Dan Stark during Season 1

This is a description of Dan Stark's actions during Season 1.

Episode 1 - Pilot
Detective Stark begins the day in his trailer, getting ready, and combing his mustache. His partner, Jack Bailey arrives to pick him up. They are on the case from the night before, about a stolen humidifier and a broken TV. The victim, Eileen, recognizes Stark as the man who saved the governor's son with his partner, Frank Savage in 1985. Dan suggests that Detective Bailey go find some evidence somewhere while he "interviews" Eileen.

Later in the car, Stark says there's nothing wrong with sleeping with her because "It pleasured us both, plus it jogged her memory." She remembered a guy lurking around the neighborhood. He presents a sketch of a stick figure. He thinks maybe the stolen humidifier will lead to a major crime.

The next day, the lab comes up with Julius Grant's fingerprints from the humidifier theft. Dan and Jack travel to Julius' pawn shop. They watch him carry a golf bag inside. They get distracted arguing over Stark's theory that computers might rise up and overthrow humanity. Further, he brings up another old partner Savage story, about them finding quaaludes in a sock monkey. Bailey is loudly shouting that there are no conspiracies, it's just a thrift store, when gun shots shatter the shop's windows from inside.

Bailey and Stark hit the dirt. They see a man firing at them. Stark enters the shop, and in the crossfire, Julius makes it out to a car with the golf bag. Pedro, the assassin involved in the shooter after Julius quickly rushes out after him followed by Stark, who throws himself on the car's hood. Despite a polite request that Pedro pull over, Pedro tosses him by hitting a pile of garbage.

Back at the department, Lt. Ruiz tells Bailey and Stark that she's taking them off the case. Stark's indignant after everything he did for her and the time they blew up the taco truck. Later, he tells Bailey that he and Ruiz were partners and, over a drink from his locker, that a real cop wouldn't drop the case.

Stark has a plan. It consists of him eating rotten cottage cheese in the car and sprinkling himself with booze. They go into Julius' apartment where Lt. Ruiz is overseeing the crime scene. Stark pretends to be even drunker than he is and rambles until he pukes. Then he pretends to pass out and Bailey hustles everybody else out.

Bailey finds a number in the trash. It belongs to a Doctor named Kalfuss. At his house, they're debating whether or not to go in when they get shot at again. They storm in and exchange another spectacular hail of bullets with Pedro as Kalfuss lies strapped to the table. Stark follows Pedro into the other room as he reloads but is quickly felled by a dagger to the chest. He falls and Bailey goes in guns blazing. He empties his clips at Pedro...and misses completely.

In the other room, Stark sits up and takes the dagger out of the flask in his breast pocket. Pedro drives away. Kalfuss accepts a drink from Stark and tells them Pedro looked up directions on his computer.

At a crime scene at a strip club, Lt Ruiz prepares to read Bailey the riot act. She tells him Stark is only in the department because he saved the governor's son 25 years ago, and Frank Savage isn't around anymore because he had a nervous breakdown after Stark got him to jump out of a moving car to save the governor's son. She wants Stark off the case. Bailey tells him this personally.

Stark goes to buy booze at a convenience store when Escalante pulls up with Eileen outside. They drive off, but there happens to be a Pontiac Trans Am for sale nearby, a car that he and Frank used to drive.

Pedro, the drug lord and the assassin go into the strip club. When Julius asks for his finder's fee, the drug lord shoots him in the chest. The police rush in, and the drug lord is getting away outside with his golf bag when Escalante drives up. He runs his cousin down.

Inside, the assassins are shooting it out with the cops when Bailey sees Escalante with Eileen outside. He gives Julius his gun and goes for Eileen, but Pedro intercepts him. He politely asks for permission to save Eileen, the innocent and Pedro covers him and ushers him out. Escalante drives away, but Stark pulls up in his Thunderbird.

Back in the strip club, the assassins face off as Julius and Lt. Ruiz watch. Stark and Bailey race after Escalante and Eileen.

We cut back and forth between the two scenes as Julius explains the assassins are waiting for the tiniest advantage and it'll be over just like "that." He snaps his fingers and Pedro fires, moving up to No. 1 assassin. He puts his guns down.

Back on the road, Bailey realizes Escalante is going to kill Eileen unless he jumps from the moving car. He makes the leap, climbs in the back window of the SUV and grapples with Escalante. He finally ends things by yanking on the emergency brake. Eileen thanks Stark with a sloppy kiss.

One Week Later, ADA Traynor explains to Bailey and Stark that $1 million in property damage is hard to explain for one arrest. Pedro is getting off because he's got a deal with the CIA and Julius the humidifier thief won't be prosecuted because they violated more than 30 procedural rules - a record. They'll be getting no reward of any kind and they remain on routine investigations. Traynor tells Bailey, way off the record, that it was some good work.

Back outside, Stark suggests they track down Julius and see if he has any leads. Stark shows Bailey a letter of admiration he got from Pedro, and they take off to bust some punks.