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"What Money Can't Buy" is the fifth episode of RoboCop: The Series.

Synopsis[]

Josh Avery and his mother have been rescued from the Stompers gang. The OCP Chairman lobbies for the boy's lung transplant surgery despite the price and demand of organs skyrocketing and the Omni Mediplex reaching its year's quota for charity cases.

RoboCop visits the boy and attempts to comfort him. Meanwhile, Dave and Louise, black market organ dealers, enter the hospital to steal lungs. RoboCop responds to the alert, and the criminals escape the building, prompting Murphy to pursue in the TurboCruiser, which Louise manages to disable by shooting out a tire, allowing the two to escape.

Lisa Madigan retrieves Josh's doctor, Elliot Marner, learning that he will only survive a day or two if he does not receive the stolen lungs. The organ dealer leader, Dr. Ardo Detriti, makes deal with Vince, a buyer for the set of lungs, which are brought to him by the Dave and Louise. RoboCop tracks the device on the lungs to the escape vehicle, finding a homeless man sleeping in the car with the organ container, which has been bombed. He tosses it away, allowing it to harmlessly detonate.

The homeless man identifies the escapees from RoboCop's footage, telling him the kind of van the pair escaped in. Meanwhile, the black market dealers add the lungs to their cache of stolen organs. RoboCop surmises that the dealers had inside help from someone at the hospital, to which Madigan agrees before going to check on Josh. Detriti tells Vince that he will need $1,000,000 more, claiming that his supplier had demanded more.

Joe Avery reveals that his son's failing current pair of lungs were from the black market and transplanted by Dr. Janet Bailey. Madigan takes Joe with her to find Dr. Bailey and her source of black market organs. She reveals that she gets her organs from Otto Gilbert. Gilbert is visited by Detriti's group, who destroy discs containing his records and kill him.

RoboCop and Madigan investigate the scene, with Madigan believing the crime to be connected to Josh Avery. RoboCop examines one of the discs, finding it to possibly be of use. Back at the precinct, he extracts the name Ardo Detriti, which also appears on a list of owners of the model of van the homeless man saw. RoboCop asks Diana Powers for assistance to search restricted databases for information on Detriti.

Madigan learns that Josh's current lungs were afflicted with tuberculosis and the donor had died in the same hospital he is being kept at. Meanwhile, two men working for Vince, Tom and Jerry, break into Detriti's compound, killing Dave in an explosion. A gunfight ensues and the two men capture Louise.

Powers tracks down Detriti, sending RoboCop and Madigan to the location. Vince demands that Detriti meet his demands. RoboCop enters the facility as Detriti gives the wrong organ container to Tom and Jerry, who leave with a container before being confronted by Murphy. Detriti secures the real lungs as RoboCop faces off against Tom and Jerry, who surrender the container. As they escape the building, Madigan ambushes and arrests them. RoboCop learns that the container is empty.

Tom and Jerry are taken to the precinct as Josh's condition worsens. Angered, RoboCop manages to extract info from the pair, learning who they are working for. Madigan reveals to Marner that imperfect donated organs have not been destroyed according to hospital guidelines. Detriti updates the buyer on the situation, resolving to hand-deliver the lungs. Powers shows Detriti and Vince's last call, learning where a boat to Hawaii awaits Detriti.

The OCP Chairman goes to the hospital, where Madigan reveals evidence that Marner was complicit in the use of imperfect and black market organs. She arrests him as he struggles to come up with an explanation.

Detriti and his girlfriend prepare to leave for Hawaii as RoboCop arrives to the dock as the boat leaves and attaches an anchor to the back of it, managing to stop it. Detriti threatens to destroy the lungs, so RoboCop releases the boat and fires an airbag inside, trapping the two criminals inside the boat, which Murphy pulls back to the dock.

Josh's transplant is successful and the Chairman promises that others in Josh's position will be given the proper care. Powers encourages RoboCop to take a break, but he says he cannot, as there is crime to fight.

Cast[]

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