Stumptown

Previously on "Stumptown"...

You implied that your parents were jerks.

They took off when I was overseas,

left my brother alone in a home,

and haven't heard from them since.

This is new for all of us,

the two of you opposing each other on a case.

I'd love to hear anyone's complaints about my father.

I'm sorry, Dad.

I was behind that article about you.

I need somebody behind the bar I can trust.

You need a partner?

Let's not put a label on it.

Deal.

Welcome back.

Oh, my god!

What the hell?!

Hey, Dex, you're making it worse!

Do something!

Not that!

Here, put this over your mouth, breathe through it.

Let's go, let's go! Alright.

You remember when I said it couldn't get any worse?

I was wrong.

Hey, I can see the Hollywood sign.

Whatever. L.A. sucks.

Wouldn't you agree that a work environment is at its best

when one doesn't have to second guess?

Feels like you're setting me up.

No sirree. I'm just saying

that since we now know the traditional

artist-proprietor relationship here is solid,

I want to open the door.

If you ever have menu ideas, throw 'em at me.

Great. Thanks.

And conversely, since I opened my kimono,

you could open yours.

So, if I had business notions, you would hear them out.

Like what?

And don't say "event hosting" again, okay?

You can say anything except "event hosting."

Okay. Again, no.

Tookie, events close us to the public,

and we need to remain open

until everybody knows we're here.

Okay?

Kimono closed.

"Care and Repair

of the Blavatnik Z71 Pedal Drive Garden Tractor."

Sounds fascinating, Miss Costas.

Wait 'til the twist at the end.

Joking.

I write manuals to pay the bills.

But this is why we're here.

Okay.

"At All Costs."

A movie script that I wrote about the life of Conrad Costas.

It's filming right now,

without my consent or any payment.

Stolen.

But it has a different title, a different writer.

"Jim Force." Is that for real?

Not for real.

In high school, he was Chuck Drakner.

Who's Conrad Costas? My uncle.

He was a detective in Cleveland.

Honest cop in a dirty station house,

rooting out corruption.

Sounds like a great story.

Right?

I thought, why not adapt it for the screen?

So I did.

And then you sent it to Jim Force,

formally Chuck Drakner.

He said it was amateur work, at best.

Now it's getting made with his name on it.

He won't return my calls.

A lawyer will cost me 10 grand.

Miss Costas... Camille, please.

Camille.

What are you asking me to do about this?

Get the script.

So I can compare it against mine.

Okay, that can't be too hard.

L.A. is a tricky place.

- L.A.? - It's a movie.

Where do you think they... they film these things?

You're hesitant. Yeah, I just...

I can't just, like, pick up and go to Los Angeles.

I'm sure it would only be a few days.

I just... I can't do that...

right now.

L.A. is...

It's complicated.

So...

Miss Parios...

I'm a nobody.

No kids.

Last of my line.

If I died tomorrow, I'd disappear.

But if there's a shot

that my work puts my name on a screen 30 feet high?

Then it's like proof that I was here.

I get it....

Can I just think about it?

Can I... Can I get back to you?

Sure. Okay.

Did you say L.A.? This is a sign!

What is? This is.

The 1973 Dodge Challenger, Rallye series.

There's a guy in L.A. selling it.

I was gonna go there to check it out.

You were gonna go all the way to L.A. to look at a car?

Well, it's not just a car. It's a piece of art, Dex.

When I was a kid, my dad had one just like it.

You hate your dad. You don't even talk to him.

Agreed, but I love this car.

I learned to drive in this car. I lost my virginity in it.

I mean, almost.

Almost?

Kammie Lerner.

She was something.

But she wouldn't go all the way?

No, she would. She just...

She spilled her wine in the front seat,

and it stained the leather, and for a car guy,

it was just such a buzzkill. Okay.

But I've been looking to get this car for years,

and now that I gave away my truck...

I dunno. L.A. is just... it's not my kind of town.

It's a great town.

Don't forget, I lived there for almost a year.

Doing what? Following a girl around.

Like a Schnauzer.

Well, that's not totally accurate,

but she was an actress.

So I could show you around.

- You can't just leave the bar, right? - Yeah.

The Alibi's covered. Ansel's covered.

You two should go enjoy some sunshine.

If we did, you wouldn't throw a party here, would you?

Host an event?

'Cause we talked about that, didn't we?

Absolutely not. Right, Ansel?

Right.

You two are so shady, but I really want this car,

and you really need this case.

So, what do you say?

I mean, unless there's another reason

we're not going to L.A.

Hey.

Hey.

There's my pretty girl.

What is that?

Hey. What?

That.

Nothing.

Don't worry about it.

What are you doing home?

Cash from my hiding place.

For a new video game.

A man without money is like a boat without sails.

Mom used to say that.

She did, didn't she?

Give me a hug.

It's so good to see you. Good to see you.

How you doing? Good.

What's it been, 14 hours? I can't feel my legs.

Stop complaining.

Look, driving is cheaper than flying.

I need to make a profit here.

Look at that beautiful L.A. sky.

Yellow, smoggy horizon.

What's the book?

Yeah, it's for the case.

It's apparently everything I need to know about the biz.

First of all, nobody in the biz calls it "the biz,"

and I'll show you the ropes, okay?

Trust me, you're gonna love it down here.

I mean...

What are we... Are we texting, or are we driving?

Let's go with driving.

Man, that's what I'm talking about.

Yeah.

The key to tinga is tomatoes and tomatillos.

And then two words... Maui onion.

A little salt, you can eat 'em like an apple.

Yeah, that's candy sweet, man. My mom's gonna flip.

8:00 p.m. tomorrow,

there will be 500 delivered to where, exactly?

You mentioned there was an issue with your venue.

Yeah, it fell out.

I've just been calling around and trying...

You're done calling. You're talking to the chef

and assistant owner of The Bad Alibi tavern.

Assistant owner? An executive position.

I create the menu and broker special events,

like your mom's 70th.

But EBT is a pilot program,

so let's not mention it to Grey.