United States, Original Airdate, March 14, 1999. THIS TRANSCRIPT WAS DONE BY RYANA. PLEASE DIRECT ALL COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS AND PRAISE TO HER!! THANK YOU.
------------------- Disclaimer --------------------
I do not own the characters in this story, nor do I own any rights to the
television show 'The Practice'.
They were created by David E. Kelley and belong to him and David E. Kelley
Productions.
This is not a novelisation or a script. It is a straightforward and dry
transcript of the episode 'Crossfire'.
It also includes descriptions of the settings and camera movements where I
felt they were needed. I am not
making any money or any other benefit off of this, it is purely for fun. In
other words, please don’t sue!
I made every effort to accurately transcribe the dialogue from this episode.
If you notice anything that has
been transcribed incorrectly, please let email me, and I will post an
update.
This transcript was written by Ryana.
-------------------- Prologue --------------------
Eugene’s office.
Eugene: She’s trying to cut off custody.
Bobby: Now, Eugene, we could be in for a real fight here.
Eugene: I know
Bobby: She hired Solomon Taggert. (Eugene sighs) Where she got the money
to do that I don’t know.
What I do know is this guy doesn’t fool around. (pause) If I have to get
ugly, you have to let me.
Eugene: I don’t want your tearing her up, Bobby. At the end of the day
she’s still my son’s mother.
Bobby: And at the end of the day we want you to still be his father.
The door to the office opens and Kendall walks in.
Kendall: Dad?
Eugene: Kendall, what are you doing here?
Kendall: I just came. I took the T.
Eugene: Your mother know?
Kendall: No. (Eugene rolls his eyes. Bobby leaves Eugene’s office) What’s
going on? I had to meet with
those doctors and stuff. Why is nobody telling me what’s going on?
Eugene: Your, uh, mother thinks your getting involved with drugs had
something to do with my
influence. And, uh, she thinks it would be best if you didn’t spend time
with me.
Kendall: Ever?
Eugene: Just for a while.
Kendall: But you’re my dad.
Eugene: It isn’t about that. It’s - (pause) She’s doing what she thinks is
best. She loves you just like I do.
We just disagree on what’s best.
Kendall: And she’s asking some judge to stop you from being with me?
Eugene: Something like that, yeah. (Eugene pats Kendall on the head)
-------------------- Opening Credits --------------------
The office the next morning.
Eugene: C’mon, we’re gonna be late!
Ellenor: We’ve got plenty of time, Eugene.
Bobby: Who’s up first?
Ellenor: The guardian (unintelligible), Tania Morrison. She takes a strong
position.
Lindsay: Who’s the judge?
Bobby: Bender.
Eugene: Come on!
The hall at the courthouse. Helen leaves the elevator.
Mr Hayes: (from behind) Miss Gamble?
Helen: (stopping and turning) Hi.
Mr Hayes: Hi.
Helen: Uh, listen. Unfortunately we weren’t able to reach a plea. So, we
go to trial.
Lynette: Okay.
Helen: I’ll be putting you on first. But, remember we talked about his
attorney. Listen, I’ll do what I can
to protect you, but the main thing is you have to keep your composure.
Lynette: Okay.
Mr Hayes: You won’t let her get brutalised up there?
Helen: This attorney’s tough. He’s known for trying anything.
Mr Hayes: She’s gonna be attacked, isn’t she?
Helen: Well, defendants get the right to confront their accusers, Mr Hayes,
and this one will.
Another courtroom.
Morrison: Kendall has an above average IQ, but he appears to be lacking
some moral responsibility with
regards to his behaviour.
Taggert: What do you mean, doctor?
Morrison: With the drug arrest, he focuses on the illegal search rather
than his own bad act, and in lying
to his parents about it afterward, he focuses on how the denial skirted the
truth -
Bender: C’mon, doctor. Growing up my children threw every excuse in the
book at me. Isn’t that just
part of being a kid?
Morrison: A normal kid understands when he’s done something wrong, and uses
the excuse as a way to
escape punishment. With Kendall, it’s almost as if he believes the excuse
nullifies the bad act. And
therein lies the problem.
Taggert: To what do you attribute Kendall’s behaviour?
Morrison: There could be a lot of factors. But I do believe a significant
one derives from contact with his
father.
Taggert: He’s a bad role model?
Morrison: I’m not saying that. Likely he’s a great role model. I’m saying
that contact with him is
having a negative effect.
Taggert: A good model with a bad influence?
Morrison: Mr Young is a criminal defence attorney. I certainly don’t have
all the answers, but I know
that Kendall is somehow processing right and wrong through his father’s
eyes, and it’s resulting in a
blurring of the lines for him.
Bobby: How many hours total did you spend with Kendall?
Morrison: About six and a half hours.
Bobby: And in six and a half hours you find that Eugene Young is a bad
influence on his son.
Morrison: Yes.
Bobby: Because he’s a criminal defence attorney?
Morrison: Because of the emotional and behavioural impact he’s had on his
son.
Bobby: Because he’s a criminal defence attorney.
Morrison: Mr Young faces tough moral choices. Maybe he has a handle on it,
maybe he doesn’t -
Bobby: When you’re saying that Mr Young faces tough moral choices you have
evidence of Mr Young
acting amorally?
Morrison: Well, I think defending someone accused of murder is perhaps -
Bobby: It’s immoral for a criminal defence attorney to defend murder
defendants?
Morrison: I’m talking about how it impacts on a child.
Bobby: It’s your opinion that children can’t process -
Taggert: He’s not letting the witness finish.
Bender: I agree. Let her complete her response, Mr Donnell.
Morrison: Of course, every defendant deserves representation. Most eleven
year olds can appreciate this.
I’m speaking as to what’s going on with Kendall.
Bobby: Thank you, doctor, but how -
Morrison: I still haven’t finished. By defending these people, the drug
dealers, the people that use drugs,
Kendall sees an implied endorsement. Dad says these people are okay. Dad
says what these people did
wasn’t so bad. Dad said it’s the police who were at fault. These are the
things this kid is processing. It’s
not coming from his mother.
The conference room.
Dr Plath (sp?): Thank you for taking the time.
Rebecca: Sure. I’m going to have Lucy take notes if you don’t mind.
Plath: Sure. Well, as I said on the phone, I’m a practising child
psychologist and I was recently
discharged from my job, for grounds I believe to be illegal.
Rebecca: And what were the grounds?
Plath: I developed a condition in my eyes which they cited as cause.
Rebecca: What kind of condition?
Plath: It effects the muscles and, well, (removes his dark sunglasses) as
you can see I’m rather cross-eyed.
(there’s a pause as Rebecca and Lucy look at him while trying not to look
like they’re looking at him)
Can you tell?
Lucy: Well, since you mention it...
Rebecca: And this is why they fired you?
Plath: Yes. It’s a bi-lateral nerve palsy. I got it from a head trauma.
Ms Washington, it does not render
me disabled. I have been and continue to be an excellent psychologist. I’m
very good at what I do.
A courtroom.
Lynette: I spent most of the afternoon walking around window shopping, and
then I walked to my car.
Helen: And what happened?
Lynette: As I started to pull out that man jumped in the passenger side.
Helen: What did you do?
Lynette: I tried to jump out my side, but he grabbed my wrists so I
couldn’t get out.
Helen: What happened then?
Lynette: He pulled a knife out of his jacket and pressed it against my neck
really hard.
Helen: Tell me, what was going through your mind?
Lynette: Fear. I was thinking if he just wanted the car he’d’ve let me
jump out. I thought he was going
to hurt me.
Helen: What happened next?
Lynette: I started talking.
Helen: You started talking?
Lynette: Yes. I started telling him about myself. I though that maybe if
he knew something about me he
wouldn’t want to kill me.
Helen: Why would you think that?
Lynette: I’ve read that one strategy with an attacker is try to humanise
yourself with them so they won’t
kill you.
Helen: And it worked?
Lynette: Yeah, I guess so, because he told me to get out, which I did, and
he drove away.
Mr Dawson, the defence lawyer, stands and begins his cross-examination.
Dawson: Any bruises on your wrist or your neck?
Lynette: I don’t think so.
Dawson: You never went to a hospital.
Lynette: No.
Dawson: Can anybody account for your whereabouts that afternoon when you
say you were window
shopping?
Lynette: Not that I know of. I was by myself.
Dawson: Did you also kiss Randy Strunk (sp?)?
Lynette: (leaning forward, shocked) Excuse me?
Dawson: (walking towards the witness stand almost casually) The truth is,
you met Randy, you had
consensual sex with him and then you loaned him your car. Isn’t that what
happened?
Helen: Objection.
Lynette: Are you crazy?
Dawson: You would never sleep with someone you’d just met?
Helen: Objection.
Dawson: Fair question.
Helen: Sidebar, your honour.
The judge beckons Helen and Mr Dawson forward and they approach the bench.
Written by: Jill Goldsmith, Alfonso H. Moreno and David E. Kelley
Directed by: Dennis Smith