02x19 - A Redemption

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "Bull". Aired: September 20, 2016 - May 26, 2022.*
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"Bull" follows a trial consultant, who uses his insight into human nature, three Ph.D.'s and a top-notch staff to tip the scales of justice in favor of his client. Inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw.
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02x19 - A Redemption

Post by bunniefuu »

Thanks for picking
me up from work.

No problem.

Do me a favor, little brother.

Pull over up there. I
need to cash my paycheck.

You think it's still open?
It's kind of late.

Trust me, it's open.

Just pull over.

And wait in the car.

♪ So there's no reason

♪ That a man and another
man can't elope ♪

♪ But if you feel like I feel,
I got the antidote... ♪

♪ Hey, must be the money... ♪

♪ I met you

♪ I think I dreamed you

♪ Into life

♪ I knew I loved you

Just drive, man. Just go.

♪ Before I met you

What are you doing? Go fast.

♪ I have been waiting
all my life ♪

♪ Ooh

You okay?

Just drive, man.

Just drive.

[birds chirping]

Dad, these expire today.

It's fine, honey.

Come on.

I wouldn't feed
you spoiled meat.

Mom told me you used to cut mold
off food and eat around it.

Well, maybe when I was a kid.

And I turned out okay, didn't I?

[laughs]

[doorbell rings]

Kristen, the door!

[doorbell rings]

Afternoon, ma'am.

We're looking for George Brown.

I think you must have
the wrong house.

Nobody named George
Brown lives here.

George Brown?

Are you addressing me?

My name's James Grayson.

Yeah, I'm sure you're right, Mr.
Grayson.

Mix-ups happen all the time.
Could I trouble you

to come down to the local
police station with us

so we can clear this up?

I was barbecuing out back.

I mean, is this important?
Actually, we have

an arrest warrant
for George Brown

for a m*rder in Staten Island.

Thing is, all the authorities
involved think he lives here.

I think they think he's you.

Pretty sure you're gonna want to
come with us and clear this up.

Look, I-I don't know
what's going on,

but he's not George Brown.

He's Jim Grayson. James Grayson.

Ma'am, I'd like you to lower
your voice and back up.

Mr. Grayson, you have
a nice family here.

You live in a nice neighborhood.

Don't make me come back with
sirens and lights and...

Let's just clear this up.

Are you sure they know

we're just here
to file a motion?

We've been sitting
here over an hour.

Yeah, I've spoken to everybody.

They all know why we're here.

The next arraignment
is for George Brown.

The defendant doesn't have a lawyer.
Mr. Colón.

Would you be so kind

as to stand in for Mr.
Brown's arraignment?

I love the way they make it
sound like you have a choice.

[chuckles] Yeah.

I'd be, uh, happy
to, Your Honor.

Okay, uh...

any family members
here for George Brown?

I'm his wife.

I didn't know judges could
just assign lawyers like that.

Are you our lawyer now?

No. No, I'm just standing in

until your husband
gets his own attorney.

We only have a few minutes

to try to argue bail.

Is your husband employed?

If so, where?

Uh, what's your family life like?
Does he have any friends?

Yes. He owns a restaurant.

He's a devoted father.
We have three kids.

He's in a bowling league.
What else can I tell you?

We just need to establish that
he has roots in the community.

They want to make sure
he's not a flight risk.

So, the police
arrested your husband

after looking for this
m*rder*r for 18 years?

Mrs. Grayson, it doesn't seem

like the kind of thing
they would do baselessly.

I don't know what to tell you.

I haven't slept for two days.

I just want my husband
to come home.

Look, my kids just want
their dad to come home.

[mouths]

Are you my lawyer?

For the purpose of
this brief hearing.

How bad is it?

It's pretty bad.

You're being charged with
a count of felony m*rder.

You're looking at
25 years to life.

But all I did was drive a car.

Please state your name
for the court record.

George Brown.

JUDGE: How do you plead?

BENNY: Your Honor, we'd like
to enter a plea of not guilty.

George Brown is a family
man, father of three,

community volunteer,

small business owner,

and he employs seven
people in New Jersey.

PELUSO: Your Honor,
18 years ago,

George Brown was
the getaway driver

in a robbery at a Fast Cash
Express check cashing store.

His coconspirator
and older brother,

Richard Brown, held
up a 25-year-old man

by the name of Kirk
Getty at gunpoint.

He tied him up, gagged him,

and Mr. Getty
asphyxiated to death.

The older Mr. Brown stole $8,000
and fled the scene of the crime.

George Brown drove
the getaway vehicle.

Police arrested
Richard, or Rick,

a short while later.

He was captured on
tape calling George

to tell him where the
stolen money was hidden

and to take the money and flee.

And apparently started a
new life as Jim Grayson.

Did you know he had a brother?
No. No. No.

George Brown has been a
fugitive from justice

for 18 years, Your Honor.

His fingerprints,

lifted from the g*n
used in the robbery,

were in the system

and finally flagged in New
Jersey a few days ago.

He's clearly a flight risk.

And that is why we are
strenuously requesting

that the Court deny Mr.
Brown bail.

So ordered.

The defendant is
remanded into custody.

I'm so sorry.

So, what happens now?

Now you need to find a
good criminal lawyer,

someone who knows their
way around felony m*rder.

And where do we
find one of those?

When I get back to my office,
I'll e-mail you a few names.

And what about the two of you?

Have you ever defended someone
charged with felony m*rder?

Yes.

And did you win?

Yes.

So why don't we start with you.

After the fantastic job
we just did for you here?

Apparently, he's been
making them look like fools

for almost 20 years.

I don't think Johnnie Cochran
could have gotten him off.

We own a restaurant.

We can pay you.

Just meet with him.

Listen to his side of the story.

And then if it's not for you...

I'll give him ten minutes.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

This is my boss, Dr. Jason Bull.

Your wife wanted us
to meet with you,

hear your story, and
see if we might

want to be of help to you.

How's she doing?

About as well as can be expected

given that after ten
years of marriage,

she just found out she
doesn't really know you.

She doesn't know your real name.

You want to tell us
how you got here?

It's not much of a story.

I was 18 years old.

My older brother had a DUI,

so I was driving him
home from work.

He was a janitor.

2:00 to 10:00 at the mall.

He said he wanted to go to
this check cashing place.

Did you go inside? I think

I actually fell asleep
in the car waiting.

I had no idea he was planning
on robbing the place.

And what happened after that?

Right after? A lot of nothing.

Went about my life. I went
to school the next day.

Came home. He wasn't there.

Figured he was at work.

But then I went to pick him up,
and he never came to the car.

He was under arrest?

Turns out he had gagged

the guy behind the counter,

but couldn't tie the gag
with his gloves on,

so he took them off.

Once they had his prints,
it was all over.

And they picked him
up at the mall.

I, of course, knew none of this.

Finally, Rick calls me a
couple days later from jail.

Tells me where the money is.
Tells me to take it and run.

So, if all you did
was drive the car,

and if you didn't even
know what your brother did

when he was inside the
check cashing store,

why did he tell you to run?

Why didn't you go
to the authorities,

tell them your story?

Rick told me the public
defender told him

they were about to put out
a warrant for my arrest.

They were convinced we
were in it together.

Something called
a joint venture.

Ah. In which case,

even though you were
only the getaway driver,

in the eyes of the law,

you're as guilty as the
person who held the g*n.

And since someone died,
everyone's charged with m*rder.

Hmm.

So now you're on the run.

[exhales]

Moved around New England
for about a year.

Slept in bus stations.

Didn't talk to anyone.

And then I met a guy selling
dr*gs in the bus station

who told me he could get me

a dead person's Social
Security number for $350.

And Jim Grayson was born.

Stupid.

I went to renew
my liquor license

about a month ago.

They asked for my prints.

I didn't think a thing about it.

Pretty sure that's
what did me in.

BENNY: Mrs. Grayson?

So, that was an awfully
long ten minutes.

How's he doing?

[chuckles]

That's funny.

He asked the exact same
question about you.

My sense is that he is overcome

with regret and remorse,

and at the exact same time,
he is angry and bitter

because any logical
examination of the facts

suggests that...

he didn't really do anything.

You sound like
you're on his side.

You sound like you believe him.

I guess I do.

Does that mean you'd be
willing to represent him?

I guess it does.



ADA Peluso. Thanks
for coming by.

Dr. Bull's expecting you.

Any excuse to get
out of the office.

So, I'm guessing we're all
here to talk plea deal?

Well, I can't speak for you,

but Dr. Bull and I are here
to talk about dismissal.

Dismissal? Well, it's
good to have a dream.

[chuckles]

Well, the joke's not lost on me,

but let's talk it
through for a second.

No matter how you slice it,

prosecuting that man is
still a moral conundrum.

After all, the primary function
of our criminal justice system

is to provide deterrence,
protect society,

punish people who commit crimes,

and rehabilitate criminals
once we have them in custody.

Now, hasn't all of that

already been accomplished
with regard to George Brown?

He's led a successful
and productive life

since the robbery.

He's not a danger to society.

And he has no intention
to commit another crime.

So... [chuckles]

What would be the point
of sending him to prison?

Dr. Bull, this trial isn't
an ethics symposium.

We can't just give someone a
"get out of jail free" card

for evading the law.

Come on, did you really think

I was gonna roll over
for you that easily?

He's an innocent man.

Maybe he is...

and maybe he isn't.

That is why we're
having a trial.

See you on the ice, gentlemen.

BULL: A man can't
be found guilty

of a m*rder simply because
it happened in his midst.

And he absolutely
can't be found guilty

of a m*rder in which
he took no part

and was not even aware.

BENNY: So that's our narrative?

We're gonna make the
government prove

that George knew
what was going on?

Yeah. To be held accountable
for a joint venture,

George had to have known

that his brother was gonna
commit armed robbery.

And he didn't know.

How in the world are
we gonna prove that?

We'll start by showing the
jury what kind of man he is.

And the key to that is his wife.

Chunk.

Let's get her in here.

What's important

is when she is sitting
in that courtroom,

that she sends the right
message to the jurors.

She loves this man.

She trusts this man.

This is a good man.

All right. I'll
do whatever I can

to get her in here today.

And what do we know
about how and from whom

he bought this fake
Social Security number?

Well, he says he met a
guy at a bus station.

Says his name was Joe,

and he sold cell
phones in Burlington,

which makes sense,

'cause to buy a cell phone,
you have to buy a plan;

To buy a plan, you have
to give the merchant

your Social Security number.

Well, at least you
did back then.

Any thoughts on voir dire?

The more I think about
it, the more I think

the answer lies in...
generativity.

Okay, I'm out.

Yeah, me, too.

Seven years of college

and I have no idea what
you're talking about.

Generativity is the concern for,

and belief in, the future.

And a commitment to the
idea that no matter

how bad things may be
at any given moment,

you can persevere and
redeem yourself.

Let me give you an example.

Marissa.

If you say so.

I mean it as a compliment.

It's an admirable
quality in a person.

So, tell me your life story.

Boil it down to what
you think's relevant.

I was adopted into a
wonderful family.

And meeting my birth parents

made me appreciate
different ways

my life could have ended up.

But I like the way it's gone.

I worked for Homeland Security.

I developed an algorithm to try
to help understand people,

which led me to you.

I have had a string of
interesting relationships.

Some good, one Kyle.

But none of them broke me,

and none of them
made me who I am.

You see?

Highly generative people,

they're driven to help others

for the betterment
of the future,

because they see the
arcs of their lives

as redemption stories.

And that's what we want.

Jurors, who no matter what
the prosecution presents,

will only see a man
who's changed,

making a good life out
of a bad circumstance.

BENNY: So tell me,

if you lost your job today,

where would you
be in five years?

I guess I'd try to find a similar
position somewhere else.

And if that didn't work, well,

I'd just try and
find another job.

I'd like to think I'm the
captain of my own destiny.

This juror is acceptable to
the defense, Your Honor.

MARISSA: This should
be interesting.

Harold King was essentially
homeless from the age of 13 on.

Grew up on the streets,
hustling for food and money.

Finally got a
legitimate job working

for a private
sanitation company.

Worked there for 22 years,

till he was suddenly
laid off last Christmas.

Six weeks later,
his wife left him.

It's a wonder he can
get out of bed.

Let me ask you a question, sir.

Would you trade your
life for anyone else's?

Not a chance in hell.

Everything I've been through
has made me who I am today.

I love that man.

"Mr. Palmer, you continue
to confuse the law

"with some kind of game show.

"It's not about
winning and losing.

It's about the search
for what is right."

A "D." Damn it. A "D"?

[scoffs]

[knocking on door]

Hi. I'm Kristen.

Jim's wife... uh, George's wife.

I-I just came straight
from the courthouse.

Dr. Bull wanted me to
do some witness prep?

Although, nobody's told me I
was going to be a witness.

Oh, hi.

I'm Chunk Palmer. It's
nice to meet you.

And no, you won't be
going on the stand.

Not in the immediate
future, at least.

Then what's the point?

We just want to make sure
that you're mindful,

that even when you're
sitting in the gallery,

that the jury is
still watching you.

No. I know.

It's important.

It's all important.

I actually went

to go see him last
night in jail.

Not a moment I ever imagined,

but I needed to know what
was true and what wasn't,

about everything
he's ever told me.

And he was honest about
everything that mattered.

I mentioned our
kids and he cried.

Do you have kids?

Yeah. One.

They're just... your everything.

And the shock of all of it,

knowing that their last names...

My last name... Is
made up, bought.

I got so mad.

And then he reminded me
that their first names...

those were ours.

Our first baby, Malone,

before she arrived,
we had no money.

And so for fun, we would go

to these minor league
baseball games.

And they cost, like,
two dollars a ticket.

And they had this
shortstop, Malone Jackson.

And Jimmy...

George loved him.

He loves everything
about baseball,

but he really loved him.

And so I loved him, too.

And when the baby came,
and she was a she,

we said "so what,"

and she became Malone.

That's her.

That's Malone. [sniffs]

And Ella and Richard.

They're with my mom right now.

They miss him so much.

This...

how you look and feel right now,

that's what we need
in the courtroom.

So, when you're sitting there,

and the prosecution
is making him out

to be anything but
the man you know,

remember this feeling.

It's gonna give you peace.

And it's gonna help the jury
see who George really is.

Ladies and gentleman
of the jury,

I am here to tell you
about an innocent man,

who endured difficult
circumstances

early in his life,

only to make something
of himself.

My client was born George Brown,

to parents Malone
and Ella Brown.

[gasps]

Both parents were k*lled
in a car accident

when George was only ten.

And his brother, Richard Brown,

raised him for the
next eight years.

Your wife suddenly

seems very upset. BENNY: George
Brown is a loving husband...

Marissa, is Chunk there?
BENNY: A devoted father...

Did he even prepare
Kristen at all?

She looks like she's
about to fall apart.

I don't know what to say.

I worked with the woman
for almost an hour.

Here it is online.
Malone and Ella Brown.

"Fatal collision kills parents
of two in Staten Island."

Wait a second.

Did you say Malone and Ella?

Those are his parents' names?

Those are the names
of their kids.

He lied to her again.

BENNY: The two boys didn't
have an easy time of it,

but nonetheless, they had
to do what they had to do,

in order to get on...
Face front.

You're only making things worse.

BENNY: The older
brother, Richard,

took a job as a janitor
at the local mall,

and George went about

completing his high
school education.
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