Gail Myers (Elizabeth Perkins) is paid a visit by Flynn and Provenza at home as Pope (JK Simmons) would like her to come down to look at some photos. She's taken to the Murder Room. Taylor (Robert Gossett) tells her they're not looking into the case just cos she's the Commissioner's wife, but only two cars have been stolen in that area and they want to keep it that way.
Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) walks in and tells Gail it'd be worse for her if her bag was stolen as she keeps everything in it. She hasn't cancelled her credit cards. Witnesses described her car being involved in a hit and run. After Gail leaves, Brenda tells Pope, "what - a - liar." She'd be crying too if she did the same. Pope needs proof. Brenda would "come up with a better excuse." Pope was the one who made the case a Major Crime and the officers who took her home said she reeked of alcohol. Pope didn't see this in the report, well obviously not if she's the Commissioner's wife. Brenda tells him to inform the Commissioner they're investigating.
She asks Flynn to find the accident reports and he doesn't need a counsellor. Have you noticed whenever something bad goes wrong, Flynn is either involved and helps out Brenda or it's the other way round. Last time he told her about his sister having throat cancer. Gail doesn't have any DUIs in California. Provenza calls to say they found the wallet in the gutter, "where she boozed it up last night." Buzz (Phillip P Keene) tells her the daughter's friend's stepmother is here.
She (Maggie Wheeler) wonders why Gail didn't valet the car. Their daughter's Kelly (Aimee Lynn Chadwick) and Caitlin left and they had wine. Gabriel (Corey Reynolds) asks how long before Gail returned to the restaurant after leaving. The car is also found in an alley, unlocked with keys inside. Brenda calls Fritz (Jon Tenney) to say no one at the LAPD knows about the car being found and they need the FBI's print unit - EAB. Pope tells Provenza to get in the car after Brenda mentions he's looking trim and should get in. Then says the seat is adjusted for a lady and Brenda fits comfortably behind the wheel. They always come up with the old seat not adjusted in car angle in such cases. Classical music also pays on the radio. They can only charge her with vehicular manslaughter. Pope asks how they plan on doing that and Fritz replies, "one day at a time." As is the credo for AA.
Flynn finds they have a vacation place where last Summer, Gail got a ticket outside a bar. The record was expunged but Brenda says Fritz could get the info. Adding that having a previous DUI makes Gail smarter. Fritz did something about his problem. Myers (Mark Moses) tells Pope that asking their friends about her drinking habits is embarrassing. Why cos she's an alcoholic and has been allowed to get away with it for so long. Gail shows them photos Kelly posted which show a Latino with a tattoo, Jose and perhaps he stole her bag, which is seen on the back of her chair. Pope writes down 'daughter Kelly - on pad. Myers makes a jibe about Brenda and her lawsuits and "whether she's really worth it."
Pope asks why she said her bag was stolen if the keys were in there, so why did she go to the car to look for her bag, as she doesn't recall, she should say she was a little drunk. Pope tells Myers he doesn't want him throwing his weight around. In the last DUI she paid a fine, made a donation, hired a lawyer. Gracey's parents arrive with her photos. They take them out to the CS and Flynn tells them Gracey talked about them. Her mother wants to see the person who did it but they didn't have such a scene.
Tao (Michael Paul Chan) shows the text on Gail's phone, sent by Kelly warning her of a DUI checkpoint, that's why she was driving in the opposite direction from her home. Provenza thinks she could have got snapped on the red light camera. She was in the car 30 seconds after the hit and run, but it's only manslaughter. Pope says her parents won't be allowed to testify in court to convince a jury so Brenda decides they should use them now.
Kelly is left to wait with Gracey's parents as they sort through her photos and Gail is left in a separate room. Flynn tells her he lived on candy bars when he quit drinking. He made a choice between drink and his badge. They show Kelly photos of Gracey and Sanchez (Raymond Cruz) tells of how her helmet came off after her mother ran into her. Kelly was trying to protect her father. Gail had 3 vodkas and drinks at the restaurant. "She was bombed." Brenda talks about Fritz and how he's a decent and wonderful man but he needs help to stay sober.
Myers tells Gail Kelly won't take the stand and Gail didn't care about the girl she ran over. He's resigning and Gail's on her own. Gail insists she's not a drunk. Brenda says, no, she's "a murderer." She asks who will help Gracey. Then says they can't be in anymore trouble than they already are, for going after the Commissioner's wife.
Yet another emotional episode for the show and one where the suspect is close to home. Brenda has her pegged as a liar from the onset, cos of her work and also with what Fritz has been telling her about himself as a former alcoholic, which all helps her to see the tell tale signs. That woman was a piece of work, having a daughter of her own, she still felt no remorse or guilt whatsoever and that everyone should be at her beck and call cos of who she is. Thus Pope's remark about this not going down well with many in the LAPD. As Brenda rightly says, they have nothing more to lose, what with her lawsuits, as mentioned by Myers earlier on. At least he did the decent thing and resigned and had more consideration for Kelly.
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