Original subtitles

Sign that for me?

It just states that, uh

you decline your right to counsel.

Good, you know, 'cause sometimes those lawyers

they seem to get in the way.

See, now you and I can have a nice little chat.

You know, uh, man to...

Man to killer.

Roll your eyes all you want to,

but we both know it's true.

See, not too many people would do what you did

and not to one of the richest men in New York City.

I got to give it to you. You made this case a real bitch.

You almost got away with it.

You know why?

Because we were looking for an average killer.

Right from the start, that's what we were looking for.

And right from the start, that was our biggest mistake.

[James Desmond singing "ready when it's on"]

♪ Yo

♪ always believe, if there's a will, there's a way ♪

♪ gotta take it day by day

♪ ring the alarm ♪ a champion, train away

♪ ring the alarm

♪ I pour this blood in my veins ♪

♪ ring the alarm

♪ right until my very last breath ♪

♪ nothing less the best, giving it my all ♪

♪ yeah, I woke up feeling rather different ♪

♪ on the block, my clarity changes right this instant ♪

♪ plagued by my own bad choices ♪

♪ my failures puts a sea of negative voices ♪

♪ that'll derail ya' had to block 'em out ♪

♪ regroup, regain focus

♪ still leaving no doubts, this word will take notice ♪

♪ reaching my potential, something quite amazing ♪

♪ up from out the ashes, rise to the occasion ♪

♪ until all it takes is some discipline and Patience ♪

♪ now I walk out and no time is being wasted ♪

♪ making my imprint, removing all obstacles ♪

♪ plus got killer instincts, making me unstoppable ♪

♪ it won't be easy, but believe me that's the moment ♪

♪ to make it count, boy, every ounce, you gotta own it ♪

♪ as for a promise doing they best to tear me down ♪

♪ feel the sting, return of a king ♪

♪ ring the alarm

♪ ring the alarm ♪ add the world to my palm

♪ ring the alarm ♪ it's the calm

♪ before the storm it's on

♪ ready when it's on, it's on ♪ ring the alarm

♪ a champion, train away ♪ ring the alarm

♪ I pour this blood in my veins ring the alarm ♪

♪ right until my very last breath, nothing less ♪

♪ the best, giving it my all ♪

[Explosion]

[Theme music]

Most people meet somebody that rich,

they start to pucker up and kiss ass.

I guess they figure that, you know

if they befriend someone like a Bill Gates,

a Donald Trump or a sterling Montgomery...

They just hit the lottery.

But see, that's not you.

No, that's not your style.

Now, why would somebody like you befriend a man like sterling...

A man who has everything that you deserve,

a man that you decided, had to go?

Sit your ass down!

I don't give a damn if you think you've heard enough!

'Cause guess what? You and I, we're just getting started.

Man 1: Watch your back! Watch your back!

[Siren wailing]

[Indistinct chatter]

Officer mccreary, give me the play-by-play.

Fourth quarter, president of descell was letter-bombed.

Still some time on his clock.

- Well, reverend rapkin, right? - That's right.

You see anything that happened here?

- Not at all. - Yeah, I figured as much.

Alright, I want names of everybody here.

Do that for me, you.

Besides Mr. Montgomery,

you would be the big cheese around here, right?

I'm the vice president, if that's what you mean.

Uh, do you mind telling me who he would have had problems with?

He had problems with everyone.

Sterling was not an easy man to work for,

but he does sign the paychecks.

[Chuckles] Which I understand are pretty hefty.

Well, you won't find many of us waving tin cups out there.

Yeah.

Don't you think this is kind of unusual?

It's not a surprise.

Sterling approaches life the way

he approaches his favorite hobby.

- Which is? - Pool.

The white ball knocks around all the colored balls,

but the game isn't won until the eight ball is sunk.

- Well, you'rehere. - Ha-ah, as luck would have it.

Well, I guess there's no love lost between

him and the protesters, right?

Just this morning, I was in the lobby with Alan and Cordell

and sterling's car pulled up.

One of the protesters threatened him.

So, Alan and Cordell had to bring him inside.

I guess rapkin decided to keep his promise.

What promise is that?

He vowed to shut us down.

Guess he decided to chop away at the top.

There are mail chutes on every floor.

This one has interoffice mail.

People can drop it off in that box.

What do you do with it then?

Deliver it throughout the building.

- That's what you did today? - Yes.

Let me ask you something.

To drop off mail in here do you need some kind

of employee ID or some sort?

[Chuckles] Detective, this place gets so busy

Darryl strawberry could walk in and we would never even notice.

[Instrumental music]

Cooper: Talk to me, torres.

Bomb was sent through interoffice mail.

That could have been somebody who works there

or somebody who walked in off the street.

The bomb squad said is that

it was sixth-grade stuff,

stuff called semtex.

Now, there wasn't enough

to attempt a decent murder.

- Elaborate. - Probably trying to scare him.

Send him a message, warning of some kind.

Okay, torres, I want you to check out all the employees

and ex-employees of descell, alright?

Check for priors. Start out with whoever's closer to him.

Williams...

Bring reverend rapkin down here to me, please.

Williams: Yes, ma'am.

Nice to see you again, reverend.

If I said the feeling was mutual,

I'd be as big a liar as you are.

Oh, that's right, of course.

You'd be more comfortable barging into this precinct

demanding justice and accusing us of not serving the community.

I didn't do that because it was comfortable.

I did that because it was necessary.

Like the descell boycott?

Exactly.

How long has that been going on now?

- Three months. - Three months?

You must be getting a little impatient, huh?

The Montgomery bus boycott lasted for a full year.

Yeah, that's right, but that was nonviolent.

As is ours.

Yeah, well until today, that is.

Lieutenant, there's a black-lash from corporate america.

We have every right in the world to be angry,

but not violent.

Come on, reverend. Even against descell?

I mean, there's not a "whites only" sign on the building,

but everyone knows that they rarely hire people of color.

We're not looking for a boarding pass, just an upgrade.

Of the higher-level jobs?

Only two percent of descell's minority employees

make over 50,000 a year.

And there's only one high-level

African-American at that company.

[Slams table]

And that coupled with your rhetoric

can really infuriate people, right?

I mean, really fire them up, huh?

So much so that one of your protesters,

got up into Montgomery's face today, right?

Not unprovoked.

Listen, lieutenant, the people who are marching with me,

are college students who are concerned about their futures.

You can accuse them of being enthusiastic and determined

but don't accuse them of trying to blow that man up.

Talking to cops is one big pain in the ass.

I mean, it's not like talking to a psychiatrist

or a bartender.

But then again,

you should have thought about that before.

You know what I think?

I think that at some point in time,

we all fantasize about canceling someone.

You know, be it our boss, someone we're sleeping with

or someone we hardly know.

And as sick as it sounds...

I think it's normal.

But when the fantasy becomes a reality...

That's when I come in.

Yo, my man.

There are 780 employees in the building.

Well, then I guess that means

you're gonna take all day to check for priors. Damn.

That means wehave our work cut out for us.

Yeah, alright, whatever. But check it out.

I gotta make a run first.

- Where you making a run to? - My son, man.

Ever since he's got this new French teacher,

he keeps forgetting everything.

Oh, he's got a schoolboy crush, huh?

Yeah, I told him he can have a party,

and now guess who he wants to bring?

- Not the teacher? - Exactly.

Now, the kid's got good taste, I hand it to him.

But this time he really did leave his homework.

Oh, not to worry, because, you see this pile here?

Yeah.

It's for you.

You want to hand me my jacket, please?

[Instrumental music]

Let me tell you something, mister,

next time you wanna leave your homework at home,

you're gonna be out of luck.

Dad, this is French.

I can't disappoint miss claybourne.

I don't care about miss claybourne.

- Mr. Williams. Hi. - Hey. Alright.

Miss claybourne, how you doing?

I'm good. Bonjour, gregory.

Bonjour, mademoiselle.

My son, he left his homework,

so I had to bring it down here for him.

- Oh, that's so sweet. - Yeah.

Williams: You know parents they have to have their priorities

in order, you know?

So, I just dropped everything I was doing

and [inhales deeply] came down to help my man out.

Yeah, right.

- Can I ask you something? - What is it?

Well, my dad said I could have a party

and he told me I could invite you.

He said that?

Yeah. I... i'd...

Be delighted if you came.

Now, you know, you just let me know what time it is

and where it is and I'll try to be there, okay?

[School bell ringing]

And Mr. Williams...

You needn't be so shy.

Bonjour.

What did she mean by that?

She means you need to go to school

and learn something, bro, alright?

G: Yeah, right.

Thanks for leaving your homework.

Bonjour.

[Instrumental music]

[Ambulance siren wailing]

- Thank you. - Sure.

- Mr. Montgomery? - Yes.

I'm lieutenant Cooper, fourth precinct. How you feeling?

Well, both my hands are burned, I've to keep the sun

out of eyes. Other than that, never better.

I just want you to know that I have

my best detectives working on your case.

Let me save you the time.

It was that black preacher who did this.

Well, if you're referring to reverend rapkin,

I'm not so sure he had anything to do with it.

You're kidding me, right?

No, I'm not kidding, sir.

As a matter of fact, we need your help.

We'd like to place two undercover

detectives at descell.

And then, maybe by the time you return

to work we'll have it figured out.

Yeah, unless the doctors strap me down

I'll be returning to work tomorrow.

Well, I wouldn't recommend that.

Look, lieutenant, I'll be glad

to help you out anyway I can.

But I'm not gonna run and hide

until the coast is clear.

I mean, you have an investigation to carry out.

I've got a corporation to run.

Fine. I suggest you be very careful, Mr. Montgomery.

Because whoever did this to you probably isn't finished.

The lieutenant was right on point.

She said we had to catch you before you could strike again.

But as the investigation went on

one thing became clear.

Our perp wasn't reverend rapkin. Hell, no.

I mean, it was one of you, uh...

Nose-in-the-air, head-in-the-clouds executives.

Nina: Now, we'll tell everyone I'm your temp.

The other detective is in the mail room.

But you should treat us like any other employee.

These people have no shame

or class.

Is there anyone else who might have had a motive?

- What? You mean from here? - Yeah.

[Laughs]

Well, let's see, about three years ago,

I beat out Alan Wakefield for my current position.

The stockholders wanted me to run the company, and Alan...

Well, Alan was furious.

- Did he threaten you? - No. No.

He shook my hand and wished me luck...

But I knew what he was thinking.

Nina: What was that?

That he was the better man.

Those reports were supposed to be

on my desk first thing this morning.

I got delayed.

Yeah, and if sterling had requested those reports

you would have bent over backwards notto get delayed.

Alan, please don't take this so personally.

If the report's not on my desk in an hour, Elaine,

you'll see how personally I willtake it.

We'll keep our eyes on him.

Now, is there anyone else you can think of?

Oh, yeah. There's Cordell Thomas.

He's a very interesting man.

How so?

He's one of our top executives.

That's a very enviable position, but for whatever reason

he carries a chip on his shoulder.

I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him.

Excuse me, excuse me.

Please let me pass. May I pass, please?!

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just a second, brother.

Now, listen, we're not trying to jeopardize your position

at this plantation.

But it wouldn't kill you to show us a little respect.

There's only one thing you're going to get

by marching in front of this building.

And what's that?

Blisters on the soles of your feet.

Now, may I pass, please? Excuse me, excuse me.

Michelle: Here are your messages, Mr. Thomas.

Thanks a lot, Michelle.

Oh, excuse me, are you Cordell Thomas?

Yeah.

Oh, man, back in the mail room you are a legend.

[Chuckles] I certainly served my time in that place.

Three years, right?

Three long years while I earned my master's.

Word is, no one ever worked as hard as you.

I... I'm sorry. Chris Lewis.

- You're new, right? - Yeah, well...

But I hope to walk in your shoes one day.

Be careful what you ask for.

Oh, no, sir, I'm not asking for nothing.

But I sure could use some advice.

I'm trying to work my way up.

Best thing I can tell you is to be the first

in to work and the last to leave.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a meeting.

Oh, of course.

Maybe we'll do lunch, Mr. Thomas.

And the only other person who probably hates my guts,

I mean, more than most people...

Is Elaine Mayer.

What does she have against you?

She hates men.

I don't know, maybe she's a lesbian.

Just because someone's a lesbian doesn't mean they hate men.

Oh! Sorry. Are you, uh...

No, I'm not.

Well... good.

Anyway, a couple weeks ago,

Elaine asked for a raise and a promotion.

When I said, "hell, no," she got upset.

I'm surprised she didn't resign.

Well, maybe there's a reason she didn't.

Hi.

Hello.

Ah, I can't believe how clumsy I am today.

Orange soda.

Happens to the best of us.

By the way, i'm, I'm Alicia espinar.

Elaine Mayer.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Thank you.

I haven't seen you before.

Well, though, maybe that's a good thing.

[Chuckles] You know, I'm just a little nervous.

I'm filling in as a temp, but they say if I do a good job,

they might be able to find something for me.

Can I give you a piece of advice?

Yeah.

If you want to get ahead, don't rely on a tight skirt.

Not unless you want to embarrass yourself.

See, that's what made this whole thing a trip.

See, everyone at descell was uptight

and every one of you comomierdas had a damn good motive.

First order of business, the rapkin boycott.

Has it hurt us significantly?

Sales are down in all the major urban areas.

- How much? Have any numbers? - Uh, 4.3 percent.

Which translates to around 50 million a year.

I call that significant.

Perhaps we should be smart about this, sterling.

Excuse me?

I took the initiative to draw up a proposal.

Wow. Hear that, everybody?

Cordell here, is going to tell me how to be smart.

Well, please, enlighten me.

We invite rapkin over, listen to his demands,

two days later, we concede.

Are you out of your mind?

We can set up a tolerance committee.

Give scholarships to minority grad students

majoring in business and put forth

a profile that shows how we plan to diversify.

Whether the company actually diversifies is irrelevant.

All rapkin wants is to look like a hero

and that's what this proposal will accomplish.

And how much will this cost?

Cordell: At the most, two million a year.

And instead of losingmoney in urban areas,

we can increase our profit and get rapkin off our backs.

It's all right here.

May I?

Cordell: Sure.

Sterling: Yeah, I must admit, this is

the most ridiculousproposal I've ever heard in my life.

Look, I'm not kowtowing to some reverend who thinks he can

tell mehow many black people to put in my boardroom.

After all, the black guy we do have is so much smarter

than the rest of us why on earth would we need another one?

[Intense music]

Cordell...

Sterling...

Now, one of these days, you're going to have to work

on your managerial skills.

You're not stillwaiting in the wings, are you?

This isn't about me, this is about our staff.

No, no. Mystaff, Alan.

I stand corrected.

You know, I'll wager there's only one thing

that frustrates you more than being the number-two man.

What would that be?

The fact that I've hired a bodyguard.

[Instrumental music]

So, I've checked all the names on that list,

and there's only one exec with a prior.

- Which one? - Alan Wakefield.

Tax evasion, five years ago. Tell me something.

How does somebody so rich end up with money problems?

Mmm, that smells good.

Ah, well... it was me.

So, how, uh, how did you make out?

Uh, I spent the whole day

watching those people turn their noses up at me.

Are you saying my baby had a bad day?

Hmm, I've had better.

Well, I'm not so sure about that.

Why not?

Well, because it ain't over yet.

Come here.

Oh, Eddie, you smell like garlic.

It's that Cologne you bought me, baby. Come here.

You said you liked that.

I, I lied.

[Laughs]

[Instrumental music]

[Panting]

That was different.

What are you talking about?

What we just did.

I don't know what it was but it sure as hell wasn't making love.

I can't knock it out of the ballpark

every time I'm up to bat.

What is going on with you?

What do you think about that stuff

sterling said about me being out of my mind?

I think sterling is a self-absorbed jerk

who's threatened by you.

So, that's why you came to my defense in the boardroom?

What was I supposed to say?

I don't know.

Maybe you should just get dressed.

Maybe we should talk about this.

What's there to talk about?

Just come by any time you want to play

and we'll make sure our fair-skinned friends

don't find out about it.

Where's all this coming from?

You couldn't begin to understand.

Fine.

But as I remember it we both agreed

to keep this relationship private.

[Sighs] You don't want people whispering behind your back

any more than I do.

Why wouldn't I?

I mean, what do I have to lose? It's not like I'm in.

I don't go to their houses for dinner.

They don't invite me out for drinks.

I'm just somebody they've learned to tolerate.

I'm not them, Cordell.

Do you hear me?

Yeah, I hear you.

[Instrumental music]

No, you don't.

But you will.

Nina: Mr. Montgomery?

[Dramatic music]

The lieutenant was furious.

I mean, she thought we'd be able to protect sterling...

Or at least catch your ass before you made another move.

See, we were playing on your home turf, weren't we?

And you knew at the end of the week,

that sterling always went to work early.

You knew, and we didn't.

I'll tell you something you didn't know.

See, solving a double homicide

is always a nice notch on my belt.

Maybe that means, uh, I have a big ego.

But unfortunately for you,

that means I did my homework.

Our medical examiner believes, that Mr. Montgomery

may have been murdered between 7:00 and 7:45 A.M.

Did anybody come in that early?

I don't start work until the building is open.

- And what time is that? - 8:00 A.M.

Does that mean he has a key to the place?

Sort of.

No matter what time it is, he and the other bigwigs,

can just slide their I.D. cards into that slot over there.

The door pops open, and they're in.

So, is there a way to see if anybody else used that card?

"E. Mayer. 7:03 A.M."

Elaine: Because I came in early, you think I'm a killer?

Well, we figured you still might be a little upset about

not getting that raise a couple of weeks ago.

How do you know about that?

There's little we don't know, miss Mayer.

Besides, your ex-boss fingered you as one of the people

that may have sent him the bomb.

That's ridiculous.

Look, I was still angry at him,

so I came in to talk to him.

About?

My resignation.

Oh, yeah? What did he have to say about that?

He told me to clear my desk and get the hell out.

You asked for a raise two weeks ago

and then all of a sudden you just quit?

I have some interviews set up.

And I was tired of Cordell and I

having to sneak behind everyone's back.

Hmm.

You two were involved?

I thought you knew everything.

So, what did Cordell feel about you quitting?

He didn't have much of a reaction at all.

I told him about it when I came out of the building.

- He just walked inside. - Now, wait a minute.

You passed him when you were walking out,

which means you let him in.

Well, yeah.

Well, what time was that?

About 7:30.

Cordell: We weren't exactly going to be crowned

prom king and queen, so we kept our relationship private.

Williams: How upset was she exactly when she found out

she wasn't getting that raise?

Cordell: Oh, now, wait a minute, if you're implying that...

Torres: Yo my man, do me a favor, just answer the question.

Cordell: Elaine was upset but not upset enough

to commit murder.

- What about you? - What about me?

I was angry, but I'm no killer.

Angry about what?

The way he treated people.

Alright, so why don't you tell me exactly what you did

when you got to work early today?

[Chuckles] "Early"? I came in at 9:15.

15 minutes late.

Wait a second.

Elaine said that she ran into you

at 7:30 on her way out of the building.

Oh, you must have misunderstood her

because I haven't seen her since last night.

Really?

Really.

He's telling the truth.

How do you know for sure?

'Cause when he came in he asked me what time it was.

I said it was 9:15. He joked about being late.

Matter of fact, he didn't even know what happened

to Mr. Montgomery until I told him.

Williams: So, what do you think, she tried to set him up?

Did they have a falling out or what?

Well, neither one of them mentioned it

but it'd be easier to believe a black man did it

instead of a white lady.

Alright, I want you to stay on both their trails.

I'm going to see what else moreno can dig up

and I'm gonna see what happens if McNamara

pushes Cordell's buttons.

[Instrumental music]

Stuart, I'll have a Turkey sandwich and an iced tea.

Is that you, Mr. Thomas?

Yeah. Chris, right?

Yeah. I, uh, you don't mind if I join you, do you?

Well, actually, somebody was going to...

You know, I heard that this is where you have lunch

and I figured, you know, if i'm going to become an executive,

then I got to start doing what they do, right?

- That's very wise. - Right.

Although, I don't know of as many executives

who moved up as fast as you did. Cheers.

You won't find very many people

who work as hard as me, either.

That's true, but you got to admit, Mr. Thomas,

there are so few educated black guys out here

that when one of you shows up,

the system just pushes you right through.

I wasn't pushed through.

I fought my way through.

Right. With affirmative action as your corner man.

[Chuckles]

[Chuckles] Don't bite your tongue.

Did I say something wrong?

No. Uh, I'm enjoying this. Please, go on.

Well, like I was saying...

A lot of people are qualified to do your job,

most of us just don't get the chance to prove it.

Reverend rapkin says it's African-Americans

who don't get the chance.

You sound like you're trying to say

it's poor, white boys who can't catch a break.

What do you say?

I have zero tolerance for crybabies.

I moved up as fast as I did, because I'm smarter

and I work harder than anybody else at descell.

Huh, I don't mean to be rude, Mr. Thomas,

but you're also blacker.

And if you think that doesn't make a difference,

then you must smoke as much crack as they do uptown.

This is really good. You want some?

No. Go ahead and knock yourself out.

I trust you at least have enough for the tip.

Oh, yeah, I got it covered.

Let's do lunch next week, Mr. Thomas.

Williams: So Tommy said then the man got up and paid the bill.

Torres: That doesn't make him a killer?

Williams: Man, that makes him weird.

Now, most guys would have hooked off or swung at him.

Yo, maybe he didn't want to mess up his manicure.

I still say we got to look at the girlfriend, man.

She's like acting like she loves him,

maybe she's playing a brother out.

Alright, alright, so, then explain this to me.

Cordell asked the security guard what time it was.

- Yeah. - He was wearing a rolex.

They do stop, you know?

- A rolex, ed. - I mean, I'm sorry.

Look, Elaine gets my vote.

Yeah, you are sorry, man.

Besides, the fact is I got a party to get to, alright.

A party? Look, do you see this? This is a file.

- No, you see the teacher. - No, no, no.

- This is called "work." - Ah-haha.

- Where are you going? - Yo money, my man.

Torres: How can you justify gettin' a paycheck?

[Instrumental music]

♪ Oh baby

♪ let it go

What's everybody waiting for?

I don't know. You know how little kids are.

They're probably just afraid to get their groove on.

Then let's show 'em by example.

- Come on, come on. - Oh, come on, now, why not?

Williams: This is a little kids' party.

I'd rather just, you know, be chaperone.

I see.

So, cops can't dance, huh?

Why you going trying to play me lie that?

Of course, I can move, girl.

Well, why don't you prove it then?

Well, why don't you make me, then?

Come on, show me what you got.

Hey, what you... What you going to do, huh?

- Ahh! G: Dad.

Dad!

Williams: Yeah! Ah!

Ah! Come on, now.

Dad, what are you doing?

Hey, g, check it out. Watch your old man.

What you gonna do, baby? Huh?

- Yeah, yeah! - You're crazy.

[Music continues]

♪ I insist that you understand right now ♪

Hi, g.

What's up?

- You having fun? - Yeah, right.

The only people that are dancing are my dad and my date.

I mean, my French teacher.

♪ So let it go

I'll dance with you, g.

For real?

Come on.

♪ Every now and then it seems hard to find ♪

What's up, pop?

- Yeah. Yo, g! - Oh, oh. Yeah!

♪ And if there's any pain or hostility ♪♪

[Police siren wailing]

[Knocking on door]

Yes. Come in.

Lieu, we went through the files at descell,

and I think we got something.

- Alright, what am I looking at? - A copy of descell's payroll.

We highlighted Cordell's earnings for you.

[Scoffs] Half a million dollars?

That's twice the amount of the other execs are making

and there's also a contract he signed two weeks ago.

Which doubles his salary in the next three years?

He's raking in just as much money as the vice president.

And there are at least four other people above Cordell.

Alright, you two get back over to descell.

I'm going to put torres and Williams on this.

Alan: I don't see what this has to do

with the investigation, guys.

Hey, just humor us.

I'm sorry. I'm late for a meeting.

Ah, let 'em wait.

You're the man now, aren't you?

Or you're afraid Cordell might start without you?

You know, it was my idea to give Cordell

such a great contract, okay?

And why is that?

Sterling made some racial remarks at a board meeting.

He called rapkin and the protesters

a bunch of black jelly beans.

Now, Cordell wasn't present, but somehow he got

a copy of this whole thing on tape.

So, what did he do?

He threatened to go to the press, okay.

So, I convinced sterling to give him a new contract and a raise.

So, you basically just paid him off then?

Alan: Look, we had no choice.

There was no denying he was the best man for the job.

Sterling resented him anyway and he's tried to make

life miserable for the guy, whenever he can.

So, wait a minute, so, you're saying that

this contract was intended to...

Have them kiss and make up?

On the contrary.

Once we got him to sign on the dotted line,

we owned him.

Because if he ever tried to bring descell down,

we'd say he accepted a bribe,

and he'd go right down along with us.

Well, sterling must have been pretty proud of himself, right?

Look, about a week ago,

Cordell found a gift-wrapped package on his desk.

When he opened it up inside he found

a jar of black jelly beans.

It was anonymous, but I'm sure

he could figure out where it came from.

So, uh, what did he do?

He got mad and he stormed out.

The next day, he did what he always does.

Williams: Which is?

He swallowed his pride and he came back to work.

I got to... go.

Why do you insist on embarrassing

yourself, detective?

Torres: Why should I be embarrassed?

You're wasting your time as well as mine.

No, Cordell, because, see we both know

that you're the killer.

- I've been called worse. Torres: Yeah?

What was that that, uh, sterling called you?

Never "nigger," and never "boy."

Yeah, but instead he just treated you like one, right?

He may have attempted to... On occasion.

Torres: [Chuckles] I had a teacher like that once.

You don't say.

Yup. Eighth grade.

She figured since half her class was puerto rican,

that we'd have a hard time comprehending English.

So, every book that she assigned to us

was practically "see dick run."

[Both laughing]

That's pretty funny, huh?

I'm sure it wasn't at the time.

Not in the least.

I was furious at my teacher.

Anybody ever accuse you of killing her?

No. No, but I...

I was determined to make sure I could prove her wrong.

So, I busted my ass in her class until I ended up with an "a."

[Clapping]

Torres: Thank you!

You're absolutely welcome, detective.

You know, it's amazing thing what you can do

when you put your mind to it.

Mind-boggling.

Yeah, I mean, especially if you have...

A teacher that appreciates your talent,

or in your case, a boss.

In my case, I don't need a pat on the back.

My work at descell has been exemplary and unheralded

whether sterling acknowledged it or not.

It was evident.

Well, I'm sure, uh,

Elaine recognized your brilliance, right?

I'm quite sure you're right.

[Chuckles]

So, uh... do you always date white women?

[Both laughing]

- You're a funny man. - No, man.

I'm... I'm just asking, you know, I mean, 'cause, uh...

Maybe that's the only beat you dance to.

Jealous?

Oh, is that why you date white women,

to make people jealous?

My brother.

Most black women are intimidated by me.

Really?

And, as a matter of fact,

most white women are intimidated by me.

Huh!

[Torres chuckling]

But see... Elaine wasn't?

Not at first.

But eventually.

Why do you keep pushing me away?

Look, you gotta deal with your own own insecurities.

- I can't pamper you anymore. - I don't want you to pamper me!

I just want to know what's going on.

I don't even know who you are anymore!

The same man I've always been.

Fine, Cordell. You don't have to push me away anymore.

- I am gone. - Where you going? Come here!

[Grunts]

[Intense music]

Is Elaine the one that gave you the tape?

What tape?

Oh, you know.

Thetape.

I see Alan entrusted you with his copy.

Something like that.

Sterling on recording: Yeah, well, I don't care

what reverend rapkin and the rest

of those black jelly beans say.

No way am I bringing in any more black people.

This is a corporation, not a crack house.

Damn.

I mean, to live with that day in and day out.

That must have drove you crazy.

I mean, I know I couldn't take it.

It's been a challenge.

A challenge?

When I was 8 years old, uh,

[chuckles] I got lost in a department store.

I then went up to these two security guards

and I said, uh, "I can't find my mother, and I'm lost."

Then one of the guards turned to the other and said, um,

"hey, Charlie, how do you get to the jungle from here?"

[Laughs]

They laughed themselves crazy.

That was the last time I ever let some, uh...

Ignorant white man get to me.

So, what, you got some sort of a...

Force field that protects you from racists?

Basically.

And sterling never broke through?

Sterling?

[Chuckles] Hell, no.

Even after he gave you that present?

[Instrumental music]

[Glass shatters]

I suppose I got a little angry.

Angry at him or yourself?

What are you talking about?

I'm talking about you being a jackass

and making the wrong choice.

And when did I do that?

When you decided not to go to reverend rapkin

or the press with that tape.

When you just let them buy you out just to fill your pockets.

It wasn't about money.

Oh, then what was it about?

Respect.

Are you crazy?

Now, I'm asking you are you crazy?

Because you must have been nuts to think that

that would make a difference, my man.

For once, he had to pay attention to me.

Recognize that I'm a man...

You know what, the minute you signed,

the only thing they recognized was that you were a sellout!

Signing that contract was a statement.

No other executive ever made that kind of money.

That money was just as good as a shackle.

They coughed up half a million dollars.

- Would you have passed that up? - Half a million dollars?

Not to be able to look my boss in the eyes?

Not to stand up straight? Having to beg for humiliation?

Half a million dollars not to be a man?

Hell, yeah, I'd pass that up in a heartbeat.

Humiliation is cabs passing you by

for some bummy-dressed cracker. No, no, no, listen!

For being followed around in stores.

For being treated like a criminal

because the face of a black rapist made the evening news.

For having to bear the burden of every downtrodden black person

who ever walked this earth.

Now, I wasn't put here to have my nose

pressed against the window looking in.

I am in.

I am the only high-level

African-American executive

at descell and the only thing I ever asked for

was a fair shot.

Not to be Jackie freakin' Robinson!

So, instead you chose to be a nigger.

I have never been a nigger in my life!

And I wasn't about to let sterling make me into one.

What the hell are you doing?

[Gunshots]

Torres...

We got him.

I think it's finally over, Cordell.

Look, I hated sterling's guts

but I didn't kill him.

Now, may I leave?

No, you may not. Sit down.

'Cause you're not going anywhere.

Why not?

Well, you see, cord...

I mean, I can call you cord, right, brother?

You lied about coming to work at 9:15.

You walked in as Elaine was coming out.

Then you went around the back and you exited.

An hour and a half later,

you come out and you make sure the security guard sees you.

See, when we found out that you blackmailed sterling,

we got a warrant to search your apartment.

Guess what we found?

The murder weapon.

And semtex in your carpet.

Now, that's the same stuff that was used to make the bomb.

[Gunshots]

- Sterling! - Are you insane?

Yeah.

[Gun firing]

May I, um...

May I see that, please?

See, that's what initially got us hung up

on this case in the first place.

See, we were looking for someone whose motive

was greed, revenge, love.

But you killed sterling because you just

couldn't take it anymore.

Because... you thought

it would somehow make you free.

Not that I can't understand where you're coming from.

But let me tell you something.

Even Jackie Robinson had to be Jackie Robinson.

Come on.

[Instrumental music]

Alright, dad, just square up the back, then.

Alright.

I don't know why you just don't

get it all cut off like your old man.

I don't want that much off.

So, you like miss claybourne, don't you?

Well, she's a nice lady and she likes bald heads, too.

[Chuckles] You know what I mean.

Why, you still got a crush on her?

Nope. I'm looking at Nikki.

Oh, yeah, who's that? The young lady you dance with all night?

She's kind of cute.

Yeah, well, anyway,

so, if you do like Ms. Claybourne don't sweat it.

You can have her.

Oh, really?

Thank you very much. Take a look at that.

[Instrumental music]

♪ It's a family affair

♪ well

♪ it's a family affair

♪ boo-boo-boo-boo-boo-boo-boo

♪ it's a family affair

♪ whoa, wh-whoa, whoa

♪ it's a family affair

♪ one child grows up to be

♪ somebody that just loves to learn ♪

♪ and another child

♪ grows up to be

♪ somebody you'd just love to burn ♪

♪ mom loves the both of them

♪ you see, it's in the blood

♪ both kids are good to mom

♪ blood's thicker than mud

♪ it's a family affair

♪ it's a family affair

♪ family affair

♪ it's a family affair

[instrumental music]

What's up, dawg?

Hey, what's up?

Let me get a cranberry juice, please.

Where's your lady?

I'm going solo tonight.

Mmm!

You hear about descell?

What happened?

They replaced Cordell with another black man.

They're all heart, huh?

Ah, you know how they do.

At least, they have one token black man in the boardroom.

♪ It's a family affair

♪ it's a family affair ♪ it's a family affair

♪ it's a family affair

♪ newly weds a year ago

♪ still checking each other out yeah ♪

♪ nobody wants to blow

♪ Still checking each other out yeah ♪

♪ nobody wants to blow

♪ nobody wants to be left out

♪ oh, oh

♪ you can't leave

♪ 'cause your heart is there

♪ but you can't stay 'cause your heart's somewhere else ♪

♪ you can't cry

♪ 'cause you'll look broke down ♪

♪ but you're crying anyway

♪ 'cause you are broke down it's a family affair ♪

♪ it's a family affair ♪ it's a family affair

♪ it's a family affair

♪ it's a family affair

♪ it's a family affair

♪ it's a family affair

♪ it's a family affair ♪ o-over

♪ all over

♪ It's a family affair

♪ it's a family affair

♪ it's a family affair

♪ it's a family affair ♪

[Howling]