Perception s02e03 Episode Script

Why do we see a man in the moon? Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building and resurfaced on the New Jersey turnpike.
Give us this day our daily grilled cheese.
The human mind has evolved to perceive pattern and meaning in almost everything.
This tendency is known as Pareidolia.
Tech support.
Lewicki, that's your cue.
- I'm sorry, what? - What, are you texting in class? I hope you I hope all of you realize that every time your so-called "smart phone" dings, it makes you just a little bit dumber.
Uh, yeah, Doc.
The thing is, the text is for you.
It's Kate.
She needs you to meet her at the Courthouse, says it's an emergency.
Look, Doc, I can finish the lecture.
Wha I can't leave you to mold these impressionable young minds.
I haven't finished molding yours yet.
Class dismissed.
U.
S.
District Judge Walter Cleland, was murdered in his chambers approximately an hour ago.
The only person who entered his chambers all day was a developmentally disabled janitor.
The guy did more than just enter.
He was found standing over the body with a bloody knife in his hand.
Why is he here? He was in court, appearing before Judge Cleland just before his body was found.
- Really? Do you have an alibi? - We can't get the janitor to talk.
Oh, what do you expect him to say? "Why, yes, as a matter of fact, I murdered the Judge in cold blood".
Look, I don't know what he's gonna say but all he's doing right now is rocking back and forth and mumbling.
I'm really hoping that you can get through to him.
Hello, Emmanuel.
Do you mind if I sit? Do you understand why you're here? Time to clean.
Time to clean.
That's a very nice watch you have.
Birthday.
- Oh, was it a present? - Mm.
- Who gave it to you? - Mr.
Judge Cleland.
- So you were friends? - Mm.
Emmanuel I'd like to be your friend, too.
Could you tell me what happened when you went to the Judge's chambers this afternoon? I saw him on the rug.
- I thought he was sleeping.
- And then what happened? - I saw the knife.
- Where was it? In his neck.
And I didn't like that.
I pulled it out.
And then I yelled.
He's innocent.
Oh, you figured that out in a 5-minute conversation? We should put you on every case.
Even if Emmanuel wanted to harm the Judge, which he didn't, he is not intellectually capable of creating an elaborate cover story.
Cleland's secretary was the one who found Emmanuel standing over the body.
I questioned her, but there's something about her story that doesn't sound right.
I keep going over it in my mind.
Judge Cleland was in court all morning.
He went into his chambers after lunch, while the jury was deliberating.
A few hours later, the bailiff knocked on his door to let him know that the jury had reached a verdict.
I saw the Judge leave his chambers.
Then, about 15 minutes later, Emmanuel, goes in, and the next thing I know, he's screaming.
But you never saw the Judge come back from the courtroom? That's what's bothering me.
Well, maybe he came back when you weren't paying attention.
I had been watching for him like a hawk Because I wanted to ask permission to leave a little early.
Either the secretary's lying, or the janitor is.
There's a third possibility neither one of them is lying.
Maybe the Judge didn't come back because he was already dead before the verdict was delivered.
Impossible.
I was in court when the verdict was read.
I saw Cleland with my own eyes.
Found this in the stairwell.
It's Cleland's.
Yeah, as I said, Emmanuel is not the killer.
- So who is? - You tell us.
You looked right at him.
Okay, so, the killer slips into the Judge's chambers when the secretary steps away earlier in the day.
Then he waits.
The Judge enters, takes off his robe.
The killer stabs him in the neck.
He waits again.
The bailiff knocks.
The killer puts the robe on.
He enters the court.
Now he's pretending to be the Judge.
He presides over the reading of the verdict, after which he dismisses the court and simply walks away.
Whoa.
There is no way that I would look directly at the Judge and not notice it was a different person.
Right.
Right.
Right.
You were looking, but you didn't see.
Because we see with more than our eyes.
- We also see with our brains.
- Exactly.
I think you experienced a common psychological phenomenon, known as "change blindness".
It happens when there's a change in visual stimulus that goes unnoticed by the observer because they're focused on other things.
Excellent retention, Agent Moretti.
It's one of your best lectures.
How could I forget? So, give her a gold star, Professor, but I'm not buying it.
Your theory only holds water if every single person in court missed the obvious.
There were about 40 people in here, and everyone was paying complete attention because there's no more dramatic moment than when the Judge asks the Foreman to read the verdict.
You're right.
They were paying complete attention, they were probably riveted To the jury.
Huh.
So behind door number one I've got a guy holding the murder weapon.
And behind door two A mysterious phantom killer.
I think I'm gonna go with number one.
Donnie is so blinded by his desire for a quick conviction, he's He's gonna prosecute Emmanuel for a crime he didn't commit.
If Donnie's blind, find a way to open his eyes.
- Why didn't I think of that? - You did.
Right.
That's a good point.
Here he comes.
Excuse me.
I'm trying to find Marie Hamden library, but I'm a little lost.
- Could you help? - Sure.
Oh, the first problem is that you've got your map upside down.
Oh, my gosh.
I'm so embarrassed.
Okay.
Now, so So, what you're gonna want to do is go straight up this path, hang a right at the science building, and then follow that path to the library.
- Thanks so much.
- No problem.
Well, you dragged me all the way out here.
What's the big news? You just experienced change blindness for the second time.
What are you talking about? You didn't notice that the student who asked you for directions wasn't the same one that you gave them to.
I'm guessing that it wasn't the map that distracted you from their faces.
Look, all you've really proven with this little experiment of yours is that healthy, heterosexual males get distracted by boobs.
You haven't proved the janitor is innocent.
But we have proven the possibility of a different killer.
You find another suspect that somehow fits this theory of yours, I'll listen.
But until then, I've got to move forward with the janitor.
We really should've asked Cleland's secretary to presort these.
Yeah, well, I know what's gonna make it go faster.
Lewicki! Lewicki? - Lewicki! - Huh? I'm shouting your name.
What, are you lost in some cat video? Come check this out, Doc.
Less than two hours ago, a murder occurred during a local high-school basketball game, in front of 200 eyewitnesses.
But in a story almost too bizarre to believe, no one saw it happen.
Kate! Yeah? I think we've got ourselves a serial killer.
I don't get it.
What are we supposed to see? - Can you play it again, but slow it down? - You got it.
Okay, w-watch the mascot.
There! There! There! Uh, fr freeze it and and zoom in.
That alligator just stabbed the ref! - How did I miss that? - Because you eye was on the ball.
A pun I fully intended.
Okay, any leads? We found the mascot suit in one of the stairwells.
What about all the witnesses? Nobody noticed this? Yeah, I mean, I noticed it but, I only saw it out of the corner of my eye.
When did you realize the ref had been stabbed? Not till my wife saw the blood.
If I had seen the stabbing, I'd have chased that damn gator down.
Okay, where were you sitting? High up in the stands.
If I hadn't caught the whole thing on video, I never would've believed it.
- How could I have missed that? - Thank you.
You've been very helpful.
- Donnie cut Emmanuel loose.
- Yes! All it took was a 6-foot, knife-wielding alligator.
This is Jennifer Britton, a profiler from the behavioral analysis unit.
Who will be helping with the investigation.
What's the secret to finding an invisible killer? Seeing the world through his eyes.
The unsub is a thrill seeker.
It's likely he gets off on the adrenaline rush of putting himself in situations where he could easily get caught.
We're probably looking for somebody into extreme sports.
Like mountain climbing? Yes, or skydiving, drag racing, big-game hunting.
I think it's a little early to narrow our search parameters to big-game hunters.
I know your work well, Dr.
Pierce.
Please, I'm sure we'd all love to hear your thoughts.
I'm just saying, if we're gonna play "guess the identity of the serial killer," we we can't just assume things like "he's a thrill seeker".
The audience element of his M.
O.
indicates a personality type attracted to risk.
Or it suggests someone who simply wants attention.
Do you think that the victims are connected to each other? - No.
- Yes.
I believe the victims are connected only in that they represent archetypal authority figures, probably from the killer's childhood.
How did you come up with that? A ref and a Judge symbolize authority.
The killer flaunted what he did in two different courts.
Dr.
Pierce, you believe the victims are connected in some other way? Dr.
Pierce? - Daniel.
- Uh I'm not sure how they're connected.
I'm I'm just saying it's a little early to To rule out possibilities.
We're looking for somebody who resents authority.
All right, and has a deep and abiding interest in illusions and stagecraft.
Maybe somebody who's involved in community theater or an amateur magician.
- That's ridiculous.
- You have an alternate theory? No, I don't have a theory because I'm not there yet.
Unlike Ms.
Britton's magician here, I can't just pull rabbits out of hats.
What kind of game is this? I'm sorry? I have an expert consultant, so now you have to get one, too? I didn't bring Britton in.
Your boss did.
I'm not a total asshole, Kate Much as Pierce would like you to believe that.
- Wait, what's that supposed to mean? - Oh, come on.
The whole boob experiment? He couldn't wait to make me look bad in front of you.
Actually, the boobs were my idea.
Yeah, I knew that detail would get you.
Every time you look at me, you just see the bad guy, don't you? Well, I used to see you through rose-colored glasses, but I think we both know the day those came off.
So now I'm the villain.
And Pierce is the maligned hero who nobody understands except you.
Things aren't so black and white, Kate.
So, what do you want me to do about class today? Cancel it.
Doc, I know the material forwards and backwards.
If I give the lecture, you won't have to cancel two in a row.
Just tell them we'll pick up next week.
All right.
Fine.
He can handle the lecture.
Those kids paid to take class, not to listen to some 24-year-old grad student.
Max is brilliant, and you know it.
You just don't want to feel more dependent on him than you already are.
That is ridiculous.
Look, I just I have to stay focused here.
I know there is a-a connection between the dead ref and the dead Judge.
Now, I I thought maybe Maybe Lemmons had been in Cleland's court at some point, as as a plaintiff or Or a defendant, maybe even on a jury, but There's nothing.
I can't what am I missing? Maybe the obvious that the profiler is right.
Hey, just because I haven't found the connection yet doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Well, instead of trying to connect the victims to each other, maybe you should try to connect them to the idea of cognitive blindness.
You think one of these cases might involve some kind of visual or perceptual error? For all you know, you've already looked at the right file.
You just haven't realized it yet.
The United States vs.
Kevin Connor.
Case centers on a cop who was convicted of perjury, for claiming he never saw something that happened right in front of his eyes.
Wait a second.
I remember this case.
Connor ran right by four cops beating a suspect half to death, but insisted he didn't see anything, lied on the stand to protect his buddies.
Right.
Cleland threw the book at him, called him "the face of police corruption," sentenced him to five years.
Yeah, that could make someone want to knife a Judge but, it doesn't explain the elaborate M.
O.
- What if Connor was telling the truth? - And he didn't see the assault? Right, and everyone just assumed he was lying.
So, he kills in a way that proves it's possible to be blind to something right in front of your eyes.
- Boom.
- All right.
Where are you now, Mr.
Connor? Just released from prison, three weeks before Cleland was murdered.
Mr.
Connor, open up! It's the FBI! We need to talk.
What took you so long? "In the most appalling example of police corruption ever to enter my courtroom".
"Kevin Connor has decided to uphold the blue wall of silence".
"Rather than admit to being an eyewitness, to a reprehensible act of police brutality".
"Here, the harshest punishment is not only warranted, but richly deserved".
Whew.
Cleland sure made an example out of you.
Ain't a secret I hated the guy.
By the time he was done My wife could barely stand the sight of me, and my own son thought I was a racist.
Soon as I heard Cleland was murdered, I figured I'd be a suspect.
But I didn't kill him.
And why should we believe you? You're a convicted perjurer.
Well, now, hold on.
He may have been convicted, that doesn't make him a liar.
So, you're saying you believe me? Where were you during the afternoon of Thursday the 11th? Whoa.
I better lawyer up.
If I were you, I wouldn't get the same guy as last time.
Who exactly are you again? I'm a Neuroscientist.
I consult with the FBI.
- I've studied your case, and I - Daniel.
I think it's possible that you were wrongfully convicted.
Is that right? And if I can effectively make that argument, it might help your overall credibility.
I was on the force for 20 years.
I know when someone's playing "good cop, bad cop".
The okay, you got us.
But the fact remains, if you can convince me that you weren't lying back in 2008 I may be able to help clear your name.
What good is that gonna do me now? I already served the time.
You mentioned a son.
Wouldn't you like to prove to him that you're no racist after all? An A.
P.
B.
was put out on four hispanic suspects who had robbed a liquor store.
I had never ran so fast in my life.
I must have chased the guy for a half-mile.
But he was too damn fast.
He got away.
The next thing I know, I'm being told that I was a witness to an assault.
I.
A.
Wanted me to finger four officers who beat the living hell out of one of the suspects.
But you didn't.
I told them that I couldn't I.
D.
them because I never saw the beating happen.
It happened within a few feet of where you scaled the fence.
It was within your field of vision.
I'm not saying it didn't happen.
I'm saying I just didn't see it.
Have you ever heard the term "inattentional blindness"? Oh, yeah.
Some other expert shrink pitched that angle during my trial.
- What happened? - The prosecutor tore him to shreds.
The Judge told the jury to disregard his testimony.
Did he explain that perception is an inherently limited process, and the more attentional demands placed on On the cognitive resources that allow for perception, the less capacity the brain has to notice non-target stimuli in the environment? No.
He didn't put it like that.
So, you're saying that Connor wasn't lying in 2008 when he said he never saw the beating, but he is lying now about killing the Judge? That's a pretty big leap.
Connor's wrongful conviction gives him all the more reason to kill in In a way that proves we're all susceptible to being blind to the obvious.
Maybe.
But even so, establishing motive isn't enough to hold Connor.
Which is why I would like a warrant to search his house.
- On what grounds? - Well, they were elaborate murders.
He would've had to do research.
There could be notes or something on his computer.
What's the connection between Connor and the ref? Haven't figured that part out yet.
Hang on a second.
I want to see this.
Joining us now via remote is Jennifer Britton, a profiler with the FBI's behavioral analysis unit.
With the latest update on "the invisible reaper".
"The invisible reaper"? What is she doing? This is an active investigation.
Media got a hold of our serial-killer theory, and public affairs asked Jennifer to start putting out fires.
What, does the FBI give her bonuses for TV appearances? It appears the killer is targeting people who wield some sort of authority.
She's giving the guy exactly what he wants attention.
Your grounds are weak, but given the fact that it was a Federal Judge that was murdered.
I'm pretty sure I could convince a fellow jurist to issue you a warrant.
Thank you.
So, all that stuff about clearing my name was just B.
S.
? No.
But, unfortunately, your innocence then makes you a suspect now.
Oh, ain't that just ironic? Found this in the bedroom.
You're keeping news articles about your trial? My ex-wife must've collected it all.
Want me to tag it? No.
The warrant only allows us to keep evidence related to the murders.
This is old news.
Uh, you know, I kind of have a fondness for old newspapers.
You mind? I got nothing to hide.
Knock yourself out.
Last time your house looked like this, you ended up in a psych ward.
Well, sometimes a messy house is just a messy house.
And sometimes it's a bright-red flag.
Why is everyone in my life always looking for signs of my next meltdown? Are you talking with Natalie, Doc? Sorry, I didn't mean to be so loud.
Look, while you're up, can you please help me find my damn glasses? Go back to bed.
I'll keep my voice down.
I applaud the honorable Judge Cleland for taking a hard line on police corruption.
And for his refusal to be blinded by a so-called 'expert witness' who flagrantly misused the witness stand as a pulpit to preach junk science.
Fortunately, Judge Cleland was able to see past the spurious testimony to what was really important here a cop trying to cover up for his buddies.
This is a letter to the editor of the Chicago Star-Herald.
It goes on to castigate Connor as "a lying racist".
Guess who wrote it.
A private citizen by the name of Frank Lemmons.
Frank Lemmons! The ref who was stabbed on the basketball court! Don't you see?! Connor killed him for the same reason he killed Cleland They publicly humiliated him.
Now, I think Connor's gonna keep going after people who shamed him.
Look here, uh David Koepfer, the I.
A.
Officer who launched the investigation, Craig Scarlis, the prosecutor who tore him to pieces in court.
You have got to pick up Connor before he kills them, too.
What? Daniel, we just arrested a man named Shane Murphy.
So? So, he was caught onstage trying to stab someone in the neck in front of 500 people.
- But Connor - Daniel Murphy's already confessed to both murders.
How did you choose the victims? It was all about the shock value.
He fits my profile exactly.
Big into community theater, skydiving adrenaline junkie.
Do you have any personal connection to the victims? - What'd you do with the alligator suit? - What the hell are you doing? - I dumped it.
- Where? Uh-huh.
Wait, wait.
How'd you get the knife past the Courthouse metal detector? A good magician never tells his secrets.
This guy's not the killer! You're not the killer! Come on.
Come on.
I got this.
Give us a minute, will you, please? You can't just come barging into an interrogation like that! - You have got the wrong guy.
- He confessed! Oh, don't you find it a little convenient that he matches Britton's profile so perfectly? Why would I? He clearly just watched her on TV and took note of the laundry list of attributes she spewed! He is nothing more than a run-of-the-mill, attention-seeking confessor.
You have to pick up Connor! I appreciate all your help on this investigation.
It's been a long night for all of us.
You need to go home, get some sleep.
What do you want to do about class tomorrow? Why don't you give the lecture? You sure? I should have handed you the reins the first time you offered to take them.
- Well, why didn't you? - Because you already do enough for me.
Grade my papers Drive me around at all hours of the day I Just didn't want to feel dependent on you to do the one thing I feel most competent doing myself.
Doc Thank you.
But trust me Nobody can fill your shoes in the classroom.
Leave it.
I'll clean up.
Oh, okay.
Um Do you want some tea or something? Do we have any cantaloupe? No, but I can run out and get some.
- That'd be great.
Thanks.
- All right.
All right.
What are you doing? - Calling a cab.
- Where are you going? Chicago P.
D.
to warn them about Connor.
If Max knew, he'd stop you, or he'd call Kate.
Is that why you made that whole speech about letting him do the lecture To soften him up and trick him into leaving? The speech was true.
The cantaloupe part was complete bullshit.
I understand you're looking for Detective Koepfer? People are gonna die if I don't speak to him right away.
How about we talk somewhere more private? - How do you know Detective Koepfer? - I don't.
My name is Daniel Pierce.
I sometimes work with the FBI.
- Anyone in particular over there? - Yes, Agent Kate Moretti.
Now, look.
I'm here to warn the Detective that, uh, Kevin Connor was recently released from prison, and he is killing all of the people who humiliated him during his trial.
Well, how long have you been working with the FBI? Long enough to know that it's the blind leading the blind over there.
The federal bureau of incompetency, is closing the book on the wrong guy as we speak.
Well, I'm glad somebody's on the ball.
Koepfer's been missing for two days.
I've got officers out looking for him.
You've got to send men after Connor, and you You have to warn, uh, prosecutor Scarlis.
I'll call Scarlis, and I'll get an arrest warrant out on Connor.
Finally someone will listen to reason.
- Could you give me a minute? - Yeah.
Thank you.
If you're not gonna mime anything helpful don't mime anything at all.
Wait, he said Koepfer was missing for two days.
That doesn't make sense.
Why hasn't he already turned up dead? What is Connor's plan? A key? Uh key, key, key Chain? Key Largo.
Uh, skeleton key! Uh, skeletons in the closet! Oh, what, I'm frustrating you? Oh, you're useless.
What? Oh, you want me to go? Oh, really? You want me to Let me tell you, pal, the feeling is mutual.
See ya later, alligator.
Oh, oh, no, no, no.
No, no.
Hey! Hey! You need to let me out of here! You're making a mistake! People are in hey, I'm not crazy! Kate.
Finally! These bastards locked me in! Daniel, did you tell Detective Armstrong that people would die if you didn't get to talk to Koepfer? Yes, but I Okay, he thought maybe you had something to do with these murders.
He was ready to call in the guys with the butterfly nets.
Luckily, he called me first.
Did he mention that Koepfer is missing?! Daniel, I think maybe you're losing it a little bit.
I'm not decompensating, Kate.
I'm just my normal level of crazy.
Look, we have to warn Koepfer and Scarlis.
- Connor's not going after them.
- How do you know that? I know because I stationed two agents outside his house when you told me that we had the wrong guy.
You believe me? I've been poking holes in Murphy's confession ever since you left.
Daniel, I'm on your side.
Don't you know that by now? Okay.
Okay, so Connor's sitting tight.
But what What if he kidnapped Koepfer before you assigned the agents, and now that he knows that we're onto him, he's He's just he's laying low? Or, what if someone is killing on Connor's behalf? - What, like an accomplice? - Maybe.
- He mentioned a son.
- I don't know the exact answer.
I just know that Koepfer is gonna turn up dead if we don't locate him fast.
Dalton.
It's Moretti.
Listen, I need you to haul Connor back into the box.
Yeah, I'm at CPD right now.
I'll be there in 15 minutes.
Look, there's a surveillance team parked right down the street.
Tell them to go knock on Connor's door and let him know we have some more questions for him.
Daniel, what is it? It's Koepfer.
Hey, you got it all wrong.
Koepfer was a real jerk, but I wouldn't kill the guy.
Everyone who's died is somehow connected to you.
Well, hey.
I'm as confused by what's going on as you two.
- Maybe he's telling the truth.
- Finally.
Listen, is it possible that someone's killing on your behalf, trying to get revenge for what happened to you? What about your son? My son wouldn't even accept a damn birthday card from me.
He sure as hell isn't out there killing everyone who screwed me over.
Yeah, well, someone's doing it.
So think.
Like I said before, I lost everything and everyone that mattered when I got convicted.
No one gives a rat's ass about me.
You're wrong, Mr.
Connor.
Someone does give a rat's ass about you.
And I think I know who that is.
Dr.
Robert Mills, quantitative psychologist and author of "the mind's eye".
He was the expert witness who testified on Connor's behalf during the trial.
Remember the letter to the editor that the ref wrote? Ah.
I applaud the honorable Judge Cleland for taking a hard line on police corruption and for his refusal to be blinded by a so-called 'expert witness' who flagrantly misused the witness stand as a pulpit to preach junk science.
Junk science! I assumed it was Connor that was offended, but it was Mills.
Mills tried to help him, but he couldn't.
So instead, he's been killing off everyone who ruined Connor's life.
Why does Mills care about Connor so much? when they're struck by a distracted driver.
Guy's yakking on his cellphone, claims Mills' car came out of nowhere.
His wife was killed instantly, and his daughter became a quadriplegic.
Every since then, Mills has made it his life's work to bring attention to cognitive blindness.
He lobbied the State Senate, tried to make it illegal to use cellphones on the road.
But nobody bought that they're as dangerous as he claimed.
Which is absurd, by the way.
Given the fact that over 1,100 people wound up in the E.
R.
last year alone just for trying to walk and use their cellphone at the same time.
- It sounds like you're on his side.
- I am.
- I mean, minus the homicidal rage.
- Daniel, let's just keep it on track.
Mills is frustrated.
I get it.
But why start killing now? Remember the daughter who was paralyzed? Well, she died three months ago, complications from her injuries in the accident.
- He snapped.
- Okay.
If all this is true Why is he only targeting people surrounding the Connor case? Right.
Why not the distracted driver who struck his family? Obituaries.
Remember that driver? Still distracted.
Turns out four weeks ago, he died when he followed some orange cones over an unfinished overpass.
And that committee chairman who quashed the law Mills wanted? Three weeks ago, he's yakking on his cellphone when he steps into an empty elevator shaft.
Any physical evidence tying Mills to these deaths? No, he's too smart for that.
Mills is killing in front of dozens of eyewitnesses.
He's managing to commit the perfect murder over and over.
Well, we have to pick him up.
Sweat him.
He's a man on a mission with above-average intelligence.
He won't just spill it in an interrogation.
So short of catching him in the act, you're basically saying we're screwed? Not necessarily.
Mills is punishing people who didn't pay attention.
So let's give him some attention for his cause.
Joining me today to talk about the killer still at large known as the invisible reaper.
Are Jennifer Britton, a profiler with the FBI's behavioral analysis unit.
Neuroscientist Dr.
Daniel Pierce.
And Dr.
Robert Mills, psychologist and author of "the mind's eye".
Now, what would drive someone to kill in this way? His M.
O.
suggests he wants to draw attention to himself.
But at the same time, he wants to be anonymous.
In other words, he's a self-obsessed coward who likes scaring people.
If the killer only wanted to scare people, there are far simpler ways to do that.
Simpler, yeah, but more effective? I mean, what's scarier than a Boogeyman that strikes in the light of day? Dr.
Mills, in your book, you write about the everyday dangers of failing to notice what's right in front of you.
Yes.
My book is meant to open the reader's eyes to the myriad ways that we misunderstand our own perceptual systems Therefore, our visual environment.
- For example? - To name one The cellphone industry would have us believe that it is safe to drive while talking on your cell as long as your hands are free.
But it's not.
Science has proven that the danger is less about whether your hands are free and more about whether your brain is free.
Did you know that driving while using a phone reduces the brain activity associated with driving by 37%? Even if that's true, it still leaves Surely you're not condoning multitasking on the road.
Well, I drive while using my cellphone all the time, and I've never been in an accident.
- Yet.
- Look, I think I think we're losing sight of the big picture here.
The Killer isn't sending some kind of public service announcement to save us all from distracted drivers.
The killer is trying to challenge our assumptions about perception.
Well, when an alligator stabs a ref, no one is thinking about the inherent limitations of their own perceptual systems.
They're thinking, "wow! That alligator just stabbed a ref!" And then they're texting their friends about it while driving to the Mall.
The killer is trying to spark a national dialogue about, the dangers of inattentional blindness.
How do you know that? Dr.
Mills, this is a raw subject for you, yes? I understand that you lost your wife and child in a car accident involving a distracted driver.
Is that why you wrote the book? Yes.
Didn't sell too many copies, did it? Too dry and academic? Some people thought so.
In other words, no one cared.
So you had to force them to care, didn't you? Excuse me? You started killing to make people care about cognitive blindness.
Well, if you want people to hear your message, now is your chance.
The cameras are rolling, we're recording this for a later broadcast.
If it airs, millions will hear you.
But no one wants to watch a dry, academic argument.
So unless you confess, this footage will just end up in a trash bin.
I don't, uh Um Confess, Dr.
Mills.
Let people hear your message.
Do it for your daughter, so she won't have died for nothing.
We got hit on our way home from Rachel's ballet recital.
I couldn't believe the driver was still talking on his On his Bluetooth, I mean, even after he had hit us! You see, because one damn fool didn't believe that the dangers of distracted driving applied to him, my little girl Lost her mother Lost her legs And eventually, lost her life.
I started killing because I was gonna make people pay attention.
I may have taken a few lives, but my actions will save thousands.
Great job, Daniel.
Please don't ever make me go on camera again.
You look good on camera.
Who knows? Maybe we can get the FBI to give you bonuses for TV appearances.
Give me a minute.
I will take you home.
She's really into you.
You know that, right? What the hell are you talking about? Oh, come on.
I've known her for years.
She used to be that way with me.
Wha Uh, not that it's any of your business, but Kate and I are just are just colleagues.
- We're friends.
That's it.
- So you're not into her? No.
And you're not her father, you're not even her husband so maybe you should just stay out of her personal life.
Look, I'm not trying to get all up in her business.
I blew it with her a long time ago.
She deserves better than me, but she also deserves better than staying hung up on somebody who's not Sane? I was gonna say "interested".
The truth is, neither one of us are probably any good for her.
So, we should just let her move on with her life.
I'm sure as hell not standing in her way.
Really? Because to my eyes, it looks like you're leading her on.
And I'm not saying that you're doing it on purpose.
I'm just saying that if you care about her, and I think you do Maybe you should let her know you're not interested.
What if I told all of you that you're partially blind? That right now, you think you're seeing the world as it truly is, but in actuality, you're missing something.
It's true.
See, every time we open our eyes, light shines onto our retina.
Nerve cells called Photoreceptors interpret the light, transmit the information to our brain, and that's how we see.
But there's a small area on our retina where there are no Photoreceptors.
This is called a Scotoma, or "blind spot".
We all have one.
So if that's true, how is it that we never notice a black area in our field of vision? That is a good question.
Our illustrious Professor has returned.
Welcome back.
No, no.
You seem to have things well in hand, Mr.
Lewicki.
Carry on.
Just don't screw it up.
The reason you never notice your blind spot, is because your brain is great at guessing what should be there And automatically filling in the blank.
Sometimes we know what we want to see And our Neocortex turns that expectation into a kind of virtual reality Which means that some of the world we see is really just an illusion A scary thought when you consider how vulnerable that makes us.
So how do we uncover our blind spots? How do we ever fully see the truth that's right in front of our eyes? Well, a good place to start is to simply open your mind.
Because as the French philosopher Henri Bergson said "The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend".