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Episode Guide

Blood & Roses
Episode #087

Air Date: 1 Apr 1988 (NBC)
Director: George Mendeluk
Teleplay: Robert Palm
Story: Dick Wolf

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Episode Summary
Crockett and Tubbs are staking out an upscale residence, watching people coming and going from a party. Gina is already inside, undercover and mingling. Crockett is stunned to recognize one of the guests talking to her...one Frank Mosca, and wonders why he's out of prison and back in town. Gina's introduced to Frank as an interior designer by the party's host, Willie Cook, and Frank invites her to come take a look at his new house. Willie tells her that Mosca is a business associate, just involved with investments and shelters, but he's very nervous after having seen him.

Back at OCB, Gina briefs Castillo on Willie Cook, surmising that his real income is from drugs and not his pasta factory. She also mentions that Mosca is back in Miami and possibly laundering Cook's money for him. Crockett interrupts, saying he's got an angle to play to reel Mosca in, but Gina reminds them that she's already got a way in. Castillo tells her to play up to Mosca , and tells Sonny and Rico to lean on Willie.

At Willie's pasta factory, Mosca threatens Willie, wanting to know why he hasn't begun using him and cutting off Roth for laundering his money. Mosca insists that the expected cash show up by the end of the day, taking the keys to the factory as "collateral."

Sonny tells Gina why he doesn't want her dealing with Mosca, and she tells him that even though she knows what he'd done to Sonny's friend, she can handle him just fine. Gina contacts Mosca and arranges to see his new place, while Crockett and Tubbs shakedown Willie at his factory, threatening to turn his drug business over to the feds, and giving him the choice to go down alone or give them Mosca.

Gina and Mosca talk interior design over drinks at his place, and he eventually lets her know that he's interested in her, and wants to pursue a relationship. This development has her on edge back at OCB when Sonny cracks a joke about how her "date" with Mosca went. He's uneasy after she snaps at him about the joke, worried about what Mosca will do to her if her cover is blown.

Crockett and Tubbs go back to Willie's house to check up on him, but all they find is his body floating in a pool chair.

Federal agents meet with Castillo about combining efforts in trying to catch Mosca again, wanting to get someone inside. Castillo tells them they already have someone inside, but he doesn't want to worried about Federal efforts conflicting with their ongoing investigation. They assure him that his team can have point on the investigation as long as they remain informed.

Mosca's associate Billy tells him that Gina's background and credentials all check out. They all go to dinner, where he and Gina get very friendly. During the ride home, Mosca and Gina drink more, and he confides to her that he's a "freelance banker" with branches all over the East, and he's opened a new one in Miami. Once back at Mosca's house, they drink some more, and begin to dance [Sweetest Smile]. He tells her he wants to redecorate the bedroom first, but she resists going upstairs with him. But Mosca persists, and forces Gina into having sex with him.

Next day, two of the federal agents who met with Castillo confront Mosca while he's buying flowers, trying to press him about money laundering and Willie Cook's death. Mosca isn't intimidated.

At OCB, Rico questions how she was able to get so much information out of him, and Gina admits they were both very drunk. She surmises that Willie's death was the first strike in his move against Jimmy Roth, an established launderer. Castillo asks when Mosca told her all of this information, but she doesn't answer. Everyone else silently guess at what really happened, especially a disappointed Sonny. Gina ends up confiding in Trudy that she did sleep with Mosca, not completely unwillingly, and she's distraught about being attracted to him, despite what she knows about him.

Mosca meets with Chase, one of the agents that confronted him earlier, stringing him up to maintain his attention. Mosca demands to know why he's paying the agent if he can't contribute information to help him avoid situations like the one earlier. Mosca threatens him to discover who the leak is, and scares the agent into revealing that a Vice cop has already gotten close to him, and only within the past few days. Angry that he wasn't told about the undercover operative sooner, and that he's being deceived, Mosca has the agent killed.

Later, Mosca tries to apologize to Gina for taking things as quickly as he did, reassuring her that he's still interested in her, if she's willing to continue seeing him. She is touched by his heartfelt apology and agrees. Afterwards, Billy reminds Mosca that the previous night in the limo, he was drunk and telling her everything.

Gina and Mosca meet for dinner, with his rival Roth, where they talk about old and future times. Mosca and Gina stay outside the restaurant talking after the Roths leave. Moments later a car drives by, and automatic weapons fire sprays the entire restaurant front. Crockett arrives on scene, desperate to make sure that Gina's unhurt, despite Tubbs' warning that he might blow her cover.

At OCB the next day, Castillo chastises Crockett about approaching them and jeopardizing Gina's cover. Trudy is worried that she hasn't checked in yet, and Castillo tells Sonny and Rico to go shake down Roth and find out what he knows.

Back at the house, Mosca tells Billy to get rid of the drive-by car after wiping down the fingerprints, and Billy tells Mosca that he wishes he could have taken out Gina at the same time. Thinking Mosca is still outside, Gina calls OCB to check in. She manages to tell Stan that she thinks Roth killed Cook, and not Mosca, but before she can say anymore, she suspects she's been overheard and hangs up. Mosca, who was listening, invites Gina to go on a drive with him. She declines at first, but he insists.

Crockett, Tubbs and the lead federal agent interview Roth about the drive-by and about Cook's death. Roth tells them he didn't do either one, but that he wishes he had since Mosca is trying to drive him out. Roth then tells them that he's willing to make a deal in order to save a cop's life. They pretend to not understand what he's talking about, but Roth tells them he knows that Gina's a cop, and he's knows that Mosca also knows.

Crockett and Tubbs race to Mosca's house [Dangerous Game] hoping to get there before he can do anything to Gina, but they arrive too late. Mosca and Gina have already left the house, and Crockett has to rough up Billy in order to find out where Gina's been taken.

At the pasta factory, Mosca tells Gina that he knew she was a cop after they'd slept together. Just as he's about to garrotte her, Crockett and Tubbs burst in and move to arrest him. Mosca uses Gina as a shield before throwing her down and running, beginning a chase through the factory [Winners & Losers]. The chase ends when Gina outflanks Mosca and kills him.

-- Jo Brooks

Guest Cast and Music
Guest Cast
Stanley Tucci
Michael Wincott
Meg Foster
Paul Herman
Frank Stallone
Additional Cast
Antoni Corone
Christian Ashley Gardner
Greg Giordano
Mark McCracken
Gabriel Traversari
Duke Vincent
Featured Music
Black, The Sweetest Smile (Remix)
Tommy Shaw, Dangerous Game
Iggy Pop, Winners & Losers
Production Credits
Music by
Michael Mann and
John Petersen

Co-Producers
Donald L. Gold
Michael J. Attanasio

Produced by
Richard Brams

Created by
Anthony Yerkovich

Executive Producer
Michael Mann

Co-Executive Producer
Dick Wolf

Casting by
Bonnie Timmermann

Associate Producer
Daniel Sackheim

Executive Story Consultant
Michael Duggan

Story Editor
David Black

Story Editor
Peter Lance

Story Editor
Robert Palm

Theme by
Jan Hammer

Director of Photography
Oliver Wood

Art Director
Eva Anna Bohn

Edited by
Michael Ornstein
Dick Williams

Unit Production Manager
Lou Fusaro

First Assistant Director
Chip Chalmers

Second Assistant Director
Bruce Alan Solow

Miami Casting by
Lori S. Wyman
Cheryl A. Louden

Casting Assistant
Majorie W. Morhaim

Set Decorator
Robert J. Lacey, Jr.

Supervising Sound Effects Editor
Scott Hecker

Music Editor
Dino A. Moriana

Sound
Joe Foglia

Costumes by
Richard Shissler

In Collaboration with
Eduardo Castro

Stunt Coordinator
Paul Nuckles

Visual Consultant
Joel Lang

Titles & Optical Effects
Universal Title