Post by cellogal on Jul 18, 2008 9:26:27 GMT -5
March 9, 2005
As Modest Mouse’s “Float On” plays in the background, a bunch of teenagers lounge around, some sleeping, some watching an old movie on TV, and it appears to be some sort of rehab center, because a whiteboard marks how long each kid has been clean and sober, and inspirational posters line the walls. A curly-haired blonde munches popcorn and announces that black and white is, like, so beautiful. A blonde guy in his thirties laments the fact that he made his signature Joseph Shaw Popcorn for these guys, and they’re asleep. He jokingly slaps a Hispanic guy upside the head, and the impact awakens both him and another guy, who asks what’s going on, then gripes that next time he’s picking the movie. Joseph tells the guy, Corey, that he’s trying to broaden their minds. The two guys complain that it’s bad enough Joseph keeps them sober, he makes them watch black and white movies, too. Joseph smiles, then announces that it’s lights out, and the kids gradually get up. The girl announces that she’s eaten too much sugar to sleep, and Joseph tells her to read a book in her room. Atta boy, Joe. The Hispanic guy eagerly offers to walk the girl, Crystal, back to her room, but before she can reply, Joseph congratulates them on making it one more day clean and sober. High-fives, handshakes, and Man Hugs ensue, and then the kids scatter.
Later on, Joseph’s turning off lights and the TV when he hears breaking glass and goes to investigate. The camera zooms in on his really ugly black and white checkered shoes, and I’m guessing that this means they’ll be important later. He sees, much to his horror (and mine), Corey in the kitchen stabbing a guy over and over. Corey runs off, and Joseph kneels over the guy’s body, calling for help. A closer look reveals that it’s the Hispanic guy from earlier, and Joseph screams again for help.
Two Months Later
Another guy lies dead, covered in blood, and we see, from the ugly checkered shoes, that…oh, snap. It’s Joseph.
At PPD, his evidence box is placed on the shelf.
Present Day
PPD, kitchen. Lilly pours a cup of coffee, which she then hands to Scotty, who’s just entered the kitchen, and my goodness, but his hand is a mess. Lilly notices and asks him what’s with his hand. “Nothin’,” he says, but she won’t let up, commenting that it kinda looks broken. Scotty says that it looks worse than it feels. Lilly asks him if he got in a fight or something. Good guess, Lil! And if you think his hand looks bad, you should see the other guy! Scotty denies everything with a cocky grin, and before Lilly can press the issue, Stillman walks in saying he got a call from East: someone tried to use the credit card of a murder victim from last year two days ago at a check-cashing place in Kensington. Scotty surmises that the wallet was taken off the body, and Lilly asks who the victim is. Stillman gives the 411: Joseph Shaw, a murder witness who was shot two weeks before he was supposed to ID the doer in court. Scotty’s a bit incredulous that they didn’t pin it on the guy Joseph was going to finger, but Stillman says they lost traction, and Shaw’s case went cold. “’Till today,” Scotty corrects. “When someone gets the bright idea of using a dead man’s credit card,” Lilly adds. “Hope whatever they bought was worth it,” Scotty remarks. Heh.
Credits.
Evidence warehouse. Kat tells Lilly she heard something she’s gotta ask her about, then, sounding slightly creeped out, she asks Lilly if it’s true she keeps pictures of the victims next to her bed when she’s working on a case. Lilly asks where she heard that, and Kat replies that people talk, then comments that it seems a little freaky. Lilly explains that it’s easy to look at all the files and boxes and forget the lives behind them.
She’s saved from having to say more by their arrival at Joseph’s box, where Stillman recaps the case for us: Joseph Shaw, 38, killed right before he was set to testify against Corey Lewis. Jeffries adds that he died from a shotgun blast through the door. Kat immediately guesses that Suspect #1 is Corey, who didn’t want Joseph taking the stand, but Lilly gives Corey a really solid alibi: he was in jail when Joseph was killed. Stillman explains that the cops must have figured Corey reached out and got someone else to do it. Jeffries points out that Corey didn’t have much reach: he was a loner who lived at a rehab center called Robinson Teen House, and Lilly adds that Joseph worked there as a counselor. Kat says she knows the place from her narcotics days: it treats drug-addicted teens and has a great reputation. Stillman says that Robinson House was started by philanthropists Ted and Jane Robinson, and Jeffries adds that a neighbor who IDed the body told the cops that Robinson House was Joseph’s life. Lilly guesses that the Robinsons can tell them more about Joseph, and Stillman suggests finding out what Corey knows about the credit card being used. As they head off, Kat hands Lilly a picture of Joseph, commenting that he’s a guy who wouldn’t look so bad on the bedside table. Heh. Well, he doesn’t really do it for me, but the smile on Lilly’s face suggests that she just might disagree with me.
Robinson House. Jane explains to Lilly and Kat that they started the place after their son, Tom, died of a meth overdose, then says that being there has helped them as much as any of the kids. Lilly asks if they knew Joseph well, and Ted says they did, and the kids loved him, explaining that Joseph sweated through rehab with them every step of the way. Jane adds that Joseph struggled with heroin himself as a kid, and even did a few months in jail before he got clean. Lilly surmises that Joseph knew what the kids were going through, and Ted says that, with a lot of social workers, the kids are just a file, but Joseph said it was always important to see the lives behind the file, and he did. Wow. This guy sounds like a male version of Lilly. She and Kat exchange a glance, and I can see the wheels turning in Lilly’s head, but I’m not sure they’re Detective Wheels, if you get my drift. She asks about Joseph’s relationship with Corey, and Jane says that Corey was like their son Tom in a lot of ways. He was tough, she says, and put up walls. Wow. Another male version of Lilly! But, she says, Joseph knew how to get through them, right from the start.
Robinson House, where we hear Editors’ “Munich.” Corey’s banging against the walls, ordering whoever will listen to let him out of this damn prison. Crystal announces, unnecessarily, that Corey’s freaking out, and the Hispanic guy orders Corey to chill out. Jane says she knows what he’s going through, but Corey argues that she doesn’t know anything, since she just met him yesterday. Joseph comes in and tells Jane to let him slam, and she argues that Tom used to do the same thing and ended up in hospitals. Corey’s wailing on the walls, and Joseph approaches him. “You’re a strong bastard, aren’t you?” he remarks. Corey announces that he’s getting out of here: Joseph disagrees. Joseph reminisces about when he was using, and Corey demands to know what he’s talking about. Joseph informs Corey that he’s there because he’s an addict; he’s got a disease. Corey proclaims this bull, and Crystal, calling play-by-play, announces that he’s in denial, and she’s been there, done that. Joseph continues, saying that they’re going to help Corey kick addiction’s ass. He says that that takes some serious muscle, but the dent in that door tells him Corey’s strong enough to pull it off. The Hispanic guy bets he could put a dent in that door, and Crystal says she’d like to see that. Jane says she’d rather see the guy, Orlando, get to group. Joseph tells Corey that if he puts that strength in the right direction, he’ll be a star there. Corey’s silent, and Joseph, point made, walks off.
Ted says they thought Corey was getting on track after that, and Lilly asks if there was anyone Corey was close to, who he could have convinced to kill Joseph. Jane says no, that the other kids just didn’t seem to connect with Corey.
Amtrak platform. Scotty observes that Orlando and the witness to his murder are dead, and Corey’s free as a bird. Vera guesses that it worked out pretty good for Corey, and Corey informs them that he doesn’t have to talk about Orlando, since those charges were dropped. Scotty’s okay with that, suggesting instead that they talk about Joseph. Corey says he liked him, and has an airtight alibi for the night he was killed. Vera asks Corey if he has any idea about who used Joseph’s credit cards, and Corey says no, but he’ll tell them what he thinks; that what sank Joseph is the same thing that always sinks a guy: women. Scotty and Vera exchange a glance, and I realize that Corey’s theory certainly applies to these two. “Romantic of you, Corey,” Scotty remarks, and Corey argues that they know it’s true. Oh, they so do. “C’mon,” he continues, looking at them, “you’ve been sunk, too, right?” Hee. They don’t answer, and Vera suggests that Corey tell them what the hell he’s talking about. Corey’s talking about how love makes people crazy.
Robinson House, where they’re in a group meeting, listening to “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane. Orlando’s telling the group that he couldn’t keep his girlfriend, since he was always lying and sneaking off to get a fix, and she kept busting him. Joseph says that drugs are like a secret affair, that the lies catch up with us, because we’re not as smart as we think we are. Orlando adds that Jasmine was his dream girl, too, and Joseph asks how so. Orlando doesn’t know, but says she was hot. Ah, the mind of a teenage boy. Crystal then asks Joseph who his dream girl is, and he demurs, saying he doesn’t have a lot of time for relationships because he’s got his hands full with “you punks.” Corey surmises that there must be something that turns up Joseph’s temperature, and he guesses it would be someone smart, as passionate about her work as he is, and not allergic to cats. Whoa. No. Way. He then turns the question on Corey, and he lists his must-haves: someone fine, who dresses nice and gives a damn about him. Joseph proclaims this an important step, saying that Corey’s right, he deserves that: they all do. Crystal then leaps to her feet and tearfully proclaims that she gets Joseph’s subliminal message, that just because she’s allergic to cats and is too young to be all passionate about some dumb job---and then she breaks off, sobbing, and Corey orders her to stop acting like a freak. Orlando adds that she should be with someone her own age, anyway. I’m inclined to agree. Crystal insists that she and Joseph could seriously make it together and orders him to not just reject her. Joseph gets all Counselor on her, saying he’s not rejecting her as a person, but Crystal doesn’t want to hear it. She says she can’t even look at him, since his face is, like, haunting her, and Joseph patiently suggests that it might be best for her to have group with a different counselor. I’ll say. Crystal announces that she can’t survive like this, and is going to kill herself, or Joseph, then storms out.
Corey says that as soon as he heard Joseph got shot in the face, he thought Crazy Crystal. It is a good theory.
Lilly’s place. Awww, kitties! Lilly’s in bed, cuddling with Olivia and looking at the case file. She then picks up the picture of Joseph and gives it a long, lingering look before propping it up against the lamp and snuggling up under the covers, never once taking her eyes off the picture.
Under a bridge. Jeffries and Kat have located Crystal, who, sadly, seems to have returned to her old ways, and introduce themselves. Crystal loopily tells them that she’s out of jail, and out of trouble, and it’s a sweet thing, so even though they’re cops, she’s not nervous right now. Kat informs Crystal that they’re about to kill her buzz. Jeffries tells her to take them back to a year ago, and Kat reminds her of her threat to kill herself or Joseph. Crystal smiles sheepishly, and Jeffries informs her that Joseph is dead, shot in the face that Crystal didn’t want to look at anymore. “Shot by me?” Crystal asks, then tells them they’re wrong. She then goes off on a tangent about how, when you’re drowning, you freak out and try to drown the person who’s rescuing you, but, surprisingly, the tangent is relevant, because Crystal says Joseph was the one rescuing her. “So that put him in harm’s way?” Jeffries asks, and Crystal just nods. “You gonna say by who?” Kat prompts, and Crystal proclaims it so sad. Kat has to get her attention once more, and then she finally spills: Joseph’s foster brother stopped by one time, and Crystal realized that Joseph’s family was as bad as hers….”which is bad,” she adds.
Robinson House. Accompanied by Unwritten Law’s “Save Me,” Crystal’s telling Joseph that every guy who’s ever liked her dies, including Orlando. They’re interrupted by a bearded guy bursting into the room, and Joseph asks the guy, Wilder, what he’s doing there. Crystal greets Wilder, but Joseph asks her to wait outside for a moment. Wilder protests that he’ll be real quick, then says that his landlord’s screwing him and wants a deposit. Joseph says that he’s given Wilder his last dime. Crystal, unnecessarily, announces her departure, and Joseph continues, saying he’s afraid he’s going to forget who Wilder is. Wilder protests that he’s right there, but Joseph says he wants to look at Wilder and see him, not this. “I know she made you feel like you’re nothing,” he says, “but you’re not.” Wilder announces, to the room at large, that Joseph wants to make everybody perfect like him. “No thanks,” he says, then plugs a cigarette in his mouth and opens his arms for a hug. After hesitating, Joseph hugs him, and Wilder takes this opportunity to remove Joseph’s wallet from his pocket. Joseph figures it out, the hug turns into a fight, and Joseph roars at Wilder to get out, which he does, slamming the door so hard it knocks the phone off the hook. Joseph stuffs his wallet back into his pocket.
Crystal explains that Wilder’s mom, Joseph’s foster mom, wouldn’t let them eat, but she’d stuff her face. “Nice way to grow up,” Kat remarks sarcastically. Crystal goes on to say that they got into heroin as kids, and Jeffries points out that Joseph kicked it. “Some people just can’t get sober,” Crystal says with a smile. “You make it look like a breeze,” Kat retorts. Heee. Jeffries surmises that Joseph tried the tough love approach with Wilder, and Kat agrees that he was jonesing and probably not in control of himself. “And Joseph was dead, like, two days later,” Crystal adds.
Squad room. Vera says Wilder’s been rubbing elbows with the law since he was fourteen, and Kat reads some of the highlights. “Possession, possession, public urination…lovely,” she comments. Scotty observes that the arrests drop off after May 2005, and Stillman reminds us all that that’s when Joseph turned up dead. Kat asks if there’s been any trace of him since then, and Vera says no, but gives a last known address: Reba Dautry, Wilder’s mother and Joseph’s foster mom. The detectives start to scatter, and Kat comes up to Scotty and tells him that a kid at the park saw somebody beat the crap out of that pervert guy. Gee, I wonder who that could be! “Musta gotten what was comin’ to him,” Scotty remarks noncommittally. “That courtesy of you?” she asks, and Scotty gives her the “who, me?” face and denies it, then walks away.
Dautry house, where a bunch of kids are sitting on a sofa watching a commercial for Hair-In-A-Spray-Can. Whoa. Do they still MAKE that stuff? Seriously? Wow. Meanwhile, Reba, displaying every single ounce of charm we’ve come to expect, knowing what we know about her, says she took in Joseph when he was fifteen, cynically adding that nobody else wanted him, then says that he and Wilder were thick as thieves and turned against her by calling DHS on her. “Imagine that,” Lilly remarks. Wagging her finger in Lilly’s face, Reba recognizes the look she has as the one Joseph would give her. Scotty tells Reba that Wilder disappeared right around the time Joseph died, and asks if she knows why. Reba figures he took off, since he ran out of people in Philly to mooch off of. Lilly says they were seen arguing, and Reba says it was always something with those two. Scotty asks her what she means, and she says that the last time she saw those two, they were up a creek, and looking to her to bail them out.
Dautry house, where we hear “Lullaby” by the Dixie Chicks. Joseph explains that Wilder is coming down and needs a place to stay, but Reba accuses Joseph of acting like he’s better than Wilder. She read about that place he works, she says, with the kids stabbing each other. Joseph says he was threatened today about that, and doesn’t want Wilder near him, because it’s dangerous. Reba says he can’t stay there, since she’s got fosters in all the bedrooms. Wait…how does this woman keep getting foster kids? Joseph says he wants to get Wilder out of the city, and take him to the farm. “That old shack?” Reba responds in disbelief. “Who even knows where the key is?” Joseph says angrily that he knows they haven’t been family to each other, but he and Wilder need this. Reba thinks for a minute, then tells them they’ve gotten enough out of her. She then slaps Wilder awake and tells him that Joseph’s gonna take care of him. He sleepily says he wants to go to his room, but Joseph says they’ve gotta go. He picks up Wilder and says they’ll go to his place and get him cleaned up. “You’re the mother of the year, Reba,” Joseph says as his parting shot. “Thanks for everything.”
“Sounds like the same award my mom was up for,” Lilly remarks softly. The detectives then ask Reba if she sent Joseph packing with a strung-out drug addict for company. “Yup,” Reba replies. Scotty asks about the farm, and she says it was an old family place, but says it’s just a pile of boards and nails by now. Lilly hands Reba her notepad and asks for the address.
Squad room. Scotty’s putting on his jacket and wincing in pain, and Stillman suggests that he get that hand X-rayed. Scotty says it’s nothing and claims to have jammed it in a pickup game. By the look Lil gives him, she’s so not buying it. Stillman turns his attention to her, asking if she’s heading out, and she says she was thinking she’d go out to the Dautrys’ farm now. Stillman glances at his watch, then tells her to go in the morning, with Scotty, and she agrees, then bids him good night. He and Scotty walk out together, leaving Lilly at her desk, looking at Joseph’s photo again.
Middle of nowhere. Lilly drives up alone, then turns off the car, gets out, and starts poking around. Did she actually go to the farm? Oh, it looks like she did. Uh-oh. She walks toward the house, shining her flashlight everywhere, then opens the door and heads in, gun drawn. A noise startles her, but it’s just a cat. A closer look shows us that there’s more than one cat, and…wait a minute…what’s going on here? Lilly’s light shines on group photos and a Robinson House notebook, and then she hears footsteps behind him. A voice calls for Archer, a cat responds with a meow, and then the guy turns on the light, and…holy mother of plot twists, it’s Joseph, who is very much not dead. He still doesn’t see Lilly and calls for Laura, but then he sees Lilly, who’s approaching him, gun drawn. She stares at him for a minute, then says what we’ve all figured out by now. “You’re alive.” Now THAT’S an unexpected development.
Farmhouse. Joseph demands to know who the hell Lilly is. She says she’s the police, and he’d like some proof of that. She shows him her badge, then asks who was murdered in his apartment. Joseph says it was Wilder, and Lilly asks Joseph if he killed Wilder. “Of course not,” Joseph says, adding that the guy was a mess, but he loved him like hell. Lilly, lowering her gun, points out that Joseph let everyone think it was him, and Joseph says that they thought they’d killed him, and if he came forward, they’d try again. “They?” Lilly asks, but Joseph doesn’t answer, asking her instead what she’s doing out there at night, alone. “Looking for Wilder…trying to solve your murder,” she replies. Joseph guesses he should be grateful, then points out the odd hours and asks Lilly if she’s a workaholic. Wow, does he know her, or what? Wait…he kinda should, since he’s basically her. She doesn’t answer, just asks Joseph again who was trying to kill him. Joseph says he’s spent the past year trying to find out, and get proof that the police have to pay attention to. Lilly tells him to tell her what he knows, and she’ll take it from there. Joseph protests that Lil doesn’t understand, that these people have the resources and the reach to stop her. Lilly declares this a little paranoid, and Joseph wishes it was. Lilly urges him to trust her, saying that she can help. Joseph asks her name. “Lilly,” she says, then hastily backtracks. “Rush…Detective Lilly Rush.” Awww. Joseph decides she must think it’s kinda wacko, then insists that it isn’t as Ted Kaczynski as it looks, that it’s a good life out here. Quiet, he says. Lilly could see that. Joseph then asks Lilly if it feels like they’ve met before or something. “No,” she says, but the look on her face indicates that she may not be telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. She gazes at him for a moment, then snaps back into Detective Mode and tells him to tell her what happened. He says he was at Robinson House the day before Wilder was murdered.
Robinson House. As Hoobastank’s “The Reason” plays in the background, Joseph’s heading down the hallway when Crystal bounces after him, asking if they can talk and adding that it’s important. Jane sticks her head out of an office and asks the same question. Crystal, realizing she’s outranked, enthuses something about working on taking criticism better, then bounces away, and Joseph heads into the office with Jane, asking her if everything’s okay. She says she hasn’t slept in two months, not since Orlando died, and insists that they can’t just throw away the kids who need love and support the most. Joseph argues that they don’t throw anyone away, but she asks what about Corey, insisting that he needs them; they’re his family, and Joseph testifying just slams the door in his face. Joseph points out that Corey killed a boy and he needs to take responsibility for that, but Jane argues that Corey had to do it; Orlando was going to ruin everything and bring down this place. Joseph asks her what she’s talking about, and she proclaims it none of his business. Joseph tells her he doesn’t know what’s going on, but he’s going to testify no matter what. “You won’t testify,” Jane says, “and that’s final.”
Joseph says that the next day, there was a hole in his door, and Wilder was dead. Lilly asks if he thinks Jane was involved, and Joseph says he’s been following Corey to try to find out more. Lilly tells him that that’s dangerous, but he goes on, saying that he’s tried to find Crystal, but she’s disappeared. Lilly says that Crystal just got out of jail, and she can talk to her first thing tomorrow. Joseph urges Lilly not to tell anyone that he’s alive, but Lilly says sadly that she has to bring him in. “I’m not goin’ anywhere, trust me,” he insists. Lilly asks him if he was the one who used the credit card, and he smiles and points to the cat, explaining that Laura got chomped by a raccoon and he had to rush her to the vet in the city. He says the card was still in his wallet, and he was so upset about the whole thing that he wasn’t thinking straight. “I get it,” Lilly says, then gets up and heads out, leaving Joseph sitting there with a “What just happened to me?” look on his face.
As Modest Mouse’s “Float On” plays in the background, a bunch of teenagers lounge around, some sleeping, some watching an old movie on TV, and it appears to be some sort of rehab center, because a whiteboard marks how long each kid has been clean and sober, and inspirational posters line the walls. A curly-haired blonde munches popcorn and announces that black and white is, like, so beautiful. A blonde guy in his thirties laments the fact that he made his signature Joseph Shaw Popcorn for these guys, and they’re asleep. He jokingly slaps a Hispanic guy upside the head, and the impact awakens both him and another guy, who asks what’s going on, then gripes that next time he’s picking the movie. Joseph tells the guy, Corey, that he’s trying to broaden their minds. The two guys complain that it’s bad enough Joseph keeps them sober, he makes them watch black and white movies, too. Joseph smiles, then announces that it’s lights out, and the kids gradually get up. The girl announces that she’s eaten too much sugar to sleep, and Joseph tells her to read a book in her room. Atta boy, Joe. The Hispanic guy eagerly offers to walk the girl, Crystal, back to her room, but before she can reply, Joseph congratulates them on making it one more day clean and sober. High-fives, handshakes, and Man Hugs ensue, and then the kids scatter.
Later on, Joseph’s turning off lights and the TV when he hears breaking glass and goes to investigate. The camera zooms in on his really ugly black and white checkered shoes, and I’m guessing that this means they’ll be important later. He sees, much to his horror (and mine), Corey in the kitchen stabbing a guy over and over. Corey runs off, and Joseph kneels over the guy’s body, calling for help. A closer look reveals that it’s the Hispanic guy from earlier, and Joseph screams again for help.
Two Months Later
Another guy lies dead, covered in blood, and we see, from the ugly checkered shoes, that…oh, snap. It’s Joseph.
At PPD, his evidence box is placed on the shelf.
Present Day
PPD, kitchen. Lilly pours a cup of coffee, which she then hands to Scotty, who’s just entered the kitchen, and my goodness, but his hand is a mess. Lilly notices and asks him what’s with his hand. “Nothin’,” he says, but she won’t let up, commenting that it kinda looks broken. Scotty says that it looks worse than it feels. Lilly asks him if he got in a fight or something. Good guess, Lil! And if you think his hand looks bad, you should see the other guy! Scotty denies everything with a cocky grin, and before Lilly can press the issue, Stillman walks in saying he got a call from East: someone tried to use the credit card of a murder victim from last year two days ago at a check-cashing place in Kensington. Scotty surmises that the wallet was taken off the body, and Lilly asks who the victim is. Stillman gives the 411: Joseph Shaw, a murder witness who was shot two weeks before he was supposed to ID the doer in court. Scotty’s a bit incredulous that they didn’t pin it on the guy Joseph was going to finger, but Stillman says they lost traction, and Shaw’s case went cold. “’Till today,” Scotty corrects. “When someone gets the bright idea of using a dead man’s credit card,” Lilly adds. “Hope whatever they bought was worth it,” Scotty remarks. Heh.
Credits.
Evidence warehouse. Kat tells Lilly she heard something she’s gotta ask her about, then, sounding slightly creeped out, she asks Lilly if it’s true she keeps pictures of the victims next to her bed when she’s working on a case. Lilly asks where she heard that, and Kat replies that people talk, then comments that it seems a little freaky. Lilly explains that it’s easy to look at all the files and boxes and forget the lives behind them.
She’s saved from having to say more by their arrival at Joseph’s box, where Stillman recaps the case for us: Joseph Shaw, 38, killed right before he was set to testify against Corey Lewis. Jeffries adds that he died from a shotgun blast through the door. Kat immediately guesses that Suspect #1 is Corey, who didn’t want Joseph taking the stand, but Lilly gives Corey a really solid alibi: he was in jail when Joseph was killed. Stillman explains that the cops must have figured Corey reached out and got someone else to do it. Jeffries points out that Corey didn’t have much reach: he was a loner who lived at a rehab center called Robinson Teen House, and Lilly adds that Joseph worked there as a counselor. Kat says she knows the place from her narcotics days: it treats drug-addicted teens and has a great reputation. Stillman says that Robinson House was started by philanthropists Ted and Jane Robinson, and Jeffries adds that a neighbor who IDed the body told the cops that Robinson House was Joseph’s life. Lilly guesses that the Robinsons can tell them more about Joseph, and Stillman suggests finding out what Corey knows about the credit card being used. As they head off, Kat hands Lilly a picture of Joseph, commenting that he’s a guy who wouldn’t look so bad on the bedside table. Heh. Well, he doesn’t really do it for me, but the smile on Lilly’s face suggests that she just might disagree with me.
Robinson House. Jane explains to Lilly and Kat that they started the place after their son, Tom, died of a meth overdose, then says that being there has helped them as much as any of the kids. Lilly asks if they knew Joseph well, and Ted says they did, and the kids loved him, explaining that Joseph sweated through rehab with them every step of the way. Jane adds that Joseph struggled with heroin himself as a kid, and even did a few months in jail before he got clean. Lilly surmises that Joseph knew what the kids were going through, and Ted says that, with a lot of social workers, the kids are just a file, but Joseph said it was always important to see the lives behind the file, and he did. Wow. This guy sounds like a male version of Lilly. She and Kat exchange a glance, and I can see the wheels turning in Lilly’s head, but I’m not sure they’re Detective Wheels, if you get my drift. She asks about Joseph’s relationship with Corey, and Jane says that Corey was like their son Tom in a lot of ways. He was tough, she says, and put up walls. Wow. Another male version of Lilly! But, she says, Joseph knew how to get through them, right from the start.
Robinson House, where we hear Editors’ “Munich.” Corey’s banging against the walls, ordering whoever will listen to let him out of this damn prison. Crystal announces, unnecessarily, that Corey’s freaking out, and the Hispanic guy orders Corey to chill out. Jane says she knows what he’s going through, but Corey argues that she doesn’t know anything, since she just met him yesterday. Joseph comes in and tells Jane to let him slam, and she argues that Tom used to do the same thing and ended up in hospitals. Corey’s wailing on the walls, and Joseph approaches him. “You’re a strong bastard, aren’t you?” he remarks. Corey announces that he’s getting out of here: Joseph disagrees. Joseph reminisces about when he was using, and Corey demands to know what he’s talking about. Joseph informs Corey that he’s there because he’s an addict; he’s got a disease. Corey proclaims this bull, and Crystal, calling play-by-play, announces that he’s in denial, and she’s been there, done that. Joseph continues, saying that they’re going to help Corey kick addiction’s ass. He says that that takes some serious muscle, but the dent in that door tells him Corey’s strong enough to pull it off. The Hispanic guy bets he could put a dent in that door, and Crystal says she’d like to see that. Jane says she’d rather see the guy, Orlando, get to group. Joseph tells Corey that if he puts that strength in the right direction, he’ll be a star there. Corey’s silent, and Joseph, point made, walks off.
Ted says they thought Corey was getting on track after that, and Lilly asks if there was anyone Corey was close to, who he could have convinced to kill Joseph. Jane says no, that the other kids just didn’t seem to connect with Corey.
Amtrak platform. Scotty observes that Orlando and the witness to his murder are dead, and Corey’s free as a bird. Vera guesses that it worked out pretty good for Corey, and Corey informs them that he doesn’t have to talk about Orlando, since those charges were dropped. Scotty’s okay with that, suggesting instead that they talk about Joseph. Corey says he liked him, and has an airtight alibi for the night he was killed. Vera asks Corey if he has any idea about who used Joseph’s credit cards, and Corey says no, but he’ll tell them what he thinks; that what sank Joseph is the same thing that always sinks a guy: women. Scotty and Vera exchange a glance, and I realize that Corey’s theory certainly applies to these two. “Romantic of you, Corey,” Scotty remarks, and Corey argues that they know it’s true. Oh, they so do. “C’mon,” he continues, looking at them, “you’ve been sunk, too, right?” Hee. They don’t answer, and Vera suggests that Corey tell them what the hell he’s talking about. Corey’s talking about how love makes people crazy.
Robinson House, where they’re in a group meeting, listening to “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane. Orlando’s telling the group that he couldn’t keep his girlfriend, since he was always lying and sneaking off to get a fix, and she kept busting him. Joseph says that drugs are like a secret affair, that the lies catch up with us, because we’re not as smart as we think we are. Orlando adds that Jasmine was his dream girl, too, and Joseph asks how so. Orlando doesn’t know, but says she was hot. Ah, the mind of a teenage boy. Crystal then asks Joseph who his dream girl is, and he demurs, saying he doesn’t have a lot of time for relationships because he’s got his hands full with “you punks.” Corey surmises that there must be something that turns up Joseph’s temperature, and he guesses it would be someone smart, as passionate about her work as he is, and not allergic to cats. Whoa. No. Way. He then turns the question on Corey, and he lists his must-haves: someone fine, who dresses nice and gives a damn about him. Joseph proclaims this an important step, saying that Corey’s right, he deserves that: they all do. Crystal then leaps to her feet and tearfully proclaims that she gets Joseph’s subliminal message, that just because she’s allergic to cats and is too young to be all passionate about some dumb job---and then she breaks off, sobbing, and Corey orders her to stop acting like a freak. Orlando adds that she should be with someone her own age, anyway. I’m inclined to agree. Crystal insists that she and Joseph could seriously make it together and orders him to not just reject her. Joseph gets all Counselor on her, saying he’s not rejecting her as a person, but Crystal doesn’t want to hear it. She says she can’t even look at him, since his face is, like, haunting her, and Joseph patiently suggests that it might be best for her to have group with a different counselor. I’ll say. Crystal announces that she can’t survive like this, and is going to kill herself, or Joseph, then storms out.
Corey says that as soon as he heard Joseph got shot in the face, he thought Crazy Crystal. It is a good theory.
Lilly’s place. Awww, kitties! Lilly’s in bed, cuddling with Olivia and looking at the case file. She then picks up the picture of Joseph and gives it a long, lingering look before propping it up against the lamp and snuggling up under the covers, never once taking her eyes off the picture.
Under a bridge. Jeffries and Kat have located Crystal, who, sadly, seems to have returned to her old ways, and introduce themselves. Crystal loopily tells them that she’s out of jail, and out of trouble, and it’s a sweet thing, so even though they’re cops, she’s not nervous right now. Kat informs Crystal that they’re about to kill her buzz. Jeffries tells her to take them back to a year ago, and Kat reminds her of her threat to kill herself or Joseph. Crystal smiles sheepishly, and Jeffries informs her that Joseph is dead, shot in the face that Crystal didn’t want to look at anymore. “Shot by me?” Crystal asks, then tells them they’re wrong. She then goes off on a tangent about how, when you’re drowning, you freak out and try to drown the person who’s rescuing you, but, surprisingly, the tangent is relevant, because Crystal says Joseph was the one rescuing her. “So that put him in harm’s way?” Jeffries asks, and Crystal just nods. “You gonna say by who?” Kat prompts, and Crystal proclaims it so sad. Kat has to get her attention once more, and then she finally spills: Joseph’s foster brother stopped by one time, and Crystal realized that Joseph’s family was as bad as hers….”which is bad,” she adds.
Robinson House. Accompanied by Unwritten Law’s “Save Me,” Crystal’s telling Joseph that every guy who’s ever liked her dies, including Orlando. They’re interrupted by a bearded guy bursting into the room, and Joseph asks the guy, Wilder, what he’s doing there. Crystal greets Wilder, but Joseph asks her to wait outside for a moment. Wilder protests that he’ll be real quick, then says that his landlord’s screwing him and wants a deposit. Joseph says that he’s given Wilder his last dime. Crystal, unnecessarily, announces her departure, and Joseph continues, saying he’s afraid he’s going to forget who Wilder is. Wilder protests that he’s right there, but Joseph says he wants to look at Wilder and see him, not this. “I know she made you feel like you’re nothing,” he says, “but you’re not.” Wilder announces, to the room at large, that Joseph wants to make everybody perfect like him. “No thanks,” he says, then plugs a cigarette in his mouth and opens his arms for a hug. After hesitating, Joseph hugs him, and Wilder takes this opportunity to remove Joseph’s wallet from his pocket. Joseph figures it out, the hug turns into a fight, and Joseph roars at Wilder to get out, which he does, slamming the door so hard it knocks the phone off the hook. Joseph stuffs his wallet back into his pocket.
Crystal explains that Wilder’s mom, Joseph’s foster mom, wouldn’t let them eat, but she’d stuff her face. “Nice way to grow up,” Kat remarks sarcastically. Crystal goes on to say that they got into heroin as kids, and Jeffries points out that Joseph kicked it. “Some people just can’t get sober,” Crystal says with a smile. “You make it look like a breeze,” Kat retorts. Heee. Jeffries surmises that Joseph tried the tough love approach with Wilder, and Kat agrees that he was jonesing and probably not in control of himself. “And Joseph was dead, like, two days later,” Crystal adds.
Squad room. Vera says Wilder’s been rubbing elbows with the law since he was fourteen, and Kat reads some of the highlights. “Possession, possession, public urination…lovely,” she comments. Scotty observes that the arrests drop off after May 2005, and Stillman reminds us all that that’s when Joseph turned up dead. Kat asks if there’s been any trace of him since then, and Vera says no, but gives a last known address: Reba Dautry, Wilder’s mother and Joseph’s foster mom. The detectives start to scatter, and Kat comes up to Scotty and tells him that a kid at the park saw somebody beat the crap out of that pervert guy. Gee, I wonder who that could be! “Musta gotten what was comin’ to him,” Scotty remarks noncommittally. “That courtesy of you?” she asks, and Scotty gives her the “who, me?” face and denies it, then walks away.
Dautry house, where a bunch of kids are sitting on a sofa watching a commercial for Hair-In-A-Spray-Can. Whoa. Do they still MAKE that stuff? Seriously? Wow. Meanwhile, Reba, displaying every single ounce of charm we’ve come to expect, knowing what we know about her, says she took in Joseph when he was fifteen, cynically adding that nobody else wanted him, then says that he and Wilder were thick as thieves and turned against her by calling DHS on her. “Imagine that,” Lilly remarks. Wagging her finger in Lilly’s face, Reba recognizes the look she has as the one Joseph would give her. Scotty tells Reba that Wilder disappeared right around the time Joseph died, and asks if she knows why. Reba figures he took off, since he ran out of people in Philly to mooch off of. Lilly says they were seen arguing, and Reba says it was always something with those two. Scotty asks her what she means, and she says that the last time she saw those two, they were up a creek, and looking to her to bail them out.
Dautry house, where we hear “Lullaby” by the Dixie Chicks. Joseph explains that Wilder is coming down and needs a place to stay, but Reba accuses Joseph of acting like he’s better than Wilder. She read about that place he works, she says, with the kids stabbing each other. Joseph says he was threatened today about that, and doesn’t want Wilder near him, because it’s dangerous. Reba says he can’t stay there, since she’s got fosters in all the bedrooms. Wait…how does this woman keep getting foster kids? Joseph says he wants to get Wilder out of the city, and take him to the farm. “That old shack?” Reba responds in disbelief. “Who even knows where the key is?” Joseph says angrily that he knows they haven’t been family to each other, but he and Wilder need this. Reba thinks for a minute, then tells them they’ve gotten enough out of her. She then slaps Wilder awake and tells him that Joseph’s gonna take care of him. He sleepily says he wants to go to his room, but Joseph says they’ve gotta go. He picks up Wilder and says they’ll go to his place and get him cleaned up. “You’re the mother of the year, Reba,” Joseph says as his parting shot. “Thanks for everything.”
“Sounds like the same award my mom was up for,” Lilly remarks softly. The detectives then ask Reba if she sent Joseph packing with a strung-out drug addict for company. “Yup,” Reba replies. Scotty asks about the farm, and she says it was an old family place, but says it’s just a pile of boards and nails by now. Lilly hands Reba her notepad and asks for the address.
Squad room. Scotty’s putting on his jacket and wincing in pain, and Stillman suggests that he get that hand X-rayed. Scotty says it’s nothing and claims to have jammed it in a pickup game. By the look Lil gives him, she’s so not buying it. Stillman turns his attention to her, asking if she’s heading out, and she says she was thinking she’d go out to the Dautrys’ farm now. Stillman glances at his watch, then tells her to go in the morning, with Scotty, and she agrees, then bids him good night. He and Scotty walk out together, leaving Lilly at her desk, looking at Joseph’s photo again.
Middle of nowhere. Lilly drives up alone, then turns off the car, gets out, and starts poking around. Did she actually go to the farm? Oh, it looks like she did. Uh-oh. She walks toward the house, shining her flashlight everywhere, then opens the door and heads in, gun drawn. A noise startles her, but it’s just a cat. A closer look shows us that there’s more than one cat, and…wait a minute…what’s going on here? Lilly’s light shines on group photos and a Robinson House notebook, and then she hears footsteps behind him. A voice calls for Archer, a cat responds with a meow, and then the guy turns on the light, and…holy mother of plot twists, it’s Joseph, who is very much not dead. He still doesn’t see Lilly and calls for Laura, but then he sees Lilly, who’s approaching him, gun drawn. She stares at him for a minute, then says what we’ve all figured out by now. “You’re alive.” Now THAT’S an unexpected development.
Farmhouse. Joseph demands to know who the hell Lilly is. She says she’s the police, and he’d like some proof of that. She shows him her badge, then asks who was murdered in his apartment. Joseph says it was Wilder, and Lilly asks Joseph if he killed Wilder. “Of course not,” Joseph says, adding that the guy was a mess, but he loved him like hell. Lilly, lowering her gun, points out that Joseph let everyone think it was him, and Joseph says that they thought they’d killed him, and if he came forward, they’d try again. “They?” Lilly asks, but Joseph doesn’t answer, asking her instead what she’s doing out there at night, alone. “Looking for Wilder…trying to solve your murder,” she replies. Joseph guesses he should be grateful, then points out the odd hours and asks Lilly if she’s a workaholic. Wow, does he know her, or what? Wait…he kinda should, since he’s basically her. She doesn’t answer, just asks Joseph again who was trying to kill him. Joseph says he’s spent the past year trying to find out, and get proof that the police have to pay attention to. Lilly tells him to tell her what he knows, and she’ll take it from there. Joseph protests that Lil doesn’t understand, that these people have the resources and the reach to stop her. Lilly declares this a little paranoid, and Joseph wishes it was. Lilly urges him to trust her, saying that she can help. Joseph asks her name. “Lilly,” she says, then hastily backtracks. “Rush…Detective Lilly Rush.” Awww. Joseph decides she must think it’s kinda wacko, then insists that it isn’t as Ted Kaczynski as it looks, that it’s a good life out here. Quiet, he says. Lilly could see that. Joseph then asks Lilly if it feels like they’ve met before or something. “No,” she says, but the look on her face indicates that she may not be telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. She gazes at him for a moment, then snaps back into Detective Mode and tells him to tell her what happened. He says he was at Robinson House the day before Wilder was murdered.
Robinson House. As Hoobastank’s “The Reason” plays in the background, Joseph’s heading down the hallway when Crystal bounces after him, asking if they can talk and adding that it’s important. Jane sticks her head out of an office and asks the same question. Crystal, realizing she’s outranked, enthuses something about working on taking criticism better, then bounces away, and Joseph heads into the office with Jane, asking her if everything’s okay. She says she hasn’t slept in two months, not since Orlando died, and insists that they can’t just throw away the kids who need love and support the most. Joseph argues that they don’t throw anyone away, but she asks what about Corey, insisting that he needs them; they’re his family, and Joseph testifying just slams the door in his face. Joseph points out that Corey killed a boy and he needs to take responsibility for that, but Jane argues that Corey had to do it; Orlando was going to ruin everything and bring down this place. Joseph asks her what she’s talking about, and she proclaims it none of his business. Joseph tells her he doesn’t know what’s going on, but he’s going to testify no matter what. “You won’t testify,” Jane says, “and that’s final.”
Joseph says that the next day, there was a hole in his door, and Wilder was dead. Lilly asks if he thinks Jane was involved, and Joseph says he’s been following Corey to try to find out more. Lilly tells him that that’s dangerous, but he goes on, saying that he’s tried to find Crystal, but she’s disappeared. Lilly says that Crystal just got out of jail, and she can talk to her first thing tomorrow. Joseph urges Lilly not to tell anyone that he’s alive, but Lilly says sadly that she has to bring him in. “I’m not goin’ anywhere, trust me,” he insists. Lilly asks him if he was the one who used the credit card, and he smiles and points to the cat, explaining that Laura got chomped by a raccoon and he had to rush her to the vet in the city. He says the card was still in his wallet, and he was so upset about the whole thing that he wasn’t thinking straight. “I get it,” Lilly says, then gets up and heads out, leaving Joseph sitting there with a “What just happened to me?” look on his face.
