Black Box (2014): Season 1, Episode 8 - Free Will - full transcript

The Cube is under attack by a violent gunman hounded by voices; Dr Bickman must operate on his shooter. Dr Black treats a patient with alien-hand syndrome and Will suspects she is lying when she cancels their date.

Previously on "Black Box"...

Oh, my son is the best.

I'm the lucky one. He's a... he's a catch.

Yes. He is. Yeah.

How was dinner with the in-laws?

It was lovely.

You were bored to tears.

My son deserves a wife
who thinks he is the sun,

the moon, and the stars.

Hi, there.

I was just about to text you again.



Get out.

You know where I live?

In the Hotel Mirabella.

You know, it's a charming
hotel with a quiet bar.

Join me for a drink.

Danny?

Danny?

I saw your truck outside.

Danny?

Danny!

It is after much thought

that I decided to take my mother's life.

I loved her dearly,

and I'm very upset over having done this.



Let there be no doubt in your mind

that I loved this woman with all my heart.

I can't pinpoint any specific
reason why I killed her.

I am not in control of my emotions.

Hi, you've reached
Dr. Catherine Black.

Please leave your number,

and I'll get back to you
as soon as I can. Thanks.

__

Hey.

Hey.

Everything okay?

Yeah. You, uh... You woke me up.

It's 9:00.

What?!

- Didn't your alarm go off?
- No, my, uh...

My phone, it's... it's that
my alarm is on my phone.

I called you over and over
last night and this morning.

Did you? I...

It must be in my lab coat.

I was worried about you.

I didn't know what to think
after the dinner with my parents.

I'm sorry. I was, uh... I was distracted.

My... my patient was in critical condition.

I'm sorry.

Couldn't have taken one night off?

No, I'm a doctor.
Of course... you know that.

I can't take a night off.

My parents don't.

It was embarrassing.

I get it, I do. I...

I understand.

And my night ended badly.

Yeah? What happened?

You know when I was called
back to the restaurant

'cause an alarm went off?

Remember? Guess who I found there.

Do you hear me?

Yeah, sure. Go on.

Delilah.

She was sitting there, waiting for me...

In her underwear.

She undressed and broke in?

Yeah.

Can you believe that?

Uh, surely that must be grounds to fire her.

I'm the only one that saw her.

It's still my word against hers.

You call the police?

I didn't think of it.

I should have.

- She's a crazy bitch.
- Yeah.

You got to get rid of her.

I wish I could, but I can't.

I'm gonna be late.

Thank you. Thanks.

It was in my coat. And it's turned off.

I'm sorry.

Thanks. Come on.

Hey, guys. There he is.

Whoa! Welcome back, brother!

Hey!

If it isn't tall, dark,
and charismatically challenged.

We missed you.

Hey, handsome.

Oh, you look great. How do you feel?

100%.

Everything's perfect in la cabeza?

Good. Very good. Perfect? Not so much.

My hyper memory hasn't come
back... not by a long shot.

You know what? That's okay.

Now you're gonna have to
be like the rest of us.

You're gonna have to work
hard to get what you want.

Nervous?

A little.

I've been dreaming about this.

I couldn't wait to get back. Now I'm scared.

You get your grade from Dr. Black?

No.

I'm on pins and needles.

It's just zero chance of
a residency at the Cube

if I don't score high honors on my rotation.

Same here.

I haven't said this before,
but I should have.

For everything you've
done for me, thank you.

- Dr. Black?
- Yeah.

You have a new patient... A Gordon Finley.

Ali's finishing up the intake.

When you're ready,
they're in the conference room.

Apparently, there's a video you need to see.

Thank you.

Have you been to Bali?

It's absolutely magnificent.
It's the most beautiful place.

You... You do yoga, right?

Crisis administration
is requesting a code orange.

Gordon is the nicest man on the planet.

That's why this is so crazy.

I mean, he's a vegetarian and
gluten free, for God's sake.

He wouldn't hurt a soul.

He wears Toms shoes, and the
man laminates his library card.

I would never rob a bank.
I did not mean to do it.

Dr. Black, this is Gordon Finley

and his fiancee, Stacey Wilson.

Hello. Nice to meet you.

Let's start by showing Dr.
Black what you showed me.

I'm a bank teller at Seaton Savings & Loan.

- Or I used to be.
- He was fired.

I'm lucky I wasn't put in jail.

Do you know what your hand's doing, Gordon?

I have no clue.

It has this life of its own.

I have zero control.

Oh, boy. I'm so sorry
you're going through this.

We're supposed to get married in four weeks.

Obviously, that is not going
to happen until we fix this.

Gordon has severe epilepsy.

Medication didn't work to control it,

so he had brain surgery two months ago.

They severed his corpus callosum.

Okay, so this is part of the brain

that allows the two
hemispheres to communicate,

and without it, the left hand does
not know what the right hand is doing.

- What is it, Ali?
- Alien hand syndrome.

It's a known complication of brain surgery,

but it is a rare one.

Gordon, your zipper, please.-

Okay, so the signals from
your brain to your limbs...

They are literally crossed right now.

Can you fix it?

There is no cure for alien hand syndrome,

but don't cancel the wedding yet.

There are possibilities.

Yeah.

Do you have a minute?

For you, any time.

I, uh...

I just wanted to clear the air.

It's clear. You left a note.

"No obligations. No strings."

- Yeah, your motto.
- Your words.

I take them at face value,
which I assume is what you want.

Well, it's what you want, isn't it?

I'm open.

You want to talk about this?

Sure.

If you do.

You have no worries that we can go on

working together like nothing happened?

I'm not bothered. Are you?

So nothing happened?

I never said that.

I don't know what's going on here.

Me neither.

Isn't that nice?

I love surprises.

Life's so boring without them.

Nuclear medicine,
consult on line 2.

Dinner? Tonight?

I have to figure a few things out first.

Be calm. Be calm.

Be... calm.

My assistant, Rachael, is at lunch.

- Control. Control.
- Please just call her and cancel...

Control your anger.

May I help you?

Control. Control.

Hi, I'm, uh... I'm Daniel James Walker.

I'm sorry. I don't have an appointment.

Oh, then I'm sorry. I can't see you.

Please, I need... I need to talk to someone.

I just, uh...

I think something's seriously wrong with me.

I have these thoughts
that I don't understand.

They frighten me.

I'll see if I can find
a number for a referral.

Wait here a moment.

Mr. Walker.

Uh... Daniel James Walker.

- I asked you to wait.
- I know.

I just, uh... I-I had to explain something.

I'm a good person... a-a kind person.

- I'm sure you are.
- Right, so... so that... that... that...

That's why none of this makes sense.

Pounding headaches, I can't sleep,

I throw up every day, I'm exhausted.

I read about you in a magazine.

The "10 best psychiatrists" article.

It was at my mother's house.

I thought, um...

I thought if anyone could help me...

I'm not the kind of doctor you need to see.

- You have headaches, you have nausea...
- No, no, no, no.

I-I took a whole bottle of ibuprofen
this week. Nothing helps, all right?

And... and... and the vomiting
started about 10 days ago,

and now I want to break things.

I-I never used to feel like that.

I mean, these thoughts...
They... they aren't mine.

I-I push them back, I try not to
think them, but they keep coming.

Mr. Walker, you need a
neurological examination.

We're quite near one of the
finest centers in the country...

The Cube.

Would you please wait outside?

I don't want to see another doctor.

I want to see you.

Sit down!

I insist.

Thanks for coming.

It sounded important.
What's going on?

I have to break up with Will.

What?!

"Have to"? Why?

- We love him, Esme especially.
- Yeah, I know.

He's good for you, Kate.

What if I'm not good for him?

Is there someone else?

Is he gonna be there for you?

Love you? Take care of you?

I didn't say there was someone else.

- Does he know you're bipolar?
- There is no one else.

What are you doing, Catherine?

I don't know.

Maybe I'm self-destructing.

When I think about marrying
him, I just want to run.

I feel trapped. Do you understand?

You think I didn't go
through this with Reagan?

I walked out a couple of times,
but I always came back.

Why?

I wanted my family.

That came first, always, for me.

People... They spend years in therapy

trying to figure out what they want.

No one can tell you.

The answer is in your actions.

If you want Will, then you'll work it out.

If you want some other guy or
if you want to self-destruct,

you'll do it.

Even I can't stop you.

What are you doing?

After last night, I never
want to see you again.

Easy. I'm apologizing.

I took it too far. I'm sorry.

I was desperate to get your attention.

Bit of an extreme way to get my attention.

That was lunatic behavior.

I know.

It won't happen again.

Okay, stop that.

What?

Trying to manipulate me again.

Move on, why don't you?

You're beautiful, smart,
you have a lot to offer.

Why throw yourself at someone
who doesn't care about you?

Do you think Catherine cares about you?

We're engaged.

She'll never go through with it.

She doesn't love you, and
you know that in your heart.

Step aside.

Look, you want her to be someone she's not

just like I want to believe
that you could love me.

We have the same problem, you and I.

We do.

So, you got
your Step 2 coming up...

The final exams for medical school.

You worried about it?

- I'm studying like crazy.
- Good.

You'll need to ace that test...

Because I can't write you
a letter of recommendation.

Why not?

This rotation, I gave you a "satisfactory."

I'm sorry, Leo.

I'd like to make allowances,
but in neurosurgery, you can't.

I know that there is a good reason
you weren't capable of high honors,

but the fact that there is an
excuse for it doesn't matter

when the life of a patient's on the line.

- But I believe in the future...
- Speculation about the future

is for hedge-fund managers.

I deal in the present.

The fact right now is, you aren't performing

at the level necessary for neurosurgery,

especially not a residency at the Cube.

I'm sorry, Leo.

Control your thoughts.

Don't hurt her.

Control your thoughts, control your anger.

Don't hurt her. Don't hurt her.

Control.

Control your thoughts. Control your anger.

Control. Control.

Okay, calm down. Calm down.

I'm sorry. Something's...

Something's making me act
like this. This isn't me.

I don't know, maybe... maybe they could do,

like, an autopsy on my brain after I die.

What makes you think you're going to die?

I deserve to die for what I did.

I believe you are having
a medical emergency.

I'm going to call an
ambulance to take you...

I don't want to hurt you.

Then you won't.

Danny?

Danny, darling.

Please don't hurt anyone else.

Botox?

The stuff Stacey swears by
to get rid of her wrinkles?

- Mm-hmm.
- It blocks the nerve impulses

to the muscles so they can't contract.

Eliminates that furrowed-brow look.

New studies have shown an 84% improvement

using Botox for alien hand syndrome.

Sucks to keep doing
things you know are wrong.

To be out of control,
especially with Stacey.

She can't understand why I can't
make up my mind to end this.

Will power.

I'm a firm believer in self-control,

but your brain was altered during surgery.

No amount of will can
overcome that, all right?

Whoa!

- I am so sorry.
- No problem.

Don't worry. It's okay.

Hey. Have you seen Ali?

Uh, yeah, she's by the nurses' station.

- Thanks.
- Mm-hmm.

- Dr. Black?
- Yes.

This may not be the best time,
but I was wondering...

If I'd write you a letter of recommendation?

Yes, to apply to the neurology residency.

It's in your mailbox.

I also gave you a grade for rotation, Ali.

High honors.

Thank you!

Sorry. Sorry.

You know, you're gonna be a great doctor.

- Dr. Hartramph?
- Catherine.

A young man came into my
office a few minutes ago.

He is dangerous.

- Are you all right?
- Yes.

Just as I thought he might
hurt me, he walked out.

This man killed his mother.

I've called the police.

Oh, my God.

I'm concerned he might be
on his way to the Cube.

W-what makes you think that?

I knew there was something physically wrong,

and I told him about the Cube

before I realized he was dangerous.

Okay, uh, I'll alert security right away.

Do you know his name?

He just came up.
I have all the information.

Yes.

We will monitor everyone coming in and out.

Got it. All right.

Don't hurt them. You
don't want to hurt them.

You don't want to hurt them.

You're a good person.

You're a good person.

Kill yourself.

Kill yourself.

If you can't stop, you must kill yourself.

Kill yourself.

If you can't stop,
you have to kill yourself.

Do it. Just do it.

Coward.

Coward.

Coward.

Coward. Kill.

Coward. Kill.

Kill... Kill all of them.

Them all.

All.

So, high honors.

The word on me is I am satisfactory.

- Bickman's cold.
- No, he's right.

A neurosurgeon can't be satisfactory.

I'm going for radiology.

Ta-da.

You're doing your next rotation with Lina?

Bickman's idea. You?

I'm going to Newyork-presbyterian

to finish my medicine sub-I.

Then I'll be done with all my rotations.

All that's left is match day.

Then we find out where we go next.

You'll be here, at the Cube,

I'll be in some hospital in rural Nebraska.

And so, on top of everything
else, I'm losing my best friend.

Am I your best friend?

Yeah, you are.

Come on, Leo.

Everything will be okay.

What was that?

Gunshots.

I don't know. I don't know what's going on.

I don't know what's happening.

- There's Dr. Black.
- What's going on?

We have a live shooter in the building.

He's on the roof. Where's Dr. Morely?

He's at a conference. Where's Bickman?

Bickman went to the food truck. Page him.

Put a stop on that elevator.

I want them to do an
autopsy on my brain after I die.

I want them to do an autopsy on my brain.

The E.R.'s overloaded.
Hospital E.R. is at capacity.

He asked to come here.

No, I understand.

37-year-old man with
gunshot wound to the neck.

Zone 1, vitals stable.

Sir, are you having
any pain whatsoever?

I'm fine.

- Bickman?
- GSW to the neck.

- Alert O.R. suite 2.
- The wound is past the platysma.

Small hematoma.
No bruit, crepitus, or stridor.

Are you taking him to the O.R.?

Depends on the imaging. He needs a C.T.A.

Keep your eye on that hematoma.

If it gets any bigger, prep him for the O.R.

I want them to do an autopsy on my brain.

Autopsy.

Autopsy. Brain. After I die.

I want them to do an autopsy.

Autopsy.

Brain.

Hands up! Show me your hands!

Don't move!

Hands up!

Hands where I can see them!

Hands!

Don't move!

Stay down!

Don't move! Stay down!

Stay down!

Get his hands.

If this is a zone 1 injury,
he needs to be scoped, okay?

Catherine, this is trauma,
not neurology. You can't help.

Is that Sub-Q air?

No, it's not.

Chill out, okay?

The aerodigestive tract
is completely intact.

- I looked at it twice.
- Vascular injury.

If the bullet nipped his
carotid, he could, uh...

He could stroke out.

Bickman has no vascular injury.

This scan is normal.

Normal.

Two dead, six wounded, three critical.

Make that three dead.

Did the cops get the shooter?

- Yeah.
- Thank God.

- They're sending us a seizure patient.
- Now?

- Were they shot?
- No. It's crazy.

The guy in full seizure is the shooter.

How's the hematoma?

Stable. Moderate.

His vitals are normal, and so is he.

He wouldn't let me put
him in a hospital gown.

I'll change his dressing.

No need.

I already did.

Okay.

Hey, Bickman?

Hi.

Hi.

How are you feeling?

I'm fine.

I don't want to be admitted.

I need to get back to work.

Okay. You need to stay where you are.

We need to monitor you.
Hematoma could get a lot worse.

Yeah, I know. Obstruct my airway.

How's my service?

I heard we had three intracranial GSWs

and two epidurals.

The attendings have it under control.

They've got three
intracranial gunshot wounds

and two epidurals.

I doubt it's under control.

If the bullet had hit you
a centimeter to the left,

you'd have never operated again.

Five millimeters lower,
and you'd have bled to death.

Do you understand?

All for waffles.

They're good, but...

The shooter has a
pecan-sized brain tumor

adjacent to the thalamus.

It's compressing the amygdala.

The amygdala?

A tumor in that location...

- It could cause extreme rage.
- And violence.

All right, we have to prep
him for surgery immediately.

Yeah, in progress.

So strange.

He doesn't look like a killer.

What does a killer look like?

Good point.

Guys, hurry up. Why are you slowing down?

Little street justice.

What did you say?

Leo, get him through.

I could've been shot.

Dr. Bickman could've been killed.

It won't be a tragedy if
this guy doesn't make it.

Excuse me? He has a brain tumor.

It is not a choice. It is an affliction.

The tumor caused him to be violent.

I'm sorry, Dr. Black, but we're all
responsible for the choices we make.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

It's called free will.

He is a patient.

We have to keep him alive.

If you don't like it, go
get yourself another job.

Who's operating on Danny?

Bickman.

Are you insane?

The bullet grazed me.

The benzo they gave me wore off. I'm fine.

You're not fine.

We don't even know the
extent of your injuries yet.

If I had any other injuries,
we'd know by now.

You lost blood. You suffered trauma.

There must be another
attending who could do this.

They're all scrubbed on other cases.

- It's me or nobody.
- One, two, three, lift.

The hematoma has to be evacuated now.

Bick, you cannot operate
on someone who shot you.

I've seen the scan.

The tumor invaded the amygdala.

It's not this kid's fault.

I want to take it out.

We got to dilate it.

Where's your assistant?
You don't have an assistant.

I'm available.

No, Leo, you're a medical student.

I know... You cannot first assist.

I know how to do this.
Left temporal approach.

I can get the patient in the
Mayfield clamp in five minutes.

You're gonna be the scrub nurse, too?

I'm familiar with the surgical instruments,

I'm aware of what Dr. Bickman needs.

I can do both.

Scrub up.

Small Mayo scissors, medium Mayo scissors,

pick-ups, bipolar, penfield 1, penfield 3.

Get the drill acorn bit
and the craniotome ready.

Okay.

Sorry.

You're bleeding.

The incision is marked.

Linear incision?

Yes.

I always do a question-mark
incision in cases like this.

You should know that.

He's in pain.

You couldn't stop him if you tried.

Let's just hope he doesn't pass out.

How am I supposed to operate
if I can't see the field?

Sorry, doctor.

Give me the...

Okay.

We've got the tumor.

It's so small.

Big enough to change his entire personality.

All right, let's close him up.

I think we hit a vessel.

Get suction.

Suction.

Clip.

Clip.

I got it.

It's clear.

Bleeding has stopped.

The hematoma worsened slightly,
but it's still very small.

Any trouble breathing or swallowing?

I'm not gonna be doctored
by a medical student.

Just make sure you get Danny
some calcium channel blocker

to prevent post-op vasospasm.

I already wrote for it

you should get some rest,
take some pain medication.

Leo.

Good work.

Hey, babe.

Hi.

Hey.

- Where are you?
- At work.

Don't you remember we were supposed
to have dinner at Keith's tonight

to celebrate the restaurant's first year?

Yeah, I can't possibly make it. I'm sorry.

You're kidding.

Will, have you seen the news?

No. W-what happened?

We had a shooting here.

- Three people are dead.
- My God.

One of the doctors was shot.

- I'm coming down there right now.
- No.

No, you don't need to. I'm...

I'm fine anyway.

I don't want you to miss your, uh...

Your celebration.

Really? Y-you don't want me to come?

No, I'm exhausted.

Okay, I'll see you back here later.

Actually, I'm gonna spend the night here.

Um...

One of the patients is critical,

and I don't think he's gonna make it, so...

Okay.

At least I know where you are this time.

Good night.

You did great.

I know.

I stepped up my game.

And I realized this is where I belong.

This is where I'm gonna spend my life.

Are you still gonna do
the rotation with Lina?

Yeah.

But it's not a commitment.

It doesn't mean I'm giving
up on being a neurosurgeon.

You know what makes life beautiful?

A goal.

I'm glad you're not giving
up on your dream, Leo.

Dr. Black?

I'm sorry to bother you.

It's okay.

What is it?

Uh, Dr. Morely's on his way.

He's returning early from the conference.

He wants you to call him as soon as you can.

Okay.

Our shooter is awake and stable.

Okay, great.

Dr. Lark?

Is that a bed in there?

It's against the rules.

Y-you can't tell anyone.

You live here?

You live in the Cube.

Do you ever leave?

No.

You're agoraphobic?

Yes.

And you can't tell anyone

or I'll give you a "satisfactory," too,

just lik Bickman did.

Deal?

Deal.

I can get used to this.

Now when I go to shake my
father-in-law's hand at the wedding,

maybe my other hand won't
be goosing his behind.

Good. Keep up with the Botox injections.

Make an appointment with the nurse,

and good luck with the nuptials.

I'm just going to adjust your...

You should've stayed at home.

How are you feeling?

Better.

Couple of Percocet, be as right as rain.

Where am I?

You had brain surgery.

We took out a tumor.

You came through great.

A-a tumor?

What was the last thing you remember, Danny?

Um...

I was, uh, shopping for my
mom's Christmas present.

She wanted
a-a blu-ray DVD player.

No, wait. That was a while ago.

What day is it?

It's the 4th.

Of December?

February.

I'm way off.

Uh...

What happened to those two months?

Your memory will start coming back.

Don't force it.

No, wait, I was...

I was sick.

I was sick, wasn't I?

Yes.

What did I do?

You just need to rest right now.

Just get your strength back.

W-w-why am I in... in handcuffs?

Because you were a danger
to yourself and to others.

Danny, you need to be transferred
to the hospital prison ward.

P-prison?

I mean, there's got...
There's got to be some mistake.

Now?

Got to get this figured out.

Um... okay.

Uh, could you...

- Can you do me a favor, please.
- Of course.

Can you just call my mom,
let her know I'm okay?

I just... I know she'll be
really worried about me.

Just do me that favor, please?

I think you're the one that should go home

and get some rest.

You spent the night here, didn't you?

Well, Owen should be in in about an hour,

so he can cover for you.

There's nowhere else in the
world I'd rather be than here.

Me too.

Life's fragile, huh?

Yeah, believe me. I got the message.

I'm, uh...

I'm glad I didn't lose you.

I'm right here.