Episode 7: "Living and Dying in 4/4 Time"
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Unfortunately, it seems the case against Winston will be too weak to hold up in court - it reeks of entrapment. The government will try to trudge ahead and prosecute anyway, without much hope. In the meantime, Winston's released and out for revenge. However, despite his callous words earlier, he really does miss Claudia. Too late he realizes how much he needed her.

Over at the Shakala Records offices, Isaac is merrily gloating about getting Winston, unaware of all the problems in the case. Frank informs him that that it won't all be wine and roses. As the star witness in the case, his own shady dealings will be brought to light by the defense attorneys. Isaac is unconcerned. Musicians don't care about such things, he claims. His smile fades when he hears that his testimony could put Winston away for 20 years, though. He hadn't wanted to go THAT far, he'd just wanted to get his company back and "stick it" to Winston in the process. He thought Winston would get about 18 months... 20 years is more than he bargained for.

Vinnie goes over to see Bobby, who's been fired and is depressed. After all his work, he's right back at where he started - nowhere. He reassures Vinnie that he'd never betray him, however. Vinnie encourages him to take the initiative and fight back, going to Winston's artists and showing them how much they've been ripped off. In being the first to inform them, he might be the first they'll think of when they want to dump Radiance and sign with a new label. It could be a chance to turn Dead Dog into a real contender. Bobby perks up and wants to start right away, but first Vinnie wants them to go to see Isaac and Amber and celebrate the re-establishment of Shakala Records. They are in the midst of the celebration when tragedy strikes and Isaac has a heart attack.

In the hospital, Isaac is told he's been living on borrowed time. His heart's in bad shape. Vinnie tells him to start living right so he can defy the odds and live another ten years or more. Amber tries to hide her fear, but once alone with Vinnie in the hospital corridor, she starts sobbing. Things don't look good for Isaac.

Meanwhile, Bobby has been getting busy. He's approaching managers and showing them how to get their money from Winston and how to get out of their contracts. Sure enough, they're seeing the light, and looking at Bobby and Dead Dog with new interest.

Isaac asks for Winston, and he arrives to visit Isaac in the hospital. Isaac has a new bet - whoever dies first gets to dance on the other guy's grave. Winston laughs that he'll do it like Fred Astaire, then admits that he'll miss Isaac when he's gone, even though Isaac still protests he's going nowhere. Sadly, despite his optimistic attitude, the next day he dies after giving Amber one last kiss.

The next day, Winston gets a break in court - the case is indeed thrown out due to entrapment. That doesn't translate to his business, however. His artists are revolting - they're either threatening to sue or leave, or both. Winston is furious, and when he hears Bobby's the one approaching them, he's out for blood - literally. He's losing it, threatening violence and destruction.

When he calls Vinnie and Bobby into his office that afternoon, he goes ballistic, jumping on Bobby and trying to choke him when Bobby makes a smart-ass comment about helping Winston find a minimum wage job when he's out on the street - "it'd be more than you ever did for me." He's pulled off, ranting and raving and threatening murder, when he gets the phone call that Isaac has died. He becomes nostalgic, then breaks down while Vinnie and Bobby look on uncomfortably.

Vinnie goes to comfort Amber. He encourages her to "keep dancing" and raise Shakala up, not only for herself but for the sake of Isaac's memory. She takes heart and gets to work.

As Vinnie leaves, Winston pulls up in a limo and invites him in. Winston looks odd, his hair slicked close to his head and wearing an old-fashioned coat and tails. Vinnie climbs in and Winston informs him that he's had him investigated, but not only did he find nothing, his mole has disappeared to boot. Winston obviously believes that Vinnie has used his mafia connections to "dispose" of the mole, and he congratulates him on his shrewdness, saying that Vinnie reminds him of himself in some ways. He goes on to compliment Vinnie's business sense and spirit. He also confesses that his real dream was to be a singer - "Scratch the skin of a record executive and you'll always find a closet performer."

Winston takes Vinnie to Isaac's grave, unsurprising for those who remember the Fred Astaire reference and have noted his Astaire-like garb. He's ready to dance. Vinnie is appalled and wants to leave, but then Winston offers him a job at Radiance as Winston's business associate. When Vinnie refuses, Winston gets desperate. He feels completely abandoned - no sparring partners, no allies, nothing. Vinnie tells him he got just what he deserved. Winston turns away and proceeds to dance on Isaac's grave, but when he hops on it, a little steam bomb goes off and we hear Isaac's voice say "Gotcha again!" It seems that Isaac had put in his will that his grave would be rigged for just such an occasion.

When Vinnie tells Bobby about it all, Bobby finds it hilarious. "I bet Winston needed a shovel to clean out his shorts," he jokes. Then, Vinnie gives Bobby the deal of a lifetime. The government will sell Dead Dog to him for a quarter of a million dollars, payable through a percentage of the company's profits. In other words, no money down. Bobby is ecstatic. Vinnie also elicits not only his promise to keep his mouth shut, but also a promise to keep a place for him open if he ever wants to come back. He really liked the music business.

Regarding Winston, Isaac's little trick seems to have put him over the edge. He returns home to dress as Elvis and dance singing in front of the mirror, imagining applauding crowds. He gets institutionalized.

Vinnie bows out of the music business, saying that he's going to try and lower his profile and claiming the government is pushing him out because of his mobster past. With Amber at the head of Shakala and Bobby making waves with Dead Dog, Vinnie's foray into the music business has left an indelible mark, no matter how brief it was or how few returns it yielded the OCB in terms of busts.

 

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