Wetlands (2017) Movie Script
1
[Man sobbing]
Can't no more.
Can't no more, can't no more!
I can't no more!
[wind howling]
[glass shatters]
[sobbing]
Help.
[gulls calling]
[ship horn blowing]
[Surfer Girl narrating]
All around Atlantic City,
you get the wetlands.
Miles and miles of this swamp.
Everyone knows each other
around here.
The cops, the surfers,
the crooks.
The degenerates.
So when this stranger
came to town that warm fall day,
we all noticed.
Those few people that move here
try to escape their past.
One came to chase it.
The renter is here.
You shoulda met him first,
just like I told ya.
[clatter]
[gulls calling]
Hey, dude.
Oxy, pops?
Get you fully at peace,
my man.
[phone ringing]
[Katherine on TV]
Four years to date,
Hurricane Sandy
ravaged our shores...
- Mm-hmm. OK.
- ...and not all is dandy yet.
We lost our loved ones.
We lost our homes.
- [Babel] Captain Schmidt?
- And my heart goes out to you.
[Babel]
All right, I got it.
[phone beeps]
[Katherine on TV] No wonder, folks.
We are from Jersey.
We are tougher
than some wind and rain.
Babel Johnson.
Schmidt.
Sit down.
I'm good. Thanks.
Florida, huh?
Yeah.
Yeah, I heard.
You know, John and I were
in the academy together.
He loves you like a son.
So I'm gonna do this, for him.
But I sure as hell
ain't gonna like it.
I can do good work for you.
Yeah... forget about the work.
All I'm concerned about is that
crap you pulled up in Philly.
From what I hear,
you created
one major league
shit storm up there.
So take my advice
and keep to yourself,
mind your own business,
'cause this is
the last stop for you, son.
You screw this up...
you won't be able to get
a job as a night watchman,
not in this state.
You understand?
Appreciate the chance.
Drop by the station
a week from Monday.
I got some old-timers that are
turning in their papers.
There'll be room for you then.
- [reggae music playing]
- [patrons shouting, laughing]
[music continues]
[Man]
All right.
[music fades]
[woman sighs]
[exhales]
[Savannah]
'92.
LA was like
a Guns N' Roses video then.
There was the Roxbury
and the Viper Room
and a shitload of blow.
- And you started surfing.
- In Point Dume
with the cool dudes.
Venice was just a bunch
of stupid kids jumping around.
I wanna take my boards
out west so bad.
- I'd sell a ton of 'em.
- You know I wanted a Beemer?
So I told my dad,
"Either you give me a Beemer,
"or I'm gonna make a porno
and send the tapes
to everyone at your club."
You bad!
Resourceful.
He deserved it anyway.
- [lighter clicks]
- Did I tell you about the idea I had for the logo?
Oh, it's 4:00. Do you mind
checking on my daughter?
I'm too chilled to get up.
Hey. What are you doing
up so late?
I don't like being alone.
We were just hanging
with friends.
A hundred of them?
Every single night?
Go to sleep, and tomorrow
we go to the skate park.
Promise?
No fail.
- [hip hop playing]
- [kids shouting]
Water, concrete,
it don't matter.
A board's a board, right?
Get up here and take some falls.
[gulls calling]
[Surfer Girl narrating] And that's
me, born and bred in the wetlands,
chasing my dreams
down the boardwalk.
Whoa, hey!
Hey, don't hurt me!
Don't hurt me, man.
I got two, OK?
Let's split.
I see you round those kids
again, I'll fuck you up good.
OK.
There you go.
- [chanting]
- [beads rattling]
[dog barking]
My name is Babel.
I was a heroin addict.
Had a little girl...
called Amy.
I love her very much.
Have an ex-wife.
Savannah.
For my daughter...
I managed to stay clean
for 360 days.
Hello, Babel.
[Katherine on TV] And as
October comes to an end,
we can answer
the burning question,
is Mother Nature going
to trick us or treat us?
It's safe to say
she's treated us.
We dodged the big bullet,
no major storms.
From Atlantic City,
it's Katherine Buchanan.
I wish a great night to you all.
[Woman]
And we're out.
- [theme song playing]
- [crew murmuring]
[theme song ends]
My time of year, huh?
Halloween.
Kids think I'm a goblin
or something, they love me.
Instead you're just a junkie.
I'm sorry, alright.
I... I'm trying hard, I swear.
Sometimes I slip.
I won't bother those kids
no more, I promise.
What kind of name is Babs?
Hey, man. Easy, man.
[Babel]
How you know my name?
Well... I know shit.
That's my trade.
Babel. Mother was
a religious type.
[Man]
That's fucked up.
- I can be useful to you.
- Do what now?
I check things out.
You know, we can make
transactions, you know?
[engine revving]
[horn honking]
[siren chirps]
[engine revs, sputters, dies]
Oh, yeah!
Oink, oink! [chuckles]
Yeah, good idea, big guy,
get outta here.
[chuckles]
Wow, look at you.
Man!
I tell ya,
I love you already.
Hey, hey, easy.
[Sheehan] Look, I just came
by to take you to dinner.
I'll tell you everything
in the car.
Oh, you got
a nice sports jacket?
Hey, you know what,
forget about it.
But we gotta roll
'cause we're late.
We're late for dinner,
we're late for the game.
And if we're late for the game,
that's a bad omen.
It's not good.
I got ten big ones
on them birds.
Eagles, don't fail me tonight.
Come on, man, we gotta roll.
Are you with me, partner?
Come on.
Partner?
What, the captain
didn't tell ya?
Jesus Christ.
Patty Sheehan, detective.
Babel Johnson.
[Sheehan]
OK, Babs.
Good. So...
My wife is waiting for us.
Man, there are so many people
I want you to meet.
[laughs]
Seriously, you are just
perfection.
- [Babel] I'm good, man.
- All right.
[thunder crashing]
Signore Lollipop,
Signore Coconuts.
She's at a table in there.
I wanna take care
of something on the fly.
The feeling is right, Jimmy.
The night is right, man.
Ah, don't get me wet.
[Sheehan] We are gonna
fuckin' kill it.
Yeah? You better
be right, Sheehan.
I'm praying for your Eagles.
[Sheehan]
What's the score?
[thunder rumbling]
I've been waiting
almost an hour.
Some dude just shows up
at my place?
I'm quite familiar
with that clown.
Do you know who I am?
Yeah. Seen you on the TV.
Good. Let's order.
[blues piano playing]
[woman singing blues]
Cocktail?
I don't drink.
Well, well, well.
Let the fun begin.
...and brought
a new day to me
But then you went away
It just wasn't
in life's plan
Now I'm back
at square one again
You came and gave me love
But I was so afraid
You said that things
would change
Cause all my
dues was paid
[Surfer Girl narrating] The docks.
That's where it all starts.
With one box falling
off a boat.
[dog barking]
[Surfer Girl]
Nine hundred fucking bucks
for one bedroom
in the jungle? Jesus!
[Woman 2] Girl, hello?
Maui? Gotta pay for your dreams.
Dude, I am that close.
Gimme another month,
and I'm good to go.
[urinating]
Why did you just do that,
asshole?
You know why.
This fuckin' bag
keeps gettin' lighter.
[kicks board]
Dude, ain't you had
two heart attacks already?
Oh, I got seven light bulbs
to keep me safe.
The Cadillac of heart bypasses.
Better watch what you eat.
Won't be the pork.
The football maybe.
What is the countdown?
[Sheehan]
Three weeks.
The most epic game of my life.
[Babs chuckles]
[Babel]
How epic?
75k epic, baby.
- Are you kidding me?
- Go big or go home, right?
[chuckles]
You should come by,
we'll watch it together.
I don't wanna be a nuisance.
Well, now you're just
avoiding us.
What have you got going
with the little guy?
Ah, nothin' major.
I've been paying
that little snitch for years.
So don't try to fool me.
Have you seen 'em?
Your family?
You can't just
roll up on 'em like that.
They served some official notice
on me up in Philly.
Dude, what the fuck
happened in Philly?
I don't wanna talk about it.
A prodigy of a narc comes
down here out of the blue,
demotes himself to this dump.
For what?
I mean, I understand
the kid and everything, but...
how the hell
did you pull that off?
Told them the ocean breeze
was good for my lungs.
[chuckles]
Yeah, you got some shit
on the captain, don't ya?
No. I don't know that fool.
Yeah, we all got some shit
going on down here.
Yeah? Really?
Goes with the landscape.
The loneliness.
Melancholy.
Fucks with your moral compass.
Listen to Joyce.
Here comes a fat C-note.
[Informant] This is personal. You
can make it up to me next time.
[Babel]
Fair enough.
You clean?
[Informant]
Squeaky.
[Babel]
Look me in the eye.
OK. Go.
She's a dispatcher
for Coconuts.
Fat dude with
the tropical shirts.
No shit.
[Informant] Simple stuff.
Pick up at the docks.
Bus to Atlantic City.
Repeat.
- But?
- [Informant] But?
She's a little thief.
A few baggies here and there,
downscale clientele,
pocket-money stuff.
What's the big deal?
[Informant] The big deal is
he found out in no time.
You sell in fuckin'
Cape Atlantic,
what do you expect?
So he takes her
to his basement...
ties her to a dog cage...
keeps her there two days.
I'll spare you the details.
Goddamn.
He's an animal.
- And he skims as well.
- What else?
[Informant]
She hasn't learned her lesson.
She sold to a buddy of mine
in Delaware last week.
Not a bright future
ahead of her.
[lighter clicks]
- I owe ya.
- [Informant, straining] Don't mention it.
There's another boat
coming up in a few days.
Don't be too hard on yourself.
People make choices.
[R&B playing on headset]
[Savannah moaning]
[telephone rings]
Stop. Stop, I said.
[ringing continues]
[Savannah sighs]
Who is this?
[Babel] That's no way
to answer the phone.
We need to talk.
- Listening.
- [Babel] In person.
- Phone is just fine.
- [Babel] I'll see you in ten minutes.
What the hell? You're not
authorized, and you know that.
[Babel] It's important.
I'll see you in ten.
Shit.
[hangs up phone]
- Hubby?
- Maniac.
Marry a cop,
that's what you get.
You want me to bounce,
just say it.
I think it's
a perfect time to meet.
I don't know, what would you be,
my stepdaughter?
Amy's tutor?
Fuck you, Sav.
I can run.
Been doing it all my life.
I'm good at it.
Tonight I want you to tell me
about the surf shop, all right?
The logo, everything, OK?
But now I need you
to clean up.
'Cause I don't want him to throw
a fit when he sees Amy.
[gulls calling]
[rock music pounding]
- [doorbell jangles]
- [sander whirring]
[hard rock playing]
[sander powers down]
Where is she?
I dressed up
the horses set them loose
Something real deep
and took in every drop...
[door slams]
[man strumming ukulele]
We need to talk.
Guys, this is
my ex-husband.
He used to be the police,
the po-po. Say hi.
Hello, Police.
Come on, get up.
I'm not here on a social visit.
Hey, Babs.
What's it been, a year?
Look, I don't care
about your life.
You like young girls now, fine.
You turn into a hipster,
all good,
but don't mess
with my daughter's life.
For the record, my daughter's
better off with me
than with a deranged addict.
Your lover friend's been
fucking with the wrong people.
How long have you been
stalking us?
She's stealing
from a bunch of animals.
She sells a few bags on the side
so she can raise money
for a surf company, a blog;
what's the big deal?
Big deal is that next time
she gets beaten, raped,
our daughter might be around.
You make your lady friend
stop now.
- Roger that.
- Do it for our daughter.
Fuck you. I have always
been there for her.
Unlike some people.
Those days are part of the past.
Good. We might even see
each other once in a while then.
I moved here.
What?
Two towns north.
Are you fucking with me?
Are you delusional? Like,
what are you gonna do here?
Landscaping?
I'm back on the force.
They took you back?
You're a cop again?
I turned a corner in my life.
I wanna see her.
Well, no contact
until further consideration,
as per the judge.
- I deserve to see her.
- Do you?
[Babel]
Yeah.
I'll give it some thought.
[Babel]
Family Court say it's your call.
[lighter clicks]
All these papers
mean nothing to me.
It's the eyes of the man
that tell the story.
Yours are beautiful.
Clear.
Thank you.
- Means a lot.
- Now...
What you told me doesn't
surprise me one bit.
They aren't fooling me.
I understand trouble.
And is that young lady
a mess, huh?
All those tats, those rings.
Jesus, Lord!
Listen, if I was back
in Amy's life, I'd...
Let's not jump the gun.
A court order
is serious business.
And you still have
a lot to prove.
I'll watch 'em like a hawk.
In these situations, tragedy
can strike at any moment.
In my line of work, I've seen
it happen every time.
Anything else, Detective?
[Katherine on TV] After
these weeks of sunshine,
I don't know how to break
this to you.
This crazy Suzy
is slamming Jamaica
and is coming our way.
A hurricane after Thanksgiving!
Sunny side up as usual, hon.
Don't you get bored?
[Katherine] ...I had seen it all.
Let's not pack up quite yet.
Boring is good.
- We still have a few days left.
- [theme song plays]
- [knock on window]
- That's all from Katherine Buchanan...
- Oh, not that thing again.
- He's quite a charmer when he wants to be.
[Schmidt] The latest forecast is
up on the board, check it out.
Does not look good.
All right, and we're gonna post
any updates as they come along.
[Sheehan] My bad, chief. Sorry,
I had to stop for a latte.
[officers chuckle]
Oh, no coffee
for your new homeboys?
[Schmidt]
All right, as I was saying,
we have never, ever been hit by a
storm this late in the season.
They have no idea
what to expect.
Alright, so learn the drill,
hear me?
- Double down on the Patriots.
- Patriots, you fuckin' traitor.
Am I missing something here? We got a
natural disaster bearing down on us.
Deal with the football nonsense
later, come on.
- Calls it nonsense.
- Children and the elderly.
We gotta get 'em out of Dodge
ahead of time, alright?
And the evacuation routes, we gotta
keep them open and fluid at all times.
How about the looting?
This island's too decent
for you.
Go back to Philly, huh?
We're a tight-knit community.
We'll look out for each other.
Yeah, as long
as the bridge is up
and the spics don't steal our
beer coolers, we'll survive.
[Dispatcher] Sheehan, situation
at the Taj Mahal, let's roll.
[Sheehan]
Oh, huge, baby.
- Don't shoot your dick off, Red.
- [laughter]
- [Sheehan] At least I got one.
- [scattered laughter]
Patriots again.
What a bunch of low-lifers
you guys are.
She goes hopping into the doctor and
he says, "What's wrong, ma'am?"
She says, "I got stung between
the first and second holes!"
- [chuckles]
- [scattered laughter]
[coughing]
Ahem.
[electronic jingle plays]
Small world.
Everything's small around here.
Yes, Detective, I still have
to get dolled up in this shit
so I can pay the bills.
[inaudible]
You good?
You still have to deal with
the I-talians once in a while.
Name of the game.
Let's go.
[bus approaching]
Hi, sweetheart.
You make me laugh.
[ball splashes]
There he is.
Hey.
I've been thinking.
That's a first.
[chuckles]
I care about my friends,
you asshole.
I can go to Lollipop
and have his little henchman
on a leash in two seconds flat.
[Babel] You got enough shit
going on with that guy.
Look...
I'll keep you out of it,
so the Captain got nothing
on you.
Don't touch the wrong wire,
you'll get burned.
Trust Sheehan on this.
I like ridin' with ya.
I'll be fine.
Oh! You see this?
She fights the storm
and comes home and takes care
of big daddy.
Mm!
[soft jazz playing]
He went to shit that fast.
Not my fault, I promise.
When life gives you
a big lemon...
Oh, well.
Suzy must be number 20?
I'd be happy to be fired
just so I didn't
have to take them anymore.
Some are duds,
some take us by surprise,
like this one.
A hurricane, in December.
You gotta be kidding me, right?
World's gone all wrong,
I'll tell ya.
We all thought she would
die in the Gulf.
She slams the Carolinas.
Comes right on up at us.
- Cocksucker.
- [Sheehan] Takes one to know one.
You sleazy pig.
[chuckles]
I'm sorry, baby.
I just can't help myself.
You never, ever could, Sheehan.
[chuckles]
You're the first sober cop
ever came to my house.
[Sheehan]
Yeah, he's a special one.
We have to find him
a nice Jersey girl now.
Oh, I got enough worries
already, thanks.
What's your type?
[Sheehan] You know, blond,
rich, from the main line?
[Babel] I've been
there, done that.
Is your family ready? It can
get real rough down there.
I told Savannah to get out,
but... zero.
Like common sense just don't
go through her mind.
You know, if your wife and her gal
pal get blown away by the storm,
your problems kind of take care
of themselves, don't they?
I can't believe the shit that comes out
of your mouth. His daughter's there.
[Sheehan]
Oh! Wha...
No, enough now.
And enough of that.
It was a joke.
Come on, a joke.
Don't worry. I ride with
your husband every day.
The ever subtle
Detective Sheehan.
Tck!
[soft jazz playing]
- I left him once.
- [Sheehan snoring softly]
Serious?
It was exhausting.
Going on dates. Making
conversations with those men.
Who has the energy?
[chuckles]
I should have gone to New York.
I could have made it big.
[Babel]
Don't blow away in the wind.
I'm a pro.
[hard rock playing]
[dog barking]
[muffled television audio]
[door closes]
[barking continues]
[child speaking indistinctly]
- Hey, sweetie.
- Yeah.
Oh, yeah, I wanna go to
the beach first thing tomorrow
and get you some
sea shells, OK?
- Mommy.
- Can I get you the curly ones?
[distant siren wailing]
[Babel thinking] Got some of that
Maryland crab shit, Maryland crab shit...
Come on, nigga... [chuckles]
Yeah, they know we tight.
Thinking me and you
is associates and shit.
[chuckles]
- Yeah. You know I can't have that shit.
- [man grunts]
Listen, it's nothin'
personal, baby.
You naughty boy.
[Jimmy] You wanna know
about this country?
Yeah, we got this client, right?
She's a soccer mom.
Got the corporate husband.
The German car and the house,
the whole shebang.
She breaks her wrist
playing tennis at the club
and then starts popping
pain pills, right?
Two weeks later
the dumb fuck is hooked.
Her husband has no idea,
he's fucking oblivious.
So now this crazy fucking broad
picks her kids up at school,
drives with them in the car
to Back Maryland.
Leaves them in the car while she
goes and blows a dozen gang bangers
so they can get her high,
drives home,
"Honey, I'm back!"
Then goes in, cooks dinner,
bakes a fucking pie...
[Babel] Seems like Jimmy
Coconuts is the ring leader.
No, he gets the dope,
they sell it, he gets the cash,
keeps a handling fee,
Lollipop looks the other way,
everybody wins.
Not that girl.
No. All she wins is
a trip to the morgue.
Oho! See that move?
Boy is fast.
That's what growing up
in North Philly does.
Makes you fast.
So how you wanna play this?
We gotta do something
and you know it.
I don't know.
Just wanna think it through.
Big city, different rules,
I get it, but...
Yeah, but, man...
Look, it's my family.
Not yours.
OK? Just... let me handle it.
Okay.
Just don't pull another Philly.
Not down here, Babs.
Third generation cop.
I know where to ask
when I need to.
This is it.
Come on, boys.
Come on, you birds!
Fly.
Fly!
[bottle shatters]
That bad?
[Sheehan]
This changes everything.
[Babel]
Come on, man, let's go.
Said tonight I need
an escape to Mexico
And if I had the balls
to walk me
There I would go
But if I stole the '69...
Fancy a little chanel?
[woman snorting]
[sighs]
[Babs clears throat]
Thanks for the game.
[Woman]
You don't want some?
- It's all you, babe.
- I've got enough to share.
There's only
one thing left to do
[Jimmy]
Seventy-five fucking grand.
You gotta start paying us back.
[Sheehan]
Get outta here!
Jimmy, get the fuck
outta here. Get out.
Yeah, go, go!
You tell your boss that I'll
come around when I say!
Now, you better take it easy.
[Sheehan] Yeah, you [indistinct]
you come around looking for me?
Hey, stop treating me like
I'm some kind of dope!
You hear me?!
[Babel]
Patty.
You're cool.
But even if you could
You'd probably still...
Don't be nervous.
It never ends.
Sheehan, come on, buddy.
Let's get outta here.
What the fuck happened
to this town?
What the hell happened
to this city?
Come on, let me take you home.
He's only gonna be in possession
of the narcotics for a brief while
- so time is of the essence.
- Time is the one thing we don't have.
Look, I'm just asking permission
to tail him and nail him.
It'll be a nice bust. Keep the
glory, I don't need none of that.
We got Suzy
to deal with right now.
Look, the boat is coming in
before the storm, Captain.
It's bad timing.
Frankly, Detective,
it sounds to me more personal
than anything else.
Does it affect my family, yes.
Do we have a responsibility
to do this?
This man is a known thug and racketeer,
but then, of course, you know that.
- I can't allow it.
- I respectfully ask you to reconsider, sir.
- Get busy with the storm.
- [Babel] You got it, Captain.
I didn't say a word.
- [Schmidt] Leash your dog.
- Fuck you, Chief.
[horn honks]
Nice place, Dad.
Back by 8:00.
- [car door closes]
- [car starts]
After the storm's over, we can
head out to the Gulf Stream.
Whaddya say?
How long am I gonna get
the silent treatment for?
I'm so over fishing.
Bull. Double bull.
You love it.
[Amy] I did, before I lost a father
and started living with two lunatics.
It's all your mother
can give, you know that.
Well, what about you, then?
Where have you been
for a whole year?
I was sick.
I went away, baby,
to get strong again, for you.
And I'm back now.
Until when, Dad?
When will you mess up
all over again?
I wish it could have
gone down differently.
I want our old life back.
Listen...
that's what I came here for.
- So we can rebuild.
- I miss my friends.
- I miss Christmases together.
- I know, listen, look...
I'm cold.
Whenever your mom lets me,
I can move real close.
Good luck with that.
I'm working on it.
Just give me some time.
- Hey...
- [doorbell jingles]
I need you to listen
to me carefully.
I can see you like that girl,
but she's in big trouble,
so steer clear, you hear me?
She's the only one who likes
to spend time with me.
Promise me you'll be careful.
- See that?
- It's beautiful.
You can keep it.
She hates it here.
A little adjusting
is all she needs.
You always think you got
everything sorted, don't you?
I have a right
to follow my dreams.
Please.
Who are you, Savannah?
I'm the rich girl you used to
parade in front of your friends.
Remember me?
Whereas your freedom,
your entitlement
started long before I met you.
- [scoffs]
- Did you do what I told you to do?
Yeah, I did.
I talked to her.
Then the message didn't
get through.
Well, she's done. She'll give the
money back. Roll credits, the end.
Yeah, right.
Retirement, move to Maui?
Savannah, they will kill her.
They will kill her and then they
will come for you, and Amy...
- I'm gonna get some rest.
- What about us?
- What about us?
- The judge.
The custody deal?
[door closes]
In spite of this
beautiful night,
we need to get ready.
Suzy is coming.
The mayor has ordered mandatory
evacuation for Zone A,
starting Friday at 3:00 PM.
[Woman]
Move it, ladies! Move it!
Get those asses going!
They are not getting
any higher on their own!
And up, up, up!
This is "work
your little butts off" time!
You are a woman.
[screams]
How you doing?
[laughs]
You fucker.
I have a gun, I would pull it.
Ah, I bet you got
one of those tiny ones.
Mine's bigger than yours,
Detective.
[Surfer Girl narrating]
As time went by,
he kept going back to her.
Katherine Buchanan,
this tough lady,
became his unlikely confidante.
It was so clear
what was gonna happen.
It was just a matter of time.
I just kept...
thinking what the hell
happened to you?
I missed you.
[Katherine]
You're scared, that's what.
[Babel]
It's wrong, is all.
[Katherine]
When you get to my age,
the line between good
and not good is pretty thin.
[both moaning]
[Katherine]
Fuck, yeah!
[Babel] How many of those
you taking these days?
Many as it takes
to kill those damn munchies.
You look fine without you
wasting money on that...
Old ladies in the news business,
you gotta look the part
or they put you out to pasture.
How's that going?
Either they replace me
with that cute Yale cunt
or they close the station down
altogether.
- Why sweat it, then?
- [phone ringing]
- [Sheehan] Out doing the laundry?
- Talk to me.
[Sheehan] There's something
you need to see.
[car starts]
This is our ticket out of here.
For both of us.
[baby babbling]
I know, but that life
was part of the past,
and I'm ready
to move on this time.
[baby fussing]
[sighs]
[slams bureau]
See you soon, sweetie.
Hmm.
I must say I'm impressed.
Grounded, articulate.
Well dressed.
It's quite a change
from last year.
But it's all a pile
of horse shit.
Coming in here
in your cheap Sunday best.
Trying not to look
like the whore you are?
Mocking me?
- I have a solid plan.
- Silence.
Your daughter has to go.
Sooner rather than later.
You keep away from my daughter.
[Social Worker] Well, I should
have taken her a long time ago.
Fucking witch.
You know...
a friend gave me these.
Someone who cared about me.
When you feel like choking,
you count 'em.
There's 108 of them.
Enough to keep you
out of trouble.
Man, I am the best shaper
south of Atlantic City.
I can do what all these guys do.
[Babel]
There's your talent.
I just wanna go out west,
get away from them.
- [indistinct]
- So what is it gonna take?
A trust fund?
Savannah?
She'd never help me.
She knows I'd just
take the money and split.
She don't know you got
a little daughter, does she?
Listen, you can turn
all that around.
- What do you think I'm doing?
- Stealing dope.
You'll get yourself killed, and along with
it, taking my daughter down with you.
I love Amy,
and I love my daughter,
and they want to take
her away from me.
You should know how
that shit feels.
Listen, you're the reason
that my family's in danger.
Now, before I do anything...
Look at me.
Before I do something
that cannot be undone...
- I've been trying to help you.
- I'm trying, OK?
Nobody gives me
a fucking chance!
Thank you.
[thunder rumbling]
[dog barking]
Drop, get, go...
Get, go...
Drop...
- [baby coos]
- [thunder crashes]
[speaking Italian]
[cell phone vibrating]
Detective?
- [Sheehan] She just left.
- Uh-huh. OK.
[Sheehan] Perfect night
for skateboarding.
All right, I got it.
Hey, sugar!
Hey, look, you're all wet.
Come on! Come on in.
Come on, come on. Come on.
Make yourself at home.
[gasping]
You're a little cunt
of a thief, that's what you are.
You're a little cunt
of a thief, come here.
You steal, you get to picking up
the shit, oh, you fucking dike.
- Fuck you!
- I'll break your fucking arm.
I'll pay you back, asshole!
Get the fuck off me!
You... fucking...
- Ohh!
- [gun cocks]
[panting]
- [Jimmy] What the fuck you gonna do, shoot me?
- You gonna push me around?
Let's see you push me
around now, huh?
You gonna rape me again,
motherfucker?!
Let's see you do it!
Right now!
Fuck you! Fuck you!
[gunshot]
Hey, hey...
Hey, hey.
Hey, look at me.
Easy, tiger.
Easy.
Let's go down, down.
Think of your daughter.
Good, girl.
Put it down.
All right, all right.
- What the fu...
- Shut the fuck up.
[sobbing]
Hey, hey, listen to me!
Snap out of it.
Now, listen.
I only got one thing
in this life,
and that's my daughter.
You listening?
There's a lot of cash here.
All right.
Let's just say that you
earned it.
You earned it, all right?
Take it, take this shit.
Get on a plane, take your kid.
And go to Maui.
I don't give a shit. If I
see you around Amy again...
I'll fucking kill you.
[spits]
[Jimmy]
Fuck you.
- We all good here?
- No, we're not all good.
You just gave away my money.
You better watch
your family, nigger.
What did you say to me?
I said you better watch
your fuckin' family.
[thunder rumbling]
- [cocks gun]
- Say it again.
What you say about my family?
Fuck you!
[Jimmy]
No, no... No!
[Woman]
Burstin' up above
A silhouette, a dove
All the beauty rising
hiding any traces of...
Streets are flooded from
both bay and oceanside...
...we left behind
Living in a daydream
by design
Ashes in the ground
Daisies grow around
Other things
will fall back
Half a block from where
your dreams were bound...
[Reporter] Atlantic Avenue is
currently under five feet of water...
Living in a daydream
by design
Changing like the seasons
and the fashions
Fragile hearts
of porcelain
All the vintage
photographs and captions
Sprawled across the sun
A covenant of one
Open up, arise
the future's in disguise
In the hobo...
[wind howling]
[murmuring]
[glass shatters]
[murmuring softly]
[coughing]
[sobbing]
[phone ringing]
[ringing]
[sobs]
[line ringing]
[ringing continues]
[phone beeping]
Yeah.
You sound like shit.
You survived it.
Yeah.
Bridge was flooded.
There was no way out.
[Sheehan speaking indistinctly]
In the wetlands?
[Sheehan]
Yep.
I'll be there in 15 minutes.
[Amy]
Dad.
I need you to listen to me.
I need you to stay put.
I'll be over in an hour.
All right?
Don't go anywhere.
- Amy.
- [Amy] I wish you came last night.
I was scared and alone.
- Look I...
- [phone beeps]
Amy.
[police radio chatter]
[geese honking]
Check this whole area here.
[camera shutter clicking]
[Surfer Girl narrating]
And that's how it ends for me.
One moment I'm out the door with
my daughter headed to Maui,
and the next I'm dead,
floating in the wetlands.
We found the shirt
over there on the jetty.
Come on, the wind
swept it around.
- Yeah, but look at the stain.
- What is it?
It's where she shot herself.
I know it sounds funny, but that's the
last thing you do when you get snuffed.
Tone it down a notch, Doc.
And he may or may not do something
afterwards. I'm not sure yet.
Meaning what?
Meaning fuck her.
See, the pants are ripped.
It gets my mind to thinking.
Am I dismissed?
How the hell does a guy
like that get into med school?
First the storm, now this.
We got lucky with Suzy.
Fifty miles up north,
it's a disaster area.
Yeah, well...
At least we know her name.
Sheehan tells me you have some sort
of a personal connection to her?
She and my wife were close.
I'd like to tell them myself.
All right by me,
but you'd better hurry up,
'cause she's gonna
hear it from the TV.
My old lady's
gonna eat this alive.
And notify the family.
We still need a positive ID.
And, Detective, we were all
on a state of high alert,
and you were nowhere
to be found.
[Officer]
This is bullshit, Captain.
Are these your fucking
rosaries or not?
Recognize those?
The deceased had them
in her hand.
I had a coffee with her.
I gave them to her.
At the, uh, diner
in Wildwood?
I heard you two were
screaming at each other.
What are you trying to say?
Nothing.
Nothing at all, Detective.
You be strong for her now.
I need to find who did this.
Did she have any drugs
in here?
Had nothing to do
with that shit.
Did she stash here?
Any dope, cash?
Anything?
Not that I know of.
I need to know where Jimmy Coconuts
went after he left the motel.
There was a major storm, and I'm not a
psychic, in case you didn't get the memo.
[Babel]
I'm catching heat for this.
I told you it wasn't
gonna end well.
OK? She's straight out of one
of those Greek books, that girl.
You just keep asking,
you hear me?
Loud and clear.
[crew chatting in background]
[muffled audio on playback]
Medical examiner report
came in, no semen.
But he did do something to her.
Bottle, maybe.
[Schmidt]
Jesus Christmas.
Oh, for crying out loud.
I got a dozen emails
from your missus.
Would you tell her we're here
trying to solve a murder
and not make up
her next headline?
[Sheehan] You tell her,
see what she says.
[Schmidt] That woman is obsessed
with making us look incompetent.
[Sheehan]
Yeah, she may be right.
Schmidt. Let's go get him now.
Who?
Get who?
You know goddamn well
who I'm talking about.
Your buddy.
Jimmy Coconuts.
Yeah.
Last time I checked, I was
in charge of this department.
That's the problem.
[Schmidt] Keep your nose
out of my decision making.
Put a warrant on him now.
You need to calm down.
I'm not gonna tell you again.
This is my family
you're messing with.
If I go down,
you're coming down with me.
[knock on door]
Perfect timing.
You wait here a second.
You want to, uh,
give us a little privacy?
Fine. Have it your way.
Babs, these gentlemen are from
the county prosecutor's office.
No shit.
We have to look into it,
I'm sure you understand.
[McCulvey]
Dan McCulvey.
Sergeant, it's a formality.
It's a pain in the friggin' neck
but we have to do it.
Sergeant Walker and I will be
conducting the interview together.
[Walker]
Howdy, brother.
[McCulvey] It's a coffee
break, Detective.
Babs...
First thing, call the union
and lawyer the fuck up.
Yeah, so that every cop on the East
Coast thinks I'm a murderer. Nice.
[Sheehan sighs]
Threw him under the bus,
just like that?
I had a hunch,
I had to follow up on it.
Why don't you busy yourself
with your point spreads?
The guy's trying to build
his life back up
and you just bury him
under a truckload of shit.
Well, my chair,
my responsibility, Patty.
[Sheehan] Oh, please. For
30 years, you just asked me
to look the other way.
[Schmidt]
You're no saint, Sheehan.
I gamble. Big fucking deal.
Well, I don't, I can't.
I gotta keep order around here.
Yeah. And you gotta keep those
little brown bags coming your way.
Right? Or am I
missing something, Chief?
You're missing a lot more
than something, Patty.
Uh, Babel, Babs, Bay...
Baa... What do they call you?
Detective Babel Johnson.
It's an interesting name.
A first, I must say.
A broken family,
mother part religious fanatic,
part raging alcoholic.
Father hit the road early,
or the full ghetto experience...
In the army,
two tours in Baghdad...
[echoing] Mild PTSD...
Philadelphia PD.
Narc unit, major busts.
Several convictions.
Great work, Detective.
We salute you.
Now flash forward
to two years ago.
Let's call it the "issue."
Violent behavior.
- Drinking hard.
- [Babel] Yes.
[Walker]
Bullshit. You were using.
[McCulvey] You know a man by the
name of Clarence La Grange?
Every narc knew Big G.
[McCulvey] But you knew
him better than most.
Uggh!
He was my main informant.
Then why the fuck were you sent
to the nuthouse, boy?
I had a drinking problem and I went
to rehab. My captain helped me out.
Then you become a dignified security
guard in this fucking dump.
Why?
Family matters, nigga.
You know anything about family?
What a shock it must
be for a teenager, poor Amy.
She like pussy, too?
Leave my daughter out of this.
Gentlemen, we're working
towards a common goal.
Let's just cut to the chase.
Smart cop, tough guy.
Good-looking nigger.
Loves a good party.
Loves the ladies.
Get mixed up
with this crazy rich gal.
I don't blame you, brother.
That vagina must taste
like champagne.
And you get the American dream.
Nice house, white picket fence.
But then it all goes to shit.
Maybe you hit her.
So wifey's summer
of black love is over.
And she moves to surfer land
with a cute young sweet girl.
So it hits you.
Simple.
Get rid of the femme fatale
and you can have it all back.
Trophy wife
and sweet little Amy.
Boom.
You done?
If your wife was an accessory
to the drug dealing,
your daughter may be placed
in the system.
An admission of guilt now
would make all the difference.
Whatever. I'm outta here.
I'll frame your ass
one way or another, boy.
Mark my words!
Clarence La Grange!
[bottle shatters]
- What are you doing, man?
- What do you think I'm doing?
- What are you doing?
- What do you think I'm doing?
[La Grange]
What are you doing? No!
Help!
[screaming]
[starts car]
[Walker]
I pressed so many buttons,
I thought I was playing
pinball with that fella.
And you're positive?
"Positive" is a big word
in our line of business,
but my gut says yes.
How can you be so sure
after just one session?
Because we interrogate
for a living.
All right, well, let's get him
for what happened in Philly
and then we'll take it
from there.
Whoever gave a damn
about Philly, Captain?
A fat black dope is
fished out of the Delaware.
Nobody cares.
We came, we pursued your lead.
Eh, it was a hunch,
not a lead.
[McCulvey] Now it's
time for us to go home.
You're not hearing me, fellas.
If you don't give me a reason
to relieve this man
of his badge and his gun...
Kate!
My God. Huh.
Uh, gentlemen, let's regroup
and deal with this later, huh?
[McCulvey]
Excuse me.
Hmm. Foxy Katherine Buchanan.
[Schmidt] Come in, sit down.
What a surprise.
What, the old crowd's not
good enough for you anymore?
Yeah, I always found you
a raucous, drunken bunch, Will.
- Respectfully.
- Of course.
Oh, by the way,
your coverage of the storm
was terrific.
Though you did look a little
tired there at the end.
I didn't come here to talk
about Suzy, Will.
I came here to ask you
what evidence you have
to pin a murder
on a fellow police officer.
How did I know this was coming?
You tell me.
Babs...
I mean Detective Johnson...
moved here to put
his life back together
and he doesn't deserve this.
We both know that.
Oh, you've come to know Babs...
I mean Detective Johnson...
pretty well,
haven't you, Kate?
How about you start looking
at the big picture?
Go after some bad guys,
some real bad guys?
Show some integrity.
Now you're starting to sound like
that gutless drunk you married.
Kate, you could have done
so much better for yourself.
You could have made it
in New York, you know.
Reporters may come around
and start asking questions.
And it is not going to be dandy.
Trust me on that.
Am I detecting a veiled threat,
Ms. Buchanan?
Will, it is absolutely
not the case.
It's more like...
if you don't back off,
I will plaster your redneck badge
all over the fucking newscast.
Captain.
You're looking
in the wrong direction.
- [McCulvey] I beg your pardon.
- It wasn't him.
Uh, what makes you
so sure, ma'am?
Because that night
I was fucking him.
Drive safe, gentlemen.
[phone rings]
- [Babel] Look, just calm down.
- [Savannah] We heard noises, we came downstairs.
That's all.
I told you everything.
- There's nothing else!
- Just calm down.
Just calm down.
Come here, come on.
It's all right.
All right, listen,
do you remember anything?
A voice, a detail, anything.
It was dark.
All right, listen, I want you
to lock up, go upstairs.
- Wait until I tell you what to do.
- What if they come back?
Nobody's coming back.
Lock up.
You leaving?
Where are you going?
We're gonna go to your grandmother's
house in ten minutes.
Pack as fast as you can.
[blues ballad in background]
Your possessions.
What you've worked for
your whole friggin' life
and rightly belongs to you,
you hand it over to the only man
you really trust
so he can watch it,
and what does he do?
He loses it all.
The cash, the dope.
- [door opens]
- The whole fucking lot.
[horn playing jazz interlude]
- [switch clicks]
- [music stops]
- I believe this belongs to you.
- [Jimmy] Where the fuck is the money?
My family's the only thing
I've got.
I want you to leave them alone.
You talk about family.
I had a family myself once.
Do we have a deal?
- That's a fancy word...
- [gunshot]
[gulls crying]
Savannah! Amy!
[Surfer Girl narrating]
In the wetlands,
years and years go by
and nothing ever changes.
The tides, the storms.
A poet or something once said,
"We are all in the gutter,
but some of us are looking
at the stars."
[knocks on table]
Hey.
[giggles]
Well, all right.
- Come on, let me see!
- All right.
Yeah, that's what I'm
talking about.
Turn around.
Wow!
A. Johnson, Nurse Trainee.
[chuckles]
Look at you. Hmm?
My little girl.
What did your mama say?
Madam was nowhere
to be found this morning.
Hey, it's all right.
Come here.
[Babel]
I'm so proud of my baby.
[Surfer Girl narrating] But there was
this one thing that he didn't let go of.
This one idea that just kept growing
inside him all those years.
[radio playing softly]
[Mike] ...in this sport, and
as we're talking about...
[Ike] But it's gonna
matter to the players
more than it's gonna matter
to us, he's not leading us.
[Mike] No, I know, but he's gotta
lead the players to a certain degree.
The players have to buy in,
and I almost think,
again by pedigree,
because he's done it...
[radio clicks off]
A cop.
Thought you forgot
about your old partner.
Ah, shut up,
you bloated old mick.
It's been busy
at the Legion, is all.
Haven't seen you in so long.
You manage?
[Sheehan]
I take it a day at a time.
It's not like I'm fending off
visitors at the gate.
Kate's gone three years now.
You talk to her?
[Sheehan]
She don't want to.
She gave me the house,
so I really can't complain.
Wants me to die with dignity.
That's what her lawyer said.
And you owe her big.
She got you off the hook in two
seconds flat with those federales.
I miss her.
I am sure you do.
If she wasn't around,
you'd be doing life
for murdering your wifey's dike.
Why did you kill her?
You know, it's...
funny how the mind works.
All along,
the truth was right there,
and I refused to see it.
You identified that girl's body
right away.
Enough.
[Babel]
Why did you do it?
'Cause I could.
That's why.
They wouldn't come after me.
Sheehan. The big puppy.
Wouldn't hurt a fly.
You know how long I had to
hear that shit in my life?
- You paid all your bills.
- Yes, I did.
And you gave me the idea.
Laid out the whole fuckin' plan.
And those stupid Italians,
I pay them back
with their own money.
[chuckles]
That's plain sad.
[chuckles, coughs]
I was gonna do a double slam.
I was gonna get her
and Jimmy C. together.
But your car was parked outside,
so I waited.
And when she came out and left
the motel, I followed her.
I gave her some sweet daddy talk
and she came along real nice.
Her head...
cracked like a nut.
You know what?
It felt good.
All the screaming,
the begging.
I felt like I had
the power for once.
You were sick, man.
[Sheehan] Then when you
became suspect numero uno,
you deserved it.
I was the only friend you had
and you would take my wife
down some alley
and fuck her brains out.
My wife.
And you think I didn't know.
You think I was stupid.
Whole fuckin' town knew.
I was weak.
Not the "born again" shit.
Please.
Wanna take me to prison?
Cop with a bad heart.
No.
Oh...
That's how it's going down, huh?
Right here.
[cocks gun]
[trigger clicks]
[Ike]
Oh, your special teams?
These are the things,
these are the ways we won
with Torrance Small and Charles
Johnson as wide receiver.
- [Mike] That's right.
- [Ike] I mean, this is the way we won games...
Don't keep beating yourself up
over those Eagles all the time.
There's worse things in life.
[sports commentary
fades out]
[Man sobbing]
Can't no more.
Can't no more, can't no more!
I can't no more!
[wind howling]
[glass shatters]
[sobbing]
Help.
[gulls calling]
[ship horn blowing]
[Surfer Girl narrating]
All around Atlantic City,
you get the wetlands.
Miles and miles of this swamp.
Everyone knows each other
around here.
The cops, the surfers,
the crooks.
The degenerates.
So when this stranger
came to town that warm fall day,
we all noticed.
Those few people that move here
try to escape their past.
One came to chase it.
The renter is here.
You shoulda met him first,
just like I told ya.
[clatter]
[gulls calling]
Hey, dude.
Oxy, pops?
Get you fully at peace,
my man.
[phone ringing]
[Katherine on TV]
Four years to date,
Hurricane Sandy
ravaged our shores...
- Mm-hmm. OK.
- ...and not all is dandy yet.
We lost our loved ones.
We lost our homes.
- [Babel] Captain Schmidt?
- And my heart goes out to you.
[Babel]
All right, I got it.
[phone beeps]
[Katherine on TV] No wonder, folks.
We are from Jersey.
We are tougher
than some wind and rain.
Babel Johnson.
Schmidt.
Sit down.
I'm good. Thanks.
Florida, huh?
Yeah.
Yeah, I heard.
You know, John and I were
in the academy together.
He loves you like a son.
So I'm gonna do this, for him.
But I sure as hell
ain't gonna like it.
I can do good work for you.
Yeah... forget about the work.
All I'm concerned about is that
crap you pulled up in Philly.
From what I hear,
you created
one major league
shit storm up there.
So take my advice
and keep to yourself,
mind your own business,
'cause this is
the last stop for you, son.
You screw this up...
you won't be able to get
a job as a night watchman,
not in this state.
You understand?
Appreciate the chance.
Drop by the station
a week from Monday.
I got some old-timers that are
turning in their papers.
There'll be room for you then.
- [reggae music playing]
- [patrons shouting, laughing]
[music continues]
[Man]
All right.
[music fades]
[woman sighs]
[exhales]
[Savannah]
'92.
LA was like
a Guns N' Roses video then.
There was the Roxbury
and the Viper Room
and a shitload of blow.
- And you started surfing.
- In Point Dume
with the cool dudes.
Venice was just a bunch
of stupid kids jumping around.
I wanna take my boards
out west so bad.
- I'd sell a ton of 'em.
- You know I wanted a Beemer?
So I told my dad,
"Either you give me a Beemer,
"or I'm gonna make a porno
and send the tapes
to everyone at your club."
You bad!
Resourceful.
He deserved it anyway.
- [lighter clicks]
- Did I tell you about the idea I had for the logo?
Oh, it's 4:00. Do you mind
checking on my daughter?
I'm too chilled to get up.
Hey. What are you doing
up so late?
I don't like being alone.
We were just hanging
with friends.
A hundred of them?
Every single night?
Go to sleep, and tomorrow
we go to the skate park.
Promise?
No fail.
- [hip hop playing]
- [kids shouting]
Water, concrete,
it don't matter.
A board's a board, right?
Get up here and take some falls.
[gulls calling]
[Surfer Girl narrating] And that's
me, born and bred in the wetlands,
chasing my dreams
down the boardwalk.
Whoa, hey!
Hey, don't hurt me!
Don't hurt me, man.
I got two, OK?
Let's split.
I see you round those kids
again, I'll fuck you up good.
OK.
There you go.
- [chanting]
- [beads rattling]
[dog barking]
My name is Babel.
I was a heroin addict.
Had a little girl...
called Amy.
I love her very much.
Have an ex-wife.
Savannah.
For my daughter...
I managed to stay clean
for 360 days.
Hello, Babel.
[Katherine on TV] And as
October comes to an end,
we can answer
the burning question,
is Mother Nature going
to trick us or treat us?
It's safe to say
she's treated us.
We dodged the big bullet,
no major storms.
From Atlantic City,
it's Katherine Buchanan.
I wish a great night to you all.
[Woman]
And we're out.
- [theme song playing]
- [crew murmuring]
[theme song ends]
My time of year, huh?
Halloween.
Kids think I'm a goblin
or something, they love me.
Instead you're just a junkie.
I'm sorry, alright.
I... I'm trying hard, I swear.
Sometimes I slip.
I won't bother those kids
no more, I promise.
What kind of name is Babs?
Hey, man. Easy, man.
[Babel]
How you know my name?
Well... I know shit.
That's my trade.
Babel. Mother was
a religious type.
[Man]
That's fucked up.
- I can be useful to you.
- Do what now?
I check things out.
You know, we can make
transactions, you know?
[engine revving]
[horn honking]
[siren chirps]
[engine revs, sputters, dies]
Oh, yeah!
Oink, oink! [chuckles]
Yeah, good idea, big guy,
get outta here.
[chuckles]
Wow, look at you.
Man!
I tell ya,
I love you already.
Hey, hey, easy.
[Sheehan] Look, I just came
by to take you to dinner.
I'll tell you everything
in the car.
Oh, you got
a nice sports jacket?
Hey, you know what,
forget about it.
But we gotta roll
'cause we're late.
We're late for dinner,
we're late for the game.
And if we're late for the game,
that's a bad omen.
It's not good.
I got ten big ones
on them birds.
Eagles, don't fail me tonight.
Come on, man, we gotta roll.
Are you with me, partner?
Come on.
Partner?
What, the captain
didn't tell ya?
Jesus Christ.
Patty Sheehan, detective.
Babel Johnson.
[Sheehan]
OK, Babs.
Good. So...
My wife is waiting for us.
Man, there are so many people
I want you to meet.
[laughs]
Seriously, you are just
perfection.
- [Babel] I'm good, man.
- All right.
[thunder crashing]
Signore Lollipop,
Signore Coconuts.
She's at a table in there.
I wanna take care
of something on the fly.
The feeling is right, Jimmy.
The night is right, man.
Ah, don't get me wet.
[Sheehan] We are gonna
fuckin' kill it.
Yeah? You better
be right, Sheehan.
I'm praying for your Eagles.
[Sheehan]
What's the score?
[thunder rumbling]
I've been waiting
almost an hour.
Some dude just shows up
at my place?
I'm quite familiar
with that clown.
Do you know who I am?
Yeah. Seen you on the TV.
Good. Let's order.
[blues piano playing]
[woman singing blues]
Cocktail?
I don't drink.
Well, well, well.
Let the fun begin.
...and brought
a new day to me
But then you went away
It just wasn't
in life's plan
Now I'm back
at square one again
You came and gave me love
But I was so afraid
You said that things
would change
Cause all my
dues was paid
[Surfer Girl narrating] The docks.
That's where it all starts.
With one box falling
off a boat.
[dog barking]
[Surfer Girl]
Nine hundred fucking bucks
for one bedroom
in the jungle? Jesus!
[Woman 2] Girl, hello?
Maui? Gotta pay for your dreams.
Dude, I am that close.
Gimme another month,
and I'm good to go.
[urinating]
Why did you just do that,
asshole?
You know why.
This fuckin' bag
keeps gettin' lighter.
[kicks board]
Dude, ain't you had
two heart attacks already?
Oh, I got seven light bulbs
to keep me safe.
The Cadillac of heart bypasses.
Better watch what you eat.
Won't be the pork.
The football maybe.
What is the countdown?
[Sheehan]
Three weeks.
The most epic game of my life.
[Babs chuckles]
[Babel]
How epic?
75k epic, baby.
- Are you kidding me?
- Go big or go home, right?
[chuckles]
You should come by,
we'll watch it together.
I don't wanna be a nuisance.
Well, now you're just
avoiding us.
What have you got going
with the little guy?
Ah, nothin' major.
I've been paying
that little snitch for years.
So don't try to fool me.
Have you seen 'em?
Your family?
You can't just
roll up on 'em like that.
They served some official notice
on me up in Philly.
Dude, what the fuck
happened in Philly?
I don't wanna talk about it.
A prodigy of a narc comes
down here out of the blue,
demotes himself to this dump.
For what?
I mean, I understand
the kid and everything, but...
how the hell
did you pull that off?
Told them the ocean breeze
was good for my lungs.
[chuckles]
Yeah, you got some shit
on the captain, don't ya?
No. I don't know that fool.
Yeah, we all got some shit
going on down here.
Yeah? Really?
Goes with the landscape.
The loneliness.
Melancholy.
Fucks with your moral compass.
Listen to Joyce.
Here comes a fat C-note.
[Informant] This is personal. You
can make it up to me next time.
[Babel]
Fair enough.
You clean?
[Informant]
Squeaky.
[Babel]
Look me in the eye.
OK. Go.
She's a dispatcher
for Coconuts.
Fat dude with
the tropical shirts.
No shit.
[Informant] Simple stuff.
Pick up at the docks.
Bus to Atlantic City.
Repeat.
- But?
- [Informant] But?
She's a little thief.
A few baggies here and there,
downscale clientele,
pocket-money stuff.
What's the big deal?
[Informant] The big deal is
he found out in no time.
You sell in fuckin'
Cape Atlantic,
what do you expect?
So he takes her
to his basement...
ties her to a dog cage...
keeps her there two days.
I'll spare you the details.
Goddamn.
He's an animal.
- And he skims as well.
- What else?
[Informant]
She hasn't learned her lesson.
She sold to a buddy of mine
in Delaware last week.
Not a bright future
ahead of her.
[lighter clicks]
- I owe ya.
- [Informant, straining] Don't mention it.
There's another boat
coming up in a few days.
Don't be too hard on yourself.
People make choices.
[R&B playing on headset]
[Savannah moaning]
[telephone rings]
Stop. Stop, I said.
[ringing continues]
[Savannah sighs]
Who is this?
[Babel] That's no way
to answer the phone.
We need to talk.
- Listening.
- [Babel] In person.
- Phone is just fine.
- [Babel] I'll see you in ten minutes.
What the hell? You're not
authorized, and you know that.
[Babel] It's important.
I'll see you in ten.
Shit.
[hangs up phone]
- Hubby?
- Maniac.
Marry a cop,
that's what you get.
You want me to bounce,
just say it.
I think it's
a perfect time to meet.
I don't know, what would you be,
my stepdaughter?
Amy's tutor?
Fuck you, Sav.
I can run.
Been doing it all my life.
I'm good at it.
Tonight I want you to tell me
about the surf shop, all right?
The logo, everything, OK?
But now I need you
to clean up.
'Cause I don't want him to throw
a fit when he sees Amy.
[gulls calling]
[rock music pounding]
- [doorbell jangles]
- [sander whirring]
[hard rock playing]
[sander powers down]
Where is she?
I dressed up
the horses set them loose
Something real deep
and took in every drop...
[door slams]
[man strumming ukulele]
We need to talk.
Guys, this is
my ex-husband.
He used to be the police,
the po-po. Say hi.
Hello, Police.
Come on, get up.
I'm not here on a social visit.
Hey, Babs.
What's it been, a year?
Look, I don't care
about your life.
You like young girls now, fine.
You turn into a hipster,
all good,
but don't mess
with my daughter's life.
For the record, my daughter's
better off with me
than with a deranged addict.
Your lover friend's been
fucking with the wrong people.
How long have you been
stalking us?
She's stealing
from a bunch of animals.
She sells a few bags on the side
so she can raise money
for a surf company, a blog;
what's the big deal?
Big deal is that next time
she gets beaten, raped,
our daughter might be around.
You make your lady friend
stop now.
- Roger that.
- Do it for our daughter.
Fuck you. I have always
been there for her.
Unlike some people.
Those days are part of the past.
Good. We might even see
each other once in a while then.
I moved here.
What?
Two towns north.
Are you fucking with me?
Are you delusional? Like,
what are you gonna do here?
Landscaping?
I'm back on the force.
They took you back?
You're a cop again?
I turned a corner in my life.
I wanna see her.
Well, no contact
until further consideration,
as per the judge.
- I deserve to see her.
- Do you?
[Babel]
Yeah.
I'll give it some thought.
[Babel]
Family Court say it's your call.
[lighter clicks]
All these papers
mean nothing to me.
It's the eyes of the man
that tell the story.
Yours are beautiful.
Clear.
Thank you.
- Means a lot.
- Now...
What you told me doesn't
surprise me one bit.
They aren't fooling me.
I understand trouble.
And is that young lady
a mess, huh?
All those tats, those rings.
Jesus, Lord!
Listen, if I was back
in Amy's life, I'd...
Let's not jump the gun.
A court order
is serious business.
And you still have
a lot to prove.
I'll watch 'em like a hawk.
In these situations, tragedy
can strike at any moment.
In my line of work, I've seen
it happen every time.
Anything else, Detective?
[Katherine on TV] After
these weeks of sunshine,
I don't know how to break
this to you.
This crazy Suzy
is slamming Jamaica
and is coming our way.
A hurricane after Thanksgiving!
Sunny side up as usual, hon.
Don't you get bored?
[Katherine] ...I had seen it all.
Let's not pack up quite yet.
Boring is good.
- We still have a few days left.
- [theme song plays]
- [knock on window]
- That's all from Katherine Buchanan...
- Oh, not that thing again.
- He's quite a charmer when he wants to be.
[Schmidt] The latest forecast is
up on the board, check it out.
Does not look good.
All right, and we're gonna post
any updates as they come along.
[Sheehan] My bad, chief. Sorry,
I had to stop for a latte.
[officers chuckle]
Oh, no coffee
for your new homeboys?
[Schmidt]
All right, as I was saying,
we have never, ever been hit by a
storm this late in the season.
They have no idea
what to expect.
Alright, so learn the drill,
hear me?
- Double down on the Patriots.
- Patriots, you fuckin' traitor.
Am I missing something here? We got a
natural disaster bearing down on us.
Deal with the football nonsense
later, come on.
- Calls it nonsense.
- Children and the elderly.
We gotta get 'em out of Dodge
ahead of time, alright?
And the evacuation routes, we gotta
keep them open and fluid at all times.
How about the looting?
This island's too decent
for you.
Go back to Philly, huh?
We're a tight-knit community.
We'll look out for each other.
Yeah, as long
as the bridge is up
and the spics don't steal our
beer coolers, we'll survive.
[Dispatcher] Sheehan, situation
at the Taj Mahal, let's roll.
[Sheehan]
Oh, huge, baby.
- Don't shoot your dick off, Red.
- [laughter]
- [Sheehan] At least I got one.
- [scattered laughter]
Patriots again.
What a bunch of low-lifers
you guys are.
She goes hopping into the doctor and
he says, "What's wrong, ma'am?"
She says, "I got stung between
the first and second holes!"
- [chuckles]
- [scattered laughter]
[coughing]
Ahem.
[electronic jingle plays]
Small world.
Everything's small around here.
Yes, Detective, I still have
to get dolled up in this shit
so I can pay the bills.
[inaudible]
You good?
You still have to deal with
the I-talians once in a while.
Name of the game.
Let's go.
[bus approaching]
Hi, sweetheart.
You make me laugh.
[ball splashes]
There he is.
Hey.
I've been thinking.
That's a first.
[chuckles]
I care about my friends,
you asshole.
I can go to Lollipop
and have his little henchman
on a leash in two seconds flat.
[Babel] You got enough shit
going on with that guy.
Look...
I'll keep you out of it,
so the Captain got nothing
on you.
Don't touch the wrong wire,
you'll get burned.
Trust Sheehan on this.
I like ridin' with ya.
I'll be fine.
Oh! You see this?
She fights the storm
and comes home and takes care
of big daddy.
Mm!
[soft jazz playing]
He went to shit that fast.
Not my fault, I promise.
When life gives you
a big lemon...
Oh, well.
Suzy must be number 20?
I'd be happy to be fired
just so I didn't
have to take them anymore.
Some are duds,
some take us by surprise,
like this one.
A hurricane, in December.
You gotta be kidding me, right?
World's gone all wrong,
I'll tell ya.
We all thought she would
die in the Gulf.
She slams the Carolinas.
Comes right on up at us.
- Cocksucker.
- [Sheehan] Takes one to know one.
You sleazy pig.
[chuckles]
I'm sorry, baby.
I just can't help myself.
You never, ever could, Sheehan.
[chuckles]
You're the first sober cop
ever came to my house.
[Sheehan]
Yeah, he's a special one.
We have to find him
a nice Jersey girl now.
Oh, I got enough worries
already, thanks.
What's your type?
[Sheehan] You know, blond,
rich, from the main line?
[Babel] I've been
there, done that.
Is your family ready? It can
get real rough down there.
I told Savannah to get out,
but... zero.
Like common sense just don't
go through her mind.
You know, if your wife and her gal
pal get blown away by the storm,
your problems kind of take care
of themselves, don't they?
I can't believe the shit that comes out
of your mouth. His daughter's there.
[Sheehan]
Oh! Wha...
No, enough now.
And enough of that.
It was a joke.
Come on, a joke.
Don't worry. I ride with
your husband every day.
The ever subtle
Detective Sheehan.
Tck!
[soft jazz playing]
- I left him once.
- [Sheehan snoring softly]
Serious?
It was exhausting.
Going on dates. Making
conversations with those men.
Who has the energy?
[chuckles]
I should have gone to New York.
I could have made it big.
[Babel]
Don't blow away in the wind.
I'm a pro.
[hard rock playing]
[dog barking]
[muffled television audio]
[door closes]
[barking continues]
[child speaking indistinctly]
- Hey, sweetie.
- Yeah.
Oh, yeah, I wanna go to
the beach first thing tomorrow
and get you some
sea shells, OK?
- Mommy.
- Can I get you the curly ones?
[distant siren wailing]
[Babel thinking] Got some of that
Maryland crab shit, Maryland crab shit...
Come on, nigga... [chuckles]
Yeah, they know we tight.
Thinking me and you
is associates and shit.
[chuckles]
- Yeah. You know I can't have that shit.
- [man grunts]
Listen, it's nothin'
personal, baby.
You naughty boy.
[Jimmy] You wanna know
about this country?
Yeah, we got this client, right?
She's a soccer mom.
Got the corporate husband.
The German car and the house,
the whole shebang.
She breaks her wrist
playing tennis at the club
and then starts popping
pain pills, right?
Two weeks later
the dumb fuck is hooked.
Her husband has no idea,
he's fucking oblivious.
So now this crazy fucking broad
picks her kids up at school,
drives with them in the car
to Back Maryland.
Leaves them in the car while she
goes and blows a dozen gang bangers
so they can get her high,
drives home,
"Honey, I'm back!"
Then goes in, cooks dinner,
bakes a fucking pie...
[Babel] Seems like Jimmy
Coconuts is the ring leader.
No, he gets the dope,
they sell it, he gets the cash,
keeps a handling fee,
Lollipop looks the other way,
everybody wins.
Not that girl.
No. All she wins is
a trip to the morgue.
Oho! See that move?
Boy is fast.
That's what growing up
in North Philly does.
Makes you fast.
So how you wanna play this?
We gotta do something
and you know it.
I don't know.
Just wanna think it through.
Big city, different rules,
I get it, but...
Yeah, but, man...
Look, it's my family.
Not yours.
OK? Just... let me handle it.
Okay.
Just don't pull another Philly.
Not down here, Babs.
Third generation cop.
I know where to ask
when I need to.
This is it.
Come on, boys.
Come on, you birds!
Fly.
Fly!
[bottle shatters]
That bad?
[Sheehan]
This changes everything.
[Babel]
Come on, man, let's go.
Said tonight I need
an escape to Mexico
And if I had the balls
to walk me
There I would go
But if I stole the '69...
Fancy a little chanel?
[woman snorting]
[sighs]
[Babs clears throat]
Thanks for the game.
[Woman]
You don't want some?
- It's all you, babe.
- I've got enough to share.
There's only
one thing left to do
[Jimmy]
Seventy-five fucking grand.
You gotta start paying us back.
[Sheehan]
Get outta here!
Jimmy, get the fuck
outta here. Get out.
Yeah, go, go!
You tell your boss that I'll
come around when I say!
Now, you better take it easy.
[Sheehan] Yeah, you [indistinct]
you come around looking for me?
Hey, stop treating me like
I'm some kind of dope!
You hear me?!
[Babel]
Patty.
You're cool.
But even if you could
You'd probably still...
Don't be nervous.
It never ends.
Sheehan, come on, buddy.
Let's get outta here.
What the fuck happened
to this town?
What the hell happened
to this city?
Come on, let me take you home.
He's only gonna be in possession
of the narcotics for a brief while
- so time is of the essence.
- Time is the one thing we don't have.
Look, I'm just asking permission
to tail him and nail him.
It'll be a nice bust. Keep the
glory, I don't need none of that.
We got Suzy
to deal with right now.
Look, the boat is coming in
before the storm, Captain.
It's bad timing.
Frankly, Detective,
it sounds to me more personal
than anything else.
Does it affect my family, yes.
Do we have a responsibility
to do this?
This man is a known thug and racketeer,
but then, of course, you know that.
- I can't allow it.
- I respectfully ask you to reconsider, sir.
- Get busy with the storm.
- [Babel] You got it, Captain.
I didn't say a word.
- [Schmidt] Leash your dog.
- Fuck you, Chief.
[horn honks]
Nice place, Dad.
Back by 8:00.
- [car door closes]
- [car starts]
After the storm's over, we can
head out to the Gulf Stream.
Whaddya say?
How long am I gonna get
the silent treatment for?
I'm so over fishing.
Bull. Double bull.
You love it.
[Amy] I did, before I lost a father
and started living with two lunatics.
It's all your mother
can give, you know that.
Well, what about you, then?
Where have you been
for a whole year?
I was sick.
I went away, baby,
to get strong again, for you.
And I'm back now.
Until when, Dad?
When will you mess up
all over again?
I wish it could have
gone down differently.
I want our old life back.
Listen...
that's what I came here for.
- So we can rebuild.
- I miss my friends.
- I miss Christmases together.
- I know, listen, look...
I'm cold.
Whenever your mom lets me,
I can move real close.
Good luck with that.
I'm working on it.
Just give me some time.
- Hey...
- [doorbell jingles]
I need you to listen
to me carefully.
I can see you like that girl,
but she's in big trouble,
so steer clear, you hear me?
She's the only one who likes
to spend time with me.
Promise me you'll be careful.
- See that?
- It's beautiful.
You can keep it.
She hates it here.
A little adjusting
is all she needs.
You always think you got
everything sorted, don't you?
I have a right
to follow my dreams.
Please.
Who are you, Savannah?
I'm the rich girl you used to
parade in front of your friends.
Remember me?
Whereas your freedom,
your entitlement
started long before I met you.
- [scoffs]
- Did you do what I told you to do?
Yeah, I did.
I talked to her.
Then the message didn't
get through.
Well, she's done. She'll give the
money back. Roll credits, the end.
Yeah, right.
Retirement, move to Maui?
Savannah, they will kill her.
They will kill her and then they
will come for you, and Amy...
- I'm gonna get some rest.
- What about us?
- What about us?
- The judge.
The custody deal?
[door closes]
In spite of this
beautiful night,
we need to get ready.
Suzy is coming.
The mayor has ordered mandatory
evacuation for Zone A,
starting Friday at 3:00 PM.
[Woman]
Move it, ladies! Move it!
Get those asses going!
They are not getting
any higher on their own!
And up, up, up!
This is "work
your little butts off" time!
You are a woman.
[screams]
How you doing?
[laughs]
You fucker.
I have a gun, I would pull it.
Ah, I bet you got
one of those tiny ones.
Mine's bigger than yours,
Detective.
[Surfer Girl narrating]
As time went by,
he kept going back to her.
Katherine Buchanan,
this tough lady,
became his unlikely confidante.
It was so clear
what was gonna happen.
It was just a matter of time.
I just kept...
thinking what the hell
happened to you?
I missed you.
[Katherine]
You're scared, that's what.
[Babel]
It's wrong, is all.
[Katherine]
When you get to my age,
the line between good
and not good is pretty thin.
[both moaning]
[Katherine]
Fuck, yeah!
[Babel] How many of those
you taking these days?
Many as it takes
to kill those damn munchies.
You look fine without you
wasting money on that...
Old ladies in the news business,
you gotta look the part
or they put you out to pasture.
How's that going?
Either they replace me
with that cute Yale cunt
or they close the station down
altogether.
- Why sweat it, then?
- [phone ringing]
- [Sheehan] Out doing the laundry?
- Talk to me.
[Sheehan] There's something
you need to see.
[car starts]
This is our ticket out of here.
For both of us.
[baby babbling]
I know, but that life
was part of the past,
and I'm ready
to move on this time.
[baby fussing]
[sighs]
[slams bureau]
See you soon, sweetie.
Hmm.
I must say I'm impressed.
Grounded, articulate.
Well dressed.
It's quite a change
from last year.
But it's all a pile
of horse shit.
Coming in here
in your cheap Sunday best.
Trying not to look
like the whore you are?
Mocking me?
- I have a solid plan.
- Silence.
Your daughter has to go.
Sooner rather than later.
You keep away from my daughter.
[Social Worker] Well, I should
have taken her a long time ago.
Fucking witch.
You know...
a friend gave me these.
Someone who cared about me.
When you feel like choking,
you count 'em.
There's 108 of them.
Enough to keep you
out of trouble.
Man, I am the best shaper
south of Atlantic City.
I can do what all these guys do.
[Babel]
There's your talent.
I just wanna go out west,
get away from them.
- [indistinct]
- So what is it gonna take?
A trust fund?
Savannah?
She'd never help me.
She knows I'd just
take the money and split.
She don't know you got
a little daughter, does she?
Listen, you can turn
all that around.
- What do you think I'm doing?
- Stealing dope.
You'll get yourself killed, and along with
it, taking my daughter down with you.
I love Amy,
and I love my daughter,
and they want to take
her away from me.
You should know how
that shit feels.
Listen, you're the reason
that my family's in danger.
Now, before I do anything...
Look at me.
Before I do something
that cannot be undone...
- I've been trying to help you.
- I'm trying, OK?
Nobody gives me
a fucking chance!
Thank you.
[thunder rumbling]
[dog barking]
Drop, get, go...
Get, go...
Drop...
- [baby coos]
- [thunder crashes]
[speaking Italian]
[cell phone vibrating]
Detective?
- [Sheehan] She just left.
- Uh-huh. OK.
[Sheehan] Perfect night
for skateboarding.
All right, I got it.
Hey, sugar!
Hey, look, you're all wet.
Come on! Come on in.
Come on, come on. Come on.
Make yourself at home.
[gasping]
You're a little cunt
of a thief, that's what you are.
You're a little cunt
of a thief, come here.
You steal, you get to picking up
the shit, oh, you fucking dike.
- Fuck you!
- I'll break your fucking arm.
I'll pay you back, asshole!
Get the fuck off me!
You... fucking...
- Ohh!
- [gun cocks]
[panting]
- [Jimmy] What the fuck you gonna do, shoot me?
- You gonna push me around?
Let's see you push me
around now, huh?
You gonna rape me again,
motherfucker?!
Let's see you do it!
Right now!
Fuck you! Fuck you!
[gunshot]
Hey, hey...
Hey, hey.
Hey, look at me.
Easy, tiger.
Easy.
Let's go down, down.
Think of your daughter.
Good, girl.
Put it down.
All right, all right.
- What the fu...
- Shut the fuck up.
[sobbing]
Hey, hey, listen to me!
Snap out of it.
Now, listen.
I only got one thing
in this life,
and that's my daughter.
You listening?
There's a lot of cash here.
All right.
Let's just say that you
earned it.
You earned it, all right?
Take it, take this shit.
Get on a plane, take your kid.
And go to Maui.
I don't give a shit. If I
see you around Amy again...
I'll fucking kill you.
[spits]
[Jimmy]
Fuck you.
- We all good here?
- No, we're not all good.
You just gave away my money.
You better watch
your family, nigger.
What did you say to me?
I said you better watch
your fuckin' family.
[thunder rumbling]
- [cocks gun]
- Say it again.
What you say about my family?
Fuck you!
[Jimmy]
No, no... No!
[Woman]
Burstin' up above
A silhouette, a dove
All the beauty rising
hiding any traces of...
Streets are flooded from
both bay and oceanside...
...we left behind
Living in a daydream
by design
Ashes in the ground
Daisies grow around
Other things
will fall back
Half a block from where
your dreams were bound...
[Reporter] Atlantic Avenue is
currently under five feet of water...
Living in a daydream
by design
Changing like the seasons
and the fashions
Fragile hearts
of porcelain
All the vintage
photographs and captions
Sprawled across the sun
A covenant of one
Open up, arise
the future's in disguise
In the hobo...
[wind howling]
[murmuring]
[glass shatters]
[murmuring softly]
[coughing]
[sobbing]
[phone ringing]
[ringing]
[sobs]
[line ringing]
[ringing continues]
[phone beeping]
Yeah.
You sound like shit.
You survived it.
Yeah.
Bridge was flooded.
There was no way out.
[Sheehan speaking indistinctly]
In the wetlands?
[Sheehan]
Yep.
I'll be there in 15 minutes.
[Amy]
Dad.
I need you to listen to me.
I need you to stay put.
I'll be over in an hour.
All right?
Don't go anywhere.
- Amy.
- [Amy] I wish you came last night.
I was scared and alone.
- Look I...
- [phone beeps]
Amy.
[police radio chatter]
[geese honking]
Check this whole area here.
[camera shutter clicking]
[Surfer Girl narrating]
And that's how it ends for me.
One moment I'm out the door with
my daughter headed to Maui,
and the next I'm dead,
floating in the wetlands.
We found the shirt
over there on the jetty.
Come on, the wind
swept it around.
- Yeah, but look at the stain.
- What is it?
It's where she shot herself.
I know it sounds funny, but that's the
last thing you do when you get snuffed.
Tone it down a notch, Doc.
And he may or may not do something
afterwards. I'm not sure yet.
Meaning what?
Meaning fuck her.
See, the pants are ripped.
It gets my mind to thinking.
Am I dismissed?
How the hell does a guy
like that get into med school?
First the storm, now this.
We got lucky with Suzy.
Fifty miles up north,
it's a disaster area.
Yeah, well...
At least we know her name.
Sheehan tells me you have some sort
of a personal connection to her?
She and my wife were close.
I'd like to tell them myself.
All right by me,
but you'd better hurry up,
'cause she's gonna
hear it from the TV.
My old lady's
gonna eat this alive.
And notify the family.
We still need a positive ID.
And, Detective, we were all
on a state of high alert,
and you were nowhere
to be found.
[Officer]
This is bullshit, Captain.
Are these your fucking
rosaries or not?
Recognize those?
The deceased had them
in her hand.
I had a coffee with her.
I gave them to her.
At the, uh, diner
in Wildwood?
I heard you two were
screaming at each other.
What are you trying to say?
Nothing.
Nothing at all, Detective.
You be strong for her now.
I need to find who did this.
Did she have any drugs
in here?
Had nothing to do
with that shit.
Did she stash here?
Any dope, cash?
Anything?
Not that I know of.
I need to know where Jimmy Coconuts
went after he left the motel.
There was a major storm, and I'm not a
psychic, in case you didn't get the memo.
[Babel]
I'm catching heat for this.
I told you it wasn't
gonna end well.
OK? She's straight out of one
of those Greek books, that girl.
You just keep asking,
you hear me?
Loud and clear.
[crew chatting in background]
[muffled audio on playback]
Medical examiner report
came in, no semen.
But he did do something to her.
Bottle, maybe.
[Schmidt]
Jesus Christmas.
Oh, for crying out loud.
I got a dozen emails
from your missus.
Would you tell her we're here
trying to solve a murder
and not make up
her next headline?
[Sheehan] You tell her,
see what she says.
[Schmidt] That woman is obsessed
with making us look incompetent.
[Sheehan]
Yeah, she may be right.
Schmidt. Let's go get him now.
Who?
Get who?
You know goddamn well
who I'm talking about.
Your buddy.
Jimmy Coconuts.
Yeah.
Last time I checked, I was
in charge of this department.
That's the problem.
[Schmidt] Keep your nose
out of my decision making.
Put a warrant on him now.
You need to calm down.
I'm not gonna tell you again.
This is my family
you're messing with.
If I go down,
you're coming down with me.
[knock on door]
Perfect timing.
You wait here a second.
You want to, uh,
give us a little privacy?
Fine. Have it your way.
Babs, these gentlemen are from
the county prosecutor's office.
No shit.
We have to look into it,
I'm sure you understand.
[McCulvey]
Dan McCulvey.
Sergeant, it's a formality.
It's a pain in the friggin' neck
but we have to do it.
Sergeant Walker and I will be
conducting the interview together.
[Walker]
Howdy, brother.
[McCulvey] It's a coffee
break, Detective.
Babs...
First thing, call the union
and lawyer the fuck up.
Yeah, so that every cop on the East
Coast thinks I'm a murderer. Nice.
[Sheehan sighs]
Threw him under the bus,
just like that?
I had a hunch,
I had to follow up on it.
Why don't you busy yourself
with your point spreads?
The guy's trying to build
his life back up
and you just bury him
under a truckload of shit.
Well, my chair,
my responsibility, Patty.
[Sheehan] Oh, please. For
30 years, you just asked me
to look the other way.
[Schmidt]
You're no saint, Sheehan.
I gamble. Big fucking deal.
Well, I don't, I can't.
I gotta keep order around here.
Yeah. And you gotta keep those
little brown bags coming your way.
Right? Or am I
missing something, Chief?
You're missing a lot more
than something, Patty.
Uh, Babel, Babs, Bay...
Baa... What do they call you?
Detective Babel Johnson.
It's an interesting name.
A first, I must say.
A broken family,
mother part religious fanatic,
part raging alcoholic.
Father hit the road early,
or the full ghetto experience...
In the army,
two tours in Baghdad...
[echoing] Mild PTSD...
Philadelphia PD.
Narc unit, major busts.
Several convictions.
Great work, Detective.
We salute you.
Now flash forward
to two years ago.
Let's call it the "issue."
Violent behavior.
- Drinking hard.
- [Babel] Yes.
[Walker]
Bullshit. You were using.
[McCulvey] You know a man by the
name of Clarence La Grange?
Every narc knew Big G.
[McCulvey] But you knew
him better than most.
Uggh!
He was my main informant.
Then why the fuck were you sent
to the nuthouse, boy?
I had a drinking problem and I went
to rehab. My captain helped me out.
Then you become a dignified security
guard in this fucking dump.
Why?
Family matters, nigga.
You know anything about family?
What a shock it must
be for a teenager, poor Amy.
She like pussy, too?
Leave my daughter out of this.
Gentlemen, we're working
towards a common goal.
Let's just cut to the chase.
Smart cop, tough guy.
Good-looking nigger.
Loves a good party.
Loves the ladies.
Get mixed up
with this crazy rich gal.
I don't blame you, brother.
That vagina must taste
like champagne.
And you get the American dream.
Nice house, white picket fence.
But then it all goes to shit.
Maybe you hit her.
So wifey's summer
of black love is over.
And she moves to surfer land
with a cute young sweet girl.
So it hits you.
Simple.
Get rid of the femme fatale
and you can have it all back.
Trophy wife
and sweet little Amy.
Boom.
You done?
If your wife was an accessory
to the drug dealing,
your daughter may be placed
in the system.
An admission of guilt now
would make all the difference.
Whatever. I'm outta here.
I'll frame your ass
one way or another, boy.
Mark my words!
Clarence La Grange!
[bottle shatters]
- What are you doing, man?
- What do you think I'm doing?
- What are you doing?
- What do you think I'm doing?
[La Grange]
What are you doing? No!
Help!
[screaming]
[starts car]
[Walker]
I pressed so many buttons,
I thought I was playing
pinball with that fella.
And you're positive?
"Positive" is a big word
in our line of business,
but my gut says yes.
How can you be so sure
after just one session?
Because we interrogate
for a living.
All right, well, let's get him
for what happened in Philly
and then we'll take it
from there.
Whoever gave a damn
about Philly, Captain?
A fat black dope is
fished out of the Delaware.
Nobody cares.
We came, we pursued your lead.
Eh, it was a hunch,
not a lead.
[McCulvey] Now it's
time for us to go home.
You're not hearing me, fellas.
If you don't give me a reason
to relieve this man
of his badge and his gun...
Kate!
My God. Huh.
Uh, gentlemen, let's regroup
and deal with this later, huh?
[McCulvey]
Excuse me.
Hmm. Foxy Katherine Buchanan.
[Schmidt] Come in, sit down.
What a surprise.
What, the old crowd's not
good enough for you anymore?
Yeah, I always found you
a raucous, drunken bunch, Will.
- Respectfully.
- Of course.
Oh, by the way,
your coverage of the storm
was terrific.
Though you did look a little
tired there at the end.
I didn't come here to talk
about Suzy, Will.
I came here to ask you
what evidence you have
to pin a murder
on a fellow police officer.
How did I know this was coming?
You tell me.
Babs...
I mean Detective Johnson...
moved here to put
his life back together
and he doesn't deserve this.
We both know that.
Oh, you've come to know Babs...
I mean Detective Johnson...
pretty well,
haven't you, Kate?
How about you start looking
at the big picture?
Go after some bad guys,
some real bad guys?
Show some integrity.
Now you're starting to sound like
that gutless drunk you married.
Kate, you could have done
so much better for yourself.
You could have made it
in New York, you know.
Reporters may come around
and start asking questions.
And it is not going to be dandy.
Trust me on that.
Am I detecting a veiled threat,
Ms. Buchanan?
Will, it is absolutely
not the case.
It's more like...
if you don't back off,
I will plaster your redneck badge
all over the fucking newscast.
Captain.
You're looking
in the wrong direction.
- [McCulvey] I beg your pardon.
- It wasn't him.
Uh, what makes you
so sure, ma'am?
Because that night
I was fucking him.
Drive safe, gentlemen.
[phone rings]
- [Babel] Look, just calm down.
- [Savannah] We heard noises, we came downstairs.
That's all.
I told you everything.
- There's nothing else!
- Just calm down.
Just calm down.
Come here, come on.
It's all right.
All right, listen,
do you remember anything?
A voice, a detail, anything.
It was dark.
All right, listen, I want you
to lock up, go upstairs.
- Wait until I tell you what to do.
- What if they come back?
Nobody's coming back.
Lock up.
You leaving?
Where are you going?
We're gonna go to your grandmother's
house in ten minutes.
Pack as fast as you can.
[blues ballad in background]
Your possessions.
What you've worked for
your whole friggin' life
and rightly belongs to you,
you hand it over to the only man
you really trust
so he can watch it,
and what does he do?
He loses it all.
The cash, the dope.
- [door opens]
- The whole fucking lot.
[horn playing jazz interlude]
- [switch clicks]
- [music stops]
- I believe this belongs to you.
- [Jimmy] Where the fuck is the money?
My family's the only thing
I've got.
I want you to leave them alone.
You talk about family.
I had a family myself once.
Do we have a deal?
- That's a fancy word...
- [gunshot]
[gulls crying]
Savannah! Amy!
[Surfer Girl narrating]
In the wetlands,
years and years go by
and nothing ever changes.
The tides, the storms.
A poet or something once said,
"We are all in the gutter,
but some of us are looking
at the stars."
[knocks on table]
Hey.
[giggles]
Well, all right.
- Come on, let me see!
- All right.
Yeah, that's what I'm
talking about.
Turn around.
Wow!
A. Johnson, Nurse Trainee.
[chuckles]
Look at you. Hmm?
My little girl.
What did your mama say?
Madam was nowhere
to be found this morning.
Hey, it's all right.
Come here.
[Babel]
I'm so proud of my baby.
[Surfer Girl narrating] But there was
this one thing that he didn't let go of.
This one idea that just kept growing
inside him all those years.
[radio playing softly]
[Mike] ...in this sport, and
as we're talking about...
[Ike] But it's gonna
matter to the players
more than it's gonna matter
to us, he's not leading us.
[Mike] No, I know, but he's gotta
lead the players to a certain degree.
The players have to buy in,
and I almost think,
again by pedigree,
because he's done it...
[radio clicks off]
A cop.
Thought you forgot
about your old partner.
Ah, shut up,
you bloated old mick.
It's been busy
at the Legion, is all.
Haven't seen you in so long.
You manage?
[Sheehan]
I take it a day at a time.
It's not like I'm fending off
visitors at the gate.
Kate's gone three years now.
You talk to her?
[Sheehan]
She don't want to.
She gave me the house,
so I really can't complain.
Wants me to die with dignity.
That's what her lawyer said.
And you owe her big.
She got you off the hook in two
seconds flat with those federales.
I miss her.
I am sure you do.
If she wasn't around,
you'd be doing life
for murdering your wifey's dike.
Why did you kill her?
You know, it's...
funny how the mind works.
All along,
the truth was right there,
and I refused to see it.
You identified that girl's body
right away.
Enough.
[Babel]
Why did you do it?
'Cause I could.
That's why.
They wouldn't come after me.
Sheehan. The big puppy.
Wouldn't hurt a fly.
You know how long I had to
hear that shit in my life?
- You paid all your bills.
- Yes, I did.
And you gave me the idea.
Laid out the whole fuckin' plan.
And those stupid Italians,
I pay them back
with their own money.
[chuckles]
That's plain sad.
[chuckles, coughs]
I was gonna do a double slam.
I was gonna get her
and Jimmy C. together.
But your car was parked outside,
so I waited.
And when she came out and left
the motel, I followed her.
I gave her some sweet daddy talk
and she came along real nice.
Her head...
cracked like a nut.
You know what?
It felt good.
All the screaming,
the begging.
I felt like I had
the power for once.
You were sick, man.
[Sheehan] Then when you
became suspect numero uno,
you deserved it.
I was the only friend you had
and you would take my wife
down some alley
and fuck her brains out.
My wife.
And you think I didn't know.
You think I was stupid.
Whole fuckin' town knew.
I was weak.
Not the "born again" shit.
Please.
Wanna take me to prison?
Cop with a bad heart.
No.
Oh...
That's how it's going down, huh?
Right here.
[cocks gun]
[trigger clicks]
[Ike]
Oh, your special teams?
These are the things,
these are the ways we won
with Torrance Small and Charles
Johnson as wide receiver.
- [Mike] That's right.
- [Ike] I mean, this is the way we won games...
Don't keep beating yourself up
over those Eagles all the time.
There's worse things in life.
[sports commentary
fades out]