Episode 11: Bucking Heads

Drew and Nate bring some bad blood to the pod as they had been arguing all afternoon! Tom is an angel and nothing bad can be said about him! This is a very special episode about Police corruption and some other really bad stuff.

## Episode Summary

> This is a very hostile episode...
> - Drew
>
>

On a desert road, a lone ranger (not *the* lone ranger) is driving a convict to his court date, when suddenly 2 other cars show up and ambush them. One of the attackers shoots out one of the Rangers tires, which surprisingly doesn’t cause the vehicle to flip over or explode, but just slows it down to a halt.

Four masked gunmen surround the ranger and give him a choice: put his gun down and live or get shot. He slowly bends over to drop his gun but in the same motion yanks a smaller pistol out of his boot – only to get shot down.

Meanwhile, in a nice L.A. Park, Clayne is laying on the ground playing with his Dog (from episode 6/7). Two bike cops roll up on him and instead of warning him about the vicious dog killer on the loose, they only scold him because his Dog isn’t on a leash. He’s a real dick to them, and they’re not impressed by his badge and fine him. He just feeds the ticket to his dog.

As so often, the Murtaughs are having breakfast in their lavish mansion. Trish is rehearsing a speech for court (since she’s a lawyer, remember?) with their baby, Harper, when Roger comes in and questions her understanding of justice. He thinks crime is black and white; either the bad guy *did* it or *didn’t* do it. Simple as. Trish says he wouldn’t understand this grey area because he’s an “LAPD Cop who bleeds LAPD blue”. Oh brother…

Eventually they arrive at the crime scene, where, as per usual, Bailey (Sonya) has done all the work. She tells them about the victim, a Texas Ranger named Mark Ervin. Riggs is more interested in the flask of Liquor he found next the driver’s seat. He pours one out for the Ranger and then takes a swig for himself. Roger objects, but the show is determined to wipe out any progress Riggs has made in the previous episode(s) so once again we’re reminded that Riggs is an alcoholic mess. Note that almost every episode was written and/or directed by a different person.

At the Morgue, Scorsese tells them the murder weapon left a distinct groove on the bullet. Suddenly a big Texas man with a big Texas hat and bolo tie comes in and says he’s glad a fellow Texan (Riggs) is on the case. And he’s not at all amused about *Inglewood’s finest*, Murtaugh, being there. Maybe because he’s a LAPD Cop and this guy is a Ranger/Sheriff, and there’s a competition between them? Nope, it’s just racism. Much like the B.A.B.S., this guy adds nothing to the story but confusion.

It looks like an inside job. The ambushers knew the route. They tell Avery but he’s antsy because they’ll be investigating the Sheriffs department. He tells them to be delicate, which we all know Riggs and Murtaugh are.

Sonya and Cruz head to the Sheriff’s department. Cruz is recognized and gets harassed, but Sonya takes charge of the conversation and asks about the transport. The Clerk tells them the woman they need is Leila something but she’s at a charity fundraiser bowling tournament, like all the other busy deputies.

Somehow this information gets passed on to Riggs and Murtaugh, who show up at the bowling alley. We find out Roger has a framed picture of himself on the Wall (see episode image) because he bowled a perfect game with a score of 300. Just so happens to be the bowling alley the sheriffs are at (because it’s a fundraiser) and one of of them starts talking shit to Roger, claiming he didn’t really bowl a perfect game. Leila tells them a name: Veld, just before it escalates into a full-blown fist fight between Cops and Sheriffs.

A little later, Avery has lunch with David Reed (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), the head of *Sheriffs* as Avery says, in a dimly lit restaurant. The guy tells him some LAPD detectives were sniffing around his department, and we can’t be having that. Avery tries to defend “his” cops, but Reed insinuates something about Avery’s past. This shakes him so much that he doesn’t even get mad at Riggs and Murtaugh for the bowling alley brawl. He tells them to press on – but be *delicate*. Avery meets with Trish in secret and tells her about a “mistake” in his past.

Back when Murtaugh and him were partners, a criminal called Peter Scarelli raped and murdered a 10-year-old girl, but due to the DNA evidence being compromised in the Lab somehow, he was gonna walk. So, Avery colluded with David Reed (who back then was a prison guard) to break into Scarelli's cell and steal a strand of his hair to frame him for the murder (which he *did* commit, to be fair). Still, it was the only time he ever did anything shady, and it’s tormented him ever since. Scarelli, went to jail for life. At some point we find out that he was just let out of jail early on a compassionate release deal because he has liver cancer or something. Avery somehow doesn’t know this.

Meanwhile, Sonya has found out Velds address - and his priors. This guy is bad news. He shot someone’s dog. Riggs and Murtaugh head to his house and peak through a window where they just so happen to see broken handcuffs and a prisoner jumpsuit. This proves to them Veld was involved in Davies escape! They try to get inside, which leads to a great scene where Riggs is trying to break through the front door just as Roger opens it from the inside, causing both of them to tumble to the floor. Everyone loves slapstick.

The romp continues when Davies tiptoes out around them and escapes. They chase after him, but he disappears into an alley - only to get shot by Jim Barton, one of the Sheriff’s Deputies who was in the Bowling alley earlier. He’s played by **Scott William Winters**, who you may know from *Oz*, and/or his brother Dean. Or you're confusing him with David Morse.

***Note***: Keith calls him Jim *Bracken* mistakenly and tricks our lovely hosts into saying his name wrong too. At first I thought Tom and Drew were just messing with Nate, but I don't think anyone caught this. So, when they say Bracken, they’re talking about *Barton*. Anyway...Riggs only hears the shot and arrives to find Davies dead on the ground. He accuses ~~Bracken~~ Barton of killing him, but he says it was self-defense in the most sinister way possible and points to a gun near Davies’ corpse. ~~Bracken~~ Barton is about to shoot Clayne, but Murtaugh arrives to save him – however right after, Veld has finally caught up and is about to shoot Roger. Surprisingly, Barton shoots Veld, and Riggs and Roger just let him walk away.

Later, Clayne walks in on Avery drinking Scotch in his office, during the day, and of course joins him. One of them says “Scotch helps!”. They talk about his past “mistake” (where he technically framed a guy for murder), and he convinces him he needs to come clean to Murtaugh. Avery does actually show up at the Murtaugh’s place and confesses to Roger, who freaks out because he fears all the cases they solved when they were partners could be overturned. He grandstands about doing things by the book.

On the other side of town, Riggs shows up outside Barton’s house at night, trying to intimidate him. He tells Riggs they’re not that different, to which Riggs basically threatens to kill him. The next day, Riggs waits for him to leave and *immediately* shows up in his driveway (Barton could have easily seen him in the rearview mirror). He uses a cannister of Gas from a Grill on the porch to break through the glass door and, once inside, heads *straight* to a little drawer in a trophy room, to find a box of Ammo. How did he know it was there? Well never mind, he’s gotta run because he called the cops on himself for some reason.

Back at the Station, Roger is complaining about Riggs not obtaining the Ammo ‘the right way”, when Sonya finds out it’s the same Ammo that killed the Ranger – Bingo. They want to tell Avery but he’s nowhere to be found. Maybe Sonya should just take his place as Captain as she’s 100% deserving of a promotion.

Avery’s in the Restaurant - the same Restaurant from before (same day) - with several empty whiskey tumblers on the table in front of him. Reed shows up and confesses to knowing who’s behind killing the Ranger but tells him Barton can do whatever he wants, and that he’s “off the Reservation”. Defeated, Avery stumbles outside (into his car no less – cops driving drunk is a common motif in this show), but once he gets in magically sobers up and pulls out his phone. He recorded the whole conversation with Reed! Sadly, however, Barton was waiting in the backseat and now forces him to drive somewhere at gunpoint.

Murtaugh shows up at the restaurant looking for Avery, and it is here the waitress informs Roger that Avery ordered a bunch of Apple juice for a “prank” he was playing on his friend. Murtaugh just lets Reed leave and then whips out his phone to speed-dial Riggs (He instantly starts talking, great acting.) Bailey triangulates Avery’s phone (of course she does) and it shows up at the last known address of: Peter Scarelli. Uh oh!

Barton has Avery tied up in Scarelli’s living room when *the man himself* shows up! Peter Scarelli (Charles Baker) is brought in by 2 other gunmen. This guy is creepy lookin’, he could give Cruz a run for his money. Barton is gonna have Scarelli shoot Avery, and make it look like Avery was going to try and “get” Scarelli a second time but failed. And Barton showed up but it was too late or some other plothole. How convenient!

Riggs and Murtaugh show up outside and without much hesitation, Riggs crashes the car through the front window (Tom says it's a mid-century modern). Avery could have been right there behind the window, Riggs, what are you doing? So reckless! Anyway, they stun everyone inside, and manage to arrest all the bad guys. Barton escapes amidst the chaos, and Scarelli is about to shoot Roger – but Avery can just barely yank out a gun and shoot him.

Clayne chases after Barton and confronts him in an alley, where they fight bare knuckle. Clayne’s been waiting for this. He wrastles him to the ground and arrests him instead of killing him, proving to us all that they are NOT alike. Case solved! Bad guy arrested!

The racist Texan from the beginning shows up in the Station and rewards Clayne with the dead Rangers flask. Great character, added a lot.

Brooks (Avery) tells Roger he wants to resign, but Roger won’t let him because then their over 400 solved cases may get appealed and overturned. Suddenly Roger is totally fine with doing the wrong thing. He only asks one thing: That Brooks joins him tonight at the Bowling alley.

Roger is about to bowl another perfect game. Everyone is there. Trish bets 1000 dollars that he can make it and then Clayne shows up to bet 2000 that he can. Then, Roger informs Clayne that he did in fact **not** bowl a perfect game that one time, he actually “only” bowled a 290 and rounded up.

Riggs assures him he’ll do fine, and he rolls a strike. The episode ends without us finding out if he actually made it, but we all know he did.

*Note*: These summaries may come later on certain weeks, as this podcast airs on the same date when I attend advanced screenings.

## The Leftist Angle

Capitalism leads to much more (overly) polished sounding music (see Kenny Loggins' greatest hits).

## AMPDate

***Spamalot**: America (USA)* an AMP project is in the works. It's another Drew and Nate production.

Nate and Drew saw Spamalot, Tom hasn't.

## Notable Quotes

### Nate

* "I told both of you guys that I love you."
* "I never had DVR either by the way, you're a fuckin' weirdo." [towards Tom]
* "I've never written a Cheque before in my life."
* "UHH!!? It [Going Insane] was absolutely the taking-off point for *that sound* (shitty 80's movie music soundtrack songs, just much more polished). [Drew mumbles something about it not being the taking-off point for *that sound*] then what was, WHAT WAS?! WHAT THE FUCK WAS!? ***THEN WHAT WAS!!***"
* "You're driving me to drink again..."
* *“Oi’m Mork Ronson! S’cuse me guvna!”*

### Tom

* "Well I love you too [Nate], and I love Drew."
* "I will slap you both..to Hell."
* "I'm Tom and I don't read the wiki! I love Outlaws Generation and I'm soooo dumb!"
* "See- Why- Don't- Why the fuck do you think you could ever criticize me you - *ugh!* - I wanna strangle you, but I love you, I love you I love you."
* "I think Kenny Loggins makes some dope-ass-music."
* "It's very difficult to deal with Nate, because he's a Diva."

### Drew

* "Some say it's much too easy for guns to fall into the hands of children. Others say it's much too hard."
* "Fuck off Nate! We're over it!"
* "This is still about Lindsey Buckingham!"
* "This is a very hostile episode..“
* "Don't...speak so rudely to Arrow."

## Trivia

* Nate recorded this episode despite being stricken by the omicron variant of the fake news plandemic virus. Thank you for your dedication and get well soon Nate and Charlotte and all covid stricken listeners of ClayneCast.
* Starting about 27 minutes into this episode of ClayneCast, a lively debate about Lindsey Buckingham and the origins of shitty 80's action movie soundtracks/Yacht Rock starts and goes on for quite some time. It's heightened.
* Nate dyed his mustache to match his hair.
* Drew and Nate are cool.
* This was the first episode in which Nate (nor anyone else) cut out, despite it being one of the most passionate episodes of ClayneCast.
* Arrow turned 1 on December 26th. Arrow's the man.
* Nate sits in the car playing on his phone while his wife is taking care of errands, this is when he checks twitter (@betrayedman1990) so be sure to request a follow and DM him about music theory.
* At the time of this episodes recording, Nate was sober for 6 days. Congrats Nate. If you will it dude, it is no dream.

## Clayne-foreCasting

Glocks for Tots.

1. ↑ Each previous episode