Doubt (2017) s01e01 Episode Script
Pilot
1 So fly, so fresh, so elite 'Cause I'm, I'm a, I'm a, I'm a beast Hey! (car horns blaring) 'Cause I'm, I'm a, I'm a, I'm a beast I'm so fly - Whoa! Hey! - Sorry! 'Cause I'm a, I'm a, I'm a I'm a beast.
You're a menace.
- New suit? - Yes.
The sales lady told me the color makes my eyes dance.
- And don't try to change the subject.
- Which is? The fact that the whole city's in danger when you're on a bike.
You're gonna get killed, and I'm gonna say âI told her soâ at your funeral.
- Albert, tell me that's not Russo.
- ALBERT: Yup.
And her press puppy dogs.
Since when does the D.
A.
show up to an arraignment? It's a high profile case; she's gonna use it to grandstand.
- And you know what we're gonna do? - Go over there and hijack the press conference to defend our client, who is an innocent man being unfairly imprisoned by a power-hungry D.
A.
That's the opposite of what we're gonna do.
Sales lady was right.
Color really does make your eyes dance.
Sadie, we talked about this.
We agreed.
It does us no good to engage in a public fight with the D.
A.
Who says I'm gonna fight? I'm just gonna listen.
RUSSO: The grand jury has returned an indictment against Dr.
William Brennan for the 1991 murder of his high school girlfriend Amy Meyers.
Do you really think a New York jury is gonna convict a Brennan? RUSSO: I think New Yorkers know that just because your father was a senator doesn't mean you can get away with murder.
No one wants to get away with anything.
We just want our day in court, which the D.
A.
's office has purposefully delayed.
They hoped that if they forced Dr.
Brennan to sit in jail for four months that he'd get scared and agree to a plea, which he won't.
REPORTER: Is this politically motivated? We might agree to the plea.
We have to get him out on bail first.
Now, remember, the D.
A.
's gonna say a lot of stuff about you that isn't true.
You're gonna want to react.
Don't.
No heavy sighs, no scribbling in your legal pad.
- Just stay cool.
- Got it.
- You find out about Ava? - Yes.
Melora texted me and said that her BP's holding - and she's stable.
- What's happening? Sadie's keeping me updated on my patients.
Did the preemie make it off the vent? Hearing's about to start.
We got to go.
I'll meet you up there.
Now I'm curious.
Did the preemie make it off the vent? Yes, and he's doing fine.
Okay.
How you feeling? Scared to death.
- See you up there.
- Okay.
(crowd murmuring) Margaret, I told you to keep it small.
This isn't a cocktail party.
I couldn't keep them away.
Billy is everyone's favorite.
BAILIFF: All rise.
People v.
William Brennan on the charge of murder in the first degree.
- Here for arraignment.
- JUDGE: Please be seated.
I'll hear you on bail.
24 years ago, 16-year-old Amy Meyers was murdered in Gramercy Park.
The autopsy revealed cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head.
The defendant, her boyfriend at the time, was the last person seen with her.
Dr.
Brennan was a suspect, but after a lengthy investigation, no arrest was made and the case went cold, until four months ago when Mr.
Michael Slater came forward and reported that, in 1993, Dr.
Brennan confessed to the crime when they were both in boarding school.
Your Honor, we submit that no bail is sufficient to guarantee the defendant's appearance at trial.
Dr.
Brennan's family is wealthy.
He himself is a pilot and owns a private plane.
Which he uses to fly around the world to perform pro bono pediatric surgeries.
- Which makes him a flight risk.
- Really? In my mind, it just makes him a good guy.
Your Honor, first of all, my client never confessed anything to Michael Slater, who we will show to be an unreliable witness.
Secondly, there is no physical evidence tying Dr.
Brennan to the crime.
Not on the victim's body, not at the crime scene, not on the murder weapon, which was tested in 1991, and found to only have Amy Meyers' blood on it.
Forensic science has advanced a lot since then, Your Honor.
We are confident that if we can locate the murder weapon - Which was lost.
- Well, it's been 24 years.
Exactly.
It's been 24 years since Amy Meyers was senselessly murdered.
I understand the desire to get justice for her grieving family, but to do so at the expense of an innocent man just compounds the tragedy.
We ask that Dr.
Brennan be released on bond so that he can go back to work.
It would be wrong to deny sick children his care simply to fuel the D.
A.
's hunger for publicity.
FERRETTI: I request that Ms.
Ellis's incendiary remarks be stricken from the record.
I'll grant you that, Mr.
Ferretti, but I won't grant your bail request.
Bail is set at five million dollars.
(gavel bangs) Thanks.
Sadie, I can make it palatable.
Man two, recommendation for minimum.
- He'll be out in two years.
- Do you hear something, Albert? - The voice of desperation.
- Take it or leave it.
Don't try to strong-arm me.
You don't have a case.
Russo's digging in.
We're prepared to go to the mat.
Good.
Go.
It's always fun watching you flail around in a courtroom.
Don't push me, Sadie.
I've got a grieving mother.
I'm not above trying this case in the media.
Oh, you do not want to go - mother to mother with me on this.
- A shattered mother seeking justice I have the Mother Teresa of (arguing continues) Boys and girls, may I remind you, we're still in a public place.
Consider the offer, Sadie.
You have 48 hours.
Drop dead time is Thursday at 3:00 p.
m.
(phone chiming) Oh, damn it.
Isaiah's in jail again.
You need to stop pissing off judges.
We paid the contempt fine, but Mendoza's demanding an apology before letting you back into her courtroom.
An apology for what? - You called her a fascist.
- She is a fascist.
MAN: You really the famous Isaiah Roth? I am.
If you're such a great defense attorney, what you doing in here with us? We're all in this together, brother.
(elevator bell dings) TANYA: The subway pusher jury is back, so Cameron and Tiffany headed to court, and this gentleman is looking for a job and would like, quote, "An audience with the big dog," unquote.
I've explained that you're a very busy man, but he's been sitting there for the past three hours insisting that I try to, quote, "hook him up," unquote.
- Should I call security? - It's a free country.
He could stay all day if he wants.
Let's get started.
Sadie? They offered a plea.
Better than we expected.
Man two.
He'll get two years.
So what's your strategy? First, we're trying to get the alleged confession thrown out.
Oh, Lucy, has Judge Hsu scheduled a hearing on our motion to suppress? No.
But my friend Abby has a date with the judge's clerk tonight, and I told her to, like, try to work your motion into conversation.
Or you could just call the clerk yourself.
Oh, yeah.
I'll go do that now.
Yeah.
Great.
She's the worst assistant.
She's a Make-A-Wish kid.
When she was three.
Now she's 23.
She survived cancer, she got a trip to Disneyland, and now she needs to be fired.
You're a terrible person.
Leave her alone.
What if you can't get the confession thrown out? Can you win this if you take it to trial? It's a big risk.
Juries like confessions.
In the event we can't suppress it, we're gonna strongly recommend Brennan take the plea.
- Hung jury.
- What? TIFFANY: Ten-two to convict.
Judge Papp wants to start the second trial tomorrow.
Lester thinks the FBI's conspiring to keep him from fighting Bruce Lee on pay-per-view, and I can only get two jurors to go for insanity.
Sadie, would you take a look at the case? Why? Fresh eyes.
All right, people, we're done.
It's your case.
Go.
- I don't need Sadie's help.
- Are you sure about that? You couldn't convince a jury that a man who believes he's Jackie Chan is crazy.
I put on a good case.
I proved insanity.
The problem is, it's impossible to find 12 people in this city who don't have a preconceived idea about this guy.
Have you heard of the subway pusher? Me? Uh, yeah.
Do you think he deserves jail or a psych ward? So I just graduated from law school.
I haven't really had a chance to study the case yet, so I'm not sure.
- By the way, I'm - See? There's one.
Find 11 more like him, and convince them of their own humanity.
TANYA: You can put the hand down now.
Big dog's gone.
Bang, bang ALBERT: A bunch of us are grabbing drinks.
- Want to come? - Can't, voir dire in the morning.
You want nurses, social workers and women with advanced degrees.
- Stay away from bus riders.
- Why no bus riders? They ride the bus because they're scared of subway pushers.
- Let's go drink.
- I can't.
Isaiah thinks Sadie's better than me.
I need to prove him wrong.
He just thought a fresh pair of eyes could help you.
Since when have I needed help? Why are you taking this personally? Instead of psychoanalyzing me, let's try to figure out how we can make a jury see Lester as crazy.
- 20 years of psychiatric records? - They don't buy it.
They hear how he's this violent schizophrenic, and all they see is a guy taking a nap.
- His meds make him sleepy.
- So take him off.
Unmedicated, he's completely unpredictable.
If I'm a juror, I need to see this isn't some calculated thing.
I need to hear the ranting.
- Barking.
- Barking? He barks when he's excited.
GEMMA: Do you have him? - Hey, Gemma.
- Gemma, when did you get here? - Is Scott Davis here? - Who's Scott Davis? Our dog.
And why would he be here? Because he's not at day care.
Or the apartment.
I tried to call you, like, a million times.
You didn't answer, so I ran here.
Um, I'm gonna go someplace else.
I thought you were calling me to tell me I was late, so I figured I don't care why you ignored my calls, Albert.
Right now, I want to know where Scott Davis is! I dropped him at day care.
I got up early because I had the arraignment, I stopped at the deli for some coffee, and Oh, crap.
I left him tied to a parking meter.
That was ten hours ago! Eyes never told a lie before - Hey.
- Hey.
- They offered man two.
- Sadie - You'd be out in two years.
- Sadie And there's a good chance I could get you out in 18 months.
- Sadie.
- What? I just got out of jail after four months.
Can we just take ten minutes to enjoy it before we talk about going back? I'm an idiot.
Sorry.
Come on.
- Where are we going? - You need a cheeseburger.
BILLY: So undergrad at NYU and law school at Columbia.
You don't ever leave New York City? I go to Brooklyn sometimes.
(chuckles) Brooklyn doesn't count.
I don't travel much; it's not my thing.
Why'd you become a defense attorney? I don't know.
It just kind of happened.
You don't like talking about yourself, do you? I'm not very interesting.
I go to work, I go home.
You know, I used to be like that.
- Yeah, what happened? - I went to prison.
Got some perspective.
Hell of a way to get perspective.
(both chuckle) Isaiah says I have anger management issues.
If I weren't a defense attorney, I'd be in jail.
I've noticed you like a good fight.
You fight like most people breathe.
- It's your natural state.
- No, it isn't.
Okay, I fight because most people don't, or won't.
They see injustice and they just shrug their shoulders like it's Now I'm getting riled up.
So I'm gonna stop talking and eat your fries.
I like that you fight, and that you don't back down.
We should talk about the plea.
You know, you never asked me if I did it.
It doesn't matter.
I'm your lawyer.
- I defend you whether or not - You're not just my lawyer.
These last four months - Billy - It's not just me, right? This happens.
People develop feelings for their lawyer because they're dependent and they're scared.
But it isn't real.
- We should go.
- Everyone thinks I killed Amy.
Everyone her mom, probably some members of my own family.
And I keep trying to tell myself that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, as long as I know what's true.
But it matters to me what you think.
And I need you to know I didn't kill her.
- Sadie in yet? - Not yet.
How's the dog? Dog's fine.
- I heard you killed your dog.
- Dog's fine.
He was still tied to the meter.
Okay, here's what I want to know.
How do you forget your dog? The dog is fine.
That's the headline.
(elevator bell dings) He's still here.
Still here.
How'd it go? - He doesn't want to take the plea.
- What? He says he didn't kill Amy Meyers, and he wants to clear his name.
Did you tell him that going to trial was a really risky idea that you in no way supported? Did you use that serious, scary voice you have? Look, hopefully this is a moot point.
If we can suppress a confession, then - And if we don't? - Then maybe we go to trial.
Thank you.
I think we owe it to Billy to explore all the options.
We did and came up with a strategy not to go to trial.
He's still here? Still here.
Sadie's considering taking the Brennan case to court.
I thought you said it was too risky.
Jerry's coming in.
If he can dig up any dirt on Michael Slater, it could change everything.
- How's the dog? - How do you know about that? I know everything.
May I remind you, Ms.
Wirth, that you were the one who came to me with a petition to forcibly put Mr.
Wilson on medication.
To make him responsive to counsel, Your Honor.
I know, but in the interest of HOLLAND: Your Honor, besides being unethical, - this reeks of - Garrett, let me finish.
You know, I'm beginning to question your competency.
You two, stop.
All right, I have an idea.
Let's do some role-playing.
Just humor me now.
Mr.
Holland, you're Ms.
Wirth.
Why is this so important to your case? - I have no idea.
- Sure you do.
Take a crack at it.
Well, because she's afraid that No.
As Ms.
Wirth.
Uh Who are you? I'm playing myself.
Go.
Well, Your Honor, um, the first jury was polled.
The majority who voted guilty said it was because that Lester didn't seem crazy.
And, well, when he's on his meds, he's A zombie.
Sorry.
Continue.
HOLLAND: But on the day he killed Susannah Fiorita, he was not on his meds, and the jury has a right to see that.
Your turn.
As Garrett Holland.
Not only does this show how desperate Ms.
Wirth is, but it puts at risk the very idea of competency and is perhaps grounds for a mistrial.
Wasn't that enlightening? Ms.
Simon, what did you learn from that exchange? That they've got each other down pretty well? Exactly! Too well.
She knows your arguments, you know hers.
Your Honor, may I speak as myself for a moment? No.
Look, you two, I don't want a repeat of that first trial.
That jury was confused.
This time we're going to give them the information they need to make a decision.
I want Mr.
Wilson presented with the choice to take his medication each day.
If he decides to go back on, that's that.
All right, let's start this trial.
I'd like to thank you guys again for calling on Jerry.
Still speaks in the third person.
- Albert likes it.
- Sadie hates it.
Isaiah's a busy man.
Cut to the chase, Jerry.
Michael Slater, the guy who claims Billy confessed to him, was in and out of jail in his early 20s for petty stuff.
But for the past two decades, he's been clean.
Public school teacher, youth minister at church.
No drinking, no drugs.
No money problems, aside from his crappy salary.
He's living on a teacher's paycheck in New York.
Maybe it's about money.
Is he selling the story? The Enquirer offered him 100 grand.
He turned it down.
He said he's not in for the money, he's in it for the peace of mind.
He has a daughter now and couldn't live with the guilt.
ISAIAH: This guy's testimony will crucify Brennan.
You need that confession thrown out.
The judge is hearing our motion tomorrow.
The confession isn't the only thing that worries me.
The day after the murder, Billy turns up with scratches on his face.
Says it was the family cat.
SADIE: It wasn't Amy Meyers.
The coroner's report said there was no skin under her fingernails.
- What else? - Guests at a Halloween party the night of the murder saw Billy and Amy fighting.
And witnesses later placed them together in Gramercy Park at 12:30.
Billy claims he left after the fight and went back to the party.
Who leaves a girl alone in a park late at night? A kid who just got broken up with.
He was raised to say "please" and "thank you" and to walk girls home.
I'm just putting myself in the jury's shoes.
You still have a day to give the D.
A.
an answer.
See if you can put together a winnable case.
And if not, you'll re-approach Brennan.
Yes, Albert.
I'll use my serious, scary voice and get him to take the plea.
- Do it once right now.
- No.
- Just a little.
- I'm not doing the voice.
There it is.
Do you have any experience with anyone that's been in a psychiatric facility? I had an uncle who was mental.
Would that prevent you from being impartial toward Move to strike this juror, Your Honor.
JUDGE PAPP: You may step down, sir.
You're excused.
TIFFANY: What the hell was that? It was my voir dire, and you made me look like an ass.
He had an uncle who was "mental.
" It wasn't gonna take 45 minutes to figure out this guy wasn't gonna be sympathetic to Lester.
Okay, well, then you could have pulled me aside, 'cause now the judge and Holland think that I'm an idiot.
You're a second-year associate.
Nobody's thinking about you at all.
Okay, well, you want to know what I think? I think that you are cracking under pressure and you are making stupid, rash decisions, and you are taking it out on me and Oh, my God, I'm yelling at my boss.
I'm from Iowa.
We don't yell.
We seethe silently.
(whispers): What's happening to me? MARGARET: This better be important, Sadie.
I'm working out.
Margaret, the D.
A.
offered a plea.
- I hope you're not taking it.
- We have to be realistic and consider the likelihood of conviction, the evidence they have against him, and the strength of our defense.
Help me, Sadie.
What's he trying to say? He's having trouble with the cat scratch.
Tell us again what happened.
The night Amy was murdered, Gail Meyers called me about 3:00 a.
m.
to say Amy hadn't come home yet.
I went to ask Billy if he knew where she was.
The cat was sleeping beside him.
When he rolled over, it got mad and scratched him on the cheek.
What can I say? The cat was an ass.
It's not gonna be easy to explain the coincidence of the cat scratch to a jury.
Did you cut yourself shaving? Or did you murder someone last night, Mr.
Cobb? That is one tough woman.
Speaking of tough women, have you and Gemma set a wedding date? She called it off.
What? Over the dog? That was an honest mistake.
You were distracted.
She says I'm always distracted.
I'm not good husband material.
I work too much.
What's wrong with working too much? Apparently, there are people in the world who like to live balanced lives.
Yeah, those people are boring.
Maybe we're the boring ones.
Oh, God, she got to you.
No! We are the lucky ones.
We love what we do.
- Do we? - Yes.
- Enough to lose a great girl? - She's not that great.
She's pretty great.
- Do you need the Isaiah speech? - No, please.
We do God's work.
We meet people in their darkest hours and fight for them.
It may not always be easy, but at least when we go to bed at night, we can sleep knowing that Come on.
Say it with me.
BOTH: That we stood by someone accused so that he or she would not have to stand alone.
So I'm important and necessary and noble and single.
If you want me to make Gemma take you back, I will.
No.
But you can represent me on Scott Davis's custody battle.
Deal.
HOLLAND: Can you tell us what happened, Mr.
Fiorita? FIORITA: We were waiting for the train.
We were arguing.
I had forgotten to take in the dry cleaning.
Such a stupid argument.
(sniffles) I'm sorry.
- Do you need a minute? - (sniffles) So, uh, we're standing on the platform, and I feel this presence over my shoulder.
- And there's this guy - Mr.
Wilson? Yeah.
And he says he's gonna fight Bruce Lee on TV.
So I'm, like, you know, I tell him to get lost.
And he raises his arms and hops away.
- HOLLAND: He hops? - Like in Karate Kid.
I turn back to Susannah, and she kind of laughs.
And I laugh.
And our argument's over.
So, the, uh, train comes into the station, and I turn my head to look at it.
A second later, I-I I turn back, and Susannah's flying past me.
Like in a comic book.
Arms and legs out, in midair, staring at the oncoming train.
And everybody's s-screaming and I'm screaming.
And he's sitting there, on the ground next to me, saying, "The blonde woman "I pushed her.
" Over and over.
Mr.
Fiorita, first of all, I'm so sorry for your loss.
Thank you.
When Mr.
Wilson hopped away, you say you and Susannah laughed.
Why'd you laugh? It was a strange thing to see, I guess, this guy doing karate.
Strange? Did he seem crazy to you? - Yeah, a little.
- Objection.
- Calls for speculation.
- Sustained.
CAMERON: Nothing further.
You okay? Yeah.
I just I haven't been back here since that night.
So, you and Amy left a Halloween party at a neighbor's house, which was? Two doors down from the corner.
And she broke up with you? Yeah.
Right over there on that bench.
So you were angry at her? I was devastated.
I loved her.
But I was a senator's kid.
Everyone in my family is, like, the best at everything.
Here was this girl that I really liked.
She had just broken up with me, so I felt like a failure.
And then you left and she stayed? That's the part that bugs us.
Why would you leave a 16-year-old girl alone in the park? I was embarrassed.
I thought I was gonna cry, and I didn't want her to see that, so I left.
And that was the last time you saw her? No.
(indistinct police transmission) Uh, her body was right there.
Sorry.
(clears throat) His story makes sense.
It's believable.
He'd make a compelling witness.
If we get that confession thrown out tomorrow, they'll probably drop the case, and we won't have to go to trial.
- That's still our best bet.
- I'm telling you, we can make reasonable doubt.
You know the part of the Isaiah speech where it says we stand by our fellow man in his darkest hour? Sometimes that means taking the plea.
CAMERON: Just like yesterday, not taking your meds is your choice.
You're a man, right? - Lester - It's okay.
I'm a woman, but I used to be a man.
That's right.
I remember you told me.
Are you still comfortable with me representing you? Yeah.
I-I just didn't know if it was real or in my mind.
It's real.
I'm not taking these.
Mr.
Slater, you and Dr.
Brennan were both students at River Hill Academy.
Yeah.
It was a boarding school for kids with emotional problems.
Please tell us the circumstances of the confession.
We were in group therapy, and you were supposed to share an experience from your life.
And did the defendant share an experience with the group? Not then, but a little while later, when the group leader paired us up.
And what did the defendant say to you? He talked about this girl who died, Amy Meyers, and that he was pretty messed up about it.
And then he said, "I did it, you know.
" Meaning kill Amy Meyers? Yeah.
Thank you, Mr.
Slater.
What did you say after he said that? I don't really remember if I said anything.
You don't remember if you said anything, but your memory's crystal clear about what Dr.
Brennan said? I was pretty freaked out.
- Sure you weren't stoned? - JUDGE HSU: Mr.
Cobb.
Mr.
Slater was sent to RiverHill after being kicked out of two other schools for alcohol and drug abuse.
Michael Slater is not on trial here.
ALBERT: Maybe he should be.
We ask that Mr.
Slater's testimony be suppressed.
The witness is unreliable, and his testimony's unsubstantiated.
You can argue that at trial, Mr.
Cobb.
I'm inclined to allow the testimony.
ALBERT: We urge the court to reconsider.
Mr.
Slater's claim is hearsay without any corroboration.
The so-called confession defies logic.
Why would Dr.
Brennan make such an incriminating statement? Self-reflection was part of the program.
The school was set up to foster such admissions.
So it was part of the therapy? Everything at the school was part of the therapy.
In that case, the conversation is protected by doctor-patient privilege.
What? Slater wasn't a doctor.
He was a He was a member of a therapeutic group, bound by confidentiality.
And continuing the session as a therapeutic facilitator.
The precedent is well-settled.
Michael Slater was not a psychiatrist.
The law is very clear on this.
Your Honor, if patients feel as if they can't divulge problems in a protected session, - for fear of future prosecution - JUDGE HSU: I agree.
However, the conversation in question, while at the behest of the psychiatrist, did not occur in his presence, and therefore is not privileged.
The motion to suppress the confession is denied.
- Your Honor - Take the guy apart at the trial.
If we get that far.
Now go.
Plea is still on the table, Sadie.
Mr.
Wilson was brought to Battery Park Medical in August of 2013 by the police.
And how would you characterize his mental health? BALDRIDGE: Lester suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.
He has command auditory hallucinations, which are voices that comment in a vicious way and encourage him to harm other people.
On medication, the voices are controlled.
Off medication, he's very volatile and can be easily provoked to violence.
Provoked by what? Typically, schizophrenics who are symptomatic are triggered by religious symbols, eye contact, loud noises.
- Laughter? - Possibly.
Mr.
Wilson, as you know, has a fairly well-developed delusion that he's a karate champion.
He could be easily irritated by someone who refused to acknowledge it.
Laughter, in that context, could be a trigger.
Isn't it true, Dr.
Baldridge, that you approved the discharge of Mr.
Wilson from the Battery Park Medical Center on November 17? - Yes.
- So, you yourself, six weeks before the attack, judged Mr.
Wilson fit to return to society.
Obviously, it's a decision I now regret.
I bet Susannah Fiorita regrets it, too.
- Objection.
Move to strike.
- Sustained.
- Nothing further.
- Lunchtime! No, no, it's 1:00.
I'm hungry.
JUDGE PAPP: Control your client, Counsel.
And, yes, why don't we take lunch? (gavel bangs) Your lunch is at 1:30 at the Boathouse with your daughter.
The smart one or the other one? The other one.
And that's not nice.
The kid finally bailed, huh? (elevator bell dings) You're looking for dirt on Michael Slater? Hmm.
(sighs) So we're back to the plea.
Yeah.
It's a good deal.
How am I gonna look Billy in the eye and tell him two years in jail and being a convicted felon for the rest of his life, is a good deal? You're a great lawyer, Sadie.
Like, I spend way too much of my free time hating on you for being so good, but not even you can overcome a credible witness.
- Okay.
- You want me to call Billy? - No, I'll do it.
- Okay, it's just you're taking this one hard.
I'm fine.
Michael Slater got himself a book deal.
250 grand for a tell-all.
- Where did you get this? - It doesn't matter.
It checks out.
The guy was just looking for a payday.
You can destroy him in court.
Yes.
We can reject the plea now.
They're letting the clock run out on the plea.
- Yeah.
- Which means something's up.
Yeah.
You realize you're not very comforting? Yeah.
FERRETTI: You missed the deadline.
Deal's off the table.
We're here to turn it down.
Okay.
Then we're all good.
See you in court.
Calvin? What's going on? We found the murder weapon.
What happened was, um, this train is coming and it's like sensory overload and it feels like, um, switches going on in my brain, flipping on and off, and I pushed her.
And I-I don't mean to, but it happens, and then the lady falls onto the track, and then I went into shock, horror.
Lester, did somebody tell you to push Susannah Fiorita onto the tracks? You feel like something is entering you.
Everything melds into one, you know, intangible entity, and then it's like this overwhelming urge to push.
I punch, bang, zoom, like like that, it's right it's right in front of the train.
You knew that if you pushed her in front of the train, - she might get - Killed, yeah.
So you agree you knew what you were doing, and you knew it was wrong.
I see.
At the time that you pushed her did you know it would cause her death? Yes or no? I-I wasn't thinking about her.
When it happens, I'm not thinking.
It-it just goes whoosh, whoosh, push, you know.
It's like pow! I'm absorbing the world! Wha okay, nothing further.
I'm sitting in this chair! I can hear you! I'm not invisible! (barking) JUDGE PAPP: Ms.
Wirth! (gavel banging) Ms.
Wirth! Control your client! That's enough.
Thanks for the tip today, Nick.
I was wondering how you got it when my best investigator couldn't.
Well, I knew Slater had been in and out of jail when he was young, and I happen to know a lot of people in that world.
Which is what I wanted to talk to you about.
Well, I gave Jerry a chance to redeem himself and had him investigate you.
You spent the past five years in Otisville for passing counterfeit money and bad checks.
While you were there, you got a law degree through an online inmate program.
But you must know that the New York Bar is not going to admit you until you get someone to hire you and vouch for your character.
- Yes, sir.
- Well, how am I gonna do that? I don't know the first thing about your character.
I was young and stupid and I made some mistakes.
But I don't expect you to take my word for it.
When I was in law school, I studied your defense of left-wing radical Carolyn Rice in the 1982 murder of a state trooper.
I had some questions about the case, so I wrote to her in prison.
We've been corresponding for the past few years.
She told me to come here, to you.
She wrote me this reference.
She's amazing.
Yes, she is.
Sadie, is everything okay? They found the murder weapon.
The scepter that was part of Amy's Cleopatra costume.
- Where? - Staten Island police warehouse.
There was a fire at the 93rd precinct in 2006.
A bunch of evidence was moved.
It has her blood on it.
And they just discovered it has somebody else's blood on it, too.
I have to ask you what your blood type is.
Billy's bloody type is O negative.
It's not a big deal.
A lot of people are O negative.
I'm probably O negative.
You're A positive.
- How do you know my blood type? - How do you not? We give blood every year and get a card for when you're riding your bike and get hit by a bus.
And our client's blood type matches the blood on the murder weapon.
I would say that's a very big deal.
We need to get the weapon thrown out.
Allowing the scepter into evidence is a miscarriage of justice.
There was a clear break in the chain of custody, causing a significant likelihood the evidence was tainted.
These issues of custody go to weight, not admissibility.
That rule doesn't apply in cases where the police mishandle the evidence.
You raise a valid point, Counselor.
I'd like to submit my blood.
I talk, you don't.
Compare my blood to the blood on the scepter.
I don't stroll into your O.
R.
, and stick my hand in a kid's gut, do I? - Albert - You know why? - Because I didn't go to medical school! - Albert! You need to keep your freakin' mouth shut and let the trained professionals do their work! I'm telling you it's gonna be exculpatory.
What, did you watch a couple episodes of Law & Order and now you're a lawyer? - Albert.
- What?! Can you give us a minute alone, please? Without physical evidence connecting you to the murder, we have reasonable doubt.
We have it.
But with you offering them your blood and spit on a silver platter, who the hell knows what they're gonna find? You don't, Perry Mason.
And I promise you, you don't want to find out.
(door opens, closes) What are you doing? I was winning in there.
I'm trying to prove my innocence.
You don't have to.
It's on Ferretti to prove you're guilty.
My blood isn't gonna match.
I can prove that I didn't kill her.
We're going back in there and you are going to apologize to the judge.
What are you so afraid of? This isn't about me.
This is about some evidence that shouldn't be allowed in.
This is about you letting me do my job.
And yes, I'm sure it's difficult to have people doubt you, but please don't put that on me.
I am not one of those people.
But you'll become one.
You won't want to, but you will.
Happens to every single person I care about.
It creeps into your thinking.
Billy, I told you That this isn't real, I know.
And that I don't have feelings for you, but you're wrong.
And I'm gonna prove to you, and to everyone, that I'm innocent.
And not with a hair strand or a cheek swab.
I want there to be no doubt.
I want to give my blood.
Let me.
You know it when you see it.
You're on a subway.
You see someone talking to themselves, maybe they're a little disheveled, and you think to yourself, "Uh-oh, a crazy person.
" We all do it.
We look away.
But you can't look away from Lester Wilson.
His fate is in your hands.
You don't need to have Dr.
Baldridge try and make sense to you of what was going on in Mr.
Wilson's mind leading up to the attack, because you know there's no sense to be made.
You can see that sitting right there is a sick man.
And I needed you to see it.
So much so that I took Lester off his medication so you could see his illness for yourself.
And you did.
Mr.
Holland and I agree on the facts of the case.
Lester Wilson pushed Susannah Fiorita in front of a train and then sat down.
Where we disagree is on the interpretation of these facts.
Mr.
Holland sees a cunning predator, I see a confused, terrified soul, constantly tormented by voices, demons and paranoid delusions.
When he sat down on that platform, it wasn't in submission.
It was because he didn't realize he had done anything wrong.
Do we ignore how very sick Lester Wilson is? Ultimately, this decision isn't just about him.
It's about us and who we are.
So do we turn away? Or do we really see him? What happened to good cop, bad cop? You were supposed to talk him out of it.
- I tried.
- Did you? You're shutting me out.
Making decisions without consulting me.
What's going on? You just have to trust me.
You believe he's innocent.
Fine.
But right now, innocence doesn't matter.
Winning this case matters.
Keeping him out of prison matters.
Brennan's giving blood? What the hell happened? Ask Sadie.
It's gonna be fine.
It's a big gamble, but it's gonna be a huge payoff.
It'd better be.
- Have you reached a verdict? - We have.
We find the defendant, Lester Wilson, not guilty by reason of insanity.
(gallery murmuring) JUDGE PAPP: Mr.
Wilson will be remanded to the Holchester Psychiatric Facility.
- Lester, we won.
- JUDGE PAPP: Thank you, jurors.
Thank you for your service.
You are excused.
We are now in adjournment.
(gavel bangs) My girl got a minimum Keep stuck right there till the number comes I was gonna buy you a drink, but it looks like you're all over that.
Our client's on his way to a mental institution, and we're supposed to be celebrating? I'm sorry.
I know I shouldn't let this stuff get to me.
I just Maybe I should just move back to Iowa.
I don't know if I'm cut out for this.
The fact that you're having these feelings means you're good at your job.
The minute you stop feeling for your clients is when you need to go back to the farm.
Not everyone from Iowa lives on a farm, okay? We're not all unsophisticated hillbillies who sit around milking cows all day.
You know, in fact, I've never even milked a cow! And, my God, I'm yelling at my boss again.
Damn it.
Cause you're a New Yorker, Iowa.
Oh, my God, I am.
Don't give this to me when I ask you for it, and I will ask.
I'm gonna have a few drinks, I will want to text Gemma, and it will be a mistake.
Saving you from yourself is usually Sadie's job.
- Where is she? - Beats me.
Where's Sadie? I don't know.
Worst assistant ever.
Yeah.
Thought I'd find you here.
Do I need to take you off Billy Brennan's case? You're falling for him.
- What are you talking? - Don't.
You let him talk you into a bad legal decision.
I couldn't figure it out.
But then you winced when the needle went into his arm.
I've seen you look at bloody crime scene photos and not blink an eye.
And a man gets a needle prick and you can't look? Don't make the same mistake I did.
Can we leave her out of this? Whenever I went to interview him in jail, and the guards would take off his handcuffs, he'd say, "Thank you.
" Every single time.
"Thank you.
" And it just killed me, those little kindnesses.
He's a good man, Isaiah.
I know what it's like.
I told myself I could handle it.
And here I am, divorced three times because I can't get over a woman I had no business developing feelings for.
Curse the things that made me Look, I'm your boss, not your father, but whatever's going on between you two, just end it.
Go on (intercom buzzes) Hi.
Come on in.
What's going on? I'm recusing myself.
- Albert can take over.
- What? Why? Albert's right.
I I've gotten too close, and it makes me - it clouds my judgment.
- Sadie You need someone who can fight for you.
I have you.
(sighs softly) Don't chicken out It's all good Billy To be what you could Punch drunk, dumb struck, potluck, happy, happy (whispers): We can't.
We can't.
I have to go.
Please let me go.
Punch drunk, dumb struck, potluck, happy, happy Figured out I'm good Turn me down Like I knew I should Happy You're gonna redo these.
Sadie, what's going on? Mention the state trooper you killed by name, Joseph Thomas.
And his wife Marilyn and his four children, Joe Jr.
, Tara, Siobhan and Peter.
It's important that you say their names.
It shows that you think about them, and that you understand these are people you robbed of a father.
- Sadie - And that what you did was bad.
Every two years, I go before the same parole board and tell them how sorry I am.
And Isaiah is my lawyer, not you.
He's too close.
Because obviously you are not doing it right.
You need to cry and beg.
You need to tell them that if you could go back and do it all differently, you would; make them see you are not the same woman you were 34 years ago.
Sadie, stop! What happened? Don't chicken out You went to jail when I was two, and robbed me of a mother.
That's what happened.
Punch drunk, dumb struck, potluck Happy, happy I met a guy, Mom.
Punch drunk, dumb struck, potluck And he's kind and smart and funny.
And he's the first guy that I've ever felt like I could really talk to, and that he might understand my screwed-up life.
But I can't.
(exhales) It's so complicated, and I don't know what to do, and I need my mother.
I need you.
Don't chicken out It's all good You know the rules, Rice.
No contact.
Danya, please.
Just give us a minute.
Happy I thought when I went to prison, I'd ruined your life.
But look at you.
You're amazing.
Curse the things that made me sad for so long.
You're a menace.
- New suit? - Yes.
The sales lady told me the color makes my eyes dance.
- And don't try to change the subject.
- Which is? The fact that the whole city's in danger when you're on a bike.
You're gonna get killed, and I'm gonna say âI told her soâ at your funeral.
- Albert, tell me that's not Russo.
- ALBERT: Yup.
And her press puppy dogs.
Since when does the D.
A.
show up to an arraignment? It's a high profile case; she's gonna use it to grandstand.
- And you know what we're gonna do? - Go over there and hijack the press conference to defend our client, who is an innocent man being unfairly imprisoned by a power-hungry D.
A.
That's the opposite of what we're gonna do.
Sales lady was right.
Color really does make your eyes dance.
Sadie, we talked about this.
We agreed.
It does us no good to engage in a public fight with the D.
A.
Who says I'm gonna fight? I'm just gonna listen.
RUSSO: The grand jury has returned an indictment against Dr.
William Brennan for the 1991 murder of his high school girlfriend Amy Meyers.
Do you really think a New York jury is gonna convict a Brennan? RUSSO: I think New Yorkers know that just because your father was a senator doesn't mean you can get away with murder.
No one wants to get away with anything.
We just want our day in court, which the D.
A.
's office has purposefully delayed.
They hoped that if they forced Dr.
Brennan to sit in jail for four months that he'd get scared and agree to a plea, which he won't.
REPORTER: Is this politically motivated? We might agree to the plea.
We have to get him out on bail first.
Now, remember, the D.
A.
's gonna say a lot of stuff about you that isn't true.
You're gonna want to react.
Don't.
No heavy sighs, no scribbling in your legal pad.
- Just stay cool.
- Got it.
- You find out about Ava? - Yes.
Melora texted me and said that her BP's holding - and she's stable.
- What's happening? Sadie's keeping me updated on my patients.
Did the preemie make it off the vent? Hearing's about to start.
We got to go.
I'll meet you up there.
Now I'm curious.
Did the preemie make it off the vent? Yes, and he's doing fine.
Okay.
How you feeling? Scared to death.
- See you up there.
- Okay.
(crowd murmuring) Margaret, I told you to keep it small.
This isn't a cocktail party.
I couldn't keep them away.
Billy is everyone's favorite.
BAILIFF: All rise.
People v.
William Brennan on the charge of murder in the first degree.
- Here for arraignment.
- JUDGE: Please be seated.
I'll hear you on bail.
24 years ago, 16-year-old Amy Meyers was murdered in Gramercy Park.
The autopsy revealed cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head.
The defendant, her boyfriend at the time, was the last person seen with her.
Dr.
Brennan was a suspect, but after a lengthy investigation, no arrest was made and the case went cold, until four months ago when Mr.
Michael Slater came forward and reported that, in 1993, Dr.
Brennan confessed to the crime when they were both in boarding school.
Your Honor, we submit that no bail is sufficient to guarantee the defendant's appearance at trial.
Dr.
Brennan's family is wealthy.
He himself is a pilot and owns a private plane.
Which he uses to fly around the world to perform pro bono pediatric surgeries.
- Which makes him a flight risk.
- Really? In my mind, it just makes him a good guy.
Your Honor, first of all, my client never confessed anything to Michael Slater, who we will show to be an unreliable witness.
Secondly, there is no physical evidence tying Dr.
Brennan to the crime.
Not on the victim's body, not at the crime scene, not on the murder weapon, which was tested in 1991, and found to only have Amy Meyers' blood on it.
Forensic science has advanced a lot since then, Your Honor.
We are confident that if we can locate the murder weapon - Which was lost.
- Well, it's been 24 years.
Exactly.
It's been 24 years since Amy Meyers was senselessly murdered.
I understand the desire to get justice for her grieving family, but to do so at the expense of an innocent man just compounds the tragedy.
We ask that Dr.
Brennan be released on bond so that he can go back to work.
It would be wrong to deny sick children his care simply to fuel the D.
A.
's hunger for publicity.
FERRETTI: I request that Ms.
Ellis's incendiary remarks be stricken from the record.
I'll grant you that, Mr.
Ferretti, but I won't grant your bail request.
Bail is set at five million dollars.
(gavel bangs) Thanks.
Sadie, I can make it palatable.
Man two, recommendation for minimum.
- He'll be out in two years.
- Do you hear something, Albert? - The voice of desperation.
- Take it or leave it.
Don't try to strong-arm me.
You don't have a case.
Russo's digging in.
We're prepared to go to the mat.
Good.
Go.
It's always fun watching you flail around in a courtroom.
Don't push me, Sadie.
I've got a grieving mother.
I'm not above trying this case in the media.
Oh, you do not want to go - mother to mother with me on this.
- A shattered mother seeking justice I have the Mother Teresa of (arguing continues) Boys and girls, may I remind you, we're still in a public place.
Consider the offer, Sadie.
You have 48 hours.
Drop dead time is Thursday at 3:00 p.
m.
(phone chiming) Oh, damn it.
Isaiah's in jail again.
You need to stop pissing off judges.
We paid the contempt fine, but Mendoza's demanding an apology before letting you back into her courtroom.
An apology for what? - You called her a fascist.
- She is a fascist.
MAN: You really the famous Isaiah Roth? I am.
If you're such a great defense attorney, what you doing in here with us? We're all in this together, brother.
(elevator bell dings) TANYA: The subway pusher jury is back, so Cameron and Tiffany headed to court, and this gentleman is looking for a job and would like, quote, "An audience with the big dog," unquote.
I've explained that you're a very busy man, but he's been sitting there for the past three hours insisting that I try to, quote, "hook him up," unquote.
- Should I call security? - It's a free country.
He could stay all day if he wants.
Let's get started.
Sadie? They offered a plea.
Better than we expected.
Man two.
He'll get two years.
So what's your strategy? First, we're trying to get the alleged confession thrown out.
Oh, Lucy, has Judge Hsu scheduled a hearing on our motion to suppress? No.
But my friend Abby has a date with the judge's clerk tonight, and I told her to, like, try to work your motion into conversation.
Or you could just call the clerk yourself.
Oh, yeah.
I'll go do that now.
Yeah.
Great.
She's the worst assistant.
She's a Make-A-Wish kid.
When she was three.
Now she's 23.
She survived cancer, she got a trip to Disneyland, and now she needs to be fired.
You're a terrible person.
Leave her alone.
What if you can't get the confession thrown out? Can you win this if you take it to trial? It's a big risk.
Juries like confessions.
In the event we can't suppress it, we're gonna strongly recommend Brennan take the plea.
- Hung jury.
- What? TIFFANY: Ten-two to convict.
Judge Papp wants to start the second trial tomorrow.
Lester thinks the FBI's conspiring to keep him from fighting Bruce Lee on pay-per-view, and I can only get two jurors to go for insanity.
Sadie, would you take a look at the case? Why? Fresh eyes.
All right, people, we're done.
It's your case.
Go.
- I don't need Sadie's help.
- Are you sure about that? You couldn't convince a jury that a man who believes he's Jackie Chan is crazy.
I put on a good case.
I proved insanity.
The problem is, it's impossible to find 12 people in this city who don't have a preconceived idea about this guy.
Have you heard of the subway pusher? Me? Uh, yeah.
Do you think he deserves jail or a psych ward? So I just graduated from law school.
I haven't really had a chance to study the case yet, so I'm not sure.
- By the way, I'm - See? There's one.
Find 11 more like him, and convince them of their own humanity.
TANYA: You can put the hand down now.
Big dog's gone.
Bang, bang ALBERT: A bunch of us are grabbing drinks.
- Want to come? - Can't, voir dire in the morning.
You want nurses, social workers and women with advanced degrees.
- Stay away from bus riders.
- Why no bus riders? They ride the bus because they're scared of subway pushers.
- Let's go drink.
- I can't.
Isaiah thinks Sadie's better than me.
I need to prove him wrong.
He just thought a fresh pair of eyes could help you.
Since when have I needed help? Why are you taking this personally? Instead of psychoanalyzing me, let's try to figure out how we can make a jury see Lester as crazy.
- 20 years of psychiatric records? - They don't buy it.
They hear how he's this violent schizophrenic, and all they see is a guy taking a nap.
- His meds make him sleepy.
- So take him off.
Unmedicated, he's completely unpredictable.
If I'm a juror, I need to see this isn't some calculated thing.
I need to hear the ranting.
- Barking.
- Barking? He barks when he's excited.
GEMMA: Do you have him? - Hey, Gemma.
- Gemma, when did you get here? - Is Scott Davis here? - Who's Scott Davis? Our dog.
And why would he be here? Because he's not at day care.
Or the apartment.
I tried to call you, like, a million times.
You didn't answer, so I ran here.
Um, I'm gonna go someplace else.
I thought you were calling me to tell me I was late, so I figured I don't care why you ignored my calls, Albert.
Right now, I want to know where Scott Davis is! I dropped him at day care.
I got up early because I had the arraignment, I stopped at the deli for some coffee, and Oh, crap.
I left him tied to a parking meter.
That was ten hours ago! Eyes never told a lie before - Hey.
- Hey.
- They offered man two.
- Sadie - You'd be out in two years.
- Sadie And there's a good chance I could get you out in 18 months.
- Sadie.
- What? I just got out of jail after four months.
Can we just take ten minutes to enjoy it before we talk about going back? I'm an idiot.
Sorry.
Come on.
- Where are we going? - You need a cheeseburger.
BILLY: So undergrad at NYU and law school at Columbia.
You don't ever leave New York City? I go to Brooklyn sometimes.
(chuckles) Brooklyn doesn't count.
I don't travel much; it's not my thing.
Why'd you become a defense attorney? I don't know.
It just kind of happened.
You don't like talking about yourself, do you? I'm not very interesting.
I go to work, I go home.
You know, I used to be like that.
- Yeah, what happened? - I went to prison.
Got some perspective.
Hell of a way to get perspective.
(both chuckle) Isaiah says I have anger management issues.
If I weren't a defense attorney, I'd be in jail.
I've noticed you like a good fight.
You fight like most people breathe.
- It's your natural state.
- No, it isn't.
Okay, I fight because most people don't, or won't.
They see injustice and they just shrug their shoulders like it's Now I'm getting riled up.
So I'm gonna stop talking and eat your fries.
I like that you fight, and that you don't back down.
We should talk about the plea.
You know, you never asked me if I did it.
It doesn't matter.
I'm your lawyer.
- I defend you whether or not - You're not just my lawyer.
These last four months - Billy - It's not just me, right? This happens.
People develop feelings for their lawyer because they're dependent and they're scared.
But it isn't real.
- We should go.
- Everyone thinks I killed Amy.
Everyone her mom, probably some members of my own family.
And I keep trying to tell myself that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, as long as I know what's true.
But it matters to me what you think.
And I need you to know I didn't kill her.
- Sadie in yet? - Not yet.
How's the dog? Dog's fine.
- I heard you killed your dog.
- Dog's fine.
He was still tied to the meter.
Okay, here's what I want to know.
How do you forget your dog? The dog is fine.
That's the headline.
(elevator bell dings) He's still here.
Still here.
How'd it go? - He doesn't want to take the plea.
- What? He says he didn't kill Amy Meyers, and he wants to clear his name.
Did you tell him that going to trial was a really risky idea that you in no way supported? Did you use that serious, scary voice you have? Look, hopefully this is a moot point.
If we can suppress a confession, then - And if we don't? - Then maybe we go to trial.
Thank you.
I think we owe it to Billy to explore all the options.
We did and came up with a strategy not to go to trial.
He's still here? Still here.
Sadie's considering taking the Brennan case to court.
I thought you said it was too risky.
Jerry's coming in.
If he can dig up any dirt on Michael Slater, it could change everything.
- How's the dog? - How do you know about that? I know everything.
May I remind you, Ms.
Wirth, that you were the one who came to me with a petition to forcibly put Mr.
Wilson on medication.
To make him responsive to counsel, Your Honor.
I know, but in the interest of HOLLAND: Your Honor, besides being unethical, - this reeks of - Garrett, let me finish.
You know, I'm beginning to question your competency.
You two, stop.
All right, I have an idea.
Let's do some role-playing.
Just humor me now.
Mr.
Holland, you're Ms.
Wirth.
Why is this so important to your case? - I have no idea.
- Sure you do.
Take a crack at it.
Well, because she's afraid that No.
As Ms.
Wirth.
Uh Who are you? I'm playing myself.
Go.
Well, Your Honor, um, the first jury was polled.
The majority who voted guilty said it was because that Lester didn't seem crazy.
And, well, when he's on his meds, he's A zombie.
Sorry.
Continue.
HOLLAND: But on the day he killed Susannah Fiorita, he was not on his meds, and the jury has a right to see that.
Your turn.
As Garrett Holland.
Not only does this show how desperate Ms.
Wirth is, but it puts at risk the very idea of competency and is perhaps grounds for a mistrial.
Wasn't that enlightening? Ms.
Simon, what did you learn from that exchange? That they've got each other down pretty well? Exactly! Too well.
She knows your arguments, you know hers.
Your Honor, may I speak as myself for a moment? No.
Look, you two, I don't want a repeat of that first trial.
That jury was confused.
This time we're going to give them the information they need to make a decision.
I want Mr.
Wilson presented with the choice to take his medication each day.
If he decides to go back on, that's that.
All right, let's start this trial.
I'd like to thank you guys again for calling on Jerry.
Still speaks in the third person.
- Albert likes it.
- Sadie hates it.
Isaiah's a busy man.
Cut to the chase, Jerry.
Michael Slater, the guy who claims Billy confessed to him, was in and out of jail in his early 20s for petty stuff.
But for the past two decades, he's been clean.
Public school teacher, youth minister at church.
No drinking, no drugs.
No money problems, aside from his crappy salary.
He's living on a teacher's paycheck in New York.
Maybe it's about money.
Is he selling the story? The Enquirer offered him 100 grand.
He turned it down.
He said he's not in for the money, he's in it for the peace of mind.
He has a daughter now and couldn't live with the guilt.
ISAIAH: This guy's testimony will crucify Brennan.
You need that confession thrown out.
The judge is hearing our motion tomorrow.
The confession isn't the only thing that worries me.
The day after the murder, Billy turns up with scratches on his face.
Says it was the family cat.
SADIE: It wasn't Amy Meyers.
The coroner's report said there was no skin under her fingernails.
- What else? - Guests at a Halloween party the night of the murder saw Billy and Amy fighting.
And witnesses later placed them together in Gramercy Park at 12:30.
Billy claims he left after the fight and went back to the party.
Who leaves a girl alone in a park late at night? A kid who just got broken up with.
He was raised to say "please" and "thank you" and to walk girls home.
I'm just putting myself in the jury's shoes.
You still have a day to give the D.
A.
an answer.
See if you can put together a winnable case.
And if not, you'll re-approach Brennan.
Yes, Albert.
I'll use my serious, scary voice and get him to take the plea.
- Do it once right now.
- No.
- Just a little.
- I'm not doing the voice.
There it is.
Do you have any experience with anyone that's been in a psychiatric facility? I had an uncle who was mental.
Would that prevent you from being impartial toward Move to strike this juror, Your Honor.
JUDGE PAPP: You may step down, sir.
You're excused.
TIFFANY: What the hell was that? It was my voir dire, and you made me look like an ass.
He had an uncle who was "mental.
" It wasn't gonna take 45 minutes to figure out this guy wasn't gonna be sympathetic to Lester.
Okay, well, then you could have pulled me aside, 'cause now the judge and Holland think that I'm an idiot.
You're a second-year associate.
Nobody's thinking about you at all.
Okay, well, you want to know what I think? I think that you are cracking under pressure and you are making stupid, rash decisions, and you are taking it out on me and Oh, my God, I'm yelling at my boss.
I'm from Iowa.
We don't yell.
We seethe silently.
(whispers): What's happening to me? MARGARET: This better be important, Sadie.
I'm working out.
Margaret, the D.
A.
offered a plea.
- I hope you're not taking it.
- We have to be realistic and consider the likelihood of conviction, the evidence they have against him, and the strength of our defense.
Help me, Sadie.
What's he trying to say? He's having trouble with the cat scratch.
Tell us again what happened.
The night Amy was murdered, Gail Meyers called me about 3:00 a.
m.
to say Amy hadn't come home yet.
I went to ask Billy if he knew where she was.
The cat was sleeping beside him.
When he rolled over, it got mad and scratched him on the cheek.
What can I say? The cat was an ass.
It's not gonna be easy to explain the coincidence of the cat scratch to a jury.
Did you cut yourself shaving? Or did you murder someone last night, Mr.
Cobb? That is one tough woman.
Speaking of tough women, have you and Gemma set a wedding date? She called it off.
What? Over the dog? That was an honest mistake.
You were distracted.
She says I'm always distracted.
I'm not good husband material.
I work too much.
What's wrong with working too much? Apparently, there are people in the world who like to live balanced lives.
Yeah, those people are boring.
Maybe we're the boring ones.
Oh, God, she got to you.
No! We are the lucky ones.
We love what we do.
- Do we? - Yes.
- Enough to lose a great girl? - She's not that great.
She's pretty great.
- Do you need the Isaiah speech? - No, please.
We do God's work.
We meet people in their darkest hours and fight for them.
It may not always be easy, but at least when we go to bed at night, we can sleep knowing that Come on.
Say it with me.
BOTH: That we stood by someone accused so that he or she would not have to stand alone.
So I'm important and necessary and noble and single.
If you want me to make Gemma take you back, I will.
No.
But you can represent me on Scott Davis's custody battle.
Deal.
HOLLAND: Can you tell us what happened, Mr.
Fiorita? FIORITA: We were waiting for the train.
We were arguing.
I had forgotten to take in the dry cleaning.
Such a stupid argument.
(sniffles) I'm sorry.
- Do you need a minute? - (sniffles) So, uh, we're standing on the platform, and I feel this presence over my shoulder.
- And there's this guy - Mr.
Wilson? Yeah.
And he says he's gonna fight Bruce Lee on TV.
So I'm, like, you know, I tell him to get lost.
And he raises his arms and hops away.
- HOLLAND: He hops? - Like in Karate Kid.
I turn back to Susannah, and she kind of laughs.
And I laugh.
And our argument's over.
So, the, uh, train comes into the station, and I turn my head to look at it.
A second later, I-I I turn back, and Susannah's flying past me.
Like in a comic book.
Arms and legs out, in midair, staring at the oncoming train.
And everybody's s-screaming and I'm screaming.
And he's sitting there, on the ground next to me, saying, "The blonde woman "I pushed her.
" Over and over.
Mr.
Fiorita, first of all, I'm so sorry for your loss.
Thank you.
When Mr.
Wilson hopped away, you say you and Susannah laughed.
Why'd you laugh? It was a strange thing to see, I guess, this guy doing karate.
Strange? Did he seem crazy to you? - Yeah, a little.
- Objection.
- Calls for speculation.
- Sustained.
CAMERON: Nothing further.
You okay? Yeah.
I just I haven't been back here since that night.
So, you and Amy left a Halloween party at a neighbor's house, which was? Two doors down from the corner.
And she broke up with you? Yeah.
Right over there on that bench.
So you were angry at her? I was devastated.
I loved her.
But I was a senator's kid.
Everyone in my family is, like, the best at everything.
Here was this girl that I really liked.
She had just broken up with me, so I felt like a failure.
And then you left and she stayed? That's the part that bugs us.
Why would you leave a 16-year-old girl alone in the park? I was embarrassed.
I thought I was gonna cry, and I didn't want her to see that, so I left.
And that was the last time you saw her? No.
(indistinct police transmission) Uh, her body was right there.
Sorry.
(clears throat) His story makes sense.
It's believable.
He'd make a compelling witness.
If we get that confession thrown out tomorrow, they'll probably drop the case, and we won't have to go to trial.
- That's still our best bet.
- I'm telling you, we can make reasonable doubt.
You know the part of the Isaiah speech where it says we stand by our fellow man in his darkest hour? Sometimes that means taking the plea.
CAMERON: Just like yesterday, not taking your meds is your choice.
You're a man, right? - Lester - It's okay.
I'm a woman, but I used to be a man.
That's right.
I remember you told me.
Are you still comfortable with me representing you? Yeah.
I-I just didn't know if it was real or in my mind.
It's real.
I'm not taking these.
Mr.
Slater, you and Dr.
Brennan were both students at River Hill Academy.
Yeah.
It was a boarding school for kids with emotional problems.
Please tell us the circumstances of the confession.
We were in group therapy, and you were supposed to share an experience from your life.
And did the defendant share an experience with the group? Not then, but a little while later, when the group leader paired us up.
And what did the defendant say to you? He talked about this girl who died, Amy Meyers, and that he was pretty messed up about it.
And then he said, "I did it, you know.
" Meaning kill Amy Meyers? Yeah.
Thank you, Mr.
Slater.
What did you say after he said that? I don't really remember if I said anything.
You don't remember if you said anything, but your memory's crystal clear about what Dr.
Brennan said? I was pretty freaked out.
- Sure you weren't stoned? - JUDGE HSU: Mr.
Cobb.
Mr.
Slater was sent to RiverHill after being kicked out of two other schools for alcohol and drug abuse.
Michael Slater is not on trial here.
ALBERT: Maybe he should be.
We ask that Mr.
Slater's testimony be suppressed.
The witness is unreliable, and his testimony's unsubstantiated.
You can argue that at trial, Mr.
Cobb.
I'm inclined to allow the testimony.
ALBERT: We urge the court to reconsider.
Mr.
Slater's claim is hearsay without any corroboration.
The so-called confession defies logic.
Why would Dr.
Brennan make such an incriminating statement? Self-reflection was part of the program.
The school was set up to foster such admissions.
So it was part of the therapy? Everything at the school was part of the therapy.
In that case, the conversation is protected by doctor-patient privilege.
What? Slater wasn't a doctor.
He was a He was a member of a therapeutic group, bound by confidentiality.
And continuing the session as a therapeutic facilitator.
The precedent is well-settled.
Michael Slater was not a psychiatrist.
The law is very clear on this.
Your Honor, if patients feel as if they can't divulge problems in a protected session, - for fear of future prosecution - JUDGE HSU: I agree.
However, the conversation in question, while at the behest of the psychiatrist, did not occur in his presence, and therefore is not privileged.
The motion to suppress the confession is denied.
- Your Honor - Take the guy apart at the trial.
If we get that far.
Now go.
Plea is still on the table, Sadie.
Mr.
Wilson was brought to Battery Park Medical in August of 2013 by the police.
And how would you characterize his mental health? BALDRIDGE: Lester suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.
He has command auditory hallucinations, which are voices that comment in a vicious way and encourage him to harm other people.
On medication, the voices are controlled.
Off medication, he's very volatile and can be easily provoked to violence.
Provoked by what? Typically, schizophrenics who are symptomatic are triggered by religious symbols, eye contact, loud noises.
- Laughter? - Possibly.
Mr.
Wilson, as you know, has a fairly well-developed delusion that he's a karate champion.
He could be easily irritated by someone who refused to acknowledge it.
Laughter, in that context, could be a trigger.
Isn't it true, Dr.
Baldridge, that you approved the discharge of Mr.
Wilson from the Battery Park Medical Center on November 17? - Yes.
- So, you yourself, six weeks before the attack, judged Mr.
Wilson fit to return to society.
Obviously, it's a decision I now regret.
I bet Susannah Fiorita regrets it, too.
- Objection.
Move to strike.
- Sustained.
- Nothing further.
- Lunchtime! No, no, it's 1:00.
I'm hungry.
JUDGE PAPP: Control your client, Counsel.
And, yes, why don't we take lunch? (gavel bangs) Your lunch is at 1:30 at the Boathouse with your daughter.
The smart one or the other one? The other one.
And that's not nice.
The kid finally bailed, huh? (elevator bell dings) You're looking for dirt on Michael Slater? Hmm.
(sighs) So we're back to the plea.
Yeah.
It's a good deal.
How am I gonna look Billy in the eye and tell him two years in jail and being a convicted felon for the rest of his life, is a good deal? You're a great lawyer, Sadie.
Like, I spend way too much of my free time hating on you for being so good, but not even you can overcome a credible witness.
- Okay.
- You want me to call Billy? - No, I'll do it.
- Okay, it's just you're taking this one hard.
I'm fine.
Michael Slater got himself a book deal.
250 grand for a tell-all.
- Where did you get this? - It doesn't matter.
It checks out.
The guy was just looking for a payday.
You can destroy him in court.
Yes.
We can reject the plea now.
They're letting the clock run out on the plea.
- Yeah.
- Which means something's up.
Yeah.
You realize you're not very comforting? Yeah.
FERRETTI: You missed the deadline.
Deal's off the table.
We're here to turn it down.
Okay.
Then we're all good.
See you in court.
Calvin? What's going on? We found the murder weapon.
What happened was, um, this train is coming and it's like sensory overload and it feels like, um, switches going on in my brain, flipping on and off, and I pushed her.
And I-I don't mean to, but it happens, and then the lady falls onto the track, and then I went into shock, horror.
Lester, did somebody tell you to push Susannah Fiorita onto the tracks? You feel like something is entering you.
Everything melds into one, you know, intangible entity, and then it's like this overwhelming urge to push.
I punch, bang, zoom, like like that, it's right it's right in front of the train.
You knew that if you pushed her in front of the train, - she might get - Killed, yeah.
So you agree you knew what you were doing, and you knew it was wrong.
I see.
At the time that you pushed her did you know it would cause her death? Yes or no? I-I wasn't thinking about her.
When it happens, I'm not thinking.
It-it just goes whoosh, whoosh, push, you know.
It's like pow! I'm absorbing the world! Wha okay, nothing further.
I'm sitting in this chair! I can hear you! I'm not invisible! (barking) JUDGE PAPP: Ms.
Wirth! (gavel banging) Ms.
Wirth! Control your client! That's enough.
Thanks for the tip today, Nick.
I was wondering how you got it when my best investigator couldn't.
Well, I knew Slater had been in and out of jail when he was young, and I happen to know a lot of people in that world.
Which is what I wanted to talk to you about.
Well, I gave Jerry a chance to redeem himself and had him investigate you.
You spent the past five years in Otisville for passing counterfeit money and bad checks.
While you were there, you got a law degree through an online inmate program.
But you must know that the New York Bar is not going to admit you until you get someone to hire you and vouch for your character.
- Yes, sir.
- Well, how am I gonna do that? I don't know the first thing about your character.
I was young and stupid and I made some mistakes.
But I don't expect you to take my word for it.
When I was in law school, I studied your defense of left-wing radical Carolyn Rice in the 1982 murder of a state trooper.
I had some questions about the case, so I wrote to her in prison.
We've been corresponding for the past few years.
She told me to come here, to you.
She wrote me this reference.
She's amazing.
Yes, she is.
Sadie, is everything okay? They found the murder weapon.
The scepter that was part of Amy's Cleopatra costume.
- Where? - Staten Island police warehouse.
There was a fire at the 93rd precinct in 2006.
A bunch of evidence was moved.
It has her blood on it.
And they just discovered it has somebody else's blood on it, too.
I have to ask you what your blood type is.
Billy's bloody type is O negative.
It's not a big deal.
A lot of people are O negative.
I'm probably O negative.
You're A positive.
- How do you know my blood type? - How do you not? We give blood every year and get a card for when you're riding your bike and get hit by a bus.
And our client's blood type matches the blood on the murder weapon.
I would say that's a very big deal.
We need to get the weapon thrown out.
Allowing the scepter into evidence is a miscarriage of justice.
There was a clear break in the chain of custody, causing a significant likelihood the evidence was tainted.
These issues of custody go to weight, not admissibility.
That rule doesn't apply in cases where the police mishandle the evidence.
You raise a valid point, Counselor.
I'd like to submit my blood.
I talk, you don't.
Compare my blood to the blood on the scepter.
I don't stroll into your O.
R.
, and stick my hand in a kid's gut, do I? - Albert - You know why? - Because I didn't go to medical school! - Albert! You need to keep your freakin' mouth shut and let the trained professionals do their work! I'm telling you it's gonna be exculpatory.
What, did you watch a couple episodes of Law & Order and now you're a lawyer? - Albert.
- What?! Can you give us a minute alone, please? Without physical evidence connecting you to the murder, we have reasonable doubt.
We have it.
But with you offering them your blood and spit on a silver platter, who the hell knows what they're gonna find? You don't, Perry Mason.
And I promise you, you don't want to find out.
(door opens, closes) What are you doing? I was winning in there.
I'm trying to prove my innocence.
You don't have to.
It's on Ferretti to prove you're guilty.
My blood isn't gonna match.
I can prove that I didn't kill her.
We're going back in there and you are going to apologize to the judge.
What are you so afraid of? This isn't about me.
This is about some evidence that shouldn't be allowed in.
This is about you letting me do my job.
And yes, I'm sure it's difficult to have people doubt you, but please don't put that on me.
I am not one of those people.
But you'll become one.
You won't want to, but you will.
Happens to every single person I care about.
It creeps into your thinking.
Billy, I told you That this isn't real, I know.
And that I don't have feelings for you, but you're wrong.
And I'm gonna prove to you, and to everyone, that I'm innocent.
And not with a hair strand or a cheek swab.
I want there to be no doubt.
I want to give my blood.
Let me.
You know it when you see it.
You're on a subway.
You see someone talking to themselves, maybe they're a little disheveled, and you think to yourself, "Uh-oh, a crazy person.
" We all do it.
We look away.
But you can't look away from Lester Wilson.
His fate is in your hands.
You don't need to have Dr.
Baldridge try and make sense to you of what was going on in Mr.
Wilson's mind leading up to the attack, because you know there's no sense to be made.
You can see that sitting right there is a sick man.
And I needed you to see it.
So much so that I took Lester off his medication so you could see his illness for yourself.
And you did.
Mr.
Holland and I agree on the facts of the case.
Lester Wilson pushed Susannah Fiorita in front of a train and then sat down.
Where we disagree is on the interpretation of these facts.
Mr.
Holland sees a cunning predator, I see a confused, terrified soul, constantly tormented by voices, demons and paranoid delusions.
When he sat down on that platform, it wasn't in submission.
It was because he didn't realize he had done anything wrong.
Do we ignore how very sick Lester Wilson is? Ultimately, this decision isn't just about him.
It's about us and who we are.
So do we turn away? Or do we really see him? What happened to good cop, bad cop? You were supposed to talk him out of it.
- I tried.
- Did you? You're shutting me out.
Making decisions without consulting me.
What's going on? You just have to trust me.
You believe he's innocent.
Fine.
But right now, innocence doesn't matter.
Winning this case matters.
Keeping him out of prison matters.
Brennan's giving blood? What the hell happened? Ask Sadie.
It's gonna be fine.
It's a big gamble, but it's gonna be a huge payoff.
It'd better be.
- Have you reached a verdict? - We have.
We find the defendant, Lester Wilson, not guilty by reason of insanity.
(gallery murmuring) JUDGE PAPP: Mr.
Wilson will be remanded to the Holchester Psychiatric Facility.
- Lester, we won.
- JUDGE PAPP: Thank you, jurors.
Thank you for your service.
You are excused.
We are now in adjournment.
(gavel bangs) My girl got a minimum Keep stuck right there till the number comes I was gonna buy you a drink, but it looks like you're all over that.
Our client's on his way to a mental institution, and we're supposed to be celebrating? I'm sorry.
I know I shouldn't let this stuff get to me.
I just Maybe I should just move back to Iowa.
I don't know if I'm cut out for this.
The fact that you're having these feelings means you're good at your job.
The minute you stop feeling for your clients is when you need to go back to the farm.
Not everyone from Iowa lives on a farm, okay? We're not all unsophisticated hillbillies who sit around milking cows all day.
You know, in fact, I've never even milked a cow! And, my God, I'm yelling at my boss again.
Damn it.
Cause you're a New Yorker, Iowa.
Oh, my God, I am.
Don't give this to me when I ask you for it, and I will ask.
I'm gonna have a few drinks, I will want to text Gemma, and it will be a mistake.
Saving you from yourself is usually Sadie's job.
- Where is she? - Beats me.
Where's Sadie? I don't know.
Worst assistant ever.
Yeah.
Thought I'd find you here.
Do I need to take you off Billy Brennan's case? You're falling for him.
- What are you talking? - Don't.
You let him talk you into a bad legal decision.
I couldn't figure it out.
But then you winced when the needle went into his arm.
I've seen you look at bloody crime scene photos and not blink an eye.
And a man gets a needle prick and you can't look? Don't make the same mistake I did.
Can we leave her out of this? Whenever I went to interview him in jail, and the guards would take off his handcuffs, he'd say, "Thank you.
" Every single time.
"Thank you.
" And it just killed me, those little kindnesses.
He's a good man, Isaiah.
I know what it's like.
I told myself I could handle it.
And here I am, divorced three times because I can't get over a woman I had no business developing feelings for.
Curse the things that made me Look, I'm your boss, not your father, but whatever's going on between you two, just end it.
Go on (intercom buzzes) Hi.
Come on in.
What's going on? I'm recusing myself.
- Albert can take over.
- What? Why? Albert's right.
I I've gotten too close, and it makes me - it clouds my judgment.
- Sadie You need someone who can fight for you.
I have you.
(sighs softly) Don't chicken out It's all good Billy To be what you could Punch drunk, dumb struck, potluck, happy, happy (whispers): We can't.
We can't.
I have to go.
Please let me go.
Punch drunk, dumb struck, potluck, happy, happy Figured out I'm good Turn me down Like I knew I should Happy You're gonna redo these.
Sadie, what's going on? Mention the state trooper you killed by name, Joseph Thomas.
And his wife Marilyn and his four children, Joe Jr.
, Tara, Siobhan and Peter.
It's important that you say their names.
It shows that you think about them, and that you understand these are people you robbed of a father.
- Sadie - And that what you did was bad.
Every two years, I go before the same parole board and tell them how sorry I am.
And Isaiah is my lawyer, not you.
He's too close.
Because obviously you are not doing it right.
You need to cry and beg.
You need to tell them that if you could go back and do it all differently, you would; make them see you are not the same woman you were 34 years ago.
Sadie, stop! What happened? Don't chicken out You went to jail when I was two, and robbed me of a mother.
That's what happened.
Punch drunk, dumb struck, potluck Happy, happy I met a guy, Mom.
Punch drunk, dumb struck, potluck And he's kind and smart and funny.
And he's the first guy that I've ever felt like I could really talk to, and that he might understand my screwed-up life.
But I can't.
(exhales) It's so complicated, and I don't know what to do, and I need my mother.
I need you.
Don't chicken out It's all good You know the rules, Rice.
No contact.
Danya, please.
Just give us a minute.
Happy I thought when I went to prison, I'd ruined your life.
But look at you.
You're amazing.
Curse the things that made me sad for so long.