02x06 - Argue the Facts

[bunniefuu]

Brannigan.

Hey, Brannigan. You still there?

What do you got for me, Big Phil?

A dinner with Franklin Roberts.

What I'll do is, I can
steer the conversation

towards the Logan case.

Shouldn't be hard.

Then I'll start digging.

Be straight with me.

When this ends, can you
go back to your family?

Can I walk away?

Of course.

It's what we do.

But, yeah, I'll keep you posted.

Yeah, yeah.

No, no, no, no.

- No, you... you sh**t me...
- Shut up, man!

Don't even.

You sh**t him, you'll...
you'll never know.

You'll never know.

Know what?

Know what?!

The Nation's take is down,

which means our cut is down,
all because big man Dante

has his eye on legitimate business sh*t.

I'm thinking maybe we
go back to the Faction.

I'm thinking

that's at the heart of
who you are, isn't it?

Loyalty. Am I right?

Do you think Lieutenant Brannigan

- is a loyal kind of guy?
- Shut up!

T-T-That's not even
the biggest question.

Don't think about saving Brannigan.

There's a bigger picture here.

Before you decide what to do,

let me ask you something,
real bottom line.

Which are you first?

Are you Nation or are you a Black man?

Loyalty to who?

To all brothers and
sisters across America

or to a select few

selling junk on Cottage Grove?

Hey.

Hey. Where are you?

Over at Englewood High School.

Yeah, they got a blockage
in the staff restroom, and...

- You okay?
- Yeah.

Joshua w...

No, he's good. Trust me, he's good.

But, uh, he can't talk right now,

'cause, uh, well,

the boy's installing
an anti-siphon valve.

You know, how about that?

I mean, I'm starting to think of, uh...

I think he actually
likes this line of work.

You think so?

Hey, Ma.

Hey.

Phil not with you?

Uh, no. He went to his
place to get changed.

Oh, yeah?

Yep.

Where were you today?

Uh, Englewood High.

- All day?
- Yep.

I was learning how to put
on an anti-siphon valve.

And then Phil dropped you home?

Yep.

What'd you have for lunch?

I don't remember.

Maybe it was Lucky's on Cottage Grove.

What is this?

You tell me what this is, Joshua.

Why don't you tell me what this is?

What? Dante Blake had a blocked drain

he needed you to fix?

So you're lying to your mama now.

Huh? We don't do that in this house.

I'm the liar?

- Joshua, listen...
- It's your boyfriend.

No, I get it. I know.

He's covering for you, and
he's colluding with you in this,

and I don't like it
either. But he's not here.

We're talking about you right now.

- Ma...
- So don't go dodging your problem,

trying to shift it onto
other people's plates.

- Ma!
- What have I always told you?

Take responsibility, own your sh*t!

- Okay! Okay!
- So go ahead, let me hear it!

Let me hear it!

He's a cop.

What are you talking about?

Who?

Who's a cop, Joshua?

Phil.

Okay?

He a cop.

Good.

You...

So you both knew and you didn't tell me.

- I need you to just...
- I'm pregnant!

I'm having this man's baby!

You... you knew this and
you still didn't tell me?!

Our whole strategy was around...

Strategy?! Strategy?!

Are you f*cking kidding me, Franklin?

- No, no, no.
- What is wrong with you, Franklin?!

Why would you even
use a word like that?!

Everything turns on this, everything.

It's what they do.
It's... it's who they are.

It's what we're trying to change, Norma.

This is me, Franklin.

This is me!

I need... I need three days.

I know. I know.

How dare you?

How dare you make me
a part of your strategy

and not tell me?

Do you know what that feels like?

I'm sorry.

The way he... he violated me,

and you allowed him to do that.

- I know.
- Jesus Christ.

- Mom...
- What?!

- No, no. Norma, Norma.
- What?!

Three days. I need three days.

Please. I got it right with Moses

when everybody thought I was wrong.

I got it right. You were the strength.

We saved him together.
Norma, I'm begging you.

I'm begging you.

I'm begging you, Norma. Please.

Please, Norma.

I'm begging you.

Norma?

Norma?

Yeah, I'm here.

Well, you alright? Something wrong?

Norma.

Norma.

Just a little nauseous.

Well, you know that's normal, right?

Sure.

Yeah, I can't make it over tonight.

- Yeah?
- Yeah, yeah.

I mean, I'm sorry. Uh,
just something that came up.

- So...
- What's that?

Yeah, uh it's a job

I got for a friend, and I...

Well, I should have done it weeks ago.

But I... But I'll still
pick up Josh in the morning.

Then I'll... I guess I'll see
you for dinner with Franklin.

Norma?

Sure.

Love you. See you soon.

Ma.

Look, Ma, I'm... I'm sorry.

Okay?

I thought what I had with Phil was real.

How could I be so wrong?

I don't know.

Where do we go from here, Jojo?

How do we trust each other now?

Ma.

Ma.

- No, no. No, no, no.
- Yes, yes.

Nicole. Nicole.

Shoeshine?

I like your boots.

Never take them off.

That's how I feel about my Doc Martens.

Only thing the Brits ever got right.

Got them on a trip to
London years ago.

Great little store in Camden Town.

- Good working-man's shoes.
- Shakespeare.

Excuse me?

The Beatles.

Liverpool Football Club.

Canterbury Cathedral.

National Health Service.

The miniskirt. My grandparents.

One or two other things
the Brits got right.

Good morning, Lieutenant.

Counselor.

I have a confession.

This is personal.

I'm not your usual zealot prosecutor.

I don't want to put
people in cages forever

just because I can.

But... and it's a really big "but"

and it's why I'm standing here today...

when I see somebody who's
been given civic responsibility

and a sacred duty of care

to look after people
do a thing like this...

... you better know I'm coming for you.

And here's the really big news.

So's the organisation you work for.

The CPD has changed.

This is an institution that
has learned from its mistakes

and is prepared to say, "No.

Enough is enough.

We won't have it anymore

when a colleague behaves
in this appalling way."

George Floyd has made a difference.

The fact that this prosecution
stands on the testimony

of the accused's brother officers

tells you so much about the
new world we're moving into

after what happened in
Minneapolis two summers ago.

Officer Logan is a bad
apple in the barrel.

It's my job and it's your job

and it's the job of
everyone who worked with him

to remove that bad apple.

Pretty, uh, rarefied up there.

What's that?

The moral high ground.

Not much oxygen for you folks
who just discovered racism.

Don't tell me who I am and who I'm not.

I'm comfortable with
the moral map I live by.

You said this was
personal. You meant that?

Tell you what.

Gloves off in there,
and then why don't we be

civil to each other outside of court?

What do you say, Franklin?

I say no.

I can't compartmentalise like that.

That's not who I am.

You know, a couple of years ago,

I heard a spokesman from the
Labor Party in Britain say,

"We've always been anti-r*cist

and we've always been anti-Semitic."

I don't know, of course, but
I think he got it all wrong

because the words were new to him

and they didn't quite
fit in his mouth yet.

Are you comparing me to him?

That level of arrogance, bigotry

reminds me of something.

My opponent gave me a list of witnesses.

It's a long list of
mostly police officers,

who she's suggesting are here
to clean up their institution

and cleanse their souls

by condemning Officer
Logan for what he did.

But there's one name not on the list,

the one person closest to the
experience of this r*cist m*rder,

and they... she has decided
you don't need to hear from her.

The witness is in court.

She's sitting right there.

Her name is Naimah Watts.

Her husband was Jalil Watts.

She's in court, but she
won't be on the stand.

Now, why do you think that is?

If you're State's Attorney
Pearson prosecuting a m*rder

with all that
righteousness on your side,

isn't it a good idea for the
grief-stricken family member

to tell you, the jury, about her pain?

But, somehow, Ms. Pearson has decided

that Naimah's loss is
not a part of this story.

Why not?

Why no Naimah?

Because the same police department

my opponent asks you to
believe is reforming itself

as we speak was not
even remotely interested

in investigating the brutal
b*ating of her husband

outside a bar habituated
solely by police officers.

Why is she not calling Naimah?

How dare she put up a
photograph of a smashed-up face,

with a bashed-in head and
claim she's on his side.

And everyone who made
it possible for this

to happen to another innocent Black man

is now on the right
side of the argument?

No, no, no, no.

No, we've had enough of being told

how the world looks by White people,

and we won't take the
same people telling us

that years for the
man who m*rder*d a brother

in broad daylight in
downtown Minneapolis

and then told the world
he did nothing wrong

somehow corrects years

of the systematic
dehumanising of our people.

How dare she stand there and claim

she's on the side of angels
coming down for the bad apple?

But I know why she's doing it.

I see her.

She doesn't want to feel guilty.

She doesn't want you to feel guilty.

She wants to be able to say,

"There's nothing wrong with the world

as long as we cut down
some rotten fruit."

She wants this to be personal.

Okay.

Let's be personal.

If she thinks this trial is
about one individual, one cop,

then she's a part of the problem.

No, it's bigger than that.

If she thinks this trial is
about one individual, one cop...

... then she is the problem.

♪ Every Sunday morning ♪

♪ Mama made us go to church ♪

Yo, I'll pick you up at : right here.

♪ It got down inside of us ♪

♪ And now it's time to work ♪

♪ This is the time ♪

♪ To tell somebody about the good news ♪

♪ Wake up and ♪

Did you know who he was?

Other than he was a cop, no.

Well, how did you know he was a cop?

How they walk, the way they move.

They have that cop atmosphere.

Was he alone?

Yes.

Did he do any police work
while he was at the hospital?

No.

Did he talk to Jalil's family?

No.

Did he ask to?

I mentioned his wife was coming back.

That's when he left.

How was he behaving
when you first saw him,

before he saw you?

Shifty, furtive, a little crazy,

like he hadn't slept in a long time.

Main thing...

he clearly didn't want anyone
to clock him being there.

Let me ask you about
the injuries to Jalil.

I've seen a lot during
my time on this job.

Mm-hmm.

County can be like a w*r zone.

The v*olence people do to other people.

This may be the most
brutal as*ault I've seen.

And how did that make you feel?

I used to feel angry.

And now?

Tired.

Very, very tired.

Do you want to feel that way?

No, I don't.

Hmm.

Can I ask you a question?

Please. Go ahead.

Representing a monster like him...

... how do you look at
yourself in the mirror?

By asking everyone else

to look in the mirror with me.

Can you tell us how
discovering Jalil Watts

lying wounded on the street that night

has affected you?

I'm woken in the night, every night,

by the nightmare I always have.

And I wake up in the morning

to a day of thinking about nothing else.

It's what I see all the time.

What do you see?

His head all ballooned up...

and the blood.

I'm sorry. Why is
this even a trial, huh?

He's not saying it wasn't him.

Not even saying he was
att*cked or anything.

So, frankly, what the f*ck?!

Can I say that?

I think you just did.

That's how I feel.

Why did you leave the scene?

You could see he wasn't dead.

I didn't want to get involved.

Why not?

I was scared.

Of what?

I don't trust law enforcement.

Why not?

You ever been homeless?

No.

There's a look they give
you, like you're not there.

Never been homeless, but the look...

I know that look.

You're a good person.

I try to be.

You're a God-fearing person.

Yes.

And you're a person who
would leave a man bleeding out

on the ground rather than
risk an encounter with the CPD.

What would you had done?

You don't ask the questions.

It's a great question, Your Honour.

My answer?

I probably would have
done the same thing.

You know why?

I'd be scared the cops would
accuse me of the m*rder.

Objection.

Counsel seems to be confused

as to whether he's a
lawyer or a witness.

What it comes down to is,

who would do a thing like that

to a human face, huh?

To a human head.

What does it take?!

There they are, all the
vital questions, all in a row,

right to the very heart
of what we're doing here.

Whose side are you on?

Don't be scared of me now, Jojo.

We really doing this, Ma?

Scrub those potatoes.

It's gonna be alright.

Yeah, it's gonna...
it's gonna be alright.

Just stay focused.

Stay focused.

There he is.

Come on, Ma.

Hey, hey.

For the nausea.

- Nausea.
- Yeah.

There you go.

Good to see you.

- You good?
- Yep.

Good, 'cause I am starving.

Hey, what's up?

To the man of the hour.

Mmm-mmm!

Listen, since nobody's gonna say it,

this is delicious, baby.

- Right?
- I mean...

- Good.
- Right?

- I'm glad.
- Yeah.

Joshua, eat your food.

Yo, you know, one of the few memories

I have of my mom is her cooking,

but she used to dance while she cooked.

An-any-anything in... in particular?

Her lamb stew.

Off the chain, yeah.

No. I meant...

You meant what she was dancing to?

The Stylistics.

Mm-hmm. And The Drifters.

- "Save the Last Dance For Me."
- Yeah.

She would play it over and
over and over and over again.

I'm sorry. Just a little nausea.

Baby, baby, hey, hey, you okay?

Yeah. I'm sorry.

- Let me get your medicine.
- No, no, no.

- You sure?
- I'm okay.

She got that morning
sickness in the evening.

Hmm.

Uh, did you have the same
thing with Moses and Joshua?

No.

First time.

That probably means it's a girl, y'all.

Hey, Franklin, those
meds you were taking...

is that for the cancer?

Mm-hmm.

What kind of meds you taking?

Oh, you wouldn't... you
wouldn't know the... the name.

No, I meant, like, do
they affect your type of...

Well, do they affect
your work, side effects,

something like that?

I'm sorry. Was that...
That was invasive.

- No.
- No, that was inappropriate.

I-I'm sorry.

I'm... Listen. Look.

- I'm sorry.
- It's okay.

You know, one thing I
remember about my mom...

she always used to say to us,

"Ask any question you want to ask.

Ain't no such thing as too curious.

Curiosity didn't k*ll the cat.

It made the cat everything it is."

- There you go.
- Hmm?

She was right.

I think Phil here is a little
in awe of you, Mr. Franklin.

That's why he's afraid
to ask the question

he really wants to ask.

How's the trial going?

Yeah?

Am I right?

As well as a hell of a cook,
my baby's a mind reader now.

Just catering to my guests' every need.

Well, here's the problem.

The cops took Jalil's car to the pound.

Now, why would they do that?

To clean it up, of course, down
there where no one's looking.

Everybody knows impound
guys are super-cop-friendly.

I just can't prove that
it was Brannigan's crew.

So, you... You know, did you, uh...

So, there was no forensics?

Completely clean.

No... no fingerprints, nothing.

Uh-huh. Boy, I tell you, them pigs...

they... they good at cleaning
up they own damn mess, now.

Man. But what evidence did you get?

Between us, completely
real, not a whole lot.

I-I-I got to do some...
I got to do some digging.

Yeah?

Digging up what?

Everything turns on us
proving the cops were there...

when Jalil was att*cked,
straight afterwards,

that they were lying when
they say they weren't.

Right.

I'm guessing Brannigan
spoke to all his crew

on the phone sometime after it happened,

getting all of their...
their information together,

marrying all their alibis, you know.

Man, I know.

That damn Brannigan, man.

He's a monster.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

A monster he is.

You know, I'm... I'm going to...
I'm gonna jump him tomorrow.

You say "jump him"?

Uh, I'm going to request disclosure

of his phone history that night.

- Mm-hmm.
- That's smart.

Yeah, that's smart.

How about you, Josh?

You've been, uh, pretty quiet tonight.

I'm just tired.

Yeah.

Plumbing can be draining.

Yeah, that's him.

Yeah.

I'm sorry. I'm gonna be sick.

I got it, I got it.

Ma.

I'll... I'll check it out.

- Yeah.
- It's okay.

Ma, Ma, you okay?

Norma, you okay?

I don't want to be doing this.

It's not what we do.

I'm afraid you're going to have to.

Okay.

He was real messy.

I mean, complicated, dirty, ugly, messy.

Drunk?

Us cops can drink.

You know, we can drink with
the best of them and then some.

But Logan was more drunk
than I've ever seen him.

Was there a reason for that?

The Moses Johnson verdict.

And what did he say about that?

He was saying what the verdict means.

He said it means people
are entitled to run

from a police officer

and that people are entitled to fight us

when we're doing our duty.

He said, "The only thing you need

to have all that going for you...

your skin has to be the right colour."

He said that?

Then he went crazy.

How do you mean?

Incoherent, angry, wild.

Have you seen him that way before?

Yes.

When his partner d*ed.

He lost control then, too.

That's the thing about being a cop.

You have to have emotional discipline.

Hysteria doesn't help you do your job.

A good cop has to have it in him

to think clearly and
rationally under pressure.

I thought Johnny Logan
had that. I was wrong.

And in the days after
Michael Rossi's death?

Lieutenant?

His loss of control
turned into something else.

How would you characterise that?

With an old Irish word... bogán.

It means "an egg without a shell."

It used to describe
mushy food or soft ground.

But sometimes, my grandfather
used it about his brother.

He meant spineless, without backbone.

And that was Logan then?

Can you be specific?

No.

"No" you can't or "no" you won't?

I don't want to go there.

Yes, you can and, yes, you will.

What was Officer Logan
saying that made him

lead you to the conclusion
he was spineless?

It's what he was doing, not saying.

What was he doing, Lieutenant?

Lieutenant?

Having an affair with Jessica Rossi.

What?

His dead partner's wife?

Yes.

I'm sorry.

Yes.

What the hell?! Really?

I mean, what were you thinking?

Lieutenant Brannigan says
you have an explanation.

I can't imagine what that would be,

and he wouldn't tell me,

because he said it should
come from you and not him.

But if you have a reason
why you gave Roberts

that tape, it would
help everyone to hear it.

We don't want to stop
supporting your family.

We really don't.

We're trying to be good people here,

but it's hard.

So think about it, Mrs. Rossi.

But not for too long.

We need to be made whole.

So, the night of...

I had a couple of drinks
and left the bar early.

- Why?
- I don't understand.

Well, on a night like that,

with all the stress and
trauma of the Moses verdict.

That's exactly why.

- How do you mean?
- I wanted to be at home,

'cause I knew I'd be
getting lots of calls.

I'm a kind of father figure

to a lot of cops in my district.

They come to me when they're in trouble.

But why would that mean
you had to be at home?

Away from Logan's craziness.

I wanted to hear myself think

so I could be there for my guys.

Mm-hmm. Did you take calls that night?

- Lots.
- From?

Frater, Young, Gallagher, all my guys.

Do you have your phone
history from that night?

Yes, I do.

Do you recall where Officer
Frater called you from?

His home.

At what time?

Around : .

That's an hour before the
call for Jalil came in.

Is that right? Sounds right.

Gallagher? Young?

I think Frater was the first to call.

So all the other guys
would have been after : .

Thank you so much.

Yeah, give me that
scan and the other one

and put it on my desk.

Okay. Alright.

Dr. Algren? Come with us, please.

- Wh... wh...
- Now.

Hey, hey, hey! Where are you taking me?

- Let's go.
- Hey!

Prescribed and proscribed.

I always struggled with the difference.

But I got it now. At least I think I do.

Prescribe means issuing meds to people.

Proscribed means meds

you're not allowed to prescribe.

Have I got that right?

And a doctor who's confused
about the difference...

what would happen to him?

What do you want?

I've always liked a doctor
who gets right down to it.

How long has he got?

Weeks, not months.

He don't look as bad as that.

That's why he wanted the medication.

You can go now.

The doctor says he's on
his way out and quickly.

But I'd rest a lot easier
with our thumb on the scale.

I got an idea.

So, what is it?

I'm gonna go see an old friend.

He's back.

Did you miss me?

Squeeze.

My man.

up.

How you been, bro?

I'm good.

Where's your boy?

Where's my boy?

You hit the nail right on the head.

On his way to hell, where he belongs.

I need you to help me send him there.

You know how much I
enjoy playing with cops.

Say it again. Say that again!

Get in the car. Logan...

Six months ago,

outside a fried-chicken
joint on th Street.

- Say it again!
- That's enough!

Say that again!

Get off of him!

Someone posted this online.

The link was sent to
three members of the jury,

who all watched it in its entirety.

Sent by whom?

We suspect the e-mail was
sent by juror number .

He claims his computer was
hacked, denies any involvement.

I've ordered an investigation.

Just a blatant attempt to
delay the trial, Your Honour.

Delay?

Why would anyone do that?

Look, regardless of the motive,
the jury has been compromised.

Even if I were to seat
the three alternates,

we'd still be short one juror,

because I'm now forced
to remove number .

I want this to be a fair trial.

It's way too important for it not to be.

There's no way you could watch
that video and not be biased.

So we're looking at a mistrial.

Mm-hmm.

When would the new trial be?

At least four months, probably six.

Only one thing matters here.

My client stands to lose
from the members of the jury

watching this video.

So the choice is his.

Does he want to continue
or ask for a mistrial?

Officer?

I, uh... I need some time.

Okay. Back here tomorrow morning.

I want your decision then.

- Thank you, Your Honour.
- Thank you, Your Honour.

♪ And we buckin' back ♪

♪ sh*ts ♪

♪ sh*ts ♪

What do you think he'll do?

I don't know.

I'm... I'm not allowing
myself to think the worst.

♪ sh*ts ♪

Okay, okay.

You can watch something else, you know?

Like what?

Something lighthearted.

"Breaking Bad," maybe?

I don't know. Here.

I think you just put your foot in this,

and then you pull.

Try it.

There. There.

There it is.

There.

Doc Martens, early s.

Look familiar?

Yes!

Bingo.

Brannigan w-was there.

We got him.

Um, Peter Sessions at
the news desk. Is he in?

Um... yep.

Could you make sure he gets this?

Fine.

Franklin?

It's done.