Karen is in the passenger seat of a car. A man in the back seat says, "A woman like you, I could have loved." With that sentence structure, I wonder if he is related to Yoda. Karen replies, "And there's my luck," and then shuts the sliding window between the front and back seats, so the guy in back must be a prisoner or something.
Miami, Florida. Three days earlier. "Green Onions" by Booker T and the MGs plays. Man, they really love the twisted timelines on this show. Also, this episode was originally supposed to be the pilot, so I'm going to forgive them some of the (now unnecessary) obvious exposition. Karen is in an airport. She applies lip gloss while checking the Arrivals monitor. Her cell phone rings, so she reaches into her bag, knocking aside some hand sanitizer, her badge, and a gun in order to answer it. It's Marshall. He tells Karen about a story he's reading in the newspaper involving a guy who ordered a taxi, and then robbed the driver, but the cops caught him because he gave his real address when he called for the cab. Marshall tells Karen that she's chasing "some real plateheads." Marshall looks over at a guy sitting at a bar nearby, who must be his latest investigation target. Karen asks if her dad called to read her the paper.
Two men -- one fat and one skinny -- sit on an airplane. Fatty is talking about macaroni and cheese. I don't know. The flight attendant comes by and -- hey, it's Kelly from The Amazing Race! You know, the redhead from this year's second-place team. I had to rewind it twice to make sure it was her, and then her name was in the credits. Good for her. Anyway, Kelly asks Skinny if he has his seatbelt on, and he gruffly asks if she wants to "reach under and check for [her]self." That guy must have some serious mojo, because instead of slugging him, Kelly just looks flustered and flattered, and then walks off.
Marshall complains to Karen that he heard she's not returning Will's calls. Karen is surprised that Marshall talked to Will, and Marshall says he bumped into Will at the golf course, and wants to know what's wrong with Will. Karen says that nothing is wrong with him, and that she's just been busy. Marshall lists off Will's assets: he's not a cop, he's good-looking, and he's a good golfer. Karen suggests that Marshall ask him out.
Fatty Plane Guy talks on a phone and says he'll look out for her. He hangs up and tells Skinny that "if local legend has it right," it's Skinny's lucky day. Skinny asks George (formerly Fatty) why that is. George explains that Karen Sisco will be picking up Skinny.
Karen asks Marshall what he's doing. Marshall says that he's in South Beach, trying to figure out if some guy is "banging his stepdaughter." Karen says she's covering for someone and picking up a guy named Pell, then adds that she's been working for twenty-seven hours straight because she has to cover for guys on loan to the DEA Task Force.
Back on the plane, Pell (formerly Skinny) gives the eye to a lady sitting across the aisle, who seems receptive. George says he doesn't know how Pell does it, because he can't even seduce his own wife. Pell says that George could stand to lose a few pounds. George -- who is looking increasingly sweaty -- says he tries to every year, and adds that maybe after dropping off Pell, he'll go to the hotel pool and swim a few laps, and then hit the weight room. George suddenly bends forward and clutches his chest, before slumping back in his seat. Pell (whose wrists are handcuffed) shakes George a few times but gets no response. That was the fastest heart attack ever.
Karen hangs up the phone, because Pell's plane is landing.
Elsewhere, Marshall arrives at the beach, and spots the older gentleman he's been following kissing a young lady, presumably his stepdaughter. Ew.
Back at the airport, Karen watches the people getting off Pell's plane. Pell hurries off, but he's now wearing George's badge on his belt. Karen spots the badge and asks, "George?" Pell walks back and says that the prisoner is gone, because Pell ("George") fell asleep for a minute. He confirms that the prisoner is still handcuffed. Karen dials up Pete on her cell phone and says that they have "a rabbit" named Nicholas Pell. She asks to have a mug shot faxed to the airport, and then hands the phone over to Pell so that he can give a description of the fugitive. Pell makes up a description and hands back the phone. Karen tells Pete to set up roadblocks in all directions, and gives him her new cell-phone number before hanging up. Karen tells Pell that the fugitive probably won't get far, and then advises him to "get with airport Security and set up a perimeter" since he knows what the fugitive looks like, and she'll join him in a minute. Pell watches her walk off in her stilettos and tight skirt.
Karen walks up to the reservation desk, flashes her badge, and says she's expecting a fax. She hears a commotion and sees EMTs wheeling a body off the plane. One of them tells Karen that they had a DOA on the incoming flight. Karen looks worried and grabs the fax as it is handed to her, spotting Pell's mug shot. She looks around the terminal (which is indicated by the camera whirling around her until I'm dizzy), but there is no sign of Pell anywhere. She drops the fax and runs out the door. Instead of the normal funky credits, we just get the title logo along with some techno music. It's all very Alias. And I love that show, and I like this show, but they shouldn't mix.
Karen walks into her office and talks to Pete, played by Jake Busey. He's not even annoying in this role. I didn't know he could play a role and not be annoying. Anyway, Karen tells Pete that he looks like hell, and Pete complains that the President is coming to town and the Secret Service is convinced that a senior citizen in Delray Beach poses a threat, which Pete feels is untrue. Karen asks if he found anything on Pell. Pete says that Pell is a German national, and that a manhunt has been launched. Karen asks who Pell is, and Pete says that he's "a career con artist" who has married four wealthy women and robbed three of them blind. Heh. Blind. You'll understand in a minute. Karen doesn't seem that impressed until Pete adds that Pell also killed a cop. Pete explains that the fourth wife's sister checked Pell out and had him investigated, but Pell shot the cop and fled to Seattle. Karen asks if Pete knows the fourth wife's name. Pete says it's Chelsea Wentworth, and that she's been out of the country but is flying back today. Pete adds that the Marshal on the plane died of natural causes, and that Amos wants to see Karen.
Amos asks Karen what happened at the airport. Before Karen can answer, Burden (which I've apparently been spelling wrong all this time, but now I know the correct spelling thanks to the awesome forum posters) and Peter Horton walk in. Burden is pissed that Karen lost a prisoner. He asks Karen how this could possibly happen. Amos stands up, and we see his arm crutches prominently, which kind of annoys me because up until now they have totally not made a big deal that he uses them, but it seems like this angle was set up to show them off. Amos tells Burden not to forget whose office he's in. Burden says that a prisoner just walked out of custody, and wonders how a prisoner was able to pass himself off as a Marshal to an actual Marshal. Karen coolly says, "It's not like we have a secret handshake." Burden busts out a photo of the cop that Pell killed, adding that he had a wife and kids. Karen looks repentant and says she's taking full responsibility for what happened. She asks for forty-eight hours to get Pell back. Burden won't have it, and says that the FBI is taking this one back. Amos has no problem with that. Burden says he caught Pell before and he'll do it again. Amos tells him to get to it. Burden won't let Amos have the last word, so he yells something at his lackeys as he exits. Peter Horton gives Karen the eye before leaving.
Amos sits down and says, "The man's gun has never cleared his holster and he talks like Eliot Ness." Karen apologizes, and Amos tells her that if she wants respect, she's going about it the wrong way. Karen asks if that's supposed to be a pep talk. Amos says that in their business, it's never a good thing to lose a prisoner, and now she needs to go out and get him back. Karen reminds Amos of what Burden said, and Amos says he doesn't care what Burden thinks. A smile spreads across Karen's face, and she thanks Amos and leaves. Amos tells her not to let Burden know what she's doing.
Karen walks into a parking garage. Peter Horton is on the phone, arguing with someone. He spots Karen walking toward him and hangs up, saying he "can't deal with this right now." He greets Karen familiarly and leans in, saying that it 's been a rough day. Karen nonchalantly says that it could've been worse, because she could've lost two guys. Peter says that he has a detail but he was planning on coming by her place later. Karen says, "I've just gotten comfortable with where we're at" and opens her car door. Peter says, "Well, I'm not very comfortable with where we're at." He leans in, and Karen puts the car door between them and says, "Your problem, Ray, is that you're not uncomfortable enough." She adds, "Watch your fingers," and then slams the car door, leaving Ray (Peter Horton) standing there like a goof as she pulls away. So I guess that's Ray Nicolette, the role Michael Keaton played in the movie. ["And reprised in Jackie Brown, which was also based on an Elmore Leonard book, and also starred Robert Forster." -- Wing Chun]
Karen stands at a private airport, watching a private plane land. Some cop cars pull up with their sirens blaring, and Burden and Ray get out of them. Karen says to herself, "Gee, Ray, you might have mentioned." Martha Plimpton, dressed in a red suit, gets out of the plane, and Burden starts talking to her. Karen's phone rings, so she runs back to her car to answer it, and it's Pell. He starts talking about how she wasn't very nice to him in the airport. Oh, sorry she didn't have a bunch of helium balloons and a cake. Mmm, cake. Karen asks how he got her number, and Pell says that she gave it to Pete in the airport. So he's not only a con artist and a murderer, but he's got a great memory. Karen asks why he's calling. Pell says that she's a memorable person with a forgettable name, and laments that there aren't many songs about girls named Karen. Girl, I feel that. There are just about no songs that mention Kim, except the ones by Eminem, and those aren't generally very nice. Pell says that he used to sing "Chelsea Hotel #2" to Chelsea Wentworth, and that every girl needs a song, so he might write one about Karen. She suggests that they meet for a bourbon so he can sing it to her. Pell ignores the suggestion and thanks her for her help. He hangs up, and the camera pans back to reveal that he's standing about a hundred yards away from Karen, and she has no idea. Oh, that scamp! He's a regular Hannibal Lecter, minus the brain-eating and flaying and stuff.
Karen joins her father at the driving range. Even though she totally sneaks up behind him, he's not at all startled. That Marshall is one cool customer. They exchange small talk about the Marlins, and then Karen asks if he's going to mention her screw-up at the airport. Marshall says he was stalling, and then says that he once lost a prisoner. Karen starts to tell him that his story isn't helping, and Marshall says that you learn by doing. Karen admits for the first time that she feels like an idiot. Marshall looks at her sadly and says that you learn by doing wrong. He advises her to hit some golf balls, because she'll feel better. Father and daughter hit a bucket of balls together as "God Song" by Beth Orton plays.
Karen sits in her car outside the gate to what looks like a large estate of some sort. Ray walks out of the gate and approaches her car. Karen rolls down the window and wishes him a good morning. He asks her what is so important that it couldn't wait until later. Karen says, "I need to see her, Ray."
Cut to Karen and Ray walking inside the estate. Karen stops when she sees Chelsea Wentworth (Martha Plimpton) sitting poolside, still dressed all in red, and petting a dog. Ray tells Karen that she has five minutes. Karen walks up to Chelsea, who is listening to a Leonard Cohen CD. Karen says it's a pretty song, and Chelsea says it's sad, and switches it off, then says she likes sad songs, because they let you know that there's someone else in the world more miserable than you. Well, she's a barrel of monkeys, isn't she? Karen holds out her hand and introduces herself, but Chelsea says she already knows who Karen is, because Burden told her all about Karen. Chelsea adds that Burden doesn't like Karen very much. Karen says she knows that Chelsea has been through a lot, but Karen would like to ask her a few questions. Chelsea suggests that they go for a walk, and when she stands up, it becomes apparent that Chelsea is blind.
As they walk along the ocean, Chelsea tells Karen that her blindness is the result of diabetic retinopathy, and that she spends twelve hours a week on a dialysis machine. Chelsea adds that the same physician was treating her and Pell. Karen is surprised to learn that Pell is diabetic. Chelsea says she'd only been blind for a year, and that Pell was a nice man she met in the waiting room who put his hand on her knee. Chelsea says that Pell can be very charming, and that he killed a man. Martha Plimpton has a really weird line delivery in these scenes, and I guess it's supposed to be upper-class or something, and she would know, but it just sounds strange. But I've had a soft spot for Martha Plimpton dating back to Goonies so I'm just going to let it go. Karen knows it was a cop. Chelsea says that Rufus found the cop buried in the rose garden. Karen thinks that Rufus is the gardener, but Chelsea corrects her, saying that Rufus is her guide dog. Chelsea says that Rufus managed to dig up the cop, even though he was buried six feet deep. Chelsea says that Pell never struck her as a violent man, and that he was a good listener. Karen says that he's a murderer. Chelsea asks what Karen will do when she finds him. Karen will bring him in. Chelsea asks what Karen will do if Pell won't be brought in. Karen doesn't answer. Chelsea says that Karen would shoot him. Karen responds, "I really don't care how good a listener he is."
Karen puts out an APB on Pell from her office. Wouldn't that have been done already? Pete walks up and says the name Alvin Simmons. Karen says that he ratted out Charlie Lucre, but "Charlie beat the rap," and Alvin was relocated and put into Witness Protection. Karen says it was two years ago. Pete slaps down some photos and says that Alvin is back. Karen asks when the photos were taken, and Pete says that it was about an hour ago, in front of Charlie's club, and that they were taken by the FBI agents who are watching Charlie. So you know this episode was originally supposed to come before the first one, because probably the FBI isn't watching Charlie anymore after being slapped with a lawsuit. Anyway, Karen says she can't deal with the Alvin situation. Pete says that Alvin is her guy, and that if she doesn't go get him, "he's going to be gator food."
Karen walks into Charlie's strip club. She spots Alvin ["played by Xander Berkeley, a.k.a. George Mason from 24" -- Wing Chun] drinking a shot at the bar and says hello. He nearly spits out his drink and then asks if he can buy her a drink. Karen says that they have to talk outside. Alvin tells the bartender to tell Charlie that Alvin Simmons stopped by. Karen reminds him that he's supposed to be in Kansas. Alvin says that he had to come back. Karen says that he's in Witness Protection and Relocation, which means he's not supposed to come back. Alvin claims that he was being followed in Kansas. Karen asks about his wife and son. Alvin says that they're with her parents. Oh, no one will be able to find them there. Karen says that he should have called her. Alvin says he panicked. Karen says it doesn't make any sense that he would go to a strip club owned by the guy who's trying to kill him. Alvin claims he fell victim to his old routines. Karen reminds him that he's an accountant, not a "button man." Alvin says that you don't need to be a hit man to go to a strip club. Karen gives him a look, and Alvin says he got tired of waiting forty minutes every morning trying to get up the nerve to start his car. He thought maybe if he talked to Charlie, they could work things out. Karen says he should know that's not going to happen. Alvin claims that he and Charlie are friends, but Karen says that Charlie doesn't have any friends. Shouldn't Alvin realize at this point that he's not going to win this argument? Alvin asks what they do now.
Karen takes Alvin back to her place. He asks if she just moved in, in reference to the many boxes sitting around. Karen says she's been there three years, and tells him to sit tight until she can get him on a plane back to Kansas. They walk inside and discover that Marshall's poker game is in full swing. Marshall recognizes Alvin, and they exchange pleasantries. Alvin recognizes one of the poker players who used to work for Charlie, and he tells Karen that all of the poker players are cons. One of them corrects him, "Ex-cons." One of the guys asks Karen if she's playing, and Karen says she has to go out. Mordecai asks if she's called Will. Marshall gives Mordecai a look like, "Cheese it!" and Karen gives her father a look like, "Oh, no you didn't!" Marshall says the guys were just asking if she was still going out with the married FBI guy. Another player says he has the perfect guy for Karen, and he gets out in six months. Everyone chuckles. Ah, ex-con humor. Karen asks the guys where they would go to get a fake passport quickly. Mordecai says he'd go to the Greek, but Marshall says he's "doing a nickel at Lompoc." Sometimes I wish I had ex-con friends just so I could say things like "doing a nickel." Karen says it would have to be done in twenty-four hours. Mordecai says the only guy who could do it is Herve Castillo, adding, "If you knock on his door, you best do it with a SWAT team." Will Colin Farrell and Sam Jackson be involved?
Karen puts a gun in her ankle holster, which I still totally covet. Marshall walks in. Karen asks him to keep an eye on Alvin. Marshall says he will, but he clearly wants to make a trade. Karen promises to call Will. The doorbell rings. Marshall answers the door to find Ray standing there with a cheap bouquet of grocery-store flowers, like, go the extra mile and visit a florist, why don't you? Ray says hello and asks if Karen is there. Karen asks who's there, and Marshall opens the door further and says it's the FBI. Karen cheerily says that she appreciates what Ray did for her today, but that it doesn't change the fact that she told him not to come over. Ray asks if he can come in. Karen twists her hair up into a messy bun and says, "Sure." Ray walks in and starts to talk, but Karen brushes by him to give her father a kiss on the cheek and waltz out the door, leaving Ray standing there like a doofus once again. Marshall turns and brightly says, "So, how's the wife, Ray?" Hee.
Karen arrives in a rundown neighborhood. She enters a house, and walks through it with her gun drawn. There's a big guy watching cartoons on the television. That must be Herve. Karen walks forward until her gun is touching the back of his head, and orders him to stand up. He does. She orders him to put his hands in the air. Herve pretends that he can't hear her and starts speaking in Spanish. A woman runs in from another room and asks (in Spanish) what's going on. Herve tells the woman in Spanish to tell the woman to get his "little knife," which is in the drawer. It's nice to know that he has a wide variety of knives and thus needs to specify which one he wants this time. Karen tells the woman, in Spanish, not to move. Herve asks if Karen's going to shoot him, and adds that she's got a big gun for such a little girl. He moves forward and yells in Spanish, "Get me my knife! Or when I'm done with her, I'll take care of you." The woman -- visibly frightened -- takes off. When Karen turns to see where the woman is going, Herve grabs her gun hand. Karen punches him in the throat, and the fight begins. Karen ends up hitting Herve with the butt of her gun, which knocks him out, and she handcuffs him. The woman re-enters the room and drops the knife on the floor. Damn. If that's the little knife, I'd hate to see the big one. Karen holds up a photo of Pell and asks if the woman knows him.
Outside the house, cops escort Herve into a car. Karen walks by, talking to Pete on the phone. She says that Pell has an American passport and a Florida driver's license under the name of Michael Lamb. She also wants Pete to get in touch with Alvin's wife. Karen hangs up and gets in her car.
Karen walks into her now empty apartment. "Blue Light" by Mazzy Star plays. Karen pulls out her bottle of bourbon. She sits down and puts her gun on the table, and then pours herself a glass of bourbon. She pulls up her shirt and checks the giant bruise on her ribs, courtesy of Herve. She leans back, heaves a sigh, and sips her bourbon.
The morning, Karen is awakened by the ringing phone. About a quarter of the bottle of bourbon is gone. Karen picks up the phone with her feet, which is alternately kind of gross and really impressive.
Cut to Karen and Pete walking down a hallway at the police station. Pete tells Karen that she's about to meet a nurse named Sally Preston, but that she isn't talking. Pete adds that one of the other nurses saw Sally boosting insulin, and recognized the photo of Pell because she saw Sally talking to him in the parking lot. Karen is looking slightly hung-over, but still pretty damn good. Karen asks Pete and the cops to leave so that she can talk to Sally alone. Karen introduces herself, but Sally sullenly says that she didn't do anything. Karen asks where she met Pell, and adds that he's a very good liar. Sally claims that she doesn't know what Karen is talking about. Karen asks what song Pell sang to her, and offers up "Lay Down Sally" or "Mustang Sally." Sally's head turns toward Karen sharply.
Cut to a team of Marshals, including Pete and Karen, busting into a motel room. Pete says that Pell isn't there, and orders the team to turn the place upside down. They toss drawers and open doors. Karen finds a vial of insulin under the bed and snags it with a gloved hand. She tells someone to get in touch with a judge so that they can get a court order for the phone records. Outside, Karen asks Pete to get her a copy of the song "Chelsea Hotel #2." Pete says he will. Is Pete just Karen's whipping boy or what? Karen passes Burden and his team, who are on their way in. Burden says he's not happy. Karen asks, "Why is that? Because I'm here, or because I'm here first?" Ooh, he'd better change his name to Burnden, because he just got burned!
Alvin and Marshall sit on Marshall's boat and have a chat. Alvin talks about numbers, and how he was going over Charlie's books one night. Marshall asks if they were the cooked books, or the real ones. Alvin says they were the cooked books, and that he found himself "staring into a black hole." Alvin had a crisis of conscience. So he told Charlie that he had to leave, and Charlie said he understood. On his way home, Alvin got shot in the stomach four times. You'd think someone like Charlie would hire hit men who actually made sure that their targets were dead. Then again, we saw what happened with the friends from Detroit, so maybe Charlie's penchant for hiring inept hit men is going to be a theme. Alvin sips his beer and says he wishes they weren't sending him back tomorrow. Marshall gives him a look like, "Didn't you just tell me about how last time you were in town, you got shot in the gut four times?" And yes, Robert Forster can convey all of that with a single look.
Karen is all dressed up, and contemplating the fact that her gun is too big to fit into her purse. Man, I hate when that happens. The doorbell rings. Karen hustles out to answer it while throwing on a coat. It's the often-mentioned but heretofore-unseen Will. He's cute! He's like a mini-Clooney.
Cut to Will and Karen at a restaurant. A waiter comes over and says that they turned up the thermostat, and asks if he can take Karen's coat now. Bug off, waiter! Who asked you? Karen says that, but more nicely. Will asks if she's too cold, and Karen says she's fine. Will asks if she thinks he can't handle seeing her in that dress. Karen smirks. Will asks lightly if she just wants to go home, because she's hardly said anything. Karen admits that her gun is in her coat pocket, because it wouldn't fit in her purse. Will is surprised that she carries it with her. Does he not know what she does? He asks if she's ever shot anybody. Is he dumb? Karen hesitates and tries to change the subject by saying that the wine is really good. Will asks again, and Karen tells him to ask her another question, like how many men she's slept with or how much she weighs. Will says he really wants to know how many people she's shot. Karen says it was three. Will is taken aback, but he goes ahead and asks if she's ever killed anybody. Does he really want to know that right now? Karen says she's killed two people. Will says, "You've shot and killed two people." Karen says she shot one, and the other was "more of a hand-to-hand-type situation." Will can't believe that she killed a man with her bare hands. Karen says that there was a knife involved. Will takes a big gulp of his wine. Karen softly asks him to kiss her. He does and she says, "See? I'm just a girl." That line would be a lot more effective if not for the unfortunate Notting Hill resemblance. Karen's phone rings. It's Pete, of course. He says he just talked to Alvin's wife, and that Karen isn't going to like what he found out.
Cut to Karen walking into Marshall's house. The television is on, but the place is empty. She calls out for Alvin and runs up the stairs. She walks out onto the balcony and sees lights on Marshall's boat, so she heads out there. Marshall is sitting in the boat. Karen asks where Alvin is, and Marshall asks how her date was. Karen says it was kind of okay, but that she needs to talk to Alvin. Marshall says he should be on the couch. Karen says he's not there, and that Marshall's car is missing.
Cut to Karen and Marshall, driving down the street. Karen gets on the phone and says that she needs "a lo-jack trace on a 1972 Cadillac El Dorado" that has "a personalized plate: My Baby." Marshall wonders, "What kind of man steals another man's car?"
Alvin is back at Charlie's strip club, and he's talking to Charlie via speaker phone while flanked by two large men. Charlie asks why Alvin is back in Miami. Alvin says he flew south for the winter. Charlie says that pigeons don't fly south, and that Alvin should have stayed away. Alvin asks Charlie if he's still fat, and Charlie asks Alvin if he still has body odor. They continue to trade insults, and the two men pick Alvin up under the arms and jack him off the floor. Karen and Marshall bust into the room and Marshall says, "Alvin! You're late. And you're taller." Cut back to Alvin being held about a foot off the floor.
Thunder rumbles as Karen drives Alvin home. She lets him know that she spoke to his wife, and asks why Alvin didn't say that his wife left him two months ago.
Suddenly, Karen and Alvin are back at Marshall's place, which was weird, like, why show them in the car at all? Karen realizes that no one was following Alvin in Kansas. Alvin says he figured he'd let Charlie put himself out of his misery. He adds that he has an insurance policy of which his wife is the beneficiary, but that it doesn't pay out on suicide. Karen sits down to him. Alvin says Karen doesn't know what it's like to be so disconnected from the world, and that he has parents and friends he'll never see again. All he has left is his family, and he doesn't even have them anymore. Karen tells Alvin that he was a mob accountant, and that's what happens to them. He's not an innocent bystander, because he laundered a billion dollars for the mob and he was given a second chance. Alvin says, "The four loneliest words in the English language: 'We can protect you.'" Karen tells him to pack his bags because he's going back to Kansas the day.
Alvin stands up and starts walking upstairs. He stops to light a cigarette, and suddenly the windows to the balcony are shattered by gunfire. Alvin dives to the floor, and Karen rolls over and hides behind the couch. The gunfire continues for a while. Karen grabs her coat and pulls her gun out of the pocket. Marshall comes down the stairs, gun in hand, and asks if Karen's okay. Karen orders Alvin to go upstairs and get under the bed. Alvin scrambles his way up there. Marshall runs over and joins Karen behind the couch. Is the couch bulletproof? It doesn't seem that safe. Karen tells Marshall to go outside and try to circle around behind the shooters. Marshall has other plans, but Karen firmly tells him not to argue. Marshall takes off. Outside, a goon stops to put a new clip in his gun. Marshall walks up behind the goon, holds a gun to his head, and says, "Your choice." The goon drops his weapon. Marshall asks how many there are. The goon says that there are two. Marshall hits the goon over the head with the butt of his gun and says, "Platehead."
Karen, still hiding behind the couch, hears noises from upstairs and softly says, "Alvin."
Cut to Alvin hiding under the bed. Nearby, a window is opened and a goon steps into the room. He slowly approaches the bed. He starts to kneel down. He sees Alvin and points a gun at his head. A gunshot rings out. The goon drops dead. Cut to Karen standing in the doorway, gun smoking. Okay, it wasn't smoking, but in my imagination it was. Marshall runs up and asks if she's okay. She breathes, "Yeah." Marshall sternly says, "I'm not very happy with you, Alvin."
Amos arrives at the house. Marshall greets him. Karen watches as Alvin gets into the back seat of a cop car before it pulls away. Amos asks Karen if she's okay. Karen says she's okay, and asks what's up with Pell. Amos says, "What Dan Burden lacks as a lawman, he more than makes up for as a politician." He explains that after Karen busted into the motel room, Burden called the director, who called the Attorney General, who called Amos. Karen asks for one more day, but Amos says that his hands are tied, and that Karen will be escorting Alvin back to Wichita first thing in the morning.
Karen has a soak in the tub. Her phone rings, so she answers it. I'm so paranoid about electricity and water that I could never do that. I know it's irrational, but there you go. Anyway, it's Pell, calling from a pay phone, and he says that nothing sexy rhymes with "Karen." He offers up some sample lyrics, and Karen advises him to keep his day job. Pell says that she's not like other women he's met, because she sees too much, and then he asks if she's alone. Karen says she is at the moment. Pell says, "No, I mean are you really alone? Is there a Mr. Sisco?" Karen doesn't respond, so Pell says he thought not, and that it must be tough for a pretty girl like Karen, "pissing in the sandbox with boys all day long, not having anyone to handcuff at night." Pell imagines that it gets lonely. Karen asks about him, since he's always playing as a kept man for a sugar mama. Pell says that the conversation is turning messy, and promises to drop her a postcard. His time runs out, so he hangs up and walks away.
Karen and Alvin are on a plane to Wichita. Karen asks if he's okay.
Cut to Alvin's house in Wichita. Karen and Alvin walk in. I totally covet the boots Karen's wearing in this scene. Karen says she might be able to make some calls and get Alvin set up somewhere else. A door opens somewhere in the house, and Karen pushes Alvin back. She pulls her gun out of her purse and fingers the trigger, but stops when she sees that the noise was caused by Alvin's son riding his Big Wheel down the hallway. The kid is cute, but the whole Big Wheel in the house is a little too redrum for me. Alvin is delighted to see his son, and Karen smiles. Alvin's wife ["played by Sarah Clarke, a.k.a. Nina from 24 and Xander Berkeley's real-life wife" -- Wing Chun] walks into the hallway, smiles, and says they missed him. Karen watches them and smiles as a soulful version of "Que Sera Sera" starts playing.
Karen arrives back in Miami and goes to the office. And she is wearing about the ugliest shirt I've ever seen. Pete walks up and hands Karen a postcard. He adds that the kid who delivered it said that some guy paid him twenty bucks to do it. Pete says he's starting to feel like Karen's secretary. "Starting to"? Karen takes the postcard, which features a woman in a bikini on a beach, and flips it over. The message reads, "The scenery is beautiful. Wish you were her. The one that got away." Pete says he's got something for Karen, and hands her a CD with "Chelsea Hotel #2" on it. Karen thanks him.
In her apartment, Karen pops the CD into her stereo and listens while she looks out the window. She remembers that Chelsea was listening to the same song when they first met, and smiles.
Yucatan Peninsula. Chelsea sits in one of two lounge chairs on the beach, facing the ocean. She asks Pell if he'd like another drink. He says he's going up to the house, and Chelsea says she'll stay there for a while. Pell promises to come back for her, and kisses her neck before departing.
Pell walks into a large beach house and starts running a bath. He pauses and then looks at himself in the mirror for a minute. He walks into the bedroom, where Karen is standing. She pulls out her gun, trains it on him, and asks, "Do you ever get the feeling some days are best spent in bed?" Pell starts to ask if he can just get something from the closet, but Karen interrupts to say that if he wants to hide something, his shoe is never a good spot. She pulls out the gun he had hidden in his shoe in the closet. Pell asks how she found him. Karen says she remembered the song, so she knew he was with Chelsea, and just looked for Chelsea's private jet. Pell smiles and asks if she's had her bath. Karen smiles and says she doubts there would be room for all of them. Pell looks down at the gun Karen still has trained on him, and asks if she would really shoot him. Karen says she would. Pell smiles and starts to walk away. He reaches the door, and opens it, and Karen hasn't shot him yet. But on the other side of the door are three cops, all with guns. Pell cracks, "I can see your point about the bath."
Karen joins Chelsea on the beach and says that Pell was a good listener after all. Chelsea says she knew it was just a matter of time, and that she won't testify. Karen says she won't have to. Karen walks away, as some cops walk toward Chelsea.
A police van transports Pell back to prison. Karen sits in the passenger seat. She tells Pell that he was wrong, and that there is a song about Karen by a group called the Rip Chords. Pell quotes the song, "A woman like you, I could have loved." Karen adds, "And there's my luck." See? Just like the opening scene. And now I know why Pell was talking like Yoda. Karen's phone rings. She brushes aside her badge and her gun to pick it up and says, "Hi, Daddy."