02x01 - Civil Disobedience

[bunniefuu]

Boy: hey, emil, you can see tons of fish from up here.

It's pretty neat.

[ ♪ ]

Two years alone in the wilderness.

Ah, that's living.

Woman: he was a friend of my father's.

People in town thought he was eccentric.

I was fascinated by him.

He was the one person who wasn't afraid

to speak up for what he felt was right.

He was even thrown in jail for it.

Really?

Man: who was thrown in jail?

Woman: henry david thoreau.

It was just for one night.

He refused to pay a tax just to support the w*r with mexico.

Why?

Man: because he felt the w*r was immoral.

Thoreau felt that people's obligations to their own conscience

were more important than their obligations to their government.

And he stood by those beliefs.

Man: wagon's up by the road.

You all set?

Perfect timing.

Woman: come on, everyone. It's time to go.

He actually refused to pay his taxes,

knowin' full well he'd go to jail for it?

It was his way of taking a stand.

And he did it in a peaceful way,

which was also something he advocated.

To him v*olence was never the way to achieve a desired end.

Ah, that might be true livin' out here in the woods.

Back in the real world, sometimes you gotta fight for what you want.

Come on down now, tommy. Let's go.

Coming.

[ Gasp of alarm ]

[ yelp of pain ]

tommy!

Tommy, are you all right?

Hold still. Try not to move.

Dan, get the wagon.

Doctor: how does that feel?

Tommy: all right, I guess.

I'll send over some crutches for you,

but you'll need to stay off that leg

for a few days to start.

You mean no school?

No. That doesn't mean no school.

We'll bring your lessons to you.

Woman/doctor: [ chuckling ]

I'll ride into town and notify his parents.

Thank you, mrs. Bhaer and remember,

do not leave that bed.

Man: oh, we'll make sure he stays put,

even if we have to post a guard.

[ Cawing of crow ]

[ grunts of effort ]

all right. Try it now.

[ Screeching of hinges ]

[ whinnying of horse ]

man: mr. Mcbride.

Is mrs. Bhaer at home?

Yeah.

Is she expectin' you?

I should think not.

I wonder what he wants.

Well, whatever it is,

probably ain't good.

[ Approaching footsteps ]

[ jingling of bell ]

did you have to give him that bell?

He's been ringing that thing for two days non-stop now.

Well, at least he's staying put.

[ Rapping of door knocker ]

I'll go.

Mr. Mcbride. Mrs. Bhaer.

I understand one of your students was involved in an accident a few days ago.

Yes. Tommy bangs.

As you know, I'm a close friend of his family.

No, I wasn't aware of that.

Yes, they've often turned to me when seeking legal counsel.

Legal counsel? I have come to inform you

that I will be filing a suit of negligence

against this school

on behalf of thomas bangs

in the district superior court.

What?

I trust you will cooperate fully in this matter.

I am, after all, merely acting in the best interests of the children.

[ ♪ ]

I spoke to tommy's parents right after it happened.

They didn't seem to be too concerned about it.

They said you referred to the injury as a mishap.

Well...

Uh, yes. It was an accident.

He slipped and fell.

Tommy often has these kinds of mishaps.

I'm sorry, mrs. Bhaer, but I'm afraid I look upon a broken leg

as something considerably more serious

than an amusing inconvenience.

And tommy's parents, both of whom are blessed with

caring and trusting hearts,

often find themselves victims

of those who would seek to diminish

wrongs committed against them.

It was an accident. It was negligence, ma'am.

The child was entrusted to your care,

and you placed him in a dangerous situation.

He was climbing a tree...

When he should have been at his desk in school,

where children belong on a school day.

Why don't you just admit why you are doing this?

Tommy's welfare is the last thing on your mind.

You've been after me to sell plumfield to you

since my husband's death.

Now you've finally found a way to pressure me.

I see. So this is all about you then,

not about the poor child lying upstairs with a broken leg.

I was told you were a woman of considerable vanity, mrs. Bhaer,

but I must admit I am surprised you put your own concerns

above the welfare of the children.

What?

I am ordering a coach

to remove tommy from your school this afternoon.

I would appreciate having his things collected together before then.

I'd like to speak to his parents.

I have advised against that.

You've already spoken with them,

detailing your account of the, uh, "mishap".

What more could you tell them?

Why don't you speak to the other children that were there?

Or nick riley, my caretaker.

They'll tell you exactly what happened.

Yes. I would like that.

There's no case here, mr. Mcbride.

Tommy will be the first to agree with me.

Well that's why we let the judge decide.

Good day, mrs. Bhaer.

Your coach is here.

Hopefully you'll be able to come back soon,

and your leg will be healed,

and you'll be... I'm sorry, mrs. Jo.

I shouldn't even have climbed in that tree.

Listen to me, tommy.

I've climbed that same tree before,

many times when I was younger.

The view from the branches is incredible.

You can see the entire pond from shore to shore.

And if you look straight down,

you can even see the fish swimming in the water.

I know. I counted eight of 'em.

[ Chuckle ]

it's a whole different world up there,

much more interesting than just standing on the ground.

I'm sorry that you slipped and fell, tommy.

But I am so happy that you climbed that tree.

I hope you climb many more.

Mr. Mcbride: so this is where you conduct class.

In the barn.

Well the actual barn where the animals are kept is below us.

Uncle fritz and aunt jo used to keep hay and... And feed up here,

until it was converted to the schoolroom.

Hmmm. Uh, tell me this, uh...

On the day that tommy bangs was injured,

you decided to conduct class outside the school.

Uh, is this correct?

Yes.

We were reading thoreau's "walden",

and it was such a beautiful day that...

Aunt jo suggested we go to walden pond,

where thoreau actually lived, to conduct class.

Does your aunt often conduct, uh, this type of outing?

Yes, actually she does.

Aunt jo believes a large part of one's education

occurs outside the classroom.

Hmm. How novel.

Uh, but I am still confused.

Uh, if you're conducting class at the pond,

how did tommy come to be climbing a tree?

Well, the lessons were finished for the day,

and the students were allowed some free time

before nick came to pick us up in the hay wagon.

Tell me then, in your own words, exactly how the injury occurred.

[ Sigh ] well many of the students began skipping stones.

But, uh, tommy became bored with this and...

Decided to climb the tree.

Was he told not to?

No. Not to my knowledge.

Mrs. Bhaer didn't mind him climbing the tree?

No. She lets us do stuff like that all the time.

She always watches us closely and tells us to be careful.

But sometimes injuries like tommy's do happen,

isn't that correct?

Not often.

Mrs. Jo takes real good care of us.

He slipped on a branch and he fell.

It was an accident. Could've happened to anyone.

But these sorts of accidents seem to follow tommy around, don't they?

He does tend to get hurt more than the rest of us.

Can you give me any other examples?

No. I'm afraid I can't recall any.

There's nothing to worry about, nat,

as long as you tell me the truth.

Um, well there was this one time

when tommy cut himself.

Cut himself? Was it bad?

Uh, no, dr. Pierce just, um, s-stitched it up.

Dr. Pierce was summoned?

Well... Yeah.

How did it happen?

Um...

I don't... I don't remember.

Sure, I remember.

He was settin' the table for dinner,

and he was carryin' too many things at once.

And tommy comes through the door

right as billy was comin' through the door,

and boom! The door slams into tommy,

and the Kn*fe he was carryin' cut his arm.

The plate smashed into about a million pieces.

We go through more plates here.

Was the cut bad? Oh, real small.

I wanted to stitch it, but mrs. Jo said dr. Pierce should do it.

But I coulda done it.

I've seen him do it hundreds of times.

Is dr. Pierce, uh, often summoned out here to stitch up wounds?

Yeah. He's here more than he's in town.

But I like it 'cause he lets me help out sometimes.

Hmm. I see you have an interest in medicine.

Yes, sir. That's good. Uh, tell me,

are there many other interesting medical cases here at plumfield?

Well, you probably heard about the measle epidemic we had last year.

Oh, yes, the school was quarantined, if I remember correctly.

Yeah. It was really bad.

Oh, and then last winter nat was in a coma.

A coma? Yeah, nick was teaching him how to fight, see?

And so then he went... Nick?

He's the caretaker here? Yeah.

And so nat went into town and picked a fight

with a boy bigger than him.

And then the boy punched him and he...

And he hit his head on the...

On the, um...

Well, he hit his head.

But it wasn't anything bad.

It was just a...

You know, a...

Coma.

He's a despicable man, eli mcbride.

I heard he's considering running for mayor next year.

Well, he can forget laurie's vote.

[ Sigh ]

edward wired back.

He said these kinds of lawsuits are becoming more frequent.

He's had three in the last year alone at his firm.

But the good news is he agrees that in this instance,

there isn't much of a case.

And clearly it's a matter of...

&Quot;contributory negligence"

and the judge will most likely

rule in your favor.

Contributory negligence? What's that?

Well, it means that tommy,

by choosing to climb the tree in the first place,

was in fact contributing to his own injury.

Edward can cite other cases where the same argument was used.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute. So I'll have to say

that it was tommy's fault that he got hurt?

Well, yes...

Partially,

which in fact it was.

And that's all you need...

You won't have to say a thing.

Edward will represent you.

He's a fine lawyer.

I don't want a lawyer.

But, jo, you may need one.

Mr. Mcbride: I spoke with the sheriff.

He said you spent some time in jail last year

for assaulting one of the children's guardians.

Mind telling me about that?

What's that got to do with tommy gettin' hurt?

Merely trying to gain an overall impression of the school,

from the children who attend it

to the employees who are hired to care for them.

I'm just the caretaker.

I don't get involved much with the kids.

That's odd. The children seem to have a differing view.

They speak quite highly of you.

Many of them actually refer to you as a kind of second father,

which, as you might imagine, concerns me.

After all a man such as yourself,

working in a school with children,

not exactly my idea of a role... Look.

I'm real busy here.

I don't have the time for this right now.

I understand.

Thank you for your time, mr. Riley.

[ ♪ ]

[ Screeching of hinges ]

and, uh, make sure this is marked urgent.

I want the judge to see it today.

The safety of the children is at stake.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Sorry. None of my business.

You the, uh, new editor of the newspaper?

Harrison bridger. Just got in last week.

Eli mcbride. I have a law firm in town.

Uh, I'm just involved in a case of negligence against a local school.

Negligence? It began with a single incident,

but after some investigation, I've uncovered a...

An alarming pattern of, uh, abuse and neglect.

Does the rest of the town know about this?

Oh, I'm afraid not.

The owner of the school has gone to great lengths

to hide her little secret from public scrutiny. [ Chuckle ]

could I persuade you to speak to the "chronicle" about this?

Um, well, under normal circumstances

I would never discuss an ongoing case with a newspaper.

But, uh, to say nothing when the children are in danger,

I'm afraid I'd be guilty of negligence too.

Jo: I can't believe this.

It's not just about tommy anymore.

Now it's about the whole school.

[ Banging of door knocker ]

mcbride has completely twisted everything.

He makes it seem as though I deliberately put these children in harm.

Mrs. Bhaer.

How could you do this?

I only want to protect the children,

as does the judge.

What is this?

It's a temporary injunction,

ordering you to close this school

until a full hearing can be scheduled.

What? You have until the end of the day tomorrow,

or else the sheriff and his deputies will close it for you.

Good day.

[ ♪ ]

[ Closing of door ]

that's the last of it.

All set?

Yeah.

Mrs. Jo, can we come visit you?

No.

The injunction prevents you from coming onto the property, nat.

But I'll come visit you as often as I can.

Bye, sweetheart. Bye, aunt jo.

You be good.

You hear me?

I'll see you soon.

Don't worry.

Everything will be all right, you'll see.

All right.

Come on. Let's go.

Go on.

[ Whispering ] go on.

I'll be back soon.

[ ♪ ]

Nan, your carriage is here.

All right. Do you have everything?

You have your music box?

And your frog skeleton?

I'll come and visit you. Would that be all right?

Sure.

I'll miss you.

[ Sobbing ]

I'm sorry for saying those things to mr. Mcbride.

I wasn't thinkin'.

Don't you worry.

You didn't do anything wrong, do you hear me?

[ Sobbing ]

we'll get through this, I promise.

Somehow we'll get through this.

Okay. Goodbye now.

Goodbye, mrs. Jo.

Bye.

Bye.

[ ♪ ]

I'm done. May I be excused?

Yes.

He's not taking this well.

He'll be all right once the kids come back.

Well, it just ain't right.

A whole dinner and not one plate is broken.

I'd almost for- gotten how quiet this house can get.

I can almost hear nat playing his violin.

Or nan laughing at some prank that she just pulled.

Or tommy ringing that awful bell.

What I wouldn't give to hear it again.

Mr. Mcbride: thank you for being gracious enough to speak with me.

Well you'll forgive us for being somewhat biased,

but I would rate plumfield

as one of the finest schools in the commonwealth.

I can think of no other school I'd rather have our daughter attend.

But is it not true that initially

you had reservations about sending her there.

Well, yes, initially.

But once bess was enrolled...

Certain people in town said

that they overheard you and your sister

engage in a heated public argument,

in which you questioned the, uh, discipline

and safety of the school.

Oh, well...

It wasn't like that. No.

We were just...

You know how sisters can get.

Laurie: our hesitation simply had to do

with our frequent traveling schedule.

Yes. Our travel schedule.

We travel.

Oftentimes to europe.

Frequently.

Mr. Mcbride: is it not true that bess...

Almost drowned in a river on the...

Plumfield property,

shortly after she was enrolled in the school?

Laurie: I wouldn't go so far as to say she nearly drowned.

She slipped and fell into the river.

Children fall into rivers every day.

But bess couldn't swim.

Well, no...

Not at the time.

She learned shortly after.

Nick taught her how to swim.

Nick riley, the caretaker? Yes.

He's wonderful with the children.

He's been a great asset to plumfield.

He makes sure things are safe and clean,

and, well, he can fix just about anything.

And I've never seen jo happier since he came into her life...

[ ♪ ]

Because he's so good at...

Keeping things safe and...

Clean and...

Fixing things.

[ Sigh ] mother.

[ Rattling of carriage ]

[ whinnying of horse ]

jo: mr. Bridger?

You're the new editor of the "chronicle", am I right?

Yes, I am, I arrived in town just last...

Well, I figured I'd come by and

tell you my side of the story,

being as you never bothered to ask me.

Oh, you must be mrs. Bhaer.

I-i know I rushed to print the article,

but I had a deadline to get the paper out,

and, uh, I felt I had all the necessary facts to...

So you decided to go ahead and print lies rather than tell the truth.

If this is the kind of journalism that you practice...

So you dispute mr. Mcbride's findings?

Of course I dispute them.

And if you had bothered to re- search your facts,

instead of rushing off... So mr. Riley here

is not a convicted criminal?

Since when is it against the law to give someone a second chance?

Well, it isn't. But if he teaches the children how to fight,

resulting in one of them getting seriously hurt,

then maybe it ought to be. That was my doin', not hers.

Nick: she don't allow fightin'.

Harrison: but she hired you.

It's her responsibility.

And now there's talk of your relationship having evolved

into somewhat of a... Courtship.

Some might view that as improper.

Who told you that?

Eli mcbride dis- covered it during his investigation.

I believe it was, uh, amy your sister who told him.

Well it's not true.

Well if it isn't true, now why would your sister say that?

Come on, let's go.

It's a waste of time talkin' to him.

Mcbride's got him in his back pocket.

No, wait.

That's where you're wrong.

Harrison: look, I apologize for printing that article

without having talked to you first.

Whatever mr. Mcbride's motivations are

for pursuing this lawsuit,

it doesn't erase the fact

that he has sufficient evidence to back his claims.

He has detailed accounts of children getting hurt and lost;

another almost drowning in a river;

others being allowed to wander through the woods alone

for three nights in the dead of winter

on some sort of indian ritual.

Dan: that was me.

And I asked her to let me do it.

She didn't want me to go.

Dan, please.

The point is, mcbride might be doing all of this

for reasons other than protecting the children.

But I'm not. I want what's best for them.

If that means closing the school and putting you out of business,

then I'll do my best to make sure that happens.

But if it turns out that what's best for the children

is keeping the school open and mr. Riley here

staying on as caretaker,

I'll do my best to make sure that that happens.

But you're going to have to prove that to me first.

[ ♪ ]

Mcbride!

Jo: nick?

Wait a minute. I'm late for a meeting, mr. Riley.

I wanna talk to you.

Well, it will have to wait.

Nick: you been spreadin' lies all over town,

and it's gonna stop.

Step out of my way. Not until we settle this.

The only thing that you should be settling, mr. Riley,

is your employment situation.

Perhaps it's time you moved on

and found another lonely widow to prey upon.

Jo: nick!

Let go of me.

Jo: nick, stop.

How dare you as*ault me?

You see that? You saw what happened?

This is the sort of role model mrs. Bhaer allows in her school.

One can only imagine how he handles unruly students.

It's over, mrs. Bhaer.

Your school is finished.

I'm so sorry, jo.

It was an accident.

It just slipped out of my mouth,

and before I knew it, he was twisting my words...

Jo: it's all right, amy.

I'm not angry with you.

Mcbride seems to excel at twisting people's words.

I wired edward.

He'll come to represent you at the hearing.

Meg, I can't afford a lawyer.

Oh, I already talked to him about that.

He won't charge you.

[ Sigh ]

I told him about the injunction.

He said that the judge's decision to issue it is not a good sign.

It means that he feels mcbride's claims have some validity.

But it's not hopeless.

We have some claims of our own,

about what a wonderful school this is,

and the incredible work you've done with these children.

That's right.

We won't give up without a fight.

We're going to make sure that that judge sees

exactly what kind of place plumfield is.

[ ♪ ]

Nat: did you have much trouble sneakin' out?

No. My parents are too busy to notice.

Yeah, I know what you mean. My father's not even home.

He's been away on business in philadelphia for over a month now.

The housekeeper doesn't care what I do.

Sorry I'm late.

My uncle just got finished telling me

what school he's sending me to.

[ Sigh ] peterskill academy.

Peterskill academy?

That's a horrible school.

It's a bunch of spoiled rich kids.

Dan: look...

This ain't over yet.

The hearing's in a couple of days.

We gotta keep thinkin' positive.

All right?

Do you have the book?

Yeah.

I think it's your turn to read, bess.

All right.

[ ♪ ]

Bess: [ reading ] the surface of the earth is soft

and impressible by the feet of men;

and so with the paths on which the mind travels.

How worn and dusty then must be the highways of the world;

how deep the ruts of tradition and conformity.

I did not wish to take a cabin passage,

but rather to go before the mast

and on the deck of the world,

for there I could best see the moonlight amid the mountains.

I do not wish to go below now.

My imagination carried me so far

that even if thy refusal had...

[ ♪ ]

I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened in town with mcbride.

I know you were angry, nick. I was angry too.

But assaulting him wasn't the answer.

I know. It's just...

Back on the ships,

guys didn't have lawsuits and lawyers.

You had a problem with somebody,

you settled it right then and there with your fists.

That's the way it's been for me as long as I can remember.

Listen, jo...

Comin' here, workin' for you, this school...

It's been good for me.

You and the kids made me feel wanted.

And I thank you for it.

But I think maybe it's time I should leave.

I think it'd be best for the school.

It might even help with the lawsuit.

Me bein' here has only made things worse.

I'm the one who hired you, nick.

That newspaper man was right.

No matter what you do, right or wrong,

ultimately it comes back to me.

It's my responsibility. Exactly.

Which is why you'll be doin' the responsible thing

in gettin' rid of me.

Might send a message to the judge that you're cleanin' this place up.

Cleaning this place up.

To the eyes of the judge, I mean.

Listen.

Think about it.

And let me know what you want me to do.

Mr. Mcbride: the facts speak for themselves, mrs. Bhaer.

Your classroom is located in a dilapidated barn,

which, it will be argued, poses a danger to life and limb.

And your unconventional teaching methods,

of which you're so proud,

have proven to be not only reckless, but downright hazardous.

Now we can go to the hearing tomorrow,

and we can stand before the judge,

and I will tell him how you have hired a convicted felon,

who assaults people in the streets.

And I can detail every single incident

in which a child was harmed here.

I can do all of that.

Or we can settle this matter right now.

I will withdraw the lawsuit...

If you will agree to sell me plumfield.

True, the school will still be closed,

but you will be spared not only the arduous legal hearing,

but also the substantial monetary damages

which the judge almost certainly

will award tommy's parents.

I'll take my chances in court.

[ Sigh ] fine.

If you think you can afford it.

You're not getting your hands on this school, ever!

Do you hear me?

You don't care about these children. You never have.

But you do.

You care deeply about them.

What I said earlier was wrong.

You have never put your welfare before the children's.

Their needs have always been at the core of your very being,

which is why you must ask yourself,

"what are my chances of winning this lawsuit?&Quot;

you do realize that tommy will be called for questioning,

as will all the other children.

As a lawyer, I have seen these cases turn ugly,

dragging on into very lengthy,

very humiliating public spectacles.

They can be terribly painful,

especially for young children.

I'll tell the judge about this.

When he hears that you offered to withdraw the lawsuit

in exchange for my school...

I will deny it, mrs. Bhaer.

It'll be your word against mine.

And unfortunately at the moment,

your reputation is not, uh, the most sound.

You disgust me.

Your opinion of me is not what's important here.

The settling of this most unpleasant lawsuit is.

So I would caution you to think long and hard about it.

Not for your sake,

but for the children.

[ ♪ ]

[ ♪ ]

I been lookin' all over for you.

Heard mcbride was out today.

It was my idea to turn the barn into the schoolroom.

Fritz wanted to convert one of the rooms in the house.

It's warmer and cleaner...

And safer.

But I talked him into it.

I mean, what child wouldn't want to go to school in a barn?

I know I would.

Well, he was right.

It's cold in here, and dusty.

There's spiders in the rafters.

Fritz had such a wonderful way with the children.

He was compassionate, yet firm.

When he d*ed...

I was determined to keep the school open.

And though my methods weren't the most conventional,

I trusted myself.

I trusted myself.

Because I knew in my heart

that I only wanted what was best for the children.

Yet it's been one ordeal after the other.

Mcbride was right.

Children have been hurt.

And I have been to blame.

No, you haven't.

And the kids would be the first ones to agree with me.

Mcbride's just tryin' to get under your skin.

Well, he's succeeded.

He's opened my eyes to the struggles

that I have put these children through,

and the struggles I will continue to put these children through

if I keep fighting this thing.

The kids'll be all right, jo.

You taught 'em well,

each and every one of 'em.

[ Sniffling ]

well, I hope so.

Because right now I don't trust my methods, nick.

I don't trust myself.

So what're you gonna do, just give up?

Well, I won't let you.

I know I told you to think about whether I should leave,

but I'm just gonna go ahead and do it.

No. No, you don't have to.

Jo, you can't give up.

I have no choice!

The children have been put through enough.

[ Sniffling ]

I'm selling plumfield to mcbride.

[ ♪ ]

Dan: I can't believe it.

She's actually gonna sell plumfield.

Mcbride's makin' her do it.

He's got her believin' the things he says about her are true.

But they're not.

Plumfield's the best school there is.

I should know. I've been kicked out of enough of 'em.

Yeah, mrs. Jo treats us like people.

At all the other schools, all they do is give you orders

and tell you to be quiet.

We can't let her do this. We gotta help her.

How? I mean, even if we do convince aunt jo,

mcbride's still gonna win the case.

I've heard my father say he's the kind of lawyer

who doesn't quit until he gets what he wants.

Nat: that's true.

He said he'd drag this case out into a long and ugly mess.

Mrs. Jo just doesn't wanna put us through it.

Well, we're gonna have to put ourselves through it.

Nan's right.

It's up to us to put a stop to this.

Mrs. Jo's just tryin' to protect us.

Now we gotta protect her.

How are we gonna do that? Dan: stop the hearing.

We do whatever it takes to make mcbride drop the lawsuit.

Whatever it takes, dan?

You saw what happened to nick when he tried to stop mcbride.

I'm not talkin' about hurtin' anybody here.

There are other ways to do this.

Such as?

I don't know yet.

We'll think of somethin'.

Whatever it is,

we gotta make sure we see to it to the end.

Now thoreau, he was willin' to go to jail

for what he knew was right.

I don't know about the rest of you,

but I'm willin' to do that.

I'll go to jail.

Yeah, I'll go too.

Me too.

Emil: I guess goin' to jail's better

than goin' to peterskill academy.

[ Sigh ] I suppose so.

I guess I'll just have to wear one of my uglier dresses.

All right.

[ ♪ ]

Can I help you?

You told mrs. Jo that you'd help keep the school open

if she could prove it's what's best for the kids.

That's right.

Good. 'Cause we're gonna prove it to you right now.

Come in.

You sure you wanna do this?

Yes.

We'll follow right behind you.

[ ♪ ]

[ ♪ ]

Nick: what're the kids doin' here?

This way, judge hancock.

I thought we could hold the hearing in the church.

What the...

What's going on here?

Nan: we're stoppin' the hearing.

We're not lettin' anybody in

till we get a chance to speak to the judge.

Dan, please don't make this

any more difficult than it already is.

What's the meaning of this?

These are my students, your honor.

We're defending mrs. Jo and our school.

Well, defend them inside.

Now move out of the way.

No.

What?

This lawsuit is stupid.

Tommy!

Mr. Mcbride: this is nonsense.

Further evidence of the lack of discipline at plumfield.

Dan: our school has plenty of discipline.

Maybe mrs. Jo doesn't hit kids when they do wrong,

like they do at other schools,

but that don't mean we don't listen to her.

The fact is we listen real well,

'cause we know the things she teaches us are important,

like thinkin' for ourselves

and standin' up for what we know is right.

Yeah, and we're not leaving until you withdraw this stupid lawsuit.

This is absurd. Now move out of the way, all of you.

Go on! Emil: no!

We're not going anywhere.

So you're just gonna have to move us yourself.

Someone fetch the sheriff.

If you don't move at once,

I shall have you arrested.

Bess: fine.

Throw us in jail.

We don't care. Bess!

Yeah. Throw us in jail.

Rob: I wanna go to jail too.

Rob!

If the cause is worthy...

Judge: this is not a game, children.

This is very serious.

Nat: yes, sir, we know that.

But we'd rather go to jail

than be forced to leave plumfield.

Mr. Mcbride's tellin' everyone how dangerous it is out there.

But it's not like that at all.

Mrs. Jo teaches us.

She listens to us and takes really good care of us.

In fact, we feel safe there.

It's not just our school. It's our home.

Out here, this is where it's dangerous.

Harrison: you better listen to him, judge,

because up until now, no one has,

myself included.

And if anyone knows whether the school is safe,

I think it would be the children.

Asia: well, it's about time somebody came to their senses.

I think it's time for us all to start listening to the children.

I agree.

You should listen to the children.

Listen to the children.

Well, if the rest of my family is going to jail,

I might as well go too.

Harrison: so, mr. Mcbride,

is there anything you wish to say to the "chronicle"

before you have the sheriff toss these nice people into jail?

I thought perhaps you would like to talk about...

How you were willing to extort mrs. Bhaer

into selling plumfield to you

in exchange for you dropping the lawsuit,

which, of course, would cause one

to question your motives,

and by extension, the very claims that you have made.

Enough!

In light of the, uh...

Situation, your honor, i, uh...

Respectfully withdraw the lawsuit.

Crowd: [ applause ]

[ ♪ ]

[ Cheering ]

[ ♪ ]

Dan: I'll get the gate.

Jo: I'll get it.

All right.

[ ♪ ]

[ Screeching of hinges ]

[ laughter ]

jo: well, it isn't perfect,

but it's still the best school in town. Let's go!

Dan: all right, let's go.

[ ♪ ]

Nan: home!

[ ♪ ]