ANGELA BARTENDER BOBBY COORDINATOR CORY CO_WORKER DERRICK DRIVER ERIC HARGROVE JESSICA KENWOOD_MOTHER KERI LILIAN MALONE MAN MARK MC_GANN NEWS_REPORTER NICK OSCAR RECEPTIONIST REPORTER_1 REPORTER_2 REPORTER_3 REPORTER_4 REPORTER_5 SONG_LYRICS STEPHANIE TEXT TV_PERSONALITY WOMAN YOLI JESSICA Previously on “Pearson”… I’m dropping your mother’s lawsuit. ANGELA What do you mean, you’re dropping it? JESSICA The mayor offered me a job if I let it go. ANGELA Well, while you’re out here cutting yourself a deal, I have to find my family a place to live. JESSICA I take this job, I can do more than just save one housing project. MC GANN She’s a threat to both of us, Bobby. BOBBY And that’s why I hired her. MC GANN Do your job and let me know what Bobby’s doing with this woman. NICK You want me to spy on my brother? MC GANN If not for me, do it for yourself. MALONE The man who went up against the city was found murdered. JESSICA If your friend knows something, tell him to show you. MALONE You’re about to be the mayor’s brand new right hand. I live with you. And that makes me a part of it. JESSICA So much for having my back. MALONE I do have your back, Jessica. But right now, I need to look after my own. BOBBY I miss you. KERI Bobby. I have worked too hard to be seen as that girl. BOBBY No one sees you as that. KERI She does. The woman that you brought in to keep me clean sees me as that. JESSICA Lilian, I dropped your lawsuit in exchange for a job with the mayor. LILIAN I know. But why didn’t you tell me? JESSICA I made a promise to save your home. And I couldn’t make it happen. You have a problem you need solved. Why don’t you tell me what Pat Mc Gann has on you? NICK Where am I in all this? What happens if the truth comes out? BOBBY Nothing’s coming out. JESSICA Lilian JESSICA What are you doing here? LILIAN Have you heard the saying, “if the mountain won’t come to Muhammad”? JESSICA Let me guess. This is about me not coming into your home last night. LILIAN This is about me fixing you a nice warm breakfast. And that. Ooh. My, my, my. Wow. I’ve seen pictures of places like this. JESSICA LILIAN I was, uh, under the impression that you lived here with somebody. JESSICA It’s complicated. LILIAN Uh-huh. I had complicated once. Turned uncomplicated when he walked out on us. JESSICA Lilian. This is incredibly sweet of you. But I was about to run out the door and I’m running late. LILIAN Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. JESSICA No, I know that. But I… LILIAN No buts. Go tell that boss of yours you’ll get there when you get there. JESSICA LILIAN Go. LILIAN Go. Let’s see. JESSICA I’ll be down in fifteen. DRIVER Fifteen? JESSICA Do you have some place you need to be? DRIVER No, I… I’ve already been waiting half an hour. JESSICA And you’ll get paid for every minute of it. LILIAN My Lord. I know this man. JESSICA Oh, Lilian. Um… I’m sorry. You weren’t supposed to see these. LILIAN This is Carl, my neighbor. What are you doing with a picture of him like this? JESSICA It’s just work stuff. Now, what about that breakfast you promised me? You going to crack those eggs or do I have to do it myself? JESSICA Old school. I like it. Jessica Pearson. NICK I don’t get it. JESSICA We never had a formal introduction. Now that we’re going to be working together, I thought it was time. NICK I wouldn’t actually say we’re going to be working together. JESSICA We’re going to be working for the same man. And the way I see it, that puts us on the same team. NICK NICK D’Amato. JESSICA Nice to meet you, Nick D’Amato. Maybe next time you're lurking in the shadows, you'll make a proper introduction. NICK Well, since we’re going to be working together, you should know the mayor’s got a thing about being on time. JESSICA Thanks for the heads up. YOLI Oscar. Hey. What happened to the posts of your daughter? It’s been a whole minute. What, you holding out on me? OSCAR Ah, Yoli. YOLI Obsessed, I’m telling you. OSCAR And tomorrow’s her birthday. We’re having a fiesta. YOLI “Feliz cumpleaños, bebecita”. I can’t believe she’s three already. OSCAR Right? JESSICA Do you mind if I slip by? I’m running late. YOLI Yeah, we’re all going through security, lady. JESSICA Well, some of us are trying. YOLI Hey. OSCAR JESSICA I don’t need you to valet my car. I just need to get to work. YOLI Wait, you work here. JESSICA Mm-hmm. YOLI Because I’ve been here for five years. I know everyone in this place. JESSICA Apparently, not everyone. I work for your boss. YOLI Jason Epstein? Uh-huh. JESSICA Your other boss. The man upstairs. I knew you’d get it. JESSICA “Feliz Cumpleaños” , Oscar. YOLI Who is that? BOBBY I mean, Jesus. He’s already getting a library. Now you want a stadium? DERRICK Nobody said stadium. It’s a baseball field for kids. BOBBY You trying to get Obama elected again? DERRICK JESSICA Sorry I’m late. I ran into a little nuisance downstairs. BOBBY I was just leaving anyway. Why don’t you take the rest of the morning to get settled? Hell, take the rest of the day if you want. JESSICA The whole day? BOBBY Hmm. DERRICK That’s Bobby’s way of saying you kicked ass yesterday. JESSICA Oh. Bobby might have told me that before I made my driver run four red lights. DERRICK That’s four hundred large. You want her to mail it in or pay you directly? BOBBY Yeah, give her a pass. I’m in a charitable mood. JESSICA Well, since you’re in a good mood, you might want to avoid the elevator, take the back way out. BOBBY Oh, yeah. Press? DERRICK How many? JESSICA Oh, when they travel in a pack like that, it’s hard to count. BOBBY What do you say, Derrick? Should we throw them a bone today? DERRICK Hey, I’m always the one telling you not to dodge. JESSICA Have fun. DERRICK Alright, don’t all jump at once. The mayor’s been kind enough to answer a few questions. BOBBY Hello, first floor. What’s it been, a week? REPORTER 1 Uh, nine days, actually. BOBBY Oh. Now you’re going to be accurate. REPORTER 1 Have you thought about a replacement for Alderman Coats? BOBBY Her resignation was yesterday. It’s an important ward. I don’t want to rush the decision. REPORTER 2 With all due respect, your decisions lately don’t exactly make a lot of sense. BOBBY You want to be more specific, Terry? REPORTER 1 Jessica Pearson. You’ve brought in a disbarred New York lawyer to be your fixer. BOBBY Yeah, I did. What’s your question? REPORTER 1 What exactly is Ms. Pearson going to be doing for you? Is it legal? BOBBY Give me a break. REPORTER 2 It’s a legitimate question. Why are you afraid to answer it? BOBBY I came out here to do you guys a favor. We’re done here. Get out of my face. BOBBY What the hell was that? DERRICK I seriously hope you’re not blaming me for that. BOBBY You used to be one of them. BOBBY From now on, I want to know every question they’re going to ask before they ask it. DERRICK That little audible was your idea, not mine. BOBBY If you want, I can let you go. BOBBY You can prowl the halls with those assholes again. DERRICK Look. I’m not saying you deserved it. DERRICK I know those guys can be brutal. But you had to know they were going to ask about her at some point. BOBBY I did know, and I was prepared to answer questions. But she’s been here all of forty-eight hours. She’s not even on the payroll yet. DERRICK So? BOBBY So, someone leaked that to embarrass me or her or both. DERRICK Or people have legitimate questions. BOBBY And by people, you mean you. DERRICK Hey, I like the woman. DERRICK But even I don’t know how she ended up working for you. And I’m pretty sure I don’t want to know. BOBBY Don’t push it, DERRICK. DERRICK Look, if you want, I can try to figure out how they got onto her. BOBBY I don’t need a “P.I.” BOBBY I need a press secretary who protects me. Just do your job. COORDINATOR What do you think? Homey, right? JESSICA Well, it’s definitely… JESSICA …lived in. COORDINATOR Just give it a good yank. COORDINATOR Hmm. JESSICA What are my other options? COORDINATOR Inventory’s limited. Budget cuts. COORDINATOR But now that I think of it… COORDINATOR …my husband works in Water Management… COORDINATOR …and his boss just died. I can swap out your desk before they pack up his. JESSICA You know what? I’m just going to pick something out myself. COORDINATOR There’s really nothing else left in the warehouse. JESSICA No, I’m not talking about a warehouse. COORDINATOR The city won’t pay… COORDINATOR …for outside vendors. JESSICA Do me a favor. JESSICA Have your friends in Facilities clear this place out… JESSICA …swap out the fluorescents, and there’s a brand new Nespresso Machine with your name on it. COORDINATOR You got it. COORDINATOR You ever need anything else… COORDINATOR …come find me. JESSICA I will. COORDINATOR Okay. JESSICA Mm. ERIC Sorry. I had to take that. KERI No, don’t worry about it. This won’t take much longer. Um, just want to walk through it with you. So, as we agreed, we’re going to come up on the wages by six point eight… ERIC I can’t sign it. KERI What? ERIC I’m not signing, Keri. KERI ERIC, we’re at the one yard line. Please don’t tell me you’re going to go back on your word. ERIC I’m not the one being dishonest here. KERI What does that mean? ERIC I can’t negotiate with a mayor who has an anti-police agenda. KERI Where is this coming from? My whole family are cops. I defend the department in court. ERIC Against Jessica Pearson, who called the department animals and took you for a four million dollar verdict. Or do you not remember? KERI She has nothing to do with this. ERIC Really? The mayor just hired her to be his, what, enforcer? Consigliere? KERI We’ve known each other a long time, Eric. My father was in the Eighth for thirty years. ERIC And you’re not the problem. KERI Okay. So, believe me when I tell you there is a firewall between Jessica Pearson and this negotiation. ERIC I don’t know what to tell you. I work for them. This is what they want. RECEPTIONIST City Hall. This is the Mayor’s office. DERRICK I don’t have him, Ms. Pearson. JESSICA See, now, the last time, it was, “The mayor’s gone home”. I’m starting to think you’re scared of me, DERRICK Not at all. JESSICA In that case, I know you’re the mayor’s press secretary. But seeing as you’re the one that put these on my desk, and I don’t have an assistant... DERRICK You don’t know where “H.R.” is. JESSICA Keep going. DERRICK And you want me to bring your paperwork to “H.R.” for you. JESSICA You read my mind. DERRICK Not exactly. JESSICA What’s going on, Derrick? DERRICK You don’t know. JESSICA Know what? DERRICK You haven’t heard anything? JESSICA No, I haven’t heard anything. So, are you going to tell me what’s going on? Or do you want an actual reason to be scared of me? JESSICA I don’t know which word I hate more. Disbarred or fixer. BOBBY Which word would you like, Ms. Pearson? Liability? Because that’s what you’re fast becoming. JESSICA That little run-in wasn’t just about you, Mr. Mayor. Whoever set it up did it to embarrass me just as much. BOBBY You think I give a shit about whether or not you got embarrassed? Our new contract with the police department just blew up. JESSICA What are you talking about? BOBBY They just walked away from a deal Keri’s been negotiating for months because of you. JESSICA Me. BOBBY Yes, you. You’re the one who went after the Thirteenth. JESSICA They brutalized a young man who was already in handcuffs. BOBBY That was two bad cops and you made it about all of them. Now it seems they don’t want to be in bed with a man who’s in bed with you. JESSICA That’s bullshit and you know it. BOBBY Doesn’t sound like bullshit to me. You’re not from around here. These things run deep. I hate to break it to you, but the police despise you. JESSICA The department may, but I’m guessing the only one at the table when this went down was an underpaid union lawyer who saw an opportunity to squeeze you. BOBBY And let me guess. You want a shot at him. JESSICA Two birds. Instead of telling the public why you brought me in… which you should have had an answer for this morning… show them. BOBBY This is KERI’s business. Take it up with her. JESSICA You brought me in to put out your fires, Mr. Mayor. BOBBY Not the ones you goddamn start. ANGELA My babies. Hey, baby. Come here. Come here. Mm… “Muah”. Hey, baby. CORY Mom. ANGELA Hey, Mama. LILIAN Hey. You’re home early. Everything okay? ANGELA Oh, you know. Just one step closer to nursing school. LILIAN You passed the test. ANGELA With flying colors. LILIAN MARK Alright, Mom. ANGELA Top ten percent. It says right there. I mean, there’s still the part where I have to, you know, go to class and pay for it and everything. LILIAN Oh… I’m so proud of you, baby. ANGELA LILIAN We’ll work it out. CORY Does that mean I can get a “P-S-four” now? ANGELA Let’s try something smaller. CORY Like a laptop. ANGELA Or pancakes. MARK Pancakes! ANGELA Exactly. Success makes me hungry. LILIAN ANGELA LILIAN Mommy’s going to be a nurse… MARK Mommy’s going to be a nurse… LILIAN ANGELA Mama, where are the eggs? LILIAN Oh, I used the rest of them. ANGELA When? They were here this morning. LILIAN I went by Jessica’s. Made breakfast at her place.. ANGELA You went to her house and made breakfast. LILIAN Well, I can go to John’s, pick up some more. ANGELA No, no, no. I don’t want you running to John’s. Uh, alright, boys. Change of plans. Mac and cheese or chicken nuggets? MARK Chicken nuggets! CORY Chicken nuggets! ANGELA Chicken nuggets. Coming right up. JESSICA I need a minute. KERI I’m sorry. I’m too busy cleaning up your mess. JESSICA You know, we can keep slinging mud at each other or we can talk like two grown women. KERI Oh. The feminist card. You must be desperate. JESSICA No, I’m not desperate. But I am sorry. KERI Can you be more specific? JESSICA I’m sorry my hire came back around on you this morning. KERI Your hire didn’t come back on me. You did. JESSICA That trial was a battle, Keri. I went after you and the department hard, but my client suffered at the hands of those cops. KERI You know what your problem, Jessica? Your ego. You can’t even apologize without justifying it. JESSICA Okay. You don’t like me. KERI It’s not that I don’t like you. I don’t trust you. JESSICA Well, maybe over time, we can gain each other’s trust. KERI You plan on sticking around that long? JESSICA Long enough to help you salvage these negotiations. KERI JESSICA I’m trying to be up front here. Not go behind your back. KERI So, that’s my only option? I work with you or you go rogue? JESSICA No one’s talking about going rogue. You take point, I’ll follow your lead. KERI I was two seconds away from closing a deal that would ensure the city of Chicago had an active police force for the next three years. I don’t take pleasure in the fact that your past has come back to haunt you. And I’m not trying to punish you. I’m just not dazzled by you like everybody else. So, I will say this once, woman to woman. Stay away from my negotiation. SONG LYRICS Ooh… SONG LYRICS He was on the south side, cruising in a Honda… With me with the windows down… YOLI Guys, please stick to the approved format across all platforms. Thank you. CO WORKER Tell that to the mayor. YOLI What are you talking about? CO WORKER He went Novak again. MAN Streets and Sanitation. Please hold. YOLI Her? REPORTER 1 Jessica Pearson. You’ve brought in a disbarred New York lawyer to be your fixer. BOBBY Yeah, I did. What’s your question? REPORTER 1 What exactly is Ms. Pearson going to be doing for you? Is it legal? BOBBY Give me a break. REPORTER 2 It’s a legitimate question. Why are you afraid to answer it? BOBBY I came down here to do you guys a favor. Get out of my face. JESSICA I’m coming out the front door. Where are you now? REPORTER 3 Hey, that’s her. REPORTER 4 Right now. JESSICA Why the hell not? I told you ten minutes ago. REPORTER 3 Ms. Pearson, excuse me. JESSICA Just get here, please. REPORTER 3 Ms. Pearson. REPORTER 4 Ms. Pearson. I have… JESSICA Sorry. Excuse me. REPORTER 5 Uh, when did the mayor bring you on? REPORTER 4 Why did you hire a phony lawyer at your old firm? JESSICA I’ve said all I’m going to say about that. REPORTER 5 Just two weeks ago, you were suing the city. Now you're working for the mayor? Do you want to explain that? JESSICA No, I don’t. NICK Ms. Pearson is late for a meeting. Move aside. Now. REPORTER 4 Excuse me. REPORTER 5 We just want to talk… REPORTER 5 Ms. Pearson. Ms. Pearson! REPORTER 5 Please, Ms. Pearson. NICK You okay? JESSICA I didn’t peg you for the chivalrous type. NICK Nobody's ever accused me of that before. JESSICA It was a compliment, not an accusation. That’s my way of saying thank you. NICK I owed you one. For the night we didn’t meet. JESSICA Accepted. NICK Look, I don’t know if you were headed out to eat or whatever. But if you want, I can sneak you back in through the mayor's entrance. JESSICA Um… Well, actually, if you don’t have anything to do, I was headed over to Avalon and Eighty-First. NICK That’s a rough neighborhood. JESSICA You aren’t scared, are you? NICK Well, the fifty minute drive at this time of day scares me. JESSICA I can handle myself. But I understand if you have to wait around for the mayor. NICK Avalon, huh? Sure. Why the hell not? KERI You know what happens now, don’t you? BOBBY The Fire Department. KERI Yep. They’re going to find out what the cops turned down and double their demands. BOBBY It’s three months away. I can’t think about it right now. KERI The election is in six months. You want to walk into that with every cop and fireman in Chicago calling for your head? BOBBY Okay, I get it. They’re pissed that I hired her. The question is, what do they want? They just going to walk away indefinitely? KERI Hargrove’s your friend. Ask him. BOBBY Any chance this is just posturing? KERI Who gave you that idea? Her? Bobby, this is not a strategy. BOBBY Come on, Keri. McBride’s a lawyer. He’s not a cop. KERI Yeah, but he’s a union lawyer. He’s been with them for fourteen years. He’s practically one of them. And hiring this woman is a slap in the face. Believe me, I know how they feel. BOBBY Did you do that out there? KERI What? BOBBY Leak her name to the press. KERI You think I would do that? BOBBY I know you don’t want her here. KERI No, I don’t. I’ve been pretty clear about that. And that was before she blew up a negotiation that I was working on for six months. I would never do anything to hurt you. And I can’t believe that you think I could. BOBBY KERI. Shit. NICK They don’t open from the inside. JESSICA I wasn’t going to say a thing. Thank you again. NICK You do know I’m not leaving you here. JESSICA Well, that’s up to you. But I thought you had to be available to the mayor twenty-four seven. NICK What makes you think it’s a twenty-four seven job? JESSICA Oh, let’s see. You bumped into my former partner at O’Hare first thing in the morning. You tried to intimidate me at City Hall after work. And you stalked my apartment building at midnight. That seems to me the mayor has you on a pretty short leash. NICK I have some autonomy. JESSICA Then you can drive for me? NICK I said I have autonomy, not time to moonlight. JESSICA Here’s the thing, Nick. I’m in the middle of a fire storm. And the driver they’ve assigned to me, to put it mildly, is an idiot with an attitude. I can really use someone who knows his way around. NICK I’ll see if I can find you someone. BOBBY Got a minute? HARGROVE For the Mayor of Chicago? Sure. So, I heard about the contract. Damn shame. BOBBY No games, Chuck. We both know what this is about. HARGROVE Do you know where I was when I found out you hired the woman who shit on my department? BOBBY Two of your own did that when they nearly killed that kid. HARGROVE I was at the Thirteenth, checking on morale. How do you like that? BOBBY She was just doing her job. She was a lawyer. HARGROVE Well, and from what I understand, she’s a New York lawyer who lost her license. So, what is she doing for you? BOBBY Whatever I want her to do. Look, Chuck, we go back a long way. I have my reasons. You’ve got to trust me. HARGROVE That’s the main problem, right there. BOBBY What does that mean? HARGROVE Come on, Bobby. I’m already seen as too chummy with you. Everyone knows we’re close. BOBBY What the hell is wrong with having friends in City Hall? HARGROVE Nothing. As long as my guys don’t think I gave away their last contract because of it. BOBBY I took money out of Public Health to give you a fair deal and you know it. HARGROVE You and I know it. Not the twelve thousand who work under me. And if I don’t punch back after you pull a move like this, well… I lose them. BARTENDER Here you go. WOMAN Thanks. BOBBY So, where does that leave us? HARGROVE What do you want me to say? As long as Jessica Pearson is part of your administration, we don’t have much to talk about. BOBBY You need a contract, Chuck. HARGROVE And you need a police force. TV PERSONALITY Absent in dead spores. But the pride consists of a few adult males, a related female, and… LILIAN JESSICA. JESSICA I’m sorry. I know it’s late. LILIAN Never too late for family. Come on in. Cory, Mark, say hello to your cousin, Jessica. MARK Hi. CORY Hi. JESSICA Hi. I’ve heard so much about both of you. LILIAN What do you got there? A whole supermarket? JESSICA No, just some eggs. And, well, a few steaks for freezing. And fresh lettuce for salads. LILIAN Oh. Believe it or not, this is perfect timing. JESSICA Oh, good. LILIAN I was going to run to the corner and… and, uh, stock up in case we had to lay low for a few days. But I didn’t want to leave the boys alone. JESSICA Lay low? For what? What’s going on? LILIAN Well, some of the neighbors… the people say that there’s going to be a blue flu. May have already started. JESSICA The police are striking? LILIAN The police don’t strike. They get together and they all call in sick. JESSICA Well, striking is against their contract. I know what it is. LILIAN The last time this happened, things were real bad. JESSICA Are you worried about Angela coming home tonight? LILIAN I’m worried about tonight, tomorrow, and the day after that. God only knows I’m no fan of the police around here. But no police is a whole different set of problems. JESSICA You know about what’s going on, don’t you? That’s why you didn’t want to leave me here. NICK I may have heard some rumors, yeah. JESSICA My family lives in that building, Nick. How real is this? NICK Look. JESSICA No, anything that starts with “look”, I don’t want to hear. I need the truth. NICK Let’s just say, if there’s a sick-out, this area isn’t a priority. JESSICA Does the mayor know? NICK What do you think? STEPHANIE Bobby, you promised him you’d be home before he went to bed. BOBBY I know. I just… I can’t get away right now. STEPHANIE Well, what do you want me to tell him? BOBBY Tell him Daddy’s got a miserable job. STEPHANIE Yeah. BOBBY Tell him I’ll make it up to him. I promise. STEPHANIE I’ll do what I can. I’ll see you when I see you. BOBBY You working on a statement? DERRICK Four options depending on how this goes down and when you go public. BOBBY What else? DERRICK Well, I hate to even bring this up, but... BOBBY What? DERRICK This morning’s thing went viral. Now some woman upstairs is retweeting it with some not too flattering hashtags. BOBBY You’re kidding me, right? You’re bringing this to me in the middle of all this? DERRICK You’re already getting a lot of heat. I didn’t know how you wanted me to deal with it. BOBBY Do whatever you have to do. How many times do I have to tell you? Do your goddamn job. NEWS REPORTER Sources say that talks between the police union and the mayor broke down earlier today. And as a result, locals have complained about a noticeable lack of police presence. KENWOOD MOTHER Me and my daughter were robbed coming home from the market. The man held a gun in my little girl’s face and nobody did a thing. I couldn’t find a cop anywhere. God knows what this place will be like in the morning. NEWS REPORTER The last time there was a so-called “blue flu” was back in 1993. Back then, over a three-day period, violent crime spiked thirty-two percent. Reporting from Kenwood, this is . YOLI Thanks. DERRICK Are you Yoli Castillo? YOLI Yeah. DERRICK Um, you violated our social media policy for personnel with that last tweet you posted. YOLI What now? DERRICK “Why is at-Mayor-Novak staffing up with N.Y.C. hashtag sloppy seconds? Hashtag clean up City Hall starts by taking out the trash.” YOLI That’s from my personal account. It doesn’t say anything about where I work. DERRICK Your handle is “YoloCastillo”. You told the mayor to take out the trash. You’re the social media coordinator for Streets and Sanitation. YOLI Okay, True Detective. For the average viewer, that’s just another private citizen speaking truth to power. DERRICK But you’re not just another private citizen. You can’t publicly criticize the administration when you’re a part of it. YOLI Yeah, well, I don’t happen to share that opinion, but... Sorry, I guess? DERRICK You need to take it down. Now. YOLI Wait. I just apologized to you when I didn’t really mean it. That’s a lot for me. I start buckling to censorship, I’m on the slippery slope to hell. DERRICK It’s not censorship, it’s policy. YOLI Yeah, well, it’s a bullshit policy and the mayor should know better. DERRICK Okay. I tried. Thank you. YOLI Hold on, Captain Ominous. What is that supposed to mean? DERRICK It means you’re fired. YOLI You can’t fire me. DERRICK Yeah, I can, once word gets back to your boss. Sorry. YOLI Did I just get fired? JESSICA I hear some of your officers missed their flu shots this year. HARGROVE You’ve got some balls showing up here after you stuck us with a four million dollar frivolous lawsuit. JESSICA The young man that was beaten and left for dead wouldn’t call that lawsuit frivolous. HARGROVE I am a good cop, lady. And so are almost every one of the men and women who serve under me. JESSICA Is that why a quarter of them are in bed right now putting innocent lives in danger? HARGROVE Don’t believe everything you hear. JESSICA Oh, it’s not what I hear, it’s what I know. Cops take the day off, people get hurt. HARGROVE This isn’t on me. The mayor knows what he needs to do. JESSICA Deliver my head on a platter? You and I both know he’s not going to do that. Because that would make him look weak. HARGROVE And how do you think I’ll look if I cave? I already let BOBBY kick the can down the road on the pension last time. Hell if I’ll let him do it again. JESSICA I thought this was about me. HARGROVE I have work to do, Ms. Pearson. JESSICA I guess we’re at an impasse. BOBBY Shit, do I need that? I thought maybe you were joining your brethren out there. NICK What are you talking about? BOBBY You disappeared yesterday. Where were you? NICK I rescued JESSICA. The press were on her like a pack of dogs. So, I gave her a ride. BOBBY Mm. NICK She asked if I’d be her driver. BOBBY Did she? She taking over my ribbon cuttings now, too? NICK It’s not a bad idea, you know. BOBBY Mc Gann got you on the payroll now? Hmm? You his official eyes and ears? NICK If you want to talk to me about working for MC Gann? BOBBY You know, I’m up against it with this police thing. I don’t know what you’re doing. Are you asking for permission? NICK I don’t know what I’m asking. I’m just bringing it up. BOBBY Well, since you don’t know what you’re asking, let me answer it for you. You work for me. No one else. That's the job. NICK What about the nights outside her apartment, BOBBY? That part of the job, too? BOBBY Keep your voice down. NICK Think. When did I have to sit outside like that before, BOBBY? Huh? Oh, yeah. When I was a kid and it was your dad in there. BOBBY NICK. NICK Enjoy your sandwich. YOLI Congratulations. Thanks to you, today's my last day. JESSICA Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. But if you think I had something to do with it, you're mistaken. YOLI Oh, come on. I retweet someone throwing shade on you… on point, by the way… and the mayor's flack up and fires me? I know a hit job when I see one. JESSICA It sounds like your itchy thumbs got you fired, not me. YOLI Admit it. The press went after you today, so you found someone else to take it out on. JESSICA And you're basing this on the fact that I'm, um… … TEXT A BOUGIE BITCH? JESSICA …? YOLI I was a waitress. I know what people with money can do when someone like me crosses them. JESSICA If blaming me makes you sleep better, Ms…. YOLI Castillo. Yoli Castillo. JESSICA Ms. Castillo… then believe it. But it's not true. YOLI Oh, I do. And you know what I see? I see someone who gets up at six every morning to feed the homeless and still has the time to know the names of every single person in this place. From OSCAR at Security to the little old lady in Zoning who likes Twinkies from the vending machine. And I do it not just because I’m a nice person, but because when my boss needs something, I’m the one who gets it done. I killed for this job, lady. I know my rights, and I'm not going to let anyone shut me up. JESSICA There's a difference between knowing your rights and knowing when to use them. That’s growing up. JESSICA No. KERI What do you want now? JESSICA It’s not what I want. It’s what the police want. KERI If that’s your resignation, you don’t need a whole file folder. JESSICA It’s not. It’s a loophole set aside for developers that saves them millions in property taxes. KERI What does that have to do with this? JESSICA If you close it, you can fully fund the police pension. It’s what they’ve been trying to get for eight years. KERI You’ve spent too much time in corporate boardrooms. Do you honestly think that’s what this is about? JESSICA I know that’s what this is about. Especially after my little chat with Superintendent HARGROVE. KERI I specifically told you to stay away from my negotiation. JESSICA My family lives on the South Side, KERI. Or have you forgotten? The minute this affected them, it wasn’t about you and me anymore. KERI This thing is happening because of you. JESSICA You think I don’t know that? I just listened to my aunt go on about how she’s worried about walking her grandbabies to school. Can you imagine how that felt? The woman who thinks I can do anything. You want to hear me say I feel guilty? I feel guilty as hell. KERI How do I know you’re not playing me like you did the other day in court? JESSICA I guess you’re just going to have to trust me. BOBBY I just got off the phone with Chuck HARGROVE. KERI Oh? BOBBY He says you guys reached a deal. How did you do it? KERI Well, I made him realize that he had a short window to get what he wanted. And if they went nuclear with a blue flu, he would lose support of the public, a judge would impose an injunction, and… well, they might as well use the leverage that they had. BOBBY JESSICA. KERI It was all a negotiating ploy. They were looking for a reason to walk away. BOBBY And I gave it to them. Well, look at that. She was right after all. KERI Yeah, she figured out a way to pay for it, too. BOBBY Do I want to know? KERI No. But you’ll hear from MC Gann at some point. BOBBY Fuck Pat MC Gann.Thank you. KERI You’re welcome. BOBBY I have to go make a statement. I… I’m sorry about earlier. I was angry. I know you better than that. You seem like you want to say something. KERI Yeah. Um… I mean, I was just thinking. If you’re looking for something to tell the press about why you brought her in, this could make you look smart. BOBBY Good evening. BOBBY As you know, we’ve been in negotiations on a new contract with the police department for the past six months. Tonight, I’m happy to announce that we’ve reached terms that both compensate the good men and women who serve our city and are consistent with keeping our city’s budget in check. Now, before I bring up Superintendent Hargrove to discuss the details of the contract, I’d like to introduce Jessica Pearson. Ms. Pearson played a critical role in putting this deal together and she’ll be an important part of my administration moving forward. Ms. Pearson? JESSICA Thank you. By now, many of you are well aware of my past. It is a past that I own. And one that Mayor Novak has been kind enough to give a second chance to. What you may not know is that my father grew up in this city. And it’s taken on a special meaning to me. And I am anxious to give something back. Now. I know some of you still have many questions. Come at me. I’m an open book. BOBBY Impressive. JESSICA It helps to make friends in Facilities. BOBBY I was talking about your little unveiling back there. JESSICA I ran a firm for years. I know my way around a microphone and some flash bulbs. BOBBY Cut the bullshit, Ms. Pearson. You set that up the minute I faced those reporters yesterday. You wanted both the fire storm and the credit for cleaning it up. JESSICA You can’t hide someone like me, Mr. Mayor. The questions were going to come eventually. I figured if I lay bare and got ahead of it, the sooner we could both move forward and tackle some real problems in this city. BOBBY You almost triggered one of those real problems. Do you have any idea what could have happened from that stunt? JESSICA I didn’t plan on the police pulling out of negotiations. BOBBY No? You’re telling me that was a coincidence. JESSICA It’s Chicago. If it wasn’t the negotiations, it would have been something else. BOBBY So, how did it go? In exchange for reading your lines, that reporter gets what… a one-on-one with me? JESSICA Something a lot more valuable. He gets access to your number two. BOBBY Oh, is that what you are? I didn’t say that out there. JESSICA You didn’t have to. BOBBY You put me in a bad position. JESSICA I did you a favor. The way I see it, you already have too many secrets. BOBBY Goodnight, Ms. Pearson. JESSICA See you tomorrow. KERI A man in control. You looked good out there. BOBBY Thanks. KERI Why don’t we go for a drink and celebrate? DERRICK Goodnight. BOBBY Night, DERRICK. Will you do me a favor? Tell NICK to pull around. I need to talk to him. I should go home. KERI Okay. BOBBY I want to put my kids to bed tonight. KERI Okay. BOBBY Okay? KERI I said okay. Goodnight. BOBBY Night. JESSICA So, what is the name of that little old lady in Zoning? YOLI It’s Ida. What’s it to you? JESSICA I can’t very well hire an assistant who doesn’t know everyone in City Hall. You never know when I might need something. YOLI You… You want to hire me. JESSICA I do. YOLI What happened to me learning from this and growing up and all those other pearls you threw at me earlier? JESSICA Like you said, that was earlier. You’ve had plenty of time to grow and learn. YOLI I wish you would have come to me sooner. JESSICA Oh… YOLI Uh, yeah. It turns out I already got another offer. So… JESSICA Oh. Honey, I invented that move. But if that’s how you want to play it and risk missing out on all the action, well… YOLI Okay, okay. You know what? I want it. JESSICA Yeah? YOLI Yeah. Of course I want it. JESSICA Okay. YOLI I want it. JESSICA Mm-hmm. YOLI But… … why are you doing this? I mean, for real. Like, besides the fact you don’t know where anything is. JESSICA For the oldest reason in the book. You remind me of me. Everyone deserves a second chance, Yoli. And this job that I have now… it’s mine. YOLI So, when do I start? JESSICA Tomorrow. SONG LYRICS I’m in my twenties, living reckless… So, turn the hourglass over and inspect it… It’s a brand new world, I’ve got a brand new heart… And every day, I make a brand new start… I’m in my twenties… SONG LYRICS I’m the future… I’m a shaker and I’m a mover… Got a vision coming from afar… Going to take me back to where you are… JESSICA Angela. Is everything okay? ANGELA Yeah, everything’s fine. The police are back in the neighborhood, doing what they do. JESSICA Do you want to come inside? ANGELA Uh, no need for that. I just wanted to pay you back for the groceries you brought over. JESSICA I can’t take that. No, that was a gift. ANGELA A bag of food isn’t a gift, Jessica. It’s charity. I can buy food for my own children. JESSICA I never said you couldn’t. ANGELA You know, part of the reason I live where I live is so my kids can go to St. Michael’s. Did you know that? I’m doing that, and I just got into nursing school. JESSICA That’s fantastic, Angela. But… ANGELA But… Take it anyway because it’s the only way you know how to show love? JESSICA Wow. ANGELA It sounds harsh. But you and I know it’s true. JESSICA Okay. What would you like me to do? ANGELA That’s the thing. You don’t have to do anything. I saw you on T.V. You want to save the city, that’s good on you. But we were surviving before you got here. And we’ll be surviving after you move on. JESSICA I’m trying to get to know you. ANGELA Then try to get to know us. We don’t need charity, we don’t need expensive steaks, and we definitely don’t need to be saved by you so you can feel better about yourself.