One of the Good Ones (2026)

[bunniefuu]

(rapid film clattering)

(horn blaring)

(slow upbeat music)

(bright music)

(siren blaring)

[Assistant] Courthouse,

how may I address the call?

Courthouse, how may I address the call?

Good morning, courthouse,

how may I address the call?

Please hold.

(bright slow upbeat music)

(Frank crying)

This guy crying, he's a lawyer.

A lot of people hate lawyers,

and yeah, there's some bad ones.

Some of them do twisted

sh*t for politics or greed.

Others think with their d*ck

and try to run from their mistakes.

Then, you get the ones that take bribes,

like this as*h*le.

Why won't the window open?

[Dean] I'd say for exactly that reason.

Where's the door to the roof?

No, no, no, Frank.

You don't want to do that, Frank.

Don't have much choice,

do I?

- Stu has a choice, Frank.

You made yours when you

hid evidence, greedy f*ck.

Is everything okay, boss?

That's Stu Foley,

my investigator and unofficial bodyguard.

He protects me from bad guys

and sometimes from myself.

Just sign the form, Frank.

Then what?

After I sign it?

I send it up to the

court and they disbar you.

Then what? Sell used cars?

I only buy used car.

Yeah, same, why eat the depreciation?

Exactly.

20 years of practice

down the f*cking drain?

Why are you being such a hard a*s?

Me turning that a hundred grand

wasn't just gonna bring

that dead kid back.

Hey, hey, hey.

Dean, Dean, Dean, Dean,

Dean, calm down, man.

Maybe there's something I

can do to get out of this?

That's not how this works.

What if I gave you something

that could bury the Craig brothers?

Like what?

They have somebody on the inside

making evidence disappear.

Inside where? The police department?

Yeah, yeah.

Maybe the courthouse too.

Who is it? You got a name?

I don't know.

You want me to do your

whole f*cking job for you?

Prosecution it is.

It's this mob guy's sister

or cousin or something.

I don't know.

I never met them.

[Dean] Keep talking.

What's in it for me?

Depends on what you got for us.

I could keep my license?

No promises, just tell us what you know.

Believe it or not, most

lawyers aren't pieces of sh*t.

I'm one of the good ones.

I prosecute bad ones,

so they're held accountable.

f*ck off, Alessi, you

m*therf*cking prick!

I'm not winning any popularity contests.

I'm just saying, if I found

my spouse dead in the pool,

my office wouldn't look like

an abandoned flower shop.

Hey Dean.

What's up?

What do you think?

About?

Susie's husband.

They're saying he was m*rder*d.

[Dean] Whoa, that's terrible.

He was a nice man.

Old enough to be her dad, but nice.

They are investigating her.

He was loaded.

I'm sure that had nothing to do

with his totally accidental drowning.

Devin, what's wrong with you?

Just being honest.

I thought you wanted to be a lawyer?

Hey, that thing with Frank.

Don't mention it.

Thanks for not letting

me k*ll the f*ck.

I said don't mention it.

It's just that today is...

I know what today is.

There's no f*cking justice in this world.

So, I was able to move the budget review

so I can do the press conference,

and then...

(Dean knocks)

[Dean] That's Sam Marcum,

the district attorney.

A politician to his core,

Sam probably came out of the

womb flashing a peace sign

and cheating on his wife.

Hey, Dean, Stu.

This is, uh, Joe Mazurka,

my new, uh, chief investigator.

Yeah.

Oh, hi, Stu.

Long time.

[Stu] Yeah.

Guys, sit down.

Not there.

Just kidding, sit down.

So, uh, what's this about Craig & Craig?

Oh, we had a guy in this morning,

says they're paying someone

in the mob to fake accidents.

Do you have any proof?

Well, our guy handled a couple of them

before he left the firm.

Actually, before he got canned.

Why did he get canned?

He's a screw up with a gambling problem.

And who's gonna

believe anything he says?

He's still tight with

some of the guys over there.

Wire 'em up,

see if they incriminate themselves.

If they do, you flip 'em

to get to the Craigs.

Then, I cut the guy a deal on my end

and you make headlines.

Mm, did you run this back out there?

[Dean] I wouldn't be here otherwise.

All right.

Set up a meeting, I'll talk to him.

Was there something else?

Yeah, no, I mean, I heard

they are looking at Susie

for her husband's m*rder.

Yeah, she didn't do it.

How do you know?

I'm leading the investigation.

Sometimes I feel like the

ham in a corruption sandwich.

Is that a problem?

It's a little bit of a

conflict, don't you think?

Investigating your own

first assistant for m*rder?

Oh, are you opening a file on me?

I wasn't gonna, but maybe I should.

Be my guest.

Susie is on indefinite bereavement leave,

not my first AD anymore.

So, where's the conflict?

I'm sorry you can't

figure that out, Sam.

Wow, this has been so

much fun, but you know what?

You should get going, Dean,

'cause your high horse is waiting for you.

Shut the door.

Okay, Sam.

Son of a b*tch.

So, what do you want

to do about the Craigs?

I... just call Eddie Craig.

Tell him he's got quite

the problem over there.

Okay, I'm on it.

Thanks, Jason.

Hey, Kat.

Surprised you're in.

[Dean] This is Kat Franklin.

She's a colleague.

And a friend.

A friend and a colleague.

I know this is a hard day for you.

And yet the world keeps spinning.

Sorry, I filed a motion on that,

but they wouldn't hear it.

Appreciate the effort.

I have the Merrick hearing today.

Oh, right.

I'd ask you to join me for lunch,

but it looks like you already ate.

I tried to, I'm not real hungry today.

Well, I'm just going to grab something

from the food trucks.

Walk with me?

I'll buy you a hot chocolate.

I wish I could.

I got to prep.

Suit yourself.

Careful out there.

I worry about you.

Not yours to worry about.

Well, you never know

when someone might

recognize you from court,

someone with a grudge.

Well, that's why I've got this.

What is that, lipstick?

(taser crackling)

Oh, that's great in case

you ever get attacked

by a rabid squirrel.

All right, tough girl.

I'll talk to you later, Dean Alessi.

[Dean] Hey, Brad.

See this putz? Brad Gunther.

Somebody owed somebody a favor,

and now this lump of belly

button lint is my boss.

Come on in.

I spoke to the DA about the Craigs.

They are taking the case.

Congratulations?

You think it's all right for Marcum

to be handling the Laurence m*rder case?

That is his job.

The DA really shouldn't be investigating

its own first assistant.

And you're recommending what?

Tell him to stop?

Appoint a special prosecutor?

How about you stay in your lane?

I don't tell the Chief

Justice how to do her job,

and I don't need you

telling me how to do mine.

Jesus Christ, Brad,

there's a clear conflict of interest here.

What kind of precedent are

you going to be setting

if you ignore it?

I'll think it over.

It's a big move.

No, a big move would be if

he took his head out of his a*s

before he thinks it over.

Are you going to follow me home

and tell me how to raise my kids?

Are we done for now?

I'm done for now.

Hey, thanks for getting this for me.

It was nice of you.

I know.

You hear the latest about

Susie Hines-Laurence's husband?

That they say he was m*rder*d.

Well, that she's a suspect.

What? sh*t, no.

I hadn't heard that part.

- Yeah.

- My god.

- You think that's crazy.

Get this, Marcum's investigating.

Oh.

Her boss.

Yeah, yeah, I know.

I tried to bring up

the conflict to Marcum,

but he shut me down

like it was no big deal,

and Gunther doesn't give two shits.

I mean, maybe it's just me,

but I think investigating

your own colleague for m*rder

is a pretty egregious conflict.

It's not just you,

and it's worse than that.

A few months ago, a bunch

of us went out after work.

I don't know Susie

well, but she got drunk,

and we talked a lot that night.

And?

She probably doesn't even

remember telling me this,

but she said she and Marcum hooked up.

Wait, isn't Marcum married?

They both are, well, were.

What the f*ck is wrong with people?

They took vows, at least

they could have the respect

to get a divorce before they...

I know I'm talking from

my own glass house here,

but that was one taboo conversation

and we stopped before

anything... got broken.

I wonder if it's serious between them,

like if it's a one-time

thing or it's still going on.

No idea.

You're k*lling me, Susie, you know that?

Want a drink?

Oh, you have to ask?

I owe you an apology.

For what?

In my haste to get you naked,

I didn't take the time to fully appreciate

just how amazing you look at black lace.

Baby, I'm a widow.

The least I could do is

wear black out of respect

for my dear, departed husband.

Indeed, here's to Kent.

Long, may he rot.

Speaking of which...

I had words this morning with Dean Alessi.

[Susie] Who?

The lawyer discipline guy.

[Susie] So?

Well, he's got a problem

with me investigating.

You think he knows about us?

I doubt it.

We've been too careful.

Then, don't worry about it.

Besides, Gunther would

never investigate you.

The CJ would have his ba*ls.

If he's got any.

Ooh, well.

(bright slow upbeat music)

Gladys? Oh.

(mic screeches)

Oh, my goodness.

It's so loud.

It's okay, you're doing fine.

I'm sorry.

My name is Gladys Stanfield.

And what is your age, Mrs. Stanfield?

I'm...

Ever since my doctor diagnosed me

with early bird dementia,

I'm not so good with numbers.

Okay.

For the record, this is LDO exhibit five.

Mrs. Stanfield, can you

tell me what this is?

It's the agreement that man

had me sign.

Let the record reflect

that the witness pointed to Mr.

Mark Merrick, the defendant.

And you understood when you signed

that it was an agreement

retaining Mr. Merrick

as your lawyer in a probate proceeding?

Yes.

Please tell the judge the circumstances

giving rise to your signing

the retainer agreement.

That man came to my house,

and he said a long lost relative had died,

and there was no other next of kin,

and so I would get all of his money.

And did you know Mr.

Merrick before that day?

No, at least I don't think so.

What did Mr. Merrick say was

his involvement in all this.

He said he was a lawyer

and he could help me get

that whole bushel full of money.

And when he stopped at

your home that afternoon,

did Mr. Merrick identify

the relative who died

and from whom you stood to

inherit this bushel of money?

Oh, no.

He said he couldn't do that

until I signed that agreement to hire him.

And did you sign the agreement?

Yes.

Why?

Because I wanted the money.

Because... Because my kids

have been doing so much for me

and I just wanted to pay 'em.

I'm sorry.

I know my doctor said I'm not

supposed to sign anything.

No further questions, Your Honor.

I'm sorry.

20-minute recess.

(bright slow upbeat music)

Your Honor.

Oh, thanks for coming

by, Bradley, have a seat.

Of course, Your Honor.

What can I do for you?

Just checking in with

our shiny new head of LDO,

wanting to make sure that

you're sitting in okay.

[Brad] Yes, I am, thank you.

So, how are things over there?

It's going very well, I'd say.

The staff have all been accommodating.

Wonderful, and Mr. Alessi,

is he behaving himself,

not being a pain in the a*s?

Nothing I can't handle.

Glad to hear it.

You know, he'll make you look good

if you can keep him in line.

Problem with him is he

thinks he's the bulwark

between good and evil.

I have a proposition for you.

How would you like to

replace Sam Marcum as DA?

DA? He just sworn real

Yes, I know that.

But maybe the universe

has another plan for Sam.

As you know, Justice Myers is quite sick.

In fact, he's entered

hospice just this morning.

That's too bad, I'm sorry to hear that.

I don't care.

I am going to recommend Sam

to take his spot on the court

after the poor man passes.

- Okay.

- Well, once that's approved,

that's gonna leave a vacancy for DA.

So the question is, can I count on you?

If I let you take over as DA,

if I do this for you,

I need to know that you have got my back.

Yes, of course, Your Honor, always.

Maybe Kat can get Susie talking,

you know, be a friend in need?

She'd do it if I ask,

but I don't want to get

her involved in all this.

I hear you.

What about your buddy

at the DA's office?

No, I spoke to him,

but nah, he's only been

there for about a month.

There's not much to tell.

Yeah, but he did say

something that pissed me off.

What doesn't piss you off?

Another ginger ale, Dean?

[Dean] Yeah, thanks, Angie.

Stu?

No, I'm good for now.

[Perry] Hey, hey.

Huh, what?

Once you start asking

the real questions,

the whole thing falls apart.

Huh?

NASA, man!

They made it all up.

Nobody walked on the moon.

It was a warehouse in Arizona.

Perry, they're having a conversation.

Leave them alone.

I heard Marcum's gonna

get a spot on the court,

when Myers dies and that

could be any day now.

Figures Marcum's got the right juice.

Hey, you're Rob Ray from the

Buffalo Sabers, aren't you?

Yeah, I am.

I used to love watching

you fight on the ice, man.

Do you miss it?

Eh, sometimes, not so

much right now, though.

Justice, no f*cking justice.

Time we do something about it?

Like what?

Prove Marcum's conflict.

You know, prove that he's

f*cking around with Susie

while investigating her for m*rder.

Gunther said he's looking into it.

Yeah, you believe that?

Of course not.

He's f*cking worthless,

but I've been officially

ordered to drop it.

So? Drop it officially.

Unofficially, we investigate

him on the down low.

How are we gonna do that?

Uh, well, follow Marcum around,

see if he's meeting up with Susie,

if they're knocking boots.

And if he is, then we take it to Gunther.

Yeah, and Gunther fires us on the spot.

Well, we do nothing, justice be damned.

I'm not saying that.

- Riddle me this.

- Yeah.

In hockey, you get

in fights for a reason,

right?

- Absolutely, yes we do.

But in real life,

is it okay to just walk up to a guy

and punch him in the face

or fight in real life?

Like, when do you know

you've had enough, man?

Well, you can't walk around

punching people in the face for no reason.

But if there's a reason, absolutely.

Well, what if they cross the line

and they win?

- If they cross the line...

You know, if they do

something crazy to your family,

do something to your kids,

your wife steal your money?

Absolutely, hammer 'em.

- I knew it.

- Yeah.

- You're a legend.

- Yeah.

Keep your shirt on.

It's a text from Kat.

Looks like Marcum released a statement.

It says, "Evidence supports Susie's claim

that she was in bed asleep

when Kent went out to swim,

called the drowning a tragic accident."

Oh, that's some bullshit.

You know what?

Go ahead and tail Marcum.

See if he and Susie shack up somewhere.

Copy that, I'll follow

him and see if they meet up.

Good.

Hi, honey.

It's been seven years.

I know.

(slow dramatic music)

I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go lay down.

I need a nap.

Um, uh, your dinner is

in the, um, in the oven.

Okay.

(slow dramatic music)

(dramatic piano music)

(crickets chirping)

Hey.

How's it going out there?

Oh, he stayed in tonight.

I guess I'll stick around

here for a couple more hours.

Okay, well, in case I'm

asleep when you get home,

I'll wrap your dinner

and put it in the fridge.

Oh, thanks, babe.

I'm kind of tired.

I'll just probably just

eat in the morning.

It's chili.

Yay, breakfast of champions!

Please be safe out there.

Always, I love you.

I love you back, kisses.

All right, bye-bye.

(crickets chirping)

Huh?

(phone ringing)

[Dean] Stu.

Hey, Frank Martin's dead.

What? How?

They say he jumped from the eighth floor

of the Lafayette Hotel.

Oh, sh*t.

Yeah, that's what I said.

It doesn't make any sense.

We just worked out a deal with him.

Why would he jump now?

Mm-hmm.

Guys like Frank don't jump.

You stake out Marcum?

Yeah, nothing.

He stayed in.

I'm heading home.

Maybe it was all bullshit then.

Maybe Susie lied to

Kat or it was a one-off

or maybe it's all over.

Nah, they're having an affair.

I can feel it in my bones.

[Dean] Your bones are usually right.

Yeah.

[Dean] All right, f*ck

it, I'm going back to bed.

Let's deal with this sh*t tomorrow.

All right, talk to you in the morning.

[Dean] All right.

It's been eight months now,

and sobriety's getting easier.

But I've got all this anger,

and I don't know what to do with it.

My boss said he'd approve

my transfer to pediatrics

if I could stay clean for six months.

He knows about my recovery.

That was the whole thing.

Some of you guys were here

when I shared about it.

My boyfriend thought I was crazy,

but it was important to me to share

about why I was taking so

much time off for treatment.

And I felt good about that decision

because my boss was really

understanding and supportive.

Seemed to be, at least.

So, I did the work and

I got my six months,

then seven, now eight.

And this whole time, I'm following up,

I'm staying on his radar.

Then last week,

he tells me they went with someone else.

One minute.

All right, thank you.

It's not all bad.

I'm in the running for

that new reality show.

"Naked and Afraid" of

what people think of me.

The promotion thing

wouldn't have set me off

as much if things were better at home.

My boyfriend says he respects my sobriety,

but he brings home a six-pack

and leaves the empties on the counter.

So last night, my inner child

had a freaking meltdown.

I was cleaning the kitchen,

tossing his empty bottles,

thinking about the

promotion I am not getting.

And for the first time in

months, I wanted to drink.

I call my sponsor instead, thank God.

But I am tired of being disappointed.

I am tired of depending

on people who can't show up for me.

Anyone else want to share?

Thanks, Emma.

I'm Dean and I'm an alcoholic.

[Group] Hi, Dean.

I've been sober two

years and three months,

but I almost blew it last night.

You guys know my wife and I lost our son.

It was seven years ago yesterday.

I usually take the day off,

but this year I just had

to get out of the house.

My wife, she hasn't been

to a meeting all year.

She's drinking again.

We're both still hurting, of course.

This kind of grief,

I don't think anybody

ever recovers from it.

But life goes on.

And I'm trying to do the same.

It helps to have a

couple supportive friends

and a job doing something that matters.

My wife doesn't have any of that.

She was a full-time mom.

And she was the best.

Literally, man, the best.

But after the accident,

she stopped seeing her friends,

just cut ties with everyone but me.

So obviously yesterday was hard,

but I worked, I managed.

Maybe I was selfish.

I took care of myself first,

but did I take care of only myself?

Maybe my grief, maybe

I hid behind my grief

so I didn't have to go home earlier.

But just the thought of it, you know?

Going to work was hard,

but staying at home would

have been so much worse.

When I got in last night,

she had just about polished off a bottle.

I came real close to finishing it myself.

Thank God for sponsors.

You know what's funny?

Well, not funny, but...

My buddy and I, we go

to this bar after work

and I get a ginger ale and

he gets whatever's on draft

and I'm never tempted to drink.

But then I go home and

it's all I think about.

That's not true.

It's not all I think about.

I love my wife, I do, I just...

I miss being...

I miss who she used to be

when she was with the man I used to be.

I miss being that guy.

His life wasn't perfect,

but he was married to his best friend

and they laughed a lot.

sh*t, this is some depressing energy.

It's like Al-Anon in here.

I'm still working on

turning over the anger.

You know, it's sticky stuff.

Forgiveness is tough, man.

I try so hard,

but the drunk that did this to us

still has a driver's license.

He still has a medical license.

How do you find meaning

in senseless tragedy?

You don't, that's why

they call it senseless.

Yeah, especially when the f*cking system

lets the guy walk.

You can't find meaning in that,

but you can give it meaning.

Ugh.

I don't know about that.

What do you think you're doing

every time you get up and go to work

when you'd rather stay home and drink?

(cars revving)

Oh, great.

Is the, uh, mini fridge stocked?

And you got the little vodkas?

Oh, thank you, thanks, bye.

(jazz music)

(elevator bell dings)

(knocks)

Hey, who's there?

Probably some pervert.

I saw you, pervert.

Hey, hey, pervert.

Go back inside.

- No.

- Are you a pervert?

- No.

- This doesn't concern you.

- Yes, it does.

I dropped out of the shower

because I heard you yell it

out here like an imbecile.

I am so sorry, go back inside.

- No.

- Please, bro,

I'm gonna kick you in the d*ck.

Jesus, fine, as*h*le.

(jazz music)

I'm gonna tell you this one time, Foley.

Stay the f*ck away from Sam Marcum.

Indict me? What the f*ck, Sam?

Babe, babe, I swear I'm

not doing this to you.

I'm doing this for you.

Here, look at this.

You understand, right?

Will it work?

Yeah, the CJ came up with it.

I mean, she wrote the case.

I told you, she likes me.

[Susie] She wants to f*ck you.

You think so?

She likes your Uncle Fred.

[Sam] Regardless, it's gonna be okay.

Really, Sam?

How is it gonna be okay?

My f*cking boyfriend,

who still hasn't left his wife,

is indicting me for m*rder.

Yeah, I agree, it's not ideal,

but it's better than my alternative.

[Susie] What could possibly be worse?

Special prosecutor.

[Susie] Jesus Christ.

Yeah, I know.

The CJ said if we don't go this route,

she's gonna have to let the

LDO investigate the conflict.

But, hey, hey, that's all moot, okay?

Because we're doing this, all right?

And here's the best part, okay?

You'll be safe from

prosecution for Kent's m*rder

in perpetuity, baby.

I'll never see any of

that insurance money.

The estate will be locked into probate

until I'm older than Kent's.

And not to mention, I'll become a pariah.

Getting a m*rder charge

dropped on a technicality?

I'll never get invited to another event.

I'll get kicked off all my boards.

Everybody will assume I k*lled Kent.

Well, to be fair...

Not helping.

I'll take care of you,

okay?

- No.

I promise.

[Susie] Who's gonna represent me?

Dinah O'Leary.

Dinah knows the situation?

Yeah, the CJ's reached out to her.

They, they go way back, okay?

Like, they're expecting

your call this afternoon

when we finish up here.

When will you put it in?

Oh, I thought you'd never ask.

The indictment, Jesus!

Tomorrow morning, the

press release is already out.

I mean, come on.

The, the, the, the news will

have to pull their editorial.

[Susie] Who's presenting the case?

Larry Donnelly.

[Susie] What's in it for him?

When I take the bench,

he gets to be my confidential law clerk.

That was supposed to be my job!

No, I know, I'm sorry.

Okay, okay, I'm sorry,

but I'll find you another job, okay?

Yeah, no, not a really

good time right now, Joe.

Oh, son of a b*tch.

Oh, God.

Wait, you didn't k*ll him, did you?

Um...

I, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay.

[Susie] What now?

Uh, unless this guy was a pervert.

- Who are you calling?

- Gunther.

Who authorized Stu

Foley to follow the DA?

I did.

[Brad] You didn't clear it with me.

It was a preliminary inquiry.

We do it all the time.

Well, he got caught.

I'd say the DA got caught.

What Stu saw gives us

cause to investigate.

Marcum's having an affair with a woman

he cleared of a m*rder charge.

You don't know they're having an affair.

They had him meeting in the hotel room

during the lunch hour.

What else is it?

[Brad] They're friends and colleagues.

This f*ck's gonna give me an aneurysm.

Anyways, what Foley saw

doesn't matter, it's moot.

How is it moot?

Because the DA just issued

a press release reversing himself.

He's indicting Susie for m*rder,

so there will be no

investigation of the DA.

I'm not kidding.

I know that.

You have no sense of humor.

As for your conduct, I

think we have a serious issue.

I will not tolerate rogue

behavior and insubordination.

Noted, is that it?

[Brad] Yes, that's it.

I'm taking Laura back

to rehab tomorrow morning.

Did she agree to?

It's her idea this time.

Hmm, that seems like progress.

I hope so.

There's not much more of this I can take.

Psst, hey!

Think about it.

Why would astronauts

land on top of the moon

and not the side that's

closest to the earth?

Perry, no.

Well, it's just common sense.

So, uh, when do you think

Susie's case is going to trial?

I mean, O'Leary will drag it out,

make the usual bullshit motions.

Case looks solid.

You know, I gotta admit,

They surprised me.

I never thought he'd indict.

Yeah, I'm not holding my breath.

I'm sorry, Dean.

You have nothing to be sorry about.

Want me to put on some music?

I just can't get past it.

I know.

Me too.

Do me a favor while I'm gone?

Of course, anything.

Have someone draw up

divorce papers for us.

What?

That house and you

are constant reminders of Stephen,

of everything we've lost.

Laura, honey...

I think that's why the

other times haven't worked,

um, because home is not my safe place.

It's my trigger.

Let's talk about this

when you get out, okay?

I think we'll see how you feel then.

I'll feel the same.

I'm not going to abandon

you while you're in rehab.

Dean, I'm leaving you.

We'll always love each other

and care about each other,

but I cannot get healthy, and...

Neither one of us is ever gonna be happy

to keep living like this.

Are you sure?

Yes, Dean Bean, I'm sure.

(cars whooshing)

Dean, I've got it from here.

I know you do.

(cars whooshing)

(phone buzzing)

Hey, Kat.

Hey, Dean.

[Dean] Tell me something good.

Sorry, all I've got is something bad.

[Dean] Let's have it.

Superior Court dismissed

Susie's indictment,

and she's got complete

immunity from prosecution now.

The f*ck? Why?

Apparently, the state

didn't submit a waiver

of immunity form during

her grand jury testimony.

[Dean] Larry Donnelly

presented that case.

Pretty dumb mistake.

Yeah.

[Kat] If it was a mistake.

There's no way.

Larry's been doing this way

too long to f*ck up like that.

You know what's sad?

What?

This sh*t doesn't even faze me anymore.

Ooh, that is sad.

[Dean] Got any other good news for me?

Uh, Judge Myers died.

Aw, I know he was in hospice.

I always liked him.

Yeah, he was a good judge

and a sweet man.

I heard Marcum's up for his seat.

Ugh, I heard that too.

You know, can I call you back?

I'm about to walk in this door.

I don't want to be that as*h*le.

Hmm, I don't know, Dean.

I'm... I'm super busy.

[Joe] Yellow.

Hey, it's Dean, you got a minute?

I could use some of that

Joe Boudreaux wisdom.

[Joe] Come on over, I got plenty.

Hmm, that's a lot.

It's nice not to worry

about Laura for a change.

I'm happy for her, she's

on the right track,

ready to start a new chapter.

What about your next chapter?

Well, that's why I called.

I'm not so sure where to go from here.

Is that gal from work still single?

Kat? Yeah.

But it's too soon to think about that.

[Joe] Says who?

Isn't it?

It's your story, your pen.

I don't know, it's...

- Scary?

- Yeah.

Keep talking.

She's a good friend.

I don't want to risk losing that.

Sure, that makes sense.

She probably won't be single forever.

That's something you'll have

to deal with down the line.

I can see that putting

me in a bad headspace.

Then, be honest with her.

Yeah, yeah, you know, you're right.

I will, soon.

I just have to wait for the right time.

What?

(Joe chuckles)

You're gonna kick the can

until she meets somebody else.

Ouch, message received.

What's the rush?

Just wait and talk to her

when she invites you to her wedding.

Thanks, Joe.

Maybe she'll ask you to be a bridesmaid.

They do that now.

(knocks)

(jazz music)

Dean? Hi.

Hi, can I come in?

Uh, of course,

if you don't mind the mess.

Sorry, I was having a hermit day.

Oh, if this is a bad time...

No, no, no.

It's fine, we can be hermits together.

I think that's the

antithesis of being a hermit.

What's that?

I picked this up in case

I had to bribe my way in.

Ooh.

Good thinking, that

totally would have worked.

Here, my 90-year-old

grandma would kick my a*s

if I didn't offer you some.

You wouldn't want to upset your grandma.

Mm-mm.

I'm not complaining,

but why are you suddenly at my house

beguiling me with cupcakes?

Laura wants a divorce.

What?

She told me this morning,

wants me to draw it up

while she's in rehab.

Oh, wow.

I'm not asking you for anything.

I just needed you to know.

[Kat] Okay.

I mean, as long as I'm married to Laura,

I'll continue to honor my vows.

You know, and I know I'm

toeing that line here,

but I have feelings for you.

And when I'm single again,

I'd really like to act on those feelings.

I see.

I don't wanna f*ck up our friendship.

So no rush, but maybe sometime between now

and when my divorce is final,

you'll give it some thought?

Let me know if it's a good idea?

Okay, I can do that.

Good, nice doing business with you.

Hate to bare my soul and

run, but I've got to go.

Stu found something in

the Kent Laurence m*rder.

Can I take that cupcake?

Hmm? Mm-hmm.

(crowd murmuring)

- Hey, Stewie.

- Hey!

Everything all right together?

Whole vibe thing happening here.

It's called cautious optimism.

Oh, sounds dangerous.

There's a chance it'll k*ll me.

It feels pretty good, though.

Well, I'll take your word for it.

Hey, guys, I'm not gonna bother you.

I just want to say one thing.

One thing, Perry, go.

Okay, trust me.

I know how this sounds,

but the whole globe thing is a hoax.

I'm not gonna try to convince you.

You're smart guys and you'll

want to do your own research.

[Dean] Love research.

Start with water.

Water always finds its own level.

Always, it never curves.

If the earth was a sphere,

rivers would have to flow

uphill in some places

in order to follow the curve.

It's food for thought, man.

What you got?

This is the Lakeville police report

on the Kent Laurence m*rder.

Anything interesting?

Eh, not really, but it's a

frantic 911 call from Susie.

Two officers show up and, uh...

Let's see, she takes him out to the back,

Kent's there in his swim trunks,

face down in the middle.

- Okay?

And it's pretty obviously,

he's dead by the way he's floating.

One of the officers

jumps in, pulls him out,

EMT starts CPR on off

chance, then calls it.

Well, what was Susie

doing all this time?

Says she was out there screaming,

begging for them to save him.

As expected.

Ah, wait a minute, wait a minute.

Said, then, a rookie notices

some odd abrasions on Kent's feet,

so he calls in Jackie Miller,

the Lakeville homicide chief.

She removes Susie from the scene.

They go inside to the living room.

Uh, she Mirandizes her

and takes her statement.

Note, Susie says that

she went looking for Kent

when he didn't come in

after his nightly swim.

Called 911 immediately.

Hmm.

Did Susie try and save him?

- Nah, didn't say.

- Hmm.

But let's see.

Oh, wait, it said, then

Miller let Susie leave

and spend the night in the hotel.

Well, that makes sense.

I mean, even if she k*lled him,

she wouldn't want to

spend the night there.

Yeah, but hold on.

Miller reviews the facts

over the phone with Marco.

They decide to hold off charging Susie.

That was pretty much it,

according to this.

So, what are you thinking?

Something's off here,

man, something's way off.

(water burbling)

To the newest Associate Justice

of the State Supreme Court,

the Honorable Samuel Daniel Marcum.

Here, here.

Cheers.

And to the soon-to-be

new District Attorney.

- Cheers.

- Cheers.

Oh, and, and, one more, one more,

to the new Associate Justice

of the United States Supreme Court.

Not so fast.

I have quite a way to go before that.

Don't worry, Uncle Fred,

he'll take care of you.

He'll come through.

Oh, he has to win the election first,

and it's dead even right now.

Oh, he'll win.

He's relentless, just like his nephew.

Hey, one more toast, one more toast.

To Dean Alessi on the unemployment line.

I'll drink to that.

Look, it's not that easy

trying to fire a guy under our rules.

I've got to run it by the full court

and Dean Alessi has allies up there.

For all his crap, he does a good job.

Not to mention he's been there 16 years.

Yes, but you know?

He and his investigators,

they're sniffing around.

I think they're out to get me.

All the more reason for

you to keep it in your pants

until the dust settles.

(Stu knocks)

Hey, Stewie.

Hey, guess who I just

got off the phone with?

Eleanor Roosevelt?

Jackie Miller, the old

Lakeview homicide chief,

been trying to get in

touch with her for a while.

[Dean] What'd she want?

Said she wanted to talk,

get something off her chest.

- Like what?

- Didn't say.

But it's gotta be the report.

My hunch was correct.

[Dean] Where'd she wanna meet?

At her cabin.

She lives in, what is it, Wyoming County?

It's about an hour south from here.

It's the boonies.

I was thinking about going after work.

Wanna come with?

Let me check my social calendar.

All right, meet you downstairs.

You think Mazurka is still tailing you?

[Stu] Yeah, didn't see anybody

following us out the city.

But I saw him a couple days ago.

They're still keeping tabs on us.

Susie's got immunity, Marcum doesn't.

He gets to face a m*rder rap.

And he just got on the court.

Damn, there's no f*cking justice.

What?

Just me being me.

[Stu] Huh.

Oh, I was a paranoid and

never k*lled anybody.

I'm gonna put that on my tombstone.

Remind me to update my will.

Is this it?

Welcome to Bumfuck Nowhere.

(crickets chirping)

You boys need a drink?

There's a beer in the fridge.

- Yeah, no thanks.

- No, I'm good.

So, why the urgent invitation?

Look, I had to tell somebody.

It's k*lling me.

It being?

My report on Kent Laurence's drowning.

[Dean] What about it?

I left out a few important details.

[Dean] Such as?

For starters, the DA

showed up that night.

Marcum was at the crime scene?

Yeah.

And seeing him and Mrs.

Hines-Laurence together,

I could tell they knew each other

better than they were letting on.

Well, she was his first assistant.

It was more than a

professional-type relationship.

I knew right off

that something else was

going on between them.

How did you know?

- Gut feeling.

- Gut feeling.

When I got there,

Mrs. Hines-Laurence

already had a bag packed.

Well, that was pretty fast,

but not wholly unexpected.

As soon as we were done talking to her,

she went to stay at a hotel.

Marcum wandered around

the scene kicking tires,

and then he took off

around 10 minutes later.

Did you follow him?

Of course, guess where he went?

Not Disneyland.

He went right to her f*cking hotel.

Yup, I waited for him to go in,

go up to her room,

then I go to the registration desk,

flash my badge,

tell the guy to give me Mrs.

Hines-Laurence's room number.

351, he tells me.

I didn't want to risk running

into them in the elevator,

so I took the stairs to the third floor.

351 was just a couple of

rooms down from the stairwell.

I tiptoe out, put my ear to the door.

I could hear them talking.

I mean, it was muffled,

but it was obviously the

DA and Mrs. Hines-Laurence.

Then, the DA's voice got louder

like he was coming toward

the door on his way out,

so I run back to the stairwell for cover.

Sorry to be impatient,

but did you see them together or not?

I did, yeah.

When I opened the door crack

just to see what's what,

the DA was standing in the hallway.

Then, Mrs. Hines-Laurence was with them.

They hugged, you know, real familiar,

like, this has been going on a while.

And there you were with

no surveillance gear.

Yeah, f*ck.

(Stu chuckles)

No kidding.

Luckily, these things

take pretty good video.

You okay?

Yeah, I can't believe it.

We pulled it off.

But it's gonna work, right?

It's got to work.

The insurance pays out.

Then, we can be together.

You become judge, I become DA.

We'll be the power couple of power couple.

Well, there's

there's some obstacles we're

gonna clear first, okay?

Are you sure you can't spend the night?

I'm too excited to sleep.

- I can't, I...

Just take take a sleeping pill.

I'm out.

(sighs) I wish I could stay, but okay.

I, I, I really just need

to lay low for awhile.

We've been running on for two years.

But now that he's gone...

I don't feel great

about what happened, okay?

He's a decent guy.

You know, all I want is

to just like calm you

and call it all off, and...

Too late for that.

Wish we could hear it better.

Sounds like a damn confession.

Yeah, I know.

[Dean] So how come it

didn't end up in the report?

When I got back to the headquarters,

I told the chief about it,

played him the video.

He got real quiet for a minute.

Then he tells me the audio's too garbled

so the whole recording is worthless.

The f*ck?

Said it didn't prove nothing.

And it might even be inadmissible,

which I knew was bullshit.

Then, he wanted to know what I was doing,

following the DA around

in the first place.

Got my a*s chewed out for that.

He told me to bury it,

to end my report with Mrs. Hines-Laurence

leaving the house and going to the hotel,

and to forget what I saw

between her and the DA.

I did what my chief told me,

and I've regretted it ever since.

It took a lot of guts for you

to come clean to us like that.

Doesn't change what I did.

Well, then come with us

and we'll report it together.

It's too late.

She got off on a technicality.

The DA didn't,

and Susie could still

face a perjury charge.

Well, what about the shitty audio?

Yeah, send me the video.

I'll look at it when I get home.

I think I can clean it up.

Yeah, that'll put the nail

on Marcum's coffin for sure.

But who we gonna report it to?

Marcum's got friends in high places,

the chief included.

He helped his son get off

a felony as*ault charge.

Ah, that explains why

he sh*t canned the video.

And the acting DA is

one of his best friends.

So I'm saying, who can

we trust not to bury it?

Maybe us too.

God, you know what these

b*stards are capable of.

We've been around a while.

Sad to say, but nothing

really surprises us anymore.

You go after dirty lawyers,

white collar criminals,

not mob guys with blood on their hands.

She's got a point, boss.

Let me sleep on it.

I don't know who to approach with this.

I don't know what we're gonna do,

but we're not doing nothing.

(phone buzzing)

Hey, Kat.

[Kat] Hey, did I wake you?

Nope, no, what time is it?

Almost 10:00.

Oh, then you woke me.

But I'm glad you did.

I fell asleep on the couch.

My back would've been

fried in the morning.

There, that's better, hi.

Hi, I wanted to tell you.

I've been thinking about what you said.

That was fast, uh-oh.

It's never good news when the

jury comes back right away.

Can we talk in person?

Maybe meet for dinner tomorrow.

Can you just tell me now?

No, I prefer to be eating

during important conversations.

Give me something to do with my hands.

You're not gonna tell

me anything on the phone.

I'll make a reservation.

De Paolo's sound good?

I love De Paolo's, but

it's too public for this.

Um... your place, I'll cook.

Oh, um... I don't have much

in the way of pots and pans

or other things that people cook with.

Okay, my place, I'll cook.

[Kat] You don't have to do that.

At least we'll have a good

meal before you sh**t me down.

Dean, if it makes you feel

any better, I'm not a jury.

The menu just got much better.

Now, you're getting the homemade sauce.

- Hey.

- Hey.

[Stu] The audio's a lot clearer.

Great, can't wait to hear it.

We might have a problem, though.

Great, can't wait to hear it.

[Stu] Missed a call from Miller.

She didn't leave a message.

Now she's not picking up her phone.

Maybe she's in the shower.

Been calling for over two hours.

[Dean] f*ck, we should

go back down there.

We don't need to get mixed up in this

if someone got to her.

I called in a welfare check

with the sheriff out there.

[Dean] Let me know

if you hear from them.

I didn't leave my name,

but if something happened to Miller,

we should know soon enough.

(birds chirping)

Stewie.

[Stu] Something happened to Miller.

f*ck.

[Stu] She's dead.

Figured that's what you meant.

She wasn't a bad person.

She didn't deserve

whatever they did to her.

Well, wasn't for nothing though.

I fixed the sound.

It's a lot better now.

[Dean] Can you send it to me?

Uh, don't think we should risk that.

I'll bring it the thumb drive up.

We can listen to it together.

(door bell rings)

That was fast.

Sam?

- Can we talk?

It's not a great time.

Ah, great, I'll make it fast.

Okay...

Let's sit.

Ooh, something smells good.

In my experience, the bigger the smile,

the deeper the bullshit.

And that is a big f*cking smile.

What can I do for you, Sam?

I'm here to clear the air.

Things between us have been tense lately.

I think you'd agree.

Uh-huh.

You and I, we're on the same side.

I mean, you want justice.

I want to keep the city together.

Which, let's be honest,

takes a little bit more than

the law can handle sometimes.

You know how it is.

No, I don't think I do, Sam.

You got that darn

bleeding heart of yours

all wrapped up in your job, thinking what?

You're just gonna, like, ride in

and clean up the courts like

some knight on a white horse?

Well, let me tell you

something, my friend.

Okay, this profession has been dirty

long before we got here,

and it's still gonna be

dirty long after we're gone.

Well, that's the kind of thinking

that gets me out of bed every morning.

Yes, fantastic, that.

And I want to give you that opportunity

to make a real difference.

Dean, Dean, if you can just...

Stop playing hero for five minutes

and think about the bigger picture.

Oh, you're spinning your wheels.

But I know how to get things done.

I got the connections.

I got the resources.

I got the influence.

I got the power to keep

this city together,

which takes resources,

you know, resources you're wasting,

chasing after some pipe dream of purity.

Okay, you're a good man.

I'll give you that.

But you're too idealistic

for your own good.

You know, too wrapped

up in this fantasy world

where everything is

either black and white,

but here in the real world,

we deal in shades of gray.

Huh? You mopping up

what I'm spilling?

- Not remotely.

Um, why don't you cut it out

with the word salad and tell me

What the f*ck?

(g*n fired)

All right, where have you been?

You were supposed to

keep the door unlocked.

Put him up!

Okay, he didn't lock

the deadbolt, I checked.

Doorknob was locked.

Well, this is new territory for me, Joe.

Yeah, well, you weren't

supposed to be here.

I told you I'd handle it.

Excuse me for trying to

avoid having to k*ll somebody.

Oh, you did that for me, Sam?

You're welcome.

What the f*ck is that smell?

It's baked ziti.

Can I take it out of the oven

before the house burns down?

Ah, f*ck.

You got bigger problems

than burnt ziti right now.

Drop it, Foley!

(Stu grunts)

Ah! Ah!

(Joe screams)

Ah! Oh, my god!

(Joe screams)

- Ah!

- Ah!

It hurts my eyes!

(Joe grunts)

It hurts my eyes!

(Sam loudly shouting)

(Joe vociferously grunting)

(loud thud)

- sh*t.

- Yeah, we need an ambulance

here right away.

Never mind, sorry.

I thought I heard a sound,

but it was just my buddies messing around.

Yeah, that was one of them behind me.

I'm fine.

Yep, I'm sure.

Yeah, everything's fine.

Oh, oh, sorry, just...

I'm sorry, just give me a second.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

I'm a good guy.

If you knew me outside of

the office, you'd like me.

Oh, I'm not, I'm not the villain here.

I'm the one holding the city together

to keeping it from

descending into chaos, yeah.

Yeah, you don't know what it's like.

Oh, sitting behind that

desk day after day.

Seeing just the wheels of

justice grind down to nothing.

Kn-knowing that the law isn't enough,

that no matter how many cases

you win, it's just like

the city keeps slipping

through your fingers like sand.

I made the sacrifices.

I carried the burden.

I kept the city alive!

And, and yeah, a public

servant's salary isn't enough.

Not nearly enough to compensate

for the things I'd done, so...

So yeah, yeah, I, I, I got my

hands just a little bit dirty.

No, I, I had to.

Someone had to make the hard decisions

to do what needed to be done.

And if that makes me a

bad guy in your story,

then so be it.

But I'm the hero of my story.

And sometimes, sometimes...

Yeah, a hero has to do the

things that no one else will.

Sometimes, a hero has

to get his hands dirty.

And if that's what it

takes to save the city,

then so be it.

Yeah, I'll carry that weight too.

I'm sorry, Dean.

I didn't want to k*ll you.

I didn't want to k*ll anybody.

I'm just trying to even the

score to make things fair,

even if it kills me.

(taser crackling)

What was that about a rabid squirrel?

Kat.

(gentle jazz music)

- Oh. (Grunts)

- Oh, gurney.

Thanks, man.

- See you at the hospital.

- All right.

Easy with him.

(gentle jazz music)

(alarm blaring)

Perry, what are you doing here?

You know Detective Perry?

Detective?

Yeah, or concerned citizen

if you want to be semantical.

I don't think you're

supposed to be here.

No? Then why do they

sell police scanners

if they don't want me to show up?

Think about it.

What can I say? You got me.

(lighthearted piano music)

Sorry about all this.

I promised you dinner.

Oh.

Well, you didn't promise it'd be edible.

I'll make it up to you.

Promise?

[Judge O'Neal] We're

here for the arraignment.

Are you ready, Ms. O'Leary.

Yes, Your Honor.

I have before me several indictments.

I have one count of

conspiracy to commit m*rder

for the intentional

death of Kent Laurence.

One count of conspiracy to commit m*rder

for the intentional death

of Jacqueline Miller.

One count of conspiracy to commit m*rder

and one count of attempted m*rder

for the attempted m*rder of Dean Alessi.

And one count of

conspiracy to commit m*rder

and one count of attempted m*rder

for the attempted m*rder of Stuart Foley.

How do you plead to the

counts in this indictment?

Not guilty.

Bail is set to remain at $4 million.

I can't believe I

voted for this as*h*le.

Your Honor, may I be heard on the issue

of bail, please?

- No.

But certainly, you don't

expect my client to come up

with that ki-

File a motion

to reduce if you wish.

Thank you.

I will, Your Honor.

[Judge O'Neal] We're adjourned.

[Bailiff] All rise.

[Officer] All right, let's go.

Justice.

Dean, I want to start by

thanking you for your tenacity.

None of us, even those of us

who knew Sam Marcum for a very long time,

saw him for what he really is.

Well, I appreciate that, Your Honor.

I was just doing my job.

Well, it looks like

Sam's gonna be trading in

his seat on the court for

his seat in the prison.

And like the court,

the seat in the prison's gonna

be a lifetime appointment.

CJs got jokes.

You didn't know that, did you?

I do now, Your Honor.

Let me ask you a question, Dean.

Do you still have an interest

in the LDO director position?

What about Brad Gunther?

Brad's gonna be taking

Sam's spot on the court.

You certainly have the

qualifications to become director.

So, what do you say? Interested?

Yes, of course.

Wonderful.

To be clear, as director,

will I be given autonomy in deciding

when to pursue disciplinary charges?

Yes, Dean.

Within reason.

(light playful music)

[Dean] You want to know

why I'm such a hard a*s?

'Cause life isn't fair.

It is not f*cking fair.

Our so-called civilized society

runs on broken promises and lies.

When did civil service

become self-service?

Guess it's been that way for a while.

Because I remember something

my grandpa used to say,

"Fair is a place where they judge pigs."

He had a point,

and that point still stands.

But this city, and these people,

they deserve better than that.

Don't get me wrong, I'm realistic.

I don't expect to change the world.

I'm just one imperfect dude

out here doing the best I can.

I don't have superpowers or a cape,

but I've got the law and I'm

a tenacious son of a b*tch.

Best I can hope for

is maybe by bringing

bad lawyers to justice,

I'm making life a little more

fair for somebody somewhere.

And that's got to count for something

right.

Okay, look.

- Oh, I know!

Give that thing a flip!

Make it, make it imperfect!

- I like this thing though.

- Yes, imperfect!

Get that olive oil in there.

- This?

Yeah?

- All right.

A little bit of olive oil.

Oh, nope, that's not open.

Wait a minute.

You got some...

- Let's just do

Hang on, you got a little

something right there.

Did you get it?

Yeah, but you got something right there.

Better?

Almost.

Perfect.

You're a good man, Dean Alessi.

And if you ever have

something on your face,

I'll be sure to let you know.

That's very decent of you, Kat.

Hmm.

I know.

Why can't everyone just

be honest like we are?

The world would be a better place.

Believe it or not,

sometimes the good guys win.

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