Now for a television review commencing with the latest Montalbano. The latest episode shown on Easter Saturday April 7th proved to be the most thoughtful. The citizens of Vigata are in uproar because they invested heavily in a company offering 20% interest. The young man responsible came from Milan and had disappeared.
Montalbano becomes involved when one of the investors, an 80 year old, holds the secretary to the company at gun point. Montalbano pretends the conman has been captured and the money is safe to persuade the man to give himself up. There are no leads about what happened to the conman so Montalbano and his team concentrate on the three members of staff.
One young woman is a business graduate taking her final examinations. She lives at home with her parents where the father is deaf. She is something of a vamp tease and has been to bed with the Casanova Deputy who afterwards admitted that he was engaged to another. She has little information to give at first but later remembers little things which help Montalbano towards a solution.
The second assistant is a financial graduate and has also disappeared. He has a rented flat but is also having a beach house built close to where Montalbano lives. He is incensed when he discovers that in order to build the house a large old olive tree has been up rooted. It appears that the man arranged to travel to Germany but over time it is established that he did not do so. His scooter has disappeared along with the car used by the conman when in the city.
The third member of the staff is a very loyal secretary who is convinced the boss will return and explain why he is has been absent. She appears to be the key to unlocking the mystery.
There is only one clue which acting on advice of his number three Montalbano ignores. A crank who has previously seen flying saucers and other amazing phenomenon claims that he saw the vehicle of the missing conman near to where he lives late one night, the night before the young man was scheduled to fly to Germany.
During the episode his deputy Mimi, visits just when Montalbano is about to eat a late evening meal with wine. Mimi is having one of his doubts about getting married to Beba although the date has been arranged in less than a week and Montalbano is to be a witness with Livia travelling for the event. The deputy goes through all his doubts as well as positives, drinks lots of whisky and goes to sleep on Montalbano’s bed while he wakes up having gone to sleep on the couch without touching the meal. The wedding is postponed because the father of his fiancée has a heart attack.
The other story line is that the Judge has been looking at some of Montalbano’s old cases before he was appointed. He challenges the action taken over the orphan boy who he was to have adopted with Livia but then places with the sister of Mimi and the boy said he wanted to stay. So sadly the couple had agreed and the boy had been adopted by the sister and was now part of their family. The Judge also raises the issue of the deposit account which the mother had possessed and the boy inherited when he came of age. Fortunately Montalbano had not kept the pass book but had given it to the Notary for safe keeping and had the official receipt. This he sends to the Judge.
He also checks that the money was still safe and not invested with the conman. He visits the sister to explain about the money. The boy is thrilled to see him and shows him that he can ride on a pony given to him by his adopted father who he now refers to as father. He tells Montalbano that he has decided to become a policeman when he grows up.
This is the story of what happened to the two missing men. It emerges that the conman was gay and had a relationship with the assistant who helped him to move the investor’s money to various offshore accounts. The Assistant had been paid 350000 euros over a period for work on the beach house. When the man started to default on the interest which investors had expected and they started to demand the return of the money, the assistant had got into panic and demanded that the conman arrange for him to leave Sicily and Italy by a route which could not be traced. He had packed two suitcases and left his home cancelling the accommodation and paying in lieu of notice. It is only later that the landlady confirms that he also had with him a brief case and a lap top which he always carried around with him.
Montalbano visits the man who reported the car and finds that he is not the crank which others had said about him. The man takes him to the place where he saw the car and Montalbano takes a launch with his deputy and goes diving, locating the car and a body. It that of the missing assistant shot in the head. He works out that having arranged to meet the assistant he had then shot him and dumped the car and scooter over the cliff. But where was the conman? Why was there no trace of him?
Arising for work undertaken by his assistants, Montalbano goes to see a relative of the Secretary. He finds that she is the daughter of a wealthy family who was so shocked when the second of her parents died that she had not reported the death for several days unable to accept the reality of what happened. She was a teenager when this happened. Separate comments had been made about her inability to accept that her boss was a conman.
The woman is in such a state that she has an accident and accepts the invitation to be driven home where on arrival she insists on showing him the part of the large house in which she lives alone. In the guest bedroom he sees the decomposing body of the missing man. He arranges for a doctor to visit and gives the woman a sedative to keep her asleep for several hours. This provides the opportunity for the body to be removed.
Montalbano works out that the man had gone to her after shooting his assistant and his lover. He was a conman and not a murderer and had gone to pieces following the killing. Not wanting him to be exposed for what he was she had shot the man with the gun he had used on his assistant and then left the body oblivious that it was there or what she had done. Fortunately the lap top and papers in the brief case were retrieved and therefore the investors got most of their money back. Everything is OK but is Montalbano/ He spends time at the cliff top where the car entered the sea. We see nothing of Livia.
It is an interesting coincidence that the Italian mother of Tony Soprano was called Livia and his relationship with her and his father continues to dominate his life and becomes the focal point of the next three middle series towards ending of the penultimate season.
During the episode Camelot while attending a funeral he sees a woman sitting at the graveside of his father. It is the elderly former beauty who was his father’s mistress and who Tony met on one occasion. They become friends and visits learning about her life and her relationship with his father.
It is not all friendly. He becomes angry when she reveals that she continued to smoke during the last period of his father’s life when breathing was a problem. The aspect which upset him most is that as a boy he had a dog which his mother did not like and his father told him the animal had to be put down. At the apartment of the woman he sees a photo of the dog with her son. It is never made clear who the parent of the son was and the timescale is confusing because although she says the dog was with her son for 10 years until it died the photo is that of a teenager. The main point is that Tony realises that between them his parents had betrayed him.
During an early visit the woman shows him a handkerchief with the initials JOKE and a smudge of her own lipstick. She had been invited to a White House Party and JFK and kept her back when everyone else left. He had said they would have other times together but they had not materialized. Later Tony boasts that the woman, who had come to identify more as his mother than his own had a relationship lasting three years and that the President considered leaving Jackie for her.
She had been promised his father’s interest in small motor racing track and although she had been given $500 and other amounts she had not been given the holding as promised and which because of the nature of her relationship could not be included in the Will. Tony criticises the close associate involved who kept the holding for himself. The track is in the process of being sold and Tony arranges a sit down meeting to discuss the positions and accept a payout of $40000 from the sale. Tony gives the woman some money saying it is an advance on sale without disclosing he full amount. We assume he will keep the major part for himself as in previous similar situations.
When there is a delay in payment there is an incident in their respective cars which results in the other man having a crunching hit into the back of a stationery vehicle. Tony accepts that it is his responsibility to arrange for the vehicle to be repaired and arranges for it to undertaken a garage previously owned by Pussy. The man claims that the work is unsatisfactory and demands more and more. In the end Tony sends his cousin, also called Tony to supervise the handover. The man continues to be dissatisfied and the situation appears unresolved.
It will be remembered that his cousin had intended to lead a straight life as a Masseur for which he professionally qualified when he left prison but following family life pressures he had fallen out with the man funding his proposed establishment. He had started to undertake some minor paying work for Tony. He is approached by representatives of Carmine’s son who is involved in a three way battle for control of the interests after the death of his father. They want him to kill am associate of Johnny Sachs and his woman, the former Under boss who lives in Soprano territory. At first he turns the offer down but later when he feels he is not appreciated by Tony and his family he accepts the commission and is run over on a foot when carrying out the executions (Marco Polo).
Tony has one of his panic attacks on the golf course where he hears from Sachs whereas about the unknown assailant being wounded in the leg and confronts his cousin. Tony is upset because the man interfered in the situation he was helping to sort out and because he had gone to others rather than Tony for more work and money. He tells the cousin of his continuing high regard and wish for him to be more involved because of his IQ at 158 he would be of value to the business and puts him in charge of a small casino enterprise.
When Sachs following a tip off tells Tony that the cousin was responsible for the death, Tony defends and gives the man an alibi. Sachs reluctantly accepts the situation warning Tony that if he finds out he is lying there will be repercussions. The fact that Tony had a panic attack related to his cousin is explored during an important session with his psychiatrist therapist Dr Melfi. (Unidentified Black Males). It emerges that Tony has had several similar incidents all related to his cousin and begins to have an attack at the session. She helps Tony to control his breathing while he is able to admit that it all relates to the job which Tony failed to attend and which his cousin stepped and went to prison. Tony discloses that following a family incident he had an attack and had feinted. This was something he could not share with his cousin or could afford for his associates to know for it would lead to his being the laughing stock and undermining his authority. He comments that that getting the truth is like having a difficult and painful shit. Dr Melfi says it is more like giving birth.
His wife is arranging a surprise birthday party for her father and decides that given their situation it would be better that Tony did not attend. However when her father learns about the party and that Tony is not coming he is upset and demands his daughter changes the situation. Tony attended and is a good host giving his father in law a specialist Beretta gun usually only available within Russia and at a premium. His wife has a major row with her mother over their way of life, the relationship with Tony and involvement in crime. After the guests have departed Tony his wife and the children have an enjoyable family time.
Tony becomes amorous and he and Carmela end up in bed. Carmela looks fondly on what happened but Tony appears to treat as if nothing has happened. Carmela decides she is not prepared for the situation to continue as it without and agreed financial settlements and contacts her lawyer for action. She then finds that lawyers and investigators needed to unravel Tony‘s financial worth for division become hard to impossible to find for various reasons.
She realises that gaining a formal divorce/settlement is going to prove difficult to impossible. Meanwhile her daughter is also finding that a relationship with a straight guy from a wealthy family is also thwart with difficulties, especially when he says he says he is not returning home for the long vacation and she arranges a job at a no show building site where he encounters several members of Tony’s crew. He finds that he is treated as no show when they learn he is dating Tony’s daughter but he realises he is out of his depth when a perceived slight between two of the no shows leads to one beating up the other and the young man decides he wants out. This is underlined when first Tony meets him for a dinner with his daughter and he attempts to take the tab, Tony makes it plain that when the young man eats with his daughter’s family he pays and vice versa. Then one of Tony’s crew invites the young man provides tickets to a game where they support rival teams and insists he attends. This is the incentive for him to go home to his parents.
Uncle Junior devises a scheme to break the monotony of house arrest by getting approval to attend a family funeral. He then scours the newspaper for death notices of Italians and persuades his lawyer to obtain a series of concessions however by the time of the fifth or sixth funeral the situation gets to him and he breaks down.
Christopher is also resentful of the attention given to Tony’s cousin feeling that his position is in jeopardy as a consequence and because of having been to rehab. He attends a recovery group where he assists a Hollywood script writer who he met in the rehab unit. They act as mutual supporters. The friend becomes addicted to gambling and get himself into substantial debt by attending one of game involving crew members. Christopher bails him out but on the basis of paying interest. When the man fails to keep up payments, because he is using again, Christopher has a crew member beat up the man and forces him to sell his expensive car to him cheaply. He passes this on to Sachs who admits his wife has difficulty in getting in and out of the sport car although he appears thrilled by the purchase/gift. The three episodes suggest a build up to another spectacular finale to the season.
Spectacular could be ascribed to the final three episodes of Spartacus Vengeance which appears to bring the three gore and full frontal sex series to an end.
Gannicus having captured the wife of Glaber the nemesis of Spartacus brings he to the rebel camp for Spartacus to kill her and bring his obsession to and end. Ilithyia, pleading for her life and the life of her unborn child, reveals to Spartacus that the child she carries is not Glaber's, but his own child, conceived the night that Lucretia tricked her into sex with Spartacus. Ilithyia tries to convince Lucius to send word to Capua of her whereabouts; however, Spartacus enlists him to deliver a message to Glaber. Mira attempts to save Spartacus the burden of killing Ilithyia, but is stopped short by Spartacus.
Glaber and Ashur scour the town for clues about where Gannicus has taken Ilithyia, laying waste to every brothel, Ashur collecting goods from every corpse. Lucretia tries to bring to bear with Seppia but gets nowhere, and turning to Ashur for help she also gets nowhere. The message from Spartacus is that in exchange for a wagon filled with arms and armour, the Rebels will release Ilithyia. Glaber appears to agree to the terms. At the agreed time and place, Glaber meets Spartacus with the wagon. After a heated exchange it is revealed that wagon is filled with Ashur and his mercenary band, and a full-out battle occurs. Ashur men are defeated but he escapes with Glaber and without Glaber’s wife. She is released when it is understood that Glaber has no intention of saving her.
In the penultimate episode Monsters Spartacus finds anger, resentment and mistrust in his ranks and must see old wounds healed if the Rebels are to stand against the might of Rome. Ilithyia returns home to find that an unwilling Seppia has been taken by her husband as his woman. From Ilithyia's information on the Rebels' location, Ashur pinpoints the site of their temple base, and as reward he is promised freedom after the defeat of Spartacus. Glaber males it plain to his wife that his child is only of interest to him.
However, Lucretia is quite happy with the situation and tells Ilithyia of the latest happenings and of Glaber's murder of Seppius, and Ilithyia and Lucretia set young Seppia on a path of vengeance.
Spartacus organises friendly games to create a sense of unity among the rebels which appears to have some success.
Ashur reveals to Lucretia that as well as freedom, Glaber will give Ashur the ludus and his blessing of marriage with Lucretia if Spartacus falls in the upcoming battle. Lucretia is angry at this loss of her husband's legacy and plots a different outcome. Her first effort is to persuade Seppia to make an attack on Glaber’s life. This appears to about to work when his wife steps in and kills the girl thus re-establishing a relationship with her husband but this remains part of a grand design.
Against the orders of Rome who have summoned him home, Glaber launches the might of the available Roman army against the rebels at their Temple site and facing the use of a catapult they escape via tunnels to Vesuvius. Glaber and his men lay siege knowing that cold and lack of food will reduce the capacity of the rebels to resist. Lucretia and Ilithyia travel to Mt. Vesuvius. I to join Glaber who they convince that Ashur was working with Sepia to kill him, and Glaber asks Ilithyia to murder Lucretia. Glaber bribes Ashur's soldiers to betray Ashur and then forces him to go on a suicide mission to prove himself, confronting Spartacus and his followers alone and bargaining for their surrender.
Ashur's offer is declined when he reveals that Spartacus will be killed upon surrender and his followers would once again become slaves. Ashur begins to depart when Crixus suggests that they execute him. Spartacus agrees with this and Naevia convinces Crixus to allow her to fight him. After a protracted duel, Naevia decapitates at the end of a desperate fight which she looks to lose several times.
Spartacus comes up with a plan to ambush the Roman encampment. They weave rappelling vines and Spartacus, Agron, Crixus, and Gannicus descend down the mountain behind the Roman guards. At the bottom of their descent they take control of the siege weapons to set fire to the camp and leave the legion in disarray.
The battle between Glaber's forces and the rebels rages on and Oenomaus and Gannicus battle the Egyptian gladiator. Oenomaus is fatally wounded and dies in Gannicus arms and Gannicus kills the Egyptian mercenary. Spartacus has a sword fight with Glaber and eventually kills him. He warns that Rome will avenge his death. The rebels celebrate their victory although the price has been high the Spartacus’s woman killed saving his life. S he is burnt on a funeral pyre.
Back at the ludus Ilithyia is about to push Lucretia from the ludus' balcony when her waters break. Lucretia takes Illithyia's new born son after killing her slaves and commits suicide by jumping off the ludus' cliff with the baby in her hands. Ilithyia, witnessing all this, collapses and dies. So the series end with lots of vivid gore. Amen.
There have been several episodes of Blue Bloods which have been OK without remaining memorable.
The first season of Luck has come to an end. This is the new series which stars Dustin Hoffman as Chestwr "Ace" Bernstein, Nick Nolte as Walter Smith and Michael Gabon as Michael "Mike" Smythe that is three A listers. The subject is horse racing, owners, trainers, gamblers, the gangster element and centres on one of the world’s famous courses the Santa Anita
I am using the Wikipedia article for this out of laziness and a desire to move on.
“Chester "Ace" Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman), a lifelong mobster, has just been released from a three-year prison sentence. Gus (Dennis Farina), his long-time friend and driver, has become the owner of "Pint of Plain," a promising Irish racehorse. Ace immediately begins making plans to take control of the Santa Anita racetrack in Los Angeles, while simultaneously plotting revenge against the ones he holds responsible for sending him to prison.
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In his late 60s, Chester "Ace" Bernstein has had a long and apparently profitable career in organized crime, primarily in gambling, and has just finished serving a three-year term in federal prison in California. Ace's long-time driver and factotum, Gus, picks him up at his release. On the drive to Ace's home in Los Angeles, Ace confirms that Gus has become the registered owner of "Pint of Plain", a promising Irish racehorse whose purchase was arranged by business associates of Ace while Ace was in prison. The horse is being trained at Santa Anita Park by Turo Escalante (John Ortiz), a successful trainer whose career Ace has quietly followed for many years.
Ace visits his former business associate Nick DiRossi (Alan Rosenberg) to discuss a plan to gain control of the Santa Anita racetrack in order to introduce casino gambling there. It soon becomes clear that the real purpose of this plan is to strike back at the people Ace holds responsible for his prison term. These people include DiRossi, Isadore Cohen (Ted Levine), a casino executive whose company Ace wants to handle gaming at the track, and Michael "Mike" Smythe (Michael Gambon), Ace's former business partner; it appears that Mike's unauthorized use of an apartment owned by Ace in New York to stash a large quantity of cocaine is what led to Ace's prison term. (Ace taking the rap to prevent his grandson staying in the apartment have a criminal conviction and going to prison).
Simultaneously, Marcus (Kevin Dunn), Lonnie (Ian Hart), Renzo (Ritchie Coster) and Jerry (Jason Gedrick), a group of "railbirds" (habitual gamblers and hangers-on at the track) are planning to make a killing by pooling their money to bet on a "pick six" that could pay the winner over $2 million. Jerry, a brilliant handicapper of races who is perpetually broke due to his addiction to poker, has selected the six bets. The key to maximizing their chances is focusing on one horse that is a longshot in the 4th race - "Mon Gateau." Jerry knows that Mon Gateau has been trained by Escalante, who he believes has been hiding the horse's true quality in order to manipulate the odds and profit by betting on the horse. Leon (Tom Payne) is Mon Gateau's rider, a "bug" or young jockey who is just beginning his career. Leon knows nothing of Escalante's machinations, but merely wants to win the race so that other riding opportunities will come his way.
Jerry's hunch proves accurate when Mon Gateau comes from behind to win the 4th race, and the four bettors find themselves splitting more than $2.6 million. The impecunious railbirds must now deal with the attention and the temptations that come from winning a large sum of money. Escalante, meanwhile, quietly collects his own winnings of more than $30,000 from placing bets on Mon Gateau.
Walter Smith (Nick Nolte), an elderly trainer/owner from Kentucky, is training his own horse, "Gettn'up Morning," at the track with the help of young Irish jockey Rosie (Kerry Condon) but so far has not entered any races. Few people besides Walter know that Gettn'up was sired by the famous Kentucky thoroughbred "Delphi" and has the potential to win the highest honours in the sport. Unknown to Walter, however, Joey Rathburn (Richard Kind), a jockey's agent who is always at the track looking after his clients, has seen Gettn'up on a morning practice run and also has an inkling of its tremendous potential. Joey begins scheming to have his client Ronnie Jenkins, a once successful jockey who is struggling with alcohol and drugs, ride Gettn'up in place of the neophyte Rosie.
Gettn'up's sire Delphi had been owned by Walter's late employer in Kentucky, "the Colonel," and trained by Walter. Ronnie runs into Walter at the track during Gettn'up's morning exercise; the two men know each other from their years in Kentucky, so Walter asks Ronnie to drop by his barn later for a chat. In a conversation overheard by Rosie, Walter tells Ronnie that when the Colonel died, the man's heirs killed Delphi in order to collect on a large insurance policy. Walter is angry and bitter about the incident, but hopes to find success with Gettn'up, Delphi's colt. That evening, Rosie tries to persuade Walter to let her ride Gettn'up in his first race. Walter gently and sympathetically refuses, telling her that she is too inexperienced. Shortly afterward Walter asks Joey to arrange for Ronnie to ride Gettn'up in the colt's first race. Joey, delighted, agrees. Walter officially enters Ronnie as the jockey for the race, but days before it is to take place Ronnie is injured during another race and is ruled medically ineligible to ride for weeks. Walter now asks Rosie to ride the colt rather than choose a jockey who doesn't know the animal. Although Gettn'up gets off to a bad start, he comes from far back to win the race easily, astonishing everyone with his speed.
Leon, meanwhile, is having trouble "making weight." After a long spell in the sauna for that purpose, he faints, hits his head on the floor and suffers a concussion.
Escalante enters Mon Gateau in a "claiming race," in which all horses running can be purchased by bidders who file their bids or "claims" before the race. Escalante's purpose is to continue raising the odds on a horse he clearly believes has much potential, but his plan backfires when two bidders file claims to purchase the horse. One is Renzo, one of the four railbirds, who wants to present the horse to his three partners because its victory in the 4th race was the key to their "pick six" success. Another is Mulligan, a rival trainer. Mulligan's bid prevails and he takes ownership of Mon Gateau after the race. The railbirds, represented by Jerry, negotiate a deal with Mulligan to buy the animal and, having purchased it, hire Escalante as trainer.
Ace moves ahead with his plan for gaining control of the track by ordering his investment company to purchase stock in the corporation that owns it. During a board meeting at his company, Ace notices Nathan Israel (Patrick J. Adams), a young, brash and obviously intelligent money manager. He summons Nathan to his hotel for a private meeting, grills the young man, and then offers him a huge salary to work directly for him. His intention, unknown to Nathan, is to use him as a go-between with the former business associates he is targeting for revenge. He then meets with one of those people, his former partner Mike, on Mike's luxurious yacht. Mike wonders whether Ace is still angry about the situation that led to his prison term, but Ace assures Mike the racetrack deal has nothing to do with it and Mike agrees to participate in the deal.
At his hotel, Ace encounters Claire Lechea (Joan Allen), who is there to ask for a contribution to her foundation for the care of former racehorses. Impressed with her charm and good intentions, Ace decides to get involved - both with the foundation and with her.
Marcus, the "elder statesman" of the railbirds, is hopeful that buying Mon Gateau will give Jerry something to do that will keep him away from the poker table. That hope is dashed when Jerry agrees to a private high-stakes game at a restaurant owned by Leo Chan, a canny Chinese poker expert who enjoys taunting (and beating) him. Jerry is in danger of losing the bulk of his winnings from the "pick six" to Leo when the other railbirds show up and persuade him to quit the game by pretending that Marcus is deathly ill and needs his help. Although he realizes that his friends tried to trick him, Jerry thanks them for intervening.
When Gus informs Ace that Escalante has entered Pint of Plain in a race without telling him, Ace decides to go to the track to confront the trainer. Leon has been listed as rider for the race; Ace, once a bookie himself, realizes that Escalante has listed the inexperienced Leon as rider in order to lengthen the odds on Pint. He demands that Leon be replaced by the most experienced jockey available and gives Escalante $5,000 to compensate Leon. Escalante reacts angrily, confirming Ace's suspicion that he was planning to profit by betting on the race, but finally submits. Ace invites Claire to watch the race with him and Gus in Escalante's box. During the race Pint's leg is injured when another horse throws a shoe, but Pint goes on to win. Ace is delighted by the horse's performance but worried about the mishap. When told that the full extent of the injury won't be known until tests can be run the next morning, Ace insists on spending the night in the barn watching over his horse.
Escalante gives Joey the $5,000 provided by Ace to compensate Leon, and promises that Leon will ride Mon Gateau again in his next race. Leon is pleased to learn he will ride Mon Gateau, but becomes upset when he finds out it's a consolation prize for being replaced as rider of the far more prestigious Pint. Ronnie, Joey's other client, has begun drinking again while sidelined by his injury. After an argument with Joey, he tells Joey he is moving to another agent.
Ace meets with Santa Anita's CEO to make an offer for the track and is received hospitably. Meanwhile, he sends Nathan Israel to meet with Mike, DiRossi and Cohen on Mike's yacht. The ostensible purpose of the meeting is to inform Ace's three partners of the details of the offer he is making for the track. The real purpose is to see if they will try to suborn Nathan, which they do by offering him a "second paycheck" to provide information on Ace's activities. Nathan accepts the offer and tells the three men that Ace is counting on the cooperation of California's Indian gaming lobby to get the state's approval for his casino gambling plan. Nathan, who remains loyal to Ace, tells him everything that happened after the meeting.
Walter Smith, who is preparing for Gettn'up Morning's second race, receives a letter from an attorney claiming that he owes $145,000 to the inheritors of Gettn'up's sire Delphi for stud fees and other expenses, even though the Colonel had waived those fees as a bequest to Walter at the time of his death. In Gettn'up's second race, Rosie disobeys Walter's instructions and uses the whip to urge the horse on. Gettn'up wins by six lengths, setting a new track record and drawing attention that Walter would rather avoid. Rosie apologizes and Walter is forgiving, but soon afterward one of the Colonel's heirs shows up at the barn to assert a claim to Gettn'up.
Joey Rathburn is depressed by the loss of his star client Ronnie and by his ex-wife's coldness when he contacts her to suggest a reconciliation. Alone in his dingy apartment he picks up a pistol and points it at his head. When a minor earthquake rattles the area at that moment, he is startled and fires elsewhere; the bullet ricochets and injures his cheek. After the wound is treated in a local emergency room, Joey finds that his constant stammer, which has made him a figure of fun to people at the track, is now gone. He treats the event as a sign that it is not time for him to give up on life.
The four railbirds attend the track to watch their horse, Mon Gateau, in his first race under their colours. Ridden by Leon, the horse wins convincingly, but because it bumped against another horse during the race the track stewards put the result on hold while they interrogate Leon about what happened. The stewards ultimately decide to confirm Mon Gateau's victory, and the railbirds celebrate at their hangout, the Long Shot bar. They give Leon a handsome tip and promise that he will always be their choice as rider.
Ace spends an afternoon visiting the horse farm where Claire's foundation is caring for old and injured racehorses and what he sees confirms his good opinion of her and of the project. Meanwhile, Nathan has another meeting on Mike's yacht. He tries to persuade Mike, DiRossi and Cohen that Ace is sincere in wanting the racetrack deal to go forward and to benefit everyone. Mike remains suspicious, however. When he concludes that both Ace and Nathan are trying to deceive him he explodes, clubbing Nathan repeatedly with a heavy glass ashtray. Nathan collapses in a pool of blood while DiRossi and Cohen look on, horrified. On his way back from the farm, Ace meets briefly with the chief of an Indian tribe who is expected to support his plan for the track. One of Mike's henchmen is following Ace and photographs the meeting - but Ace and Gus are well aware of this. Returning home that evening, Ace is concerned that Nathan never called to report on the meeting with Mike.
Rosie is anxious to find out whether Walter will let her ride Gettn'up again after her mistake with the whip. She asks Joey to talk to Walter about it and agrees that he will become her agent. Ronnie has resumed attending AA meetings and has recovered from his racing injury; he goes to Walter to ask to be considered once again as Gettn'up's rider. Walter, who has just enlisted the help of a lawyer to defend his ownership of Gettn'up, tells both Ronnie and Joey that he will decide on a rider shortly. Later that day he meets with Ronnie again and promises that if he remains sober and makes weight, the mount will be his. That evening, he tells Rosie of his decision and she takes it with good grace. But within hours of receiving Walter's good news, Ronnie has started using again.
Dr. Joanna "Jo" Carter is Escalante's veterinarian - and his lover. While a workman is disrupting the routine in Escalante's barn by installing a Webcam to allow Ace to look in on Pint of Plain from time to time, she asks Escalante to walk outside with her to discuss something. Before she can begin they encounter Eduardo, a young Mexican-American boy from a family of migrant workers, near Escalante's barn. She strikes up a conversation with the boy, who is fascinated by the horses and jockeys, but Eduardo's brutish uncle, who is in the training area to make a delivery, demands she pay $10 to talk to him. Escalante wants to throw the boy and his uncle out. To his annoyance, Jo pays the uncle and takes the boy on a tour of the barn and track. Later, she takes him to watch a race in which one of Escalante's horses, "Niagara's Fall," is running. When the filly is injured during the race she goes to help and gets Escalante to take charge of the boy. Unable to find the boy's uncle, Escalante gives him a ride home. Escalante drops Eduardo off in his neighbourhood, which is little more than a shantytown; something about Eduardo clearly reminds Escalante of his own past as a penniless immigrant, so he gives the boy his contact information and tells him to get in touch if he needs anything. When Escalante and Jo get together again that night at his home, she tells him what she had meant to say earlier that day - she is pregnant. Jo is surprised when the normally brusque and undemonstrative Escalante reacts with tenderness and love.
At the direction of Mike, Isadore Cohen meets with the chief of the Indian tribe with whom Ace has been working and offers the chief an envelope full of cash to induce him to do business with Mike instead. The meeting is recorded on video by the chief's people, who then present Gus with a disc showing everything.
Ace and Gus receive an email purportedly from Nathan stating that although he believes everyone involved in Ace's racetrack deal is acting in good faith, he does not wish to continue "serving two masters." The email states that he is resigning his position and leaving town. Ace immediately understands that the email is a fake and that Nathan has been killed by Mike. When DiRossi arrives at Ace's hotel to "take the temperature" of the deal, Ace invites him to accompany Ace and Gus to the track to see their horse. Once there, Gus takes DiRossi to a disused room in Escalante's barn and makes it clear that DiRossi is not going anywhere until Ace has a talk with Mike.
With Gus keeping DiRossi on ice, Ace drives himself to Mike's yacht. He tells Mike that he knows about Nathan's murder but that he will take no action - other than cutting Mike and the others out of the racetrack deal. He presents Mike with a copy of the disc Gus obtained, conveying a warning that the authorities will find out about Cohen's bribery attempt if there is any more trouble from Mike. Mike is noncommittal with Ace, but when DiRossi returns to the yacht Mike lets him know that it is Ace who will be cut out of the racetrack deal, not him.
Dr. Jo Carter arrives at Escalante's barn for her morning rounds, bringing with her the boy Eduardo, who now works there. While removing a shoe from one of the horses she is kicked and suffers a bad fall. After telling Escalante she is fine, she has her assistant take her to the hospital out of concern for her pregnancy. An initial examination shows no serious problem, but while spending the afternoon in a hospital room for observation she experiences some symptoms of a miscarriage. When Escalante learns what is happening, he rushes to her side.
The Western Derby, a race for three-year-olds with a total purse of $1 million, is approaching, and both Pint of Plain and Gettn'up Morning are entered. Ronnie Jenkins is to ride Gettn'up. Another race will be run on Derby Day with lesser contenders and a smaller purse, and the railbirds' horse Mon Gateau is entered in that one. When it is decided that the weight limit for Mon Gateau will be 112, Leon, who can't seem to get below 117, is told by Joey that he will not have the mount. Instead, the mount will be given to Rosie, who can easily make the weight. Leon and Rosie have been seeing each other off the track and Rosie fears this news will complicate their relationship, but despite his disappointment Leon reacts graciously.
On Derby Day, Ace and Gus are looking forward to watching Pint run when three things happen that complicate matters considerably. Gus sees a news article about the discovery of a body near Marina Del Rey, where Mike's yacht is docked, and realizes that it may be Nathan. Gus detects that Ace is being stalked by a contract killer hired by Mike. Finally, as Ace and Gus are preparing to leave Ace's hotel, Ace's grandson Brent shows up, having received a plane ticket and invitation to the race that he thinks were sent by Gus; Ace and Gus immediately understand that the ticket was sent by Mike as a message to Ace that Brent is within Mike's reach.
Warning Brent to remain in his suite rather than come to the track, Ace and Gus visit the morgue to view the body that was found near the Marina. Recognizing Nathan at once, Ace is shocked by his body's mutilated condition and feels a heavy weight of responsibility for getting the young man involved with Mike.
Before heading to the track, Ace and Gus stop for lunch at a restaurant Ace frequents. While they are eating, Gus notices that a man he recognizes as a "spotter" for Mike's hit man is in the restaurant. Using a stratagem they have clearly employed before, Ace and Gus fake a loud argument to draw the spotter's attention. Gus appears to stalk out of the restaurant angrily; Ace gets up from the table and walks toward the men's room. The spotter signals the hit man, who goes to corner Ace in the men's room. When he enters the men's room he is immediately assaulted by Gus, who has been waiting for him. Gus kills the hit man in seconds. Gus and Ace, who was never in the men's room at all, then leave the restaurant together.”
In the last episode the trackside group gambling syndicate and horse owner build up to the great day and also plan one of their multiple betting ploys. The former poker gambler now has pneumatic girl friend to provide the sexual interest and another of the group has invited his mother. They will the race and in addition to the prize money there are substantial gambling winnings of over $100000 each. They are philosophical about their success knowing that it will end soon and they will go back to being penniless. There is talk from moving out of the motel where they have adjacent room to buy a place of their own where they can all live. They have been generous in their winnings having placed a bet for $500 on the Jockey who did not make the weight
Then the Western Derby take place and the horses are neck and neck over the last couple of hundred meters to the finishing line. It is a photo finish. Hoffman‘s horse wins narrowly and Smith is philosophical commenting that the two horses will confront each other again.
But the situation is not all success and champagne. Escalante visits the hospital having lost contact with his lover only to find she has lost their child. He comforts her.
Mike is at the race course with his associates taunting Ace as well as congratulating him on his success in winning the race. The grandson could not sit in the hotel suite watching on TV. Ace sends cuts to protect the boy and keep him close to them. Ace contacts the woman who runs the centre for retired horses which is now fully running because of the generosity and interest from Ace. He has also told her to stay away from the race but phones to hear the sound of his voice. She is welcoming in every sense. Watch this space for the second season.
Montalbano becomes involved when one of the investors, an 80 year old, holds the secretary to the company at gun point. Montalbano pretends the conman has been captured and the money is safe to persuade the man to give himself up. There are no leads about what happened to the conman so Montalbano and his team concentrate on the three members of staff.
One young woman is a business graduate taking her final examinations. She lives at home with her parents where the father is deaf. She is something of a vamp tease and has been to bed with the Casanova Deputy who afterwards admitted that he was engaged to another. She has little information to give at first but later remembers little things which help Montalbano towards a solution.
The second assistant is a financial graduate and has also disappeared. He has a rented flat but is also having a beach house built close to where Montalbano lives. He is incensed when he discovers that in order to build the house a large old olive tree has been up rooted. It appears that the man arranged to travel to Germany but over time it is established that he did not do so. His scooter has disappeared along with the car used by the conman when in the city.
The third member of the staff is a very loyal secretary who is convinced the boss will return and explain why he is has been absent. She appears to be the key to unlocking the mystery.
There is only one clue which acting on advice of his number three Montalbano ignores. A crank who has previously seen flying saucers and other amazing phenomenon claims that he saw the vehicle of the missing conman near to where he lives late one night, the night before the young man was scheduled to fly to Germany.
During the episode his deputy Mimi, visits just when Montalbano is about to eat a late evening meal with wine. Mimi is having one of his doubts about getting married to Beba although the date has been arranged in less than a week and Montalbano is to be a witness with Livia travelling for the event. The deputy goes through all his doubts as well as positives, drinks lots of whisky and goes to sleep on Montalbano’s bed while he wakes up having gone to sleep on the couch without touching the meal. The wedding is postponed because the father of his fiancée has a heart attack.
The other story line is that the Judge has been looking at some of Montalbano’s old cases before he was appointed. He challenges the action taken over the orphan boy who he was to have adopted with Livia but then places with the sister of Mimi and the boy said he wanted to stay. So sadly the couple had agreed and the boy had been adopted by the sister and was now part of their family. The Judge also raises the issue of the deposit account which the mother had possessed and the boy inherited when he came of age. Fortunately Montalbano had not kept the pass book but had given it to the Notary for safe keeping and had the official receipt. This he sends to the Judge.
He also checks that the money was still safe and not invested with the conman. He visits the sister to explain about the money. The boy is thrilled to see him and shows him that he can ride on a pony given to him by his adopted father who he now refers to as father. He tells Montalbano that he has decided to become a policeman when he grows up.
This is the story of what happened to the two missing men. It emerges that the conman was gay and had a relationship with the assistant who helped him to move the investor’s money to various offshore accounts. The Assistant had been paid 350000 euros over a period for work on the beach house. When the man started to default on the interest which investors had expected and they started to demand the return of the money, the assistant had got into panic and demanded that the conman arrange for him to leave Sicily and Italy by a route which could not be traced. He had packed two suitcases and left his home cancelling the accommodation and paying in lieu of notice. It is only later that the landlady confirms that he also had with him a brief case and a lap top which he always carried around with him.
Montalbano visits the man who reported the car and finds that he is not the crank which others had said about him. The man takes him to the place where he saw the car and Montalbano takes a launch with his deputy and goes diving, locating the car and a body. It that of the missing assistant shot in the head. He works out that having arranged to meet the assistant he had then shot him and dumped the car and scooter over the cliff. But where was the conman? Why was there no trace of him?
Arising for work undertaken by his assistants, Montalbano goes to see a relative of the Secretary. He finds that she is the daughter of a wealthy family who was so shocked when the second of her parents died that she had not reported the death for several days unable to accept the reality of what happened. She was a teenager when this happened. Separate comments had been made about her inability to accept that her boss was a conman.
The woman is in such a state that she has an accident and accepts the invitation to be driven home where on arrival she insists on showing him the part of the large house in which she lives alone. In the guest bedroom he sees the decomposing body of the missing man. He arranges for a doctor to visit and gives the woman a sedative to keep her asleep for several hours. This provides the opportunity for the body to be removed.
Montalbano works out that the man had gone to her after shooting his assistant and his lover. He was a conman and not a murderer and had gone to pieces following the killing. Not wanting him to be exposed for what he was she had shot the man with the gun he had used on his assistant and then left the body oblivious that it was there or what she had done. Fortunately the lap top and papers in the brief case were retrieved and therefore the investors got most of their money back. Everything is OK but is Montalbano/ He spends time at the cliff top where the car entered the sea. We see nothing of Livia.
It is an interesting coincidence that the Italian mother of Tony Soprano was called Livia and his relationship with her and his father continues to dominate his life and becomes the focal point of the next three middle series towards ending of the penultimate season.
During the episode Camelot while attending a funeral he sees a woman sitting at the graveside of his father. It is the elderly former beauty who was his father’s mistress and who Tony met on one occasion. They become friends and visits learning about her life and her relationship with his father.
It is not all friendly. He becomes angry when she reveals that she continued to smoke during the last period of his father’s life when breathing was a problem. The aspect which upset him most is that as a boy he had a dog which his mother did not like and his father told him the animal had to be put down. At the apartment of the woman he sees a photo of the dog with her son. It is never made clear who the parent of the son was and the timescale is confusing because although she says the dog was with her son for 10 years until it died the photo is that of a teenager. The main point is that Tony realises that between them his parents had betrayed him.
During an early visit the woman shows him a handkerchief with the initials JOKE and a smudge of her own lipstick. She had been invited to a White House Party and JFK and kept her back when everyone else left. He had said they would have other times together but they had not materialized. Later Tony boasts that the woman, who had come to identify more as his mother than his own had a relationship lasting three years and that the President considered leaving Jackie for her.
She had been promised his father’s interest in small motor racing track and although she had been given $500 and other amounts she had not been given the holding as promised and which because of the nature of her relationship could not be included in the Will. Tony criticises the close associate involved who kept the holding for himself. The track is in the process of being sold and Tony arranges a sit down meeting to discuss the positions and accept a payout of $40000 from the sale. Tony gives the woman some money saying it is an advance on sale without disclosing he full amount. We assume he will keep the major part for himself as in previous similar situations.
When there is a delay in payment there is an incident in their respective cars which results in the other man having a crunching hit into the back of a stationery vehicle. Tony accepts that it is his responsibility to arrange for the vehicle to be repaired and arranges for it to undertaken a garage previously owned by Pussy. The man claims that the work is unsatisfactory and demands more and more. In the end Tony sends his cousin, also called Tony to supervise the handover. The man continues to be dissatisfied and the situation appears unresolved.
It will be remembered that his cousin had intended to lead a straight life as a Masseur for which he professionally qualified when he left prison but following family life pressures he had fallen out with the man funding his proposed establishment. He had started to undertake some minor paying work for Tony. He is approached by representatives of Carmine’s son who is involved in a three way battle for control of the interests after the death of his father. They want him to kill am associate of Johnny Sachs and his woman, the former Under boss who lives in Soprano territory. At first he turns the offer down but later when he feels he is not appreciated by Tony and his family he accepts the commission and is run over on a foot when carrying out the executions (Marco Polo).
Tony has one of his panic attacks on the golf course where he hears from Sachs whereas about the unknown assailant being wounded in the leg and confronts his cousin. Tony is upset because the man interfered in the situation he was helping to sort out and because he had gone to others rather than Tony for more work and money. He tells the cousin of his continuing high regard and wish for him to be more involved because of his IQ at 158 he would be of value to the business and puts him in charge of a small casino enterprise.
When Sachs following a tip off tells Tony that the cousin was responsible for the death, Tony defends and gives the man an alibi. Sachs reluctantly accepts the situation warning Tony that if he finds out he is lying there will be repercussions. The fact that Tony had a panic attack related to his cousin is explored during an important session with his psychiatrist therapist Dr Melfi. (Unidentified Black Males). It emerges that Tony has had several similar incidents all related to his cousin and begins to have an attack at the session. She helps Tony to control his breathing while he is able to admit that it all relates to the job which Tony failed to attend and which his cousin stepped and went to prison. Tony discloses that following a family incident he had an attack and had feinted. This was something he could not share with his cousin or could afford for his associates to know for it would lead to his being the laughing stock and undermining his authority. He comments that that getting the truth is like having a difficult and painful shit. Dr Melfi says it is more like giving birth.
His wife is arranging a surprise birthday party for her father and decides that given their situation it would be better that Tony did not attend. However when her father learns about the party and that Tony is not coming he is upset and demands his daughter changes the situation. Tony attended and is a good host giving his father in law a specialist Beretta gun usually only available within Russia and at a premium. His wife has a major row with her mother over their way of life, the relationship with Tony and involvement in crime. After the guests have departed Tony his wife and the children have an enjoyable family time.
Tony becomes amorous and he and Carmela end up in bed. Carmela looks fondly on what happened but Tony appears to treat as if nothing has happened. Carmela decides she is not prepared for the situation to continue as it without and agreed financial settlements and contacts her lawyer for action. She then finds that lawyers and investigators needed to unravel Tony‘s financial worth for division become hard to impossible to find for various reasons.
She realises that gaining a formal divorce/settlement is going to prove difficult to impossible. Meanwhile her daughter is also finding that a relationship with a straight guy from a wealthy family is also thwart with difficulties, especially when he says he says he is not returning home for the long vacation and she arranges a job at a no show building site where he encounters several members of Tony’s crew. He finds that he is treated as no show when they learn he is dating Tony’s daughter but he realises he is out of his depth when a perceived slight between two of the no shows leads to one beating up the other and the young man decides he wants out. This is underlined when first Tony meets him for a dinner with his daughter and he attempts to take the tab, Tony makes it plain that when the young man eats with his daughter’s family he pays and vice versa. Then one of Tony’s crew invites the young man provides tickets to a game where they support rival teams and insists he attends. This is the incentive for him to go home to his parents.
Uncle Junior devises a scheme to break the monotony of house arrest by getting approval to attend a family funeral. He then scours the newspaper for death notices of Italians and persuades his lawyer to obtain a series of concessions however by the time of the fifth or sixth funeral the situation gets to him and he breaks down.
Christopher is also resentful of the attention given to Tony’s cousin feeling that his position is in jeopardy as a consequence and because of having been to rehab. He attends a recovery group where he assists a Hollywood script writer who he met in the rehab unit. They act as mutual supporters. The friend becomes addicted to gambling and get himself into substantial debt by attending one of game involving crew members. Christopher bails him out but on the basis of paying interest. When the man fails to keep up payments, because he is using again, Christopher has a crew member beat up the man and forces him to sell his expensive car to him cheaply. He passes this on to Sachs who admits his wife has difficulty in getting in and out of the sport car although he appears thrilled by the purchase/gift. The three episodes suggest a build up to another spectacular finale to the season.
Spectacular could be ascribed to the final three episodes of Spartacus Vengeance which appears to bring the three gore and full frontal sex series to an end.
Gannicus having captured the wife of Glaber the nemesis of Spartacus brings he to the rebel camp for Spartacus to kill her and bring his obsession to and end. Ilithyia, pleading for her life and the life of her unborn child, reveals to Spartacus that the child she carries is not Glaber's, but his own child, conceived the night that Lucretia tricked her into sex with Spartacus. Ilithyia tries to convince Lucius to send word to Capua of her whereabouts; however, Spartacus enlists him to deliver a message to Glaber. Mira attempts to save Spartacus the burden of killing Ilithyia, but is stopped short by Spartacus.
Glaber and Ashur scour the town for clues about where Gannicus has taken Ilithyia, laying waste to every brothel, Ashur collecting goods from every corpse. Lucretia tries to bring to bear with Seppia but gets nowhere, and turning to Ashur for help she also gets nowhere. The message from Spartacus is that in exchange for a wagon filled with arms and armour, the Rebels will release Ilithyia. Glaber appears to agree to the terms. At the agreed time and place, Glaber meets Spartacus with the wagon. After a heated exchange it is revealed that wagon is filled with Ashur and his mercenary band, and a full-out battle occurs. Ashur men are defeated but he escapes with Glaber and without Glaber’s wife. She is released when it is understood that Glaber has no intention of saving her.
In the penultimate episode Monsters Spartacus finds anger, resentment and mistrust in his ranks and must see old wounds healed if the Rebels are to stand against the might of Rome. Ilithyia returns home to find that an unwilling Seppia has been taken by her husband as his woman. From Ilithyia's information on the Rebels' location, Ashur pinpoints the site of their temple base, and as reward he is promised freedom after the defeat of Spartacus. Glaber males it plain to his wife that his child is only of interest to him.
However, Lucretia is quite happy with the situation and tells Ilithyia of the latest happenings and of Glaber's murder of Seppius, and Ilithyia and Lucretia set young Seppia on a path of vengeance.
Spartacus organises friendly games to create a sense of unity among the rebels which appears to have some success.
Ashur reveals to Lucretia that as well as freedom, Glaber will give Ashur the ludus and his blessing of marriage with Lucretia if Spartacus falls in the upcoming battle. Lucretia is angry at this loss of her husband's legacy and plots a different outcome. Her first effort is to persuade Seppia to make an attack on Glaber’s life. This appears to about to work when his wife steps in and kills the girl thus re-establishing a relationship with her husband but this remains part of a grand design.
Against the orders of Rome who have summoned him home, Glaber launches the might of the available Roman army against the rebels at their Temple site and facing the use of a catapult they escape via tunnels to Vesuvius. Glaber and his men lay siege knowing that cold and lack of food will reduce the capacity of the rebels to resist. Lucretia and Ilithyia travel to Mt. Vesuvius. I to join Glaber who they convince that Ashur was working with Sepia to kill him, and Glaber asks Ilithyia to murder Lucretia. Glaber bribes Ashur's soldiers to betray Ashur and then forces him to go on a suicide mission to prove himself, confronting Spartacus and his followers alone and bargaining for their surrender.
Ashur's offer is declined when he reveals that Spartacus will be killed upon surrender and his followers would once again become slaves. Ashur begins to depart when Crixus suggests that they execute him. Spartacus agrees with this and Naevia convinces Crixus to allow her to fight him. After a protracted duel, Naevia decapitates at the end of a desperate fight which she looks to lose several times.
Spartacus comes up with a plan to ambush the Roman encampment. They weave rappelling vines and Spartacus, Agron, Crixus, and Gannicus descend down the mountain behind the Roman guards. At the bottom of their descent they take control of the siege weapons to set fire to the camp and leave the legion in disarray.
The battle between Glaber's forces and the rebels rages on and Oenomaus and Gannicus battle the Egyptian gladiator. Oenomaus is fatally wounded and dies in Gannicus arms and Gannicus kills the Egyptian mercenary. Spartacus has a sword fight with Glaber and eventually kills him. He warns that Rome will avenge his death. The rebels celebrate their victory although the price has been high the Spartacus’s woman killed saving his life. S he is burnt on a funeral pyre.
Back at the ludus Ilithyia is about to push Lucretia from the ludus' balcony when her waters break. Lucretia takes Illithyia's new born son after killing her slaves and commits suicide by jumping off the ludus' cliff with the baby in her hands. Ilithyia, witnessing all this, collapses and dies. So the series end with lots of vivid gore. Amen.
There have been several episodes of Blue Bloods which have been OK without remaining memorable.
The first season of Luck has come to an end. This is the new series which stars Dustin Hoffman as Chestwr "Ace" Bernstein, Nick Nolte as Walter Smith and Michael Gabon as Michael "Mike" Smythe that is three A listers. The subject is horse racing, owners, trainers, gamblers, the gangster element and centres on one of the world’s famous courses the Santa Anita
I am using the Wikipedia article for this out of laziness and a desire to move on.
“Chester "Ace" Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman), a lifelong mobster, has just been released from a three-year prison sentence. Gus (Dennis Farina), his long-time friend and driver, has become the owner of "Pint of Plain," a promising Irish racehorse. Ace immediately begins making plans to take control of the Santa Anita racetrack in Los Angeles, while simultaneously plotting revenge against the ones he holds responsible for sending him to prison.
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In his late 60s, Chester "Ace" Bernstein has had a long and apparently profitable career in organized crime, primarily in gambling, and has just finished serving a three-year term in federal prison in California. Ace's long-time driver and factotum, Gus, picks him up at his release. On the drive to Ace's home in Los Angeles, Ace confirms that Gus has become the registered owner of "Pint of Plain", a promising Irish racehorse whose purchase was arranged by business associates of Ace while Ace was in prison. The horse is being trained at Santa Anita Park by Turo Escalante (John Ortiz), a successful trainer whose career Ace has quietly followed for many years.
Ace visits his former business associate Nick DiRossi (Alan Rosenberg) to discuss a plan to gain control of the Santa Anita racetrack in order to introduce casino gambling there. It soon becomes clear that the real purpose of this plan is to strike back at the people Ace holds responsible for his prison term. These people include DiRossi, Isadore Cohen (Ted Levine), a casino executive whose company Ace wants to handle gaming at the track, and Michael "Mike" Smythe (Michael Gambon), Ace's former business partner; it appears that Mike's unauthorized use of an apartment owned by Ace in New York to stash a large quantity of cocaine is what led to Ace's prison term. (Ace taking the rap to prevent his grandson staying in the apartment have a criminal conviction and going to prison).
Simultaneously, Marcus (Kevin Dunn), Lonnie (Ian Hart), Renzo (Ritchie Coster) and Jerry (Jason Gedrick), a group of "railbirds" (habitual gamblers and hangers-on at the track) are planning to make a killing by pooling their money to bet on a "pick six" that could pay the winner over $2 million. Jerry, a brilliant handicapper of races who is perpetually broke due to his addiction to poker, has selected the six bets. The key to maximizing their chances is focusing on one horse that is a longshot in the 4th race - "Mon Gateau." Jerry knows that Mon Gateau has been trained by Escalante, who he believes has been hiding the horse's true quality in order to manipulate the odds and profit by betting on the horse. Leon (Tom Payne) is Mon Gateau's rider, a "bug" or young jockey who is just beginning his career. Leon knows nothing of Escalante's machinations, but merely wants to win the race so that other riding opportunities will come his way.
Jerry's hunch proves accurate when Mon Gateau comes from behind to win the 4th race, and the four bettors find themselves splitting more than $2.6 million. The impecunious railbirds must now deal with the attention and the temptations that come from winning a large sum of money. Escalante, meanwhile, quietly collects his own winnings of more than $30,000 from placing bets on Mon Gateau.
Walter Smith (Nick Nolte), an elderly trainer/owner from Kentucky, is training his own horse, "Gettn'up Morning," at the track with the help of young Irish jockey Rosie (Kerry Condon) but so far has not entered any races. Few people besides Walter know that Gettn'up was sired by the famous Kentucky thoroughbred "Delphi" and has the potential to win the highest honours in the sport. Unknown to Walter, however, Joey Rathburn (Richard Kind), a jockey's agent who is always at the track looking after his clients, has seen Gettn'up on a morning practice run and also has an inkling of its tremendous potential. Joey begins scheming to have his client Ronnie Jenkins, a once successful jockey who is struggling with alcohol and drugs, ride Gettn'up in place of the neophyte Rosie.
Gettn'up's sire Delphi had been owned by Walter's late employer in Kentucky, "the Colonel," and trained by Walter. Ronnie runs into Walter at the track during Gettn'up's morning exercise; the two men know each other from their years in Kentucky, so Walter asks Ronnie to drop by his barn later for a chat. In a conversation overheard by Rosie, Walter tells Ronnie that when the Colonel died, the man's heirs killed Delphi in order to collect on a large insurance policy. Walter is angry and bitter about the incident, but hopes to find success with Gettn'up, Delphi's colt. That evening, Rosie tries to persuade Walter to let her ride Gettn'up in his first race. Walter gently and sympathetically refuses, telling her that she is too inexperienced. Shortly afterward Walter asks Joey to arrange for Ronnie to ride Gettn'up in the colt's first race. Joey, delighted, agrees. Walter officially enters Ronnie as the jockey for the race, but days before it is to take place Ronnie is injured during another race and is ruled medically ineligible to ride for weeks. Walter now asks Rosie to ride the colt rather than choose a jockey who doesn't know the animal. Although Gettn'up gets off to a bad start, he comes from far back to win the race easily, astonishing everyone with his speed.
Leon, meanwhile, is having trouble "making weight." After a long spell in the sauna for that purpose, he faints, hits his head on the floor and suffers a concussion.
Escalante enters Mon Gateau in a "claiming race," in which all horses running can be purchased by bidders who file their bids or "claims" before the race. Escalante's purpose is to continue raising the odds on a horse he clearly believes has much potential, but his plan backfires when two bidders file claims to purchase the horse. One is Renzo, one of the four railbirds, who wants to present the horse to his three partners because its victory in the 4th race was the key to their "pick six" success. Another is Mulligan, a rival trainer. Mulligan's bid prevails and he takes ownership of Mon Gateau after the race. The railbirds, represented by Jerry, negotiate a deal with Mulligan to buy the animal and, having purchased it, hire Escalante as trainer.
Ace moves ahead with his plan for gaining control of the track by ordering his investment company to purchase stock in the corporation that owns it. During a board meeting at his company, Ace notices Nathan Israel (Patrick J. Adams), a young, brash and obviously intelligent money manager. He summons Nathan to his hotel for a private meeting, grills the young man, and then offers him a huge salary to work directly for him. His intention, unknown to Nathan, is to use him as a go-between with the former business associates he is targeting for revenge. He then meets with one of those people, his former partner Mike, on Mike's luxurious yacht. Mike wonders whether Ace is still angry about the situation that led to his prison term, but Ace assures Mike the racetrack deal has nothing to do with it and Mike agrees to participate in the deal.
At his hotel, Ace encounters Claire Lechea (Joan Allen), who is there to ask for a contribution to her foundation for the care of former racehorses. Impressed with her charm and good intentions, Ace decides to get involved - both with the foundation and with her.
Marcus, the "elder statesman" of the railbirds, is hopeful that buying Mon Gateau will give Jerry something to do that will keep him away from the poker table. That hope is dashed when Jerry agrees to a private high-stakes game at a restaurant owned by Leo Chan, a canny Chinese poker expert who enjoys taunting (and beating) him. Jerry is in danger of losing the bulk of his winnings from the "pick six" to Leo when the other railbirds show up and persuade him to quit the game by pretending that Marcus is deathly ill and needs his help. Although he realizes that his friends tried to trick him, Jerry thanks them for intervening.
When Gus informs Ace that Escalante has entered Pint of Plain in a race without telling him, Ace decides to go to the track to confront the trainer. Leon has been listed as rider for the race; Ace, once a bookie himself, realizes that Escalante has listed the inexperienced Leon as rider in order to lengthen the odds on Pint. He demands that Leon be replaced by the most experienced jockey available and gives Escalante $5,000 to compensate Leon. Escalante reacts angrily, confirming Ace's suspicion that he was planning to profit by betting on the race, but finally submits. Ace invites Claire to watch the race with him and Gus in Escalante's box. During the race Pint's leg is injured when another horse throws a shoe, but Pint goes on to win. Ace is delighted by the horse's performance but worried about the mishap. When told that the full extent of the injury won't be known until tests can be run the next morning, Ace insists on spending the night in the barn watching over his horse.
Escalante gives Joey the $5,000 provided by Ace to compensate Leon, and promises that Leon will ride Mon Gateau again in his next race. Leon is pleased to learn he will ride Mon Gateau, but becomes upset when he finds out it's a consolation prize for being replaced as rider of the far more prestigious Pint. Ronnie, Joey's other client, has begun drinking again while sidelined by his injury. After an argument with Joey, he tells Joey he is moving to another agent.
Ace meets with Santa Anita's CEO to make an offer for the track and is received hospitably. Meanwhile, he sends Nathan Israel to meet with Mike, DiRossi and Cohen on Mike's yacht. The ostensible purpose of the meeting is to inform Ace's three partners of the details of the offer he is making for the track. The real purpose is to see if they will try to suborn Nathan, which they do by offering him a "second paycheck" to provide information on Ace's activities. Nathan accepts the offer and tells the three men that Ace is counting on the cooperation of California's Indian gaming lobby to get the state's approval for his casino gambling plan. Nathan, who remains loyal to Ace, tells him everything that happened after the meeting.
Walter Smith, who is preparing for Gettn'up Morning's second race, receives a letter from an attorney claiming that he owes $145,000 to the inheritors of Gettn'up's sire Delphi for stud fees and other expenses, even though the Colonel had waived those fees as a bequest to Walter at the time of his death. In Gettn'up's second race, Rosie disobeys Walter's instructions and uses the whip to urge the horse on. Gettn'up wins by six lengths, setting a new track record and drawing attention that Walter would rather avoid. Rosie apologizes and Walter is forgiving, but soon afterward one of the Colonel's heirs shows up at the barn to assert a claim to Gettn'up.
Joey Rathburn is depressed by the loss of his star client Ronnie and by his ex-wife's coldness when he contacts her to suggest a reconciliation. Alone in his dingy apartment he picks up a pistol and points it at his head. When a minor earthquake rattles the area at that moment, he is startled and fires elsewhere; the bullet ricochets and injures his cheek. After the wound is treated in a local emergency room, Joey finds that his constant stammer, which has made him a figure of fun to people at the track, is now gone. He treats the event as a sign that it is not time for him to give up on life.
The four railbirds attend the track to watch their horse, Mon Gateau, in his first race under their colours. Ridden by Leon, the horse wins convincingly, but because it bumped against another horse during the race the track stewards put the result on hold while they interrogate Leon about what happened. The stewards ultimately decide to confirm Mon Gateau's victory, and the railbirds celebrate at their hangout, the Long Shot bar. They give Leon a handsome tip and promise that he will always be their choice as rider.
Ace spends an afternoon visiting the horse farm where Claire's foundation is caring for old and injured racehorses and what he sees confirms his good opinion of her and of the project. Meanwhile, Nathan has another meeting on Mike's yacht. He tries to persuade Mike, DiRossi and Cohen that Ace is sincere in wanting the racetrack deal to go forward and to benefit everyone. Mike remains suspicious, however. When he concludes that both Ace and Nathan are trying to deceive him he explodes, clubbing Nathan repeatedly with a heavy glass ashtray. Nathan collapses in a pool of blood while DiRossi and Cohen look on, horrified. On his way back from the farm, Ace meets briefly with the chief of an Indian tribe who is expected to support his plan for the track. One of Mike's henchmen is following Ace and photographs the meeting - but Ace and Gus are well aware of this. Returning home that evening, Ace is concerned that Nathan never called to report on the meeting with Mike.
Rosie is anxious to find out whether Walter will let her ride Gettn'up again after her mistake with the whip. She asks Joey to talk to Walter about it and agrees that he will become her agent. Ronnie has resumed attending AA meetings and has recovered from his racing injury; he goes to Walter to ask to be considered once again as Gettn'up's rider. Walter, who has just enlisted the help of a lawyer to defend his ownership of Gettn'up, tells both Ronnie and Joey that he will decide on a rider shortly. Later that day he meets with Ronnie again and promises that if he remains sober and makes weight, the mount will be his. That evening, he tells Rosie of his decision and she takes it with good grace. But within hours of receiving Walter's good news, Ronnie has started using again.
Dr. Joanna "Jo" Carter is Escalante's veterinarian - and his lover. While a workman is disrupting the routine in Escalante's barn by installing a Webcam to allow Ace to look in on Pint of Plain from time to time, she asks Escalante to walk outside with her to discuss something. Before she can begin they encounter Eduardo, a young Mexican-American boy from a family of migrant workers, near Escalante's barn. She strikes up a conversation with the boy, who is fascinated by the horses and jockeys, but Eduardo's brutish uncle, who is in the training area to make a delivery, demands she pay $10 to talk to him. Escalante wants to throw the boy and his uncle out. To his annoyance, Jo pays the uncle and takes the boy on a tour of the barn and track. Later, she takes him to watch a race in which one of Escalante's horses, "Niagara's Fall," is running. When the filly is injured during the race she goes to help and gets Escalante to take charge of the boy. Unable to find the boy's uncle, Escalante gives him a ride home. Escalante drops Eduardo off in his neighbourhood, which is little more than a shantytown; something about Eduardo clearly reminds Escalante of his own past as a penniless immigrant, so he gives the boy his contact information and tells him to get in touch if he needs anything. When Escalante and Jo get together again that night at his home, she tells him what she had meant to say earlier that day - she is pregnant. Jo is surprised when the normally brusque and undemonstrative Escalante reacts with tenderness and love.
At the direction of Mike, Isadore Cohen meets with the chief of the Indian tribe with whom Ace has been working and offers the chief an envelope full of cash to induce him to do business with Mike instead. The meeting is recorded on video by the chief's people, who then present Gus with a disc showing everything.
Ace and Gus receive an email purportedly from Nathan stating that although he believes everyone involved in Ace's racetrack deal is acting in good faith, he does not wish to continue "serving two masters." The email states that he is resigning his position and leaving town. Ace immediately understands that the email is a fake and that Nathan has been killed by Mike. When DiRossi arrives at Ace's hotel to "take the temperature" of the deal, Ace invites him to accompany Ace and Gus to the track to see their horse. Once there, Gus takes DiRossi to a disused room in Escalante's barn and makes it clear that DiRossi is not going anywhere until Ace has a talk with Mike.
With Gus keeping DiRossi on ice, Ace drives himself to Mike's yacht. He tells Mike that he knows about Nathan's murder but that he will take no action - other than cutting Mike and the others out of the racetrack deal. He presents Mike with a copy of the disc Gus obtained, conveying a warning that the authorities will find out about Cohen's bribery attempt if there is any more trouble from Mike. Mike is noncommittal with Ace, but when DiRossi returns to the yacht Mike lets him know that it is Ace who will be cut out of the racetrack deal, not him.
Dr. Jo Carter arrives at Escalante's barn for her morning rounds, bringing with her the boy Eduardo, who now works there. While removing a shoe from one of the horses she is kicked and suffers a bad fall. After telling Escalante she is fine, she has her assistant take her to the hospital out of concern for her pregnancy. An initial examination shows no serious problem, but while spending the afternoon in a hospital room for observation she experiences some symptoms of a miscarriage. When Escalante learns what is happening, he rushes to her side.
The Western Derby, a race for three-year-olds with a total purse of $1 million, is approaching, and both Pint of Plain and Gettn'up Morning are entered. Ronnie Jenkins is to ride Gettn'up. Another race will be run on Derby Day with lesser contenders and a smaller purse, and the railbirds' horse Mon Gateau is entered in that one. When it is decided that the weight limit for Mon Gateau will be 112, Leon, who can't seem to get below 117, is told by Joey that he will not have the mount. Instead, the mount will be given to Rosie, who can easily make the weight. Leon and Rosie have been seeing each other off the track and Rosie fears this news will complicate their relationship, but despite his disappointment Leon reacts graciously.
On Derby Day, Ace and Gus are looking forward to watching Pint run when three things happen that complicate matters considerably. Gus sees a news article about the discovery of a body near Marina Del Rey, where Mike's yacht is docked, and realizes that it may be Nathan. Gus detects that Ace is being stalked by a contract killer hired by Mike. Finally, as Ace and Gus are preparing to leave Ace's hotel, Ace's grandson Brent shows up, having received a plane ticket and invitation to the race that he thinks were sent by Gus; Ace and Gus immediately understand that the ticket was sent by Mike as a message to Ace that Brent is within Mike's reach.
Warning Brent to remain in his suite rather than come to the track, Ace and Gus visit the morgue to view the body that was found near the Marina. Recognizing Nathan at once, Ace is shocked by his body's mutilated condition and feels a heavy weight of responsibility for getting the young man involved with Mike.
Before heading to the track, Ace and Gus stop for lunch at a restaurant Ace frequents. While they are eating, Gus notices that a man he recognizes as a "spotter" for Mike's hit man is in the restaurant. Using a stratagem they have clearly employed before, Ace and Gus fake a loud argument to draw the spotter's attention. Gus appears to stalk out of the restaurant angrily; Ace gets up from the table and walks toward the men's room. The spotter signals the hit man, who goes to corner Ace in the men's room. When he enters the men's room he is immediately assaulted by Gus, who has been waiting for him. Gus kills the hit man in seconds. Gus and Ace, who was never in the men's room at all, then leave the restaurant together.”
In the last episode the trackside group gambling syndicate and horse owner build up to the great day and also plan one of their multiple betting ploys. The former poker gambler now has pneumatic girl friend to provide the sexual interest and another of the group has invited his mother. They will the race and in addition to the prize money there are substantial gambling winnings of over $100000 each. They are philosophical about their success knowing that it will end soon and they will go back to being penniless. There is talk from moving out of the motel where they have adjacent room to buy a place of their own where they can all live. They have been generous in their winnings having placed a bet for $500 on the Jockey who did not make the weight
Then the Western Derby take place and the horses are neck and neck over the last couple of hundred meters to the finishing line. It is a photo finish. Hoffman‘s horse wins narrowly and Smith is philosophical commenting that the two horses will confront each other again.
But the situation is not all success and champagne. Escalante visits the hospital having lost contact with his lover only to find she has lost their child. He comforts her.
Mike is at the race course with his associates taunting Ace as well as congratulating him on his success in winning the race. The grandson could not sit in the hotel suite watching on TV. Ace sends cuts to protect the boy and keep him close to them. Ace contacts the woman who runs the centre for retired horses which is now fully running because of the generosity and interest from Ace. He has also told her to stay away from the race but phones to hear the sound of his voice. She is welcoming in every sense. Watch this space for the second season.
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