01x01 - Pilot

[bunniefuu]

[upbeat music]

- People are irrational,

but predictably so.

We're more afraid
of flying than driving,

when the fact is, driving
is much more dangerous.

[tires squealing]

We know we should eat
healthy food.

But then we give in
to temptation.

We buy things we'll never,
ever use.

We assume people are making
rational decisions,

weighing the pros and cons,

when most of the time,
we're not.

Instead, we rely on instincts,

which are almost always wrong,

sometimes dangerously wrong.

♪

One error in judgment leads
to another,

which is why eventually,
someone ends up calling me.

- ♪ Straight down the middle
until I'm lost ♪

♪ Watch me walk

- Any ideas?

- [over radio]
This is an FBI scene.

Virginia Troopers
and DC Police,

stand by for FBI instructions.

[helicopter buzzes]

[tense music]

♪

- Hi, Clay. My name is Alec.

[baby crying softly]

- You another negotiator?

- [chuckles] No.

I would never work
in law enforcement.

It pays crap,
and that's saying something

coming from
a college professor.

Congratulations, by the way.
The FBI only brings me in

when they're really screwed.

I have to say, I'm impressed.

Most people who try this kind
of thing get arrested

or k*lled,
but you were smart about it,

with the baby and all.

- I want what I asked for.

- Don't worry.
You'll get it.

- The guy's a k*ller.
We can't give--

- Just let him try.

- I have spoken
to the higher-ups.

We're authorizing a helicopter.

- [whispers] We are not
authorizing a helicopter.

- What I want to know
from you is,

what kind of helicopter
do you want?

- [breathing shakily]

What kind?

- I've been doing
some research.

It looks like
the Sikorsky is faster,

but the Airbus has
a longer range.

Do you have a preference?

- Uh...

Sikorsky.

- Done.

- I hope you know
what you're doing.

- Now, the Sikorsky will
get you

a couple hundred miles,

but when you land,

you might have
to k*ll the pilot, right?

- Say again?

- You could try
to swear him to secrecy,

but probably you're gonna
have to k*ll him.

You know how you'll
dispose of the body?

Never mind.
You'll figure it out.

But you do need a plan
for the baby.

Is she on breast milk
or formula?

[baby fussing]

♪

That's, of course, if you're
planning to hold onto her.

- Shh.

- You can put her
in a dumpster.

Babies can survive for 24,
maybe 48 hours,

depending on how cold it gets.

We can get you
some extra blankets.

- Please, just let me hold her.

- [yells]
Would you shut up, lady?

- Might be easier
if you leave the baby here.

But without her,
I gotta be honest,

you won't have much leverage.

When the helicopter gets here,
do you want it to land

on the roof
or in the parking lot?

[baby crying]

I can walk through the pros
and cons if you like.

[siren wails]

♪

- Got a clean sh*t.

- Hold your fire.

[baby crying]

- Good choice.

- Thanks a lot, man.

- Hey.

What was it you did back there?

- Paradoxical persuasion.

I overly embraced his idea
to force him

to think it through enough
to realize

it was a terrible idea.

- And how did you know he
wasn't gonna pull the trigger?

- It works about 95%
of the time.

- And the other 5%?

- There's always outliers,
Marisa.

- And what if he had been
an outlier?

- He probably would have
sh*t someone.

If it helps,
statistically speaking,

more likely one of us
than the baby.

- That ability that you have

to completely divorce emotion
from reason is both

why I married you and why--

- You're no longer married
to me.

- Why we split up.

Tell your sister I said hello.

[engine turns over]

[Duckwrth's "Unstatus Quo"]

- ♪ Whatcha here for?
Now, tell me ♪

♪ Say, whatcha here for?
Now, tell me ♪

♪ Say, whatcha here for? Nah

♪ Uh

♪ What's up? Uh

♪ I see you standing

♪ With your back
on the brick wall ♪

♪ But I know
you wanna lift off ♪

♪ Well, here's your chance

♪ I'm likely

♪ The reason you might be

♪ Moving on the right league

♪ Sweeter than icy,
where the hook at? ♪

♪ I don't know
what you came to do ♪

♪ I don't know
what you came here for ♪

- Good morning, Professor.

I have the surveys ready
for the intro class,

and I put together
a pie chart for you

with the demographic breakdown.

Uh, this is Rizwan.
Today's his first day.

- I just want to say
what a privilege it is

to join
your research assistant team.

- Phoebe showing you the ropes?

- He's up to speed--mostly.

"The Post" wants a quote about
the mafia guy you flipped.

Should I give them the one
about conflicting motivations?

- I'll call them back.
Anything else?

- My roommate wants to know
if you really helped

the Rams win the Super Bowl.

- Well, that was
a risky experiment,

but it worked out for them.

Hello, hello.

I'm Alec Mercer.

Welcome
to Applied Psychology 101.

If you're wondering
about what happened to my face,

it wasn't one
of my experiments.

I was b*rned many years ago
on over 60% of my body.

And for the better part
of three years,

I was in the hospital with
my body covered with bandages,

which were changed every day.

I-it was, as you can imagine,
very painful.

And the nurses believed

that ripping the bandages off
quickly was much better

than doing it slowly.

I disagreed,
but they wouldn't listen.

I became deeply intrigued
by this idea

that we repeatedly
and predictably make

the wrong decisions
in many aspects of our lives.

And research could help
change these patterns.

I began doing experiments.

And I found
the nurses were wrong.

So I went back,
and I told them.

And they promised
that they would

change their practices.

One nurse admitted
that she simply assumed

that fast was better,
because for the nurses,

inflicting that pain slowly
was much worse.

I had never considered
their pain.

There are great lessons
to be learned in this.

- [whispering indistinctly]

- Do you have a question?

- Yeah, uh, how'd it happen,

you know, your burns?

[dramatic music]

♪

- [groaning]

Drag racing.

I ran right off the road.
Gas t*nk exploded.

Anyway, let's get started.

[elevator dings]

[chuckling]
- Drag racing?

- I was gonna go
with tiki dancing--

Hawaiian luau
that got out of hand.

- Why not just tell them
the truth?

- When I remember
all of it, I will.

[phone ringing]
- Uh, Professor.

- This is Alec.

[intriguing music]

Madam Mayor.
I'll be right there.

♪

- A young woman
named Jasmine Curtland

was m*rder*d last night.

The suspect is
her ex-boyfriend,

Dylan Hayes,
son of Senator Laura Hayes.

Laura is a friend
and a political ally.

Even the allegations could
blow up her campaign.

And any delay
in charging will smack

of preferential treatment.

- Because it is
preferential treatment.

I'm not interested.

- Alec, I know Dylan.

Known him since he was a baby.

He's a good kid.
No criminal record.

- You've got plenty
of resources at your disposal,

as does he.

- He's a damn w*r hero.

Served with the Marines.

Honorable discharge
when his Humvee was hit

with an IED in Afghanistan.

He's the only one who lived.

- Was he treated for PTSD?

- I don't know.
I do know he developed

a drinking problem,
but he was in AA

and no history of v*olence.

- What do you need me to do?

- I need to know if he's guilty

faster than the wheels
of justice turn.

If he didn't do it,
I'll do whatever it takes

to keep his name
out of the press.

- And if he did?

- I will tell the DA
to move ahead full force.

I've instructed
the department to give you

all the access you need.

They're waiting
for you downstairs.

[tense music]

♪

- I did it.

I k*lled Jasmine.

- Where's his lawyer?

- Well, he had
a whole army with him,

but he just fired 'em.

- Start at the beginning.

- I was having a rough night.

It was the anniversary of the
att*ck where my friends d*ed.

I wanted to drink,
but I went to a meeting instead

at St. Mel's on 45th.

I had a Coke, slice of pizza.

Thought I was okay,
but I guess I wasn't.

I ended up at some bar.

Ordered a beer,

then another.

Realized I was near
Jasmine's place,

so I walked over.

- Jasmine's your ex-girlfriend?
- Mm-hmm.

- She break things off
with you,

or was it the other way around?

- We were kind of
on again, off again.

She thought I needed
to work through some stuff.

She was probably right.

- What happened next?

- One thing led to another.
We had sex.

- Did you use a condom?

- I, uh--yeah.

Think so.

- In what position
did you have sex?

Traditional missionary--

- [clears throat]
I think we get the picture.

So what happened?
Did you get in a fight?

- I guess.
- You guess?

- Yeah. We got in a fight.

She said it was really over
this time.

I must've snapped.

- You own a g*n?

Did you have it with you
last night?

- No.
The g*n was Jasmine's

for protection.

She had a stalker once.

I should've been
the one protecting her,

not the one
she needed protection from.

- So how did her g*n end up
in your hands?

- One thing led to another,
I guess.

- You said that before.

- The g*n just--just went off.

- What kind of g*n?

A Glock?

SIG Sauer?

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

- What'd you do
with the g*n after?

- I don't know.

- Why'd you take
her sweatshirt off?

- [yells] I don't know, okay?

I blacked out.

I woke up in my car.

There was all this blood.
I was scared.

I went to Jasmine's place,

and I--and I found her.

- Have you blacked out before?

- [sniffling]

- How did it feel?

When you sh*t her.

Did you feel scared?

Feel angry?

Did it feel empowering?

Dylan. Dylan.

Try.

Try to recall.

- I don't--I don't know.

I--I just remember
pulling the trigger.

♪

- Well, I guess that's that.

- You think he did it?

You realize that you're talking

about sending a man
to prison for life, right?

- Well, he confessed.

- He did.

But I think he was mistaken.

When we remember things,
we remember images,

specific details.

He went to a meeting
at St. Mel's.

He drank a Coke.
He ate a slice of pizza.

All that he recalled easily.

But when he talked about
what happened in the apartment,

different story.

He kept repeating the phrase,
"one thing led to another."

He couldn't remember

whether he wore a condom
when they had sex.

A former Marine
couldn't remember

what kind of g*n he fired.

Doesn't add up.

The real question is,

why would somebody confess
to a m*rder he didn't commit?

.

[indistinct chatter]

[indistinct radio chatter]

- Hey, hey.

- I got your text.
Why am I here?

- I convinced the mayor
to give me 48 hours

to prove
Dylan Hayes is innocent.

She said the FBI was involved,
so I called the FBI.

- You didn't call the FBI.
You called me.

- You called me
for that hostage thing.

- Barry called you for that.

- You want me to call Barry?

- You want to fill me in?

- Marisa.
Good to see you again.

- Elise Bowen,
District Attorney.

This is Alec Mercer.

- The mayor told me about you.
You're the science guy.

- That's Bill Nye.

I'm actually
the behavioral science guy.

- Can you tell us
what happened?

- She was sh*t in the chest
at close range.

No forced entry.

Probably knew her attacker,

or wasn't afraid of him,
at any rate.

- And the, uh--

- The b*llet went
through her chest

into a display full
of pressurized hair mousse,

and a couple cans exploded.

- Is that an AA sobriety chip?

- Dylan said
he and Jasmine met in AA.

That a webcam?

- Influencer.

Makeup and hair products
mostly.

Anyway, we're just about
wrapped up.

This case is pretty
cut-and-dried.

- You think so?

- The guy confessed.

- If Dylan told you
he was innocent,

would you take his word for it?

- Well, no, but...

- From a psychological
point of view,

it's very strange.

- I can ask for a polygraph.

- That's useless in this case.

He obviously thinks
he k*lled her.

- Why would he remember doing
something he didn't do?

- Last month,
a two-year-old in Texas d*ed

from being left
in a hot car all day.

The father was certain
he dropped her off at daycare.

He remembered doing it.

- That's awful,
but how does that--

- Memory is fallible.

We make mistakes,

sometimes tragic,
life-altering mistakes,

when we count on memory
when we shouldn't.

- So if Dylan didn't
k*ll Jasmine,

what do you think
happened here?

- I know where I'd start.

- And what is so great
about this lip gloss

by my hot new sponsor brand,
Cinnamon,

is that it literally goes
with anything.

Date night, girls' night...
- Ooh.

She's right about
that lip gloss.

- She's an influencer.

You're being influenced,
little sister.

- Okay.

- How popular is she?

- She's got
over 250,000 followers.

- Any of 'em possible stalkers?

- [chuckles]
Pretty much all of them.

- Kylie.
- Hm?

- You remember
when you were seven

and you got lost in the mall?

- Kind of.

- It was the three of us.

It was the week before school.

You disappeared in Macy's,

and we finally found you next
to the frozen yogurt stand.

- Oh, yeah.

Mom was wearing
that yellow dress, right?

- I don't know.

It never happened.

- Then why did you say that?

- There was this experiment
done in the 1990s.

They convinced scores of adults

that they were lost in the mall
as children

to prove how easy it is
to trick our minds

into remembering things.

It is surprisingly easy.

- For us easily influenced
mortals, you mean.

You want some dinner?

- That's not dinner.
That's barely food.

Why are you eating
processed pasta

designed for toddlers?

- You study human behavior.
You tell me.

- You are outside
my field of study.

- You know, you could get
your own place.

But you chose to move in
with your little sister,

so you get what you get.

- This living arrangement is
temporary.

- Until what?

Until Marisa takes you back?

- Ooh.

- Are you sure
I wasn't lost in the mall?

- There's no consequence

to you accepting
that you were lost in the mall.

No associated guilt,
no penalty.

[pensive music]

Do you have more of those?

- What do you want them for?

- An experiment.

Thanks for meeting me here.

- No problem.

But what's this all about?

- I wanted to better understand
how memory works,

specifically, how hard
it would be to convince

someone like Dylan he'd
committed a crime if he hadn't.

So I ran a little experiment.

I started with
"lost in the mall,"

and I took it a step further.

I told them we were looking
at how we spend money.

I gave each of them $50
and a small shopping cart,

and I instructed them
that they had two minutes

to get as much food
as they could.

- What does that have to do
with Dylan's m*rder charge?

- I'm getting to that.

The shopping was just a ruse.

Do you remember when you were
pushing the shopping cart

down the hallway,
there was a table

full of lab equipment nearby?

That was very expensive
equipment.

And when you walked by
with your shopping cart,

you scratched it.

- Are you sure?
- I'm afraid so.

It's on video.

They all confessed.

- I'm so sorry.

- Is this gonna
affect my grade?

- Are you gonna
call my parents?

- Okay, yeah, I did it.
But come on.

Who leaves expensive lab
equipment in a hallway anyway?

- Every single one
of them confessed

to something they didn't do,

just like Dylan did.

- They didn't confess
to m*rder.

- Anyone can confess
to anything

given the right circumstances.

If Dylan didn't do this,

whoever did it is
still out there.

.

[soft dramatic music]

♪

- You know,
sushi doesn't travel well.

- Oh, sorry.

I meant to meet you.

- Mm.
- I lost track of time.

- You're starting
to run up a tab, bro.

What is it?

- Wes Banning is up for parole.

- No.

- The hearing's this week.

"The suspected lone wolf
attacker was convicted

"of two counts
of federal hate crimes

"for possessing expl*sives
and building the b*mb

that k*lled 13 people."

- And injured one.

I can't believe they'd even
consider letting that man out.

- They have to,
because he was never convicted

of the murders themselves.

Because--
- They couldn't place him

at the scene.

- You mean Icouldn't
place him at the scene.

- Alec, it's been
almost 20 years.

You have to stop
holding onto that.

- It left a rather lasting
impression.

I may not remember my past,

but maybe I can help
Dylan remember his.

- Okay, so not the same thing.

Dylan doesn't remember
because he was drunk.

And alcoholics tend to lie.

[intriguing music]

- There's one place they don't.

- What do you mean?

♪

[scoffs] Hello?

Where are you going?

- To a meeting.

♪

- Professor?

- Oh, good.
You're here.

- Where's Phoebe?

- She's still
a bit peeved at me

for the shopping cart
experiment.

I put her in charge
of the lab tonight

to restore
her sense of control.

You're new, so I thought
you would enjoy seeing

how we do things
outside the lab.

- Why are we here?

- Uh, Jasmine and Dylan met
in AA,

so it seemed
a good place to start.

- You know, my uncle's been
sober ten years 'cause of AA.

This is, uh, kind of supposed
to be a safe space.

- A woman was m*rder*d
in her apartment, Rizwan.

Sometimes safe spaces aren't
as safe as they seem.

- So are we just gonna talk
to everyone here

to see if anyone knows
who Jasmine's stalker is?

- No.

They're going to talk to us.

Hear me. It's called
the cocktail party effect.

You're in a crowd.
You're talking to one person.

Everything else becomes
background noise

until you hear something like
your name or the word "fire"

or the word "sex."

See?
Everyone hears the word "sex."

In this case, we're gonna say
the name "Dylan" a few times.

- Dylan?

- Excellent job.

And if Dylan's
friends are here,

they'll come over
and talk to us,

and we'll get some clues.

Hm?

- Heard you guys talking
about Dylan.

- Are you a friend?

- Oh, I'm his sponsor, Ray.

This is Jeff.

- Alec.

- You don't mind me asking,
how'd you get the, uh--

- Oh, this.

Yeah, I--I got drunk.

I tried to fix the oil burner.

b*rned down my house
and 60% of my body.

- Jeez.
Talk about hitting bottom, huh?

- I suppose you guys heard
that Dylan got arrested

for k*lling Jasmine Curtland?

- Yeah.
You know, it's hard to believe.

I just didn't think
Dylan was the type.

- Hey, Jeff.

- Excuse me.

- I feel like
I let the guy down.

You know?
I should've been there for him.

And maybe if I had been,
he wouldn't have--

[phone ringing]

- Excuse me.

Alec here.

- Professor,
it's Detective Chou.

Listen, you might want
to swing by Jasmine's place.

- Why? What's going on?

- There's another suspect
in her m*rder.

- [breathing shakily]

I would never hurt Jasmine.

She taught me so much.

She inspired me.

- Why'd you break in?

- Because I wanted something
of hers to keep forever

to remind me of her.

It was stupid. I'm sorry.

- So this is what you took?

Lip gloss?

Okay, we're gonna need
to take your statement.

- That's the wrong lip gloss.

- I'm sorry, what?

- The--the cosmetic line

that Jasmine endorses is
called Cinnamon.

This is a different brand.

This isn't hers, is it?

Lila, I think I can get
the good police officers here

to forget the last 20 minutes
ever happened

if you tell me now
why you're really here.

[tense music]

- That bitch ruined my life.

♪

.

- Okay, so I know I've only
been sober eight months.

But part of being sober
is being honest.

So I have to tell the truth.

And I'm not knocking Lila.

Okay? She's a nice girl.

But I did some digging
into her product line,

and they are tested
on animals.

Lila says they're not.

But they are.
I can only--

- This better be good.
I had dinner plans.

- She outed Lila
as a bunny k*ller and a liar.

- Influencers can get very
competitive with one another.

- She admitted to writing
threatening notes to Jasmine.

That's why she broke in here,

to keep the police
from finding them.

- I wouldn't call that
a motive for m*rder.

The FBI is going
through Jasmine's laptop

for any other correspondence.

But her alibi seems
to check out.

- What will you do about Dylan?

- Most likely, we'll be
filing in the morning.

- It's possible
that Lila wasn't

the only person b*rned
by Jasmine's influence.

- We also have an ex-boyfriend
who says he k*lled her.

[intriguing music]

- Was Lila in AA?

- Not that I know of.

- The police found
a five-year sobriety chip here

the day Jasmine was k*lled.

She said she'd been sober
for eight months.

- Maybe it was Dylan's.
- Yeah, maybe.

- Why are you so sure
he's innocent?

- I'm not sure about anything,

and I don't think
you should be either.

♪

Oh, right.

Hi.

- Hi.
- I was just wondering,

uh, did any prints show up

on that sobriety chip
from Jasmine's place?

- I can--I can check
with the techs.

They're going
through her laptop.

Is that really why you came by?

- Can I come in?

Oh, wow.

I like what you've done
in here.

- You don't have to say that.

- No, I do.

The walls look better
this color.

- Alec.

What's up?

- [exhales deeply]

- It's Dylan, isn't it?

His trauma is bringing
all your trauma back.

- Come on, Marisa.

- What he went through
in Afghanistan?

He survived
while his friends d*ed,

just like you.

The nightmares, are they back?

- I've had a nightmare or two.
- Mm-hmm.

You talk to Dr. Stevens?

- I know everything he knows
and then some.

- [scoffs] Do you find it
the least bit ironic

that the behavioral psych
professor won't see

a damn psychologist?

You are never gonna
get closure on the past

unless you deal with it
in the present.

- Well, in the present,

Wes Banning's
parole hearing is this week.

- We both knew
this day would come.

- Any chance
they'd let him out?

- I don't know.

You gonna go?

- I have to.

My injuries could sway
the parole board.

It's the identifiable victim
effect.

- Alec.
- I--I am the only one

who canbe there, Marisa.

I owe it to the ones who can't.

- I understand.

- I know you do.

It was your case too.

- My first one.

- [chuckles]

You were not what I expected

when they told me
the FBI wanted to talk to me.

- Oh, no?
What did you expect?

- I don't know, some old
white dude with a mustache.

- [laughs] We must have been
fresh out of mustaches.

[soft dramatic music]

- I guess now
you wish you hadn't

drawn the short straw
on that day, huh?

♪

- [echoing] I'm Agent Clark.

Alec, whatever happened,

whatever will happen,

I will never regret
the day that we met

or anything after that.

[phone buzzes and chimes]

They found something
on Jasmine's laptop.

They're sending it now.

- I know anonymity is sacred.

Lives can be ruined
when I name names.

But what about my life?

I told him that we weren't
right for each other,

but he just couldn't take no
for an answer.

AA saved me,
and because of him,

it wasn't safe anymore.

I had stopped going
to meetings.

[knocking]

[sighs]
I--

I guess I'll tell you guys
about it tomorrow.

- It was on her hard drive.

She never got a chance
to upload it

because she was k*lled
shortly after.

- Which is when Dylan arrived.

- It's like I said,
it's always the boyfriend.

.

- Charges have been filed today
against Dylan Hayes,

son of Senator Laura Hayes,

in the m*rder
of his ex-girlfriend,

social media influencer
Jasmine Curtland.

[buzzer blares]

- Oh, it's you.

You got more weird
sex questions?

- Dylan, how long
have you been sober?

- Almost six months.

- So you don't have
a five-year sobriety chip?

- No. Why?

- Dylan, this is important.

Is there anyone else in AA

that might have had
something against Jasmine?

- I don't know.

- Everyone thinks
you're guilty, Dylan.

You realize I'm probably
your best sh*t here, right?

- Why are you helping me?

- Because--because I think
you're innocent.

- I'm not.

- Of course you feel
guilty about what happened

in the w*r,
but that has nothing to do

with what happened to Jasmine.

But don't worry.
If I'm wrong,

there's an excellent chance
you're going to jail.

But if I'm right
and you don't help me,

most likely, no one's gonna
find out who really k*lled her.

- She stopped coming
to St. Mel's.

- How come?

- She said something
about some guy

who kept hitting on her
at meetings.

I didn't think
it was a big deal.

[tense music]

- Did she say anything else
about him?

Anything at all?

- Only that he came
to every meeting.

He was a regular.

♪

- Rizwan.

- My uncle's gonna
want this back.

- A man's life is at stake.

I'm sure he'll understand.

- So what's the plan?
More cocktail party effect?

- Not exactly.
Tell me what you know

about reciprocity.

- Uh, chapter six,
your second book.

Uh, if someone shares
something intimate or private,

you feel a strong obligation
to share back.

- You've done your homework.

Reciprocity is
a very strong instinct.

Programs like AA depend
on this concept,

whether they know it or not.

Hi. I'm Alec.

all: Hi, Alec.

- If you're wondering
about my face,

I don't talk much
about how it happened.

[soft dramatic music]

Because the truth is,

I don't remember it--

not the important parts,
anyway.

♪

- Admit it.
You were impressed.

- Well, maybe not
impressed exactly.

- Really?

[ominous music]

I forgot my backpack.

I'll be right back.

- [coughing]

I usually make up stories
about the scars.

Car accident,

cooking incident,

oil burner mishap.

But it's just a way
to avoid the truth.

I can still hear the blast.

I can still smell
the expl*sives.

I can still feel the searing,
scorching pain

of fire on my skin.

But I can't recall
a single damn thing

about the bomber.

All those people d*ed.

I should've d*ed.

And the person responsible
could walk free

because I can't remember.

Good to see you, man.

- So, uh, you didn't, like,

make all that up, did you?

- Of course not.

- I knew that.

- Hey, uh,
hell of a story, man.

- It is.
Uh, I was surprised

how cathartic it was
to share it.

- There's something I've been
wanting to talk about myself.

D-do you got a minute?

- Of course.
That's why we're here, right?

- So the thing is, if I hadn't
gone to that birthday party

when I was seven years old,
I figure my whole life

turns out differently,
you know?

- But hey, you're sober now.

That's all that matters.

Have you reached
your five-year mark yet?

- Five? No.

This summer,
it'll be my one-year.

Nah, the only guy
I know here who's, uh--

who's past five years is, um...

Ray.

- Will you excuse me
for a second?

- Yeah.

[tense music]

- Hey, Ray.

I believe you dropped this.

- Oh.

Thank you.

I was looking for that.

- Call my ex-wife

and tell her to get here
as soon as she can.

- Okay.

♪

You know, you don't appreciate
remote car keys

until you have a car
that doesn't have one.

- That's an amazing ride.

You like it?

- Thought it would help me
get over my divorce.

- Mm. Didn't work?

- [sighs] It mostly reminds me
of what I'm trying to get over.

Hey.

I went to see Dylan.

He told me that he doesn't even

actually remember
sh**ting Jasmine.

Made me think
of how crazy memory is.

Your memory ever play tricks
on you?

- Not that I know of.

- Mine does.

For years, I remember the day
I was b*rned being a Sunday.

I found out later
it was a Saturday.

I don't know why that matters,
not really.

I wonder how Dylan feels,
about to go to jail

for something
he doesn't even remember.

You know, they never found
the m*rder w*apon.

Oh.

That's where it went.

.

[dramatic music]

- Do you have a plan for how
you'll dispose of my body?

- Don't start
that shrink crap with me.

I know who you are.
I saw you on the news.

You working with the cops?

- If I say yes, do you k*ll me?

I don't mind dying very much,

but I've never had
the opportunity

to do a study like this,
so I have to ask.

Are you considering all
the pros and cons right now?

We can talk it through
if it helps.

I happen to be an expert
at making better decisions.

- How about you stop talking?

- If you k*ll me,
I stop talking.

That's a pro.

My ex-wife would agree
with you.

The con though is, without me,

you're really on your own
with the police.

- I'm warning you.
- I just want you

to ask yourself if you're
making the best choice here.

- Shut up.

[tires squealing]

- [grunts]
You're obviously a smart guy,

the way you framed Dylan
for Jasmine's death.

- I just wanted her
to go out with me.

She kept saying no.

- Probably an indicator

that she didn't want
to go out with you.

- I liked her.
And she would have liked me too

if she had just given me
a chance.

- But she didn't, did she?

- She said she was gonna
tell Dylan,

that she was gonna
tell everyone.

She was gonna go online,

say that I was
some kind of predator.

You know, before AA,
I was a worthless drunk.

Now I'm getting certified to be
a substance abuse counselor.

Things were finally starting
to go right.

- You couldn't have k*lled her
after you left Dylan

because the FBI checked
your alibi.

So you must have
k*lled her before.

You didn't bring a w*apon,

so you probably didn't plan
to actually k*ll her.

So what happened?
You thr*aten her?

- I didn't pull out
the g*n, okay?

She did.

- Obviously, you got it
out of her hand

and into yours.

♪

You didn't know how you were
gonna get out of it.

Then you thought of Dylan.

You knew the police would
suspect the ex-boyfriend.

You drug his drink.

You put the sweatshirt
in his car.

As his sponsor, you would've
been his first call.

He trusted you completely,

and you abused that trust
to protect yourself.

Made him think he'd relapsed,

helped him "remember."

Everything Dylan told
the police,

you planted into his head.

Dylan didn't have a beer,
did he?

He didn't even go
to Jasmine's, did he?

- She was gonna ruin my life.

- So you took hers
and ruined Dylan's.

[siren wailing]

You're either gonna k*ll me
or go to jail, probably both.

So you may as well tell me
if I got it right.

- Yeah. All but one thing.

I'm not going to jail.

♪

[g*nshots]

♪

- [groans softly]

- Hey.

- Hey.
- Hey.

- Did you take him alive?
- Mm-hmm.

- The car?

- Totaled.
- [groans]

- What were you thinking,
running after him like that?

- It's not every day that I get
to talk to a criminal

before he commits
another crime.

I thought I could help him
make a better decision.

- Of course you did.

- I was making headway
until you showed up.

- You still think that
because you cheated death once,

you can do it again.

- Mm, mm.
- Mm, yeah.

- Hey there.

Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt.

Just wanted to see
how you're feeling.

- I've been better.

But then, I've been worse too.

- I can attest to that.

[phone rings]

- I just wanted to let you know
Dylan's been released.

All the charges have
been dropped.

- That's good.

That's good. I'm glad.

- Would you ever consider

doing some work
for our department?

- You have my number.

- Hope you feel better soon.

- [chuckles]

I see you.

You are a magnet

for powerful women
in law enforcement.

- What are you talking about?

I'm not interested in Elise.

- Mm, because you're still
in love with your ex-wife.

And no car or hot DA
is gonna change that.

- You think she's hot?

- Yeah, a little bit.

But she's got nothing
on the OG.

Endgame?

I'm still shipping you two.

- [grunts]

[intriguing music]

♪

[tires squeal]

- Dylan.

Come on in. Have a seat.

- I just wanted to thank you.

I could have gone to jail
for the rest of my life

if you hadn't stepped in.

- I'm sorry for what happened
to you, man.

- I still remember doing it.

How can that be?

- Memory is the great conman
of human nature, Dylan.

It lies to us.

It's lied to me.

Memory and imagination work
the same way.

Once Ray planted those lies
in your mind,

your brain was no longer able
to distinguish between the two.

- So how do I make it go away?

- Imagine something else
happened.

And think about that every day
for a hundred days.

Eventually,
the bad memories fade.

They're replaced
with better ones.

- And that--does it work?

- For some.

You know, it works
for the other memories too,

of Afghanistan.

The ones you tried
to drown with alcohol.

You can't just try
not to drink.

You have to replace it
with something else

that helps you move forward.

For me, it was my work.

- I've been meaning
to go back to school.

- Maybe give that a try.

You know, I hear
the psych department

at Wylton's not so bad.

- [laughs softly]

[soft dramatic music]

♪

- Name and DOC number, please.

- Uh, Wes Banning,

A4261.

- I'm going to read
some information

for the record now.

The Virginia Parole Board
will consider

an independent quality
conditional release

of all adult offenders
who petition for pardons--

- You came.

- Wouldn't be anywhere else.

- Protection of society
by facilitating,

as appropriate,
the timely integration

of offenders back into society.

Would you like to make
a statement, Mr. Banning?

- Yes, I would.

Um...

to the family members
that are here,

I'd like to say I'm sorry
for what I did.

I take full responsibility
for my actions.

[door opens]
And I've learned

from my time in prison.

[eerie music]

♪

- If you are released,

do you think you'd be likely
to commit crimes again?

- Yes.

[indistinct chatter]

I'm kind of a bad seed,
to tell you the truth.

If you let me out,
I'll probably b*mb

another couple churches.

- Given the lack of remorse

and intent
to commit other crimes,

this board has no choice
but to deny

the petitioner's request
for parole.

[dramatic music]

♪

[tires squeal]

♪

- Did you see his face?

The plates?
- No, nothing.

- Whoever that was
scared Banning so much

that he'd rather stay
behind bars.

- Banning wasn't a lone wolf.

- Someone else is
pulling the strings.

And whoever it is,
is still out there.

♪