I was innocent.
And I became a lawyer to get myself out.
It took me a long time to figure out
how I really got in here.
That girl who OD'd at the club...
Her father's a major power broker
and a hedge-fund billionaire.
I have a district attorney targeting me
to gain access to you.
Your money and your friends.
And along the way, there was a whole lot of hurt.
Marie!
You're my brother, and I love you.
I'm moving in with Marie.
Do you love me?
Yes, Darius.
And Aaron?
But after 9 1/2 years, I got everything I wanted.
I'm exonerated.
I get to practice law.
And I'm going home.
It's a lot?
You know, they were all cheering for me when I walked out.
No one's ever done what you did.
You realize that, right?
My mom just texted.
They're gonna be here in like 10 minutes.
You got to bring the food out now.
I told you, you gotta keep that covered so it stays warm.
This tray's so hot, it's burning my hands.
So just put it down and get the fritters.
Not right there, Ronnie! Jazz.
What?
Everything's not gonna be perfect.
Okay?
It's nice.
Come on. Get your stuff.
My God. Marie.
Hey. How you doing?
How's the baby?
Eats, sleeps. Doing great.
I haven't seen Darius around.
He moved out.
My goodness.
Just in time?
Jazz?
Daddy!
I can't believe this day is finally here.
I know.
And I missed you so much, sweetheart.
Hey, Ronnie.
Hey, Mr. Wallace.
He's beautiful.
We've been calling him AJ.
Aaron Junior.
There you go.
Hey, there, AJ.
How's the world treating you so far?
I still can't believe you managed to make all this
with a newborn in the next room.
Where'd you get all that energy?
Helps to be 18, I guess.
So, you taking off work?
No.
I had a lot of vacation time coming to me,
so I just cut way back on my shifts
so I can get this girl up and running.
She's got some amazing tips, Dad.
Yeah, I bet she does.
Well, some things, you never forget.
Though, they've got these new blankets now
that basically swaddle themselves.
Remember how much trouble we used to have with that?
That was one thing I could do.
Nice and tight.
Had to keep my baby girl snug.
And you weren't too bad at the diaper changing.
Dad changed diapers?
Yeah. Maybe four or five.
Come on!
So, you, - you got any big plans
for tomorrow, for your first day back?
Yeah.
Yeah, I thought I'd have, um, breakfast
with my baby girl over here.
Then go see Jamal's sister.
Really? Yeah.
She's the key to his case.
I really want to get started on it.
How about Henry? I'm sure he's dying to see you.
Yeah, I spoke to him.
He said he has some big opportunity
he wants to talk to me about.
That's good.
Yeah, we'll see what it is.
Well, you do what you gotta do, Mr. Wallace.
I got a half day of school.
I should be back here around noon.
Thank you, Ronnie. Appreciate that.
I guess it's feeding time.-.
Well, today's your lucky day.
We're giving you the superstar.
Aaron Wallace?
I thought he was exonerated.
Of the drug charges.
He picked up probation for assault
during the prison riot.
He was released this afternoon to his wife's address.
I suggest you pay him a visit tomorrow.
And the politics?
You mean does he get any extra leeway
because he's already been a thorn in everybody's side?
Something like that.
I'm gonna say just the opposite.
I'm not gonna trip him up,
if that's what you're asking me.
How do you think he managed to get himself off?
And got Glen Maskins sent packing?
If the man's already got that kind of juice from the inside,
how long do you think it's gonna be
before he gets back into the life?
And if someone's gotta be on his ass,
he better not be white?
You caught this 'cause you're the best.
But if you're not down for it,
I could always give it to Darnell.
No. I'm down.
Good.
And stay all over him.
He's a crafty son of a bitch.
I think it's best you go home tonight.
We can figure out a plan tomorrow.
Yeah. I'll just go kiss Jazz and AJ good night.
Okay. Alright.
Good night, Mr. Wallace.
So glad you're home.
Come here.
You're a good man.
You stay that way, alright?
Yeah, I will, sir. Yes, sir.
And no more "Mr. Wallace."
It's "Aaron." Alright?
Yeah, yeah, sure.
That meant a lot to him.
Yeah.
I, got you a few things to wear,
until you have time to go shopping yourself.
I wasn't sure what style you were going for at this point,
so I went kind of neutral.
Thanks.
I have a real early shift tomorrow,
so I won't be here when you wake up,
but we need to get you to the DMV
so you can get an ID, to the bank.
We can go to the DMV on Thursday.
Probation office is around there, and I got to check in.
Right. Right. Right.
Well, I got you this for now.
I downloaded Uber for you,
so you can use that to get around.
And here's some walking-around money
until we get you an ATM card.
Thanks.
I...
I figured... you'd crash on the couch at first,
if that's okay.
Yeah, sure.
I mean, listen.
That's a king-size bed compared to what I'm used to.
And I'm sorry... There's no shower down here,
but you can use the one upstairs.
Yeah. No problem. Thanks.
Close cell 4!
Daddy?
I can't believe you're cooking.
Come on.
French toast still your favorite?
With strawberry jam?
You read my mind.
I've been having the worst cravings.
I got that bacon just like you like it... nice and crispy.
Now sit.
AJ still sleeping?
About 22 hours a day.
I didn't hear a peep all night.
He mostly sleeps right next to me.
That way, I don't even have to get up to feed him.
How's it going with school?
You gonna be able to catch up?
I'm not even behind.
I had them give me all my upcoming assignments last month.
I do everything at home the next six weeks,
go back end of January.
I'm proud of you, sweetheart.
I'm proud of you, Dad.
Eat.
You're my brother, and I love you.
But it's time for everyone to move forward.
So, you're the famous Aaron Wallace?
I was your brother's cellmate for almost nine years.
I never would have survived in there if it wasn't for him.
And you come finding me now why?
Because I need your help.
In Jamal's case.
He pled out. Far as I know, there's nothing to do.
He had a bad lawyer.
You can help me prove that.
Isn't he up for parole anyways in three years?
Um...
You remember the riots at Bellmore?
He was involved in that. Tried to save me.
He'll never make parole. Not with that in his file.
So, you want me to say what?
Your ex-boyfriend.
Tony.
The one Jamal killed.
He had a criminal record.
In order for me to access it,
I need an affidavit from you about his behavior.
Listen to me, okay?
Look, I got a real shot at getting Jamal out.
But I got to prove Tony was violent.
That's why I need your testimony and his criminal record.
Your break's over.
Please, Georgia.
I'll think about it, okay?
I gotta go.
Who's this?
Just a friend of my brother's.
You've reached Aaron Wallace's voicemail.
Leave a message.
Hey. Let me know how it goes with Henry.
Really want to hear about this opportunity.
Bye.
If you're satisfied with your message, press 1.
To erase and re-re...
Hi. Hope you have a good meeting with Henry.
Let me know if you want something special for dinner.
Bye.
Your message has been sent.
So, what are we doing here?
'Cause if it's about the hot dogs,
we need to be at Nathan's or Carnegie Deli.
I hate to break the news to you. Carnegie closed.
Come on.
Spencer Richardson called me yesterday.
He was wondering if I thought you'd be open to talking to him.
That happens to be where he runs his charitable foundation.
He's ready to show you around.
If you're not comfortable, he'll come down here.
Can't hurt to hear what the man has to say.
I know you got no good reason to trust me
or want anything to do with me.
I'm a powerful man,
and I used that power in a way that hurt you.
But I'm also a man who admits when he's made mistakes
and tries to...
Tries to what? Make up for them?
Unless you have some way to give me back 9 1/2 years,
you may want to think twice about what comes out of your mouth next.
I can never do anything to make that right for you.
But I can offer you something
that might make the next chapter in your life
more fulfilling than maybe you'd imagined.
And what have I been imagining?
I shouldn't be so presumptuous.
What do you want to do?
Spend time with my family.
I've missed a lot.
You became a lawyer.
I got to believe you want to do something with that now.
A lot of guys at Bellmore don't belong there.
That'll keep me busy for a while.
Pro bono work?
For people who aren't in prison yet?
Yeah. Possibly.
What about the broader issues in the criminal justice system?
I'm not gonna solve those.
No.
But we can make a dent in them.
"We"?
Shine a light on the flaws in the system.
And counter them with initiatives
that come from my foundation.
Henry has all kinds of ideas
and a profound understanding of the institutional problems.
Combine that with my funding and your profile?
We could do a lot of good together.
My profile.
You got a PR problem.
After what happened in court.
And you want to bring me into the fold
to show the community that this is all just water under the bridge.
That would be the cynical way to look at it.
Plus, you have to make money, right?
This is what I'm prepared to offer.
Next time, I'd love to show you my facilities.
I got to say, I kind of love the idea
of us working together full time.
Yeah.
I don't think it's selling out, if that's your concern.
Helluva day one?
I know you're bummed about Jamal's sister.
If she refuses to help, you got other plays.
I'm happy to be a sounding board.
Great seeing you, Henry.
I'll call you tomorrow.
Alright.
Didn't mean to startle you.
Scotty Williams.
I'm your probation officer.
First appointment's not till tomorrow.
And part of my job is to show up whenever I feel like it.
Keep you on your toes.
You need to ring the bell again?
I see they didn't give you a key.
I know how all this works. I don't think you do.
Otherwise, you wouldn't have questioned why I was here.
I gotta evaluate your entire living situation,
starting with your home environment.
You worried he's gonna be dealing drugs from the dining room?
Documentation of the domestic situation
is an important part of the process, Mrs. Wallace.
Well, you're very thorough.
Well, anyone who's good at their job is.
May I see the sleeping quarters, please?
I'm, um...
I'm sleeping down here on the couch right now.
Till we get re-adjusted.
In my experience,
people in your situation do much better
when they're in a secure relationship.
But I understand re-assimilation can be very difficult
for the family as much as the convict.
I'm not a convict.
He was exonerated. He's innocent.
He's on probation for assault.
Come on.
But I get your point, and I apologize.
Thanks.
Maybe we can sit down and discuss the rest?
In addition to my random visits,
we'll meet officially twice a week,
either here or at my office.
Your curfew will be 10F00,
which means inside the home environment by 9:59,
not sipping a Coke on the lawn,
not walking the dog.
Inside the house.
We don't have a dog.
But I get the idea.
You're not permitted to drink alcohol
or leave the state of New York
without the permission of the probation office.
You're not allowed to interact with any known criminals
or convicted felons.
You get that I'm a lawyer, right?
You'll need to run your cases by me.
I'll have to pre-clear any meetings you have
with witnesses or clients if they have any kind of record.
Which leads me to today.
Georgia Bishop, Jamal's sister.
She called you?
I followed you.
Her boyfriend, the one who interrupted your meeting,
his name's Dirk Burrell.
He's been upstate twice.
Once for assault, once for armed robbery.
Long story short... Stay away from both of them.
She's a witness in my client's case.
Look, I understand you feel you owe a debt to your friend, but...
He has a constitutional right to representation.
Now, I'm his lawyer, which means I can meet with witnesses
relevant to his defense.
Now, you want to fight me on that?
Judge is gonna rule in my favor.
So, what's next?
Your employment status.
I thought we just went over that.
If your plan is to defend your old friends at Bellmore,
how are you gonna support yourself?
First of all, my wife is in a full-time job.
And this house is already paid for by her father.
But in my experience, a man just getting out of prison
needs to have some degree of financial stability,
which is why I need you
to attend one of these courses in the next week.
It'll teach you how to write a résumé,
how to conduct yourself in an interview,
how to harness whatever skills you have.
You really think treating me like everybody else
is a formula for success here?
If you don't appreciate the nature of this dynamic,
you shouldn't have agreed to this probation.
It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Wallace.
Congratulations again on your grandson
and on having your husband home.
I'll let myself out.
Hey, um, I was thinking
maybe I could get a key to the house.
I see Ronnie has one.
Yeah. Right. I'm so sorry.
I, um... I couldn't find another copy,
but I'll give you Ronnie's until I get more made.
Yeah, that'd be good. Thanks. Yeah. Yeah.
So, how'd it go with Jamal's sister?
I still need to work on her.
What about the boyfriend the PO was talking about?
You concerned?
You not?
I can handle him.
Okay.
I'm not giving up on Jamal.
I never said you should.
And what about the offer from Spencer Richardson?
I couldn't tell how you felt about it.
Yeah.
I don't want to walk into his office every day thinking about who he is,
about Lexi, about the club, and the past.
Yeah, I get it.
I know you've never really worked for anybody,
but he's a very respected man,
and maybe this is a way for it all to mean something.
I became a lawyer by myself, from my cell.
I don't need him or anybody else to prop me up.
I know you don't.
But it sounds like he really wants to do some good.
And it would be for a lot of money,
for Jazz's college, for AJ.
You know, when she goes back to school in January,
I may have to cut back even more of my shifts to take care of the baby,
so that means less money coming in, maybe for a while.
Yeah, I'll... I'll think about it, alright?
This is Georgia. Do your thang.
Hey, Georgia. This is Aaron Wallace.
I really want to talk to you some more about this.
I texted you so you have my number.
Thanks.
Soon you're gonna be taking on the whole world?
Look who's on baby duty.
It's just Grandma.
She's come to check up on Grandpa
make sure he's doing everything alright.
Looks like you are.
Shouldn't you be sleeping?
I have the day off tomorrow, so I can sit with you.
You remember that song I used to sing to Jazz?
I would sing that to her hundreds and hundreds of times
till she went to sleep.
I remember that well, because...
I'm the one that made it up.
No.
That's not true.
No, that's true.
It was "Mommy loves you so much,"
and then you stole it from me.
It was? Yes, it was.
I would never do that.
Yes, you did. No.
I would never do that. But because you were so cute,
you know, I just let you have it.
Is that right? Yep.
There's my temporary driver's license,
ATM/Visa card,
and here's the number to my cell.
Sounds like you've been productive.
How are things at home?
They're fine.
You know, I didn't want to say it the other day,
in front of Marie,
but we can arrange for you to live at a halfway house
if that would be a better situation for you.
No. That won't be necessary.
Okay.
Anything on the employment front?
I'm still considering my options.
Obviously, I could just hang up a shingle and run my own shop.
Not when you can't afford an office.
I managed to run plenty of cases in a six-by-four-foot cell.
I'm sure I can make do with what I got right now.
Fair enough.
You staying away from Georgia and Dirk?
Why don't you check my texts?
I'm sure you got where you are
by doing everything your own way.
In prison...
You ever been?
You can't fight me on everything.
I won't.
Only the things that really matter to me.
Well, I can tell you why
she might not be answering your texts.
The night after you went to see her,
one of her neighbors called 911.
Domestic abuse call.
Cops got there.
Somehow, she was the one who ended up arrested.
For what?
All I know is, they're trouble.
Which is why I'm telling you... Stay away.
Georgia.
You called a lawyer yet?
I was gonna use a public defender.
Well, I can do better.
Tell me what happened.
Bitch next door called the cops.
They roll up there, I tell 'em to go away, they barge in anyways.
And now you got an assault charge.
It was just a squabble.
Now, listen, I can get you out of this,
but you got to tell me the truth.
I can't.
He's already got a criminal record.
The judge will believe you. I said no.
He can't hurt you if he's behind bars.
I'm not gonna be responsible... Georgia.
For putting another person in prison.
I'm not testifying.
And this whole thing would never have happened
if you hadn't shown up in the first place.
That's what set him off.
They got you on a drug charge.
It was a handful of Valium, which they only got
'cause they went fishin' through all my drawers.
Well, you didn't have a prescription for it,
which is an "A" misdemeanor.
I'll give 'em the dealer.
It's this kid that lives in my neighborhood.
Kid? He's like 19 or 20.
No. His name's...
No, no, we're not doing that.
They throw the book at him and put him away for years.
How you gonna help me, then?
Hey. Where are you?
Hey. Um, I'm down at Central Booking.
Jamal's sister got arrested.
What?
It's a long story.
But... I need your help.
With what?
Is there a substance abuse program at the hospital?
Yeah.
And what about domestic abuse? Is there counseling for that?
No, but there's a program at St. Agatha's.
I-I know some people there.
Great.
Can you make some calls for me, please?
I need to get her enrolled before her arraignment.
Docket ending 347, People vs. Georgia Bishop.
Charged with assault in the third degree
and criminal possession of a controlled substance
in the seventh degree.
Aaron Wallace for the defense, Your Honor.
Your Honor, this is a domestic violence situation
in which drugs were recovered from Ms. Bishop's bedroom.
People have no offer.
The People are correct.
This is a domestic violence situation.
But my client is not the aggressor here.
In fact, she's 5'5".
He's 6'1", with two prior violent felonies.
Is that true?
Yes, Your Honor, but we're not gonna litigate
a "He said, she said" here.
And in any event, we have a dozen illegal Valium pills...
Which were the result of a bad search.
The cops showed up on a domestic violence call
and then started snooping around the house,
looking for something to bust the victim for.
If the defendant is willing to testify against Mr. Burrell...
So she was arrested to try to force her to testify against him?
She was arrested for throwing a plate at Mr. Burrell's face
and for the drugs.
I have already arranged
an outpatient drug treatment program at Hillcrest Memorial.
I take one pill a day. I'm not some addict!
Georgia. If I was some soccer mom from the suburbs,
I'd have my doctor writing me prescriptions like they was candy.
Sounds like your client's not quite compliant with your plan.
Have you even had a chance to run it by her?
A moment, please.
You want to make useless points
about how unfair society is to you,
or you want me to get you out of this?
She'll agree to attend a drug treatment program,
as well as entering a domestic violence support group.
May I approach?
Sorry. I didn't get a chance to print out the paperwork.
But you can see the e-mails which confirm
she's been accepted into both programs.
Mr. Kirk, can we make a deal here?
Only if Ms. Bishop agrees to periodic drug tests.
No problem.
And as long as there are no other arrests in the next year,
we're amendable.
Well done, Mr. Wallace.
I didn't know you were gonna be practicing.
I am, Your Honor.
Then I guess we'll see you again.
Come on. Let's get you home.
Hey.
I can't remember how long it's been
since I had Chinese.
10 years, 3 months, 17 days.
Two days before you got arrested,
we were out with Michael and one of his chicks.
Something wrong?
Spencer called.
Said he hadn't heard from you.
And what'd you tell him?
I told him we were thinking about it.
Of course, I have no idea what you're thinking.
Did he pressure you?
No. He was very respectful.
Alright.
Did you hear what I said?
What?
That I have no idea what you're thinking.
I already told you
I don't think I can wrap my head around it.
So, you don't want to take a job because it's gonna make you
think about how you got arrested,
but you have no problem spending your time with...
Helping Jamal and his sister?
A woman who's bounced from one abusive man to the next her entire life.
Suddenly, you're gonna be the one to help her?
I'm doing this for my friend, Marie.
Who's in prison because of her.
Well, I'm not him, and I'm not about to do something stupid.
Okay. Well, what about the boyfriend?
What if he comes after you?
What if he comes here?
It's not gonna come to that.
No, you can't promise that. You can't promise anything.
Alright, so, I take Spencer Richardson's money.
And that'll make you happy? That solves everything?
No, it doesn't solve everything.
But it'll help this family. It'll help make you legitimate.
Legitimate? You know what I mean.
That man's responsible for putting me away!
No, he's not!
He just wanted somebody to pay for what happened to his daughter.
Maskins and the cops are responsible for what happened to you.
So, what? Now I just gotta be his show pony?
I don't know!
But you need to talk to your wife
about decisions that affect the future of this family,
instead of playing this lone wolf thing that...
That what?
Go on. Say it.
That got me locked up?
Yeah.
Least I know where your head's at.
I'm sorry, sweetheart.
I need to get some air.
I like the space.
Yeah, I do, too. Yeah.
Me here, you there?
We'll flip a coin for it.
You think this is a mistake?
You said you were up all night.
Can't argue with the dark night of your soul.
Your friend just called from downstairs.
Should I bring him up?
So, you don't like the idea of working under my roof,
but you still want my money?
A reasonable salary for me.
Something to cover our overhead.
And something for my Bellmore and pro bono cases.
And a fund to help inmates' families
and the formerly incarcerated get back on their feet.
You can do all of that and more from the foundation.
That was supposed to be part of the discussion.
I gotta have my independence.
I'm offering you a chance to make a real difference
on an institutional scale -,
and you want to go mom-and-pop?
If you meant what you said
about wanting to make things right,
then you'll let me choose how I want to do it.
I got one case
I want you to take.
You'll understand why it's important to me.
One case.
You follow it all the way through,
you can have half my original offer.
And I'll need to have a full accounting on a monthly basis
of where every dime is going.
Sounds fair.
I'll write your Realtor a check on my way out.
Hello?
Is that my man right there?
Jamal?
Yeah, yeah. You know how it is, man. Come on.
You got a burner?
Come on, man. I told you I was gonna be a shot-caller in here.
Tell me this. How'd we do?
Round One to Wallace.
So you got it?
Got your sister's affidavit.
I've subpoenaed for Tony's criminal record.
We're on our way.
Alright. She came through for me?
Yeah, man. Of course.
Yeah, yeah, 'cause she's smart, man.
Real smart. Always did well in school.
I'll do whatever I can to help her.
Alright, man. Thanks for everything.
I'm serious.
You're out of your mind. Don't thank me.
Yo, Walter.
Guess who I got on the phone here.
Hey, yo, that's Wallace?
You know it.
Yo, you like a superhero in here, bro.
Invisible Man, Luke Cage, I don't know.
People just can't believe you ain't here no more.
I can barely believe it myself.
Yeah.
Okay, j-just send me the files, and I'll... I'll have a look.
Great.
Thanks. Good night.
Hey.
Sorry I missed dinner.
It was just leftovers.
I met with Richardson.
We made a compromise.
I still get my salary, but I get my own office away from him.
I gotta do this one thing for him,
then I get to choose my own cases.
Alright.
I need to focus on getting people back to their families.
I think I'm gonna be good at that.
Thank you.
For hearing me.
I'm sorry about last night.
I'm just scared, Aaron.
I don't want to lose you again.
You won't.
Not ever.