06x13 - The Hard Right

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "Bull". Aired: September 20, 2016 - May 26, 2022.*
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"Bull" follows a trial consultant, who uses his insight into human nature, three Ph.D.'s and a top-notch staff to tip the scales of justice in favor of his client. Inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw.
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06x13 - The Hard Right

Post by bunniefuu »

[BRAKES SQUEAK]

Turn your damn headlights off.

Sarge?

Yeah, I see it.

- [INTERCOM BEEPS]
- Dim your headlights.

Bravo six Romeo.

We got a possible level three.
Going to confirm. Over.

[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]

That Sergeant Bly?

Sergeant, there a problem?

Sergeant?

Sergeant, what are you doing?

He's got a w*apon.

Put the w*apon on the dash. Now!

Now!

Step out of the vehicle
with your hands up.

Oh, my God, Bly, what happened?

- [HELICOPTER PASSING]
- [DISTANT WHISTLE BLOWS]

Jason. Thanks for coming.

Of course, Victor.
This is Chester Palmer,

- our lead counsel at TAC.
- How are you, sir?

This is Colonel Victor Taggart,

one of the finest psychiatrists
the U.S. Army has to offer.

Also one of the very few
psychiatrists in the U.S. Army.

Jason's been ragging me

for years about headshrinking
for the Army.

It's true that therapy is not
as popular in m*llitary circles

as I'd like, but I feel confident
we can turn that around.

In another generation or two.

- [CHUCKLES]
- What's going on?

I run a unit here that treats soldiers

dealing with trauma suffered
during deployment.

PTSD's epidemic, as you can imagine.

One of my patients
was just charged with m*rder.

Name's Sergeant Carter Bly.

Colonel, if this involves a
m*llitary court proceeding,

I'm not sure that TAC
is the right fit for you.

It happened off base
under civilian authority.

And before you ask,

Bly waived confidentiality,
so no HIPAA issues.

So, what happened?

He confessed to k*lling another soldier.

Sergeant Nathan Wells.
They were friends.

Best friends.

He confessed. Did he give a reason?

There is no reason.

That's why you're here.

BLY: I've known
Nathan since high school.

Day after graduation,

he drove us to the recruiting station.

I was hesitant.

But Nathan walked right up
to the recruiter

and said he was there
to serve his country.

That's how he was.

He didn't like talking about a thing.

He'd just do it.

[CLEARS THROAT]

You need to take a moment?

[SNIFFLES] No, sir.

Nathan and I did basic together,

one tour in Iraq, two in Afghanistan.

What happened the night
that Sergeant Wells d*ed?

We were hanging out in Pelham Bay Park.

Used to go there when we were kids.

What were you doing there?

Drinking beers. You know.

Hanging out.

Then a vehicle backfired.

Came out of nowhere.

It was loud.

Next thing I know,

I'm standing over Nathan
with a g*n in my hand.

Whose was it? Yours?

No, sir.

It was Nathan's.
He always had it on him.

Well, how did you get it?

I must have grabbed it.

Why do that?

I don't remember.

It's all right, Carter.

In therapy, I've learned
that when I dissociate,

I'm in a fight-or-flight mentality.

I could've thought Nathan
was trying to k*ll me or...

I don't know. Anything, really.

I just don't know.

Nathan was like family to me.

Last thing I wanted to do was hurt him.

[SIGHS]

I've been seeing these
kind of cases more and more.

Soldiers experiencing PTSD episodes,

coupled with dissociative disorders.

Bly's case is more severe than most,

but the experience he's
describing isn't unique.

It's not even all that unusual.

Can you help him?

Colonel, even
with Sergeant Bly's illness,

if we take his case,

we'd strongly recommend a plea deal.

Plead guilty? Why?

Well, because he did it

and because he confessed to it

and I see no other credible way
to argue it.

He wasn't in his right mind.

Come on.

If there was ever a case to
argue diminished capacity, this is it.

[SIGHS] Vic, the insanity defense

is only used in about one percent

of cases, and even then,
it's only successful

% of the time.

Juries don't like saying someone

isn't responsible
for something they clearly did.

But he wasn't responsible.

Jason, the U.S. m*llitary takes

healthy young men and women
straight out of high school

and ships them off to the b*ttlefield.

And when they come back
emotionally damaged,

soldiers like Bly who seek treatment

get stigmatized.

Their careers stall out.

Now, there's a number of us
who are trying to change that,

but shifting institutionalized
norms takes time.

BULL: Okay. We do understand that.

Bly's condition is not his fault.

It's a result
of his service to this country.

There's no way on earth

that that young man should go to prison.

And you're willing to
testify to that in court?

- Absolutely. And all day long.
- CHUNK: Bull, look,

I just have to say
that if we plead this out,

Bly is looking

at a reduced sentence.
Maybe as little as five years.

But if we take this to trial,
all that is

out the window.
He's looking at , minimum.

There's a ton of downside if we lose.

Well, then I guess
we're gonna have to win.

Synced & corrected by -robtor-
www.addic ed.com

Mm. Did your super fix
that leaky sink yet?

He said he's waiting
on a part to come in.

They don't take that long.
I'll go talk to him.

Dad, my apartment, my sink, my problem.

I know. I'm just saying I don't
want him brushing you off.

Want one of these?

- I'll finish this stack.
- No, thanks.

I'm starting a new trial today,

and I never know if I'm gonna
have enough time to eat lunch.

- About the trial...
- Oh,

I read that story that you wrote
about the, um...

the, uh, pigeon

and the dog. [LAUGHS] It was hilarious.

It was a puff piece.

No, it was funny. It made me
smile. That's not nothing.

Dad, I need to talk to...

I know you want to be doing
more compelling,

hard-hitting journalism,
but you've only been

at BANG Online for, what, a few months?

You got to pay your dues, kid.

My editor asked me to cover your trial.

What?

The Fort Dryer m*rder.

My editor asked me
to write a story on it.

That's...

[SIGHS] Anna, that's...

What?

You don't think I can handle the story.

No, I didn't say that.

But you go from writing animal stories

one week to covering
a high-profile m*rder

- the next?
- I've been working really hard.

I know you have.

But your editor knows that I'm
representing the defendant, right?

- Yes.
- Mm-hmm.

He thinks that you're
gonna be able to hit me up

for information, Anna.

He's taking advantage of you.

This is my sh*t, Dad.

And okay.

Maybe it did come a little early because

my editor thinks that
I have an in with you.

But I promise I'm not gonna
ask you for any favors.

I'm writing this story.

Well, if you are going to do
this, then you have to know

you and I are gonna have to keep
things completely separate.

I'm talking church and state separate.

Well, I'd argue that the church

- influenced the state quite a bit...
- Anna.

Church and state. Got it.

Good. You're both here.

We need to start digging
on the Fort Dryer case.

Already started.

This is so sad. I've been
digging through their socials.

These guys did everything together.

How do you get over
k*lling your best friend?

DANNY: Well, the fact that they were
so close,

that has to be good for us, right?

There's no motive
for the prosecutor to point to.

Well, technically, the prosecution

doesn't need motive to prove m*rder,

but the lack of one certainly helps us.

So, Taylor, stay on their relationship.

That is our offense.

Danny, you're on defense.

Which is?

PTSD.

Colonel Taggart will testify
as an expert witness,

but it would be great
if we could find anyone

who has witnessed Bly experiencing

a PTSD episode.

- DANNY: I'm on it.
- Marissa?

Henri.

- I'm sorry to interrupt.
- MARISSA: Uh, no.

Uh, perfect timing.
I'll check in with you two later.

Who's the hot French guy?

No clue.

Go, Marissa.

It's perfect.

- It fits the space quite well.
- Thank you for bringing it.

I doubt most gallery owners
would take the trouble

to install their clients' artwork.

Well, most of my clients don't
spend months visiting the piece

before they make the purchase.

I wanted to be sure
that you were certain.

[EXHALES] I was certain
the moment I laid eyes on it.

I just...

needed to earn it.

Well, she was meant for you.

This may sound silly,

but I do believe in
a spiritual connection with art.

Well, I hope it's not silly.

It's been the guiding principle
of my life.

[CHUCKLES]

Uh, this is a law firm, no?

Uh, not exactly. We're
a trial science company.

- Ah.
- We consult on legal cases

before they go to trial.

Ah.

Why? Do you need a lawyer?

I could use a little legal
consultation, perhaps.

Have a seat. Let me see if I can help.

I do some work

with a nonprofit
that attempts to repatriate

art and antiquities
to their countries of origin,

and we recently identified
a centuries-old tribal mask

that was stolen from the
Guro people off the Ivory Coast.

Unfortunately, the item is
about to go up for auction

here in New York,

and we won't have the official
chain of title, for a couple of weeks.

And once the piece is sold, it...

it could disappear forever.

Have you explained the situation
to the auction house?

Without proof of provenance,

auctioneers tend to be
dismissive of these claims.

But I thought I could stall

with the thr*at of legal action?

Our in-house counsel

is in the middle of trial right now,

but I might be able
to scare them a little.

Nathan was incredibly proud
to serve in the m*llitary,

to be a role model
to our five-year-old son, Jack.

You must have been proud of him, too.

Absolutely. Proud and sometimes worried.

I said a lot of prayers
when Nathan was deployed,

but I never thought
that he would be k*lled at home

by one of his fellow soldiers.

I know this is tough, but
you got to look at her.

THOMAS: Mrs. Wells, are you aware

that the defendant
claims he was suffering

from a PTSD blackout
when he sh*t your husband?

Yes. But I don't believe that
for a second.

CHUNK: Objection.

The witness is not an expert on
post-traumatic stress disorder.

THOMAS: Your Honor,
the defense has stated that Sergeant Bly

and Sergeant Wells were best friends.

Spent lots of time together.
Mrs. Wells is qualified

to speak to her own observations
of the defendant's behavior

- and motives.
- I agree. Overruled.

But keep it within her purview,
Counselor.

Mrs. Wells,

why don't you believe
the defendant's story?

I'm not saying Sergeant
Bly didn't have problems

when he got back from
his last deployment,

but I've been around him plenty,

and I've never seen him
black out or lose control.

My husband did
just as many tours as him,

and he never would've flipped
out and k*lled somebody.

Objection...
Inflammatory and irrelevant.

Sergeant Wells'
mental health has absolutely

no bearing on this case.

NAUMANN: We have
gone a little out of bounds.

The jury will disregard
the witness's last statement.

THOMAS: In the weeks leading
up to your husband's death,

did you have any reason
to believe that he

and Sergeant Bly were not
on friendly terms?

Yes. Things had been tense between them.

Ever since Nathan got back
from his last tour.

And a few nights before

Nathan was k*lled...

the two of them were arguing
out on our driveway. For ages.

Did you hear what they were
arguing about?

No, at least not all of it, but...

at one point Carter...

Sergeant Bly...

got up in Nathan's face

and I heard him yell that...

he would do whatever it took
to stop him.

Did you ask your husband
what they were fighting about?

He said it had to do with Afghanistan.
[SNIFFLES]

But he couldn't talk about it.

As in, it involved some kind
of m*llitary secret?

TRISH: That's how I understood it.

- Yes.
- Do you think that Sergeant Bly

k*lled your husband to prevent him

from revealing something
that happened overseas?

Objection, Your Honor!
This is gross speculation!

Sustained.

The jury will disregard A.D.A.
Thomas's conjecture.

Dial it back, Ms. Thomas.

No further questions, Your Honor.

What happened in Afghanistan?

Nothing.

I don't know what she's talking about.

Then what were you fighting about?

BULL: Sergeant?

He signed up for another tour.

- I didn't think he should do it.
- Why not?

I remember the toll
my last tour had on me.

Nathan had a wife.

A son.

Had more at stake.

I was concerned about him.

Well, to the jury,

that concern...

looks like motive.

Hey, Vic, how you doing?

I hope you don't mind.

They told me you were
on your way back from court,

and it was okay for me to wait here.

Oh, what's going on?

Jason, I can't testify.

What are you talking about?

I had to ask permission to testify,

which I assumed would be pro forma.

I didn't know the classification
status of Bly's deployments.

I'm sorry, what does that mean?

Some of the operations that Bly
took part in are highly classified.

My superiors are concerned
that details could leak if I testify,

so they have ordered me not to.

- Ignore them.
- I can't do that.

Yes, you can!

Or quit the Army.

So you don't have to take
these asinine orders.

The m*llitary is my life...
I know you don't get that.

Without your testimony,
Bly is doing years.

You get that.

Right?

I'm gonna subpoena you

and Bly's records and I'm
gonna put it all out in public.

You can try. It won't work.

You brought me into this.

You put me on this mission.

- I know.
- And now you're saying

that the Army told you to walk away?

I was wrong to assume
that I could help this soldier

just because I'm treating him.

I can't, Jason.

So you're telling Bly?

I already have.

He understands.

"He understands."

Hmm.

He understands that his therapist

just hung him out to dry?

When you're a soldier,
you're a soldier first.

Well, congratulations, soldier.

You just left one of your own behind.

MARISSA: You're selling stolen goods.

Show me the paperwork
that says someone else

owns this, and they can have it back.

Until then...

I can't help you.

We will have the provenance
document shortly.

It would be in your best interest

to pull the mask
from the auction in the interim.

No, it would be in my best interest

to sell it and make a profit.

And risk losing a crucial piece
of the Guro people's

cultural history forever.

No offense, but I get people

making claims on art all the time.

- Hmm.
- If I held up every auction

without proof...

I'd be out of business.

_

_

_

_

Let's focus on the stolen mask.

I am prepared to file a Writ of Replevin

to return this property
to its rightful owner.

What law firm did you say you're from?

Trial Analysis Corporation.

Hmm. May I see your card?

There's no "esquire" after you're name.

You're not even a lawyer, are you?

I represent the interests...

Okay, look, I have
an auction in two days.

Unless I get clear provenance
before then,

this piece will be listed.

Have a nice day.

[CAR HORN HONKING]

God, that man, I want to slap
the nice day right out of him.

You have a temper, too?

But you know how to keep yours in check.

I shouldn't have needled him like that.

He deserved it.

You'd think someone who worked with art

would appreciate its
cultural significance.

Oh, well, you know,
most people don't appreciate

that spiritual connection you spoke of.

But thanks for trying.

Oh, no, no, we're not done.

- We're not?
- Not by a long sh*t.

Look, I may not have
"esquire" after my name,

but I love a good fight.

Our whole case is PTSD.

If Taggart doesn't testify,
we have no case.

Sorry I'm late.
I had a thing before work.

So Taggert is still a no-go?

- Yeah.
- Do you think

the Army is muscling him to cover up

something that went bad
over in Afghanistan?

I could do some digging.

- See if there's anything to that.
- BULL: No.

Frankly, I don't want to find out

that Bly had a motive
to cover up something

that happened over there.

The only place
that leads is premeditation

and a m*rder conviction.

Okay, then what's our plan B?

Plan B is...

plan A... PTSD.

We need to find a new expert

who can get up there and testify.

Let these jurors know what it's like

to have a dissociative experience.

But a new expert is not gonna
understand Bly's history.

Which is why it is more
important than ever that we find

somebody from Bly's past
who has witnessed

one of these PTSD events.

How's Danny coming with all that?

I don't think it's going well.

She hasn't even been
able to get on the base

to talk to Bly's fellow soldiers.

Well, she needs to figure out
a way to talk to them off base.

[g*nsh*t]

[EMPTY SHELLS CLANGING]

Damn. You're all right.

Where'd you learn to sh**t like that?

My dad.

He was in the Army and gone a lot.

When he was around,

I wanted to hang out with him.

If that meant learning
how to sh**t a g*n,

that's what I did.

You ever think of joining?

Thought about it.

My dad really struggled
when he got back.

PTSD, you know.

It happens.

I read it just happened over
at Fort Dryer.

One soldier sh*t another off base.

They're saying it's PTSD-related.

You know either of those guys?

Yeah, I knew both of them.

The, um, the sh**t, was it
Sergeant Bly, I think?

- You really think he had PTSD?
- Yeah.

He seemed pretty messed up
since his last deployment.

You ever see him have,
like, an episode or anything?

What are you asking about Bly for?

Just making conversation.

- You a cop or something?
- What?

You know Bly's trial's
going on right now.

You working for him?

For Bly?

Working for him...?

We got nothing to say to you, lady.

Come on.

Get her out of here.

Sorry, ma'am,
but you're gonna have to leave.

I'm just trying
to get some range time in.

You're upsetting my customers.

I'm just making friendly conversation.

This way.

Do you happen to know Sergeant Bly?

Friendly conversation, my ass.

Listen, the guy's on trial for his life.

I work for his defense team.

The Army won't let me on base
to talk to anyone, so...

Anyone on base talks about
Bly, they'll catch hell.

Yeah, but you're not from base.

Not anymore.

Retired.

Right, so no one can
give you hell anymore.

Bly liked to come here.

We talked sometimes.

Things weren't so easy for me
when I came home, either.

Did he ever talk to you about his PTSD?

Some. Yeah.

He had it pretty rough.

Bly said that he suffered
from, um, blackouts.

Did you ever see anything like that?

Last fall a group of us got
together in the park, for a birthday;

some kids were playing with bang snaps.

One of them threw a handful,
sounded like...

a*t*matic w*apon fire and...

Bly totally lost it.

Would you be willing to testify to that?

Don't need to.

I can show you.

- [LOUD POPPING]
- Take cover!

Did he just tackle a little boy?

Nearly broke the kid's arm.

CHUNK: Sergeant Bly, do
you have an explanation

for what we just saw in that video?

Ever since my second tour of duty,

I've suffered from severe PTSD.

I won't sleep for days.

If I do...

I get night terrors.

And I get bad panic att*cks sometimes.

If I get triggered,
like with the fireworks in that video,

I black out completely.

My psychiatrist says the official term

is a dissociative event.

And is that what happened
the night that you sh*t

Sergeant Wells?

Did you have a dissociative event?

BLY: Yes, sir.

My best guess is...

I was triggered by a car backfiring.

CHUNK: Sergeant Bly, did you have any

- animus toward Sergeant Wells?
- I think you should see this.

- Any reason to want him dead?
- No.

He was my friend.

Trish Wells testified earlier that...

that you and her husband were fighting

just days before he d*ed.

- Isn't that correct?
- We were arguing.

But we're friends.

Sometimes friends argue.

Look...

Nathan was more than a friend.

He was like a brother to me.

I had absolutely no desire to k*ll him.

Thank you, Sergeant Bly.

No further questions, Your Honor.

We are winning
some hearts and minds, Bull.

Let's see how well Sergeant Bly holds up

on cross before we pop the champagne.

Sergeant Bly, have you ever stayed

- at the Stone Valley Motel?
- CHUNK: Objection.

- Relevance?
- THOMAS: Your Honor,

I assure you this is relevant.

It'll take me just
a moment to get there.

Sergeant Bly,
you will answer the question.

I'm not sure.

I don't recall every...

- motel I've ever stayed in.
- Where is this going?

- I don't know.
- Let me see if I can jog your memory.

An article was published
on BANG Online today

stating that you were
a guest at Stone Valley Motel

on September of this year.

Did you stay the night at the motel?

[QUIETLY]: Yeah.

Uh, the court didn't hear you,
Sergeant Bly.

Yes. I was there.

Did a woman

spend the night in your room with you?

Yes.

Who was that woman?

[SIGHS]

Trish Wells.
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