05x08 - Off the Wagon

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: Garrett Storme was a successful meteorologist, working on the future of weather intervention.

He was pursuing his life's interests, engaged to be married.

Not a care in the world.

Until date night turned deadly.

[Screaming] Julie. Julie!

No. No. Noooo!

Narrator: That's when Garrett Storme took justice into his own hands and became...

Gold Storm.

[Lightning crashes]

[g*n cocks]

Don't look now, gentlemen, but the forecast calls for blood!

[g*nshots]

Chris Walker is Gold Storm.

Coming this fall to ONC.

Hmm. Chris Walker was making a comeback from his awkward teenage years.

Yeah. And now he's dead.

Age 24.

Probably an overdose.

Well, nice place for it.

Paid for with Hollywood dollars, which I don't know anything about.

So maybe you can help me out here.

Would it be in anybody's best interest, showbiz-wise, for Chris to suddenly die?

I mean, doesn't that mean his, like, new show gets canceled?

Well, not necessarily. Look.

He's in his superhero costume a lot.

Might be able to loop another actor's voice into the scenes with the gold mask, re-sh**t the rest.

Why? Do you think Chris was m*rder*d?

Well, no.

But a friend from AA...

Actually, it's my daughter's cousin by marriage, Jared.

He was Chris' sober living assistant, hired to make sure that Chris didn't drink or snort anything.

And my daughter just loves Jared.

And Jared failed.

Well, Hollywood Division thinks so, especially since Chris' body showed no sign of a struggle.

But Jared is convinced that the k*ller snuck in the house when they went out a couple of nights ago.

And arranged an overdose in advance?

Well, that's another reason patrol didn't take him seriously.

I mean, look, Jared is probably wrong, but I promised my daughter that I would give him a serious listen.

So, could you just hear him out with me?

Yeah, sure.

Hopefully Jared's not too defensive.

It wasn't an accident.

And Chris didn't relapse. He was m*rder*d.

Jared, no one is doubting you.

Sorry. I'm just hyper-emotional right now because when the police first arrived [Voice breaking] they treated like I was some kind of drama queen.

Just walk us through what happened.

[Breathes deeply] Okay.

Yesterday, I woke Chris at around 6:00 for his morning urine test, required by the network.

It was completely clean. No oxy, no heroin.

Then his personal trainer got here, and they spent an hour lifting weights in the home gym.

After that, I made Chris his post-workout protein smoothie.

My mother called, and that's when Chris went to steam.

But when I hung up with my mom, I realized that I had been on the phone with her for 50 minutes, and Chris was still in the steam room.

I opened the door, and there he was... facedown on the floor with no pulse.

I mean, I know I should have checked on him sooner.

It's just my mom is one of those people who constantly digresses.

Like, right now, she's planning this co-ed baby shower for my sister.

Hired a mariachi band, which no one wants except for her, so my Aunt Sylvia told her that she's not going to that...

Excuse me, Jared.

Are you 100% sure Chris is not using dr*gs again?

No. 200%.

Plus, the police brought in those drug-sniffing dogs.

You know what they found? Nothing.

Look, I am a doctor...

Used to be a doctor.

Used to be a doctor. God.

I showed up high for work at the E.R. once.

A couple of times. So unfair.

Getting caught, I mean. And having my license jerked.

But, no one can take away my ability or experience.

I'd have known if Chris were high.

I'd have known.

‭For now, as things stand, if Chris d*ed of an overdose, no one will ever hire Jared as a sober living assistant again.

I see. Well... were there any problems on the set of "Gold Storm?"

No. We were two episodes in. Everything was going great.

Hmm. I can check on that.

Who you calling?

‭My agent.

Your agent? Really?

He'll give us the inside sco...

Hey, Rick. Michael Tao.

Tell me, what do you know about the actor Chris Walker?

Rusty: So, he's basically a dude in a gold raincoat who figures out how to change the weather to fight crime.

Wow. So believable.

How did the actor die?

Well, that's what Andy is trying to figure out, but Chris may have been m*rder*d.

Or he could have just given in to an old drug habit.

Well, the guy ‭had a really high-paying job, someone hired to keep him drug-free, and he still d*ed of an overdose?

My mom works all day for minimum wage, she takes classes at night, and she relies on house-sitting for a place to live, and she's been sober for two years.

Hold on.

In your voice just now, did I detect a little compassion for your other mother?

Okay, no. She has a good reason right now to cut back on risky behavior.

Which reminds me... I have to get up early to drive her to the doctor's office.

‭She okay?

Yeah, yeah, but since Gary's parents are adopting the baby, they want her to have more regular care, and so they're paying for a sonogram.

A sonogram?

‭Yes.

At 8:00 a.m.

So I'm off to bed.

Hold on.

That means you'll be able to tell if it's a boy or a girl!

I think so, yeah.

I don't know if it'll be all that exciting.

Well, you may be surprised.

Ha. If I'm even awake.

Okay, good night!

‭Good night.

Night.

Okay, so... what do you think?

Any way Chris could have been m*rder*d?

Well, if he was, ‭that would be a major crime, but Jared's suspicions aside, the question we need to ask is, was there anyone ‭who wanted this young man dead?

Tao: Chris Walker wasn't winning any popularity contests.

My agent put me in contact with his entertainment lawyer.

I asked for this.

Three serious lawsuits were filed against him in the past six months.

Three?

One from his former rep, Sean Wheeler, who said Chris switched to a big agency behind his back to make the deal for "Gold Storm."

Sean was suing for his commission, which would have been 10% of Chris' huge salary.

Amy?

‭Oh.

Um, Marsha Walker.

Sharon R.: Is that Chris Walker's mother?

Or as we like to say in the business, "Momager."

"As we say in the business." Geez.

‭Provenza: What?

Momager. A mother who also guides her child's career.

Like Marsha did for Chris before he fired her.

She's also suing him for part of the "Gold Storm" deal.

Provenza: And the third one is... Ah.

Tina Walker.

Now, what is she dragging him to court for?

Sanchez: Divorce, sir.

After Chris got clean, he backed out of their marriage.

Said there was too many temptations around Tina and her crew.

What kind of temptations?

TMZ is saying that Tina Walker's drug of choice was oxycodone, which is what put Chris in rehab.

Oxy... the most addictive prescription painkiller available.

Okay, Andy, at the very least, we can ask Mr. Walker's litigious friends and family to join us for a conversation.

About what? I mean, ‭the kid d*ed of an overdose.

And we won't suggest m*rder, but we can ask if they know where he got his dr*gs and confirm with Dr. Morales that he was taking them.

Your victim d*ed of a self-inflicted g*nsh*t wound entering through his right temporal bone and exiting through the back...

No. No, no, no, no.

That can't be right.

Whoops. Sorry.

Uh, wrong report.

140 new bodies since last Wednesday.

Old people drop like flies in this heat, so stay cool, you guys.

Oh, right.

The actor.

Okay.

No contusions, but before he bit the dust, your victim also bit down on his tongue.

Indicates a seizure.

Could be drug-related, but we haven't tested the guy's stomach contents yet.

Smelled like vanilla.

His last meal was a protein shake.

As if dying wasn't depressing enough.

Well, there were rumors that the kid abused oxycodone and heroin.

Makes sense.

See the little red dots under his belly button?

God. Who sh**t heroin into their stomach?

A junkie who wants to keep his arms clean for some reason, like starring on a new TV show, maybe.

Except Jared told me that he was with Chris 24/7.

Right. Right. Look.

Jared knew that Chris was using again and is trying to blame the kid's death on somebody else.

But, for your daughter's sake, we will search everything in Chris' house... just to prove I'm right.

Sharon B.: Ooh. ‭That's a little cold, Doctor.

I know, but don't move because...

[Beep]

There we go.

Wow.

Is that like a halo?

No.

That was the baby's hair.

It already has hair?

Sure does.

Oh. You don't need to film this.

I'm making a DVD.

I can e-mail you the video, if you like.

Yeah, thanks.

The baby looks good.

Very good.

And since you want to know the sex, congratulations.

You are about to bring a little girl into the world.

[Sighs]

I'm having a baby girl.

Wow.

How will it work ‭with Gary's parents, anyway?

Work?

‭Like, how often will you get to visit the baby?

Oh.

Well... never.

What?

No, it's not like it sounds.

Wait, so you're just giving her to the Lewises and walking away?

I spoke to Jim and Linda about it, and we all agreed that it's best if I either come and live with them or I give the baby up entirely.

Not... Not even... Not even like a visit now and then?

I already have to listen to one kid call somebody else "Mom," and I don't really want any more distance between you and me than there already is.

Look, doing what you wanted here is important, but it's also important that this little girl doesn't grow up with any confusion about who her real family is.

[Door opens]

Okay, Ms. Beck.

Everything looks terrific.

Now we'll do a blood draw, and you can be on your way.

[Cellphone clicks]

I tested a small sample of this Very Vanilla protein powder that we brought back from the search of Chris Walker's house.

Bronze equals a match for oxycodone.

So the dr*gs were mixed with vanilla protein powder.

Very Vanilla, which is why the dogs didn't find anything when Hollywood did their search.

The protein shake covered up the oxy scent, ma'am.

So, Jared k*lled his own client with a post-workout smoothie.

Except, Lieutenant, Jared might have gotten away with it if he hadn't called Andy for help.

What about the other tub of vanilla protein powder?

Very Vanilla.

It looks okay to the naked eye.

But up close, you'll see a mixture of two colors... off-white being the protein and bright white being... oxycodone.

Yeah, maybe that's how the dr*gs were getting past Jared.

Yeah, but that's a lot of oxy, though.

I mean, the whole 2-inch layer in the middle of the tub?

Any addict would have known that they were scooping up a fatal dose.

So, Chris was also sh**ting dr*gs in his stomach.

And it wasn't heroin.

He was injecting himself with HGH.

Human growth hormone.

Against the rules for athletes but not actors.

Well, Chris Walker was playing a superhero.

Half the job is staying ripped.

But to use HGH, you need a prescription.

Did Chris have one?

The stuff we found at the house didn't have pharmacy tags.

So, the fact that Dr. Jared didn't tell us about this HGH makes him sound even more suspicious.

Yeah, but where is Jared's motive?

He loses both his job and his future.

Still, Andy, ‭while we find and interview our potential suspects, why don't you ask Jared to join us as a kind of a background adviser?

We'll start with Chris' agent.

Provenza: If Chris was your biggest moneymaker, you must have been pretty upset when you got dumped.

Was Sean Wheeler angry with Chris?

Sean: All of my clients throw me overboard when their ship comes in.

There were ‭some nasty phone calls.

And when the contract for "Gold Storm" was announced, Sean sent a bouquet of dead roses over to the house.

Well, that sounds angry. But that's no motive.

He won't be able to get Chris' commissions now.

You see, that's the irony of running a boutique agency.

I help people climb the ladder they use to abandon me.

But until last February, Chris was the exception.

I mean, he stuck with me, and I stuck by him, too... when no one would hire him because he'd been drunk and high on the set of his last two films.

How did he get into rehab? Me.

Who loaned him half the down payment for the mortgage on his house when his mother wouldn't?

Me.

Who got him back into shape, hired his trainer, pried him away from that child predator that he married?

Me.

You talked Chris into leaving Tina?

Absolutely. She was toxic.

Was she really that awful? ‭

I mean, Tina didn't help.

I think she was afraid the longer Chris stayed sober... the more likely he was to leave her.

What happened?

And she wasn't wrong.

Sean: Chris always turned down television, but when I read "Gold Storm,"

I saw a complex character worthy of his skill.

Especially since he looked so good wet.

You know... with the rain.

Anyway, I was shocked when Chris told me that he hated it.

But then a week later, I read on "Deadline" that Chris accepted...

That's a showbiz website.

...the role of Gold Storm and was being repped by CUA, one of the largest talent agencies on earth.

That's how I found out that Chris dumped me and his mother... by reading it online.

CUA... a bunch of crooks.

You're lucky not to be in my industry.

Oh, boy. Here it comes.

Actually, I'm a consulting producer on "Badge of Justice."

Sean: With Jon Worth?

"Badge," "Badge," "Badge."

Great guy.

That show is becoming a staple.

Which Mike has every right to be proud of.

Every right.

Jon says he thinks it could go another five...

Here's the announcement Sean Wheeler was talking about, Captain.

Oh.

‭[Cellphone chimes]

His mom didn't seem ‭to have a very good reaction to Chris taking the part, either.

"My son doesn't appreciate any of the sacrifices... I have made for his career."

Oh, I'm getting anxious to hear what Mama Walker has to say.

Well, you don't have long to wait, ma'am.

Marsha Walker's getting her visitor's badge right now, and I guess patrol's still hunting for the ex-wife.

She didn't show up for her "fat freezing" appointment.

Provenza: One last question.

How do you think Chris was able to sneak the dr*gs past his sober living assistant?

No idea.

I heard that Jared guy was pretty relentless.

And from the gossip that I heard from the "Gold Storm" set, Chris was sober and on top of it.

I did my job.

Yeah, I did.

Tao: Well, that's all for now, Mr. Wheeler.

Thank you for coming in.

Um, I...

‭Provenza: I guess we'll call you if we need you.

Listen. There's something...

I have something I'm gonna do.

[Door closes]

Oh, excuse me, Mr. Wheeler.

Sorry to bother you.

Lieutenant Andy Flynn.

Um, just a couple of follow-ups.

If Chris Walker had not d*ed, you would have made a lot of money off "Gold Storm," right?

Considering all the motions CUA would have buried me under, I'd have settled just for the first year's commissions.

Not what I deserve, but good enough.

And is it fair to say that you're familiar with what people make on a television show?

Very, yes.

So, um... consulting producer, who's like a technical expert, um... what's the going rate for something like that?

Well, it varies.

But the meteorologist on "Gold Storm" gets something like $10,000 or $12,000.

That's all?

Small change in the general scheme of things...

[Elevator bell dings]

Oh... my... God.

Sean.

‭Marsha.

Just when you think things couldn't get worse...

Along comes a spider.

Do you know why I compare Chris' mom to a spider, Lieutenant?

Spiders also eat their young.

Sean likes to take the credit, but it was my son's soul that made him a star.

Chris was special?

To their parents, every child is special.

Incredibly special.

Nature makes you feel that way about them so you don't start b*ating the sh*t out of them when they turn 16.

And the more special the child is, the more discipline and direction they need.

[Scoffs] That's an understatement.

I mean, I never met the woman... but from the way Chris talked about her... his mother was a control freak.

In what way a control freak?

When Chris first started acting, she wouldn't let him eat after 6:00 p.m.

The only thing he could drink... ‭was flat water ‭and vegetable juices. No dairy.

No proteins ‭except for turkey and fish.

Nothing fried.

‭...I transferred all of this to my son.

Were those protein shakes part of his mother's dietary regimen, Buzz?

The captain wants to know if Ms. Walker knew about the Very Vanilla.

Could you tell us a little about Chris' diet growing up?

I see that you've read that trash that Larry Bass calls a book about Chris' early career.

Yes. I watched what he ate.

And he booked every job he went up for because he looked so young.

He was able to play 15 when he was 18.

Do you think that really would have happened if he was a little fatso?

Is that why he was mostly subsisting on vanilla smoothies?

Very Vanilla.

I have no idea about smoothies.

I assume he was doing it to get his weight back down.

He wouldn't have had to worry about that crap on my watch.

Why are we talking about smoothies?

I mean, didn't you ask me here to find out how Chris got his hands on dr*gs?

You know?

‭Tina.

Of course.

That wretched woman that he married because I mistakenly let him do "High School Sucks."

When the producers ‭cast Tina as his mother...

His wife played his mother?

...I tried to pull him out.

Kind of gross.

I mean, she has a reputation for seducing younger men, especially naive, rich co-stars...

Hey, buddy.

...that can finance her drug habit.

Sanchez: Uh, ma'am, we're having trouble locating Tina.

You know where she is?

Of course I know where she is.

Now that she's a widow instead of a soon-to-be divorcée, you will find her at Chris' house, which is now legally hers.

I went by there today to pick up some important keepsakes and collect my piano.

That bitch moved back in the second you people took your tape down.

She said she was having a pool party this afternoon to celebrate.

Slammed the door in my face.

♪ She got, she got, she got, she got, she got, she got ♪
♪ She got that tranquilizer ♪
♪ Tranquilizer ♪
♪ That girl's a hypnotizer ♪
♪ She's such a victimizer ♪
♪ She don't pretend to play fair ♪
♪ There's fear in the air ♪
♪ She got that tranquilizer ♪

So, I was on a boat with him...

♪ That girl's a hypnotizer ♪

Interesting wake you have going on here.

Excuse me?

Ah. [Chuckles]

I'm sorry. What's going on here?

[Music stop, feedback]

Hello, uh, we're listening to that.

Yeah, well, you don't mind if the L.A.P.D. has a look around, do you?

Uh, Lieutenant, over here.

I don't think these are green M&M's.

Okay, hold on. I have prescriptions for all of those.

And your guests?

Do they all have prescriptions, too, ma'am?

Or are you dealing dr*gs?

No. Those are just for me, okay?

I had a horse-riding accident in '08.

What is going on, Tina?

Just shut the hell up, Ramon, okay?

Let me handle this.

These white pills... It's oxycodone.

It's the drug which your husband O.D.'d on a couple days ago.

What?! You're married?!

Uh, ma'am, drop your margarita and put your hands behind your back.

[Crowd gasps]

Provenza: Okay.

Everybody grab a towel!

You're all under arrest.

L.A.P.D.

Come on, let's go. Let's go!

Grab a towel!

Man, worst pool party ever!

Steak. Gus, you shouldn't spend that kind of money.

Oh, he didn't have to. He won them at his restaurant.

You did?

‭Yes.

$2 a ticket, and the restaurant raffles away ‭something special every week.

God, my boss is a nice guy.

I'm just happy ‭he's taken an interest in me.

It sounds like.

Hey, so, um, did Buzz ever follow up with you on using the partial to identify a witness in his father's m*rder?

Not yet. ‭

Because I feel like he has a really compelling rationale to go beyond the L.A.P.D. point system.

I'm looking forward to hearing it.

So, what did you find out this morning at your mother's doctor's appointment?

Oh. Well... it's a girl.

You're gonna have a little sister in your life.

Well, you would if she wasn't going to be living with Gary's parents.

Actually, uh, Gary's parents invited my mother to move in with them.

Said that they could all look after the baby together.

Really?

‭Yeah.

Except my mom said that she doesn't want to risk putting any more distance between us.

And since I said that I wanted the baby to be adopted...

Excuse me. I am out of this discussion.

Just... Just cooking.

So, where do Gary's parents live?

Cathedral City.

It's right outside of Palm Springs.

Mm. That isn't so far, really.

Yeah. Yeah, except what if my mom, like, wakes up one morning and decides that she wants to take off with this little girl, and then Jim and Linda don't have the parental rights that they need to go after them?

Like, why did I go and watch the sonogram with her?

Like, seeing that baby is clouding my judgment.

Really?

Clouding your judgment?

[Chuckles] Sorry.

Just... Just cooking.

Trusting an addict to do the right thing...

It is a risk.

I know that.

But what do you gain by giving up on them?

Provenza: Well, I hope being sober hasn't ruined your morning.

And take off those damn sunglasses.

It's just plain rude.

Flynn: How could she play Chris' mom?

She's not even 10 years older than him.

Hollywood years.

Tina: I have a headache, and I am in chronic, chronic pain.

Well, that's the least of your worries, Tina.

While you were enjoying the aftereffects of that green pill/ margarita combo, all your so-called friends were spilling your dirty secrets.

No, not my Ramon.

Oh, especially your Ramon.

We've learned that you distribute dr*gs not only to your swim buddies, but you're also known as a pill peddler to the stars.

Oh, no. I am the star, darling.

That little group?

They're just actors jealous of my career.

Chris wasn't jealous of your wild success.

But you were slipping him dr*gs, too.

No, no. He was so clean.

He'd gone back to being Christopher Robin.

That was his nickname when I met him because he'd stayed a child for so long.

Mama's little boy.

Now, as your husband, he must have known where you got your dr*gs.

Watch it.

I recurred as a deputy D.A. for two seasons on "Legal L.A."

You keep talking like this, and I will ask for a lawyer.

Well, you'll probably need one when we arrest you for m*rder.

What m*rder?

Chris d*ed of an overdose.

But not by his own hand.

Think you'll still be a star when the L.A.P.D. announces to the media you're our prime suspect?

If you don't tell us where you get your dr*gs, we are leaving here, going to a press conference, and you will be identified as the prime suspect in Chris' homicide.

All right, fine.

I get them from Deb.

From Dr. Deb.

Dr. Deb.

Does Deb have a last name?

Buzz, we need ‭to schedule an appointment.

Dr. Debra Morrow.

The captain wants to see if Dr. Deb has an availability today.

You know, I haven't been feeling myself lately.

Think Dr. Deb could help?

Um, she's got like a three-month waiting list.

Plus, if you're not in movies or television, you can forget it.

Oh, well, L.A.P.D. is in a lot of movies and some of the best television shows on cable.

I bet Dr. Deb would make an exception for us.

Maybe you could call her, suggest that your new best friend, Gia, should jump the line.

You think somebody's gonna mistake you for an actress?

They've done it with you. Why not?

Uh, look at it this way...

You either call your lawyer or Dr. Deb.

It's entirely your choice.

♪

[Knocking]

Dr. Deb: It's open.

Dr. Deb, this is Gia Winston.

Dr. Deb: Hi, Gia! Come in. I know that you're busy. - ‭Hi.

Thank you, Ethan. We'll only be a few minutes.

Thank you.

[Door closes]

‭Mmm!

Oh, I know. ‭[Laughs]

Sit. Sit.

‭Okay.

So, you have a new series.

Congrats.

‭Yes. It's my first.

Yeah, before this, I only did Broadway, national tours, a couple commercials.

Oh, honey.

And those sons of b*tches in production made you do your own stunts.

Uh [Chuckles]

And you've already managed to hurt yourself.

Oh. Well, uh...

We'll say yes. Okay?

‭Okay.

So, let's talk about what kind of pain those stunts caused you.

Put a number to it.

This all sounds perfectly legitimate.

What's a good place to have issues?

Or like Dr. Deb got her medical degree online, maybe. I don't know about numbers.

Okay, well, let's say you hurt your lower back.

Oh. Mm-hmm.

‭And also your neck.

So with numbers, we go through from 1 through 10 in terms of intensity.

So, the pain you're living with right now is an 8...

A 9?

‭9.

[Gasps] Ouch.

Wow.

Well, you deserve the super deluxe special.

This oxycodone should do the trick.

Oh.

Um, are you experiencing any anxiety from all the lines you have to learn?

How did you know?

[Laugh]Well, we could give you a little Valium for your stress.

[Laughs] ‭Okay, Ms. Gia.

With the consultation, plus the acceleration fee, your total today comes to $3,500.

Oh, wow. Um, okay, uh...

Aren't you gonna ask for my insurance information or make me fill out some kind of medical form?

[Laughs] ‭Oh, you're so adorable.

No, no. The appointment is free.

What I charge my patients for is this... vitamins, minerals.

See how it works?

Okay, Amy. Appointment's over.

I do. I do.

‭Oh, good.

Which is why you're under arrest, Dr. Deb.

Oh, my God!

Hold on! Wait!

What are you doing?!

Are you jok... You're not. You're serious?

You don't have an appointments!

Oh, that bitch Tina! Oh!

You have the right to remain silent.

This is entrapment.

Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney.

If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed for you by the state.

I want to talk to my lawyer.

Well, you can call your lawyer after we put you through booking.

I'm sorry, Ethan. Move my car!

Greenwood: This is bullshit.

My client is an industry-recognized medical professional and shouldn't be treated this way.

Unfortunately, we're forbidden to treat her the way she really deserves.

But we're willing to consider calling in a D.A. and settling on a plea if she'll tell us to whom she prescribed all these opiates.

[Scoffs] Dr. Deb keeps names off the books to shield the identities of her celebrity clientele.

And HIPAA protects the...

Illegally pushing controlled substances does not constitute a medical practice, especially during a m*rder investigation.

m*rder? What? Wait.

Chris Walker was supposed to be in recovery.

Your prescription sent him straight to the morgue.

No, no, no. I never sold oxy to Chris.

Dr. Deb, ple...

Shut up.

I only sold them to his dietician.

I swear.

His dietician?

‭Could that be his mother?

Flynn: Oh, no.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Does this dietician have a name?

Yes. Jared Scopes.

A little high-strung, under a lot of pressure, apparently.

Thank God my daughter is used to me disappointing her.

Jared. Jared.

Hey. Lieutenant.

How's the m*rder investigation going?

Oh, terrific.

We have lots and lots of suspects but no motive.

In fact, everyone involved in the case had a vested interest in keeping Chris alive.

Except maybe Chris.

Hey, um... do you have time for a person question?

Maybe very personal?

Oh, uh, well, is it about you and Gus?

No.

Oh, well, yeah, hey.

I think I got a second. What's up?

When did you know for sure that you weren't an alcoholic anymore?

Oh, no. I'm still an alcoholic.

What do you mean?

I always will be an alcoholic. Only, I don't drink.

Okay, but how did you get to that place?

Well, it's not "How did I get here?"

It's "How do I stay here?"

Look, sober, I am present in all my relationships.

Why would I trade Sharon and all this for another night on the town?

[Door opens]

Of course, not everybody gets to that point.

And how do you know when to give someone another chance?

There's no formula.

But not giving people another chance sometimes hurts you more than them.

[Door opens]

Flynn: All right. Time to get real.

[Door closes]

You lied to me, Jared, you lied to my daughter, and you lied to my friends.

We believed that you really thought someone else k*lled Chris Walker.

Hate to say it, but told you so.

No, you don't. You love to say "I told you so."

It wasn't me.

Okay. A little.

Stop, okay? Just stop.

We know you bought the oxycodone to put in Chris Walker's protein powder.

Wait, what? Oxy?

In the vanilla powder?

Very Vanilla.

Oh, God.

I made him that shake.

Yeah, you did. And it k*lled him.

Come on, Jared.

Dr. Deb identified you as Chris Walker's dietician friend.

Yeah, but that oxy prescription...

That wasn't to k*ll Chris. That was for me.

Wait a minute. Are you saying you took the dr*gs?

How else am I supposed to endure that whining, entitled, miserable jerk?

Jared, oxy is an opiate.

You're an addict, plain and simple.

Yeah, doesn't your job require that you...

‭Okay, fine.

I failed.

I failed Chris, I failed you guys, I failed my mother.

But I did not put oxy in his vanilla smoothie.

Very Vanilla.

In his Very Vanilla smoothie!

Very Vanilla.

What difference does it make how vanilla the smoothie is?

Look, that oxy... That cost me a lot of money.

I would never split it with that smug bastard ever.

Ooh! Test me.

Took half an oxy this morning.

Yeah, don't worry. We'll test you.

But that doesn't mean you didn't k*ll Chris Walker.

Yeah, but why would I do that? Why?

Well, because you hated him.

Oh.

Well... yeah.

But now I'm out of a job.

Yeah, I was supposed to be paid for all episodes produced, but the network brought me in this morning and fired me because Chris d*ed, like that's my fault.

Wait, wait. You get paid per episode?

Yes, yes. When we talk about pay in television, at least at my level, we mean by the episode.

Why? Why?

Did you think I punched a clock or something?

Okay, okay. So, they're re-sh**ting Chris' scenes?

Yeah. Yes.

Fortunately, Chris did die early enough that they can afford it.

Oh, and I saw the new guy who's playing Gold Storm while I was walking out of the producer's office.

[Scoffs] Some hunky Australian.

Yeah, and the executives, they were all over him like Oscar voters on Meryl Streep.

"Oh, we love you. You're a genius."

[Laughs mockingl]

Hold on. Hold on.

Buzz, turn the volume down on the monitors for a second.

They're obsessed with it.

There is a motive we haven't considered yet.

The show is still viable with someone else in the part.

What's his name?

‭Let me check.

You think it's possible that another actor k*lled Chris just to get the role?

Here it is.

Fresh up on "Deadline"...

Evan Minor from Melbourne, Australia.

Moved to L.A. three weeks ago.

Sykes: Wow. He looks enough like Chris to be his double.

Yes, but the timing of his arrival here is very suspicious.

That's something his new agent can explain.

♪

Okay?

After they learned that Chris had d*ed, the network went looking for a replacement.

I happened to have a new actor I just signed that auditioned and got the part.

That was a complete coincidence.

Police don't believe in coincidences, Sean.

We spoke with Evan Minor.

A nice kid.

‭Mm-hmm.

He said you called him in Australia and then paid for him to fly out.

Was that based on the uncanny resemblance to Chris Walker?

And then you put Mr. Minor on a special health regimen, hitting the gym hard.

Dieting like Chris... lose weight, build muscle.

And Mr. Minor seems to have been drinking a lot of Very Vanilla smoothies, too.

Finally.

Very Vanilla protein powder?

Lieutenant, isn't that how Chris Walker d*ed?

Yes, Captain.

He dropped dead from an overdose of oxy in his smoothie.

Look... yes, I put my new client on the Very Vanilla.

To be considered for... for athletic roles, he needed to lose an additional 5 pounds, and those smoothies are very effective.

Oh, very.

You told us that you and Chris were like family.

You loaned him the money for the down payment on his house.

Did you also have keys to his Hancock Park residence?

Did you switch his Very Vanilla with some that you had already loaded with dr*gs while he and Jared stepped out a few nights ago?

Because if that's what happened, Sean, there is a very good explanation that does not include m*rder.

There is?

You're right. There is.

And that explanation is that it's, um...

Well, it's, uh...

It's that you knew Chris would lose the role if he failed his urine test.

Now, if that's all you wanted to do, Sean... prove that Chris was using dr*gs again so that you could replace him with someone that you had scoured the globe to find... well, there's no intent.

And therefore, no m*rder.

All right.

Yes. Yes.

This was ‭all just a horrible mistake.

And I am devastated and so terribly sorry.

All I really wanted was for Chris to pee dirty and lose his job.

"Pee dirty?" That's something I never need to hear again.

All right, then.

All you need to do is fill out this form stating that you put oxycodone in your former client's protein powder just so he would fail his drug test.

Hey, Amy, that's a great form.

Thanks. Yeah, it's just a little something I slapped together.

Though, I think that fill-in-the-blank section by "Your Intent" was a nice touch.

What's this?

‭Sean, you said you didn't know that the oxy would k*ll your former client.

Our lab had a look at this protein powder.

It tested 1,800 parts per million for oxycodone.

That means there were at least 130 crushed-up pills in that tub.

And one pill would have made Chris pee dirty.

Okay, "pee dirty" just sounds disgusting. One. And you gave him 90.

What's wrong with "urine test," people?

And you knew that Chris put three scoops in every smoothie.

Now, Sean, I'm not very good with numbers, but even I can figure out that three scoops of 130 pills of oxycodone, well, that equals premeditated m*rder.

[Chuckles]

24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, I served that little basta like a maid, butler, coach, and parent.

And after all of that, that assh*le dumped me because I managed to make him a star.

Is that right? Is it?

I don't know about that, Sean, but I do think, like Chris, it's time for you to get new representation.

Flynn: Jared, I remember this little game.

You think, "Oh, I'll stop when this bottle is finished," or, "I'll quit when the dr*gs are gone."

You con yourself into believing that there's another chance a little further down the road.

But there isn't sometimes.

Look, Andy, I'm a doctor, okay?

I get it.

You're a doctor, huh?

So, uh, where's your practice?

Where's your house?

Where's your job?

[Elevator bell dings]

I...

Hey, Jared.

You know, you can always call me.

24/7.

Yeah.

Sharon R.: Well, we need to speak to you about this report, Buzz, because even to use these partials you found to form a likely print of a witness to your father's m*rder requires an investigatory reason.

I have one.

Oh. Well, let's hear it.

In the video, we have only a very narrow view of the action.

There might have been someone standing outside of the frame who could have seen what happened, but decided not to get involved.

But in order to be able to use the partials, you need to...

I know, Captain.

I need to talk to everyone I can identify from the original report and not just the person the partial comes back to.

Or people will say that you didn't properly search the evidence.

Right.

And you're willing to do all that?

What choice do I have?

Sharon B.: You're a good son. You know that?

Jim and Linda are thrilled that we're gonna be raising this baby together, so you've made them very happy, too.

Open this when you get to Jim and Linda's.

It's for the baby.

Thank you, Gus.

Um, all right, well, that's all your luggage, Mom.

You ready?

Okay.

Bye, Gus.

‭Bye.

All right, I'll text you when I'm on my way back, okay?

Hey, just be careful driving out there.

[Engine starts]

One second, please.

Um...

If anything ever happened to me...

Damn it. Uh...

What?

I love you.

Gus, I-I...

You changed my life.

And I am a better person now because of you, and I don't want to imagine us anything but together.

I...

I love you.

Nothing?

I'm sorry. I...

I've been waiting to say this for so long.

I...

I love you, too.

Okay.

All right.

[Clears throat]

Well, there it is.

Hey.

I'm gonna hold you to those words.

I want you to hold me.

[Engine revs]