"George, the Gold, and The Gun"
This episode is a tense, character-driven thriller set in a "Sam Spade-type" office in downtown Cincinnati. It follows two partners in a non-profit foundation whose long-standing relationship unravels over two days, exposing a web of financial deception, personal desperation, and moral compromise.
Characters
- George: A man in his late forties with an athletic build, George is the financial mastermind of the operation. He is disillusioned with the "shell game" he has created and is determined to cash out and disappear. He views his actions as a high-stakes gamble that he won, and he feels entitled to the rewards.
- Bill: George's partner, who believes for fifteen years that their foundation is a modest charity genuinely helping blind orphans. He is married to George's sister, Linda. Bill is unaware of the foundation's immense wealth until the final confrontation. The script reveals he suffers from severe depression and feels the foundation is his only purpose in life.
- Carol: The "saucy" and pragmatic bookkeeper who is complicit in George's scheme. She is not an official employee and receives her payment once a year in one hundred gold coins to avoid taxes. She is tough and unafraid, even threatening Bill when he points the gun at her.
Themes
- Deception and Betrayal: The central theme is the profound deception George has maintained for fifteen years. He has hidden the true nature of their business from his partner and brother-in-law, Bill. When the truth is revealed, Bill feels utterly betrayed, stating, "You're making a monkey out of me!"
- Wealth and Moral Corruption: The original, noble mission of helping blind orphans becomes corrupted by the immense wealth George generates. The foundation transforms into a tax shelter and a "shell game" involving lobbying politicians and covering for doctors. This is symbolized by Carol's off-the-books payment in gold coins.
- Purpose and Despair: While George feels trapped and seeks escape, Bill clings to the foundation as his sole source of purpose and identity. The dissolution of the charity pushes him to reveal his deep depression and suicidal thoughts, as he tells George, "Without you, I'm just some washed up nobody" and "I'd rather be dead".
- Escape: A driving motivation for George is the desire to escape his life, which he feels is empty despite his financial success. His intricate plan to convert his assets to gold and flee to Canada in a "George's Screw and Bolt" truck is his ultimate escape plan.
