The Crowded Room (2023–…): Season 1, Episode 7 - The Crowded Room - full transcript

Hi. Good morning, Danny.
How'd you sleep?

I don't know. Not good. Maybe.

How come?

You ever tried sleeping in a prison?

Did you see the eclipse?

No, just the light.
It was pretty weird though.

Carl Jung thought
eclipses were harbingers of rebirth.

Who?

A psychiatrist. Never heard of him?
He's pretty famous.

No.

You okay?



- You seem a little nervous.
- Yeah. Maybe.

Maybe I am a little, today.

Is that why you're clumsy?
Because you're not typically.

That's very perceptive of you.

Why are you nervous?

I'm gonna ask you a question.

Why are you here?

What do you mean?

Here with me.

Because of what happened
at Rockefeller Center.

But why are we talking about it?

You're helping me get ready for my trial.

Because even if I didn't fire the gun,
I'm complicit if a crime was committed.

Well, last week we talked about
Jack and you going to London.



Did you know that Jack came to see me?

No, that's not possible. He's in London.

Are these Jack's?

It's in my guidebook.

You got his number from the guidebook.
Is that how you found him?

No, but I tore it up.

Wait, did the police put it back together?
How did you get these?

Danny. Your mind is extraordinarily good
at rationalizing.

At unspooling narratives in real time.

At making the improbable possible.
You've had a lifetime of it.

I told Jack that I wanted you to have
a better understanding

of what we're doing here.

He was against it, but I persuaded him
because he wants what's best for you.

And so do I. Do you believe that?

- Do you trust me?
- What do you mean?

It's a simple question.

No, it's not.

Okay. Fair.

You noticed that I was nervous.

It's because there are some things
that happened at Rockefeller Center

that we haven't talked about yet,

and I'm worried that when we do,
they will upset you.

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

I know.

I wanna show you something.

What's on the tape?

Typically, I wouldn't do this so soon,
but the trial is coming up fast.

What's on the tape?

I think we should just watch it
together. Okay?

I don't know what this is.
I would like to be done.

I'm sorry, but we don't have
any more time, Danny.

The jewelry store across the street
had a new camera.

They didn't find this footage
until recently.

It's a copy.

The original's in evidence.

You've done something to the tape.

No.

It's a trick.

It's not a trick.

And I think somewhere inside you,
you know that.

There was no one at Rockefeller Center
except you.

Just you.

You were the shooter, Danny.

Not Ariana. Only you.

It was always you.

Sleep.

Big mistake, lady.

You make big mistake.

Yitzhak?

All right, listen up.

I said, "Let's be fucking cool."

I'm not asking.

This is bullshit.
You gotta let me in there.

I'm not afraid of the guard.

Everybody told you to leave the boy alone.

You're making a terrible mistake.

Why do you have to make this trouble, huh?
I do not listen to you!

God, I'm such a fucking idiot.
I shouldn't have listened to her.

Let me out. I can handle her.

- Shit, man. She's gonna call the guards.
- That would be less than ideal.

Mike, if you wouldn't mind...

You hear me? The boy was fine.
The boy was safe.

- You're not supposed to be here, man.
- Oh, Danny.

I'm afraid he's right, my boy.

You really shouldn't.

At least not like this.

What is going on here, Jack?

Don't send him out there.
He won't make it.

- What the fuck was that?
- How is that even possible?

Quite frankly, it shouldn't be.

You piss me off! You hear me?

Yitzhak, what are you doing?

…piss me off!

- I can do it.
- Oh, yeah, that's a wonderful idea.

Let's put a junkie in charge of our fates
because that's worked out

so well in the past.

- Fuck you, Jack. I'm clean.
- No.

- Mike.
- No. I can't do it right now.

Yitzhak.

Stop.

He hurts her, things are gonna go to shit.

He's not gonna touch her.
You know how he is about women and kids.

- What about the guards?
- Why don't you take the spot

- if you're so decisive?
- 'Cause I need to think!

I'm not fucking with you.
You tell many lies.

You gotta let me get in there.

If he hurts anyone,
we're gonna go to solitary.

I told you where this was gonna go
when you started dealing.

So this is my fault?

How do you put food on the table,
you Goody Two-shoes piece of shit?

I said we were gonna end up in jail,
and look where we are!

The guards are right there, Danny.

- Let's go, guys. Move.
- I am not scared of them.

I give no shit!

Oh, for fuck's sake, Mike!

- Stop, you'll make it worse.
- Think of Danny. Come on. Mike.

We're good, right?

Danny, is that you?

Yeah, we're good, sis. We're good.

- We're good. It's okay.
- I'm trying to help you.

- Nice and easy, kid.
- Come on.

- I know you are.
- Turn around.

- Sorry.
- Go back.

No. Nothing fancy, buddy. Take the shot.

Hit me.

Close. You gotta focus. Take another one.

- Again.
- Take the shot!

I always have no luck.

I never have any luck.

- The same, no?
- The same.

Set the pick. Don't let him shoot that!

How is it what happened happened?

He never came here awake before.

- The system is breaking down, I'm afraid.
- What system?

- Us.
- Come on. Right here.

The center cannot hold.
The beast is slouching towards Bethlehem.

Yeats.

I'm sorry I lose shit so bad.

You're not here for your
scintillating conversational skills.

We need you to lose your shit
now and then.

Unfortunately, this is a problem
that will not be solved by fisticuffs.

I blame myself.

She was hideously persuasive.
Best ones always are.

The best what?

Liars.

This is on me, I'm afraid.

So, we're not letting him
talk to the doctor lady anymore?

I think we've just seen
compelling evidence

that that relationship is
no longer productive. Don't you?

She's becoming dangerous.

That seems not very much likely
to me, Jack.

Is that right?
You're an expert now, are you?

In danger? Yeah.

So when do we wake him up?

We don't wake him up
till we have a plan.

- Jack.
- Twenty-one.

Do you know what happens
when they diagnose you

with a psychiatric disorder
in this country?

Try and cure you.

As far as she's concerned,
we're the disease.

To cure Danny
means getting rid of all of us.

That's crazy.

We are the only one keeping Danny alive.

As I said, we need a plan.

Let's go. C's in the mess hall.

Let's go! Every day
the same thing with you, Jackson.

Hey, you know anywhere
I can score some blow?

Keep your fucking voice down.
Piece of shit.

- What the fuck is this shit?
- Move it along, Sullivan.

- Hold on. What the fuck is this food?
- Move!

- Okay.
- Right now.

I'm moving. Jesus Christ.

I got in your order.

- Excuse me?
- What you were asking for.

You said you wanted more.
I told you, I get things done.

Holy shit.

That was fast.

Art supplies?

Not the exact ones,
but they're pretty close, right?

What the fuck am I supposed to do
with some crayons?

I don't give a shit.
Stick it up your ass or something.

Look, I don't want these, okay?
Trade these with me.

- Take 'em back.
- Don't nobody want those, man.

Now, pay up, asshole.

For some fucking crayons? Are you nuts?

Dude, come on. Look, I need some coke.
Help me out here. Please.

You playing me?

What's up?

Yo. What's up?

Yo, what's up?

Which one of you assholes
can get me some blow, huh?

- Fuck off.
- I take it that means you. What's up?

Yo, is this punk-ass for real?

I'll take whatever. Speed.
I just need something to tide me over.

- You feel me?
- You don't understand English?

- Fuck off.
- What's your problem, dude?

- You're my problem, bitch.
- Hey!

This little prick
just welched on Marcello.

That is what we would call
a misunderstanding.

Come on, I was gonna pay.
It's just a joke.

You can't take a joke, dude?

Goddamn it.

I destroy you, motherfucker.

Childish, stupid, utterly irresponsible.

Goddamn it, Jonny. What is wrong with you?

- Down! Everybody down!
- Get on the ground!

I'm not babysitting this piece of sh...

We're on a razor's edge here.
Just do as you're fucking told.

- What the hell, Sullivan?
- Get down!

- Get do... Put that down!
- Drop it now!

Yitzhak, I've got this, old boy.

Gentlemen, please allow me to explain...

And you're gonna look like shit
for your hearing tomorrow.

Easy, Fay Wray, it's me.

- You scared the shit outta me.
- Jesus. You hungover or something?

I just didn't sleep at all.

- Yeah, you look tired.
- Thank you, Stan. You're a peach.

Well,
I hope you were up praying for a miracle

'cause we're gonna need one
for this to go our way.

Thought you said that
the judge agreeing to meet us

was a great sign.

No, I said it wasn't a bad sign.
Nothing about this case is great.

Does your defeatist attitude
help your clients?

It's not an attitude, it's realism.

They have to accept the diagnosis.
He's too sick to stand trial.

He needs to be in a hospital.
They have to see that.

They don't have to do anything.

Look, I get this would be a big deal
for your career and all, all right.

I'm trying to help him out, Stan.

Okay, you and I both know
what you got riding on this, right?

And in this case,
what's good for you is good for me.

Yeah, of course going to a hospital
will be better for the kid.

Who wants to go to prison?

Typically, the DA does like
a plea bargain.

Don't get giddy.
The operative word here is "typically."

In this case,
it's in everyone else's interest

that this go to trial.

He's clearly sick.

You think they care about him being sick?
They're like you and me,

they care about themselves
and their careers.

And the giant ball-ache they'll be facing
when the press finds out

the Rockefeller shooter gets off
scot-free.

Nobody's talking about scot-free.

I'm talking about
a secure treatment facility.

It doesn't matter.

Papers sell on scandals.
And that's exactly what this will be,

if this doesn't go to trial.

So saying that he's got something
that no shrink in the world thinks is real

looks good for not a single person.

So why are you bothering?

Because a long shot is still a shot.
And I fucking hate going to court.

Anything else come up in your little chats
I should know about?

Since he saw the video footage,
he's been totally withdrawn.

Why did you show him?

I wasn't gonna let him hear
about his diagnosis for the first time

in a proceeding.

Reaction to this is unpredictable.

He could have gone catatonic.

He was an inch away
from assaulting me, Stan, and he likes me.

He could have attacked a judge
or a lawyer for the other side.

- And how could that have gone?
- Okay. So he know...

He knows now
that he's more than one person?

Maybe a lot more than one.

Oh, come on.

I'd like to begin
by introducing Dr. Whitman.

He is a world-renowned psychiatrist

and author of five medical journals
specializing in mental illness.

He's also the honors recipient of

the American Psychological Association's
E.L. Thorndike Award.

Have you assessed the defendant
in relation

to the defense's reported diagnosis?

No, Your Honor.

After reading Dr. Goodwin's report,
I didn't need to.

I can't diagnose someone
with a condition that doesn't exist.

Are you serious?

Multiple personality

is not recognized as an emotional disorder
by the American Psychiatric Association.

- It's listed in the ICD.
- It's listed as a form of hysteria.

You can't decide
a diagnosis doesn't exist.

It's an emotional neurosis,
not a mental disorder. It...

Enough.

This is not a free-for-all.

If you can't keep your opinion to yourself
until the appropriate time,

you may be asked to leave, Doctor.

Go on.

To claim that someone can't stand trial
for a violent crime due to a disorder

that the vast majority
of the medical profession

doesn't even acknowledge is real,
in my view, it's ludicrous.

I'm sorry.
But that's my professional opinion.

Thank you, Doctor.
Let's bring the defendant in, shall we?

Your Honor, we'd like to talk about
some of our findings.

We've all read Dr. Goodwin's report.
Let's see for ourselves, shall we?

Okay.

Take a seat, please.

You okay?

Yeah.

What happened to your face?

Danny, listen, I know this could be scary,

but these people are going to help you

even if it doesn't seem
like that at first.

You just need to tell the truth,
and we're gonna be able to get you

the treatment that you need. Okay?

Now, Danny, this pretrial hearing
is just for us to make sure

that you are treated fairly. Understand?

Counselor.

Hello, Danny. I'm Patricia Richards.

I'm the district attorney for your case.

Is it okay if I ask you a few questions?

Danny, do you know where you are?

A meeting room. Rikers Island.

How is it
that you came to be here at Rikers Island?

For an incident involving a firearm
at the Rockefeller Center.

And do you understand
that you're due to stand trial

- for this incident?
- Yes.

Do you know what that means?

That a jury will
decide whether I'm guilty or innocent.

Thank you, Danny.
You did really well. That's all I need.

- You're up.
- Stan, wait.

- Is there any problem?
- Yes.

- Yeah, yes.
- No. No, Your Honor.

Then please proceed, Counselor.

Hi, Danny. It is Danny, isn't it?

No commentary, please.

Yes, sir. It's Danny.

Look, I just got a couple questions
for you here, and then you're done. Okay?

Can you tell us who you were with
in Rockefeller Center

- on the day of the incident?
- With?

Well, there was lots of people there
obviously.

People on the sidewalk
coming in and out of shops.

Right, but who was with you, Danny?

I'm sorry,
I don't really understand the question.

Who did you go to Rockefeller Center with?

It's not Danny.

Stop.

No one. I was alone.

But you know you said in your statement
that you were in Rockefeller Center

with someone else.
There's someone with a gun. You...

- No leading, Mr. Camisa.
- Okay.

Honestly, sir, I was alone
and if you don't believe me,

then I suggest you watch the video.

- It's not Danny.
- Quiet, please.

All right.

In your sessions with Dr. Goodwin,
you spoke at length about your housemates,

Ariana and Ya... Yitzhak.
Can you just tell us about them?

Well, Ariana and I
had a connection as soon as I saw her,

and Yitzhak came with her.

Before I knew it, we were living together.

And how would you describe them?

Ariana and Yitzhak?

Ariana is kind, calm,
somewhat like a tabby.

Only softer, maybe more like a Burmese.

Whereas Yitzhak is feral.

You really wouldn't wanna be
on the wrong side of him.

Danny, now I'm a little confused here.

Well, you asked me
about Ariana and Yitzhak.

My cats.

This isn't... This is not Danny.

Your Honor, this is Jack.
This is one of Danny's alter egos.

I said quiet. One more word and I will
have you removed from this room.

Now, sit down, Doctor, please.

Do you have anything else
you want to ask your client?

No, Your Honor. That's all.

- Could you wait outside, please?
- Doctor.

Thank you.

Your Honor,
as I said before, that wasn't Danny.

Dragging us all out here to listen
to your perfectly lucid client

describe his pets.

- Your Honor, as I said before, I wasn't...
- Did I ask you to speak?

Counselor, I'd prepare for trial. Pronto.

Your Honor, please.
If I could have a minute...

Stan, if you wanna do right
by your client,

don't piss me off anymore.

And when you talk, it pisses me off.

Okay.

Okay, look, he pleads guilty,

you drop the charges down
to a misdemeanor,

and then he goes away
to a mental hospital for a long time.

You're joking, right?

Come on, Patty. It's a good deal.

For your client.
My bosses will have my ass.

He doesn't belong in prison. Okay?
He needs treatment.

He shot a firearm into a crowd
of unarmed people and then fled the scene.

But he's got a disease, Patty.
Don't you see that?

So he gets a pass?

Well, I think going to
a mental hospital should suffice.

He deserves the benefit of the doubt here,
doesn't he? A second chance.

I'm gonna make you a wager, Stan.

When I look hard at him,
and I'm gonna look at him real hard...

I'm gonna find a history of violence.

I'm gonna find that somehow
he managed to slip through the cracks.

He shot people in Midtown
in broad daylight, and you want a pass?

Rikers is filled with
young Black and brown men

who did far less. Where was their pass?

Where was their plea bargain
when they needed a break?

Your client will get
the benefit of the doubt

because he has
the privilege of a justice system

that was built for people
who look like him,

but he's not gonna get a pass from me.

So, no. I'm not just gonna plead him out.
We're going to trial.

You think you won?

Do you know what a federal prison is like?

It makes this place look like
a summer camp.

You think that Yitzhak can protect him?

Yitzhak still only has got
Danny's body weight.

You're all still just one person.

They're gonna eat you alive in there.

I hope this little ruse
was worth it to you, Jack.

So, what do we do now?

We stand trial,
take our punishment like a man.

We do what we always do. We survive.

I can't handle a whole trial, man.

- I can do it.
- Or not.

What about what she says happens
in prison?

She has no idea what we're capable of.

- What if the woman is right?
- About what?

Maybe we are the problem.

Maybe the boy needs to stand
on his own two feet.

What the fuck are you saying, man?

He needed us to survive, yes,
but maybe not anymore.

What? Like he's grown out of us?

Jack, you are always saying,
"face the music," right?

- Yes.
- So, maybe it's time for Danny to do that.

This is bullshit. Danny needs us.

Maybe he's right.

You understand what you're suggesting
here, old boy, don't you?

Yeah.

We just fucking die?

Is it so bad to make
this kind of sacrifice?

You mean, you're fucking with me?

Shut up, Jonny, for once in your life.

It's amazing, isn't it?

To love someone so much.

To want to protect their existence
so fiercely, you'd do anything.

You'd die for them.

Or kill for them.

Sorry, old friend.
He simply can't survive without us.

Hi, Danny.

Ari. Been so worried about you.

It's good to see you, Danny.

They keep asking me where you went,

and they think I did something to you.

I'm good. It's cool.

No. No, it's not cool.
I'm in some deep shit, Ari.

Don't worry, we're gonna figure it out.

Yeah, okay.

Where the fuck are we?

You're the most important person
in my life. Do you know that?

You're freaking me out.

We have a connection, right?

Yeah. Absolutely.

And that connection, it's because
I kind of live for you, Danny.

Because I am you, Danny. We're all you.

I was alone at Rockefeller Center.
You weren't with me.

I was with you, in here and in here.

But you left me.

I never left you. I never will.

None of us want to leave you, dear boy.

We're only here to help you.

That's what we do.

Can't go back to sleep this time, Danny.

We need each other.

- For what?
- To live.

It's empty when you're asleep out there.

Sometimes I sneak in
when no one's watching, to dream with you.

We come when you need help,
or are too lonely or too scared.

I come here to take your loneliness.

Being close to other people
is just too painful for you.

Hurts too much. So that's when I show up.

- Have you always known?
- What?

Well, that you're not real.

No, not usually.

Only when we're here. Like now.

Are there other people like me?

No, Dan, you're special.

You made us, all of us.

Who are all these people?

They're all you.

They each had a purpose
one time or another. Not anymore.

Jack calls them undesirables.

Yitzhak.

Jack mostly stays behind the scenes,

but if things start to
get too out of control, he sorts us out.

Indeed.

See, what happened with Marlin and Adam
in this barn,

it made you want to die, Danny.
Do you remember?

But you didn't.

You broke like a piece of glass.
You broke into many pieces.

All you, all separate.

Guardian angels, here to help you live.

Why are you telling me this now?

Something's changed.

You came here, Danny, awake.

Now that's never happened before.
It shouldn't.

That woman wants to take us away from you.
She wants to destroy us.

- Rya.
- She believes we are a sickness.

She wants to send you to a place
where they'll give you medications

and treatment to try to kill us.

We wouldn't be able to help you.

They don't understand what you need,
but we do.

We need your help, man.

I'm afraid that if we all die…

you die too.

What do you want me to do?

Well, you need to get rid of her.

It has to be you because she'll know
if it's one of us by now.

Tell her you want her to have
no connection with your case at all.

That you cannot
and you will not plead insanity.

But then I'll go to jail.

It may not be a significant sentence.

No one was badly hurt after all,
were they?

And I really need your help, Danny.
We all do.

You know what to do, my boy.
And you know that you should do it.

Good lad.

You know, I get that
I am of no significance to you, Jack.

And yes, this journey has included
some enlightened self-interest on my part.

Sure. But making a fool of me
is very hard to swallow,

considering all I've been trying to do
is help you.

I know that you can hear me
in there, Danny.

And if you wanted to fight a little bit,
you could.

But you clearly want to go to prison,

or you wouldn't have put on that
fantastic fucking performance yesterday.

Be my guest.

I put my entire fucking career on the line
for this bullshit.

I don't know why the fuck I came.

Please.

There are voices in my head.

There's other people in here.

I'm begging you.

Help me. Please.

I'm here.