Long Bright River (2025) s01e01 Episode Script

Help! Somebody!
Listen closely, Thomas.
This is the symphony
I was telling you about.
It's about a man named Faust.
What instruments do you hear?
Um, flutes.
Yep, and piccolos,
and the horns.
What kind of horns?
French horns.
And English horns.
And what do you think of this music?
What words would you use to describe it?
Um
Loud.
Yes, it's loud.
And some other words
I would use are intense.
Passionate,
and somewhat frightening.
Mom, what's happening in this part?
That's a very good question.
Do you know what the devil is
conceptually?
Uh Yes.
Okay, well, basically,
it's about a man
who makes a very bad choice to
enter into a bargain with the devil.
What happened to him?
- Nothing good.
There are certain choices
that you can never undo,
so that's why it's really
important to make good choices,
because every single one
of your actions is
Choice.
- Yes.
Yes.
So,
make good choices today.
Have a great day.
So I'm telling her,
'Look, I'm done.'
I have two kids of my own.
- That's
That's Jeannie walking this way.
'Not trying to raise a
third,' is what I told her.
That's Helen.
'Get your shit together,' that's what I said.
Never date anybody in their 20s, my advice.
Oh, yeah, that's
That's Mary.
I tell you, this new doctor I'm
going to see about my My GERD
This new doctor says
I gotta sleep at an angle.
Apparently, it helps.
GERD.
And that's Nicole.
What's going on there?
- fucking bitch.
Get off my fucking washing machine.
You're bleeding all over the place.
Fucking dirty slut!
Yo, wake up!
This ain't your sofa, honey.
Damn junkies!
What's going on, Nicole? What's going
on? She's driving away my business.
All right, I got it.
They took 'em.
Your shoes? Can you just
get her out of here, please?
I'm gonna have you sit right
down on the laundry basket.
All right.
I'm gonna bandage you up.
Stay away from, Jim, all right?
I don't get it.
I mean, how could somebody
choose to live like that?
Like what?
This This neighborhood
used to be normal, I mean
We used to play baseball
up here when we were kids.
I'm sure it was a rough dump,
but nothing like this.
Yeah, well, it's got its good parts,
its bad parts like any neighborhood.
Yeah, huh?
But someday you're gonna have
to show me the good parts.
Body found on the A Street Tracks.
Probable overdose.
56201 responding.
Dead bodies
give me the creeps, you know?
Yeah.
- Tell me it gets easier.
It doesn't.
Are you guys shook up like this? -Sure.
Never would have guessed that. You
always seem, you know, very composed.
You just follow the rules,
all right?
You know the procedure, right?
You take the pulse.
I have to warn you that the condition
of the body might be a little unpleasant.
The caller didn't indicate
Indicate what?
You You okay?
Hey, what do you want me to do here?
Mickey.
Mickey.
Mickey.
Truman.
Truman.
Hey. What's going on with her?
I don't know.
She's been like that for a bit.
Just saying,
ever since they took the
The mural down
birds can't win a ring.
- Right.
Especially now that Kelce retired.
Oh, yeah
What's in there?
- Receipt.
That's all she had.
- No, ID?
No. Only thing in her pockets.
Possible homicide.
Possible homicide.
I'll call in forensics.
Oh. What for?
Uh, blood in the mouth.
- Doesn't happen with ODs?
Not usually. Sometimes foam,
but not usually blood.
Uh, those kids, and the man
that we passed coming in,
can you get a statement from
them? See if they saw anything?
Two kids split already.
The other guy had nothing much to say.
Said he didn't see anything.
Definitely, he's coming down off something.
Are you gonna
tell me what happened back there?
I thought I recognized her.
And did you?
Hey, I get it.
I'm not judging.
Can I tell you something,
between us?
I lost my job in construction.
Sergeant Ahearn and I have known
each other since we were kids,
so he was the one who convinced
me to take the police exam.
To tell you the truth, I'm not sure I'm
cut out for this type of work, you know?
I think I got into it too late or something.
How old are you?
Forty-five.
I mean, I had two other careers before this.
So did I.
What?
Huh. Just we've been working
together, like, a month now,
and that's the first time you
told me anything about yourself.
Sergeant Ahearn,
you wanted to see me?
So you want to tell me
about what happened today?
Dehydration.
That's really all it was, huh?
- Uh-huh.
Well, you gotta talk to the doc,
to be sure.
Yeah. I don't need to see a doctor.
Well, Union says you do.
Take it up with them, please.
Um
Will you let me know when
you get an ID on the victim?
Don't hold your breath.
Hey.
You talked to Truman lately?
No.
Why?
Well, maybe you should.
Lafferty said when you were
having your little episode,
you were calling his name.
Hi.
- Hey.
Hi, Mom.
- Hey, Thomas.
I couldn't find the sauce.
- That's okay.
Good job. Thank you.
Okay, have a good night,
Bethany.
Oh, thanks. You, too.
Thanks for nothing.
You're so funny.
Mom, what are you doing?
I just missed you today.
Three things, go for it.
What are your three things?
Um
Watershed.
- Definition?
It's like a place that collects all the
rain and snow and sends it to a river.
Okay. What's next?
Um, sleep hygiene.
Are you learning that in health class?
I love that you're learning about
sleep hygiene. That's amazing.
Okay, well, go ahead.
What is it?
So, basically, it's, like,
no screens before bed.
Exactly.
So when you come to my room in the
middle of the night, and you say to me
Oh, 'Can I sleep with you?'
And you always say no.
It's not because
I don't want to be by your side,
but learning how to fall asleep on your own,
that makes you what?
Um, independent?
It makes you self-sufficient.
Sleep hygiene. Yes.
Okay. Last but not least.
Um, genealogy.
I have to make a family tree.
Oh, boy. Well, that's
very presumptuous of your teacher.
You know, not everybody
has a family like that.
Can we call Gee-Pop for help?
Okay.
You want one?
- Mm-mm.
What'd you learn at roll call this
morning, about the victim from yesterday?
Any updates or ID?
That's ridiculous.
If she'd been found in Society Hill
with a pool of blood in her
mouth, she'd be on national news.
Hey, um,
can I ask you something?
Yep.
Look, some of the guys were
talking about your last partner.
Truman?
They said you two were
close, that's all, you know.
What happened to him?
- He got injured, on the job.
He's on medical leave.
Do you still talk?
No.
How come?
We don't We just don't.
Why are you pressing me on it?
Do you think it was my fault he got hurt?
Is that what Ahearn told you?
He can believe whatever he wants.
Hey, Mickey, look
Look, the only reason I told Ahearn
about that thing is because
I was worried about you.
Hey, Alonzo.
I got nothing for you.
I haven't seen Kacey.
It's just been a while.
I know. I'm sorry.
Thanks, Alonzo.
That's, Nicole.
Over there is Paula.
That's Alonzo's.
He's a nice guy.
He'll let you use the facilities anytime.
That right there is uh
I forget her name.
Maura Maureen.
Something like that.
Anyway, she's a nice person.
Down that way is a Police Youth Club.
Oh, I I know it.
I used to go after school when I was a kid.
You grew up here?
You've been here all your life?
Yeah, pretty much.
I mean, I went to Penn for a year.
Okay, Ivy League.
How'd you end up on patrol?
Well, I wasn't there that long.
Kensington girl, huh?
That's why you transferred here?
I know people like you,
got that teacher vibe.
Quiet, proper.
Those are the kind of people who
have the best kind of stories.
Truman, I don't have any stories.
Hey, I'm not judging, or prying.
These women are good people.
The men, well,
they're a different story.
Hey, you read?
- Oh, I love reading.
I'm reading this book
right now about choices.
It says we all have two
choice-making systems.
System one is fast,
based on emotion and instinct.
System two, slow,
based on logic and deliberation,
you understand?
Just like these women out here.
When they first started using,
they might have had a choice.
They might have been using
system two, slow one.
On the other hand,
they might have been kids, or had
a parent who used, or a boyfriend,
might have gone looking for a
way to feel something different.
Whatever.
What I know is
it's not a choice for them anymore.
That's not the right word for what it is.
Evening, Mrs. Mahon.
Evening, Thomas.
How was your day at school?
Terrific. How was your day at
Wait. What do you do? Uh,
Thomas, that's not polite.
I don't mind.
I'm retired, Thomas.
I don't work anymore.
Come home, bub. Let's go.
How's the apartment treating you?
Uh, it's lovely.
It's It's very nice.
Michaela, a man stopped by for you today.
I'm sorry.
- I
He rang my bell asking if you were here.
He must have thought
you lived in my house.
He didn't say anything else?
No name?
No. He just asked if you were here.
I said no,
and he went on his way.
Very tall, neatly dressed,
very handsome,
if you want to know what I think. -It's Dad.
Yeah. Um, thanks.
Sorry. Yeah.
Can you call Daddy? Can you tell
him to come home when we're home?
I will try.
Guess what? I talked to Gee-Pop today,
and we're going to go over
to his house on Sunday.
We are?
- Yes.
Yes!
Mom, do you think we need
to worry about robots
taking over our planet
in the very, very near future?
Probably not in the very, very near future.
Hmm.
Mom, I can feel you looking at me.
Oh, sorry.
Faust was scared of the devil.
He knew he should stay away from him.
But Faust also knew that the devil
could make all his wishes come true.
His biggest wish was that this
girl Gretchen would love him.
So, he made a choice.
Gee-Pop.
Hey, buddy.
He gave up his soul
to get the life he dreamed of.
And because of that one bad choice.
Faust's life was damned,
way before he ever went to hell.
You understand, Gee-Pop?
He likes the music.
You like the music.
He likes you.
I got something better
than a record for you. Here.
Thomas, take this.
What is it? It's a little slot machine.
Twohey got it for you,
down the casino.
Have fun. Go play!
Stop with the doom and gloom.
Thanks, Gee-Pop.
- Yeah.
Mm.
- Oh.
If I were to kiss my great grandpop like that,
he would've
So
how's your life going?
It's fine. It's the same.
Still getting mail for your ex.
He came by the house yesterday.
We weren't home.
What the hell do you think that's all about?
Honestly, I have no clue.
He stopped sending child support,
stopped sending money to the school,
stopped showing up for your kid's
life. Why show up out of nowhere?
He wants something.
- Motherfucker!
Oh, shut your dirty mouth.
- There's a kid in the parlor.
How is he not dead yet?
Isn't he, like, 103?
Carmichael will never die.
He's a tough customer,
just like his dad.
Is that chocolate? That
can't be good for him, right?
It hasn't killed him yet.
Anyway, he's up to something.
Carmichael?
Don't be fresh. Simon.
You need to cut him out for good this time.
Don't need him or his money.
He's Thomas's father.
Just because Simon can make a
baby doesn't make him a father.
Thomas doesn't need whatever
fancy school you got him in.
You never went to no fancy school,
and you turned out just fine.
I also don't have dyslexia.
Oh, for Christ's sake.
Thomas is smart, just like you.
Nobody can tell me different.
You don't need Simon.
The only family Thomas needs
is sitting in this room.
You understand?
And another two
armed-robberies last night.
Both outside the MAC machine
at Kensington and Clearfield.
All right.
The encampment on Emerald.
Toll Brothers are starting
construction in a week,
and Mayor wants
all the tents out by Saturday.
Let's be gentle this time, folks.
Last thing we need
is the Inquirer on our ass.
Oh. One last thing.
There might be a bad batch
of something out there.
We've noticed an increase
in ODs all over the city.
Two females deceased in our
district alone last night.
Unclear how long they were there
before they were discovered.
Well, just ask around about it if you can.
Storeowners, locals, whatever.
That's all.
How do we know that they were ODs?
In light of the possible
homicide a few days ago
that was called in as an OD,
and it wasn't.
Jesus, Mickey.
I haven't even had my coffee yet.
Let's give the conspiracy theories
a rest until lunchtime at least.
Yeah, but, shouldn't we at
least run an autopsy to be sure?
These were ODs. Just like the other
1,200 we're on track for this year.
Don't need to waste
taxpayers' dollars to prove it.
That's all.
Sergeant Ahearn? Do you
have an ID on the victims?
One's Elizabeth O'Connor,
20 years old.
Lived in the encampment off Emerald.
Boyfriend, David Miller,
reported her missing a week ago.
And the other girl?
No ID yet.
Can I go now?
Normally, I wouldn't call
you for something so small.
But she keeps doing this.
That's Kacey.
Sweet kid.
She's been on and off the Avenue
for the last five years.
Hey, Kacey.
How you doing?
What did she take?
Just a birthday card.
It's for a one-year-old.
Somebody's birthday.
Okay. Come on, Kacey.
Let's get up.
Come on, let's go.
Come on, Kacey.
I was wondering when you'd show up.
Am I that predictable?
You're gonna get me canned if you
keep showing up for every Jane Doe.
I thought it might be Kacey.
I get that.
How's the new place?
Thomas adjusting?
Yeah. Yeah. Thomas could
be happy living in a box.
Oh, he's got his mom's sunny disposition.
They both just came in.
Do you recognize them?
No, but there's been a lot of new
people in the neighborhood lately.
Oh, poor kid.
Look at the abscesses.
She must have been in a lot of pain.
Ahearn believes that there is a
bad batch of something out there,
but the first victim had blood in her mouth.
Yeah. Caught that.
The blood was from lacerations
on her tongue. She had a seizure.
A seizure from what?
That's the strange thing.
I ran a tox screen.
There wasn't enough of anything
in her system for it to be an OD.
So what was it?
- Insulin.
You want to know what's weird?
I have no evidence that she was diabetic.
You think somebody killed her?
Not sure.
No one in their right mind
would inject themselves
with that much insulin.
But right mind is the operative term here.
Unless the other bodies were injected, too.
Are you going to do an autopsy?
I wasn't planning on it. Both of
them came in as accidental ODs.
You know something I don't?
Three bodies discovered in four days.
Similar demographics on the victims.
And one of them
might have been murdered.
If there's a bad batch
of something out there,
then these girls need to know what it is.
If there isn't, then they need
to know to watch their backs.
And if I don't tell them
What are we doing here again?
Helping 'em move or something?
- We just got to let them know
that they have to be on their
way by the end of the week,
or the city's gonna make them.
Great. Can't wait.
You uh
You can take those tents.
I'll take the street.
- Hmm.
Excuse me.
Do you know a David Miller?
David Miller.
Elizabeth O'Connor?
Please, do you know a David
Miller, Elizabeth O'Connor?
They're not in trouble. I'm
just trying to help them out.
The starry tent down there.
- Okay, thank you.
David?
It was taken at graduation,
three years ago.
She looks very happy.
Are you David Miller?
You reported her missing?
- About a week ago.
She never left the tent
for more than a few hours.
I mean, she'd hit the Ave,
but she'd always come back.
I'm very sorry for your loss.
Did she say or do anything
unusual before she left?
No. -Maybe she met
somebody new on the Avenue?
No. She
Can you think of anybody
who'd wanna harm her?
Harm her?
Cops told me she OD'd.
'7 Brothers?'
Would Elizabeth have any reason
to be down in Tinicum?
The airport?
- Yeah.
We keep our private jet on standby there.
You know, maybe she knows
somebody who works there.
No, she would have no reason
to be down there, okay?
Been living on the streets
a couple months now,
haven't left the whole time.
Everything okay here?
Okay.
Thanks, David. Sorry again.
What the fuck, Mickey?
Okay.
We didn't just come down here
to clean out some encampment.
Hey.
Who was that guy?
All right. The receipt you found
on the girl down the A Street tracks
is from a gas station
outside the airport, right?
The girl that OD'd this week
had a napkin from 7 Brothers.
So they were both down there.
- Yeah, for no apparent reason.
I know these women. They
don't leave the neighborhood.
Okay. why are you
looking into this, all right?
I mean, isn't that what the
detectives are supposed to do?
Yes, but they don't care.
This is the problem.
You saw Ahearn this morning.
He could barely be bothered
to give me an ID on the victim.
Look, just because I grew up with Ahearn
doesn't mean I'm going to be
all on his side, all right?
Just want you to know
you can tell me stuff.
I'm not gonna tell him.
Are you fucking kidding me?
- Why do you keep walking away?
Mickey.
Paula.
Hey, Paula.
Fuck off, Mickey.
Mickey!
- Wait.
Who are you looking for?
What the hell?
Okay. Whoa, whoa, who is that?
Do you know her?
- I'm going to get a coffee.
I'll be right back.
I haven't seen anything, Mick.
If Paula comes back,
will you call me?
Maybe she's seen her.
- Yeah, of course.
All right.
Mickey. What? What is it?
Nothing. -What the
hell's going on with you?
Uh, what are you talking about?
What are you, fucking
jokin' with me right now?
I Look.
I feel like I'm a people person.
You know, I'm good with people.
But with you, it's like
Look, did I do something wrong?
I mean, you don't like me or something?
No, nothing.
- Then what?
You miss Truman?
- It has nothing to do with that.
Then what is it? Look, I'm
trying to do my job here, okay?
I'm trying to be your partner,
but I can't do it
when all you do is leave me in the dark.
I tell you what you need
to know. -No, you don't.
And every time I ask you,
you duck into this fucking 'papi' store.
You don't tell me where we're going,
or what we're doing, or why.
And you certainly don't tell me why you
have such a frickin' hard-on for these girls.
'These girls?'
What is that supposed to mean?
It means you seem to take it personally.
And you won't tell me why.
At least it seems like it.
I mean, if you knew one of
these victims or something
No, I don't have to know the victims
in order to care about
what happens to them.
The question is why you and Ahearn
and all your cop buddies you play
baseball with don't seem to give a shit.
That's not
I give a shit. Okay?
I do give a shit.
Look
I'm gonna get a coffee.
But maybe it's not
such a bad thing, you know?
What's not such a bad thing?
Don't get me wrong.
It's a shame when anyone dies, okay?
But what kind of life, right?
I mean, you know,
maybe they're
Maybe they're what?
I just feel bad for them.
I don't think that's what you meant.
You wanna know why
I don't tell you anything?
You got your answer.
Simon.
Simon, are you coming?
In a moment, babe.
The man who stopped by the other day,
did he say anything else?
Like why he was here,
what he wanted?
No. He just asked if you were here.
When I told him you weren't home, he left.
Okay, well,
if he stops by again,
can you just tell him that we've moved,
or that we don't live here anymore?
Whatever you want.
Just so long as you're not
bringing trouble around here.
I don't like trouble.
He's my ex. He's not trouble.
He's not dangerous.
I'm just I, uh
We just don't talk anymore.
Is there anything else I need to know?
He drives a blue Mustang.
You can't miss it.
Oh, the man who stopped by here
wasn't driving a Mustang.
Wh Uh
Well, then what was he driving?
Red truck, pickup like.
You sure you're not having a problem?
What happened in here?
I kinda got into trouble at school.
Trouble?
It was my turn to do
favorite things for my class
and I told Teacher Carmen
about the song you were playing,
the one about Faust
and making bad choices.
Okay.
Might have told her about
his deal with the devil,
and how he ended up in hell forever.
Should I
Yeah, sure. Thanks.
Listen
That was my fault.
I should have put it in context for you
because it's a really intense,
very religious way of phrasing it.
And we're not particularly
Did Did Teacher Carmen get
upset that you used that word?
No, she just told me that's not
how the story ends.
She said that Faust doesn't end up in hell.
She said that Gretchen
saves him with her love,
and that Faust was so sorry that he
took the deal that the devil let him go.
I suppose that's
the narrative that
most people subscribe to.
But that's the beauty of stories like this.
We each have our own interpretation.
How come you think that?
Well, as an officer, I see
people make bad choices every day.
And I think after they've
made that bad choice,
it's just really,
really hard to save them.
And sometimes, you just have
to let that person go,
because there are dark forces
out there, that are just
too powerful.
Understand?
But, Mom, your job is a police officer.
Isn't saving people what you do?
Yeah, and I try to, every day.
But in my experience, not everybody
can be saved, and that's my point.
You don't agree?
I don't know, Mom.
I just think
if there's someone who's in trouble.
I'd want to try to save them.
Even if the devil is out there?
Especially because the devil's out there.
What are you doing here?
Thought a lot about
what you said the other day,
and I just wanted
to explain something to you.
I told you that there's good
parts and bad parts of Kensington.
You said, 'Oh, someday you
should show me the good parts.'
I'm showing you a really good part.
I grew up here.
I went to the elementary school
down the road,
and I played in the high school
orchestra two blocks from here.
You know what?
So did a lot of the girls
who are working the Avenue.
We all came from the same place.
We all had the same dreams.
None of them thought they were
going to end up where they are.
They thought they were going to be
a doctor, or a nurse, or a teacher.
It's our job to protect them
no matter what they've done,
or who they are.
And we can't do that if
you are questioning
whether they're worth protecting
in the first place.
I would like to request solo duty.
I think that Lafferty should be
paired with a different officer.
How to Win Friends and Influence People.
The Fitzpatrick edition.
This 'cause of what happened to Truman?
No.
You know,
I partner people for a reason.
If I had the budget,
which I don't.
I'd see everybody partnered up.
You don't want to get out there
and be in a situation
where nobody's got your back.
With all due respect, sir,
I already have that.
I'm so sorry. Mrs. Yoon.
Can you fucking imagine?
They haven't heard from her
in two years before today,
and the first call they get
is that she's been murdered.
Murdered.
You were right.
I ran autopsies on all three women.
And all three came back with a lethal
amount of insulin in their system.
Looks like someone's
going after these girls.
How long has it been
since you've seen her?
How you been, Kace?
Yeah, I'm good.
Haven't seen you around
in a bit. You just get out?
You got someplace to stay?
- Yeah.
You're gonna be staying
with us for a little while.
Hey, Mick.
Mickey.
What's going on? You all right?
Can we let her go?
What, you mean Kacey?
Yeah. I will never ask again.
Tell me why.
Is it about the birthday card?
It's sad
I get it's sad, but -I am
never going to ask you again.
Ever. Please.
Come on, Kacey.
You stay safe out there.
Kacey's been gone for too long this time.
What are you gonna do?
- Find her.
Whatever I have to do.
I'm worried about what you're going to find.
So am I.
I lied to you when you asked me if I
had any stories, and I said I didn't.
But you do.
We all do.
Listen, what happened to these girls,
it's not their fault.
But we can't let all of them go.
I know.
It's still our job to police them.
Maybe they'll be better if they
know someone was watching 'em.
She won't be better.
It's like you said, they don't
really have a choice anymore.
But I just had to let her go.
You know her.
She's my sister.
Hello? Hey,
Mickey. It's Alonzo.
You asked me to call you if I see Paula.
She just walked out the shop.
Thank you.
Paula, Paula.
Hey.
- No.
I'm trying to find Kace.
- I got nothing to say to you.
Wait, wait, wait.
I'm just trying to find Kacey.
Yeah?
- Yeah.
Good for you. -I haven't
seen her in over a month.
Please.
- Okay.
I'm just worried.
- So now you're worried?
Fuck off!
- Paula, take it.
Tell me what Tell me
what you know, please?
Please.
That's fucking low, Mick,
That's so low. Give me that shit!
She got in a car with a John
about a month ago.
I haven't seen her since. -Who? Who?
Who was it? Do you remember the car?
You remember the guy? Do you
remember anything? -No. No.
Come on. Paula.
- Can I go now?
Paula, please.
Paula.
She disappeared the night of, uh
October 2nd.
Think it was, like, around 8:00.
Okay. Thank you.
I'm not doing it for you.
Alonzo, the cameras
outside, they still working?
I need to see all of your footage
from the night of October 2nd.
All right. This should be it.
There she is.
No.
No, no, no, no, no.
Bethany, hey. Thomas is gonna
have a sleepover tonight,
so can you just pack up some
of his stuff? I'll be home soon.
Come on, Thomas.
Come on. Come.
Watch your step.
It's all right, let's go.
Get in.
I need your help.