Expansion is the fourth episode of the the fourth season of Snowfall. It is the thirty-fourth episode overall.
Outline
Franklin's missteps put Leon in the crosshairs, resulting in an unexpected reconnection. Teddy faces fallout from Tijuana. Irene's investigation has a promising new lead.
Summary[]
Wanda[]
Wanda is outside a burger joint messing with the tooth that came from her mouth and approaches a bunch of people asking if they wanted to buy a tooth but is having no luck. She then spots Leon and his crew and approaches him, claiming she has a tooth for sale. He hands her some cash but doesn't take the tooth as he, Fatback, C.J., and another guy are ordering some food, unaware the Skully, Cornrows, Kirby, and another guy are prepared to roll up on them with a drive-by. Wanda quickly notices the Bloods engaging and screams for Leon. The Family takes cover behind the vehicle as the Bloods are rolling up on them spraying bullets in their direction and hitting some customers as well, while Family members are returning fire. After the shooting, Leon quickly noticed that Wanda got hit in the process, alive but barely conscious. Leon then yelled for someone to call an ambulance while telling Wanda to keep breathing and not close her eyes.
Franklin[]
Franklin is at Tanosse's place as they are both rekindling the flame they once had in the bedroom. The phone is ringing but they are 'busy' at the moment. A message plays on Tanosse's answering machine from one of her friends over the drive-by shooting at the fast food joint, same one where Wanda was shot. They continue their mating and Franklin all of a sudden gets a page.
Leon[]
Franklin is later at the hospital with Lurp and finds Leon and the other Projects dudes and asks about Wanda. Leon tells him she is in surgery at the moment. Franklin then warned him to lay low, and Leon stated he was just getting some food. Leon then signals C.J. who then walks off and Franklin points out that Skully is now both their problems and states if they are going to retaliate, they should do it together, and Leon points out that his ambush plot failed the last time he wanted to hit Skully. Leon also blames Franklin for the fact that Skully is coming after him and his friends. Franklin doesn't disagree as the ambush went sideways, but points out he seen the Bottoms, stating walking in there and spraying bullets would be suicide. Leon just leaves a speechless expression and Franklin bids him good luck as he departs. Fatback walks up to him and asks what Franklin wanted. Instead, Leon tells Fatback to find Skully, find out where they can hit him, and hire someone so they follow him or his men. Fatback is a little confused on who to hire as Leon tells him to hire a private investigator.
Teddy[]
Teddy and Gustavo arrive at Avi's bar and Avi tells him about the shipment that never left Beirut, courtesy of Hezbollah. Avi then complements both Teddy and Oso for looking like a mess, he then tells them they are hosting a wedding and a champagne tasting in the bar. Teddy then asked if Avi's really lost $15 million to Hezbollah, and Avi said it wasn't officially, just never made it to the escrow account. Teddy then asked what the officials at Banco de Panama told him, and Avi said it was transferred and withdrawn. Teddy is not happy to hear about it knowing that his money is in the hand of Middle Eastern terrorists and Avi assures him he'll get it right. Teddy, of course, suggests Avi heads to Beirut and Avi calls him insane. Teddy then walks out unsatisfied with Gustavo in tow.
Leon[]
Leon and Fatback are at the office of Reggie D. Hudson and state they need him to find a man named Skully, but Reggie requests his birth name, which Leon and Fatback can't provide. His secretary, who is also his mother, tells Reggie she is heading to lunch. Reggie then asked the guys where Skully lives, and they tell him he is in the Bottoms. Reggie is uncomfortable with the job as he realizes he is looking for someone in Blood infested territory without a proper name or photo. Leon then throws down a wad of cash stating he could figure that out on his own, which Reggie said he could give it a shot. Leon then pointed out how he wanted him to find out where Skully hangs around outside the Bottoms, but to mind his business afterwards. Reggie agrees as the meeting is adjourned.
Franklin[]
Franklin and Cissy are with Paul Davis enjoying a nice cuisine at a high end restaurant, and Cissy expresses her gratitude for the lunch and for resolving their issue with Nix. Instead, Paul makes his gratitude known for acquiring Rafiki Books and Franklin asked if he was expecting anything else, but Paul stated he didn't know what to expect from them. Cissy, of course, referred to themselves as deliberate, innovative, and resourceful, and Paul calls it quite the sales pitch. Paul then calls over a waiter named Clifton and asked how school was going for him, and the waiter just made it known it isn't easy as he refills Franklin's water glass. Paul tells him to take it easy for he will be at his graduation and hands him a nice tip. Paul then asked Cissy and Franklin what it was they were discussing. Franklin tells Paul that they have the means while he has the connections, calling it a match made in Heaven. Paul tells them he made those connections overtime the hard way while Franklin made his money faster and more suspiciously than expected. Cissy then asks Paul what he wants from them and Paul throws in a pitch, stating they would offer him a Rolls Royce for $1,000, making it too good to be true, but would still jump to that deal quickly only to find out one day he would get pulled over and learn he is driving a stolen car and the police would like to know who gave it to him. He makes it clear that he'll either give them theirs names or face grand theft auto charges and rot in prison, but will either way, lose the Rolls Royce in the end. While Franklin is mum about it, Cissy tells Paul that their cash starts in the streets and goes beyond BSA reporting standards to other place, and once they make their destination, they are layered in various LLCs, leaving no paper trail, and don't matter where. She also points out that by the time they are sitting with Paul talking about it, the money trail with vanish like the tangerine she has in her palm, which there is none as she is making her case. Paul buys the pitch, but suggested starting small, for starters a pet project of his. He recommends to Cissy and Franklin to provide a bridge loan at 6% payout with their capital returned in a year in a half time. Cissy agrees and asks about the project.
Leon[]
Leon and Fatback return to the hospital and asked C.J. what room Wanda was in, and C.J. explains they couldn't visit her yet. Fatback snaps at C.J. after he paged them but C.J. just wanted to alert them about Wanda being out of surgery and no one could see her yet. He then asked if they have a plan for the police in the wake of the drive-by, and Fatback claims the cop won't care, especially at the hospital they brought her to. C.J. then lays it down that Wanda will be discharged from the hospital as soon as she is able to start moving again. That doesn't fly with Leon as he asks a nurse who passes by how long they will keep Wanda in the hospital, and the nurse tells Leon it all depends on the procedure, the recovery time, and the type of insurance she carries. Leon then points out that Wanda is a crack addict and can't just return to the streets in her condition. He then pulls out a wad of cash offering to pay them to hold her until she is weened off the rock. Instead, the nurse walks off. Leon got offended immediately and Fatback noted that nurses don't take cash and the boys take off.
Teddy[]
Teddy is back at the warehouse looking in the mirror, just taking a look at the massive bruise he received after being shot in the body armor by one of Fuentes' men. He then looks at the surveillance footage and finds Agent Havemeyer outside waiting on him. Teddy lets him in and Stephen, who claims to be in town for a wedding, asks about what happened in Tijuana and how DFS is not happy with the situation with the dirty cops as well as the issue with the DEA. Stephen then points out there will be internal investigations and Teddy suggested he take of it in his stead. Teddy, of course, points out what kind of weight he is moving through the jungles. He then noted to Stephen that he would need a financial write-up on Avi Drexler and what kind of large cash deposits he made in his personal accounts. Stephen wondered if it was about the guns that went missing, and Teddy just wanted the issue to be resolved immediately, while telling Havemeyer to enjoy the wedding. Stephen then takes off as Teddy smokes his cigarette.
Reggie[]
Skully is at a taco joint with Cornrows, Kirby, and 2 other Bloods. They are enjoying some tacos while speaking about sticking stuff in peoples exhaust pipes, unaware that Reggie is in his vehicle taking photos of them. Reggie then sees Cornrows looking in his direction and hollering at someone. Reggie soon believed he was made, instead Cornrows is just catcalling a woman passing by his car. Reggie soon realized he was in the clear.
Cissy[]
Franklin and Cissy are going over photos of the pet project that Paul requested a bridge loan for, apparently photos of a church and she doesn't seem impressed. Franklin then pointed out that it is a start, also clamoring about how Cissy's name could be etched on the Wall of Benefactors. Cissy points out they don't put names of people who provide loans on that wall, and Franklin suggested they could also make a donation. Franklin continues to clamor about what future could behold Cissy as she reminds him why they are doing all this in the first place. Franklin then points out that they are already providing safe, affordable housing, extending loans to people, bringing ownerships to Black homes and businesses, and as he gets irate, he throws out putting a stop to centuries longs racism. Cissy then demands her son to calm down. Franklin doesn't seem to understand why she sees a problem in their business. Cissy then points out that the promise Franklin was suppose to keep was completely ignored. Cissy then stated the whole reason she brought Paul Davis on their team wasn't for her, but to get Franklin off the streets and into Legitimate Business Deals. Franklin laughs at that answer and pointed out they were eating expensive cuisine at a country club, not in a crack house. He then points out they are making an investment into a church. Franklin then demands to know what more she wants, and Cissy makes it clear she wants to know how long before it is all they are doing, so they can get out of Teddy's crosshairs so they can do business with wealthy entrepreneurs like Paul Davis, noting how he promised her that clean exit. Cissy then points out to Franklin that if he really wanted to make her happy, he should get them out of the that situation with their backs intact. She then made it known that the real estate game means nothing until Franklin is done with Teddy.
Gustavo[]
Gustavo is at the home of Xiamara, sister of Nuvia Zapata, as she is setting up the home for the boys while they are with their grandparents. Xiamara asked if Oso dealt with he people who murdered Hernan and Nuvia, and Gustavo nods. He sees sleeping bags set up and Xiamara lets Gustavo know the boys will be at her place on the next day. Gustavo then offers Xiamara a wad of cash, stating it would help with the boys, and Xiamara is resistant of it, noting she isn't a mother, and the fact that raising her sister's kids is not something she signed up for. Gustavo leaves the money for her anyway and takes off.
Irene[]
Both Irene and Wilson are at the office and hard at work as they are attempting to get a hold of Tony Marino, and as time flies, they keep hitting dead ends, and it's eventually nightfall as Wilson is sleeping on his desk and Irene is approaching Joanna's office where she is going over some papers on the floor. She offers Irene some whiskey as Irene speaks about the DEA agent she couldn't get a hold of, let alone tried his family members and kept running into roadblocks. Joanna notes that it's late and she is lacking in words of wisdom. She then also suggested trying to reach out to Alton, pointing out that he is an ex-Panther, and Edgewood Shelter is funded with drug money. Joanna then suggested following the money trail.
Cissy[]
At home, Cissy is going over some files while Alton is cooking. Alton asked about the luncheon and then brought up the Mosleys. Cissy said nothing at that point and Alton referred to Paul as a snake. Cissy, of course, reminds Alton that he is now a business man. Alton shares his concern about who Cissy is getting in business with and Cissy makes it known she'll do what she has to do in order to prevent getting arrested or seeing her son go to jail. When Alton asked what would happen if the snake would try to bite him, Cissy stated she would chop his head off and move on to the next one. Alton backs off, grabs some bowls to place at the table, and apologizes, knowing Cissy is looking out for her family, then offers some food.
Franklin[]
Franklin and Teddy are at Louie's and Franklin asks about Nicaragua and how long the United States plans to stay involved. When asked why he would ask such a question, Franklin points out his fate is somewhat tied to his covert war, knowing that as soon as the war ends, Franklin's service would no longer be deemed necessary. Teddy then points that liberating a country from tyranny is not easy. Teddy then makes it clear he does not have a direct date for when the Contra fight will end nor could he give Franklin an estimated guess. Teddy told Franklin to continue his work and he would be the first to learn if Teddy saw the war coming to a curtain call. Franklin then offered to double the effort, pouring out more money for the Nicaraguans for their war. Teddy agrees reluctantly, knowing more money means more resources, which are key to winning wars. Franklin and Teddy then toasted to winning wars.
Leon[]
Leon and Fatback are at the hospital in Wanda's room, seeing Wanda struggling with a nurse, flipping out and calling out for Leon, accusing them of trying to kill her. Fatback leaves the room and Leon implores Wanda to calm herself, stating they are trying to help her. The nurse then gives her a shot, and Leon told Wanda he paid the hospital to hold her a little longer until she was clean of the crack she's been smoking. Leon then made it clear that as soon as she is clean and out of the hospital, he would want nothing to do with her anymore. Wanda then begs Leon to stay with her, which Leon resists, but Wanda further begs noting there is no one else coming to see her. Leon agrees to stick around for the night.
Franklin[]
Franklin is in the office at the nightclub with Jerome, Louie, and Lurp, discussing expanding their business for the Family, trying to figure out what cities they should start with. Louise suggested Little Rock, since she has family there. Jerome then questions the timing, knowing they still have issues in LA. Franklin states that is exactly why they are doing this, and Jerome goes off about telling Teddy they will decrease the buy until the issue with Skully and Manboy are resolved. Franklin refuses, frustrating Jerome. Franklin then gives Louie and Jerome an assignment to reach out to Little Rock, take a brick, show their connections how to cook the rock, and see if Peaches is up for a road trip, suggesting it is the only way to stay safe, out of trouble, and out of exposure. Everyone then leaves, then Franklin looks out the window to find Tanosse cleaning the bar. Louie then lets Franklin know that she came by the bar asking for a job, which she reluctantly gave her. Louie suggested Tanosse has the expertise and could run the club while she was away. Franklin is surprised as Louie points out he can trust her.
Leon[]
Leon and Fatback check out the photos of Skully and where he heads to outside of Inglewood, showing 3 addresses where they could track him down at. Fatback then asked about the place in Gardena, and Reggie points out Skully's grandmothers house, as well as providing his first name 'Terrence'. Reggie then states that was the place he visited more than once and is there for a certain amount of time. He also points out that Skully has been bringing bags into the house and leaving with no bags. Leon and Fatback seem to think that is where he is stashing all his money. Reggie, upon hearing them, tells them they should take their conversation away from his ears. They conclude their business and take off.
Alton[]
At the shelter, Dwayne is watching his baby sister as she is crying and sees his father enter. Dwayne snaps at John demanding to know where he has been and where were the diapers for his sister. John is apparently baked as he tells Dwayne to let him take a seat. Dwayne flips out at John for being high, using the money the shelter gave them to smoke crack. Alton then rushes to them and Dwayne explains the situation, how his father used the money on crack instead of diapers. John then snaps at his son and Alton clears the air, offering to buy his baby sister some diapers while Dwayne can get some orange chicken. Alton then gave John a stern warning that should he ever pull something like that again, he would be out. Alton then made it clear to John that he would lose his kids if he didn't get his life straightened out which he would regret for the rest of his life. He then sends John to get something to eat, but to avoid Dwayne. Alton then spots Irene at the front entrance and Irene asked more about the shelter and what Alton and his wife did for the community. Alton pointed out he never mentioned a wife, nor has he wore his wedding band since he sobered up, and Irene points out some of Alton's past accolades. Alton could see through her, and tells her not to come to the shelter looking for chitchat or stories, because she'll find neither. Irene then leaves.
Franklin[]
Franklin and Lurp arrive at their destination, and when Franklin asked if he would see him in the next morning, Lurp makes it clear that he is done with the Family after this. Franklin is beside himself as Lurp stated that though the money was good, the bloodshed wasn't worth it. He then noted that Vietnam was once thing, but his own people shooting each other up was the red line for him. Franklin refuses to just let Lurp walk away and abandon him during this point of time, and even offers to double his salary. Lurp, however, is steadfast on his decision as Franklin leaves disappointed. Lurp then drives off.
Irene[]
Irene returns home to discover Tony Marino inside her place on her sofa. He then points out that he went through her notes, and suggested hiding them in a safer location. Tony then points out that Irene doesn't know the whole story, for it's not Franklin's drug empire, or Lorena going missing and presumed dead, but who is protecting Franklin Saint and why. Tony then stated how he investigated Irene from her time at Manzanar, to Berkeley Grad, the L.A. Times, the piece about the Owens Valley aqueduct which got her fired, and as he brought up her family, Irene muted him and demanded to know what he was doing. Tony then stated he was testing her to see if she could follow this story to the end. Irene states that she'll get it to print as long as it's true and it matters, but Tony points out that the printing press is only the tip of the iceberg and hands over a series of files. Tony then tells Irene to ask herself who has the power to derail a DEA op and dissolve murder charges especially when the key witness is a federal agent. Irene suggested President Reagan, and Tony tells her she is close. Irene then opens a file and is shocked by what she is seeing, and Tony stated that all she has to do is prove. Irene then tells Tony she wants to hear it from him, and Tony agrees to stick around for an hour to walk her through the case, as long as she understands they ' never met' which is the deal he is willing to strike. Tony makes it clear that the CIA is bringing cocaine into the US which would be the story of a lifetime.
Leon[]
Leon, Fatback, C.J., and another Family member are staking out Skully's grandmother's house in Gardena. Fatback is getting bored, suggesting they should have his cousin stake out the place since all they did was sit around in the Projects. Leon refuses as they wait for something to happen while hearing the bell of a snow cone peddler going off. The peddler then crosses the street, causing another vehicle hit the brakes next to Leon's car. Leon then recognizes Kirby and some of the bloods and Kirby quickly spotted Leon as he drew his gun. Everyone has their guns drawn and it is a massive shootout. C.J. and the other Family member are dead as well as Kirby and another Blood member and the snow cone peddler was killed in the exchange of gunfire. Fatback and Leon exit their vehicle and Leon runs up to see one guy badly wounded and someone popping their head up only to duck again. Leon then fires his Uzi in the vehicle, finishing off the wounded Blood and assuming he spotted Skully in the backseat. Leon then pulls out his sidearm and approached the backseat to finish the job only to discover Khadijah holding Tianna, who is now dead, in her arms, and screaming. Leon soon realized he just killed a young girl and Khadijah continues to cry out for help as she is holding her dead child. Fatback then pulls a dead C.J. out of the driver seat to hop in and tells Leon it is time to bounce. Leon, still reeling from what he did, moved to the passenger seat and they rode off with Khadijah still screaming over her daughter. Leon is still freaked out by what he did and infuriated that it wasn't Skully.
Cast[]
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Episode Deaths[]
- C.J. - Shot by Bloods
- Kirby - Shot by the Family
- Tianna Brown - Shot by Leon Simmons
Music[]
- Love of No Return by Peter Sivo Band
- Spoonin' Rap by Spoonie Gee
- Merry Go Round by The Equatics
- Why Did You Do It by Chicago Gangsters
Notes[]
- Skully's real name, Terrence Brown, was revealed by Reggie D. Hudson.