Wiseguy S2: Stairway to Heaven
I just watched the most fantastic Wiseguy episode (sarren, it's the one before the Sonny dream / psychiatric hospital episode we watched last week)
Stairway to Heaven
Frank arrives at Vinnie's house drunk in the middle of the night. After saying that nothing is wrong, tells Vinnie that his wife needs a liver transplant he can't afford and she wouldn't qualify for anyway due to her alcoholism. He tells Vinnie how much he hates hospitals, that his father died a slow death, and describes how Jenny's illness will progress. "Jenny's going to die, and I'm going to sit there and watch it."
Vinnie goes to the OCB, which confirms her condition isn't covered by government insurance, and then to the hospital, where he's told that a million dollar donation might get her on the transplant list.
From the back of a closet, Vinnie takes out a bag of money given to him by Roger Loccoco, who took it from the Profitts. He leaves the money in a box on the front seat of Frank's car. Frank dials a number on his car phone to report it, but hangs up and goes to Vinnie's, demanding to know where the money came from.
Vinnie says he doesn't know. Frank says that if it didn't come from Vinnie, someone must be trying to set him up. Vinnie tells him he should use the money for Jenny's operation. Frank: "I am not made that way, Vince."
Frank starts to leave to turn the money in, and Vinnie admits he put it in Frank's car and says it was his cushion if the government ever turned on him the way they did Roger. Frank: "You are rationalising an illegal act!" Vinnie says he hasn't used any of it. Frank: "You took the money. You kept the money. It's in your possession. You committed an illegal act! And if I don't report it, I am in collusion! Jesus, why did you do this to me?"
Vinnie: "I didn't do anything to you! ... Yeah, life would be a lot less complicated if I didn't have this money. But I do. And I gave it to you! And that means you're involved. So what's it going to be, Frank? Are you going to turn the money and me in, or are you going to use it for your wife's operation?" Frank says he's turning it in.
Vinnie shouts, "No you're not, the hell you are!" and grabs Frank as he goes to pick up the money from the table. Frank says, "Take your hands off me!" and throws Vinnie (who is on crutches with an injured leg) to the ground.
Next scene, they're in a bar. Frank says he had to get away from the money so he could think. They talk about what's right and wrong. Frank is pretty clear that using the money would be entirely wrong. "You are asking me to go against everything I believe in."
Then they're talking and drinking in Vinnie's house with the money on the kitchen table. Frank is on a chair tipped back against the wall and Vinnie is sitting on the floor next to him. Vinnie: "You mean to tell me that you've never done anything illegal? Not even a little bit?" Frank admits he smoked dope a couple of times in college, but stopped when he learned he'd have to take a polygraph test to get into the police. Frank: "Vince, you can't equate the taking of this money with the indiscretions of youth." Vinnie says he will go along with whatever Frank wants to do.
Frank talks about how he always wanted to be a cop, how he and Jenny were high school sweethearts, and how he envisaged family trips to the beach. He says he had no idea what the demands of his job would be and that he didn't know Jenny was an alcoholic until the doctor told him she had liver disease. Vinnie: "Frank, take the money."
Frank gives the money to the hospital and Jenny gets a liver transplant. He builds a gazebo with his son Drake while Jenny is in the hospital.
At home, Frank looks at a picture of himself and his wife, and then at his OCB badge.
Next scene is Frank and Vinnie meeting with Director Beckstead at OCB headquarters. Frank: "Vince and I are here to turn ourselves in for misuse of government funds." (I wish I could see the discussion between Vinnie and Frank that resulted in this decision!!) They both try to take responsibility for the situation. Beckstead listens to the story, says the case the money came from is closed, so the money doesn't officially exist, and destroys the tape of the meeting. Beckstead asks Vinnie how much more of the nonexistent money he has and Vinnie smiles. (It looked to me like he gave Frank all the money in the bag.)
Jenny tells Frank she wants him out of the house before she comes home from the hospital, since their marriage was killing her. She calls him "the unbending guardian of right".
Frank gets drunk at a bar and shoots the jukebox. He goes to a motel, where a couple are having sex loudly in the next room. Then he goes to Vinnie's, where he stands at the front door in the rain with his bags.
Between the way Frank turns to Vinnie, the intimacy of their conversation, Vinnie's generosity in giving the money to Frank, and their apparently mutual decision to turn themselves in, this is a brilliant character and relationship development episode!
Stairway to Heaven
Frank arrives at Vinnie's house drunk in the middle of the night. After saying that nothing is wrong, tells Vinnie that his wife needs a liver transplant he can't afford and she wouldn't qualify for anyway due to her alcoholism. He tells Vinnie how much he hates hospitals, that his father died a slow death, and describes how Jenny's illness will progress. "Jenny's going to die, and I'm going to sit there and watch it."
Vinnie goes to the OCB, which confirms her condition isn't covered by government insurance, and then to the hospital, where he's told that a million dollar donation might get her on the transplant list.
From the back of a closet, Vinnie takes out a bag of money given to him by Roger Loccoco, who took it from the Profitts. He leaves the money in a box on the front seat of Frank's car. Frank dials a number on his car phone to report it, but hangs up and goes to Vinnie's, demanding to know where the money came from.
Vinnie says he doesn't know. Frank says that if it didn't come from Vinnie, someone must be trying to set him up. Vinnie tells him he should use the money for Jenny's operation. Frank: "I am not made that way, Vince."
Frank starts to leave to turn the money in, and Vinnie admits he put it in Frank's car and says it was his cushion if the government ever turned on him the way they did Roger. Frank: "You are rationalising an illegal act!" Vinnie says he hasn't used any of it. Frank: "You took the money. You kept the money. It's in your possession. You committed an illegal act! And if I don't report it, I am in collusion! Jesus, why did you do this to me?"
Vinnie: "I didn't do anything to you! ... Yeah, life would be a lot less complicated if I didn't have this money. But I do. And I gave it to you! And that means you're involved. So what's it going to be, Frank? Are you going to turn the money and me in, or are you going to use it for your wife's operation?" Frank says he's turning it in.
Vinnie shouts, "No you're not, the hell you are!" and grabs Frank as he goes to pick up the money from the table. Frank says, "Take your hands off me!" and throws Vinnie (who is on crutches with an injured leg) to the ground.
Next scene, they're in a bar. Frank says he had to get away from the money so he could think. They talk about what's right and wrong. Frank is pretty clear that using the money would be entirely wrong. "You are asking me to go against everything I believe in."
Then they're talking and drinking in Vinnie's house with the money on the kitchen table. Frank is on a chair tipped back against the wall and Vinnie is sitting on the floor next to him. Vinnie: "You mean to tell me that you've never done anything illegal? Not even a little bit?" Frank admits he smoked dope a couple of times in college, but stopped when he learned he'd have to take a polygraph test to get into the police. Frank: "Vince, you can't equate the taking of this money with the indiscretions of youth." Vinnie says he will go along with whatever Frank wants to do.
Frank talks about how he always wanted to be a cop, how he and Jenny were high school sweethearts, and how he envisaged family trips to the beach. He says he had no idea what the demands of his job would be and that he didn't know Jenny was an alcoholic until the doctor told him she had liver disease. Vinnie: "Frank, take the money."
Frank gives the money to the hospital and Jenny gets a liver transplant. He builds a gazebo with his son Drake while Jenny is in the hospital.
At home, Frank looks at a picture of himself and his wife, and then at his OCB badge.
Next scene is Frank and Vinnie meeting with Director Beckstead at OCB headquarters. Frank: "Vince and I are here to turn ourselves in for misuse of government funds." (I wish I could see the discussion between Vinnie and Frank that resulted in this decision!!) They both try to take responsibility for the situation. Beckstead listens to the story, says the case the money came from is closed, so the money doesn't officially exist, and destroys the tape of the meeting. Beckstead asks Vinnie how much more of the nonexistent money he has and Vinnie smiles. (It looked to me like he gave Frank all the money in the bag.)
Jenny tells Frank she wants him out of the house before she comes home from the hospital, since their marriage was killing her. She calls him "the unbending guardian of right".
Frank gets drunk at a bar and shoots the jukebox. He goes to a motel, where a couple are having sex loudly in the next room. Then he goes to Vinnie's, where he stands at the front door in the rain with his bags.
Between the way Frank turns to Vinnie, the intimacy of their conversation, Vinnie's generosity in giving the money to Frank, and their apparently mutual decision to turn themselves in, this is a brilliant character and relationship development episode!