Wild Cards (2024) s03e09 Episode Script
Fast Crimes at Ridgemont High
1
Previously on Wild Cards.
Next week I started
volunteering at Hemsworth Prison.
Now I know it doesn't pay.
George, I'm proud of you.
I love Jessica, but that
doesn't mean I should have
to choose between her
and my best friend.
You're my best friend, too.
This is my home.
- My life.
- We
must be prepared to
leave in a moment's notice.
Just dropped by to make
sure everything is on track.
Need I remind you
failure is not an option.
We got this because one
wrong move and we're dead
and so is everybody else we love.
[MAX] Would you please sit down?
I can't sit, because
if I sit, I'll think.
And if I think I'll picture all the ways
in which we end up in
matching orange jumpsuits.
This is just your
usual pre-show jitters.
You always get like this
right before a big job.
This one's different, I just
The stakes, Max, the stakes
are Everest, and I can't.
Okay, look at me.
This isn't our first rodeo.
The plan is tight, tested.
We've gamed it six ways from Sunday.
And the last time I thought
I had it under control,
I blew our lives to smithereens.
Okay yes, but we survived.
So far.
[SIGHS]
Oh, look at the time, honey.
Aren't you going to be late for work?
- Day off.
- Oh, so maybe brunch.
You, me, Ellis, a little Eggs Benny.
Ellis has plans, all right?
It's his high school reunion.
Flying solo?
Nope. He's bringing Jessica.
Oh. Oh, I see.
- See what.
- I mean, that's not just a date, darling.
That's a declaration.
Ugh! Get out!
Well, you don't bare your
angst-ridden teen soul
to just any girlfriend.
Reunion equals intimacy.
Or humiliation, depending
on your playlist.
He's opening the vault for her, Max.
And I'd really like you to notice
before it slams shut on you.
Okay. Can we just get back to business?
Yes.
All we gotta do is stick to the plan.
Okay. Right.
And, Mom
I promise everything's going to be okay.
Right. Right.
I never thought I'd say this,
but I'm going to be sorry to see you go.
Oh, right back at you, George.
I mean, most guys finish their parole.
I'm just glad they're not going
to break into my car again.
But you
you went full Ted Lasso on me
and on those prison inmates.
Just trying to give back.
You were their mentor, their counsellor,
giving second chances to guys
who never even had a first.
I really did enjoy it.
Today's my last session with the guys.
Oh, yeah? How do you feel about that?
I'm not so good with endings or change,
which is odd considering
the kind of life that I lead.
- I mean, led.
- Mm.
Well, look, this doesn't
have to be goodbye.
- Just uh
- Au revoir?
Well, if it'll help make
the transition any easier,
we could still meet up
every couple of months.
Are you saying you're going to miss me?
I'm saying I've had worse
company on this bench.
I'll put that on a plaque.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
You know what? I think I'd like that.
You've been more than just
a parole officer to me.
You've been a real friend.
Take care, George.
[MUSIC THUMPING]
what's the dealio? ♪
Party crasher, penny snatcher. ♪
Call me up if you a gangsta. ♪
Don't be fancy. ♪
Just get dancey. ♪
Why so serious? ♪
So raise your glass
if you are wrong. ♪
In all the right ways ♪
Sorry, I'm late.
You weren't about to bail, were you?
I was thinking about it.
And I'm still thinking about it.
The whole point of a high
school reunion is the scoreboard.
Winners and losers.
Spoiler alert, you're
in the winner's column.
Plus, the registration is
giving out party favours.
- Lip balm?
- Emobomb more precisely,
infused with aromatherapy scents.
The tagline is bloom
softly, burn brightly.
Cute, right?
I also brought you this.
Your reunion badge.
I think you must have forgotten it.
Yeah, I must have forgotten it.
No, Jess, I'm not putting that on.
Everybody else is.
No. Absolutely not.
I think you look adorable.
You are enjoying this way too much.
Oh, yeah.
Wait. Cole!
Cole, the mole!
- Ray.
- You got guts, man.
I'll give you that.
I'm gonna burn this place down.
Okay, let's play a game.
And if I win, you tell me
what all that was about.
Okay.
Mean girls at 12:00.
Cheekbones, brunette. She's the alpha.
That's Lexi.
That blonde, loyal sidekick.
That's Amber.
Other blonde, human wallpaper.
And that's Hannah.
Okay, you're good at this.
Now, about the mole moniker.
Mole man.
I almost didn't recognize you.
- Brock.
- Came back for more, eh?
Oh, you always were a
sucker for punishment.
Hilarious.
Former quarterback, still a bully.
Yeah, I was an easy target back then.
You could have landed a plane
on my face from the acne glow.
I still hate him.
Now will you please tell me
what's with the mole thing?
- Is it mole as in
- Mr. Loomis?
Cole. Oh, I was so
hoping I'd see you today.
Yeah.
Look at you. You look great.
- Thank you.
- And this lovely lady must be your
Human shield. Jessica.
Human shield.
Mr. Loomis was the
high school librarian.
I still am actually.
You know, I've still
got a few more years
before they stick me out on an ice floe.
And for Pete's sake, will
you call me Terrence now.
Okay, okay.
You know, I don't think
I would have made it
- through high school without this guy.
- Oh. Come on.
Well, I'm glad to hear all
the memories aren't bad.
Boy. Look at this, Detective Cole Ellis.
[CHUCKLES]
I always knew you'd make
something of yourself.
I always said, you know what?
This guy is a lot tougher
than you think he is.
Nice to meet you, Jessica.
- Good to see you, Cole.
- You, too.
[BELL DINGING]
Okay, listen up losers.
Your Queen has news.
As of this morning, my company, Emobomb,
was bought by a major
global cosmetics brand.
[SQUEALS]
Which makes me 500 times a millionaire.
Oh.
Which also makes me done with this dump.
Buh bye.
Still losers always will be.
You're all dead to me.
[GLASS SMASHES]
Oh!
[SCREAMS]
Someone call 9-1-1!
[THEME MUSIC]
Oh, nothing says high school
reunion like chalk outlines
and trauma counselling.
A reunion nightmare.
There they are.
Ellis.
Hey, Chief.
You remember Jessica?
- Hi.
- Hey.
So, what exactly happened here?
Victim's name is Lexi Chandler.
She just collapsed out of nowhere.
I went to go check her
pulse, but she was gone.
- Where are the others?
- Not to worry, I already locked the place down.
I'm holding everyone in
the gym until we know more.
And what was the
Oh my God, look at
the size of your head.
It needs its own area code.
- Max.
- And the zits.
I swear, if we connect the
dots, it would spell "help me".
- Okay, laugh it up.
- Howdy, delinquents.
Somebody's getting detention for this.
What's a prelim, Olive?
Blue lips, blue fingertips.
Classic cyanosis.
And this.
- [MAX] Blood.
- Yeah, but it's brown.
- Which means what?
- Internal organs suffered
extreme oxygen deprivation.
Translation, she was poisoned.
She looked drunk.
She was dizzy and slurring.
We just thought she
had too much champagne.
Not champagne, chemistry.
- What was it?
- Best guess, sodium nitrite.
In the right dose, quite lethal.
- Is it easily accessible?
- Very.
In fact, it's often found in
your friendly neighbourhood
high school science lab.
Oh. Game on.
Hang tight. Okay? I'll be right back.
Okay.
[CHIEF LI] We need to
talk sodium nitrite.
It's kept in here with the
other hazardous chemicals.
Who else has access to the keys?
I'm the only science
teacher, so just me.
The cabinet's been locked since Friday.
How can you be sure?
I take inventory at
the end of every week.
Um everything was fine.
And where were you when Lexi collapsed?
- In the cafeteria with everybody else.
- And before that?
I've been here since
10:00 AM, grading papers.
You didn't leave?
Well, at noon, I opened the school doors
- for the reunion crowd.
- Are you sure it was noon?
Yeah. Even on the weekends,
the school bell still ring.
I heard the lunch bell
and went down to open up.
It's my first year here.
Apparently, it's the new
guy who has to babysit
the former prom kings
and queens on the weekend.
So, the sodium nitrite?
Oh, right. Uh, okay. Yeah.
Wait. Um
- No, no, no.
- What's wrong?
I keep the sodium nitrite right here.
Always.
Alphabetical colour-coded,
the whole deal.
It's right there. So what's the problem?
It's been moved.
How can you tell?
I get real OCD about this.
You know, kids and chemicals.
Every bottle has its exact
spot, label facing out.
If anything's even a hair off, I notice.
Well, I noticed too,
that bottle's crooked.
The label's turned.
So if it was all good yesterday
and you just opened
the door at noon today,
And sodium nitrite can take up to
half an hour to result in death.
Then whoever grabbed the
poison was in this room
between 12:00 and 12:30.
Looks like we got our murder timeline.
You know, it smells like
a landfill in here, right?
I prefer stakeout chic. Thank you.
Stakeout chic?
Stakeout chic smells a whole
lot like old stale burrito.
Just sit back and relax,
okay? This could take a while.
All right.
Li said it could be a hotbed for
drug runners, money launderers.
We sit, we watch, we nail them.
- All right.
- [NOTIFICATION ALERT]
Oh, man.
Look what Max just sent me.
Must be from the reunion.
What's Max doing there, anyway?
I thought he was taking Jessica.
Maybe he wants the combo platter.
You ever go to any of
your high school reunions?
No, no.
Leave the past in the
past. You know what I mean?
I don't know.
I think remembering
beginnings is kind of nice.
Do you remember ours?
- Hm?
- The day we became partners.
I seem to remember that you
took a while to warm up to me.
That's because you attacked me.
Correction. I evaluated you.
Nice ski mask.
Surprise entry. Tactical pressure test.
- That's what you do.
- Tactical pressure test. You bit me.
And you bit me back.
That's when I knew we
were meant for each other.
That's it. We got movement.
[KNOCKING ON WINDOW]
Delivery for Yates.
Yeah.
Eternal thanks noble purveyor
of foiled rap delights.
Whatever.
You ordered food?
To a stakeout?
Yeah, from your
favourite, El Legislador.
This one's yours, okay. Extra cheese.
Your favourite.
Oh, this one's mine.
Extra beans.
Oh, God.
Okay, class. Pay attention.
Grant left the lab around noon.
Olive says it takes about 30
minutes for the poison to kick in.
And Lexi dropped dead at 1:00.
Gold star, Cole.
Which means our killer
had to spike the drink
around 12:00, 12:30.
A+ to the Chief.
That leaves about a 30
minute smash and grab window.
Break into the lab, grab
the goods, spike the drink.
Olive's taken Lexi's
champagne glass for testing.
Okay, but all of this presumes
that Grant's not our guy.
- How can you be so sure?
- Because he's new.
He has no ties to Lexi
or the sad reunion.
Presuming he's telling the truth.
If Grant wanted someone gone,
why would he use poison
with a neon flashing sign
saying "property of science teacher".
Fair. But I'm not ruling
him out completely.
I'm going to double check his alibi.
In the meantime, let's get a
lockdown on the food and drink.
Already done. And I confiscated
everybody's cell phones.
Including your journalist girlfriend's.
Yes, including my journalist girlfriend.
Okay, look, we need to control
the narrative of this thing
- before it goes public.
- Ellis, you're off this.
- What?
- You were on the scene when it happened.
Making you a witness and
with a conflict of interest.
- Sorry, but you're benched.
- Ooh. This is delicious.
- Chief, it's me.
- This is not up for debate.
I think you should hand
over your badge and your gun
and your really nice office chair.
You know, the one with the
only working lumbar thingy.
I can see you smiling.
You're enjoying this way too much.
I am Switzerland.
Max, you and I are gonna
split the witness list.
Let's get eyes on anyone upstairs
between 12:00 and 12:30.
Since our poison only walked
out of the lab around noon,
that screams crime of opportunity.
All we know is someone
decided to kill Lexi.
Maybe it was the sale of her company.
500 million is a good reason to kill.
Well, there's a lot of history
in Clearasil under that bridge.
I think it's time we let
the real cops do their job.
Enjoy the lumbar support while it lasts.
[TEARY] I loved Lexi, okay?
She was prom queen. Like pure gravity.
- I mean, sure, I was jealous.
- Really?
Who wasn't? But I was happy
just to be in her orbit,
even if she turned her
circle into a triangle.
So where were you around noon?
I wasn't upstairs, that's for sure.
Hitting on that new
science teacher, Grant.
Everybody's gonna tell
you they loved Lexi.
- But that's not true.
- She lived to humiliate people.
She's the one who gave
Ellis his nicknames.
- Nicknames?
- Sure.
Like "Cole Cuts". "Cole Ellis".
Lexi made him a walking punchline.
Where were you between noon and 12:30?
With my former chess club buds.
On the second floor?
Nah, I got checkmated
in the first floor gym.
Lexi wasn't cruel.
She was a force of nature.
A tornado in a crop top.
BFFs. Even after all these years.
Always. Life took us to different
cities but Lexi was the glue.
One group chat, one text and
it was like we were all 17 again.
Lexi and I even had
lunch about six months ago
- when she blew through town.
- Lexi and I? Prom royalty.
But after graduation, she just
wasn't really my vibe anymore.
You two didn't keep in
touch after high school?
No. Not really. Different paths.
I'm, uh, happily married now.
Lexi never reached out,
not even a reunion text?
No, I didn't expect her to.
And no, I was nowhere
near the second floor.
Lexi was toxic.
She dumped Brock after he
was benched in the big game.
I know she's dead and
all, but let's be real.
Okay, let's.
- Everyone hated her.
- Including you?
Did you hate her enough to kill her?
No way.
- But there was one person who did.
- Senior prom.
She destroyed him in front of everyone.
He never got over it.
Oh, man. It was embarrassing.
So if you're asking who had
the biggest motive to kill Lexi,
that's easy.
Cole Ellis.
Cole Ellis.
Cole Ellis.
Cole Ellis.
Cole Ellis.
Chief, you can't be
serious. I'm a suspect?
According to everyone, you have motive.
Where there's motive, there's murder.
Mr. Ellis, tell us the truth
and we'll cut you a deal.
- Max, come on. This isn't a joke.
- I know.
I could have been working with
a murderer this whole time.
Ellis, tell us about prom.
Let's just say back in high school,
I wasn't exactly the most popular kid.
A couple of weeks before senior prom,
I got paired with Lexi to
do this history project.
First, we got off to a rough start,
but, all of a sudden, one day we just
we hit a groove.
You know, we started
having fun together.
I think it surprised the both of us.
But long story short, we ended
up getting an A+ on the project.
And then?
And then she asked me to prom.
From dud to stud. Classic.
On prom night,
I picked Lexi up, I
gave her this corsage,
and I took her to the dance.
But as soon as we walked
into the cafeteria,
that's when the other shoe dropped.
Hannah, Amber Brock, they
were all there waiting,
laughing their asses off at my,
believing that the most
popular girl in high school
would have went to prom with me.
Brock took Lexi by the hand
threw the corsage back at me,
and then he walked her
onto to the dance floor.
What a piece of work.
If she wasn't already
dead, I'd kill her myself.
Ellis, did you interact
with Lexi this morning?
No. Between 12:00 and 12:30,
I was in the cafeteria.
- I said that.
- So, no alibi.
Max, there was like 100 people there.
So you admit no one can
confirm your whereabouts.
Hey, can we just get
back to work, please?
I already told you you're benched.
Chief, I'm an asset.
I know everyone here.
- I'm telling you.
- That's the problem.
You can't be an objective investigator.
All right, fine.
Can you just tell me
what you know so far?
We talked to everyone except
a guy named Ron Zigowski.
He signed in, but no one's
been able to find him.
Nobody listens to me around here.
I just said he's benched.
I know, old habits die
hard, even with a murderer.
Ziggy's here, huh? Wow.
He was like the, uh,
Spicoli of our high school.
Total stoner.
- Is he worth a look?
- I mean, I wouldn't have thought so,
but it has been 15 years,
so people change, right?
Okay, civilian, we got this.
I'm keeping this.
Thanks, Ludo. Five stars, buddy.
Yates, what the?
I'm still burping up
burritos. What is this?
Hold up. Are these-are these kebabs?
Mm-hmm. Todd's kebabs
and cell phone emporium.
Okay.
One last time.
One last time? What do you mean by that?
Todd's packing up his
skewers for good this time.
His wife inherited a beauty parlour.
Just like that, huh?
Shocking, isn't it?
You rely on Todd.
The consistency of his kebabs,
friendship, camaraderie.
And then, out of nowhere, just leaves.
Like your relationship
meant nothing to him
because he found something better.
Yeah, well, things change.
That's life. It's not all bad.
Change sucks.
Are
Are you about to cry?
There's no crying on stakeouts.
Hey, listen, there's
gonna be other kebabs.
Not like these ones.
There's no sign of Ziggy anywhere.
Detective, you're benched.
Oh, please.
It's not like you're
already drafting an article
- in your head about all this.
- I'm not benched.
What did the Chief want?
Strangely, he wanted to know
what you were like in high school.
Oh, he did, did he?
- Mm-hmm.
- Okay.
I was more punk than popular.
I smoked in the girls' bathroom.
I wore way too much eyeliner.
And I was 100 percent certain
that I was gonna marry Jack White.
Okay, so unlike me,
you were actually cool.
I was tremendously cool.
It's too bad we didn't meet back then.
Hard truth.
I think that Teen Jess
would have ghosted Teen Ellis
before ghosting was even a thing.
Think so?
There was a big difference
between cool and confident.
I hid behind ripped fishnets,
Doc Martens and a bad attitude.
That you're too cool
to even go to your prom.
Oh, I went with
20-year-old bad boy Liam,
who smelled like cigarettes and sweat
and rode a motorcycle.
Okay. Yeah.
Teen Ellis definitely
couldn't compete with that.
- What's wrong?
- I'm glad we didn't meet back then.
I think you would have
been wasted on Teen Jess.
She was nowhere near
mature enough to appreciate
the genuine, honourable,
sexy man you are now.
You think I'm sexy, huh?
Well, don't let it get to your head.
Too late.
You want to hold hands
with the cool chick?
Yes, I do.
So you still got those fishnets?
Oh, keep dreaming, nerd.
This is our last session, boys.
And don't worry. I'm not
going to turn on the sap
and tell you all how proud I am of you.
Because if you don't know
that already, you're idiots.
[ALL CHUCKLES]
Speaking for the group,
I just want to say how much our
time together has meant to us.
Oh, thanks, guys. That means a lot.
How about we read our
last journal entry?
Artie, do you want to start us off?
- Sure.
- [ALARM WAILS]
- So Block D's been flooded.
- What happened?
100-year-old sewage
pipes is what happened.
Everyone's been ordered
to stay where they are.
You too, George. Get comfortable,
It may be a while.
- Look, let's double back this way.
- [BELL RINGING]
Ah! These hallways
bringing back any memories?
I dropped out of high school
to join a certain street gang.
- Crimson Vipers got you young, huh?
- Yeah, too young.
You grow up quick when you're in a gang.
- What about you?
- I was always on the move,
so I was homeschooled.
I still learned trigonometry,
but I used it for drawing
blueprints for heists.
- So no problem for you, either.
- Nope.
Never feel like you missed out?
Sometimes I think it
would have been nice
to have a steady friend group.
Go to Sweet Sixteens, pep rallies.
You know, the ushe.
- How about you?
- Yeah,
I guess a normal high school life
would have been a lot easier.
But then you wouldn't have
become the man you are today.
Hey.
Look at this.
Someone didn't like Lexi.
- Nope.
- [PHONE RINGS]
- Olive.
- I tested Lexi's champagne
glass and the champagne itself.
There are no traces of sodium
nitrite on or in either.
So it wasn't anything she ate or drank.
But I did find traces of
the poison on her lips.
- How did it get there?
- Lip balm.
Her own brand.
Were you able to pull any fingerprints
off the tube of lip balm?
Only the victims.
But I did discover something surprising.
Cornstarch.
She needed to thicken something?
- Surgical gloves.
- Exactly.
The insides of surgical gloves
are coated with cornstarch.
It makes them easier to put on.
So the killer used gloves
to handle the lip balm.
If I find anything
else, I'll let you know.
What if Lexi's lip balm isn't
the only one that was poisoned?
We have to gather up all
those lip balms and test them.
I'll go tell the unis.
Okay. We need to get the word
out before anyone else gets hurt.
The PA system. I'll
make an announcement.
What are you two doing?
We were going to go make out
in the principal's office.
- Any updates?
- Yeah.
Lexi was poisoned by her own lip balm.
I was gonna make an
announcement on the PA system.
Oh.
[MAX GASPS]
Oh my God!
That's Ziggy.
- Is he alive?
- I'm going to call 9-1-1.
Yeah.
[LOUD GASP]
Oh, what the
Smellis?
Oh, Smellis. Is that you?
Wait. What did he call you?
Nothing. He's he's delirious.
Oh. Smellis. Smellis, my dude.
Okay, this day just keeps
getting better and better.
Look, Z, we have some questions
we need to ask you, okay?
I'm sorry, civilian.
You heard the Chief.
Go park yourself over
there and stay there.
I cannot believe Smellis went full narc.
Tell me about Lexi.
Queen of mean.
What about her?
She died earlier today.
Oh, well Oh, that's a trip.
Oh. She's okay?
She's dead.
Okay. Where were you
between 12:00 and 12:30?
Yeah, I was taking a
stroll down memory lane.
- I saw Amber ducked in here.
- Why?
Yeah, Amber, Lexi and
Hannah, they suck.
What was Amber doing?
She's gone nuts.
She was like tearing posters
and swearing under her breath.
- Interesting.
- Right?
Can you remember anything else?
No. No. I saw Amber, hid out in here.
Place went up, and then
I must have dozed off,
because next thing I
know, there's Smellis.
Oh my God, where is Smellis?
Found these in the trash
can near the science lab.
That's awful.
I mean, why would anybody do that?
Lexi was, like, the
most beautiful soul ever.
And, like, I miss her already.
We have a witness who saw you.
Okay, fine. It was me. I tore them down.
I was mad, but only because
Lexi hijacked the entire
reunion that I planned.
- How?
- I have been planning this reunion for months,
and then she just swoops in last minute
and pays for, like, a few bags of nachos
and plasters, her stupid
lip balm posters everywhere.
And then what? She got all the credit.
- We thought you two were best friends.
- So did I.
And then I saw her and
Hannah a few months ago
at Babette's Bistro, like together,
and they didn't even invite me.
And Babette's has like
the cutest happy hour ever.
And then this morning, I saw the two
of them huddled together in the gym.
And when I tried to join
in, Lexi said that it was
a private conversation
just for her and Hannah.
I mean, like, excuse me.
She could be so fickle.
Oh, but I didn't kill her.
You were the only person
on the second floor.
No, I wasn't.
Ziggy doesn't count.
I'm not talking about Ziggy.
Welcome to my old hideout.
I knew you weren't a behind
the bleachers kind of guy.
It's definitely no
making out happening here.
The library was always empty, so
I'd always come here to escape.
- Mm.
- Ah, see, I knew you'd be back.
I dug this out for you.
Oh, my God. I can't believe
you still have a copy of that.
Justice Begins With Us,
an essay by Cole Ellis.
So you haven't changed at all, then?
Actually the essay is pretty good,
but the story is the real gold.
Tell me everything.
Cole was a senior and
some of the football boys
were picking on this
scrawny little freshman.
Now, Cole reported it
to the administration,
but they didn't do anything.
So Cole, even though he was
smaller than all of them,
he walked right up to the biggest jock
and right in the middle of the
cafeteria, he broke his nose.
Well, those boys never
picked on that kid again.
That's right. But it also put
a huge target on my back,
which is why I'd always hide in here.
Oh, that's why they
called you Cole the Mole.
Holed up in the library.
Oh, my scrawny hero.
Okay.
I bet I can guess who the jock was.
You lied about your whereabouts earlier.
You were both seen on the second floor.
- We were just talking.
- With your tongues.
Fine. It's my fault.
I saw Brock go upstairs,
so I went looking for him.
I've had a crush since school,
but Lexi got to him before I did.
So today, after a few
glasses of champagne.
I saw my chance and I took it.
- Why did you lie to us?
- Because he's married.
And my wife would kill me.
So why were you up there?
I went to look at the trophy case.
The MVP title was supposed to be mine.
I just wanted to see it again.
Supposed to be yours?
The night before the championship game
Lexi made us dinner.
She knew all about my allergies.
Corn, tomatoes, peanuts, cats.
You name it, I'm allergic to it.
There's something in that
meal triggered an attack.
But she didn't do it on purpose.
No, but it ruined my life.
She couldn't remember
something that might kill me?
- What kind of a girlfriend is that?
- But you didn't die.
No, but I couldn't play.
We lost the championship.
Football dreams gone.
And Lexi dumped me.
Please don't tell my wife.
Are you-are you okay there?
Yeah. I don't know what it is.
Something-something
must have set me off.
Tell us again about your allergies.
Yeah, I was always rooting for you
to solve your brother's case.
I'm so glad you were
able to put that to bed.
And, you know, find some peace.
Thank you. So was I.
You seem happy.
- Yeah, I am.
- Good.
Hey, I was looking
through these yearbooks
for more awkward Cole photos,
and I found something interesting.
Okay, well, look, whatever it is,
I don't have any secrets left.
Yeah, you might not, but
I think somebody does.
We need to find Max and Li immediately.
How are you hanging in there, Artie?
Shouldn't be too much longer.
Hey, we got coffee, donuts.
Things could be worse.
Yeah.
Hey. I'm sorry we didn't
get to your story, man.
Don't worry.
It's about a dumb
thing when I was a kid.
Oh, tell me. I want to hear it.
Well, it's about me and my big brother.
After my first day of high school,
he takes me to a convenience
store to celebrate.
He says it's gonna get me something.
He goes over to a rack,
grabs a pack of gum, grins,
drops it in my pocket,
and he walks away.
And you got caught?
Since I wrote it, I realized
I've been taking the rap
for this guy ever since.
Is that what landed you in here?
Yeah.
Job of his went south.
I took the heat.
Sounds like he's using you.
That's the only family I got.
Listen up.
Cell block D will be transferred
to a different facility in the morning.
We will move you to another
section for the night.
- Let's go.
- Well
Looks like I'm being transferred.
- Thanks for everything, George.
- Yeah, it's been a pleasure.
You know, I have a feeling
the best is yet to come
for both of us.
It's come to my attention
that some of my pupils
have been caught cheating.
That means you've been called up here
because one of you killed Lexi.
Someone here was lying
about where they were
during what we like to
call in our business,
the murder window.
It's not actually what we call it.
All of you were on the second floor
during that critical 30 minutes.
Uh. Doesn't that mean we
couldn't have killed Lexi?
On the contrary, Ziggy.
It's actually quite the opposite.
One of you went to the science
lab, unlocked the cabinet,
put on a pair of gloves, and
laced a lip balm with sodium nitrite,
and made sure that Lexi applied it.
And you, Brock, you're the key
to solving this whole mystery.
Me?
Look, I swear I didn't do it.
Really? Why do you keep
scratching your face like that?
I can't help it. I told
you, I have allergies.
Dust mites, grass, lobster, corn.
That's the funny thing
about allergic reactions.
Sometimes it's about what you touch.
And sometimes it's about
what or who touches you.
Isn't that right, Hannah?
Oh.
I don't know what we're talking about.
You thought you were so
smart putting on latex gloves.
You thought you wouldn't get
any fingerprints on the lip balm.
But you did leave something behind,
even more incriminating, on Brock.
When you left the lab,
you bumped into Brock.
You knew you had been
seen, so you distracted him
with a kiss.
It was a passionate one,
too, wasn't it, Brock?
Yeah, it was pretty hot and heavy.
Like, grab your face in
her hands, hot and heavy?
Oh, yeah.
Sorry to break it to
you, but it was fake.
All a cover up.
What are you talking about?
Fun fact.
Latex gloves are dusted
with cornstarch powder.
Makes it easy to take
the gloves off and on.
And guess who's allergic
to all things corn-based?
So when you grabbed Brock's face,
you got some cornstarch residue
from your fingers onto his beard.
This is crazy. Lexi was my bestie.
Do you remember what
your yearbook quote was?
- No.
- Let me refresh your memory.
Bloom softly. Burn brightly.
The same as Lexi's lip balm slogan.
Except it wasn't just the slogan,
it was the whole product idea.
A lip balm infused with
aromatherapy scents,
each one designed to boost your energy,
enhance mental clarity, calm your mood.
And today, Lexi's
company was just acquired
- for millions of dollars.
- She stole it from you.
Quick patent search
turned up your application
for a lip balm named Emobalm.
It also had the same slogan
because Lexi also applied
and was granted the patent,
beating you to it,
cheating you out of
the product you created.
She stole your idea just like
she stole your boyfriend
Brock back in high school.
- You're all out of your minds.
- Out of everyone here,
you're the only one
with a chemistry degree.
That doesn't prove anything.
But the glove powder does.
So we're gonna bag your hands
and get you down to the station.
We've got a sophisticated
infrared spectrometer
that can detect microscopic
cornstarch residue.
Emobomb was my idea, not Lexi's!
I confronted Lexi about it
today and she just laughed.
She told me to get a lawyer.
She knew that I couldn't
afford to fight it.
You couldn't let her
win, so you killed her.
You're under arrest for
the murder of Lexi Chandler.
You know, if it makes
you feel any better,
it is a killer lip balm.
Kebab burrito combo.
Never again.
All right, it's getting late.
Who's coming in for the next shift?
I don't know.
All right, let me call the
See if he can swap us out for some unis.
What are you doing?
We're not going anywhere.
- What's happening?
- Did you really think that you were just-
you're just gonna leave without a word?
So that's what this is all about?
Wait a minute. This wasn't.
This wasn't even a
real stakeout, was it?
You were just gonna
slip out the back door
like a raccoon at a buffet.
You know, Simmons,
when you move, I move.
And I know all your passwords.
- That was you?
- Yeah.
All right.
I'm leaving the precinct.
I put in for an undercover task force.
Li vouched and I just got clearance.
Different city, and I'm
gonna need to lay low
for a little while.
How could you do this to me?
I mean, was it Max? Was it Ellis?
Because I if I need to beat someone up,
you know, I got it in me.
I was-I was gonna write you a letter.
A letter?
What is this, 1895?
Why don't you send it via
carrier pigeon while you're at it?
I'm sorry, I
I didn't know how to
tell you face to face.
I've always been bad with goodbyes.
Especially with you.
I was hoping you'd be happy for me.
I am happy for you, you stupid idiot.
I can't believe I'm
going to walk into work
and you're not going
to be there anymore.
See, this is exactly why
I didn't want to do this.
Then don't go.
Yates
I'm sorry. I didn't find
a better way to tell you.
You still can.
- What now?
- Yeah, now.
And I want it all.
Yates, you were the most dedicated
and tenacious and strange.
I mean, you are very strange, detective.
And you're my best friend.
And you're the best
partner I've ever had.
Even better than Ellis?
Yes, but don't you dare tell him that.
Okay, I won't tell him.
I'm not going to tell him.
Come here.
[KNOCKING]
Oh.
Ludo. Thanks.
Are you crying?
Mind your own damn business.
God!
I'm not crying.
Just a little something for me.
The piece de resistance, if you will.
You gotta be? Are you kidding me?
I had them made special.
Big heads for the big brain guys.
Yates, and I mean this in the
most platonic way possible,
I love you.
Okay, well, you've gone
ahead and made it weird,
- so now we have to leave.
- That's true.
Well, you know,
I'm gonna be texting you updates
of what I'm eating every day.
Like I'm gonna be do
not disturb annoying.
Well, you know, I'm gonna be undercover,
so it's probably best you don't do that.
Don't text me. I'll text you.
I love you so much, Simmons.
Have you thought about
your undercover name?
[SIMMONS] You know, I don't
think I get to choose that.
[YATES] Yeah. You're
right. I'll pick it.
How about, uh, Dirk Thunderpants?
No, wait. Christophe von Tacolila.
Or maybe Trish Skedaddle. That's fun.
You know, there's no infrared
spectrometer cornstarch test, right?
How am I supposed to
know, I never graduated?
[JESS] Hey, Cole, come here for a sec.
I'll just be a moment.
You guys want to wait up?
- No. We'll head back to the station.
- Okay. I'll see you later.
Good night.
- Jess.
- Cole Ellis,
will you be my prom date?
[SLOW TEMPO MUSIC BEGINS TO PLAY]
What's all this?
I heard about your prom experience.
- Did Max tell you?
- I'm a journalist.
It's my job to uncover
people's embarrassing secrets.
Plus, every single
one of your classmates
couldn't wait to tell me.
It's definitely a night
I'd like to forget.
Which is why I think you deserve a redo.
Can I have this dance?
Come on. When the cool
chick asks you to dance,
you gotta do it.
Okay.
Oh, I was never the same. ♪
I'm sorry that happened to you.
Don't be. It's okay.
No, it's not okay.
No, I mean, it's okay. Because
if it all ended this moment, then
it was worth it.
No, I was the one. ♪
The quiet light ♪
That settles it. High school sucks.
Absolutely.
And I'm kind of glad that we didn't have
- the typical experience, you know?
- Typical is overrated.
Cliques, pep rallies, bad
high school slow dances.
Exactly. And we got the scars
and street smarts instead.
A way better conversation starter.
And way fewer embarrassing
yearbook photos.
I'm saving this for a special occasion.
Don't lose that.
I won't. I uploaded it to the cloud.
Nice.
Shoot. I left my
jacket in the cafeteria.
- You need a ride?
- Nope. I got my car.
Okay. Good night, Max.
All right. Good night, Chief.
In a moment ♪
The wind is gone. ♪
In a moment of blazing sun ♪
And in the panic on the ♪
Hey, Mom.
As usual, your timing is flawless.
Max, you need to get home
now. We have a situation here.
♪
Mom.
What's going on? Is everything okay?
What is all this?
I've been thinking.
You mean spiraling?
Well, it's, uh
It's the smartest move. You'll see.
- What's in the bags?
- Just the essentials.
Enough for us all to get settled.
I am settled. I thought we
already had this conversation.
I know, but it's the plan.
There are too many variables,
too many ways for it to go sideways.
We can be out of the country by dawn.
Varga won't even know we're
gone until it's too late.
And then what? We just keep running.
That's exactly what
we're trying to stop.
No, we stick to the plan.
I know, but plans change
and this is the new one.
We can hide as a family.
It is the smartest move.
And what about Ellis and my friends?
If we leave, then we
put them all in danger.
Ellis is more than capable
and the rest can fend for themselves.
It's a calculated risk we have to take.
And they are not family.
Maybe not to you, Mom, but
to me, they are my family.
And I can't run the risk of
losing you again. I won't.
You didn't lose me!
You left!
Do you remember the last
thing we said to each other
before you disappeared?
No. Why does that matter?
We had an argument.
A stupid argument about
how I didn't take the chicken out of
the freezer before you came home.
You lectured me about responsibility
and how I need to put my family first.
You just wouldn't let it go.
What does this have to do with anything?
Can you just help me get
I hate you!
That is the last thing I said to you.
I hate you.
And then I stormed off.
And I never saw you again.
For 15 years I carried that
guilt like a stone in my heart.
And you let me live with that.
Oh. Max, honey
You were just a kid.
Those words I never thought I
It was just temper, babe.
Do you know how hard that is for a kid
to replay that memory
over and over again?
There wasn't a day that went
by that I didn't think about
the fact that the last
words I said to my mom.
Max, don't. Don't.
I didn't know.
I am so sorry.
Can you ever forgive me?
Max, wait.
Please.
[EMOTIONAL MUSIC]
[VOCALIZING] ♪
♪
♪
Previously on Wild Cards.
Next week I started
volunteering at Hemsworth Prison.
Now I know it doesn't pay.
George, I'm proud of you.
I love Jessica, but that
doesn't mean I should have
to choose between her
and my best friend.
You're my best friend, too.
This is my home.
- My life.
- We
must be prepared to
leave in a moment's notice.
Just dropped by to make
sure everything is on track.
Need I remind you
failure is not an option.
We got this because one
wrong move and we're dead
and so is everybody else we love.
[MAX] Would you please sit down?
I can't sit, because
if I sit, I'll think.
And if I think I'll picture all the ways
in which we end up in
matching orange jumpsuits.
This is just your
usual pre-show jitters.
You always get like this
right before a big job.
This one's different, I just
The stakes, Max, the stakes
are Everest, and I can't.
Okay, look at me.
This isn't our first rodeo.
The plan is tight, tested.
We've gamed it six ways from Sunday.
And the last time I thought
I had it under control,
I blew our lives to smithereens.
Okay yes, but we survived.
So far.
[SIGHS]
Oh, look at the time, honey.
Aren't you going to be late for work?
- Day off.
- Oh, so maybe brunch.
You, me, Ellis, a little Eggs Benny.
Ellis has plans, all right?
It's his high school reunion.
Flying solo?
Nope. He's bringing Jessica.
Oh. Oh, I see.
- See what.
- I mean, that's not just a date, darling.
That's a declaration.
Ugh! Get out!
Well, you don't bare your
angst-ridden teen soul
to just any girlfriend.
Reunion equals intimacy.
Or humiliation, depending
on your playlist.
He's opening the vault for her, Max.
And I'd really like you to notice
before it slams shut on you.
Okay. Can we just get back to business?
Yes.
All we gotta do is stick to the plan.
Okay. Right.
And, Mom
I promise everything's going to be okay.
Right. Right.
I never thought I'd say this,
but I'm going to be sorry to see you go.
Oh, right back at you, George.
I mean, most guys finish their parole.
I'm just glad they're not going
to break into my car again.
But you
you went full Ted Lasso on me
and on those prison inmates.
Just trying to give back.
You were their mentor, their counsellor,
giving second chances to guys
who never even had a first.
I really did enjoy it.
Today's my last session with the guys.
Oh, yeah? How do you feel about that?
I'm not so good with endings or change,
which is odd considering
the kind of life that I lead.
- I mean, led.
- Mm.
Well, look, this doesn't
have to be goodbye.
- Just uh
- Au revoir?
Well, if it'll help make
the transition any easier,
we could still meet up
every couple of months.
Are you saying you're going to miss me?
I'm saying I've had worse
company on this bench.
I'll put that on a plaque.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
You know what? I think I'd like that.
You've been more than just
a parole officer to me.
You've been a real friend.
Take care, George.
[MUSIC THUMPING]
what's the dealio? ♪
Party crasher, penny snatcher. ♪
Call me up if you a gangsta. ♪
Don't be fancy. ♪
Just get dancey. ♪
Why so serious? ♪
So raise your glass
if you are wrong. ♪
In all the right ways ♪
Sorry, I'm late.
You weren't about to bail, were you?
I was thinking about it.
And I'm still thinking about it.
The whole point of a high
school reunion is the scoreboard.
Winners and losers.
Spoiler alert, you're
in the winner's column.
Plus, the registration is
giving out party favours.
- Lip balm?
- Emobomb more precisely,
infused with aromatherapy scents.
The tagline is bloom
softly, burn brightly.
Cute, right?
I also brought you this.
Your reunion badge.
I think you must have forgotten it.
Yeah, I must have forgotten it.
No, Jess, I'm not putting that on.
Everybody else is.
No. Absolutely not.
I think you look adorable.
You are enjoying this way too much.
Oh, yeah.
Wait. Cole!
Cole, the mole!
- Ray.
- You got guts, man.
I'll give you that.
I'm gonna burn this place down.
Okay, let's play a game.
And if I win, you tell me
what all that was about.
Okay.
Mean girls at 12:00.
Cheekbones, brunette. She's the alpha.
That's Lexi.
That blonde, loyal sidekick.
That's Amber.
Other blonde, human wallpaper.
And that's Hannah.
Okay, you're good at this.
Now, about the mole moniker.
Mole man.
I almost didn't recognize you.
- Brock.
- Came back for more, eh?
Oh, you always were a
sucker for punishment.
Hilarious.
Former quarterback, still a bully.
Yeah, I was an easy target back then.
You could have landed a plane
on my face from the acne glow.
I still hate him.
Now will you please tell me
what's with the mole thing?
- Is it mole as in
- Mr. Loomis?
Cole. Oh, I was so
hoping I'd see you today.
Yeah.
Look at you. You look great.
- Thank you.
- And this lovely lady must be your
Human shield. Jessica.
Human shield.
Mr. Loomis was the
high school librarian.
I still am actually.
You know, I've still
got a few more years
before they stick me out on an ice floe.
And for Pete's sake, will
you call me Terrence now.
Okay, okay.
You know, I don't think
I would have made it
- through high school without this guy.
- Oh. Come on.
Well, I'm glad to hear all
the memories aren't bad.
Boy. Look at this, Detective Cole Ellis.
[CHUCKLES]
I always knew you'd make
something of yourself.
I always said, you know what?
This guy is a lot tougher
than you think he is.
Nice to meet you, Jessica.
- Good to see you, Cole.
- You, too.
[BELL DINGING]
Okay, listen up losers.
Your Queen has news.
As of this morning, my company, Emobomb,
was bought by a major
global cosmetics brand.
[SQUEALS]
Which makes me 500 times a millionaire.
Oh.
Which also makes me done with this dump.
Buh bye.
Still losers always will be.
You're all dead to me.
[GLASS SMASHES]
Oh!
[SCREAMS]
Someone call 9-1-1!
[THEME MUSIC]
Oh, nothing says high school
reunion like chalk outlines
and trauma counselling.
A reunion nightmare.
There they are.
Ellis.
Hey, Chief.
You remember Jessica?
- Hi.
- Hey.
So, what exactly happened here?
Victim's name is Lexi Chandler.
She just collapsed out of nowhere.
I went to go check her
pulse, but she was gone.
- Where are the others?
- Not to worry, I already locked the place down.
I'm holding everyone in
the gym until we know more.
And what was the
Oh my God, look at
the size of your head.
It needs its own area code.
- Max.
- And the zits.
I swear, if we connect the
dots, it would spell "help me".
- Okay, laugh it up.
- Howdy, delinquents.
Somebody's getting detention for this.
What's a prelim, Olive?
Blue lips, blue fingertips.
Classic cyanosis.
And this.
- [MAX] Blood.
- Yeah, but it's brown.
- Which means what?
- Internal organs suffered
extreme oxygen deprivation.
Translation, she was poisoned.
She looked drunk.
She was dizzy and slurring.
We just thought she
had too much champagne.
Not champagne, chemistry.
- What was it?
- Best guess, sodium nitrite.
In the right dose, quite lethal.
- Is it easily accessible?
- Very.
In fact, it's often found in
your friendly neighbourhood
high school science lab.
Oh. Game on.
Hang tight. Okay? I'll be right back.
Okay.
[CHIEF LI] We need to
talk sodium nitrite.
It's kept in here with the
other hazardous chemicals.
Who else has access to the keys?
I'm the only science
teacher, so just me.
The cabinet's been locked since Friday.
How can you be sure?
I take inventory at
the end of every week.
Um everything was fine.
And where were you when Lexi collapsed?
- In the cafeteria with everybody else.
- And before that?
I've been here since
10:00 AM, grading papers.
You didn't leave?
Well, at noon, I opened the school doors
- for the reunion crowd.
- Are you sure it was noon?
Yeah. Even on the weekends,
the school bell still ring.
I heard the lunch bell
and went down to open up.
It's my first year here.
Apparently, it's the new
guy who has to babysit
the former prom kings
and queens on the weekend.
So, the sodium nitrite?
Oh, right. Uh, okay. Yeah.
Wait. Um
- No, no, no.
- What's wrong?
I keep the sodium nitrite right here.
Always.
Alphabetical colour-coded,
the whole deal.
It's right there. So what's the problem?
It's been moved.
How can you tell?
I get real OCD about this.
You know, kids and chemicals.
Every bottle has its exact
spot, label facing out.
If anything's even a hair off, I notice.
Well, I noticed too,
that bottle's crooked.
The label's turned.
So if it was all good yesterday
and you just opened
the door at noon today,
And sodium nitrite can take up to
half an hour to result in death.
Then whoever grabbed the
poison was in this room
between 12:00 and 12:30.
Looks like we got our murder timeline.
You know, it smells like
a landfill in here, right?
I prefer stakeout chic. Thank you.
Stakeout chic?
Stakeout chic smells a whole
lot like old stale burrito.
Just sit back and relax,
okay? This could take a while.
All right.
Li said it could be a hotbed for
drug runners, money launderers.
We sit, we watch, we nail them.
- All right.
- [NOTIFICATION ALERT]
Oh, man.
Look what Max just sent me.
Must be from the reunion.
What's Max doing there, anyway?
I thought he was taking Jessica.
Maybe he wants the combo platter.
You ever go to any of
your high school reunions?
No, no.
Leave the past in the
past. You know what I mean?
I don't know.
I think remembering
beginnings is kind of nice.
Do you remember ours?
- Hm?
- The day we became partners.
I seem to remember that you
took a while to warm up to me.
That's because you attacked me.
Correction. I evaluated you.
Nice ski mask.
Surprise entry. Tactical pressure test.
- That's what you do.
- Tactical pressure test. You bit me.
And you bit me back.
That's when I knew we
were meant for each other.
That's it. We got movement.
[KNOCKING ON WINDOW]
Delivery for Yates.
Yeah.
Eternal thanks noble purveyor
of foiled rap delights.
Whatever.
You ordered food?
To a stakeout?
Yeah, from your
favourite, El Legislador.
This one's yours, okay. Extra cheese.
Your favourite.
Oh, this one's mine.
Extra beans.
Oh, God.
Okay, class. Pay attention.
Grant left the lab around noon.
Olive says it takes about 30
minutes for the poison to kick in.
And Lexi dropped dead at 1:00.
Gold star, Cole.
Which means our killer
had to spike the drink
around 12:00, 12:30.
A+ to the Chief.
That leaves about a 30
minute smash and grab window.
Break into the lab, grab
the goods, spike the drink.
Olive's taken Lexi's
champagne glass for testing.
Okay, but all of this presumes
that Grant's not our guy.
- How can you be so sure?
- Because he's new.
He has no ties to Lexi
or the sad reunion.
Presuming he's telling the truth.
If Grant wanted someone gone,
why would he use poison
with a neon flashing sign
saying "property of science teacher".
Fair. But I'm not ruling
him out completely.
I'm going to double check his alibi.
In the meantime, let's get a
lockdown on the food and drink.
Already done. And I confiscated
everybody's cell phones.
Including your journalist girlfriend's.
Yes, including my journalist girlfriend.
Okay, look, we need to control
the narrative of this thing
- before it goes public.
- Ellis, you're off this.
- What?
- You were on the scene when it happened.
Making you a witness and
with a conflict of interest.
- Sorry, but you're benched.
- Ooh. This is delicious.
- Chief, it's me.
- This is not up for debate.
I think you should hand
over your badge and your gun
and your really nice office chair.
You know, the one with the
only working lumbar thingy.
I can see you smiling.
You're enjoying this way too much.
I am Switzerland.
Max, you and I are gonna
split the witness list.
Let's get eyes on anyone upstairs
between 12:00 and 12:30.
Since our poison only walked
out of the lab around noon,
that screams crime of opportunity.
All we know is someone
decided to kill Lexi.
Maybe it was the sale of her company.
500 million is a good reason to kill.
Well, there's a lot of history
in Clearasil under that bridge.
I think it's time we let
the real cops do their job.
Enjoy the lumbar support while it lasts.
[TEARY] I loved Lexi, okay?
She was prom queen. Like pure gravity.
- I mean, sure, I was jealous.
- Really?
Who wasn't? But I was happy
just to be in her orbit,
even if she turned her
circle into a triangle.
So where were you around noon?
I wasn't upstairs, that's for sure.
Hitting on that new
science teacher, Grant.
Everybody's gonna tell
you they loved Lexi.
- But that's not true.
- She lived to humiliate people.
She's the one who gave
Ellis his nicknames.
- Nicknames?
- Sure.
Like "Cole Cuts". "Cole Ellis".
Lexi made him a walking punchline.
Where were you between noon and 12:30?
With my former chess club buds.
On the second floor?
Nah, I got checkmated
in the first floor gym.
Lexi wasn't cruel.
She was a force of nature.
A tornado in a crop top.
BFFs. Even after all these years.
Always. Life took us to different
cities but Lexi was the glue.
One group chat, one text and
it was like we were all 17 again.
Lexi and I even had
lunch about six months ago
- when she blew through town.
- Lexi and I? Prom royalty.
But after graduation, she just
wasn't really my vibe anymore.
You two didn't keep in
touch after high school?
No. Not really. Different paths.
I'm, uh, happily married now.
Lexi never reached out,
not even a reunion text?
No, I didn't expect her to.
And no, I was nowhere
near the second floor.
Lexi was toxic.
She dumped Brock after he
was benched in the big game.
I know she's dead and
all, but let's be real.
Okay, let's.
- Everyone hated her.
- Including you?
Did you hate her enough to kill her?
No way.
- But there was one person who did.
- Senior prom.
She destroyed him in front of everyone.
He never got over it.
Oh, man. It was embarrassing.
So if you're asking who had
the biggest motive to kill Lexi,
that's easy.
Cole Ellis.
Cole Ellis.
Cole Ellis.
Cole Ellis.
Cole Ellis.
Chief, you can't be
serious. I'm a suspect?
According to everyone, you have motive.
Where there's motive, there's murder.
Mr. Ellis, tell us the truth
and we'll cut you a deal.
- Max, come on. This isn't a joke.
- I know.
I could have been working with
a murderer this whole time.
Ellis, tell us about prom.
Let's just say back in high school,
I wasn't exactly the most popular kid.
A couple of weeks before senior prom,
I got paired with Lexi to
do this history project.
First, we got off to a rough start,
but, all of a sudden, one day we just
we hit a groove.
You know, we started
having fun together.
I think it surprised the both of us.
But long story short, we ended
up getting an A+ on the project.
And then?
And then she asked me to prom.
From dud to stud. Classic.
On prom night,
I picked Lexi up, I
gave her this corsage,
and I took her to the dance.
But as soon as we walked
into the cafeteria,
that's when the other shoe dropped.
Hannah, Amber Brock, they
were all there waiting,
laughing their asses off at my,
believing that the most
popular girl in high school
would have went to prom with me.
Brock took Lexi by the hand
threw the corsage back at me,
and then he walked her
onto to the dance floor.
What a piece of work.
If she wasn't already
dead, I'd kill her myself.
Ellis, did you interact
with Lexi this morning?
No. Between 12:00 and 12:30,
I was in the cafeteria.
- I said that.
- So, no alibi.
Max, there was like 100 people there.
So you admit no one can
confirm your whereabouts.
Hey, can we just get
back to work, please?
I already told you you're benched.
Chief, I'm an asset.
I know everyone here.
- I'm telling you.
- That's the problem.
You can't be an objective investigator.
All right, fine.
Can you just tell me
what you know so far?
We talked to everyone except
a guy named Ron Zigowski.
He signed in, but no one's
been able to find him.
Nobody listens to me around here.
I just said he's benched.
I know, old habits die
hard, even with a murderer.
Ziggy's here, huh? Wow.
He was like the, uh,
Spicoli of our high school.
Total stoner.
- Is he worth a look?
- I mean, I wouldn't have thought so,
but it has been 15 years,
so people change, right?
Okay, civilian, we got this.
I'm keeping this.
Thanks, Ludo. Five stars, buddy.
Yates, what the?
I'm still burping up
burritos. What is this?
Hold up. Are these-are these kebabs?
Mm-hmm. Todd's kebabs
and cell phone emporium.
Okay.
One last time.
One last time? What do you mean by that?
Todd's packing up his
skewers for good this time.
His wife inherited a beauty parlour.
Just like that, huh?
Shocking, isn't it?
You rely on Todd.
The consistency of his kebabs,
friendship, camaraderie.
And then, out of nowhere, just leaves.
Like your relationship
meant nothing to him
because he found something better.
Yeah, well, things change.
That's life. It's not all bad.
Change sucks.
Are
Are you about to cry?
There's no crying on stakeouts.
Hey, listen, there's
gonna be other kebabs.
Not like these ones.
There's no sign of Ziggy anywhere.
Detective, you're benched.
Oh, please.
It's not like you're
already drafting an article
- in your head about all this.
- I'm not benched.
What did the Chief want?
Strangely, he wanted to know
what you were like in high school.
Oh, he did, did he?
- Mm-hmm.
- Okay.
I was more punk than popular.
I smoked in the girls' bathroom.
I wore way too much eyeliner.
And I was 100 percent certain
that I was gonna marry Jack White.
Okay, so unlike me,
you were actually cool.
I was tremendously cool.
It's too bad we didn't meet back then.
Hard truth.
I think that Teen Jess
would have ghosted Teen Ellis
before ghosting was even a thing.
Think so?
There was a big difference
between cool and confident.
I hid behind ripped fishnets,
Doc Martens and a bad attitude.
That you're too cool
to even go to your prom.
Oh, I went with
20-year-old bad boy Liam,
who smelled like cigarettes and sweat
and rode a motorcycle.
Okay. Yeah.
Teen Ellis definitely
couldn't compete with that.
- What's wrong?
- I'm glad we didn't meet back then.
I think you would have
been wasted on Teen Jess.
She was nowhere near
mature enough to appreciate
the genuine, honourable,
sexy man you are now.
You think I'm sexy, huh?
Well, don't let it get to your head.
Too late.
You want to hold hands
with the cool chick?
Yes, I do.
So you still got those fishnets?
Oh, keep dreaming, nerd.
This is our last session, boys.
And don't worry. I'm not
going to turn on the sap
and tell you all how proud I am of you.
Because if you don't know
that already, you're idiots.
[ALL CHUCKLES]
Speaking for the group,
I just want to say how much our
time together has meant to us.
Oh, thanks, guys. That means a lot.
How about we read our
last journal entry?
Artie, do you want to start us off?
- Sure.
- [ALARM WAILS]
- So Block D's been flooded.
- What happened?
100-year-old sewage
pipes is what happened.
Everyone's been ordered
to stay where they are.
You too, George. Get comfortable,
It may be a while.
- Look, let's double back this way.
- [BELL RINGING]
Ah! These hallways
bringing back any memories?
I dropped out of high school
to join a certain street gang.
- Crimson Vipers got you young, huh?
- Yeah, too young.
You grow up quick when you're in a gang.
- What about you?
- I was always on the move,
so I was homeschooled.
I still learned trigonometry,
but I used it for drawing
blueprints for heists.
- So no problem for you, either.
- Nope.
Never feel like you missed out?
Sometimes I think it
would have been nice
to have a steady friend group.
Go to Sweet Sixteens, pep rallies.
You know, the ushe.
- How about you?
- Yeah,
I guess a normal high school life
would have been a lot easier.
But then you wouldn't have
become the man you are today.
Hey.
Look at this.
Someone didn't like Lexi.
- Nope.
- [PHONE RINGS]
- Olive.
- I tested Lexi's champagne
glass and the champagne itself.
There are no traces of sodium
nitrite on or in either.
So it wasn't anything she ate or drank.
But I did find traces of
the poison on her lips.
- How did it get there?
- Lip balm.
Her own brand.
Were you able to pull any fingerprints
off the tube of lip balm?
Only the victims.
But I did discover something surprising.
Cornstarch.
She needed to thicken something?
- Surgical gloves.
- Exactly.
The insides of surgical gloves
are coated with cornstarch.
It makes them easier to put on.
So the killer used gloves
to handle the lip balm.
If I find anything
else, I'll let you know.
What if Lexi's lip balm isn't
the only one that was poisoned?
We have to gather up all
those lip balms and test them.
I'll go tell the unis.
Okay. We need to get the word
out before anyone else gets hurt.
The PA system. I'll
make an announcement.
What are you two doing?
We were going to go make out
in the principal's office.
- Any updates?
- Yeah.
Lexi was poisoned by her own lip balm.
I was gonna make an
announcement on the PA system.
Oh.
[MAX GASPS]
Oh my God!
That's Ziggy.
- Is he alive?
- I'm going to call 9-1-1.
Yeah.
[LOUD GASP]
Oh, what the
Smellis?
Oh, Smellis. Is that you?
Wait. What did he call you?
Nothing. He's he's delirious.
Oh. Smellis. Smellis, my dude.
Okay, this day just keeps
getting better and better.
Look, Z, we have some questions
we need to ask you, okay?
I'm sorry, civilian.
You heard the Chief.
Go park yourself over
there and stay there.
I cannot believe Smellis went full narc.
Tell me about Lexi.
Queen of mean.
What about her?
She died earlier today.
Oh, well Oh, that's a trip.
Oh. She's okay?
She's dead.
Okay. Where were you
between 12:00 and 12:30?
Yeah, I was taking a
stroll down memory lane.
- I saw Amber ducked in here.
- Why?
Yeah, Amber, Lexi and
Hannah, they suck.
What was Amber doing?
She's gone nuts.
She was like tearing posters
and swearing under her breath.
- Interesting.
- Right?
Can you remember anything else?
No. No. I saw Amber, hid out in here.
Place went up, and then
I must have dozed off,
because next thing I
know, there's Smellis.
Oh my God, where is Smellis?
Found these in the trash
can near the science lab.
That's awful.
I mean, why would anybody do that?
Lexi was, like, the
most beautiful soul ever.
And, like, I miss her already.
We have a witness who saw you.
Okay, fine. It was me. I tore them down.
I was mad, but only because
Lexi hijacked the entire
reunion that I planned.
- How?
- I have been planning this reunion for months,
and then she just swoops in last minute
and pays for, like, a few bags of nachos
and plasters, her stupid
lip balm posters everywhere.
And then what? She got all the credit.
- We thought you two were best friends.
- So did I.
And then I saw her and
Hannah a few months ago
at Babette's Bistro, like together,
and they didn't even invite me.
And Babette's has like
the cutest happy hour ever.
And then this morning, I saw the two
of them huddled together in the gym.
And when I tried to join
in, Lexi said that it was
a private conversation
just for her and Hannah.
I mean, like, excuse me.
She could be so fickle.
Oh, but I didn't kill her.
You were the only person
on the second floor.
No, I wasn't.
Ziggy doesn't count.
I'm not talking about Ziggy.
Welcome to my old hideout.
I knew you weren't a behind
the bleachers kind of guy.
It's definitely no
making out happening here.
The library was always empty, so
I'd always come here to escape.
- Mm.
- Ah, see, I knew you'd be back.
I dug this out for you.
Oh, my God. I can't believe
you still have a copy of that.
Justice Begins With Us,
an essay by Cole Ellis.
So you haven't changed at all, then?
Actually the essay is pretty good,
but the story is the real gold.
Tell me everything.
Cole was a senior and
some of the football boys
were picking on this
scrawny little freshman.
Now, Cole reported it
to the administration,
but they didn't do anything.
So Cole, even though he was
smaller than all of them,
he walked right up to the biggest jock
and right in the middle of the
cafeteria, he broke his nose.
Well, those boys never
picked on that kid again.
That's right. But it also put
a huge target on my back,
which is why I'd always hide in here.
Oh, that's why they
called you Cole the Mole.
Holed up in the library.
Oh, my scrawny hero.
Okay.
I bet I can guess who the jock was.
You lied about your whereabouts earlier.
You were both seen on the second floor.
- We were just talking.
- With your tongues.
Fine. It's my fault.
I saw Brock go upstairs,
so I went looking for him.
I've had a crush since school,
but Lexi got to him before I did.
So today, after a few
glasses of champagne.
I saw my chance and I took it.
- Why did you lie to us?
- Because he's married.
And my wife would kill me.
So why were you up there?
I went to look at the trophy case.
The MVP title was supposed to be mine.
I just wanted to see it again.
Supposed to be yours?
The night before the championship game
Lexi made us dinner.
She knew all about my allergies.
Corn, tomatoes, peanuts, cats.
You name it, I'm allergic to it.
There's something in that
meal triggered an attack.
But she didn't do it on purpose.
No, but it ruined my life.
She couldn't remember
something that might kill me?
- What kind of a girlfriend is that?
- But you didn't die.
No, but I couldn't play.
We lost the championship.
Football dreams gone.
And Lexi dumped me.
Please don't tell my wife.
Are you-are you okay there?
Yeah. I don't know what it is.
Something-something
must have set me off.
Tell us again about your allergies.
Yeah, I was always rooting for you
to solve your brother's case.
I'm so glad you were
able to put that to bed.
And, you know, find some peace.
Thank you. So was I.
You seem happy.
- Yeah, I am.
- Good.
Hey, I was looking
through these yearbooks
for more awkward Cole photos,
and I found something interesting.
Okay, well, look, whatever it is,
I don't have any secrets left.
Yeah, you might not, but
I think somebody does.
We need to find Max and Li immediately.
How are you hanging in there, Artie?
Shouldn't be too much longer.
Hey, we got coffee, donuts.
Things could be worse.
Yeah.
Hey. I'm sorry we didn't
get to your story, man.
Don't worry.
It's about a dumb
thing when I was a kid.
Oh, tell me. I want to hear it.
Well, it's about me and my big brother.
After my first day of high school,
he takes me to a convenience
store to celebrate.
He says it's gonna get me something.
He goes over to a rack,
grabs a pack of gum, grins,
drops it in my pocket,
and he walks away.
And you got caught?
Since I wrote it, I realized
I've been taking the rap
for this guy ever since.
Is that what landed you in here?
Yeah.
Job of his went south.
I took the heat.
Sounds like he's using you.
That's the only family I got.
Listen up.
Cell block D will be transferred
to a different facility in the morning.
We will move you to another
section for the night.
- Let's go.
- Well
Looks like I'm being transferred.
- Thanks for everything, George.
- Yeah, it's been a pleasure.
You know, I have a feeling
the best is yet to come
for both of us.
It's come to my attention
that some of my pupils
have been caught cheating.
That means you've been called up here
because one of you killed Lexi.
Someone here was lying
about where they were
during what we like to
call in our business,
the murder window.
It's not actually what we call it.
All of you were on the second floor
during that critical 30 minutes.
Uh. Doesn't that mean we
couldn't have killed Lexi?
On the contrary, Ziggy.
It's actually quite the opposite.
One of you went to the science
lab, unlocked the cabinet,
put on a pair of gloves, and
laced a lip balm with sodium nitrite,
and made sure that Lexi applied it.
And you, Brock, you're the key
to solving this whole mystery.
Me?
Look, I swear I didn't do it.
Really? Why do you keep
scratching your face like that?
I can't help it. I told
you, I have allergies.
Dust mites, grass, lobster, corn.
That's the funny thing
about allergic reactions.
Sometimes it's about what you touch.
And sometimes it's about
what or who touches you.
Isn't that right, Hannah?
Oh.
I don't know what we're talking about.
You thought you were so
smart putting on latex gloves.
You thought you wouldn't get
any fingerprints on the lip balm.
But you did leave something behind,
even more incriminating, on Brock.
When you left the lab,
you bumped into Brock.
You knew you had been
seen, so you distracted him
with a kiss.
It was a passionate one,
too, wasn't it, Brock?
Yeah, it was pretty hot and heavy.
Like, grab your face in
her hands, hot and heavy?
Oh, yeah.
Sorry to break it to
you, but it was fake.
All a cover up.
What are you talking about?
Fun fact.
Latex gloves are dusted
with cornstarch powder.
Makes it easy to take
the gloves off and on.
And guess who's allergic
to all things corn-based?
So when you grabbed Brock's face,
you got some cornstarch residue
from your fingers onto his beard.
This is crazy. Lexi was my bestie.
Do you remember what
your yearbook quote was?
- No.
- Let me refresh your memory.
Bloom softly. Burn brightly.
The same as Lexi's lip balm slogan.
Except it wasn't just the slogan,
it was the whole product idea.
A lip balm infused with
aromatherapy scents,
each one designed to boost your energy,
enhance mental clarity, calm your mood.
And today, Lexi's
company was just acquired
- for millions of dollars.
- She stole it from you.
Quick patent search
turned up your application
for a lip balm named Emobalm.
It also had the same slogan
because Lexi also applied
and was granted the patent,
beating you to it,
cheating you out of
the product you created.
She stole your idea just like
she stole your boyfriend
Brock back in high school.
- You're all out of your minds.
- Out of everyone here,
you're the only one
with a chemistry degree.
That doesn't prove anything.
But the glove powder does.
So we're gonna bag your hands
and get you down to the station.
We've got a sophisticated
infrared spectrometer
that can detect microscopic
cornstarch residue.
Emobomb was my idea, not Lexi's!
I confronted Lexi about it
today and she just laughed.
She told me to get a lawyer.
She knew that I couldn't
afford to fight it.
You couldn't let her
win, so you killed her.
You're under arrest for
the murder of Lexi Chandler.
You know, if it makes
you feel any better,
it is a killer lip balm.
Kebab burrito combo.
Never again.
All right, it's getting late.
Who's coming in for the next shift?
I don't know.
All right, let me call the
See if he can swap us out for some unis.
What are you doing?
We're not going anywhere.
- What's happening?
- Did you really think that you were just-
you're just gonna leave without a word?
So that's what this is all about?
Wait a minute. This wasn't.
This wasn't even a
real stakeout, was it?
You were just gonna
slip out the back door
like a raccoon at a buffet.
You know, Simmons,
when you move, I move.
And I know all your passwords.
- That was you?
- Yeah.
All right.
I'm leaving the precinct.
I put in for an undercover task force.
Li vouched and I just got clearance.
Different city, and I'm
gonna need to lay low
for a little while.
How could you do this to me?
I mean, was it Max? Was it Ellis?
Because I if I need to beat someone up,
you know, I got it in me.
I was-I was gonna write you a letter.
A letter?
What is this, 1895?
Why don't you send it via
carrier pigeon while you're at it?
I'm sorry, I
I didn't know how to
tell you face to face.
I've always been bad with goodbyes.
Especially with you.
I was hoping you'd be happy for me.
I am happy for you, you stupid idiot.
I can't believe I'm
going to walk into work
and you're not going
to be there anymore.
See, this is exactly why
I didn't want to do this.
Then don't go.
Yates
I'm sorry. I didn't find
a better way to tell you.
You still can.
- What now?
- Yeah, now.
And I want it all.
Yates, you were the most dedicated
and tenacious and strange.
I mean, you are very strange, detective.
And you're my best friend.
And you're the best
partner I've ever had.
Even better than Ellis?
Yes, but don't you dare tell him that.
Okay, I won't tell him.
I'm not going to tell him.
Come here.
[KNOCKING]
Oh.
Ludo. Thanks.
Are you crying?
Mind your own damn business.
God!
I'm not crying.
Just a little something for me.
The piece de resistance, if you will.
You gotta be? Are you kidding me?
I had them made special.
Big heads for the big brain guys.
Yates, and I mean this in the
most platonic way possible,
I love you.
Okay, well, you've gone
ahead and made it weird,
- so now we have to leave.
- That's true.
Well, you know,
I'm gonna be texting you updates
of what I'm eating every day.
Like I'm gonna be do
not disturb annoying.
Well, you know, I'm gonna be undercover,
so it's probably best you don't do that.
Don't text me. I'll text you.
I love you so much, Simmons.
Have you thought about
your undercover name?
[SIMMONS] You know, I don't
think I get to choose that.
[YATES] Yeah. You're
right. I'll pick it.
How about, uh, Dirk Thunderpants?
No, wait. Christophe von Tacolila.
Or maybe Trish Skedaddle. That's fun.
You know, there's no infrared
spectrometer cornstarch test, right?
How am I supposed to
know, I never graduated?
[JESS] Hey, Cole, come here for a sec.
I'll just be a moment.
You guys want to wait up?
- No. We'll head back to the station.
- Okay. I'll see you later.
Good night.
- Jess.
- Cole Ellis,
will you be my prom date?
[SLOW TEMPO MUSIC BEGINS TO PLAY]
What's all this?
I heard about your prom experience.
- Did Max tell you?
- I'm a journalist.
It's my job to uncover
people's embarrassing secrets.
Plus, every single
one of your classmates
couldn't wait to tell me.
It's definitely a night
I'd like to forget.
Which is why I think you deserve a redo.
Can I have this dance?
Come on. When the cool
chick asks you to dance,
you gotta do it.
Okay.
Oh, I was never the same. ♪
I'm sorry that happened to you.
Don't be. It's okay.
No, it's not okay.
No, I mean, it's okay. Because
if it all ended this moment, then
it was worth it.
No, I was the one. ♪
The quiet light ♪
That settles it. High school sucks.
Absolutely.
And I'm kind of glad that we didn't have
- the typical experience, you know?
- Typical is overrated.
Cliques, pep rallies, bad
high school slow dances.
Exactly. And we got the scars
and street smarts instead.
A way better conversation starter.
And way fewer embarrassing
yearbook photos.
I'm saving this for a special occasion.
Don't lose that.
I won't. I uploaded it to the cloud.
Nice.
Shoot. I left my
jacket in the cafeteria.
- You need a ride?
- Nope. I got my car.
Okay. Good night, Max.
All right. Good night, Chief.
In a moment ♪
The wind is gone. ♪
In a moment of blazing sun ♪
And in the panic on the ♪
Hey, Mom.
As usual, your timing is flawless.
Max, you need to get home
now. We have a situation here.
♪
Mom.
What's going on? Is everything okay?
What is all this?
I've been thinking.
You mean spiraling?
Well, it's, uh
It's the smartest move. You'll see.
- What's in the bags?
- Just the essentials.
Enough for us all to get settled.
I am settled. I thought we
already had this conversation.
I know, but it's the plan.
There are too many variables,
too many ways for it to go sideways.
We can be out of the country by dawn.
Varga won't even know we're
gone until it's too late.
And then what? We just keep running.
That's exactly what
we're trying to stop.
No, we stick to the plan.
I know, but plans change
and this is the new one.
We can hide as a family.
It is the smartest move.
And what about Ellis and my friends?
If we leave, then we
put them all in danger.
Ellis is more than capable
and the rest can fend for themselves.
It's a calculated risk we have to take.
And they are not family.
Maybe not to you, Mom, but
to me, they are my family.
And I can't run the risk of
losing you again. I won't.
You didn't lose me!
You left!
Do you remember the last
thing we said to each other
before you disappeared?
No. Why does that matter?
We had an argument.
A stupid argument about
how I didn't take the chicken out of
the freezer before you came home.
You lectured me about responsibility
and how I need to put my family first.
You just wouldn't let it go.
What does this have to do with anything?
Can you just help me get
I hate you!
That is the last thing I said to you.
I hate you.
And then I stormed off.
And I never saw you again.
For 15 years I carried that
guilt like a stone in my heart.
And you let me live with that.
Oh. Max, honey
You were just a kid.
Those words I never thought I
It was just temper, babe.
Do you know how hard that is for a kid
to replay that memory
over and over again?
There wasn't a day that went
by that I didn't think about
the fact that the last
words I said to my mom.
Max, don't. Don't.
I didn't know.
I am so sorry.
Can you ever forgive me?
Max, wait.
Please.
[EMOTIONAL MUSIC]
[VOCALIZING] ♪
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