Oz: The name on the street
for the Oswald State Correctional Facility, level four.
Now in Oz, our entire day is structured.
We know when we'll eat, sleep, work,
when we'll have free time.
Now, giving a man who's locked up free time is a joke,
because there are still all kinds of restrictions
as to what you can and cannot do.
Some people try to better themselves
by reading or exercise, some pray, some plot.
Some just watch TV.
ANNOUNCER [ON TV]: Live from Burbank Studios in Burbank, CA,
it's time to play Up Your Ante.
And here's your host, Gordon Elliott.
ELLIOTT: Hello and welcome to Up Your Ante.
And let's meet our first contestant tonight,
Mr. John Carpenter.
Now let's meet our star.
Joining us this evening, the divine, the perfect Miss Eartha Kitt.
Eartha, thank you so much for being here.
Categories start on fashion. Take a look at this photograph.
Can you tell me what kind of beard this man is wearing?
- I think I need a hint. - Eartha?
Well, I can give you a hint.
It can also be called a Rob Petrie.
Rob Petrie?
It's a goatee, you stupid fuck.
Come on, just say it. Just say goatee.
He could say goatee, but he'd be wrong.
That's not a goatee?
- It's a Vandyke. - Vandyke?
- "Rob Petrie'"? Get it? - No, who's Rob Petrie?
Would y'all just fucking clam it up so I can hear the answer?
- Count! CARPENTER: It's a Dick or a Vandyke.
PRISONERS: Oh!
Up My Ante!
HILL: Yes, television keeps us busy, keeps us happy.
I'm what we call a segment producer.
Each of our shows is divided into four 10-minute stories
anchored by a different newsman.
- I work for Jack Eldridge. - I like Eldridge. He's a ball buster.
That piece you did on heating oil? You really tagged that corporate clown.
Have a seat.
We wanna do a three-part series on Oswald.
You know, inside one of America's toughest prisons.
- No. - No?
Like I said, I saw what he did to that guy, and I don't want to be that guy.
What have you got to hide?
Nothing. But in the four years since we had the riot,
life around here's been rough.
Attitudes are just starting to settle down.
You bring in the TV cameras, you're gonna stir the situation up.
Well, I've spoken to the commissioner, and he's agreed.
- Then I'll call the governor. - He also agreed.
Well, if you already had permission, if you already knew it was a done deal,
why'd you even ask me?
To get your honest reaction.
First we're gonna do an overview of life in Oswald,
then we're gonna follow one new prisoner coming in
and we will close with Jack Eldridge
spending the night locked in a cell.
- Spending the night? - Yeah, just him and one real inmate.
By the way, when does the great man get here?
LOGAN: Not till the day we actually shoot.
For the next few days I'm gonna have a crew here
while I do preliminary interviews
with staff members and as many prisoners as possible.
Please understand, our goal is to show the audience
how incredibly difficult your jobs are
and to kick 60 Minutes in the ass.
GLYNN: That's all.
Tomorrow and for several days,
a television crew will be walking the halls,
taping a piece on Oz for their news magazine.
[PRISONERS CHEERING]
Quiet down! Quiet!
Now, I know when the cameras are rolling,
you guys will run through your bag of tricks:
plead innocent, run scams, cry foul, or whatever else
you think is gonna get you some attention,
get your faces on TV.
But let me warn you, when those cameras are gone,
I'll still be here.
When the story airs, I will be watching
and I won't forget what you say or what you do.
That is all.
Lights out.
I gotta think of some good shit to tell this jamoke.
He's only gonna use the best stuff.
You gonna make shit up?
MORALES: I can't tell him the truth, can I?
But I wanna be on camera.
Can't let these matinee-idol looks go to waste.
[CHUCKLING]
[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]
You gonna sit down with those news people?
Yes, I am.
I got a lot to say about the conditions up in here.
- What if they ask about Adebisi? - Adebisi.
The court found me innocent of his death by way of self-defense.
Even McManus testified on my behalf.
But still, the reporters,
they're bound to dig up old bones
and make us Muslims look bad.
Arif, I am not afraid.
- We gonna be on TV? O'REILY: I am.
But if you see a camera, you duck out of sight, all right?
- Why? - You don't remember Jack Eldridge?
- No. O'REILY: Well, I do.
He fucked us over, Cyril. He fucked us real bad.
This might be our chance to get even.
Go to sleep.
Hey, girl!
HILL: Prisoner number 01W711, Omar White.
Convicted January 4th, 2001.
Murder in the first degree.
Sentence: 75 years, up for parole in 20.
Yo, that's what I'm talking about.
Check out-Look at the poontang nookie.
This is Receiving and Discharge,
where prisoners come in, where prisoners go out,
unless they're in a body bag.
- Okay, so which one is Omar White? - White, Omar.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, come here.
I'm Officer Murphy.
This camera crew has been authorized to follow you on your first day.
- You got a problem with that? - Oh, like, I'm gonna be on TV?
LOGAN: Yup. WHITE: I ain't got no problem with that.
- What, you and me, baby? - Easy, Omar.
Mr. White, you will be serving 75 years for murder.
- Is that correct? - Look, I ain't even know the bitch.
I mean, why the fuck-? Why would I shoot her?
Well, she was the prime witness at your cousin's murder trial.
See, your mistake was not killing that little girl, too.
You think? Shit.
- I mean, shit. - Get back in line, you mutt.
Who the fuck are you calling mutt?
Jake, Willard, escort Mr. White back in line.
Get out of my face.
Hey. See what I'm saying? I'm getting hosed up in here in this motherfucker.
Get your hands off me, motherfucker.
Y'all don't know who you're fucking with.
So 500 prisoners arrive each week?
MURPHY: Uh-huh.
HOROWITZ: And how many are released?
Not enough.
MURPHY: This is Emerald City, also Em City,
the experimental cell block started by Tim McManus five years ago.
In Em City, the prisoners are given a lot more leeway than the rest of Oz.
Hey, baby, how about a little head?
MURPHY: Hey, Hoyt, move along. Jesus.
Okay, the first one I want to talk with is Tobias Beecher.
All right. This way.
Okay, Mr. Beecher. The way this works is that you and I
are just gonna talk very informally, no pressure,
and based on our conversation, we'll decide
if you get interviewed by Jack Eldridge.
- So the camera's not on now? - No, yeah, it's on.
- But we can turn it off if you want. - I don't care.
Okay, you came to Oswald in 1997 as a result of a DUI
and vehicular manslaughter conviction.
Uh-huh.
Prior to that you were a successful lawyer
from a prominent family with a wife and two children.
How has being in prison changed you?
[CHUCKLES]
Well, describe some of your experiences
since coming to Oswald.
Describe? Ever read the book of Job?
According to the file, at one point your had your arms and legs broken,
and at another you were stabbed.
Yeah. You wanna see the scar?
You once tied a fellow inmate down and defecated on his face.
- Yeah. LOGAN: Is that what it takes to survive?
I'm not the man I was.
Or maybe now I'm the man I always was and never knew.
All these incidents involved two other prisoners,
Christopher Keller and Vernon Schillinger.
Tell me about your relationship with them.
We sing in the choir together.
[PRISONERS SHOUTING]
[ALARM BUZZING]
LOGAN: What's going on?
Well, either he stole drugs or he owes for drugs.
LOGAN: So there a lot of drugs in Oswald?
Define "a lot."
Well, how many people in this unit use heroin on a regular basis?
I don't know.
One in two, one in three, one in 20?
I don't know.
Okay, how about sex?
- Is that an invitation? - Right.
Is there a lot of homosexual activity?
Well, by homosexual,
do you mean deep-rooted love of one man for another
or guys fucking guys in the ass?
- Ass-fucking. - Shit happens.
LOGAN: And the authorities?
Frown on it, but they do their darnedest to stop it.
- As they do on the drug taking. - Yes.
- LOGAN: And have you? - What?
Fucked a guy up the ass? Gotten fucked?
Well, if I had, why would I say so to you?
- Tobias Beecher. - What about him?
I don't know, you tell me.
We sing in the choir together.
That camera's making me so nervous, I can't even shuffle.
Give me the cards.
- Do I look okay? - You look like you.
Oh, shit.
When I was on TV after I escaped,
I couldn't believe how bad I looked. My skin was gray.
Gentlemen, I'm looking for some background information
on Tobias Beecher's relationship with Vernon Schillinger-
Get the fuck away from me!
Okay, relax, Busmalis. Come on, let's talk to somebody else.
- Come on, come on. LOGAN: We'll go over there.
That's nice.
Now all of America's gonna see you acting like an asshole.
What do you want?
That news bitch was asking an awful lot of questions.
What did you tell her about me?
Get the fuck out of here.
You tell her anything about us,
you tell her anything about anything-
And what, huh? What are you gonna do?
MURPHY: Shakedown!
Later.
PRISONER: Get off me. OFFICER 1: Shut up, you asshole.
Get the fuck out of here.
[DOG BARKING]
OFFICER 2: What do we have here?
Come on, Briggs. I'm taking your ass to the hole.
I think I take drugs because I know they're destructive.
I feel unworthy of love.
- Oh, Christ, what a load of shit. - Tobias.
No, well, look at him being all sincere and cuddly because of them.
- Keller's nothing but a poser. - Shut the fuck up, Beecher.
O'REILY: Shut up. You're spoiling this for everybody.
Oh, yeah, O'Reily? Oh, right, you and Keller are butt-buddies now.
Let me see, when did that happen? When who died?
Wait a minute, stop it. That's enough now. Stop it.
Turn that camera off. Turn it off right now.
Now. Turn that light off. Off!
LOGAN: Tobias Beecher and Christopher Keller.
- What about them? LOGAN: There's a lot of bad blood.
- There's a lot of spilled blood. - Why?
The men in Oz are very distressed, mentally, physically and morally.
Christopher Keller, for example, is a sexual predator.
So does that factor into his problems with Beecher?
You know, I'm really not comfortable
specifically talking about these cases.
Okay.
Have you ever been harassed?
Have you ever been sexually threatened by one of the inmates?
No. No.
Hey, what are we gonna do about Beecher?
- Do? - You heard the guy in rehab.
The fucker almost goes public about us killing Shemin and Browne?
He's playing around. He would never spill all the beans.
- You're sure of this? - His way of saying he still loves me.
You know, the two of you are just so fucked up, man.
Don't you hurt Beecher, O'Reily.
You hurt Beecher, I have to hurt you.
Don't make any threats, K-Boy. Might put me in a bad fucking mood.
[GATE BUZZES]
ROBSON: Vern, check her out.
- She's not my type. - Your type?
She got a pussy, ain't she?
Yeah, and like you're gonna get anywhere near her pussy.
Unit B is your typical cell block.
- How many units are built like this? MURPHY: Ten.
- Hey, Vern, you're up. - Him? What about me?
I give good story.
- Yeah? ROBSON: Yeah.
- Maybe later. MURPHY: All right, this way, come on.
So you're a white supremacist?
You people in the media, you love to label us.
I know no matter what I say here,
you're gonna trim it and make me look like a monster,
but I'm no monster.
I'm a widower whose first son died tragically.
I'm gonna be a grandpa.
I believe in family, in America, in God.
Does that sound evil to you?
Now, your other son, Hank,
has been accused of kidnapping Tobias Beecher's children
and of murdering his son Gary.
The FBI believes you orchestrated the crime.
That sounds pretty evil to me.
Lady, you don't wanna be having opinions
about things that you could not possibly understand.
Oh, if I didn't know you were such a fine, upstanding citizen,
I might consider that a threat.
Yo, I got something to say. Schillinger's a pussy.
Hey, sit down.
ROBSON: Shut your face, nigger.
[PRISONERS SHOUTING]
[ALARM RINGING]
Hey, stop filming.
LOGAN: Keep shooting. Keep shooting.
- Keep shooting! MURPHY: Move it, move it, move it.
Let's go, move it. That's it.
So this Beecher story, think it has legs?
Oh, yeah. Usually the less people are willing to say,
the better the story. I just gotta figure a way in.
Each prisoner is assigned a number and photograph
and then they're sent to their respective units.
LOGAN: And White's going to Em City, right?
Yeah, God help us.
MURPHY: Here you go. Home sweet home.
Come on, let's go.
HILL: Yo.
- What, you crippled or something? - No, I'm physically challenged.
- Well, you got any tits? HILL: No.
I don't do drugs no more.
- Well, you ain't no faggot or nothing? - No.
Thank God for that.
[SIGHS]
Can't stand no motherfucking faggots. Drive me crazy.
- So, what now? - It's nighty-night.
[BELL RINGS]
Lights out.
- Hey. McMANUS: The fourth estate is gone?
- Yeah, for today. - Any problems?
Well, we had a minor skirmish in Em City and a major battle in Unit B.
- They get everything on tape? - Oh, yeah.
- Did our guys respond? - Both incidences over in a flash.
You know, I don't care if the prisoners look bad, I just don't want us to.
She seems to be mostly focusing on Beecher.
His is a cautionary tale.
Let's hope Logan doesn't dig too deep.
I wouldn't want her uncovering any skeletons.
- You mean Adebisi? - Among others.
[ON SCREEN] Television is a medium rarely well done.
My Uncle Bilbo said that.
Okay, somebody said it first,
but my Uncle Bilbo was the first one to say it to me.
Now, don't get me wrong,
I love watching the news on TV: Dan and Tom and Peter
and maybe a little Jim Lehrer if I'm feeling brainy.
I flip back and forth between news shows
in hopes of catching the same story,
because each news show tells a story a different way.
ABC leaves out a fact that CBS makes a big deal of.
CBS interviews its expert who totally disagrees with NBC's expert.
NBC goes in depth,
while ABC gives the same story five seconds airtime.
You see, I figure if I catch all three versions,
maybe combined, I get a little taste of the truth.
[GATE BUZZES]
Count!
[PRISONERS CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
OFFICER: 88P728, 96J522,
98A498.
92M220.
Yo, yo, dog. Dog, I need your help.
Come on, man. You know me, man. Come on.
Why you wanna do me like that, dog?
O'REILY: Omar, my man.
Jesus Christ, you're looking a little crispy there, brother.
I gotta get some tits.
Wow.
You know, times are lean right now. The hacks,
they're doing too good a job keeping that shit out of Oz.
Trick is you gotta know the right person.
- You have a good day. - Yo, yo, yo.
Look, I been to every nigga up in here.
Look, they think I'm a narc, man.
- Motherfucker, they don't know me. - Hey. Shh.
[WHISPERS] Abracadabra.
Now what you want in exchange for this?
I ain't gonna suck your dick or nothing like that.
Hey, I'm no fucking fag.
I just might need you to take care of a little business for me. That's all.
- I got no problem with that. - Knock yourself out.
Hypocrisy. Hypocrisy. That's what this is.
See, they strip me of my clothes, they strip me of my rights,
they strip me of my self-respect.
All because they say I broke the rules, trafficking in illegals.
But they more guilty than I could ever be.
Fucking uppity-ups. See, they don't want us in there.
Adebisi singing, snorting, sucking. And when his blood ran out,
when his blood got spilled, the truth ran out,
and the wall of lies got built.
After Said greased him, fucking hacks act like he ain't never breathed in.
And the lies got buried with his number.
- You saying there was a cover-up? - Yeah, there was a cover-up.
Blankets enough to cover up all them high-and-mighties.
- The warden, too? - The warden more than most.
- All right, come on, that's enough. - You see? You see?
- They still trying to shush me. - Got any evidence
- to back up these accusations? - Yeah. There's a videotape.
Adebisi, he documented the whole drama,
like you're doing right here.
You know what I'm saying? Up until the fade.
- You ask O'Reily, you ask Said... All right, shut up. Come on, let's go.
- He's got something to say. - He's always got something to say.
- Come on, let's go. POET: Hypocrisy!
MURPHY: Yeah, okay.
- Conspiracy! - Right. Take a nap.
LOGAN: Jack.
I found our story.
I'm not sure about all the details yet,
but something happened surrounding the death of an inmate.
Yeah, and evidently it's on videotape.
Well, the sooner you get here, the better.
- Officer Murphy. - Ready? You're gonna love death row.
LOGAN: Rather than do that,
I wanna go back and interview a couple of prisoners again.
Okay.
- And I'd like to do so in private. - Private?
- LOGAN: Without you present. - That's not gonna happen.
Don't worry, I'll get permission.
She asked to see Said and O'Reily again?
What's she want with them?
Murphy thinks it might have to do with Adebisi's death.
- But O'Reily wasn't involved with that. GLYNN: I know.
- I miss Mama. O'REILY: So do I.
Why'd she have to die, Ryan?
I told you a thousand times, Cyril, the cancer ate her up.
Hey, Miss Sally's on TV. Why don't you go watch, okay?
Please?
- All right. O'REILY: Okay.
- How's it going, cuz? - I need some more tits.
Whoa, I ain't got a never-ending supply, you know?
Just a little bit, just till I feel a little better, you know?
You know, it's too bad you got here when you did.
Six months ago, we had tits coming out of our fucking asses.
When this guy Adebisi ran the operation,
the well never ran dry.
What happened to him?
He got shanked. But that's not the point.
When he died,
the spics and the wops, they took over everything.
And between you, me, and this sink, they're doing a half-assed job.
- How come brothers don't organize? O'REILY: They should.
They need a leader. I mean, right now all they got is this fool Poet.
- He's a complete come-stain. - You know, I used to run my block.
Well, there you go. Maybe you should step up.
Yeah. Yeah.
Come here.
- Have some. WHITE: Shit yeah.
You see, to get anybody's attention around this place,
- you gotta do something large. - Large?
Yeah, like Adebisi. He was large and in charge.
Bigger than life, feared by one and all.
Yeah, well, that's what I want. I want them to fear me.
Then you gotta kill somebody, but not just anybody.
You gotta go huge, monumental.
- Somebody famous. - Like who?
ROBINSON: All right, who's next? Come on through, lady.
Step over here, open your purse. Next.
[METAL DETECTOR BEEPS]
Put all metal objects in there. And you're visiting?
Peter Thorpe.
ROBINSON: Go through again. And your name is?
- HELEN: Helen Keating. - And the watch.
Christ, what do you think I'm trying to smuggle in, a fucking bazooka?
LOGAN: Oh, officer, can you please-?
Tom. Listen, he's okay. Let him in.
Oh, why didn't you say? I'm a big fan.
ELDRIDGE: Yeah. Wake up.
- Jack? ELDRIDGE: Yeah?
- This is Ryan O'Reily. ELDRIDGE: Uh-huh.
- Jack Eldridge. - Oh, how do you do?
Hi. You don't remember me, do you?
- No, I'm afraid not. Have we met? - About 20 years ago.
- Well, you'd understand then. O'REILY: Yeah.
You must meet so many people in this job, right?
- What was the circumstances? - It's not important.
- Okay, Ryan. Comfortable? - Yes.
[CLEARS THROAT]
And we are rolling.
Where were you when Adebisi died?
The common room.
Any inkling as to what was gonna happen?
No, no. As far as I could see, Said and Adebisi,
they were getting along just fine.
ELDRIDGE: So walk me through this.
- You were in the common room. - Doing nothing.
- Wider. - And?
I heard this noise from Adebisi's pod,
and he had these white curtains hanging up in the room, and:
They just went red with blood everywhere, splattered.
And then Adebisi, he falls out of the pod, down on the ground, dead,
and Said follows out with the shank still in his hand.
ELDRIDGE: Have any idea what led to the fight?
No.
All right. You told me there were curtains
on the windows of Adebisi's pod. Is that unusual?
- Yes. - Was Adebisi privileged?
Privileged?
Was he allowed to get away with things the rest of you weren't?
Hold on for a second. Excuse me.
Wanna kill these things?
Sure. Dell, guys, cut.
What's the problem?
You want that knowledge, you're gonna have to pay.
- We don't pay informants. - Then I'm not saying another syllable.
In the pre-screen you said that you would tell everything you know.
Look, I tell, it's gonna cost me.
The warden's gonna be up my ass like one of them proctoscopes.
All I'm looking for here is a little compensation.
No! Get the fuck out.
Suit yourself, Mr. Eldridge. Pleasure to see you again.
You bastard. Find out where the fuck I know him from.
- How am I gonna do that? ELDRIDGE: Well, use your head!
I certainly didn't meet O'Reily at a cocktail party.
Twenty years ago. I bet I did a story on him. Track it down.
Commendable work, love. Nice fucking interview.
ELDRIDGE: A pleasure meeting you finally.
- I've admired you for years. - Thank you.
- The feeling is mutual. - I've read both your books.
Well, actually, there are three.
I've always felt that your conviction was politically motivated.
Gentlemen? We're ready if you are.
Well, just relax, speak your mind.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Minister Said, you murdered Simon Adebisi.
No, I defended myself.
- He attacked me with a knife. - Why? Why did he attack you?
I was under the impression we were gonna talk about conditions in Oz.
Isn't this one of the conditions?
- Brutality, senseless violence? - Um-
- Was his attack on you unmotivated? - No.
So you said something to him, you did something to him.
I'm a Muslim. I did not agree with some of the ways
that Adebisi was conducting himself.
Then why did you ask to move into Adebisi's pod?
You see, I have here a form signed by you, requesting the change.
If you hated Adebisi so much-
- I didn't say I hated him. - Why live with such an animal?
- I was trying to save him. - And yet instead you killed him.
What about the videotape documenting Adebisi's conduct?
You know, right now I would like to move past this particular conversation
and speak about the larger issues.
Do you deny that there's a videotape?
Every day we suffer fundamental civil-rights abuses.
The tape, sir. Yes or no?
SAID: I am done talking with you.
Minister, we are only trying to get the facts.
That part of the story is over. Don't you understand?
Adebisi is dead. Adebisi is irrelevant.
Nothing that brings about the death of a man is irrelevant.
You want us to hear what you have to say, fine.
You have to tell us what we need to know first.
And then which part will be aired?
They're definitely working the angle on Adebisi.
- His death? - Nope, what went on before that.
Poet told them about the videotapes that Adebisi made.
- Christ. MURPHY: Yeah.
They're trying to verify that the tapes exist.
- Maybe we should pull the plug. GLYNN: I can't do that.
Both the commissioner and the governor feel
if we back out now, it'll only look worse.
And since I never told either of them about the videotapes...
Well, I sure as hell can't tell them now.
Well, you may have to, Leo. The truth may have to come out.
- LOGAN: Hey. - Hey.
So you got information for me?
I can't go on camera and say the things that need to be said.
- Why not? - It'll be the end of Leo's career.
The governor will have enough ammunition
to close down Emerald City permanently.
Okay.
So then what would you be willing to say?
On camera, nothing.
But as deep background...
the guy you wanna go after is Martin Querns.
He ran Emerald City after you.
And what about that videotape? Have you seen it? Has Glynn?
Come on. Talk to me.
What you're asking me to do is betray a friend.
- Friend? He fired you. - With good reason.
And he gave me back Em City.
Like I said, go after Querns.
Leo, what the fuck is going on?
I get a call asking me if I'm willing
to be interviewed by Jack fucking Eldridge?
They found out what went on in Em City when you were in charge.
- They heard about the videotapes. - Fuck.
When you asked me to resign,
you said no one would ever know the reason,
keep it internal so that neither one of us would get hurt.
- Refuse to do the interview. I did. - Fine.
- Where are the videotapes? - In a safe place.
What are you keeping them around for? Destroy the tapes, Leo.
Destroy the goddamn motherfucking tapes now!
- Warden. GLYNN: Mr. Eldridge.
So I understand you've canceled our interview.
- That's right. - May I ask why?
You can ask. I won't answer.
Come on, off the record, between two guys holding their dicks.
When I was thinking of running for governor,
I spent too much time in front of the camera.
Between you and me, off the record, that's bullshit.
You've spent how many years at Oswald?
- Too many. - It would bother you to leave, right?
To quit?
To be forced out because of some indiscretion?
Because some mishandling of the job was exposed on TV?
I've spent my entire life punishing people,
and over the years, I've had to make choices.
Some were good and some led to violence.
Lives have been lost and I...
I wonder, could I have stopped the carnage?
Simon Adebisi, could you have prevented his death?
Yes.
Balls-out truth, I should be fired.
But I'm afraid whoever they bring in to replace me would only be worse.
It's a terrible thing to reach this point
and realise your whole life has been a sham.
So for a man whose job is meant to punish others,
you ultimately punish yourself more than anyone.
- Off the record? - Yes.
No comment.
[GATE BUZZING]
Lisa.
What?
- The Adebisi story, it's a dead end. - What? Jack, no.
My instincts tell me that none of the principals are gonna come forward.
LOGAN: We've faced tougher resistance than this.
I can get McManus to crack.
There are people who do things for malicious reasons.
Prison is full of them. I don't think Leo Glynn is one.
He's imperfect, but he's not incompetent.
That is no reason not to expose what happened here.
- A man died. - From all appearances, a bad man.
You're making judgments? Adebisi's life is not as important as the Pope's?
Don't get high and mighty with me. I've brought presidents,
serial killers, corporate giants to their knees.
- And now's not the time to go soft. - I'm going home.
Big day tomorrow.
You're making a mistake, Jack. Letting this story go is a fucking mistake.
Yeah, probably, but you know, every once in a while,
even a newsman has to have a heart.
Hey, can I have your autograph, Mr. Brokaw?
What a dick.
[BELL RINGING]
Journalists are supposed to be impartial.
They're supposed to keep their personal opinions to themselves.
However, on TV, we know what the reporter is feeling.
We see Sam Donaldson or Andrea Mitchell
giving us the facts, but with the camera that close up,
we can also tell by a raised eyebrow,
a tiny inflection, what they really think about the person
who they're reporting on.
Now, Walter Cronkite, he had the poker face.
Nobody ever knew what old Walt was thinking.
So while he was telling the truth,
he was also lying to the camera.
That's genius!
Yo, yo, yo, O'Reily, O'Reily, my man.
Yo. I forgot to thank you, man,
for getting me put down in this cafeteria. This shit is dope.
Oh, hey, no problem, cuz. Hey, come here, come here.
I got a little something for you. Hey. Little morning pick-me-up.
We call it a duster. Yeah.
O'REILY: So Omar, I hear you're the lucky fuck
who's gonna spend the night in the cell with Jack Eldridge.
I'm gonna be a TV star and shit, like Martin Lawrence
or Bart Simpson and shit. This shit is good, man.
Have some more. You know, I just hope
he doesn't disrespect you, that's all.
Dis me? How he gonna dis me?
Well, I overheard him telling somebody yesterday
- that you were a faggot. - Yeah?
Yeah, that's what he said.
- Faggot? - Yeah.
- I ain't no motherfucking faggot! - Omar, Omar, Omar, hey.
I know that, but you know them news-media cocks,
they love to twist shit around.
You know, they don't give a fuck about the truth.
They make a guy look the way they want him to look
for the sake of their story, to boost the ratings.
Ratings? Fuck the motherfucking ratings.
This motherfucker ain't calling me no faggot!
But the funny thing is, is the tabloids say that Eldridge is actually a faggot.
I heard that somewhere, I know.
He's like one of them closet cases, you know?
But to cover up his shame,
he's gonna skunk you on national television.
- Hey, O'Reily. - Huh?
Those eggs ain't gonna fry themselves.
- I'm coming. - Okay, let's go, man.
O'REILY: I know, I'm coming.
Hey, if I were you,
tonight when I was alone with that cocksucker,
I'd teach him a thing or two about being a real man. Enjoy that.
[METAL DETECTOR BEEPS]
ELDRIDGE: Hello, hello. MAN: Mr. Eldridge.
MAN 2: Hey, Jack.
Hello, Lisa.
Jack.
What did you find out about Ryan O'Reily?
When he was 16, you did a piece on urban gangs,
about how the black kids were taking over the turf of the whites,
- especially the Irish. - I interviewed O'Reily?
Yeah, and his brother Cyril. Here are the transcripts.
Lisa.
I don't have time to read that. Did Jack make O'Reily look bad?
I reviewed the tape last night and yeah,
the O'Reilys came off as being brutal, heartless.
I wanna see that tape.
[GATE BUZZES]
MURPHY: Let's go, come on in.
Watch the paint.
At 5:00, all the prisoners are locked down in their cells. 9:00, lights out.
- Until? - 6:00 am.
Oh, mamacita.
Keep it in your pants, Guerra. Let's go, keep it moving.
Jesus.
[GATE BUZZES]
There he is. There's the fuck.
- Omar, just chill out till tonight. - No, the bitch is mine.
O'REILY: No, Omar. Hey, Omar.
- Wait, wait. WHITE: Get the fuck off me.
- Hey, hey. WHITE: Hey. Hey, you.
You fuck.
- You fuck. - What's your problem, White?
- I got your punk for you, all right? - White, what's your problem?
- Calm down. - He's my problem!
I got another problem, too, all right? This! This is my fucking problem!
Hey, hey, hey, relax, man. Calm down, White. Let's go.
- WHITE: Fuck! - He's got a knife.
[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]
- Central, this is 11, we got a 66. MINEO: Lock-down!
[ALARM BUZZING]
Mineo, you Guinea fuck, you want some more?
Put down the shank. Put down the shank.
Come on, you fucking bitch! Come on, I'll fuck you up!
Motherfuckers! Motherfuckers! Motherfuckers! Motherfuckers!
[MOUTHS] Goddamn it.
This is exactly why I didn't want you here in the first place.
I think at the very least you ought to postpone.
No, by postpone, you mean never reschedule.
Our concern is for your safety, Mr. Eldridge.
I've been at this game a long time. I can take care of myself.
So we're gonna go ahead? You're gonna sleep in a cell?
Yes, but now we have to find someone else to match up with Jack.
Well, we could put you in a cell alone.
Ted Koppel did that on Nightline. It was horseshit.
- Who? ELDRIDGE: I've been reading the files
on the O'Reily brothers.
The younger one, Cyril,
he's now brain damaged and under medication
to control his actions. I choose him.
I don't want my brother involved with this, okay? I refuse.
O'Reily, I don't have a choice, you don't have a choice.
Let's just try to make it through the night and pray for the best.
You know what? You pray. Say a whole fucking rosary.
You tested the camera?
- Twice. We're good to go. ELDRIDGE: All right.
- Lock me up. - Wish you'd let SORT be here.
No, I want this to be like any other typical night.
[GATE BUZZES]
Here we go.
- Hello, Cyril. I'm Jack Eldridge. - Hello.
LOGAN: Jack, you ready?
[CLEARS THROAT]
LOGAN [OVER RADIO]: You're on.
It's 5:00 p.m. and already-
It's only 5:00 p.m., but the prisoners of Emerald City
are already in lock-down for the night,
two to a cell with nothing but a pair of beds,
a sink and a toilet.
The room is about the size of the average American bathroom
and it smells like one as well.
Imagine, if you can, spending the rest of your life
locked up with a complete stranger in your bathroom.
Who you talking to?
Well, that camera, which I want you to ignore.
ELDRIDGE: [ON TV] So this evening, here we are, at Oswald Penitentiary.
Jack, you gotta move to your left. You're blocking him. That's good.
ELDRIDGE: What do you do before lights out?
Wait.
- For what? - The lights to go out.
Um, here.
And then?
Uh... I say my prayers and sleep.
And what do you pray for?
I pray to Jesus that Ryan will be safe, and Aunt Brenda,
and my daddy will smile
and they'll take care of my mama in heaven.
- Your mother died? - Years ago in the hospital.
I hate hospitals.
CYRIL [ON TV]: I hate the smell of hospitals.
- And the medicine tastes bad. - Yeah.
Ryan tells me to take my medicine,
but I don't sometimes, like today.
[CHUCKLES]
What about before the accident?
Do you remember anything about that?
There are flashes once in a while, like now.
I see you,
and I think maybe I know you.
[MRS O'REILY CRYING]
ELDRIDGE: We met many years ago. You were 15.
You, your brother and I, we talked about your lives in the gang.
You made Mama sad. You made Mama cry.
You gave my mama cancer.
Holy shit.
MURPHY: Central, we got a 66.
CYRIL: Ryan said at the grave that you gave my mother cancer.
O'REILY: Cyril!
- Cyril! - You gave my mama cancer!
O'REILY: Cyril! Cyril!
CYRIL: You gave my mama cancer!
Cyril! Cyril! Cyril!
Mama!
- Ryan! - Cyril!
- Jack! Jack! Jack! Oh, Jack! - Did you-? Lisa, did you-?
- What? Did I what? - Did you get it all on tape?
Television has the power to enlighten, to inform,
to lay the bare truth before the eyes of the public.
Television is an extraordinary gift,
as much a miracle from God as Lazarus rising from the dead.
But do we use the gift wisely? Have we ever?
[ON TV] Jack Eldridge became a part of his own story yesterday,
As what many industry insiders called a ratings stunt backfired.
Convicted murderer Cyril O'Reily brutally beat Eldridge,
causing the veteran reporter to suffer a severe concussion,
four broken ribs and a punctured lung.
He remains at Benchley Memorial in critical condition.
Despite the objections of Eldridge's producer, Lisa Logan,
the network has decided not to air what was intended
to be a three-part series on life inside Oswald's Maximum Security Prison.
The Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Logan
resigned in protest
We all wish Jack a speedy recovery.