Brotherhood, The Complete Series

Tommy Caffee is a rising star in Rhode Island politics and the prince of his home ward, a working class Irish district known as the Hill. Local gangster Patty Mullin’s murder opens the door to the return of Tommy’s brother Michael, whom Patty had sworn to kill. As Michael starts reclaiming his lost criminal enterprises, Irish mob boss Freddie Cork threatens to whack Michael unless Tommy throws state contracts Freddie’s way. Meanwhile, Michael gets into a beef with Moe Riley, one of Freddie Cork’s underlings, who is currently in control of Michael’s old turf. Eileen Caffee, Tommy’s wife, has secrets of her own: she’s meeting an old boyfriend, now a postman, at a local motel, where they smoke dope and have sex. In the end, Michael achieves a tenuous treaty with Freddie.

Defying Freddie’s direct orders, Michael and his old partner, Pete McGonagle, intimidate a local merchant into selling them her store for half its worth. When the merchant goes to Tommy to complain, Tommy passes her off to police detective Declan Giggs, who used to date Tommy’s sister in high school. Declan compromises himself when he makes the complaint go away. Tommy’s efforts to stop the new highway, including a deal with the mysterious power-broker Judd, lead him to bribe and blackmail two of his fellow representatives. The conflict between Eileen’s public demeanor and private pain are thrown into relief when she learns that her sister-in-law is having medical problems.

A local garbage strike puts Tommy in the difficult position of mediating between the garbage collectors’ union, controlled by Freddie Cork, and the mayor of Providence. To end the strike, he is forced to surrender a piece of his independence to Judd. Eileen struggles to pull out of a tailspin after her lover Carl ends their illicit affair. Michael’s continuing effort to expand his criminal activities is thwarted when he discovers that his old gang has lost its teeth and that he and Pete are on their own. He’s further disappointed when he goes to visit his old girlfriend Kath Parry and finds that she’s married and has two children. In the end, Michael’s frustration explodes in the wrong place at the wrong time in front of the wrong person – his eight-year-old niece, Noni.

Based on a tip from Moe Riley, Treasury agents, looking for Michael’s counterfeit currency, raid Rose Caffee’s house during Sunday dinner, when the entire family is present. The agents don’t find the currency, but bad publicity generated by the raid causes the Speaker kill an important real estate deal that Tommy desperately needs. To survive, Tommy is forced to pledge his fealty to the Speaker. For Tommy’s oldest daughter, Mary Rose, the raid initiates a growing fascination with her dangerous uncle, Michael. Michael, in revenge for the raid, frames Moe Riley for murder.

When Freddie Cork refuses to let Michael and Pete play on his softball team in a local bar tournament, Michael goes out and takes over his own bar. When the two teams meet, things get stormy. Rose discovers firsthand the destructive power of globalization; as a shop steward for her union, she loses a fight to stop layoffs within her factory and is herself fired. When the Speaker proposes a new waste disposal station in Tommy’s district, Tommy plays fast and loose to make sure his constituents are properly compensated; if along the way a few extra dollars end up in his own pocket, so be it.

When Declan and Ralph mistakenly shoot an undercover Federal agent, Michael steps forth to help them get rid of the body. Though Declan and Ralph get away clean, their partnership is now contaminated. Tommy’s embarrassed that he had to borrow money from his in-laws and sets out to pay them back. Using his political pull with the zoning board, Tommy lands himself a big fat real estate commission. Eileen’s substance abuse gets out of hand and causes her to abandon the family cat out in the woods. Guilt-stricken, she returns to retrieve the cat and is arrested for erratic behavior. Forced to bail her out, Tommy can no longer deny the problems in his marriage. Mary-Rose finds a joint in Eileen’s pocket and can’t resist trying it. When her uncle Michael catches her, her fascination with him only intensifies. She ends up working in his liquor store after school.

When the owner of Tommy and Michael’s childhood movie theatre ends up in debt to Michael, Michael convinces Tommy to help save the theatre from the wrecking ball. Tommy agrees, on the condition that Michael have nothing to do with the big benefit Tommy organizes. Michael sticks by the deal, but Freddie Cork steals the fundraiser proceeds and the theatre is forced to close. Michael’s sidekick Pete falls off the wagon; Michael helps get him back into AA. In the throes of a deep depression, Eileen confesses all her sins to a startled Mary-Kate. Mary-Kate urges her to get psychiatric help. Meanwhile, Rose starts a new job in a big box store and realizes the powerlessness of the contemporary American non-union worker. Corrupt union boss Marty Trio confesses to Declan that he has cancer. Declan tries to turn him as a witness. Marty refuses.

Michael takes his old girlfriend Kath Perry on a milk run to New Jersey to pick up some money for Freddie. When things get messy, Michael resorts to what he does best – violence. Because Kath sticks by him, he realizes how much he cares for her. Sensing Michael drifting away from her, Rose goes overboard in planning a surprise birthday party for Michael, only to be angered when Michael shows up with Kath in tow. Determined to stay sober, Eileen fends off her demons as best she can. The stress proves too much and she falls off the wagon and is caught drinking by Pete. The Speaker of the House tumbles in a scandal, and Tommy plays on the insecurities of the new Speaker to get himself promoted to Majority Leader, the number two position in the House.

A bus loaded with people from the Hill crashes while returning from a Patriots game. The accident is caused by a suicide jumper leaping from a highway overpass. The jumper was Freddie Cork’s oldest son Ricky. Freddie enlists Tommy in his effort to get Ricky a proper Catholic funeral. Michael discovers that Ricky was in the closet. He uses this information to manipulate Freddie, who in a rage kills Ricky’s gay lover. Among the dead is Carl Hobbs, Eileen’s erstwhile lover, and Leanne Trio, Marty Trio’s wife. Carl’s death makes Eilene want to atone for her sins. Leanne’s death convinces Marty that he should turn state’s evidence.

Neil Caffee, Tommy and Michael’s father, turns up and threatens to sell Rose’s house out from under her unless his sons help him out of a $200,000 financial jam. Tommy and Michael have only one goal: to get Neil out of their lives forever. Surprisingly, it’s Tommy who loses his temper and turns to violence. Michael stays cool and gets the job done. Pete and Eileen have their own secret little AA meeting. But it’s Pete who falls off the wagon after Michael orders him to kill a fourteen-year-old drug dealer. And it’s Eileen who comes to Pete’s rescue. Rose finds herself ostracized by her friends because of Michael’s growing criminal activities. For the first time Rose admits to herself what Michael does for a living and confronts him about it. Tommy is furious when he discovers Mar-Rose working at Michael’s liquor store. Whatever goodwill was won by their joint effort to get rid of Neil is now squandered.

Moe Riley, fresh from jail, is ordered by Freddie Cork to kill Michael by the end of the big Irish wedding. When Tommy discovers this, Freddie threatens to expose Tommy’s corruption if he warns Michael. Tommy begs Michael to leave but won’t say why. Michael refuses. Declan realizes his boss has told Marty Trio to get Tommy on tape saying something incriminating. Declan warns Tommy, but feels so guilty that he gets rip-roaring drunk. Eileen has a wonderful time at the wedding, drinking, smoking pot, flirting, but a chance encounter changes her perspective on everything. Finally, in a drunken rage, Declan confronts Michael when he catches Michael slipping a bribe to his partner Ralph.

Tommy and Eileen keep up the appearance of a happy marriage for the sake of their children and his political career. Michael, recovering from a head injury, tries to reestablish his memory and his territory.

As Tommy begins his reelection campaign, he turns to his sister, Mary-Kate for support, since he is still upset with Eileen and her infidelities. Estranged Irish cousin, Colin Carr (Brian F. O'Byrne), returns to Providence and stirs up trouble for Tommy, while his cop brother-in-law Declan continues down a slippery slope with his drugs and alcohol.

Colin helps Michael and Eileen cope with the unexpected death of a close friend, while Freddie tries to avoid a mob war with the Italians. As Tommy and Eileen's marriage crumbles, Tommy looks to extramarital activities of his own.

Rose sows unrest between her sons, which leads Michael to throw a wrench into Tommy's big real estate deal. Freddie uses Declan's police officer status to help settle some unrest.

Tommy struggles to stay on track when he suddenly finds himself without his usual support network. Conversely, Michael contemplates making changes in this life. Freddie asks for Declan's help in finding a missing associate, and Colin searches for his father.

Michael maneuvers for power as he and Kath prepare for an addition to the family. Tommy tries to clean up a bad neighborhood of the Hill, and Eileen socializes with the other politicians' wives.

The whole Caffee clan rises to Tommy's defense when his political enemies pull out the big guns to block his reelection. As a favor to an Italian mobster, Michael accompanies a hitman on a job.

Tommy is pressured into replacing Judd Fitzgerald as chairman on a committee. Declan is on the rebound and gets a new assignment from the FBI.

Completely fed-up with her family, Rose walks out on them Thanksgiving morning, leaving the younger Caffee generations to pull the holiday together on their own. Freddie and Marty Trio manage to work out a holiday furlough in prison.

Once again, Freddie plans to kill Michael, and asks fellow mobster, Nozzoli, to do the job. As Tommy makes a bid for the Speaker's chair, Eileen confronts him about his affair, while Colin and Rose find themselves mending fences when someone close to them passes away.

Disgruntled about his demoted role under the Speaker, Tommy mulls over making a career change. Michael learns that Freddie is being released from prison, and Declan is offered an opportunity to launch a secret probe on government corruption. Rose attempts to hide her deteriorating health at her birthday party.

Tommy strong-arms Mayor Panzarella for his support of a waterfront development deal but hits a roadblock due to Michael's business dealings. Rose investigates her mysterious ailment, and Eileen is passed over for promotion due to her pregnancy.

A fire kills several Latino squatters and a firefighter, leaving Tommy struggling with the political fallout. Colin's infatuation with Michael's girlfriend, Kath, begins to affect his work. Declan's investigation in statehood corruption uncovers a promising lead, so he brings in another investigator.

The Labor Day weekend has everyone focusing on their relationships. Tommy proposes an idea to Eileen on a new home away from the Hill, as Declan and Cassie go on romantic getaway only to uncover more issues in their already rocky marriage. An incident at Nozolli's barbeque has Michael growing more edgy and paranoid.

Panic at the statehouse as Declan's investigation raises an alarm, so Tommy tries to reconnect with Declan in hopes of getting him to share information. Rose learns the truth about her health and confides in Eileen. Tension builds between Michael and Colin as they work together on a heist with Freddie.

Tommy's attempts to remove himself from politics hits a snag when Speak Donatello requests for his help. Declan learns of Tommy's involvement in the Waterfront Project, and dives deeper in his investigation. Rose's blossoming fondness for Colin fuels Michael's jealousy and paranoia over Colin and Kath.

Kath and Colin worry about what Michael might be capable of if he becomes too suspicious of their relationship. Eileen goes stir crazy when she is confined to her bed for the duration of her pregnancy. Declan's investigation on the waterfront project is closing in on Tommy, and he looks to Michael for help.

With the ailing condition of Speaker Donatello, Tommy is next in line for his chair, and Freddie works on getting on Tommy's good side. The Italian mob, the state police, and federal agents are all on the hunt for Michael while he is on his own personal mission to track down Colin.