♪ Somebody once told me
♪ The world is gonna roll me
♪ I ain't the sharpest tool ♪
♪ In the shed
♪ She was looking kind of dumb
♪ With her finger and her thumb ♪
♪ In the shape of an L
♪ On her forehead
♪ Well the years start coming
♪ And they don't stop coming
♪ Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running ♪
[indistinct chatter]
♪ Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb ♪
♪ So much to do so much to see ♪
♪ So what's wrong with taking the back streets ♪
...and especially our Browning evidence.
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.
♪ Get the show on
[male #1] 'Wow.'
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 20,000. Why?
Did you research that yourself
or copy it at some overpriced debate camp?
I researched it.
At Dartmouth's top-rated debate camp.
[male #1] 'Great.'
You keep saying your Browning evidence wins the round.
Can you explain it?
Sure.
His article says 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 20,000 photocopies.
Got to use this instead.
♪ Go go for the most
♪ Hey now you're an all star
♪ Get your game on go
[Darren] 'Hey, Luke, Coach Darren Musk, Maynard Green.'
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 gotta have travel budget, computers, photocopies--
Beat 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?
[laughs]
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 shot at going to college.
What about Ronnie?
Sorry, but travel budget's for one.
I made it to college finals in '87.
There is no thrill like competing at that level.
♪ And all that glitters is gold ♪
If I say yes..
...I got to wear the stupid jacket?
♪ Break the mold ♪
[instrumental music]
[siren blaring]
[instrumental music]
[Rush] 'Keith?'
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.
Uh, 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 shot himself the night he lost.
- Oh, when was this? - 1999.
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 wanna 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
400 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 kill you."
A threat letter.
Dated December 19, 1999.
It's the same night that Luke--
Supposedly shot himself.
Don't waste your time or anything
but...suicide's a big legacy to leave behind.
If there was something else..
Then we need to set the record straight.
[theme music]
[music continues]
Back in '99, Luke was under a lot of pressure
grades, SATs, debate team.
ME said self-inflicted gunshot to the head.
Trajectory and gunpowder residue indicated suicide.
No reason to think foul play till a threat 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.
Gun was pressed right against his head.
Nine out of ten suicides
they pull the gun back at the last second.
Either our debate geek had some serious stones..
Or someone made good on that threat.
Body was found in the Maynard parking lot
driver's seat of his father's car at 6:00 A.M.
Estimated time of death's around midnight.
.38 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 ATF, see what comes up.
Luke have a record?
[Rush] '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
still sucked.
That coach from '99, he still around?
He still has the same job. We're heading over later.
Luke was at the Pembrook debate tournament day he died.
Threat 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.
[instrumental music]
Spent ten years thinking my son killed himself
and now you're telling me it was someone else?
Said you were in the VA Hospital night he died?
Polytrauma, back injury from the Gulf.
Said you had no idea where Luke got the pistol?
I learned in the war, no good comes from a gun.
I taught Luke the same.
Luke having problems with anyone at Maynard?
Whole another 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 died.
["Letting The Cables Sleep" by Bush]
Said you'd be gone a couple hours.
♪ You in the dark
You missed the whole game.
♪ You in the pain
I had to read 2,000 pages of evidence.
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.
♪ Never seem to get in
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.
You want me to fry up some scrapple?
No, I got to start my homework.
♪ Whatever you say
Luke?
♪ It's alright
Only one who can judge you..
...is you.
Well, I'm a pretty tough critic.
Guess I'm screwed.
♪ If heaven is on the way ♪
That's the problem with a genius son.
You never win an argument.
[Vera] '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.
[instrumental music]
Now, says here you have only four drinks a week?
Is that true?
Give or take.
Ever have hepatitis?
What the hell are 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 drinkin'.
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 250 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.
[indistinct chattering]
I don't know.
Um, any debater could have written it.
Standard shorthand.
What about the smaller symbols?
I've never seen these.
I mean, some debaters develop their own.
They're always searching for a faster system.
The threat was in Luke's evidence tub.
You know who had access?
Anyone who was at the Pembrook tournament.
My whole squad was there
and lot of other debate teams too.
You remember what you did after the tournament?
Took the team to dinner.
And then everyone went home.
Luke come out with the team that night?
No, he left after his last round.
Oh, the neighborhood Luke grew up in
he have a tough time making friends around here?
Yeah, but not for the reasons you're thinking.
His ability to memorize
and apply information, figures, articles, I mean..
...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.
["Learn To Fly" by Foo Fighters]
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?
♪ Help me get things right ♪
I have a question.
[Oliver] 'Alright, Sallie Mae.'
Show me what we get for 15,000 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 '87 because of hard work.
And you lost it because your partner slacked off.
That's right.
Next week, Luke's A-Team with you, Alyssa.
If he agrees to wear the blazer.
Alright.
It's a good thing coach wants you here
because nobody else does.
♪ I'm done nursing the patience ♪
♪ It can wait one night ♪
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.
Did he get his spot back, once Luke died?
Rode it straight to the FTA, for all the good it did him.
Kid lost quick. He was never gonna be Luke Cronin.
[instrumental music]
Last of Luke's tubs.
I carried 'em. So guess what?
I ain't going through 'em.
Well, 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. - What do you got?
Well, 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 prostitute. Twice.
And that's just freshman year at Brown.
Senior year, he had an unregistered .38
in his frat house.
Same caliber that killed 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.
[instrumental music]
[knock on door]
Oliver Calhoun?
That's what it says on the door.
Need to ask you some questions, wiseass.
Ask away, Detective Grumpy.
Oh, 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?
Mm, pretty handy with an unregistered .38.
[Vera] 'How does a sweet kid from Brown get one of those?'
My roommate was Greek. Got all the good stuff.
We shot through a few phone books. So what?
Same kinda gun shot through Luke Cronin's head.
Luke Cronin?
That's why you're here?
Guy shot 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.
["Praise You" by Fatboy Slim]
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.
- 'Oh!' - Less talky, more drinky.
[crowd cheering]
What's wrong? Too much drinky?
Only reason we won is beat '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.
♪ I have to praise you like I should ♪
♪ I have to praise you
That's...our old tub.
That's Ronnie's tub. You stole it?
He left it in the tourney lounge.
He must be going crazy looking for it.
Can't wait to see his face.
[Ronnie] 'Hey, this the Maynard party?'
Any of you all seen my tubs?
[Luke] 'Ronnie!'
Ronnie, you're won't believe what happened.
- 'Oh!' - 'Whoa!'
Congrats on the win.
Think I'll go back to the Motel Six now.
♪ I have to praise you ♪
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.
You wanna make an omelet, you gotta crack a few
Malcolm-X-quoting eggs.
Kid was one of those revolutionary types.
- Always pissed off at somebody. - What about you?
After December 1st, I couldn't have cared less about debate.
- What happened December 1st? - I got accepted at Brown.
Debate was the means, that was the end.
Oh, 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 kill to win?
[instrumental music]
August 23rd, night the Phils won the game on that triple play
you see this woman in the parking lot?
Your manager called it an "incident."
I 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? What, 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.
Now 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.
[instrumental music]
So...am I done here?
Yeah. You're done.
[male #2] 'Whoo, check it out!'
'Coach is talking to the white lady.'
'Hey, come on, coach.'
Might be debate team, but you still gotta keep an eye.
I need to ask a few questions about Luke Cronin.
Wow.
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 died. Yeah.
We were both too busy to say hey.
You ever own a handgun, Ronnie?
[chuckles]
No.
But if it might've been murder, 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 murdered.
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.
Are 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 killed 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.
[Ronnie] Hey, Luke.
'Wait up!'
What the hell you doing here, Ronnie?
You know, I got to drop the apology bomb, man.
You're never home, so..
For what, that schoolgirl punch?
Yeah.
So...we cool?
We're cool.
- Look, I gotta get to class. - Wait a second.
- You high? - What?
No.
Dextroamphetamine?
No, you ain't high, Luke.
I only use 'em before tournaments to stay awake.
Man, we used to 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 shot for even giving you those.
Come on, Luke, it's me, man.
It's my problem.
Let me fix it, alright?
[male #3] 'Come 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 ID badge.'
I'd never seen Luke like that.
The drugs 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 died?
To say what? Cops said it was suicide.
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 died.
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 threat letter?
I matched 'em but I can't translate 'em.
Now Luke used a couple of them here and here.
Oh, Luke knew that code.
Hmm. Question is, Who else did?
[Jeffries] 'Found Melanie Banks.'
Psychiatrist practicing in Colorado
but in '99 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 died.
Those drugs 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.
[indistinct chattering]
Hey, coach..
...these night shifts are killing 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 died.
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 7:30 in the morning.
- I gotta 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 have's, another for the not's.
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 gonna 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 could 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 gonna 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 wanna 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.
[instrumental music]
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.
[chuckles]
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, alright?
Scout's honor.
Hey, a package showed up for you.
Something from "Elkayam Jewelers"?
Yeah, yeah, I've been waiting on that.
Hey, check this out. This is Luke's last round.
'I got it from the tournament archives.'
[Luke speed-reading]
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 threat 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 shoot a gun, Alyssa?
I won't even touch one.
If you spend one day in a refugee camp--
Saving the world one life at a time?
Wanna 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 kill someone?
You tell us. You gave it to Luke the night he died.
Luke Cronin killed 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.
I 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--
[Jeffries] '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.
But I'm getting "C"s.
You understand? I bet everything on debate.
You told me you had "A"s.
I can't keep up with debate and classes.
- I'm not as smart as you, okay? - It's not a competition.
And now you go off script and you pull out
your sob story, and yeah, it's obvious
that I could play backup on "The Luke Cronin Show."
So you write me a death threat?
You blew my shot 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 gonna 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 suicide..
...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.
Oh, don't worry.
We have a way you can make up for it.
This part right here..
...can you tell me what that says?
ATF report came back on the .38 that killed Luke.
Tracked it to a gun show in Delaware.
Purchased by Stan Cronin, July '97.
I guess Luke's father didn't hate guns as much as he said.
[siren wailing]
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 15 years is a shrink.
PTSD specialist.
How do you judge yourself, Stan?
[Vera] ''Cause you weren't in any hospital bed that night.'
I'm not gonna talk about this to a pair of cops.
Alright. You could talk to a jury.
Tell them how you shot Luke clean through the head.
I would never hurt my son.
It was your gun that killed him.
I was sick.
I wanted to hurt someone, but it wasn't Luke.
[Luke] Fourth quarter start yet?
'Hey.'
Why isn't the TV on?
Dad?
You aren't supposed to be home yet.
[instrumental music]
- What's in your hand? - Nothin'.
'I want to watch the game.'
Dad.
Give me that. Please.
Tryin' 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 gotta give me the gun, dad.
Now.
Put the gun that killed 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?
[sniffles]
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? - In suicide watch.
I was still there when I heard about Luke.
I couldn't bring myself to tell you earlier.
[sniffles]
I always thought I drove him to it.
I matched up the symbols Alyssa gave me
from their secret shorthand
and Luke was making a decision the night he died.
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.
[Valens] 'Well, sorry, coach.'
Just...one detail
still got us confused.
Now you said Luke was gonna 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.
[sighs]
Luke wasn't serious about quitting.
Never said anything about quitting, Darren.
Only one knew Luke was gonna quit that night was Luke.
[Rush] '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.
Yeah, 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 '99, it was brand-new.
So why'd you sell it the week after Luke died?
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, alright?
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.
1987.
Yeah, we looked that up.
Well, turns out it was you
who lost it, not your partner.
Debate is an extremely nuanced activity.
"I lost for
"insulting the other team
'"a profound sense of arrogance."'
I miss a nuance here 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.
[Rush] '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 '87..
...everything would have been different.
[intense music]
[panting]
It's freezing out.
What's so important you call me at 11:30?
Coach... I'm sorry.
I got to quit debate.
[sighs]
Look..
...I don't care that you lost.
Alright? 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 kill himself tonight, okay?
I pulled a gun from his hands.
You brought a gun onto campus?
Can't take it home.
I don't know what to do with it.
I've been driving in circles.
Okay, look, I'm sorry. Alright, I'm sorry.
If there's anything I 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 kill 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 on to a victory that doesn't exist.
- Shut up! Shut up! - Because you never won.
Shut up! Shut up!
[gunshot]
[instrumental music]
["Karma Police" by Radiohead]
♪ Karma police
♪ Arrest this man
♪ He talks in maths
♪ He buzzes like a fridge
♪ He's like
♪ A detuned radio
♪ Karma police
♪ Arrest this girl
♪ Her Hitler hairdo
♪ Is making me feel ill
♪ And we have
♪ Crashed her party
♪ This is what you get
♪ When you mess with us
♪ For a minute there
♪ I lost myself
♪ I lost myself ♪
[Rush] Stay tunes for scenes from our next episode.
[theme music]