A Matter of Life or Death 2

**A Matter of Life or Death** (*part two*) is the second episode of season one of the series featured on the ABC channel, *The Commish.* The episode aired on November 2, 1991, and is considered to be the second part Pilot episode of the series.

However, the episode was shown as the sixth episode during the airtime, while the third episode called In The Best of Families was shown as the first episode. *A Matter of Life or Death* was split into two episodes, and part 1 aired on October 26, 1991. On DVD and streaming channels, the episodes were not split but combined into one whole episode.

### Synopsis

Young commissioner Anthony 'Tony' Joseph Scali starts the review process to become a New York police commissioner while investigating the disappearance of two of his police officers and juggling his daily life.

### Plot

##### Part Two

During lunch with the committee and Larry Bickford, Tony is being criticized by Minority Action Council leader Leona Rice for having the lack of minority and female officers in the Eastbridge Police Department where the cops are predominantly white males. Sheriff Nelson also criticized him for being slow in solving the case of the murdered policemen.

Although he is being complimented by Don Chesley from The Mayor's office for having the highest scores on the Commissioner recruitment test, Tony seems out of place talking with them. He starts talking about Forensic Science and Entomology passionately during eating, and it puts everyone off. Fortunately, Sergeant John Randazzo comes over and tips him about Carl Slack's whereabouts. Tony hastily leaves the lunch and tracks Carl to a dive bar called The Billy Club.

Carl has a grudge against Tony because the commissioner fired him from the police force for being too violent against suspects. When Tony interrogates him about the murdered police, he balks and makes a threat. Tony doesn't bite but asks Ronnie Lopez to follow him and his girlfriend, Marie Pulaski, around town discreetly.

Tony's secretary Helen Stags reminds him about the hunger strike at the Eastbridge County Jail, so he goes there and listens to the prisoners' demands. While he's listening, he's making a sandwich and eating it in front of the hungry prisoners. Their demands are better food in the cafeteria, a better plumbing system, better equipment for their gym, and conjugal visit. Tony agrees with the plumbing and the food, but no to the others. He then reprimands the warden, Al Donovan, for not knowing the quality of the food. He orders him to eat lunch three times a week at the county jail, and if he doesn't do it, he will be fired.

During dinner with the committee, they are watching a piece of local news about how the city of Eastbridge is being sued for $ 1Million by Phil Kelsey because the commissioner destroyed his car. Leona chastised him for bragging about it on the news, but Rachel Scali defends her husband by saying that he saved many lives by preventing the repeated offender from getting into his car. The committee seems unhappy to hear it, and Tony's recommendation seems to be impossible now.

After dinner, Tony and Rachel are dancing at the Riverside Ballroom, and while they are discussing their disaster dinner and the committee's reluctance to nominate Tony as the NYPD Commissioner, he gets a phone call from Irv Wallerstein. Another cop is found dead inside a trunk with the same modus operandi, and Tony immediately goes there to check the crime scene.

A cop named Herbie Taylor is killed and stuffed into his cruiser's trunk, and apparently, he was on loan with the DA office. Larry tells Tony that if he needs anything, just let him know. While he's driving home at night, a car is trying to run him off the road. The unseen driver is trying to kill the commissioner, but Tony survives as the driver escapes.

At home, Tony is crying after almost dying and discovering the dead cop and tells Rachel that their family is now under the protection of the Eastbridge Police Department as a safety measure. Tony is having a heart-to-heart conversation with his son, David, about things that happened recently and that he almost died last night. David also tells his dad that he doesn't want a sibling, but Tony assures him that they will always love David no matter what.

Tony discovers the rope tying method is from an upholstery knot, so he investigates Slack's Upholstery Repair shop belonged to Carl's father, and he finds the circumstantial evidence and brings it to Larry. Larry rejects it and won't make a case against Carl because there's no physical evidence. Later that night, Ronnie beeps Tony informing him that Carl is meeting someone at the harbor. Tony immediately goes there and watching Carl meeting someone he did not expect: the man who was supposed to be his friend and the Eastbridge District Attorney, Larry.

The commissioner is now trying to connect the three deaths with Larry, and apparently, the three dead cops were working on a homicide together three months ago. Someone killed a store owner months ago, but the cops didn't find the bullets, only the gun. They searched the killer's garage and found the shell brass, only they were planted by Carl, ordered by the District Attorney to get a conviction. The three dead cops were comparing notes and discovered that the brass was planted, so Larry ordered his trigger man to kill them.

Tony baits Larry by telling him that he found another suspect but it's his barber Mel Fein. Larry is willing to get a search warrant for Tony, not knowing that it's a bogus address. Meanwhile, Stan Kelly finally discovers that the baseball hat belonged to David; he is thankful to Tony that he was given a chance to compose himself and something to do during the investigation, so Tony asks Stan to join the squad to arrest Carl in the entrapment.

While Carl is planting a piece of fake evidence, Tony surprises him from the dark. As the suspect runs away, he is tackled by Stan and the rest of the police officers. Carl yells that he will talk and reveal the real culprit as long he gets a deal, but before he can talk, Tony punches him in the stomach. He then goes to the DA's office to confront Larry and arrest him for the murders of three police officers, also a conspiracy to commit murders, and other things.

Larry begs Tony not to arrest him, and even offers him to talk to the committee and get the commissioner job. Tony is angry and slams him to the wall, yelling how much he is disappointed that Larry is corrupt. He always thought of Larry as his brother and a Paisan, but after seeing him with Carl that night, Larry is dead to him.

Meanwhile, Arnie's project goes downhill when he owes a lot of people money and Tony has no choice but to help his ungrateful brother-in-law by giving him a cheque that he knows that he will never get back. Tony and Rachel then go to the ballroom to dance their misery away, as he doesn't get the commissioner job and his friend is in prison for murders. Rachel assures him that everything will be alright in the end because he already has everything he needs.

### Cast and Characters

#### Starring

* Michael Chiklis as Tony Scali
* Theresa Saldana as Rachel Scali
* Kaj-Erik Eriksen as David Scali
* Geoffrey Nauffts as Stan Kelly
* Tom Mason as Larry Bickford
* Luke Reilly as Carl Slack
* John H. Brennan as John Randazzo
* Alex Bruhanski as Irv Wallerstein
* Babs Chula as Helen Stags
* Jason Schombing as Ronnie Lopez
* David Paymer as Arnie Metzger
* Kelli Fox as Susan Henning
* Julianna Raye as Maria Blatcher

#### Guest Starring

* Ken Pogue as Nestor Henderson
* French Tickner as Joe Halloran
* Forbes Angus as Phil Kelsey
* Doug Abrahams as Sergeant Murphy
* Lorena Gale as Leona Rice
* Dave 'Squatch' Ward as Freddie
* Joe Maffei as Mel Fein
* Richard Newman as Marty
* Walter Marsh as Donovan
* Rachel Hayward as Marie Pulaski
* William B. Davis as Don Chesley
* John Destry as Sheriff Nelson
* Lance Garrett as Calvin
* Brian Knox McGugan as Delmar
* Michael A. Jackson as Bobby

Easter eggs:

A reference to the punisher is in the episode 2 times. 1 in a bar scene but it hard to see but it their and the second is in David Scali room. The Punisher 1989 Marvel original poster Brent Anderson 17064