All language subtitles for The Commish S03E03 Scali, P.I.

Previously on The Commish.

Take care of your mommy.

At least you won't have to hear me
snore.

You won't have to deal with my nylons in
the sink.

See? Everything's going to work out
great.

Best thing that could have happened.

You miss her, don't you?

Do you hate it up there in Buffalo?

We were together.

Yeah.

What are you doing here?

David and I discussed it, and we're
going to move up here so we can all be

together. What about your job?

I quit.

Tony, I quit my job.

They already replaced me.

I thought you said you loved your job.

We weren't with you.

That's what I want.

So, here we are.

Here we are.

Currently unemployed.

You hate me.

Rachel. Well, if I were you, I'd hate
me.

If I hadn't gone to Buffalo, none of
this would have happened. I was the one

told you to go to Buffalo.

I know, but it's not fair.

I mean, I got my job back and you
didn't.

Maybe we should have stayed in Buffalo
after all.

Of course not.

Our house is here.

David can finish school.

It's going to work out for the best,
Rach, really. I don't know. I just

believe that city council picked a new
commissioner so quickly.

Maybe it's a blessing in disguise.

Maybe I've been in a rut for the past
few years.

All you ever wanted to do was be a cop.

And I did it for 15 years. Maybe it's
time to move on.

It's a good thing Pete Dunbar's around
to give me a job.

I think it's going to be weird seeing
you as a private investigator.

I can see it.

Working on interesting cases, no more
bureaucratic garbage to deal with.

I can see it.

Tony.

Don't worry, it'll be fine.

I'm excited.

Really.

Hey, boss.

How's it going?

Hey, boss. How you doing?

It's Tony now.

Are you really going to be a PI?

Sure am.

Don't show us up, okay?

Hey, guys, get back to work. Don't get
in trouble with the new boss.

Hey, you look good. Thanks.

Thanks. See you, boss. Hey.

The new commissioner asked me to come
by.

Probably needs a little help with the
transition.

Oh, right, sure.

Well, he's in the office with the mayor
and city councilman. This shouldn't be

too long.

Yeah.

How is he, anyhow?

Oh, he's great so far.

Not that you weren't.

Great, too. You know, he's just, he's
really good.

Things are really running smoothly.

Not that they weren't running smoothly
with you.

You know, I just... Off the record, just

between you and I, it won't go any
further. What's he really like?

Well, he's... He's really great.

Hello, Tony. Louise.

Commissioner Hayden wanted me to stop
by, help him get started.

He's already gotten started.

Felonies are down 8%. That doesn't mean
anything.

He's only been here for two weeks.

But congratulations, anyway.

Sounds like you made the right choice.

If I'd known you were going to change
your mind so quickly, we probably

have hired him.

Yes, you would have.

Yes, we would have.

Half the towns in the state were after
him.

Now that's a police commissioner.

Commissioner Hayden, Tony Scali.

Tony, mind if I call you Tony? I'm Jim.

It's nice to meet you. People are saying
good things about you.

Well, it's still a honeymoon. Let's see
how the marriage works out. By the way,

thanks for taking the time to drop by.

Glad to.

You probably want to talk people.

I know these guys in ways that aren't in
the personnel files.

Very true.

And there are a couple of budget items
that are kind of tricky, too. We can

as long as you want.

Well, that's very generous of you, Tony,
but... Well, I've got a luncheon

meeting in a few minutes with
Congressman Burnett.

There is one thing, though. Name it.

Well, I was wondering if you could clear
your stuff out of here.

Huh?

Well, you left some of your things in
boxes lying around and... Oh, gee, I'm

sorry. Hey, no problem. I know you've
been busy, I understand, but...

If you could clear your stuff out of
here, they're kind of in the way of my

pyramid charts.

You are?

Take my advice.

Organize everything pyramidically, and
the priorities leap right out at you.

Now, listen.

We'll get to that personnel thing real
soon, okay? Ciao.

Pyramidically?

Straight scoop. Man to man. No bull.

What's this guy really like?

Commissioner Hayden?

He's great.

He's great. He's wonderful.

They don't even miss me, Pete.

Like the Brits say, the king is dead.
Long live the king.

The guy's not a cop. He's a politician.

He spends all his time at meetings with
the mayor and city councilmen. It's all

politics now, Tony. Things have changed.

You're telling me.

Have you ever heard a cop say chow?

Hey. It's all behind you.

Sign here, make it official.

Come on.

Come on.

You're on board now. A P .I., a gumshoe.
You're gonna love it, Tony. It beats

being a cop, hands down.

Big bucks, expense accounts, perks, no
red tape.

No internal affairs looking on your
shoulder.

You were right all along.

Cops are underpaid, overworked, and
unappreciated.

Of course, they have all that tradition.
I know.

I was a cop for five years, but let me
tell you something. P .I .s have

tradition, too.

What? The first private detective in
America, Alan Pinkerton.

He once saved President Lincoln's life.

No kidding.

Yeah.

Think of yourself as a knight in shining
armor, righting wrongs, making the

world a better place.

Yeah.

case.

Who's the damsel in distress?

A lady named Miranda Milligan. Got a
husband named Tom. She thinks he's

on her.

Married 20 years, four kids.

Your job is to verify her suspicions,
take a few pictures, we pass them on to

the lawyer, she gets a good divorce
settlement.

And that'll make the world a better
place?

Well, for Mrs. Milligan.

Right.

I'm gonna love it. Thanks, Pete.

Just dropped by to see how you were
doing.

I'm, uh, fine.

So, what do you got?

Ah, um... Tom Milligan entered room 256
at 305.

I took a picture.

A blonde went in 15 minutes later.

Snapped her, too.

That's it?

Yeah. What do you want me to do? Bust
the door down and take a picture of him?

You know.

I can't do that. Tony, that's what we
get paid for.

The door was probably locked.

Pretend you're room service or
something. You know the drill. You've

million times.

Sure, to catch criminals, but this
guy... That's okay. Look at this.

New KR -17 mini mic.

You got one of these?

The city wouldn't give us any. They cost
a fortune.

Hey, you're in the big time now.

Recorder, voice activated.

Mike will go anywhere.

Adhesive back. You plant it in the same
room as Milligan and his honey. We'll

have their little love sessions.

You won't have to sneak around taking
pictures.

Too late.

Sorry. Forget it. Next time.

That's three -finger Clark. We use him
from time to time as a snitch.

You mean the police department uses him,
Tony?

That's funny.

What's he doing with a Mercedes? He's
never had more than 50 bucks in his

Tony, you're not a cop anymore. So it's
not your problem, right?

Right. It's not my problem.

Okay.

Catch him later.

We ran the place off the Mercedes. It
wasn't stolen.

Where did he get enough dough to pay for
it?

Check the local dealers. See if he paid
cash.

I just have a hunch there's more to this
than meets the eye.

Scream. Well, maybe he changed his mind
halfway down.

I don't know. The whole thing just feels
funny.

We have to look into it.

I'm sorry. My fault.

I forgot.

I'm not...

Don't tell me you showed up at a crime
scene.

Hope you didn't have to cancel a
breakfast.

How about?

Not at all.

Hello, Tony.

You saw him go off the dam, huh?

Yeah.

Looks like a run -of -the -mill suicide.

Maybe not.

He screamed when he went over.

He probably changed his mind when he saw
the water rush up at him.

Do you see anybody else on the van? No.

Hear anybody?

No.

I know this guy.

Something seems funny.

A lot of people have spent half the
night searching the area and haven't

with a thing.

And we do have other priorities.

Look, Three Finger Clark may be a
lowlife, but he's still a human being.

True. And I assure you, if anything else
turns up...

We'll pursue the investigation to the
hill.

He had a partner, a bookie named Matt
Fargo.

Maybe you could talk to him, see if he
knows anything.

Tony, I really appreciate your input,
but I think we can handle it from here.

Gil is going to be late with his payment
again.

You want us to lean on him?

Hey, I didn't mean nothing.

B .B., relax.

He's not the top cop anymore, remember?

He's just plain old citizen Scali.

Hello, Mac.

Sorry about Three Finger.

We're all devastated.

Call it a suicide.

You got any reason to doubt it?

We might argue with the cops.

Especially since they got that new hot
shot commissioner over there.

I don't have to kiss your butt anymore,
Scali.

Or hide, or answer questions, or do
anything else. I don't want to.

Three Finger was a friend of yours. I
thought you might be interested in how

died. You were wrong.

Well, man couldn't change with time,
Scali.

What do you mean?

Well, it's just that... Shut up!

No, let him talk.

Shut up, baby.

Man still thinks he can come here and
push us around like he used to.

Illuminate him.

I got guys in the back, make them look
like a Tinkerbell. I sure hope so.

I thought this was supposed to be a high
-class P .I. firm.

You know, expense accounts, perks, big
bucks.

We'll be vacationing on the Riviera in
no time.

Ouch.

Sorry.

It's just... There's something not quite
right about this suicide.

I'll get it.

Hi, Pete. Come on in. Hi, Rachel.

Tony.

Jeez, what happened to you?

Just a little scrape. It's nothing.

You okay?

Yeah. You sure?

Absolutely. Well, then why aren't you
tailing Tom Milligan? It's your shift.

Hey, Pete, this man is exhausted. Look
at him.

The guy in the parking lot, he ended up
jumping off the dam.

The new commissioner thinks it's a
suicide, but I... Decided to do a little

private investigating.

Well, that's what I am now, right?
Private investigator?

Tony, believe me.

I understand how much you miss being a
cop. I missed it, too, at first, but you

gotta get over it. I know.

I wonder if they can reprogram cops the
way they do guys from religious cults.

They don't need to be reprogrammed. It
won't happen again.

I'll watch him for any signs of a
relapse.

Tony, put your shoes on. Grab your coat.

Pound the pavement a little.

I know it's not the most exciting case
in the world, but you've got to start

somewhere.

Shoes.

That's it.

It's shoes.

Thanks, Pete.

I think that may have been a relapse.

I knew it.

Look, he still has his shoes on.

Something's been bothering me, and now I
know what.

I've seen an awful lot of guys who died
in water. The ones who jumped had their

shoes off.

The ones who were murdered had them on,
just like Three Finger Clark.

I don't get it.

No one wants to jump in the water with
their shoes on.

Why would they care? They're about to be
dead.

People are creatures of habit. They take
their shoes off before they jump in

water. I've seen it a hundred times.

Look, I'm not saying it's proof. I'm
just saying maybe check it out.

Tony, there's no evidence of any foul
play. Even if the shoe thing's right, we

don't have any suspects.

Mac Fargo.

Three Fingers' partner?

I saw him this morning. My guess is they
had a tiff.

They met at the dam to discuss it, and
Fargo pitched him over.

Why don't you put a tail on Fargo for
the next few days?

See if anything turns up.

Tony?

You know, I can understand that you
still feel a part of the department,

And I'm really glad, but these people
work for me now.

I know.

I apologize.

I just think there's a good chance that
Three Finger Clark was murdered.

Why is that?

People who commit suicide by jumping in
water take their shoes off first. He

didn't.

Take the shoes off?

Well, I generally prefer a little more
scientific approach to police work.

Although, that's certainly an
interesting theory.

Good cops work by instinct and
experience, not by having lunch with

I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. I
just... I think the investigation was

off too soon.

Maybe so.

But it is my call now, not yours.

Look, Tony, you're more than welcome
here any time.

As a visitor.

Sorry to bother you. I'm the assistant
manager.

We've had some complaints about the AC.

Seems fine to me.

Would you mind if I came and took a
look? Who are you?

It's the assistant manager. He wants to
fix the air conditioning.

Aren't you guys hot?

Temperature -wise, I mean. Since when
does this place have an assistant

I'm new.

The whole concept is new.

You got some ID?

No, it's all too new. Look, I'll be
back.

You wait right here. Honey, call the
desk.

Look who I'm on. What are you up to,
pal?

What am I up to?

You have four kids and you ask me what
I'm up to?

Go home. It's not worth it.

What? You've thrown everything away for
a few hours in a sleazy motel room.

Go home. Get your wife to forgive you
before it's too late.

Who the hell are you?

I'm a guy who knows what it's like to
watch 15 years of his life go down the

drain.

It ain't pretty.

I've been trying to get a hold of you
for hours.

Oh, Pete, I just have a couple of loose
ends I've got to tie up.

Tony, we need those pictures.

Or a recording or something.

Tony?

Pete, Pete, I can't hear you. You're
breaking up.

Tony!

Did you pick up the linker with the
damaged front end? We didn't see any

it. Let's go. It's Mac Fargo. Shot in
the head.

Mac Fargo's body was lying here five
minutes

ago. It was right here.

He was.

Is it possible...

He wasn't really dead?

Maybe he got up and walked away somehow?
I know what a dead body looks like. Did

you get a look at the guy in the
Lincoln?

Tony, I want to help.

What's going on?

Anything else turns up, I'll let you
know.

Do that.

Hiya, Pete.

Tony, where you been?

Look at this.

Blood. Somebody tried to wipe it up, but
they were in a hurry.

I don't suppose you've seen Tom Milligan
any time recently?

Yeah. I had a little talk with him.

I think he might be going back to his
wife.

Tony, we are not social workers. He goes
back to his wife, I lose money.

There's a faint trail of blood from the
body to this spot.

There was a pickup truck parked here.

Somebody took the body, put it in the
pickup truck, and drove it out the other

end of the alley.

Tony, forget all this. You got a job to
do.

Look, Pete, let's face it. I'm not meant
to be a P .I.

You learned. I don't want to learn. I
hate it.

This is the thanks I get for giving you
a job?

Well, at least cops have an occasional
brush with truth or justice or right or

wrong. You guys just follow people
around with a camera.

Don't push me, Tony. It's a cold world
when you're unemployed.

I would rather be a patrolman in the
worst precinct on the face of the planet

than the richest P .I. who ever lived.

Well, that's good, because you're fired.

Thanks, Pete. I needed that.

And by the way, you're hired.

I want you to do a background check on
the new commissioner.

What? He was here last night. He tried
to run me down.

My guess is he's involved in the murder.

Are you serious?

Did you tell this to anybody on the
force?

I can't ask them to investigate their
own boss.

Not until I get some proof.

They could lose their jobs, or worse.
Did he see you?

Looked right at me.

He's gonna come after you, Tony.

He's got it.

He's gonna try something. That's why he
needs your help.

I don't know, Tony. If you're wrong,
this could backfire big time.

Look, Pete, you owe me. I owe you?

Yeah, you just fired me. And like you
said, it's a cold world when you're

unemployed.

There

was

a brown pickup in that alley. It
disappeared along with Fargo's corpse.

Now, there's some blood I scraped from
the alley.

There's bound to be matching bloodstains
with the pickup.

Any idea who owns the truck?

Uh, a hunch.

A guy named B .B.

Davenport. Used to work with Fargo. From
what I saw, they didn't get along too

well.

Get a warrant.

Check B .B.'s truck for bloodstains.

Some pretty big dominoes are going to
start to fall, believe me.

Well, until we have a body, you know, we
still wouldn't have much of a case.

Well, this is how we're going to find
the body.

But it could be at the bottom of the
ocean by now. Oh, that's why we have to

that warrant fast.

I can't.

Why not?

Because Commissioner Hayden thinks
you've lost it.

We've got to report any conversations we
have with you to him.

Getting a warrant could mean my job.

Hayden was the man in the Lincoln.

I didn't want to tell you until I could
prove it.

But I think he's behind Fargo's murder.

And probably three -finger clocks.

That's why he was so quick to call it a
suicide.

If I'd been a little slower, I'd have
ended up part of his front bumper.

Wait, you're saying that he tried to
kill... I know that it sounds

And I know that I'm asking you to
disobey a direct order. But, Sid, you

for two years.

Do you think I've lost it?

No. Do you respect my judgment, trust my
integrity?

As much as anyone I've ever known.

Then get the warrant.

Please.

Connie, forgive me.

I can't.

She should have trusted you.

I was asking her to go against
everything a cop stands for.

Discipline, duty, loyalty. I don't blame
her.

It's killing you not being a cop, isn't
it?

What's killing me is seeing a guy like
Hayden calling himself a cop.

Disgrace in the job.

Pete did some checking for me.

Wherever Hayden has been commissioner,
it's been the same story.

The crime rate goes down. He's the big
hero. He moves on.

Everything falls apart.

Worse than ever.

Stretching coincidence is the breaking
point.

I don't know. I've seen it before.

Guy gets into bed with the crooks in his
town.

He protects them. They pay him off.
Everything's cozy.

Only this time something went wrong.

He had to start whacking people.

And I was trying to get everything back
on track.

I got to derail him.

Well, politicians hate you. Cops think
you're crazy.

You're unemployed.

I guess you're just trying to make it
feel a little bit confident, huh?

I don't know. I'll tell you one thing.

As long as you, me, David, and Sarah are
still under the same roof, I wouldn't

trade places with anyone on Earth.

I take back what I said.

You have lost it.

And so have I.

The warrant?

Thank you, Sid.

Stanley, you got the wrong truck.

Registered to a Byron B. Davenport.

Plates match.

Tony, smell something?

The truck's just been painted. They were
trying to get rid of the blood.

Why wouldn't they just wash it? Because
water won't completely eliminate blood.

Phoebe's not smart enough to know that.
But Hayden is.

Still, there might be microscopic traces
of blood mixed in the paint.

Call the lab.

Tony. Forget it.

Sid, we've got to find the body.

Commissioner?

I was going to tell you about this,
but... You were probably at a lunch.

You've meddled with my department long
enough, Scali.

If you ever set foot in this station
again, I'll have you arrested for

interfering with police business.

As for you, Madison, you're on
suspension.

Be in my office in the morning.

Yes, sir.

Sid.

Scali, you're messing with the wrong
guy.

Commissioner Hayden said you left some
stuff in his office.

I cleared it out the other day. Well, he
told me to bring you this.

He's real big on neatness and
organization. He's got these pyramid

know, I saw.

Helps him get his priorities straight, I
guess. You don't know the half of it.

It'll fall in the trunk.

I'm telling you, Stan, there was a body
in that alley.

When we find it, someone's going to be
in a lot of trouble.

One more time.

How did the body get in the trunk of
your car?

One more time.

You put it there, or I had someone do it
for you.

He's obviously paranoid. The only
question is whether he's a murderer as

Maybe you should call a lawyer.

You think I'm dumb enough to open the
trunk knowing the body was in it? People

who are psychotically desperate for
attention frequently commit murders.

Then report them knowing that they'll
eventually be caught.

You fit that pattern perfectly.

I am not desperate for attention.

Come on, you've been unhinged ever since
you lost your job.

There's only one person who is psychotic
in this room, and it isn't me.

Let's go over this one more time.

You say that I was responsible for the
death of that three -finger Clark.

I then killed Mac Fargo, tried to run
over you with my car, then stole the

hid it in the trunk of your car, along
with a murder weapon.

Does that about sum it up?

Yes.

Don't you think that's a little far
-fetched, Scali?

You've known me for five years. You've
known him for two weeks.

Be careful who you trust.

Forensics did say there were no prints
on the gun. And it does seem weird that

he would open the trunk in front of
Stan.

Yeah, it seems almost like a frame -up.

Let's leave personalities out of this.
We'll let the grand jury decide whether

to indict.

Although, given the evidence, I don't
see that they have much choice.

Second Commissioner Scali and Mac Fargo
were seen arguing in a bar last week.

Yesterday, Mr. Fargo's body was found in
the trunk of Mr. Scali's car.

Mr. Scali claims he was framed.

Monday, we'll find out if the grand jury
agrees.

So this is how he comes after me.

Frames me for a murder he committed.

Cute.

I got a source upstate. A connected guy.

He says when Hayden worked there, he
made deals with all the players in town.

Drug guys, gamblers, prostitution, the
vices.

He'd lay off them as long as they kept
their activities under control and

old ladies weren't getting mugged in the
street.

So reported crimes went down.

Hayden figures the nice folks are left
alone. Who cares?

He'd keep his eyes closed and his palms
open.

Anyone willing to testify?

Not in a million years. And there's no
hard evidence. Hayden covers his tracks

too well.

What are you going to do?

The only thing I can do, give up.

Bartender, I got another drink.

Loyalty to your old boss is one thing.

Disobeying a direct order is another.

Yes, sir.

I've been trying to decide whether to
bring in my own chief of detectives or

stick with you.

You've made up my mind for me.

You're on suspension for 30 days
without... Pay. When you return, you'll

working out of the traffic division.

And from now on, your loyalty is to your
new boss, not your old.

Understand?

Yes, sir.

Yes, sir.

That'll be all, Madison.

I hope you didn't drive over.

Look, you win.

I thought I could beat you, but I was
wrong.

I don't want to go to jail. Give me a
break.

It's up to the grand jury now.

Don't ruin my life. I got a family, two
kids.

Please, I'm begging you. Get your hands
off of me.

You're pathetic.

Get out of here before I have you thrown
out.

You've got to do me one more favor.

Have Freddy splice this over the PA
system and run some reel -to -reel.

Turn it on when Hayden comes back from
lunch.

You are very good, Tony.

I had to be.

Come on, last time I'll ask you. I can't
go back in there. I've been suspended.

You left a few things in your desk. He
can't object to that.

Sid, the guy's dirty.

Can you prove it?

Sometimes you just have to go on faith.

Like I did when I hired you.

You know, back when you were desperate
and no one else would take you.

Even though I had a dozen people waiting
in line outside my door.

That is a shameless, blatant attempt to
manipulate my emotions.

It worked.

Beautiful. Okay, Pete.

Get this note to B .B. Davenport right
away.

Is he going to be fooled by this?

He's no Einstein.

Besides, if I know B .B., he is
cheating.

So there's a good chance he's going to
think this note is genuine.

I hope.

He wants me to come to his office.

That's what he said.

He's mad as hell. For what?

I've been square with him. Sure you
have. What the hell do you know about

Who are you, anyway?

A friend of Hayden's, which is a good
thing to be.

Hey, pal, what's your life?

All I know is Mr. Hayden tells me to be
somewhere, I'm there.

That's why I'm still walking around.

The hell are you doing here?

What are you talking about? You told me
to come here. I got the notes right

here.

And by the way, I have not been holding
out on you.

You idiot. I didn't send it to you. Come
on out.

Hey, hey.

Take your hands off me. Let's not forget
you need me just as much as I need you.

What is it with you people in this town?

That three -finger clown couldn't handle
his money. Fargo pulls a hit right in

front of Scali. Now this.

You're listening to me.

Use the side door.

What's the problem?

You listen to me, punk.

Mess with me and you'll end up like me.
Got it?

You might want to take down those
pyramid charts now, Hayden.

You're going to need them to prioritize
your sell.

I would give a hundred bucks if I could
have seen the look on his face.

How much time do you think he's going to
do?

He'll cut deals. He'll turn in all his
friends.

And there's always time off for good
behavior.

On the whole, he shouldn't do more than
a hundred years.

I don't get it.

Mayor Hinton, come on in.

Just a token of appreciation from the
city, Tony, for your good work in

Hayden.

Thanks, Louise.

Don't let us keep you, Maya.

Tony, come back.

Please. The city needs you.

I need you.

Hayden was my choice. Now the vultures
are out.

They're even saying that I was in on his
scam.

You don't believe that, do you?

Do you?

No. Surprisingly enough, I don't.

Then come back.

You're the most respected man in the
city right now.

I'm begging.

I'd want three new officers on the
force.

Oh, I'm not sure the city can afford
that.

But I will see what I can do.

Okay, three new officers.

And a new squad car.

A new squad car?

And a complete renovation of the locker
room.

Done.

Well,

with all these new expenses and the
police budget, we can hardly afford

city officials.

Congratulations,

Tony.

Thanks, Pete.

It's great to be back.

I was wondering if I could ask you a
favor.

Sure. God knows I owe you.

Hire me.

You want to be a cop again?

All you've been saying is how great it
is to be a P .I. I know.

It's more money than being a cop. It's
easier. It's safer. But it ain't the

same.

Working with you, busting a bad guy
again.

It really meant something. I felt alive.

I mean, you're the commissioner again.

I'll see what I can do, Pete.

Thanks, Tony.