Wild Cards (2024) s01e08 Episode Script

1
(NARRATOR): Previously, on Wild Cards.
- (ELLIS): You're really gonna make me say it?
- Oh, yeah.
Fine. I need you, Max.
Do you have it? Maybe
I can get forensics
- to lift a print out of it.
- You guys have so many rules.
- We're in this together.
- But here's the difference:
You'll do whatever is
needed to get what you want.
He has to play by the rules.
I just need to get through this.
Get my desk job back,
and then she's gone,
out of my life. Forever.
(LIGHT MUSIC)
- Yeah, I don't understand.
- Oh, it's really not
- that hard to understand.
- Well, it doesn't make
any sense, therefore,
I don't understand.
Whoa. Scrappy, Scruffy, what's going on?
We were in the car, I was thirsty, okay?
And he wouldn't give
me a sip of his water.
- Why not, Ellis?
- Yeah, why not?
Because then you get
your lip gloss on it,
and I don't want to
drink from it, it's gross.
Does it matter?
- My lip gloss?
- What's going on?
Their honeymoon phase
is officially over.
- We never had a honeymoon phase.
- What honeymoon phase?
They got the seven-year itch,
except they did it in seven weeks.
- You never listen to me.
- You never think things through.
You two are spending
too much time together.
Mm-hmm. We take regular
breaks from each other,
- or else we'd go crazy.
- We'd go crazy.
You two need a break?
- Oh yeah.
- Yes, that would be great.
Too bad. You're up.
Dr. Sophie is dead?
Who's Dr. Sophie?
Dr. Sophie Fernwood.
She's written three
self-help bestsellers,
has a hit podcast, and
an upcoming TV special.
According to her website,
"Dr. S has helped millions
of people find grounded
and long-lasting happiness
through the lens of gratitude
and emotional authenticity".
What a load of malarkey.
You're not into therapy, I take it?
Therapists are the lowest of
low on the con-artist ladder.
They're not con-artists,
Max. They're doctors.
They burrow into your mind
and toy with your thoughts,
all for the purpose of making a profit.
That's a con-artist.
Okay, yeah, they gotta
make a living just like
any other doctor, but their
purpose is to help people.
Have you ever had therapy?
- Yeah.
- Did it help?
- (SIGHS)
- It's
See? Because you're not a teapot.
- A teapot?
- According to Bruce Lee,
in order to have a strong
mind, it has to be like water.
Shapeless, formless.
Put water into a teapot,
it turns into a teapot.
Therapists try to turn you into teapots.
But you and me, my friend,
we cannot be moulded or manipulated.
We are not teapots.
I have no idea what you just said.
Do you ever get tired of that?
'Cause I will never get tired of that.
So this is what therapy buys, huh?
It's what three bestsellers
and a lot of gullible people buy.
5.5 mill. That's my guess.
Make that 6 mill.
There's gotta be at least
$500,000 in cash just in this pool.
(THEME MUSIC)
Any idea what time she drowned?
Nope.
Okay. Well, when will you know?
I won't.
- Why is that?
- Because she didn't drown.
Everyone's a little punchy today.
Today was supposed to be my day off,
but my colleague had a travel emergency,
as always.
No respect.
I hear that.
- When did she die?
- Last night.
Some time between eight PM and midnight.
Blunt force trauma to the temple.
The blow caused an internal hemorrhage.
She was dead when she hit the water.
Any sings of a struggle?
None that I can see.
Forensics couldn't find a murder weapon.
You got any ideas?
Something with a really hard point.
Maybe something that the killer grabbed
- at the last moment.
- I'll let you know
- if I find anything.
- Okay. Thanks.
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
No sign of forced entry,
no sign of a struggle.
She had to have known the killer.
We found a safe upstairs,
totally untouched.
Same with all of her loose jewelry.
Lot of high-end stuff there.
So it wasn't a robbery.
Nope.
Only the question is:
What's with all the cash in the pool?
- Ma'am! You can't come in here.
- I need to get inside.
- This is an active crime scene.
- I know.
I'm Daphne, Dr. Sophie's
business manager.
So you're her business manager
and her emergency contact.
She doesn't have any family? Or friends?
Her clients and fans, her colleagues,
we're her family.
Why was it you needed to get in here?
I need her laptop. Her
latest book is on it.
Dream interpretation. It'll be huge.
Any one of these people could steal it.
When the laptop's found,
it'll be taken as evidence,
so I can assure you nothing's
gonna be stolen off of it.
Out of curiosity, how
much would a leaked copy
of one of those books go for?
She got a million-dollar
advance for it.
Gotcha.
Hey, guys! We need to
find that laptop, stat!
Max.
- When was the last time you saw her?
- A few days ago, at The Fernwood.
- The Fernwood?
- It's the Wellness Center
Sophie opened a couple of years ago.
The physical embodiment
of her life's work.
The Fernwood has
therapists who specialize
in several types of treatments.
She wanted to create a
place where people could work
on their issues through
multiple disciplines.
So multiple therapists
tell you how messed up you
are instead of just one.
What was her mood like
last time you saw her?
Not great, actually. She
was anxious, distracted.
(PHONE CHIMING)
(GASPS)
Oh my God.
Is everything alright?
All three of her books
just shot to the top
of the bestseller lists.
Again. Now you understand
how important it is
that book not be leaked.
Sales will be off the charts.
That sounded terrible, didn't it?
- Yeah.
- Kinda.
I'm sorry. I still can't
believe this is happening.
(PHONE CHIMING)
Is there anything else? I need
to get back to The Fernwood.
People started calling
as soon as the news broke.
We're holding a gathering
so we can grieve together.
A lot of people are gonna
feel very lost without her.
Right. Well, one last question:
Where were you last night?
I was on a red-eye flight
back from a publishing
conference in London.
I landed at six this morning.
I still have the
boarding pass on my phone.
I'll take a look at that.
Who's gonna be at this gathering?
Friends, clients,
co-workers. Here it is.
Okay, you're free to go. Thank you.
Show her out?
So, if everyone who was close
to her is gonna be there
Maybe the murderer will be there too.
You know, the most interesting
thing about what she said
is what she didn't say. I
mean, yeah, she's Dr. Sophie's
emergency contact, but she never once
spoke about their friendship.
Did you notice that?
Well, lots of people who
work together don't get along.
Here. Maybe we can learn something
from "The Lighthouse Inside".
Did you steal that?
She had like 50 copies.
This isn't evidence.
Okay? It was still sealed inside a box.
Hmm, this one is signed.
This is probably worth something now.
- Why did you take that?
- These people just lost
their pied piper. Which
means they're vulnerable.
Vulnerable people want to talk.
So, we just need to
speak their language.
For example, "All of your life,
you've been told that you are the storm,
that you are the
hurricane, when in fact,
you are the lighthouse."
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
It means that I am the lighthouse,
and you are the dark storm.
Don't you ever read self-help books?
Do I look like I read self-help books?
So when you're going through
it, who do you talk to?
Nobody, I guess.
Well, there has to be someone.
- Marc.
- What?
You talk to Marc, don't you?
- (CHUCKLES)
- I do not talk to my cat.
Makes so much sense now.
You are the dark storm,
and you tell your secrets to a cat.
You know, now that I say it out loud,
you sound kind of insane.
Oh. Me, insane. Yeah.
This coming from the woman
who thinks she's a lighthouse.
Okay.
(RHYTHMIC MUSIC)
So many feels going on here.
Lots of people too.
Any idea who we should talk to?
Let's start with Joan,
our cognitive behavioural therapist.
She knew Sophie the longest.
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
I still can't believe she's gone.
- I know.
- I don't believe
I've introduced myself.
My name is Maxine,
and this is my husband, Colton.
Hi.
- Hi.
- Were you two close?
Very. We met in college,
then I was the first
therapist that she hired here.
Any idea who could've
done something like this?
No. Everybody loves Sophie.
She was a light to so many.
Oh my stars.
Uh, sorry, my wife's just
really upset, you know.
Wendell Collins? Hi. I'm a huge fan.
Do you mind if I get your autograph?
Uh, not the time, honey.
I'm sure he doesn't mind.
Sorry, who are you?
Wendell Collins,
anchorman, Channel 14 News.
Oh, sorry, I don't really
watch a lot of television.
Are you saying I watch too much TV?
Sorry to interrupt.
Wendell, are you still
okay to speak first?
Yes, I can do it. For Sophie.
He could've been the killer.
You're asking for autographs?
You're always so suspicious.
Yeah. I'm a detective.
He's speaking at her memorial.
He's clearly a fan.
Everyone.
Hi.
Thank you for coming.
We lost someone who
changed a lot of lives.
The lives of millions around the world.
A lot of you asked to say a few words,
so let's start with one of
Dr. Sophie's closest friends,
our own Wendell Collins.
(SOFT MUSIC)
- (WENDELL): Hi.
- He's a lot better on TV.
Uh
Wendell.
Everything you learned from Sophie
is still inside you.
Just
speak your truth.
I, uh
I
killed.
I killed Dr. Sophie Fernwood.
(CROWD GASPING)
Maybe not such a fan.
I killed Dr. Sophie Fernwood.
I went to her house, we
argued, I hit her on the head,
she fell into the pool. I killed her.
And why did you kill Dr. Fernwood?
Maybe he needs a teleprompter.
Okay. Can you tell us how
you killed Dr. Fernwood?
I went over to her house, we argued,
I hit her, she fell into
the pool. I killed her.
Look, Mr. Collins. We understand
that you confess to the
murder, but we're gonna need
more details than that.
I killed Dr. Sophie Fernwood.
I went over to her house, we argued,
and I hit her, and
she fell into the pool.
I killed her.
Yeah, I say it's drugs.
These local news types,
they get into some wild stuff.
I've been to a couple industry
parties, I got stories.
Nobody's got time for
your stories, Yates.
Okay, speak for yourself.
Tell me over drinks?
Maybe. I'll think about it.
Okay, focus, you two. There
was just under $500,000
in cash floating in that pool.
Do you think Wendell was
paying off Dr. Sophie,
- or the other way around?
- You saw the doc's house.
She didn't need the money.
Let's check Wendell's financials
- while we're checking hers.
- I bet you a hundy
he's faking it. He does
the deed, confesses,
pleads crazy, and then he gets off.
- We've seen it before.
- But
one thing we're missing is motive.
Let's Form 1 him.
A couple days in the
psych ward should help
- with whatever this is.
- Yeah.
In the meantime
let's go talk to the last
person he was with, hmm?
Don't know what's going
on. He was fine yesterday.
Nothing seemed to be
bothering him lately?
I'm his producer. We, um
Uh, we talk work. We we don't talk,
that's what his
therapist is for. Was for.
Okay, but you did have
dinner with him the night
- Dr. Sophie was killed.
- Dinner with Wendell
is him eating a steak
while I take notes.
We left Loggington's around 8:30,
but I'm pretty sure he
went out for drinks after.
We tracked his credit card
to a lounge in Westburgh.
Which is in the complete
opposite direction
- of Dr. Sophie's house.
- What was he seeing Dr. S for?
(SIGHS) This show is done for anyway.
Wendell was seeing her for his anxiety.
He started to trip up at the news desk.
Before long, he could barely
talk in front of other people.
Wow. With a voice as
smooth as Tennessee Whisky,
popular newscaster Wendell Collins
was afraid of public speaking?
Was there any indication that
Dr. Sophie was threatening
to expose Wendell's
condition? Maybe to his boss?
That would explain the
money at the crime scene.
Wendell's paying through
his nose for two divorces.
No way did he have hush money.
- What's this?
- Wendell's mantra.
He says that before every broadcast.
Has Wendell had any mental
breakdowns in the past?
Thanks for your help.
I think we're done.
Thanks.
No, we're not.
He didn't do it. He's innocent.
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
So now you're not talking to me?
- You can't just do that.
- Do what?
Just cut an interview short like that.
Well, Wendell's innocent,
so yeah, interview finito.
Just because Jane said his
whereabouts were accounted for?
Why would she lie about that?
I don't know. Sometimes people lie, Max.
That's why you don't just
cut an interview short.
Besides, you didn't even
tell me why you think
- Wendell's innocent.
- Because of the other clue
that we got. Well, I got, but
we're a team, so yay us.
What are you even talking about?
"David's latent fear of public speaking
comes from the perception
that being watched
is an existential threat."
Okay, so Dr. Sophie
has a client named David
who also has a fear of public speaking.
- What's your point?
- Dr. Sophie uses
real case studies. She's
just changing their names.
"His personalized
mantra, 'This is who I am,
this is what I do, '
alleviated much of his anxiety."
So Dr. Sophie was writing about Wendell.
- Wendell is David.
- But wait, there's more.
"The final ingredient
in David's treatment plan
doesn't work on everyone, but David
was highly responsive to hypnosis."
So Wendell Collins was hypnotized.
Into confessing to Dr. Sophie's murder.
(DISTANT SIRENS WAILING)
How is hypnosis an alibi?
That's not even a thing.
It's yet another way
therapists manipulate the mind.
- It's all a trick.
- There's no trick. It's
just a state of relaxation or focus.
Pretty effective in pain
control, stress relief,
and a healthy component of
substance abuse treatment plans.
What? My mom's a psychoanalyst.
Cool. I didn't know that.
Wouldn't kill you to ask me about
my personal life sometimes.
Psych called, confirmed
that Collins was hypnotized
into confessing to the murder.
Huh.
- Did I really say that?
- I'm afraid so.
But the psychiatrist we brought in
has broken you out of
your hypnotic state.
Says it's very likely
you won't remember much.
This is disastrous.
My career is over.
Oh, I don't know. You made headline news
on your own network.
I heard ratings were through the roof.
Your producer said you
two had a dinner meeting
the night of the murder?
We spoke to the restaurant,
they also confirmed that
the two of you were there
until 8:30 PM.
And then you went for drinks afterwards.
Alone. And stayed there 'til
past midnight. Also confirmed.
So, we know you didn't kill Dr. Sophie.
Of course I didn't kill Dr. Sophie.
I would never hurt her.
Someone wants us to believe you did.
Who would want to set me up?
Well, that's what we'd like to know.
Besides Dr. Sophie, did you see any
of the other therapists
while at the centre?
As a matter of fact,
I went through several.
Arts therapy, play
therapy, outdoors therapy
- And nothing took?
- My fault, really.
Someone whose job is communicating
to millions of people has
a fear of public speaking?
I was embarrassed to even ask for help.
I was terrified that
if the truth got out,
I would be fired.
I'm not proud of
myself, but sometimes
that fear and anxiety
would make me lash out at people.
At other therapists?
When I get angry, I
know I can be vicious.
Cutting.
I'm still working on it.
I now know that my anger
is a defence mechanism.
But I don't blame any of them.
Dr. Sophie was the only
one that stuck with me.
Without her
well, I owe her my life.
Did any of the other therapists
use hypnosis in their treatments?
No, just Dr. Sophie.
And to your recollection,
nobody else has tried
- to hypnotize you?
- No.
But then he wouldn't remember, would he?
No, not if it was a part
of the hypnotic suggestion.
Whoever killed Dr. Sophie
also framed Wendell Collins.
Alright, so we find the hypnotist,
- we find the killer.
- Not just anybody
can hypnotize somebody like that.
- It takes a trained professional.
- There's lots of them
at The Fernwood. We
just gotta figure out
which one hated Dr.
Sophie enough to kill her.
- Okay, you two. Saddle up.
- For what?
You're going for therapy.
Okay, let's run down our stories.
Okay. I'm a cop, my dad was a cop.
These therapists can sniff
out a lie a mile away.
You gotta stay close to the truth,
but just change the details.
You're not a cop, you're
a cardio-thoracic surgeon
just like your father was.
My father is an
entrepreneur, not a conman.
- Okay. How did we meet?
- We met five years ago.
You saw me in a flash mob.
For you, it was love at first sight.
I was unimpressed, but
I felt sorry for you.
What?
Welcome to The Fernwood. You
must be Maxine and Colton.
You are going to love the
all-day couples intensive.
It really shocks the emotional system
and opens news pathways
of communication.
And we're gonna meet all
the therapists, right?
Absolutely.
Let the healing begin.
- He never listens.
- Please, all I even do
is listen, because all
you ever do is talk.
Sweetie, you're a verifiable grump.
I could feed you ice cream and cake,
and you would still be unhappy.
Because I don't really
care for sweets, sweetie.
And I'm not unhappy.
Sorry. This place feels so different.
I'd gotten so used to
Dr. Sophie, you know?
Is it true one of her patients
was responsible for her murder.
Must be affecting business.
Why do you think you
changed the subject?
Does talking about yourself
make you uncomfortable?
- No.
- Yes.
He needs focus and grounding.
You know, I hear hypnotherapy
could help with that.
- I don't use hypnosis.
- Well, what about lighthouses?
The lighthouse is just a metaphor.
You seem to know what
your husband needs,
but what do you need?
Well, there is a pair of Louboutin pumps
that I've literally been dreaming about.
See? This is what I'm talking about.
She doesn't think that there's
anything wrong with her.
Yeah. I'm starting to get
a good snapshot of your dynamic.
I think it's time we shift
into your individual sessions.
So the approach here is simple.
By painting, you occupy
the parts of the brain
that are associated with movements,
leaving your frontal
lobe free to explore
your thoughts and feelings.
Go ahead.
So you just want me to paint and talk?
Exactly.
Alright, what do you want to talk about?
Well, starting with your
childhood never hurts.
I knew you were gonna say that.
There's not much to talk about.
If you could paint your childhood,
what would that look like?
Well, my dad was a surgeon.
And my mom was a teacher.
You're also a surgeon.
Yeah, that's right.
Is that what you always wanted to be?
It was always assumed
that's what I was gonna be.
- By you or your father?
- Both.
It's stressful being a surgeon.
You see life and death
situations every day.
I never really saw it that way.
I just see a problem,
and I follow the steps
to fix that problem.
Is that your father
that taught you that?
Yeah.
He was very black and white.
Right and wrong.
Choices were really simple for him.
He would've never been
in a place like this.
Oh, why not?
Wasn't one to talk about his feelings,
- let's just say that.
- Hmm.
Well, is that why you became a surgeon?
To connect with him?
And before you even ask,
I had an amazing childhood.
No siblings, just me and my parents.
Hmm. Tell me one thing
that wasn't amazing.
Why? Do you can dial into my psyche
and tell me something terrible happened
- even though it didn't?
- Oh, you caught me.
(CHUCKLES) I'm kidding.
Let's stop here.
Put your hand on the trunk of this tree.
Okay.
(SIGHS)
Close your eyes,
and just breathe. Feel it grounding you.
Now tell me about
this amazing childhood.
My dad was an entrepreneur.
He was very poor but very happy.
One day, he met my mother.
A hottie of serious means.
They fell in love,
and her family said
they would disown her
if they ever got married.
She did it anyway. A true fairytale.
Hmm.
What did your mother do?
She learned his trade.
She'd never worked before.
She didn't have to.
But turned out she was a natural,
so she joined him in his business.
And then I joined too,
when I was old enough.
It was us three against the world.
Family business.
That can be stressful sometimes.
- We loved it.
- Loved?
She passed away.
I'm sorry to hear that.
And your father?
He's taking some time off.
To write a book.
Hopefully, a bestseller like Dr. S.
But your husband's around.
He's busy all the
time. Surgery, you know.
Which leaves you on your own.
Yeah. For the first
time since I was a kid.
Is it hard for you, being alone?
It's it's okay.
"Get in the car!" " What
about the family photos?"
"Leave them!" "We can't!"
"Daddy, I call shotgun!"
Can you hypnotize someone into playing?
Because my husband
will never do this.
(SIGHS)
Um no.
(EXHALES DEEPLY)
Let's take a seat.
I was ten years older
than my brother, so
I always kind of felt like I
had two different childhoods.
- Hmm.
- One as an only child,
and one with a brother.
That's a tough adjustment for a kid.
Getting all the attention for so long
and then having to share it.
Not really. I spent a lot of
time by myself before that too.
- Why?
- My dad worked all the time,
so I always kind of had to
be my own best friend, you know?
- It's so peaceful here.
- Mmm.
It's almost hypnotizing.
Speaking of which, do
you practise hypnotism?
I hear it can be really affective.
I don't. No, I think
it's better to connect
with things on your own timeline.
- Right.
- Tell me,
what was it like when Daniel was born?
Well, after Daniel was born,
my dad had a heart attack,
which kind of forced him
into an early retirement.
That must've been difficult
for someone who values
- work above everything else.
- Maybe for other people, but
not for my dad.
He took all that work ethic he had
and poured all his energy into Daniel.
He was really different
with him than he was with me.
He was always around, he
was never stressed out.
He didn't push Daniel
like he did with me.
But you know, Danny was a different kid.
He was gentle and sensitive.
He was the kind of kid
who brought home birds
- with broken wings.
- Hmm.
(CHUCKLES)
It sounds like you and Daniel
experienced very different fathers.
Yeah.
Were you ever angry with him for that?
No.
I could never be angry at Daniel.
I wasn't talking about Daniel.
With your tight-knit
family no longer together,
you're left with only your husband.
If you take a moment and visualize,
does that make you
feel secure or uneasy?
Uneasy.
So you don't trust your husband?
Or most specifically,
do you trust that he'll
do the right thing?
Always.
And for the record, it's very annoying.
There's no surprises with that one.
Okay. So, what I'm hearing
is that you've learned to mistrust
everyone outside your circle,
and well, now that your circle
no longer exists, your
your mistrust is redirected.
To who? Myself?
You don't think I trust myself?
I'm suggesting that
maybe you don't trust yourself
enough to trust someone else.
Like Colton?
Because I do trust him.
I really do.
Well, that can be scary.
If you trust Colton as you
did your family, that
that could change the
way you see people,
the world, everything.
(SIGHS)
Do you believe your wife loves you?
Sure.
Do you believe that she
would think any less of you
- if you weren't a good surgeon?
- No.
- But it matters to you.
- Yeah.
Would you say that being a surgeon
is what matters most in your life?
Yes. It's it's who I am.
It's what you do.
I like to get to it.
I don't practice therapy
that dances around the issues.
Your father only connected
with you when it was about work.
But he loved your brother
Daniel simply for who he was.
Is that fair to say?
Yeah, that's fair.
From a very young age, you were taught
that your self-worth is
only measured by your work.
And without it, you're
not worthy to be loved.
Did you ever trust anyone
and had that trust broken?
Once.
- Do you want to talk about it?
- No.
But, I mean, hasn't everyone?
Dr. S let someone in
and she got burned too.
That's what Daphne told me anyways.
I wouldn't take what
Daphne says to heart.
She was no longer really a
part of Dr. Sophie's circle.
- Why not?
- People change.
Now, back to you.
You came to The Fernwood
to save your marriage.
That's a great step.
I'm now gonna ask you
the central question
of every relationship.
And your answer to it
is all you need to know.
Are you better together or apart?
Hey. How did it go?
Uh good. You?
Good. Yeah, just exhausting.
I hear that. I am officially talked out.
Really? You? Talked out?
- I know, right?
- Damnit!
(SOFT SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
Oh, come on!
All those therapists,
not a single one of them
- uses hypnosis.
- So they say.
But any one of them could've
learned how to do it.
True. Although they all seem
to genuinely like Dr. Sophie.
Well, that's what we
thought about Daphne, but
what was she searching for?
You know, Joan told me
that Daphne and Dr. S
were on the outs. I don't know why.
I think we already have something
that might give us the
answer to that. Come on.
Hey. Forensics just came
back with Dr. Sophie's laptop.
Look at this.
How is our happy couple?
Have you set boundaries?
Started active listening?
Well, would you look at that
Daphne was Dear Johned.
- What the hell is a Dear John?
- It's a breakup letter.
Dr. Sophie emailed
Daphne three days before
- she was killed, and dumped her.
- But Daphne was on a plane
when the doc was murdered, so
She could've hired someone to do it.
Well, she was about to
lose her only client,
a bestselling book,
and a budding empire.
That's one hell of a motive
for murder right there.
Let's bring in Daphne.
I'm allowed to be in her
office. I'm her manager.
Ex-manager. We saw the breakup email.
Why didn't you tell us that Dr. Sophie
had dissolved her business
relationship with you?
- (SCOFFS)
- Five years.
Five years.
She couldn't even call me.
I'm the one who molded her into a star.
I helped her start the firm,
I organized her book tours
So then why did she drop you?
She wanted Brené Brown-levels of fame.
She figured little ol' me wasn't
big enough to get her there.
Is that why you killed her?
What?
Wendell confessed. I
saw him. You saw him.
Please, we both know that
was a false confession.
I was on a flight when she died.
You could've hired somebody to do it.
Sophie betrayed me,
but I didn't kill her.
She was brilliant at what she did.
I thought that if I
could find the manuscript,
I could publish it before
anyone knew she was dumping me.
And you'd still get
your cut of her big book.
Her dream interpretation book
is gonna be her biggest bestseller yet.
If anyone can ever find it.
She hid it?
Probably.
For all of her books, I
would never see an outline,
chapters, a first draft.
It would just appear
in my email one day,
a finished manuscript
ready for publishing.
She even spellchecked it.
Maybe she didn't trust me.
Maybe I'll sign Joan as my next client.
Is she a really bad writer?
I read a few of her papers,
she really knows her
stuff, but she's just so
So ?
boring.
That's what made Sophie great.
She had that "it factor".
People loved her.
We checked all of Daphne's financials,
emails, phone records.
There's not a thing that
suggests she hired a hit man.
I checked the trash. The trash is trash.
If this woman wrote a book,
there ain't no sign of it.
- Are you sure?
- I mean
You can't ever really delete anything.
For example, and I
thought I scrubbed it,
but if you search, "slurp
goblins" on my computer
- Hey, hey!
- We don't wanna know.
Hello! I do.
Drinks at O'Leary's. You pay, I'll play.
- Okay.
- Why wouldn't Dr. Sophie
have a copy of her book on her laptop?
She told Daphne it was finished, right?
Yes, and it's not like writers lie
- about how much they write ever.
- Hold up.
I remember seeing a book about
dreams on Dr. Joan's desk.
Coincidence? I think not.
Especially because that's the
subject of Dr. S' new book.
All therapists talk about
dreams. It's very common.
But Dr. Joan and Dr. S
went to college together.
Joan was the hardworking study buddy,
and Dr. S was the party girl.
Maybe Joan was doing
research on dreams for Dr. S,
got jealous and stole her manuscript?
We can't make up a motive
just because you think
you saw a book on dreams on Joan's desk.
Well, I think it's worth looking into.
I follow your leads, why
can't you follow mine?
I follow your leads all the time.
Yeah, but I have to drag
you kicking and screaming
to even follow my brilliant ideas.
Okay, I think "brilliant"
is a bit of a stretch.
Stop!
Did you two learn nothing in therapy?
Partnership is like a canoe.
If you both paddle in the
same direction, you go places.
Wonderful, magical,
erotic, hallucinatory places.
But if each of you paddle
in the opposite direction,
what happens?
What happens?
- We don't get anywhere.
- We just keep going in circles.
That's right. So line up,
look forward and get moving.
Okay, I'm sorry. We'll follow your lead.
Thank you.
Anybody else here need fixing?
- Yeah, I had this thing
- I can't help you. Nobody can.
- (MAX): Thanks, Ricky.
- What did he say?
Okay, Ricky was able to
get into Sophie's account.
There's that $500,000 withdrawal
- made the day before she died.
- Yeah, we already know that.
Yeah, but he noticed another pattern.
Sophie transferred $30,000
into an unknown account
when her first book came out,
then another 50 for her second,
and then 75 for her latest bestseller.
Sounds like payment to me.
Dr. Sophie had a ghost writer.
Why if that's why Joan had
the book of dreams on her desk?
What if she's the ghost writer?
Do you remember when
Daphne said that Sophie
got a million-dollar
advance for her next book?
75K is nothing compared
to a million bucks.
Maybe Joan decided she wanted half.
Dr. Sophie is getting all
the accolades, the money.
Joan is working behind the scenes,
doing all the research,
working her little
- fingers to the bone.
- Okay, so Joan blackmails
Dr. Sophie, she goes to her house,
they get into an argument, they fight,
Joan panics, she hits her.
She dies instantly and
falls into the pool.
Yeah but how does Wendell
fit into all of this?
Well, if Joan is a ghost writer,
she would have access to all
of Dr. Sophie's interviews.
So she would've known that
Wendell was particularly
susceptible to hypnosis.
Making him the perfect fall guy.
So, all she had to do was hypnotize him.
After that, she's just
one trigger phrase away
from getting him to confess to murder.
Huh.
That's a pretty damn good theory.
Wanna go test it out?
(KNOCKING)
- Hello?
- Hey, Wendell. Looking good.
Thank you. What can I do for you two?
We just wanted to hear
you speak your truth.
Just speak your truth.
I killed Dr. Sophie Fernwood.
I went to her house, we argued,
I hit her, she fell into
the pool. I killed her.
- There it is. It's the trigger.
- I killed Dr. Sophie Fernwood.
I went to her house,
we argued, I hit her,
she fell into the pool. I killed her.
- We broke him, didn't we?
- I killed Dr. Sophie Fernwood.
I went to her house,
we argued, I hit her,
she fell into the pool. I killed her.
Ooh. (CHUCKLES)
You scared me. What are you doing here?
Oh, last-minute crisis. We
forgot our love languages.
- Centre is closed.
- Oh, we'll be quick.
We just came to hear
you speak your truth.
Honey. That doesn't have
the same effect on her
- as it did on Wendell.
- Oh.
What happened, Joan?
Dr. Sophie gave you the
$500,000 you asked for, right?
Why didn't you just
take it and walk away?
Who are you?
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
Hey! Joan! Joan, stop! Hey!
Joan! Stop!
Wait!
(TENSE MUSIC)
Don't come any closer!
Joan. Why don't we go
inside and we can talk, huh?
What's the point?
My life, my career,
it's all over anyway.
Look, I know you didn't
mean to kill Dr. Sophie.
I really didn't.
I just wanted my share of the advance.
I was owed at least that.
But she didn't give
you any credit, did she?
No. She laughed at me.
Said I was the same
sucker I was in college
when I used to do her research.
I wrote her papers even back then.
And that made you mad, right?
It did.
What happened, Joan?
I tried to leave with the bag of money,
but she grabbed it,
started pushing me
again and again and
I
So you hit her with something.
One of her own books. It
was on the patio table,
and I didn't think it would kill her.
I mean, I only hit her once.
Exactly, it was just a mistake, right?
She just fell in the pool.
I freaked out and ran.
It all happened so fast,
I didn't mean to do it.
Joan, wait! Wait. Wait.
What if Daphne publishes your book?
You already wrote three bestsellers.
No one is going to read a book
in earnest written by
a therapist in prison.
Are you kidding me?
That's like the best hook ever.
There are computers in jail, right?
Yeah.
(JOAN BREATHING HEAVILY)
Okay.
Okay.
Come on, Joan. Here you go.
(DISTANT SIRENS WAILING)
(SIGHS)
- You're still here?
- Yeah.
Yeah, I just finished
taking down her statement.
I heard it was a pretty intense night.
Yeah. There was a second
there when I really thought
she was gonna jump. It was close.
Yeah.
Hey, I've been meaning to ask you,
how was doing all that therapy?
Get anything out of it?
Yeah, uh I think.
(SCOFFS) I don't know.
I haven't really processed it yet.
We probably could have used some therapy
back when we were
partners, huh? (CHUCKLES)
Probably.
You know, I've been going
for about a year now.
- Really?
- Yeah.
Even since your brother died.
I wanted to help you, I didn't know how,
and you didn't want to talk about it,
so it made me realize
(CLEARS THROAT)
that I didn't know what I was doing,
as far as managing my feelings
and emotions and all that stuff.
- Well, how has it been going?
- Good.
It's slow.
Damn slow, but
But good.
Where's Yates?
Oh, I don't know. She gave
me the safe word tonight.
- The safe word?
- Oh, yeah.
If either one of us is
getting on each other's nerves
and we need some space,
we give a safe word. No questions asked.
I know I'm gonna regret this,
but what's the safe word?
- Ice cream.
- Ice cream, okay.
I was expecting worse.
What does it mean?
She said our partnership
is like ice cream.
It's awesome, it's reliable,
and too much of it can give you gas.
(CHUCKLING)
That's actually that's
actually kind of sweet.
I mean, don't get me wrong,
I had to veto the first five safe words.
- They were disgusting.
- (CHUCKLES)
You heading out?
No, I gotta finish these reports, so
Alright, well, I just wanna say,
if you ever need to work
things out, therapy's good.
- Thanks.
- Yeah.
I appreciate that.
And talking to your cat doesn't count.
Okay. I don't talk to my cat.
That's not what Max says.
(SOFT MUSIC)
Hey. What are you doing here?
I just had some drinks with Yates.
Oh boy, does she have some stories.
Also, I have something for you.
What?
Your painting from The Fernwood.
What do you think?
Honestly? It's pretty terrible.
Yeah. It really is.
What am I supposed to do with this?
Burn it. Because if
anybody finds out they came
for your brain, you'll
be locked up for life.
And then I'll have no one.
Don't worry. I wouldn't let that happen.
We make too good of a team.
Um, I should I should
really get back to this report.
Yeah. It's it's a nice night.
I'll probably go for a walk.
- Don't work too late.
- You got it.
(SIGHS)
(CHUCKLES)