Aquarius Episode 1.10 Your Mother Should Know

After having his father Saul arrested, Hodiak brings him home, where Walt awaits them. "Whatever you're thinking of doing, just let me help you do it right," Hodiak tells Walt. "In a way that'll keep you safe and out of prison." Pot-smoking Saul wants Walt go public with his proof of U.S. bombing in Cambodia, but Hodiak knows this is treason. Why not anonymously turn over the stuff to a reporter, then get the best lawyer in town to cut a deal? Distressed by his son's conservatism, Saul insists Hodiak came back from WWII without a heart - or a soul. Just then, Opal knocks, then runs inside to hug Walt. Saul says hello, and when Hodiak tells him to duck, his reflexes aren't fast enough to avoid Opal's roundhouse punch. Now they're going to work out Walt's problems as a family.

Across town at the spiral staircase house, Charlie is discussing his impending fatherhood with Sadie, Mary and Emma, who's worried that no one's thinking about the practical aspect of motherhood, like diapers. That's when a taxi rolls up carrying Charlie's own long-lost mother, Kathleen, who claims she's given up all her vices. She searched Haight-Ashbury for Charlie and was surprised to find he's kind of famous. When Charlie explains that it's all about his music, she laughs, cruelly; Charlie was never interested in music as a boy. Charlie turns to ice, asking if she's come for money, which makes Kathleen turn even crueler. "Don't talk to me like one of your whores," she hisses.

The next morning, Kathleen holds court with Charlie's girls, a lecture on the perils of childbirth. Charlie insists his child will be born in nature, but Kathleen warns that he was nearly strangled by his umbilical cord during his own birth. When Emma renews her plea for "baby stuff," Charlie snaps. Cherry needs to be the solution to the problem. If she wants baby stuff so bad, she should go get some, then demands to know why Kathleen's come. Kathleen claims she's come to make peace; she was 16 when she gave birth to Charlie, and she knows she's made mistakes. Furious, Charlie explains that he finally has his own family - one that he chose. As he stalks off, Kathleen calls after him. Charlie's grandfather is dead, and he's left Charlie a gift: his house and a few acres of land, suitable for farming. Since Charlie can't leave the state, he can sign the land over to her to sell and they can split the $1,500. All Kathleen needs is his signature... Finally aware of the real reason for his mother's visit, Charlie's wheels are already in motion when Roy shows up, hoping to conclude their arms deal. When Charlie offers a barter, Roy advises him to "get some new trim." Later that night, a quietly malevolent Charlie tells Kathleen he's ready to sign her papers.

FBI Agent Rich Sanburg visits the Hollywood Division to lecture the cops on the threat of black nationalist groups, especially the Black Panthers. For surveillance to be effective, the FBI needs names, and the LAPD is going to get those names. Yawns all around, except from Shafe, whose tensely anticipating his first drug deal with Guapo, which may be his only opportunity to tag the supplier. Shafe reports to Guapo at Quality Metal Works, where things are definitely not going according to plan. It turns out the heroin has already been delivered; Shafe has missed the supplier, and now it's time to parse up the drugs. What he doesn't miss is seeing Juan steal a few bricks of heroin. It's not long before screams are heard from another room. Guapo is beating a third man, blaming him for stealing the bricks. When Shafe comes to his defense, Guapo insists he's the next most likely suspect - so Shafe better find that missing heroin.

Bunchy calls Hodiak to report a murder. He helped Hodiak; now Hodiak has to help him, and it can't look like he asked. Hodiak pulls up to a tense South Central scene outside Bunchy's house, presided over by armed Black Panthers. Bunchy's bodyguard - and little brother - Arthur is dead in an alley, shot in the torso. He was staying at Bunchy's last night while Bunchy attended a Panther meeting. Thinking it's a case of mistaking Arthur for Bunchy, Hodiak returns to the precinct to report back to Sanburg - does he have anyone tailing Bunchy? Sanburg will only thank Hodiak for the name of a new enemy of America.

Emma enlists Rick and Sadie to help her rob baby supplies from a friend of her parents in Beverly Hills. Sadie makes herself at home, taking a bath, then starts lecturing Emma. In Sadie's mind, Emma's "adjustment period" with the family should have ended long ago - but Emma has to be the center of attention. That's why she left and brought Rick back to the fold. And Charlie doesn't want Emma; he's just interested in what he can get from Ken. Emma fires back. Charlie uses Sadie to get what he wants from other men. When was the last time Charlie touched her? Once out of the bathtub, Sadie calls the cops, reports a break-in and runs out. Back at the spiral staircase house, she tells Charlie that she's worried about Emma, who may have fallen into the hands of the police.

Hodiak meets with Arthur's wife, Rita, who admits Arthur was feeling paranoid, especially since the cops caught another brother, Gordon, with a shotgun. Arthur thought someone was snitching on the Panthers and was trying to find the culprit. Meanwhile, Shafe knocks on Juan's door, then pushes his way into the apartment, demanding the missing heroin. Juan explains that he was trying to use the odd-smelling heroin to buy his hooker girlfriend Maria back from her pimp - but he wouldn't take it. Luckily, Shafe is perfectly happy to take it back to the precinct in a bowling bag, asking for Hodiak's help to find a fresh corpse. Hodiak takes him to the morgue, where Shafe takes a photo of the youngest dead guy he can find. Then he returns to Quality Metal Works with the heroin and a photo of the dead guy, whom he names as the thief, earning the undying admiration of Guapo.

Hodiak asks Bunchy for the attendance sheet for the Panthers' last meeting. The guy that wasn't at that meeting is likely the man Arthur suspected and his killer. Bunchy objects on principle, but finally relents to allowing Hodiak five minutes with the list. Hodiak lands on a man named Theo Pinkner, whom he recognizes as one of Sandburg's FBI informants. It doesn't take long for Theo to confess to killing Arthur, who was about to blow his cover, and Hodiak can thank him any time now. Pretending to leave the interrogation room to get a drink, Hodiak tells Theo to write a "case report" for the files. And when Theo laughs, saying of course Sanburg condoned the shooting, Hodiak advises him to write that in the report too. Outside the room, Hodiak tells Bunchy that Theo is both his mole and Arthur's murderer; he'll definitely do time. "Sometimes the system can work," Hodiak says. Bunchy laments his brother thought the same way, which is why he fired him from the Panthers. When Bunchy claims he never did anything but rag on his brother, Hodiak puts his hand on his shoulder. Families are all the same, but somehow, they work.

Later that night, Hodiak visits reporter Salazar with Walt's file on the bombing of Cambodia. But Salazar refuses to publish without a source willing to authenticate the veracity of the file. Hodiak is instantly disgusted, knowing Salazar was willing to ruin Joe Moran's life without a public source. Salazar could care less. If it's so important to Hoidak, he should just publish himself. Meanwhile, Rick's father bails him out of the Beverly Hills jail... but no one comes for Emma. Rick calls Shafe with the news, so Hodiak stops by. When Emma claims she doesn't belong in jail, Hodiak reminds her that she's an underage runaway living with a former pimp who's done time for drugs, assault, theft and rape. He knows life with her parents was hard; life is hard for everyone, everywhere, but life in jail is unbearable. And if Emma chooses life with Charlie, she better get used to jail. Hodiak walks off, leaving Emma begging for his mercy.

Late that night, Kathleen has one last offering for Charlie, a photo of them together in happier times, which weren't plentiful. She hangs on to the memory of getting out of jail, when Charlie ran into her arms. There are tears in Charlie's eyes when he smacks his mother to the floor, then forces several tabs of acid into her mouth, seething, "I don't need anything from you." Once Kathleen's senseless, Charlie tells Roy that the new meat is ready. Roy is to do whatever he wants with Kathleen and make sure everyone gets a turn. Once the door to the bedroom closes, Charlie settles down to listen to whatever's happening on the other side.