03x03 - Excessive Force

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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03x03 - Excessive Force

Post by bunniefuu »

I'm gonna duck into the
diner, ring it out.

I'm about to burst.

You want me to bring
you back something?

I'm good.



Hey! This is the ladies!

What are you doing?
Get out of here!

Wait, oh! NYPD! Halt!

Let go of the g*n!

Oh! Oh, my God, you shot me!

You really shot me.

Precinct 55, this is
Charlie to Central. 10-13.

sh*ts fired in the
women's restroom

at Frankie's Diner,
46th and Third,

requesting a bus forthwith.

Stay down.

SCOTT: Sorry to keep
you waiting, Dr. Bull.

Suffice it to say,

it's not a good night
to be a police officer.

Police Commissioner
Scott, I don't envy you.

It can't be easy.

I see you got my message.
You-you started without me.

Simply grilled fish with
some steamed vegetables.

Thought I'd leave the
good stuff for you.

Ah, I can't eat. Don't
have any appetite.

On my way over,
somebody threw a rock

at a squad car at 179th Street,

and just as I was
coming in here,

we heard about a
Molotov cocktail

being thrown at a station house

in Kings County.

An officer shot an
unarmed black man,

and it wasn't for
the first time.

Oh, come on, the guy bursts
into a ladies' bathroom

just as the officer was
about to do her business.

Well, he drank too much, he
knew he was getting sick.

Men's room was locked.

So he says.

I guess the real question is:

Would she have shot
him if he were white?

Thanks.

We're talking about a
second grade teacher,

out celebrating his
Teacher of the Year award

who had a mimosa too many.

Hardly public enemy number one.

Where I come from, you
grab an officer's g*n,

you should expect to get shot.

I don't care what
your day job is.

Frankly, he's lucky
she just winged him.

Frankly, the department's
lucky she just winged him.

What can I do for you,
Commissioner Scott?

This, uh...

victim, this Cal Peterson guy

just hit us with a federal
civil rights claim.

Okay, City Hall has a
floor full of attorneys,

so I'll ask again.

Why are you paying for my fish?

I need more than a good lawyer, Dr.
Bull.

I need someone who can
really work a jury.

Anti-cop sentiment has
never been higher.

I'll give you my best
advice for free:

Settle, and do it quickly.

We made Peterson an
offer this morning.

His attorney made it clear

that we were off by a
factor of at least ten.

Offer more.

Dr. Bull.

Listen.

I heard what you said in there,

and in fact, it
may come to that,

but at least initially,

I owe it to the city, I
owe it to the force,

to go into a courtroom
and declare

in as full-throated
a way as I can,

that this had nothing
to do with race.

Nothing to do with some systemic
problem in the police force.

This was a woman
protecting herself

in a situation where
any reasonable person

would've felt threatened

and would respond just
as Officer Harris did.

And by the way, Officer Harris?

She's Tonya Harris.

She's a real person.

She takes home maybe
47 grand a year,

and if she weighs 105
pounds, she weighs a lot.

Doesn't she deserve the
right to clear her name?

Right now she is the most
hated woman in New York,

and that's not right.

Could I at least get
you to meet her?



SCOTT: You see that pep
rally down the street?

That's where we're headed.

[chanting]: Don't sh**t!
Hands up! Don't sh**t!



SCOTT: My offer still stands.

We'd be happy to put
you up in a hotel.

[crowd shouting outside]

It's getting kind
of crazy out there.

Why would I move?

I've got round-the-clock
protection.

My boys aren't gonna let
anything happen to me.

[sighs]

Tonya. [clears throat]

This is Dr. Bull, the
gentleman I told you about.

I think I'm gonna step out,
let you two have a chat.

CROWD: Hands up! Don't sh**t!
Hands up! Don't sh**t!

Hands up! Don't sh**t! Hands up!
Don't sh**t!

[door opens, closes]Hands up!
Don't sh**t!

[chanting continues]Nice
to meet you, Tonya.

No, it isn't.

You're here because I
shot an unarmed man.

There's nothing nice about it.

Sorry. Figure of speech.

Your commissioner thought

I should spend some time
with you, see if...

I thought there was
some way I could help.

Can you undo it?

I don't think you can undo it.

This isall my fault.

Ah, you know, um,
whether or not I decide

to help you... I'd encourage you
not to say that out loud again.

But it's true.

Is it?

Blame is for the jury to decide,

not you. Your job is
to tell me the truth

and let me guide you
through this process.

I am telling you the truth.

I hate that I hurt that man.

And I hate that every
police officer in the city

is three times
more anxious today

than they were four days ago.

And I am disgusted with myself
that I have given people

who are inclined to hate another
reason to go on doing it.

[shouting continues outside]

Huh. Let's do this.

I know you're supposed
to go to court tomorrow.

Let me reach out to Mr.
Peterson's attorney today,

and see if there isn't some
way we can settle this

before we even get to court.

Are you serious?

Mm.

That would be amazing.

I make no promises.

Thank you.

DANNY: Tell me it's not true.

Tell you what's not true?

TAC's not really gonna help
defend the police officer

that shot the unarmed
black school teacher?

Not that I'm aware of.

Where'd you get that idea?

Well, Bull just texted me.

"Find out everything you
can on Cal Peterson."

Cal Peterson is the
school teacher.

Yeah. First that
I'm hearing of it.

But would it upset
you if it were true?

I mean... you were
in law enforcement.

Did you see the bodycam
footage on the news?

He was going for her g*n.

The guy was drunk. He was going

for the sink to
puke his guts out.

Hmm... And that g*n should
have never been left

unsecured in the first place.

The cop broke protocol

by removing it in an
unlocked public bathroom.

She created the threat.

True, but... he
tried to grab it.

She had to defend herself.

The police officer is the
one with the training.

There are a dozen ways

she could have de-escalated
that situation.

Hey, you may be right, but I
don't think it matters anyway.

As far as I know, we don't have
anything to do with this case.

[sighs heavily]

WOMAN: You're not gonna
take them all, are you?

Oh.

[laughs]

No. This is...

I just... Doesn't matter.

[chuckles]

Ms. Ford. Mm-hmm.

I'm... Dr. Jason Bull.

I know who you are, and
I know what you do.

How can I help you, Dr. Bull?

Well, it's not me
that needs your help.

It's the City of New York.

They approached me, and
asked me to get involved

in this federal
civil rights suit

that you and your client filed.

Frankly, I came over here
to see what I could do

to make the whole thing go away.

Well, you can get them to
offer my client $25 million.

[laughs]

What is it about that
figure that amuses you?

Well, that's a big
number for a flesh wound

that's probably gonna heal
before this case finishes

winding its way
through the courts.

And my bigger fear is
that, in the meantime,

jackasses will line up on
both sides of the argument

and use it as an excuse
to make more trouble.

Hmm.

I'd always heard

that you were this crusader for
civil rights, human rights.

I like to think I have
been a significant voice

in that conversation,

a meaningful advocate for people
whose rights have been violated.

And it may seem like just a
flesh wound to you, Dr. Bull,

but to me, it's a
b*llet to the heart.

I'm reasonably sure if
that had been a white man

in that bathroom, there'd
have been no sh*ts fired.

I've also learned over the years
that the only thing that changes

an entrenched institution

like the City of New York is a
big ding to their bank account.

And that's what
I'm really after.

Big change.

Then I guess we're
going to court.

I guess so.

You want the good
news or the bad news?

Just... give us the news.

We're going to trial
tomorrow, working on behalf

of Officer Tonya
Harris and the NYPD.

Oh, my God.

And our strategy is...?

Well, Malia Ford is obviously
gonna make this case about race.

So in choosing our jurors,

we are gonna do
everything we can

to make it about everything but.

And how do we do that?

Well, we want to concentrate
on the circumstances.

Not the people.

When you present
the circumstances,

there is a solid
foundation of facts

that supports the idea
that Officer Harris...

was reasonably in
fear for her life.

She shot Cal Peterson
in self-defense.

White or black, our ideal juror

is someone who would make the
same split-second decision.

Someone who doesn't take
time to think in a crisis

but reacts in a blink.

What I call a "Blink Reactor."

Okay. So now we're looking
for Blink Reactors.

Whatever those are.

BULL: We're not
simply relying on how

jurors tell us they'd
react in a crisis,

but also how long they take
to answer the question.

The main thing is we don't care
who these Blink Reactors are.

In fact, the more our jury looks
like a jury forCal Peterson,

the more we will have started

to convince everyone
in that courtroom,

most especially that jury,

that we're not trying
a case about race.

We're trying a case
about circumstances.

Hello, Miss Sloane.

I see that you are
a hair stylist.

Actually, I own my own salon.

That's terrific.

Now, let's say one day...

a gentleman comes
into your salon.

I don't know if he's
crazy or high on PCP,

and he grabs one
of your scissors,

and he starts
swinging it around.

Threatening you and
your customers.

What would you do?

Come on. You a thinker
or a blinker?

I want you on this jury.

MARISSA: Seven seconds.

Eight seconds. BULL:
You can do this.

Throw bleach in his face. Hit
him with your hair dryer.

Move to strike, Your Honor.

What we don't want

are people who lack the
confidence to take action.

Now, Mr. Sails,
you work the door

at a club. Am I correct?

Yes, I do. Now, I bet
when it gets pretty late,

people have had too
much to drink,

gets kind of wild, huh?
SAILS: It does.

BENNY: So let me ask you:

What would you do if one of your
customers took a swing at you?

I would make it my business to
see to it that he regrets it.

Instantly.

Without hesitation?

Instantly.

We also want jurors who believe
people have a fundamental right

to protect what's theirs,
whether it's their property,

their life or the lives
of their loved ones.

Have you ever had your home

or apartment broken into?

Yes, a couple of years back.

And were you there at the time?
No, thank goodness.

Thank goodness because
you suspect the robber

might have hurt you or...?

Thank goodness because if
I would have been there,

there'd be one dead
robber right now.

This juror's acceptable to
the defense, Your Honor.

Ms. Ford?

This juror is acceptable
to the plaintiff, as well.

Then it looks like
we've got our jury.

I saw your boss on the
front page of the paper.

Sitting in court beside that
cop that shot Cal Peterson.

Okay.

CHUNK: You know, Anna,

it's my job. I don't
run the company.

I just work there.

You can hear how pathetic
that sounds, right?

Actually, I can't.

'Cause I know how hard
good jobs are to get.

And I know how important
my job is right now,

seeing as that you're the
one going to school.

And yeah, I know all
about your scholarships,

but somebody's got to pay
for books and housing...

Still pathetic.

[sighs]

I ever tell you what my dad
gave me for my 14th birthday?

He gave me "The Talk."

Sat me down and told me all
about how I should act

around the police.

"Don't attract attention.

"Don't make them mad.

Do whatever they say the
second they say do it."

[scoffs]

And it all made me so angry.

I was embarrassed that he was
telling me those things.

I was embarrassed that he
believed those things.

And I was enraged that he
accepted those things.

But deep down,

I knew what he was trying to do.

He was trying to...
tell me the truth.

And I knew my white friends
weren't having that talk.

[scoffs]

Not on their 14th birthday.

Not on their 40th birthday.

So, then, how can you go

and defend a white cop
who shot one of us?

Well, this is what
I tell myself.

For the justice system
to really work,

it has to be colorblind.

Look, I don't know what
really happened that night.

Who's right. Who's wrong.

But me being a part of it,

me being involved in the
fact-finding process?

Well, I have to believe
that somewhere,

my dad is smiling.

DANNY: Veronica Hill?

Ms. Hill. Hi.

My name is Danny James.

I'm an investigator working
on the Cal Peterson case.

The unarmed schoolteacher
who was shot

by the female police officer.

Okay, but I don't know
anything about that

other than what I read online.

Isn't it true that Cal Peterson
was your driver last year

after you summoned a rideshare
service on your phone?

I'm sorry. I don't
have time for this.

I have to pick something up for
my boss and get it back to him.

But I saw that you filed a
complaint against Mr. Peterson.

Do you mind telling
me what happened?

Look, I really don't
want to get dragged

into a big case like this.

Or I can subpoena you.

SCOTT: That's the
jury you picked?

Are you sure you know
what you're doing?

Nope. A lot of this
is just dumb luck.

You still sure you
don't want to settle?

CAL: I had been

to a big celebratory dinner
earlier in the evening.

Um, it was a
citywide celebration

honoring public education
and public schoolteachers,

and I actually received

a Teacher of the Year
award from the mayor.

And after this dinner,
what did you do?

Uh, went out with
some other teachers.

Had a few more drinks.

So, wait. Take us through this.

You're drinking with friends...

Well, uh...

this is embarrassing.

But the truth is I don't
normally drink very much.

So when I left my friends

and when I started to walk home,

I realized, um, I was
pretty messed up.

And then I started to get sick.

And I knew I really
needed a bathroom,

and there was that
diner, so I just ran in.

I tried the men's room
first, but it was locked.

I was feeling desperate.

I... I didn't want to
make a mess on the floor,

so I tried the door
to the ladies' room,

and it wasn't locked.

MARISSA: Surprise, surprise.
They like him.

Truth be told, I like him.

I don't recall anyone asking.

Okay, so, you open the door
to the women's restroom.

And what happened?

Uh, there was a woman
on the toilet,

but then I saw the sink...
She was on the toilet?

Just about.

She may have been
unbuttoning her pants

or something like that.

This woman, is she
here in the courtroom?

Right over there.

Officer Harris.
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