American Gothic (2016): Season 1, Episode 7 - The Gross Clinic - full transcript

Previously on American Gothic...

Alison's weeks from the election...

- Jenny Windham, Channel 12.
- The police have just linked

the DNA of the Silver Bells Killer

to a member of your immediate family.

... and Cam is sober.

My sobriety starts over today.

No one wants to think

their child is troubled.

This one got strangled,
like what Silver Bells does.

He needs help. Now.



Alison told me every detail.

- Why would she...
- That's part of our arrangement.

I'm sorry if you thought
it was more than that.

Christina, my name is
Detective Brady Ross.

Garrett Hawthorne is a suspect

- in the Silver Bells murders.
- Hey.

The blood on the belt is a
match for Mitchell Hawthorne.

It was Dad.

He came to my clinic a few weeks ago.

He cut his hand and needed some stitches.

I saw him again a few nights later.

Uh... He must've been...

I don't know, he must've been stalking me.

We started spending time together,



and he took me to the woods.

Was it him?

No, it was his father.

Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.

The drugs should be wearing off.

Am I okay, Doc?

I'm, uh...

I'm not a doctor.

We have a few questions.

After 17 years,

Boston finally has some answers.

We now have irrefutable evidence

tying deceased Hawthorne
Concrete CEO Mitchell Hawthorne

to the Silver Bells murders.

The killings, which
began on June 22, 1999,

haunted the city for the next three years.

17 years ago the city was rocked...

Your turn.

... by a series of murders
that left its citizens

with too many unanswered questions.

Tell us what you told the police.

14 years ago,

I found a few things in Dad's stuff.

Rope,

belts.

They looked just like
what I'd seen on the news.

- And you didn't tell the police?
- Would you believe it?

Any of you, if you saw it,
would it make sense to you?

I thought there must be some
kind of explanation, right?

But the next day, David Morales
was killed by Silver Bells.

So I confronted Dad about it,

and he blew up.

The more he yelled,

the more defensive he got,

the more I began to suspect that...

it was him.

But before I left,

I told him that if I ever heard of

another Silver Bells murder,

I would come back...

... and I would expose him.

Year after year of no killings,

- it felt like...
- Confirmation.

- You didn't think you should tell us?
- Tessa...

You left us alone in
a house with a killer?

I didn't have any proof.

Time to change bandages.

We'll need a few minutes.

Cam...

I need a favor.

I can't reconcile it in my mind.

I can't.

For the rest of our lives...

for the rest of my daughters' lives...

we'll be living under this shadow.

Ending the campaign will take

some of the spectacle away, but...

Ending the campaign?

Let me run some focus groups

before you make any decisions.

Thank you for keeping the faith.

I was just heading out.

I'll call you tomorrow.

I'll be in the guest room.

Tess, I'm really sorry.

I am so, so sorry I couldn't
make it to the hospital.

It would have been nice, since
you're the reason he got stabbed.

I made an assumption about him,

based on the evidence,

and I know I should have
waited for the bigger picture

and, uh, I'm sorry, Tess.

Look... how about

I ask the lieutenant for some time off?

You know, now this case is closed,

maybe we should spend
some more time together,

and we can maybe work on some
of our trust issues, you know...

I feel like we need that.

Do you know how early you have to wake up

for hot air balloon rides?

- No.
- Really early.

The winds are most stable in
the hours right after sunrise.

I was obsessed as a kid.

Too much Jules Verne.

On my tenth birthday, my dad

surprised me at 5:00 a.m.
and took me to the airfields.

I got that as a souvenir.

It's a nice memory, babe.

My tenth birthday was June 22, 1999.

Before he surprised me,

my dad was murdering his first victim.

Was my dad real?

Was Mitchell Hawthorne

just a character that he played

to seem normal so people wouldn't suspect

he was a killer?

Or was he just a normal guy with this...

- this desire...
- Tess. Tess.

Maybe it's not a bad idea

if we go and speak with Dr. Larson.

And we can talk about getting
you back on your medication,

just for a little while.

Thank you for all your
man-hours on this case, everyone.

As we get everything off to the warehouse,

remember we are filing chronologically,

not alphabetically.

Take your time, get it right.

_

I was worried about
what you were gonna say.

But you were smart.

Well, I figured this way,

people would stop asking questions.

Don't second-guess this.

It's best to let your father
take the fall for everything.

_

You just left the first
Silver Bells murder house

doing 80 miles per hour to your in-laws'.

Explain.

My wife mentioned to me that her dad

woke her up at 5:00 a.m. on June 22, 1999.

- How could she possibly remem...
- It was for a birthday

hot air balloon ride. Just...

bear with me here.

Brian Long's security system was disarmed

at 3:48 a.m. the night of his murder.

- Mm-hmm.
- Which gives Mitchell, at most,

one hour and 12 minutes to
kill Brian, pose the body,

clean the crime scene, and make it home

in time for Tessa's birthday.

Okay.

Even if he took the
fastest possible route home,

that leaves him only 32 minutes
for the murder and cleanup.

32 minutes seems doable.

- Does it?
- Yeah.

For a super meticulous
murder by a first-time killer?

Well, not so meticulous.

He left this little piece
of ivory at the crime scene.

Yeah. Okay. Apart from the one tiny clue

that's never gotten us anywhere,

it was a super meticulous murder.

All right.

So what's your working
theory here, Matlock?

Somebody framed your father-in-law?

By putting his blood on a murder weapon

and throwing it into
a tunnel 14 years ago?

Well, I'm not saying it makes sense.

I'm saying I want to run it
down till it does make sense.

Well, I'm going with you.

Someone's got to play
Scully to your Mulder.

You are too close to this.

It shouldn't end like this.

You're one of our best clients.

Stick it out with us while
we discuss some rebranding.

Please.

Sixth client lost this week.

I get it.

- My campaign...
- This is... No.

This is not just your crisis.

The company's going to take a bath.

We need to think about

how we're going to
handle this financially.

What it means for the girls.

Private school.

We can weather this.

But we need to do it together,

and that means you and me

and no one else.

We agreed we could
sleep with other people.

Sleep with other people.

Not text them "I love you."

I never did that.

She did.

Texted you.

When we were at your mom's.

I deleted it.

Should I even fight for this marriage?

What you should do is

go and take advantage of our arrangement.

Just have a little fun.
Blow off some steam.

You don't need her anymore.

The campaign is over.

- Nothing has been decided yet...
- It's over.

She's extending it to stay in your life.

End it.

Uh, Christina?

You don't know me, but Garrett sent me.

You must be the brother I helped,

if that detox story was even true.

It is. And

- thank you for that.
- Okay.

Now that he can't stalk me,

are you taking over for him?

Garrett wants to see you.

He wants to explain himself.

It's all a big misunderstanding?

If... I mean, if you could
just give him a chance...

He is insane.

You're insane. Your family's insane.

Must be in your blood.

Don't ever come near me again.

No, for real, I'll get you next time.

You know I'm good for it.

Hey, man.

Looks like you need something
to take the edge off.

Why...

Hi. This is Tessa Ross.

I need Dr. Larson's next
available appointment, please.

Yes.

Tomorrow is great.

G... great.

I'm sorry, can you hang on a second?

I'm getting another call.

Principal Gates, is this about...

What?

What about child endangerment?

No.

What about obscenely
debasing a national landmark?

Would that be worse than
association with a serial killer?

They said it depended on the landmark.

But, ultimately, no.

The serial killer dad is worse.

And it just... goes on like this?

We did find that having
a serial killer father

is better than being a killer yourself.

But it's still considered
worse than bestiality.

So Conley could pleasure
his dog and still beat me?

The data does support that, yes.

Schedule a press conference for tomorrow.

I'm dropping out.

You're in a living nightmare.

You need this.

Cam? Cam?

God. Jack, you stay right there.

Cam!

Oh...

Tess, I am so sorry.

You're going to rehab right now.

Or you're gonna lose your son.

Let's go to my house, okay?

What are you talking about?

I want Tessa to take care
of Jack while I'm in here.

No way. I'll keep him.

He was abandoned at school
while we were getting high.

Cut yourself some slack.

Your father is a killer. You're
being publically tormented.

I need help. So do you.

And Jack needs to be with stable people.

I'm his mother.

I have rights.

Not if I call Child Protective Services.

Hmm.

Come here, baby.

I love you.

I'll be good.

Oh, I've always lived
in this neighborhood.

And when this house went
for sale, I just knew.

I had to have it, you know?

So it didn't bother you

that it was the scene
of the first SBK murder?

Well, I'm kind of a true crime aficionado.

With an emphasis on Silver Bells-ology.

Um...

So you wouldn't mind
if we borrowed your home

to recreate a few murder scenarios?

As long as I can help.

Fine.

You can be our official timekeeper.

Okay.

I've got 32 minutes to break in,

kill you, pose you

and clean up.

Really like you guys.

Your platelets probably made a huge scab

where the knife went in.

I have an appointment upstairs,

and Jack just wanted to

- say his version of "Get well soon."
- Oh.

I got this off one of the nurses.

Thought you might like it.

Not really.

Okay, well, why don't
you try squeezing him?

Ouch. You're crushing my pancreas.

Ow.

You're crushing my pancreas.

You can record your own message

if you press the left paw.

Why is he with you?

'Cause Cam's in rehab.

Okay.

Do you know if he was able to...

He went by Christina's clinic, yes.

Rough neighborhood,
apparently. Lots of dealers.

Don't blame yourself for that.

You can blame yourself for
not telling us about Dad.

You know, Tess,

I tortured myself about that decision.

For years. Um...

Wondering if I made the right call...

I still wonder.

When I think about everything I missed...

I did what I believed
was the right thing to do.

For everybody.

Why don't you go to your appointment?

He can stay with me for a while.

Are you sure?

Yeah, we'll be okay.

I'll just be upstairs, okay?

I've been to the hospital

twice this week.

I still haven't seen a single dead body.

All right, you know what?

Let's get this out of your system.

When we open the skull,

notice the cerebral hypoxia.

The subject drowned, correct?

- Correct.
- Note the oxygen deprivation's effect

on the brain cells.

I can't talk you out of this?

You would have made a great mayor.

- What'll you do next?
- Not sure.

I could find a way to stay in Boston.

Yeah, the weather's not great, but...

I do love the people.

You'd stay in Boston?

If I had a reason.

Tom confronted me.

He said he knows all about us, that...

... I just add a little
spice to your marriage.

I think it's more than that.

I think you do, too.

But at some point you
have to make a choice.

Bell.

You got to get rid of the fingerprints.

Shut up, you're dead.

Done!

31 minutes, 42 seconds.

See?

Sixth time's a charm.

The timeline works.

- Yeah.
- Let's go home.

The timeline's possible,

but barely, I mean...

that's what? 18 seconds to spare.

All right, well, then you're
missing something simple

like maybe the...

the clock on the
security system was wrong.

No, no. The 3:48 a.m. break-in time

is similar to all the other
murders. It's not that.

That was a new security system.

The Realtor told me
that the Longs upgraded

to a state-of-the-art system
right after the break-in

across the street at the McEwans',

even though the burglar
didn't steal anything.

But he didn't take anything
because the police caught him?

No, no.

He bypassed the alarm,
moved some stuff around,

and got interrupted by the dog.

Neighbors started to call
him the feng shui bandit.

Do you remember exactly
what this bandit moved?

It was weird stuff.

The curtains were retied,

dining room table was slightly off kilter.

The chairs around it
had all been rearranged.

So that one chair was
separate from all the others?

How'd you know that?

Do you think that burglary
across the street...

Wasn't a burglary.

It could have been Silver
Bells' first attempt.

He... he's trying to
set the scene just right,

get a perfect tableau
for posing his victims.

He just didn't count on
being interrupted by a dog.

Oh, that's crazy...

but it totally makes sense.

I wonder if the gnome saw it.

The...

The gnome from outside?

It had a motion-activated
bird-watching cam in it.

It was pointed right at the McEwans'.

I think that footage is still in evidence.

Right, but we only looked
at the night of the murder.

We didn't look at the night of
the burglary across the street.

So, how married are you exactly?

Very publicly married
with two kids, as you know.

And yet you still somehow
find the time for...

CrossFit, I'm guessing?

You have no shame, do you, Jennifer?

What's "shame"?

Madeline, do you have a statement?

- What the hell is going on?
- Alison invited us here.

Why did you invite the press here?

I'm announcing the end of my run.

There's no way I can bounce
back after what Dad did.

We didn't know.

We're victims, too.

They're taking everything good

about the Hawthorne name
and stripping it away.

And we're giving them
exactly what they want.

- Defeat.
- Mom,

it's over.

You have an obstacle in front of you.

You can go over it or around it,

but you cannot let it stop you.

You have everything I ever
wanted at your fingertips,

and much of that is because of me.

My decisions.

My sacrifices.

You will not squander this

for either of us.

Brian Long.

Michael Reid.

Camillia Morgan.

Anita Sandoval.

Samuel Altbrook.

David Morales.

Those are the victims of
the Silver Bells Killer,

and I sympathize so
deeply with their families.

Their loss is incalculable.

I wish, desperately,

that I had known who my father really was

so that I could have stopped him.

I failed in that regard.

But I didn't kill anyone.

My great-grandfather had

one single prized possession:

a theater program autographed
by one of the greatest actors

of that period, Edwin Booth.

A man respected and beloved

for who he was and what he did,

despite the fact that his brother murdered

the president of the United States.

I am the daughter of Mitchell Hawthorne,

but I am no more to blame for what he did

than Edwin Booth was for
what John Wilkes Booth did.

We do not live in biblical times
where children were punished

for the sins of their parents.

This is 2016.

We stand or fall

by our own virtues and our own failings...

... so I won't quit this race.

I can't.

I care too much about Boston

and its people,

its schools and its streets,

its homes and its hospitals.

I know I can affect
positive change in this city,

and I won't stop

until I do exactly that.

What is your strategy
moving forward, Alison?

Alison, do you still think you
have a shot at winning this?

Have you reached out to
any of the other families?

Is your family supportive

of your decision to stay in the race?

You look terrible.

- I'm glad you...
- Your brother said you had an explanation.

I'm sorry.

That's not an explanation.

I felt guilty...

for what my father did...

... and I wanted to know
what happened to you,

how your life turned out.

So I found you...

and I followed you.

You cut your hand.

Yeah.

Chopping carrots?

No.

You're out of your mind.

No, I just wanted to
know that you were okay.

That's all.

I didn't know that...

- I never thought that you... you would...
- What?

Trust you?

Sleep with you?

- Stab you and leave you to die?
- No, mean something to me.

I thought you'd be a housewife

with a husband and two kids
in... in the suburbs somewhere,

and I could just take you
off my list of questions

about everything.

Then I found you and...

you're open...

honest.

You're strange...

fragile.

Beautiful.

What we had...

... was real.

Tell me everything.

That is everything.

You're sure you're not
leaving anything out?

No.

You're good...

but your pulse increases just
a little when you're lying.

Last chance.

Talk to me.

Bye.

I got it from Uncle Garrett.

Can we play with it?

Please, please, please?

If you can get it.

I am happy you changed your mind.

Theme of the day.

Oh.

You got me all wobbly.

It's the first time I
ever did it with heels on.

You should get back out front.

My wife has big news.

See?

The bear didn't sink
through the pool cover.

You won't, either.

It's okay.

Go ahead.

Oh, my God.

I'm coming, girls.

Oh, my God. Help me.

Jack, help them. Help them!

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God, I'm so sorry.

Oh, my God!

- What happened?
- I went... I'm so sorry.

- I was watching them, and I got distracted.
- It's okay.

We're all okay.

But I think we should go home now.

Huh?

Come on, honey. Come on.

Why didn't you call for help?

It was science.

I wanted to see how oxygen
deprivation affects your brain.

What is wrong with you?!

It's a facility in Maine...

for kids with behavioral
issues like Jack's.

Yeah, I get it. It's a junior loony bin.

What the hell's in our genes, Tess?

You're part mermaid.

It's true.

But, see, you won't grow
your tail and your gills

until you turn 14.

I know some scary things happened today.

And, um, scary things

happen sometimes.

But I want you to know that I will

always be here for you, okay?

There is no one I love more

than the three of you.

You have one new message.

Tessa, it's Dr. Larson.

I got the results back
from your blood work.

Found something interesting.

You are pregnant.

Congratulations. I
know you've been trying.

Contact my office for any
referrals you may need.

Take care.

Squeeze me again, and I'll strangle you.

Wonderful news.

We've received over $80,000 in donations

in the last six hours.

You've completely
reinvigorated your campaign.

I...

called a friend in Hawaii
who's running for senator

and gave you a glowing recommendation.

You can start on Monday,

if you want.

- You're firing me?
- Officially, you're resigning

to pursue other opportunities.

You were right.

I... I had to make a choice.

Alison, this campaign is still

gonna be an uphill battle.

I'd rather lose the race

and keep my family

than the other way around.

Well.

I'll be sure to show you a
copy of my resignation letter

before I release it to the press.

You don't have to.

I insist.

_

You wanted to discuss something?

I'm done, Mom.

I can't keep staring
people I love in the eye...

and lying to them.

Of course you can.

You know what's at stake.

But what if I do want to tell the truth?

What would you do?

Is that what happened with Dad?

He wanted to tell the truth...

... and you killed him?

Oh, Mom.

Oh, my God.

You think if you come
clean, you get the girl back.

That started under false pretenses.

Your lives are connected by murder.

She stabbed you.

It's not the height of romance.

So, tell the truth.

You'll lose her anyway...

... and the whole family would crumble.

You'd have nothing...

... and you'd upend their
lives all over again.

But maybe that's worth it to you.

The records say the footage from the gnome

- was transferred to a thumb...
- A thumb drive.

Ross,

no matter what's on the tape,

it was good police work...

but in all likelihood,

it's Mitchell's face we're gonna see,

so be prepared for that.

I am.

That must be SBK's car.

That right there, that reflection.

That's the killer getting
back in the car, right?

Yeah, the light changing is consistent

with a door opening and closing.

That's the passenger door.

- Maybe he moved over?
- No.

Car takes off as soon as the door shuts.

Someone else is driving.

So, that's how Mitchell
Hawthorne did it all so fast.

The Silver Bells Killer wasn't one person.

It was two.

Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.