02x06 - Trial and Error

[bunniefuu]

Marcus!

Yvette!

T.J.!

Mo?

How'd you get in here?

You got to be more careful about

locking them windows.

Where's T.J.? I need the whiz kid

to lay some mad science on me

before tomorrow's Chemistry test.

My parents told me I bring home

another "D,"

it's all over for the student

formerly known as Mo.

So if T.J. doesn't help you get

a good grade, you might get grounded?

Right.

And you wouldn't be over here eating up

all my food, watching my TV all the time?

Right, right.

Dog, Mo, T.J. joined the Marines.

Ha ha!

You are looking at the pivotal character

of Inherit the Wind.

He's juror number three,

while I play E.K. Hornbeck,

the snide and sarcastic

newspaper reporter.

Alright. So what'd you get?

I got hosed.

Ms. Kennedy gave the lead

to Cliff Moffitt.

Hey, but he was good.

He was tall.

T.J., you get to head

the entire stage crew.

I turn the lights on and off. Big whoop.

Poor little kid.

God, it must be frustrating for him.

Yeah. I think the best thing for him

to do is take his mind off his pain

and focus on mine.

Toss me that chem book, would you?

I'll get it.

♪ He's a smart guy ♪

So, you ready, Mo?

I don't know. I mean, yesterday,

when me and T.J.

were studying, I was cool,

but today it's like this stuff's

in another language.

That's your Spanish book.

Oh.

See, it's my nerves, man, my nerves!

Good morning, class.

Put away your textbooks,

get out your pencils

and get ready to hate me.

Huh! That ship has sailed.

This test is so hard,

even I don't know all the answers.

He's exaggerating.

Whoa!

Um, Mr. Bringleman?

What is it, Morris?

These two pages have questions

from chapter seven.

Now, you said chapter seven

wasn't going to be on the test.

I lied.

-But, uh...

-It was assigned.

You did read chapter seven, didn't you?

Yeah, but not for content.

Begin.

Man, that test was impossible!

That was the worst one ever.

Yeah.

I almost didn't have time

to double-check my answers.

Well, I didn't.

There must've been about questions

on that bad boy.

I only got up to , so I have to get

all them right just to fail.

Mmm-mmm-mmm.

Bringleman lives to torment us.

You know? Give a man a grade book

and he think he God.

You know, one day I'd like to do to him

what he does to all of us.

What was that, Mr. Tibbs?

You threatening me and my grade book?

Uh, uh...

Uh, uh... what?

Do you ever have a complete thought?

Everything alright here?

Principal Whitfield,

what a pleasant surprise.

I was just offering the boys here some

words of wisdom.

You know I can never do enough

for the students here at Piedmont.

Well, I'm glad to hear you say that,

because I'm looking for someone

to cover Mr. Bell's fifth period class.

Actually, that fifth period is my

free period and I usually--

Thank you. I knew I could count on you.

Heh heh heh.

Ahem! Just for that,

I'm going to grade your test first.

Look at it this way, Mo.

For a minute, you'll have the best score.

I got you. Come here!

Now, I was just wondering...

how am I supposed

to approach this character?

Drummond is a brilliant lawyer.

He's ingenious.

He's crafty.

That should be me.

I can be crafty.

Can I have the duct tape, crafty man?

Yo, Marcus, I'm about to go sh**t some

hoop, man. You want to come?

Excuse me. Can't you see

I'm rehearsing here?

You don't have any lines.

I have an expression.

I have an expression too.

Give it up.

I'm thinking 'bout

my future here, man, okay?

See, right now I play basketball

and I got a band.

But see, music and sports are a high risk.

What if they fall through?

I need something solid to fall back on.

Acting.

[snapping fingers] Okay!

Okay! Everybody, we're ready to rehearse

scene five.

From where E.K. Hornbeck

enters the courtroom

to confer with the defense attorney.

And begin.

There's been a fire in the Chemistry Lab.

What page is that on?

It's not in the script!

There really was a fire in the lab.

It was a total wipeout.

[all cheering] Yes! Yay!

See there, see there.

I knew Bringleman was going to get his.

It was bound to happen.

Mo, can I see you, please?

Sure, boss. What's up?

We found this in the Chem Lab.

Oh, my basketball play book.

I thought I'd lost it.

Wait a minute. What'd you do to it?

It's all burnt up.

I noticed that too.

My office, Morris.

I believe you know the way.

Hey, man. So what'd the principal say?

She thinks I set the fire in the Chem Lab.

Aw, come on, man.

Why would she think that?

Well, his play book was found in the lab

and everybody knows

he doesn't like Bringleman

and we all heard him

thr*aten him in the hall.

And then, of course,

there's the psychological profile.

Okay. Now you're making up stuff.

Look, all I'm saying is

that in legalistic terms...

I'm dead. I'm beyond dead.

She kicked me out of school.

-Hey, Mr. Henderson.

-Hey, Mo.

So when the principal expelled you,

did she specifically sentence

you to my garage?

I can't take it at home.

Ever since I got expelled, my mom

just follows me around the house crying.

I can't be around that.

What if I cried?

Well, thank you, Mr. Henderson.

It's good to know someone shares my pain.

And who shares my pain?

Hi, Mo.

Hey, T.J. a face from the outside come

all the way over here to visit old Mo.

This is where I park my bike.

So what are people at school

saying about me?

Everybody knows I'm innocent, right?

Not everybody.

More like nobody.

Well, you believe me, don't you?

You have to believe me.

Why?

'Cause you have the wide-eyed innocence

of a child.

Kids can always see the truth.

Since when?

Since always.

Like in that Frankenstein movie.

That little girl in the woods...

she was the only one that knew that

Frankenstein was sweet and innocent.

She gave him a flower.

Then he k*lled her

and threw her in the lake.

Okay. Oh, what about that baseball guy,

Shoeless Joe?

They accused him of throwing

the World Series,

but that little kid believed in him.

He looked up and said,

"Say it ain't so, Joe."

But it was so

and they banned him from baseball.

I'm going to need you to bend on some

of these, man.

Alright, this one's an alternate

since you done sh*t everything else down.

Emperor's New Clothes ?

-Go on.

-Alright.

Now, the only one who can see

that the emperor wasn't wearing

any new clothes,

that he was naked, was that little kid.

Actually, that one works.

Well, then, look at me, man.

I'm not wearing any clothes.

Oh, my gosh!

You really didn't do it!

No.

You really are telling the truth!

That's right, but no one believes me.

-I believe you.

-What do you know?

You're just a little kid.

Well, right now, this little kid

is your only friend.

And believe it or not, I'm your only hope.



I've got mice in my office

and I want them gone.

I don't care if you use traps.

I don't care if you use gas.

I don't care if you play Spice Girls.

Just drive them away.

Principal Whitfield,

I have to talk to you.

Always happy to talk to one of Piedmont's

best and brightest.

It's about Mo.

Oh.

He's innocent.

And that would be based on...

Mo says he didn't do it.

Wow! That's compelling.

But you convicted Mo

with only circumstantial evidence.

Okay. Pretty good circumstantial evidence.

Some of the best I've ever seen.

But I always thought people were innocent

until proven guilty.

They changed that.

Come on. Give him a chance.

Give him a trial.

It's the right thing to do.

I'm not going to get lunch

until I agree to this, am I?

Nope.

I suppose that a mock trial

could be a valuable Civics lesson.

See the justice system in action.

See? Everybody wins.

Alright. You got your hearing.

I just have to find us a room big enough.

Actually, I have a place in mind.

What's with the get up?

They wouldn't let me

be lawyer in the play.

Now they're going to see what they missed.

Are you defending me or auditioning?

Both! The understudy part is still open.

Look, if I can k*ll

two birds with one stone, why not?

Hey, you're still my number one bird.

Order. Order in the mock court.

For the defense will be T.J. Henderson.

T.J., nice duds.

Now, I've asked Cliff Moffitt

to appear for the prosecution.

We'll begin with your opening statement.

Thank you, your honor.

The prosecution will

clearly establish motive.

We will establish opportunity,

and we will...

[chuckles] who am I kidding?

It's Mo!

He's good.

I call Marcus Henderson to the stand.

Don't worry, bro. I got your back.

Now, Marcus, did you hear Mo

thr*aten Mr. Bringleman?

thr*aten? Aw, no, no.

Mo would never thr*aten anybody

under any circumstances.

Oh, so you never heard him say,

"Someday I'd like to do to him

what he's done to us?"

I plead the fifth.

You don't want to incriminate yourself?

Well, no, I definitely

don't want to do that.

Do I?

T.J.?

Are you suggesting somehow

you're a part of this?

Who me? Man, I didn't do anything!

That was Mo making all those

crazy threats!

Your witness.

Now, when you heard Mo's

so-called "thr*at,"

did you take it seriously?

Man, of course not.

Nobody takes Mo seriously.

Ha ha. "Nobody takes Mo seriously."

Ow!

So, you're saying a thr*at from my client

is so much hot air?

You bet. He's all talk.

That's just about it.

A big blowhard? [chuckles]

I object!

Now, when I say I'm going to do

something, I do it.

Except in this case.

In this case, I didn't mean it at all.

Thanks for coming. Drive safely.

And when I went into the Chemistry Lab

after the fire,

I found Tibbs' play book.

Thank you, Vice Principal Militich.

Isn't it possible Morris Tibbs

could've dropped his play book

during fifth period

while he was in his classroom

getting an education?

I guess it's possible.

Mo loses a lot of stuff.

I bet he does.

In fact, in the lost and found,

we have a separate box just for him.

Thank you.

It's a big box.

We gave it back to him once.

He lost it.

No further questions.

So, you found Mo's play book

underneath his desk?

No, I found it on Mr. Bringleman's desk,

right underneath the charred remains

of his grade book.

Boy, that doesn't sound good.

I had just administered

a test to the class

and, as usual, Mr. Tibbs was not prepared.

Later in the hallway,

his frustration erupted

and he threatened me and my grade book.

Is this the grade book in question?

Yeah, that's it.

Have you examined it?

Yes and it appears that Mo--

Objection! He can't say Mo.

Don't say Mo.

Well, it appears that somebody

poured glycerol on that grade book,

thinking it was acid

and that it would burn through the paper.

But that, of course, didn't work.

Then they poured

potassium permanganate on it

and any good Chemistry student knows

that those two chemicals combined

will combust.

That means they're going to start a fire!

Thank you.

The prosecution rests.

Any questions, counselor?

At this time, I'd like

to request a recess.

How can you think about

going outside to play at a time like this?

There's some new information

that has just come to my attention.

Somehow I think you're stalling,

but the Drama Club needs this room

to actually rehearse.

Mock court will resume

tomorrow morning at a.m.

So what's the new information?

That you appear incredibly guilty.

That's not new.

So about breakfast time tomorrow,

Mo is toast.

I am fresh out of ideas.

Well, you did your best.

This time my best wasn't good enough.

So you really think Mo didn't do it?

I'm sure because I have the wide-eyed

innocence of a child.

Don't ask.

It's a long story and it ends with

Mo being nude in the garage.

As so many stories do.

Sorry I'm late, Dad,

but we finally got a chance to rehearse

the play now that the trial is over with.

It's not over with yet.

Well, Bringleman certainly thinks so.

I saw him standing in the parking lot

humming

" Don't Worry, Be Happy "

and chain-smoking Luckys.

He was smoking?

He was humming, "Don't Worry, Be Happy?"

Hurry up and be quiet.

Okay. Ow!

Shh!

Do you know what will happen

if we get caught?

They already expelled me from high school.

What are they going to do,

expel me from college?

Shh! He's coming back.

Okay, we got to find that grade book.

Go on.

What do you have in your hand?

I don't know. It's sticky.

Oh.

That's the glue paper

they use to catch mice.

Now, what mouse would be stupid enough

to get stuck in this?

You stand guard.

I'm going to go get the grade book.

Alright.

Now, why couldn't we get that grade book

in the morning and analyze it?

Because it'll take me a couple of hours

to do the chemical analysis

and we're due back in court at : sharp!

This is ridic--

Got it!

What the heck happened to you?

I've been on guard.

Somebody's coming!

Ow-w-w. Ohh.

Shh!

Hold my hand. Hold my hand.

Okay.

Let me go.

It's not that simple, bro.

No lie.

I would like to recall Mr. Ned Bringleman

to the stand.

I assure you, sir, this won't take long.

Now, you stated you found glycerol

and potassium permanganate

both on your grade book and your desk?

Yes.

When I analyzed the book,

I wasn't able to find either chemical.

Do you think if we sent them

to an independent lab,

they'd be able to find them?

I don't have the slightest idea.

Well, I suppose we can

take your word for it.

After all, you teach

four sections of chemistry.

Back-to-back.

Sounds stressful.

I bet after four straight hours

of teaching thickheads like Mo Tibbs,

you've certainly earned yourself a break.

Yes, I'd say so.

And when you take a breather,

you like to visit the wide open spaces

of Marlboro country, isn't that right?

[spectators murmur]

Isn't it true,

every day after fourth period,

you step outside the school building

and smoke a cigarette?

It's not illegal.

But it's yucky!

And on the day of the fire,

you weren't able to get your smoke

because Principal Whitfield

asked you to take over

Mr. Bell's fifth period class.

Isn't that right?

I don't remember.

Well, I do. I remember.

That's correct, T.J. go on.

And after four tough classes,

the tobacco monkey on your back was going,

"Eee-eee-eee!"

So by seventh period, you were desperate,

so desperate, that you lit a cigarette

in your own classroom.

That's ridiculous!

It's against school policy.

I found charcoal and nicotine residue

on your burnt grade book.

So, it wasn't Mo Tibbs

that set the lab on fire,

it was your cigarette

left carelessly burning on the desk!

-Wasn't it?

-No!

-Wasn't it?

-No!

-Wasn't it?

-No!

-Wasn't it?

-No!

Don't you get tired of this?

I'm ten years old. This is what I do.

It was your cigarette, wasn't it?

-No!

-Wasn't it?

-No!

-Wasn't it, wasn't it, wasn't it?

No, no, yes!

I did it!

But it was an accident

and I shouldn't have

to take the fall for it.

It should be him.

He was the one that was flunking anyway.

Uh, Ned.

What?

I think we should talk.

Wait in my office.

And don't smoke!

This case is dismissed.

Whoo!

T.J., you were great, man.

If I'm ever in trouble,

I'm calling on you.

T.J., Mo, would you approach the bench,

please?

T.J., thank you.

You saved me from making

a terrible mistake.

Aw, it was nothing.

Nothing? Man, you saved my entire life!

You stood up for me

when nobody else would.

And, Mo, I owe you an apology.

I misjudged you.

You are hereby reinstated.

I hope you can forgive me.

You can let go now, Mo.

It's not that simple.

Alright. You convinced me.

I'm bumping you up to juror number two.

Alright!

Oh, thank you. Thank you so much.

Oh!

[clapper] I'm never working

for this guy again.