Episode Report Card Niki: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT It's The End Of The World As We Know It...
By Niki | Season 2 | Episode 19 | Aired on 04.10.2001
Soliloquy Rick pops up and confesses that he "lied to [his] father -- once." Three months before Rick's father died, he stole his car and went for a little joyride, "even though [he] was only fourteen."
Rick gets sworn in. Dumanjiak jiggles his pen and evaluates him.
Soliloquy Rick says that his dad went out the next day and realized the car wasn't parked where he'd left it. Rick says he couldn't "for the life of [him], figure out how [his dad] noticed" that the car was about a foot back.
Someone coughs in the quiet courtroom. Dumanjiak, who's all business now, produces a contract for concrete and asks if it's Rick's signature at the bottom. The bailiff carries it over for Rick's inspection. Rick says that it is his signature. Dumanjiak smiles and stutters, "Your signature's more illed -- ileh -- ill-eg-ible than mine." Rick smiles a little, disarmed by the bungling. Big mistake. Dumanjiak asks whether sales tax is usually denoted on receipts. "Uh..." Rick says, "I guess so. Can't say as I noticed." Well, gosh golly darn. "You 'can't say,'" Dumanjiak contemptuously repeats. "How 'bout a 'yes' or a 'no'? You're in business, you're familiar with the concept of sales tax. Is sales tax a part of every transaction or not?" People stare hard at Rick. He answers that it is. Dumanjiak thoughtfully nods and says, "So you or someone connected with the project broke the law here." Rick reminds Dumanjiak that he's just the architect, not the contractor. He says that he may have signed for deliveries, but that he was not responsible for paying the bills or handling any of the paperwork. Dumanjiak could give a crap. "Did you check to see if the tax was paid?" he barks. Rick says no, adding that if he checked every little detail like that he'd never have time to do his real work. "So paying tax isn't part of you real work?" Dumanjiak asks, trying to get a rise from the jury. Rick calmly answers that it isn't; his real work is "seeing that the building is safely and correctly built." Dumanjiak seems to relish this answer, and sets about shuffling through some of the papers in front of him.
Soliloquy Rick says that when his dad asked him about the car, it was "so scary" that he "just lied right to his face: 'No dad, I didn't take the car.'" Hmm. I wonder whether Rick thinks Dumanjiak and the grand jury are scary.
On the stand, Rick wipes his forehead and almost seems to catch himself. He glances toward the panel to see whether they noticed his sweating, but they're busy covering their microphones and conferring. Dumanjiak switches over to the permit now, saying he's "confused" because it was approved in only nine days: "Didn't you tell me that level of permit takes seven weeks, normally?" The camera screams over to catch Rick squirming. He answers that permits are the city's responsibility. Dumanjiak smirks and implies, sarcastically, that bribing city officials to speeds things up isn't unheard of. Rick gets angry now, saying that if Dumanjiak is accusing him of bribery, he should just come out and say so, and that Rick would like to see his evidence. Dumanjiak sternly reminds him that "it's a little crowded [in the room] for a high horse," and that they're just "chasing down facts -- any accusations will come later." Dumanjiak says that if Rick has any knowledge of bribery -- and mentions the case of the disappearing injunction -- then he'd better tell them about it. Rick absorbs this and looks as though it's the first time he's thought of it. He shakes his head slightly, dazed, and says, "Excuse me?" Dumanjiak asks whether Rick was aware that the judge in the case "was videotaped accepting a bribe from a man by the name of J.D. Gummersall." ["Hee. 'Gummersall,' like Devon Gummersall, who played Brian on My So-Called Life, and who also turned up here a few weeks back as Benny the Doomed Taker of Hostages." -- Wing Chun] Rick is befuddled. Dumanjiak asks if Rick ever met Mr. Gummersall or had any knowledge of any intent to bribe a judge. He warns Rick to think "very carefully" before he answers. Rick looks like the floor just gave out below him. Things are way worse than he ever suspected. Dumanjiak pointedly reminds him that perjury is a crime. Rick, mouth agape, shakes his head and then finds his voice. "No," he says quietly, "no to all of it."