For the People (2018) s01e06 Episode Script
Everybody's a Superhero
1 Previously on "For the People" The bear claw this week goes to Allison, who got a full dismissal in the Locarno matter.
You love that watch.
It bothers me it isn't real.
Am I really supposed to believe that what's on the inside doesn't count? We have to do this together.
I don't want to do it any other way.
I'm the guy who makes it worse.
I'm the guy you don't want to go up against.
I didn't stumble into this case.
I saw it, I wanted it, and I took it.
I don't want fun.
I want challenging, interesting.
- Would it work? - Would what work? Us.
Would we work? I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.
[PANTING.]
Bajo Le cama, metete debajo De la cama! [GRUNTING.]
[PANTING.]
Go, go, go! Closet's not clear.
[WHIMPERING.]
Come on.
Get out here! Is this him? Is this him? Yeah, that's our guy.
- Agatha? - [DIGITAL BEEPING.]
Play "Sandra's Not Home.
" Of course.
I can do that.
Playing playlist "Sandra's Not Home.
" [SAWEETIE'S "ICY GRL" PLAYS.]
Can't stop, won't stop, get guap Manicures and pedicures I'm always tip top When they say I'm not hot all these lies need to stop 'Cause I'm icy, wifey, haters wanna fight me Never been the one get RIP up on a white tee Keep my hands clean got some hitta's moving shiesty Ask me if I'm rollin' with some Gucci I might be It's very unlikely my wrist ain't looking icy Charging by the minute 'cause my time is very pricy Yeah, I be where the bosses be Judging from my vibe you can feel it in my energy - [COMPUTER CHIMES.]
- Stacking paper steadily So I can live in luxury Looking in the mirror I thank God for what I'm 'bout to be You beefing with my enemy does not make you a friend of me Girls so weird stay clear I'm living drama free [ LINE RINGS.]
Yes, I unplugged everything and restarted the modem.
That's what you guys tell me to do very time, and it works better for five minutes, then it slows down again.
No.
No, I can't hold.
I'm late for work.
And I'm taking all the custody Obstacles be slowing me, but that buffer moldin' me So I take my time 'Cause I'm always where I'm supposed to be You can not get a hold of me? I'm probably in a solo meet Always making moves, man, that's how I keep my sanity [MUSIC STOPS.]
What is life without Internet? The whole of human civilization up until 20 years ago? - Ugh.
I prefer the Internet.
- [LAUGHS.]
We have no Internet at home.
What are you doing in here? My office, there's stuff in it.
- Did you call? - Oh, I called.
I unplugged.
I waited 10 seconds.
I plugged.
JAY: I've never understood the waiting 10 seconds part.
It's either on or it's off.
Right? The waiting feels like the modem's mad at me or something.
Like we need to give it time to calm down, cool off.
[SIGHS.]
My ride in wasn't great, either.
This might be the worst day of your life.
Top three, probably, but I'm turning it around.
You always do.
[SIGHS.]
Lemonade.
Does that mean you're gonna make lemonade from lemons or you're gonna play "Lemonade"? Yes.
Okay.
I have to go.
Cool if I leave my stuff here? That's how it starts.
- I need you for 10 minutes.
- No - Five minutes.
- No.
Why do you need me? I have a meeting with the ATF.
I need you to back me up.
- About what? - Whatever I say.
What if I don't like what you say? Why are you assuming you're not gonna like what I say? Well, I don't like what you're saying right now.
Please, come and just sit in the room.
You don't have to do anything.
Just sit for five minutes.
Nobody will even notice you're there.
Then when I say something, you say, "Good point" or "Yes, I agree.
" You're not going to tell me when I can and cannot make an arrest! Who is she? Who are you? Kate.
She's my colleague.
I agree.
Good point.
Look, I'm saying you have enough to arrest McCallister now.
He's the one we want.
Why are we waiting? We're waiting because we should work on this from the bottom up.
We can cut the head off, but the head grows back.
Let's start on the lower rungs and dismantle this piece by piece.
- I agree.
- What? SETH: What does that even mean, "The head grows back"? When does a head ever grow back? If he's low enough, no one in the ring will think twice when he disappears.
We get the evidence we need Without compromising the investigation.
It's a good idea.
Agree with what I say.
Me.
Agree.
You should've said something better.
I'm never gonna invite you to a meeting so you can back me up again.
See, like that.
That's better.
Hey.
Hey.
Thank you.
Oh, it was a good idea.
Can I get your number? If anything comes up.
[ NEWS THEME PLAYS.]
REPORTER: The island nation of Córdoba is still reeling this morning after damage caused by Category 5 Hurricane Jasper.
They also now face a graver threat armed acts of piracy.
According to U.
S.
officials, island resident Arturo Marquez was armed with automatic weapons when he boarded a relief ship and forcibly removed thousands of pounds of supplies.
Marquez is now in custody with the United States Marines.
Marquez Is he in the Southern District? I can't comment on that.
I want it.
I can comment on that.
No.
I do have something for you, though.
Just came in.
Assault? Roger Not just any assault.
This guy and others like him are creating a real problem in this city, and it's time to put the federal foot down.
And it's not just any opposing counsel.
It's someone you will enjoy going up against.
So, take a closer look before you start flicking your applesauce in my face.
[CHUCKLES.]
Oh.
Right.
Your Honor, Mr.
Morris is being charged with a single count under 18 USC 113 assault on federal land.
As alleged in the complaint, Mr.
Morris dove uh, "flew", his words and tackled an unarmed tourist at the African Burial Ground National Monument.
I'm sorry I keep referring to him as Mr.
Morris.
Would the defendant prefer "Captain Shadow," Ms.
Bell? Captain Shadow.
Captain Shadow.
Very well, Captain.
Your Honor, Mr.
Shadow my client had a good-faith belief that he was stopping a kidnapping.
The victim was chasing after his toddler.
Yeah, I I don't I didn't JUDGE ENGEL: Do you understand the charges, Mr.
Morris? Yes, Your Honor.
And how do you plead? Not guilty, Your Honor.
I'll release Mr.
Morris on a $5,000 bond.
Normal restrictions, but I'll add an additional requirement of an 8:00 p.
m.
curfew.
Crime spikes in the city around 10:00.
I really need to be out there.
The curfew is fine, Your Honor.
We'll also need the costume as evidence.
"Costume"? JUDGE ENGEL: Defendant will surrender the costume.
We're in recess.
Does this look like a costume to you? It's not Halloween.
I do not like that guy.
Director Fury.
Mm.
Is that the joke they programmed into you? I thought I'd enjoy this more.
Come by my office.
Let's work out a deal.
You can come to me.
I could, but I'm not going to.
Like your client, the Eagle does not fly.
You live with Sandra, right? She's a little tidier at home.
She actually lives out of a bag.
A go-bag.
I had one of those when I was married.
Used it.
You saw the news this morning? I don't have Internet.
There are papers.
The big, floppy things with the No.
Arturo Marquez.
The United States Marines took him into custody in Córdoba and brought him to New York.
There was some question about whether he was gonna be held as an enemy combatant, but the U.
S.
Attorney just unsealed an indictment.
He's being charged with piracy.
That's a real thing? Piracy? It's a thing for which the sentence is life in prison.
Very real.
Are you giving it to me? - Do you want it? - Of course.
You've handled your cases incredibly well, Allison.
All of them.
But this is different.
This is of a different magnitude.
I understand.
I'm not sure you do.
But you will.
[DOOR OPENS.]
Where are you taking me? [METAL CLINKS.]
[DOOR CLOSES.]
Have you been seen by a doctor, Mr.
Marquez? ¿Le ha visto un médico? I'm your attorney, Mr.
Marquez.
You can speak to me.
I'm here to represent you.
Where am I? This is the Metropolitan Corrections Center.
Where? New York.
You're in New York City.
New York? Why am I in New York? The United States government has charged you with piracy.
For removing the supplies from the ship? Yes.
That ship was sitting outside of port for days.
Why was it sitting there? The hurricane had passed.
There were people dying everywhere.
I had to do something.
We went out to the ship once.
They wouldn't talk to us.
So we went back with guns.
We took everything we could.
My daughter she survived.
My son Where do you live? Here in New York.
Close.
Do you have water where you live? Yes.
We needed water.
A pirate? I don't like pirates.
There's nothing not to like about Arturo Marquez.
There's nothing to like about Leonard Knox.
You would do better with this.
You would do better with this.
- That's not right.
- No.
[SIGHS.]
I have to face Leonard.
I want to face Leonard.
I can defend Arturo Marquez.
You can do anything.
You are undefeated.
I got beat in my first case by Leonard.
Jay got absolutely destroyed in his.
- Maybe it's too harsh.
- Maybe.
The point is, Allison, it's your turn to lose.
Not my point.
Why is this case even here anyway? In the Southern District of New York? Marquez isn't from here.
The ship isn't from here.
The hurricane didn't hit here.
If there's a case, it should be in Córdoba.
- You'll be fine.
- Still undefeated.
Before we set a trial date, Ms.
Chavez, when does the government plan to produce discovery? Your Honor, I think that's premature since we intend to move to dismiss the indictment altogether.
On what basis would I dismiss it? Jurisdiction, Your Honor.
There wasn't a single U.
S.
citizen on board that ship, it wasn't flying a U.
S.
flag, and the charitable organization that sponsored it, Pan American Relief, is based in Toronto.
There was no kidnapping under 18 USC 1201, no hostage-taking under 18 USC 1203.
U.
S.
law enforcement has no interest here at all.
The whole world has an interest here, Your Honor, in ensuring the safety and security of the high seas.
Córdoba is a sovereign nation with its own judiciary.
The judicial infrastructure of Córdoba has been decimated.
The United States is in a unique position to respond.
If pirates are allowed to attack relief ships without reprisal, it will set a precedent that will affect all nations going forward wherever humanitarian aid may be needed.
It's as simple as that.
Nothing about this case is simple, Ms.
Chavez.
But I do find the government's argument on jurisdiction compelling.
Please move forward on discovery.
Let's set a trial date.
Can I get you anything? You can get me out of here.
It doesn't have to be this way between you and me.
We both clerked on the Supreme Court.
We're both attractive.
We're both next level.
In addition to everything gross you just said, you're the guy who introduced himself to me as "the guy you don't want to go up against.
" So this is how this is.
Now say a number.
- Six months.
- Probation.
- That's not a number.
- Plus a $1,000 fine.
Three months, no fine.
The guy Freddie allegedly assaulted doesn't have a scratch on him.
He has a broken collarbone.
I could've charged this as aggravated assault.
I'm coming way down.
One month.
Three months.
I'll take it to my client.
Don't just take it.
Sell it.
Because it won't get any better than this for Freddie, and you you don't want to go up against me in court again.
Yeah, I guess this does just feel right.
This way.
Ugh.
[CHUCKLES.]
[TELEVISION PLAYING INDISTINCTLY.]
[CELLPHONE RINGING.]
This is Kate Littlejohn.
It's Anya Ooms with the ATF.
I need some legal advice.
I'm sorry, I can't advise on personal matters.
Have you been in an accident or? What? No.
I'm in the field.
What field? The field.
Out.
You know, the field.
- Not an actual field? - No! Listen, somebody just approached my confidential informant and asked him to murder someone for $5,000.
Now, I can go in there and make an arrest, but I wanted to run it by you first.
You should contact Seth Oliver.
Who is Seth Oliver? Um, never mind.
What did your CI say? He said he'd think about it.
And were there any witnesses? No.
He didn't actually meet with the person making the request.
It all came through an intermediary.
And obviously no money changed hands? - No.
- Then you don't have enough.
You need your CI to go back in and get the request directly on tape.
I can't blow my CI's cover.
Our office can't prosecute without that tape.
I'll send someone else in.
I'll tell my CI to say that he can't do it but he knows someone who can.
I'll send in an undercover agent and we'll get the whole thing on tape.
- "We"? - I need your help.
Oh, I don't know if I should be involved because it's a I don't trust anybody else.
I want you, Kate Littlejohn.
- An ATF sting? - Yes.
No.
I'm not sending a rookie AUSA out on a sting with an ATF agent.
- Why not? - 'Cause it's dangerous.
People get hurt in these operations.
Maybe we could send Seth.
They contacted me.
If I don't participate, there's a good chance the operation isn't successful.
But if I do participate and it is successful, it means everyone in this office who wants to go on a raid or sting will be lined up at my door and none of them will be bothering you.
Be careful out there.
Yea, I'm loungin', I got my man Donald Byrd I wanna give a big shout-out to my little man, Miko He's 2 years old He's away visiting his grandmoms - Byrne denied the motion to dismiss.
- Yes.
- You okay? - Yes.
- You sure? - Yes! Sure.
Fine.
I've got it the defense.
- Which is? - Intent.
Piracy is violence or depredation on the high seas for private ends.
Arturo's intent wasn't to plunder for personal gain.
He simply expedited the distribution of those goods.
I need to go through the discovery, but this is piecing together.
Have you been here all night? Yes.
This is a newspaper.
First headline.
There will be more.
ANYA: Five agents, all available to go undercover.
Too old.
Too young.
Beady eyes.
If it's between those two, let's go with - him.
- Him.
He looks too trustworthy.
The suspect has to trust him.
The suspect has to believe he's a murderer.
He looks like an elementary school teacher.
I'm sorry.
Who's the expert here? Are you up to date on the latest research in undercover work? I have a master's in criminology.
All right, thanks, guys.
Pierce, stop by my office later.
You got the job.
I know what I'm doing.
You want to take a break, get something to eat? We have work to do.
- We can take 15 minutes.
- I'm fine.
- What's your deal? - What do you mean? You don't take breaks and you don't eat, but where are you from? Where'd you go to school? Do you have pets? All of that sounds like stuff you talk about on a break.
Yeah.
[CHUCKLES.]
What are you working on? A brief.
Uh, for the judge who gets this case.
It explains every step of the sting, so I know what a brief is.
I went to law school, too.
University of Chicago.
For two whole days.
Then I quit, bought out the REI on North Halsted, and hiked the Pacific Crest Trail for three months.
I just needed to recalibrate.
Figure out what I wanted out of life.
Have you? Uh, what? Found what you're looking for.
I'm going to put my headphones on now.
Would Batman take that deal? Would Batman take that deal? I'm not sure how to even It's It's a good deal.
Three months is fair.
If this goes to trial, you could go away for 12 months, maybe more.
I keep the streets safe.
That's what the police are for.
[LAUGHS.]
Please.
Like they're doing such a great job.
My friend, Pig Patroller, she goes around filming the police when they stop people.
Her presence forces the cops to do the right thing.
My crew and I are vital to this city's safety.
I'm not trying to belittle what you do.
And I'm not stupid.
I know I can't fly.
I wasn't born on another planet.
Nor was I part of a genetic experiment that gave me superhuman abilities.
But I like who I am.
I'm Captain Shadow.
So, to answer the question for you, no.
Batman would not take that deal.
Oh, hey.
Hey.
Everybody's a superhero today.
I wish.
What's going on? Arturo.
He lied.
My case is falling apart.
[SIGHS.]
What is this? An invoice showing you were paid $1,500 for 10 cases of toothbrushes that you took off of that relief ship.
I also sold 50 cases of hand sanitizer for what was it? $19,000? 20 cases of shampoo for $4,000.
What's it matter? What's it matter? You told me you did this to help people - Yes.
- not to make money.
I needed to make money to help people.
I gave away most of what I took off of that ship.
I did.
But I did sell some things because I needed cash to pay off the police and the gangs to make sure they didn't take the supplies from the people that needed them.
I did these things, and I did other things things that I never thought I would do because they were the things that had to be done.
I'm not judging you, Arturo.
Oh, you're not? I'm trying to defend you.
I'm trying to tell a story, and if the story doesn't make sense Doesn't make sense? 165-mile-an-hour winds don't make sense.
Burying your child doesn't make sense.
What happened to my country, to my family, to me, doesn't make sense.
It won't.
It can't.
I know you want this to be all simple and clear, but it isn't.
That's not the world I live in.
It's ugly and messy and full of terrible choices, and I made some.
I wish you could understand, but just looking at you, I can tell you can't.
You don't know me.
What do I need to know? - The Eagle has landed.
- Ugh.
What, you don't have an office? There's stuff in it.
So, did you sell the deal? Three months is unreasonable.
Yeah, you couldn't sell it.
I figured.
A jury might like a vigilante.
Do you want me to do your job for you? I'd love to see you do my job.
So let's see it.
Reverse proffer.
- What? - You bring Morris to the Death Star, I'll put on for him the exact case I'll be laying out in court, he'll take the deal.
- [SIGHS.]
- What do you have to lose? Other than pride and self-respect, and you work here, so you're not giving up a whole lot.
Freddie doesn't want any deal.
But if you can sell him on two months, I'll bring him over.
I don't like it here.
We don't like having you.
- Bye.
- Bye.
ANYA: - Our agent Pierce will be waiting in the northwest corner for the suspect.
We've got a camera here and here, and we'll be watching from a van right there.
- Are you done? - Yes.
What are you doing? Making it better.
What's that? Cars stopped at the traffic light could compromise our sound.
We should move the meet to this side less traffic and we can add a third camera here so we have the suspect covered from every angle.
Impressive.
I also studied criminology.
You learned about camera angles in criminology? - Where'd you go to school? - UVA.
I learned about camera angles in film class.
It fulfilled a distribution requirement.
Mm.
Look who's taking a break now.
This is not a break.
We're working.
You're telling me about yourself.
In the context of work.
Feels a lot like a break.
[KNOCK ON WINDOW.]
You ready for me? Yeah.
Sorry.
We were just taking a break.
Mr.
Silva, you own three grocery stores in the city of San Miguel, is that right? Yes.
In the weeks following Hurricane Jasper, did you buy some inventory from Mr.
Marquez? He sold me 20 cases of trash bags and a couple flats of paper towels.
Did Mr.
Marquez charge you a reasonable and customary price for this inventory? He sold it to me at 150% markup.
No.
You have no idea what Mr.
Marquez intended to do with the money he made from this sale, do you? I don't.
Isn't it possible that he was selling these goods so he could buy and distribute more essential goods? - Objection! - Overruled.
Goods that suffering people actually needed? Sure.
It's also possible that the big banks want to feed hungry children.
But I think they just want to make money.
[SPECTATORS MURMUR.]
[CELLPHONE CHIMES.]
Hmm.
[GASPS.]
Can I leave my stuff here? Mm.
I do not like that face.
Am I a horrible person? Depends.
Did you bring me a sandwich from Zeno's? No.
Then yes.
I'm serious.
You can't be serious.
I feel like a fraud.
You are serious.
What is happening in there? I'm getting destroyed in there.
They have all of the evidence, and I have nothing.
So you keep at it.
Keep grinding it out.
And then what? I'll tell you what.
And then I lose, because I will lose, and then I will go home and I will be sad, and we will drink wine and watch "Master of Crowns.
" And I will move on to my next case.
And Arturo? Arturo will spend the rest of his life in jail.
I do this job, and I have these clients, and I am this close to them this close but I don't truly understand them, what they've been through to get to me, where they'll go when I'm gone.
Arturo risked everything in his life to do what he did.
What's the biggest risk I've ever taken? Deciding to apply early admission to a college where my mom was president.
I like to think I'm different, but I'm not.
I am a fraud.
Another self-satisfied, self-centered millennial dialing stuff up on her phone, complaining about slow Internet and a 45-minute wait for brunch at Jeffrey's Grocery.
You are a horrible person.
Thank you.
You are right now.
This? Horrible.
We're privileged, yes.
We're blessed, yes.
We're fortunate.
We are.
And there are times when the way we live our lives seems totally grotesque and indulgent.
These shoes are worth more than the annual salary of a not-insignificant portion of the world's population.
And you wouldn't be caught dead in these shoes.
This is disgusting.
There's no denying this.
But you have taken your entitlements and you have dedicated your life to helping other people in the way you know how.
Nobody works harder at this than you.
Nobody cares more.
Nobody is more ferocious, more dedicated.
You are a beautiful person, and you're trying.
I don't feel like I'm trying hard enough.
Then try harder.
Right now.
Arturo took a risk, - take another one for him.
What's the most extraordinary thing you can do? Because that is what you can do.
The defense calls Arturo Marquez.
[SPECTATORS MURMUR.]
JILL: You're putting Arturo on the stand to make an emotional appeal? Yes.
You're going for jury nullification.
Yes.
You're asking the jury to disregard the law.
I am.
That's dangerous.
It's reckless.
It's almost always ineffective.
I know.
But I had to do something.
Let's hope it works.
Mr.
Marquez, can you please tell the jury where you were on the morning of the 15th? I was at my cousin's house.
We were trying to rebuild his rood, which was completely torn off by the hurricane.
We had run out of rainwater we had been drinking the day before.
He collapsed.
Dehydration.
Is he okay? I believe so.
Because I was able to get him water.
My son was not so lucky.
He died five days after the hurricane hit in a hospital that had no power.
It's not a hospital anymore.
It's a morgue.
Your Honor, these are obviously very tragic circumstances, but I'm not sure how it's relevant.
It's relevant to my client's state of mind.
I'll allow it, but let's get to the relevance.
Mr.
Marquez, did you board a relief vessel that was stalled off the coast of Córdoba on the 15th? Yes, I did.
Did you remove any goods from the containers on that ship? Yes, I did.
Did you sell any of those goods? Yes, I did.
I had to pay people off to have the goods distributed.
Some of the cash bought more supplies, supplies that people really needed.
I make no apology.
I stole.
I did.
And I held a gun to do it.
I have never hurt anyone in my life, and I didn't hurt anyone on that day, but I had to do what I could to stop the suffering around me.
Did you keep any of the money for yourself? Yes, I did.
A few hundred Eastern Caribbean dollars.
I used that money to bury my son.
What are you still doing here? It's light out.
When I was a kid, my dad made me Eggos before every big test.
Actually, he did that through college.
Anyway, the crappy bodega on Lexington doesn't have real Eggos, but I got fake ones, so fake Eggos before your closing.
Aww.
You're gonna kill it today, Allison.
[SIGHS.]
I thought this stuff only existed on TV.
It's a van with monitors and microphones.
We don't have an invisibility shield or anything.
I mean, we are working on it.
Still more exciting than grinding out subpoenas all day.
Why do you think I skipped law school? I think it's fun, too.
We should do it again sometime.
You mean another sting operation? Or I could teach you how to shoot.
Oh, I know how to shoot.
You don't know how to shoot.
Get out of there! I really hate soccer moms.
Unless sorry, was your mom a soccer mom? She was probably a soccer mom.
I didn't play soccer.
And I didn't really have a mom, so no.
Pierce, take a few steps to your right.
WOMAN: Tom.
Are you Tom? That's our suspect? [WHISPERS.]
She's a middle-aged mom.
Thanks for agreeing to discuss this, uh, special project.
Name's Kevin.
Might as well be Satan.
Humiliates her in front of all his friends, takes drugs, cheats on her left and right.
She can't get away from him.
I want you to get her away from him.
PIERCE: We can do that.
Do we move on her? She hasn't given an order.
Hasn't turned over the payment, either.
We need to move.
She's trying to protect her daughter.
Not a reason to kill him.
I want his scalp.
I literally want his scalp.
I want you to cut off his head and put it in a box and deliver it to my doorstep.
- Okay, let's go.
- Yep.
Show me your hands.
You're under arrest.
13 witnesses 13 who will testify that you aggressively tackled Devon Saperstein, breaking his collarbone, as verified in Mr.
Saperstein's medical records.
We have independent corroborating surveillance footage and the interrogation tape yours on which you admitted to an officer that you attacked Mr.
Saperstein, "in the name of all that is just and right in the universe.
" I know all of this already.
[SIGHS.]
I know you do.
Now I'm gonna tell you something you don't know.
I know you don't know this because I don't talk about it.
I didn't have many friends growing up.
I had forced play dates with "suitable" children set up by my mother, but I spent a lot of time alone.
I loved Superman.
I mean, who doesn't love Superman, but I I actually thought I was Superman.
One day, I decided to prove to everyone what I already knew that I could fly.
I went to the roof of my school, tied my cape around my neck, and I jumped.
And broke both ankles.
[CHUCKLES.]
Shattered my left leg.
I couldn't fly.
I am not Superman.
The towel I tied around my neck was not a cape.
It was just a towel.
I want you to have that back.
But I want you to know that you are worth something without it.
When I busted both my legs, I realized that there are consequences.
That reality always catches up to fantasy.
You're facing your consequences now.
You have no choice.
This is your concrete and broken bone.
But there's no reason you have to go to jail for a year when you could take a month.
You're a good dude, Captain Shadow.
Take this deal.
[WATER RUNNING.]
[WATER TURNS OFF.]
[WIPING HANDS.]
A few years ago, I deposed an Army bomb-disposal expert, four tours of Iraq and Afghanistan under his belt.
He told me that the top-tier guys in his field are so sure of themselves, when they walk toward explosives, their heart rate actually goes down.
Well, that's not happening to me right now.
But I'm not disposing of a bomb.
I'm throwing one.
When the storm came, Arturo Marquez was on the floor of his home on the small nutmeg farm he worked and that his father had worked, and that his father's father had worked.
He was told to stay inside.
It didn't matter.
Inside soon became outside.
The world was turned upside-down.
His home was destroyed.
His farm, his family, his life.
In the face of a calamity none of us could probably ever imagine, Arturo didn't fold.
He didn't run.
He didn't riot.
He got up off of that floor, and he went to work.
He tried to help in the only way he knew how.
Was he right to take those supplies from that ship? Was he right to sell them? We could debate those choices, but Arturo didn't have the luxury of time.
He had to act.
And now it's your turn to act.
To make a difficult choice.
I don't know any of you.
And you obviously don't know me.
I'm sure we come from different places, many of us, different means, different experiences, but we're here now, and we are all privileged to be here.
I do know that.
Not just here in New York, in the fortunate lives that most of us lead.
Right here, right now, in this courtroom.
Because you have the privilege and it is a privilege to show Arturo Marquez why the American criminal justice system is the greatest in the world.
He wonders about this, rightly.
He's here because he was taken at gunpoint, chained in the hull of a ship, and forced to travel 2,111 miles to a country he's never been to, charged with a crime most of us have never even heard of.
This is what he knows about America.
But you know more than that.
You know America is good and decent and compassionate, that we are brave, and in times of trial, we do the right thing.
I am asking you to do the right thing.
Show Arturo the best of America.
Send him home.
A plea of guilty has been entered in the matter of United States versus Freddie Morris.
Mr.
Morris, you have one week to get your affairs in order.
Then you will begin your sentence of 30 days.
- You're impressed.
- I was impressed.
I was standing there in court thinking how I was wrong about you, that you actually had a soul, could look another human in the eye and relate to them.
And it scared me because I was like, "Wow.
This guy could be the second-best lawyer in this building, and I'm gonna have to go up against him for decades.
" Why are you speaking in the past tense? Because you're exactly who I thought you were.
You never jumped off a building pretending to be Superman.
Can't stand Superman.
I'm a Marvel guy.
You never broke your ankles.
Would I look this good if I had? You're disgusting.
Maybe, but I'm also undefeated against you.
Don't be so self-righteous.
I did what had to be done so we both could get what we wanted.
You should be thanking me.
[LAUGHS.]
I will never.
- Until next time.
- Can't wait.
Well, we did it.
You did it.
Okay, we did it.
We did it.
It was a pleasure.
All mine.
Has the jury reached a unanimous verdict? Yes, Your Honor.
In the case of United States versus Arturo Marquez, how do you find the defendant on Count One of the indictment, guilty or not guilty? Not guilty.
[SPECTATORS MURMUR.]
[LAUGHS.]
[TELEVISION PLAYING INDISTINCTLY.]
[CELLPHONE RINGS.]
Kate Littlejohn.
It's Anya Ooms with the ATF.
I need legal advice.
I can help with that.
I wanted to ask this girl I work with to do something dangerous.
[TELEVISION PLAYING INDISTINCTLY.]
[GUNSHOTS.]
ANYA: Whoa.
I like this.
I like this, too.
Ohh.
[INHALES SHARPLY.]
[CHUCKLES.]
Back it up.
Rewind.
I'm I'm sorry.
I don't mean to put you in an uncomfortable position.
We're gonna be working together for years, and it's I won't always be a winner, babe In fact, I'm bound to burn The cable guy came.
What? Swapped out all the equipment.
They upgraded us.
We now have a download speed of 1 gigabit per second, which is so many bits.
We are locked, loaded, ready to stream super-hot guys with beards and swords completely uninterrupted.
Oh, and take-out is on me.
We've never been to any of these places, but they're all on the "Feeder" hot list and can be here in under 30.
Mmm.
Stay in my corner, please Hmm? Stay in my corner, babe I will fight for you if you fight for me too - Let's walk.
- Huh? Let's just walk and see what happens.
Let's end up in some part of town we've never been to, sitting next to strangers, eating something we haven't already read about.
You okay? Yeah.
I'm great.
Okay.
Let's do it.
Oh Ready.
Ready.
[BOTH GIGGLE.]
Stay in my corner, babe I will fight for you if you fight for me, too
You love that watch.
It bothers me it isn't real.
Am I really supposed to believe that what's on the inside doesn't count? We have to do this together.
I don't want to do it any other way.
I'm the guy who makes it worse.
I'm the guy you don't want to go up against.
I didn't stumble into this case.
I saw it, I wanted it, and I took it.
I don't want fun.
I want challenging, interesting.
- Would it work? - Would what work? Us.
Would we work? I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.
[PANTING.]
Bajo Le cama, metete debajo De la cama! [GRUNTING.]
[PANTING.]
Go, go, go! Closet's not clear.
[WHIMPERING.]
Come on.
Get out here! Is this him? Is this him? Yeah, that's our guy.
- Agatha? - [DIGITAL BEEPING.]
Play "Sandra's Not Home.
" Of course.
I can do that.
Playing playlist "Sandra's Not Home.
" [SAWEETIE'S "ICY GRL" PLAYS.]
Can't stop, won't stop, get guap Manicures and pedicures I'm always tip top When they say I'm not hot all these lies need to stop 'Cause I'm icy, wifey, haters wanna fight me Never been the one get RIP up on a white tee Keep my hands clean got some hitta's moving shiesty Ask me if I'm rollin' with some Gucci I might be It's very unlikely my wrist ain't looking icy Charging by the minute 'cause my time is very pricy Yeah, I be where the bosses be Judging from my vibe you can feel it in my energy - [COMPUTER CHIMES.]
- Stacking paper steadily So I can live in luxury Looking in the mirror I thank God for what I'm 'bout to be You beefing with my enemy does not make you a friend of me Girls so weird stay clear I'm living drama free [ LINE RINGS.]
Yes, I unplugged everything and restarted the modem.
That's what you guys tell me to do very time, and it works better for five minutes, then it slows down again.
No.
No, I can't hold.
I'm late for work.
And I'm taking all the custody Obstacles be slowing me, but that buffer moldin' me So I take my time 'Cause I'm always where I'm supposed to be You can not get a hold of me? I'm probably in a solo meet Always making moves, man, that's how I keep my sanity [MUSIC STOPS.]
What is life without Internet? The whole of human civilization up until 20 years ago? - Ugh.
I prefer the Internet.
- [LAUGHS.]
We have no Internet at home.
What are you doing in here? My office, there's stuff in it.
- Did you call? - Oh, I called.
I unplugged.
I waited 10 seconds.
I plugged.
JAY: I've never understood the waiting 10 seconds part.
It's either on or it's off.
Right? The waiting feels like the modem's mad at me or something.
Like we need to give it time to calm down, cool off.
[SIGHS.]
My ride in wasn't great, either.
This might be the worst day of your life.
Top three, probably, but I'm turning it around.
You always do.
[SIGHS.]
Lemonade.
Does that mean you're gonna make lemonade from lemons or you're gonna play "Lemonade"? Yes.
Okay.
I have to go.
Cool if I leave my stuff here? That's how it starts.
- I need you for 10 minutes.
- No - Five minutes.
- No.
Why do you need me? I have a meeting with the ATF.
I need you to back me up.
- About what? - Whatever I say.
What if I don't like what you say? Why are you assuming you're not gonna like what I say? Well, I don't like what you're saying right now.
Please, come and just sit in the room.
You don't have to do anything.
Just sit for five minutes.
Nobody will even notice you're there.
Then when I say something, you say, "Good point" or "Yes, I agree.
" You're not going to tell me when I can and cannot make an arrest! Who is she? Who are you? Kate.
She's my colleague.
I agree.
Good point.
Look, I'm saying you have enough to arrest McCallister now.
He's the one we want.
Why are we waiting? We're waiting because we should work on this from the bottom up.
We can cut the head off, but the head grows back.
Let's start on the lower rungs and dismantle this piece by piece.
- I agree.
- What? SETH: What does that even mean, "The head grows back"? When does a head ever grow back? If he's low enough, no one in the ring will think twice when he disappears.
We get the evidence we need Without compromising the investigation.
It's a good idea.
Agree with what I say.
Me.
Agree.
You should've said something better.
I'm never gonna invite you to a meeting so you can back me up again.
See, like that.
That's better.
Hey.
Hey.
Thank you.
Oh, it was a good idea.
Can I get your number? If anything comes up.
[ NEWS THEME PLAYS.]
REPORTER: The island nation of Córdoba is still reeling this morning after damage caused by Category 5 Hurricane Jasper.
They also now face a graver threat armed acts of piracy.
According to U.
S.
officials, island resident Arturo Marquez was armed with automatic weapons when he boarded a relief ship and forcibly removed thousands of pounds of supplies.
Marquez is now in custody with the United States Marines.
Marquez Is he in the Southern District? I can't comment on that.
I want it.
I can comment on that.
No.
I do have something for you, though.
Just came in.
Assault? Roger Not just any assault.
This guy and others like him are creating a real problem in this city, and it's time to put the federal foot down.
And it's not just any opposing counsel.
It's someone you will enjoy going up against.
So, take a closer look before you start flicking your applesauce in my face.
[CHUCKLES.]
Oh.
Right.
Your Honor, Mr.
Morris is being charged with a single count under 18 USC 113 assault on federal land.
As alleged in the complaint, Mr.
Morris dove uh, "flew", his words and tackled an unarmed tourist at the African Burial Ground National Monument.
I'm sorry I keep referring to him as Mr.
Morris.
Would the defendant prefer "Captain Shadow," Ms.
Bell? Captain Shadow.
Captain Shadow.
Very well, Captain.
Your Honor, Mr.
Shadow my client had a good-faith belief that he was stopping a kidnapping.
The victim was chasing after his toddler.
Yeah, I I don't I didn't JUDGE ENGEL: Do you understand the charges, Mr.
Morris? Yes, Your Honor.
And how do you plead? Not guilty, Your Honor.
I'll release Mr.
Morris on a $5,000 bond.
Normal restrictions, but I'll add an additional requirement of an 8:00 p.
m.
curfew.
Crime spikes in the city around 10:00.
I really need to be out there.
The curfew is fine, Your Honor.
We'll also need the costume as evidence.
"Costume"? JUDGE ENGEL: Defendant will surrender the costume.
We're in recess.
Does this look like a costume to you? It's not Halloween.
I do not like that guy.
Director Fury.
Mm.
Is that the joke they programmed into you? I thought I'd enjoy this more.
Come by my office.
Let's work out a deal.
You can come to me.
I could, but I'm not going to.
Like your client, the Eagle does not fly.
You live with Sandra, right? She's a little tidier at home.
She actually lives out of a bag.
A go-bag.
I had one of those when I was married.
Used it.
You saw the news this morning? I don't have Internet.
There are papers.
The big, floppy things with the No.
Arturo Marquez.
The United States Marines took him into custody in Córdoba and brought him to New York.
There was some question about whether he was gonna be held as an enemy combatant, but the U.
S.
Attorney just unsealed an indictment.
He's being charged with piracy.
That's a real thing? Piracy? It's a thing for which the sentence is life in prison.
Very real.
Are you giving it to me? - Do you want it? - Of course.
You've handled your cases incredibly well, Allison.
All of them.
But this is different.
This is of a different magnitude.
I understand.
I'm not sure you do.
But you will.
[DOOR OPENS.]
Where are you taking me? [METAL CLINKS.]
[DOOR CLOSES.]
Have you been seen by a doctor, Mr.
Marquez? ¿Le ha visto un médico? I'm your attorney, Mr.
Marquez.
You can speak to me.
I'm here to represent you.
Where am I? This is the Metropolitan Corrections Center.
Where? New York.
You're in New York City.
New York? Why am I in New York? The United States government has charged you with piracy.
For removing the supplies from the ship? Yes.
That ship was sitting outside of port for days.
Why was it sitting there? The hurricane had passed.
There were people dying everywhere.
I had to do something.
We went out to the ship once.
They wouldn't talk to us.
So we went back with guns.
We took everything we could.
My daughter she survived.
My son Where do you live? Here in New York.
Close.
Do you have water where you live? Yes.
We needed water.
A pirate? I don't like pirates.
There's nothing not to like about Arturo Marquez.
There's nothing to like about Leonard Knox.
You would do better with this.
You would do better with this.
- That's not right.
- No.
[SIGHS.]
I have to face Leonard.
I want to face Leonard.
I can defend Arturo Marquez.
You can do anything.
You are undefeated.
I got beat in my first case by Leonard.
Jay got absolutely destroyed in his.
- Maybe it's too harsh.
- Maybe.
The point is, Allison, it's your turn to lose.
Not my point.
Why is this case even here anyway? In the Southern District of New York? Marquez isn't from here.
The ship isn't from here.
The hurricane didn't hit here.
If there's a case, it should be in Córdoba.
- You'll be fine.
- Still undefeated.
Before we set a trial date, Ms.
Chavez, when does the government plan to produce discovery? Your Honor, I think that's premature since we intend to move to dismiss the indictment altogether.
On what basis would I dismiss it? Jurisdiction, Your Honor.
There wasn't a single U.
S.
citizen on board that ship, it wasn't flying a U.
S.
flag, and the charitable organization that sponsored it, Pan American Relief, is based in Toronto.
There was no kidnapping under 18 USC 1201, no hostage-taking under 18 USC 1203.
U.
S.
law enforcement has no interest here at all.
The whole world has an interest here, Your Honor, in ensuring the safety and security of the high seas.
Córdoba is a sovereign nation with its own judiciary.
The judicial infrastructure of Córdoba has been decimated.
The United States is in a unique position to respond.
If pirates are allowed to attack relief ships without reprisal, it will set a precedent that will affect all nations going forward wherever humanitarian aid may be needed.
It's as simple as that.
Nothing about this case is simple, Ms.
Chavez.
But I do find the government's argument on jurisdiction compelling.
Please move forward on discovery.
Let's set a trial date.
Can I get you anything? You can get me out of here.
It doesn't have to be this way between you and me.
We both clerked on the Supreme Court.
We're both attractive.
We're both next level.
In addition to everything gross you just said, you're the guy who introduced himself to me as "the guy you don't want to go up against.
" So this is how this is.
Now say a number.
- Six months.
- Probation.
- That's not a number.
- Plus a $1,000 fine.
Three months, no fine.
The guy Freddie allegedly assaulted doesn't have a scratch on him.
He has a broken collarbone.
I could've charged this as aggravated assault.
I'm coming way down.
One month.
Three months.
I'll take it to my client.
Don't just take it.
Sell it.
Because it won't get any better than this for Freddie, and you you don't want to go up against me in court again.
Yeah, I guess this does just feel right.
This way.
Ugh.
[CHUCKLES.]
[TELEVISION PLAYING INDISTINCTLY.]
[CELLPHONE RINGING.]
This is Kate Littlejohn.
It's Anya Ooms with the ATF.
I need some legal advice.
I'm sorry, I can't advise on personal matters.
Have you been in an accident or? What? No.
I'm in the field.
What field? The field.
Out.
You know, the field.
- Not an actual field? - No! Listen, somebody just approached my confidential informant and asked him to murder someone for $5,000.
Now, I can go in there and make an arrest, but I wanted to run it by you first.
You should contact Seth Oliver.
Who is Seth Oliver? Um, never mind.
What did your CI say? He said he'd think about it.
And were there any witnesses? No.
He didn't actually meet with the person making the request.
It all came through an intermediary.
And obviously no money changed hands? - No.
- Then you don't have enough.
You need your CI to go back in and get the request directly on tape.
I can't blow my CI's cover.
Our office can't prosecute without that tape.
I'll send someone else in.
I'll tell my CI to say that he can't do it but he knows someone who can.
I'll send in an undercover agent and we'll get the whole thing on tape.
- "We"? - I need your help.
Oh, I don't know if I should be involved because it's a I don't trust anybody else.
I want you, Kate Littlejohn.
- An ATF sting? - Yes.
No.
I'm not sending a rookie AUSA out on a sting with an ATF agent.
- Why not? - 'Cause it's dangerous.
People get hurt in these operations.
Maybe we could send Seth.
They contacted me.
If I don't participate, there's a good chance the operation isn't successful.
But if I do participate and it is successful, it means everyone in this office who wants to go on a raid or sting will be lined up at my door and none of them will be bothering you.
Be careful out there.
Yea, I'm loungin', I got my man Donald Byrd I wanna give a big shout-out to my little man, Miko He's 2 years old He's away visiting his grandmoms - Byrne denied the motion to dismiss.
- Yes.
- You okay? - Yes.
- You sure? - Yes! Sure.
Fine.
I've got it the defense.
- Which is? - Intent.
Piracy is violence or depredation on the high seas for private ends.
Arturo's intent wasn't to plunder for personal gain.
He simply expedited the distribution of those goods.
I need to go through the discovery, but this is piecing together.
Have you been here all night? Yes.
This is a newspaper.
First headline.
There will be more.
ANYA: Five agents, all available to go undercover.
Too old.
Too young.
Beady eyes.
If it's between those two, let's go with - him.
- Him.
He looks too trustworthy.
The suspect has to trust him.
The suspect has to believe he's a murderer.
He looks like an elementary school teacher.
I'm sorry.
Who's the expert here? Are you up to date on the latest research in undercover work? I have a master's in criminology.
All right, thanks, guys.
Pierce, stop by my office later.
You got the job.
I know what I'm doing.
You want to take a break, get something to eat? We have work to do.
- We can take 15 minutes.
- I'm fine.
- What's your deal? - What do you mean? You don't take breaks and you don't eat, but where are you from? Where'd you go to school? Do you have pets? All of that sounds like stuff you talk about on a break.
Yeah.
[CHUCKLES.]
What are you working on? A brief.
Uh, for the judge who gets this case.
It explains every step of the sting, so I know what a brief is.
I went to law school, too.
University of Chicago.
For two whole days.
Then I quit, bought out the REI on North Halsted, and hiked the Pacific Crest Trail for three months.
I just needed to recalibrate.
Figure out what I wanted out of life.
Have you? Uh, what? Found what you're looking for.
I'm going to put my headphones on now.
Would Batman take that deal? Would Batman take that deal? I'm not sure how to even It's It's a good deal.
Three months is fair.
If this goes to trial, you could go away for 12 months, maybe more.
I keep the streets safe.
That's what the police are for.
[LAUGHS.]
Please.
Like they're doing such a great job.
My friend, Pig Patroller, she goes around filming the police when they stop people.
Her presence forces the cops to do the right thing.
My crew and I are vital to this city's safety.
I'm not trying to belittle what you do.
And I'm not stupid.
I know I can't fly.
I wasn't born on another planet.
Nor was I part of a genetic experiment that gave me superhuman abilities.
But I like who I am.
I'm Captain Shadow.
So, to answer the question for you, no.
Batman would not take that deal.
Oh, hey.
Hey.
Everybody's a superhero today.
I wish.
What's going on? Arturo.
He lied.
My case is falling apart.
[SIGHS.]
What is this? An invoice showing you were paid $1,500 for 10 cases of toothbrushes that you took off of that relief ship.
I also sold 50 cases of hand sanitizer for what was it? $19,000? 20 cases of shampoo for $4,000.
What's it matter? What's it matter? You told me you did this to help people - Yes.
- not to make money.
I needed to make money to help people.
I gave away most of what I took off of that ship.
I did.
But I did sell some things because I needed cash to pay off the police and the gangs to make sure they didn't take the supplies from the people that needed them.
I did these things, and I did other things things that I never thought I would do because they were the things that had to be done.
I'm not judging you, Arturo.
Oh, you're not? I'm trying to defend you.
I'm trying to tell a story, and if the story doesn't make sense Doesn't make sense? 165-mile-an-hour winds don't make sense.
Burying your child doesn't make sense.
What happened to my country, to my family, to me, doesn't make sense.
It won't.
It can't.
I know you want this to be all simple and clear, but it isn't.
That's not the world I live in.
It's ugly and messy and full of terrible choices, and I made some.
I wish you could understand, but just looking at you, I can tell you can't.
You don't know me.
What do I need to know? - The Eagle has landed.
- Ugh.
What, you don't have an office? There's stuff in it.
So, did you sell the deal? Three months is unreasonable.
Yeah, you couldn't sell it.
I figured.
A jury might like a vigilante.
Do you want me to do your job for you? I'd love to see you do my job.
So let's see it.
Reverse proffer.
- What? - You bring Morris to the Death Star, I'll put on for him the exact case I'll be laying out in court, he'll take the deal.
- [SIGHS.]
- What do you have to lose? Other than pride and self-respect, and you work here, so you're not giving up a whole lot.
Freddie doesn't want any deal.
But if you can sell him on two months, I'll bring him over.
I don't like it here.
We don't like having you.
- Bye.
- Bye.
ANYA: - Our agent Pierce will be waiting in the northwest corner for the suspect.
We've got a camera here and here, and we'll be watching from a van right there.
- Are you done? - Yes.
What are you doing? Making it better.
What's that? Cars stopped at the traffic light could compromise our sound.
We should move the meet to this side less traffic and we can add a third camera here so we have the suspect covered from every angle.
Impressive.
I also studied criminology.
You learned about camera angles in criminology? - Where'd you go to school? - UVA.
I learned about camera angles in film class.
It fulfilled a distribution requirement.
Mm.
Look who's taking a break now.
This is not a break.
We're working.
You're telling me about yourself.
In the context of work.
Feels a lot like a break.
[KNOCK ON WINDOW.]
You ready for me? Yeah.
Sorry.
We were just taking a break.
Mr.
Silva, you own three grocery stores in the city of San Miguel, is that right? Yes.
In the weeks following Hurricane Jasper, did you buy some inventory from Mr.
Marquez? He sold me 20 cases of trash bags and a couple flats of paper towels.
Did Mr.
Marquez charge you a reasonable and customary price for this inventory? He sold it to me at 150% markup.
No.
You have no idea what Mr.
Marquez intended to do with the money he made from this sale, do you? I don't.
Isn't it possible that he was selling these goods so he could buy and distribute more essential goods? - Objection! - Overruled.
Goods that suffering people actually needed? Sure.
It's also possible that the big banks want to feed hungry children.
But I think they just want to make money.
[SPECTATORS MURMUR.]
[CELLPHONE CHIMES.]
Hmm.
[GASPS.]
Can I leave my stuff here? Mm.
I do not like that face.
Am I a horrible person? Depends.
Did you bring me a sandwich from Zeno's? No.
Then yes.
I'm serious.
You can't be serious.
I feel like a fraud.
You are serious.
What is happening in there? I'm getting destroyed in there.
They have all of the evidence, and I have nothing.
So you keep at it.
Keep grinding it out.
And then what? I'll tell you what.
And then I lose, because I will lose, and then I will go home and I will be sad, and we will drink wine and watch "Master of Crowns.
" And I will move on to my next case.
And Arturo? Arturo will spend the rest of his life in jail.
I do this job, and I have these clients, and I am this close to them this close but I don't truly understand them, what they've been through to get to me, where they'll go when I'm gone.
Arturo risked everything in his life to do what he did.
What's the biggest risk I've ever taken? Deciding to apply early admission to a college where my mom was president.
I like to think I'm different, but I'm not.
I am a fraud.
Another self-satisfied, self-centered millennial dialing stuff up on her phone, complaining about slow Internet and a 45-minute wait for brunch at Jeffrey's Grocery.
You are a horrible person.
Thank you.
You are right now.
This? Horrible.
We're privileged, yes.
We're blessed, yes.
We're fortunate.
We are.
And there are times when the way we live our lives seems totally grotesque and indulgent.
These shoes are worth more than the annual salary of a not-insignificant portion of the world's population.
And you wouldn't be caught dead in these shoes.
This is disgusting.
There's no denying this.
But you have taken your entitlements and you have dedicated your life to helping other people in the way you know how.
Nobody works harder at this than you.
Nobody cares more.
Nobody is more ferocious, more dedicated.
You are a beautiful person, and you're trying.
I don't feel like I'm trying hard enough.
Then try harder.
Right now.
Arturo took a risk, - take another one for him.
What's the most extraordinary thing you can do? Because that is what you can do.
The defense calls Arturo Marquez.
[SPECTATORS MURMUR.]
JILL: You're putting Arturo on the stand to make an emotional appeal? Yes.
You're going for jury nullification.
Yes.
You're asking the jury to disregard the law.
I am.
That's dangerous.
It's reckless.
It's almost always ineffective.
I know.
But I had to do something.
Let's hope it works.
Mr.
Marquez, can you please tell the jury where you were on the morning of the 15th? I was at my cousin's house.
We were trying to rebuild his rood, which was completely torn off by the hurricane.
We had run out of rainwater we had been drinking the day before.
He collapsed.
Dehydration.
Is he okay? I believe so.
Because I was able to get him water.
My son was not so lucky.
He died five days after the hurricane hit in a hospital that had no power.
It's not a hospital anymore.
It's a morgue.
Your Honor, these are obviously very tragic circumstances, but I'm not sure how it's relevant.
It's relevant to my client's state of mind.
I'll allow it, but let's get to the relevance.
Mr.
Marquez, did you board a relief vessel that was stalled off the coast of Córdoba on the 15th? Yes, I did.
Did you remove any goods from the containers on that ship? Yes, I did.
Did you sell any of those goods? Yes, I did.
I had to pay people off to have the goods distributed.
Some of the cash bought more supplies, supplies that people really needed.
I make no apology.
I stole.
I did.
And I held a gun to do it.
I have never hurt anyone in my life, and I didn't hurt anyone on that day, but I had to do what I could to stop the suffering around me.
Did you keep any of the money for yourself? Yes, I did.
A few hundred Eastern Caribbean dollars.
I used that money to bury my son.
What are you still doing here? It's light out.
When I was a kid, my dad made me Eggos before every big test.
Actually, he did that through college.
Anyway, the crappy bodega on Lexington doesn't have real Eggos, but I got fake ones, so fake Eggos before your closing.
Aww.
You're gonna kill it today, Allison.
[SIGHS.]
I thought this stuff only existed on TV.
It's a van with monitors and microphones.
We don't have an invisibility shield or anything.
I mean, we are working on it.
Still more exciting than grinding out subpoenas all day.
Why do you think I skipped law school? I think it's fun, too.
We should do it again sometime.
You mean another sting operation? Or I could teach you how to shoot.
Oh, I know how to shoot.
You don't know how to shoot.
Get out of there! I really hate soccer moms.
Unless sorry, was your mom a soccer mom? She was probably a soccer mom.
I didn't play soccer.
And I didn't really have a mom, so no.
Pierce, take a few steps to your right.
WOMAN: Tom.
Are you Tom? That's our suspect? [WHISPERS.]
She's a middle-aged mom.
Thanks for agreeing to discuss this, uh, special project.
Name's Kevin.
Might as well be Satan.
Humiliates her in front of all his friends, takes drugs, cheats on her left and right.
She can't get away from him.
I want you to get her away from him.
PIERCE: We can do that.
Do we move on her? She hasn't given an order.
Hasn't turned over the payment, either.
We need to move.
She's trying to protect her daughter.
Not a reason to kill him.
I want his scalp.
I literally want his scalp.
I want you to cut off his head and put it in a box and deliver it to my doorstep.
- Okay, let's go.
- Yep.
Show me your hands.
You're under arrest.
13 witnesses 13 who will testify that you aggressively tackled Devon Saperstein, breaking his collarbone, as verified in Mr.
Saperstein's medical records.
We have independent corroborating surveillance footage and the interrogation tape yours on which you admitted to an officer that you attacked Mr.
Saperstein, "in the name of all that is just and right in the universe.
" I know all of this already.
[SIGHS.]
I know you do.
Now I'm gonna tell you something you don't know.
I know you don't know this because I don't talk about it.
I didn't have many friends growing up.
I had forced play dates with "suitable" children set up by my mother, but I spent a lot of time alone.
I loved Superman.
I mean, who doesn't love Superman, but I I actually thought I was Superman.
One day, I decided to prove to everyone what I already knew that I could fly.
I went to the roof of my school, tied my cape around my neck, and I jumped.
And broke both ankles.
[CHUCKLES.]
Shattered my left leg.
I couldn't fly.
I am not Superman.
The towel I tied around my neck was not a cape.
It was just a towel.
I want you to have that back.
But I want you to know that you are worth something without it.
When I busted both my legs, I realized that there are consequences.
That reality always catches up to fantasy.
You're facing your consequences now.
You have no choice.
This is your concrete and broken bone.
But there's no reason you have to go to jail for a year when you could take a month.
You're a good dude, Captain Shadow.
Take this deal.
[WATER RUNNING.]
[WATER TURNS OFF.]
[WIPING HANDS.]
A few years ago, I deposed an Army bomb-disposal expert, four tours of Iraq and Afghanistan under his belt.
He told me that the top-tier guys in his field are so sure of themselves, when they walk toward explosives, their heart rate actually goes down.
Well, that's not happening to me right now.
But I'm not disposing of a bomb.
I'm throwing one.
When the storm came, Arturo Marquez was on the floor of his home on the small nutmeg farm he worked and that his father had worked, and that his father's father had worked.
He was told to stay inside.
It didn't matter.
Inside soon became outside.
The world was turned upside-down.
His home was destroyed.
His farm, his family, his life.
In the face of a calamity none of us could probably ever imagine, Arturo didn't fold.
He didn't run.
He didn't riot.
He got up off of that floor, and he went to work.
He tried to help in the only way he knew how.
Was he right to take those supplies from that ship? Was he right to sell them? We could debate those choices, but Arturo didn't have the luxury of time.
He had to act.
And now it's your turn to act.
To make a difficult choice.
I don't know any of you.
And you obviously don't know me.
I'm sure we come from different places, many of us, different means, different experiences, but we're here now, and we are all privileged to be here.
I do know that.
Not just here in New York, in the fortunate lives that most of us lead.
Right here, right now, in this courtroom.
Because you have the privilege and it is a privilege to show Arturo Marquez why the American criminal justice system is the greatest in the world.
He wonders about this, rightly.
He's here because he was taken at gunpoint, chained in the hull of a ship, and forced to travel 2,111 miles to a country he's never been to, charged with a crime most of us have never even heard of.
This is what he knows about America.
But you know more than that.
You know America is good and decent and compassionate, that we are brave, and in times of trial, we do the right thing.
I am asking you to do the right thing.
Show Arturo the best of America.
Send him home.
A plea of guilty has been entered in the matter of United States versus Freddie Morris.
Mr.
Morris, you have one week to get your affairs in order.
Then you will begin your sentence of 30 days.
- You're impressed.
- I was impressed.
I was standing there in court thinking how I was wrong about you, that you actually had a soul, could look another human in the eye and relate to them.
And it scared me because I was like, "Wow.
This guy could be the second-best lawyer in this building, and I'm gonna have to go up against him for decades.
" Why are you speaking in the past tense? Because you're exactly who I thought you were.
You never jumped off a building pretending to be Superman.
Can't stand Superman.
I'm a Marvel guy.
You never broke your ankles.
Would I look this good if I had? You're disgusting.
Maybe, but I'm also undefeated against you.
Don't be so self-righteous.
I did what had to be done so we both could get what we wanted.
You should be thanking me.
[LAUGHS.]
I will never.
- Until next time.
- Can't wait.
Well, we did it.
You did it.
Okay, we did it.
We did it.
It was a pleasure.
All mine.
Has the jury reached a unanimous verdict? Yes, Your Honor.
In the case of United States versus Arturo Marquez, how do you find the defendant on Count One of the indictment, guilty or not guilty? Not guilty.
[SPECTATORS MURMUR.]
[LAUGHS.]
[TELEVISION PLAYING INDISTINCTLY.]
[CELLPHONE RINGS.]
Kate Littlejohn.
It's Anya Ooms with the ATF.
I need legal advice.
I can help with that.
I wanted to ask this girl I work with to do something dangerous.
[TELEVISION PLAYING INDISTINCTLY.]
[GUNSHOTS.]
ANYA: Whoa.
I like this.
I like this, too.
Ohh.
[INHALES SHARPLY.]
[CHUCKLES.]
Back it up.
Rewind.
I'm I'm sorry.
I don't mean to put you in an uncomfortable position.
We're gonna be working together for years, and it's I won't always be a winner, babe In fact, I'm bound to burn The cable guy came.
What? Swapped out all the equipment.
They upgraded us.
We now have a download speed of 1 gigabit per second, which is so many bits.
We are locked, loaded, ready to stream super-hot guys with beards and swords completely uninterrupted.
Oh, and take-out is on me.
We've never been to any of these places, but they're all on the "Feeder" hot list and can be here in under 30.
Mmm.
Stay in my corner, please Hmm? Stay in my corner, babe I will fight for you if you fight for me too - Let's walk.
- Huh? Let's just walk and see what happens.
Let's end up in some part of town we've never been to, sitting next to strangers, eating something we haven't already read about.
You okay? Yeah.
I'm great.
Okay.
Let's do it.
Oh Ready.
Ready.
[BOTH GIGGLE.]
Stay in my corner, babe I will fight for you if you fight for me, too