- 1 hour ago
Elsbeth (2024) Season 3 Episode 16
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Short filmTranscript
00:04his student in the short skirt couldn't remember her name appeared during office hours that
00:11afternoon you looked up my skirt she said what are we gonna do about it how dare she
00:21he was a distinguished member of the faculty for god's sakes and this lisa yes that's it
00:27would not be satisfied until he was
00:34dismembered how when he arrived here from walking home from school to his mother's embrace
00:43and a tuna fish sandwich on perfectly toasted toast
00:50to this horror of course he had looked up her skirt but you know was that a choice
01:00in that moment he knew she had complete power over him and he knew that he was
01:11maddeningly absurdly
01:14in love with her 16 books in 18 years well that includes a collection of my essays too oh such
01:23modesty a new novel by elliot pope is a major event especially in our mutual hometown of massapequa
01:31which has featured prominently in many of your books i'm sure that's just a coincidence you ever
01:38go back only my work well everyone there is very proud even if they're afraid that you're going to
01:44write your next metafiction roman a clay about them you know i never write about anyone in particular
01:51i write what i write and it has worked out for you after those early smutty bestsellers you have become
01:59an institution
01:59winning prizes and raves from everyone except me but that is because i have recused myself
02:07i don't read reviews barney but it is nice to know that if i did i wouldn't even have the
02:13option to read yours
02:14well that's probably for the best
02:19back through here my god i know it's gotten out of hand but i know where everything is
02:26oh dear i hate would you like to sign some books i'm not in the mood
02:31oh is that a rat oh templeton smart little guy can't catch him
02:36bev keeps threatening to call the health department
02:40hey tonight was great it was an honor just being on that stage with you
02:47then um why did you have to spew all that uh metafiction romantic clay garbage it diminishes my work
02:54it's saying uh i don't make things up
02:57don't be so touchy what's wrong is the writing not going well
03:02what are you working on that's none of your business
03:05oh come on are you stuck you know i could be helpful i'm not a total idiot
03:10barney you're a critic who doesn't review your books let me read what you're working on please
03:15as a fan
03:18it's not ready well maybe not for the world but for me
03:21come on it would give me so much joy to be the first person to read a new elliot pope
03:27wow
03:28you're laying it on a little thick it's true elliot i'm begging you
03:33it would mean so much that you trusted me
03:40well
03:41it's still in longhand so if you lose the manuscript
03:46i will kill you
03:50edgar bishop walked up madison
03:52past the fresh-faced girls leaving the dalton school as was his habit
03:58his thoughts kept returning to the little man in the bookstore
04:02two months and still not a word
04:05not one word
04:13let me get you back
04:30yes i'm sure they'll just fly off the shelves when they're arranged like this
04:35i'm glad you're here i want to show you something i took this out of my safe deposit box today
04:41i have to sell it to cover some debt
04:43rent went up again
04:45this is tough stuff for forester not effeminate like the others
04:49that's the first edition howard's end from henry james private library
04:55well we think so the proof is iffy let me get you a drink
04:59i hate to part with it but if i don't i'll have to let bev in on the state of
05:03our finances
05:06oh
05:07i sensed some awkwardness and i assume it's because i i never called you about your manuscript
05:19i read it
05:22i mean how much do you want me to say
05:28i don't want you to say anything i didn't even want you to read it in the first place
05:32i don't care what you think at all
05:37oh thank you thank you
05:40why are you thanking me
05:42for not making me give you my notes
05:44i'm so tired of the sound of my own voice
05:47pompously pointing out flaws in people's work
05:50flaws what what flaws
05:54i thought you didn't want to know
05:55okay well now i'm interested so go ahead come on tell me
05:58you sure
06:01well where to start
06:04uh you know it's just another sad masturbatory exercise steeped in misogyny and casual cruelty
06:13once again you have strip-mined the lives of the good people of Massapequa
06:18i recognized every one of them for filthy lucre
06:21and all but your sainted mother and her tuna sandwiches are subjected to your snide disapproval
06:29honestly every impeccably crafted sentence made me want to vomit
06:39well
06:40thank you barney i value your opinion
06:46the way i would value the uh opinion of a loser wannabe of no literary importance
06:58a man who sells and criticizes books he wished he had written
07:03but all the while knowing he is incapable of holding anyone's interest because his life like his mind is completely
07:14worthless
07:23maybe so my old friend maybe so i'm sorry you know it's it's the people who know us best whose
07:31bad opinions hurt the most so forgive me
07:33no i deserve every bit of it huh
07:38you still want me to sign some books
07:41oh of course
07:48oh
07:48oh
07:48oh
07:49oh
07:50oh
07:50oh
07:50oh
07:50oh please help help
08:07oh
08:10doesn't our friendship mean anything to you
08:16oh
08:16how much do you want me to say
08:18oh
08:20no
08:20no
08:21no
08:21no
08:21no
08:22no
08:22no
08:22no
08:22no
08:22no
08:22no
08:22no
08:22no
08:23no
08:23no
08:23no
08:23no
08:24no
08:24no
08:24no
08:32no
08:45no
08:46no
08:46no
08:52Edgar Bishop knew his life wouldn't change much
08:55after the death of his friend.
08:57Was that even the word?
08:59Acquaintance?
09:00More like a mirror.
09:03For Marty Roper could always show him who he really was.
09:08You would miss this son of a bitch.
09:10Now, the character of Marty Roper
09:12does bear a passing resemblance
09:15to a mutual acquaintance of ours.
09:16Yep, Barney Corman.
09:18Now, for those of you who don't know,
09:19Barney Corman was a critic who owned Barney's books
09:22and who died, tragically, a year and a half ago,
09:25crushed by his own bookcases.
09:28Now, I remember hearing from his wife, Bev,
09:30who mentioned that you were devastated when she called you.
09:33I mean, you know, who wouldn't be?
09:36Did you know immediately you wanted to write about it?
09:38Well, no, because, you know, I haven't.
09:40I mean, yes.
09:42Barney's death did spark my imagination,
09:45you know, at some level,
09:46but, you know, I'm not interested in parsing out,
09:48you know, what's true and just pure invention.
09:51That's been a constant in your career, hasn't I?
09:53People asking what's made up, what isn't.
09:55It's irritating.
09:57And I just did it.
09:58Bad friend.
10:00All right, let's open it up to some questions.
10:03Oh, oh.
10:04Yes.
10:05Me?
10:06Hi, I'm Cheryl Jacobs.
10:08I'm actually an author, too.
10:11My book, Unwell, On My Way, is out in paperback.
10:14What is your question?
10:15Sorry.
10:16I'm a little nervous.
10:19Such a fan.
10:20Again?
10:21Your question?
10:22I forgot what it was.
10:24Oh, no, wait.
10:24My friend has one.
10:25Oh, yeah.
10:26Right.
10:26Oh, okay.
10:28Um, hello.
10:28Uh, hi.
10:29Uh, hi, Fred.
10:32Oh.
10:33Um, I was just curious about the way Marty dies in the avalanche.
10:39I was surprised when he went on that ski trip.
10:42He wasn't very athletic.
10:43Well, you know, uh, character is often, uh, revealed through, uh, contradiction.
10:48But the narrator, Edgar, says that his and Marty's eyes meet just before he dies.
10:56That doesn't seem possible.
10:58How do you mean?
10:58Well, I mean, if they were actually that close, then both of them would have been killed by the falling
11:05snow.
11:05You're reading it wrong.
11:07Oh, okay.
11:09It's just, it says their eyes meet, so.
11:13And Eddie is really you, isn't he?
11:16Okay, let's move on with the next question.
11:19Uh, yes, over here.
11:21Over here.
11:22To Cheryl.
11:24Ah, thank you.
11:26Could I give you a copy of my book, too?
11:29It would mean so much to me.
11:31Sorry.
11:31Life is fine, Edgar.
11:33Oh.
11:34Oh.
11:35No, I understand.
11:39Hi.
11:40It's for Elsbeth with a B.
11:45Elsbeth with a B.
11:47That's right.
11:48I'm sorry if my question seemed rude.
11:51I'm actually so impressed with how vividly you imagined that death scene, because, of course, you weren't there when your
11:58friend died.
11:59No, I read it in a paper like everybody else.
12:02I thought Fred said you got a call from Barney's widow, and that's how you found out.
12:07Yes, and then I read the details.
12:10You know, a word of advice said you focus so much on unimportant details, you lose deeper meaning.
12:17You can't read my books like they're Agatha Christie murder mysteries.
12:23Who said anything about a murder mystery?
12:30I've met that woman before.
12:32She's pretty kooky.
12:34Hard to believe she works for the police.
12:35Also, I heard you coming.
12:38Is it okay?
12:40Hi.
12:41Sorry.
12:46Oh.
12:55Oh, Elliot Pope.
12:58Now that man can write.
12:59So you've read his books?
13:01Yeah, one or two.
13:02You mean the early dirty ones.
13:04Hey, now, just because Pope's books were somewhat explicit
13:08doesn't detract from their literary merit.
13:10My older brother gave me a copy of Couch Liar when I was 12
13:12saying it would put hair on my chest.
13:14I still don't know why he was expecting it to do that.
13:17So, why are we talking about him?
13:19Well, I've been making my way through Pope's books.
13:21He's not very good at writing women, is he?
13:24And I can't stop thinking about his new book, Snow Falls Down,
13:28which is inspired by the death of a friend of his.
13:33Oh, I see where this is going.
13:35Barney Corman was crushed by falling bookcases 18 months ago.
13:42Ah!
13:45In the book, Marty Roper was crushed by an avalanche on a ski trip.
13:52So the first could have inspired the second.
13:54That's what writers do.
13:56True.
13:56But in most of Pope's books, the narrator, his alter ego,
14:00who's usually named Edgar Bishop,
14:02is wracked with all sorts of guilt about everything.
14:04But in this book, Edgar doesn't feel guilty at all about Marty's death,
14:08even though he had sex with Marty's wife in a cave at the top of the mountain,
14:12which is what caused the avalanche.
14:14Oh, the man still got it.
14:17Don't you see?
14:19Pope is trying to distance himself from the death of Barney Corman,
14:24but he can't resist writing about it.
14:28So what do we know about the guy under the bookcase?
14:30Barney Corman was a minor figure in New York literary circles.
14:35He wrote reviews freelance and owned Barney's Books bookstore,
14:39which sold retail and also dealt in rare editions.
14:42So what's all that?
14:43Oh, this is all from the original police report?
14:45Which was very thin.
14:47Yeah, it looked like an accident.
14:49A man crushed by old bookcases,
14:51clutching a copy of Howard's End in a room that was a health hazard.
14:55Barney's wife had called the health department,
14:57but nobody wanted to be in close quarters with Templeton.
15:00Templeton?
15:01Oh, that's the name that Barney gave to the rat who lived there.
15:04Probably named after the rat in Charlotte's Web.
15:07Oh, I love that book.
15:09Yeah.
15:09So I asked Elliot Pope some totally innocent questions at his book signing,
15:15and he lectured me about caring too much about facts.
15:18So he clearly doesn't want anyone to do a close reading of this case.
15:22So can we...
15:25Look, as much as I tried to indulge your hunches,
15:29which I admit usually turn out right,
15:31there's simply not enough there.
15:33The man died 18 months ago.
15:34Oh, come on.
15:35A novelist and a critic who grew up together,
15:39that is fertile ground for a literary feud.
15:42Sure, like my feud with Cyrus Tully,
15:44but I would never go out and kill the man.
15:46Well, that's you.
15:47Elspeth, your consent decree doesn't include
15:49creating new cases that don't exist.
15:51Well, it does include pointing out cases that may have been missed.
15:55Or at least it should.
15:57What do you think?
16:00Me.
16:00I'm tired of being in this position.
16:02If you're convinced that this is an actual murder case worth investigating,
16:06then I'll agree.
16:07So what's it going to be?
16:08Well, I agree with Captain Wagner.
16:14There's no hard evidence, so there's not enough here.
16:18Yet.
16:19Yet?
16:20Thank you, Lieutenant Connor.
16:22That's all we need.
16:32You can just smell the literature.
16:37Ah, this place is classic New York.
16:39Barney liked to think so.
16:41Oh, you must miss him alive.
16:43More than when he was alive, that's for sure.
16:46So you say you're with the police?
16:50Sort of.
16:52I hope to make sure they do everything right.
16:54They didn't do something right?
16:57I don't know yet, but there are some things I wish were in the report that aren't there.
17:02I knew it.
17:04Oh, I should have pushed.
17:06But they were so sure, and I figured the storeroom was a disaster waiting to happen.
17:11I've kept it locked up ever since.
17:14Do you think I could take a look?
17:16You're not afraid of rats?
17:18Oh, no.
17:20I most definitely am.
17:22Hmm.
17:23Oh, oh.
17:24I have an idea.
17:26That is one feisty little rat.
17:29Oh, thank you for not just killing him.
17:33He was a friend of my husband's.
17:35Oh, no.
17:36We never kill rats with names.
17:38It's in our manifesto.
17:40Oh, we'll find Templeton a good home in the wilds of New Jersey.
17:45Thanks for calling us, Elspeth.
17:46You're always my first thought when I see vermin.
17:52Well, what are we waiting for?
18:00Oh, they put the bookcases back up, but everything else is just as it was.
18:13What exactly are you looking for?
18:16Not quite sure yet.
18:28But I just found it.
18:30But the scratches on the footstool were clearly made by the molding on top of the bookcase.
18:35Footstool.
18:37Bookcase.
18:40Barney.
18:45Somebody must have dragged the footstool out from under the bookcase after it fell.
18:51Boom.
18:52And if that's true, then that somebody murdered Barney Corman.
18:58Or...
19:02Barney Corman accidentally pushed out the footstool in his confusion.
19:08You enjoy doing this to me, don't you?
19:10The report did mention a witness who arrived at the store at 6.40, but the sign said it was
19:15closed.
19:16But the store didn't close until 8 o'clock.
19:19So who turned the sign to closed?
19:23Is that it?
19:24Isn't that enough?
19:25Yes.
19:25I believe that is enough to warrant a new investigation.
19:30So, which detective should we go to?
19:32No detective.
19:33Since Lieutenant Connor is convinced, he's going to help you on the very cold, barely a case case.
19:38Good enough for me.
19:39So, should we talk to Elliot Pope?
19:43Edgar Bishop knew the vultures of biography were circling.
19:47He needed a strategy to confound them.
19:50But his mind was diverted by a woman dressed in absurdly bright colors, asking irritating yet perceptive questions.
19:58Who was she?
20:03Everything I say here is off the record.
20:05What record?
20:06Any record.
20:06From official precinct memoranda to Teddy Tassioni.
20:11Understood.
20:12The election is now a few days away, and Alec, if he wins, wants to hit the ground running.
20:16So, what do you want from me?
20:18Alec is choosing people for important appointments, and he wants to know, would you be interested in being police commissioner?
20:26Yeah.
20:27Big stuff.
20:29What?
20:30Marissa!
20:31Hi!
20:33What's this about?
20:34Nothing.
20:34We're asking him if he wants to be police commissioner.
20:37I thought you said this was off the record.
20:39Well, Alec trusts Elsbeth, clearly.
20:43Don't answer right away.
20:44Think about it.
20:45But don't take too long.
20:47Don't lead Alec on.
20:49Be clear on what you want.
20:50He deserves that.
20:55Wow.
20:57So, what are you going to do?
20:59I don't know yet.
21:02What did you, uh...
21:03Oh, uh, I really want to question Elliot Pope, but his agent refuses all requests for interviews.
21:10But you won't let that stop you.
21:12I'll consider that your blessing.
21:15Why, hello!
21:17You remember me?
21:19Actually, I do.
21:21This isn't a coincidence, is it, Elsbeth with a B?
21:24Oh, you're so smart.
21:26No, I read how every work day you go to the place down the street to get a tuna fish
21:31sandwich.
21:32Just like the one your mother used to make you.
21:34Boy, you must think about your mother a lot.
21:37She's the only woman who has never disappointed me.
21:40Well, that's...
21:42Sad.
21:43Anyway, you mentioned this little lunchtime ritual in several interviews, which is surprising for someone who claims to treasure their
21:50privacy.
21:51Is there something, I don't know, specific you want to talk to me about, or are you just attracted to
21:57me?
21:57Oh, the former.
21:59I work with the police.
22:01I heard.
22:02And we're taking another look at the death of your friend, Barney Corman.
22:06We have evidence that suggests that he was murdered.
22:09No.
22:09What new evidence?
22:11Well, there were marks on a footstool that was probably keeping a bookcase from crushing him.
22:16Someone must have yanked it away.
22:18You don't say.
22:19And a book dealer came by to pick up a rare edition of Howard's End, but the store was closed
22:25too early.
22:27Now, you knew Barney well.
22:28You were together for an event a few months beforehand.
22:31Did he say anything about any difficulties that he may have been having?
22:36Elizabeth, you like Russian food.
22:38Russian food?
22:39Have dinner with me.
22:41Take goggles.
22:42It's kind of my place.
22:43Why do you want to have dinner with me?
22:45Well, I confess I've been thinking about you since we met.
22:49But I'd like to write about you.
22:51And in order to do that, I have to understand you.
22:54I thought you don't write about real people.
22:57I don't, but I need fodder for my imagination.
23:02Okay.
23:03Elliot, I will have dinner with you.
23:07But just to be clear, I'm not interested in romance.
23:11Neither have I.
23:18I've thought more about it.
23:19And?
23:20I'm interested.
23:22The city would be lucky to have you.
23:24Of course.
23:25If it happens, I'll have to review the department's use of consent decrees.
23:29Oh.
23:30Don't worry about that on my account.
23:32You've already done so much for me.
23:35Beth Corman is here.
23:37She found something.
23:38I was wondering about the fax machine on Barney's desk.
23:42I mean, why is he still the only idiot using one?
23:45Well, that's not necessarily suspicious.
23:48Maybe.
23:49But I put a new roll of paper in it, and it spit out a log of all the faxes
23:54he sent over the years.
23:56I figured maybe you could find out who they went to.
23:59I'm working on it.
24:03He needed money.
24:05Maybe sent some faxes to a loan shark who killed him.
24:09Oh, let's not jump to conclusions.
24:12Okay.
24:12I traced a number that appears several times.
24:16And it's listed as belonging to a Maura Davidoff.
24:21Oh.
24:22Who's Maura Davidoff?
24:24Elliot Pope's first wife.
24:29Hey, Corman and me, please.
24:32I have some self-respect.
24:34We thought perhaps Elliot knew of your secret relationship and was driven to murder.
24:38Elliot wouldn't care if I'd cheated.
24:41If anything, it would relieve his guilt for his serial philandering.
24:47The man's a hound.
24:49Incapable of relating to any woman without trying to sleep with her.
24:51Oh, dear.
24:53Why do you think he works all alone in that dreary office of his?
24:55His publisher won't let him hire any more young female graduate students to work for him.
25:00Not since the lawsuits.
25:03Lawsuits?
25:04He kept taking them to dinner at Gogol's.
25:06He'd order schnapps.
25:08You know the rest.
25:09Well, it must have been hard being married to him.
25:12You can read all about it in my book.
25:15Writer's Wife Strife.
25:17Of course, the critics killed it.
25:18It only sold 147 copies.
25:22147.
25:23That sounds low.
25:24I told the truth about our marriage, unlike his novels.
25:28But Elliot is still a better writer than I am.
25:31Life isn't fair.
25:33Not usually, no.
25:36So, if you weren't romantically involved with Barney Corman, why was he faxing you regularly?
25:41He liked to send me his reviews of Elliot's books.
25:43He couldn't publish them because he'd recused himself.
25:46They made a big deal about growing up together.
25:48But he knew I'd get a kick out of them.
25:50Because they were insightful?
25:51Because they were vicious.
25:54Did you by chance keep any?
25:58These are extremely uncharitable.
26:01Is that how you spell puerile?
26:04Hmm.
26:04I guess it is.
26:06Was Elliot Pope aware of these?
26:08I have no way of knowing.
26:09We don't speak.
26:11We don't even scream at each other anymore.
26:13I've never heard of this one.
26:15Trouble Pants.
26:17It's the latest review, but I've never heard of that book.
26:20Wait, the cover sheet says sneak peek.
26:23Could it have been a working problem?
26:24Possibly.
26:25People always begged Elliot to read what he was working on.
26:28He'd let them when he needed that extra hit of adulation.
26:32Hmm.
26:33Are you sure you never showed these to Elliot?
26:35Because it seems like that would have given you pleasure.
26:38Yeah, well, I stopped reading Barney's reviews a few books ago.
26:42I'm a bitter person, but even I have my limits.
26:48I don't know how much more Elliot Pope I can read.
26:51I want to take a shower after every chapter.
26:53He does present a somewhat outdated form of masculinity.
26:57One that's making a comeback.
26:59Grace, welcome.
27:00Hey!
27:02Oh, you sweet ding.
27:04I'm sorry I'm late.
27:05I went to early voting.
27:07Oh, smart.
27:08People online were very excited and nervous.
27:11Looks like it's going to be a real nail-biter.
27:13What do you think, Elsbeth?
27:15Do you think Alec Bloom will win?
27:16Ooh, yeah.
27:17Has he given you any inside info?
27:18We're not here to talk about the election.
27:20We are here for the Elliot Pope Investigation Book Club, for which I have made his favorite
27:27tuna fish sandwich.
27:28Well, I love book club-themed food.
27:30I followed his mother's recipe in Couch Liar.
27:34How are they?
27:36They're good.
27:37Chewy.
27:38I don't know if this is something I would write about for decades.
27:41To be honest, you can get a better sandwich at the Massapequa Diner nearest childhood home.
27:45I did some research.
27:47But, you know, these are good, too.
27:50Oh, no, you don't have to finish them.
27:52All right.
27:54Has anyone found anything helpful?
27:56I did.
27:57In the childhood section of Sunday's Playhouse, a friend of Eddie Bishop's stays at Eddie's
28:03place when the other boy's parents split up.
28:05Then, Eddie gets jealous when his mother compliments the other boy's penmanship.
28:11Maybe that friend from school was little Barney Korman.
28:15And we definitely think that Eddie Bishop is a stand-in for Elliot Pope?
28:20Pope Bishop.
28:22Duh.
28:23How did I miss that?
28:24Are published authors really that petty?
28:26Oh, absolutely.
28:28Yeah.
28:28Being published does something to you.
28:30Every time I go into a bookstore, I have to make sure that they're displaying my book
28:35properly.
28:36Well, I guess I'll have to find out more in my dinner with Elliot Pope on Tuesday.
28:41What?
28:42Is that wise?
28:43That's one way to avoid Alec on election night.
28:46No, Elizabeth.
28:47I have read enough to know that any woman should keep her distance from that man.
28:52I can take care of myself.
28:55I have met plenty of charming monsters.
29:00And yet we'll both have the worst.
29:04Yep.
29:07You didn't have to order for me.
29:09You've never been here before, so you don't know what you want.
29:12More schnapps?
29:13Actually, I've had about enough schnapps as I can handle.
29:18So, Elizabeth, tell me about your hopes and dreams.
29:22Well, before we get to those, I wanted to show you something.
29:27What do you got in there?
29:28Well, these are photos taken from events at Barney's books before and after the night he died.
29:36Here was a launch party before, and here was a memorial for Barney after.
29:43You see?
29:46See what?
29:48In the second photo, the display of your books is different.
29:53It's way more prominent.
29:55Now, why would that be?
29:57Well, maybe a fan thought I wasn't getting the respect I deserve.
30:02Or, more likely, Barney was reminded of how much he revered my work when we appeared together
30:11and wanted his customers to pay more attention.
30:16See, that doesn't square with the reviews that Barney wrote of your books.
30:21No, well, Barney did not write reviews of my books because of our history.
30:27Oh, he actually did.
30:29He just didn't publish them.
30:32He sent them to your first wife, Mara.
30:36He did?
30:37Mm-hmm.
30:38She had them on that, uh, curly fax paper.
30:41But we made nicer copies for the publisher.
30:45The publisher?
30:46Yes, Fred Harrison is helping us get these published.
30:49Oh.
30:50They're so well written.
30:51And by an important critic with such a close relationship to your work.
30:56And then the proceeds will help shore up Bev and the bookstore's finances.
31:01Well, that's a win for everybody.
31:04Right.
31:05And to think, if Barney hadn't died, these might never have come to life.
31:11Well, this is, uh, very, uh, illuminating.
31:15I mean, I knew he was jealous.
31:17I had no idea he was so obsessed with me.
31:21Right.
31:23And you wrote a book about him.
31:25Oh, uh, I was wondering if you could help us.
31:28The last one is of a thing called Troubled Pants.
31:33What was that?
31:34Uh, that doesn't ring a bell.
31:36Are you sure?
31:37Because I feel like this might be important.
31:39We did it in New York.
31:40It's a new day.
31:42Thank you to all who worked so hard to make this a reality.
31:46Looks like your pal, Alec Bloom, just got elected mayor of New York City.
31:51Everybody who worked on this campaign showed tenacity.
31:56Yes.
31:58Looks like he did.
32:00And to those people who aren't in this room tonight, who played such an important part
32:05and made me a worthy candidate, you know who you are.
32:09Now let's celebrate!
32:11Uh, maybe, after our chicken Kiev, we could celebrate back in my place.
32:17Hmm.
32:18Hmm.
32:20No.
32:23Okay.
32:47Elliot Pope's?
32:48Fire Marshal Jake said it was very suspicious.
32:50Did he now?
32:51Now, fortunately, no one was hurt.
32:53But here's the thing.
32:54The fire wasn't in the kitchen.
32:55It was in his office, where he writes.
32:58Clearly, my questions at dinner struck a nerve.
33:00He was burning evidence!
33:01Okay, you got me.
33:02Do your thing.
33:03Can I send things to the lab?
33:05You can send things to the lab.
33:07But, Elisabeth, you have to prove that Elliot was in the bookstore the night that Barney
33:10Corman died.
33:15I brought you something.
33:16I'm writing.
33:17But you have to stop for lunch.
33:20And I saved you a trip to your local sandwich shop.
33:23You mean you...
33:24A tuna fish sandwich, exactly like your mother used to make you.
33:27I'm going to be the judge of that.
33:32You know, I have never, ever found one, even if half at...
33:37Oh, my God.
33:40Oh, my...
33:42How did you...
33:43I didn't make it.
33:45It's from the diner near your childhood home, which has been owned by the same family for
33:4975 years.
33:53What are you implying?
33:55Oh, oh, nothing.
33:57Just that your mother didn't make those sandwiches when you came home from school.
34:00She just pretended to.
34:01Isn't that funny?
34:04Oh, I'm sure she still loved you.
34:07She went to the trouble of lying to you.
34:10To think that all of those books were written right here.
34:15If you're looking for the lost manuscript, you're not going to find it.
34:18I already looked.
34:19Oh.
34:21Gosh, I hope it didn't get destroyed in that mysterious fire.
34:26Hey, maybe it's in Barney's storeroom.
34:28Have you ever been there?
34:29I've prayed a rat.
34:31How do you know about Templeton if you've never been there?
34:34It's a small community, you know, and it's a good story.
34:38Yeah, but who told you?
34:40I couldn't be one of those female graduate students who used to work for you because
34:45you're not allowed to hire them anymore.
34:47Yeah, well, that was one of several misunderstandings.
34:51That makes sense, though.
34:52I've read your books.
34:53You do have a pretty severe woman problem.
34:59I beg your pardon?
35:01I don't have a woman problem.
35:04I have a problem with women like you.
35:09You know, liars who will do anything to trap me.
35:12I know you're attracted to me, and I remind you of your father.
35:16I'm not, and you don't.
35:18And you're disappointed in every man you ever met.
35:20But you will not tear me down.
35:23I will remain on required reading lists and a giant in the canon.
35:30Now, thank you for the sandwich, Elizabeth.
35:34Now, get out.
35:36Get out!
35:45How was election night?
35:47It looked exciting on TV.
35:49Well, I was...
35:51I was sorry you weren't there.
35:54You deserve to win, Alec.
35:56You ran a great campaign.
35:58Especially at the end.
36:00Because of you.
36:01Thank you, Elizabeth, for inspiring me, for pointing me down the path of truth.
36:08Forcing you is more like it.
36:10Yes.
36:11But ever since you did, I feel so much better about what I'm doing.
36:16My life.
36:17Everything.
36:18I want this to continue.
36:22With you, by my side.
36:24Oh, Alec.
36:25Alec, before you go any further, I need to say something.
36:30Okay.
36:32I admire you.
36:34What you've done so much.
36:37And I really do think you can be a wonderful mayor.
36:41Maybe you'll go even further than that.
36:43Uh, one thing at a time.
36:45You're right, right.
36:48But whatever you do...
36:52It won't be with me.
36:55Why?
36:57I...
36:58I did what you asked.
37:00I can't stop thinking about that night.
37:03At the Jungle Restaurant.
37:05When I asked.
37:06And you said yes, there was.
37:09A guy named Pete.
37:12You lied to me, right to my face.
37:15I wasn't ready.
37:17Okay, but here's the thing.
37:19I couldn't tell.
37:22And that's kind of my thing.
37:24And I understand what it is to be a people pleaser.
37:29I am one.
37:31And that could be really great for the people of New York.
37:35But it won't work for me.
37:36Elizabeth, politics is a tricky business.
37:41Yes, I know.
37:42I've been there, done that.
37:44And maybe I'm being childish.
37:46Maybe I'm expecting too much from a man.
37:49From anyone.
37:51But this is who I am.
37:53What about second chances?
37:56Oh, Alec.
38:01You got one.
38:04Just not with me.
38:12Come on, Gonzo.
38:14Poop already.
38:15Don't push her.
38:16She needs to do it her way.
38:18What is it with you men?
38:21You did the right thing, Mom.
38:23Really.
38:24I don't know.
38:25Maybe now that you're not dating the mayor-elect,
38:27my editor will let me write about politics again.
38:29That's good.
38:31Oh, I hope I didn't make a mistake.
38:34Elliot Pope says I find all men disappointing.
38:38That's just a sign of intelligence.
38:40Ha-ha.
38:41Gonzo, you're lucky you're spayed.
38:45Oh, there we go.
38:46We got a pooper.
38:47Yes, I have the poop bag.
38:52Ugh.
38:53These things are always so hard to...
39:02So I'll introduce you, you'll read a chapter,
39:04and then the interview.
39:05I know the drill.
39:08God.
39:08Boy!
39:09For a reclusive author,
39:11you sure do agree to a lot of interviews.
39:13I'm nominated for a National Book Award.
39:16Oh, that's very impressive.
39:18Ha-ha.
39:19But unfortunately,
39:19there will be no hit of adulation tonight.
39:23And why is that?
39:24Because you murdered Barney Corman.
39:26Well, that's ridiculous.
39:28You know, this case,
39:29it got me back to reading more.
39:31After I finished all of your books,
39:33I moved on to Howard's End,
39:35the book that Barney was clutching
39:36before he was crushed.
39:38Oh, Forrester writes female characters so well.
39:41Oh, it's like he thinks of them
39:43as fully dimensional human beings.
39:45I was also struck by the death of Leonard Bast.
39:49At the end,
39:50you know,
39:50when Charles Wilcox
39:52hits him with a sword
39:54and then a bookcase falls on him.
39:56Sort of like an avalanche.
39:59Bast is a fiber used to make rope.
40:01The character in Snow Falls Down
40:02is Marty Roper.
40:04These stupid board games,
40:05they don't prove a thing.
40:07Okay, you're right.
40:07You're right.
40:08We needed real proof
40:10that you killed Barney
40:12in the storeroom that night.
40:13Proof like your DNA
40:15on that copy of Howard's End.
40:19The copy that Barney took
40:20from his safe deposit box
40:21the day he died.
40:23And sure enough,
40:25we found it.
40:26And how?
40:27I mean, you don't have my DNA.
40:29You have an interesting habit
40:32of licking your thumb
40:34every time you turn a page.
40:36You probably don't even notice
40:38that you're doing it.
40:39But you did it
40:40when you signed my copy
40:42of Snow Falls Down.
40:45And you did it
40:46when you thumbed through
40:48Barney's precious edition
40:50of Howard's End
40:51just before you killed him.
40:53In fact,
40:54we found your saliva
40:55on the pages
40:55where Leonard Bast dies
40:57under a bookcase.
41:00Boy,
41:02you're not very good
41:03at making things up,
41:04are you?
41:05Elliot Pope,
41:05you were under arrest
41:06for the murder
41:07of Barney Corman.
41:09My lies have won me
41:10a shelf full of prizes.
41:12What have yours gotten you?
41:14Hmm?
41:17I have to hand it to you.
41:18Not only did you solve a murder,
41:20but you found an excellent source
41:21for tuna fish sandwiches.
41:22Right?
41:23No wonder he thought
41:23his mother was magic.
41:25I wonder if this was
41:25the kind of sandwich
41:27that Pete from the MTA
41:28gave the young Alec Bloom.
41:30There was no Pete.
41:32Or maybe there was.
41:34Are we still on this?
41:35Marissa,
41:36pull up a sandwich.
41:38I can't stay.
41:39I have news.
41:40Alec picked someone else
41:42to be commissioner.
41:43What?
41:44How can that be?
41:45Who got the job?
41:47Captain Cyrus Tully.
41:50Oh.
41:50That's ridiculous.
41:51That man is an unhinged bully.
41:54Alec feels he needs someone
41:55who projects toughness
41:56because people think he doesn't.
41:58Wait.
42:00Marissa,
42:01does this have anything to do
42:02with what happened
42:03between Alec and me?
42:04These things are never that simple.
42:06I'm sorry.
42:07It's okay.
42:09Police commissioner
42:10is a pretty thankless job.
42:12I just wanted to be considered.
42:14And I was.
42:15This new mayor
42:16won't be in there forever.
42:18Will he?
42:19No.
42:19Just for the time being.
42:21And it is nice
42:22to have a friend
42:23at Gracie Mansion.
42:24Is Alec still a friend?
42:26We'll see.
42:27But you will have
42:28at least one friend there.
42:32See you around.
42:46Let's show NYPD
42:47how we do it here in Beantown.
42:49Maybe we can make some pleasure
42:50in doing business.
42:52Boston Blue
42:52is all new
42:53CBS Friday 10, 9 Central.
42:56CBS Sunday.
42:57Family was brutally murdered.
42:58Their daughter had a friend.
43:00She's missing.
43:02Where is she?
43:03Tracker is all new
43:04CBS Sunday.
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