return to Due South: season 2 episode 4 "Bird in the Hand"

[fox]

Bird in the Hand
air date December 21, 1995

Scene 1

In an airport.

A VOICE OVER A LOUDSPEAKER: Final boarding call for flight two-three-five-two, now boarding at gate H-ten.
ANOTHER VOICE: Arriving passenger Cameron, please report to the information desk, departure level, terminal three.

A man in a business suit whose hands and feet are chained is being escorted through the terminal by two officers.

A THIRD VOICE: Welcome to Chicago O'Hare. Arriving passengers, please proceed to concourse B, lower level, for baggage claim.

The prisoner is an older man wearing a wedding ring. One of the officers unlocks a door labeled "entry prohibited." The escorts are U.S. Marshals.

A VOICE OVER A LOUDSPEAKER: Final boarding call for flight seventy-five-forty-one, now boarding at gate G-eleven.
ANOTHER VOICE: Passenger David Lawton, please report to gate G-sixteen.

They unlock another door. It's a restroom. One of the marshals checks the trash can, the paper towel dispenser, behind and under the sink, in the toilet tank, and finds them empty. There is another announcement while this is happening, but it's almost inaudible.

A VOICE OVER A LOUDSPEAKER: Flight four-oh-one from Miami now arriving at gate L-thirteen.

The marshal tests the grate in the wall and finds it secure. He comes out and the other marshal allows the prisoner into the restroom.

ANOTHER VOICE: Skycap required at gate H-five.
A THIRD VOICE: Shuttle buses to all terminals depart from the lower level.

One of the marshals lights a cigarette.

NONSMOKER: You can't smoke in the terminal.
SMOKER: So arrest me.

In the restroom, the prisoner lifts the lid off the toilet tank. He removes the float ball and untapes a seam on its side over the sink; out falls a roll of cash, the handcuff keys, and a ratcheting screwdriver in two parts. He unscrews the grate, steps up on the toilet, and flushes with his toe as he climbs into the duct.

A THIRD VOICE: Public transportation to downtown Chicago can be reached through the pedestrian corridor in the baggage claim area through doors one, two, and three.

The prisoner is coming down the escalator by himself and strolling off into the crowd. He checks over his shoulder before he goes: It is Gerrard, whom we have met before.

This asshole! What's he doing in Chicago, and who did he have planting exactly the right handcuff keys and whatnot in exactly the right secured-area restroom toilet tank float ball beforehand? (And doing such a good job with the electric tape that the marshal didn't see it, because that search was pretty thorough, hands down in the water and everything.)

I would have been just so happy if just one of the loudspeaker announcements had said "The white zone is for the immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the red zone." I feel like they really missed an opportunity there.

Credits roll.

Paul Gross
David Marciano
Beau Starr
Daniel Kash
Tony Craig
Catherine Bruhier

(plus Lincoln the dog)

Lee Purcell, Ken Pogue, Dick Anthony Williams, Scott Gibson, Philip Williams, Stewart Arnott, Dean McDermott, and Gordon Pinsent as Fraser Sr.

Scene 2

Someone is showing a badge.

MCFADDEN: Special Agent McFadden, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and this is —
BORLAND: [showing his own badge] Special Agent Borland, FBI.
FRASER: I'm afraid Inspector Thatcher is out of town. I'm Constable Fraser, Deputy Liaison Officer. [Whoever is at the reception desk ostentatiously clears his throat. Fraser sighs.] And this is Constable Turnbull, our temporary . . . assistant . . . interim . . . associate . . . Deputy Liaison Officer.
TURNBULL: [pretends not to have been paying attention] Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't notice you. [He extends his hand.]
MCFADDEN: [does not shake Turnbull's hand] Yeah. [Diefenbaker whimpers.]
FRASER: And this is — ah, Diefenbaker.
MCFADDEN: Ah, your office.
FRASER: Yes, please. [Fraser shows the feds into his office. Turnbull stops him before he can follow them.]
TURNBULL: Would you like me to hold your calls?
FRASER: Yes, I'd appreciate it. [goes in]
TURNBULL: And what reason should I give?
FRASER: [leans out again] I'm sorry?
TURNBULL: The Americans. Should I say you're in a meeting?
FRASER: Yes, that would be good. [goes in]
TURNBULL: Ah. So it's not a secret meeting?
FRASER: [leans out again] I'm sorry?
TURNBULL: High level? Interagency? Off the record.
FRASER: Not that I'm aware of, no. [goes in]
TURNBULL: Ah, good. [as the door is closing] Of course, if it was, you shouldn't even tell me. [Fraser opens the door and leans out again.] So perhaps it is secret and you just can't say. If that's the case, I understand.
FRASER: It's not the case.
TURNBULL: Ah. I understand. [He gives Fraser a surreptitious winking thumbs up. Fraser goes into his office and closes the door. Turnbull's phone rings.] Canadian Consulate, liaison office. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that. He may have ordered lunch from your establishment or he may not.
OVITZ: [arrives at Turnbull's desk, nods toward Fraser's office] Who's in there?
TURNBULL: [covers the receiver] Where?

Well, we've seen Dean McDermott before, as one of the baddies in "The Man Who Knew Too Little," but there's no obvious connection between that guy and Constable Turnbull—who has no stars on his sleeve, meaning he's been in the RCMP for less than five years. This guy's a piece of work, isn't he? But I'm glad Fraser is being allowed to do real liaising rather than mannequin guard duty and picking up dry cleaning.

A portrait of Jean Chrétien, who was prime minister at the time, is visible behind Turnbull.

Scene 3

The feds place a mug shot of Gerrard on Fraser's desk.

FRASER: He was my father's best friend on the force. They went to the academy together. I've known him all my life.
BORLAND: You had any contact with him since his incarceration?
FRASER: No.
MCFADDEN: I imagine not. I mean, the man killed your father. You're not just going to pick up the phone and kick around old times.
FRASER: How can I be of assistance to you?
MCFADDEN: You seem very cool about this.
FRASER: Gerrard is serving a life sentence. Whatever my feelings, they ended with his imprisonment.
BORLAND: Two months ago, Gerrard reached out to one of your crown attorneys. Let it be known that he'd be willing to talk about his involvement in other criminal activities in exchange for making his life easier.
MCFADDEN: Apparently he had an arrangement with an American arms dealer named Lloyd Nash. It's a name that interested us.
BORLAND: Last week, Gerrard was in transit to testify here in front of a grand jury. Two U.S. Marshals picked him up in Toronto and flew him to O'Hare, where he disappeared.
MCFADDEN: He had help. [He hands Fraser the screwdriver in an evidence bag.]
BORLAND: We've been looking for him for seven days. We can't even find his shadow. And as you said, you've known him all your life. We figured you'd be able to help.
FRASER: Well, I would still have to clear it through the consulate.
MCFADDEN: Grand jury convenes on Wednesday. We have one day to find Gerrard, or Nash will never see the inside of a prison gate. That's our problem. Your problem is, the man who killed your father is out there enjoying life. Clear it all you want. [He leaves the office. Fraser stands up as he goes.]
BORLAND: Anything you can think of. Contacts he might have here. Family members or friends we might not know about. We'd appreciate it.

Borland shakes Fraser's hand before he leaves. Fraser looks at Gerrard's mug shot and pulls himself together.

Gerrard's prisoner number is CB#098175043, in case that should ever be relevant to you. Also, right now these feds are seeming like less of a jerk than the usual feds (Ford and Dieter).

Frobisher! Buck Frobisher was Bob's best friend on the force! (Wasn't at his funeral, though. Hmm.)

Fraser was doing a really nice job being cool about this discussion of Gerrard, and then he was visibly surprised when Borland said "disappeared;" and by the time Fraser says "Well, I would still have to clear it through the consulate," he's rocking back and forth a little in his chair. Just for that second! But oh my goodness, I love that detail of this performance.

Scene 4

Vecchio is at his desk. Louise St. Laurent puts a stack of at least four very thick rubber-banded files in front of him.

ST. LAURENT: Vecchio. You're going to trial a week from Wednesday on the Turner brothers case. I've turned it over to Assistant State's Attorney Hilliard.
VECCHIO: Stress-related vacation, Louise?
ST. LAURENT: I have assured Hilliard that you will have a complete and thorough recollection of the details of the case so as not to embarrass him on the stand. Because if you embarrass him, you embarrass me. And you don't want to embarrass me. Read it.

She buzzes off. Fraser walks up.

FRASER: Busy?
VECCHIO: Nope. [Vecchio gets up and goes with Fraser. He is opening a file cabinet labeled "L - O".] Nash, Lloyd. How do you get any respect as a criminal with a name like Lloyd?
FRASER: Is that a serious question?
VECCHIO: Ah, no, Fraser. Is this the guy Gerrard's supposed to testify against?
FRASER: Apparently.
VECCHIO: Ah, here it is. Lloyd P. Nash. Heh. You want to know what the P stands for?
FRASER: Is it pertinent?
VECCHIO: Not even close. Well, I can see why the state's attorney wants him so bad. Indictments, seven; convictions, zero. Yeah, it seems all key witnesses have a funny way of disappearing just before each trial.
FRASER: Where can we find him?
VECCHIO: Come on. [He stuffs the file back down and leaves. Fraser can't stand that the file drawer hasn't shut all the way; he straightens it out and puts it back properly. Vecchio comes back and sighs.] Fraser, if you're going to keep doing that, people aren't going to be able to find anything around here.
FRASER: I'm sorry.

Fraser closes the file door completely and follows Vecchio out.

I am so proud of Fraser for asking if Vecchio's rhetorical question was serious, and I can barely contain my delight over "Is it pertinent?"/"Not even close." That is funny shit! And I'm also pleased, I guess, to see some follow-up from last week, where Louise St. Laurent wants to be sure Vecchio remembers what he needs to remember on the stand, given that he's not always able to put his hands on notes he may have taken in the course of his investigations.

Scene 5

Vecchio and Fraser are getting out of the car at a warehouse.

VECCHIO: All right, so here's the plan. Good cop, bad cop.
FRASER: And I play?
VECCHIO: Take a guess.
FRASER: Ah.
VECCHIO: So we go in. You tip your hat and curtsey. I threaten to burn down the warehouse if he doesn't turn over Gerrard. None of which will do any good.
FRASER: Well, why's that, Ray?
VECCHIO: Look, use your head, Fraser. If Gerrard's supposed to testify against Nash, do you think he's gonna turn him over to us?
FRASER: Never hurt to ask.
VECCHIO: Oh, now, that's not true. Sometimes it hurts very much. People tend to shoot bullets at other people for asking questions like this.

They are in the warehouse.

NASH: Make sure they're all there. [to Vecchio] You say this guy Gerrard is supposed to be giving testimony against me?
VECCHIO: Hey, don't play like you don't know, all right? The question is, how much heat do you want to bring upon yourself? 'Cause it just so happens I have a pack of matches in my breast pocket.
NASH: Yeah, I noticed a bulge.
VECCHIO: You wanna play? All right, let's play. What's in the crate?
NASH: Christmas decorations.
VECCHIO: You got a permit for them?
NASH: In fact, I do. Why don't you go pick up a warrant and I'll show it to you. Now, I suggest you and your friend step off my premises. It's not a safe place to be standing. A bulb might burst.
VECCHIO: Look, let me tell you what's not safe, all right?
FRASER: We appreciate your time.
VECCHIO: No, he appreciates your time. I don't appreciate anything.
FRASER: Ray, Ray, I think Mr. Nash understands our position, and if it's in his interest to cooperate, he will do so. Why don't you give him your business card?
NASH: No need. I have your number. [He walks away.]
VECCHIO: And we got yours, Lloyd. [to Nash's employees as he and Fraser leave the building] Why don't you ask him what the P stands for. [outside] What did I tell you?
FRASER: When, Ray?
VECCHIO: Waste of time and audio tape.
FRASER: You recorded that conversation?
VECCHIO: Yeah, it's a new policy. Any time I go anywhere with you, I record everything. Mainly because if I have to go to court, no jury will ever believe the damn things that come out of your mouth. Why isn't this thing turning? [He bangs the dictaphone on the roof of the car.]
FRASER: Did you depress the red button?
VECCHIO: Yes, I depressed the red button.
FRASER: And did you press play at the same time?
VECCHIO: Of course I pressed play at the same time.
FRASER: Here, let me have a look.
VECCHIO: I know how to operate a tape recorder.
FRASER: Well, I wasn't saying that you don't, Ray.
VECCHIO: Then why did you ask me if I depressed the red button?
FRASER: Well, I only meant that sometimes it's the obvious things that we overlook, Ray. [They both get in the car.] I mean — by way of example, it was obvious that Nash was operating openly. In fact, he appeared to be flaunting it.
VECCHIO: Look, buying guns isn't illegal. Smuggling them out of the country will get you arrested. [He bangs the dictaphone on the dashboard.]
FRASER: Still, it's not the way you would expect a person to behave if they were under threat of indictment. One could almost conclude he was trying to tell us something.
VECCHIO: Look, if he was trying to say something I would have heard it, okay? [His phone rings.] What?
NASH: Are you still recording?
VECCHIO: You're a very funny man. What do you want?
NASH: I made a call for you. The package you're looking for is at the Waverly Hotel. Room three-eleven. Told you I had your number.
VECCHIO: [hangs up] He just told us where to find Gerrard.
FRASER: Something isn't right here, Ray.
VECCHIO: There's nothing right about this, Fraser. Nothing at all.

Vecchio pulls out. Nash stands at the window and watches them go.

I am not a lawyer, and the history of Illinois' two-party consent law is convoluted, but it looks to me like probably Vecchio was okay surreptitiously recording that conversation without the knowledge of Fraser or Nash in 1995. I think today that recording would not be permitted in Illinois outside a narrow set of circumstances that this conversation doesn't meet (it looks to me like it would be allowed with prior approval from the state's attorney and if he were investigating a forcible felony, human trafficking, recorded child sexual abuse material or sexual exploitation, some gang- or drug-related offenses, or similar, OR if he were a uniformed officer conducting an "enforcement stop"—and in all those cases the recording would be admissible in court to protect the officer but not as evidence against the other participants in the conversation except in an even narrower set of circumstances).

Scene 6

Fraser and Vecchio pull up and get out of the car in front of the Hotel Waverly.

VECCHIO: If someone was going to testify against you, would you tell the cops where he was?
FRASER: We've been through this, Ray.
VECCHIO: Nah, I don't like this, Fraser. We're gonna knock on that door, and the shotgun blast is going to remove a portion of my body I'm not ready to part with. [They go inside. Fraser is visibly steeling himself as they approach room 311.] Benny. [He takes his gun out of his belt and offers it to Fraser.] Take this.
FRASER: No, I can't, Ray.
VECCHIO: Look. Two'll get you seven that Gerrard's not even in there. But if we find him and he should put up a fight? Or try to escape?
FRASER: Then we'll pursue him.
VECCHIO: Yeah. But maybe I can't keep up. Maybe my ankle's going to give way?
FRASER: Are you — are you saying you need to see a doctor?
VECCHIO: [sighs] This man killed your father. If he should shoot at you, or if he should come toward you in a threatening manner?
FRASER: Then I'll disarm him.
VECCHIO: Okay. Say you needed to defend yourself.
FRASER: Mm-hmm.
VECCHIO: To discharge a weapon. And accidentally killed Gerrard. I'm just saying that I would let people know that it was self-defense. [Fraser gets it.] You don't have to worry that I would let them know that it was anything but self-defense.
FRASER: I understand, Ray. And I appreciate that. But I simply want to see Gerrard returned to prison. That's all.
VECCHIO: Okay. [He puts the gun away.] Let's go say hello.

They set off down the hall.

Better fucking hope that tape recorder isn't working in your pocket right now, Vecchio, because I'm pretty sure what just happened was you offered to let your friend kill a man with your gun having decided ahead of time that it will have been self defense. Again: Why do we love a cop show? Sigh. I'm going to focus on the fact that through the whole conversation, Fraser was either failing or refusing to understand what Vecchio was talking about (in the end it turns out the answer is "failing," but either one would do).

"Two'll get you seven" is a statement of favorable odds. Even money ("five'll get you ten") means the payout is the same as the bet (plus you recover what you put down in the first place), so winning an even-money bet of $5 will get you $10 (for a net gain of $5, which is equal to your original stake). If you bet $2 and win and get $7, that's also a net gain of $5, which is two and a half times your original stake—in short, it's a good bet (though why this is colloquially used to mean "it's highly likely" I'll never know, because surely a thing that is likely to happen would not pay out well if the bookmakers had anything to say about it).

Scene 7

Fraser kicks down the door, and he and Vecchio rush into the room. It is empty.

VECCHIO: I knew it was too good to be true.

Fraser looks out the window and sees Gerrard getting away down the fire escape. They rush back into the hallway; Fraser heads for the fire exit.

VECCHIO: I'll come in from the street.

Gerrard shatters a car window with a cinderblock. Fraser rushes down the fire escape. Gerrard is hot wiring the car. He sees that Fraser is coming and runs away instead. Fraser is halfway to him and jumps over the side of the fire escape as a shortcut. Gerrard runs into an alley. Fraser pursues him; a truck is coming along where Gerrard dodged around a corner, and Fraser climbs up the cab and over the top of the trailer. Gerrard is running along the alley. He goes around another corner. Fraser drops down in front of him and decks him with a right hook.

GERRARD: I never thought you'd be the one they'd send to kill me.

Fraser tilts his head, puzzled by this statement. As he bends down to give Gerrard a hand up, a shot hits the car right behind where he had been standing. He looks up to see where it came from. So does Vecchio, rushing around the corner on the same route Gerrard had taken. There's a sniper on the roof, who keeps shooting as Fraser is dragging Gerrard behind a car. Vecchio sticks by the wall and goes up a fire escape. The sniper's shots are getting closer and closer to Fraser and Gerrard. Vecchio is almost there. Fraser and Gerrard pick their moment and run off to safety. Vecchio reaches the roof and the sniper is gone. He finds a lot of spent shell casings; he also sees that Fraser and Gerrard are no longer by the car where they were taking cover.

I expect punching Gerrard in the face was very satisfying for Benton Fraser, and also that he'd probably never admit it.

Scene 8

Fraser is handcuffing Gerrard to the desk chair in his office.

GERRARD: A little tighter. I can still feel my fingers.

Fraser ignores him and picks up the phone. Gerrard puts his feet up on Fraser's desk with a smug smile as Fraser dials.

FRASER: This is Constable Fraser for Detective Vecchio, please. It's urgent. [pause] Well, when he does come in, could you please tell him that I'm at the consulate. [pause] Yes, thank you kindly. [He hangs up the phone, and then all in one motion he shoves Gerrard's feet off his desk, puts his own foot on Gerrard's chest, and pushes him back into the wall.] Who was shooting at you today?
GERRARD: You brought them with you. You tell me.
FRASER: Nash.
GERRARD: Nash? No — [He laughs in Fraser's face.] — you really don't know what's going on, do you — [Fraser presses harder with his boot against Gerrard's throat.]
FRASER: Who wants you dead?
GERRARD: Who sent you looking for me? [Fraser moves his boot from Gerrard's chest to between his legs.]
FRASER: They shot at me. They shot at my friend. I want to know what it is we walked into.
GERRARD: What's wrong, Constable? People not behaving the way you want them to anymore? The good guys don't wear their white hats, and the bad guys don't like black?
FRASER: You're going back to prison, Gerrard.
GERRARD: Hmph. I don't think so, Ben. The moment you turn me over, I'm dead. You already guessed that much, you just don't know what it means.
FRASER: [sits on the edge of his desk] I don't give a damn.
GERRARD: See, I forgot for a moment who I was dealing with. You're Bob Fraser's son. I can't tell you the number of times he almost died trying to bring some low-life to justice. He'd give them his food. He'd carry them on his back. Men who had done unspeakable things, men he detested, men who had tried to kill him. But he never brought one back dead. Because the moment they were his responsibility, he'd sacrifice himself before letting them die. That's what finally got him killed, you know. He was trying to bring me in, and he walked into a trap. You're cut from the same bolt. I don't have to tell you anything more than you already know. And you'll go out there and lay down your life trying to protect me.
BOB FRASER: Shoot him, son. Shoot him between his rat-like little eyes. [Fraser gets up and walks away.] Don't walk away from me! This is your father talking! [Fraser steps out into the hallway and takes a deep breath. There is a knock on the inside of his office door; he opens it and lets Bob out.] The bastard is sitting in there bragging about how he had me killed, and all I'm asking is that you do one small thing for me: Shoot him in the stomach and let him bleed to death. Think of it as a son's gift to his father. You did forget my birthday.
FRASER: You were dead!
BOB FRASER: Well, still. One can have feelings. Not even a card.
FRASER: I am not going to shoot him.
BOB FRASER: Well, now you're being silly. Here, use mine. [offering his gun] They won't be able to trace it.
FRASER: Dad, we've been through this. That is an imaginary gun. It fires imaginary bullets.
BOB FRASER: Well, it wouldn't hurt to try, son. Go on, pump a few into his torso, and if it doesn't kill him, maybe he'll have a heart attack.
FRASER: All right. You want me to try? [He takes Bob's gun and fires three imaginary bullets into three very real lamps, which are not affected in any way. He gives the gun back to Bob.] Satisfied?
BOB FRASER: All right, all right. Point taken. Grab the lamp. You'll crack his skull. Make it look like a freak lighting accident.
FRASER: A freak lighting accident?
BOB FRASER: Well, sure, sure. Happens all the time. Lightning strikes the wires, sends a jolt through the line. Lamp hops up, hits him in the skull, splits it in two, you never had the chance to prevent it. Happened so fast.
FRASER: Dad, I know what he did. And believe me, it takes every bit of restraint I have not to walk back in that room and separate his head from his shoulders —
BOB FRASER: Oh, you should always go on an impulse, son.
FRASER: — but I cannot do that, and neither could you.
BOB FRASER: Well, if I could pick up a lamp I would sure as hell try.
FRASER: No, you wouldn't.
BOB FRASER: I would.
FRASER: Dad, you are only saying that because you're dead and you know you can't.
BOB FRASER: Well, exactly, which is why I'm asking you to do it! If you really loved me, son, you'd strangle him for me.
FRASER: No. If I really loved you, I would've —
BOB FRASER: What?
FRASER: Forget it.
VECCHIO: [running up the stairs] Where is he?
FRASER: In my office.
VECCHIO: Is he alive?
FRASER: Yes, Ray.
BOB FRASER: [holding out his gun] He'd shoot him for you if you asked.
VECCHIO: You okay?
BOB FRASER: Well, he would.
FRASER: I'll be right back. Diefenbaker. [Diefenbaker gets up, and Fraser lets him into the office.]
BOB FRASER: [still offering his gun to Vecchio] Hey. Hey. Yank.

Okay, Fraser putting his foot on Gerrard's throat is hot, that's all there is to it, and Gerrard is a lousy slimy bastard who probably deserves everything that happens to him.

And then Fraser's struggle with Bob over taking his vengeance on Gerrard is so good! So good! Look how badly he really does want to shoot Gerrard, or club him to death with a lamp, or tear his head off, or strangle him with his bare hands! Or all of these things! Or to let Vecchio do it! God, the effort it is taking him to do what his conscious mind knows to be the right thing. (Where is Grandmother Id at this point? Gerrard hired someone to shoot her son. She must just be howling.) PLUS that tiny moment, they probably thought we wouldn't notice, "No, if I really loved you, I would've —" Oh. Oh, oh, oh. He can't possibly be telling his father he didn't really love him, of course. But he thinks he was a bad son? AUGH. OH, FRASER.

Tiny note for Bob: If it's a freak accident, you can't really say "happens all the time." Otherwise, carry on.

Scene 9

In Fraser's office, Gerrard is glaring. Fraser crouches down next to Diefenbaker.

FRASER: Watch him. If he tries to escape, tear out his throat.

Diefenbaker turns to look at Gerrard and doesn't look away. Fraser leaves his office and locks the door. When he turns around, Turnbull is right there.

TURNBULL: Anything I can help you with, Constable?
FRASER: As a matter of fact, there is. There's someone in my office. I can't tell you who.
TURNBULL: Ah. I understand.
FRASER: Now, don't let anyone go in or out of that door.
TURNBULL: Including myself.
FRASER: Especially not yourself.
TURNBULL: Not in or out.
FRASER: That is correct.
TURNBULL: But I'm already out, sir.
FRASER: Yes.
TURNBULL: So if I find myself inside, I should just stay there.

Fraser thinks about this for a moment and simply walks away. Turnbull brandishes a vase. Fraser grabs his hat and heads for the stairs.

VECCHIO: Whoa, whoa, whoa, we're not taking him?
FRASER: No.
VECCHIO: Fraser, you want to explain this to me?
BOB FRASER: [following them] Ah, son, son, did I ever teach you how to make a proper noose?

In Fraser's office, Gerrard makes a phone call.

I can't tell which prime minister's portrait is prominently displayed on the adjacent wall to Fraser's office door. But I think we can all agree that this scene with Turnbull, the comic relief of which is quite welcome at this point in the narrative, is actually Canadian for

PALIN: Guards! Make sure the prince doesn't leave this room until I come and get him.
IDLE: Not . . . to leave the room . . . even if you come and get him.
PALIN: No. Until I come and get him.
CHAPMAN: [hiccup]
IDLE: Until you come and get him, we’re not to enter the room.
PALIN: No. You stay in the room and make sure he doesn't leave.
IDLE: And you’ll come and get him.
CHAPMAN: [hiccup]
PALIN: That’s right.
IDLE: We don’t need to do anything, apart from just stop him entering the room.
PALIN: Leaving the room.
IDLE: Leaving the room. Yes.
PALIN: Got it?
CHAPMAN: [hiccup]
(etc.)

Scene 10

At the police station, Vecchio is fidgeting.

ELAINE: Thanks. [She hangs up the phone and turns to Vecchio.] Three years ago, the ATF got a tip that Nash was taking a truckload of automatic weapons into Canada. Some small border crossing in Minnesota. Somehow the FBI got wind of it, too, and insisted on being in on the bust. They stake out the crossing, Nash shows up, they arrest him and a couple of sidekicks and seize the truck. They suspected that someone had paid off the Canadian customs officials, but all the feds could do was to report those suspicions to the RCMP.
FRASER: And they called Gerrard.
ELAINE: It was his jurisdiction.
VECCHIO: Yeah, nice arrangement. He bribes the border guards, and the feds ask him to investigate his own crime.
ELAINE: Here's where it gets strange. Nash and his men were released the next day, and no charges were ever brought.
VECCHIO: Hmm. They had him cold with a truckload of weapons.
ELAINE: That's all she could tell me. [The feds come in, presumably on their way to Welsh's office.]
VECCHIO: Ah, Agents Borland and McFadden. Now might be a good time to tell them you found their prisoner but you're not willing to give him up yet.
FRASER: I'd rather avoid that.
VECCHIO: Good idea. [They duck out of the squad room.] So where we going?
FRASER: Back to see Nash.
VECCHIO: Ah, this is crazy. This Gerrard guy is spinning you in circles. You know a con'll tell you anything to stay out of the joint.
FRASER: Someone tried to kill him, Ray.
VECCHIO: Yeah, Nash.
FRASER: Well, if Nash wanted him dead, why would he have sent us there?
VECCHIO: Well, maybe he wanted to kill us, too.
FRASER: Well, what possible motive could he have for that?
VECCHIO: You know, sometimes you are the most annoying man that I know. There's plenty of times that I want to kill you, and I'm your best friend.
FRASER: Now, Ray, that's just not true.
VECCHIO: Look. I don't know what this Gerrard guy is up to, but he's playing you like a jukebox, and he's pushing all the right buttons. [St. Laurent comes in at the other end of the hallway.]
ST. LAURENT: Vecchio!
VECCHIO: Oh, God. Pretend you didn't hear that. Go, go.

They hurry down another hallway to get away.

So Gerrard's crookedness began before the East Bay thing. Not surprising. The question is why it took Bob so long to realize he was dirty.

Of the approximately 200 border crossings between the United States and Canada, nine or ten were in Minnesota in 1992, when Gerrard was doing his gun running:

1. Lancaster, MN (Tolstoi, MB)
2. Pinecreek, MN (Piney, MB)
3. Roseau, MN (South Junction, MB)
4. Warroad, MN (Sprague, MB)
5. Angle Inlet, MN (Northwest Angle Provincial Forest, MB) (unstaffed)
6. Baudette, MN (Rainy River, ON) (bridge)
7. International Falls, MN (Fort Frances, ON) (bridge)
8. Rainier, MN (Fort Frances, ON) (bridge; rail only)
9. Grand Portage, MN (Pigeon River, ON) (bridge)

There also used to be a crossing at Noyes, MN (Emerson East, MB), which closed northbound in 2003 and southbound in 2006, and a bridge at Pigeon River, MN, which closed in 1961 in favor of the one at Grand Portage. Most of the crossings listed here are staffed 24/7 (bridges and Warroad/Sprague) or at least year-round for large parts of the day (Lancaster/Tolstoi, Pinecreek/Piney, and Roseau/South Junction), so I expect Gerrard and McFadden will have used the unstaffed Angle Inlet crossing, where you're supposed to go to a video phone eight miles away to make your customs declarations.

Scene 11

Fraser and Vecchio drive back up to Nash's warehouse. It is nighttime.

VECCHIO: Hey Benny, do me a favor. Pin this to your chest.
FRASER: It says I'm mentally deficient.
VECCHIO: Yeah, I just want Nash to know so he doesn't shoot us both dead.
FRASER: It's not going to happen, Ray. All I'm gonna ask him to do is tell the truth.
VECCHIO: Just pin it to your chest.
FRASER: No.
VECCHIO: Pin it to your chest.
FRASER: No.

They go inside and are talking to Nash.

NASH: Why?
FRASER: Because I think you know it's in your best interests.
NASH: Let me tell you a story. I had a friend. A man who, unlike myself, dealt in the illegal weapons trade.
VECCHIO: I wonder who this could be.
NASH: Now, my friend had a very sweet setup with some Canadian who would help him bring goods across the border. This went on for a few years. And all involved took a small cut and were content with that. Till one night when things went bad. Now it wasn't until later that he suspected his Canadian friend had set him up in order to make a larger profit.
VECCHIO: All good reasons for your friend to want to kill said Canuck. Especially if that snowback was going to testify against him.
NASH: Well, it may be true that my friend would like to see this Canadian below some freshly turned soil, but not until after he gives testimony to the grand jury.
VECCHIO: Fraser, give him that piece of paper. I think he should be wearing it.
NASH: When my friend took his truck to the border it was loaded with very expensive automatic weapons. When the same truck reached the federal impound, it carried only a few cheap handguns. Now, while my friend was pleased to be released with a slap on the wrist, he realized someone had stolen from him.
VECCHIO: So you're saying that agents from the ATF and FBI stole your weapons.
NASH: My friend only knows that he was out a quarter million dollars. This is not an expense his business can easily absorb. He would just like someone to pay. One way or another.
FRASER: So you called the state's attorney.
NASH: My friend has a deep belief in the integrity of the criminal justice system. He'd like to see it work.

Fraser and Vecchio look at each other.

"Snowback"?!

Scene 12

Fraser and Vecchio are leaving the warehouse. Vecchio is shaking his dictaphone and trying to get it to play back.

FRASER: Nash wasn't the target of the grand jury. They're out to indict the agents on the scene. That's who Gerrard was suppose to testify against.
VECCHIO: Oh, great, so now we're going to help some criminals bring down two arms of the federal government. You know, I am so glad we have this on tape. I can't wait to get back and sell it to Oliver Stone. What is wrong with this thing?
FRASER: Did you check the batteries?
VECCHIO: Look, if you ask me one more time —
FRASER: Sorry. Sorry.
VECCHIO: Great. [His phone rings.] What? Well, hello, Madame State's Attorney. [Fraser leans in to try to hear the call.] Ah, uh, which witness would that be? No, I'm, ah, sorry, I haven't seen him all day. Yeah, he's right here, hold on.
FRASER: Ah, Constable Fraser. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Understood. [He hangs up.] Well, I'm under arrest.
VECCHIO: Under arrest? For what?
FRASER: Obstruction of justice.
VECCHIO: Obstruction of justice?
FRASER: Cuffs, Ray.
VECCHIO: Oh, this is ridiculous. Obstruction of justice. She's gotta be — [He struggles with his handcuffs.] — out of her —
FRASER: Here, let me give you a hand. [He tries to get the cuffs off Vecchio's belt. After a moment, he stands up.]
VECCHIO: Nah, forget it.

Fraser agrees it's not worth bothering with the cuffs.

The weapons issue is surely a federal crime, so it's not up to the state's attorney (which is Illinois for DA) to prosecute. Maybe she's calling because Nash is bringing a grand theft charge?

Couldn't Fraser just have obstructed some justice last week instead of going through that whole Milk Duds–stealing rigmarole with Huey and Gardino?

Scene 13

At the consulate, Turnbull is on the phone with Welsh. Also in Welsh's office are St. Laurent, the feds, and Vecchio and Fraser.

TURNBULL: I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to divulge that information.
ST. LAURENT: [yelling at the feds] How could you be so stupid?
WELSH: All I want to know is if Gerrard is in Fraser's office or not.
BORLAND: We asked for his help. We didn't ask him to kidnap the guy.
ST. LAURENT: Oh! Is that how the FBI finds all their criminals? By relying on helpful Canadians?
VECCHIO: Well, it seems to have worked so far.
BORLAND: You know, I've heard about you.
WELSH: He won't tell us if he's there.
MCFADDEN: For all we know, he might be dead. I mean, he certainly has the motive.
BORLAND: If he's there, tell him to put him on the phone.
FRASER: Well, I'm afraid he won't do that.
WELSH: Fraser says put him on the phone.
TURNBULL: [as Gerrard bangs on the inside of Fraser's office door] In order to do that, sir, I would have to confirm that there was someone here.
GERRARD: [from inside Fraser's office] I have to use the bathroom, you moron!
WELSH: If he's not there, who's that yelling to use the bathroom?
MCFADDEN: That's it! I want Vecchio arrested for aiding and abetting.
WELSH: He said he never even saw the prisoner.
VECCHIO: Which is true!
MCFADDEN: He's complicitous. He knows where he is.
VECCHIO: Well, so do you. I want him arrested.
ST. LAURENT: Just go over there and get Gerrard and bring him back!
FRASER: Well, you can't do that, actually. He's on Canadian soil. He's under my protection.
ST. LAURENT: That's it. Lock him up. [She goes to leave Welsh's office.]
VECCHIO: You can't do that. He has diplomatic immunity.
FRASER: Well, strictly speaking, that's not —
VECCHIO: Shut up, Fraser.
FRASER: Will do.
TURNBULL: If it's of any help, sir, I can confirm that we do have a bathroom.

Welsh glares at the phone and hangs up.

IDLE: Er, if . . . we . . . er —
PALIN: Yes?
IDLE: If we, er —
PALIN: Look, it’s simple. Just stay here and make sure he doesn't leave the room.
CHAPMAN: [hiccup]
PALIN: Right?
IDLE: Oh, I remember. Can he, er, can he leave the room with us?
PALIN: No. Keep him in here, and make sure he doesn't —
IDLE: Oh, yes! we’ll keep him in here, obviously. But if he had to leave and we were with him.
PALIN: No. Just keep him in here.
IDLE: Until you or anyone else —
PALIN: No, not anyone else. Just me.
IDLE: — just you —
CHAPMAN: [hiccup]
IDLE: — get back.
PALIN: Right.

Things that amuse me about this scene: Louise St. Laurent's absolute time capsule of a burnt-orange lipstick that matches her hair. (It's the same color she's worn the whole time we've known her, but somehow in this scene it has really struck me.) Welsh's pursed-lip glare. Turnbull's super-prim feet-and-knees-together-under-his-desk seated pose. McFadden's mishmosh of "complicit" and "duplicitous."

Scene 14

Fraser and Vecchio are leaving the station.

FRASER: Thank you, Ray.
VECCHIO: Don't talk to me. I'm in a bad mood.
FRASER: I'm sorry, Ray.
VECCHIO: You want to know why I'm in a bad mood?
FRASER: Well, that would require that I — why, Ray?
VECCHIO: I'm in a really bad mood because I'm not used to arresting people and then immediately bailing them out, okay? It's embarrassing. Did you see those guys in lockup? How they were laughing at me? This is not a good thing, Fraser.
FRASER: Come to think of it, I'm not even sure if it's entirely legal.
VECCHIO: You want to know what I found out or not?
FRASER: Oh, I'm sorry. Please, go ahead. [They get in the car.]
VECCHIO: I got a friend down at the bureau.
FRASER: Really?
VECCHIO: Don't be so smug, okay? He told me ever since Waco, the FBI has been making a lot of noise about absorbing the ATF. They want to embarrass them any way they can. And when they heard about this case, the FBI's been walking around with big grins on their faces. All this leads me to the conclusion that the more I know about this case, the less sense it makes, and I don't want to know anything else. Do you understand? [McFadden appears at the driver's side window.]
MCFADDEN: I need to have a word in private.
VECCHIO: Why?
MCFADDEN: There's something you should know.
VECCHIO: Well, I don't want to hear it!
FRASER: Ray, Ray.
VECCHIO: All right, fine. Follow me.

Vecchio pulls out of his parking space.

"Ever since Waco" refers to the 1993 siege and destruction by fire of the Branch Davidian cult compound near Waco, Texas. Both the ATF and the FBI bungled that situation badly, but at the time, the ATF was a component of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the FBI (as always) of the U.S. Department of Justice, so it's not totally clear to me how the latter would have been able to simply "absorb" the former. (Uncle Wiki says ATF was briefly a division of the FBI in the 1930s just as Prohibition was ending.) I mean, ATF was transferred to DOJ in 2003 in a post-9/11 reorganization of federal cabinet departments, but the two bureaus' remits are different enough that the one absorbing the other doesn't seem at all obvious to me.

Scene 15

Fraser, Vecchio, and McFadden are in a diner.

MCFADDEN: The truck was seized and impounded, and when they went to log the evidence, it wasn't there.
VECCHIO: Cruller?
MCFADDEN: Go ahead.
FRASER: Who had control of the truck?
MCFADDEN: Two men from my district office.
VECCHIO: Both ATF agents?
MCFADDEN: Yeah.
VECCHIO: So what's all this about Gerrard testifying against Nash?
MCFADDEN: You think I want to advertise that the grand jury's about to indict my own men? I don't even know what Gerrard's going to say. He refused to name names until he's in front of the grand jury. I wasn't there. I don't even know there were guns there in the first place. Maybe the feds took 'em. I just know that this happened on my watch, and if my men are involved, I have to bring 'em down. If I don't clean my own house, the feds'll do it for me. I can't afford that.
VECCHIO: That's why you're talking to us about Tweedledum.
MCFADDEN: Let's just say Special Agent Borland has his own agenda. I need Gerrard to testify. I'm asking you to turn him over to me so I can take him in.
FRASER: I'm sorry. I can't do that.
MCFADDEN: The grand jury convenes tomorrow morning. Can I trust you to get him there?
FRASER: Yes, you can.
MCFADDEN: Understand my concern. This guy is doing time for murdering your father. If he disappears again, or steps in front of a truck, or comes to harm in any way while he's in your care, I can guarantee that I'll have you indicted for murder and use the full weight of my agency to ensure a conviction.
VECCHIO: Here, try the one with the sprinkles. You take your job way too seriously.
MCFADDEN: We'll meet on the steps of the courthouse, and we'll walk him in together.
FRASER: [looks at Vecchio; Vecchio gives a shruggy nod] All right.
MCFADDEN: I guess that's the best I can do.

McFadden gets up and leaves. Vecchio keeps eating doughnuts and drinking coffee.

McFadden is leaning hard on the idea that Fraser has it in for Gerrard, isn't he. From "You're not just going to pick up the phone and kick around old times" to "He could be dead, this guy's got the motive" to "I'll have you indicted" (which is not really his prerogative as an ATF agent, but never mind). And by the way, ATF agents are feds, too, just like FBI agents, so it's not totally kosher that "the feds" are the other guys in this conversation McFadden is having.

I guess if I'm going to line-check Hamlet references and do 200 words on O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," I should probably take three seconds to point out in case anyone is unaware that Tweedledum and Tweedledee are characters in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass, whose names (TIL) may originally have come from an 18th-century epigram about the composers Bononcini and Handel and are generally used today to refer to a pair of people who are so alike as makes little if any difference. It's a surprisingly literary reference for Vecchio to make, but I suppose there's a better than even chance he saw the movie if it was re-released or televised in his childhood? (He's from before VHS tapes, of course.)

Scene 16

Fraser is at the consulate. A toilet flushes and Gerrard emerges.

GERRARD: I don't know who's stupider, that Mountie or your dog. [Fraser stops him from walking by and turns him back to the wall to re-cuff his hands behind his back. Vecchio comes up the stairs.]
VECCHIO: Sorry I'm late. I had to help somebody with a tire.
FRASER: You helped somebody with a tire?
VECCHIO: Hey, look, you're not the only one around here who can turn a good deed.
FRASER: Well, I'm sorry, Ray. [to Gerrard] Let's go. [They all — Fraser, Vecchio, Gerrard, and Diefenbaker — head down the stairs. Then Fraser pops back up to speak to Turnbull, who is sitting at his desk humming with his hands over his eyes.] You can open your eyes now.
TURNBULL: Oh. Thank you. [He gives Fraser a thumbs-up. Fraser leaves again; Turnbull sings to himself as he glues up the pieces of the vase he was carrying in scene 9.] ♫ We stand on guard for thee . . . ♫
OVITZ: [arriving just a moment too late] Where'd he go?
TURNBULL: Who?
OVITZ: Uh — [He tries to motion to Turnbull that he has something stuck to his face, but gives up on both goals.] — never mind.
TURNBULL: [singing to himself] ♫ God keep our land . . . ♫

He tests the pieces of the broken vase to see how they fit together.

Why is Ovitz looking for Fraser (or Gerrard), incidentally? (Why isn't he with Thatcher, wherever she is?)

IDLE: Okay. Fine. We'll remain here until you get back.
PALIN: And make sure he doesn't leave.
IDLE: What?
PALIN: Make sure he doesn't leave.
IDLE: Who, the prince?
PALIN: Yes! Make sure —
IDLE: Oh, yes, of course! I thought you meant him! You know, it seemed a bit daft, me having to guard him when he's a guard.
PALIN: Is that clear?
CHAPMAN: [hiccup]
IDLE: Oh, yes. That’s quite clear. No problems.
PALIN: Where are you going?
IDLE: We're coming with you.

Scene 17

Fraser and Vecchio and Diefenbaker load Gerrard into the Riviera and drive off. Borland is watching them from the vestibule of a nearby building, and once they pass he gets in a sedan and starts to follow, but stops when he realizes he has a flat tire. The Riviera drives through the intersection in front of him.

FRASER: The FBI's tire? That — that's really quite commendable, Ray.
VECCHIO: Thank you, Fraser.

Borland smacks his steering wheel in frustration.

Borland's license plate is RCW 139. The mystery continues. (There is of course no mystery about how Vecchio helped with that tire. I'd say it is indeed commendable, but probably not in the way Fraser means.)

Scene 18

Our heroes are at an undisclosed location. Vecchio looks around, then opens the trunk of the Riviera and starts loading out bedding. In the building, Fraser is lighting camp lanterns.

VECCHIO: You get everything you need out of the car?
FRASER: Yes, Ray.
VECCHIO: Oh, yeah, it's going to be great for my allergies. You couldn't go to a hotel, huh?
FRASER: Since we don't know who it is that's looking for him, we don't know what their search capabilities are. [to Gerrard] Raise your hands. [Gerrard's hands are cuffed in front of him; Fraser unlocks the handcuffs.]
VECCHIO: Oh, yeah, just take those off. We'll go on the honor system here, Fraser. What are you thinking?
FRASER: He's not going to run.
VECCHIO: Oh, did he give you his word as a Mountie?
FRASER: No. He just knows if he tries, I'll kill him.
GERRARD: You got me so terrified I won't be able to sleep.
VECCHIO: Oh, Benny, can I have those back, please?
FRASER: Sorry. [He gives Vecchio his cuffs back.]
VECCHIO: [He cuffs Gerrard's hands in front of him again.] Sleep tight.
FRASER: Ray.
VECCHIO: One more peep out of you and I'm going home. [Vecchio sets up a whole stack of pillows and snuggles up under a duvet. Fraser unties his bedroll and kicks it out.] Need a pillow?
FRASER: No, thanks, Ray.
GERRARD: I'd like one.
VECCHIO: Did I ask you? [Fraser sits down and leans back against the wall, keeping an eye on Gerrard. Vecchio tries to get comfortable.] That's it. I can't sleep here. I'll take first watch.
FRASER: All right. Thanks, Ray.
VECCHIO: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [Diefenbaker beds down in Vecchio's pile of pillows.]
GERRARD: You are just like your father. You put duty above everything else. Duty to the force, duty to your friends, even duty to your enemies. I can't say I understand it, but I admire it.
FRASER: You know, I'm not really interested in talking to you, so I suggest you go to sleep.
GERRARD: His greatest strength was his greatest weakness. [Fraser rolls his eyes and stars rolling up his pants leg.] You could always predict exactly what he was going to do. I knew I could count on him. And I knew I could count on you.

Fraser has pulled a knife out of his boot and flings it at Gerrard. It sticks in the barrel just a few inches from Gerrard's head. Gerrard only flinches a little. Fraser gets up to come get the knife back.

FRASER: Just not really in the mood to talk.
GERRARD: [laughs in his face] Have a good sleep.
BOB FRASER: Psst. [Fraser looks up, and Bob is standing behind Gerrard holding a noose.] Look what I made for you, son.
FRASER: Oh, Dad. [He goes to look out a window. Bob follows him.]
BOB FRASER: All right, all right. Deep down I knew you couldn't do it. But if you could just go over there and, and, and kick him a few times.

This scene is pretty continuous, but I'm going to cut here so I don't have to wait forever to talk about two things. First, apparently after cuffing Gerrard's hands behind him at the consulate, at some point Fraser recuffed them in front of him before they came here. I guess that will have been at the same time as he and Vecchio changed into civvies?, because at the consulate Fraser was in his red uniform and Vecchio was in a suit, and now Fraser is in blue jeans and a different plaid flannel shirt and probably a different leather jacket, the previous jacket and the blue buffalo check shirt having presumably been ruined by the gunshot (as will have been the light blue henley, but I can't see what layer he's got under the plaid flannel at this time), and Vecchio is in a charcoal cable-knit turtleneck sweater. They both look great.

Second, regrettably, the bit of barrel that is going to be where Fraser's knife lands is clearly visible the entire time Gerrard is sitting against the thing.

I'm not an expert in stunts and effects and whatnot, but I assume a number of things:

• I assume the prop knife Paul Gross pulled out of his boot was blunt.
• Even so, I assume Ken Pogue was nowhere in front of him when he "threw" it.
• Even so, I assume that for the safety of the camera crew, Gross dropped the prop knife behind his back or never actually let go of it at all.
• I assume the knife that landed in the wood block to Pogue's left was pulled there in a whole different shot by some system of wires and magnets.
• I assume the sounds of the knife whooshing through the air and hitting the wood were added in post.

I applaud the effort they made to camouflage the target bit of that barrel, but by me the effort was entirely unsuccessful. I wonder if it would have been better if they'd built out the whole barrel in that extra-puffy paneling, and then the relevant staff (or section of staff) had been the only one with a slot in it? Maybe that wouldn't have been safe enough, which of course is ultimately much more important than how it looks.

Scene 19

Vecchio is patrolling in the alley behind their hideout. There is a car around the corner keeping an eye on him; he doesn't see it. Fraser and Bob are looking out the window.

FRASER: I knew you were in trouble, you know.
BOB FRASER: What do you mean?
FRASER: When we talked that last time before you died. I knew something was bothering you.
BOB FRASER: Nah, you couldn't. I didn't say a thing. [Fraser looks back at Gerrard, who is rolling over against the barrel to lie down.]
FRASER: No, I heard it in your voice. And I didn't ask. Do you know how many times I wondered why I didn't? Do you know how many times I thought if I'd just done that — that one thing, maybe you'd still be here.
BOB FRASER: I am here!
FRASER: No, I mean alive.
BOB FRASER: Oh, dead or alive, you still never listen to me. Just one good kidney punch. If I could see him writhing in pain, I could rest easy.
FRASER: It was always the same with us, wasn't it? I mean, if I knew something was bothering you, something personal, I wouldn't ask. I wouldn't push it. I used to tell myself it was . . . out of respect for you, but the truth is, I was afraid. It was that fear that got you killed.
BOB FRASER: Well, if you had asked, I wouldn't have told you.
FRASER: Why? I could have helped. I could have done something.
BOB FRASER: Father asking his son for help? Not an easy thing to do, you know. Would be like admitting I was old.
FRASER: Or human.
BOB FRASER: Ah. You wait till you're my age. Wait till some young turk comes up and says "Can I give you a hand with that, Pops?" See if you say yes. He was my friend. I had to bring him in myself. I owed it to him.
FRASER: Well, what did you owe me?
BOB FRASER: Oh, God. It's going to be this kind of conversation now.
FRASER: You know, you were so afraid to open up. It's as though you chose to be killed rather than expose your feelings.
BOB FRASER: That's ridiculous.
FRASER: Well, it's more or less what happened, isn't it? And the thing is, I'm no better. I mean — I never loved anyone as much as I loved you.
BOB FRASER: Now — stop that kind of talk right now.
FRASER: And I could never, ever say it.
BOB FRASER: Well, if you did, I would have hit you. [Fraser rolls his eyes and looks out the window to where Vecchio is patrolling in the alley.] Well, it's my fault. Shouldn't have left you with your grandmother all that time. You don't know till it's too late, the effect that women can have on you. For years you're living a perfectly normal life, then one day, right out of the blue, you start thinking about feelings and emotions. That was my mistake, not yours, son. No, you go ahead, you blubber on.
FRASER: No, I, I'm fine, thank you.
BOB FRASER: Well, you're not going to sulk now, are you?
FRASER: I'm not sulking. I don't sulk.

Fraser looks back out the window.

First things first: He is totally sulking.

So the last time the Frasers spoke before Bob's death was Christmas 1993, which if Bob was audibly uneasy about the Gerrard thing lends support to the idea that he was killed in February rather than in August and I'm probably just going to have to live with that. Sigh.

I don't know if Bob would actually have hit Ben if he'd ever said "I love you, Dad." Maybe a whap upside the head, not an actual punitive strike such as Vecchio obliquely describes getting from his father. I need to admit to myself that the early and mid-1960s of Fraser's childhood were a different time than the late 1970s and early 1980s of mine, quite apart from the vast differences between the real relationship I had with my real parents and the fictitious relationship Fraser had with his fictitious ones. 😊 So when I think "Bob wouldn't have hit Ben, would he?" the answer is "Sure, maybe. Probably." BUT whether he would or wouldn't have done so is immaterial because this conversation is happening in Ben's head, and the Bob who is Ben's subconscious is saying "No, that's right, you could absolutely not have had this conversation in any productive way while we were both living." I'm interested by the blaming-the-grandmother of it all, though. The grandmother we met briefly in "Letting Go" was no coddler; Bob himself had to remind her that Ben had been shot and wasn't just staying in bed out of laziness.

Scene 20

Vecchio is patrolling in the alley. He sees or hears something that makes him suspicious; he draws his gun. One step later, someone pops out from around a corner and clocks him on the back of the head with a blunt object. He drops. Fraser is still looking out the window waiting for Vecchio to appear by his car.

FRASER: He said I was just like you.
BOB FRASER: Shows you how much he knows.
FRASER: [realizing his mistake] He knew what I was going to do.

Fraser turns around to see to Gerrard, but Gerrard is right there and whacks him in the face with a two-by-four. Fraser falls to the floor.

BOB FRASER: Look out, son.

Diefenbaker barks. Gerrard gets ready to swing again, but Diefenbaker charges him and knocks him down. Vecchio rolls into the room where someone threw him in on his shoulder. That someone walks in slowly and raises a handgun to aim at them: It's Agent McFadden of the ATF.

MCFADDEN: Call him off.
FRASER: Diefenbaker!
BOB FRASER: Good dog. Bite him again.
MCFADDEN: We've come for your prisoner.
GERRARD: You took your sweet time about it.
VECCHIO: Sorry, Fraser.
FRASER: [getting up] No, that's all right, Ray. I didn't see it myself.
BOB FRASER: See what, son? I'm somewhat confused.
FRASER: McFadden and Gerrard were working together. McFadden's men stole the weapons, they split the profits.
MCFADDEN: [to another gun-wielding ATF guy] Bring the car around to the front. [The guy goes to get the car; a third guy comes forward to take his place.]
FRASER: Of course, Agent McFadden wasn't on the scene, so he was in the clear. But he knew if Gerrard named names in front of the grand jury, his would be at the top of the list, so they cut another deal.
GERRARD: I'll take the keys.
VECCHIO: Yeah, bite me. [The third guy kicks Vecchio hard in the ribs, then gets the handcuff keys out of his pocket and tosses them to Gerrard.]
FRASER: They had to get Gerrard away from the marshals, but McFadden had to make it look as though he was doing everything in his power to bring him back. [to Gerrard, who has got his cuffs unlocked] Course you knew that you could count on me to not turn you in. [Gerrard comes toward him.]
BOB FRASER: Stab him with your knife, son. [Gerrard takes the knife out of Fraser's boot.] Too late.
GERRARD: A simple quid pro quo. They get my silence, I get my freedom. Unfortunately, I was forced to kill you and your friend in making my escape. The irony is, you're the one who'll be blamed.
FRASER: Well, no, actually, Gerrard, the irony is that you've just helped plan your murder. McFadden can't let you disappear, because he knows if you ever resurfaced he'd be right back in the same box he's in now.
MCFADDEN: Give me the cop's gun. [He puts away his own gun and takes Vecchio's from the third guy.]
GERRARD: I held up my end of the bargain.
MCFADDEN: Yeah, you're an honorable man. [cocks the handgun] I appreciate that. [to Vecchio] You get over with your friend.
VECCHIO: Yeah, carry me. [The third guy kicks him in the ribs again.]
GERRARD: You kill all three of us, you can't cover it up. They're going to know it was you.
FRASER: Well, no, actually, I, I think he's done quite a good job of reminding everybody that I have a good motive to murder you. And you me. [Gerrard is moving to the door.]
BOB FRASER: Oh, I don't think you should argue in their favor, son.
MCFADDEN: Step away from the door.
GERRARD: Go to hell.
MCFADDEN: All right. [He shoots and hits Gerrard in the arm. Gerrard falls down.]
BOB FRASER: Finally, someone shoots him. [McFadden takes aim for another shot.]
FRASER: Before you kill him, there's something you should know about this man.
MCFADDEN: What?
FRASER: I — I don't understand it now, but when I was a boy, I admired him.
BOB FRASER: Oh, for God's sake, son, what are you saying?
FRASER: And I can still remember the first time he came to visit us.
GERRARD: Oh, God, do I have to listen to this?
BOB FRASER: Now, stop it, son, you're embarrassing yourself.
FRASER: He stood so tall in his uniform. You know, I've never told him this, but secretly — secretly, I wished he was my father.
GERRARD: [to McFadden] If you're gonna shoot me, shoot me!
FRASER: I don't know. Maybe it's just because he was so much taller.
BOB FRASER: Well, he — he's not taller than me! People shrink when they die! Everyone knows that! In life I was six-two!
FRASER: Anyway, the, the thing I wanted to say is — [He crouches down next to Gerrard.]
GERRARD: Get away from me.
FRASER: You broke my heart.
MCFADDEN: Oh, this is just too sick.

McFadden gets ready to shoot again, but the reason Fraser got down next to Gerrard was to get his knife back, which he now flings into the barrel of McFadden's (Vecchio's) gun. Vecchio jumps to his feet and knocks the third guy into a railing on his way to tackling McFadden. The third guy crashes into the guy who'd gone to bring the car, on his way back up the stairs. Vecchio takes his gun back from McFadden; McFadden gets up and fires his own gun at Fraser, who is hurrying to get Gerrard behind cover. Everyone is running. The car guy dives through a window; Vecchio is firing at McFadden; McFadden is firing at Fraser and Gerrard. The third guy is also firing. Diefenbaker gets in a crate and stays there. Vecchio reaches Fraser.

VECCHIO: What the hell was that all about? [He shoots a bit more.]
FRASER: Well, we needed an advantage, Ray, so I had to unnerve them. And there's nothing more unnerving to men than talking about feelings. [more gunfire]
BOB FRASER: Measure him! He's not a hair above six-one. Ask him for a tape. [more gunfire]
FRASER: I will not ask him for a tape. [more gunfire]
VECCHIO: Already got one. [He gives Fraser his dictaphone and keeps returning fire.]
FRASER: What, this works? [more gunfire]
VECCHIO: Of course it does. [more gunfire]
GERRARD (RECORDED): They get my silence, I get my freedom.
VECCHIO: All right. You head for the door, and I'll cover you. [He shoots some more. Gerrard is trying to crawl out from behind his barrel, but he can't get out in the open.]
FRASER: I can't leave him, Ray.
VECCHIO: Look, we don't need him alive. We got everything we need on tape. Besides, he's not going anywhere.
FRASER: I gave him my word that I would protect him. [more gunfire, including a shot that hits Diefenbaker's crate] Look, I owe it to him, whether he deserves it or not.
BOB FRASER: Now, that's where I made my mistake, son.
FRASER: I'm going for him.

Fraser rushes across the warehouse to Gerrard, picks the old man up on his shoulders, and starts to carry him back. Halfway back across, he is hit. He drops Gerrard, who hurries the rest of the way himself. Fraser covers behind some barrels. The gun battle continues. Vecchio runs to Fraser.

VECCHIO: Feel better?
FRASER: Well, no, Ray. I have a bullet in my leg. [Gerrard runs for the door.]
BOB FRASER: Your mother was nearly six feet, and I was taller than she was. [more gunfire]
VECCHIO: I'm out of bullets.
BOB FRASER: Watch this.
FRASER: What?
VECCHIO: I'm out of bullets.
BOB FRASER: [yells to the room] Let's get out of here!

The gunfire stops. McFadden thinks he may have heard something.

MCFADDEN: Let's get out of here!
CAR GUY: I'll get the car!

The bad guys run.

FRASER: [to Bob] How did you do that?
VECCHIO: What? Are you all right?
FRASER: Yeah. [Vecchio gets up to follow McFadden and the others. Bob gets up too.]
BOB FRASER: Stay put.

Fraser nods.

So the bad guy was bad enough that he was multiple-crossing Gerrard, which Gerrard frankly should probably have expected—not that Gerrard is actually a good guy, and "Yeah, you're an honorable man" was a nice touch (don't forget that Brutus is an honorable man, though I am not for a moment suggesting that McFadden be thought of in the Antony role here). I'd have preferred that the baddest bad guy in the episode not be the first Black man we've seen in a minute.

Pinsent is 5'8" according to IMDb. It's possible he may have been taller in his youth, but he's not stooped or anything here, is he. Pogue (1934–2015) was 5'9 3/4" also according to IMDb, and who do you suppose was that persnickety about that last quarter-inch and didn't just call the man 5'10" and be done with it? Honestly. So anyway, that's Gerrard taller than Bob Fraser for sure, maybe enough so to make an impression on Ben as a kid, or Ben could just be monologuing to buy time, which is actually what most of the first part of that scene is about, isn't it? He's summing up like an Agatha Christie detective. (Even 6'2" isn't tall enough for a seven-year-old not to be able to reach his belt, unless the seven-year-old is unusually small and the 6'2" man is all, I mean all leg.) (Just since we're on the subject of everyone's relative height, Paul Gross is listed at 6' even.)

Speaking of Pogue, though, we're now less than five minutes from the end of the episode, so there's not enough time left for Lee Purcell (as Louise St. Laurent) to have an important enough role to out-bill him in the guest credits—so wtf. (He was also billed behind Wendel Meldrum as Constable Brighton in the pilot. Seems like he got a raw deal to me.)

Anyway, I'm also glad we're back in the land of Chekov's Plot Devices and the Rule of Threes, and Vecchio's tape recorder works the third time we see it. 😊

So what do we think happened when Bob shouted "Let's get out of here" and the bad guys got it in their heads to get out of there? Of course, the Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded.

Scene 21

The car pulls up out front and McFadden jumps in. He and the other baddies drive away. Gerrard is trying to get out of the warehouse, and the door he goes for is locked. He doesn't want to go the way the feds went, apparently, even though they're gone now. He chucks a barrel through a window and knocks away the broken glass with a broken bit of the frame. The feds are driving around the alley. He climbs through the window and tries to haul himself up onto the roof, but it is raining, the roof is wet, and he can't get purchase; he slips and catches himself on the windowsill before he falls to the alley below. He's hanging by his left hand and can't get a good grip with his right, which is the arm he was shot in. Bob reaches to him from the window.

BOB FRASER: Take my hand.
GERRARD: Ah! You're dead!
BOB FRASER: No time to be choosy. [Gerrard tries to grab Bob's hand. Of course his hand passes right through Bob's, and he falls from the window.] Oh. My mistake.

Gerrard falls and lands on the windshield of the feds' car. He rolls off and into some pallets before they can crash him into a brick wall; they swerve into a whole stack of empty oil drums. Fraser and Bob are watching this from the broken window.

FRASER: What did you do?
BOB FRASER: Nothing. Just tried to give him a hand.
FRASER: You don't have a hand.
BOB FRASER: Well, still, I had to offer it, son. Whether he deserved it or not.

Diefenbaker is herding the feds as they get out of their crashed car. Vecchio has Gerrard up against the wall and is aiming his gun at the feds.

VECCHIO: All right, throw down your guns and keep your hands where I can see 'em.

The feds raise their hands and wait for Vecchio to arrest them.

Vecchio is out of bullets, but never mind, I guess? The feds are going to go quietly at this point? Anyway, the important thing is, wait a minute, Bob can appear to Gerrard? I suppose I can see where Gerrard's own subconscious mind might have a thing or two to say to him about his actions over the past few years, so if he knew Bob as well as he did, I can dig that he might think yes, even now, Bob would try to help me rather than just letting me fall.

Scene 22

Reporters are rushing up the courthouse steps as Borland is leading McFadden and a uniformed officer is leading Gerrard out. One reporter manages to catch St. Laurent.

REPORTER DUDE: Excuse me, ma'am? What kind of evidence was presented? Will ATF Agent McFadden be charged?

Fraser holds the car door open for Gerrard. Gerrard looks at him and then gets in. Fraser slams the car door as hard as he can behind him, then picks up his crutches and walks over to Vecchio. They look at where St. Laurent is finishing up with the reporters.

REPORTER LADY: Just one more question, please? Just one.

St. Laurent walks away from the reporters, giving Vecchio a raised eyebrow and a smile. He smiles back at her and then turns to walk away down the street with Fraser.

VECCHIO: So, how's your leg?
FRASER: Fine.
VECCHIO: Is that the same leg that they shot you in last time?
FRASER: Yes.
VECCHIO: Same leg they stabbed you in?
FRASER: Yes, Ray.
VECCHIO: Your country give you a medal for getting wounded like that?
FRASER: No, not that I'm aware of.
VECCHIO: Then I think you should have this. [He sticks a note to Fraser's chest.]
FRASER: "Please shoot the other leg." Well, that's just not amusing, Ray.

I suppose St. Laurent will be the prosecutor of the particular violent crimes that took place here in Chicago, but I still think the gun-smuggling stuff is federal and not her business. Apparently she and Vecchio are okay now (or she doesn't care about the Turner brothers case anymore?), so that's something.

Poor Fraser. Did we know he'd been shot in the right leg before? We knew his left leg had been broken and reset twice; I'd have said that might mean his left leg could be fractionally shorter than his right—not that that's why they were walking in circles up in the northern woods, but still. Only we didn't know before that the right leg had been shot, did we? We know about the stabbing, is all we know about the right leg. Anyway, if Vecchio's note had said "If you must shoot me in the leg, please shoot the other leg," that would have been better, but that's probably too many words.

Oh, and the title. Of course the old adage is "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," which is a warning against the risk of losing what you've got by betting you'll be able to increase it. (As the fellow sang, you've got to know when to hold 'em; know when to fold 'em; know when to walk away; know when to run.) I always thought Gerrard was the bird, and the feds were hoping they could get Nash as well but might end up with neither of them; but now the more I think about it, I think Gerrard is the one doing the unwise gamble, having gone to prison for hiring the hit on Bob Fraser but basically got away with the weapons smuggling stuff and now rolling the dice again where he might go free for all of his crimes but he might also get himself killed.

Cumulative body count: 16
Red uniform: The whole episode except when the three of them are hiding out at the warehouse

Previous | Index of annotated transcripts | Next