The Firm. A young woman in a headset says, "Stand by for Larry." She rolls her hand over to Ellenor and counts down from three to one. Larry King arrives on the television set and says, "Tonight! High courtroom drama, with us now in Boston is Ellenor Frutt, attorney for Lindsay Dole." A split screen reveals Ellenor, with the caption "Boston" underneath her head. Okay. This case caused so much controversy that it's appearing on Larry King Live? What-freaking-ever. Ellenor says, "Good evening, Larry." Larry King says, "Ms. Frutt, your client shoots a former client and she's raised battered woman's syndrome as a defense?" Larry points at the screen like he's shooting his cameraman. The rest of the lawyers watch their co-worker intently on the television. Ellenor responds, "That's correct. We typically think of a battered woman as a wife, with the batterer being the husband. But the syndrome is not confined to domestic relationships." Wait. Larry's ready for his close-up; he says, "Okay, but how did Lawrence O'Malley batter her?" Ellenor states, "Well, without getting into the details of our defense, he threatened to kill her. My client was in reasonable fear for her life by the time Mr. O'Malley showed up." Larry is still pointing his finger; he continues, "And this is different from self-defense how?" Ellenor responds, "Self-defense would be an objective standard. Was it reasonable for a defendant to use reasonable force." Ellenor goes on to explain that they are using the syndrome as a subjective standard. Was it reasonable for Lindsay, in her particular mental state, to use force? That's really the question. It's in that distinction that BWS applies. Larry notes, "No love lost between you and the district attorney." Ellenor answers, "Kenneth Walsh is a fine prosecutor. But he typically lets his thirst for vengeance colour his actions and he's doing so here." Because Larry King is so "up" on the inner relationships between defense attorneys and the Boston district attorney. Man, this is so totally contrived.
Whoosh.
Judge West's Chambers Where The Pain Begins (And Hopefully Ends). Walsh snaps, "It's a deliberate attempt to contaminate the jury! I want her gagged right now." That's sounds faintly sexual, if you ask me. I guess Walsh got wind of the "broadcast," and I use that term lightly. Ellenor argues, "Let's add free speech to the list of things you hate." Walsh snarks, "That wasn't free speech, Ellenor." The judge responds, "Let's wipe some of the foam off your mouth." I guess he's speaking metaphorically? Walsh continues, "She attacked me personally, Your Honour." Ellenor barks, "If you feel libeled, I suggest you sue me." Whew. I hope Walsh passes on that one. I couldn't stand it if we had any more court cases involving the same freaking people. They've already used up most of the combinations. Who else is left? Judge West is tired of their antics. He sighs, "This is not starting off well." Then he goes on to say how he is "loath" to issue gag orders. He also gets to the "heart" of the situation. Blah Walsh sucks when he's mad, blah Ellenor is attempting to make him mad, blah play nice in the sandbox blah. Again, Walsh insists that Ellenor is tainting the jury pool. The judge calms the D.A. by stating that he'll watch the tape and see if Ellenor really did go too far.
Outside The Judge's Chambers Where The Hallway Reeks Of Pain. Ellenor walks toward the elevator and pushes the button. Walsh sees her and storms over. He is very angry. He snaps, "You know, I'm tired of your piss-ass crap. I'm tired of your firm's piss-ass crap." Ellenor wipes the spit off of her cheek. "You made a big mistake, Ellenor, and your client's going to pay for it for the rest of her life." He looks her up and down. "You piss-ass scum crap dirt bastard." Whew. What a potty mouth. Anvil passes me a bar of soap so I can wash my hands. And what exactly is a "piss-ass scum crap dirt bastard" anyway?
Credits. Please, take a moment and mourn the complete passing of Hunky D.A. with me. I promise I'll stop mentioning him by the beginning of season.
The Firm. Rebecca hangs up the phone and tells Eugene, "We've got a problem." Apparently, Walsh just filed a last-minute motion. He wants an unavailable witness instruction given to the jury. Eugene questions, "Who's the unavailable witness?" Rebecca states, "Bobby."
Whoosh.
The Courtroom Of Walsh's Piss-Ass Pain. Walsh and Eugene appear before the judge. The D.A. thinks that it's Bobby's right to testify, but if he doesn't, the jury should know that it's not the prosecution's fault that they can't provide a witness to the crime. Eugene argues that Walsh is trying to "wave a flag" in front of the jury. It will send the message that Bobby must be hiding something if he doesn't testify. Judge West asks, "What's your proposed instruction, Mr. Walsh?" Kenny puts on his reading glasses and ruffles his papers. He reads, "Mr. Donnell was present during the shooting. The defense, but not the prosecution, could have called Mr. Donnell as a witness." Pause. "They did not do so. You may infer that had Mr. Donnell been called, he would have given testimony unfavourable to Ms. Dole." Eugene erupts, "That is outrageous." Well, he's right. It totally is. The case, the show, and everything about the "shocking" season finale are also outrageous. Eugene argues spousal privilege. Then he shouts something about Walsh bringing the motion for the press and not necessarily for the advance of justice and fair play. Walsh snarks back something about how if wanted to go to the media, he would have gone "right to the morning news shows like you people." The judge puts up his hands and calls, "All right." Pause. "Mr. Young. Bobby Donnell is on your witness list. If you plan to call him, this motion is moot." Eugene resists, "We shouldn't have to call our hand now. It's our right to call him. It's our right not to." The prosecution insists that the defense is not the only one with "rights." Blah Bobby only witness, blah in the room, blah doesn't want to testify, blah jury, blah punish the Commonwealth, blah unavailability blah. Does this make sense to anyone? Walsh wants to instruct the jury to think that Bobby is hiding something, despite the whole spousal privilege issue? Can this kind of useless motion actually happen in real life? Is it not the Commonwealth's responsibility to make or break their case? Oh, how many ways can DEK drag this damn thing out? Bang the gavel and conclude she's guilty already. Spare me the sixteen pages it's going to take to explain it all. The judge denies the motion; he adjourns the court until 1 PM, when the trial will begin. Then he tells the two of them to leave their "nonsense" at the door.
Mark Steines from Entertainment Tonight is playing a fake reporter named Jeffrey Rothberg. Why all the cameos? Is DEK afraid his pen is too weak without stunt casting? Any. Way. In his "newscaster" voice, Mark reports that "both sides are due to open today," then goes on to state that the prosecution will call its first witness tomorrow. Oddly, it doesn't feel like June.
The Firm. Rod turns off the television and turns to his wife. Are they talking? It's so hard to tell. Eugene walks in and says, "Can I have a second?" He goes on to state that Walsh may have had an ulterior motive for calling that motion. Bobby asks, "Which is?" Eugene responds, "To force you to take the stand. If [the jury] got that instruction, it would force you to take the stand." Apparently, it makes Eugene nervous that Walsh wants Rod to testify so badly. They continue to reason out the situation. Bobby says, "Or he wants us to think that so we don't testify." I'm dizzy. Are you dizzy? Are they saying anything? Lindsay says, "Shouldn't we go?" Eugene explains that he's staying at the office with Rebecca. They think it would look more sympathetic without "an army." Lindsay: "We went over this, Eugene." He's just going over it again. Why? Well, because he wants an excuse to tell Lindsay how much he cares about her. In case we didn't get it the first hundred times The Firm rallied around the poor woman. Blah he wants to be in the room, blah they all love her, blah every single one, blah whether they are at The Firm or in the room, blah they're with her blah. Eugene embraces Lindsay. Don't worry, he squeezes, they're ready for this trial. It's the trial of a lifetime, literally. Oh, yawn.
Suffering County Courthouse. The media descends the minute the team exits the elevator, blocking the pathway to the courtroom.
Walsh opens. He lets the jury in on a little secret. He's glad Lawrence O'Malley "took three in the chest." Blah cannibal, blah accused murderer, blah damaged, blah Lindsay did us all a favour blah. Walsh insists, "I would have liked to shoot him. But I wouldn't have. Neither would any of you." Because he knows every single juror intimately. Oh, the law is on his side and everything, yeah, yeah. Oh, there are rules against revenge killing, yeah, yeah. Oh, stop, we all know about the "rules" against shooting an unarmed man, Walsh. Yes. We understand. You are trying to convince them of Lindsay's guilt. Walsh's position: Lindsay executed O'Malley, and it's first-degree homicide.
Ellenor gets up and explains their argument. She opens with a little "Lindsay Dole doesn't even remember shooting Lawrence O'Malley." Then she tosses in a pinch of blackout on Lindsay's behalf. Gather this together with the rope of the events: a) the stabbing and b) William Hinks stalking her. What do you get? That's right, my pretties -- a battered woman. Oh, and don't forget that Lannibal Hector threatened to kill her. Ellenor argues that Lawrence personified all the baddies in Lindsay's life and she just snapped. She closes with this statement: "If Lindsay hadn't snapped. She'd be dead right now. No question." Ellenor calls this opening statement The Magic Ball Speech. Everyone is taken by her words, because the courtroom falls silent, and even Bobby looks at the floor. Oh. He's. So. Moved.
Day Two. I'm assuming it's a new day, because Walsh has his first witness on the stand. It's Cindy McConnacle, O'Malley's attorney from the civil commitment hearing. Walsh asks, "You were representing the victim?" Yes. The D.A. continues, "What was the disposition of that motion?" Cindy responds, "The petition was denied. Mr. O'Malley was not committed." What happened after the judge made her ruling? In case anyone missed last week, Cindy eagerly explains that Lindsay was unhappy with the outcome. Walsh leads the witness: "Did she do or say anything?" Yes. Cindy is only too happy to report that Lindsay said, "Come near me and I'll kill you." Walsh confirms, "Those were her exact words?" Cindy exalts, "Yes. Those were her exact words." The prosecutor thanks his witness and sits down.
Ellenor asks Cindy to confirm that the motion to have Lannibal committed was brought by the Commonwealth and not by Lindsay. Cindy snorts, "Your client is close friends with Helen Gamble, a district attorney --" Ellenor interrupts, "Who brought the motion, Ms. McConnacle? Lindsay Dole or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts?" Cindy answers resentfully, "Technically, the state." Ellenor continues, "Did Mr. Walsh ask you to leave that part out?" Kenny objects. West sustains his objection. Ellenor is not fazed. She carries right on interrogating the perennially perky Cindy McConnacle. "You testified that my client was not happy by the ruling. She was a little more than 'not happy,' wasn't she?" Cindy tries to qualify her answer, but Ellenor is on a tear: "She jumped up in court and called the judge crazy. Did you not hear that?" Cindy testifies she did, in fact, hear that. It's almost as if Ellenor wants to testify. She's not really asking any questions. "As far as courtroom decorum goes, she was out of control, wasn't she?" Ah, Cindy's too quick for Ellenor. She replies, "I'm not going to have you put the words 'out of control' in my mouth, Counselor." Ellenor rallies, "Did it get to a point where the judge had to threaten Lindsay with contempt?" Cindy insists that that's Ellenor interpretation, because the judge never used the word "contempt." Ellenor finishes, "So it would be your interpretation that Lindsay was not happy." Cindy agrees.
Ellenor starts to walk back to her table, but wait, she's not done; she's got a secret weapon. She turns back around and asks, "By the way, in your opposition to Mr. O'Malley's commitment, you argued that instead of incarceration he should receive treatment. Did you not?" Cindy utters a very small, "Yes." Ellenor's got her by the throat: "And as one vested in safeguarding his interests, did you take any steps to ensure he got that treatment?" The short answer? No. She didn't. Perky little Cindy McConnacle sat by and watched O'Malley walk out the door without any treatment whatsoever. Ellenor taunts, "Was it because you really didn't think he needed the treatment, or was it that you just couldn't be bothered?" Walsh objects. Before the judge can respond to the objection, Ellenor snaps, "I'm sorry, but I will not conceal my disgust here. Mr. O'Malley might not be dead had this witness done her job." Walsh re-objects. Ellenor doesn't even hear him because she's talking so loudly: "You kept him on the street, you took your fee and you did nothing." Walsh leaps to his feet and shouts "objection" at the top of his lungs. The judge squeaks out a little, "Ms. Frutt." Ellenor winds down: "But at least you make for a great witness." The judge finally finds his legs: "Ms. Frutt! You are one remark away from a jail cell." Ellenor listens to the judge and walks slowly back to the D-Fence table.
Client Room Where They Dissect Inciting Pain. Ellenor asks, "Did I go too far?" Bobby doesn't think so; in fact, he thinks that they "had to pop her." Whatever the freak that means. Lindsay asks Jimmy who is up . He says, "They go to forensics now."
Cue the technical evidence. A forensic expert has a diagram. I hate diagrams. Blah blood splatters blah. Forensic Doctor X reports that there was no blood on Lindsay's clothing, only Bobby's. When did they get their clothes? Walsh asks if the doctor was able to determine if Lawrence was moving at the time of the shot. He declares that Lannibal was either moving backwards or standing still. How can he tell? Well, the trajectory of the wound tells him so. If Lawrence had been moving forward at all, he would have fallen forward. Forensic Doctor X insists, "He was found on his back!" Oh. Like that was a mystery to begin with. Yawn.
Ellenor's cross. She asks, "Is it your testimony that it would be impossible for the victim to have been moving forward at the time he was shot?" No, it's not impossible, according to the doctor. Ellenor establishes that it probably wasn't a safe place for Bobby to be -- standing in between Lannibal and Lindsay. Then she asks Forensic Doctor X if that fact made him wonder if Lindsay had "snapped." Again, Walsh objects. Bill Smitrovich must have been happy with the script for this episode; he doesn't have that many lines beyond "objection" and "piss-ass" to memorize. Ellenor argues against the objection: "I'm only asking if the expert crime witness wondered." Judge West allows the question. Doctor X replies dryly, "I just analyze blood stain patterns. I don't get into mental states." Ellenor counters, "You're up here to convince the jury that the victim wasn't moving forward. The only relevance of that, I assume, goes to whether Lindsay thought she was in danger." Pause. "That goes to her mental state, does it not?" He admits that, indirectly, it does. Bah! Ellenor gasps, "Indirectly? Mr. Illitch, can you make a representation here as to Ms. Dole's mental state or not?" Doctor X tells the court that he's not going to make any such representation before the court. Ha! Ellenor got him. Did anyone understand the distinction? Or am I just recap-fried?
Walsh plays Lindsay's 911 call. He's got a Mr. Forbes on the stand. He's a tape analyst, I guess. No one at the D-Fence table likes the fact that the tape is playing. Walsh asks Forbes whether or not he thinks Lindsay sounded calm. This time it's Ellenor's turn to object, and the judge, thankfully, sustains the objection. Walsh carries on and asks a question this time: "Mr. Forbes, in the background, we can hear other voices?" Yes. Forbes explains that the voices were identified as belonging to Bobby Donnell. What? That's right. Forbes was able to isolate and enhance the background conversation. In fact, when Walsh plays the tape, it's almost as if there was a tape recorder in their house making note of every breath, every squeak, and every sound. Funnily enough, it didn't pick up the baby crying. It only picked up Bobby saying behind Lindsay, "What's wrong?" After that, Lannibal says, "I don't want to do anybody any harm, I just want to talk to her." Bobby looks over at Lindsay. He squishes up his eyebrows. After Walsh stops the tape, Forbes says, "That's when she hung up." Walsh thanks his witness and sits down. He'd gloat, but the courtroom is already filled with the Emperor's ego. There isn't much room for another.
Ellenor sits down for her questioning. Lindsay appears to be comforted by The Etude Under Duress as her lawyer states, "You have no idea what transpired after she hung up." Forbes snarks, "I know she shot him." Ellenor is not rattled. "Yes. Between the time she hung up and she fired, you don't know what was said or what happened, correct?" Forbes admits that this is correct. Score! Hey, have you noticed that not a single serial killer on this show actually ends up in jail? They all end up free because of the excellent representation of Bobby Donnell and Company; then, they end up dead. Is DEK trying to send a message?
Ahem, "Jeffrey Rothberg" reports on the day's events. In short, Mark Steines's cameo is scheduled for three or four minutes instead of the usual two. Blah tomorrow, blah defense, blah medical testimony blah. He states that Ellenor has Dr. Emily Fink up first. According to "Jeffrey," Dr. Fink is one of the world's leading authorities on BWS. This time, it's Helen's turn to shut the broadcast off. She turns to her roommate -- who is not feeding, caring for, or playing with her child, but rather sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands -- and says condescendingly, "Ellenor. You're doing great!" Ellenor looks up and sighs. Helen continues, "You haven't really asked for my advice, but could I give you some?" Ellenor looks intently upon her friend. "Lindsay killed an unarmed man. Science cannot explain that, only Lindsay can. Battered Woman's Syndrome, that's your device." Pause. "It entitles the jury to set her free if they want to. They won't want to unless they hear from Lindsay and Bobby too." Ellenor responds, "Eugene thinks Walsh is gunning for Bobby." Okay, isn't Helen breaking some kind of code here? Or at least acting irresponsibly? Can she really discuss strategy with the defense attorney on a case her office is prosecuting? Isn't that a teensy bit of conflict? Any. Way. Helen states, "He may well be, but the burden of proof isn't on the prosecution here, the burden of an excuse is on you." Is this the first clue that The Firm is going to bottom out and lose this case?
Suffering County Courthouse. Dr. Fink is on the stand. She explains that BWS is a mental disorder not restricted to spouses. Ellenor asks if Dr. Fink "examined" Lindsay Dole. She did, and she came to the conclusion that Lindsay was the victim of repeated abuse, the abusers being "her own clients." Blah, Lindsay, blah buried, blah fear, blah in denial, blah no coping mechanisms, blah handle O'Malley's threats blah. Ellenor says, "At the moment she shot him?" Dr. Fink continues, "She doesn't remember it. She suffers from a psychological amnesia." It's a way for Lindsay to protect herself. Ah, good one. D-Fence pulls back ahead, but only for an instant, as Walsh is up for cross. He says serenely, like he hasn't got a care in the world, "You say you examined Lindsay Dole -- for how long?" The doctor responds, "Several hours." How long had she known Lindsay prior to that meeting? Well, she didn't know Lindsay at all. Walsh asks, "Is it your testimony that Ms. Dole didn't know what she was doing when she pulled that trigger?" Dr. Fink insists her testimony speaks to the fact that, given Lindsay's history of abuse, her fear of O'Malley was reasonable. Walsh doesn't let up: "But she likely knew what she was doing?" The doctor responds quietly, "I don't know whether she did or didn't. Nor does she, because she blocked it out." Walsh moves away from this line of questioning. He asks the doctor whether extreme guilt can trigger psychological amnesia. The doctor answers, "Yes." And would it be more common in people who commit murder than in people who act in self-defense? Dr. Fink responds, "Each case is different --" Walsh refuses to let the witness off that easily, interrupting, "But statistically, what's the more common cause of psychological amnesia, murder or justified self-defense?" The doctor dodges his verbal bullet: "I'm not comfortable speaking in statistics." Walsh takes a step forward. This is his attempt to be "menacing." He says, "Let me ask again. What's the more common cause of psychological amnesia, murder or justifiable self-defense?" The doctor says quietly, "Murder." The gallery erupts. Bam! There's the first nail in Lindsay's coffin.
The Firm. With a break in the day's proceedings, Lindsay doesn't head home to see her son -- nah, she just paces around Bobby's office. Rod comes in and says, "I'm going to go and then we'll finish you. We need to study the transcripts of our statements --" Lindsay clutches one hand in the other and squeezes: "I've studied it." He reminds her that they need to be very careful. That being caught in so much as a minor discrepancy could cost them the case. Lindsay insists that she's "studied it." She continues to pace. Then she mutters, "Study yours." Bobby says, "It's going very well. You do know that." She's still pacing. Perhaps becoming unraveled is a good description. She looks in control: her hair isn't messed up; her make up is perfect; she's wearing sturdy shoes. But man, the pacing, it's unnerving. Back and forth and back and forth and then back and forth again. Yes, Lindsay knows the trial is going well. Bobby looks a little concerned. He says quietly, "I'm going to study my statement." Lindsay doesn't even break stride as she says, "Good."
The Firm. Joey Heric is on a talk show, discussing the case. Joey Heric. Why? Underneath his name, the caption says, "Attorney At Law." Not "Manipulative Murderer" or "Egomaniac," just "Attorney At Law." Joey tells the host that he considers both Lindsay and Bobby his friends. Then he editorializes, "Between the two of them, I think Bobby is more likely to kill somebody." Lucy snarks, "Why are they talking to him?" The "lawyer" continues, "I'm not saying he did it, I just know he's gallant and that he'd take the fall for his wife." Joey looks right into the camera: "I just have my doubts." Pause. "Reasonable doubts. I hope that helps." Heh. Joey is on a crusade to save Lindsay. Is he going to be the ex-client that stalks the poor woman? Either way, it means more Joey Heric, and with the absence of Hunky D.A., he's all we've got. So you go, Joey Heric -- we'll take what we can get.
Suffering County Courthouse. Rod is on the stand. He explains that Lindsay started to come apart during O'Malley's trial. Ellenor asks him to explain. Rod states, "She started having emotional tantrums. To the point where she said she wanted to lose the trial." Blah stared at her in court, blah take her to heaven, blah called her "Clarice" blah. Bobby insists, "We were all worried about her." Okay, so not only does DEK recycle ideas from show to show, but he manages to draw one idea out into three different episodes. "A-ha!" he thinks. "For one Lannibal Hector impersonation, I'll get one Emmy and a two-hour finale." I've got to get myself such a job. Every day would be a holiday. Right. So Ellenor asks, "At some point you took out a restraining order against this man." Yes. Bobby says, "But it didn't matter. He just kept coming." Ellenor wants Bobby to explain what happened the night of O'Malley's murder. He gives the concise version: he heard Lindsay scream for him, he came running out of the bedroom, he asked O'Malley to leave, he threatened to throw him out, and then he "just turned." The camera pauses on Lindsay clenching her hands like she's wringing lemons into lemonade. Bobby explains how O'Malley suffered from psychotic breaks. Ragdoll wonders, with all the psychotic breaks and psychological amnesia, how anything ever happens on this damn show. Bobby continues with his story. Blah O'Malley said "the other man" was coming, blah told Lindsay she was in danger, blah threatened her, blah twice blah. The Emperor takes a princely pause and says, "Then she just shot the gun. She had this vacant, dazed expression as she fired. She put the gun down and then she went to her room." What did he do? He called the police, and then he went in to check on Lindsay. Bobby insists, "She didn't even know what happened. It seemed like she was just gone." He's smart on the stand. He knows not to tell Walsh exactly what Lindsay said.
Walsh fiddles with some papers on his desk. Bobby taps his fingers on the witness stand. He looks coldly at the prosecutor. Walsh stands up and says, "You said your wife started to unravel during the O'Malley trial." Yes. "When?" Bobby responds, "It happened almost immediately. He made his obsession known from the beginning." Walsh persists -- blah Lindsay didn't back off, blah she continued to be his lawyer blah. Then he criticizes Bobby for letting Lindsay take O'Malley's direct testimony. Hello! We were ALL there for the episode. We all KNOW what happened. Do we have to re-live it over and over and over and over again? This show runs in so many circles around itself. I'm tired of chasing it. Anvil is tired of chasing it. The Practice is a blood-sucking leech on the beach of good television. Bobby explains that when Lindsay did her "direct," she was still okay. It was after that when she totally lost it. Walsh steps forward: "Did you get her to a doctor?" Bobby says he was planning to. Walsh badgers, "You were 'planning to'? You wouldn't be lying now to save your wife, would you, Mr. Donnell?" Ellenor objects. The judge overrules the objection. Bobby answers, "I'm not lying." Walsh wants to know if Bobby told the police about Lindsay's "dazed, vacant" look. The Emperor glances over at his wife and responds, "The police never asked what she looked like." Walsh swoops in for the attack. He accuses Bobby of knowing the minute Lindsay shot O'Malley that she committed murder. Bobby categorically denies that this is true. Ha! But the prosecutor has an ace up his sleeve. That's right. He's got the call Bobby made to 911. You know, when he hesitated to answer the operator's question about who shot the man lying dead on his living room floor. Walsh: "When the operator asked who shot the man, why didn't you just tell her?" Bobby answers, "It wasn't necessary to tell her." Walsh pounces. He's like a lioness in a herd of antelopes. "'Wasn't necessary'? So a man is lying on your floor with three gunshot wounds and you're deciding what is and is not necessary to tell the police operator." Did he call anyone else? Well, yes; Bobby called Eugene Young. A lawyer! Bobby insists, "A colleague." It's almost as if Walsh is gaining power with every new sentence. He's a super-villain to Rod's infernal super-ego. Walsh argues that Bobby "huddled" with his lawyer colleague/friends immediately after the event, and only after a day did they discuss the events with the police. Walsh steps forward. He's made his point. Bobby didn't tell the police what happened. He lawyered himself and his wife up instantly. Now, that's some damaging testimony. Despite Ellenor's very weak attempt to object, Walsh makes his point -- Bobby and Lindsay considered themselves suspects from the beginning. Walsh then wants to know what happened to William Hinks. Ellenor objects; it has no relevance. Judge West overrules. Walsh repeats, "What happened to Mr. Hinks?" Bobby says, "He was killed." Walsh continues, "He was killed by a man you did business with, correct." Bobby clarifies, "By a man I used to represent." Blah Bobby was arrested, blah for conspiracy to commit murder blah. Bobby insists, "I was acquitted." Walsh says flatly, "I smell a pattern here. Threaten Lindsay Dole and you end up dead." Bobby glares at Walsh, who glares right back. This time, Ellenor's objection sticks.
The Firm. I'm assuming they took a break for lunch. Lindsay stomps into the office, prompting Eugene to ask, "What happened?" Lindsay snots, "Bobby got picked apart while Ellenor sat on her hands." Brace yourself, because they're going to start yelling again. Lindsay picks apart the defense and then attacks Bobby's testimony. She's really bitchy. Her tone is horrible. Lindsay screams at Ellenor, "You should have been jumping up and down!" Ellenor snarks, "Well, I'm ready to jump now, Lindsay." Bah. I'm tired of the screaming. Jimmy says, "All right." He's ignored. Ellenor snaps, "No! What do you want from us, Lindsay?" Bobby looks and sounds defeated as he says, "Shut it down, Ellenor." His hands are mysteriously quiet. There are no earthshaking sighs. There are no steely blue-eyed stares. Lindsay starts to stutter and shake. She mutters, "What I can't get by when you were all in that room, what I can't get by, in that room." Bobby asks slowly, as if his wife is now incapacitated as well as being on trial for murder, "What room?" Lindsay replies shakily, "My bedroom. You all came and instinctively you looked at this as a murder." Blah powwow, blah instinct, blah crime scene, blah tears, blah murder, blah no one looked upon it as self-defense blah. Lindsay cries. She's grateful they're helping her, but in their eyes and their minds, she committed a crime. She takes a deep breath: "He had no weapon. And I just shot him." Then she bawls. Bleats. And bawls some more. Bobby embraces her. The rest of The Firm empathizes. They are glad not to be in her shoes, but are empathetic nonetheless.
Bobby's Office. Lindsay refuses to look at her husband. He tries to get through to her the importance of her testimony today. He takes her hand and says, "Look at me." Lindsay raises her eyes. "None of us. None of us think of you as a murderer because you're not. The lawyer part of ourselves kicked in that night because that's who and what we are." He insists that she "snapped." Nothing more, nothing less. Lindsay looks right at him and says, "Okay." But look deep into Lindsay's eyes, and you get the feeling all is not right in the pretty little brain of hers.
Because, of course, it's not. Lindsay is on the stand. She starts off okay. But then she can't even complete a sentence. She keeps repeating, "First Hinks. Because Hinks stalked me too." She gets the order backwards. "It was Hinks first, and then Vogelman." When Ellenor says, "Vogelman?" Lindsay responds, "He was a client. His name was George. He was a client. He stabbed me. Three times." Ellenor tries to lead her into the right testimony. Something about how O'Malley's trial simply brought the memory of these events back. Lindsay repeats, "First Hinks. Then Vogelman." She nods her head and says, "Three times." Did she ever see a doctor? Lindsay replies that she did for a while, but then she "had to be okay" so she "was okay." She repeats "had to be okay" a few more times. She didn't want to be a victim. That's why she opened the door. Ellenor asks, "What door?" Her front door. It was O'Malley. She opened the door because she wasn't going to be a victim. Ellenor says, "After you opened the door?" Lindsay snaps, "I killed him." Rod tosses his head to the side. Hell, even Walsh looks concerned. Then Lindsay says that O'Malley was about to kill her. "That's why I said, 'You go on without me,' and then I shot him three times. Three times. Just like Vogelman." Ellenor looks upset. Lindsay weeps, "I was afraid he'd kill me. Vogelman tried to kill me." The tears roll down her apple cheeks. "I wasn't going to let him eat me." Damn. It was a great performance for Kelli Williams, but as Lindsay, her case is totally sunk.
Walsh gets up for his cross. He wants Lindsay to reiterate what she said before she shot O'Malley. Lindsay confirms the story. It contradicts her entire case. It proves that Lindsay knew what happened when she shot O'Malley. Walsh has won. He knows it, keeps his questions short, and sits back down.
The Firm. Jimmy, Ellenor, and Bobby are huddled in one corner. Lindsay stands off to the side of the room. Jimmy whispers, "I don't think actually she hurt herself. She seems on the verge." Bobby insists, "She is." Ellenor wonders if she should go to the D.A. and try to get a plea. The fact that Lindsay looked and sounded nuts can only help them. Bobby looks to Ellenor: "Are you ready to close?" Ellenor says she's been up all night, but she has no idea if she's ready or not. Bobby: "You need to come through here, Ellenor. You need to close big." Oh, no pressure there. Why is no one screaming at Lindsay? Is she the only one who is allowed to do the screaming around there?
The Courtroom Of Lindsay's Insufferable Pain. Ellenor makes her closing arguments. She makes a good point. Before the "world changed," defense attorneys were off-limits; the system was protected from the scum it incubated. Only now, it's different. Lindsay was threatened three times by clients. She was stabbed, stalked, and terrorized. Ellenor says, "She is a victim of abuse, and you saw firsthand the mental effects during her testimony." Blah Walsh said he never would have fired the gun, blah so what? Is it really true? Ellenor brings up the fact that O'Malley was handcuffed and muzzled. If Lannibal Hector showed up at any of the jurors' houses, how can they be so sure they wouldn't pull the trigger? Thank gosh she's not harping on the reasonable doubt issue for the hundredth time. This week, it's blah victim blah battered woman blah. You go, Ellenor! That's right. You tell them how Lindsay was ready to snap even before Lannibal showed up on her front door. Ellenor says, "To know Lindsay is to be convinced of her innocence." Blah they didn't get to see Lindsay, blah they saw a battered woman, blah squeezing her hands, blah determined not to be a victim blah. Then she asks the jury to do the "moral" thing.
It was a good closing argument, but Walsh has the law on his side. He stands up and tells the jury that he fights for the general public while defense attorneys fight valiantly for their clients. Yes, he feels compassion for Lindsay, but it was an act of vengeance. And she needs to be punished. All the actions of The Firm up until now can be construed as the actions of "guilty" people. How heavy-handed. On and on about past abuse. On and on about unarmed men. On and on about excuses. On and on about the murder not being justified. Finally, the trial isn't about who Lindsay is; it's about what she did. Walsh argues, "And what she did is murder. If you condone that or even excuse it, the general public isn't served. The law isn't served. And I'm sorry, Ms. Frutt, but neither is morality." Yawn. Anvil gets ready. She takes aim. And then she hurls herself into the television set. Before my television explodes, I see a look of pure glory on her cute little face. It was the moment she had been waiting for, and she was not disappointed.
Client Room Where They Wait For The Painful Verdict. Finally, no one is shouting. They are all waiting patiently for the verdict to come down. Lindsay wants to say "one thing." She thinks Ellenor tried an amazing case. Then she thanks her. She's grateful to all of them. Her eyes are red and teary. Blah sorry, blah put The Firm, blah sorry, blah grateful, blah tears blah. Crazy Lindsay is way more fun than perpetually angry Lindsay. Can we keep her? Oh, wait. I should be careful what I wish for. At the beginning of the Bruce Davidson ordeal, I was thankful for him too.
The music carries over into the courtroom, where the jury has returned with their verdict. The room is packed. The media are ever-present. Eugene, Lucy, and Rebecca arrive. Helen is there too. Judge West asks, "Will the defendant please rise?" Lindsay stands up on her shaky legs. West asks if the jury has reached a unanimous verdict. The foreperson says, "We have, Your Honour." What do they say? On the count of murder in the first degree, they find the defendant guilty. Bobby grabs his wife. Ellenor gasps. The judge tells the bailiff to "take the defendant into custody." Then he thanks the jury for their service and bangs his gavel. He shouts, "This matter is adjourned." Bobby kisses his wife as the handcuffs are shackled around her wrists. The couple share a tender moment before they drag Lindsay away for a summer season in prison. You know year it's all going to be about the appeal. This may be the end, but we all know it's far, far from over.