Class of '09 (2023): Season 1, Episode 5 - The Problem Is People - full transcript

Previously on Class of '09...

It's fine. You can date.

You don't have to be alone.

You concealed anything
during this process

which might negatively
influence your application?

Yes.

If it doesn't work out,

the woman always
comes off worse.

She always takes the hit.

You can do it on your own.

I-I get it.



And I've loved you for 20 years.

This time you're gonna
have to tell me

it doesn't stand a chance.

This is an intelligence
nothing like our own.

Oh, you think you caught me.

But... I'm exactly where
I want to be.

Oh, locked up in here? Really?

Mm-hmm.

Why is that?

'Cause I get to see
the expression on your face

when you hear the news.

Shooter!

Hey.

I'll take the heat if I'm wrong,



but we need to evacuate
this building.

Hey, freeze!

We have to go now!

You've all
successfully concluded

the firearms component.

We have in our hands
a great responsibility.

Which is why
we've brought you here.

On this wall are the names
of every special agent

who lost their life
in the line of duty.

And spaces for the names
of agents

who will lose their lives
in the future.

Our FBI family
is loved and missed.

They served their country
with compassion,

determination, and vision.

They embody our mission.

They embolden our resolve.

They exemplify

fidelity, bravery,
and integrity.

I can't feel my arm.

It's right here.

Right here.

I'm right here, okay?

Hey...
Don't stop talking.

It scares me.

You're not scared of anything.

I'm scared of losing you.

You're never gonna lose me.

You know what?

It occurs to me...

I never said I love you.

Hey...

Hey.

Don't stop there.

Just stay with me, okay?

We can, uh...

Uh... I can sing, okay?

Um...

Please.

Hello?

- Hello, is anyone down there?
- Help...

Help!

- Help!
- Hello!

Executive Assistant
Director Michaels,

we have read your report
into the litany of failures

that preceded the bombing
of the Hoover building

and the mass shooting
at Quantico.

For those who haven't
had the time

to read all 2,000 pages,

how would you summarize
your findings?

Well, put simply, sir, it wasn't
that we missed the facts.

They were in front of us.

We failed to understand them.

What is that down to?

The old way
of investigating doesn't work.

The question is,
what is the new way?

The shooter at Quantico was
vetted by our best brains.

The construction workers
we entrusted

to rebuild our foundations
wanted to tear them down.

And Tupirik,
the mind behind it all,

was questioned multiple times

and still declared
a person of no concern,

even as he was planning to kill
my colleagues and my wife.

I had to breach protocol
to investigate him.

What we're trying
to determine is

whether these are the failures
of numerous individuals

or a systemic failure?

These failures...

happened different places,

with different people
and different processes.

Systemic, then, thank you.

What measures have been enacted

to prevent another attack?

It is my conclusion,
Senator, that

rebuilding our headquarters
isn't enough.

We have to rebuild
our entire approach or...

another tragedy is inevitable.

This attack won't take place
at our headquarters,

but it will happen.

And when it happens,

we'll be right back here,
wondering...

...wondering how we missed it.

Hey, on the way back
to Quantico,

maybe we shouldn't sit together.

Why not?

It's a little high school,
you know?

Everyone knows.
It's not a secret.

I know, but we don't
have to make

a whole thing of it, you know?

Okay, so what
do you want me to do?

Sit in the back of the bus?
Not make eye contact?

I'm just trying to be
more professional.

I'm just trying to be funny.

Which do you think is harder?

Funny's getting harder
every day.

For the past nine years,
trainees have been visiting

the National Holocaust
Museum in D.C.

It's no longer acceptable
for the Bureau to teach

abuses of power
by law enforcement

just with reference
to the Nazis.

There is a plan

to bring trainees
to the MLK Memorial

in Washington D.C.,
but it isn't finished yet,

so we made the decision
to bring you here

to Dr. King's childhood home.

We have arranged
a guest speaker.

You will listen with respect.

And we're dressed this way
for a reason.

We will not disturb the public's
experience of this place.

So don't, you know...

Act too FBI?

Trainee, it is possible
to think those comments

and not say them.

- All right?
- All right.

Let's go.

Hi.

Hi.

I'd like to introduce

esteemed civil rights attorney
Dr. Vivienne McMann.

She will be
our tour guide today.

"Esteemed civil rights attorney"
is a fancy way of saying

I'm the person you call
if you want to sue the cops.

Ma'am, with respect,

how come you're talking to us?

Well, because winning cases
wasn't enough.

They kept happening, no matter
how big the settlement,

so I agreed to work
with law enforcement.

And this is why Dr. McMann
agreed to take this class.

On one condition...
We... we do this my way.

We start where I decide,

which is to explain why you
can't wear your uniform here.

Why is that, ma'am?

Because the FBI tried
to kill Dr. King.

I'm sorry, you say
the FBI tried to kill him?

Tried to convince him to take
his own life, yes, ma'am.

I have a copy of the letter
right here.

I'm about to read it
to my tour group.

Where y'all from?

I finished your report,
Agent Michaels.

What does "rebuilding
our entire approach"

mean to you?

We have this criminal database.

We spent a lot of money on it.

Too much in my view.

And it still depends on agents
sifting through tons of data

and hoping that they come
to the correct conclusions.

No one person can read

hundreds and thousands of emails

or look through every
crime scene photo on record.

It also goes to show that no
one person can stand apart

from their own
personal experiences

to see the world the way it is

rather than how
it appears to them.

What I'm proposing, sir,
is a deeper kind of learning.

Did Agent Nazari ask you
to petition for this?

No, she did not.

You're disgruntled
on her behalf?

Right now there's a crisis
of confidence in our ability

- to function as an institution.
- I agree, sir.

We couldn't even protect
our own headquarters.

How can we protect the country?

Isn't that
what people are saying?

Among other things, yes.

And you want to declare
the age of agents is over?

That is not what
I'm proposing at all, sir.

Our agents would never
accept it.

I was an agent.

With respect,
you have never done fieldwork.

You have never solved a case.
You're an attorney.

You don't know
what it's like to know

that the answer is right there
and you can't reach it.

Revolutions never work.

They're not what
institutions are about.

And what are institutions
about, then, sir?

Thousands of people

over hundreds of years.

Each person laying
their brick in the wall.

It's not my job
to rip that wall down.

Is that clear?

Agent Michaels?

Very clear, sir.

Mr. Garcia.

Thank you for taking the time.

Call me Amos.

Amos. Pleasure.

And how could I refuse?

My job is to predict
what people want.

And I have no idea
what you're about to ask for.

You are about to ask for
something, though, aren't you?

Yes, I am.

What do you know about me?

Well, I know that you
amassed a tremendous fortune

building an artificial
intelligence

that's used to predict
what people buy online.

One which knows customers

better than they know
themselves.

Can we lose the lawyers, please?

Look, there are only a handful

of deep learning intelligence
systems in the world.

China has one.
Google has one.

Facebook has one.

And you have one.

And right now

one of the most powerful
neural networks in the world

is being wasted...
In my personal opinion...

On trying to figure out
if I want

half-off cookies
over discounted doughnuts.

I... I just want to change that.

You would have it working
on criminal justice reform?

I would.

A rocket trip to Mars
might be an easier challenge.

Amos, I'm gonna be
completely candid with you.

You know, as well as I,

that you and I shouldn't even be
standing here right now.

In practice, the system
of law enforcement is...

not built to protect men
who look like me and you

but to keep men who look
like me and you in check.

One innocent misunderstanding,
one wrong turn,

one wrong place, one wrong move,

and we wouldn't have even
gotten this far.

Hell, we wouldn't have
gotten anywhere.

I'm talking about reinventing
our entire system,

not just tinkering at the edges.

No more lip service to the idea
of justice for all.

No more being invisible
when you need to be seen

and visible when you don't.

No more living in fear
of the very people

whose job it is to protect
men like me and you.

No more feeling
the weight of knowing

that this biased system

is against you
no matter what you do.

Hey, is... isn't that the agent
they pulled from the rubble?

I think it is.

A little small
for the Bureau, huh?

What's small about it?

Caroline?

Caroline?

Hi.

Did you consider not answering?

I always consider not answering.

When I call?

When anybody calls.

How are you?

I'm okay.

You?

I'm okay.

How's Caroline and the kids?

They're good.
What are you up to?

Right now I am reading
a victim's diary.

Every day she would write
something kind about herself.

Like what?

"Smiled at Simon today.
He smiled back.

Think he likes me."

What are you working on?

The interstate killings.

Women, poor... their bodies are
discarded by the freeway.

Over a thousand
unsolved murders.

Hey.

I never asked you...

Do you remember anything
from that time?

In the rubble?

Not really, no.

Do you?

Two hostage takers.

They're wearing masks,
but we identified them

through their car.

20 and 19 years old.
No history of violence.

Indications
of online radicalization.

Bridge Team,
entering the synagogue.

What's the strategy?

Delivering food and water

while our cameras surveil
the suspects

and hostages.

Around the corner?

- Through the doors?
- Yup.

And your assessment is...?

Gutierrez.

Put it on the ground.

On the ground.

What about the vests?

I've received confirmation.

The vests are fake.
The wires aren't connected.

That's why we couldn't trace
them through the explosives.

- Get out. Go, go.
- Get the hell out of here.

The tactical team
is standing by.

They're ready to take the shot.

Are you sure about the vests?

As sure as we can be.

Alpha Team,
are you ready to take the shot?

Ready.

- Bravo Team?
- Ready.

Take the shot.

You are a go.

Green, green, green.

All right, team, let's go.

Agents entering.

First gunman is dead.

Head right.

- Clear.
- Clear left.

Clear.

Second gunman is down.

Everything is okay.

Remain calm
and we'll get you out.

Both assailants dead.

Ma'am? Ma'am,
let me help you up.

Sir, right this way, sir.

I got you, sir.

Clearing the temple
with the hostages.

Everyone is safe and sound.

Good job.

Good job, everybody.

- Need help over here.
- Get the medical team

out here.

What the hell is happening?

I have no idea.

Get him on his side.

We need help.

Talk me through it.

Well, they used a needle
to puncture through the tops,

so the seals weren't broken.

They hadn't allowed
any of the hostages to drink.

They were dehydrated, desperate.

They saw us coming in
with the water,

but they had no reason
to suspect...

Tell me more about the poison.

Arsenic.

No taste. No smell.

They knew that if they shot,
we'd storm the synagogue.

This way... the deaths
would be televised.

Broadcast all over the world.
Live streamed.

Who thinks like that?

The people we're up against.

What is this?

This is about
one-tenth of the information

your database collected
on the synagogue killers.

We read it all.

We tried to imagine
how they'd act.

And the reality never even
crossed our minds.

Yeah, how could we have known?

See, that's, that's the question
I'm trying to answer.

Can you give us a minute?
Take a break.

They were gamers.

And in a forum
they were talking about

the best way to kill
their enemies.

See...

Uh, "You shoot a gun,
they start screaming.

"We should do it
like they did in the War.

With gas. Trick them."

There are a million different
discussions right now

on gamer forums
about the best way

- to kill someone.
- Yeah, but how do we know

which one is more than
just gamer talk?

- No one could have found that.
- No one person could.

No process we put in place

is going to prevent
every tragedy, Tayo.

The problem isn't your database.

The problem is people.

Sir, do you know this man?

I come bearing gifts.

Everyone presumes
these deep learning systems

are about numbers,
but they're not.

What are they about?

Oh, I-I keep no secrets
from my wife.

I have plenty from you.

Yeah, she's also
funnier than me, so...

You know what a logic gate is?

On-off, zero-one, binary?

Mm-hmm, I do.

The way I see it,

crime is binary.

How so?

Are they a suspect or not?

On-off.
Zero-one.

- Go on.
- In law enforcement,

what's the process
when a crime takes place?

Round up the usual
suspects, right?

Something like that, yes.

What if, for every crime,

every person in the country
was considered a suspect?

The whole country a suspect?

What about the presumption
of innocence?

What about it?

I mean,
who are we kidding, right?

It doesn't exist.

It's never going to exist.

The only way
for everyone to be equal

is for everyone to be
considered a suspect.

My system runs through everyone.
No exceptions.

And simply asks,
"Suspect or not?"

Over and over and over again,

each time with
a new data point...

Uh, location, gender, age.

The computer keeps running.
Suspect or not?

On-off.
Zero-one.

Until it's out of data

and you're left with
a list of suspects.

It's the closest to fair
we're going to get.

So, what, you can just go back
and ask the system why they...

Why it eliminated such
and such person as a suspect?

Here's a photo of him buying
bread a thousand miles away.

And at the end?

Maybe you're left
with 10,000 suspects,

maybe you're left with two.

- And maybe you're left with one.
- If you had enough data.

That person would be guilty?

In my eyes, yes.
In the eyes of the law...

no.

Mm, I'll say.

Make the arrest and find out.

So, the agent...

the agent still decides?

The agent always decides.

Well, this isn't the reunion
we imagined, is it?

What is this, Tayo?

Because it's not the law.

Are we under arrest?

No.

Sure feels that way.

If this isn't an arrest,
what is it?

It's a... a warning.

But the person you're
warning us about is you?

I'm not warning you
about a person.

Look, I know you've all become
skeptical of the system.

Arrests that make no sense,
orders that aren't questioned.

Agents being told what to do,
where to go, who to arrest.

This system was always supposed
to be held in check by people.

The findings are only advisory.

If people were supposed
to be the check,

people clearly weren't
up to the task.

People have always
been the problem.

Why aren't you wearing any tech?

No microphone? No camera?

Why don't you want
your system watching?

Talk to us. We're here.

We want to help.

After all these years, Poet,

after all these years
you are still trying to help.

And help with what, huh?

Maybe this is what
Garcia wanted all along.

No one person can shut it down,
but all of us together can.

Let me be very clear.

We are never going back.

You're free to go.
You're free to live your lives.

But you are not free
to shut it down.

I can't speak
for everyone, but...

And yet you do, Poet.

You do.
Can't you see?

They're all here because of you.

I'm not going to stop because
somebody powerful asks me to.

I've done what I can.

But know this.

There will be no more warnings.

That I consider the situation
in this country to be hopeless.

But I have hope, including
the hope that some of you

will not only deal
with the threats

outside your institution

but the threats inside as well.

Thank you, Dr. McMann.

Thank you.

What are you...?

I don't get it.
But okay.

What don't you get?

My foot is on the gas.
Yours is on the brake.

But there's
a good reason for that.

Quantico is 20 weeks.

That's all we have

to figure out if we're a fling
or something else.

It's already halfway over.

Okay, I got it.

The clock is ticking.

Sir, I know this... is crazy,
but, um, I need to go back.

- We're about to leave.
- Yes, I understand, sir,

but there's something
that I really need to do.

We can wait, can't we?

- Sure. We can wait.
- Thank you.

Thank you, sir.
Ma'am, thank you.

We don't write this one up.

We write everything up.
How can we not write it up?

Dr. McMann.

Okay, very nice to meet you.

Thank you very much.

- Hi.
- Hey. Uh...

I just need to know the answer,

and-and if it's no,
that's okay, I just...

don't want to spend
the rest of my life

wondering what would've
happened if I hadn't tried.

The answer to what?

Right, right.

Uh...

Vivienne.

Will you see me again?

Yeah, I'll see you again.

Judge.

I'm sure you've heard accounts
of inexplicable arrests.

Mm-hmm, they concern me.

In today's courts,

how many times
does a jury go against

the verdict of the system?

You can very easily find out
those statistics for yourself.

"Never" is the answer.

The judgment of the jury
is a matter for them.

- Is it, or are they afraid?
- Afraid of what?

I don't know
what you're implying,

but Tayo is not vindictive,
he is not malicious.

He's not the one
I'm worried about.

Then who are you worried about?

I'm worried
about our justice system

being put on autopilot.

Senator, I might not live
with Tayo anymore,

but I would still trust him
with my life.

Would you feel the same way
if someone else was in charge?

The senator,

she's agreed to meet us,
but it has to be today.

And she's critical
of the system, too.

How Tayo says
it's independent of people

but then claims
only he can oversee it.

Which is why she's our best bet.

How are we supposed to make it

across the city
without being tracked?

We can't.

I'm counting on it.

You want Tayo to know.

How the system reacts
to being investigated

is the investigation.

Welcome to the Pilgrim Church
of Deanwood.

Please follow me.

Senator.

I know who you all are,

so let's not waste any time
on introductions.

Say what you're here to say.

What exactly are you
expecting to happen?

We're expecting
agents to show up.

The arrests
are becoming predictive.

To better prevent crime,
it arrests people likely

to commit a crime, people who
haven't done anything yet,

people who might not ever
commit a crime

but who fit the patterns
it seems to recognize.

This isn't a crime.

We are not alone.

It's the Bureau Drone.

- It can't enter
this space.
- Yes, it can.

- It still needs a warrant.
- Well, who would deny it?

We have to get you
out of here, Senator.

- It isn't safe.
- This way.

This is my church.
I'll handle this.

This is a sacred space.

This is a place of worship.

No.

This is an outrage.

What is this?

Sir, the system
has identified a threat.

Stand it down.

Stand it d...

This is a sanctuary.

Are you out of your mind?!

Why couldn't I stop it?