(school bell rings) (indistinct conversations)
Okay, okay, please, please, take your seats.
Leave your booklets closed
and your pencils down until I tell you to begin.
(door opens)
(school bell rings)
Principal MacDonald?
Yeah, come on in.
These are the exams from first period.
Thanks, Lacey. Uh, any irregularities?
What?
Tyler Young.
I got him admission and a scholarship
up at Hudson College next year.
It's contingent upon these scores, and...
if he fails...
Is there any way I could look at his test?
By law... I have to certify
that I've locked these tests in a safe
no later than ten minutes
after the conclusion of the exam.
No one can see them
or touch them
until the courier from the testing service
picks them up in the morning.
But what happens
after I leave for the day--
well, I wouldn't know about that.
*
Can I help you?
No.
Yeah, um...
I need one test.
Tyler Young.
BULL: I must say, Marissa,
you look absolutely beautiful.
But I'm sure Kyle's already told you that.
Yes. He told me I looked beautiful in the shower.
Told me I looked beautiful in my underwear.
And then he told me I looked beautiful in my dress.
I couldn't help but notice his
sense of conviction diminishing the more clothes I put on.
Hmm, men. What's our problem?
Bull. Dr. Jason Bull.
Why are we here again?
I thought you swore last year you were never coming back.
And I meant it. Oh, wait a second.
Is this the mayor's annual "You Scratch My Back,
I Have No Idea Who You Are Fundraising Gala"?
Don't you think you've had enough?
Astonishingly, no. EMCEE: Come on, folks. We need to dig a little deeper...
I can still hear this guy's voice. ...into our kids' college funds.
Now here's a truly New York experience:
a private carriage ride through Central Park
with Mayor Hopkins herself. (applause)
What do you say we kick this one off
at $2,000?
$2,000, anyone?
Oh, God.
Hey, what are you doing? Someone's got to have $2,000.
It's worth two grand to shut this guy up. It's practically a steal.
$2,000, from the gentleman
in the glasses. Now do I see three? Ta-da.
Auction over. $3,000?
$3,000, in the back.
Now do I hear four?
Do I hear four? Do I hear four?
Hey, what are you doing? I know when
to bow out, I'm just gonna run the price up.
$4,000, from the man in the glasses.
(scoffs) I can't believe this.
$5,000 in the back, now. Do I hear six?
We've got six.
Thank you, Clark Kent.
Is there a seven to be had?
Do I hear seven?
Seven. Do I hear eight? $8,000?
Bull, stop. Trust me, I know when to get out.
This is my last bid. Eight, anyone? $8,000!
Can I get nine? In the back.
$9,000. $9,000 once,
$9,000 twice, sold to the man in the back
for $9,000.
See? (applause)
Do I know what I know or do I know what I know?
I don't know.
EMCEE: Ladies and gentlemen, Your Honor the mayor
was so moved by this outpouring of generosity
that she has agreed to take time for two
carriage rides.
One to the man in the back for $9,000,
and to the gentleman in the glasses for eight.
(chuckling): Oh, yeah...
MAN: Dr. Bull.
Dr. Jason Bull? (chuckles)
Dr. Bull?
John Powers. Chief of staff for Mayor Hopkins.
Thanks so much for jumping in out there.
Page Six would've had a field day if we couldn't
sell a stroll through the park with Her Honor.
(chuckles)
Happy to do it. In fact,
nothing gives me greater pleasure than writing a check
for something I really don't need.
(laughs)
Truth is, I was wondering
if I could impose on you for, uh,
one more thing? You've heard about
the cheating scandal in the Bronx?
Oh, yeah, last summer-- the teachers fixing tests?
The, uh, teachers union is representing the only teacher
who's been charged so far.
She's a passionate young educator, who, in our opinion,
is being railroaded by the district attorney's office.
Any way I could entice you to take a meeting
with the teacher and her lawyer?
The mayor would be extremely grateful for your help.
I'm sure she would. There are far more teachers
who vote in elections than district attorneys.
(laughs)
Just e-mail me where to go and when to be there.
Um, and say hi to the mayor for me.
Even though she probably couldn't tell me from Adam.
Uh, just say yes, Bull.
Yes, Bull.
Dr. Jason Bull?
So, what can I do
for you, Dr. Bull? Mayor's office said
you'd be stopping by.
You know who I am?
I read The New York Times.
You're a trial scientist.
It's hard to tell-- the way you said that--
just how you feel about it.
Does the expression "third teat"
clear it up for you?
Mmm. (knocking on door)
It's open.
Hi. Um... am I interrupting something?
I was told to just knock.
No, no. You're fine.
Lacey Adams, Dr. Jason Bull.
Doctor.
Ms. Adams. It's nice to meet you.
I'm a trial scientist.
I assist lawyers and legal teams
with challenging cases.
The mayor's office wanted me to come by
and meet you and your lawyer,
see if I could be of any help.
He can't. (phone rings)
Gwen here.
Mm-hmm.
GWEN: Mm-hmm. Sure.
So...
what'd they tell you
about me? Nothing.
I just know what I've read-- you and five other teachers
are accused of altering more than 800 standardized tests.
I changed one answer...
on one test.
One.
For one kid.
Wow. That must be one special kid.
He's one of those kids everyone says
is a lost cause.
Terrible grades,
attendance issues,
no dad.
And I think the mother has a heroin problem.
But in class?
I can see the gears turning.
I spent three years working with him--
before school,
after school-- I brought him up from a D to a B-plus.
I even talked the admissions counselor at Hudson College
into accepting him.
All he had to do was get a 65 on his test.
And it shouldn't have been a problem, but...
So let me get this straight--
they could place all six of you at the scene,
and all of you were arrested, but...
you are the only one being charged.
Mm-hmm. Why?
Because I confessed.
That was the district attorney's office.
They're offering a deal.
They certainly are. You plead guilty,
testify against the other five teachers,
the ADA will give you probation.
You'll serve no time.
But she'll still have a felony on her record.
Which means they'll take away your teaching license.
What's the alternative?
You go to jail. The alternative
is we go to court.
We explain to a jury why you did
what you did, and maybe, just maybe,
you walk away from this, doing what
you're meant to do.
Which is obviously teach.
And you'll be there?
Part of the team?
Absolutely.
Can't have too many teats.
Can you, Gwen?
What? Nothing.
*
MARISSA: Lacey Adams, age 27. Graduated from Yale,
did a one-year stint with Teach for America.
She has been at Woodrow High School, in the Bronx,
for the last three years.
Went to Yale and works in a public school
in the Bronx; that's commitment.
Oh, it gets better. She works
11-hour days, nets less than $700 a week,
and buys school supplies with her own money.
I need to leave now so I can go home and rethink my entire life.
BENNY: A group of teachers
changes thousands of answers on hundreds of tests.
And supposedly this girl only did it once.
MARISSA: That's what she says.
BENNY: Uh-huh.
And we believe her? Bull believes her.
He thinks she's a good teacher. He thinks she's a good person.
And he hates that she's facing a decade in prison.
He said,
"In Lacey's mind, what she did was justified.
We just have to get the jurors to accept that justification."
Well, that's all, huh?
You grew up around here?
Uh, I grew up in Switzerland.
Ah, I was close.
My father works in international finance.
Uh, they live in Massachusetts now.
I mean, I am American.
I was born here.
But it wasn't until I went to Yale
that I fell in love with the place.
What about teaching?
Did you get the notice?
There's no money in it, Lacey.
(chuckles) Yeah, I know.
But, um, some of the most important people in my life,
growing up, were teachers.
I remember when we moved to Europe.
I was five years old.
They speak four languages in Switzerland.
None of them English.
So the only person who understood me
and the only person I could talk to,
other than my mom and dad, was my teacher.
My fate was sealed.
I'm in a lot of trouble, aren't I, Dr. Bull?
Yes.
And no. (chuckles nervously)
I mean, you did do something that was wrong.
But it seems fairly obvious
you did it for a very good reason.
In fact, it seems pretty clear
you did it to help someone else.
God, I miss it.
(chuckles)
God, I miss them.
I know.
BULL: Knock, knock.
How do you feel about necessity?
I feel very strongly
that it's the mother of invention.
Ah. I mean as a trial strategy.
I just spent the morning with our mutual client
and I think necessity gives us what we need.
You want to present a necessity defense?
I do.
Think about it.
We're stuck with Lacey's confession.
I mean, we can't claim she's not guilty.
But we can turn a weakness into a strength.
We can demonstrate that Lacey's cheating was a necessity.
She did it to prevent Tyler's life
from becoming a greater tragedy than it already was.
Okay.
Dr. Bull, I know you're not a lawyer,
but the necessity defense is intended
for people trying to save lives.
That's what Lacey was doing.
An intruder breaks into your home
and tries to kidnap your child,
so you shoot him.
That's necessity.
That's why people mount a necessity defense.
It's not used to defend against an allegation of fraud.
And there's no precedent.
Then let's make some precedent.
You're serious. Mmm.
Well, that's all well and good,
but I've already decided.
We're going to argue that standardized testing
without regard to socioeconomic inequality
is just bad public policy.
That's our defense.
I want to put the entire notion
of standardized testing
on trial.
You do? Damn right.
You ever get out of here?
From under this mountain of paperwork?
Why don't you come by my office?
I'll show you what we do,
and why I think our defense is such a winner.
The jurors we should be looking for
are those who understand
it's sometimes acceptable to do something wrong
in pursuit of something right.
You're talking about Machiavellianism,
as in Niccolo Machiavelli?
BULL: Exactly.
Machiavelli, 15th century
politician and philosopher, who believed it was absolutely
fine to do the wrong thing, if it was for the right reasons.
Our task is to identify the jurors
with the most Machiavellian tendencies
and get them seated on that jury.
Our task is to prove Lacey
was put in an impossible situation
by forces beyond her control,
and did her best to navigate it.
The rest of this is...
Wait a minute. Is this a test?
It's the Mach IV test for Machiavellianism.
Question number one: "Agree or disagree?
Honesty is the best policy in all cases."
Mmm, I certainly agree with that.
I don't.
I don't believe you do either.
MARISSA: Kids, no fighting at the table.
We have a guest.
(Benny sighs)
BULL: Everybody ready to share?
Remember, the higher the score, the more Machiavellian you are.
Well, I got a 44.
Confirms what we already know.
Save for your perverse talent for violating people's privacy,
and reading their most secret
and intimate documents online, you're fundamentally
trustworthy and ethical.
I hate that. Sounds so boring.
I got a 66. BULL: Spoken like a true Machiavellian.
And right up there with my 72.
What'd you get? Uh, 62.
I guess we are a den of thieves. BULL: Hmm.
And Mr. "Honesty is the best policy"?
77. I'm not sure I even trust this test.
38. And I trust it completely.
Ms. Kinsey?
34. Not that it matters.
Well done, group.
Is anyone else hungry?
Yeah.
(clears throat)
Here are the questions I'd love you to ask potential jurors.
In addition, it's extremely important
that you weave the word "necessity"
into the conversation. I want the jurors
to become very comfortable with that word
and to start understanding that that's what they need
to measure Lacey's behavior against.
(gavel bangs)
Do me a favor and raise your hand
if you agree with the following:
"Most people are basically good and kind."
The defense would like to excuse and thank jurors two and nine.
"The best way to handle people
is to tell them what they want to hear."
Juror number five is acceptable to the defense, Your Honor.
(whispers): Necessity.
Again, raise your hand if you agree.
"Generally speaking, most people won't work hard
unless it's an absolute necessity."
Juror 12 is acceptable to the defense, Your Honor.
Raise your hand if you believe
there should be uniform educational standards
whether you live in Alaska or Wyoming,
whether your child is rich or poor.
She's going off script.
GWEN: So, then, I take it you believe standardized tests
are a necessary part of the curriculum?
I do.
Defense would like to thank and excuse this juror.
(sighs)
So ordered. And let me remind the defense
that you have now exhausted all your challenges.
(sighs)
Mm.
What? I said the word "necessity."
You're not happy?
I thought we had a plan.
I thought we were working together.
No.
You had a plan.
And you thought I was working for you.
And now you know better.
Rather Machiavellian, wouldn't you say?
(papers rustling)
Tell me you are not going through my personal papers.
Sorry, can't do that.
That's exactly what I'm doing.
Okay, I need you to stop right now.
I need you to get up, get your clothes and leave.
Are you mad at me?
I am going to count to three,
and if you are not out of that chair
and getting your clothes, I'm calling the police.
Out of the chair.
But I was just looking through this stuff
because I'm worried about you.
Marissa... I'm a money guy.
That's what I do.
And, uh, you won't let me take care of you.
Half the time, you won't let me pay for dinner, and I get it.
That's what works for you,
but I am who I am and I need to know you're okay.
That you're set for the future, and you're not.
That's my business.
You're halfway through your working life
and you have nothing put away.
Less than a hundred grand.
And I know, I see, that you're paying for your mom
to live in that nice place in Massachusetts.
You've got this great apartment.
You're running some credit card debt.
I need you to leave.
I will leave in two minutes.
I just, I want you to know...
I can make room for you in my Queens project.
Push some of the Chinese money aside and make room for you.
Take your 75 grand and turn it into 350 in 18 months.
And it would give me
enormous pleasure to do that, it would.
'Cause I care about you.
Wow.
This is impressive.
I didn't know something like this even existed.
I'm very proud of this.
By the way, we finally made contact with Tyler.
Turns out he is the prosecution's
first witness tomorrow.
He's coming in tonight to get prepped.
That's great.
Um, how is he?
Um, is he okay?
Did he get some kind of job?
I mean, I feel terrible
that I'm putting him through all this trouble.
That's funny. He was worried about you.
He said if he, uh, had done better
on the test, none of this would have happened.
So...
you mind if I ask you a question?
You can ask me any question you'd like, Dr. Bull.
You come from money.
Is that a question or an accusation?
Just a fact.
It makes your choice of profession even more laudable,
but it does beg the question...
why do you have a union lawyer?
Hmm? Why aren't you being represented
by some high-priced firm
that has the DA's private cell phone number
and can maybe make this whole thing go away?
Are your parents unwilling to help you?
Do they understand-- do you understand--
you could go to prison for ten years?
The ADA is looking to make an example out of you
and those five other teachers.
He is not fooling around.
My parents didn't walk into that room
and change the test question.
I did.
And I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear
that they were not too thrilled
at the idea of me becoming a teacher.
A public school teacher...
in New York, in the Bronx.
I'm an adult, Dr. Bull.
I make my own choices, I pay my own way,
and I'm willing to pay for the consequences.
I meant what I said
when I told you I was grateful for your help.
But I understand if you feel that this is a fool's errand.
Not at all.
I'm just trying to figure out
if you're a saint or a misbegotten martyr.
CHUNK: Mr. Young.
What did you offer to do in return
for Ms. Adams changing your test grade?
I didn't offer to do anything.
I didn't even know she was gonna do it.
She didn't even tell me she was gonna change that answer.
I didn't even find out until she got arrested
and the school called to tell me my scholarship was no good,
and that I couldn't go there anymore.
And when that happened, were you mad?
I was really...
confused.
Never mad. Sad.
'Cause I had it all in my head, going to college.
No one in my family's ever been to college.
I don't even think I know anybody
who's ever been to college.
So I was really sad, but also worried.
Because I thought Ms. Adams got in a lot of trouble,
and I keep kind of thinking it's my fault...
That's a lot of words, Tyler. Remember what I said before?
Right.
Just answer the question.
Right.
So try it again.
When you found out what she had done, were you mad?
No, sir, I wasn't mad.
You like Ms. Adams, don't you?
(scoffs) I think she's a really good teacher.
Nice answer.
Do you think she... liked you?
I think you'd have to ask her that.
Good answer.
Do you think the reason why she did what she did for you
and the reason you weren't mad
is because the two of you liked each other?
No. Don't just stare at me.
That-that looks like a yes to the jury.
But it's not. So,
what do you say?
Sir, I'm happy to answer any questions you have
about the facts of the case.
But now you're just making stuff up.
I don't have to answer any questions
about things you make up.
Nice answer.
I think you're gonna do great.
NEWHALL: Tyler, when you started tenth grade,
what was your letter grade average?
A "C" or a "D," I think.
According to your school records, it was a C-minus.
But by your senior year, your average soared to a B-plus.
Any idea what happened in those three years to make
such a dramatic difference in your grades?
Well, I think a big part of it was Ms. Adams.
She spent a lot of time tutoring me.
Simple as that, huh?
Just spend some time with your teacher
and you get right on the honor roll.
Objection. Argumentative.
Ask a question, Mr. Newhall. Sure.
Here's a question. How do we know the defendant
wasn't changing your test scores
starting all the way back in the tenth grade?
How do we know she hasn't been cheating for you all along?
Objection. Calls for speculation.
Assumes facts not in evidence.
Sustained. NEWHALL: Okay.
Let me ask it another way.
Are you certain your teacher
hasn't been cheating for you
these last three years?
Yes. Really?
How can you be so sure?
I mean, it's possible,
isn't it? GWEN: Objection!
Anything is possible! NEWHALL: Exactly!
So how many tests
did she really help you with? Ten?
(quietly): I don't have to answer questions about things
you make up. I don't have to answer questions... 20?
...about things you make up. 30?
I don't have to answer questions... I told you, one.
NEWHALL: One? Really? (chuckles)
How can you be so sure?
GWEN: Objection! He's badgering the witness. Please.
NEWHALL: The truth is, you can't,
can you? You don't know.
You have no idea.
You're right.
I have no idea. I don't know.
I don't. I don't know. What do you want me to say?
Just stop talking. I don't.
CONWAY: Don't say anything. I don't know.
CONWAY: Objection is sustained.
CHUNK: I'm sorry, Bull.
I really did try to prep him.
(door opens, closes)
BULL: That drink better be for me.
Sorry, this one's spoken for.
You upset about the trial?
No, it's only just begun.
That was a serious swallow.
Want to tell your Uncle Bull all about it?
What is it about what we do
that makes it so hard to trust people? Oh.
Hmm.
We're gonna have that conversation?
Marissa, give yourself a break.
We spend the whole day figuring out
if people are lying to us or not.
And when we're not doing that, we're figuring out
how to convince 12 strangers
that our clients are telling the truth.
Of course we don't trust anybody.
Kyle offered to do something for me the other night.
Something really nice.
Really thoughtful.
And what did you do?
I threatened to have him arrested.
(chuckles)
Ain't love grand?
I think I'm gonna go home and call him and apologize.
Oh.
Well, I'm glad I could help you work through
this little crisis of the heart.
Don't hesitate to call me if you need any more ad...
(grunts softly)
You're welcome.
(gavel bangs)
At the request of the State Board of Education,
I reviewed the tests.
And what did you find?
They all shared a similar pattern of eraser marks.
GWEN: How do you mean? The vast majority
were in the history section, between questions 20 and 35.
This is a copy of Tyler Young's test.
There are three erasure marks,
one of which Ms. Adams admits to making.
They are all wrong to right answer changes.
What number questions are those?
11, 48, and 73.
None are in the history section.
Correct. And none are
in the question 20
to question 35 range.
Correct.
Sounds like Tyler's test
is very different from the others.
Objection. Leading.
Sustained.
I'll put it another way.
The test Lacey admits to changing
is different from all the other 800 tests.
It doesn't fit the pattern, right?
Right.
Nothing further.
Talk to me, Marissa. Well, yesterday was
a train wreck. No green on the screens anywhere.
But today we have seven greens back,
three yellows, and two reds.
So even though the two of you hate each other,
it seems like you're making progress.
Hmm.
Hey, can I talk to you?
Talk fast. I got a car waiting. What are you offering?
What makes you think I'm offering anything?
'Cause it's my job to know whether I'm winning or losing
and by how much.
And right now, I'm winning. By a lot.
I'll drop the charges against Lacey.
I'll even make sure she gets her teaching credentials back.
And my boss will call the dean of students
at Tyler's college, get him reinstated.
In exchange for...?
I need those five other teachers.
I get it. Your client's a nice lady who did
a bad thing for a good reason.
But those other five...
Come on. You're asking her to decide between her colleagues
and her student. Her student
and her career.
Tyler can quit his dead-end job and go to college.
And Lacey can get back in the classroom.
Wow.
So, is, um, this why you wanted me here early?
So you could triple-team me?
GWEN: It's a good deal,
Lacey.
I'd go so far as to say it's a great deal.
And I am not in the business
of throwing other teachers to the wolves.
But I will be here for them, just as I was for you.
It sounds like you've already made up your mind.
You heard what I thought when I called you last night.
Gets you everything you want.
Tyler gets to go to college. You get to continue teaching.
And as for the other teachers,
they get their day in court, just like you did.
BENNY: My two cents-- I worked
in the DA's office a long time.
Deals don't get much better than this.
So it's unanimous.
You want me to sell out the people I work with.
I wouldn't call it a sellout.
The ADA already knows who they are.
He already knows what they did.
But he can't prove it without me.
Today.
But maybe tomorrow he can.
And maybe tomorrow, one of the five goes to him
and cuts a deal.
And then you have nothing.
Nothing but jail time.
BULL: It's your decision, Lacey.
We just want you to understand what's at stake.
But whatever you decide, we'll go along with it.
I want Tyler to go back to school.
And... I want to keep my job.
But I couldn't live with myself knowing
I destroyed the lives of others to make it happen.
You called it.
How did you describe her?
The architect of her own destiny. Mm.
(Bull chuckles softly)
We are all here for you, Lacey.
Now, I will call the ADA's office,
let 'em know that you have made your decision,
and... we can plot our next move.
You know what,
I just plotted my next move.
I'm withdrawing from the case.
Wait, you're what?
GWEN: Our union is happy to come to the aid of our members
when they've been wrongly accused of a crime.
We're even happy to help when they've admitted to a crime,
when we think there are extenuating circumstances
that will impact the lives of working teachers.
But I am not about
to spend our very limited time and resources
on what I now realize is a suicide mission.
I'm sure Dr. Bull can help you find someone
to get you through the remainder of the trial.
I did not see that coming.
Did I just make a huge mistake?
(chuckles) I actually think you traded up.
Oh. Yeah.
I bet you say that to all the second-string lawyers.
(chuckles)
What's the game plan, Doc?
Well, we have a little less than an hour
to get young Ms. Adams ready.
For what?
We're putting you on the stand.
Lacey, you already testified
that the second you saw Tyler the morning of the exam
you knew that he was going to struggle.
What was that based on?
Well, to begin with, he was already a half hour late.
But more than that, I know how complicated his life is.
How do you mean?
Well, first of all,
he's got a little brother he's got to feed
and get off to school every morning.
Plus, his mother, um, has a drug problem,
and sometimes she brings men to the apartment
in the middle of the night to, uh, support her drug habit.
On these nights, I-I know Tyler doesn't get any sleep.
I'm fairly certain that's what happened the day of the test.
Objection. Hearsay.
Right on cue.
It's not hearsay.
During school vacations, I would go to his apartment
and tutor him in the morning and then again in the evening.
I know what I'm talking about.
I'm going to allow it.
Thank you, Your Honor.
So let me
ask you a question.
Was this your plan?
Tyler takes the test.
If he doesn't make the grade,
you figure out a way to doctor his answers?
No. It didn't even cross my mind.
Tyler is a solid "B" student.
But that morning, you knew he wasn't getting a "B."
I didn't know...
but-but I sensed.
I just wanted to look at it, the test.
That's all I really wanted to do,
is just put my mind at ease that he had passed,
and that he'd be going to college.
But then I walked in,
and I realized that all I had to do was change one question,
and he could have a future.
You and Tyler prepped for the exam,
is that correct?
You gave him practice tests?
Yes, three times.
And how did he do?
80s. Low 80s, every time.
That's how I know him failing is an anomaly.
One last question.
If you could do anything you wanted to in life--
okay, a-a-anything at all, money's no object--
what would that be?
Objection. Relevance.
Overruled.
This.
Uh, teaching, not testifying.
Showing people who think they know where their boundaries are
that there's so much more.
No further questions, Your Honor.
Cross-examination.
One question.
Did you or did you not change an answer
on Tyler Young's exam?
BENNY: Objection.
Asked and answered, Your Honor.
Overruled.
Yes or no? I need to hear.
Did you alter, in any way, Tyler Young's exam
after it was completed?
Making you guilty of tampering with a government record.
As well as perjury,
since you warranted the results by virtue of your role
as the official proctor of record.
And fraud...
since your intent was to deceive.
Yes or no.
Yes.
Uh, yes, I did.
No more questions.
(neck cracks)
Okay. How we doing with closing arguments?
MARISSA: Uh... BENNY: Not good.
We've already run six different versions.
Yeah, I just let the last group of mock jurors go.
We were just throwing away good money after bad.
I don't understand. What's the problem?
The problem is she did it, Bull.
That's always been a problem.
They're just not buying the necessity defense.
They want more evidence to support Lacey's choice.
If you want to win an acquittal,
we need something tangible,
something definitive, something objective.
Then that's what we'll give them.
You want the boy to take the test again?
Here? Today?
I have the testing service standing by
with a fresh version of the exam.
And I am happy to have Your Honor,
and the ADA here, proctor it,
so everyone can be sure
that there's no funny business going on.
Give him the test and two hours later,
we will know where we stand.
NEWHALL: Your Honor,
this is completely irrelevant and unduly prejudicial,
not to mention an obfuscation.
(scoffs) Judge Conway, I disagree.
Our client has never denied what she did.
What's relevant here is why she did it.
(clock ticking)
It's unorthodox, but I agree it's relevant.
And I'm going to allow it.
*
In the 82nd percentile,
ladies and gentlemen.
That's what Tyler Young scored
when he retook his college placement exam.
82%.
Now, why does that matter?
Well, because it proves why Lacey felt
what she did was necessary.
Against the rules,
but necessary.
She knew what her student was capable of,
and didn't want that student's future compromised
because of circumstances that were beyond his control.
Lacey Adams confessed
to changing a single answer,
bringing Tyler's test to the 65th percentile,
allowing him to attend a local college,
where he hoped to study architecture,
and perhaps be the first person in his family
to earn a college degree.
Is changing answers wrong?
Yes, absolutely.
But is it, is it worse than...
taking away a bright young man's opportunity to better himself,
change his future?
Well, I guess that's why you're here.
I guess that's why we'll leave it up to you to decide.
Thank you for listening.
CONWAY: Madam Foreman, have you reached a verdict?
JURY FOREMAN: Yes we have, Your Honor.
We, the jury,
find the defendant, Lacey Adams, guilty
on one count of tampering with a government record,
one count of perjury,
and one count of fraud.
(gavel bangs)
I'm sorry. I'm, uh...
No. I did it.
I did.
MARISSA: Bull?
Is she okay?
Are-are you okay?
I am so, so sorry.
I'll fix this, I will.
Somehow, I promise.
Okay.
MAN: You're here.
You actually showed up.
Hey. You're not the mayor.
(grunts)
She sends her regrets.
She really wanted to be here tonight.
(chuckles)
No, she didn't.
I was surprised when you called to schedule it.
I mean, most people just give the money and...
let the carriage ride go.
Well, the truth is, I need a favor.
And I was hoping I could ask the mayor directly.
Happy to carry your water, Dr. Bull.
You remember the case you asked
for my help on about a month ago?
I do.
We lost.
I'm aware, but... it all worked out.
The judge liked her; gave her no jail time.
Not the worst ending.
But she's got a felony on her record,
and, uh, now she can't teach.
I just... (sighs)
I think we lost one of the good ones,
maybe even one of the great ones.
Thing about teaching is, if you're meant to do it,
you're gonna do it.
Maybe not in a classroom.
Maybe not in the State of New York, but...
I just have a feeling she's gonna be fine.
Probably end up in a private school somewhere.
Massachusetts, maybe.
You seem to know an awful lot about her.
I'll let you in on a little secret.
The reason I sought you out that night?
Her father is a bigwig in the party.
Major contributor, especially in New England.
He knew his daughter would never accept any help from him,
so he asked our office to intervene.
(laughing): He called the mayor himself.
(laughs) (horse snorts)
In any event,
your client's gonna be fine.
Was that your favor?
What is it about what we do
that makes it so hard to trust people?
Excuse me?
Agree or disagree:
Honesty is the best policy in all cases.
I don't think I understand.
I'm sure you don't.
I need the mayor, or someone from the mayor's office,
to get on the phone and find a place
for Tyler Young to go to a city college.
That would be highly irregular
for the mayor to use her influence
to gain admission for any individual...
It could even be construed as unethical.
Like the way the mayor twisted my arm
to get me to work for free so she could curry favor
with a party bigwig?
You ever heard of Machiavelli?
Very successful politician.
I think he and the mayor would have gotten along really well.
Get the Tyler Young college thing done for me.
Shouldn't be a problem.
Great.
Driver, I'm gonna hop off.
I got what I came for.
Thanks for the ride.
*
* You feelin' all right
* Uh-huh *
* Ah
* Feelin' all right *
* Whoa...
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