(Bobby's office)
Bobby: I'm not saying you're wrong, he was a little cold, but exactly how did you make it better?
Jimmy: I let the jury know I had the same reaction to his testimony they had. Bobby, he was more than cold.
Bobby: I'll talk to him. You ready with your closing?
Jimmy: No.
Bobby. Grrrrr……
(Lindsay comes in, Jimmy leaves)
Lindsay: Everything ok?
Bobby: Eugene's testimony went a little rough.
Lindsay: We're finished, aren't we.
Bobby: Had we started up again?
Lindsay: The firm, I….uh…if we lost this case.
Bobby: Oh, uh, we haven't lost, and even if we do, there's a lot to appeal. We're not finished. What?
Lindsay: Uh, that's all.
(Lindsay leaves, Rebecca comes in)
Rebecca: Is it that bad?
Bobby: No, it's just….
Rebecca: Tell me.
Bobby: I kissed Lucy. I should say, she kissed me, and when she did it, it felt wrong. Like I was betraying somebody. Lindsay. Somewhere in the back of my brain, I feel like in some kind of a relationship with her. My head went right to her when Lucy kissed me.
Rebecca: I was talking about the Robin case.
Bobby: What? Oh yeah, it didn't go very well, it wasn't good.
Rebecca: You kissed Lucy.
Bobby: She kissed me, mistletoe, but well…..
Rebecca: You kiss Helen Gamble, you kiss Lindsay, there was that whiny thing in the short skirt, and now you kiss Lucy. (She slaps him on the arm) What's wrong with you???
Bobby: Rebecca!!
Rebecca: You know we're about to face bankruptcy and you're running around kissing teenagers! What's wrong with you?
Bobby: Rebecca! I tell you something that's bothering me and you swat me??
Rebecca: You're damn right! She's eighteen years old! (Lucy bursts in)
Bobby: She kissed me!
Lucy: Aarrrrgh!! Why don't you tell the world!
Bobby: Lucy!
Lucy: You know, it's bad enough that she already hates me….
Rebecca: I don't hate you!….
(They all yell)
Ellenor: What is going on here??
Rebecca: Has he kissed you too?
Bobby and Lucy: Rebecca!!
Bobby: Let's all get back to work, can we do that?? Back to work!!
(Scene, Jimmy goes into Eugene's office)
Jimmy: I didn't plan to take that approach. I felt it necessary since I found your testimony unsympathetic.
Eugene: Jimmy, close it on your way out.
Jimmy: I would think you'd understand. I was doing whatever I could to save the client. And the client is you.
---Commercial----
(Scene, Jimmy alone in the office, it is early morning)
Jimmy: Put yourself in their position….OUR position….
(Lucy comes in)
Jimmy: Every defendant….
Lucy: Did you stay here all night?
Jimmy: It's morning?
Lucy: Oh gosh. Oh Jimmy, this does not look like a good closing.
(George Vogelman walks into the office)
George: Hello?
Jimmy: George.
George: Hi Jimmy. Lucy.
Lucy: (whisper) He's got a bag.
Jimmy: What's up?
George: I was thinking, I was the guy you fought for, maybe you should put me up there, get the jury to see it from my side.
Jimmy: I thought about that, but Silva would cross you on the porno tapes, he'd get in how your friends pulled away, how you still didn't get your job back. You were an easy cross in the criminal trial, you'd be even softer in the civil one.
George: I just wish there was something I could do.
Jimmy: Just be in the room. That'd be great.
George: Sure. I'll see ya. (He leaves)
Jimmy: What was Bobby thinking, giving it to me?
Lucy: From what I hear, you're doing great.
Jimmy: Who said?
Lucy: Well, nobody, but I can feel you're doing great.
Jimmy: What?
Lucy: He left his bag. (She runs to the door, but he is gone) He's gone. Think he got lucky last night?
Jimmy: Lucy! He just forgot it. Are you out of your mind?
Lucy: Open it.
Jimmy: I'm not gonna open it. It's a man's private bag. You open it.
Lucy: I'm a girl!
Jimmy: But there's nothing in it but medical supplies. Just, look, maybe there's a phone number inside and we can call him.
Lucy: Right! Right, we'll pretend we don't have his number in the Rolodex. (she goes to open the bag)
Jimmy: We shouldn't do this. Hurry up! (George walks back in)
George: Hello?
Jimmy, Lucy & George: AAAAAHHHHH!
George: Geez!
Jimmy: George, hey.
George: I forgot my bag.
Jimmy: Oh. Here it is.
Lucy: Yeah, we were….just checkin' it for heads. I'm kidding.
(Scene, courtroom)
Silva: There's no honor in being a lawyer today. Used to be a dignified profession. Now….but there's gotta be a line. Steve Robin's sister was murdered. And these people, the lawyers, defending the guy charged with doing it, well they decided, they'll blame Steve. Fool him into taking the stand, out of some duty to tell the truth. And then ambush him with an accusation they pretty much knew to be false. It was indecent. Unthinkable, really. And they do it all the time. Plan B. They figure in a courtroom, they're insulated from slander or defamation, so they think nothing of accusing brothers of killing sisters. Fathers of killing their babies. Anything to get the client off. But there's gotta be a line. Where do we draw it? I really don't know. But when a lawyer knowingly sacrifices a person's reputation with information he knows isn't true, when you go after a grieving brother and say that he chopped off his own sister's head, well I'd say the line has been crossed. Now everyone today is angry about how despicable lawyers have become. Well you have a chance, right now, to send a message. Put these people out of business.
Jimmy: It's an adversarial process, and the rules, though not popular, are pretty simple. The state tries to convict, the defense lawyer does everything he legally can to prevent that conviction. Not almost everything he can, everything. It's not a choice. And if in the mind of the lawyer, pointing a finger at the brother of the victim can secure an acquittal, truth is, he has no right not to, unless he knows for a fact it's a lie. Which here they didn't. The system doesn't work if the lawyer says, in this case, I'll do whatever I can, in that case, I won't. You do whatever you can in every single case. Defense lawyers cling to that rule. It's the only way they can survive. Sometimes, they retreat so far inside that principal, they can seem almost inhuman. That's what you saw in Eugene Young. He didn't even seem like he had much compassion, did he? I actually think he's in denial as to what he does. It's not surprising. Cuz what he has to do a lot of the time would make most people sick. How do you go home at night and sleep after getting a killer free? How can your stomach not turn at the idea of fighting for some rapist? You saw in Eugene Young a man who's freed killers only to have them kill again. You saw in Eugene Young a man who struggles with that. You saw in Eugene Young a man desperately hanging on to his ideology, to survive what he does for a living. But believe it or not, that is where the truest and deepest honor of this profession lies. Doing an ugly job that serves a higher purpose. The state incarcerates, the defense lawyers works every day to check that balance so innocent people don't get caught up in it. And you know what? An innocent man got caught up in it here. The polygraph that he passed was inadmissable, so they jury there couldn't know about it. The circumstantial evidence was so overwhelming and dramatic, he was faced with a sure conviction. The only thing he had was a couple of lawyers willing to do everything they could. As hard as this may be to compute, Eugene Young was dignified in going after Steve Robin, not because Steve Robin probably did it, but because he most likely didn't. And that made the duty ugly. Dirty. Many attorneys would have found a way not to do it, and the innocent man might have gone to jail. Over there, sits somebody who got hurt. And our compassion has to go out to him. It has to. But it also must be tempered with the reality that the worse result would have been a man serving a life sentence in prison for something he didn't do. What this case really is, is a referendum on criminal defense attorneys and our system. You wanna pass judgment on that, I suppose I can't stop you. But I know those people at that table. I work side by side with them every day. There's honor in that job. Trust me.
(lovely shots of Boston…..)
Bobby: It's 10:30.
Jimmy: Just let me enjoy it. See this suit? It's my lucky suit. Problem is, it don't fit me. I had to diet all week. I been dreaming of this hotdog since Tuesday. And now I've dropped it. How's that for an omen? Thank you for letting me do it.
Bobby: It was a self-serving decision. Nothing to help you.
Jimmy: I know, and that's what…..Spent my whole life thinking I'm not good enough. Sometimes….
Bobby: If we lose, you'll at least know, you're whole life….you've been right.
Ellenor: Jury's coming back!
Bobby: What?
Jimmy: In an hour?
Ellenor: It's Friday, it's Christmas.
Bobby: Let's go.
(Scene, the courtroom)
Judge: The jury has reached its verdict?
Jury Foreperson: We have your honor.
Judge: What say you?
Foreperson: In the matter of Robin versus Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt, on the count of defamation of character, we find in favor of the defendant. On the count of intentional infliction of emotional distress, we find in favor of the defendant. On the count of negligent infliction of emotional distress, we find in favor of the defendant.
Judge: The jury is dismissed, with the court's thanks.
(Bobby, Jimmy, Lindsay, etc. all hug each other)
Bobby: Great job.
(Scene, the office Christmas party)
Tempest Bledsoe's character: Yeah, I'm a client too. What was your case?
George Vogelman: Oh, it was just some boring litigation stuff.
Tempest: I like this place. People here are good.
George: Yeah.
(Jimmy goes up to Eugene)
Jimmy: Listen. We ok? You and me?
Eugene: Yeah, we're okay. Jimmy - good closing.
(Lindsay goes into Bobby's office)
Lindsay: So we're still in business.
Bobby: Yeah. Still partners, unless you're thinking of leaving.
Lindsay: What?
Bobby: Helen said something.
Lindsay: I'm not going anywhere. I should be honest about….I don't mean to be cold. It's not that I'm not interested. I just know that it's not right. And for once, I'm going with my head.
Bobby: Oh yeah, Lindsay. You and your heart, have been so out of control.
Lindsay: What's that supposed to mean?
Bobby: Nothing. It means your right. I'm going with your head too.
Lindsay: Good. Merry Christmas. (She kisses him gently)
Bobby: Ummmm…..
(She puts her fingers on his lips and they kiss passionately. Lucy is looking through the window at them)
Lucy: They're really exchanging fluids with that one.
Helen: C'mon Lucy, You and I haven't really got to know each other yet, so maybe we should just take this time….
George: Hi.
Helen: Hi.
George: You know you're standing under the mistletoe?
Helen: You know the saying George, once you've seen a man holding a severed head, it's hard to look at him again sexually.
(Tempest Bledsoe balks and walks away. We see Eugene and Becca dancing, Ellenor and George dancing, as Jimmy looks on and smiles to himself).
---End of Episode---
(Jimmy is sitting on a step outside eating a hotdog)