Jerry Tortino, a former bookie, is killed in a professional hit. When he was jailed for armed robbery, he became a police informant and handed over one of his clients: Federico Righetti, a senior figure in the Masucci crime family. Tortino was killed a week after Righetti's release from jail. Vinny, an undercover FBI agent within the Masucci Family, reports that Righetti's fighting with his nephew Peter for control of the business.
The detectives investigate Cary Stillman, a real estate broker connected to both Righetti and Tortino. From an FBI wiretap, they discover that Stillman is working for Righetti as a hitman. He also killed the husband of Jean Piccone, the prosecutor who sent Righetti to jail. Stillman is charged based on information from Vinny, but the jury seems to be on Stillman's side until Vinny tells Southerlyn where to find the gun that killed Tortino. Peter Righetti revealed where it is so he could get his uncle sent back to jail.
Stillman takes a plea deal to testify against Federico Righetti. But the FBI forces McCoy to rescind the plea. They want to keep Righetti out of jail to help them make their case against others in the Masucci Family. McCoy argues with Branch who feels that McCoy is letting his friendship with Jean Piccone get in the way. Within hours, Righetti and his nurse are murdered. McCoy suspects the FBI wanted Righetti out of jail so Peter could have him killed, and then they could charge Peter. Branch says if that's true, it may be for the best.
This episode contains examples of:
- Call-Back: The Masucci crime family comes up again. See "Everybody's Favorite Bagman" and "The Torrents of Greed" parts 1 and 2.
- Dirty Old Man: Righetti makes a perverted comment about Briscoe's ex-wife, who he happens to know.
- Evil Old Folks: Righetti is an elderly crime boss who's ruthless about ordering the deaths of anyone that gets in his way.
- Faux Affably Evil: Vinny describes Righetti as such. Stillman would also fit this trope.
- Left Hanging: Peter seemingly knows Vinny is an FBI plant (leading him to the gun's location in order to get Righetti senior jailed), but the implications of this aren't mentioned.
- The Mafia: The episode's plot revolves around them.
- Professional Killer: Stillman moonlights as one.
- Scatterbrained Senior: Righetti likes to fake this to deflect suspicion.
- Shout-Out: After being told that no one saw the murder other than the horses, Briscoe asks if one of them is named Mister Ed.
- Spy Speak: The detectives listen to a recorded conversation which, although designed to sound like a discussion of a property deal, was actually Righetti ordering Stillman to kill someone.
- Take That!: Arthur is dismissive of The Mafia and how Hollywood idealizes them. It might also be a Shout-Out to similar line in the original Scarface (1932) movie.Arthur Branch: We romanticize these people - make movies about 'em - and they're nothing but heartless scum.
