In the nation's largest city,
the vicious and violent members of the underworld
are hunted by the detectives
of the Organized Crime Control Bureau.
These are their stories.
[indistinct chatter]
[tense music]
Hey.
[sighs] Sorry I'm late.
They're running behind.
[sighs]
You good?
I honestly didn't realize how much
this was gonna affect me till I started
writing this last night.
Mm.
How long were you and Benson together?
12 years.
It was five for Darryl and I.
I got partnered with him
right after I got out of the academy.
Losing him was just--
Yeah.
I'm sure you get it.
Yeah.
Can I run this by you?
Of course.
All right.
[exhales] Detective Jennings was my mentor.
He was also a husband, a father,
and a shining example of the finest the NYPD has to offer.
[sentimental music]
Octavio Montanero was a career criminal
who, in the decade since his conviction,
has shown no remorse for his actions, no apology
or acknowledgment for the suffering
he put an innocent family through.
And for that, I strongly recommend
that this board keep Octavio Montanero
exactly where he belongs.
Mr. Montanero, petition for early release
on the basis of good behavior.
Is that correct?
Mr. Montanero.
I'm here to set the record straight.
Before we get to your statement,
we will first hear from Sergeant Bell.
For 10 years I've been saying I did a murder I didn't do.
Yes, I took a plea, but I'm innocent.
And I'm willing to prove that now.
Mr. Montanero--
I didn't kill your partner.
I only said so 'cause Eamon Murphy forced me to.
Baby, no.
He promised that if I went along with it
that he'd take care of my family.
But he broke his word.
We've heard enough.
Look for the gun.
It'll prove everything.
Eamon Murphy is the man you want.
You gotta believe me, please.
Please.
[tense music]
♪
Ayanna? - That man.
Yeah?
Are you okay? What's going on? Talk to me.
From his arrest, through his trial,
and all these years incarcerated,
Montanero has only said two words--
I'm guilty.
- Okay. - Why now?
Why is he changing his story now?
Well, why not now?
It's his parole hearing. The guy was a junkie.
He's a criminal. I mean, he confessed to it.
Yeah, I know, open and shut.
His prints were on the murder weapon.
I get that.
So then what?
What is it? What's going on?
- Ever since this began... - Right.
I have had this feeling, and I--
I couldn't put voice to it.
But now I am following my gut, and it is telling me the truth.
I gotta figure this out.
You're looking to walk down this road on a hunch?
I'm not asking you to go down it with me, Elliot.
♪
Lead the way, boss.
[tense music]
♪
All right, then.
Hey, Mike.
Ayanna.
Been a while, huh?
Least 10 years.
Something I can help you with?
Octavio Montanero.
What about him?
Well, I went to his parole hearing.
I was surprised I didn't see you there.
[chuckles] Guy killed a cop.
Mother Teresa could show up to vouch for him,
he isn't getting out.
When you pulled the slug out of Octavio's gun
and they ran it through ballistics,
it came back inconclusive.
So it never matched the slug that they took out of Darryl.
Was that in the report?
It's been so long I'd have to check.
I already did.
You checked the report? When?
Before I got here.
What's this about right now?
Why were you so sure that that was the murder weapon?
Octavio confessed, took the plea.
You never even interviewed Eamon Murphy.
You questioning my investigation right now?
On a case I closed?
I'm just trying to tie up some loose ends.
You got a problem with how I ran things, Ayanna?
[tense music]
You should have taken your own shot.
♪
[gunshot]
Thanks for doing this on such short notice.
You'll let Jet know I helped out?
Yeah, she sends her regards.
Uh, so this is a side-by-side comparison of the bullet taken
from the body of Darryl Jennings
and the bullet that I just fired from Octavio's gun.
The contour variations of the lines
should be identical if they were fired
from the same weapon.
And they're not.
They're close, but not enough to be a solid match.
So there's a possibility that this is not the slug
that killed my partner.
It's inconclusive.
So it could have been another weapon.
Didn't he confess, though, take a plea?
Do me a favor.
Don't tell anybody about this, okay?
I'm not even sure what I'd say.
Even better. Thanks.
♪
What are you doing here?
Thank you.
Did you kill my partner?
No.
Then why did you say you did?
I told you why at the hearing.
Heh.
What, you believe in me now?
Oh, I don't believe anything.
I'm here because I wanna look you in the eye
and hear what you have to say.
I didn't shoot your partner.
Eamon Murphy did.
Why are you so sure?
I was there.
I saw the whole thing.
Then why did you confess?
Because I was a junkie at the time.
A total degenerate.
But I had a kid, a wife who loved me
but couldn't have me around when I was using.
When Murphy said that he'd send them money
if I took the rap, I just--
I thought it was my shot at redemption.
But then the money stopped coming.
The gun they found on you?
It was mine, but Eamon used his own.
It was this-- what do you call it?
A--a pen gun.
He used a pen gun to kill Darryl?
He took this ring off his finger.
Like, a police academy ring, I think it was.
♪
Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.
You know who this is?
You have the option to remain anonymous.
But you know who this is.
Yes, Mr. Murphy.
It's been a few years since my last confession.
If I'm being honest, guilt is not something I struggle with.
But recently, I thought about killing a priest.
That's a very serious sin.
So is stealing from the offerings.
At least that's what I heard from a cousin of mine
who attends mass here.
I don't know why he would have said that.
Are you lying to me?
Because bearing false witness,
that sin is worse than stealing in my eyes.
And I don't take absolution.
There are hardworking families in this neighborhood,
and they come here and give what little they have
to keep this church open.
So if I hear anything about this happening again,
we won't be meeting in this silly little box.
Is that clear?
Yes.
Have a good day, Father.
♪
All right. I'll get back to you.
[sighs] That was our guy on the parole board.
He texted earlier, saying Octavio went
full crazy at his hearing.
Now he's saying he mentioned you by name,
blamed you for the murder.
Who else was at the meeting?
His wife and some cop who was gonna read a statement.
What cop?
Signed in as Ayanna Bell.
What, you know her?
With all the new product coming in, last thing we need
is this kind of attention.
So what do you wanna do?
♪
Hey, you didn't return my texts.
What is this? - My notes.
Your notes?
Darryl's murder investigation,
and I have two more boxes in my closet at home.
You shadowed the investigation.
I met with Octavio today.
He saw Eamon kill Darryl.
He even knew about the police academy ring.
You met with Octavio earlier today?
I did.
All those failed investigations,
thing of the past.
We got Octavio.
We're gonna get Murphy. - No, we're not.
No, Octavio is gonna give me a statement
that places Murphy as the shooter.
Octavio is dead.
What?
They couldn't get ahold of you.
The warden called me.
Octavio was murdered tonight.
They found his body outside the showers.
♪
Murphy's a nonstarter.
Gambling, drugs, homicide.
This is a clear-cut OCCB case.
No, it's a cold case involving your former partner.
Mike Graham called me.
We both see what you're up to here.
I have a solid tip.
From a dead guy on a closed case that,
if it were to be reopened, would make the DA
and the NYPD look like we don't know what we're doing.
And how does it look if Murphy was the killer
and we let him walk free?
Look, Narcotics, DEA, FBI,
they all took shots at Murphy and came up empty.
We're not throwing more good money after bad.
It's not about money. It's about support.
And I'd be lying if I said you have mine.
Oh, lying like you did about your football career,
the one you need those prescription pills for?
[tense music]
♪
You need to be really, really careful right now, Ayanna.
About what?
Going after the truth or exposing you?
I will get Murphy, and when I do,
you'll be the deputy inspector who did what no one else could.
And then you'll thank me.
♪
You are looking at Eamon Murphy,
born in Sligo, Ireland,
came to New York in the early '80s.
Found his way into the Cement Workers Union,
where he got tired of hard labor
and paying taxes, so he began to run numbers
until he found the Westies, in which he became an enforcer.
Since then, he has basically shot, stabbed, and stolen
his way up to being a boss.
He runs his criminal operation
out of local bars now,
using them as drop-offs for drugs, gambling,
and the occasional homicide.
Smart, keeps him one step removed.
He's upped his game,
running a more sophisticated operation.
Think Westies 2.0.
But bigger the money, bigger the body count.
His number two is this man, Seamus O'Meara.
He runs Murphy's crew of about 40.
So our job is to get in with the crew.
Start at the bottom, try and turn someone
on our way up the ladder.
So we're all gonna try to infiltrate at once?
The DEA sent two of their undercovers
into Murphy's operation in 2016.
They got made, almost cut to pieces.
The heat came down, but no charges were ever filed,
so Murphy is extra cautious.
So what are we picking this up for if the Feds
already had their crack?
Won't they just sweep in and take the credit
if we do get somewhere?
We'll worry about that later.
Right now, Murphy is my problem to solve.
♪
So what's our plan if no one else has ever
had any luck getting inside?
We're not gonna have to get inside with him.
Murphy's gonna wanna get inside with us.
So you wanna use my bar.
I thought the NYPD seized it once my father started talking.
Isn't it yours already?
It is.
Well, we just feel that, um, in order to make the cover work,
we'd appreciate your cooperation.
You know, I don't know if you remember this,
but, uh, I'm not supposed to leave the apartment.
Without supervision.
Eamon Murphy does a lot of business
in the bars in Queens.
Yours is right in the middle of his turf.
We reopen, send out the invitation to do business.
He'll show up. - What makes you so sure?
Because you're gonna make it so attractive
he won't be able to say no.
♪
You know, some of those guys used
to come in when we were open.
They left a pretty huge tab.
The NYPD will take care of all the expenses.
What I meant was, those guys are dangerous.
Well, we'll make sure not to tell them if you don't.
How much time off is the DA offering for my cooperation?
Depends on how much we tell them you're cooperating.
Welcome to Hyperium.
You guys take a look around.
We need to change that name.
- Nice spot. - Nice?
This was the spot when I ran it.
If you like $40 cocktails.
How long will it take to wire this place?
At least a week, maybe more.
We already have cameras in here.
We need those hidden.
We want the Murphy crew to feel comfortable.
More comfortable they are, the more they talk.
What you actually need are a couple obvious cameras
so your clientele can feel like they see you,
and then you place the hidden ones places
like there, there, there.
And, uh, follow me.
In here is where we watch the show.
My father was obsessed with recording everything,
as you already know.
We wired up all our clubs like this.
What's this room here?
That is why you came to me in the first place.
Damn, you really had your hand in everything.
We're gonna have to staff it with it our guys--
stickmen, dealers, anyone with experience.
The official title is croupier.
[scoffs]
[suspenseful music]
♪
Why am I not surprised right now?
I paid for school running a table at Foxwoods.
Tips are great, especially if the client wins.
[chuckling]
I made sure they always won.
[phone buzzing]
This is my contact. We're all set.
Where are we with making contact?
My CI's got direct access inside Murphy's crew.
We're good.
- Take Jamie. - Come on.
I just thought of a name.
The Bluff.
It's better than Hyperium.
Oh, yeah.
♪
[speaking Spanish]
Which one's hers?
All of them.
[speaking Spanish]
This is my partner Jamie.
How are you?
Jibaro, take him to Carmen.
I need your help.
There's a crew out in Queens, the New Westies.
[sighs]
Does my niece, your beautiful wife,
know you're here?
♪
Ah, you remember mi Paco.
I remember you and him were the--
the only ones that ran numbers outside the neighborhood.
The Irish.
The police.
You're gonna need something in return?
Why would I need something in return?
♪
Bro, this rice--
Gracias.
Bobby, tell your kids Auntie Isabel
looks forward to meeting them.
♪
Mrs. Montanero, welcome home.
What are you doing here?
Thought we could have a little chat
about your husband, Octavio.
Oh, if you're thinking of running, he likes movement.
[growling]
[barking]
Sit. Take a load off.
[tense music]
[barking]
I said sit!
[growling]
Oh, this is Jack, by the way.
He's my associate.
And he's very loyal.
I like that about him, shows character.
Now, Octavio, your beloved, he made a promise to be loyal,
a promise he didn't keep.
You stopped paying.
But that's the thing about loyalty,
it's supposed to be unconditional.
For example, say I wanted Jack here to attack.
All I have to do is say the word and bam!
- [barking] - [gasps]
See?
He'll do it.
Now, what kind of relationship would we have
if I say the word and he decides
he doesn't feel like it?
See that?
That's your husband--
was your husband.
If anyone comes around asking about me now,
what are you gonna say?
I'm not gonna say anything.
I'd feel better if you looked me in the eye.
♪
Octavio never mentioned how pretty you were.
Wonder why.
[door opens, closes]
I just had a very interesting call
from La Doña while I was--
oh, hey, Mia.
What's she want?
Remember that spot Teddy Silas had?
He's opening it back up. - [chuckles]
Those rich guys get away with anything, right?
Well, she invited us down to check it out,
said it's on behalf of the new management.
So go have a look-see.
Collect tribute.
Welcome them to the neighborhood.
Least we could do.
♪
Thanks for the sandwich, by the way.
[phone rings]
Hello?
Food delivery.
Mm, I didn't order anything.
Ah, looks like someone ordered it for you.
Hold on a second.
- Elliot Stabler? - Yeah.
I'm Rika Harold.
I'm with the DA Investigator's Office.
And you deliver coffee?
Are you alone?
Yeah, come on in.
Look, I'm sorry to drop in like this.
I just wanted to make sure that our conversation
would be in private.
It's in private.
Have a seat.
You work for the DA's Office?
Yeah.
I'm an investigator specializing in white collar
and organized crime. - Uh-huh.
I had a lot of crossover with your unit in the past,
and now with Eamon Murphy.
We're also looking into Octavio Montanero's death.
Who says we're looking at Murphy?
Well, your deputy inspector looped us in.
Well, I--I don't discuss ongoing investigations, so.
Well, maybe I can tell you what I know.
Okay.
Ever since I started working with the DA,
Eamon Murphy's been at the top of our list.
But any time anybody gets close,
he manages to skate away.
Now, Murphy's a smart guy, but after 30 years
of breaking the law, I mean,
no one gets that lucky all the time.
So you think he's got protection.
Yeah.
- From? - Oh, NYPD. Feds.
City Hall. Maybe all three.
How long you been in the Investigator's Office?
- Two years. - Uh-huh. And before that?
Louisiana. Homicide detective.
Homicide, huh?
Got tired of that grind.
Needed a change.
So you thought you'd come up here
and complicate my life and my job?
I know what you did with the Brotherhood.
And Captain Benson speaks very highly of you,
so I knew you were someone I could trust.
Hmm.
You know Captain Benson?
Uh-huh.
Okay.
Well, I'm gonna have to tell my sergeant about this.
Whatever makes you comfortable.
I was hoping we could all keep this between us
for the time being.
- Okay. - Uh.
[suspenseful music]
Oh, and be careful of the dog.
♪
[knock at door] - Ayanna?
Marjorie, come in.
Oh, that famous banana bread.
Thank you.
I know, uh, going to those hearings is hard.
And I so appreciate you always advocating for me and Darryl.
Have a seat.
[sighs]
Marjorie, something happened the other day at the hearing.
I don't wanna bring it up over the phone, so,
you know, thank you for coming down.
[sighs] New evidence has been brought to light
that puts Octavio's confession in doubt.
What do you mean in doubt?
Another man might be responsible for Darryl's death.
I'm just now getting into it.
But from what I've seen so far, it's very compelling.
So I just wanted you to know-- - Stop.
Look, I know this is a shock.
Maybe you never made your peace with it, but I have.
So don't drag me into your mess now.
I have to do this.
We have to, for Darryl.
Don't you dare say this is about Darryl.
This is about you, and we both know it.
[somber music]
It's not my fault you haven't been able to satisfy
your own guilt.
I told you that's not what it was.
Darryl was my husband.
The man who killed him confessed and went to prison.
You already took enough from me.
You're not gonna take that.
♪
Come on, Teddy, let's go.
Supposed to be there ten minutes ago.
All right, don't rush me.
Gotta make sure I'm prepared.
You guys got me walking into the lion's den.
Drop the gun!
Whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hell?
- Teddy, now. - This is licensed.
Don't care. Drop the gun and step away.
[tense music]
♪
You guys got me risking my life for you,
and you want me to do it without protection?
It's a bar full of cops, you moron.
It's not gonna matter to a guy like Murphy.
I'm sorry, do you guys have no idea who you are dealing with?
Do you?
'Cause I'm about to shoot you
if you don't step away from that gun.
♪
It's my personal property.
Cash, jewelry, and a passport?
This is a go-bag.
Were you gonna try to run on us?
I lost my wife, my father, my reputation.
That bag contains everything I own in this world,
and I will be damned if I'm gonna let it out of my sight.
We'll keep it in the back of the bar.
It'll be safe there.
Let me explain something to you,
simply, so you understand.
If Murphy is there, nothing in that bar is safe,
especially you two.
Hey, at least I'll be there to make sure it's a hell
of an opening night, right?
♪
[indistinct chatter]
[pounding dance music playing]
So good to see you guys. How's everyone doing?
Got some room at the bar if you'd like.
Right this way.
So if you guys need anything while you're here,
just ask for me. I'm Ricky.
Jimmy, take care of my people here.
I wanna make sure they have a great time.
You got it.
Let's see what we got here.
I'm seeing gin martini, old-fashioned,
and I'm thinking margarita vibes?
That's right. [clapping]
Looks like our guests of honor have arrived.
How you doing?
Mr. O'Meara, so happy you came.
- Ricky, right? - That's right.
It's a nice spot you got here.
Well, I want you to feel at home,
so if there's anything you need,
I'm the guy you wanna see.
Anything at all, okay?
I need a drink first.
And how about some of that action I was promised?
Well, I know the perfect person
who could help you out there.
Teddy, I'd like you to meet Seamus.
- Holy-- - Meet?
Oh, I'm practically family.
[laughter]
Hey, what are you doing out?
Thought you were supposed to be in jail.
Yeah, my lawyer cut me a deal till the trial.
Oh, you're one lucky SOB.
Well, the only one luckier than me tonight's
gonna be you, I promise.
Ready to make some money?
All right.
They're headed your way, boss.
♪
Hey, why don't you go get a drink at the bar?
This the player you were telling me about?
Indeed it is--Seamus O'Meara, my pit boss, Giovanni.
Hey, welcome to the club. Glad to have you.
This is a little something to get you started.
- All right. - What's your pleasure?
Think I'd like to start with her.
Ah, great choice.
Juliet, hey, this is Seamus, good friend of mine.
Make sure he has a good time. All right, have a good night.
All right.
Pleasure to meet you, Seamus.
It's all mine, believe me.
With those eyes, I feel like I'll believe anything you say.
[laughs]
Well, I say let's both get lucky.
Yes, sir.
Whoo!
To luck.
Hey, how about a little champagne
for me and my good luck charm over here?
You got it. Coming right away.
Keep an eye on them.
Hey, need a bottle of bubbles at the blackjack table ASAP.
Oh, they started talking as soon as you walked away.
- Of course they did. - Talking about tomorrow.
No.
He wants us to make the deal tonight.
Tonight?
I have the stuff in the trunk right now.
Look, we finish here, and then we go
meet him in the parking lot.
Wanna tail him?
Well, Murphy's trying to move some A1 weight,
so if we can catch him in the act,
that could be a win for us.
Done.
I just don't know what looks sexier right now,
these chips or you.
Well, if you really have to ask...
Yeah, you're right.
Get these things away from me.
I know what I really want.
[tense music]
Well, hopefully, I can give it to you.
Oh, come on. Don't do me like that, babe.
♪
That's my girl!
Yeah! Whoo!
[laughs]
What time you get off work tonight?
Where are we going to celebrate?
Are you not allowed to drink here or what?
Hmm.
That's quite the haul.
Yeah, thanks to my good luck charm.
There she is now.
Hey, babe, got something for you.
You deserve every penny.
I deserve a lot more than this.
But you are going to spend it on me like a gentleman.
Dinner, maybe some jewelry.
You'll figure it out.
I'll buy you a house if it means I get to come home
to that smile every night.
Hey, Juliet, table five needs you.
Coming. You know where to find me.
Pit boss needs a nightcap.
Coming right up.
Oh, look at you. Congratulations.
It looks like you had a fun night.
It's a great room you're running here.
Oh, good. I'll make sure Ricky knows.
Yeah, you do that.
I'll be seeing you again.
Hope so. All right, take care.
♪
- Everything good? - Mm-hmm.
Let O'Meara go.
You two follow the other guys.
[tense music]
♪
What's this D-bag waiting for?
Yo! Let's do this.
Freezing.
Where is it? Show me.
All right, all right.
You've seen it. Now where's our end?
It's all there.
Hey, be careful with the car.
Last time you had a few dings in it.
♪
[line trills]
[speaking Spanish]
Hey! Hey, hey, hey!
Show me your hands. On the car now.
Car! Now.
- Pop the trunk. I got him. - Good?
♪
Oh, damn.
Papa, this is a lot of keys.
I hope this is your first time.
Yeah, it's 10 years instead of 30, right?
Yeah, I think you're right.
You all right?
I should have pursued Murphy as a suspect.
You weren't in charge of the investigation.
Yeah, but I knew he and his operation
were moving into the neighborhood.
I just--I missed it.
Or you did the best you could with the information you had.
That's all we can do.
That poor boy
spent all that time behind bars.
While that son of a bitch who killed my partner, he--
You know, when we're traumatized,
we don't always think as clearly as we'd like.
But we're here now.
I got you.
We're gonna see this through,
and we're gonna close this case.
Isn't it past your bedtimes?
Hey, we're hip.
Nobody hip says hip.
I can dig it.
My God.
You did great work tonight, Jet.
Thank you.
I didn't hate it, but I'm heading home.
You kids have fun.
Seamus?
Where do you wanna go to dinner?
Now?
Oh, in general.
Like Italian, French, New American fare?
What?
See, look, I was about to get in my car and go,
and I just couldn't stop thinking about you,
how much I like being near you.
And, um...
[soft heartfelt music]
Uh, it's not the most manly thing, but I just--
I wanna take you somewhere I know you're gonna like.
And I thought you could tell me so I don't screw it up.
French.
You know, I knew it.
Oh, you did.
I was thinking, yeah.
[laughs]
You guys should get a room.
Eamon.
You gonna introduce me?
[tense music]
This is Juliet.
Juliet, Eamon.
Lovely to meet you.
I came to see how your evening went.
It went great.
The place is very friendly.
- You play cards, Eamon? - Mm-hmm.
You should come by some night.
I'll take care of you.
I'd like it if you did that.
I guess we'll all be in touch then.
Yeah, sounds good.
♪
So you had a good time?
[barking]
Come on. Come on.
[phone rings]
- Stabler. - How was opening night?
Good. It was good.
Care to be more specific?
It was real good.
[chuckles] Well, that clears things up.
You're the one who called me.
You got anything to share on your side?
As a matter of fact, Octavio Montanero's death
is being ruled a suicide.
♪
You still there?
Yeah.
My office will not be investigating,
and the case is closed.
The man was stabbed.
Well, officially, he tripped and was impaled
on an exposed piece of broken pipe.
So that's how far this rabbit hole goes, huh?
Just, uh, be careful, Detective.
And, uh, make sure to keep me in the loop.
Good night. - Good night.
♪
[tense music]
♪
[wolf howls]