- Someone from Washington comes to New Mexico to shoot a new U.S. Marshalls training video and they are instructed to give the director any help they can. And Mary balks at it so Marshall offers to be the technical advisor but when he learns that the son of one his witnesses, Joseph Tancredi has died, he has to go tell him. Joseph wants to go to the funeral but WITSEC rules forbids it. So Joseph decides to leave the program. Marshall then decides to use his vacation and accompany him to Chicago. Mary in the meantime is not being a team player with the director.—rcs0411@yahoo.com
- In a great cheesy 70s-style WITSEC Training video, a man comes home to see a Marshal inappropriately comforting his wife. The Marshal, Ed, breaks the fourth wall to tell us that over the next 113 minutes we'll be learning (with a swell Muzak background) all about the challenges facing Marshals.
Marshall and Mary watch the video with Stan, reveling in its outdated glory. A suit in the room tells them he's finally got the budget to update the video. He introduces Barry, the civilian director whose been vetted. The suit wants Mary and Marshall to be technical advisers since they're the best of the best.
Mary begs off, saying if Stan makes her she'll quit. "Sounds like a win-win to me," Eleanor pipes up. Mary acts hurt. Elinor bites. Mary gives her a gotcha. Their witty alpha female banter battle continues.
Marshall's computer dings. One of his witness' kids just died. Michael Tancredi, the 49 year-old son of a man relocated 38 years ago. Marshall has to follow up. Mary's back in as technical adviser. They give her a script to review. 20 seconds later, it's in the trash.
Marshall finds Detective Bobby Dershowitz at a bar, reading Updike and sipping a Manhattan. Marshall's there to talk to Joe Thomas (formerly Tancredi), an old guy who works there. Bobby hates him - he's an Eagles fan (the team, not the band, Marshall learns).
Marshal finds Joe (Martin Landau) pushing a bucket and breaks the news. His son died of cancer. Marshall offers to let him send a card or call someone. He says thanks and walks off.
He stops Marshall, saying he changed his mind. He wants to go to the funeral.
In the office, Eleanor brings Mary coffee. Mary's suspicious of the nice gesture and the flower pot gets it. Marshall enjoys watching her spook Mary.
Marshall has checked - there aren't any threats left to Joe. Stan says they won't pay for the plane ticket. Marshall argues that Joe was part of starting the program by breaking omerta against the mob, he earned it. No go, Stan says.
On the set, Mary takes full advantage of craft services and tells the director the script was fine. But then she actually watches one scene in which an inspector talks about how hard it is not to be able to tell her boyfriend what she does. The other councils her to find reward in her work. Mary suggests a rewrite that doesn't make the program bosses seem totally out-of-touch, in her usually, not-at-all-tactful way.
Back at the office, they already know she got kicked off the set. Mary says everything she said needed to be said. Eleanor says her problem is she has integrity and the world hates integrity. No, she's not screwing with Mary this time.
The director and the suit come in and tell Stan they don't feel they're getting the cooperation they deserve. He poo poos them for not taking advantage of the input of one of the best WITSEC inspectors in the country. Mary appreciates the support. Stan says Marshall is back on.
Back at her desk, the director asks Mary why she cares so much. She says it'd be so easy to make it good with a little effort. She makes such a passionate case for it, she talks her way back into having to advise.
At Mary's house, Raph works on fixing one of the walls punched through in the FBI search. Brandi, with her boyfriend Peter, warns him Mary's going to peeved. Mary comes home, pausing to put her ring back on as she walks in.
Mary gets mad at Raph for fixing the hole in the wall. He's keeping receipts, but he figures it needs to get done if he's moving in. This is news to Mary, who suggests that instead he work on finding a job. Brandi offers that Peter could give him a job at one of his car dealerships. Mary doesn't think sleazy car salesman suits him, but Raph's up for it. He'll drop by tomorrow.
Brandi mentions that it's nice someone is getting something out of those dealerships. Hint hint. She raves about public transportation. Peter asks if she wants a car and withholding of sex is mentioned. "How about a blue convertible?" Peter says. Brandi comes to her senses and turns him down.
At the bar, Marshall tells Joe that he can't visit. Joe suggests he go on his own, but that'd be a major violation.
After Joe goes in the back, Bobby wanders over to Marshall, pretty pleased with himself for figuring out who Joe is by looking up news clippings from Philly in the 70s. Then Joe wanders back, announcing he wants to quit the program. "How ya doing," he says, offering his hand to Bobby, "I'm Joe Tancredi."
The three men dish in the bar. Bobby wants to know how Joe got caught. He says his brother got pinched and they squeezed him. Marshall reminds Joe that once he's out he's out. Joe says he only went in to save his wife and kid from RICO charges. Bobby volunteers to go with him. "Taking a legendary mobster back to pay his last respects to his son, how do you not sign up for that?" Bobby says.
Back at the office, Marshall tells Stan about Joe opting out. And, also, he wants to take some vacation time for a scenic trip to Philly. He'll be taking his gun, it's just such a hassle to take it out of the holster.
Over breakfast at a diner, Raph explains to Mary that she can't treat him like a five year old like she does Brandi and Jinx, marriage is about compromise and sometimes he gets to be right. Mary says she agrees but her face says "you mean I don't always get to be in charge?"
Philadelphia
Black cars line a neighborhood street. Joe, in a black suit, walks up the street trailed by Marshall and Bobby. Then Joe stops and panics. He thinks they'll despise him for the rat he became. Marshall tells him this could be his last chance to answer some questions and get parts of his life back.
Then an older man comes up behind Joe and tells him he has a lot of nerve coming back, "you rat bastard." Marshall draws his gun. But the guy's only joking. He's happy to see Joe. He did some time himself, but shortened his sentence by flipping on some other guys. He lives in Boca now.
They go into the house, where a woman he doesn't recognize comes up and hugs him. It's Michelle, his son's wife. She introduces his grandson Joe, named after him. She says his son talked about him all the time. That's why Michael became the toughest prosecutor in the whole city. She tells him five weeks ago, when the treatment wasn't working, Michael told her that if his dad was still alive he'd come for the funeral, he'd never miss it. Joe puts his head in his hands and cries. Bobby and Marshall look on, feeling like the trip was worth it.
Michelle tells Joe he'd have been proud of his son. Every night during the blessing at dinner he'd ask God to watch out for his dad. She says he never believed the stories about him being dead. A wiseguy named Frank Biachi used to claim he killed him. Joe's irritated, Bianchi was a two bit wannabe, not a gangster. Joe excuses himself.
Back on the training video set, the director says he made a few changes. He's resolved not turn out crap just to please his masters, he tells Mary. He calls action.
A female agent tells her partner she's having a hard time with the stress of keeping secrets from her husband. He suggests he try some aerobic exercises designed for people who work at their desks. She starts doing squats.
Mary's incredulous. She tells the director: "I thought you were just a corporate sellout, turns out you're an a--hole, too."
Back in Philly, Marshall discovers that Joe has bailed. He calls Eleanor to run a check on Bianchi. They get his address.
They get to Frank's to find him, a weak elderly man, on his knees with Joe holding a gun in his face and making him beg.
Marshall asks Joe if this is how he wants to honor his son's memory, but killing a pathetic old man on the day of his son's wake. Joe asks if Marshall has a phone that takes pictures. He does, and snaps two of Joe with a gun to Frank's head. Joe puts his gun away.
Marshall says he has to arrest him. Joe suggests he arrest Frank instead - he killed two kids. Bianchi had a chance to make his bones but got so drunk he went into the wrong house and knocked off two college kids. Joe's just now mentioning it because he understands the system, you have to hold some stuff back.
Marshall realizes Joe's off the hook and calls his bosses.
Back in Albuquerque, Stan makes Mary watch the training video. The director and the suit are there.
It opens on the female agent crying at her desk, telling her partner about how hard it is at home. Her partner says every WITSEC inspector has to deal with those problems. Just like her, he struggles. Mary looks on approvingly.
In Philly, Marshall reads the news, which announces Bianchi was arrested for a 38 year old crime. Joe goes through old pictures with Michelle and his grandson.
The video keeps playing, with the female agent telling her partner she talked to her husband and told him there are some things she can't talk about. He appreciate that she at least acknowledged what he was going through.
Mary grudgingly tells the director it's better.
In Philly, Marshall tells Joe they're taking off. He struggles to say good bye, shaking their hands. Marshall says he'll send Joe his stuff when he gets back, but Joe tells him not to bother. There's nothing there he wants.
At Mary's house, Raphael raves about closing a car deal - on his first day. Mary has a hard time congratulating him and acts unimpressed. Brandi tells him not to bother - she's made up her mind to hate what he does. "Well, I don't even know what you do and I hate it," he says, "So finally now we can both not talk about work." "Suits me fine," says Mary.
They hear a honking outside and go to inspect. Peter has three cars for her to choose from, all Mercedes. She reminds him she told him she didn't want one and then goes with the convertible.
Mary asks Peter if he thinks helping Brandi and Raph out might not be good for them, because it's too easy. He thinks she means because she didn't do it. Then he says he knows how much she's done for her mom and sister, but sometimes she acts like she doesn't like them. And she does the same to Raph. He apologizes for overstepping, but the point is made.
He suggests she open up a tiny bit to all of them, which might help her anger and resentment find a way out.
Raph gets out of the car and Peter drives off with Brandi. Raph walks over to Mary, saying Peter's a nice guy. She agrees. Then she pauses before announcing: "I'm an inspector with the Federal Witness Protection Program - that's why I never talk about my work."
And...scene.
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