They have nothing to answer it.
Jefferson's trying to
skate by on nice ideas
without a lot of facts to back them up.Sorry
guys,but if you want to take a trophy,
you got to do the work.Extend across our
unanswered DA harms,and we win this round cold.
Alyssa,you sure talk fast.
You know what they say... speed kills.
Speed and evidence,right?
How many pages do you have in your tubs?
Uh,about , . Why?
Did you research that yourself,or
copy it at some overpriced debate camp?
I researched it.
At Dartmouth's top-rated debate camp.
Great.
You keep saying your Browning
evidence wins the round.
Can you explain it?
Sure.
federal funding for urban
schools is politically unfeasible.
In his first paragraph,which
you take totally out of context.
Did you actually read the whole article?
And you're the big expert,why?
'Cause I did.
His conclusion says,"Urban education bills are risky for
Congress,but the massive benefits outweigh the political risks. "
Out of a thousand articles I could have
cited,you just happen to have this one memorized?
Can't afford , photocopies.
Got to use this instead.
Now that was a great debate.
You actually memorized the Browning?
Don't have Dartmouth.Just my brain.
I saw a bunch of your rounds last year,and the
way you retain info... how the hell do you do that?
I always just kind of remembered things.
I mean,you've been mopping up the Philly circuit.Did
you ever wonder how you'd do at national tournaments?
Harvard? Berkeley?Long
bus ride to Berkeley.
Right,yeah,I mean,you can't compete without
resources.You got to have travel budget,
- computers,photocopies...
- b*at your team without any of that.
Sure,but imagine what
you could do with it...
national tournaments,college recruiters.
Would you ever consider
debating for Maynard Green?
What are you talking about?
I couldn't even afford the jacket.
You wouldn't have to.I'm offering you
a full scholarship.Blazer included.
A debate scholarship.That could be
your best sh*t at going to college.
What about Ronnie?
Sorry,but travel budget's for one.
I made it to College Finals in ' .
There is no thrill like
competing at that level.
I got to wear the stupid jacket?
I'm Detective Rush.
Uh,sorry,I don't...It's flu season.
You can't be too careful,right?
What can I do for you?
I'm not really sure.
See,I'm on the debate
team at Maynard Green.
And they don't teach eye contact?
Oh. Oh,sorry. Sorry.
Anyway,um,there was this debater
we had.Ever heard of Luke Cronin?
Stopped following high
school debate a while back.
I mean,he's kind of a legend.He won every tournament
except his last,and sh*t himself the night he lost.
Oh,when was this?
.He was only at
Maynard three months.
Real Sallie Mae kid,apparently.
- Sallie Mae?
- Couldn't afford Maynard.
Only there 'cause of
a debate scholarship.
You want to tell me why you're here?
We keep files from way back.
So I've been going through some of Luke's
old tubs,trying to learn from him,and...
This is the last case
that Luke ever used.
And I found something on the back.
What am I looking at here?
It's debate shorthand.
Our speeches are timed,so we
talk fast... words a minute...
and shorthand's the only way to keep up.
And what does this shorthand say?
I'm not sure what the
small symbols mean,
but these...
"I'm going to stop you.
I'm going to k*ll you. "
A thr*at letter.
Yeah,dated December , .
- It's the same night that Luke...
- Supposedly sh*t himself.
Don't want to waste your time,or anything,but
su1c1de's a big legacy to leave behind.
If there was something else...
Then we need to set the record straight.
,Luke was under a lot of
pressure... grades,SATs,debate team.
ME said self-inflicted
g*nsh*t to the head.
Trajectory and gunpowder
residue indicated su1c1de.
No reason to think foul play
till a thr*at letter shows up.
Local coaches backed
up Keith's translation.
I took a closer look at the wound.There's
a star pattern at the point of entry.
g*n was pressed right against his head.
Nine out of ten suicides,they pull
the g*n back at the last second.
Either our debate geek
had some serious stones...
Or someone made good on that thr*at.
Body was found in the Maynard parking
lot,driver's seat of his father's car,at : a. m.
Estimated time of death's around
midnight.. Taurus found in his right hand.
Oh,get one of those
on any street corner.
Well,it's not registered in Pennsylvania.It's
before the Patriot Act,dead end.
Assigned could only track it so far.
Well,run it with the A*F,see
what comes up.Luke have a record?
A few problems at Jefferson
High.Suspended for stealing books.
But he cleaned up at Maynard.
You don't have to steal
when you have everything.
I used to play baseball against 'em.
Had new equipment every
year,they still sucked.
That coach from ' ... he still around?
He still has the same
job.We're heading over later.
Luke was at the Pembrook debate tournament day he
d*ed.thr*at might have been slipped to him there.
Any family in the picture?Might
know if Luke was having problems.
Father's still up in Oak Lane.There's no other
relatives.Nick and Will are talking to him now.
Spent ten years thinking my son k*lled himself,and
now you're telling me it was someone else?
Said you were in the VA
Hospital night he d*ed?
Polytrauma... back injury from the Gulf.
Said you had no idea
where Luke got the p*stol?
I learned in the w*r,no
good comes from a g*n.
I taught Luke the same.
Luke having problems with anyone at
Maynard?Whole 'nother world there.
If he was,he didn't tell me about it.I hardly spoke
to him those three months after he switched schools.
- He having trouble adjusting?
- Workload was tough,even for him.
We pro/con'd it.Thought it'd give
him opportunities I never had.
- Pro/con'd?
- Pros and cons list. I taught 'em to Luke when he was five.
Smart kid.
Our brains worked the
same way.No off switch.
I thought Luke had found
a good outlet for it.
Spending time with the debate team?
Debate was the only
thing that challenged him.
Took him away from
me,even before he d*ed.
Said you'd be gone a couple hours.***
***And the train was late.
Since when do you need
all this evidence to win?
I'm about to debate the
best teams in the country.
Got to keep up,prove I deserve it.
Prove it,hell.
You're smart as any of
those Maynard la-di-da's.
No one wants me on the team,Dad.
Smart or not,I'm still from Oak Lane.
You ain't gonna prove
nothing,working yourself to death.
You even eat?
Darren brought us... sushi.
Sushi?Ain't really food.
Want me to fry up some scrapple?
No,I got to start my homework.
Luke?
Only one who can judge you... is you.
Well,I'm a pretty tough critic.
Guess I'm screwed.
That's the problem with a genius son.
You never win an argument.
Luke said they didn't want him on the
team.He talking about anyone in particular?
Don't know.That was our longest
conversation in three months.
You ever meet this Coach Darren?
No.I tried to stay out of Luke's way.
Just figured I'd embarrass him.
You think of anything else...
I'm thinking only one thing.
Find the son of a bitch who did this.
Now,says here you have only
four drinks a week?Is that true?
Give or take.
Ever have hepatitis?
The hell you talking about?
No.
Nick,you have any idea what
liver failure looks like?
It isn't pretty.
I'll take your word for it.
You need to stop drinking.You need to
start eating right,too.Exercising more.
Been hearing that for years.
Yeah,well,it's catching up to
you.You ever hear of good cholesterol?
- Yeah.
- You got none of that.
Bad cholesterol,you got lots.
Your long-term outlook is not good.
Well,I can still bench
and chase down a bad guy.
- You put that in there?
- Nick,this isn't a joke.
You need to make
lifestyle changes...today.
Are you sending that to the department?
Soon as you sign this release.
I don't know.Um,any debater could
have written it.Standard shorthand.
What about the smaller symbols?
I've never seen these.Some
debaters develop their own.
They're always searching
for a faster system.
thr*at was in Luke's evidence
tub.Know who had access?
Anyone who was at the
Pembrook tournament.
Whole squad was there,lot
of other debate teams,too.
Remember what you did
after the tournament?
Took the team to dinner.Then
everyone went home.
Luke come out with the team that night?
No,he left after his last round.
The neighborhood Luke grew up in,
he have a tough time
making friends 'round here?
Yeah,but not for the
reasons you're thinking.
His ability to memorize and apply
information,figures,articles...
I'd never seen anything like it.
Rub his teammates the wrong
way,this "ability" of his?
He was our top debater in two weeks.
I thought I was giving him a chance to
shine,but maybe I put a target on his back.
The counterplan just got cut off at the knees.They're
trying to grab onto us with their generic economy links,
but there's nothing to refute that we lower state
deficits,allowing a payback on all federal spending.
What they don't realize: Our plan is bulletproof.It's Teflon.
And it improves every school in America.We have won,let's go home.
Nice speech.Who's cross-examining?
Bring that on!
Anyone got a question for The Oliver?
have a question.
All right,Sallie Mae.
Show me what we get for
$ , in scholarship funds.
Why would anybody vote for your
plan?When it's already happened?
What are you talking about?
Lieberman sent an identical bill to the Senate
yesterday.It's a good idea,but it's already been done.
I didn't hear about that.
Because you weren't here working.
Luke researched until
midnight last night.
- I had an interview with Brown.
- What wins debates,Oliver?
Evidence wins debates.
Luke cut a thousand pages
of evidence last week.
Now,I made it to National Finals
in ' because of hard work...
And you lost itbecause
your partner slacked off.
That's right.Next week,Luke's
A-Team with you,Alyssa.
If he agrees to wear the blazer.
All right.
It's a good thing Coach wants
you here,because nobody else does.
Hard decision,but Luke and Alyssa
became the best team I ever coached.
Now,who's this kid Luke
knocked off the A-Team?
Oliver Calhoun.Decent debater.
He get his spot back,once Luke d*ed?
Rode it straight to the
FTA,for all the good it did him.
Kid lost quick.He was never
going to be Luke Cronin.
Last of Luke's tubs.
I carried 'em. So guess what?
I ain't going through 'em.
Don't hurt yourself.
- Hey,Nick.
- Yeah?
Still need that medical
paperwork from you.
Doctor was sick,can you believe it?
Got another appointment for tomorrow.
- End of the week.
- Yeah.
Someone's afraid of needles.
Whaddya got?
Partner Alyssa's digging
ditches in Paraguay.
Out of contact,missed a return
flight,nobody knows when she's back.
What about that,uh,Oliver Calhoun?
Record's shiny... so I
checked Criminal Records.
Turns out he's got a stack of
arrest cards up in Providence.
- All expunged.
- Three DUIs.
Cocaine possession.
Solicitation of a prost*tute.Twice.
And that's just freshman year at Brown.Senior
year... he had an unregistered. in his frat house.
Same caliber that k*lled Luke.How'd
he get the record expunged?
Daddy's a partner at Delfino and Calhoun.Where
Oliver's a second year lawyer today.
Get away with enough,you start
to think there are no rules.
Like to see his Daddy
try to expunge this.
Oliver Calhoun?
That's what it says on the door.
Need to ask you some questions,wiseass.
Ask away,Detective Grumpy.Let
me guess.Detective Bashful?
Not so bashful when I bash
your head against my car door.
Easy,Chief. We're on the same team here.
- Law and order.
- Except we put dirtbags away,you get 'em off.
Yourself included.Six arrests
disappear off your record like magic.
How'd you find out about that?
Mmm,pretty handy with
an unregistered. .
How does a sweet kid from
Brown get one of those?
My roommate was Greek.Got
all the good stuff.
We sh*t through a few
phone books.So,what?
Same kinda g*n sh*t
through Luke Cronin's head.
Luke Cronin?
That's why you're here?
Guy sh*t himself like ten years ago.
Worked out pretty good for
you.Got your spot on the team back.
Hit up the Forensics
Tournament of America.
Fellas... we may have
had problems at first,
but Luke... he turned
into the life of the party.
And I love to party.
I dedicate this trophy to Dartmouth
admissions,and partner Luke...
who's way smarter than that last guy.
You know what?
You guys aren't half
bad after five of these.
Less talky,more drinky.
What's wrong? Too much drinky?
Only reason we won is b*at
'em to death with evidence.
I didn't say one word of my own today.
When you graduate from Harvard,it
won't seem like such a bad thing.
Is that the only reason
you're doing this?
Someday I'm going to help the world.
Environmental law.And going Ivy
is the best way to get heard.
You got the silver spoon
advantage.You're going Ivy no matter what.
You just think that my
life is so easy,don't you?
Hey,Sallie.Gotta show
you somethin' funny.
That's... our old tub.
That's Ronnie's tub. You stole it?
He left it in the tourney lounge.
Must be going crazy looking for it.
Can't wait to see his face.
Hey,this the Maynard party?
You all seen my tubs?
Ronnie!Ronnie,you're won't
believe what happened.
Oh,man.
Congrats on the win.
Think I'll go back to the Motel Six now.
We all have our own way
to blow off steam,right?
Those were some great
parties.Never forget 'em.
Sounds like Ronnie wasn't
in a forgetting mood,either.
Want to make an omelet,you gotta
cr*ck a few Malcolm-X-quoting eggs.
Kid was one of those
revolutionary types.
Always pissed off at somebody.
What about you?
After December ,I couldn't've
cared less about debate.
- What happened December ?
- I got accepted at Brown.
Debate was the means,that was the end.
You didn't care about the FTA?
Check my judging ballots,fellas.
I was hung over,lost every round.
I mean seriously,do I sound
like a guy who would k*ll to win?
August ,night the Phils won
the game on that triple play,
you see this woman in the parking lot?
Your manager called it an "incident. "
Think that was her.Yeah.
What kinda incident we talkin' about?
Saw her on the ground,that's all.
What do you mean,on the ground?
I came out,saw her gettin' up.
Looked 'cross the lot,see
some guy running away from her.
What do you mean,some guy?He
knocked her down?What guy?
- I don't know.
- I said what guy?!
Was he white,black,you
seen him before?What?
I didn't see his face.His
baseball hat was real low.
Show me where they were.Exactly.
I asked if she wanted help,swear to God.
Said she was fine,drove off.
Drove off in what?
Blue Cobalt with a Jesus Fish.
She said she was fine...
she still have her purse?
I don't know.Guess so.I
don't really remember.
And you didn't think you should
report this to the police?
Man,told you,she said she was fine.
So...
am I done here?
Yeah.You're done.
Whoo,check it out!Coach
is talking to a white lady.
Might be debate team,but
you still gotta keep an eye.
I need to ask a few
questions about Luke Cronin.
Haven't heard that name in a long time.
You two close?
He was my best friend.
You ever seen these?
No.Can't read 'em.
Different than standard shorthand.
But you saw Luke at
the Pembrook tournament?
Night he d*ed. Yeah.We were
both too busy to say hey.
You ever own a handgun,Ronnie?
No.But if it might've been
m*rder,let's start with the black man.
I didn't start here. But now I'm wondering
why two best friends were too busy to say hey.
We were going through a
rough patch the night he,uh...
Was m*rder*d.You always punch
your way through rough patches?
Look,I regret the hell out of
that.But I didn't hurt Luke.
Must've been jealous... him getting
the scholarship instead of you.
You kiddin' me?I wouldn't touch
Maynard Green with a hundred-foot pole.
So,why do Maynard security logs show you
trespassing two days before Luke was k*lled there?
I'm asking you a question.Answer it.
Or what?
Kids see you cuffed.You
answer it downtown instead.
Maynard was like quicksand.I
was trying to pull Luke out.
Hey,Luke.
What the hell you doing here,Ronnie?
You know,I got to drop
the apology b*mb,man.
- You're never home,so...
- For what,that schoolgirl punch?
Yeah.So... we cool?
We're cool.
Look,I got to get to class.
Wait a second.
You high?
What?
No.
Dextroamphetamine?
No,you ain't high,Luke.
I only use 'embefore
tournaments to stay awake.
Man,we usedto bust on
those Maynard speed freaks.
Give 'em back.
Dr. Melanie Banks.
You got the main line
connection now,huh?
- Anything to give you an edge,right?
- I said give 'em back.
I got debate every night,got to travel every
weekend.Got to keep up my GPA for the scholarship.
You making excuses now?
'Cause that doctor should be
sh*t for even giving you those.
Come on,Luke,it's me,man.
It's my problem.
Let me fix it,all right?
Come on with me,son.
Oh,no,black man on
campus.Got to get the cuffs.
Son,I told you,you cannot come
on campus without an I.D. badge.
I'd never seen Luke like that.
- The dr*gs weren't a
long-term thing?- No way.
His dad was on whiskey and
painkillers for his back.
Before Maynard,Luke wouldn't sip a beer.
Why didn't you come
forward after Luke d*ed?
To say what?Cops said it was su1c1de.
His dad was already a
wreck.I wasn't much better.
What about that doctor
prescribing the pills?
I don't know.That was
the last time I saw him.
Maybe he tried to fix
that problem after all.
Anything off Luke's debate notes?
I've been pounding my
head against the wall.
Still got nothing.
That's a lot of nothing.
Everything Luke wrote the day he d*ed.I called
every coach in town,still can't translate half of it.
Some of this shorthand,nobody knows.
What about the symbols
from the thr*at letter?
I matched 'em but I can't translate 'em.
Luke used a couple
of them here and here.
Luke knew that code.
Question is: Who else did?
Found Melanie Banks.
Psychiatrist practicing in Colorado,but
in ' she was married to Coach Darren.
Was she writing the team prescriptions?
No,her husband was.Stole
her prescription pad.
Gets better.She remembers Luke showing up
at their apartment two days before he d*ed.
Those dr*gs get out in the open,Darren
loses his job and he's looking at jail time.
Some people will do
anything to keep a secret.
Hey,Coach,these night shifts are
k*lling me.Got anything to help?
Think some dextroamphetamines
might do the trick?
Okay,okay,look,you should know that
my ex-wife had nothing to do with that.
I took a few slips from her
prescription pad to help Luke out.
By giving him speed?
They hand Ritalin out like vitamins.
He just needed more hours in his day.
Kid ever come to your house?
- To my house? No.
- Wrong answer.
Ex-wife says he was there
Friday before he d*ed.
- He come to confront you?
- Yes,but not about the pills.
That was just the tip of the iceberg.
What are you doing here?The
tournament's at : in the morning.
I got to give these back.
Didn't they help?
Helped me realize what's
wrong with how we debate.
At Jefferson,I used to enjoy
doing this... discussing ideas.
Now it's just about cranking on these pills
so I can crush everybody with research.
I'm not who I was anymore.
You've won four tournaments in a row.I mean,that
is better than any Maynard team ever did.
But what's the point if I don't
care about anything that I'm saying?
There are two education
systems in this country...
one for the haves,another for the nots.
Wait... you wrote a new case?
You've been reading Freire.This
is pretty complex stuff.
Most of these debate kids have no idea how
the other half lives,why the poor stay poor,
why my dad couldn't
even think about college.
And we're going to teach them?
I'm debating the future
leaders of America,right?
If we can change the way
we talk about education...
Yes,but you and Alyssa are winning
big tournaments with the old case.
We can be national champions with
this one because I believe in it.
You ever read any Foucault?
There's a piece of evidence here that's
going to make your case even stronger.
I've been pushing
debaters my whole career,
and that was the only
time a debater pushed me.
So how'd Alyssa feel about the new case?
She agreed to it.
They had some kind of
argument at the tournament.
About what?
I asked her; she didn't
want to talk about it.
Look,the drug thing was really stupid,but
I could lose my job if people find out.
You should have thought about
that before you gave 'em to Luke.
My dad used to be a cop.
Back then,people respected their
service.They didn't sweat the small stuff.
I wish.
He used to bring home cartons
of cigarettes,fruit,toys for us.
All of it fell off a truck.
Sounds pretty sweet.
Not like today,huh,where everybody's
up in your business about everything?
Fit as a fiddle.
You got your hearing,you got your
vision,and you got your looks.
I can see why you're so
popular around the station.
Just promise me you'll eat an
apple once in a while,all right?
Scout's honor.
Hey,a package showed up for you.
Something from...Elkayam Jewelers?
Yeah,yeah,I've been waiting on that.
Check this out.
This is Luke's last round.I got
it from the tournament archives.
You know what? Forget it.I
don't need this evidence.
Look,here's what I'm trying to
say.The neighborhood I come from,
no one gets the
opportunities you all do.
I got out because I'm smart or whatever,but you
shouldn't have to be a genius to get a decent education.
People like my father deserve better.
If you're looking for
evidence,put away your pen.
I am my own evidence.
I know this might sound strange,but...
I'd like to have a
real conversation now.
Look familiar?
Alyssa wrote that thr*at right
in the middle of their round.
Her flight made it into
the air a few hours ago.
Got a car waiting at the airport.
Give her a nice,warm Philly welcome.
I told the other police
this is a mistake.
I've been in Paraguay for
two weeks,building wells.
Ever sh**t a g*n,Alyssa?
I won't even touch one.
If you spend one day
in a refugee camp...
Saving the world one life at a time?
Want to explain this?
I don't remember much about
debate.That was a lifetime ago.
But you wrote it,didn't you?
Why would I want to k*ll someone?
You tell us.You gave it
to Luke the night he d*ed.
Luke Cronin k*lled himself.
Yeah,after he blew your last round.
Pembrook was a local tournament.We
went three and three with a new case.
It was no big deal.
Thought you didn't remember much.
Headspace you were in back then,losing
must have seemed like the end of the world.
If he had just told me
what he was going to do...
But he didn't.
Luke was so good at moving forward,he
never saw who he left behind.
- Are you insane?!Do you know who our judge was?
- No,calm down.
That was Steve Tanner,Mr. Dartmouth
Debate,my only way into that school.
What are you talking about?You're graduating from
Maynard Green,your parents have a gazillion dollars.
I'm getting "C"s.
You understand?I bet
everything on debate.
You told me you had "A"s.
Can't keep up with debate and
classes.I'm not as smart as you,okay?
It's not a competition.
Now,you go off script and you
pull out your sob story,and yeah,
it's obvious that I can play
backup on The Luke Cronin Show.
So you write me a death thr*at?
You blew my sh*t at Dartmouth!
You think going to Ivy is the
only way to make people listen?
They'll listen now if you
got something worth saying.
You hypocrite.
You're going to fix the system
for guys like your dad,right?
That's why I wrote this case.
You care so much about
him,you never even see him.
- 'Cause I'm trying...
- To win,
like everybody else!
Just using different words,but all
that you care about is that judge.
You're right.
Only one who can judge you... is you.
After Luke's su1c1de,everything
he said sunk in.
Thought it was my punishment
for treating him like that.
"Only one who can judge you is you. "
After Maynard,I did some volunteer
work and I got my priorities straight.
What do these other symbols mean...
the ones no one can translate?
We used our own shorthand so that
the other teams couldn't read it.
It says "You don't belong
here.Go back to Oak Lane. "
I still can't believe I wrote that.
Don't worry.We have a way
you can make up for it.
A*F report came back on
the. that k*lled Luke.
Tracked it to a g*n show in Delaware.
Purchased by Stan Cronin,July ' .
I guess Luke's father didn't
hate g*ns as much as he said.
What was it you told Luke?
"Only one who can judge you is you"?
Best advice I ever give him.
You're just full of wisdom,aren't you?
Back feeling better these days?
Yes... mostly.
It's kind of strange,a
psychiatrist fixing your back.
He moonlighting as a chiropractor?
Don't know what you're talking about.
I called the VA hospital.
The only doctor you've seen in
the past years is a shrink.
PTSD specialist.
How do you judge yourself,Stan?
'Cause you weren't in any
hospital bed that night.
I'm not going to talk about
this to a pair of cops.
All right.You could talk to a jury.
Tell them how you sh*t
Luke clean through the head.
I would never hurt my son.
It was your g*n that k*lled him.
I was sick.
I wanted to hurt
someone,but it wasn't Luke.
Fourth quarter start yet?
Why isn't the TV on?
Dad?
You aren't supposed to be home yet.
- What's in your hand?
- Nothing.
I want to watch the game.
Dad.Give me that.Please.
Trying to do what's best for you,son.
Please,Dad,you're scaring me.
Nothing to be scared
of.You're an amazing kid.
You're going places.
No.
I judged myself today,like you said.
I didn't like what I saw.
Why are you saying that?
Big decision I have to make.
I pro/con'd it on the
train ride over here.
See?
But you got to give me the g*n,Dad.
Now.
Put the g*n that k*lled my
son right in his own hand.
I can't be awake without wishing
I could take that moment back.
What decision was Luke talking about?
I don't know.I was too
caught up in my own crap.
Still got the list?
It's the last thing my son gave me.
Might as well be in Chinese.
What happened after that?
Drove me to the VA.
I was in a hospital bed that night,
just not in the polytrauma unit.
- Mental health?
- su1c1de watch.
I was still there when
I heard about Luke.
I couldn't bring myself
to tell you earlier.
I always thought I drove him to it.
Matched up the symbols Alyssa gave
me from their secret shorthand,
and Luke was making a
decision the night he d*ed.
The cons outweigh the pros.Luke
was about to quit Maynard debate.
And Coach Darren was
about to lose his MVP.
****
I've... I've been
waiting for over an hour.
I... I think I've been
pretty cooperative.
Sorry,Coach.Just... one
detail still got us confused.
Now,you said Luke was going to be your ticket
to winning the Forensics Tournament of America?
Yeah,that's right.
But it turns out he was pretty
fed up with Maynard debate.
Even listed the cons.
Elitist.Shallow.Obsessed with winning.
Luke wasn't serious about quitting.
Never said anything
about quitting,Darren.
Only one knew Luke was going
to quit that night was Luke.
Now,isn't that how you lose a debate?You
say one wrong thing,and you blow it?
You lose a debate by not
having the right evidence.
See,the problem with
close-range killings...
you get blood on yourself.
Then,you got to drive home.
See,the reason you've been waiting so long
is,uh,CSU went through every inch of your Civic.
I don't own a Civic.
You did in ' ... it was brand-new.
- So,why'd you sell it the week after Luke d*ed?
- I needed a bigger car.
Smart guy like you can't
figure that out before you buy?
There's a name for this kind of
evidence.It's called circumstantial.
It's better than an eyewitness,
'cause it doesn't lie.
Found Luke's blood in the
car.That circumstantial,too?
You must get a lot of
idiots in here,all right?
You can't check DNA in an hour.
Blood type... it's Luke's.
Found it next to the tire hump
where you stashed that bloody coat.
Do you not think that I can see a bluff?
I made it to Debate National Finals.
.
Yeah,we looked that up.
Well,turns out it was you
who lost it,not your partner.
Debate is an extremely nuanced activity.
Lost for...
"insulting the other team,a
profound sense of arrogance. "
I miss a nuance there somewhere?
- Yes. It was only one round.
- Not for you.
You disappeared off the face
of the earth after that loss.
Because I had to get
away and just decompress.
So,you skipped out on law school,became
a high school debate coach instead.
What do you... what do you call that?What's
that phrase?Uh,those who can't do..
- Teach.
- That's right.They teach.
If I hadn't lost in ' ,everything
would have been different.
Freezing out.
What's so important
you call me at : ?
Coach... I'm sorry.
I got to quit debate.
Look,I don't care that
you lost.All right?
You're passionate about the
case.We'll just work it hard next week.
It's not the case.It's me.
Okay,Luke,you're not quitting.
I put a lot of trust in you.
I... I stuck my neck out
to get you this scholarship.
My dad...
tried to k*ll himself tonight.Okay?
I pulled a g*n from his hands.
You brought a g*n onto campus?
Can't take it home.
I don't know what to do with
it.Been driving in circles.
Luke,I'm sorry.
All right,I'm sorry. If there's
anythingI can do to help...
You can let me off the
hook.My dad needs me.
What do you mean,let you off the hook?
If you quit the team,you
lose that scholarship.
So I lose it.I'll go back
to Jefferson and debate.
At what tournaments?Allentown? Scranton?
I used to have fun doing this.
Then,what are you gonna
do? End up like your dad?
Lose your brain to the army and you start
working in some car shop your whole life?
My dad... is twice the man you are.
- He tried to k*ll himself!
- Get out of the car.
- You can't do this to the team.
- You don't care about the team.
- You just want trophies.
- I'm not letting you go,Luke.
Not after everything I've done.
I'm not asking permission.I quit.
This is the year,Luke!
You blow this chance,and you will
regret it for the rest of your life!
I won't.
Because I'm not you.
Me?I went to National Finals.
- And lost.
- Because of my partner.
Because of you!
Watch your mouth.
That's not what happened.
We all know what
happened. You're a liar.
- That is not true!
- Hanging onto a victory that doesn't exist.
- Shut up! Shut up!
- Because you never won.
Shut up! Shut up!