The Cleaner (2008) s01e06 Episode Script

The thing that doesn't kill us makes us stronger.
Don't know about that one.
'Cause on the other hand, if it doesn't make us stronger, doesn't it just kill us? Hard enough the people you give me on the outside.
Lost souls trying to find their way.
People who have never done good, and people who are trying to do good.
Hey, man, just tell me what you know.
Uh, no newbies.
-But, uh? -But what, Davis? There's this guy-- he's asking questions.
He's, like, "Who's in that room? What are these guys?" You know? But then he drinks himself into next week, so I can manage him, Jesse.
-So -Yeah.
Oh.
Okay.
Okay.
All right.
You know me.
I'm a collector of lost souls.
So, are you trying to make me stronger? Or are you trying to kill me? Trapping a text.
Outgoing from Jesse Menlo.
"I'm ready.
Let's do this.
" I got you, Jesse.
I want an Apprehension Team and a Forensic Unit on 48-hour standby.
Yes, sir.
The moment that he starts breaking down his meth kitchen, we move on him.
Take Jesse down.
And Davis, what about him? Your partner is so far gone, we'd have to compromise The operation.
Got it, boss.
Go ahead.
Make things worse.
How long have you been watching me? Since I was 16? Which is how I know that whatever it is you were about to do will not help us with Ben.
What is he, five years old? Running away from home? Stupid.
And to my father's house? He knows what buttons to push.
He's just trying to kick me in the balls.
So, you think this is my fault? I didn't say that.
Which means, what, you think it is, or it isn't? Fine.
Whatever.
Look, he wants to quit football, he can quit, but this mopey shit around the house, the attitude Preaching to the choir, babe.
What's with the 180? Last night you were a train wreck.
Last night I didn't know where he was.
Look, he's just pissed at you, the same way you were pissed at your father.
So, you're saying it is my fault.
I'm saying Banks men have their baggage.
I'm gonna go get him.
No.
You know what? I'll go get him.
Shut up.
William! William, come here! "William, thank you.
Gino.
" Now you're just messing with me.
William Banks? FBl.
Special Agent Lauren Keenan.
-And my day gets worse.
-Can you step inside? Nope.
The last time I got into bed with you guys, I got screwed every which way.
Not pleasant.
So whatever you're selling, I'm not interested.
Mr.
Banks, the FBl requires your services.
We're not asking for them.
You will help us.
You must be high, lady.
Hell of a thank-you gift.
Must pay to have friends in the mob.
Friends like Gino Faruggio.
Didn't you help his son kick heroin? Look, I didn't ask for the truck.
All right? So, if there are strings attached, let's cut 'em.
Problem solved.
-We're done.
-Mr.
Banks.
You want anything else, you're gonna have to arrest me.
Akani Cuesta.
United States v.
Daniel Kato.
Active case of SEC violations.
Hiding out in Tokyo? Real question, though, is about that check he writes his daughter every month.
Dirty money? She doesn't cash them.
She's clean.
Everybody's clean until we start digging.
Mr.
Kato controls 1 1 companies.
Shell corporations.
Three of which are in Ms.
Cuesta's name.
Now can we step inside? Special Agent Michael Davis.
Seven years on the job, four with the LA Field Office, Narcotics Task Force.
ls that all you're giving me? Agent Davis is my partner.
Six months ago, he went undercover with a meth trafficking case and developed a drug problem of his own.
So your inside man's gone native? He got caught too deep.
The Bureau needs you to grab Davis and clean him.
That's what you do, right? Well, you got me pinched with this bullshit about Akani, so I don't have much of a choice, right? He's holed up in the City of lndustry.
It's an abandoned building.
So what do you need me for? lf you know where he is, go get him.
It's where the meth operation is set up.
They use the homeless squatters on the ground floor of the building as a buffer, human cover.
So, technically, your guy's still undercover.
Any attempt by the Bureau to save Davis would compromise the case against the traffickers.
Davis is one of you.
He knows your playbook.
But me, I'm not the law.
I don't raise any red flags.
We can't get close.
You can.
All right, so, tell me who I'm dealing with.
Agent Davis was to be the eyes and ears of the operation.
ldentify the bad guys, establish the hierarchy.
He did his job.
Meth manufacturer named Jesse Menlo.
Once he was under, Davis started using.
He said it was necessary to earn the confidence of Jesse.
But now he's confused.
The drugs have blurred the line between the job and reality.
Well, just so you know, meth is nasty.
lnsomnia, paranoia, hallucinations.
How much is he using? I'm not sure.
To be safe, the last check-in, we were going to pull him out, but he never showed.
That was ten weeks ago.
And you're only just now realizing your man has a problem? All right, look, I'm gonna need a week to scope things out, trace his habits.
Can't make a move on him till I know what he's up to.
You have less than 48 hours.
Bust is about to happen.
What's more important to you-- Davis or the case? That doesn't matter.
What matters is what's important to you.
Hey, I've been calling you.
Six times.
I'm sorry, I was screening my calls.
Look, if I would have known it was a booty call, I would have picked up the phone.
Arnie, I'm serious.
Are you using? No.
Don't play with me, dude.
Excuse me? If I wanted to play with you, I'd be on top, alI right? Better leverage.
And you'd thank me multiple times.
Really? You know what? That hit was a one-time thing, and P.
S.
: I had a gun in my face, so you figure it out.
Yeah, I know it's a school night, sweetheart, but your mom and me, we made an executive decision.
You can spend the night at Tiffany's, but you have to be in bed before 10:00.
All right, 10:30, but don't push it.
Okay.
Bye.
-Hey.
-Hey, yourself.
So, what's up? Come with me.
Just you.
Oh -I need you in San Francisco.
-When? Now.
I just booked you a flight.
Your plane leaves in two hours.
What, and this is so secret you had to pull me into the alley? What am I doing up there? Scouting a whale.
Six-figure payday.
Eldin Tucker.
Dot-commer worried about his brother.
-Party drugs -Whoa, wait-- you passed on this case last month.
And as long as we've worked together, not once have you changed your mind after passing on a case.
Look, Tucker called me this morning.
He's very concerned about his brother.
Let's-Let's just see if we can help.
ls this about what happened between you and me last week? I don't even remember what you're talking about.
Where's she going? San Francisco.
How come I don't get to go? Because I need you here with me.
Awesome.
All right, what are we working on? Speed freak? Party girl? Porn? Meth.
Again.
-Special Agent Michael Davis.
-Special Agent? I-I thought you said we were one and done with Uncle Sam? We were.
Now we're not.
Davis is in trouble.
Got in a bad way trying to do the right thing.
Yeah, that can happen.
Hey, we set? Nasty, dirty clothes, brother.
Whew! Salvation Army won't even take 'em.
Whew! It's perfect.
-You're using my shirt.
-Yeah.
Don't try to hit me.
Yeah, that's mine, man! Remember recon only on Davis.
Just get eyes on him, D.
Got it.
Recon only.
This place is hell, man.
Everyone here needs help, we can only help one guy? One at a time, Darnell.
That's the best we can do.
Give me some, my man.
Hard as that is.
Where is he? I got noise.
Feel like telling me who's getting stronger down here? You talking to me? No, Swenton, don't worry about it.
How you doing? I think I got him.
Yeah, I definitely got him.
Where is he? East side.
Doorman.
Sliding out.
All right, keep your cover.
It's on me.
Swenton, I lost Davis.
Did he double back? Mm-mmm.
I don't got him outside either.
Okay, I got it.
William? William, you there? Keep moving.
Eyes front.
I counted two on your team.
One black man, one half-ass rock star wannabe.
Cops are afraid of this place.
You're too colorful to be Feds.
-So, who are you? -A friend.
I got no eyes on William.
I don't got him outside either.
Doesn't have to be this way, man.
Smoking dope jumbles the brain.
Good.
Bad.
Right.
Wrong.
We never failed at anything, my brother and l.
Worked hard to make this happen.
And now it's slipping away.
Well, not the business.
My brother.
He's an idea guy.
Creative.
He's also Very rich.
Which means he can afford whatever inspiration he wants to help him think outside the box.
Drugs.
Alcohol.
Gambling.
Completely out of control.
-Watch your step.
-Yeah.
Rehab hasn't helped.
I've laid out over a hundred grand to three different facilities.
None of them worked.
Seems like maybe it's your brother who's not working.
We can change that.
I have to admit, uh, I was about to give up on you guys.
I couldn't believe it when William called me this morning and said your team would help me.
William called you? Now you're here.
I'm blown away.
What were you expecting? Well, since the people who affiliated with William are addicts, I didn't anticipate someone as beautiful as you.
So, what's your thing? Drugs? Sex? Gambling? We run a service, a comprehensive service that nobody else can provide.
For addicts.
Not hard up millionaires.
Happier times.
I remember.
Where's Ben? I thought it was going to be the three of us.
He wouldn't come.
He's still at my house.
Hello, Melissa.
Hi, Bill.
Coffee? Tea? Uh, a coffee would be great.
Natalie, two coffees.
Milk.
Sugar.
-Yes, sir.
-Thank you.
I'm glad you're here.
Although I'm not sure how you convinced William to let you be the peacemaker.
He didn't let me be anything.
We both just want Ben to come home.
What? I don't remember William ever listening to anything I said, so I'm happy to know there's someone out there putting him in his place.
That's impressive, Bill.
The way you can criticize your son in the same sentence as you compliment your daughter-in-Iaw.
Look, I'm sorry.
I'm not here to I know why you're here.
Thank you, Natalie.
Thank you.
You're welcome, Bill.
And well done.
Look, Ben is a 16-year-old boy trying to act like a man.
lf you let a kid get away with that kind of behavior for a long enough time, you're sending a message.
At least that's been my experience.
Well, you're the authority on wayward sons? Take care of it today.
Okay, no problem.
Okay, okay, stop please.
I haven't been practicing my Japanese.
Shame on you! Mmm.
Hello, -Obaa-chan.
-Hello, my Akani.
So good to see you.
Your partner put me in a bad spot.
You put me in a real bad spot.
So I am going to ask you again before I walk away -I need you to stay on this case.
-For what?! You haven't give me a damn thing to go on.
He needs your help! Some people need my help, others want my help.
Some they just want to disappear.
You're on your own.
I need your help on this case.
You want Davis' story? Here it is.
Little Rock.
Last year, when the gang wars were out of control, the FBl sent in Davis.
Same drill-- identify the players, establish the hierarchy.
One night, things got bad fast.
Gang leader took his rival's children hostage.
There was a six-year-old.
There was a four-year-old.
And there was an eight-month-old baby.
Davis went in to talk the guy down.
And when he got into the room, he thought he had the situation handled.
But then the gang leader just started shooting, not at Davis, at the kids.
Then he turned the gun on himself.
The baby bled out in Davis' arms.
So, why'd they put him back on the job? I mean, there's no way that Davis would have passed his evaluations.
He did.
He held it together, and he passed.
I mean, I knew he should never have gone back into the field, but I don't make those decisions.
And now he's trapped in this case.
And your people are about to come in guns blazing.
While my partner's still in there.
So what do you think? She's a Fed.
Means secrets.
And lies.
We should we should start digging.
I just don't see why you've got to spend the night at my father's house.
The goal is to get Ben back.
lf that takes another night, who cares? Babe, it shouldn't even take this long.
I mean, you go up there.
You grab him.
-You bring him home.
-You sound like your father.
Oh, so you and he had a nice conversation about what an asshole I am? William, he doesn't think you're an asshole.
No, he doesn't think anything at all.
He was "proud papa" when l took off for Desert Storm.
But when I came back strung out on dope damaged goods.
Well, right now it's not about you and your father.
It's about Ben.
I know, babe.
And if it's any consolation, there's no unnecessary William Jr.
bashing going on up here.
"Unnecessary.
" Thanks.
But accurate.
See you tomorrow.
I love you, too.
What's up? William, I've been digging.
I found a little buried treasure, bro.
I took a ride out to Davis' house.
Nothing out of the ordinary, except for this.
Let me show you what you're up against.
Army.
Combat Badge.
HALO Badge.
Combat lnfantryman Badge.
Airborne.
Special Forces.
Davis isn't just a soldier.
He's a he's a badass.
Green Beret.
I'm rolling out here solo today, so, if you've got the time, l'd appreciate it if you'd watch my back.
This is my area! How many times I tell you? Leave me alone! Find another place to live! What's wrong with you, man? You got a death wish? He'll take you out, no hesitation.
I just want to talk to you.
No.
You want to fix me.
I have to fix you, all right? I made a promise.
What, Keenan? Among others.
Oh, great, a Jesus freak.
Lucky me.
Listen, I saw your beret.
Solid red flash? Get out! Get out! It's impressive.
"The sun never sets on the 7th.
" "Anywhere.
Anytime.
Anyhow.
" You're army, but you're not the 7th Group.
Otherwise, you would have said that to me in Spanish.
We're not all Green Beret material.
We're done here.
Listen, you're sick, man.
You hear me? You're sinking.
You got to let me help you now, before it's too late.
I don't need your help.
Yes, you do.
Listen to me, the Feds want Jesse Menlo, not you.
You got to get cleared out of here now.
Let 'em come.
I don't care anymore.
With the amount of stuff that's moving through this place-- it leads straight to a bad ending.
You got to trust me on this one.
I'm trying to help you, and so is Keenan.
Yeah, Keenan your partner.
And listen, she told me about Little Rock.
I know it's heavy.
I know it's heavy for you, but it's not your Don't.
Leave me alone.
I'm afraid I can't do that.
Up, here we go.
All right, nice and easy.
You have one saved message.
Hey, honey.
I just sat through this horrible movie you totally would have made fun of me for watching.
I was crying the entire time.
God, I can't believe you've been under for three weeks already.
I miss you so much.
Everyone worries about you.
Not everyone.
He worries the most.
There are a lot of things a father shouldn't do.
Hello? I'm sorry.
lt was a frat boy mentality.
Totally weak move.
"Frat boy" and "mentality" should never be used in the same sentence.
I agree.
I'm sorry.
I was out of line.
My brother needs you.
Hello? ln front of your office.
One hour.
What's the situation with the shipment? It's on schedule.
Yeah, yeah.
It's always a boy.
So if you've got living up here all figured out, how do you plan to get to school? I'll take the bus.
For two hours every day? Then I'll go to school up here.
You got an answer for everything? Uh-huh.
Ben, why are you doing this? You should know.
Weren't you my age when you left home? I was 1 7, and that's a long time ago, and it was a mistake.
Really? Meeting Dad, having me and Lula-- those were mistakes? You know that's not what I meant.
All I know is that, ever since I can remember, Dad has been in rehab or jail or missing.
Ben, we're not going down this road.
You're in way over your head.
Maybe.
But if 20 years from now, you see me yelling at my kid, and treating him the way Dad treats me, I will gladly look you in the eyes and say, "You know what, Mom? I was in way over my head.
" Until then, this is the road I'm going down.
So now you're staying for lunch? Yeah.
Believe me, it's not for the menu.
It's, um, a bit of a delicate situation up here.
Ben and I-- we're still talking.
I'm just giving him a bit of space.
Yeah, well, that's not the way I would Which is why you're not here.
There's a lot of silence coming from your end.
No.
I'm just I don't know.
Look, it's just hard for me to not be in control of Anything? I know, babe.
Trust me.
Well, I don't know what else to do.
I don't really have a choice, right? Our mother died a couple of years ago, and Dad's in a home, so, little brother's all I have left.
Even though I saw him upstairs this morning, he seems a million miles away.
Will you help me? I'm sure we can.
First thing that we're gonna need from you is I'm sorry, would you excuse me a moment? Sure.
I know I messed up a lot of his life, and that's a lot of time that I can't get back, but now he's not even here.
William, he will be.
I'm bringing him home.
And when he gets there, what you just told me-- tell him.
Hey, babe, I got to go.
I love you.
You should.
I'm awesome.
Yeah? Hey, I'm getting a bad vibe up here.
What do you mean? What's going on? There's guys who smell a lot like Feds, but way out in the open, snapping photos.
Where? Did you go see your family? No, I'm with Eldin Tucker, your dot-com client.
Eyes all over him.
What's the deal, William? ls this guy legit, or did I just step in the middle of something? Listen, keep working.
Close the deal.
No, I mean, did he call you, or did you set this up? No, look, just keep working it, okay? -William, I am not -Be careful.
Do not come back here, all right? You stay up in San Francisco until I call you.
Just a minute.
What the hell you doing here, Swenton? Sorry.
I know I know the house is off-Iimits.
I-I That's why I came through the garage.
-It's still my house.
-Yeah.
No.
Architecturally-speaking, I get that, but this-this this is big.
This is huge.
Where did you get this? Digging.
Lot of digging.
Took the whole day, in fact.
I'm not complaining.
lt was good work.
l-I I enjoyed it.
Do you Do you need anything else, boss? No.
Go home.
Menlo's the top guy.
Priority number one.
He will be armed.
He will be dangerous.
He will fight back, and so will his men.
So, I've been looking at your case, your mark, from every angle.
Please have a seat.
And I'm wondering, what does it all mean? ls it just another gold star for the Bureau? A big meth bust like this is good press for the Feds, right, in the war on drugs? Or is it more? See, 'cause, unfortunately, Agent Keenan, or fortunately, with my job, it's always more.
I thought I could help him from the inside.
Work the system.
He just didn't want to come out on his own.
And now with them closing in, a good soldier like Agent Davis, even after all the shit he's been through-- he's just collateral damage? Yeah.
Well here's the more.
You've been seeing a Dr.
Roger Mandel.
How far along are you? And Davis has no idea that you're pregnant? No.
I don't like this, man.
Davis is not another dopehead we need to steer toward Transitions.
He's not even some random Fed who went bad.
Man, this dude is Rambo.
Not up for debate, D.
Feds are already moving on the building.
-I got to get there before they do.
-Come on.
How do you know Keenan's intel is even good? That she's not using it to play us? Because now she's out of reasons to lie.
You got a plan? -Sort of.
-Sort of.
You know what? That ambiguity doesn't exactly put us at ease.
You're gonna need backup, man.
We going with you.
Look, I took on this case, all right? So whatever happens, it's on me.
It's a bird.
It's a plane.
It's It's not listening.
You want to come in, or you want to just stand there? Although William did inherit your thick skull, he-he didn't get the eyes in the back of the head thing.
It's not a trait.
It's a skill.
And Ben's stubbornness? Now, that's a trait.
Yeah.
Been passing that gene down the line for a few generations.
Banks men-- I love you all, I do, but right now, with Ben I don't know what to do.
Can you help? William and I somehow ended up on different planets.
But sometimes, I think I do understand you.
Why do you think that is? Because we both love him.
You two have a whole history of stuff that you need to untangle.
That's for you guys.
Right now, I just want my kid home.
I'll talk to Ben.
Thank you.
Sorry about the thick skull comment.
Don't worry about it.
I've heard worse.
Probably from me.
We'll help your brother.
When we need additional help from you, we'll reach out.
Otherwise, the less you know about how we operate, the better.
It's all there.
William said $125,000.
I also want to apologize again for my earlier behavior.
I'm better than that.
Apology accepted.
This is William.
I'm not here.
Leave it.
Frisco's wrapped up.
And whoever the shutterbugs were, they're gone.
And Tucker paid in full, cash.
So, now it's about you and me, boss.
As long as I've known you, you've never taken a case for a payday, and you never change your mind.
So, why am I really in San Francisco? Professional reasons? Or personal? You told me to stay up here until I heard from you.
Well, I haven't.
So, I guess that's my answer.
It's personal.
Thank you.
This side, we'll make it work.
I'll see what I can do.
Drinks tonight.
Someplace nice.
I'll see you here at 8:00.
Take it down.
Come on.
Hey, Davis? I knew you'd be back.
Just can't stand the fact that somebody doesn't want your help, can you? I'm not here for me.
All right, the truth is, your girl's got me by the throat-- if I don't help you, she's gonna hurt someone I care about.
Right out of the playbook.
Play the pressure card.
But my girl? Not anymore.
I'm out.
No more good guy.
No more bad guy.
New me, new life.
And no more good soldier.
-No more dutiful agent.
-Relax, relax, Davis! -Listen to me.
-I'm free! What have we got? How many pounds? At this point, 30 pounds.
All right, guys, break it down.
We've got all the product we need.
You heard him-- let's go.
Menlo's burning his kitchen.
It's time.
Hey! I'm not here to hurt you.
Just put the gun down.
Let's just walk out of here, you and me.
-Alpha team? -We're set.
Parker.
That was their last name.
Bravo team? ln position.
-Antoine, six.
-Don't do this.
-Charlie team? -All good sir.
-Joseph, four! -You were trying to help! -Their little sister -You were trying to help! Jasmine, she was just a baby! She was just a baby! Listen to me, Davis! -I got them killed! -I've seen it, too, all right? I know your pain.
You don't know shit.
I know you need my help.
All teams move in.
Go, go, go! Target Menlo-- target Jesse Menlo.
You could have avoided me.
You could have ratted me out on Menlo.
You could've even killed me yourself, but you didn't.
Bravo team in transit.
Leave me alone! Two, three.
Alpha's in, Alpha's in! FBl! Listen to that, Davis.
This is your last chance, right now, to walk out of here on your own.
Walk out to what? Come on, come on, come on.
This is your daughter.
That's right, Keenan is pregnant.
So be there for her.
Be there for your little girl.
Alpha team target: Jesse Menlo.
Hey! Traitor! Shots fired, shots fired! Target spotted.
I'm gonna get you out of here.
Hello? I got him.
Yeah? Bringing out Menlo now.
He should've been back by now.
He call you, man? Silent, bro, same as yours.
I'm calling him again.
Forget this.
Well, my kind of ambiguous plan worked pretty good, huh? I was worried about you, William.
Oh, well, I'm touched, D.
Why don't you go home, get that girlfriend of yours, go get some grub.
All right, man.
What? Good night, William.
Good night.
Nasty habit.
Don't I know it.
I need to quit.
I'm sorry I misled you.
No, no, no, you lied.
And that was stupid-- you made things more dangerous than they needed to be.
You'd been burned by the FBI before.
I thought you'd say no.
Well, I think I did at least three times.
You know, you're a persistent pain in the ass, Agent Keenan.
So, how much trouble is he in for? Good news, bad news.
Bust was bigger than expected, and like you said, it was a big press break.
But his career is over.
Collateral damage.
But he's alive.
What about Akani? Are we, uh are we straight? This is yours legally.
Answer's in the back seat.
Thank you, Mr.
Banks.
You're welcome, Agent Keenan.
Obaa-chan, it's always a boy.
I gotta go.
-Be happy.
-You, too.
You've reached the voicemail of Eldin Tucker.
Leave a message, and I'll get back to you.
Mr.
Tucker, I've decided that between you and l, it's probably best not to blur the lines between professional and personal.
I hope you understand.
We're still on the case, and we'll help you with your brother.
Hey, babe.
I'm glad to see you.
It's been such a crazy day.
I got held at gunpoint again.
I'm fine-- a guy got shot.
But, hey, we got a new Yukon.
I got my son back.
Where's Ben, downstairs? He wouldn't come home.
So, are you trying to make me stronger? Or are you trying to kill me?