Boomtown Quotations

Boomtown was a television show that depicted crime in Los Angeles from the very different perspectives of the four groups most intimately involved in the pursuit of justice -- the police, the citizens, the politicians, and the media -- and artfully illustrated how they interconnect.

Pilot [1.1]

Elderly black man: [referring to the L.A. River] Not quite the Ganges, is it? Not really a river anymore. Used to flood like a son of a bitch when I was a boy. They paved it all up in the '50s. London's got the Thames, Paris got the Seine. Vienna's got the Blue Danube. L.A.'s got a...concrete drainage ditch. It's all we've got. It'll have to do.

Andrea: Why are we here?

David: We're here Andrea because someone was shot.

Andrea: Given that that happens every day in the city, why are we all here for this one?

David: Because this happens every day in this city. I didn't see a crowd of reporters at 163 and Florence two days ago when Conchita Escovito was killed by a stray bullet while she sitting at her kitchen table feeding her baby girl. You're damn right I had my assistant call your editors and news directors because I knew that me being here could get you here. Now, look. I don't blame you because you don't go to the scene of every shooting. When something happens every day, it stops being news. I'm no saint above this myself. The only reason I knew those two names I just mentioned is because they're ongoing cases. You ask me who was murdered on this day six months ago? I wouldn't know. Not their names, anyway. I tend not to forget the faces.

Boss: [referring to David] What do you think of him?

Andrea: I don't ...think of him. He's a politician.

Boss: He seems real to me.

Andrea: Yeah, well, you know what they say about politicians. The key to success is sincerity. Once they learn that, they've got it made.

Andrea: [to David] I don't know if you came over here looking to get lucky, but I'm exhausted. I'm gonna run a bath. If you'd like a shot at jumping my bones, you should be uh...naked...by the time the bath is full.

David: That's not why I came.

[David's phone rings]

Andrea: Suit yourself.

Ray: [to Tom, referring to Joel] What, are you in love with the guy?

Tom: Shut up.

Ray: I'm serious. The way you're looking at him. What's your problem with him?

Tom: Everything comes easy to him -- sailing through The Academy and making detective.

Ray: Yeah, I'm tired of good things happening to the good. It's high time we celebrated mediocrity. Just let go of that crap.

Tom: Yeah, like you?

Ray: My situation is a little different. He thinks I'm soiled. Spend five years in The Heights, go fishing with a guy, you go to his kid's birthday parties, ipso facto you're dirty. Guilt by association, that's all it is. Nothing I'd like better than to do a dance in a dark stairwell with that self-righteous son of a bitch. I don't let that show. I smile, I make nice, I let him think I'm his best friend in the world.

David: Shh! Listen! You hear that? That swirling sound. That's all of young Taylor's hopes and dreams and aspirations just spiraling round and round and whoosh! Right down the drain.

Joel: Fearless, you know what, I can't do the good cop/bad cop thing.

[Joel then turns and shouts at Taylor]

Joel: You shot a six year old! What's wrong with you? [pause] Don't say anything. Don't say anything. 'Cause it doesn't matter to me. We got the shell casings from the floor of the car. So if you did it, or your friend did, I could care less. You both go to jail for murder.

Ray: [to Joel and Fearless] Well, uh, you boys have a nice Southern California day.

Ray: Can you back up your car? I'm chasing a very bad man.

Driver: Well, it won't start.

Ray: I'm just going to squeeze past you.

Driver: Look out! Look out! Don't touch my car!

Ray: Well, we're insured, fully insured. [Under his breath] I hope we're insured.

Mr. La Fontaine: I've been trying to think of a prayer, but I'm coming up blank. It's been a long time. You, you, got any?

Joel: No, no, I'm all out.

Mr. La Fontaine: How about you? Prayer?

Fearless: I don't have any prayers, but I do have a story.

Mr. La Fontaine: Okay.

Fearless: There was this wave, way out on the ocean. And he was just racing along having a great time -- and just sunlight glinting, spray just flying -- until one day he looked ahead, and he saw wave after wave in front of him crashing on the beach, and he got scared. And this older wave in front of him said, 'I know exactly what your problem is. You've been having so much fun being a wave, that you forgot you're really just part of the ocean.'

Mr. La Fontaine: I like that. Part of the ocean. Okay. [pours his grandson's ashes into the river] River, take my grandson home.

Possession [1.2]

[overheard by a telemarketer]

Man #1: Why are you doing this?

Man #2: Why? Why am I doing this? You bang my wife, and you ask me why I'm doing this?

...

Man #1: Bang your wife?

Man #2: Laura's my wife! I followed you home from Ivan's party last night. I watched you giving it to her right here.

...

Man #2: You might as well deny it moron, because I'm gonna kill you. And then you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna go see Laura at her doctor's at noon and then I'm gonna put her lights out too.

Man #1: You friggin' freak show, she thinks you're a joke.

[gunshots]

Man #2: How 'bout that? Is that a joke?

Operator: Hello, this is the operator. Was anyone shot at your home? Okay, thank you, have a nice day. Hello, sir, are you dead? No? Is the lady of the house dead? Is the person that handles your long-distance provider dead?

David: Let me tell you why I'm here. The police asked me if there was any legal reason I could find to compel you to help them. Trouble is, I couldn't find a reason.

Mike: That's exactly what I told them.

David: They could get you a search warrant.

Mike: Search warrant? To search what, my brain? I have nothing written down.

David: Even then, it would be too late, the guy's wife's gonna be dead in, what, an hour and a half?

Mike: Look, I don't want any harm coming to any one, but my business depends upon discretion, who attends my parties must remain my secret, or I'm out of business.

David: No, I understand your position. Now, I want you to understand mine. As I said, the police think I'm in here working up some kind of legal strategy to force you to give them the information that they need. But that's not why I'm here. The reason I'm here is, I'm gonna ask you a favor.

Mike: I wish I could.

David: Shhh. I think you're gonna want to hear this. As a kid, growing up in Dorchester, Massachusetts, it's this tough little suburb just outside Boston. My father had the title of Supervisor of Public Works. But that's not what he did. Wanna know what he did? He fixed things. People of power needed things to be done, they called ol' Jackie boy, and let me tell you, he got things done. Now, my father taught me lots of things, lot of things. One of the things he did teach me was how to hurt someone without leaving any bruises. We're talking excruciating pain without leaving any marks. You know how he did it? Went for the internal organs. Let me show you how he did it. Here Mike, could you hold this for me?

[David hands the man his jacket.]

David: Thanks. What he'd do is that you wanna go for the spleen. You see, right underneath the rib cage.

[David punches the wall.]

David: Or you then maybe one in the liver.

[He punches the wall again.]

David: One of his favorites was going for the kidney, cause believe me, I know, was going for the kidney and--

[He punches the wall a third time, slamming his fist right through the drywall.]

David: One good kidney shot and you're pissin' blood for a month. So the favor I'm gonna ask is really quite simple. Don't help the police. Don't tell them who was at your party last night. Don't help them stop a guy from killing his wife. Just don't. Cause let me tell ya, I'm not in a good mood today, and there is nothing I'd rather do than beat that supercillious look off of your face. You get me?

Rental Agent: There are stains on the throw rug in the upstairs bathroom.

Ivan: I'm sure there are.

Rental Agent: What are they?

Ivan: What do you think?

Rental Agent: That's disgusting.

[Joel and Fearless enter]

Rental Agent: [to Joel and Fearless] Yes?

Joel: L.A.P.D.

Rental Agent: What do you want?

Ivan: It's probably about the snuff film we shot in the basement. Wait til you see those stains.

Rental Agent: What?!

Ivan: I'm kidding! I'm just kidding. You detectives know I'm kidding, don't you?

Joel: Yeah, yeah, looks like you had some party here last night.

[Ivan makes a call]

Ivan: [on phone] Jared, it's Ivan. How are you? Well, I'm here at the Bolaby house and two detectives from the L.A.P.D. have come to visit. [to Fearless] My lawyer would like to have a word.

Joel: We don't wanna speak to him.

Ivan: [on phone] Yes, okay. Well I can assure you that my party was fully permitted. All my parties are, I'm scrupulous in that regard. We've had people around here try to shut us down on dozens of occasions, and each time I've come out smelling like a rose.

Joel: Excuse me.

Fearless: So what exactly happens at your parties?

Ivan: I provide the very best in exotic private dancing entertainment for a select clientele.

Joel: Private strip shows for rich people.

Ivan: How very to the point. Lest you concern yourselves, there are no drugs, the girls are all over 21 and there's no sex. Just the illusion of sex. The promise of sex, sex is in the very air, but no sex per se.

Fearless: We need to know who was at your party last night.

Ivan: I'm afraid I can't help you with that.

[Joel gestures for the phone.]

Ivan: [on phone] Ah, one of them does want to talk to you.

Joel: [on phone] Yes, you can tell your client we're not here about permits. We're here because someone who came to his party last night was murdered this morning. And if we don't find the murderer within two hours, your client is going to be facing obstruction, interfering in an official investigation, and aiding in the commission of a homicide. Have you got him a permit for any of that?

[Ivan listens to his lawyer on the phone.]

Ivan: Yes. [He hangs up] My lawyer says, to get a warrant.

Joel: Listen to me you son-of-a-bitch, a woman is going to be murdered.

Joel: That call's getting better and better. Vanessa Griggs, we have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is, your husband was murdered by some guy that you dance for, and now he wants to kill you too. The good news is, he's also the guy in the car chase on TV.

Luis: One thing I do not understand. I know I stole the truck, my mission from God notwithstanding. But why were there so many police chasing me? It's not like I killed someone. Whose truck did I steal?

All Hallows Eve [1.5]

Tom: C'mon. I'm sweatin' like a Backstreet Boy in a holding cell.

Execution [1.14]

Little: What are you gonna do?

David: What I do best.

Little: You gonna have sex with him?

David: Wow. Thank you.

Little: Sure. What are you going to do?

David: Make a closing argument.

The Big Picture [2.6]

Tom: McNorris, I stood two feet away from that girl. I did nothing. You have no idea what that's like.

David: You're right. I don't. I have no idea what it's like to be a cop. But I do know my fair share about one thing: guilt. Wallowing in it. Numbing myself in it. Getting in knock-down, drag-out brawls with it. So, I can tell you this much: it never ends up being a fair fight. Careful, Tom.

Cast

Gary Basaraba as Officer Ray Hechler
Jason Gedrick as Officer Tom Turcotte
Neal McDonough as David McNorris, Deputy D.A.
Lana Parrilla as Teresa Ortiz, Paramedic
Donnie Wahlberg as Detective Joel Stevens
Mykelti Williamson as Detective Bobby 'Fearless' Smith
Nina Garbiras as Andrea Little, Reporter (Season One)

Quoternity