| "Ablution" | |
| Season 2, Episode 3 | |
 | |
| Air date | August 31, 2012 |
| US viewers | 0.37 million |
| Written by | Angelina Burnett |
| Directed by | Lesli Linka Glatter |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← previous "Through and Through" |
next → "Redemption" |
"Ablution" is the third episode of the second season. It is the eleventh episode of the series overall. It was first broadcast on August 31, 2012 and drew 0.37 million viewers.[1] It was written by Angelina Burnett and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.
Mayor Tom Kane prepares the family residence for Emma's release on home monitoring. He asks Mona to invite open bids for the Lennox Gardens Housing Project redevelopment, ostracizing his contractor ally Gerald "Babe" McGantry. Mona Fredericks grates at working with the inexperienced Ian Todd but Todd continues to satisfy Kane's demands. Kane experiences hallucinations of Ezra Stone and the murder plagues him on other fronts as Sam Miller continues to investigate. Kitty O'Neill rejects re-conciliatory overtures from Ben Zajac in the form of a campaign manager position. Instead she signs up with his rival Senator Catherine Walsh.
Plot[]
Mayor Tom Kane prepares his family home for the release of his daughter Emma Kane on home monitoring. He goes to place a vase of flowers in her room but is troubled by a hallucination of Emma as a young girl, and imagines himself dropping the vase. Kane is picked up and driven to work. Across town State's Attorney Jeff Doyle attends morning mass at his church.
Kane arrives at work and is briefed by Ian Todd. He learns that Doyle, rather than the police superintendent, is leading the investigation into the shooting of Meredith Kane. Tom is dismissive of Doyle's request that they meet at his office and tells Ian to demand that he come to City Hall in ten minutes. Doyle attends as expected and questions Kane about his enemies. Kane is disappointed that Doyle has not developed a viable suspect and lays into him.
Meredith continues to recover from her injuries in hospital, undergoing physiotherapy to restore her mobility. Tom visits Meredith in the hospital and she warns him not to expect too much from Emma's return home, given their estrangement and his role in triggering her incarceration. Her warning, and his hallucinations, are prescient; Emma ignores Tom when she returns home, searches her room for monitoring devices, and throws the vase of flowers against the door when he tries to talk to her.
Ben and Maggie Zajac prepare for a television interview in their home about Ben's actions during the shooting incident, where his first instinct was to protect his wife. Maggie talks up Ben's heroism during the piece.
Ben meets Kitty O'Neill for lunch. He tells her that he has fired his campaign manager Rick Mathers for incompetence and offers her the job. He also makes a pass at her, trying to restart their sexual relationship. She is disinterested, having just had an abortion for the unwanted pregnancy that resulted from their affair, but does not reveal why. She returns home and channel surfs, despondent, until she gets an unexpected phone call from Senator Catherine Walsh.
Kitty meets Walsh on her campaign bus. Walsh explains that she is focusing her campaign on Cook County and is sending Gwendie back to manage her senate seat. She asks Kitty to cross the aisle and act as her campaign manager. Kitty is surprised but accepts the job offer. Later Kitty meets with Sam Miller. He tells her about Kane seeing Dr. Harris and she reacts with genuine surprise. She reveals that she is now working for Walsh. He asks if he can call her and she responds flirtatiously, telling him that he can, but not about Kane.
Kane sees the Zajac interview and sends Ian to curtail further headline grabbing from the campaign. Ben is angry about being told what to do by a mere aide but Maggie remains clear headed. Ian asks why she is involved and Ben claims that she is his new campaign manager. After Ian leaves she asks Ben if he is sure. She rewards him with a kiss but shuts down his further advances. The next day Ben seduces Patty, one of his campaign volunteers and has her fellate him in his office.
Trey Rogers meets with his ward boss Kenya Taylor, delivering him an envelope of cash from his drug dealing. Darius approaches Trey for help, having spent several days sleeping rough. Trey sets Darius up in a derelict apartment in Lennox Gardens.
Tom Kane meets with Ian and Mona Fredericks to discuss his planned redevelopment of the Lennox Gardens Housing Project. He is disappointed that the initial bids from contractors are inflated by graft and corruption as usual despite his request for a clean approach. Tom lunches with Gerald "Babe" McGantry to express his concerns. He is distracted by another hallucination during the meal, imagining that he has stained his shirt cuff. He goes to the bathroom and scrubs furiously, before realizing that there is nothing there. He returns to the table and insists that Babe clean up his bid.
Mona has an awkward encounter with her former boss Alderman William Ross in the city hall elevators. Later Tom asks her for her opinion of Ian and she says that she thinks that he is inexperienced but capable. Tom has his operatives install surveillance equipment in her office and watches her interacting with Ian, putting him in his place. He also has his people visit her home and install monitoring equipment there, posing as gas company repair men.
Tom arranges for a secretive review by his neurologist, Dr. Ella Harris, at the apartment of his father-in-law Mayor Rutledge. She questions him about his hallucinations and he insists that he is able to cope with them, still not wanting to risk physical side effects from anti-psychotics.
Mona shows Kane revised submissions from the contractors. Babe's proposal is largely unchanged, he has dropped courier fees but nothing else. She highlights a bid from Y&M construction, that is far lower than Kane's usual contractors. He agrees to consider the new firm. He tells Ian that he must tell Alderman Linda Driscoll that he is going to be moving to the Mayor's office. Ian visits Driscoll and softens the blow by promising that he will report to her from inside the Mayor's Office. She locks the door and Ian goes down on her.
Doyle returns to the Mayor's office and brings up Kane's conversation with Darius, noting that no incident report was filed but showing Kane photographs. Kane is dismissive, telling him that Darius is a two bit drug dealer acquainted with his daughter.
Babe visits Meredith to ask her to influence Tom into continuing the status quo of corruption. She refuses to get involved, citing her injuries. Kane meets with Ian and Mona again to discuss the Y&M bid. He hallucinates Ezra Stone urging him to seek redemption for renewal and approves Y&M for the redevelopment.
Emma attends a Narcotics Anonymous meeting and finds Darius waiting for her outside. He asks her to leave town with him but she says that she can't, pointing out her ankle bracelet.
Tom makes an announcement about the Lennox Gardens redevelopment in the Mayoral press room. Ross responds by tasking Taylor with slowing down the process. Babe watches angrily from his home. That night Kane drinks wine while watching Mona at home with her family on his newly installed surveillance.
Appearances[]
- Main:Ablution/Appearances
First appearances[]
The following named, recurring characters are introduced in this episode:
- Jeff Doyle - State's Attorney for Cook County
- Kenya Taylor - Ward Boss for Lennox Gardens
Credits[]
Cast[]
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Starring
Special guest starring |
Guest starring |
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Co-starring |
Co-starring continued |
Crew[]
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Opening credits
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Closing credits
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References[]
- ↑ Bibel, Sara (September 4, 2012). Friday Cable Ratings: College Football Wins Night, 'WWE Smackdown', 'Robot Chicken', 'For Better or Worse','American Hoggers','Lost Girl ' & More. TV by the Numbers.
External links[]
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