Original subtitles

**

Higgins: Can you kindly step on it, Thomas?

According to the security footage that I just hacked,

Gary Perez has left early for his morning jog,

which gives us only 30 minutes to infiltrate his place,

do the repo, and get out.

Relax. We have plenty of time.

I can hotwire a Stingray in my sleep.

It's going to be a cakewalk.

You didn't see the client e-mail, did you?

**

I can't believe he meant stingray, the fish.

Well, had you read the client's e-mail properly,

that would have been abundantly clear.

**

Okay.

Come on.

Damn it. Don't try to catch it.

Get to where it's going and intercept it.

Yeah, keep trying to micromanage.

That's going to make it go faster.

You know, I can't believe we're trying to repo a fish.

I don't know. Nemo seems a bit below our pay grade.

Need I remind you that you once recovered

a stolen tuna fish?

Yeah, worth $350,000.

Yeah. Okay, so maybe this one isn't quite in that range,

but it is extremely rare.

It retails for over $100,000,

and we get 10% commission of that, so...

[ Sighs ] Okay.

Come on.

**

Ooh. Okay. Okay. Okay, get the bag.

Yeah. Yeah. Got it. Careful. Careful. Careful with it.

Oh. [ Gasps ]

Get him in the bag!

Oh, my gosh. Thomas -- I got it.

[ Beep ] Automated voice: Front door open.

[ Heavy pop music playing through headphones]

* Yeah, I gotta have it, yeah, I'll get it by any cost *

[ Clicking, electronic music playing]

[ Water running ]

**

Like I said, cakewalk.

**

**

**

[ TC grunts ]

You got this, man. Keep going.

My legs ain't really doing this. It's my arms.

I know it's frustrating.

Yeah, it is. It's been...

two weeks since my toe twitched,

and we barely saw any progress.

This ain't never gon' work.

Patience is the hardest part,

but it's the most important thing

when it comes to rehabilitation.

**

We should stop for now. No, I can do it again.

It's a marathon, not a sprint.

[ Cellphone vibrating ]

It's Charles.

Perfect timing. Your friend Thomas is here.

Should I have them send him up?

**

Yeah, I will tell him.

I'm sorry, Mr. Magnum,

but Mr. Calvin is unavailable.

Again?

Alright. Um, can you please tell him I came by?

Thanks.

**

Rick: It's kind of tight in there now.

How long is he going to stay? Not long.

The owner said he's coming to pick him up tomorrow, so...

Okay. Well, you want some breakfast

while you're waiting for Thomas? Yeah, that'd be lovely.

Just the usual, please.

You got it.

Hey. Hey.

Hi. Hey.

Hey, Rick. How you doing?

Hi, Piper. I'm good. I'm great.

Good.

Yeah.

Uh, can I get my order?

Yeah. Sorry.

Uh...

[ Sighs ]

Here you go. Thank you.

See you soon.

Yeah. Hope so.

Yeah, me, too. Bye.

Hmm.

Think somebody has a crush.

What? No, I do not.

I-I meant her.

Oh, well, yeah, she did kind of ask me out.

And you said?

I didn't really answer.

Rick, for future reference,

that is generally taken as a no.

I know, I know. But she left it kind of open.

And besides, I really shouldn't be dating right now anyway.

Wait, hang on. Hang on a second. If memory serves,

Suzy was pretty clear about the fact

that you guys don't have a romantic future.

So if that is what's holding you back, then --

No, no, that's -- That's not it.

No, Piper works in the marina,

and I live on a boat

in the marina.

You know that old saying "don't...where you eat?"

Right, yes, but as you know,

I'm living proof that it can, in fact, work out.

That's true. Mm.

Speak of the devil.

Hey, buddy. Hey.

Hey. So, how's TC doing?

Unavailable. Again.

You know, you'd think they'd come up with a different excuse

to hide the fact that he's avoiding us.

I'm worried about him. Yeah, we all are.

Apparently, we're not the only ones.

I guess he's ghosting his mother, too.

Really? How'd you hear about that?

Well, she called the bar,

and I said TC was still at the rehab facility,

and that was news to her.

She didn't know he was there?

She didn't even know he'd been shot.

Alright, I-I really think

we need to stage an intervention or something.

I don't know. Part of me feels like

we just got to give him a little bit of space and time

and let him work through it at his own pace, you know?

**

[ Doorbell rings ]

Teuila. Kumu: Hi.

What are you doing here?

Well, you haven't been to mahjong night in weeks,

and it's not like you to miss an opportunity to kick my butt.

[ Chuckles ]

I just wanted to check on you.

Well, c-come on in.

So...

what have you been up to?

Um, you know, work.

Nothing interesting.

Tell me what's new with you,

Ying, you can talk to me.

I'm fine. Really.

How's Michelle?

She should be off to college soon, right?

**

Tell me what's going on.

Please.

Ying: It started about two years ago.

I got a message on WhatsUpp from a man named Han.

He was asking why I didn't show up for our date.

He had the wrong number,

but they struck up a conversation anyway.

And turns out he lives in Tongli,

where Ying was born.

Han's never been out of China,

so he was eager to hear about life in the US.

We hit it off.

Became close friends.

Or I thought we did.

A few months later, Han shared that his mom was ill.

He needed money.

So he asked you for a loan?

No. He just confided

that he was investing with a friend of his cousin.

He was worried, I'm sure, how it would turn out.

But a month later, he doubled his investment.

Ying has been a single mom since her daughter was 8.

She's worked very hard to afford to send her daughter to college.

I saved enough for tuition,

but the extras -- books, dorm, meal plan --

Doesn't come cheap. Exactly.

So I asked Han if I could invest with his cousin's friend.

He was very reluctant, said nothing is a sure thing...

[Voice breaking] that he didn't want anything

to happen to my money.

But I wouldn't let it go.

This is not your fault.

So when did you start investing?

About a year ago.

Returns were so great.

I just kept putting in more.

And at what point did you think something might be wrong?

Two weeks ago, I messaged Han and didn't hear back.

That was unusual.

When a few days went by, I started to worry,

and that's when I checked the account.

**

The balance was zero.

How much money did you lose?

Everything.

$165,000.

[ Crying ] All of my savings

and my daughter's college tuition.

She went to HPD, but they said there wasn't much they could do.

Yeah, I mean, these operations

are often international and very sophisticated.

It can be very difficult for local authorities

to actually find the scammers.

And nearly impossible to retrieve the funds.

We know it's a long shot.

But Teuila said if anyone could help me, it would be you.

**

We'll do everything we can.

**

[ Knock on door ] Yeah.

Sorry to bother you, Mr. Calvin,

but there's someone here who wants to see you.

I told you I don't want to see anyone.

I know, but she said

she didn't come all the way from North Carolina

to sit in the waiting room.

**

Ma?

[ Chuckles ]

**

**

I can't believe you flew all this way.

Of course I did,

once I found out what happened.

Now that I'm here, what can I do?

Nothing. I'm fine.

Really?

I don't understand why you came.

Because my son is hurt, and I want to help.

I'm at a VA rehab. I got plenty of help.

Mm-hmm. Are you kicking me out?

Because I've been traveling over 16 hours to get here.

No.

You can stay.

But I got to rest.

[ Bed beeps ]

**

Right, so I think the most efficient way

to go through the two years of WhatsUpp exchanges

between Ying and Han

is to separate them into different time sections.

Yep, and on different devices. Right.

I didn't know you had a laptop, Kumu.

It's 2023, Thomas.

Pretty sure you're the only one who doesn't.

That's what I have Higgy for.

Right, so we should all be logged into Ying's account.

How are we going to be able to do this?

Ying and Han communicated in Chinese.

Did you translate it?

Uh, no. Thankfully, there's software for that,

especially given that there are about 36,000 lines of text.

Would have taken me a month.

36,000? You can't be serious.

Yeah, I mean, it's an estimate, but from what I can glean,

they texted nearly every single day the last two years.

That's a lot to get through. It is.

But it's all we have to go on.

Welp, we should probably get started.

[ Sighs ]

* So give me one time, come put it heavy on me *

* Now give me two time, so put your lovin' on me *

* Now give me three time, come put it heavy on me *

* And we keep doin' it, doin' it, doin' it *

* Doin' it, doin', I'm saying *

**

Rick: Hey.

Oh, this is new.

What? You just walked right up to me.

Last couple weeks, I was pretty sure you were avoiding me.

No. No. Why would you think that?

I don't know.

Maybe 'cause I asked you out, and it made you uncomfortable?

No. No, no, no, no, no, no. No.

Ooh, say no one more time. It's really working for you, Rick.

No, I'm not uncomfortable. I just --

You know, I don't want to start something

unless I'm ready to see it through.

Okay.

Okay? Yeah.

So, what, the offer just expired?

Yeah, it did.

Wait. Seriously?

I mean, if you want to go out, this time, you got to ask me.

Okay. I deserve that.

Yeah. How about tonight?

Let me check my schedule.

[ Cellphone clicks ]

Just sent you my address.

Pick you up at 7:00.

7:15.

**

**

Okay. I've gone through seven months of these,

and I still have nothing. What about you guys?

No, nothing, although I do now better understand

why Ying fell for this.

I mean, it feels like they had a genuine connection.

He certainly put in the work.

Yeah, that's why these long cons can reap such big rewards.

Wait a minute. I found a photo

that Han sent Ying four weeks ago.

Oh. I mean, unfortunately,

WhatsUpp software strips the metadata from any photos,

so we can't trace its origin.

Who needs metadata? Look.

It might be Han, but we still don't know where it is.

Oh, we certainly do.

And it's not China.

Huh? See that?

The bird? It's not just any bird.

It's an O'ahu 'Amakihi.

It exists only on this island.

Okay, so if that is Han, he was here.

Or at least he was when he took the photo.

Kumu, what is -- What is that?

Can you zoom in on the reflection?

Oh, looks like a painting.

May I? Yeah.

If I can identify the artwork,

it might help me narrow down Han's location in the photo.

Right. Yes, the painting is called "A Girl At Peace"

by artist Ken Mahalona. And according to his website,

the print was mass produced for guest rooms

at the Oceanside Hotel and Spa.

I think it's in Waianae.

If he was at that hotel, somebody had to have seen him.

Right.

**

**

Magnum: Looks like it's closed.

I wonder how long for.

**

Well, since 2020. It looks like it shut down for COVID

and never reopened.

When was Han here?

[ Gun cocks ]

[ Shouts in Mandarin Chinese ]

**

[ Man speaks Mandarin Chinese ]

**

[ Man speaks Mandarin Chinese ]

[ People speaking Mandarin Chinese ]

**

**

Looks like Han has some scammer friends.

Uh, yeah, I'd say about 90 of them.

[ Shouts in Mandarin Chinese ]

He said -- Yeah, I think I got it.

**

[ Speaking in Mandarin Chinese ]

**

[ Lock clicks ]

Okay. I'm going to need you to translate this time.

Seems they're going to keep us in here

until their boss returns so that he can interrogate us.

Okay, so we have that to look forward to.

**

Hey, Mr. Calvin. Sorry to interrupt.

Got your lunch here.

Mm.

Thank you. You're welcome.

Ma'am, would you like some, too?

What's that? Um...

Turkey and mashed potatoes.

Oh. No, thank you, dear.

Okay. Enjoy.

Thank you.

That looks nasty.

It's what I got.

Well, I think you'll find these more appetizing.

Are you serious?

What? You used to love these.

When I was 6.

Okay. You don't want them, then?

I didn't say that.

By the way, it looks like somebody named Mahina

is trying to get in touch with you.

You looked at my phone?

It kept buzzing.

I thought it was just me,

but looks like you're trying to push everybody away.

Look, you don't get to do this.

If I wanted you here, I would have called.

Well, I'm not so sure about that.

**

I'm not leaving, Theo.

Okay. Well, I am.

**

[ Door clattering ]

**

**

[ Shouts in Mandarin Chinese ]

I guess the boss is back.

Don't worry about me. Just take care of him.

**

[ Door slams, lock clicks ]

**

**

What's your name?

Austin. Austin Powers.

[ Speaks Mandarin Chinese ]

**

P.I.

Okay, Mr. Magnum. What are you investigating?

Well, I heard the, uh, hot stone massage at the spa

was something special, but I had to see for myself.

**

What are you trying to find?

Okay. Look.

I'm looking for the --

the perfect staycation spot, you know,

somewhere where you could just lose yourself,

go to the bar, and dance like no one's watching.

**

I tried to do this the easy way.

Okay, so now I guess we're doing it the hard way.

**

I'm Teng. I speak English.

Hello, Teng.

How did you get here?

I'm from Anhui.

When COVID hit, job went away.

Everything shut down.

On Internet,

I found...

[ Speaks Mandarin Chinese ]

An advertisement.

Yes, for housekeeping job

in US hotel.

Good money, benefit.

But when I come, they took passport.

**

And made me...

[ Speaks Mandarin Chinese ]

Con people into investing.

**

A-And all the people upstairs in that big room,

have they all been trafficked, as well?

**

How long have you been here, Teng?

2 years, 10 months.

They beat me when I tried to escape.

**

**

We can make it stop, Mr. Magnum.

Ah, you don't have to be so formal.

[ Speaks Mandarin Chinese ]

**

[ Coughs ] Just answer the questions.

What are you doing here? [ Chuckles ]

Who else knows where you are?

**

Then go get his friend.

**

I'm sure you miss home.

Better poor and free than a slave.

**

I promise you, Teng, I'm going to help

everyone who is trapped here.

How? You're trapped, too.

For now.

[ Keys jingle, door opens ]

**

Teng, get something to tie him up.

**

[ Cellphone dialing ]

Woman: 911.

**

Keep me updated. Yeah.

**

**

**

**

**

**

[ Muffled thudding, grunting ]

**

Hi. Hey.

What took you so long?

I was about to ask you the same thing.

**

[ Muffled sirens wailing ]

**

[ Indistinct conversations ]

**

He's not going to talk. None of them will.

**

What about the victims? Will they be returned home?

Well, only if they want to be.

Those who want to stay can get a "T" visa.

How'd you two end up here?

Our client was scammed by someone working here.

The guy said his name was Han.

Have you identified him among the trafficking victims?

No, not yet. Do you know what he looks like?

Um...

Exactly like that guy, right?

Yeah, that's the guy from the selfie that was sent to Ying.

But you said he was a victim. That's one of the traffickers.

Well, maybe they used the same photograph

to send to multiple marks. Well, it's smarter than using

a photo of someone who's on a missing persons database.

Well, chances are it's a fake name.

Han probably doesn't even exist.

Jun: Han is real.

**

He's my cousin, here because of me.

**

I told Han that we should come.

**

And then they threatened our families

to make us ruin people's lives.

We didn't want to.

We know. None of this was your fault.

Uh, is Han still here?

Then what happened to him?

One lady he scammed,

the bosses made him take everything.

When it was all gone, they -- they told him

to get her to borrow from family and friends.

**

Han refused.

Couldn't bear to hurt her anymore.

That must be why he stopped responding

to Ying all of a sudden.

What did they do to him?

They beat him.

Then two days ago, they took him away.

**

So you didn't find my money?

Not yet.

But what about Han?

If you find him, you can track it, right?

Mm, it's not that simple.

Wha-- I don't understand.

Well, the money didn't go with Han,

so finding him won't necessarily bring it back.

He has to go away for what he did.

Normally, I would agree with you, but, uh --

What are you saying? He duped me and ruined my life.

Yes, but, Ying, he didn't want to.

He was also a victim of something called pig butchering.

That phrase originated in China.

It means fattening a hog before slaughter.

Yes, but in recent years, it's actually come to mean

something else, as well. It's when criminal syndicates

use human trafficking victims to scam people out of money.

Are you saying Han was trafficked?

Yes.

He and his cousin came here for work

after his mother got sick.

That was true?

You know, most of what he said was true.

So the connection, the friendship --

All of that was real. He never wanted to hurt you.

And in fact, his refusal to cause you any more pain

is what caused him to be punished by the traffickers.

**

I realize you took the case to find my money,

but if Han is in trouble, please, can you help him?

**

Any leads on Han?

Not yet, but we might be close. Lu Chan --

Yeah, that's the guy I had the spa day with.

Yeah, we thought he was the big fish.

Turns out he's the medium fish.

So who's he working for? Don't know. Chan was careful.

He had about six different security measures on his phone.

None of the guards we arrested will talk.

What about the hotel owner? Yeah, I mean, even

if he wasn't directly involved,

he had to have known what was going on.

Which is why I brought the owner in.

Name's Jonathan Wang.

Okay, Jonathan, time to try to help yourself.

**

Not talking is definitely an option.

It's also your right.

But your hotel was being used for human trafficking,

making you complicit in a class 2 felony

punishable by up to 20 years for each offense.

**

You do get that you're looking at life behind bars, right?

**

Alright.

**

I'm just curious.

What kind of scumbag buys and sells his own people?

All I wanted was to run a hotel. That's it.

Was three years in the making. But I built a great place.

Nice, affordable for families.

Started in 2018, was a huge success.

And then COVID happened. Yeah.

And you know what? It didn't just hit

the small business guys. It hit the big ones, too.

When the hotel had to shut down, you needed money.

I didn't do anything to anyone.

I just took a loan.

Guessing it wasn't from a bank.

And when the hotel stayed closed,

he couldn't pay back the loan.

Weeks turned into months.

Turned into a year.

Soon you were so far in debt, you didn't have a way out.

I'd never done anything illegal in my life

Until you did. I didn't know what they were doing.

Who is they?

**

I'll go to jail.

For the rest of my life.

But I won't talk.

It's triads, right?

I just need a name.

They'll kill me.

My family.

**

The men we arrested when we raided your hotel,

they're all out in the hallway waiting to be processed.

I told you, I had nothing to do with this.

I heard you. If that's true,

you won't care when I parade you past them,

let you go.

A free man.

**

You can't. I might even shake your hand.

show them what a cooperative witness you are.

That would put a target on my back.

If you talk, we can protect you.

And your family.

**

Man: Go.

Ready. Go.

**

[ Men speaking indistinctly ]

[ Men speaking, shouting indistinctly ]

**

**

HPD! Hands up!

[ People speaking, shouting indistinctly ]

**

Charles Fok, you have the right to remain silent.

Lawyer.

Get him out of here.

Anything you say can and will be used against you

in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney.

If you cannot afford it...

**

Thanks, Gordie. I can stall CSI

for maybe 15 minutes, so if you want to find Han, work fast.

It's through there. Laptops upstairs.

Copy that.

**

Okay, uh...

**

I'm going to start with two days ago when Han disappeared.

**

Right, here we go. There's an e-mail

from one of Fok's men saying that an advert was posted

on the dark web. There's an attachment.

That's Han. "Chinese man on Oahu.

45 years old. Healthy. Strong.

Suited for manual labor or administrative tasks.

Can type and speak English. $10,000."

They didn't just beat Han up. They're planning on selling him.

Any buyers?

Yeah, looks like for Han and two other men.

The deal is going down in Port of Honolulu in 30 minutes.

Then we got to move. Yeah.

**

[ Man speaking Mandarin Chinese ]

**

**

[ Sirens wailing ]

[ Man exclaims indistinctly ]

Man: HPD! Hands up now!

**

[ Helicopter blades whirring ]

**

[ Man shouts in Mandarin Chinese ]

[ Gunfire ]

**

[ Han whimpering ]

**

Magnum. [ Man speaks Mandarin Chinese ]

Come on.

**

**

**

[ Helicopter blades whirring ]

**

Aah!

**

Man: Cease fire! Cease fire!

**

[ Man shouts in Mandarin Chinese ]

**

**

Are you alright?

Are you hurt?

Magnum: It's okay, Han.

You're free now.

How do you know me?

We've got someone who wants to meet you.

**

**

Ying.

Han.

I'm so sorry, Ying.

You don't have to apologize.

Big win today. It's got to earn us

at least a couple favors, right?

Just might.

**

Because you searched for Han, HPD was able to take down

not one, but two trafficking operations.

That's a hell of a thing. What about Ying's money?

Is there any chance she'll get it back?

A good one, actually. Forensic accounting

is all over Fok's laptop right now.

How much have they recovered?

So far, $97 million.

Wow.

**

**

Kumu: [ Laughing ] Wow.

I got to -- I got to sit down.

So, you like it?

Hell yeah.

Thanks. I-I wasn't really sure what shirt to wear.

Actually, I'm not really sure about doing this at all.

Wait, are you nervous?

No. No, it's not that. I --

It has been a while, but

no, that's not it.

[ Sighs ]

I also hoped you'd work it out with Suzy.

But since that's not in the cards,

I'm just glad you're getting back in the saddle, so to speak.

**

Could you do me a favor and, uh --

Not use that phrase with you again?

Absolutely.

**

You're still here.

I'm not making the same mistake again.

**

For 36 years, I wasn't there.

And now's my second chance to be your mom,

so I'm not going anywhere.

So...

What is it?

Why are you pushing all your friends away?

You don't want them to feel sorry for you?

Of course not. I ain't playing the victim.

Leaning on people doesn't make you a victim.

I'm not so sure of that.

So let me get this straight.

You think all the people that lean on you,

you think that they're weak?

No.

What do you know about any of this?

I know everything about this.

Where do you think you get your pride from?

Theodore...

maybe if I had leaned on your father,

maybe we would have stayed a family all those years.

**

I'm sorry I was harsh with you.

But you were kind of invading my space.

Please.

You invaded my space for nine months.

[ Both laugh ]

[ Sighs ]

**

I was there the first time you learned to walk.

You were loud and fussy then, too.

**

I'm looking forward to seeing it again.

**

I'm going to go get some rest.

**

Hey, Ma.

Thanks for coming.

**

**

[ Cellphone clicking ]

[ Beep ]

[ Cellphone vibrates ]

[ Beep ]

Hey, man. TC: Yo, bro.

Good to hear your voice.

Yeah, I know I been MIA.

Yeah, kind of. But, uh...

you know, we get it.

Hey, maybe you might want to come by tomorrow?

Absolutely. Yeah.

I-I'd love nothing more.

Alright.

[ Cellphone beeps ]

**

[ Doorbell rings ]

Hi. Hey.

[ Whispering ] I just got Joy down.

Oh, I-I'm not here for her.

Although, of course, I always want to see Joy, but, uh...

actually, I'm -- I'm here to talk to you.

Um...

You see, I-I was on my way to go on a date tonight.

She's funny. Uh, she's nice.

She's smart. She's pretty.

**

Thing is, she's not you.

When you said before you don't want to keep seeing me,

I totally heard you.

And I respected that. I still do.

But even thinking about going on a date with somebody else,

it -- it just doesn't feel right.

So I'm just going to bring it up one last time.

And if you still feel the same way,

I promise I will never mention it again.

**

So should I go out on this date tonight?

**

No.

No?

Do not go on a date with her.

Or anyone else.

[ Both chuckle ]

**

**

Magnum: Rick is not going to be happy.

[ The Marvelettes' "Too Many Fish in the Sea" playing ]

Where are all the fish?

Maybe they're hiding.

Kumu: Yeah, I don't think so.

But, I mean, stingrays generally

only eat crustaceans and other invertebrates.

Well, tell that to the pufferfish.

I don't get it. Wouldn't your client

have mentioned that something like this could happen?

* Because there's too many fish in the sea *

* Too many fish in the sea *

[ Chuckles ]

Looks like somebody didn't read the e-mail.

[ Sighs ] Hmm?

Who's going to tell Rick?

'Cause it sure as hell isn't going to be me.

* My mother once told me something *

You know, if -- if we replace the fish,

Rick never has to know, right?

I mean, there's got to be a pet store open somewhere.

I'm driving. * Don't worry about him *

* Let him go, do without him *

* Because there's too many fish in the sea *

**

**

**