The Crowded Room (2023) s01e09 Episode Script
Family
1
[PHONE RINGING]
You gonna get that?
They're selling magazines.
Whole block's getting calls.
- [SLAMS PHONE, RINGING STOPS]
- [MARLIN CLEARS THROAT]
Did you get my suit?
They said it's ready. I'll
pick it up on the way home.
Thanks.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[SIGHS]
[HEART MONITOR BEEPS]
[BLOOD PRESSURE CUFF DEFLATES]
[VELCRO RIPS]
[STAFF MEMBER SPEAKING
INDISTINCTLY ON PA]
That guy, Stan, called again. I
told him you were with a patient.
[PHONE RINGING]
[SCOFFS] You got to
admire his persistence.
Yeah, I don't know,
hon. It's It's tight.
- Does it look tight to you?
- Mmm.
You're not looking.
They said they let it
out as much as they could.
[PHONE RINGING]
Ugh.
[SCOFFS]
Those fucking magazines.
[SNIFFS]
You screwing someone
behind my back, Candy?
[SCOFFS]
Hello? [INHALES SHARPLY]
Hello?
[CLEARS THROAT] Listen,
I don't want you answering this
phone until after the trial is over.
You got me?
Okay.
[SNIFFS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
[SOBBING]
["THANK YOU FOR SENDING
ME AN ANGEL" PLAYING]
[OFFICER 1] Sullivan, let's go.
I don't have all day.
[REPORTERS SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY]
[PEOPLE CHATTERING]
I told her to get you a clip-on.
You wanna get those first?
Your Honor, can I just have
a moment with my client?
Come here.
It's fine.
It's not.
Okay. Look.
Relax, because there's not a person
in this courtroom whose opinion counts.
Not yet, anyway.
Let's flip it. Easier in the mirror.
There.
[INHALES SHARPLY] Now you look
like an upstanding citizen.
- We're all set, Your Honor.
- Bring in the jury.
[BAILIFF] All rise.
Good morning. My name
is Patricia Richards.
I'm a Manhattan assistant
district attorney
representing the State of New York.
And as Judge Posner already told you,
the burden of proof in
this courtroom is on me.
I welcome it.
I welcome it because the proof
in this case is indisputable.
Undeniable.
There is video. There are witnesses.
The only thing there isn't, is doubt.
On May 18th of this year, the
defendant, Daniel Sullivan,
aimed a .38-caliber pistol into
a crowd and fired six times.
Three people were wounded.
The rest were lucky.
Make no mistake, the only
reason this isn't a murder trial
is because Daniel
Sullivan is a lousy shot.
He belongs behind bars.
But with evidence so
provable, so irrefutable,
one wonders, what will the defense do?
They cannot deny the facts,
so they will divert you from them
by making unfounded and unproven claims
about a condition they call
multiple personality disorder.
Let me be clear,
there is no such thing as
multiple personality disorder.
It is a made-up condition from
a Sally Field movie, no less.
They might as well claim the
defendant is a flying nun.
[PEOPLE CHUCKLING]
The defense blames Mr. Sullivan's
actions on what they call an alter.
Now, I can admit, I get the appeal.
Don't we all wish we could blame
our mistakes on someone else?
Run a red light? Blame an alter.
Bounce a check? Blame an alter.
Cheat on a spouse?
- Well, let's see how that one flies.
- [PEOPLE CHUCKLING]
[PATRICIA] But can you
imagine our judicial system
if every time someone committed a crime,
they could simply say, "It wasn't me."
That's what's at stake here.
These arguments from the defense,
they're more than desperate.
They're dangerous.
Because they undermine
a bedrock principle
of both our legal
system and our society:
personal responsibility.
We are responsible for our actions.
The defendant is guilty, and
that guilt demands punishment.
Otherwise, there can be no justice.
[SIGHS]
[PATRICIA] Thank you.
Mr. Camisa, for the defense.
[SMACKS LIPS]
[SIGHS]
[INHALES SHARPLY]
Indisputable. Undeniable. Irrefutable.
You know, makes a guy
wonder, "Why am I even here?"
[PEOPLE CHUCKLING]
[STAN] That was some
opening from the prosecution.
Bedrock principles.
Well, here's a bedrock
principle for you.
He's innocent.
He has the presumption of
innocence. It is his right.
Now, this bears repeating because
of everything that you just heard.
So, let me begin by saying it clearly
and as a simple statement of fact.
Danny Sullivan didn't shoot anyone.
He was there. He admits as much.
But he didn't pull the trigger.
Danny's a good kid, but he's a sick kid.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
no one is making up a condition.
Now, I g [CHUCKLES]
I get how it sounds.
Multiple personality disorder.
You know, at first, I had a hard time
wrapping my head around it myself.
But instead of making flying
nun jokes, which is easy,
I kept an open mind, which is hard.
And that's what I'm asking of you.
To keep an open mind.
Listen to the experts.
Listen to the witnesses,
because if you do,
you'll arrive at the same indisputable,
undeniable, irrefutable
conclusion that I did,
which is that Danny had no control
over his illness or his alters.
Yeah, he's got alters.
He's got alters because he was hurt
in unimaginable ways that broke him.
It broke his mind into pieces.
And no, they are not some
get-out-of-jail-free card.
They are real, and they are not Danny.
To send Danny to prison for a crime
that one of his alters committed
would be the same as you going to
jail for a crime that I committed.
Now, Danny's illness is rare,
and it is the result of being
exposed to sexual abuse as a child.
Frankly, he's lucky to have survived.
This illness is how he survived.
I get it. It's weird. It's hard.
But please, keep an open mind.
Now, the prosecution was
right about one thing.
This trial is about responsibility,
but it's not personal responsibility,
it's societal responsibility.
I mean, you wanna talk
about bedrock principles?
How about how we just
take care of each other?
How about how we take
care of the most hurt
and the most vulnerable among us?
Everybody has failed this kid.
His parents, his teachers, his
neighbors, his friends, his community.
All of us have failed him.
So now it is on us to make it right.
Now, I'm not asking
you to set Danny free.
I am only asking that
you spare him prison
and instead send him to
a hospital to get help.
The help that he needs.
That is our responsibility.
Thank you.
[POSNER] We'll take a 15-minute recess
and then proceed to
the State's witnesses.
Officer, escort the jury out please.
[GAVEL BANGS]
[RYA] You were actually
pretty good in there.
[STAN] Yeah? Pretty good doesn't matter.
Goddamn it! You know, Candy's
not returning my calls,
and she ignored her subpoena,
by the way, which is a crime.
She's scared. She's guilty.
There's so much shame, she might
not even admit it to herself.
In all fairness, do you think
I give a shit how she feels?
This case turns on the diagnosis,
and the diagnosis depends on showing
the jury that Danny was abused.
[SIGHS]
I just said it in there.
If we don't get someone to testify
to this in open court, we are done.
And I'm handcuffed, 'cause I
can't put my client on the stand
'cause of that bullshit
he pulled in the hearing.
- That was Jack. That wasn't Danny.
- Whoever it was,
he's going to deny the abuse
and admit to the crime
- [SIGHS]
- which would be bad.
I am well aware.
[SIGHS] You?
You know I can't testify to his abuse.
Technically, Danny never
said that he was abused.
He never told me that.
- Only Adam?
- Only Adam.
I [SIGHS] It's fucking useless.
What are we gonna do?
You gotta convince her.
But that's not up to me, Stan.
Doesn't a mother have to love
her kid, for Christ's sake?
No.
But in this case, that's
what we have going for us.
What?
That she does love him.
[PATRICIA] The State calls Marlin Reid.
[MARLIN SNIFFS, CLEARS THROAT]
[PATRICIA] How would you describe
your relationship with your stepson?
[MARLIN] Um, strained,
it pains me to admit.
L-Look, I'm not perfect.
And, uh, maybe sometimes
I've been too hard on him.
Maybe other times, not hard enough.
Uh, the kids I see up at Osterville,
most never had a father, not a real one.
And, um, I wanted to be that for Danny.
[CLICKS TONGUE] Tell me
about Osterville. Tough job?
Rewarding job. [CHUCKLES] These
kids have had every disadvantage.
You wouldn't believe,
uh, what they've survived
in their homes, on the streets.
Sure, they've made mistakes.
Uh, but the thing I love about
my job is they're still kids,
and it's not too late for
them to find their way back.
[SMACKS LIPS] You feel
that way about Danny?
Oh, I'll never give up on Danny,
but he's not a kid anymore.
Given your relationship with him,
you have any idea why
he did what he did?
[SIGHS]
I honestly don't.
Truth is, with Danny, there is no "why."
When he was picking fights at
school, or stealing from me,
or dealing drugs or
using, the-the "why"
[SIGHS] Why is just Danny.
[PATRICIA] Just one
more question, Mr. Reid.
At any point after you were shot,
did you report your
stepson to the authorities?
- No.
- [PATRICIA] Why not?
Because I wanted to protect him.
Um, because in spite of everything
I love him like my own son.
No further questions.
[NEWSCASTER] A dramatic first day
in court as nine different witnesses
identified Sullivan as the
Rockefeller Center shooter,
including his own stepfather,
Juvenile Correctional
Counselor Marlin Reid.
Were you the intended target?
[MARLIN] I don't know. But the
toughest thing you learn in
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
[SIGHS, CLICKS TONGUE] Smells good.
[INHALES DEEPLY] Needs
another 20 minutes.
Ah.
H-How did he seem?
Uh. [STAMMERS] Thin.
I don't know. It's not
like we talked or anything.
Um, how'd I look?
[MARLIN CLEARS THROAT]
- You're kidding, right?
- What?
[SIGHS] I'm just trying
to do the right thing.
The kid shot at me, Candy.
[SCOFFS] Jesus.
[INHALES DEEPLY] Taking a shower.
[SALESPERSON CHATTERING ON TV]
[PHONE RINGING]
[SALESPERSON CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]
Stop calling here. I'm not testifying.
[DANNY] Mom?
[SOFTLY] Danny.
[MARLIN SNORING]
I-I meant to come see you.
It's okay.
I'm sorry. [SNIFFLES]
Baby, this is not your fault.
I'm sorry. [SNIFFS]
[DIAL TONE]
[WITNESS 1] It isn't
even a real diagnosis.
It's just a fringe theory
amplified by a TV movie.
Then what do you make of Danny?
Uh, well, I'll tell you the
same thing that I told the jury.
That I believe that, uh,
Mr. Sullivan is a malingerer.
Acting in bad faith to
avoid criminal consequences.
[REPORTER 1] In layman's
terms? For the folks at home.
[WITNESS 1] He's faking it
to keep himself out of jail.
[ANGELO] I tried to get
him to be reasonable.
[PATRICIA] How'd that go?
[ANGELO] Not what you would call ideal.
He blindsided me, broke my
nose and stole it anyway.
[PATRICIA] Did you attempt
to retrieve your gun?
[ANGELO] Yeah, I did. I went
to his house. I was pissed.
But we had history. I figured
we could work something out.
Got as far as a hello though before
he attacked me with a baseball bat.
Then he shot at me.
[SIGHS, SMACKS LIPS]
- No further questions, Your Honor.
- Mr. Camisa.
Yeah, just one question. Mr.
Ruiz, you've known Danny for years.
In all that time, has
he ever seemed normal?
Normal? [CHUCKLING]
That boy's nuts. Craziest
son of a bitch I know.
- [PEOPLE CHUCKLING, CHATTERING]
- [STAN] No further questions.
[ANNABELLE] I was scared.
I'd never seen Danny like that before.
Then I heard the shot.
What did you think when
you heard that gunshot?
I thought that he killed him.
[PATRICIA] You believed Danny
Sullivan to be capable of murder?
In that moment, yes.
[PATRICIA] No further
questions, Your Honor.
Hi, Annabelle.
Um, was Danny ever violent with you?
No.
- [STAN] He ever make you feel unsafe?
- No.
[STAN] Was he mean? Abusive?
No. Never.
Then what was he like, the
Danny you knew? Your friend.
He was sweet.
He was quiet. [STAMMERS] Shy.
Mostly.
- [STAN] Mostly?
- He was, yeah, sometimes not so shy.
He was a little all over the place.
I'd like to refer the witness
to defense exhibit four.
[POSNER] Go ahead.
You recognize this drawing?
Yeah, Danny drew it.
[STAN] It's you?
Yep.
It's good.
Yeah, it's good.
Danny really cared about you, didn't he?
I cared about him too.
[STAN] Earlier in your testimony
now I'm referring to the
night with Mr. Ruiz
you said, "I'd never
seen Danny like that."
How do you reconcile that night,
that Danny, with the boy that you knew?
The sweet and quiet, never
violent, shy but sometimes not.
The boy who drew this picture.
Doesn't seem like the
same person, does it?
No.
No further questions, Your Honor.
- [PATRICIA] State requests a redirect.
- [POSNER] Proceed.
To the best of your knowledge,
in the time you knew him,
was the encounter with Mr. Ruiz
the only occasion that Danny
Sullivan was ever violent?
Objection, irrelevant.
[PATRICIA] The question speaks to
the defendant's history of violence.
[POSNER] Overruled.
Was the encounter with
Mr. Ruiz the only occasion
that Danny Sullivan was ever violent?
No.
Back in high school, I
had this boyfriend, Bill.
Danny got jealous.
He beat him pretty bad.
He put him in the hospital.
Another kid too.
At the time, I told myself
it was this freak thing.
Maybe Bill deserved it.
Now I'm not so sure.
No further questions.
[SNIFFS]
[SIGHS]
They're off to stalk your
son at the, uh, side exit.
Apparently, perp walks sell papers.
Even the same perp walk twice a day.
Do you wanna see him?
I can walk you around.
No, not like that.
I'm glad you came.
There's a shitty bar around the corner.
It's mostly lawyers, but at
this hour it's not that bad.
I don't know what you
people want from me.
[STAN] Please tell me that
you convinced her to testify.
[RYA] Uh, she came, didn't
she? That's That's progress.
- [STAN] Progress is for people with time.
- [RYA SIGHS]
[STAN] They're painting
a picture of a kid
who goes after his
perfectly nice stepfather,
shoots up a bunch of innocent
people in the process,
and now he's pretending that he hears
voices so he can get out of jail.
It's pretty compelling
stuff if you ask me.
[RYA] Whose side are you on, Stan?
- Right now, the losing one.
- [RYA CHUCKLES]
[STAN] Is it too late to
switch? [CLEARS THROAT]
So she sees it today, her kid on
trial, and she goes back home to him.
Stays with him.
God, how does that even work?
Maybe we're just not
built to survive alone.
I mean, did you know that our
brain has these chemical receptors
that light up when we
make human connections?
- Oh, yeah?
- It literally turns on
- to make us feel like we're safe.
- Mmm.
Only, sometimes other
people aren't safe.
Yeah, amen to that. [GROANS]
I feel like you're gonna
make an ex-wife joke.
[SIGHS] I was considering it.
Go on anyway.
There's a whole world of ways
that people hurt each other.
Yeah, you don't know the half of it.
Too much pain, in rare cases
like Danny's, the mind shatters.
But most people, they
they find conventional
ways of avoiding the pain,
like booze and drugs, sex,
that light up those receptors.
- Those things work.
- And also being with the wrong person,
because a-at least the
pain is familiar to them.
If you ask me, I think that if
a relationship can break you,
then sometimes a relationship
can also heal you.
Please tell me you're not
saying love is the answer.
[CHUCKLES] I actually am.
Mmm.
It's like that arrow
story that Jack told Danny.
Fear of pain is worse
than the pain ever was.
Jack? You mean make-believe Jack?
Yeah.
[CHUCKLES]
We've all been hurt.
Some more than others.
And we can have a tendency to
stay in relationships that are bad.
Those receptors are firing, telling
us not to risk losing what we have.
- [GASPS, GROANS]
- [MARLIN] Whoa, whoa, whoa. Come here.
Even if it's to find something
better for us, healthier for us.
We stay with the hurt we know
rather than risk being hurt again.
But we have a choice.
The truth is, we always have.
We just have to remember
to try to keep making it.
To remember that other
people can hurt us,
but they can also help us.
That to reach out, to
let someone reach back,
is a way out of pain.
That doesn't mean it's easy.
It's hard.
Terrifying.
We need to be brave
like Danny was brave,
and ask for help.
We don't have to be alone.
[PRISON GUARD] Lights out.
[JEROME] We met at
Danceteria, this club on 37th.
Tell me about her. What was she like?
[JEROME SIGHS] Ariana was
[CHUCKLES] something else.
The way she moved. The way she smiled.
Iridescent.
Everyone wanted to be with her.
The boys, the girls.
[CHUCKLES] And she
knew it. She worked it.
[STAN] Uh, Mr. Williams, do you
see Ariana in this courtroom?
No.
[STAN] No?
The thing is, he's
not her. N-Not anymore.
[STAN] How can you tell?
[JEROME] Everything
about him is different.
Like the way he sits,
curled in so small.
And And his eyes, which
[CHUCKLES] give up everything.
Ariana had a resting poker face.
Girl was a brick wall.
Uh, not to mention, Danny's straight.
[STAN] So you know
Danny? You've met Danny?
I met him at Rikers a few weeks ago.
I saw the story in the paper,
and, uh, I went over there.
I was just I was looking
to understand, I guess.
And what'd you find at Rikers?
A stranger.
[PATRICIA] Mr. Williams, did
you have a sexual relationship
with the defendant?
[JEROME] I had a
relationship with Ariana.
I didn't ask you what the
defendant called himself.
- I asked if you had a sexual
- [STAN] Uh, objection. Asked and answered.
[POSNER] Overruled.
I could put the question to you in
more graphic terms, if you'd like.
[SIGHS]
Yes, we did.
- [PATRICIA] Where?
- Objection, irrelevant.
The question speaks to the true
nature of their relationship.
Overruled.
[PATRICIA] Where?
The men's room.
The men's room.
Hmm. How romantic.
Couldn't anyone have just walked in?
Were your encounters
in full public view?
We used a stall.
[PATRICIA] Mr. Williams, you never
shared a meal with the defendant.
- Never saw his home, did you?
- [JEROME] No.
- [PATRICIA] Ever meet his friends?
- No.
- [PATRICIA] Family?
- No.
Your most intimate moments
were in a bathroom stall.
How well could you possibly
have known this man?
There was no "this man."
There was only Ariana, and I knew her.
[PATRICIA] These clubs you frequent,
are there ever closeted gay men there?
- Men with something to hide.
- Sure.
So how could you know that
Ariana wasn't just an alias?
A cover. A lie.
It's on me.
[STAMMERS] Mr. Camisa
Stan. And please, I-I got
a tab here. Tell her, Sam.
He does owe me money.
[CHUCKLES] I come here a lot.
It's nothing. Please. Please.
We're gonna lose, Candy.
Multiple personality disorder
is only ever caused by one thing,
and we can't prove
that it ever happened.
And worse, Danny
denies it ever happened.
It's like arguing a guy is shell-shocked
and he swears that he's
never even seen a war.
Our entire defense is built around this.
Well, then you've got the wrong defense.
- Candy
- A And you should have seen it coming.
Well, why do you think I've
been calling you, repeatedly?
Calling me is not an
actual legal strategy.
[STAMMERS] I also
subpoenaed you, which is.
- And you ignored it.
- [SNIFFS]
I can ask the judge to find
you in contempt, you know.
Look, please take the stand.
Just tell 'em what happened to Danny.
Are you even aware of the accusation
that you're making right now?
- Well, your husband's a sick man, Can
- Not against my husband, against me.
Find me in fucking contempt.
[RYA] The mind is an
extraordinary thing,
capable of extraordinary
transformations.
Not just voices, but bodies. Skills.
Playing an instrument, mastering chess,
speaking a foreign
language, lighting up a room.
These aren't things that
people can just fake.
And these are people who
come from every walk of life.
Every race. Every age.
They're people who have nothing to gain
from a diagnosis that
carries social stigma.
MPD is real.
And patients with MPD
have suffered in ways
that most of us cannot comprehend.
- They deserve empathy and compassion.
- [STAN] And how have they suffered?
Can't anyone just claim to have
other personalities inside them?
[RYA] The literature is clear.
For the diagnosis to apply,
the patients must have experienced
severe childhood trauma,
usually sexual.
At a point in their lives when
they are the most vulnerable
the most in need of protection
they are betrayed, usually
by somebody that they trusted.
A child's mind isn't
equipped to handle this.
It can't manage all the contradictions.
So the psyche fractures
and that's the first alter.
The child goes away.
Somebody new comes in.
Someone better equipped to
navigate a terrifying world.
And that's how it begins.
It's a defense mechanism against
horrific, unfathomable pain.
[STAN] Can you tell me about Danny?
I first met Danny at the
police station after his arrest.
Only it wasn't Danny, it was Jonny.
And who's Jonny?
Jonny is one of Danny's alters.
He's a literal escape artist.
So when the shackles
came out, so did Jonny.
[PATRICIA] So are these descriptions
of Danny's so-called personalities
facts or speculations?
They're my clinical judgments.
Did Danny ever tell you he thought
he had multiple personalities?
No, but it doesn't
In fact, wasn't it you who
first introduced the idea to him?
Yes, because his symptoms
supported the diagnosis.
So you say.
But then you have a lot
riding on this, don't you?
[RYA] I'm not sure what you mean.
[PATRICIA] Who pays for your
research? How do you make a living?
Most of my work is
funded through grants.
- Grants like the Reiling Grant?
- [RYA] Yes.
- Which expired last year.
- [RYA] Yes.
[PATRICIA] And is it true the university
just turned down a request from you
for additional funding?
There's only so much to go around,
but I'm going to reapply in the spring.
- You have tenure?
- I'm up for it next year.
[PATRICIA] So, with
your funding drying up,
your major grant expiring
and with tenure on the line,
would it be fair to say that
this is a make-or-break
moment in your career?
- Objection.
- Withdraw the question.
Would it be fair to say that a
high-profile case like this one
could be a real opportunity for you?
Chance for you to make
a name for yourself.
- I don't see my patients as opportunities.
- [PATRICIA] Don't you?
I mean, why else did you
walk into that police station?
Was it because you were having a
sexual relationship with the detective
- who leaked Danny's case to you?
- [STAN] Objection.
- [POSNER] Sustained. Take care, Counselor.
- [SCOFFS]
Withdrawn.
Why did you follow the
defendant to Rikers?
There's a term for lawyers
who solicit business like that.
- Ambulance chasers.
- [STAN] Objection.
- [POSNER] Sustained.
- [PATRICIA] Let me put it another way.
When you walked into that police
station, what were you hoping to find?
I wasn't hoping to find anything.
See, I'm sorry, but I
find that hard to believe.
You get a tip about a
kid. You drop everything.
You run halfway across Manhattan.
- W what did you take? The bus? The train?
- I took the train.
Y-You mean to tell me you're
not sitting on that train,
hoping that this is the one?
The one who makes you famous.
The one who puts you
on the national stage.
- Absolutely not.
- [STAN] Objection.
What do you know, it worked.
[STAMMERS] Your Honor, the
witness is not on trial.
[POSNER] Sustained. Move on, Counselor.
[PATRICIA] Okay, Doctor.
One last question.
The defense claims [SIGHS]
You claim that the cause of Danny's
so-called multiple personalities
was sexual abuse in childhood.
In all of your sessions
with the defendant,
has he ever told you
he was sexually abused?
[PATRICIA] Dr. Goodwin,
has anyone ever told you
or had the defendant ever
claimed he was sexually abused?
It's a yes or no question.
[SIGHS]
Dr. Goodwin?
No.
No further questions, Your Honor.
[REPORTER 1] Dr. Goodwin, Dr. Goodwin?
[REPORTERS SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
What do you have to say for your client?
[REPORTER 2] Dr. Goodwin,
how do you defend yourself?
[SNIFFLES]
So, you were just using him?
Candy, that could not be
further from the truth.
And Camisa? He's out of his depth.
- Stan's a good lawyer.
- He's Legal Aid.
He's working his ass off.
[CHUCKLES] He's falling apart.
Who isn't?
- Why are you here?
- 'Cause I know how this ends.
I know who you'll all blame.
But that's bullshit. You're
the ones who let him down.
[CHUCKLES, SIGHS]
Candy, I
I gave your son everything that I have.
My heart is broken. But
my conscience is clear.
So is mine.
If that were true, you wouldn't
have followed me in here.
And you're wrong.
I would never have blamed you. Never.
Bullshit.
[SIGHS]
I had this patient, Anna, when
I was a first-year resident.
And Anna had been raped six
times, by six different men,
over the course of eight years.
And, Candy, she was 19.
How do you explain that?
There's a phenomenon,
an awful phenomenon.
Victims of abuse survive.
They They get away, only to
be abused again by somebody else.
And I think, hearing these stories,
"My God, these these poor people.
The unluckiest human
beings on the planet."
Only it's not luck.
It is a fucked up twist of nature.
Because as children, they
are forced to relate sexually.
They are trained to be abused.
Predators are very adept
at finding their prey.
They're picking up on cues
that nobody else can see.
These cues can be chemical,
psychological, behavioral, nonverbal.
To the predator, neon signs.
And here's the thing that
I cannot emphasize enough.
None of it is under
the victim's control.
None of it is the victim's fault.
You and Danny were prey,
and I suspect Marlin isn't the
first predator in your life.
And it's not your fault.
And my heart breaks for you, it does.
Because you did nothing to deserve it.
So, no, I I wouldn't blame you.
For anything.
But my hope would be that
if you take the stand,
you might finally be able
to stop blaming yourself.
Marlin.
[SIGHS]
[SNIFFLES] Do you understand
what you're asking?
Guilt or grief
which one can you bear?
You make too much bacon.
It's not good for me.
I only make it because you like it.
Yeah, well, I like
living too. So, cut back.
Let's face it [CHEWS, SMACKS LIPS]
I could lose a few.
We've got to look out for each other.
See ya.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[CAR ENGINE STARTS]
[CAR ENGINE STARTS]
[GRUNTS]
Hi, honey.
[SIGHS] Thought I'd come
by. See you up there.
[SIGHS] I'm not a stupid man,
Candy. I know why you're here.
I know what you're gonna say.
I'm not even going to
tell you not to say it.
You do what you want.
But I wouldn't be doing my duty as
your husband if I didn't tell you
that the words you say
that this terrible lie will change
the world you live in overnight.
[MARLIN] I mean, people staring at
the A&P and whispers all over town.
"What kind of mother
would allow such a thing?"
Well, you'll lose your
husband, of course.
You'll also lose your job
and your home, eventually.
Worst of all, you will lose
the illusion of who you are.
And without it, all anyone will see
is what you allowed
and what you admitted.
That's all Danny will see.
So, you'll lose him too.
- [ELEVATOR DINGS]
- [CLEARS THROAT]
[STAN] What was Danny like as a kid?
[CANDY] He was a good boy. Sweet boy.
- But he was always different.
- Different how?
Too sensitive, I guess. Tender.
[SIGHS]
The world's a tough place,
and we were all each other had.
Ms. Reid, I'm gonna have to ask
you some difficult questions now.
You can take your time
answering them, okay?
Do you believe your son,
Danny, was ever sexually abused?
[PATRICIA] Objection.
Unless she personally witnessed abuse,
any answer will be pure speculation.
Your Honor, most abuse happens
in secret without witnesses.
If the mother of a child isn't
considered an expert witness
on what happened to her
son in her own home, who is?
[SMACKS LIPS] Overruled. Proceed.
Ms. Reid, do you believe
Danny was ever sexually abused?
No.
- I'm sorry. Let me ask that again.
- I don't believe he was abused.
Ms. Reid [STAMMERS]
I understand that this
is very difficult for you.
I just want to remind you
that you are under oath.
Are you sure there
wasn't any kind of abuse?
[PATRICIA] Objection.
[STAN] Are you sure you
didn't hear anything?
- Asked and answered.
- [GAVEL BANGS]
- Are you sure that you didn't see any
- [POSNER] Sustained.
[STAN] Ms. Reid?
No.
No further questions.
[POSNER] Ms. Richards.
No questions, Your Honor.
The witness is excused.
[POSNER] We'll adjourn till tomorrow.
Escort the jury out please.
[GAVEL BANGS]
[BAILIFF] All rise.
[STAN] Danny, stand up.
["I REMEMBER" PLAYING]
We tramped the open moorland ♪
In the rainy April weather ♪
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
And came upon the little inn ♪
That we had found together ♪
[MARLIN EXHALES DEEPLY]
The landlord gave us toast and tea ♪
And stopped to share a joke ♪
And I remember firelight ♪
[CLEARING THROAT]
I remember firelight ♪
And you remember smoke ♪
We ran about the meadow grass ♪
With all the harebells bending ♪
And shaking in the summer wind ♪
A summer never-ending ♪
We wandered to the little stream ♪
Among the river flats ♪
And I remember willow trees ♪
I remember willow trees ♪
I remember willow trees ♪
And you remember gnats ♪
We strolled the Spanish marketplace ♪
At 90 in the shade ♪
With all the fruit and vegetables ♪
So temptingly arrayed ♪
And we can share a memory ♪
As every lover must ♪
And I remember oranges ♪
I remember oranges ♪
I remember oranges ♪
And you remember dust ♪
[INHALES SHARPLY, BREATHING SHAKILY]
The autumn leaves are tumbling down ♪
And winter's almost here ♪
But through the spring and summertime ♪
We laughed away the year ♪
[GRUNTS, BREATHING SHAKILY]
[SWALLOWS]
[GRUNTS, BREATHING HEAVILY]
Two happy hearts that beat as one ♪
When I had thought that we were "we" ♪
But we were "you and me" ♪
[PHONE RINGING]
You gonna get that?
They're selling magazines.
Whole block's getting calls.
- [SLAMS PHONE, RINGING STOPS]
- [MARLIN CLEARS THROAT]
Did you get my suit?
They said it's ready. I'll
pick it up on the way home.
Thanks.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[SIGHS]
[HEART MONITOR BEEPS]
[BLOOD PRESSURE CUFF DEFLATES]
[VELCRO RIPS]
[STAFF MEMBER SPEAKING
INDISTINCTLY ON PA]
That guy, Stan, called again. I
told him you were with a patient.
[PHONE RINGING]
[SCOFFS] You got to
admire his persistence.
Yeah, I don't know,
hon. It's It's tight.
- Does it look tight to you?
- Mmm.
You're not looking.
They said they let it
out as much as they could.
[PHONE RINGING]
Ugh.
[SCOFFS]
Those fucking magazines.
[SNIFFS]
You screwing someone
behind my back, Candy?
[SCOFFS]
Hello? [INHALES SHARPLY]
Hello?
[CLEARS THROAT] Listen,
I don't want you answering this
phone until after the trial is over.
You got me?
Okay.
[SNIFFS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
[SOBBING]
["THANK YOU FOR SENDING
ME AN ANGEL" PLAYING]
[OFFICER 1] Sullivan, let's go.
I don't have all day.
[REPORTERS SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY]
[PEOPLE CHATTERING]
I told her to get you a clip-on.
You wanna get those first?
Your Honor, can I just have
a moment with my client?
Come here.
It's fine.
It's not.
Okay. Look.
Relax, because there's not a person
in this courtroom whose opinion counts.
Not yet, anyway.
Let's flip it. Easier in the mirror.
There.
[INHALES SHARPLY] Now you look
like an upstanding citizen.
- We're all set, Your Honor.
- Bring in the jury.
[BAILIFF] All rise.
Good morning. My name
is Patricia Richards.
I'm a Manhattan assistant
district attorney
representing the State of New York.
And as Judge Posner already told you,
the burden of proof in
this courtroom is on me.
I welcome it.
I welcome it because the proof
in this case is indisputable.
Undeniable.
There is video. There are witnesses.
The only thing there isn't, is doubt.
On May 18th of this year, the
defendant, Daniel Sullivan,
aimed a .38-caliber pistol into
a crowd and fired six times.
Three people were wounded.
The rest were lucky.
Make no mistake, the only
reason this isn't a murder trial
is because Daniel
Sullivan is a lousy shot.
He belongs behind bars.
But with evidence so
provable, so irrefutable,
one wonders, what will the defense do?
They cannot deny the facts,
so they will divert you from them
by making unfounded and unproven claims
about a condition they call
multiple personality disorder.
Let me be clear,
there is no such thing as
multiple personality disorder.
It is a made-up condition from
a Sally Field movie, no less.
They might as well claim the
defendant is a flying nun.
[PEOPLE CHUCKLING]
The defense blames Mr. Sullivan's
actions on what they call an alter.
Now, I can admit, I get the appeal.
Don't we all wish we could blame
our mistakes on someone else?
Run a red light? Blame an alter.
Bounce a check? Blame an alter.
Cheat on a spouse?
- Well, let's see how that one flies.
- [PEOPLE CHUCKLING]
[PATRICIA] But can you
imagine our judicial system
if every time someone committed a crime,
they could simply say, "It wasn't me."
That's what's at stake here.
These arguments from the defense,
they're more than desperate.
They're dangerous.
Because they undermine
a bedrock principle
of both our legal
system and our society:
personal responsibility.
We are responsible for our actions.
The defendant is guilty, and
that guilt demands punishment.
Otherwise, there can be no justice.
[SIGHS]
[PATRICIA] Thank you.
Mr. Camisa, for the defense.
[SMACKS LIPS]
[SIGHS]
[INHALES SHARPLY]
Indisputable. Undeniable. Irrefutable.
You know, makes a guy
wonder, "Why am I even here?"
[PEOPLE CHUCKLING]
[STAN] That was some
opening from the prosecution.
Bedrock principles.
Well, here's a bedrock
principle for you.
He's innocent.
He has the presumption of
innocence. It is his right.
Now, this bears repeating because
of everything that you just heard.
So, let me begin by saying it clearly
and as a simple statement of fact.
Danny Sullivan didn't shoot anyone.
He was there. He admits as much.
But he didn't pull the trigger.
Danny's a good kid, but he's a sick kid.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
no one is making up a condition.
Now, I g [CHUCKLES]
I get how it sounds.
Multiple personality disorder.
You know, at first, I had a hard time
wrapping my head around it myself.
But instead of making flying
nun jokes, which is easy,
I kept an open mind, which is hard.
And that's what I'm asking of you.
To keep an open mind.
Listen to the experts.
Listen to the witnesses,
because if you do,
you'll arrive at the same indisputable,
undeniable, irrefutable
conclusion that I did,
which is that Danny had no control
over his illness or his alters.
Yeah, he's got alters.
He's got alters because he was hurt
in unimaginable ways that broke him.
It broke his mind into pieces.
And no, they are not some
get-out-of-jail-free card.
They are real, and they are not Danny.
To send Danny to prison for a crime
that one of his alters committed
would be the same as you going to
jail for a crime that I committed.
Now, Danny's illness is rare,
and it is the result of being
exposed to sexual abuse as a child.
Frankly, he's lucky to have survived.
This illness is how he survived.
I get it. It's weird. It's hard.
But please, keep an open mind.
Now, the prosecution was
right about one thing.
This trial is about responsibility,
but it's not personal responsibility,
it's societal responsibility.
I mean, you wanna talk
about bedrock principles?
How about how we just
take care of each other?
How about how we take
care of the most hurt
and the most vulnerable among us?
Everybody has failed this kid.
His parents, his teachers, his
neighbors, his friends, his community.
All of us have failed him.
So now it is on us to make it right.
Now, I'm not asking
you to set Danny free.
I am only asking that
you spare him prison
and instead send him to
a hospital to get help.
The help that he needs.
That is our responsibility.
Thank you.
[POSNER] We'll take a 15-minute recess
and then proceed to
the State's witnesses.
Officer, escort the jury out please.
[GAVEL BANGS]
[RYA] You were actually
pretty good in there.
[STAN] Yeah? Pretty good doesn't matter.
Goddamn it! You know, Candy's
not returning my calls,
and she ignored her subpoena,
by the way, which is a crime.
She's scared. She's guilty.
There's so much shame, she might
not even admit it to herself.
In all fairness, do you think
I give a shit how she feels?
This case turns on the diagnosis,
and the diagnosis depends on showing
the jury that Danny was abused.
[SIGHS]
I just said it in there.
If we don't get someone to testify
to this in open court, we are done.
And I'm handcuffed, 'cause I
can't put my client on the stand
'cause of that bullshit
he pulled in the hearing.
- That was Jack. That wasn't Danny.
- Whoever it was,
he's going to deny the abuse
and admit to the crime
- [SIGHS]
- which would be bad.
I am well aware.
[SIGHS] You?
You know I can't testify to his abuse.
Technically, Danny never
said that he was abused.
He never told me that.
- Only Adam?
- Only Adam.
I [SIGHS] It's fucking useless.
What are we gonna do?
You gotta convince her.
But that's not up to me, Stan.
Doesn't a mother have to love
her kid, for Christ's sake?
No.
But in this case, that's
what we have going for us.
What?
That she does love him.
[PATRICIA] The State calls Marlin Reid.
[MARLIN SNIFFS, CLEARS THROAT]
[PATRICIA] How would you describe
your relationship with your stepson?
[MARLIN] Um, strained,
it pains me to admit.
L-Look, I'm not perfect.
And, uh, maybe sometimes
I've been too hard on him.
Maybe other times, not hard enough.
Uh, the kids I see up at Osterville,
most never had a father, not a real one.
And, um, I wanted to be that for Danny.
[CLICKS TONGUE] Tell me
about Osterville. Tough job?
Rewarding job. [CHUCKLES] These
kids have had every disadvantage.
You wouldn't believe,
uh, what they've survived
in their homes, on the streets.
Sure, they've made mistakes.
Uh, but the thing I love about
my job is they're still kids,
and it's not too late for
them to find their way back.
[SMACKS LIPS] You feel
that way about Danny?
Oh, I'll never give up on Danny,
but he's not a kid anymore.
Given your relationship with him,
you have any idea why
he did what he did?
[SIGHS]
I honestly don't.
Truth is, with Danny, there is no "why."
When he was picking fights at
school, or stealing from me,
or dealing drugs or
using, the-the "why"
[SIGHS] Why is just Danny.
[PATRICIA] Just one
more question, Mr. Reid.
At any point after you were shot,
did you report your
stepson to the authorities?
- No.
- [PATRICIA] Why not?
Because I wanted to protect him.
Um, because in spite of everything
I love him like my own son.
No further questions.
[NEWSCASTER] A dramatic first day
in court as nine different witnesses
identified Sullivan as the
Rockefeller Center shooter,
including his own stepfather,
Juvenile Correctional
Counselor Marlin Reid.
Were you the intended target?
[MARLIN] I don't know. But the
toughest thing you learn in
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
[SIGHS, CLICKS TONGUE] Smells good.
[INHALES DEEPLY] Needs
another 20 minutes.
Ah.
H-How did he seem?
Uh. [STAMMERS] Thin.
I don't know. It's not
like we talked or anything.
Um, how'd I look?
[MARLIN CLEARS THROAT]
- You're kidding, right?
- What?
[SIGHS] I'm just trying
to do the right thing.
The kid shot at me, Candy.
[SCOFFS] Jesus.
[INHALES DEEPLY] Taking a shower.
[SALESPERSON CHATTERING ON TV]
[PHONE RINGING]
[SALESPERSON CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]
Stop calling here. I'm not testifying.
[DANNY] Mom?
[SOFTLY] Danny.
[MARLIN SNORING]
I-I meant to come see you.
It's okay.
I'm sorry. [SNIFFLES]
Baby, this is not your fault.
I'm sorry. [SNIFFS]
[DIAL TONE]
[WITNESS 1] It isn't
even a real diagnosis.
It's just a fringe theory
amplified by a TV movie.
Then what do you make of Danny?
Uh, well, I'll tell you the
same thing that I told the jury.
That I believe that, uh,
Mr. Sullivan is a malingerer.
Acting in bad faith to
avoid criminal consequences.
[REPORTER 1] In layman's
terms? For the folks at home.
[WITNESS 1] He's faking it
to keep himself out of jail.
[ANGELO] I tried to get
him to be reasonable.
[PATRICIA] How'd that go?
[ANGELO] Not what you would call ideal.
He blindsided me, broke my
nose and stole it anyway.
[PATRICIA] Did you attempt
to retrieve your gun?
[ANGELO] Yeah, I did. I went
to his house. I was pissed.
But we had history. I figured
we could work something out.
Got as far as a hello though before
he attacked me with a baseball bat.
Then he shot at me.
[SIGHS, SMACKS LIPS]
- No further questions, Your Honor.
- Mr. Camisa.
Yeah, just one question. Mr.
Ruiz, you've known Danny for years.
In all that time, has
he ever seemed normal?
Normal? [CHUCKLING]
That boy's nuts. Craziest
son of a bitch I know.
- [PEOPLE CHUCKLING, CHATTERING]
- [STAN] No further questions.
[ANNABELLE] I was scared.
I'd never seen Danny like that before.
Then I heard the shot.
What did you think when
you heard that gunshot?
I thought that he killed him.
[PATRICIA] You believed Danny
Sullivan to be capable of murder?
In that moment, yes.
[PATRICIA] No further
questions, Your Honor.
Hi, Annabelle.
Um, was Danny ever violent with you?
No.
- [STAN] He ever make you feel unsafe?
- No.
[STAN] Was he mean? Abusive?
No. Never.
Then what was he like, the
Danny you knew? Your friend.
He was sweet.
He was quiet. [STAMMERS] Shy.
Mostly.
- [STAN] Mostly?
- He was, yeah, sometimes not so shy.
He was a little all over the place.
I'd like to refer the witness
to defense exhibit four.
[POSNER] Go ahead.
You recognize this drawing?
Yeah, Danny drew it.
[STAN] It's you?
Yep.
It's good.
Yeah, it's good.
Danny really cared about you, didn't he?
I cared about him too.
[STAN] Earlier in your testimony
now I'm referring to the
night with Mr. Ruiz
you said, "I'd never
seen Danny like that."
How do you reconcile that night,
that Danny, with the boy that you knew?
The sweet and quiet, never
violent, shy but sometimes not.
The boy who drew this picture.
Doesn't seem like the
same person, does it?
No.
No further questions, Your Honor.
- [PATRICIA] State requests a redirect.
- [POSNER] Proceed.
To the best of your knowledge,
in the time you knew him,
was the encounter with Mr. Ruiz
the only occasion that Danny
Sullivan was ever violent?
Objection, irrelevant.
[PATRICIA] The question speaks to
the defendant's history of violence.
[POSNER] Overruled.
Was the encounter with
Mr. Ruiz the only occasion
that Danny Sullivan was ever violent?
No.
Back in high school, I
had this boyfriend, Bill.
Danny got jealous.
He beat him pretty bad.
He put him in the hospital.
Another kid too.
At the time, I told myself
it was this freak thing.
Maybe Bill deserved it.
Now I'm not so sure.
No further questions.
[SNIFFS]
[SIGHS]
They're off to stalk your
son at the, uh, side exit.
Apparently, perp walks sell papers.
Even the same perp walk twice a day.
Do you wanna see him?
I can walk you around.
No, not like that.
I'm glad you came.
There's a shitty bar around the corner.
It's mostly lawyers, but at
this hour it's not that bad.
I don't know what you
people want from me.
[STAN] Please tell me that
you convinced her to testify.
[RYA] Uh, she came, didn't
she? That's That's progress.
- [STAN] Progress is for people with time.
- [RYA SIGHS]
[STAN] They're painting
a picture of a kid
who goes after his
perfectly nice stepfather,
shoots up a bunch of innocent
people in the process,
and now he's pretending that he hears
voices so he can get out of jail.
It's pretty compelling
stuff if you ask me.
[RYA] Whose side are you on, Stan?
- Right now, the losing one.
- [RYA CHUCKLES]
[STAN] Is it too late to
switch? [CLEARS THROAT]
So she sees it today, her kid on
trial, and she goes back home to him.
Stays with him.
God, how does that even work?
Maybe we're just not
built to survive alone.
I mean, did you know that our
brain has these chemical receptors
that light up when we
make human connections?
- Oh, yeah?
- It literally turns on
- to make us feel like we're safe.
- Mmm.
Only, sometimes other
people aren't safe.
Yeah, amen to that. [GROANS]
I feel like you're gonna
make an ex-wife joke.
[SIGHS] I was considering it.
Go on anyway.
There's a whole world of ways
that people hurt each other.
Yeah, you don't know the half of it.
Too much pain, in rare cases
like Danny's, the mind shatters.
But most people, they
they find conventional
ways of avoiding the pain,
like booze and drugs, sex,
that light up those receptors.
- Those things work.
- And also being with the wrong person,
because a-at least the
pain is familiar to them.
If you ask me, I think that if
a relationship can break you,
then sometimes a relationship
can also heal you.
Please tell me you're not
saying love is the answer.
[CHUCKLES] I actually am.
Mmm.
It's like that arrow
story that Jack told Danny.
Fear of pain is worse
than the pain ever was.
Jack? You mean make-believe Jack?
Yeah.
[CHUCKLES]
We've all been hurt.
Some more than others.
And we can have a tendency to
stay in relationships that are bad.
Those receptors are firing, telling
us not to risk losing what we have.
- [GASPS, GROANS]
- [MARLIN] Whoa, whoa, whoa. Come here.
Even if it's to find something
better for us, healthier for us.
We stay with the hurt we know
rather than risk being hurt again.
But we have a choice.
The truth is, we always have.
We just have to remember
to try to keep making it.
To remember that other
people can hurt us,
but they can also help us.
That to reach out, to
let someone reach back,
is a way out of pain.
That doesn't mean it's easy.
It's hard.
Terrifying.
We need to be brave
like Danny was brave,
and ask for help.
We don't have to be alone.
[PRISON GUARD] Lights out.
[JEROME] We met at
Danceteria, this club on 37th.
Tell me about her. What was she like?
[JEROME SIGHS] Ariana was
[CHUCKLES] something else.
The way she moved. The way she smiled.
Iridescent.
Everyone wanted to be with her.
The boys, the girls.
[CHUCKLES] And she
knew it. She worked it.
[STAN] Uh, Mr. Williams, do you
see Ariana in this courtroom?
No.
[STAN] No?
The thing is, he's
not her. N-Not anymore.
[STAN] How can you tell?
[JEROME] Everything
about him is different.
Like the way he sits,
curled in so small.
And And his eyes, which
[CHUCKLES] give up everything.
Ariana had a resting poker face.
Girl was a brick wall.
Uh, not to mention, Danny's straight.
[STAN] So you know
Danny? You've met Danny?
I met him at Rikers a few weeks ago.
I saw the story in the paper,
and, uh, I went over there.
I was just I was looking
to understand, I guess.
And what'd you find at Rikers?
A stranger.
[PATRICIA] Mr. Williams, did
you have a sexual relationship
with the defendant?
[JEROME] I had a
relationship with Ariana.
I didn't ask you what the
defendant called himself.
- I asked if you had a sexual
- [STAN] Uh, objection. Asked and answered.
[POSNER] Overruled.
I could put the question to you in
more graphic terms, if you'd like.
[SIGHS]
Yes, we did.
- [PATRICIA] Where?
- Objection, irrelevant.
The question speaks to the true
nature of their relationship.
Overruled.
[PATRICIA] Where?
The men's room.
The men's room.
Hmm. How romantic.
Couldn't anyone have just walked in?
Were your encounters
in full public view?
We used a stall.
[PATRICIA] Mr. Williams, you never
shared a meal with the defendant.
- Never saw his home, did you?
- [JEROME] No.
- [PATRICIA] Ever meet his friends?
- No.
- [PATRICIA] Family?
- No.
Your most intimate moments
were in a bathroom stall.
How well could you possibly
have known this man?
There was no "this man."
There was only Ariana, and I knew her.
[PATRICIA] These clubs you frequent,
are there ever closeted gay men there?
- Men with something to hide.
- Sure.
So how could you know that
Ariana wasn't just an alias?
A cover. A lie.
It's on me.
[STAMMERS] Mr. Camisa
Stan. And please, I-I got
a tab here. Tell her, Sam.
He does owe me money.
[CHUCKLES] I come here a lot.
It's nothing. Please. Please.
We're gonna lose, Candy.
Multiple personality disorder
is only ever caused by one thing,
and we can't prove
that it ever happened.
And worse, Danny
denies it ever happened.
It's like arguing a guy is shell-shocked
and he swears that he's
never even seen a war.
Our entire defense is built around this.
Well, then you've got the wrong defense.
- Candy
- A And you should have seen it coming.
Well, why do you think I've
been calling you, repeatedly?
Calling me is not an
actual legal strategy.
[STAMMERS] I also
subpoenaed you, which is.
- And you ignored it.
- [SNIFFS]
I can ask the judge to find
you in contempt, you know.
Look, please take the stand.
Just tell 'em what happened to Danny.
Are you even aware of the accusation
that you're making right now?
- Well, your husband's a sick man, Can
- Not against my husband, against me.
Find me in fucking contempt.
[RYA] The mind is an
extraordinary thing,
capable of extraordinary
transformations.
Not just voices, but bodies. Skills.
Playing an instrument, mastering chess,
speaking a foreign
language, lighting up a room.
These aren't things that
people can just fake.
And these are people who
come from every walk of life.
Every race. Every age.
They're people who have nothing to gain
from a diagnosis that
carries social stigma.
MPD is real.
And patients with MPD
have suffered in ways
that most of us cannot comprehend.
- They deserve empathy and compassion.
- [STAN] And how have they suffered?
Can't anyone just claim to have
other personalities inside them?
[RYA] The literature is clear.
For the diagnosis to apply,
the patients must have experienced
severe childhood trauma,
usually sexual.
At a point in their lives when
they are the most vulnerable
the most in need of protection
they are betrayed, usually
by somebody that they trusted.
A child's mind isn't
equipped to handle this.
It can't manage all the contradictions.
So the psyche fractures
and that's the first alter.
The child goes away.
Somebody new comes in.
Someone better equipped to
navigate a terrifying world.
And that's how it begins.
It's a defense mechanism against
horrific, unfathomable pain.
[STAN] Can you tell me about Danny?
I first met Danny at the
police station after his arrest.
Only it wasn't Danny, it was Jonny.
And who's Jonny?
Jonny is one of Danny's alters.
He's a literal escape artist.
So when the shackles
came out, so did Jonny.
[PATRICIA] So are these descriptions
of Danny's so-called personalities
facts or speculations?
They're my clinical judgments.
Did Danny ever tell you he thought
he had multiple personalities?
No, but it doesn't
In fact, wasn't it you who
first introduced the idea to him?
Yes, because his symptoms
supported the diagnosis.
So you say.
But then you have a lot
riding on this, don't you?
[RYA] I'm not sure what you mean.
[PATRICIA] Who pays for your
research? How do you make a living?
Most of my work is
funded through grants.
- Grants like the Reiling Grant?
- [RYA] Yes.
- Which expired last year.
- [RYA] Yes.
[PATRICIA] And is it true the university
just turned down a request from you
for additional funding?
There's only so much to go around,
but I'm going to reapply in the spring.
- You have tenure?
- I'm up for it next year.
[PATRICIA] So, with
your funding drying up,
your major grant expiring
and with tenure on the line,
would it be fair to say that
this is a make-or-break
moment in your career?
- Objection.
- Withdraw the question.
Would it be fair to say that a
high-profile case like this one
could be a real opportunity for you?
Chance for you to make
a name for yourself.
- I don't see my patients as opportunities.
- [PATRICIA] Don't you?
I mean, why else did you
walk into that police station?
Was it because you were having a
sexual relationship with the detective
- who leaked Danny's case to you?
- [STAN] Objection.
- [POSNER] Sustained. Take care, Counselor.
- [SCOFFS]
Withdrawn.
Why did you follow the
defendant to Rikers?
There's a term for lawyers
who solicit business like that.
- Ambulance chasers.
- [STAN] Objection.
- [POSNER] Sustained.
- [PATRICIA] Let me put it another way.
When you walked into that police
station, what were you hoping to find?
I wasn't hoping to find anything.
See, I'm sorry, but I
find that hard to believe.
You get a tip about a
kid. You drop everything.
You run halfway across Manhattan.
- W what did you take? The bus? The train?
- I took the train.
Y-You mean to tell me you're
not sitting on that train,
hoping that this is the one?
The one who makes you famous.
The one who puts you
on the national stage.
- Absolutely not.
- [STAN] Objection.
What do you know, it worked.
[STAMMERS] Your Honor, the
witness is not on trial.
[POSNER] Sustained. Move on, Counselor.
[PATRICIA] Okay, Doctor.
One last question.
The defense claims [SIGHS]
You claim that the cause of Danny's
so-called multiple personalities
was sexual abuse in childhood.
In all of your sessions
with the defendant,
has he ever told you
he was sexually abused?
[PATRICIA] Dr. Goodwin,
has anyone ever told you
or had the defendant ever
claimed he was sexually abused?
It's a yes or no question.
[SIGHS]
Dr. Goodwin?
No.
No further questions, Your Honor.
[REPORTER 1] Dr. Goodwin, Dr. Goodwin?
[REPORTERS SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
What do you have to say for your client?
[REPORTER 2] Dr. Goodwin,
how do you defend yourself?
[SNIFFLES]
So, you were just using him?
Candy, that could not be
further from the truth.
And Camisa? He's out of his depth.
- Stan's a good lawyer.
- He's Legal Aid.
He's working his ass off.
[CHUCKLES] He's falling apart.
Who isn't?
- Why are you here?
- 'Cause I know how this ends.
I know who you'll all blame.
But that's bullshit. You're
the ones who let him down.
[CHUCKLES, SIGHS]
Candy, I
I gave your son everything that I have.
My heart is broken. But
my conscience is clear.
So is mine.
If that were true, you wouldn't
have followed me in here.
And you're wrong.
I would never have blamed you. Never.
Bullshit.
[SIGHS]
I had this patient, Anna, when
I was a first-year resident.
And Anna had been raped six
times, by six different men,
over the course of eight years.
And, Candy, she was 19.
How do you explain that?
There's a phenomenon,
an awful phenomenon.
Victims of abuse survive.
They They get away, only to
be abused again by somebody else.
And I think, hearing these stories,
"My God, these these poor people.
The unluckiest human
beings on the planet."
Only it's not luck.
It is a fucked up twist of nature.
Because as children, they
are forced to relate sexually.
They are trained to be abused.
Predators are very adept
at finding their prey.
They're picking up on cues
that nobody else can see.
These cues can be chemical,
psychological, behavioral, nonverbal.
To the predator, neon signs.
And here's the thing that
I cannot emphasize enough.
None of it is under
the victim's control.
None of it is the victim's fault.
You and Danny were prey,
and I suspect Marlin isn't the
first predator in your life.
And it's not your fault.
And my heart breaks for you, it does.
Because you did nothing to deserve it.
So, no, I I wouldn't blame you.
For anything.
But my hope would be that
if you take the stand,
you might finally be able
to stop blaming yourself.
Marlin.
[SIGHS]
[SNIFFLES] Do you understand
what you're asking?
Guilt or grief
which one can you bear?
You make too much bacon.
It's not good for me.
I only make it because you like it.
Yeah, well, I like
living too. So, cut back.
Let's face it [CHEWS, SMACKS LIPS]
I could lose a few.
We've got to look out for each other.
See ya.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[CAR ENGINE STARTS]
[CAR ENGINE STARTS]
[GRUNTS]
Hi, honey.
[SIGHS] Thought I'd come
by. See you up there.
[SIGHS] I'm not a stupid man,
Candy. I know why you're here.
I know what you're gonna say.
I'm not even going to
tell you not to say it.
You do what you want.
But I wouldn't be doing my duty as
your husband if I didn't tell you
that the words you say
that this terrible lie will change
the world you live in overnight.
[MARLIN] I mean, people staring at
the A&P and whispers all over town.
"What kind of mother
would allow such a thing?"
Well, you'll lose your
husband, of course.
You'll also lose your job
and your home, eventually.
Worst of all, you will lose
the illusion of who you are.
And without it, all anyone will see
is what you allowed
and what you admitted.
That's all Danny will see.
So, you'll lose him too.
- [ELEVATOR DINGS]
- [CLEARS THROAT]
[STAN] What was Danny like as a kid?
[CANDY] He was a good boy. Sweet boy.
- But he was always different.
- Different how?
Too sensitive, I guess. Tender.
[SIGHS]
The world's a tough place,
and we were all each other had.
Ms. Reid, I'm gonna have to ask
you some difficult questions now.
You can take your time
answering them, okay?
Do you believe your son,
Danny, was ever sexually abused?
[PATRICIA] Objection.
Unless she personally witnessed abuse,
any answer will be pure speculation.
Your Honor, most abuse happens
in secret without witnesses.
If the mother of a child isn't
considered an expert witness
on what happened to her
son in her own home, who is?
[SMACKS LIPS] Overruled. Proceed.
Ms. Reid, do you believe
Danny was ever sexually abused?
No.
- I'm sorry. Let me ask that again.
- I don't believe he was abused.
Ms. Reid [STAMMERS]
I understand that this
is very difficult for you.
I just want to remind you
that you are under oath.
Are you sure there
wasn't any kind of abuse?
[PATRICIA] Objection.
[STAN] Are you sure you
didn't hear anything?
- Asked and answered.
- [GAVEL BANGS]
- Are you sure that you didn't see any
- [POSNER] Sustained.
[STAN] Ms. Reid?
No.
No further questions.
[POSNER] Ms. Richards.
No questions, Your Honor.
The witness is excused.
[POSNER] We'll adjourn till tomorrow.
Escort the jury out please.
[GAVEL BANGS]
[BAILIFF] All rise.
[STAN] Danny, stand up.
["I REMEMBER" PLAYING]
We tramped the open moorland ♪
In the rainy April weather ♪
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
And came upon the little inn ♪
That we had found together ♪
[MARLIN EXHALES DEEPLY]
The landlord gave us toast and tea ♪
And stopped to share a joke ♪
And I remember firelight ♪
[CLEARING THROAT]
I remember firelight ♪
And you remember smoke ♪
We ran about the meadow grass ♪
With all the harebells bending ♪
And shaking in the summer wind ♪
A summer never-ending ♪
We wandered to the little stream ♪
Among the river flats ♪
And I remember willow trees ♪
I remember willow trees ♪
I remember willow trees ♪
And you remember gnats ♪
We strolled the Spanish marketplace ♪
At 90 in the shade ♪
With all the fruit and vegetables ♪
So temptingly arrayed ♪
And we can share a memory ♪
As every lover must ♪
And I remember oranges ♪
I remember oranges ♪
I remember oranges ♪
And you remember dust ♪
[INHALES SHARPLY, BREATHING SHAKILY]
The autumn leaves are tumbling down ♪
And winter's almost here ♪
But through the spring and summertime ♪
We laughed away the year ♪
[GRUNTS, BREATHING SHAKILY]
[SWALLOWS]
[GRUNTS, BREATHING HEAVILY]
Two happy hearts that beat as one ♪
When I had thought that we were "we" ♪
But we were "you and me" ♪