your feet.

it was not serious.

well, you started bleeding

heavily from your nose.

had to leave the room.

i saw you fall down

a flight of stairs,

or don't you

remember that?

60 milligrams --

that's a high dosage

of a very powerful drug.

insardi: you're not

a medical expert.

well, i'm not a lawyer,

either,

but the court says i'm competent

enough to argue my case.

are you aware some

of the side effects

of long-term

steroid use include

confusion, hallucination,

paranoia, psychosis?

do you suffer from any

of these side effects?

no.

just before you had

taken ill,

before the blood started

pouring out of your nose,

you had told me

that my sister fatima --

i'm reading

from the transcript here --

was found "strangled and dumped

in an alley."

but that wasn't the case,

was it?

it's a standard

interview tactic

used to mislead a suspect

with disinformation

in order to get the truth.

was that a tactic, or were you

having a hallucination?

because i saw fatima downstairs

a little while later.

what you're doing is more

prejudicial than probative.

i don't know

what that means.

it means

that you're gonna stop

this irresponsible line

of questioning.

i was told bythiswoman

that my sister

had been murdered.

i was overcome with grief.

i might have said some things

i didn't mean

because i wasn't

in my right mind.

now, if my emotional distress

was caused

by a mentally disturbed person

on drugs,

that's something the jury

needs to know.

you attack my credibility

all you want.

it still won't get you off,

not with all the other evidence

we got against you.

evidence collected by a heavily

medicated police detective

in a station...

now under the command

of that same paranoid,

delusional psychotic who's now

been promoted tocaptain.

you've got to ask yourself

how credible that evidence

really is.

can we go off the record?

you are putting on

quite a show.

thank you.

you think you're gonna get

acquitted?

think again.

you're gonna go down for

those murders, no matter what!

might as well take some folks

down with me -- or not.

it all depends.

wyms: on what?

i want the death penalty

off the table.

you drag me through the mud

all you want.

i'm gonna live

to watch you die.

if word of your unstable

mental condition gets loose,

they'll have you

out the door faster

than you can say

"mark fuhrman."

job you're in --

it's all about credibility.

you deserve the same fate

as all those women

you put in the ground.

i'm a different man now,

fallen in love with a woman

that i've been in correspondence

with since my incarceration.

i'm looking forward

to spending

the rest of my natural life

with her.

even more reason to put you down

like a sick animal

now that yougotsomething

to lose.

another potty break?

you're not gonna cave in

the slightest whiff

to this stunt!

of doubt,

juries back off of capital

punishment in a heartbeat.

thereisno doubt.

he's got a story.

that's all that matters.

don't do this, beth.

it's not your call to make.

i got to use your phone,

run this past the bosses.

woman: lyor chotzen

left a message.

he'll meet you

at los perditos.

thanks.

chotzen --

the fbi profiler

that worked the kleavon gardner

case for you?

yeah.

with kleavon

back in the house,

got me thinking

i should talk to chotzen

about the lloyd denton

shooting.

we already went

at that brat once.

you keep hauling him

in here,

his mom's gonna figure out

you suspect him

as jack the ripper jr.

that's where you're wrong.

i'm not trying to arrest

the kid.

i'm just trying

to help him.

you want to beat a dead horse,

do your thing.

i got enough paperwork

to wipe my ass for a year.

vic, did you sign

that document for me?

the, uh, quit claim

on paternity for lee.

oh, i haven't had a chance

to read it.

could you make the time?

my lawyer wants to file it

by the end of the week.

what's the rush?

i just want to get

it done, okay?

what now?

cassidy's been suspended

from school.

i give up.

suspended? for what?

she and her friends were

at some "pimps 'n ho's" party.

all the girls had

to wear lingerie.

pimps 'n ho's?

yeah, some kid posted

their pictures on the internet.

these girls were dressed

in their underwear,

traipsing around

in front of the boys.

it was revolting.

where's cass now?

home.

there were drugs involved.

jesus christ.

she wouldn't even

have admitted it to me

if i didn't threaten to drag

her here for a urine test.

what kind of drugs?

ecstasy.

she claims it was

her first time.

who gave them to her?

she won't tell me.

i just don't know

what else to do.

i sure as hell do.

who organized this party?

i'm not sure, but i spoke to one

of the other mothers,

and she said it was at this boy

mickey dightman's house.

there are pictures of him

on the same website,

and he's smoking a joint.

all right, listen,

i got this.

i'll call you later, okay?

intentional or not,

that was live ammo

deena directed our way.

there's no way olivia

could have orchestrated that.

so if deena would have blown

our brains out,

that would have just

been dumb luck?

this cuban's

one-day body count

is gonna cut our car-theft

numbers in half,

but i want him in custody

or on a plane back to miami.

you need to decide

how much collateral damage

you're willing to accept

to preserve

this i.c.e. investigation.

well, the sooner we get

the missing girl,

the sooner the streets

settle down.

ticktock.

hey, vic, unis

just took a statement

from a domestic victim

up in observation.

we should follow up.

uh, couples counseling isn't

on my to-do list right now.

her boyfriend is a gangbanger --

priors for car theft.

and he was bragging to someone

about running a train

on some latina.

what set's

the b.f. claiming?

ghost town piru.

i can take a beat-down,

about as tough as any bitch.

but i'm done!

this nigger came home

smelling like badussy.

i ask him,

"what's up with that?"

he talking about

imust be on crack.

only then i hear him

loud talking to his boy

about how they was running

the old alabama anaconda

up in ol' girl

all day long.

happen to mention

if "ol' girl" was cuban?

cuban, mexican --

it's all reggaeton to me.

i told him, "you think a sister

gonna be 'bout it, 'bout it"

when he got taco stank up

on his black ass?

think again.

gave me the fist.

girl's got to draw

the line somewhere.

any idea where he is

right now?

he's probably at his job.

he work around the way,

you know, stealing cars.

i've been dreaming about tacos

for the last two weeks --

hard to come by

in beijing.

you over there on vacation?

paid consultant

to the people's republic of.

37 dead females

autopsied premortem.

wow.

yeah.

chinese law enforcement

is strangely proud

to finally have one of their own

up on the world stage,

alongside john wayne gacy

and andrei chikatilo.

what's the profile?

organized killer,

male, 20s.

with a billion chinese,

you're looking for a needle dick

in a haystack.

what about you?

i got a suspect --

kid, shot an intruder.

you wouldn't be talking

to me

if you thought it was

a one-time thing.

it's not something i want

to be wrong about.

he's 16, no obvious

killer symptoms.

what about the obvious

precursors?

no arson,

cruelty to animals,

or bed-wetting

that i know about.

what's got your antennae

twitching?

i think he killed him

just to kill,

and if he can do that at 16,

what's he gonna be doing at 25?

want me to talk to him?

prove me right,

prove me wrong --

i just need to know

what i'm dealing with.

don't let him know

you're a cop.

i need him to think

that i've moved off

the criminal

investigation.

you bet.

so, what, are you gonna show me

those ink-blotch things...

ask me what i see?

if you want.

mostly, i'm here to listen.

i sat in this room

for like 97 hours,

answering the same questions

over and over and over again.

i'm -- i'm pretty

talked out.

wagenbach: that was

a police investigation.

this is an opportunity

for you

to conduct one of your own --

into your feelings.

i'm gonna give you some room,

keep your mom company.

can i, uh, get you anything

to drink -- water, tea?

oh, no, thank you.

i wonder if i should be

up there with him.

uh, this kind of

therapy works best

when you're talking

to a stranger.

it's easier to vent

those feelings

to a blank screen

rather than to someone

who knows everything

about you.

makes sense. i don't

know the first thing

about psychiatrists.

how's, uh, how's lloyd been

doing since all this happened?

surprisingly well,

under the circumstances.

not acting out,

anger, depressed?

oh, no.

has he wet his bed --

anything like that?

no, my son is 16.

the only reason i ask is,

sometimes,

the body wants to rid

negative feelings

the same way it does

other waste products.

well, no, lloyd's never had

that problem.

how long is he going

to be up there?

all these shrinks seem

to think an hour's 50

minutes long, so...

well, maybe iwill

have that tea.

silver nissan 300

parked inside.

three guys downstairs,

one guy up in a loft,

poking on something.

i'm guessing that's our girl.

all right, ronnie, nice work.

come on down.

kick down the door,

go in guns drawn, badges out,

noelle's gonna know it was

the police to the rescue.

and so will her big pa.

that's why we got to make it

look like a robbery

by a rival gang -- choreograph

it so the girl escapes.

no disrespect, but the only set

you guys can claim

is aryan nation.

no, i got an idea...

only i'm gonna need you

to sell it to claudette.

coming from any of us,

it'll be a no-go.

done.

it's questionable tactics,

high risk to my personnel

andcivilians.

the fresh hell

you're proposing

must have come

from the mind of mackey.

this operation's got a high

degree of difficulty.

we are running out of time,

and i don't have a better idea.

i sign off on this insanity,

here are my terms.

bring the pain.

echevarria's hit squad gets

charged here in farmington

ahead of any federal case.

i need a win after the shit rain

these bastards caused today.

okay.

and any blowback

from vic mackey's voodoo

law enforcement is on you.

how i'm supposed to trust you

after the shit you pulled

with my escalade?

you want to feel those

fine leather seats on

your ass again or not?

no one's gonna see

your face.

you won't have to wear

your own colors.

no one except the people

in this room

will know

you were involved.

it's bad enough we down

with one time,

but taking flight

on a band of brothers...

vendrell: spare me

the pan-africa bullshit.

you guys are out there killing

each other all day, every day.

you get a little taste

of black pussy --

now you're an expert

on africa?

streets is watching, homey.

we're supposed to be

strapped, right?

you can take your own heaters,

but just for show -- no ammo.

officer lowe will be embedded

with you, and he'll be armed.

the rest of us will cover you

from the perimeter.

our targets have been

on the bong all day.

you go in fast and hard,

they won't know what hit 'em --

no one gets hurt.

i mean, now that we're

undercover brothers now,

don't you think we need

to be deputized?

you know,

make this shit official.

all right.

raise your right hands.

now do this while you do this.

sure, she's like supermom.

i mean, she's like a mom

and dad rolled all into one.

i feel like i let her down.

see how he's shifting the focus

away from him to his mother?

consciousness of guilt?

possibly.

maybe i should have, like,

dove headfirst

through the window

to get away.

i'd like you to close

your eyes.

i gave him a guided image

transference exercise here.

now, watch what he does.

tell him what you were feeling

when you pulled the trigger.

this is on you,

you stupid shit.

and this is all your fault,

only i'm the one messed up

over it,

and i don't even know you.

blaming the victim

to generate sympathy.

but he's also speaking

to his own shadow self --

could be interpreted

as an admission of guilt.

anything else

you'd like to say to him?

yeah, i'm sorry.

i'm just --

i'm really sorry.

affect and emotional responses

are consistent

with post-traumatic

stress --

remorse, grief,

guilt, anger.

what if it's all an act?

then we're dealing

with a sociopath

with a well-constructed mask

of sanity,

but the stats

are against it.

most serial killers

don't come online

until they're in their 20s

or 30s.

you think i'm pissing

in the wind here?

there's something off

with this kid.

i just can't tell you

what it is.

death penalty's

off the table,

contingent on you

pleading guilty to all charges

and stipulating

to life without parole.

i can live with that.

if there's a god in heaven,

you'll catch a shank

to the throat,

choke to death

on your own blood,

miserable and alone.

when i get back

to my cell,

i'm gonna call my girl --

pop the question.

we all understand

what we're doing here?

look, ain't no thing. this is

how we ride 24-7, my nig.

throw it out -- now.

just trying to cover up

the smell of bacon.

hey, do what he says,

homey.

i need your mind right

on this one,

and i'm trying to hang on

to this car.

okay, vic,

we're all in position.

all right,

let's get this done.

wes, wes, y'all.

hey, hey, my man,

how you doing?

look, how much i got to drop

if i want to floss the load

with some sprewells

on dubs?

burnout, burnout.

don't move!

get down!

get down!

hey, come on!

where the scrilla

and the cush at?

my man asked you

a question!

hey, load up them rims!

load them up!

get dressed, bitch.

yo, look at what i found.

oh, sugar walls

found us a new bbc!

let me see what i'm working

with here.

you dented the rims!

let me hit that, dog!

that's money, nigger!

that's money over there!

let me crank that bitch!

come on, man!

help me, please!

you okay?

go, go, go!

danny's got the girl.

all right, move in. move in.

hands in the air!

head down on the ground!

stay where you're at right now!

stay where you're at!

counselor,
moment of your time.

i understand

you're an attorney now.

not sure if that's a step up

or a step down

from doing murder.

you got jokes.

i was wondering

if you'd be willing

to help me out

on another matter.

what's in it for me?

spoken like a true lawyer.

it's a 16-year-old kid.

he's got himself

into a situation.

i could use your expertise,

help me figure out

what i'm dealing with.

or i could just ship you back

to county in time for dinner.

i'm just --

i'm really sorry.

anybody reached out to you

when you were his age,

with an arsenal of help

and understanding,

do you think you might have

channeled your energies

in a different direction?

don't get it twisted, man.

everybody is born

into this world

with their own set

of gifts.

you grow up, you find out

what you're good at,

and you roll with it.

that's why you're a cop,

and i took a different path.

we all got to ride or die

with what the good lord

meant for us to do --

you, me, and him.

so you're saying, if killing's

this kid's shot in life,

there's no stopping it.

there's stopping it.

y'all stopped me, didn't you?

all it takes is a pair of cuffs

and a cage to throw him in.

but, yeah, he's got the look.

i seen it before.

where?

in the mirror.

which one of you fine young men

is mickey dightman?

what do you want?

hands behind your back,

mickey.

hey, what's going on?

i'm taking you in

for questioning.

stroll!

what did i do?

that's what you're gonna tell

me, big pimpin',

and you better not

leave out a thing.

you can't arrest me

for smoking.

the picture doesn't prove

anything.

i can arrest you for scratching

your tiny little nuggets.

by the time you're done

with booking,

fingerprints, mug shots,

transport to juvie,

it'll be 18 hours

before they release you

to your mommy and daddy.

and they're gonna love being in

and out of courtrooms

for the next year, trying

to clear their baby boy.

so, who supplied the drugs?

i- i brought one joint

with me.

where'd you get it?

there's a weed patch

behind the school.

it grows wild.

what about the ecstasy?

i don't do "x."

that's not what i asked you.

who brought it to the party?

i need a name!

what?

kid's father's here.

can you give me a second?

vic, he's a juvenile.

he has to have a parent present.

go ahead.

what's going on here?

are you okay?

your son is involved

in a drug investigation.

i had to make sure he was

in a secure environment

for his own safety

before i could notify you.

you are involved

with drugs?!

marijuana and ecstasy.

if you can get him

to cooperate,

it'll go a lot easier

on him.

mickey, you tell this man

what he wants to know...

now.

this girl in my grade --

okay, the "pimps 'n ho's" thing

was her idea.

she planned everything,

scored the "x."

the only thing

cassidy asked me to do

was put together a mix tape

and a couple mash-ups.

you've always been

the logical one,

see the whole picture.

with what you did to lem

center foreground.

i always know

where you're coming from.

i'm appealing

to your good judgment,

even though i know

i will forever be

on the wrong end of it.

you got that right.

vic is gonna land

you, me, and him in jail

for the rest of our lives

if he keeps going

in this direction.

he's doing what it takes

to protect his family.

that's one part

of the equation.

the other math

goes like this --

vic takes down someone

who's done worse deeds than him,

it balances accounts

for terry

in that big, old box of sins

god keeps on all of us.

i don't believe in god.

oh, you will,

because praying's

the only thing

that gets you out of a jail cell

twice a week.

hey, look.

vic still thinks the world's

worth fixing,

and he's the only one

that can do it.

you and me --

we're not like that.

this joint is broke for good,

and we both know it.

and taking down pezuela

will not make

one goddamn bit of difference

on the streets.

now, he'll listen to you.

get him to settle this beef,

hand over the box,

give everybody a moment's peace.

you may hate me,

but you know what i'm saying --

you know it's right.

short of a confession,

i'm not gonna make this case.

and i can't sweat one

out of him

without alerting the mother

he's a suspect,

in which case,

she circles the wagons

around her

sweet teen killing machine.

it sounds like you've done

everything you can.

what if everything i've learned

in my career,

everything

i've been through,

is meant to bring me

to this exact place in time,

this kid, this case?

what happened to the higher

power who put you here?

why wasn't he there to stop

lloyd from pulling the trigger?

who's the better

detective --

someone who arrests the bad guy

after he's killed 30 people,

or the one who prevents

30 murders

from happening

in the future?

none of us

can see the future.

i can give it a shove

in the right direction.

hey, um, sorry your deposition

went sideways.

in retrospect, burying those

subpoenas was, uh, prudent.

kleavon would have tracked you

down sooner or later.

what's the final word?

insardi cut the deal.

she gave me

the only deposition tape.

she protected me.

d.a.'s locking in

the best win they can.

it's not just

about protecting you.

yeah, well, this is the shape

of things to come for me --

more a liability

every passing day.

what were you just saying

about seeing the future?

all i have to do

is look at the present.

if kleavon

can suss this out,

what happens when a real lawyer

decides to tear me apart

in some other case?

you're not a lead

detective anymore.

all you have to do

is manage people here.

is that what i do now?

dodged a few bullets

today.

literally.

just don't know which side

olivia's on.

which makes sleeping tonight

as rough as it was last night.

i'm not putting my head

on the pillow

until i know for sure.

shane wants me to have

a "come to jesus" conversation

with you about --

about ending the war,

turning over the box.

i figured he'd piss

in your ear.

it makes sense.

he's got a point.

we could stop this all

now.

i can't give back

something i don't have.

aceveda's in possession

of the box,

and he ain't giving it back

to you and me

so we can get cuddly

with the armenians.

besides, if olivia's been

ratting us out to pezuela,

we've got

even bigger problems.

this stays between us.

it was stand-up of dutch
to take responsibility

for the subpoena-gate,

but i want --

old business.

i'm...

i'm not well.

but i'm not done here yet,

either.

i, uh, i need someone

i can count on,

backstop me full-time,

catch my mistakes.

anything you need --

just say the word.

how would you like

to be reassigned to me

on a permanent basis?

from tuna boat

to goddess duty?

that would work for me.

how much do you know

about lupus?

and we believe this boy?

he was telling the truth.

what are we supposed

to do --

handcuff cassidy to the bedpost

till she's 21?

if we have to.

of course, she can start

learning about consequences

the hard way,

like these people.

don't say that.

that's not the future i want

for our daughter, either.

she's a good kid.

she just took a wrong turn.

she's got to start acting

like a good kid.

i got to go.

hey, hey.

i know how to deal

with this, okay?

my lawyer wants to know where

we are with that quit claim.

tell him

i'm not signing it.

wait a minute.

we agreed.

maybe in your head.

you have no idea what it takes

to raise a child.

i knew what i was doing

when i decided to keep lee.

you werenevera part

of that plan.

i might not have been a part

of the plan,

but i was 50%

of the execution.

you want to see lee

have a good upbringing?

stay out of his life

and sign the damn document.

hey, just because you've decided

that me being the father

is a shitty idea

does not mean that i'm gonna get

behind the even shittier idea

of abandoning my son.

my mom's in the shower.

good, 'cause you and i

need to talk.

we both know it was

your plan all along

to kill luis alvarez.

you convinced him to break

into your house.

you shot him, made sure

you had an airtight story,

so you could go out

and kill again,

because that's

what gets you off.

you might even think you're

gonna get away with it again,

but i'm not gonna

let that happen.

rita: dutch?

why do you keep

calling him that?

because he's been so helpful

to us.

am interrupting

something?

no.

actually,

dutch just came by

to let us know

that the investigation

is officially closed.

oh.

it's all behind us.

what a relief!

hands where i can see them.

drop that.

you wanted some late-night

alone time,

you could have invited me

for a cocktail.

a fed with benefits

isn't on my get list.

how about that drink?

i already checked

your well.

you don't stock my pour.

which is...

surprising --

you already know

everything else about me.

i found that

by your bedside.

well, girls need nighttime

reading, too.

how long has pezuela

had his hooks in you?

you know all the twists

and turns.

do i?

i got a federal warrant

on a racketeering investigation

two years ago,

seized documents in a --

in a bookmaking takedown.

and you made

those documents disappear,

because they showed

your brother

was in hock

to a cartel-financed casino.

without motive,

the grand jury dropped the

embezzlement charge against him.

i kept my brother

out of jail.

pezuela followed

the treasure trail to you,

and now you're the one

serving time.

and his doberman, rios,

is your warden.

i thought it was a trade-off

that i could live with.

my brother's been putting

his life back together.

any errands they had me running,

they were minimal --

record searches, financials.

they want you to get

your fingersreallydirty

to set the hook.

rios told me that i had

to arrange safe passage

across the border

for some people.

so i put in

for special assignment traing

down in san ysidro,

picked up four illegals,

played it off like i was taking

them to secondary search --

dropped them

at a safe house instead.

he had you dance with coyotes

for a night. so what?

the next day,

rios had me shadowing

the salvadoran body draggings

on kearney.

you think it was done

by the guys you brought over.

the timing's hard

to overlook.

and then you gave me

that intel

on the robert martin

shooting.

you couldn't have known.

they weren't coming here

to pick lettuce.

i knew enough.

how much of this

have you fed to rios?

i've kept you

out of the mix.

because...

because...

because i didn't want

to hurt you.

and at some point, you're gonna

squeeze me for a favor?

i'm in this so deep...

...and i don't know how

to get myself out.

you're talking

to the right guy.