Original subtitles

( upbeat theme playing) (Resync by Chuck)

I know you're trying to hit those potholes purposely.

(chuckles)

Oh, then wake up, man.

I told you I was gonna pick you up at 6.

I didn't get in from Houston until after 3.

Well, you know what they say about long-distance romances.

What do they say?

They're deadly.

Not when you're dating a buyer

from Neiman Marcus. Okay,

what'd she get you this time?

Check it out, man.

A brand-spanking-new pair of hand-tooled booties. Yeah!

Booties. That's right. Booties.

I think they're alligator.

No, they're not alligator.

But they are a skin

that reminds me a lot of your humor.

What?

They're croc. Ha-ha.

Get out of here.

They are not crocodile. (chuckling)

What is it?

( ominous theme playing)

Is there somebody in there?

(over speaker): Stop. Texas Rangers.

I'll get it.

I'll meet you at the bottom. All right.

Hand-tooled crocodile vamps.

Can't keep anything.

Hang on, I'm coming!

Catch the rope!

Hang in there.

Here it comes!

Hang on!

Come on. Come on!

Man or woman? I don't know.

Didn't talk.

Probably in shock.

But from the weight, it must be a male, man.

(laughing)

You're wrong, Trivette. What?

It's a woman. Oh.

(both laugh)

And I think she's in love with you.

I... I don't beli... Oh, God.

( upbeat action theme playing)

(lowing)

(rustling)

( ominous theme playing)

Hm.

Lookie here.

Got paralysis, an abscess...

loss of feathers.

Hm.

Well, find, uh... Find out what did this.

(footsteps)

Who is it?

Who is it?

Uh, yellow clay.

(rustling)

That you, Gathers?

(cock crows, alarm buzzes)

I've got the shower first, Dad.

(sighs)

Daddy?

Daddy?

Where are you?

(cock crows)

(phone ringing)

Good morning. You calling to ask for the shower first?

Daddy, what are you doing out so early?

It isn't even 7 yet.

I had to take some samples.

Before dawn?

I couldn't sleep.

Hey, how about you putting on a stack of flapjacks?

I want lots of butter.

And I want heavy cream in my coffee this morning.

No way. It's carrot juice and trail mix for you.

You've got an LDL of 380.

That's not a high cholesterol level.

Yeah, if you're a Clydesdale.

Now, get home, will you, Daddy.

I worry when you go out alone.

I'm on my way. I'll be there in two shakes.

Okay. I love you, Dad.

I love you too.

(crash)

( ominous theme playing)

Oh, you son of a...! Hey, Gathers?!

(horn blaring)

(horn continues blaring)

(horn stops)

(grunting)

Dad?

Daddy?

Daddy, is that you?

(coughing)

(coughs)

Daddy?

Daddy, are you all right?

Daddy?

Oh, my God.

Daddy?

Daddy!

No!

We gotta get me some dry clothes right now.

What about old Blue?

Old Blue can get her own clothes.

We're just five blocks from my place,

and then straight to Animal Control.

(over radio): Eighty-one-27, this is dispatch.

Grab that.

Eighty-one-27, it's Trivette. Go ahead.

Got a 10-50.

A bad one out on 22 in Talford County. One fatality.

Highway Patrol requests backup.

Unable to respond at this time.

Repeat, unable to respond at this time...

This is Walker.

We're on it.

Sorry, partner.

You'll just have to drip-dry.

And grab yourself a breath mint.

I don't need a breath mint.

It's the dog.

It's not the dog.

(siren wailing)

(indistinct radio chatter)

MAN: What do we got?

Stay.

(man laughing)

What happened...? Don't.

Don't ask.

What do you got?

DUI presumptive. I found that in the cab.

ME punched the guy's trach,

got a blood alcohol level of .25.

His ID is in the black bag.

The guy was a vet.

What is it?

Yellow clay.

MAN: Hey, Harm, what do you got there?

So where's the crowd we're supposed to control?

Over there.

I want his bag. You have no right.

I'm his daughter. Now let me through.

You're going to have to stay... How can I help you, ma'am?

You can help me by finding out who killed my father.

You saying this was a homicide?

I'm saying this is not a drunk driving case.

My father hasn't touched a drop in five years.

Go run a check on Dr. Slade, will you, Billy? Yeah.

Look, just let me have his bag, and I'll go.

Okay.

Thank you.

What makes you think he was murdered?

The way he's been acting the past few days.

He was nervous, afraid.

That's why he went out so early this morning.

Doing what?

Taking core samples. Corral fill.

He was gonna test the soil.

(indistinct radio chatter)

Do you know why? (sniffs)

No, he wouldn't say.

Any idea where we can get this soil tested?

Look, Ranger, I may be blond and Daddy's little girl,

but the bag says "Slade and Slade" on it.

( pensive country theme playing)

Whoa.

Female assertiveness, one.

Walker, nothing.

Miss Slade, here, let me help you.

We'll give you a ride back. Is this your dog?

Uh, hah, no.

You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

The poor thing's severely malnourished.

Come on. Dog's a hundred pounds easy.

Her coat is filthy.

Looks like she might have distemper.

If I had the strength right now,

I'd call the Humane Society.

( mournful theme playing)

I'm sorry. No, it's not my dog.

Come on. We'll give you a lift.

What was that you were saying about female assertiveness?

(sighs)

So how'd you name her?

Who?

The dog.

She's a brindle-colored Dane. Why'd you call her Blue?

The place where we found her. Great Blue Lake.

I checked all over for any more samples.

Nada. (sighs)

Do you know where your father keeps his files?

Cabinet in the study.

Mind if I take a look?

No.

Go ahead.

Hah.

Well, I'll be danged.

Jenny Slade.

Hah.

Well, here's the soil profile.

There's iron and aluminum in the leaching zone.

Could you say where it came from?

Yeah. Half of east Texas.

It's common roadside dirt.

My father could have been anywhere.

(chuckles)

God, the man was so damn protective.

( sad, mournful theme playing)

Ever since...

Ever since what?

My mother died.

I remember her.

She was all-around women's champ four years straight.

Didn't she, uh...?

Yeah.

Back in '83.

She got thrown.

Snapped her spine.

There was brain damage.

(sobbing): Took her six months to die.

I'm sorry.

After that, my daddy just... broke.

He fell into the bottle.

But I brought him back.

He's been sober now since '88,

and I swear that man didn't die from drink.

Okay.

(sobbing) Okay.

Come on. Shh. Shh.

(whispers): Okay. Shh. Okay. Shh.

Okay.

If you say so, I believe you.

I don't even know if I can continue the practice.

(sobbing) Shh.

(Blue barking) It's okay.

Okay, this is it. You've gone through ten pounds of stew beef.

Get out of here.

Get... The dog's a leviathan.

'Cause she's still a pup.

Just over half her natural weight.

She's good for another 75 pounds.

Hey, remind me to call my broker

so we can buy dog food futures.

Here. This is for her distemper.

She takes one nights and mornings.

Whoa. Suppositories?

(rings)

Ally Slade. Honey, this is Connie Tye.

Yeah, put your father on, honey. I got an emergency here.

I... I... I'm sorry.

He's...

Uh, can...? Can I help you? What's wrong?

My prize cutting horse. (whinnies)

He's having some kind of convulsions. I don't know.

Look, um...

I'd like to help you, but, uh...

( sad, mournful theme playing)

I... I can't just now.

I'm... I'm just... Here, here, here.

Hello. Ranger Walker.

Ranger what?

Look, I need some help here. I've got an emergency.

She'll be right there.

Okay. (whinnying)

Hey, w... Wait a minute.

How am I supposed to do that? I can't...

I can't even get over there. I don't have a truck.

Well, now you do.

Listen, here's something my uncle Ray used to say:

when you're hurting, the best thing to do is work.

Let's go. Come on.

(grunting)

CONNIE: It started up last night.

I heard him whinnying, and I came out to the barn.

He was shivering, so I... I blanketed him,

and that's when the convulsions started.

Abscesses. All through his mouth.

What is it?

(sighs)

I don't know.

(meows)

( guitar cord strumming pensively)

( playful theme playing) Hey, Blue!

(barking)

Blue!

Blue!

(barking)

Blue!

Trespassing, boy?

(gun cocks)

My name is not "boy."

Besides, I had exigent circumstances.

Just get this hound off our land.

Man, that dog is ugly.

He's got the face like the east end of a west-bound mule.

Okay. I'm gonna leave.

And I'm gonna ignore the aggravated assault.

But do me a favor, gentlemen.

( ominous theme playing)

Don't dis my dog.

Come on, girl.

Come on.

( harmonica playing playful theme)

Come on.

( ominous theme playing)

Hold this.

It looks like Ally's picking up

where her daddy left off.

Ally cat.

Yeah. The one curiosity killed.

ALLY: It just died...

right there in front of us.

My dad would have been able to save him.

He had a real instinct for animals.

All right...

But now it's up to you to keep on going.

Remember what you said to me?

It said Slade and Slade on the bag?

(telephone rings)

Walker.

Really?

Okay, thanks, Billy.

You know...

sometimes we think our parents can do no wrong.

What's that supposed to mean?

That was the Highway Patrol.

Your father has three convictions for drunk driving.

(scoffs)

Three convictions?

(sighs)

The last one was six years ago.

It almost killed him.

But he got help.

The man hated liquor.

He wouldn't even go

to a restaurant where it was served.

All due respect, Ally, but...

Isn't it possible that he could have gone off the wagon?

Ally, wait.

Look... Maybe I did get out of line.

But look,

will you please get back in the truck?

Ally, listen... No, you listen.

Horses don't die overnight.

There's something wrong here.

My father tried to stop it, and he's dead.

Now it's my job.

What is that you say when a Ranger makes his first case?

He'll do to ride the river with. Hm.

You know what I was thinking?

I'd ride the river with her...

any day.

(scoffs)

MAN (over radio): Cleveland's leading three games to one

in this series against Texas,

but the Indians are behind 6-5 in the ninth.

Nobody, but nobody...

Come on, Cleveland, use the power.

You always root for the Indians, Uncle Ray?

Always.

Especially if they get to the World Series

against the Atlanta Braves.

We gotta stop that "chop, chop, chop."

Last year they did a little better, but, uh,

this year they were really hoping their goal...

Washoe, what is it?

Hm, it's nothing.

That lady horse doctor you mentioned.

The one with the little ponies. Is she still on your mind?

What is it about strong-willed women, Uncle Ray, that...

attracts me?

I sure like them, but...

I'll be danged if I understand them.

Ah, it's the same thing with ponies, Washoe.

You wanna tame them, but if your mount don't throw you

every once in a while,

what joy is there in the ride?

(chuckles)

Aunt Ruthie was a strong-willed woman, wasn't she?

Thirty-six winters.

And the ride was worth every day.

( electric guitar theme playing)

Hah.

Well, I'll be danged.

You were right, Ally.

(rings)

Gathers, I'm gonna kill you!

Get your...

Hold it!

Take old Blue to, uh, Animal Control?

Uh-uh.

Closed till Monday. I left her at C.D.'s.

Great. She'll eat him out of house and home.

Oh, hey, don't dis my dog.

( suspenseful theme playing)

Woman, you had no right

to do what you did today. None!

Woman, you had no right to do what you did today.

I'll go around to the front.

We go in 20 seconds. Okay.

Ally, I've done told you

about talking like that.

Texas Rangers! You're under arrest!

Get down. Hands behind your back!

Move! Move! Walker, what are you doing!

What am I doing?

I saw you being kidnapped at the clinic.

Kidnapped? We didn't kidnap her.

Yeah, we drug her along,

but we didn't intend for the law to be involved.

We never meant nothin' to mean nothin' till you mess up.

Whatever! Kidnapping's a crime!

Wait a minute! Hold on!

Walker, Trivette, I thank you,

but I do not need help when it comes to Buddy Gathers.

I've been able to take him since the sixth grade.

What's that supposed to mean?

They wanted me to come back with them to their place,

and when I said I wouldn't go,

Buddy got a little carried away.

That's kidnapping.

The point is,

I don't need to press charges or anything.

And I'm glad that I came out here,

'cause it's brought me closer to why my father was killed.

Yeah, these are the guys that did it!

That's a lie!

What are you talking about?

Okay, look. Look.

I went out to the crash site.

I found skid marks.

You were right.

Your father was forced off the road.

Thank you.

We didn't have nothing to do

with doc's crash.

He's right.

Daddy was out here to check...

No! You hush up. We don't want this getting out.

What getting out?

More livestock... dead.

Woman, I am warning you.

Come on. I'll show you.

OLDER GATHERS: Black Angus.

Six of my best head just up and died.

Same symptoms:

convulsions, hair loss

and abscesses in the mouth.

Called Doc Slade, and he thought it was the anthrax.

That's why we brought Ally here.

To keep her from talking.

If word like that spread,

nobody would buy our beef.

We'd lose the ranch.

It's been in our family for six generations.

No way that was gonna happen.

Trivette.

Bore holes.

This must be where Daddy took the samples.

Remember the yellow clay?

Yeah.

Whoever killed your father

must have switched the samples

with the ones we found in the truck.

That's motive and probable cause.

(gun cocks) You're under arrest for...

Hold it. Whoa, whoa, whoa.

They have the wrong tires.

They have 16-inch desert duelers.

And the tires on the truck that killed Dr. Slade

were 20-inch rims.

And besides, barn swallows don't die from anthrax.

So, what was my father after?

Well, there's only one way to find out.

And that's to take a test sample from one of these steers.

Hey, you... You can't do that.

We can and we will.

Can't we?

( harmonica theme playing) Aww...

C.D., man, nothing is working on this mud.

Look at this. Butcher's wax,

mink oil, saddle soap.

It's probably not just mud.

Look, I may come from Baltimore, buddy,

but I know dirt when I see it.

Probably not just dirt.

Well, then what is it?

Road oil.

(banging)

Damn it, Jimmy. That dog has knocked over

that water dish again.

Give me that mop, baby. Please, honey.

That dog is so blind,

she can't see through a barbed wire fence.

Her breath is so bad, it would crack a mirror.

She can pass more gas than a bull at corn time.

When does she go?

8:00 Monday morning, all right?

Animal Control's coming by.

They better. Or that mutt is gonna

take an unscheduled flight outta here. Boom!

Hey.

Don't dis my dog.

Hey, guys. Did Ally show up with the test results yet?

Not yet. Cordell, I think I've got a lead

on those animal deaths.

Over 200 dead animals in ten years.

And where they found the carcass,

50 percent of the time, they spotted a UFO.

Then we're... We're looking for...

Little green men. Yeah.

C.D.: Why not?

We all know that there are 16 billion

planetary systems in this Milky Way alone.

Now, let's assume that 1,000 of those

has intelligent life.

You know, watching MTV and drinking Gatorade.

Stands to reason they'd need some stock.

Hell, Texas has got the best stock in the universe.

C.D., you gotta stop reading

these science fiction magazines.

Okay. But if aliens didn't do it

and the Gathers didn't do it,

who the hell was out there with Doc Slade

when he was punching them holes in the ground?

I don't know.

(phone ringing)

C.D.'s.

Yes, ma'am. Fine, fine.

C.D.: Uh-huh.

Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Say hello to Ralph for me,

will you, please?

Damn. That was Nellie Ashford out on 421.

She just had some cattle killed.

Except this time, she saw who done it.

Who?

Men from Mars.

( slow, ambient theme playing)

Well, uh... Let me see, uh...

There I was, up on the back 40,

getting ready to call them in,

when I saw it.

Saw what, ma'am?

The ship.

A space vehicle, I think they call it.

It weren't no saucer, though.

It was long, with these tentacles

coming off on the back and them flashing lights.

What exactly makes you think they were...

What?

Spacemen?

Why, the suits, son.

They's all wearin' these big, white suits.

Didn't look like ET, though.

Looked more like, uh...

the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Ghostbusters.

This lady's two pints short of a quart, man.

Is that all, ma'am?

All except for the mother ship.

Mother ship?

There was this hellish wind,

and a deafening roar,

and it come down like the wrath of Jehovah.

And it took her.

My poor babies.

All five of 'em. Dead.

Excuse me, ma'am, but we only saw four outside.

That's what I've been trying to tell ya.

It come down,

and it took her right up in the sky.

( harmonica theme playing)

TRIVETTE: Okay, here's the drill.

We check with the county ag-departments and the EPA.

We've lost more than 50 head, cattle and horses.

They've all died within 48 hours of symptoms.

We're still waiting for the tissue analysis

on the Gathers' angus.

And so far, old Nellie's the only one

to report a close encounter.

Any pattern to the deaths?

Not so far.

Um, they're all clustered within a two-mile radius,

but other than that...

Hey, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Look at this.

All the ranches connect to County Route 421.

You're right.

Let's go.

Wait a minute.

Let's keep the shades down on this

until we know what we're dealing with.

We don't want a panic.

Right.

I'll take the hot bricks of the hood any day

over your lovely country roads.

It's the same stuff we saw at the Gathers' place.

It's just road oil.

See, that's what I don't understand about Texas.

Why isn't the oil in the truck where it belongs?

What's it doing stuck on my new boots?

You go to a gas station

and get your oil changed, right?

And most gas stations sell it

for a few cents a gallon

to these little mom-and-pop truckers.

And then places like this here,

where the roads are unpaved,

they lay it down in the summer to stop the dust.

(car approaching)

Hey.

We just got the results back

from Austin on Gathers' steer.

He was full of TCDD.

What the hell's that?

One of the deadliest chemicals ever made.

2-3-7-8 tetrachlorodibenzodioxin.

Dioxin?

Yep. They sprayed it in Vietnam.

Remember Agent Orange?

Some veterans still say it causes cancer.

Ten years ago, horses started dying

near Times Beach, Missouri,

after they sprayed dioxin-laced oil

on farms and corrals.

Then how come it showed up here?

Wait a minute. Wasn't there an article

in the Star Telegram

about Fort James closing down?

Yeah. The army post?

Part of the cutbacks. Why?

What do you think the chances are

that Agent Orange is still there from the war?

Worth a try.

Right.

Okay. Thanks, colonel.

(dialing)

WOMAN: Walker, Trivette on tach two.

What'd you find out?

Army had a hundred drums of Agent Orange in storage.

About a month ago, the drums started leaking,

so they contracted with a waste company

to haul the stuff away.

What's the name of the waste hauler?

You're gonna love this.

Texas Quality Environmental Services.

It's out on Highway Five in Rango.

( ominous theme playing)

Place looks deserted.

You'd think with all these volatiles

there'd be a guard posted.

Anybody home?

Well, let's find out.

Boy, I tell you, if you breathe the air

in this place for too long,

you wouldn't wanna have children.

Oh.

Thinking what I'm thinking?

Yeah.

Okay, this is the part

where I ask you to stay behind

because it's too dangerous,

and you say, "No way.

"Just because I'm a woman

doesn't mean I can't take risks."

So let's just cut to the chase

and say that you'll stay behind as a lookout.

Okay.

Okay?

Oh, good.

Let's go.

Oh, man. You know what?

Army said it's supposed to be

completely lined with concrete,

and then stored the barrels in rows,

and then buried in activated charcoal, man.

The floor's just sand.

It wouldn't hold water, much less dioxin.

And half these drums are empty.

Then where'd all the poison go to?

(motor starts)

I got an idea.

You got an idea?

Where's Walker?

Don't even ask. Come on.

( fast, suspenseful theme playing)

(brakes hissing)

WALKER: So that's how they do it.

You wanted to know where the poison's going?

WALKER: This toxic waste hauler, Texas Quality,

is hooked up with this waste oil company.

They're mixing the chemicals in with the oil

and spreading it all over the roads.

Fine, but if I'm gonna go for conspiracy to dump,

I'm gonna need proof of a link.

Ran a D & B on Texas Quality.

They're part of a parent company

called Lonestar Nash.

Guess what Nash spent the last year buying.

What? A string of waste oil companies.

Little mom-and-pop haulers.

Star City Waste Oil was one of them.

Toxic dumping is an intentional crime.

We're gonna have to catch them in the act.

So, what does that mean?

It means we have to catch them in the act.

( suspenseful theme playing)

(tires screeching)

What the hell are you trying to pull?

An oil sample. Here's your warrant.

Oh, is that right, Rastus?

Maybe you better haul your black butt outta here

before I spread it all over this road.

Back off, mac.

Hey, listen, pal, I can talk to that black...

(gagging)

Be nice and let my partner do his job.

(gagging)

Get back in that truck,

or come in swinging, jack.

Got it.

Now get this truck back to the garage

and don't drop one ounce of oil on the way, okay?

Or I'm gonna to come down on you...

real hard.

(men yelling)

Tingley, Cotter, come here.

I leave you two cretins in charge for a week,

and the bottom falls out.

What the hell are you saying, Nash?

They found dioxin

inside of that cow we snatched.

You know... we had a good thing going here.

They pay us ten, maybe 20 grand

for a load of toluene,

maybe a bit of benzene,

some trichloroethylene.

We mix it with waste oil,

and then we spread it on the road.

Get paid both ends.

Pure profit.

And you two idiots have gotta screw that up

by picking up a load of dioxin?

Now we have the Rangers on us.

Well, what do you want us to do with it, Nash?

I still got 60 barrels of that crap left.

I want you to dump it. Anywhere.

Doesn't matter. I don't care.

Just lose it.

Get back to work!

MAN: Start pumping!

Hey, something's going down.

I just got back from the landfill.

The place is swarming with white suits.

We contacted the Bureau and the EPA,

we got a team of HAZMAT specialists flying in.

Well, they won't be there long, so let's go.

C.D., can you get Alex for us?

(dog groaning)

Oh, no.

What is it?

I think she's having a seizure.

She must've picked up some of the dioxin

when she ran onto Gathers' place.

She's contaminated. I know it.

(dog whining)

I can't stand to see another one die.

She's not gonna die.

Ally, come on. Treat her.

Her glands are swelling. Take off her collar.

If Daddy was here, he'd know...

Ally, you can do it.

Just do what you've been trained to do.

I don't know the treatment for dioxin exposure.

We'll find it. We'll find it.

Come on.

Okay. I'll meet you at the landfill.

Come on.

It's okay.

(men yelling indistinctly)

MAN: Tom, you seal those barrels?

Hey!

Come on. Come on, let's move it.

Where's the drop gonna be?

Great Blue Lake.

Good. Let's do it.

( suspenseful theme playing)

Trivette, this is Walker. Over.

Trivette, can you read me?

Trivette, if you're receiving this,

I'm going to Great Blue Lake.

(dog whining) Great Blue Lake.

Come on! Let's move it!

We got 3,000 gallons of this stuff to get rid of!

(men yelling indistinctly)

MAN: Pull that other hose free.

(sirens wailing)

Thought you said it was going down here.

We're late. Look, I'll take the responsibility.

The place is empty. We are dead in the water.

Look, counselor, it's just...

Wait a minute.

Walker must have... I know where they're going!

Turn around! Turn around!

Turn around.

I told you to flush it and hurry up!

Yes, sir.

Cotter, Tingley, you come with me.

( fast rock theme playing)

What's going on?

(sirens blaring)

(thumping and punching)

Tingley, start the car.

Cotter, you dump this stuff and do it now.

Aah! Cotter!

Throw that lever!

(sirens approaching)

(hisses)

You smoked old Doc Slade,

poisoned the ground.

Now my dog's dying.

Let me tell you, if she dies,

I'm gonna personally make sure

the men of the African Brotherhood

up in Huntsville get a key to your cell.

You got that, Rastus?

You're under arrest, Nash.

Don't even try it.

Stuff it.

(yells)

Get him outta here.

Help! I can't...

Well, who in the hell's gonna go get him?

Well, you're the triathlon swimmer.

I'm not going in there again.

Yes, you are... No, I'm not.

Yes, you are.

Excuse me.

Not.

Are.

Not.

You are.

I can't believe you got her well so fast.

I got lucky.

She hadn't fully absorbed the dioxin,

so I flushed her stomach with charcoal and sorbitol.

Gave her a sedative, and three hours later,

she was pawing at my fridge.

Uh, this is for you.

What's this for?

Just kind of a way of saying thanks for...

all your help.

And being one heck of a vet too.

(tires screeching)

I don't believe it.

Let's go get him!

( soft theme playing)

Pull over!

Let me see your hands. Let me see 'em.

What's the problem, Ranger?

Why'd you try and kill this dog?

Well, she couldn't hunt.

I'd drop a bird, she'd just sit there.

Lazy hound.

All she do is lay around, eat and break wind.

Well, she's trained now.

Get him, Blue! Sic him!

Come on, girl.

( harmonica theme playing)

(indistinct whispering)

(growls)

(chuckles)

All right. What'd you tell her?

I just told her that he had a pork chop in his pocket.

( upbeat theme playing) (Resync by Chuck)