04x01 - Labor Days

[bunniefuu]

CROWD: Seven, six, five, four, _

three, two, one.

- Happy New Year!
- Hey, bartender lady!

(CHEERING)

PATRICIA: Hey.

I know it's New Year's Eve and all,

but don't you think
maybe you've had enough?

How about some food?

Fish and chips? Tater Tots?

Something with some absorption?

♪ And auld lang syne? ♪

♪ For auld lang syne... ♪

Give me a minute.

♪ For auld lang syne... ♪

I think we need to cut this guy off.

No, don't cut him off.
Offer him some food.

- Did that.
- Come on.

It's a holiday crowd.
I don't want any trouble.

I don't want to start anything.

Give him another and
maybe he'll pass out.

Maybe he'll leave.

("HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS"
BY BURL IVES PLAYING)

PATRICIA: So, let me be the first.

Happy New Year.

If you say so.

So, you have any big plans?

You make any resolutions?

Nope. I'm done with the future.

♪ I don't know if there'll be snow ♪

♪ But have a cup of cheer ♪

♪ Have a holly jolly Christmas ♪

♪ And when you walk down the street ♪

♪ Say hello to friends you know ♪

♪ And everyone you meet ♪

♪ Oh, ho, the mistletoe ♪

♪ Hung where you can see ♪

♪ Somebody waits for you ♪

(ENGINE STARTS)

♪ Kiss her once for me... ♪

That guy, the one I wanted
to cut off, he just left.

Problem solved.

No. He's getting in a car.

His own car. Where are you going?

He's driving and he's blind
drunk. I-I... to follow him.

If I can get a cab.

What are you talking about?
You can't leave.

- Hey, taxi!
- It's New Year's Eve!

Yes, I-I want to report what
looks like an impaired driver.

His license plate? Sure.

It's CX... oh, wait a second,
he's turning.

Uh... slow down?

Looks like he's turning into a driveway.

("DREAM ON" BY AEROSMITH PLAYING)

♪ Sing with me, sing for the years... ♪

Looks like he's done for the night.

Sorry to have bothered you.

♪ Sing with me ♪

♪ Just for today, maybe tomorrow ♪

♪ The good Lord will take you away... ♪

Can you take me back to where you got me?

♪

WOMAN: No, no.

- (g*nshots)
- (SCREAMING)

♪ Sing with me, just for today. ♪

_

(KISSES)

Oh, Bull.

It's unanimous.

BULL: Not yet it isn't.

All I need is one juror.

One green juror.

A great closing argument could
turn this whole thing around.

JUDGE: We're ready to
hear closing arguments.

Oh, man, talk about pressure.
I would not want to be that guy.

(CLEARS THROAT)

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...

I mean, what is there to say?

Thank you for your attention.

TAYLOR: Wow.

I-I don't know if this
is just an optical illusion,

but I'd almost swear
all the jurors just got redder.

BOTH: I miss Benny.

All right, it'll be right out.

Danny.

Thanks for coming. Thanks for doing this.

You were right.

It's all in there.
He's a repeat offender.

This guy's as slippery
as a fish covered in Vaseline.

Mm-hmm.

He's your client, isn't he?

Hey.

The slippery deserve
as vigorous a defense

as those of us with traction.

- Oh, Benny.
- (CHUCKLES)

What did we say? bucks?

I don't want your money.

(STAMMERS) Benny,
why don't you give Bull a call?

Eh, what are you talking about?
We're good.

Really? The two of you have spoken?

Benny, you're a great lawyer.

But look at the people
you're representing.

(SIGHS) Yeah, well, I've never been good

at the getting the clients part.

Well, you know, Bull isn't as good

at the winning cases part without you.

He'll be fine. We'll be fine.

Thanks for this.

Either of you a father?

BULL: Well, my wife...

my ex-wife... it's a long story...

we're expecting in four months.

I have a -year-old

who's finishing
her second year of college.

My daughter's .

Worked as a bartender
to put herself through school.

You remember hearing about
the Crosley Street killings

in Brooklyn last year?

CHUNK: Yeah.

Guy walks into his ex-wife's house

on New Year's Eve with a . Magnum.

Massacres her and her four guests.

sh**t them all at point-blank range.

Then the police came
and sh*t and k*lled the sh**t.

His name was Eugene Hobbs.

My daughter Patricia served
Mr. Hobbs six sh*ts of tequila

in the two hours preceding the sh**ting.

Yesterday, not quite two years
after the crime was committed,

Patricia was arrested
for involuntary manslaughter

in the deaths of those five people.

I will pay anything if you can
successfully defend her.

CHUNK: So,

who are you gonna get?

City's filled with great lawyers.

I'll find one.

You know it's not that simple.

(EXHALES) It's not
just about being great.

It's about finding someone who
knows when to listen to you

and, with all due respect,
when to ignore you.

And that does not happen overnight.

And what do you suggest I do, Mr. Palmer?

I suggest that you go to Benny
and you beg him to come back.

BULL: I need your brother.

What's the matter?

Am I not enough for you?

Have you tried the phone?

Yep. He won't return my calls.

Write him an e-mail.

Invite him to dinner.

I did that. He didn't respond.

(SIGHS)

Well, just talk
to the court clerk and find out

when he's going to trial
and plant yourself there.

And beg him.

You're the second person
to use that word today.

I am not gonna beg him.

He assaulted me in front of four people.

I'm not gonna beg him.

(GAVEL BANGS)

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...

(EXHALES)

...people do not get
out of bed in the morning

and think to themselves,
"Maybe I'll take a fall today.

"Maybe I'll slip on the subway stairs,

"wrench my back,
sprain my neck, break a rib,

"and spend a month in the
hospital in extraordinary pain

so that I can sue the city of
New York for a million dollars."

People do not do that.

People do, however,
sometimes lose their balance.

Particularly on a rainy day,
when the steps are wet

and the city does nothing
to control the number of people

at a given subway station

and folks are pushing and shoving and...

(SIGHS)

Now the defense has not allowed
a single minute to go by

without reminding you that my client

has fallen several times before.

We don't deny that.

But as the expert witness pointed out,

it is not unusual for a man
of Mr. Condron's

size and age to have some challenges

with regard to equilibrium and mobility.

But we are not here to adjudicate

Mr. Condron's physical limitations.

We are here to decide
whether the city bears

any responsibility in what happened.

And I think the answer
is pretty doggone clear.

CONDRON: Mr. Colón.

Mr. Colón.

- I just want to say thank you.
- Hmm.

I think you did a hell of a job in there.

Ah. Sorry I wasn't able
to do better by you.

(CHUCKLES): Hey, come on.

The city's paying for my hospital bills,

my lawyer bills. (CHUCKLES)

There's no crime in breaking even, right?

(GRUNTS) Who knows?

Maybe we'll do this again sometime, huh?

God, I hope not.

BULL: Didn't I see that guy on the
cover of Slip and Sue magazine?

(CHUCKLES): What are you doing?

Earning a living. What are you doing?

Seeing what it would take
to get you back.

Truthfully,

I don't think you're capable
of doing what it would take.

I'll do anything.

No. You're not hearing me.

I didn't say you wouldn't want to.

I said I didn't think you could.

Name it.

Respect me. Show me some respect.

- Done.
- (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

You know, i-if you really
understood what respect was,

you wouldn't have answered that
so quickly.

(SIGHS) What are you talking about?

I've always respected you, Benny.

Really?

Accepting cases without consulting me?

It's my company, Benny.

All these years in court together,

have you ever once asked my opinion?

- (SCOFFS)
- My point of view?

This is ridiculous.

Ah, unless we forget
what you did to my sister

at my father's funeral.

We're having a baby.

We're very happy,

and the only thing we're missing is you.

Oh, don't you worry,
gonna be there for the baby

and I'm always there for my sister.

I know you're hurt.

I know you're looking
for someone to blame,

someone to unload the hurt on,

but sometimes things just happen.

They just do.

Words of wisdom coming from a
man who fornicates at funerals.

Come on. You know and I know
why you're here. You need me.

Yes. I do.

Well, you can start with an apology.

I am sorry.

Unprompted.

Like you actually meant it.

Well, let's not forget you punched me.

Where's my apology?

You should check the weather
in hell, my friend.

Where are you going?

Oh, yeah, the trial's over.

You gonna hit the streets,

see if you can find
a new ambulance to chase?

(DOOR SLAMS)

Did you just give me the finger?

So I went to the owner.

It just seemed really clear to me

that we needed to cut the guy off.

But not because you thought
he might do harm to someone?

No, no. Uh, I had no way of knowing that.

Just because he seemed so out of it.

But the owner disagreed?

He was worried
the guy would make a scene.

The place was packed.
He didn't want an incident.

So you gave him another drink?

I didn't feel I had a choice.

I needed my job.

BULL: Pretty good witness,
wouldn't you say?

I mean, she was so concerned
for the man's safety,

she followed him home.

By the way, we are still on the hunt

for the cabbie who drove her.

I think he could be a,
an important witness.

Whatever you say,
but I don't want to go to trial.

I don't follow.

Well, let's look at the endgame here.

The man who k*lled all those people,

he was sh*t dead by the police.

The bar itself has gone out of business,

and the owner's nowhere to be found.

And the victim's family are looking

for their pound of flesh,

and the only flesh
they can find is your client,

who, by the way,
happens to be the daughter

of a very wealthy man.

You lost me.

What does this have to do
with us not going to trial?

Let me finish.
Managing situations like this,

it's what I do for a living.

Tomorrow morning
I'm gonna go down to the D.A.,

see if I can get this pled down
to a misdemeanor.

She would still have a record,

and given the hysteria in the media,

she would almost certainly do jail time.

Yeah, but not years.

And we avoid a criminal trial altogether

and get right to the main event.

Which is?

The civil trial.

I mean, bottom line,

they may not know it yet,

but what all these victims'
families are really looking for

is settlement money from your client.

And then,

once everybody's got
their "feel better" money,

it'll be easy to get our girl
early release.

On the other hand, we could go to court,

make our case, convince a jury,

and then there would be no jail time,

there would be no civil trial,
there would be no settlements,

and, I don't know,
that kind of makes sense to me

because she didn't do anything.

You're not hearing me, Dr. Bull.
I'm not going to trial.

Mr. Perry, keep in mind, I hired you.

Dr. Bull, you came to me

because you needed somebody
to ride shotgun

with you on this thing.

Now, you don't come to a firm like mine

because you want to go to trial.

You come to a firm like mine
to avoid trial.

Trials are crapshoots.

Juries are crapshoots.
Deals and pleas are not.

Now, I know court's where you live

and juries are what made you who you are,

so I understand you'd have an exaggerated

sense of comfort there, but...

We're going to trial.

(SIGHS)

I haven't been inside
a courtroom in seven years,

and I'm damn proud of it.

It's a slow and irritating process

and a terrible use of people's time.

My time, anyway.

I'm guessing your regular guy
is in-in the hospital?

On vacation? Otherwise indisposed?

Something like that.

Okay, I'm gonna do you a favor.

I know you're not a lawyer,
so I'm gonna ask the court

for a one-month continuance
on your behalf.

You know, take the month,
wait for your guy.

Month will get it done, right?

No.

It's not your problem.
I appreciate the offer.

I'll be fine.

(SIGHS)

Steve. Steven!

Hey.

You know what?

I think you're right.

Let's do everything we
can to avoid a trial.

Wait, so...

so now you're saying you,
you want to do this thing?

I get a good feeling from you,

and I think we'd work well together.

Huh.

Yeah, me, too.

- Thanks for lunch.
- Yeah.

Mr. Valerian, good afternoon.

- You here by yourself?
- Indeed I am.

No Marissa,

not this time. I wanted a word
with you privately.

Okay. How can I help you?

I know... you know
my wife had a change of heart

with regards to our plans
for starting a family,

but I wanted to talk with you,
kind of off the record,

about a couple of things. First,

I would hope you haven't
disposed of her eggs just yet.

No, I don't believe so, not quite yet.

Well, what I was wondering was,

is there a way I could pay you
to keep them in storage

without my wife knowing about it?

Why don't you tell me the second thing?

Surprise, surprise.
I want to freeze my sperm.

I just...

I want to make sure
we have everything we need

in case she changes her mind again.

Mr. Valerian,

now I need to talk to you
"off the record."

So we'll save the taxpayers
money and the courts time,

and our client'll come in,

plead guilty to a misdemeanor,
and we'll just

shuffle this off to the
civil courts where it belongs.

Misdemeanor?

Yeah, I was thinking, uh,
reckless endangerment,

but we're totally open to anything

the district attorney's
office wants to suggest.

And how do you feel about this, Dr. Bull?

Uh, not sure my feelings really matter.

Mr. Perry is the lead attorney
on this case.

So you think she's guilty?

Because this feels like
the kind of strategy

one would employ for a guilty client.

In my opinion, no,
I don't think she's guilty.

She served the man
some drinks, she didn't

buy the b*ll*ts, she didn't load the g*n.

Then what are you doing here?

Uh, he's here because I'm here.

Because I genuinely believe

this is the most prudent course
of action.

The girl doesn't deny she served the man,

so let's cut to the chase.

We all know that this is gonna end up

in the insurance company's lap.

It's gonna be about money.
I say let's get to it.

Where is that lawyer
you used to work with?

I always sensed

that fellow had a conscience.

- Hey.
- WILLIAMS: Let me lay my cards

on the table.

I have six dead bodies to answer for,

four grieving families to answer to,

and I don't think "misdemeanor"

is the answer they're looking for.

And I don't think money

is what's on their minds.

Not yet.

So I'm gonna see this thing
through in a court of law.

The charge is still
manslaughter, gentlemen.

Thank you for dropping by.

(ELEVATOR BELL CHIMES)

Huh. Well, who'd have guessed it?

A.D.A. is a true believer, a holy roller.

Well, you win some, you lose some.

I'll tell you what, I'm gonna send

an associate of mine
over to sit with you in court.

Yeah, like I told you before,
musty old wooden rooms

and men and women in robes
banging hammers on tables,

it's not my thing.

And mark my words, you're just
gonna end up in the same place,

sitting around a big conference
room table talking about money.

You're fired.

- Beg your pardon?
- (ELEVATOR BELL CHIMES)

You're fired.

(LINE RINGING)

IZZY (OVER PHONE):
When are you coming home, Daddy?

When I solve this problem.

Jason... (SIGHS)

why don't you just
let me call my brother?

He'll understand. You need a continuance.

Enough time to find another lawyer.

I'm sure he'd be willing to call
the judge and get that for you.

- No, please don't.
- (SIGHS)

Well, then why don't you call him?

And say what?

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

Hold on a sec.

I have called every lawyer
we have ever worked with.

It's after : . Nobody's picking up.

Hmm. I got to figure this out.

Okay. I'll just find
some other guy to rub my feet.

You do that.

What are you gonna do?

(SIGHS)

I'm gonna show up
in court tomorrow like a man,

and when the judge asks
where my lawyer is,

I'm gonna cry like a baby

and hope she and my client
take pity on me.

Now, out of my way.
I got some feet to rub.

(STAMMERS)

(PHONE DIALING)

- (SIGHS)
- (LINE RINGING)

BENNY (ON RECORDING): Hello,
you've reached Benjamin Colón.

- Please leave a message.
- (BEEPS)

(SIGHS)

I'm sorry.

I'm so damn sorry, you have no idea.

Hey, sorry I'm late.

There was an accident on West Street.

BAILIFF: All rise.

Uh, the thing is,

the attorneys and I last night had a...

a difference of opinion, and we, uh...

JUDGE: Good morning, counsel.

Are we ready to proceed with voir dire?

We certainly are, Your Honor.

JUDGE: And counsel for the defense?

BENNY: We certainly are, Your Honor.

♪ Ooh... ♪

♪ Oh... ♪

♪ Ah... ♪

Thank you.

For what?

For getting through voir dire?

You wrote the questions,
I just asked them.

How do you feel about the jury?

I think we did the best we could.

All we can do is appeal
to their sense of fair play.

- Mm.
- I mean, we wouldn't even be here if...

that bar hadn't b*rned down
and the owner hadn't fled town.

If there were somebody else to go after.

If the police hadn't sh*t the k*ller.

Not much to hang a defense on.

So, I've lined up the cab driver.

He's all set to talk about how Patricia

followed her customer home
and wouldn't leave

till he was safely in the house.

CHUNK: Yeah,
he's scheduled to come in tomorrow

so he and I can go over his testimony.

- Excellent.
- Thanks, Chunk.

And by going back and combing
through the newspaper,

television, and Web
coverage of the sh**ting,

I was able to track down
witnesses from the bar

who overheard the conversation
between Patricia and the owner.

How she made it very clear

she didn't want to serve
any more drinks to Hobbs,

but he pretty much ordered her to do it.

Well, there you go.
Jurors have to respond to that.

- We can only hope.
- You know,

I've actually been thinking about

another way to come at this thing.

What are you talking about?

Well, respectfully...

I've been thinking about it all day,

and I have an idea for a narrative.

A thought on a way to present this case.

From a legal standpoint.

Oh... you do?

Yeah.

Why are you acting so surprised?

Am I acting surprised?

I guess I am. Okay.

I am. It's just normally you leave the...

narrative strategy to me.

Well, to be honest, a lot of the times,

I have ideas of my own.

I just don't present 'em to you.

And why is that?

I guess I sort of get the sense

like they might not be welcome.

Well, respectfully back,

that is ridiculous.

- Really?
- Yeah. Absolutely.

What is your idea? What is your
narrative? What's your strategy?

Causation.

- Causation.
- Causation.

Personally, I don't like
going into a trial

where I have to count on the possibility

that the jurors might realize

it's not fair to blame our client.

I'd prefer to prove

that one thing had nothing
to do with the other.

That the k*ller drinking those drinks

did not cause him to bust into that house

and k*ll his estranged wife and
all those people, that there was...

no causation.

And therefore, our client
bears no responsibility.

You think you can prove that?

Respectfully, I do.

With the team's help, of course.

You just don't understand juries.

Oh?

I don't understand juries, huh?

I see.

Spent my whole adult life in court,

but that counts for nothing,

- says the jury whisperer.
- Okay,

I promise you every single
person in that jury box

at some point in their lives
has had a run-in

with someone who drank too much,

and I guarantee you they felt threatened.

I don't deny that, but
did they blame the person

who poured the drink or
the person who drank it?

MARISSA: I-I know it might not

be my place to say... but I think Benny

is onto something.

You're right, it's not your place.

Well, if she's out of line, then
I'm definitely looking for work,

because what he's talking
about sounds like...

a real defense.

And what I said?

It sounds like a point of view.

An-And, look, you may be right,

but when the smoke clears,

no matter where this thing ends up,

we all want to feel like we
actually defended our client,

and not stand around and let

whatever you're convinced is
gonna happen just... happen.

Hmm.

Causation.

Rhymes with "exoneration."

Let's hope it works.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

the law is very clear and straightforward

about situations like these.

It is virtually irrefutable
that the defendant,

through her actions,
through her willingness

to serve an apparently
already inebriated man

more alcohol, set in motion
a series of events

that led to all this bloodshed
and heartache.

And the law has a name for that.

Involuntary manslaughter.

So, even though someone doesn't
actually pull the trigger,

she must still be held responsible

for all that she did that contributed

to this horrific tragedy.

BENNY: On New Year's Eve,

the day of these unforgivable killings,

Eugene Hobbs had breakfast
at the Crosstown Diner.

Had they not served him,
isn't it possible

that he might not have had the energy

to commit his monstrous crime
later that day?

And yet, where's the waiter
that brought him

his bacon and eggs?

Why isn't he here...

sitting beside my client,

shouldering his portion
of the responsibility?

Or the gas station that sold him the gas

that made it possible for him to drive

to his estranged wife's home.

Or the company that sold him
the winter coat he was wearing

that made it bearable for him
to go out in the cold

to do what he did.

I mention all this
because the prosecution,

in explaining his case against my client,

left out one vital element.

That's causation.

It's causation.

Th-That's really the question here.

Did what my client do
actually cause these killings?

Let me put it another way.

Had my client not served Mr. Hobbs,

is it reasonable to suppose
that he would not have gone

to his estranged wife's home
and done what he did?

Ladies and gentlemen,
as I will demonstrate

during this trial,
the facts do not support that.

One did not cause the other.

And, folks, if I can prove to you

that one did not cause the other,

then you have no choice but
to find my client not guilty.

Thank you.

Tell me what you see.

MARISSA (OVER EARBUD):
I'll tell you what I don't see.

I don't see any takers.

BULL: Well, he's telling them
there may not be a bogeyman.

Or woman.

That there may not be a living
and breathing human being

left to punish, that they
may not have someone

that's still alive left to blame.

And that's not fun to hear,
so let's give it some time.

So, as a city medical
examiner, Dr. Ferrel,

you performed autopsies
not just on the five victims

- but on the sh**t as well.
- I did.

And can you tell us about the
sh**t's blood alcohol level?

He was pretty close to a . .

And the legal limit is?

. .

So, almost three times the legal limit.

That is correct.

I have nothing further for this witness

at this time.

Dr. Ferrel, you supervised
all of the autopsies

for all the victims,
as well as the sh**t?

I did.

And how many sh*ts were actually
fired by the sh**t?

Five.

And there were how many victims?

Not including the gunman himself.

Five.

Wow. The sh**t didn't waste
a single sh*t.

Doesn't sound like he was
all that impaired to me.

Maybe just drunk enough
to actually go through with it.

Ah, I see, I see.

So you are suggesting
that perhaps the alcohol

gave him the courage
to commit these terrible crimes?

Okay, and-and

what in your autopsy findings
led you to that?

Nothing. It's just a hunch.

Just a hunch.

Okay, let's talk science.

Let's talk statistics.

Would it surprise you to know

that the Center for Disease Control

did a study of mass sh**t in America?

Mass sh**t being
any sh**ting in a single place

in which four or more people
are sh*t dead at the same time.

And they discovered, unlike domestic,

single-victim sh**t, which tend to be

spontaneous acts of passion,

mass sh**t almost
never involve alcohol or dr*gs.

And they found this puzzling,

so they interviewed the sh**t,

and you know what they discovered?

sh**ting a lot of people is hard.

It takes planning, it takes focus,

and apparently that's why, by and large,

no alcohol or dr*gs figured
into these sh**t.

And when they did,

it had nothing to do
with the killings themselves.

It was usually because
the sh**t had been drinking

to celebrate an anniversary or birthday.

Or maybe even the New Year.

Objection. Is Mr. Colón testifying,

or is he gonna ask
the witness a question?

I'm sorry, Your Honor.

Sometimes I get excited
and I just start talking.

Objection sustained.

The jury will disregard
counsel's comment.

Well, maybe they will, maybe they won't.

Your brother was a real superstar today.

Prosecution put on a full-court press.

Of course, tomorrow we put on our case.

And don't tell Benny, but I for one

am gonna bring an extra
pair of underwear.

I have a feeling it's gonna get ugly.

You don't sound optimistic.

I didn't say I wasn't rooting
for your brother.

It's just...

(SIGHS)

people need someone to pay,

even if it's just Mrs. O'Leary's cow.

Is it just juries
that you've lost faith in,

or... all of humanity?

It's everyone.
Pretty much the whole species.

Then...

why are we having this baby?

Well, it's like I told your brother,

sometimes things happen.

They just do.

I didn't ask you how,

I asked you why.

Maybe, way down deep...

I'm hoping I'm wrong.

BENNY: So,
how long did you know the sh**t?

How long were you friends
with the sh**t?

Since high school.

So y-you were around
when he met his estranged wife?

When they started dating?
When they got engaged?

Yup. He couldn't believe it.
He thought he'd won the lotto.

So they were young and in love?

Until they weren't.
I remember him telling me,

he said that one day
everything just changed,

that she wouldn't hold his hand,

she wouldn't let him kiss her,
wouldn't let him touch her,

didn't want to listen
to anything he had to say.

And how did he react to that?

Not well.

For a while he was just
depressed, and then he got mad.

And did he ever discuss
seeking some kind of revenge?

Yes.

And did this revenge involve g*ns?

Yes.

BENNY: And when did these
conversations start?

About three months before the killings.

Three months.

Thank you.
No further questions, Your Honor.

WILLIAMS: So your testimony is,

your best friend tells you
he wants to sh**t his wife,

and you didn't call the police?

You didn't call his wife?

No.

May I ask why not?

Honestly?

I thought he was just
trying to blow off some steam.

I mean, come on.

Who kills their wife?

Your best friend did.

Your best friend did.

BENNY: So, is that the
g*n you sold the sh**t?

Certainly the same make and model.

And when did the sale take place?

Uh... right around Thanksgiving.

About five weeks before the killings?

Yes, sir.

Do you have any knowledge
regarding whether the sh**t

had ever fired a g*n
prior to the sh**t?

He mentioned to me that he hadn't.

Wanted to know if I could
point him towards a range

where he could practice,
get comfortable with it.

And how often would the sh**t
bring his g*n to your range?

Three or four times a week.

Three or four times a week.

Every week in the weeks
leading up to the sh**ting?

Uh-huh. Even Christmas.

We got him signing in
and we've got him on video.

Now, your sister and her husband d*ed

on the night of the m*ssacre.

Yes. They were all great friends.

My sister and her husband,
another friend and her husband,

and of course...

The sh**t's estranged wife.

Now, this New Year's Eve party,

this is something they did every year?

Every year since the end of high school.

It was just the three couples,

except this year it was two and a half.

- Because the sh**t wasn't invited.
- No.

But he knew about it.

Like I said, it happened every year.

And I'm sure it hurt his feelings,

along with everything else
that was going on.

So you don't think it was an accident

that he chose this particular night

to go back home with a firearm?

No. He knew exactly what to expect

when he walked through the door.

BENNY: Thank you, Ms. Parker.

Oh, uh, one last question.

How well did you know the sh**t?

Pretty well.

Since the end of high school,
like the rest of them. Why?

And...

did you know him to be a drinker?

Yeah. Sure. Gene could drink
with the best of them.

So the idea that he would have to drink

to summon up the courage
to do something...?

Based on my experience?

Gene would drink to drink.

(GALLERY MURMURING)

Thanks again, Ms. Parker.

Marissa?

I've only got
two little sprouts on my end.

Okay, that's a beginning.

Let's see what closing arguments bring.

So he came up with the plan
three months before it happened,

bought the g*n about six
weeks before it happened,

started practicing
five weeks before the big day,

and drank every time
he had the money and the time.

So how does my client fit into all this?

From everything I can tell, she doesn't.

Now, uh, a guy I work with,

a guy I really, um, respect...

...we got into this thing at work.

I was in the middle of a tough time.

My dad had just d*ed,
my sister's marriage fell apart,

bunch of other things.

Some had to do with him, some didn't.

Anyway,

I got really angry with this guy.

And somewhere deep down inside,

without really thinking about it,

I decided to blame it all on him.

Now, eventually, we-we patched it up,

and I remember at one point
him saying to me,

"I know you're hurt.

"I know you're looking
for someone to blame,

"someone to unload all that hurt on,

"but, you know, sometimes

things just happen. They just do."

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

I think Eugene Hobbs made
a decision to do something,

and whether or not my client
served him those drinks,

he was going to do it.

Because, you know, sometimes

things just happen.

They just do.

BULL (OVER EARBUD):
So, where does that leave us?

I am staring at a perfect mix
of red and green.

- Six and six.
- Mm.

What did she say?

Six, six.

Split right down the middle.

Well, that sounds pretty good, right?

Yes and no.

Either side needs
a unanimous verdict to prevail.

And what happens if it's just a standoff?

We get to do this all over again,

and your life stays on hold
for another year or so.

(ELEVATOR BELL CHIMES) _

Anything?

A call or text?

Anything from the courthouse?

I'm afraid the silence
has been deafening.

(SIGHS)

_

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Entrez vous.

Hey.

What do you hear?

Nothing.

Oh, Patricia.

That poor girl.

She must be going out of her mind.

I'm sorry, Bull.

Sorry I got you into this thing.

I'm sorry I didn't get it
past the goal line.

I'm sorry I didn't bring it home.

Maybe you're right.

Maybe I just don't understand juries.

Oh, Benny.

I was wrong.

I've been wrong about everything.

Watching you in court, I turned green.

People are my business.

I'm supposed to know what they
think before they even think it.

And I got to tell you,
most of the time lately...

(SIGHS) the world seems so crazy.

People seem so crazy to me.

Makes me terrified for the world

my kid is gonna grow up in.

How long you think
they're gonna make us wait?

The jury?

As long as it takes, I'm afraid.

YOUNG MAN: So, wait, that's
your big New Year's Eve story?

That's how it ends?
It can't end like that.

I mean, did the jury finally
come back with a verdict?

Not really.

After days, they just kind of gave up.

Told the court they were
hopelessly deadlocked.

And then they had to
do it all over again?

No.

The district attorney
dropped the charges.

Well, wait a second,
why would he do that?

Well, the way my dad
and my uncle explained it to me,

he said back to them the same thing

they kept saying to each other:

"I guess sometimes things just happen.

Sometimes they just do."

Yeah, I get that.

But I don't think
that could happen today.

I kind of think the world must've
been much simpler back then.

BULL: Come on, you two, get in here.

It's almost next year.

BENNY: Hey, time's a-wasting.

Ball's about to drop.

Okay, Dad. Okay, Uncle Benny.

We'll be right in.