Taxi Brooklyn Episode 1.01 Pilot

Contrary to popular belief, there's more to Brooklyn than coffee shops and indie bands... like crime, which Detective Cat Sullivan is dedicated to eradicating in her native New York. In the series premiere of Taxi Brooklyn, we get our first taste of Cat in action. Let's start off with the episode's biggest mystery:

The Case of the Possible Second Suspect

We first meet Cat alone in a diner, receiving anonymous texts about a bearded man seated nearby. Cat reaches for her gun. Is she going to arrest him? Interrogate him? We'll never know, because just then a speeding cab races by. The cop car in pursuit screeches to a halt after nearly hitting Cat's partner, Detective Esposito. Cat jumps behind the wheel and charges off in pursuit - despite Esposito's protests about her driving.

As the cab expertly navigates sharp corners and tight alleys, Cat and Esposito follow closely, taking out every trash can along the way. A sudden turn forces both cars to crash into a school bus, which breaks Esposito's nose. The robber makes a run for it and Cat chases him on foot, but he escapes on a passing subway train. Defeated, Cat brings in the cab driver for questioning.

At the precinct, Cat learns the cab driver's name is Leo Romba. He is a Frenchman living in the U.S. He mistakenly believes flirting with Cat will allow him to go free, but Cat settles the question quickly, nearly breaking Leo's finger in the process. Under questioning, Leo says the robber put a gun to his head, but Cat is not convinced. Leo then advises her to consult his cab's tablet on which he recorded the robber.

The interrogation is interrupted when Captain John Baker confronts Cat about her reckless driving. He reminds her that she's lost five partners and wrecked three cars in the past month. Esposito had to be talked out of filing a grievance. Cat's unfazed.

But soon, Cat is angered to learn that FBI special agent Gregg James is taking over her case; James just happens to be Cat's ex-husband. Her angry outburst about Gregg's involvement leads Captain Baker to revoke Cat's driver's license and reassign her to foot patrol.

But perhaps in a show of loyalty, Gregg tells Cat she can work the case by herself for 48 hours. It's the first time Cat has spoken to Gregg since he cheated on her and all he wants is to win her back.

Knowing Cat has no car at her disposal, Leo offers to be her driver if she'll help him prove his innocence. Together, they set off for the site of the crime, a Brooklyn bank. Medical examiner Dr. Monica Pena confirms the existence of a second suspect. A bank representative informs Cat that $1 million was stolen and that judging by the robber's timing, he knew exactly what he was doing.

Surveying the area, Leo surmises the bank was chosen because of its proximity to three nearby escape routes and its prime location for idling cabs. Cat may still not trust Leo, but she's definitely finding him useful. Their moment of shared understanding is broken then by a phone call from Dr. Monica, who instructs Cat to meet her at the site of another dead body.

The deceased is identified by Leo as a fellow cab driver named Vincent; he was shot through the head and his cab set ablaze. Cat asks Leo to call the dispatcher to see if Vincent had reported his most recent location before going off the grid. Leo learns that Vincent had been in downtown Brooklyn before he died. He also makes a second discovery: a diamond in the back of the cab.

Security footage from the burgled diamond shop shows the robber using Vincent's cab as his getaway vehicle. Leo realizes Vincent was killed because he could identify the burglar and it occurs to Leo that without Cat he would probably be dead too. Cat and Leo seem to share a tender moment - until Cat receives a call from Gregg. It turns out Leo was incarcerated for being the getaway driver in a French bank heist.

An enraged Cat throws Leo; he confesses he hid his past from her but insists that his ability to read people could truly help solve this case and others. Against her better judgment, Cat grabs Leo and heads to a remote location she's sure her ex Gregg would never go: Cat's mom's house.

Cat's mom Frankie is only too happy to welcome the charismatic Leo, much to Cat's chagrin. Following several flirtatious exchanges, Frankie goes to bed, but not before inviting Leo to join her. Instead, Leo stays behind to help Cat. He also opens up about his life behind bars, revealing that his wife divorced him during his prison stay, remarried and retained sole custody of their son. Having snitched on his fellow thieves to receive a lesser sentence, Leo was forced to move to the U.S. for his own safety following his release.

Bearing down on the case, Leo and Cat realize the burgled bank and diamond store have a link, a common insurance company called New York Metro Exchange. Before they can head over to investigate, Gregg knocks at the door; he's looking for Leo. Cat stands in his way and coyly asks Gregg if he really does still love her. She staves off his search with a promise of a reconciliatory dinner date (one she has no intention of keeping, by the way).

At the New York Metro Exchange, executives inform Cat that their servers were recently hacked - perhaps that's how the robber gleaned the security and schedule information that enabled the heist. Cat and Leo note nervousness in the firm's head of IT, Anna Miller. While looking over the stolen information, Leo deduces what could be the perp's next target. The drop-off point for an armored car's money transfer is located near a series of street closures and multiple cab routes.

When Cat and Leo arrive at the location of the armored car, they see a construction worker shoot two guards and take off with the money. The robber hops aboard a waiting motorcycle but Cat catches the getaway driver when the bike crashes into a car. The accomplice reveals the robber's name: Dominic. Cat realizes he is referring to a former cop and the husband of Anna Miller.

Cat and Leo track down the Millers, but Dominic makes a break for it, running to the building's roof. As he flees down a fire escape, he's cut off by Leo, who promptly pulls up in his cab and knocks Dominic to the ground. Perhaps "Hey! Somebody call for a taxi?" could become Leo's catchphrase.

As a thank you, Cat puts Leo up for a reward and sticks up for him to Gregg, who threatens to have him deported. Cat promises to contact a friend in the immigration office to help Leo attain legal residence. A grateful Leo wraps Cat in a warm hug and then invites her to his friend Vincent's funeral.

Cat pays her respects to Vincent and then spies her mother leaving flowers on her father's grave. Leo interrupts and shows Cat some video from the diner he recorded on his tablet, revealing new information about the bearded man and bringing us to the second biggest mystery of the episode...

The Case of Cat's Dead Dad

Yes, Cat was at that diner trying to apprehend the bearded man because an anonymous source claiming to have information about her father's murder directed her to him. Leo's cab interrupted her the first time. A second potential rendezvous was scrapped when Cat arrived at the location her anonymous source had directed her to with Leo in tow. Now, she's been sent a video with footage of the exact moment her father was shot, just before he died in her arms.

Despite the protests of her mother and Captain Baker (who we learn is actually Cat's godfather), Cat is hell-bent on doing whatever it takes to solve her dad's murder. And in fact, the video Leo produced from the diner seems to confirm her worst suspicions. Cat realizes the person the bearded man was meeting at that diner is the internal affairs officer placed in charge of Cat's father's case.

How much deeper does the conspiracy surrounding her father's case go? Could Captain Baker be involved? We'll tune in next week to see what Cat can unearth with Leo at her side and serving as her personal driver.