03x02 - Jury Duty

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "Bull". Aired: September 20, 2016 - May 26, 2022.*
Watch/Buy Amazon


"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.
Post Reply

03x02 - Jury Duty

Post by bunniefuu »

[car horns honking in distance]

[bell jingles]

Richard. Richard Briggs.

This is for Ella.

[people screaming, dog barking]

[panting]

[sirens wailing]

CHUNK: Fruit again?

You know,

those come from trees.

Trees live in dirt.

You want to give the boss food
that comes from dirt, go ahead.

But honestly, I think at this
point, the man would appreciate

coffee and a doughnut.

Not funny.

I know I would appreciate
coffee and a doughnut.

I mean, look at this stuff.

Quinoa porridge?

Look, I'm all for healthy, but
this stuff will k*ll you.

You got any food around
here for real people?

Top drawer on your left,
behind the paper towels.

Don't tell anyone.

Don't tell anyone what?

Hallelujah. Mmm.

[sighs]

Damn, I miss her.

Her mom keeps promising to come
by and pick up her things.

I'll make sure and
add that to the box.

Anybody hear about that guy who
was gunned down on the sidewalk

in the middle of the day
during a beer run yesterday?

That poor woman.

That poor man.

It happened right around the
corner from where I live.

She just walked up to him,
shot him, point blank range.

Well, no. She didn't just.

The guy r*ped and
k*lled her daughter.

And believe me, if something
like that ever happens

to my child, I'm gonna want
to do the exact same thing.

Well, wanting is fine. Doing
is a whole other thing.

There are laws in this country.

Yeah, well, obviously
the law didn't work

for the woman who
lost her daughter.

I mean, she was just doing
what the jury refused to do.

Oh, you can't blame the jury.

They were never given the
evidence they needed to convict.

How is that even possible?

I mean, they found
the girl's body

in the trunk of this guy's car.

What more do you need?

Problem is, the jury
never heard any of that.

Turns out, the police had

a description of the
kidnapper's car.

Now, this Richard Briggs was
driving a car that matched,

so the police pulled him
over and they searched it.

Now, if there were a body
laying in the back seat,

wouldn't have been a problem.

But it was in the trunk.

And you're not allowed
to open the trunk

without probable cause.

At that point the
police didn't have it.

BULL: Marissa!

You barked, sir?

How long has this piece of
mail been sitting on my desk?

Your jury summons? Since April.

Oh. Really? Six months.

That postmark in the
upper right-hand corner?

That is a dead giveaway.

Well, make a call and
get me out of it.

You know I can't do that. We've
already postponed it once,

and that's all you're allowed.

When are you due to report?

Day after tomorrow.

Damn it, what a waste of time.

I spend half a day waiting
to be interviewed,

and then the attorneys
figure out who I am,

and they can't get rid
of me fast enough.

It's not easy being you.

And another thing: My
phone is not working.

It hasn't rung in days.

The phones are fine.
They're not ringing

because no one's calling.

What do you mean?

You haven't been here
for three months.

I mean, let's be honest.

You're the reason people call.

And they called plenty
while you were away,

but after a while, people
get tired of hearing,

"He's not here and we're not
certain when he'll be back."

Hmm.

Well, I guess we need
to make some noise.

Let people know we're
back up to speed.

Call over to the D.A.'s office.

See if there's any juicy
pro bono opportunities

we can avail ourselves of.

Something that will
get us some clicks,

some ink, some TV time.

Clicks, ink, and TV time.

I love it when your
better angels make

an unscheduled cameo appearance.

You know what?

I think I might actually
have something for you.

He'd come over every Wednesday.

Always commenting
on how they looked.

Their clothes,
their hair, how...

how beautiful they were.

He was your daughter's
piano teacher.

I always thought it was
about the 15-year-old.

When I... think about
the things he did

to my little one.

To Ella.

And then, suddenly he was free.

It was like it never happened.

I'd lost my 11-year-old,

and he was driving around
town like it was a holiday.

Like he'd gotten
away with m*rder.

Which he had.

So I went and bought a g*n.

Something I thought
I'd never do.

Easiest thing in the world.

And then I just waited for him.

So you shot him three times in
the chest in broad daylight

in front of a dozen witnesses.

And didn't even try to flee.

You must have known you weren't
gonna get away with it.

I didn't care.

I wasn't thinking
about any of that.

I just needed to know he
was no longer among us.



[excited chatter]

Just keep your head
down and ignore them.

So what happens today?

A number of things, but first
off, there's a question of bail.

Oh, my gosh, you think they'll
actually offer me bail?

No, but we have to go through
the formality of asking.

And then the other side gets to
indulge in the sadistic pleasure

of telling the court what a
dangerous person you are.

It's just part of the fun.

[quietly]: Look at me, Mrs.
Spiro.

We're gonna get
you through this,

and then we're gonna
get you out of here.

You just have to trust me.

Earth to Marissa.

Benny and I and our
client are making our way

into the courtroom.

Bull, what are you
talking about?

You have jury duty this morning.

[sighs]

You're gonna need this.

You all right?

No, I think I may
have screwed up.

I have a bit of business
I need to take care of.

Mrs. Spiro,

I have to run upstairs
to another courtroom

for a couple of hours.

A couple of hours?
It's not a problem.

Nothing of any consequence ever
happens here before lunch,

and even if it did,

you couldn't be in better hands.

You got it.

Mrs. Spiro?

Bull?

How late am I?

20 minutes.

How long do you think it'll
take me to get excused?

I have no idea what
you're talking about.

I'm betting 45 minutes.

A.A.G. LANFORD: The defendant,

one Kendrick Gorman,
who is accused

of practicing law

without a license.

BULL: My God, he's actually
pronouncing every comma.

That's right.

Could there possibly be a
bigger abuse of trust?

You find yourself on the
wrong side of the law.

Desperate for help.

You hire an attorney.

Only to find that he's
not really an attorney.

But an impostor.

BULL: As opposed to an
authentic idiot like you.

Dr. Jason Bull.

TheDr. Jason Bull?

Hmm. I'm afraid so.

What a pleasure to
finally meet you.

And you, as well.

And now, I know you've
done work with my office,

the state attorney general's
office, and I know

you're also thought to be one
of the best in your field.

So, just to be clear, you advise

people like me how
to pick juries.

What to say to juries, how
to get the juries to come

to conclusions whoever hires
you needs them to come to.

Is that correct?

Well, that's not how
I'd put it, but...

Your Honor, we'd like to
strike this juror for cause.

What cause?

Well, you just heard him.

He is an expert

in all matters
pertaining to juries.

HUDSON: And that's
all well and good.

But as far as I can tell,
in this particular case,

Dr. Bull will not
be picking jurors.

Nor will he be advising either
side on what to say to them.

And as far as helping
them come to conclusions,

well, hopefully that's the job

of every juror during the
period of deliberations.

Ms. Dunn, would you care
to question the juror?

So you're a jury consultant?

A trial scientist, yes.

You advise lawyers on
how to try their cases.

Sometimes, yes.

So, in a sense, you practice
law without a license.

Just like my client.

No, I wouldn't exactly say that.

This juror is acceptable
to the defense.

Your Honor, uh, if I may,

I would love to be
seated on this jury.

Well, then, today's
your lucky day.

But unfortunately, um,

I have a-a previous commitment,
a legal commitment.

A legal commitment?

Yes, indeed. Uh, I am in
the midst of starting

a m*rder trial downstairs,
right in this very courthouse.

And, um... uh, you may
have heard of it.

The State v. Heather Spiro?

It's a very big, important case.

Yes, I have heard of it.

Well, aren't you the VIP?

[chuckles]

However, trial
scientists are not now,

nor have they ever
been, essential

to the American criminal
justice system.

But jurors are.

Your Honor, my client is
facing a life sentence.

She has a lawyer?

She does.

Good. Then everybody
has what they need.

She has a lawyer,
we have 12 jurors.

Welcome to my court, Dr. Bull.

And welcome to jury duty.

Ah. You can win $100
million verdicts

against multinational
corporations,

but you can't argue your
way out of jury duty?

Trust me, I tried.

I think the judge
has a crush on me.

Needless to say,

our client is not pleased.

Oh, I don't blame her.

You just missed her.

They just put her in the
prison van ten minutes ago.

Well, the good news is, I won't
be on this jury for long.

There are only three people
on the witness list.

Whole thing should
be over in a day.

Now, I was thinking
for tomorrow,

it makes sense to promote
Chunk to the second chair.

Someone sitting next to you
with Marissa in his ear.

I get that. So
what's the strategy?

Well, I'm thinking EED defense.

EED?

Extreme emotional disturbance?

No, that's not going to work.

EED happens in the moment.

And the evidence clearly proves

that this was not a
spontaneous act.

By her own admission,

she was lying in wait
for this guy for days.

I know. I just want to use it
to get our foot in the door.

Gives us an excuse in
your opening statement

to talk about the
horrific details

of what happened to
this woman's child,

which otherwise...

We're going to get caught.

And when that happens,
we will apologize

and come up with a
different attack.

But I'll be in the
courtroom by then

and we'll figure something out.

Also, have Danny get a line
on the surviving daughter.

We need to give the jury as
many reasons as possible

to not send Heather to prison,
and what better reason

than she has a teenage
daughter who needs her

and is waiting for
her to come home?

DANNY: The tattoo new?

Looks new.

I did it myself.

What about the piercings?

Last weekend.

There's not a lot
to do around here,

and I don't really know anybody.

I mean, I know my aunt, but...

Would you like your
mom to see them?

I can take a picture for you.

No.

She's got enough
going on right now.

She doesn't need
to worry about me.

Well, she is...
worried about you.

She wants to come home to you,

take care of you.

Mm-hmm.

Well, the reason I'm here, uh,

we'd like for you to
come to the city,

be a part of the trial.

I don't think that's
a very good idea.

Well, I can come here. I
can, I can pick you up.

Can sit with you in court.

The jury needs to see that
your mom still has a child,

a child who loves
her, misses her,

needs her at home.

I've been to court before.

My sister's trial.

I sat there the whole time,
waiting for a chance

to tell them what I knew, and
then, when the time came,

they wouldn't let me say it.

What wouldn't they let you say?

I... heard his voice.

I knew him.

[laughs] He was
my piano teacher.

I spent every Wednesday
with him for three years.

But, uh, they said
hearing someone's voice

and thinking you know who
they are isn't enough proof,

so I couldn't say
it on the stand.

You didn't see him?

I was sleeping.

He must've come in through
the window, but...

all I know is, he put
a bag over my head

and when I woke up,

he was wrapping tape
around the bag...

and over my mouth.

And he carried me to the
closet and locked me in.

And he said

if I made a sound, he
would k*ll my mother.

I thought he was there for her.

Maybe if I'd been awake, none
of this would have happened.

Maybe he wouldn't
have gotten Ella

or my mom wouldn't
have shot him.

They're new, too.

So, today is all about
something called voir dire.

It's kind of our specialty.

It's about interviewing
prospective jurors

and doing everything
we can to make sure

that we pick the right ones,
the ones who are best able

to hear our argument,
sympathize with it, yeah.Okay.

Even though you won't be
testifying today... no one will...

You have a very important job.

This is when the jurors get
their first look at you.

Prosecutor's gonna want
them to see a m*rder*r,

a public menace.

I want them to see
the schoolteacher,

the grieving mother,

the victim of a
murderous deviant

who took advantage
of a family's trust.

But there's no sign
you can hold up

to show 'em all those things.

You have to do it in here.

You have to be it in here and
not just in the courtroom...

From the moment you leave
that cell in the morning

until your head hits the pillow at night.
Can you do that?

Yeah. I can do that.Great.

Now, Benny and
Chunk know exactly

what we're looking
for juror-wise.

Marissa back at my office...
Wait a second.

You're not coming to
court with us today?

Well, I can't. I have a...

What did I do? What
did I fall for?

I need a new lawyer. I need...
No, you don't.

You need to lower your voice
and stop acting out in public.

Look around. There are
people walking by.

You have no idea who they are.

Like I told you, your job starts

the moment you leave
prison in the morning

until you get back to
your cell at night.

Now, I will do everything
in my power to get back

and be by your side
as soon as I can.

But let's not blow this
thing on deportment.

Shall we?

LANFORD: And how many
times did the defendant

hold himself out
to be an attorney?

At least 16.

And what kinds of
cases did he try?

BOONE: All kinds.

Everything from traffic
violations to m*rder.

LANFORD: And while we already
know that he didn't have

a law degree, what kind
of education did he have?

High school. A year
of community college.

LANFORD: High school?

A year of community college.

No further questions,
Your Honor.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

You obtained a subpoena, went
into my client's office,

seized my client's records.

Did you happen to notice what he
charged for his legal services?

Objection. Relevance.

Simply because he didn't
charge a lot of money

doesn't change the fact that
he was breaking the law.

Objection sustained.

The jury will ignore
the question.

When you examined my
client's records,

were you able to ascertain the
sort of clients he represented?

What do you mean?

He didn't represent
rich people, did he?

Objection. Relevance again.

[sighs]

Objection sustained. Again.

Ms. Dunn, please don't test me.

None of this is relevant
to the charges.

Do you have another question?

Yes, juror number four.
What can I do for you?

Well, I just, uh...

Well, Your Honor, I've
been in some courtrooms

where the judge allows
jurors to ask questions.

Do you have a question,
number four?

Thank you.

"Did the defendant ever
lose any of his cases?"

No. He didn't.

He never lost a case.

Thanks.

Our juror wants to know if any
of the defendant's clients

ever complained about his work.

Not that I know of.

Um, juror four, why
don't you just go ahead

and ask your questions out loud?

Your Honor.

Overruled.

Sit. BULL: Okay.

Well, hasn't the defendant
already stipulated

that going forward, he
will no longer offer

his services as an
attorney until such time

as he completes his education
and passes the bar?

That's my understanding.

And one last question: How did Mr.
Gorman,

the defendant, get caught?

He defended a man
falsely accused

of being involved in a
drug-trafficking ring.

Which I'm assuming he won.

He did.

So... [chuckles]

A guy with a high
school education...

Sorry, one year of
community college...

Beats a City of New
York prosecutor.

You think maybe that's why
we're all sitting here?

Isn't it reasonable to assume

that if Mr. Gorman had
lost that particular case,

the prosecutor wouldn't
have investigated him

and we wouldn't be
sitting here today?

Doesn't that sound like
an abuse of power?

I suppose.

Ah. I have no further questions.

And I have no further questions.

The defense rests.

HUDSON: Then, tomorrow morning

the jury will hear
closing arguments

and commence deliberations.

Court is adjourned.

The good news is there's nothing
left but closing arguments

and deliberations.

The bad news is, at this point,

I don't think either
side is carrying the day

and I'm worried that unless
something miraculous happens,

I could be locked up
in that jury room

for a couple more
days deliberating.

Can we just take a moment and
talk about Heather Spiro?

I think if she doesn't

see Jason Bull sitting by her
side in court pretty soon,

she's likely to fire us.

Which would defeat
the whole point

of our having gotten involved,

which was to generate
some good press.

Well, I think you're
both overreacting.

I disagree.

I think they're telling
it to you straight.

We actually had a really
good day at court.

I think we got a jury that
you'll be really pleased with.

The one problem is, when they
glance at the defendant,

all they see is an
incredibly angry lady.

Okay. I'll walk her into
the courtroom again

tomorrow morning.

And then you'll turn around,

and Chunk and I will be stuck
with trying to convince her

that everything's going
to be all right.

And it will be.

It's the best I can do.

Everyone understands.

And you still want me to go with
EED in my opening statement?

EED it is.

BULL: Danny, we have the
daughter all teed up?

We need her testimony.

I don't think you
want to do that.

Well, then you'd be wrong

'cause that's exactly
what we need to do.

She's the only witness we have,

at least the only one who can
provide the jury with something

even close to a first-person
account of what happened

the night the victim was
snatched from her home.

Bull, she's 15 and
she's cutting herself.

She's got a tattoo on her neck

and piercings in her face.

And who knows what she's doing

to the other parts of her
body that I can't see.

Clearly she's really fragile,

and I'm afraid if you put her on the...
Well, stop being afraid.

We need her testimony.

Well, there is another
problem with that.

Heather Spiro won't have it.

She knows her daughter
is falling apart,

and she's refusing
to let her testify.

So she wants to go to prison
for the rest of her life?

She feels there's got

to be a way to present
her case without...

And neither of you could
disabuse her of that?

Nope. But I'm sure you can do it

during your 90-second walk
with her into court tomorrow.

Night, all.

I have got a trial
to prepare for.

Well, I guess we're done here.

BULL: Don't speak.

Three things.

First thing, I don't give a damn
who you're pissed off at or why.

When you're sitting
in that courtroom,

you better be looking
like a victim

and not like the Wicked
Witch of the West,

or you're not gonna
fire me, I will quit.

And if I do that, there's
not a law firm in this town

worth a damn that will touch
you with a ten-foot pole.

Second thing. I am
moving heaven and earth

to get down here and
be by your side.

I have every hope
that tomorrow morning

I will be there, but
I can't promise.

What I can promise is that
I am totally involved

in your defense, and those
two men standing behind me

are doing everything they
are supposed to be doing.

But if you're unhappy, or
you have a better idea,

or you have some secret plan
for getting away with m*rder

on a New York City sidewalk
in broad daylight,

I'd love to hear it.

I didn't think so.

And third, there is one
thing I am certain of.

If we don't put your
daughter on that stand,

you are going to prison.

And the only question will be
for a quarter of a century

or the rest of your life?

She'll never do it.

And I'll never let her.

Then we are all
wasting our time.

No. Not you.

Not yet.

You actually haven't given me
any of your time to waste.

[chuckles] You guys are right.

She's a peach. Well,
maybe you haven't heard.

I like to win.

So buckle up, put
on a happy face,

and get ready to have
your mind changed.

[indistinct chatter]

You know, if I were
advising that Gorman fella,

I'd tell him to do the, uh,
closing argument himself.

He needs to show that jury that,
even though he doesn't have

a law license, he's
a great litigator.

Would you stop that, please?

We're not supposed
to be doing this.

Jurors are not supposed
to talk to defendants

outside the courtroom.

[elevator bell chimes]

I don't know what
you're talking about.

I didn't say a word.

BENNY: Ladies and
gentlemen of the jury,

I intend to prove
to you that this,

this was no vigilante k*lling.

That this was an act of
desperation committed by a woman

who fell victim to a mental
condition called EED.

Extreme emotional disturbance.

Objection.

Objection?

Y... Your Honor, I'm still
giving my opening statement.

EED, really, Your Honor?

The State would
like to be heard.

Oh, well, the defense would
like to be heard, too.


As a matter of fact,
the defense would like

to finish their
opening statement.

Wow. We've barely started. Okay.

Want to see you both
in my chambers.
Post Reply