Taxi Brooklyn Episode 1.05 Ambush

So far, Cat's obsession with solving her father's murder hasn't stopped her from doing her job. But what happens when one of Cat's cases turns suddenly personal? This episode brought the detective her toughest challenge yet.

The Case of the Wanted Witness

Following Rhys' surprise appearance at the precinct, Leo is not about to let Cat drop the subject of her suitor, so Leo tricks her into talking about him. Cat admits she and Rhys have had dinner, but just once. Leo is intrigued - until he learns Rhys is an Englishman, the natural enemy of the French.

Leo and Cat's conversation turns serious when they spot a corrections van being tailed by two SUVs. A group of armed men climbs out and begins firing at the van. An officer is killed; another one is injured, and a prisoner is shot before Cat takes aim at the assailants. When the gunmen shift their focus to Cat, four prisoners escape. The armed men drive off soon after, nearly running over Cat in the process.

At the precinct, Captain Baker reveals the van was carrying five prisoners from Rikers Island. He reads the names of the women aloud, pausing at Eleanor Wilson. Eleanor, aka Ellie Wilson, is the sole witness to Cat's dad's murder. Cat believes Ellie was the attack's intended target and that the Capellas are likely involved. Leo disagrees, noting that another prisoner, and not Ellie, wound up dead.

As Cat and Leo research the other escapees, they realize Paula Poe has no photo or history. It dawns on Cat that Paula Poe is a variant on Jane Doe. Before they can look into it further, Cat learns one of the missing prisoners, Alicia Dean, has been found dead under the Queensboro Bridge.

Shot twice in the head, Cat believes Alicia was executed Capella-style, but Assistant District Attorney Bobby DelVeccio arrives and attributes the killing to the Russian mob. The corrections van was carrying the D.A.'s star witness in a grand jury case against Russian leader Vasily Kell. Paula Poe - real name Kristin Malone - was the target. But since Kell doesn't know what Kristin looks like, the Russians must kill all of the escapees, including Ellie. Leo notes that since Kell knew when and where the van would be, the D.A.'s office has a leak.

Captain Baker orders Esposito to keep watch over escapee Debra Salvo's brother while Cat pays the Russians a visit. Kell, however, doesn't reveal anything more than a love for Point Break. But while Cat and Leo chat with Kell, one of his associates gets a phone call and leaves. Coincidentally, Esposito phones Cat at the same time to tell her Debra's brother is on the move, and he's withdrawn a large amount of money.

When Debra rendezvouses with her brother, Cat, Esposito, Leo and the Russians are waiting. Cat and Esposito sideline two of the attackers but another one catches Debra and Leo inside a cable bar. The Russian pulls out a knife, but Leo blocks his attack on Debra and saves her life.

At the precinct, Cat is about to question Debra when Gregg enters with a female FBI agent. Cat's jealousy gets the better of her, and she confronts the woman, whom she believes to be Gregg's mistress, and orders her to back off. Gregg pulls Cat aside and says that it's not true, but Cat dismisses him.

Debra says Kristin kept mostly to herself during the ride from Rikers, but that she and Ellie ran out of the van together when it was hit. Debra also tips off Cat and Leo to Ellie's possible location, saying Ellie repeatedly mentioned scoring heroin from someone her cellmate recommended.

Ellie's cellmate Desi gives Cat the information she's looking for but for a price: her panties. Leo is still laughing at Cat when Frankie calls and asks Cat how she feels about her dating. Surprisingly, Cat tells Frankie she knows just the guy for her and tells Frankie she'll set the whole thing up. Leo wonders what changed Cat's mind about setting up her mother with Captain Baker. Simple, says Cat; she'd prefer her mom date the Captain than cruise bars.

As guessed, Ellie is hiding out at the drug den, and Kristin is by her side. When Cat shows up, Kristin and Ellie make a run for it and hop into Leo's waiting cab. He protests that he's off-duty but they command him to drive. Leo tries to distract them with conversation, but Ellie spots the police binder on his passenger seat and she and Kristin bolt. Knowing he's royally screwed, Leo picks up Cat and breaks the bad news.

Back at the precinct, Cat channels her anger into arranging the Captain's date with her mom. At first, Baker is reticent, but he acknowledges Cat's mom is a knockout. Cat reminds the Captain to take her mother to some place nice, a restaurant whose tablecloth is a nicer blend of polyester than his suit, for example.

Cat next checks in with A.D.A. DelVeccio and instructs Leo to stay put in his cab. But it's not long before Leo defies Cat's orders. He sees a man getting dropped off by the Russians deposit a briefcase in his trunk. Leo follows the guy into the D.A.'s office and discovers he works as a clerk in the grand jury office.

Inside the trunk, Leo finds piles of cash. Cat sneaks up behind him, pointing a gun at his head, and is outraged by Leo breaking the law. But Leo's bit of burglary helps the pair incriminate the clerk. Adapting a Russian accent, Leo enters the clerk's office and asks the clerk to retrieve Kristin's new court date, which he does after being shown another wad of cash. Cue Cat, who cuffs the clerk and brings him to the FBI. She makes a deal with Gregg: He can arrest Kell if Gregg agrees to locate Ellie Wilson. As always with Gregg, Cat gets her wish. Kristin is found soon after Kell's arrest, and Cat assures her she is finally safe.

Frankie gets a ride from Leo for her date with the Captain. As Leo's driving away, he catches Cat spying on the two through a window. Frankie also notices her daughter's prying eyes and tells Baker. But the surprise is on Cat; Frankie and the Captain have been dating in secret for some time. Now that Cat thinks she set them up, the couple can go public.

Cat's eavesdropping is interrupted when Gregg texts with Ellie's location. Cat meets them at a diner and tells Gregg to get in touch when he can arrange a meeting between her and her anonymous texter, who is indeed the undercover FBI agent embedded with the Capellas.

Ellie says she will only tell Cat everything she knows if Cat lets her go. Cat reluctantly agrees, but only after she makes Ellie spend the night with her drug-free. The next morning, before Ellie boards a bus to her parents' home in Virginia, she tells Cat that someone else drove her dad to the site of his death. And that after he was shot, the person in the car drove away and turned on his police lights.

Cat seems to be making real progress on her dad's case by episode's end, but as luck would have it, bad news rears its ugly head. A phone call from Gregg reveals the FBI's undercover agent has been found dead.

Will Cat's quest for answers cost her her life? Do the Capellas know someone among them was texting Cat? We'll be watching next week's episode with baited breath.