01x11 - Teacher's Pet

[bunniefuu]

(spectators shouting, cheering)

Come on, Saints!

(shouting and cheering continue)

Donna Henderson: Let's go, Jordan.

(whooping)

Donna: That's our son.

♪ ♪

Quarterback: Laser.

Blue 80, blue 80, set, hut!

(players shouting)

(grunting)

(cheering wildly)

(grunts)

Donna: Go, Jordan!

(cheering)

William: Let's go, Jordan!

Yeah!

(whistle blows)

Man! Man!

You k*lled it.

(laughing, cheering)

(chanting): Jordan! Jordan!

Great play, brother.

(chanting continues)

Player: Hey, what's going on?

Who's that?

Man: Someone hacked the scoreboard.

(crowd murmurs, exclaims)

Girl: Oh, is that a teacher?

Player 2: Oh, is that Mrs. Bryant?

Dude, you're banging Mrs. Bryant?

All right, man.

I can't believe this.

This isn't the first time he scored tonight.

Players (chanting): MVP! MVP!

MVP! MVP!

♪ ♪

(camera shutter clicks)

Teachers are supposed to provide a safe place for our kids to learn, not become their sex toys.

He should be at least 18.

If two consenting adults want to fall in love, who are we to judge?

17-year-old football player? Who can blame her?

Sounds kind of good to me.

No way it's love, it's sex.

I had the biggest crush on my 11th grade math teacher.

Anyone in a position of power over a teen, it's r*pe.

She should go to prison with the rest of the pedophiles.

So how come the police haven't put the teacher in jail yet?

She's 24, the kid's 17.

Police were brought in.

Conducted an investigation.

The school fired her and the state took away her teaching license.

But the age of consent in New York is 17, so...

Yep. The DA dropped the charges.

Danny: And she's married, too?

Poor husband. He had no idea?

Even is she wasn't, she's an adult.

She doesn't get to have sex with her high school students.

Bull's meeting with the parents about a civil suit?

Parents and the kid.

Liberty brought us the case.

She's on her way over.

Well, if this case goes to trial, here's my two cents.

Blind jurors.

Jordan is a straight-A student, varsity player.

Never got a tattoo or an earring.

Even makes his own bed, isn't that right, baby?

I guess.

And got a full ride at Hudson University.

We were so proud.

William: But his behavior changed as the semester went along, and he started spending more time with his English teacher after football practice.

Dad. I'm sitting right here.

Things spiraled from there. And then at the game, we found out why.

I've always found cars uncomfortable.

It is hard to find privacy in high school, isn't it, Jordan?

Donna: Dr. Bull, we're here because everyone knows that if the genders were reversed, and a 24-year-old male teacher was having sex with a student, the teacher would be in jail.

Mom. Come on.

She was taking advantage of you, baby.

She r*ped him.

So why are you here, Jordan?

Clearly don't agree with your parents suing Mrs. Bryant.

Yes he does.

They said I had to be here.

What kind of doctor are you?

I'm the kind of doctor who can tell when someone's uncomfortable, like you are right now, 'cause you're touching your vagus nerve.

It's an unconscious attempt to calm yourself down.

You still have feelings for this teacher, huh?

Susan left her husband to be with me.

Jordan. It's over.

Bull: It's not over.

Your parents don't know you're still seeing her, do they?

Ah, Jordan, come on.

Yes.

Yes. Okay?

Susan and I have already talked this over, and I'm moving in with her.

Sorry if that upsets you guys.

Jordan.

Dad, don't try and stop me.

Jordan. Come back here.

Let him go.

Arguing is not gonna bring him back.

It's one of the reasons he's sneaking around.

Hey. You wanted to see me?

Yeah. I wanted you to meet Jordan, but he's jumped ship.

Yeah. I saw him running out.

The parents?

Yeah. You mind sitting in with us?

Sure.

I can give some perspective on football life.

You played football?

Benny: It's been two weeks and Jordan already moved in with his teacher.

Yeah.

Wow.

The lawsuit really set Jordan off.

Unbeknownst to his parents, he-he dropped out of school.

He disconnected his cell phone.

He sent his parents an e-mail telling them not to contact him until they accept his relationship with her. Which is terrible for Jordan...

But it could strengthen his parents' case against her.

Especially since we're going for a negligent infliction of severe emotional distress.

Yeah. It's a legit suit, but I'm guessing that the parents' real purpose is to put leverage on this teacher to stop seeing their son.

Exactly.

Jordan's parents said they'd drop the suit if Mrs. Bryant agrees never to see their son again.

It may work.

You know, a lot of predators like her back off as soon as they're under pressure.

Yeah, well, she's already doubled down.

If she takes it to trial, in order to prove emotional distress, we'll have to demonstrate outrageous behavior.

Isolating him and blowing up his family check two big boxes.

The biggest challenge is showing damage, because it's in the future.

Yeah. Dr. Bull said he's gonna talk to Jordan, but frankly, I don't even know how he's gonna get in the door.

No way. Chunk Palmer.

Played defense for the Bulldogs.

I did.

Amazing.

Can I get you guys a soda?

No. We just came to have a little chat with you and Mrs. Bryant.

That would be me.

Please, it's Susan.

Hi.

Um, so what were you hoping to see here?

What were you hoping we would see here?

Despite what anyone thinks, Susan and I are in love.

I know it may sound weird to you, but there it is.

I just hope my parents can understand and leave us alone.

Your parents are very concerned about you. I understand your dropping out of school?

Susan: No.

I wouldn't let that happen.

Susan's gonna homeschool me.

How many students get that kind of attention, right?

Only one.

So you're gonna give up your college scholarship?

Your dream of playing pro football.

You did.

Dropped out of the drafts. Bet you had a good reason.

I have a good reason, too.

I'm happy now.

That's all that matters.

Susan: Yeah, and Jordan has a lot of other talents besides playing football.

(chuckles)

Yeah. I can see that.

You like drawing, Jordan?

Susan: Yes.

He applied to City Arts.

Well, thank you, Jordan.

I see you have a spokesperson.

And I'm sure your husband is not thrilled with your new career.

This has been really hard on everybody.

On both of our families.

But when you find true love, what are you supposed to do?

Stay trapped?

You're being sued for inflicting harm on a minor.

That is a painful and expensive process.

Are you sure you don't still feel trapped?

(clicks tongue)

I think it's time you guys left.

Susan didn't seem too concerned about the case.

Well, they're covering.

A lot of changes in their life right now.

Something's up with her. What did you think?

She's controlling.

Yeah.

The homeschooling, the answering questions for him, the nudging him away from football to art school.

Think they're in love?

I think they think they are.

I'm telling you, Chunk, we're gonna win this case.

And we're gonna win it the right way.

What does that mean exactly?

It means the apparent reason for something often isn't the reason for it at all.

Some might assume that you quit football because you were afraid to come out.

Must have been hard for your family.

My parents took it about as well as Jordan's did.

They sacrificed everything for me to achieve that dream.

It meant everything to them.

And then when the draft approached, I realized I needed something else.

Something more.

Something for me.

Hmm.

Oh.

And look who is representing Susan Bryant.

Dr. Bull, hello.

Wendy Anderson.

This is Chunk Palmer. Ms. Anderson is a highly renowned champion for women's rights.

Susan and Jordan fell in love.

We live in a country that allows them this freedom.

And that right applies to beautiful women, too.

And beautiful women predators.

You're gonna get a lot of press on this case.

Pro bono?

Don't have contact with Susan again unless I'm in her presence.

It's always a pleasure, Ms. Anderson.

This case just got a lot harder.

Oh, yeah.

And much more worth fighting.

I want to tell you all a love story.

The story of Jordan Henderson and Susan Bryant.

Jordan wants to build a life with Susan, but some people want to prevent true love.

That's what this case is about.

Their relationship is legal and consensual.

When you have to remind people your relationship is legal and consensual, you have a problem.

Danny: Smart tactic.

Who doesn't like a good love story?

Wendy Anderson: ...an 18-year-old fight for love and be a man.

Chunk: Be a man.

The dude's banging his English teacher.

The Board of Education fired her for being a predator.

Bull: Her strategy is to make Susan's conduct seem reasonable, rather than outrageous.

Yeah, but there's a reason that we don't marry in our teens anymore.

Not every place agrees.

You can get married at 14 with your parent's consent in Texas.

And in some places, I can be purchased for cows.

It doesn't mean it's a good idea.

What? Are you trying to justify your relationship with Gabe now?

Ooh.

I don't have to justify anything.

How old is Gabe?

I bet this is the photojournalist that you recently hired to do some freelance surveillance, right?

There's about eight years' difference.

Which would make him, what?

Over 21.

Thank you very much.

It's only been a few weeks. He's casual.

It's cool. And best of all...

You can train him.

I was going to say he's British.

Oh.

Yeah. But also, he is not set in his ways, unlike some people.

Trainable's shorter.

And similar to how we are going to approach this case.

To prove negligent infliction of emotional distress, we will show Mrs. Bryant breached her duty as Jordan's teacher, and she was preying on him like a giant mantis.

Well, the law actually calls it "outrageous conduct" on her part and "lack of capacity" on his, but yeah, "mantis" is a better visual.

We prove that in court, and Wendy's "consenting adult" argument falls apart.

I know some experts that we can line up. - Nice.

I'll scour Susan's digital footprint, records, see if she's ever slept with a student before.

Danny: I've also looked into Susan's home life.

There's no mom in the picture, Dad still lives in Ohio.

Mild-mannered husband, Jeffrey.

No record of abuse. In fact, he's head over heels for her.

That's because she seeks out men like Jeffrey and Jordan.

Men who worship her.

Let's make sure it doesn't carry over to our jury.

Susan Bryant has been mistreated, misrepresented and unjustly characterized Hey.

In our justice system.

We'd like to ask the press to respect Susan's priva...

So mock jurors who were parents didn't relate to William and Donna?

Our mock jury showed that parents had little empathy for other parents.

They all thought that they could do a better job.

So, the best jurors for us have been grandparents?

They know they made mistakes with their own kids.

That's why they love grandchildren.

It's their chance to get it right.

So, anyone else to look for?

People who like structure.

Rigid schedule keepers.

Ah, people who like structure also like social structure.

Like adults not having sex with teenagers.

Now we just have to get the voir dire questions past Wendy.

That is her strong suit.

Actually, we're not going to ask any questions.

Why not?

Rigid thinkers respond to authority figures.

Now, who's the biggest authoritarian figure in that courtroom?

Wendy Anderson.

Exactly.

So if a juror respects Ms. Anderson, they'll respect rules.

She'll be doing our work for us and never even know it.

Speak up. I can't hear you.

Yes. I did enjoy school.

Thank you. Now tell me...

Calvin.

Bull: He likes that top button buttoned.

Clean-cut, likes clear-cut rules.

Said "yes" instead of "yeah"

Very deferential.

Cable (over earpiece): No kidding.

This guy won employee of the year for his perfect attendance.

Marissa: Ah, but he's young, Bull.

You think he'll identify with Jordan too much?

Conservative haircut, good eye contact. This guy wants to please his elders.

Check his mother's address.

If it's the same as his, we're in business.

Cable: We're in business.

Come on, Wendy.

Make the right choice.

Acceptable, Your Honor.

Ms. Davis, you may now pose your questions.

We have no questions, Your Honor.

We accept this juror.

No questions?

Uh... no... ma'am.

Marissa: You cooked up this plan just to rattle Wendy, didn't you?

Well, just some rainbow sprinkles on our little chocolate sundae.

Gregory. No. Brian.

No. Philip, maybe.

Bull: Courtney's not gonna buy into Wendy's true love narrative.

That's for sure.

She can't even remember her first love.

Wendy's gonna strike her.

Yeah, well, too bad for us. According to her profile, she'd be great.

Bull: Hey, we're dodging a b*llet.

She won't get the long-term damage Susan has caused Jordan.

Wendy: We move to strike, Your Honor.

More sprinkles for us.

Okay, speed round.

Dennis... ponytail, T-shirt, lack of eye contact.

Cable: He's never created a folder in his inbox, and he's never used a calendar app on his smart phone.

Bull: No structure. He's out. Next up.

Simone... formal language, faces toward the judge. Clearly respects authority. She is in.

And then we have Edward.

Hello, Edward. Not Ed, not Eddie.

This is Edward.

Ooh, he sings in the church choir.

Straight and narrow.

Sing us your song, Edward.

And Mr. Virtuous is in.

Okay, next up... Noreen.

Marissa: Retired school teacher.

Second grade.

Self-professed "glam-ma."

Wants to look and feel young, but the grandma element... it's alluring.

Let's ask her a question.

Liberty?

Your Honor, if I may...

Marissa: Well, I thought you were letting Wendy ask all the questions, Bull.

Well, dare to be unpredictable.

So, let's say you're at the movies, and you are sitting in a mostly empty row.

What would you think if someone came and sat right next to you?

I would think "weird," and maybe "stalker."

I like her.

Unless, you know, he's hot and making a move.

Grandmother who's happy to be here, respects personal space.

She has a sense of humor, which means she has a sense of perspective.

She's gonna want to help Jordan's parents, not judge them.

Welcome to the jury, Glammy.

We find this juror acceptable, Your Honor.

Do you have something to say, or would you just like to wait for me to say something, then respond yes or no?

Sometimes I like to observe.

For instance, how a panicked husband handles confronting his wife's lawyer.

Excuse me.

You're Wendy Anderson, right?

Mm-hmm.

I-I need to see my wife.

Mr. Bryant, I understand that your situation is complicated.

No, it's not. It's not complicated.

She got mixed up with this kid, and I just feel like if we could talk, we could work it out.

But I just got this text from her saying that I can only talk to you, so, can you help me?

I'm sorry.

I don't think she's sorry.

Aren't you Jordan's lawyer?

Ooh! I am many things.

A lawyer is not one of them.

I'm a psychologist. I help with trials.

Right now, I'm trying to help Jordan's parents get their son back.

Yeah. Uh...

I need to see my wife.

I feel like if I could just talk to her about this...

Yeah.

Sorry. Just...

Don't be.

Jeffrey...

I can bring her back to you.

I think the question you have to ask yourself is, do you want her back?

I'm Dr. Jason Bull.

Four of our six jurors respect social norms.

They can draw a sharp line between right and wrong.

Yeah, we're on good footing there.

How about the husband? How do you think he'll factor in?

Bull: Well, he is truly, madly, deeply in love with his wife.

Blind to her imperfections and convinced he would be miserable without her.

You want to call him as a witness?

Cable: Oh.

He's about to be a witness, all right.

Despite losing her job, Susan has not slowed down on her online shopping.

Shoes, curtains and... prenatal vitamins.

No.

Yes. Judging by her purchase history, I'd say she's about three months?

Susan and Jordan are having a baby.

Bull: It's a little too late for a parent-teacher conference.

We don't know if it's Jordan's, but our sources indicate that Mrs. Bryant is pregnant.

How did this happen?

How do you think?

Our team is all over it, but Dr. Bull wanted you to know as soon as possible, and if you like, you can see him when he's done meeting with Liberty.

What do you suggest we do?

I assume she's planning on having it.

Dr. Bull thinks this pregnancy could help us at trial.

Help?

If Susan is more than three months pregnant, it means that she and your son had sex before he turned 17.

More good news.

But that's statutory r*pe.

We present this in court... you get your son back.

(quietly): Hey, you with the camera...

Hello, boss. So far, nothing to report with Juror Edward.

Just disapproving glares at the awkward PDA.

Danny: Not appropriate.

Otherwise, nothing untoward.

How about snowboarding this weekend?

I got to work, but you can come over tonight.

Uh-uh.

Keep an eye on Edward.

Dr. Shepard, as a professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins, can you please explain to us what is going on in Jordan's head?

Oh. Excuse me just a second.

Forgot my brain.

(quiet laughter)

Shepard: A teenager's prefrontal cortex continues to develop until around the age 25.

Which makes it very hard to keep the arousal system in check. That, plus an overload of testosterone, and you've got sex on the brain.

(laughter)

Liberty: So is it fair to say that Jordan could be easily influenced, he could be easily seduced because he is highly sexualized, and he is not yet able to fully make adult decisions?

Shepard: Just think how sex can cloud an adult's judgment.

(gallery chattering quietly)

In a strict household, the prospect of continual sex with a beautiful woman would be very hard for a teenager to refuse.

Liberty: Thank you.

So Edward, Noreen and Simone are fully engaged.

They are gonna trust what Shepard says on the stand.

Or they're zombies and just like brains.

So how do you know Dr. Shepard?

He taught my Sexual Disorders seminar in grad school.

No, we never dated.

Did you actually perform an MRI on Jordan Henderson's brain?

No.

You haven't examined Mr. Henderson at all, then, have you, Doctor?

Isn't it true every person develops differently?

Objection. Compound.

Fine. I'll put it another way.

Isn't it possible that you can't accurately predict exactly how developed Mr. Henderson's brain really is?

Well, no, not exactly, but it's highly unlikely that...

Thank you.

No further questions, Doctor.

And don't forget your brain.

No, we're losing Noreen and Simone.

And there goes Calvin.

Three jurors firmly against us now.

Bull: Nobody panic.

Our Dr. Strand is gonna sully Susan Bryant's image just a little bit.

Liberty: Dr. Strand, given your expertise in behavioral sciences, what can you tell us psychologically about Mrs. Bryant and her so-called relationship with Jordan?

Strand: Mrs. Bryant suffers from regression.

She feels safer with someone lower on the social scale, someone like a teenager.

It's called relating down.

So think of the wealthy CEO who dates a 25-year-old, or a pedophile with children...

Objection. She's attempting to inflame the jury.

Liberty: Under many states' laws, Mrs. Bryant would be considered a sexual predator.

Dr. Strand used the word "pedophile."

Liberty: And I corrected to the word "predator."

Your Honor, we ask that these statements be stricken.

Sustained.

I ask that the jurors ignore Dr. Strand's comparing Mrs. Bryant to a pedophile.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Marissa: Nice work.

The jury just heard the word "pedophile" three times.

Bull: Someone say anchoring? The judge just threw us a bone.

Well, the mirror juror for Simone likes it, too. She respects this judge and Strand's authority.

Strand: People engage in relationships with people that are younger than them, people they have power over, because it makes them feel superior, adored.

And so how-how would you say that this relationship causes severe emotional distress for Jordan, in particular?

We already see the damage, in the estrangement from his family, the codependency that's now developing between Jordan and Mrs. Bryant.

But when this relationship dissolves, Jordan will have a difficult time trusting anyone.

And why-why do you say that Jordan's relationship with Mrs. Bryant will dissolve?

That's just a given.

95% of all relationships born out of infidelity fail.

And that's among adults. In a power play like this, when Jordan will continue to grow and change and mature, it's not a question of if, but when.

Bottom line, to engage in a relationship with someone so much younger, so much less mature, that represents damage.

We're still two jurors short.

Margaret and Kenny.

Any progress on the timing of Susan's pregnancy?

The vitamins are the only purchase indicator I could find, which puts it at three months.

Susan has a doctor's appointment later today.

I'm gonna go to her apartment afterward, see what I can find.

Wendy: So you're trying to force Jordan to live the life you never had.

That's not what I said.

Look, Jordan doesn't have a clue what real life is like. And I'm glad for that.

I didn't want him to have to worry about how hard it's gonna be out there.

But now he wants to throw away his future to live with a married woman?

As a parent, you know how this is gonna turn out.

And I'm gonna have to be there for him to pick up the pieces.

Wendy: Really? Because our records show that you were out of town four months of the year.

I travel for work.

Work.

Hard work. Are you even around enough to set an example for your son?

Of course I am.

Believe me, I had it worse.

And so do most kids.

College is obviously important to you.

Did you fill out Jordan's college application?

He was going to miss the cutoff date.

Did you ever ask him, point-blank, "Hey, Jordan, do you want to go to Hudson?"

I didn't ask him because, if I left it up to him, he wouldn't have applied.

That's what happens when I let him run his own life.

Ah.

And that is why we practice.

Did you know that he applied to City Arts?

Wendy: That he wanted to be a graphic designer?

He's never said he wanted to study art before.

Or maybe you never asked.

Objection. Is that... Is there a question here?

Bull: Be honest.

Let the jury know you care about your son and you have his best interests at heart.

There's no such thing as a perfect parent.

I wish... he would have told us.

But ever since Mrs. Bryant has come into his life...

...we've lost touch.

A mixed bag, Bull. We picked up Margaret, but we are losing Calvin. I mean, he lives with his mom.

Hearing Donna's testimony made him feel like he's living in the Bates Motel.

We need something big to sway them.

We've still got too many unknowns.

Bull: Any word from Danny on the timing of the pregnancy?

Danny is on it. She is gonna approach Susan after her ob-gyn appointment.

Hi, I am Danielle with the New York City Department of Education.

I am here to review Jordan's home school materials.

Oh.

And, um, for what it's worth, you guys seem really happy together.

(chuckles) Well, good timing. I just got in.

Um, let me grab Jordan's file for you.

Yeah.

Jordan's very smart.

His math scores are in the top ten percent.

Impressive.

But I don't see his individualized home instruction plan.

Oh, I made some changes to it this morning.

It's in the bedroom. I'll go get it.

(footsteps approaching)

Here it is.

Ah.

Wonderful. Thank you so much for your time.

And, um, I wish you the best of luck.

Hey.

So, I saw Susan stick an envelope in her purse after coming out of the doctor's office.

I had a hunch about what it was.

I just sent you a photo.

Hold on.

Oh. Her ultrasound. Nice work.

Oh, it gets better.

See the numbers at the bottom right-hand corner?

That's how far along she is.

16 weeks and three days.

So she's four months pregnant, not three.

She had sex with Jordan while he was still 16.

Statutory r*pe.

Looks like Susan's going to jail.

Tell us, Susan, when did you begin to develop feelings for Jordan?

Jordan never spoke in class.

After a couple of weeks, I asked him why, and... he said that he had been speaking to me.

Through the art that he was making.

(quietly): The more Wendy sells this romance, the more this jury's gonna feel betrayed when they find out Jordan was underage.

It's a thing of beauty.

Marissa: Well, Edward's mirror isn't buying the romance. He's on our side.

I don't know. The real Edward looks like he needs a cold shower.

Moral Code Edward? Are you sure?

Yeah.

He's hot for teacher.

Have Cable track down his last few days.

No way he's as virtuous as he came across.

...he drew a breathtaking sketch of the Brooklyn Bridge.

And, somehow, he knew to draw it from exactly my favorite spot.

And after that, we just got to talking.

And it became clear how he felt about me.

Bull: Ah, Wendy's brought a little show-and-tell.

So, a student with a crush.

Sounds kind of dicey.

Why not transfer him to a new class?

I did not want to turn my back on Jordan.

Like his parents had.

But pretty soon I realized that I was lying to myself and that I loved Jordan.

After that, it was just a matter of time, waiting till after he turned 17 to express that love.

Heart rates up, eye focus softening.

The jury ate her testimony up.

Bull: Right where we want 'em.

I love a surprise party.

Liberty: Mrs. Bryant, you said you didn't become sexually involved with Jordan until after he turned 17.

Three months ago, correct?

Yes.

Then how do you explain the fact that you're four months pregnant?

(gasping, murmuring)

Does your silence mean you don't remember?

Or does it prove that you had sex with Jordan when he was 16 years old and you are guilty of statutory r*pe?

Ugh. Susan needs to be kept far from boys.

And my husband.

I'm emotionally distressed just listening to her.

I wish she'd keep me after school.

Susan: I swear that I did not have sex with Jordan until after he was 17.

But you-you are pregnant.

Well, was it an immaculate conception?

It's not Jordan's baby.

(gasping, murmuring)

(gavel banging)

Ranken: Order. Order.

I will clear this courtroom.

Jeffrey is the father.

(murmuring)

My ex.

I don't like this surprise party.

Marissa: Jeffrey can't be the father.

He was out of town in the right timeframe.

Flew to D.C. on business.

Or...

Wait a minute.

He went to Philly for a night.

It's only a couple hours outside New York.

Check Susan's travel. See if she was out of town.

(scoffs)

Credit card gas receipt outside Philadelphia.

Bull: Jeffrey's lost it.

But Jordan...

Oh, no.

Susan told me she was pregnant.

(murmuring)

She and her husband had tried to make their relationship work one last time.

How did that make you feel?

Scared.

We had only been together for a few weeks.

But then I thought about how much I loved her.

I could raise the kid as the father. And since her husband couldn't make her happy, maybe I could. What would you say to those who think that you're making a mistake?

Jordan: Mom, Dad, Susan makes me happy.

And I think I deserve that, no matter what anybody says.

Wendy: No further questions.

Liberty: You've given up football, Hudson U. And is it not true that you recently turned down an acceptance to City Arts College?

I have to take care of Susan and the baby.

I'll get a job.

A job that only requires a high school diploma, right?

So you can raise a baby that's not even yours?

That baby will be mine.

I'll raise it like it's my own.

I did not see this coming.

Let's dig into Edward. His profile says he's with us, but I think we may be wrong about him.

(siren wailing)

You were right about Edward.

Cable tracked his last few days.

I will give you one guess where he went after Mass last night.

Bull: Well, if I only have one guess, I'm going with BDSM.

I don't want to know how you knew that.

Yes, he was at a sadomasochism club until 3:00.

So much for our beacon of morality.

Edward's a classic reaction formation.

He gets excited when a repressed wish is expressed.

So he might say Susan and Jordan should burn in hell.

But secretly wants to be Jordan.

He's our wild card.

We need a new strategy now that we can't count on him.

Also, see if Cable's had any luck with Susan's family.

Might be a way in there.

Hey. You good at breaking up fights?

(chuckles) I'm better at it with helmet and pads on.

Well, suit up, 'cause I think we're about to have one.

Jeffrey: That's my child.

Jordan: You serious, man?

You think you can raise my child?

We're still married!

You want some more?

I'll take you down!

Calm down! Calm down!

You want to be a man, right?

Right?

Yeah. Yeah.

How about you try being the bigger man?

Bull: You're supposed to be the... calm in the storm.

She has my child. She thinks the two of them are gonna raise it?

I'm gonna get full custody, you hear me?

You're never gonna see that baby, I promise you.

Well, now he's the storm in the calm.

And Wendy is explaining that he has a good sh*t at getting custody.

And she's not gonna take that case pro bono.

They are on their own.

Jordan's never been under this kind of pressure.

What did Romeo and Juliet do when overwhelming forces threatened to tear them apart?

They k*lled themselves.

Before that.

(Chunk laughs)

Chunk: They ran.

Yeah.

Danny, let's keep an eye on Jordan and Susan.

I have a feeling they're about to take a little trip.

Danny: You know, it's hard to find a guy I can talk to, loves UFC, gives me space.

Gabe does that.

But listening to the testimony in this case, I never thought I was dating down.

Oh. That's interesting.

Gabe's an adult, isn't he?

Yeah. But...

I hired him.

Freelance. You don't own him... I don't think, do you?

(chuckles) No.

Oh, good.

But I'm clearly in a position of power over him, and he's young.

I know who I am, what I like, but when I was Gabe's age, I was still figuring it out.

Danny, he's a talented photographer... and he knows what he wants... He's figured that out.

Yeah. And the way he looks at me... that's one of the things I love about him.

(laughs) Sounds like he admires you.

I think the question is: do you admire him?

Ah.

How did you know Susan would pull up to a diner in New Jersey?

(whispering): Magic.

And her sister lives in Trenton.

She stops here every time she visits.

(bells on door jingle)

Are you sure we'll be okay?

We're gonna figure this out.

I mean...

Okay?

(Bull sighs)

Welcome to the Garden State.

I am calling my lawyer.

Good. Then Danny can call the police.

There's a federal law called the Mann Act... makes it a felony to transport a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sex.

(gasps softly)

Bull: Susan, it's time you and I had a little chat.

(sighs)

Federal prison's a lot worse than a conversation with me.

I promise.

He's a good kid.

He is more than just a kid.

I know.

I think Jordan... is a Balcony Person.

What?

Well, a Balcony Person is someone who sits in the theater of your life, adoring you, admiring you, cheering you on, and Jordan is that for you.

Only... now he's lost his balcony people...

His parents, the ones cheering him on, the ones filling out his college applications, and...

...Jordan needs that.

Doesn't everyone need that?

Sure.

But some people never had it growing up, so they have this insatiable need to fill their balcony as grown-ups.

I looked at your phone records... You haven't talked to your dad in ten years.

He lives a long way away.

He's not a bad man, from what I understand. Is he?

But when he married your stepmother and his focus shifted to her and her children... you felt like he left your balcony, didn't you?

(groans) I saw the way you looked at the wall when Dr. Strand started talking about dating down.

You wanted to escape.

'Cause you know the man you need, the men that you've needed, they have to adore you, put you on a pedestal.

But they'll never be enough.

Even your husband Jeffrey wasn't enough, was he?

So you found a young man, this boy, and he didn't just adore you, he... outright worshipped you.

So much that he was willing to give up going to college, and raise a child with you that... that wasn't even his.

Is that fair of you to ask a 17-year-old boy?

You're gonna be a mother.

Okay?

(crying): Oh...

And that child is gonna adore you... and love you.

And you will get to be his or her Balcony Person.

(takes deep breath)

I, uh...

I'm not very good... at being alone.

You do have a husband.

Oh.

Listen...

This is a woman who's a friend of mine.

She's very nice.

You should make an appointment.

A shrink.

You should make an appointment.

Oh, God, what have I done?

Dr. Bull... do you think that there is such a thing as true love?

I do.

But this isn't it.

Jordan.

Susan has something she'd like to say.

Susan: Jordan...

I... got so caught up trying to run away from my... old life that I didn't fully think it through. Susan....

No, just-just listen, okay?

I...

I hurt you.

No. No, you didn't.

I did.

I did.

And... and this is not right.

And you know that, and I know that.

And I... am truly, truly sorry.

Susan... n-no.

I-I love you.

Okay.

Jordan... it's over.

Please forgive me.

Good-bye.

No. No. Susan!

Susan!

Come on. Let her go.

You did this.

What did you say to her?

It's what she realized.

She was using you to make herself feel special.

But it never would have been enough.

Teaching wasn't enough. Her husband wasn't enough.

Nothing... would have ever been enough.

Not for her. And it wasn't love.

As much as it may have felt like it.

She needs help.

You'll feel this way again, with someone else... for the right reasons.

Jordan: Dr. Bull, I...

Hey.

I've been there.

♪ ♪

What if they don't listen?

I can't promise they will... But I know for a fact they won't listen if you don't talk to them.

But what I said on the stand...

Just go over to them.

Let it happen.

♪ We were at the table ♪
♪ By the window with the view ♪
♪ Casting shadows ♪
♪ The sun was pushing through ♪
♪ Spoke a lot of words ♪
♪ I don't know if I spoke the truth ♪
♪ Got so... ♪

I finally figured out what you meant... "winning the right way."

Putting Jordan's family back together.

Hmm. Chunk... why did you really quit football?

I told you.

I didn't want to play anymore.

That's all.

I was done with the injuries, done with the pressure... done with the thrill of running the ball over the line.

You get to a... certain point, you're ready for a new challenge.

I hear that.

You try telling that to parents the day before the draft.

I always meant to tell her the truth.

I just never got the chance.

Your mom, she was your biggest fan.

Yeah.

(chuckles)

We all need one.

Hey, thanks for putting me on this case.

Who's yours?

Who's your biggest fan?

Isn't it you?

(chuckles)

(snickers)

♪ God, don't let me lose ♪
♪ My mind. ♪