Chicago Fire s11e19 Episode Script
Take a Shot at the King
1
My aunt,
out of nowhere, after all these years,
wants to make nice.
I thought his family wasn't around.
When he was a kid, there was a fire.
They were able to pull him out,
but Mom, Dad, little sister
He lost them all.
Why are you here?
I have been clean for a few months now.
You disappeared.
I was 23.
- I was a kid.
- No!
No, I was a kid!
My aunt's at a bar in Logan Square.
Damn it.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Lacey, it's Blake.
It's Blake. Can you hear me?
[FLAMES ROARING]
Hey! Hey, you two, help him out!
Come on!
Come on.
- Screw this!
- Hey, don't let him leave!
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
Hey, you gotta sit down.
Hey, Lacey. Lacey, stay with me.
OK.
- Lacey.
- [SIRENS WAILING]
Lacey, it's Blake.
Lacey.
Lacey.
Come on!
Over here! Come on!
Obvious fracture, left arm.
She's unresponsive with
lacerations to the forehead.
Pulse is weak and rapid.
- You a doctor?
- Firefighter.
You better roll an engine out here.
76 to Main, we need an engine.
- Copy, 76.
- Okay. Okay, we got it.
Let's go!
Give me that blanket.
I got her.
All right, on me.
One, two, three.
All right, I got this. I got this.
- You get ready to go.
- Copy.
Thanks. We got it from here.
No, I'm coming with. She's my aunt.
Thank you.
- Run the fluids wide.
- Copy.
Any medical history I should know about?
- Allergic to anything?
- I'm not sure.
Is she on any medications?
Not that I know of.
She's been drinking.
Yeah, I picked up on that.
- Who do we have here?
- 40-year-old female.
MVA with head trauma.
Obvious fracture, left arm.
Her name is Lacey Hoffman.
Nephew, CFD. Found her on the scene.
Let's get her in trauma three.
On me. One, two, three.
Check her vitals, please.
OK, you got it.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[SIGHS] Come on.
He is so concerned about his aunt
that he forgot that he left his car
on the side of the road
with the keys in it.
I don't think he forgot.
He just didn't care.
He wasn't gonna leave the hospital
until his aunt was out of surgery.
- But she's gonna be OK?
- I don't know.
He left when she was still sedated.
I hope he gets some rest too, poor guy.
Oh, he won't.
He insisted on coming into shift.
I'm sure he needs a distraction.
You good?
Yeah, I'm just spacing out.
I heard about your aunt.
Is she gonna be OK?
She was stable last
I checked, so that's good.
Was she the one behind the wheel?
No, some random
who picked her up at the bar.
The guy had a suspended license,
blood alcohol level
twice the legal limit.
Walks away with cuts and bruises.
Always the ones at fault
who don't get hurt.
I was pretty angry with her
the last time we spoke.
I shouldn't have said what I said.
Why not?
You think this is on you?
Her falling off the wagon?
She was doing pretty good
up to that point.
She's perfectly capable
of screwing up her life
without any help from you.
- She's proven that much.
- Mm.
You had every right
to say what you said.
Dylan?
What are you doing here?
I'm in trouble.
- Uh-oh.
- Yeah.
And my mother always said,
if I'm in trouble,
run down to the firehouse
and ask for help.
Sounds serious. Are you hurt?
OK, if you guys are
about to play doctor,
please leave me out of it.
As fun as that sounds,
here's the actual thing.
My brother is making me
ditch all my responsibilities
and go to Vegas for the weekend.
Oh, "making" you.
He's my big brother.
That's how it works, you know?
Of course. So what do you need?
You want me to run your bar
for a couple of days?
Play left wing on your rec league?
No, way more fun.
You're gonna love this.
I'm booked to do a magic show
at the hospital on Saturday.
And you want me to cancel it for you?
No, I need you to be my understudy.
Oh, that's bad idea.
Oh, come on. You'd be great at it.
The kids love you.
I'm not a magician.
Neither am I. Look.
Oh, you came prepared.
Everything you need
to be a magician is in here.
You have instruction books,
props, flash paper,
- silk streamers, top hat.
- Oh.
Dylan, I don't know.
Why not?
You already know
how all the tricks work.
I mean, if I can do it, you sure can.
You perform actual miracles
every day on the job.
Come on. What do you say?
[GROANING]
Sylvie, it's for the children.
- Oh, fine.
- OK.
Great. [CHUCKLES]
You're not gonna regret this.
Once you get a taste of the limelight
[ALARM BLARES]
Ambo 61. Squad 3.
I'll leave all this here for you.
- You're gonna kill this.
- Truck 81. Structure fire.
2958 West Pershing Road.
[SIRENS WAILING]
- That smoke looks nasty.
- Yeah.
My neighbor, Rita, she's still inside.
I heard an explosion.
Then the whole building shook.
OK, ma'am. Go with this lady.
OK, it looks like
we got possible residents
on the second floor.
But this industrial supply company,
I've cited them multiple times
for improperly storing
ammoniated compounds, so
[EXPLOSION]
OK, we need to clear those apartments
- before there's another blast.
- Copy, Chief.
Truck, Squad, rapid primary search
on the second floor. No lingering.
Herrmann, I want two lines out there.
- Hold that fire back.
- You got it, Chief.
All right, Tony, find those utilities.
- Capp, you're with me.
- Mouch, raise the aerial.
Carver, Gallo, let's go.
- Copy.
- Copy.
226 to Main, emergency.
Start in a still and box alarm.
Hazmat level one.
Come on, let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
- Come on!
- [RADIO CHATTER]
All right, Squad is
gonna take the third floor.
Truck, you take two.
Copy. In and out, like Chief said.
All right, Carver, head back
and clear the corner unit.
Copy that, Lieutenant.
Gallo, you and me
will take these apartments.
Copy.
Stay low!
Fire department! Call out!
Gallo!
- Check the bedroom.
- Copy.
The bedroom's clear, Lieutenant.
[GROANING]
Hey.
- What's wrong?
- I'm
I'm itching all over.
My arms are burning.
I feel it too.
Chief, the smoke is bad.
There's some kind of a
corrosive substance in the air.
Same story here, Chief.
Our skin's on fire.
Squad 3, Truck 81, evacuate immediately.
Fire department! Call out!
[COUGHING]
I have a victim. Coming out now.
Hey, take it easy. I got you.
[WHEEZING]
[SIRENS WAILING]
OK, Chief.
Hey.
- Stand by for decon duties.
- All right.
- Chief Boden.
- Yep.
What's the situation?
Multiple explosions on the street level.
Possible hydrogen gas.
But could be muriatic acid
from the supply store
reacting with metal shavings
from this machine shop.
Copy that, Chief. We'll handle it.
Good.
[GROANING]
Hey, make way.
[GASPING]
You good?
Squad, Truck, return to quarters.
Shower and change.
[WHEEZING]
Hey. What happened to your mask?
She knocked it off.
- All right.
- We need to intubate her now.
[WHEEZING CONTINUES]
Hey, you OK?
Carver!
Hey!
Sam Carver, firefighter.
Came in about 30 minutes ago.
Yeah, trauma four.
Lean forward for me.
Friends?
Family.
- How's he doing?
- Not bad, considering.
His bronchial linings took a hit
from the chemicals he inhaled,
but there's no fluid.
And his oxygen saturation is solid.
- Well, that's good?
- It is.
But we're gonna keep him
overnight just to be safe.
Any word on the victim he came in with?
She didn't fare as well.
Her lungs took a hit.
We had to put her on a ventilator.
All right, we're
gonna get out of your hair
and let you rest.
You take it easy.
Um
Lieutenant, can I check on Lacey?
Oh, of course. Yeah, go.
We'll wait for you.
You're awake.
Look at you in your uniform.
- [GROANS]
- Oh, uh, how are you feeling?
I'm OK.
Dr. Charles told me you're the one
that found me in the car
after the crash.
He said if it wasn't for you
The ambulance got there pretty quickly,
and took over, so
Well, I'm glad you were there.
Blake, I'm really sorry
about all of this.
The accident,
the weird drunk texts, and
Anyway,
now you know what you've
been missing all these years.
Hmm.
I wish your mom could see you.
She would be so proud.
I'm I'm actually still on shift,
and my lieutenant's
waiting for me downstairs.
Oh, yeah. Of course.
I'll stop by when I'm off.
OK.
Hey, Blake.
You got a second
to talk about your aunt?
Yeah. Yeah, of course.
So they have her
on a peripheral nerve blocker
to deal with the post-operative
pain instead of an opiate.
But when she leaves the hospital,
she's gonna be
in a considerable amount of discomfort.
And there's nothing you can prescribe?
There's plenty I could
prescribe, but, you know,
she's concerned about her sobriety,
so she wants to tough out the pain.
Well, that seems a little
counterproductive. Don't you think?
Pretty common response
from people in recovery.
I just
I don't want her to suffer
any more than she has to.
Well, there is
another option, all right?
You might ask her
if she would be comfortable
with you dispensing
the prescription medications.
You know, you're her nephew.
You're a trained medic.
It's a pretty common workaround.
So, you know, just give it
a think, all right?
'Cause she's got a tough road
ahead of her.
OK. Thank you.
You bet.
I wrote them up at least twice back
when I was a battalion chief,
but they are still
storing massive quantities
of hazardous material
in a residential building.
I'm here to find out why.
Chief, I get that you're mad about this.
And if you did report them,
I assure you, we followed up.
Then why are they still at it?
I don't know.
But we take every violation seriously.
If that were the case, I wouldn't have
a firefighter and a victim
in the hospital
with chemical burns right now.
Hell, I
I'm sorry, Chief.
Are they gonna be OK?
God willing.
But we wouldn't be asking this question
if you'd have done your job.
I'll get to the bottom of it.
What's that address?
3958 South Pershing.
Loomis Industrial Supply.
What is it?
You know the place?
Look, Director Valencia.
I'm not leaving your office
without answers.
OK.
But you gotta close the door.
OK, this one's a little simpler.
Upside-down water bottle trick.
What do you think?
Simple, but messy.
Well, then I have nothing.
I can't find one trick
that I can learn by Saturday.
You did the floating card one earlier.
The card never levitated.
Of all the weekends Dylan's brother
could have dragged him out of town.
FaceTime him and have him
walk you through one.
I don't want to interrupt him
on his trip.
Plus, we could use the space.
What? You guys seem great together.
We do, but I'm still
kind of finding my footing
after Hurricane Matt blew in
through town without warning.
Hey, how's Carver?
Oh, he's fine, the faker.
Minor burn of the trachea.
Ouch.
- Mm, Brett, you got a sec?
- Sure.
Hey, I talked to Dr. Charles at Med,
and he said Lacey's not accepting
anything stronger than ibuprofen.
- Sobriety concerns?
- Yeah.
Brett and I run into this
a lot actually.
I figured.
Any advice?
Best thing you can do is
come up with a treatment plan with her.
Given those injuries,
that acute post-surgical pain
is gonna kick her ass.
Yeah.
Maybe you should talk to her,
let her know
you're there to support her.
Look, either she's gonna have
to suffer through the pain
or she's gonna take the meds
and wrestle with her addiction.
Either way, she's gonna need help.
OK, uh, just pick a card.
Yeah.
- [SIGHS]
- OK.
OK, now put it back in the deck.
OK, and everyone can see
that Cruz's card is completely
lost in the deck, right?
- Yes.
- Oh, yeah.
OK, so
OK.
Yeah, OK.
Ah.
Was your card the ten of hearts?
[CHUCKLES] No.
Shoot.
Hey, Chief, how'd it go downtown?
Not good. What's the word on Carver?
Looks like he's gonna be OK.
Little damage to the throat,
but not enough to keep him quiet.
- Ha!
- What happened?
You read them the riot act?
Yeah, not that it did me any good.
That chemical company has got
a guardian angel somewhere.
Every time they get caught
in a violation,
the investigating agency gets pushback
from someone up the food chain.
Well, that's disgusting.
Well, what do we do
to find this guardian angel?
The company supplies pool
cleaning chemicals to the city,
so it's probably someone
involved with city contracts.
But whoever it is
must have some real juice.
Valencia thinks it goes all the
way up to the city treasurer,
- but I don't know.
- [COUGHS]
The treasurer as in Don Ramsey?
Yep, but I don't buy it.
Ramsey seems like
a decent enough guy, right?
Chief, there's something
I gotta tell you.
The fire was hardly anything.
We never even had to stretch a hose.
But after, in my sweep of the building,
I came across Don Ramsey
hiding in a closet
with a woman who was not his wife,
and they were both half-dressed.
Hang on. Are you talking
about the artist lady?
'Cause you told me
that you didn't get the name
of the guy that you saw her with.
Which was technically true.
I didn't realize who he was until later.
But the point is,
he was scared I was gonna rat him out,
so he started keeping tabs on me,
making all kinds of threats.
What kind of threats?
My job, my lieutenant's job.
He said he'd come
after the whole firehouse.
And you decided to take
the fate of this firehouse
into your own hands?
It just felt like something
I had to handle one on one, so I did.
You shouldn't have kept me in the dark.
And you don't ever lie
to your lieutenant.
It wasn't my intention to.
I was just trying not to make
waves for Lieutenant Herrmann.
He and Cindy were in the thick of it,
and I just didn't want
to add to his stress.
Continue.
Anyway, in the course
of that whole mess,
I got a real unvarnished look
at Don Ramsey.
He's a sketchy dude.
A liar, a cheat.
Perfectly willing to use
the powers of his office
in a personal vendetta.
The guy basically stalked me
using his connections to the CFD.
So he's more than willing
to use his position
for personal gain.
That could include payouts.
Ramsey has gotten a lot of ink
for how he's managed to turn
the city's finances around.
Maybe the secret to his success
is giving out illicit contracts
to shady companies who cut corners,
like Loomis Industrial Supply.
He's the city treasurer, Chief.
I mean, how do you go
after a guy like that head-on?
Well, maybe we need
to move this up the chain.
DC Hill is a good place to start.
She is a political animal,
but she knows right from wrong.
Kylie!
Call DC Hill's office.
See how fast you can
get a meeting on the books.
- I'm on it, Chief.
- All right.
OK.
Hey.
I'm really sorry, Lieutenant.
I appreciate you keeping
an eye out for me, Ritter,
but you don't have
to protect me from bad news.
I can handle it.
It won't happen again.
Was your card the ten of diamonds?
Almost. Eight of hearts.
Also, you're dropping cards
all over the firehouse.
Oh.
Hey, Capp.
[STAMMERING] Oh, come on.
Just let me try it on you one more time.
I blame myself. I encouraged her.
Those poor kids.
That show is gonna blow.
[LAUGHING]
Hey, thank you for yesterday.
I think I know a way
that I can support her,
but I could use your help.
- Yeah, whatever you need.
- Cool.
I've been asking around
to some of the folks
who worked with Ramsey
when he was with the CFD.
The more I learn about the man,
the more certain I am
that it has to be him.
I'm just asking you,
what's the best approach here?
If I were you,
I'd file an anonymous complaint
with the inspector general's office.
Then I'd go back to my district
and forget the whole thing.
An anonymous complaint
won't move the needle.
If Don Ramsey is responsible
for those illegally stored chemicals,
- he has to answer for it.
- If he's responsible.
But you have no concrete proof of that.
That's why we need
an investigation to find proof.
We're talking about one
of the most powerful people
in Chicago.
A man who could bust us
both down to battalion chief
with a single phone call.
And that's if he wants to go easy on us.
Chief, without any hard evidence,
you got nothing.
So I'm supposed to just
forget about it?
You don't take a shot at the
king unless you can kill him.
Mm.
Joyce is looking pretty good,
don't you think?
Maybe we bump her down
to biweekly visits.
I am never gonna land this, am I?
I could have sworn
she had the five of spades.
Hey, she has early-onset dementia.
She probably didn't remember
what her card even was.
I can't believe I agreed to do this.
It's the clap.
You're missing the clap.
The clap?
What's that?
This
is an abomination to magic.
[SIGHS]
Now on three, clap.
One, two, three.
I distracted you
when you clapped your hands.
It's the secret sauce to the trick.
That one, you get for free.
Oh, Mouch, you have
to help me on Saturday.
These kids are gonna eat me alive.
Toughest crowds are kids, Brett.
No, please.
Please, don't make me beg.
Fine.
But learn the basics first.
Number one:
there's no such thing as magic.
Just illusion.
The flower is a nice touch.
Thanks.
I guess all those hours of HGTV
didn't go to waste after all.
It's nice of you
to give up your bed for Lacey.
It sure beats recovering at a hotel.
We'll see. I mean,
I haven't had a chance
to run it by her yet.
Post-op recovery is no joke.
She's very lucky
you're doing this for her.
Yeah.
Hey, what's that look about?
It doesn't take a psychiatrist
to know why I'm in this line of work.
I pretty much spent my whole life
trying to go back and save my sister.
- Aw, Blake.
- No, it's delusional.
I know. I can't help it, but
The other night, when
I pulled Lacey out of that car,
that was the first save
I've ever felt, like,
even just a little bit
of, like, redemption.
So I'm not sure
if I'm doing this for her
or if it's for me.
It doesn't matter why you're doing it.
This is a kindness that could change
the whole trajectory of her life.
Come on. Let's clear out all the booze.
[EXHALES SHARPLY]
We're gonna need a bigger box.
[GIGGLES]
Um, my wife ordered online.
- Name's Boden.
- One second.
Boden, as in Wallace Boden? Don Ramsey.
We met a few years back
at one CFD event or another.
Yeah, sure.
Do you, uh you live around here?
No, but I'll always
go out of my way for Manny's.
Hey, you're
at Firehouse 51 still, right?
I heard one of your guys
got hurt yesterday.
Not too bad, I hope.
He's recovering.
Good. Good.
My days with the CFD are behind me,
but I'll always have a soft
spot for our firefighters.
Mm.
I know that might sound insincere
given all the recent budget cuts.
But hey, now that
we're making our numbers,
I could probably
loosen the purse strings
and find some extra funding
for your district.
If that would help.
Here you go.
Ah, thank you.
Um, you know, I got bigger
concerns than budget cuts,
like the fact that
someone in city government
is skirting regulations and
putting firefighters at risk.
I'm gonna take them down.
Enjoy your meal, Mr. Treasurer.
[MONITORS BEEPING]
You guys really start early, don't you?
Not always this early.
I have to go to the store and make sure
I have enough bacon for
a dozen hungry firefighters.
You kept up with your cooking, huh?
You always had a knack for it.
- Well, I had a good teacher.
- [CHUCKLES]
You remember when I taught you
how to make baked mac and cheese?
Oh. [BOTH LAUGH]
And I dumped, what was it,
two pounds of macaroni
- all over the stovetop?
- Oh, God.
You turned beet red. It was so cute.
Hey, um
I know you're worried
about abusing your pain meds
when you're discharged, but don't be.
I want to be there to support
you every step of the way.
Oh, you've done plenty already.
Don't get caught up in my mess.
You can't do it alone, Lacey.
So you're gonna stay with me.
I already have everything
set up for you.
No, Blake, after everything,
that's not fair.
I can't be a burden to you.
You're not a burden to me.
You're family.
What the hell?
Does he got a tracker
on your car or something?
Probably followed me from my house.
All I know is, it was no coincidence.
- That's creepy.
- How did he find out
that you were gunning for him?
I mean, did DC Hill rat you out?
- No way.
- I asked a few people
about him when I was at HQ.
I should have been more careful.
Yeah, one thing I learned,
Ramsey's still
got connections in the CFD.
How he knows doesn't really matter.
The point is, he knows.
Yeah, but he's tipped his hand too.
Now we know we're barking up
the right tree.
- Yes.
- But we still need proof.
So what'd you find out
about that company?
I did some digging.
Just public records, stuff like that.
Loomis Industrial Supply
is owned by a holding company
called McGrath-Hewitt LLC.
They own a bunch of companies,
and they all seem
to work under city contracts
office supplies, printing services,
auto parts for city vehicles.
So this is bigger than one contract.
There could be a whole network
of shady companies out there
just cutting corners for him.
And if we can link Ramsey
to any of them,
that connects him to all of them.
What kind of a link are we looking for?
I don't know. If he has
a financial interest or
If they contributed to his
campaign, that might be enough.
- I'll get Kylie on that.
- All right.
Meantime, why don't we take a look
at some of these places,
see what we can find?
And what, just start knocking
on doors asking questions?
Random inspections, you know,
looking for fire code violations.
Just pop in, peek behind
the curtain, see what's what.
Yeah, it's better
than sitting on our hands
waiting for Ramsey to come after us.
- Yeah.
- OK.
But keep a low profile.
Low profile's my middle name.
OK, now put your card back in the deck.
OK, on the count of three,
I want you to clap.
One, two, three.
And was this your card?
Oh, incredible.
- Oh!
- [SQUEALS]
Patience, persistence, performance.
Oh, my God. Are you kidding me?
Was this really your card?
- It's the right suit.
- [WHIMPERS]
I'm sorry. It's just
you were giving it your all.
- I felt bad.
- [SIGHS]
81, mount up.
We're gonna go sniff
around a few companies
that might be affiliates of Ramsey's.
Hell yes.
Rome wasn't built in a day,
and Harry didn't
become Houdini overnight.
[SIGHS]
Oh, boy, every one of these companies
is even shabbier than the last one.
Fire hazard, OSHA violation.
I mean, they all look fly-by-night,
like they only exist
to service these contracts.
- Help you guys?
- Yeah, CFD.
Popping in for a quick inspection.
- Oh, man. Really?
- Yeah.
I can already see that you guys
got some issues to address.
- Is the owner around?
- The owner is Mr. McGrath.
He's not really the hands-on type.
But his sister dropped by
to do the books.
- You want to talk to her?
- Yeah, thanks.
Yo, Tanya!
That'd be McGrath of McGrath-Hewitt LLC.
- "Not really the hands-on type."
- Yeah.
Hey, how great would it be
if they were printing up
Don Ramsey campaign flyers?
[BOTH LAUGH]
Hey, how do I know her?
That's the lady from the art studio.
Herrmann, we gotta get out of here.
That's Don Ramsey's mistress.
Copy that, Main.
51 on the way.
Can I help you, gentlemen?
No, we just caught a house fire, ma'am.
Sorry to bother you.
You're off the hook.
You think she recognized you?
The two of us together
in our bunker gear?
Pretty good chance.
So much for keeping a low profile.
I know, Chief, but this is a lock.
We now know for sure
that Ramsey is in bed
with the McGrath-Hewitt companies
because he's literally in bed
with McGrath's sister, Tanya.
OK, so how do we use this?
Look.
If you are willing to go
on record about the affair
- I am.
- Maybe we can use that
to shore up the case against Ramsey.
Go back to Director Valencia
and DC Hill,
and we see if we get 'em on board.
What about a reporter?
We give them the scoop,
and we see if they run with it.
Good. Yes.
Chief, sorry to interrupt,
but Don Ramsey's office is on the line.
He'd like to meet with you.
Deputy District Chief Wallace Boden.
Here to see Don Ramsey.
Yes, Chief. Thank you for coming.
Chief Boden is here, sir.
[DOOR OPENS, SHUTS]
Chief, thanks so much for coming.
You got something to say to me, say it.
Chief, why don't you come inside?
Folks, this is the man
I've been telling you about.
Deputy District Chief
Wallace Boden of the CFD.
We have him to thank for rooting out
this corrupt enterprise that's
been siphoning our tax dollars
and putting our citizens
and first responders at risk.
What the hell is this?
- You think I can be bought?
- I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to ambush you like this.
I know you don't do this
for the accolades,
but you deserve them nonetheless.
Because of you, we're gonna review
all current city contracts
and clean up this sort of corruption.
Because what happened
to your firefighter
is never gonna happen again on my watch.
I promise you that.
[APPLAUSE]
Boden.
I don't know what you think
you're doing here
I'm letting you be the hero, Boden.
You want to blow this all up? Go ahead.
Make a scene, file your complaints,
try to take me down
if you think you can.
But if I were you, I'd take the win.
We're gonna shut down
all those companies,
clean up the whole contract process.
Isn't that what you wanted?
To make the city safer?
OK, and now,
the Astonishing Sylvie will perform
"The Vanishing Milk Trick."
As you can see, I have a glass of milk.
And now, I'm going to very carefully
pour the milk into the newspaper.
Hmm
And
Voilà.
No milk.
[WHISPERS] I'm dying up here.
Patience, persistence,
performance.
Oh.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Pick a card, any card.
In a faraway land,
an evil magician named Gorsch
used his magic powers
to curse good-hearted magicians
like The Astonishing Sylvie.
What are you doing? You're going rogue.
But if the curse causes Sylvie to fail,
fear not!
Candy for everyone!
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
[CHUCKLES WEAKLY]
OK.
And is this your card?
- Really? I did it!
- Oh!
I did it. And you didn't think I could.
A magician prepares
for every contingency.
I want candy! [BOOING]
Where's the candy?
Excuse me.
Hey, um
was the patient that was
in here moved to another room?
- Lacey Hoffman?
- Yeah.
She was discharged a few hours ago.
Are you sure? I'm supposed
to be picking her up.
Yeah, I have her
discharge summary right here.
I'm sorry.
For her first trick of the evening,
making a glass of bubbly disappear.
Is this an apology or a compliment?
Both praise and a peace offering.
Hmm.
Brett, that was a hell
of a show you put on.
Dylan's gonna be proud.
Unless I got him blacklisted.
Well, here's to hoping you didn't.
And, uh, drink slowly.
This is the good stuff from the back.
Really?
Does Herrmann
No.
When I ran for office,
this was the exact type
of waste and fraud
that I promised to stamp out.
And I keep my promises.
That is one punchable face.
We've already voided the contract
for Loomis Industrial Supply
and are moving to press charges
against anyone responsible
for improperly storing those chemicals.
And that's just the beginning.
Turn it off.
My department is fo
He should be in jail.
Instead, he's doing a victory lap.
Hey, Chief.
You played this the only way you could.
And we got what we were after.
So why do I have
such a bad taste in my mouth?
I gotta be honest, Chief.
I'm impressed with your restraint.
Deputy Commissioner.
I thought you might
knock Ramsey on his ass
and get yourself arrested.
Well, I guess I'm mellowing
in my old age.
No, that's not it.
You're just learning
the politics of this job.
Finally.
Is it supposed to feel this awful?
Every time.
It's been a back and forth battle
so far through the first,
but Houston's managed
to hold onto the lead.
What does Philly have to do
to get back in this game?
Well, they need to start
locking down their shots.
I picked the worst time
to dump all my beer.
[KNOCKS AT DOOR]
Blake. Oh, thank God.
This is the third door I tried.
I-I didn't want to come empty-handed,
so I thought maybe
we could make
your mom's baked potato soup.
So, you know, I just
Oh.
Oh, God.
[TENDER MUSIC]
♪
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
[WOLF HOWLS]
My aunt,
out of nowhere, after all these years,
wants to make nice.
I thought his family wasn't around.
When he was a kid, there was a fire.
They were able to pull him out,
but Mom, Dad, little sister
He lost them all.
Why are you here?
I have been clean for a few months now.
You disappeared.
I was 23.
- I was a kid.
- No!
No, I was a kid!
My aunt's at a bar in Logan Square.
Damn it.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Lacey, it's Blake.
It's Blake. Can you hear me?
[FLAMES ROARING]
Hey! Hey, you two, help him out!
Come on!
Come on.
- Screw this!
- Hey, don't let him leave!
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
Hey, you gotta sit down.
Hey, Lacey. Lacey, stay with me.
OK.
- Lacey.
- [SIRENS WAILING]
Lacey, it's Blake.
Lacey.
Lacey.
Come on!
Over here! Come on!
Obvious fracture, left arm.
She's unresponsive with
lacerations to the forehead.
Pulse is weak and rapid.
- You a doctor?
- Firefighter.
You better roll an engine out here.
76 to Main, we need an engine.
- Copy, 76.
- Okay. Okay, we got it.
Let's go!
Give me that blanket.
I got her.
All right, on me.
One, two, three.
All right, I got this. I got this.
- You get ready to go.
- Copy.
Thanks. We got it from here.
No, I'm coming with. She's my aunt.
Thank you.
- Run the fluids wide.
- Copy.
Any medical history I should know about?
- Allergic to anything?
- I'm not sure.
Is she on any medications?
Not that I know of.
She's been drinking.
Yeah, I picked up on that.
- Who do we have here?
- 40-year-old female.
MVA with head trauma.
Obvious fracture, left arm.
Her name is Lacey Hoffman.
Nephew, CFD. Found her on the scene.
Let's get her in trauma three.
On me. One, two, three.
Check her vitals, please.
OK, you got it.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[SIGHS] Come on.
He is so concerned about his aunt
that he forgot that he left his car
on the side of the road
with the keys in it.
I don't think he forgot.
He just didn't care.
He wasn't gonna leave the hospital
until his aunt was out of surgery.
- But she's gonna be OK?
- I don't know.
He left when she was still sedated.
I hope he gets some rest too, poor guy.
Oh, he won't.
He insisted on coming into shift.
I'm sure he needs a distraction.
You good?
Yeah, I'm just spacing out.
I heard about your aunt.
Is she gonna be OK?
She was stable last
I checked, so that's good.
Was she the one behind the wheel?
No, some random
who picked her up at the bar.
The guy had a suspended license,
blood alcohol level
twice the legal limit.
Walks away with cuts and bruises.
Always the ones at fault
who don't get hurt.
I was pretty angry with her
the last time we spoke.
I shouldn't have said what I said.
Why not?
You think this is on you?
Her falling off the wagon?
She was doing pretty good
up to that point.
She's perfectly capable
of screwing up her life
without any help from you.
- She's proven that much.
- Mm.
You had every right
to say what you said.
Dylan?
What are you doing here?
I'm in trouble.
- Uh-oh.
- Yeah.
And my mother always said,
if I'm in trouble,
run down to the firehouse
and ask for help.
Sounds serious. Are you hurt?
OK, if you guys are
about to play doctor,
please leave me out of it.
As fun as that sounds,
here's the actual thing.
My brother is making me
ditch all my responsibilities
and go to Vegas for the weekend.
Oh, "making" you.
He's my big brother.
That's how it works, you know?
Of course. So what do you need?
You want me to run your bar
for a couple of days?
Play left wing on your rec league?
No, way more fun.
You're gonna love this.
I'm booked to do a magic show
at the hospital on Saturday.
And you want me to cancel it for you?
No, I need you to be my understudy.
Oh, that's bad idea.
Oh, come on. You'd be great at it.
The kids love you.
I'm not a magician.
Neither am I. Look.
Oh, you came prepared.
Everything you need
to be a magician is in here.
You have instruction books,
props, flash paper,
- silk streamers, top hat.
- Oh.
Dylan, I don't know.
Why not?
You already know
how all the tricks work.
I mean, if I can do it, you sure can.
You perform actual miracles
every day on the job.
Come on. What do you say?
[GROANING]
Sylvie, it's for the children.
- Oh, fine.
- OK.
Great. [CHUCKLES]
You're not gonna regret this.
Once you get a taste of the limelight
[ALARM BLARES]
Ambo 61. Squad 3.
I'll leave all this here for you.
- You're gonna kill this.
- Truck 81. Structure fire.
2958 West Pershing Road.
[SIRENS WAILING]
- That smoke looks nasty.
- Yeah.
My neighbor, Rita, she's still inside.
I heard an explosion.
Then the whole building shook.
OK, ma'am. Go with this lady.
OK, it looks like
we got possible residents
on the second floor.
But this industrial supply company,
I've cited them multiple times
for improperly storing
ammoniated compounds, so
[EXPLOSION]
OK, we need to clear those apartments
- before there's another blast.
- Copy, Chief.
Truck, Squad, rapid primary search
on the second floor. No lingering.
Herrmann, I want two lines out there.
- Hold that fire back.
- You got it, Chief.
All right, Tony, find those utilities.
- Capp, you're with me.
- Mouch, raise the aerial.
Carver, Gallo, let's go.
- Copy.
- Copy.
226 to Main, emergency.
Start in a still and box alarm.
Hazmat level one.
Come on, let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
- Come on!
- [RADIO CHATTER]
All right, Squad is
gonna take the third floor.
Truck, you take two.
Copy. In and out, like Chief said.
All right, Carver, head back
and clear the corner unit.
Copy that, Lieutenant.
Gallo, you and me
will take these apartments.
Copy.
Stay low!
Fire department! Call out!
Gallo!
- Check the bedroom.
- Copy.
The bedroom's clear, Lieutenant.
[GROANING]
Hey.
- What's wrong?
- I'm
I'm itching all over.
My arms are burning.
I feel it too.
Chief, the smoke is bad.
There's some kind of a
corrosive substance in the air.
Same story here, Chief.
Our skin's on fire.
Squad 3, Truck 81, evacuate immediately.
Fire department! Call out!
[COUGHING]
I have a victim. Coming out now.
Hey, take it easy. I got you.
[WHEEZING]
[SIRENS WAILING]
OK, Chief.
Hey.
- Stand by for decon duties.
- All right.
- Chief Boden.
- Yep.
What's the situation?
Multiple explosions on the street level.
Possible hydrogen gas.
But could be muriatic acid
from the supply store
reacting with metal shavings
from this machine shop.
Copy that, Chief. We'll handle it.
Good.
[GROANING]
Hey, make way.
[GASPING]
You good?
Squad, Truck, return to quarters.
Shower and change.
[WHEEZING]
Hey. What happened to your mask?
She knocked it off.
- All right.
- We need to intubate her now.
[WHEEZING CONTINUES]
Hey, you OK?
Carver!
Hey!
Sam Carver, firefighter.
Came in about 30 minutes ago.
Yeah, trauma four.
Lean forward for me.
Friends?
Family.
- How's he doing?
- Not bad, considering.
His bronchial linings took a hit
from the chemicals he inhaled,
but there's no fluid.
And his oxygen saturation is solid.
- Well, that's good?
- It is.
But we're gonna keep him
overnight just to be safe.
Any word on the victim he came in with?
She didn't fare as well.
Her lungs took a hit.
We had to put her on a ventilator.
All right, we're
gonna get out of your hair
and let you rest.
You take it easy.
Um
Lieutenant, can I check on Lacey?
Oh, of course. Yeah, go.
We'll wait for you.
You're awake.
Look at you in your uniform.
- [GROANS]
- Oh, uh, how are you feeling?
I'm OK.
Dr. Charles told me you're the one
that found me in the car
after the crash.
He said if it wasn't for you
The ambulance got there pretty quickly,
and took over, so
Well, I'm glad you were there.
Blake, I'm really sorry
about all of this.
The accident,
the weird drunk texts, and
Anyway,
now you know what you've
been missing all these years.
Hmm.
I wish your mom could see you.
She would be so proud.
I'm I'm actually still on shift,
and my lieutenant's
waiting for me downstairs.
Oh, yeah. Of course.
I'll stop by when I'm off.
OK.
Hey, Blake.
You got a second
to talk about your aunt?
Yeah. Yeah, of course.
So they have her
on a peripheral nerve blocker
to deal with the post-operative
pain instead of an opiate.
But when she leaves the hospital,
she's gonna be
in a considerable amount of discomfort.
And there's nothing you can prescribe?
There's plenty I could
prescribe, but, you know,
she's concerned about her sobriety,
so she wants to tough out the pain.
Well, that seems a little
counterproductive. Don't you think?
Pretty common response
from people in recovery.
I just
I don't want her to suffer
any more than she has to.
Well, there is
another option, all right?
You might ask her
if she would be comfortable
with you dispensing
the prescription medications.
You know, you're her nephew.
You're a trained medic.
It's a pretty common workaround.
So, you know, just give it
a think, all right?
'Cause she's got a tough road
ahead of her.
OK. Thank you.
You bet.
I wrote them up at least twice back
when I was a battalion chief,
but they are still
storing massive quantities
of hazardous material
in a residential building.
I'm here to find out why.
Chief, I get that you're mad about this.
And if you did report them,
I assure you, we followed up.
Then why are they still at it?
I don't know.
But we take every violation seriously.
If that were the case, I wouldn't have
a firefighter and a victim
in the hospital
with chemical burns right now.
Hell, I
I'm sorry, Chief.
Are they gonna be OK?
God willing.
But we wouldn't be asking this question
if you'd have done your job.
I'll get to the bottom of it.
What's that address?
3958 South Pershing.
Loomis Industrial Supply.
What is it?
You know the place?
Look, Director Valencia.
I'm not leaving your office
without answers.
OK.
But you gotta close the door.
OK, this one's a little simpler.
Upside-down water bottle trick.
What do you think?
Simple, but messy.
Well, then I have nothing.
I can't find one trick
that I can learn by Saturday.
You did the floating card one earlier.
The card never levitated.
Of all the weekends Dylan's brother
could have dragged him out of town.
FaceTime him and have him
walk you through one.
I don't want to interrupt him
on his trip.
Plus, we could use the space.
What? You guys seem great together.
We do, but I'm still
kind of finding my footing
after Hurricane Matt blew in
through town without warning.
Hey, how's Carver?
Oh, he's fine, the faker.
Minor burn of the trachea.
Ouch.
- Mm, Brett, you got a sec?
- Sure.
Hey, I talked to Dr. Charles at Med,
and he said Lacey's not accepting
anything stronger than ibuprofen.
- Sobriety concerns?
- Yeah.
Brett and I run into this
a lot actually.
I figured.
Any advice?
Best thing you can do is
come up with a treatment plan with her.
Given those injuries,
that acute post-surgical pain
is gonna kick her ass.
Yeah.
Maybe you should talk to her,
let her know
you're there to support her.
Look, either she's gonna have
to suffer through the pain
or she's gonna take the meds
and wrestle with her addiction.
Either way, she's gonna need help.
OK, uh, just pick a card.
Yeah.
- [SIGHS]
- OK.
OK, now put it back in the deck.
OK, and everyone can see
that Cruz's card is completely
lost in the deck, right?
- Yes.
- Oh, yeah.
OK, so
OK.
Yeah, OK.
Ah.
Was your card the ten of hearts?
[CHUCKLES] No.
Shoot.
Hey, Chief, how'd it go downtown?
Not good. What's the word on Carver?
Looks like he's gonna be OK.
Little damage to the throat,
but not enough to keep him quiet.
- Ha!
- What happened?
You read them the riot act?
Yeah, not that it did me any good.
That chemical company has got
a guardian angel somewhere.
Every time they get caught
in a violation,
the investigating agency gets pushback
from someone up the food chain.
Well, that's disgusting.
Well, what do we do
to find this guardian angel?
The company supplies pool
cleaning chemicals to the city,
so it's probably someone
involved with city contracts.
But whoever it is
must have some real juice.
Valencia thinks it goes all the
way up to the city treasurer,
- but I don't know.
- [COUGHS]
The treasurer as in Don Ramsey?
Yep, but I don't buy it.
Ramsey seems like
a decent enough guy, right?
Chief, there's something
I gotta tell you.
The fire was hardly anything.
We never even had to stretch a hose.
But after, in my sweep of the building,
I came across Don Ramsey
hiding in a closet
with a woman who was not his wife,
and they were both half-dressed.
Hang on. Are you talking
about the artist lady?
'Cause you told me
that you didn't get the name
of the guy that you saw her with.
Which was technically true.
I didn't realize who he was until later.
But the point is,
he was scared I was gonna rat him out,
so he started keeping tabs on me,
making all kinds of threats.
What kind of threats?
My job, my lieutenant's job.
He said he'd come
after the whole firehouse.
And you decided to take
the fate of this firehouse
into your own hands?
It just felt like something
I had to handle one on one, so I did.
You shouldn't have kept me in the dark.
And you don't ever lie
to your lieutenant.
It wasn't my intention to.
I was just trying not to make
waves for Lieutenant Herrmann.
He and Cindy were in the thick of it,
and I just didn't want
to add to his stress.
Continue.
Anyway, in the course
of that whole mess,
I got a real unvarnished look
at Don Ramsey.
He's a sketchy dude.
A liar, a cheat.
Perfectly willing to use
the powers of his office
in a personal vendetta.
The guy basically stalked me
using his connections to the CFD.
So he's more than willing
to use his position
for personal gain.
That could include payouts.
Ramsey has gotten a lot of ink
for how he's managed to turn
the city's finances around.
Maybe the secret to his success
is giving out illicit contracts
to shady companies who cut corners,
like Loomis Industrial Supply.
He's the city treasurer, Chief.
I mean, how do you go
after a guy like that head-on?
Well, maybe we need
to move this up the chain.
DC Hill is a good place to start.
She is a political animal,
but she knows right from wrong.
Kylie!
Call DC Hill's office.
See how fast you can
get a meeting on the books.
- I'm on it, Chief.
- All right.
OK.
Hey.
I'm really sorry, Lieutenant.
I appreciate you keeping
an eye out for me, Ritter,
but you don't have
to protect me from bad news.
I can handle it.
It won't happen again.
Was your card the ten of diamonds?
Almost. Eight of hearts.
Also, you're dropping cards
all over the firehouse.
Oh.
Hey, Capp.
[STAMMERING] Oh, come on.
Just let me try it on you one more time.
I blame myself. I encouraged her.
Those poor kids.
That show is gonna blow.
[LAUGHING]
Hey, thank you for yesterday.
I think I know a way
that I can support her,
but I could use your help.
- Yeah, whatever you need.
- Cool.
I've been asking around
to some of the folks
who worked with Ramsey
when he was with the CFD.
The more I learn about the man,
the more certain I am
that it has to be him.
I'm just asking you,
what's the best approach here?
If I were you,
I'd file an anonymous complaint
with the inspector general's office.
Then I'd go back to my district
and forget the whole thing.
An anonymous complaint
won't move the needle.
If Don Ramsey is responsible
for those illegally stored chemicals,
- he has to answer for it.
- If he's responsible.
But you have no concrete proof of that.
That's why we need
an investigation to find proof.
We're talking about one
of the most powerful people
in Chicago.
A man who could bust us
both down to battalion chief
with a single phone call.
And that's if he wants to go easy on us.
Chief, without any hard evidence,
you got nothing.
So I'm supposed to just
forget about it?
You don't take a shot at the
king unless you can kill him.
Mm.
Joyce is looking pretty good,
don't you think?
Maybe we bump her down
to biweekly visits.
I am never gonna land this, am I?
I could have sworn
she had the five of spades.
Hey, she has early-onset dementia.
She probably didn't remember
what her card even was.
I can't believe I agreed to do this.
It's the clap.
You're missing the clap.
The clap?
What's that?
This
is an abomination to magic.
[SIGHS]
Now on three, clap.
One, two, three.
I distracted you
when you clapped your hands.
It's the secret sauce to the trick.
That one, you get for free.
Oh, Mouch, you have
to help me on Saturday.
These kids are gonna eat me alive.
Toughest crowds are kids, Brett.
No, please.
Please, don't make me beg.
Fine.
But learn the basics first.
Number one:
there's no such thing as magic.
Just illusion.
The flower is a nice touch.
Thanks.
I guess all those hours of HGTV
didn't go to waste after all.
It's nice of you
to give up your bed for Lacey.
It sure beats recovering at a hotel.
We'll see. I mean,
I haven't had a chance
to run it by her yet.
Post-op recovery is no joke.
She's very lucky
you're doing this for her.
Yeah.
Hey, what's that look about?
It doesn't take a psychiatrist
to know why I'm in this line of work.
I pretty much spent my whole life
trying to go back and save my sister.
- Aw, Blake.
- No, it's delusional.
I know. I can't help it, but
The other night, when
I pulled Lacey out of that car,
that was the first save
I've ever felt, like,
even just a little bit
of, like, redemption.
So I'm not sure
if I'm doing this for her
or if it's for me.
It doesn't matter why you're doing it.
This is a kindness that could change
the whole trajectory of her life.
Come on. Let's clear out all the booze.
[EXHALES SHARPLY]
We're gonna need a bigger box.
[GIGGLES]
Um, my wife ordered online.
- Name's Boden.
- One second.
Boden, as in Wallace Boden? Don Ramsey.
We met a few years back
at one CFD event or another.
Yeah, sure.
Do you, uh you live around here?
No, but I'll always
go out of my way for Manny's.
Hey, you're
at Firehouse 51 still, right?
I heard one of your guys
got hurt yesterday.
Not too bad, I hope.
He's recovering.
Good. Good.
My days with the CFD are behind me,
but I'll always have a soft
spot for our firefighters.
Mm.
I know that might sound insincere
given all the recent budget cuts.
But hey, now that
we're making our numbers,
I could probably
loosen the purse strings
and find some extra funding
for your district.
If that would help.
Here you go.
Ah, thank you.
Um, you know, I got bigger
concerns than budget cuts,
like the fact that
someone in city government
is skirting regulations and
putting firefighters at risk.
I'm gonna take them down.
Enjoy your meal, Mr. Treasurer.
[MONITORS BEEPING]
You guys really start early, don't you?
Not always this early.
I have to go to the store and make sure
I have enough bacon for
a dozen hungry firefighters.
You kept up with your cooking, huh?
You always had a knack for it.
- Well, I had a good teacher.
- [CHUCKLES]
You remember when I taught you
how to make baked mac and cheese?
Oh. [BOTH LAUGH]
And I dumped, what was it,
two pounds of macaroni
- all over the stovetop?
- Oh, God.
You turned beet red. It was so cute.
Hey, um
I know you're worried
about abusing your pain meds
when you're discharged, but don't be.
I want to be there to support
you every step of the way.
Oh, you've done plenty already.
Don't get caught up in my mess.
You can't do it alone, Lacey.
So you're gonna stay with me.
I already have everything
set up for you.
No, Blake, after everything,
that's not fair.
I can't be a burden to you.
You're not a burden to me.
You're family.
What the hell?
Does he got a tracker
on your car or something?
Probably followed me from my house.
All I know is, it was no coincidence.
- That's creepy.
- How did he find out
that you were gunning for him?
I mean, did DC Hill rat you out?
- No way.
- I asked a few people
about him when I was at HQ.
I should have been more careful.
Yeah, one thing I learned,
Ramsey's still
got connections in the CFD.
How he knows doesn't really matter.
The point is, he knows.
Yeah, but he's tipped his hand too.
Now we know we're barking up
the right tree.
- Yes.
- But we still need proof.
So what'd you find out
about that company?
I did some digging.
Just public records, stuff like that.
Loomis Industrial Supply
is owned by a holding company
called McGrath-Hewitt LLC.
They own a bunch of companies,
and they all seem
to work under city contracts
office supplies, printing services,
auto parts for city vehicles.
So this is bigger than one contract.
There could be a whole network
of shady companies out there
just cutting corners for him.
And if we can link Ramsey
to any of them,
that connects him to all of them.
What kind of a link are we looking for?
I don't know. If he has
a financial interest or
If they contributed to his
campaign, that might be enough.
- I'll get Kylie on that.
- All right.
Meantime, why don't we take a look
at some of these places,
see what we can find?
And what, just start knocking
on doors asking questions?
Random inspections, you know,
looking for fire code violations.
Just pop in, peek behind
the curtain, see what's what.
Yeah, it's better
than sitting on our hands
waiting for Ramsey to come after us.
- Yeah.
- OK.
But keep a low profile.
Low profile's my middle name.
OK, now put your card back in the deck.
OK, on the count of three,
I want you to clap.
One, two, three.
And was this your card?
Oh, incredible.
- Oh!
- [SQUEALS]
Patience, persistence, performance.
Oh, my God. Are you kidding me?
Was this really your card?
- It's the right suit.
- [WHIMPERS]
I'm sorry. It's just
you were giving it your all.
- I felt bad.
- [SIGHS]
81, mount up.
We're gonna go sniff
around a few companies
that might be affiliates of Ramsey's.
Hell yes.
Rome wasn't built in a day,
and Harry didn't
become Houdini overnight.
[SIGHS]
Oh, boy, every one of these companies
is even shabbier than the last one.
Fire hazard, OSHA violation.
I mean, they all look fly-by-night,
like they only exist
to service these contracts.
- Help you guys?
- Yeah, CFD.
Popping in for a quick inspection.
- Oh, man. Really?
- Yeah.
I can already see that you guys
got some issues to address.
- Is the owner around?
- The owner is Mr. McGrath.
He's not really the hands-on type.
But his sister dropped by
to do the books.
- You want to talk to her?
- Yeah, thanks.
Yo, Tanya!
That'd be McGrath of McGrath-Hewitt LLC.
- "Not really the hands-on type."
- Yeah.
Hey, how great would it be
if they were printing up
Don Ramsey campaign flyers?
[BOTH LAUGH]
Hey, how do I know her?
That's the lady from the art studio.
Herrmann, we gotta get out of here.
That's Don Ramsey's mistress.
Copy that, Main.
51 on the way.
Can I help you, gentlemen?
No, we just caught a house fire, ma'am.
Sorry to bother you.
You're off the hook.
You think she recognized you?
The two of us together
in our bunker gear?
Pretty good chance.
So much for keeping a low profile.
I know, Chief, but this is a lock.
We now know for sure
that Ramsey is in bed
with the McGrath-Hewitt companies
because he's literally in bed
with McGrath's sister, Tanya.
OK, so how do we use this?
Look.
If you are willing to go
on record about the affair
- I am.
- Maybe we can use that
to shore up the case against Ramsey.
Go back to Director Valencia
and DC Hill,
and we see if we get 'em on board.
What about a reporter?
We give them the scoop,
and we see if they run with it.
Good. Yes.
Chief, sorry to interrupt,
but Don Ramsey's office is on the line.
He'd like to meet with you.
Deputy District Chief Wallace Boden.
Here to see Don Ramsey.
Yes, Chief. Thank you for coming.
Chief Boden is here, sir.
[DOOR OPENS, SHUTS]
Chief, thanks so much for coming.
You got something to say to me, say it.
Chief, why don't you come inside?
Folks, this is the man
I've been telling you about.
Deputy District Chief
Wallace Boden of the CFD.
We have him to thank for rooting out
this corrupt enterprise that's
been siphoning our tax dollars
and putting our citizens
and first responders at risk.
What the hell is this?
- You think I can be bought?
- I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to ambush you like this.
I know you don't do this
for the accolades,
but you deserve them nonetheless.
Because of you, we're gonna review
all current city contracts
and clean up this sort of corruption.
Because what happened
to your firefighter
is never gonna happen again on my watch.
I promise you that.
[APPLAUSE]
Boden.
I don't know what you think
you're doing here
I'm letting you be the hero, Boden.
You want to blow this all up? Go ahead.
Make a scene, file your complaints,
try to take me down
if you think you can.
But if I were you, I'd take the win.
We're gonna shut down
all those companies,
clean up the whole contract process.
Isn't that what you wanted?
To make the city safer?
OK, and now,
the Astonishing Sylvie will perform
"The Vanishing Milk Trick."
As you can see, I have a glass of milk.
And now, I'm going to very carefully
pour the milk into the newspaper.
Hmm
And
Voilà.
No milk.
[WHISPERS] I'm dying up here.
Patience, persistence,
performance.
Oh.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Pick a card, any card.
In a faraway land,
an evil magician named Gorsch
used his magic powers
to curse good-hearted magicians
like The Astonishing Sylvie.
What are you doing? You're going rogue.
But if the curse causes Sylvie to fail,
fear not!
Candy for everyone!
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
[CHUCKLES WEAKLY]
OK.
And is this your card?
- Really? I did it!
- Oh!
I did it. And you didn't think I could.
A magician prepares
for every contingency.
I want candy! [BOOING]
Where's the candy?
Excuse me.
Hey, um
was the patient that was
in here moved to another room?
- Lacey Hoffman?
- Yeah.
She was discharged a few hours ago.
Are you sure? I'm supposed
to be picking her up.
Yeah, I have her
discharge summary right here.
I'm sorry.
For her first trick of the evening,
making a glass of bubbly disappear.
Is this an apology or a compliment?
Both praise and a peace offering.
Hmm.
Brett, that was a hell
of a show you put on.
Dylan's gonna be proud.
Unless I got him blacklisted.
Well, here's to hoping you didn't.
And, uh, drink slowly.
This is the good stuff from the back.
Really?
Does Herrmann
No.
When I ran for office,
this was the exact type
of waste and fraud
that I promised to stamp out.
And I keep my promises.
That is one punchable face.
We've already voided the contract
for Loomis Industrial Supply
and are moving to press charges
against anyone responsible
for improperly storing those chemicals.
And that's just the beginning.
Turn it off.
My department is fo
He should be in jail.
Instead, he's doing a victory lap.
Hey, Chief.
You played this the only way you could.
And we got what we were after.
So why do I have
such a bad taste in my mouth?
I gotta be honest, Chief.
I'm impressed with your restraint.
Deputy Commissioner.
I thought you might
knock Ramsey on his ass
and get yourself arrested.
Well, I guess I'm mellowing
in my old age.
No, that's not it.
You're just learning
the politics of this job.
Finally.
Is it supposed to feel this awful?
Every time.
It's been a back and forth battle
so far through the first,
but Houston's managed
to hold onto the lead.
What does Philly have to do
to get back in this game?
Well, they need to start
locking down their shots.
I picked the worst time
to dump all my beer.
[KNOCKS AT DOOR]
Blake. Oh, thank God.
This is the third door I tried.
I-I didn't want to come empty-handed,
so I thought maybe
we could make
your mom's baked potato soup.
So, you know, I just
Oh.
Oh, God.
[TENDER MUSIC]
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[TENSE MUSIC]
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[WOLF HOWLS]