Oswald: There's a war coming-- a terrible war.
There will be chaos. Rivers of blood
In the streets.
I know it. I can see it coming.
Mooney: It's time. Somebody has to take over.
It might as well be me.
(screams)
My name's james gordon. I'm a detective.
My name is bruce wayne. I promise I will
Find the man who did this.
Stop or I'll shoot!
(gunshot)
He was framed-- to cover up
For the real killer.
I know that you own the police department.
Probably the mayor.
You can't have organized crime without law and order.
You snitched,
My little penguin.
Please!
Falcone wants you to put a bullet in his head.
Then everybody knows you're with the program.
Don't ever come back to gotham.
(gunshot)
(hissing softly)
Ah, there you are.
Been all over the bloody house
Looking for you.
What are you doing?
Nothing.
You, my old son, are a terrible liar.
What have you got there?
Come on. Show me.
Oh, my god, you stupid little boy!
Oh.
It's all right. I'm sorry.
It's gonna be all right.
(indistinct chatter)
(horn honking)
Hi! I'm patti.
This is doug.
We're with the mayor's
Homeless outreach project.
We have some sandwiches and some soup.
Doug: We got cookies, got candy.
Who here likes chocolate?
(chuckles) ain't you hungry, cat?
Yeah, dig in. Take a sandwich.
This is what I need. Sure, go ahead.
Plenty for everyone.
Yeah, sure. Take two.
Hey!
Hey, lady.
Oh, fudge!
Don't worry. I'll go.
(sighs)
Slow down there, buckaroo.
(indistinct chatter)
(grunting)
(screaming)
¶
I got you one, but I dropped it.
Yeah, thanks.
Where is everybody?
I don't know.
What do you think?
I think it's been a long shift. We give this bum three hours,
Then we knock off. (siren chirps)
He was a vet.
I salute his service.
Now he's a dead bum.
People are shooting bums
All the time. We might as well be looking for the tooth fairy.
Hey, guys. Hey, bo.
How come you weren't here?
Whoa, whoa. Good morning to you, too.
Where were you? I was at a restaurant down the street here,
Chez vous. They had some homeless junkie kid,
Fell through their front window last night.
I been taking care of that.
This is a potential murder.
You're first responder.
You're supposed to preserve the integrity of the crime scene.
He's got a point. Well,
The restaurant that pays me $50 a month to look out for them.
So I'm gonna babysit a dead wino? I got a family.
He's got a point.
Why'd the kid jump through the window?
Who knows? He was high.
Did you ask him? Why am I the bad guy here?
I'm asking about the kid because maybe he's related to the victim.
And you're not a bad guy-- you're just a bad cop.
Whoa. Who you talking to?
You know, I already had... Hold on.
Come on. Come on!
You want it? Any day!
Hey! Whoa!
Boy: And then zeb and smoke went right down,
And that's when that wacky dude just shot soldier.
That's when I realized I needed to get out of there.
So I ran and I ran, and that's how
I ended up on the floor of that restaurant.
She used a pin.
I swear. A big pin.
But, listen, this is not the first time.
Street kids have been disappearing for weeks now.
By the dozen. No one knows why.
First we heard about it. Why-why would you?
Nobody gives a crap about us.
I mean, look! That is proof!
That's not proof. That's a scab. Now, listen, macky,
We're grown-ups. We're smarter than you.
Man, whatever. So you're gonna... You're gonna tell me the truth!
It was you, wasn't it?
It was you that killed that poor old man.
It was you. Now, you're gonna tell me the truth, or I swear
To god, I'm gonna beat it out of you!
That old man was a war veteran! Listen,
Cat was there. Cat saw the whole thing. Ask cat.
Ask cat! Relax, macky, relax.
No one's gonna beat you. Who's cat?
What do you mean, no one's gonna beat him?
Isn't that what I just said I was gonna do
Right now, just now? I was gonna beat him?
Gordon: Come here! Come here. Come here.
He is 16.
Yeah, and six-foot, 220. He can take a punch.
Look, I wasn't gonna beat him. I just wanted to scare him.
But if I did want to beat him, I could.
It would be my prerogative. It's illegal.
Ill...
How now so righteous?
Hmm? Not long since you put a man in the river.
You want to say that a little louder?
Not everybody heard.
Ever since then, you've been a royal pain in the ass. You think I or anybody
Around here gives a crap about a dead snitch
Or your guilty conscience?
We got our own problems. Guilty conscience,
Call it what you want. I'm gonna do what's right.
You're beginning to irritate me.
Get your hands off me.
Hey!
Watch the shoes, clown.
Shift's over.
(rock music blaring)
¶
(laughing)
Come on.
Seriously.
Oswald: Thank you so much, guys, truly.
I'm very grateful. I've been waiting for hours.
No kidding. Look like you crawled out of a cemetery.
Smells like it, too. Open a window back there.
(coughing)
There you go. Yeah.
Yes, thank you.
Forgive me, I am somewhat disheveled.
A temporary setback, I assure you.
Thank you so much.
What the hell happened to you anyhow?
It was my own fault.
Foolish arrogance led me astray.
But I learned my lessons.
I'll be back, stronger and smarter than ever.
Good luck with that, bro.
Here I am riding around in a lovely truck,
Sharing an ice-cold beer with my new friends.
My luck's already turned, right?
(chuckling)
Dude, anyone ever tell you, when you walk,
You look just like a penguin?
(laughter)
No.
Nobody's ever told me that.
Bullock: He's saying he has a right to stop me from beating on a mope.
Damn right I do.
How am I supposed to work with this?
Look it, jim, it's not like I can order you
To break the law, but this is gotham.
You don't bend, you'll get broke.
I understand. I thought
You were with the program.
He is. Well, let's get back to work.
Where are you at? Well, if the boy we have is telling the truth,
There's a couple of kidnappers out there
Abducting homeless children in numbers.
They lured them close with a food truck
From the mayor's homeless outreach project.
And they drugged them with a jab from a big pin.
Wh-why would anyone want to abduct
Scaggly-ass orphans in bulk?
I mean, where's the market?
They're out on the street
Because no one wants them anyway.
If they said they were snatching
Cute girls, I'd believe 'em.
But what would anyone want with a lard-ass like macky?
What is it, ed?
Guess what I found.
I did a blood test on him, and he had
High levels of atp.
What's atp?
It's a fast-acting knockout drug.
They used to use it at the old arkham asylum
To bring down troublesome patients.
It's hard to get.
No recreational use.
Okay. That's interesting.
Anything else?
Thank you, ed.
(clears throat)
Thank you, ed.
Get to work.
And keep this quiet.
No press. Not a word.
Shouldn't we tell the public what's going on?
Warn them? Department policy.
We don't advertise this kind of stuff. Causes panic.
The headlines will read "gotham's kids snatched."
Which would be true. No press. That's an order.
Follow up on the drug, the atp
And the arkham connection.
Arkham's been closed for, like, ten years.
Yeah, 15.
Drug suppliers might still be in business.
Oh, uh,
This happened on fish mooney's turf.
Do you want to see if it's safe for us to go back there,
Or is, uh, she still mad at us?
That's a good question.
(playing rock music)
(cheering and applause)
Bravo!
Don falcone.
What a wonderful surprise. Welcome.
Thank you, my dear.
Can we... Talk?
Of course. Give me a moment to clear the place. No, no.
No need to spoil the fun.
Men who are about to die are very honest.
It pays to listen to them.
That's some toast.
I spoke with your man cobblepot before he died.
Odd little fellow. Perceptive.
He told me the death of the waynes
Would bring troubled times for our family and gotham.
(sighs) what did he know?
Business is good as ever.
No, he was right.
The waynes and the falcones were the pillars of the same house.
We understood each other.
Now that they're gone, everything is out of balance,
And the wayne empire is in flux.
Who knows who will end up in control?
The maroni family senses weakness.
They'll start making moves,
And every criminal in the city will start making moves.
Please don't lose any sleep over maroni.
He's number two for a reason.
I never lose sleep over my enemies.
It's my friends that keep me awake.
Huh. Cobblepot told me
You say I'm old and soft
And ready to be taken out, and you're the one to take me.
Don falcone, I would never,
Ever say that.
I only have deep love and respect for you.
You have been like a father to me.
I'm so... Happy to hear that.
Let's forget all about it, then.
The babbling of a condemned man.
(clears his throat)
Enough business.
How have you been, my dear?
Thriving, I hope.
Yes. Good. I'm good.
(clears his throat)
Which of these is your lover?
Please. My heart has been broken
Far too many times for that nonsense.
Hmm.
I heard you had a lover.
Well, if you're referring
To the boy that I keep around for exercise--
My lover he is not.
(clears his throat)
(snaps his fingers)
What's your name?
Lazlo, sir.
Lazlo, be good to this woman.
She's very precious to me.
If you break her heart,
You break my heart.
Yes, sir.
Mmm.
(lazlo groaning)
Give me your hand.
(blows landing, lazlo groaning, glass breaking)
Thank you for being honest. It means a lot to me.
(lazlo groaning) it shows wisdom
And humility.
Out!
Everyone out!
Woman: Never, never in his life
My son is away this long.
Nightclubs is his business.
Such hours.
But always, he comes home to his mother.
His clothes are here.
My son would never
Leave his clothes.
Oh, so elegant, he is.
Yes, I-I show you.
(whispers): Damn. Mooney and the cops must have had him killed.
Looks like the snitches get bumped.
That's life.
They're not going to get away with it,
Not as easy as they think.
You take things too personally, you know what?
Yeah, I do. That was a good snitch.
What are we...? Allen: Nothing.
Uh, mrs. Cobblepot...
Kapelput.
Mrs. Kapelput, do you know anyone
Who might want to do your son harm?
Harm?
No. I-I would feel it.
A mother feels these things.
It's a woman.
Some painted slut has him in her clutch.
A woman... You think?
I am sure.
So handsome he is.
And so naive.
(laughs)
Who are you again?
Uh, detectives with major crimes unit, ma'am.
Oh, gcpd.
Like that.
But honest.
Hmm.
Gilzean: Boss, don't get mad at me,
But I know that look.
Now is too early to make a move on falcone.
I know.
Not yet.
I need more money, more men, more territory, I know.
I'll play this thing loyal and bide my time.
But I swear, butch,
On my sainted mother's grave,
Some day soon,
I am going to kill that old man
With my bare hands and my teeth.
I'll be holding your shoes.
I just wish that penguin was still alive.
I didn't make that little punk
Suffer near badly enough.
Excuse me, sir?
Uh...
I couldn't help but notice the sign on your trailer.
Is it still for rent?
100 bucks a week. It ain't much, but...
I'll take it. You don't want to look at it first?
No, I'm not fussy.
It's all yours.
The key?
Hey, sweet truck. You got that big hemi in there?
Yes. Yup.
That big hemi's in there.
(laughs) somewhere.
(sniffles) uh, sir, the key?
It's in the door.
Okay.
(groans)
What's up, players?
You got any smokes?
No.
Where are we?
Damn if I know.
(clanking)
I think we're dead.
Mooney: Harvey.
Jim. How marvelous.
You still mad at us?
No. Please.
I'm quite fond of you, and...
You intrigue me.
I knew I'd regret killing you as soon as I gave the word.
But you know me. I'm feisty.
(laughs) what do you know about
A man and a woman abducting street kids on your turf?
No foreplay with you, hmm?
Figures, but you got with the program.
Killed penguin your own bad self.
I was surprised.
Straight arrow like you.
I guess you misjudged me. I guess I did.
You're just a little sinner like the rest of us.
I'm almost
Kind of sad about that.
We're looking for a man and a woman,
Middle-aged,
White,
Targeting children under 16.
They use a poisoned pin, if you can believe it.
Oh. Used to be there was only a market for nice-looking girls.
That's what I said.
But now there's a new buyer overseas
That will take anyone young and healthy.
Overseas where? Who's "they"?
Nobody knows.
What do they want 'em for?
Nobody knows.
And no one cares to know.
Ta-da! Moo shu.
Sorry. Go on.
They drug them with a big pin?
That is so creepy.
No, you don't want to hear this stuff. It's depressing.
What do they use them for? The children?
Nobody seems to know.
And we can't say a damn thing to the press. Bad pr.
I can't believe the system is so corrupt.
You have no idea. What do you mean?
No. You know, figure of speech, I guess.
Did something happen that you're not telling me about?
These last couple of weeks...
You've been different, troubled.
Hmm.
No.
Been having trouble sleeping, I guess.
The newspapers must get anonymous tips all the time.
Oh, sure, yeah.
You mean, call it in myself?
(laughs)
No, I can't do that.
(phone beeps)
Gotham gazette. The newsroom.
Wait. No.
Hi. Listen, I can't talk long.
Somebody is abducting homeless children off the streets,
And the cops are trying to keep it quiet.
Go talk to captain sarah essen of the gcpd. She has got a kid
In custody who can tell you the whole story.
End the call. I got to go.
Listen to me, barbara.
When I tell you stuff, that's just between us.
You can't do that, what you just did.
But it was the right thing to do.
That's not the point. Well, what is the point?
You're right.
It was the right thing to do.
Don't do it again, okay?
Yes, boss.
"gotham spirals ever downward."
"mayor james under attack."
"vows swift action." "points finger
At police department's sluggish response." et cetera.
It's just ink.
Did you give them this?
Me?
You've done it before.
On my own case? Never.
Be a very stupid thing to do.
Essen: Jim?
I didn't call it in.
I swear.
Another mystery.
We have a thin lead on the case,
If you'd like to hear it, ma'am.
There's only three companies
In gotham that stock this atp stuff,
And you need a special license to buy it.
Chances are, one of the three's crooked.
We're looking to lean hard on all three,
Like they are crooked,
See which one pops.
That was sneaky good.
Almost couldn't tell you were lying.
I wasn't lying.
Good morning, judge baker.
Thank you, sir. Yes, all three.
Welzyne,
Dracotech and quillan pharma.
Man: You guys have screwed me.
Against my better judgment,
I sell you the juice,
I let you guys use my storage space
Because, "no problem," you said.
And now look.
Heat.
White-hot heat.
No problems, my friend.
We're here to take the merch away.
You'll be clean as a whistle.
Merch?
They're children, damn it.
They're human beings.
Didn't I tell you to check on them ten minutes ago?
I want another five large.
But we had a deal already.
I got to stand up for what is right here.
Be fair, sir. We don't have that kind of cash on hand.
That's your problem. I can wait.
I thought you was worried about the heat.
Well, if heat arrives in the meantime,
I can get rid of the evidence very quickly.
We have an obligation to deliver.
The dollmaker doesn't tolerate failure.
We need those children.
Well, that's also your problem.
(groans)
No. Hey, hey, this is totally inappropriate.
I mean, we were having a business discussion here.
You weren't being fair.
Oh, gosh. Cops.
You didn't call the gazette, but did your girl
Call the gazette? Yeah.
I knew it. I didn't know she was gonna call 'em.
Seriously, you got to learn to control your woman.
I kind of like her the way she is.
No, these high-class temperamental broads--
They need firm handling. Trust me.
Trust you? On women? Damn right.
All varieties. From hausfraus to movie stars.
I love 'em all. Now, you? Let me guess.
High school sweetheart. Then a bunch of hos overseas
Only made you sad,
And then there's barbara.
Pretty much.
You, my friend, are a monkey
Riding a racehorse.
Good evening. May I help you?
Detectives gordon and bullock. We need to speak
To whoever's in charge here, ma'am. Of course.
Mr. Quillan, detectives are here to see you.
Oh?
Oh, wow. (short laugh)
Detectives. Hey, what's up?
Nothing serious, I hope.
Cut the crap. We have a warrant to search the premises.
We know what you're doing.
Well, then, you know some boring stuff, then.
I mean, what are you talking about?
You're peddling atp to those kid snatchers.
Oh, my gosh, no. I-I mean,
We used to stock atp, but not since
The arkham asylum closed.
Uh, uh... I heard that the wayne foundation
Is planning on reopening
The old place again.
But now that the waynes are dead,
I guess everything's up in the air.
Uh...
What a world, eh?
Nobody's safe.
(click)
Jim! Go, go!
(tires screech, engine revs)
(gasps)
Where the hell were you?
Get rid of 'em now.
And hose down the room.
Zeb.
Freeze.
(grunts)
(echoing scream)
On behalf of all the citizens of gotham,
I want to thank you brave gentlemen
From the bottom of my heart, and I want to promise you kids--
We will take care of you
As if you were our own children.
But here's the thing.
The people who victimized these kids are still out there.
And hundreds of vulnerable youngsters
Are still living rough on our streets.
Alone, unprotected,
And let's face it,
That's the real crime here. So what are we
Going to do to help these kids?
Yesterday I made a phone call
To juvenile services and the gcpd
To initiate a humane but tough-love program
To get these kids off the streets
And into the loving arms
Of juvenile services.
I think that went very well.
I think so.
A small toast, your honor?
You read my mind.
Mr. Mayor.
Uh, where are you sending
All the children that get rounded up?
Foster homes for the cute, undamaged ones.
Upstate for the rest.
Upstate?
The alpena youth corrections facility.
A fine institute.
Prison, in other words.
Forgive me,
Your honor.
Detective gordon's our house firebrand.
No, no, no, th-that's okay.
Jim... May I call you jim?
Half the petty crime in the city
Is homeless kids.
They need structure.
People who care for them.
For the greater good of gotham and for the children. You see?
I see you're using the child snatchers
As a pretext to lock up children
Without a trial.
Thank you, my friend.
Valuable input.
Most refreshing.
L'chaim.
(indistinct chatter) yo, gordon.
Man's been waiting for you upstairs.
Mr. Pennyworth.
Alfred, please.
It's bedlam, isn't it?
Rough job you got.
Best job in the world.
I wonder if it might be convenient
For you to visit us tomorrow.
Of course.
Why? Is something wrong?
I don't know.
Never had a child before.
Nor me.
The boy respects you.
Teatime, shall we say?
Teatime.
(heavy metal playing over earbuds)
(indistinct announcement over p.A.)
Name.
Ma'am, there's been a mistake.
I'm not meant to go upstate. I need to talk
To james gordon. He's a cop.
You'll be allowed a phone call when you get upstate.
Name. I need to talk to him now.
He'll thank you for it. Not happening. Name.
Bite me, pigarina.
Jane doe.
Hey.
Relax, kid.
Juvie's not so bad.
First week,
Whatever you do,
Don't make friends with anyone that's friendly.
When you get into a fight, go for their eyes.
Hiya, kids. How you doing?
Are you ready to go on
A big adventure?
Sit down, young lady.
I said sit down.
Like now.
Okay.
Next naughty child to stand up
Gets a black mark right here.
(engine starts)
One or two or three-- I could explain that.
But a busload--
A whole busload of the little bastards--
What am I supposed to say?
Oops? Just tell me it wasn't them, I'm begging you.
Just tell me it wasn't the snatchers.
Bus driver was a man, guard was a woman.
It could be them.
You're killing me. You're killing me.
We're working it, your honor.
(groaning)
Look, I told you everything I know. I told you.
Now, you see that man there?
He doesn't like it when I beat people, but for you,
He's got no objection. Why is that?
Math. The lives of 30 children versus one scumbag.
So I can beat you like a bongo drum
And saint jim here won't intervene.
Give us something.
Okay, okay, look...
The truck. You know, when they came to
Pick up the last bunch of kids.
On the side of it, there was a-a picture.
Like a logo.
I-I didn't want to say before
Because it would give a bad impression.
See, it doesn't reflect, really, what, you know...
What was it? It has a...
A blue plate and a silver fork.
A plate and a fork? Yeah, you know, like, with the...
Like a catering company? Like food? Well, yeah, like that,
I mean, you know, but, I mean, that
Doesn't mean... You know.
Doesn't mean what?
Look, I don't know what they do to them. Aah!
Hey. Hey.
All right, draw the logo. Uncuff him.
There you go, kids. Let's go, let's go. Keep moving.
Come on, come on. Don't worry. Everything's gonna be all right.
That's right. That's right. Come on.
Come on, come on, come on, come on. Come on!
Go.
Funny thing. By my count,
According to the sheet they gave us, we're one short.
Me, too. Maybe there's one on the bus. Hmm.
(children gasping, whimpering)
Shh!
¶
Nope. Weird.
Must be a miscount someplace.
Never mind. We got more than enough.
We did good.
Indeed we did. (laughs)
The dollmaker will be so pleased with us.
All right, thanks.
Nothing. You?
Apparently, there are no companies
In gotham with trucks with a plate and a fork as their logo.
Selling children for food?
Is such a thing even possible?
We've got officers searching all the trucks
On every bridge and tunnel.
But they had a three-hour window.
We can only pray they stayed in the city.
If not, they could be any place on earth by nightfall.
Bullock: Scum-sucking toads. Where are they?!
It's not a blue plate.
It's not a fork, either. It's a trident.
Patti: When you stow this on the ship,
Make sure there's plenty of room for the doors to open.
The ship's crew has...
(loud knocking) child: Let me out!
(indistinct shouting of children)
Quiet in there!
(indistinct shout of man)
(coughing)
(whimpering) patti: Hush.
(crying)
My eyes! She scratched me!
Oh!
Doug: Come on, follow me.
(man whimpering)
Mmm. Let me look.
Hmm. Yeah.
It's nothing. It's a scratch.
We'll get you to the doctor,
You'll be right as rain in no time.
You sure?
(click)
What was that? Hang on.
(children screaming)
¶
Well...
You are a very naughty little girl.
(cocks gun)
Hi. What's your name?
Why is that your business?
Jim!
Where are the kids?
Where are they?!
He's not been sleeping.
And when he does, he has these nightmares.
Now he's hurting himself.
Burning himself.
He's cutting.
Is he getting professional help?
Oh, you mean a psychiatrist?
No, no, he won't have 'em.
No psychiatrists.
That's a rule.
You make the rules, don't you?
You're his guardian.
Bruce's father gave me very firm orders was him
And his missus to die.
Now, I will raise
The boy the way his father told me to raise him.
Which is how?
Trust him to choose his own course.
He's, after all, a wayne.
Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
What do you want me to do?
He wants you to talk some sense into me.
Haven't I told you to stop creeping up
On people like that before? It's bloody rude!
All right, then, bruce.
Talk to me.
I'm perfectly fine.
Alfred's a worrywart.
What did you do to your hand?
I burned it.
Listen to me, bruce.
You've been through a terrible experience.
Talking to someone can be very helpful.
You must have seen terrible things in the war.
Does it... Does it help you to talk about what you saw?
Yes. A little.
You're not a very good liar.
Bruce, you're hurting yourself.
I'm testing myself.
Different, but I appreciate your concern.
I've been following your adventures in the newspapers.
I feel very sorry for all those poor children.
Me, too.
I'll give you some money to give to them.
I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, bruce.
What way does it work?
Those children need someone who cares for them,
Like you have right here.
Money won't buy that.
There must be something I can do.
What about clothes?
They all looked awfully ragged.
They did, didn't they?
(indistinct voice over p.A., phones ringing)
After all this?
You're sending us upstate? Selina...
Cat.
Cat, even if you didn't have outstanding warrants, you're 13.
No parents or guardians.
That's not true. I have a mom.
Says here she's deceased. That's not true.
She's alive... Someplace.
Be that as it may,
We're not allowed to put you back on the street.
It's for your own well-being. (laughs)
Have you been there? Upstate?
Yes. Then you know.
You know.
Go get detective james gordon.
He works here.
Cat...
The police are very busy people.
(mutters) go get him...
Or...
I'll say you touched me.
Excuse me?
James gordon.
I'm gonna scream in about three seconds.
(rain falling, thunder rumbling)
(cell phone ringing)
Hello.
Yes, this is he.
Well... I'm looking at your son
Right now, and...
He doesn't look good.
Madam, I assure you, your son is not trying to trick you.
Oh, he will die
A horrible death unless he...
No, no. No, really truly, he isn't joking.
I'm not joking.
I will poke his eyeballs
Out, and...
How can you say that? You saw the video I sent.
I'm not lying. (laughs)
Madam, madam,
C-calm yourself.
If $10,000 is too much, I'm sure we can...
Hello? Hello?
Well, that's disappointing.
She didn't believe me.
(whimpering)
You must be quite the scamp.
I got it.
Hello again, young lady.
How can I help you?
We need to talk.
So, now you want to talk, huh?
Okay. It's all right.
Thanks.
Selina is it?
Cat.
You macky's friend?
Yeah, I know macky.
Those bastards nearly got you twice, huh?
You're quite a survivor.
You have no idea.
Suppose I had something
You really, really wanted.
If I gave it to you,
Could you get me out of here?
What do you got?
I've been watching you.
You're a friend of the boy.
You're not like the rest of these crooks.
The boy? Bruce?
What do you mean, you've been watching me?
That mario pepper guy was a patsy, huh?
What makes you say that?
Could you? Could you get me out?
It's possible.
I saw who really killed the waynes.
Saw him clear as day.