Episode Report Card Deborah: C+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Grace Under Pressure
By Deborah | Season 1 | Episode 14 | Aired on 02.05.2004
You can tell Will thinks something's not right about Daniel's story. He and Toni exchange glances as he tells Daniel about what Joan said the other night, about logic's being a way to find truth: "And what you're telling me, son...it just doesn't seem logical." Daniel asks why. Will: "Well, if your father didn't know then that the Reverend was gay, why would he tell you to avoid him?" Daniel: "He touched me, and it was a sin." Will: "Then why didn't your father come to us first?" Daniel says he was so mad: "And he kept yelling about being gay. And he just wouldn't listen." Will: "So you tried to talk to him...." Daniel: "Yeah." Will: "You didn't want him to hurt Reverend Yardley...." Daniel says he didn't. Will continues: "But [Daniel's father] wanted to, because he was gay...not because he was a molester." Daniel -- who's becoming more agitated -- says that his father was just trying to protect Daniel: "He wasn't...you know...he didn't want me getting mixed up...." Will's puzzled: "'Mixed up'?" Daniel's really agitated now, shifting and trying to hold back tears: "I -- look...he told me I'd go to hell. He's my dad. He's supposed to know what's best, right?" Will wonders if Reverend Yardley was telling Daniel otherwise. Daniel nods, and appears to be struggling very hard to make Will drag it out of him. He cries while Will watches him, trying to put the last piece in place. Daniel finally says, "I...hated myself, being this way. I was always so alone, I wanted to kill myself. He said...the Reverend Yardley, he said that God loved me, no matter what. He wasn't...I mean, he understood what it was like. He wasn't even gay, and he understood me." Will: "So he didn't touch you?" Daniel: "He was my friend! When I tried to talk to my dad, he just screamed that the Reverend made me a fag. He ran out of the house telling me I'd see what happened to sinners like him. But I didn't know what he was going to do, I swear to God. I'm sorry! He was my friend, the Reverend was my friend." Daniel keeps sobbing and repeating that the Reverend was his friend.
Joan arrives at debate class, and Scott tells her that he compiled all the data and wrote an opening affirmation. Joan reads it and says: "This is fearsome, Scott. You did all this in one night?" He says that writing is no problem. Joan flips through the extensive binder he's prepared and says, "Apparently not!" Thinking for a moment, she says, "Writing is kind of like your voice, huh?" Scott guesses so. Joan: "The world can hear you this way. You can let people know what you think this way, right?" He asks what she's saying. She says he should be writing for the paper or something. Scott: "You mean, quit debate?" Joan: "No, no, not quitting -- moving on to what's right for you. Wouldn't you love to see your stuff in the paper?" Scott would. She urges him to do it for himself: "This is about you -- not your dad, not Mr. Enfield -- this is about you, your voice." Scott realizes that she's right, saying, "I'm a writer." Joan nods. Scott says, "I quit." Mr. Enfield overhears and says, "I beg your pardon, Mr. Brooks?" Scott repeats, "Quit. I quit." He grabs his bag and thanks Joan and leaves. Joan smiles to herself. "I totally have this down, God."