For Life (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Burner - full transcript

You got an Aaron Wallace problem.

Destabilize his biggest ally...

I've been thinking about initiating

a prisoner transfer, a difficult inmate.

That's my phone now.

I got a name for you.

Foster. Frank Foster.

Captain up here.

We are cracking down
on any kind of drug trade.

Wild Bill is the main distributor.

But how he gets them inside?



A captain.

How are we supposed to tell our people

we support a candidate

whose wife wants to take away their jobs?

So you gotta fix this.

Get me my endorsement back.

Dad? What are you doing here?

Belonged to Marie's mother.

You know Aaron never signed
the divorce papers.

She doesn't know how to leave you,

so you got to be the one to do it.

Turn over the search warrant application.

Angelo Torres was the manager of my club.

He was a key witness in my trial,



and he was on their payroll
the whole time.

So, Mr. Torres, was part of your plea

contingent upon you giving
prosecution damning information

about acquaintances that they
were pursuing in another case?

I don't understand the question.

It's very simple, Mr. Torres.

Before you were paid,

how many cases hinged upon you...

lying to get yourself out of hot water?

Four? Five?

There's a response on the page.

Oh. Man, 'cause you...

- Prosecutor.
- Sorry. Uh...

Uh, yes. "Objection, Your Honor.

Mr. Wallace is badgering the witness."

"Sustained."

That's the judge.

I got your text.

What's going on with your
burner? You had to give it up?

No, long story.

You tell Jazz?

Yeah, she's gonna miss
saying good night to you.

So, how's everything with you?

I'm fine.

Things at the hospital are challenging.

In a good way.

Is your father coming for Christmas?

He just, uh, popped in
for a visit, actually.

How is he?

Good.

Healthy.

I wish he'd start dating again,
but you know how he is.

So, it sounded kind of urgent.
The way you texted me.

Something on your case?

Yeah. You ready for this?

Angelo was a snitch.

That's not news.

No. I mean a professional snitch.

Already on the cops' payroll,

five years before I ever
hooked up with him.

So what does this mean for you?

Oh, this means everything, Marie.

They didn't disclose he was a CI.

That alone can get me my retrial.

And when I tear him apart on the stand,

it's gonna break
this whole thing wide open.

And believe me, I'm gonna tear him apart.

Now, these were witnesses
that testified against me.

These two?

These were undercover cops
from the night of the bust.

Remember?

No, uh...

Y-You know I wasn't at the club much.

Then you think maybe, um...

ask Darius?

You say he's still my friend, right?

Yes, Aaron. He's still your friend.

Okay, well, take these. I got copies.

I'm gonna need an answer soon.

Okay.

The bad news is,
there's a higher incidence

of detoxing inmates entering the program.

Good news is, that means
the drug flow is dissipating.

Whoever's bringing it in
is still lying low.

We scared them with the dogs.

Well, we've been surveilling
the Captains almost two weeks,

and we've got nothing.

We're on prison time.
Two weeks is nothing.

Whoever it is'll reemerge
when the time is right.

But in the meantime,
we're getting new people clean,

and in my book, that means we're winning.

Yeah. Good work.

Cassius Dawkins sent men to your house?!

Shh, shh!

I walked in the door,

and they were holding
my wife and father hostage.

Damn.

I knew he had reach,

but I didn't know it went that far out.

Took over the phone banks yesterday,

went out of his way
to stick it in Wild Bill's eye

with that cafeteria stunt.

Yeah.

He's here a week,
he practically owns the place.

We had a good grift.

Easy.

Then the warden comes in all
high and mighty, and now this.

This is not what I signed up for, Huey.

So, Dawkins wants us
to shut down Wild Bill

and work with him?

I can't work with him.

If his first move was to send
goons to your house,

what do you think he does
when you ice him out?

You got no choice.

Phone's broke.

Come on, man.

Cassius running the banks now?

Be running everything soon.

But somebody wouldn't kiss the ring.

Look, I gave him my burner.
That's what he wanted.

You gave him the burner,
but you wouldn't sit down.

Six meals in a row now,

walked right by his table,

wouldn't break bread with the man.

All right, where is he now?

I'm gonna go talk to him.

Word of advice...

let it lie right now.

He ain't interested.

- Bobby...
- He ain't interested.

You cloggin' up the lanes.

Better move along.

You gonna eat that?

Nah, it's fish. I'll keep the fries.

Ah. Don't mind if I do.

Mack and G-Force are cutting me
off from the phones.

Guards are doing nothing,
and I can't get to Cassius.

So get the warden involved.

And make myself a snitch? Unh-unh.

Word's gonna bubble up
to her sooner or later.

I don't have 'til later.

Got my court date
for interrogating Angelo

less than a week out.

I need to talk to Roswell.

Today.

Oh. Mnh-mnh. No, no, no, no, no.

Oh, come on, man.

Nah, man. I don't want to get
involved in all that.

One call.

All right, man, gi... give me the number.

Thank you.

Hey, Aaron.

Did you hear?

Yeah.

Wedding dispensation came through.

Told you the warden
would be cool with it.

Yeah, she was.

Then the Prison Board overruled her.

And what was their reason?

They don't normally get involved
in something like this.

I don't know, man.

But there must be something
that you can do.

You know, legally.

Yeah, sure. Hit me up next week, man.

Nah, listen, listen.
I can't wait that long.

Tricia took a turn.

The doctors say she ain't gonna
make it through the month.

Oh, man, I'm sorry.

I don't think there's anything
we can do in that amount of...

You know everything she's done for me.

13 years she's been waiting. Please, man.

I know, Nathan.

But it's been a real rough week...

with my own case.

Just... let me think about it,

and I'll see what I can
come up with, all right?

Hey.

I'm not gonna tell her you said no.

That was a rough one.

They've been together 21 years.

He was supposed to be paroled in four.

But she got stomach cancer.

Less than six months, just like that.

Life is short.

These were the undercovers?

Yeah, that's what he said.

Nah, it's...

It's all a blur.

The only thing I remember
about that night

was Aaron's face hitting that pool table

before they dragged him out
and me holding you back

so you didn't get yourself arrested.

Well...

he's questioning Angelo next week.

I'm thinking we go see Michael?
Maybe he knows something.

- Like what?
- I don't know.

Even if he did,
why would he come clean now?

Time? Guilt?

You're telling me there's no chance

Michael would want to help Aaron?

After all this time?

I think, at the end of the day,

Michael does what's good for Michael.

Well, I'm going with or without you.

But you've known him since you were kids.

What you doing here?

Last time I saw you,

your fist was coming at me
a hundred miles an hour.

And you earned that.

We're here about Aaron.

Come on, Mike. We just wanna talk.

You wanna talk, talk.

Look, Aaron's fighting his conviction,

and we need some help.

Nah, I said what I said,
and that's the truth.

Did you know Angelo was a snitch?

No.

Not until after the bust.

Well, if you ever cared for Aaron...

he's got one chance
to question Angelo in court,

and he needs whatever we can give him.

Nothin' I can tell you.

In all that time you were with him?

Told you I didn't know 'til after.

And during the trial,
you never talked to him?

Nah, man. They kept us separate.

Well, did you hear anything
when you was locked up?

- Like what?
- Like something, Michael!

- Come on, man!
- Hey, get out of my face.

Hey.

You flipped, Michael.

To save yourself.

You sold him out
after all he did for you.

We did for each other.

It hit the fan.

Everybody got their own lawyers,
did what they had to do.

It's not on me Aaron was
too stubborn to take a plea.

You owe him, Michael.

We all know it.

So just think about what we're asking.

Look, I recognize that...

I may have come on a little too strong.

I wanted my reforms to be aggressive,

and if that affected my style...

It wasn't just your style, sweetheart.

Day one, you strutted into that room

from your "think tank"
ivory tower, telling everyone

who'd been dealing with
the prison system for decades

that they had no idea
what they were doing.

Look, I... I've appreciated

your supporting my efforts
to implement change.

I've got news for you.

I haven't supported anything you've done.

I may be the Commissioner, but
I'm only one vote out of seven.

Which is why you shared my prospectus

with the Corrections Officers Board.

You shouldn't put in writing what
you wouldn't want people to read.

Do you really think Glen Maskins
and his reactionary ideas

are the future of criminal justice?

I know Glen Maskins won't close prisons

and put people out of work.

Do you know how I met my wife?

I was, um... I was a public defender

straight out of law school,
and she was a young ADA.

And the first time we talked,

she called me a bleeding heart liberal.

And I told her she was a fascist.

I'd say we've both matured since then.

My point is that
just because I share a roof

with the incredibly accomplished woman

running for Attorney General

doesn't mean we share the same ideas.

And I think you know
her record reflects that.

The Board meeting tomorrow.

Given the circumstances,
I think the practical move

would be for you to withdraw

your proposal of conjugal visits.

Family. Family visits.

It invites venereal disease
and contraband.

And it creates extra work for the guards.

Well, the guards are...

The union hates it, Safiya.

You continue to push,
no two ways about it...

it sticks to your wife.

Your wife's downstairs cryin'.

Been cryin' nonstop,
as far as I can tell.

I'm gonna deal with it.

34 years I worked over at Bellmore.

Never got myself into a mess like this!

I didn't do anything, Dad.

Well, you're gonna have to now, ain't ya?

Yo.

Let Wild Bill know it's too hot
to restart right now.

You think word doesn't get around?

You're rolling with Cassius Dawkins now.

Only if you let him.

Need to add a number to my call list.

Gonna take a couple days for it to clear.

Check the system.
It should be approved already.

He's registered on Aaron Wallace's list?

Yeah.

Hey.

The hell's going on?
You lose your phone privileges?

Power play with a new inmate.

Your burner, too?

I just gotta get through this week.

What you got for me?

US v. Bernal-Obeso.

A drug conspiracy case.

The court set aside the conviction

'cause the defendant was
prevented from pursuing information

about an informant who lied
about his criminal record

to the DEA.

Yeah, it's sad.

They want to get married before she dies.

The warden granted the request,

Prison Board blocked it.

Backlash, I'd imagine.

What do you mean?

You think she's pushing
through all these reforms

without making some
serious enemies on the Board?

So they're punishing him because
the warden got rid of solitary?

Well, old, entrenched interests
don't like change.

And they really don't like the people

who ram it down their throats.

Maybe I can get myself
in front of a judge

with an emergency habeas.

What's he in for?

Aggravated vehicular homicide.

- Blew a 1.9.
- Mm.

His license expired two months earlier.

Happened in Putnam, so of course
they threw the book at him.

That could be me sitting over there.

God knows I tried.

Wasn't even an alcoholic.

Just coming from a friend's birthday.

- Is he a good guy?
- Very.

So take it on.

Not exactly the best week
to spread myself thin.

I got your back. I'll be up here
every day if you need me.

- Yeah?
- That's why they call it "Pro bono."

For the good.

My love...

if today was the last day
that I ever see you...

I just wanted you to know

you were as beautiful today
as the day we met.

A-And if I had... if I had
one regret, it's just...

Been making these the past few weeks now.

Sending them to her so...

I don't know.

Listen, Nathan, uh...

I'm gonna take your case.

I already filed an emergency injunction.

We got a court date on Monday.

Really?

I saw you both in the visiting room.

How's she doing?

Ah, you know, she's hanging in there.

I think she probably would've
stopped with the chemotherapy

if she wasn't trying to hold on for this.

Mm.

You know, she wanted to ride.

Professionally.

Never happened for her.

But she's been working
on this horse ranch

for the past few years,
about 40 minutes from here.

She took that to be near you?

Yeah.

You know she nearly went bankrupt

trying to hire lawyers for my appeal?

No kids?

Nah.

We... We were going to.

Before I, you know...

What happened?

He can tell you.

I'll let Dr. Davidson know you're here.

The behavior
itself is against our code of conduct.

When it comes to social media,

nothing is private
and everyone's watching.

Go, go, go, go, go!

And the video...

it has circulated like wildfire

among the entire school population...

including the parent body.

This kind of behavior damages
not only you and your family,

but the reputation of our institution.

You understand that, Justin?

From what he told me,
these were older boys,

he thought they were really cool,

and he got peer-pressured into this.

Is that right, Justin?

Is that what really happened?

Yes.

All right.

Please get your books
and meet us at reception.

We are so...

- Yeah.
- ...sorry, Dr. Davidson.

We are mortified.

You have to understand that the school

has a zero-tolerance policy
for this kind of infraction.

Justin will be suspended for one month.

A month?

It... It's not like he hit someone.

This was clearly a prank.

There's no room
for situational ethics here.

We cannot give Justin any kind
of preferential treatment.

Wait a second. Okay. Who said
anything about preferential treatment?

I mean, if you ask me, this is some sort

of reverse double standard
where you go out of your way

to give him some sort
of strict punishment

just to prove we have no sway here.

I'm sorry that you're
interpreting it this way.

But you have to acknowledge
our standards must be uniform.

We do.

And I'd caution you
not to use your influence

to try to impact this decision.

We understand completely.

Justin, go to your room.

Homework. And no electronics.

Be in in a few minutes.

You're going a little soft on him.

He's a good kid.

If you ask me, I think everyone
is overreacting a little.

He stole something.

And was stupid enough
to let his friends film it

and put it online.

Well, he's 12 years old.

He is supposed to be stupid right now.

If he were 12 and a kid of color,

he wouldn't have that luxury.

He'd be on his way to
juvenile detention as we speak.

The world is not fair, Safiya.

But I am not going
to punish Justin for it

just to prove a point.

So, what happens when he's 18
and he doesn't care

that he got a DUI 'cause he knows

the Attorney General's
gonna bail him out?

My God!

Only, this time,

he has wrapped his car

around a telephone pole
or killed someone!

I have to take this.

Take it.

Hello?

Oh. So, the... the kid's
gonna pull the post down?

And can you scrub it?

Well, when...
when did you hear about that?

Yeah, well, w-we're gonna
have to think of our next move.

I'll call you in a few.

Oh, so your special ops team
is making it all go away?

You can save your snark. That was Monica.

I just lost the CO's endorsement.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Guess your lunch with McCormick
didn't solve anything.

It doesn't help that Aaron
Wallace is suing the Prison Board.

What?

Oh, you didn't know about that, huh?

- No.
- Yeah.

I gotta go check on Justin.
Can you please pick up Zoe?

I'm gonna have my hands full
triaging all of this.

No, of course I didn't know Nathan
Goodleaf was suing the Board,

but it is his right, and he's
also free to choose his counsel.

I know you initially
approved this wedding.

I did, but I understood your
position, and I accepted it.

Well, I kept up my end with Sivero.

Called him right after the Board meeting.

Sorry if the horse was already
out of the stable on that.

You and me both, Jerry.

Listen, uh, I really appreciate

that you put the brakes
on those conjugals.

You've proven yourself to be
a reasonable woman, Safiya.

That'll go a long way.

Well, I'll be sure to remind you of that

next time I ask
for something "reasonable."

And I'll give you a pass
on this wedding thing.

- He hasn't got a shot in
- Aaron Wallace.

- Hell of winning it, anyway.
- Okay, bring him in.

I gotta go, Jerry.

Okay. Bye-bye.

I've been asking to see you
the last couple of days.

They kept telling me
you weren't available.

I had personal things to deal with.

I've just heard that you're representing

Nathan Goodleaf against the Board.

Yeah, I had to file
an emergency injunction

just to get the ball rolling.

I was gonna let you know
before I went any further.

And what's your strategy?

I gotta argue that their approval process

is arbitrary and capricious.

That's a really high bar.

I know.

Then you know they're gonna
defer to the Board

over an inmate every time.

Yeah.

That's why it can't just be me.

I want to subpoena you.

Are you out of your mind?!

I declare you a hostile witness.

You fight me, defend the Board,
and still tell the truth.

We play it that way,
no one knows, and you look clean.

I didn't think
you took on cases like this.

I made an exception this time.

I thought you'd be supportive
since you approved the wedding.

You better make me look very hostile.

Trust me, I will.

And thank you.

Oh, by the way, I heard
from Manhattan Supreme.

The judge is unavailable Monday.

Appearance has been pushed back a day.

No, I got to be in the Bronx Tuesday.

There's no way I can do them both.

Well, they said the next available date

for Goodleaf is four weeks out.

If you're really serious about this,

you could try to change
your own court date.

You're not gonna believe this.

Michael just hit me up.
Says he was holding out on us.

How? What... What... What'd he say?

Claims there were whispers in the joint

about a case that got tossed
'cause Angelo lied on the stand.

For real?

Yeah, he gave me the name and everything.

I was able to push
your own case 'til Friday.

- Mm-hmm.
- And I got in touch with Tricia

with their new court date.

She sounds like a hell of a lady.

They all are.

Been thinking a lot about Marie.

What she put up with.

What all of this did to her.

I won't say she hasn't had it rough,

but she's still on your team.

In a big way.

Yeah.

Apparently, she and Darius paid
your old friend Michael a visit.

He knew Angelo was a CI.

At least after the fact.

He also happened to know
Angelo lied in a case

a few years back.

A case that got tossed.

It's all in there.

This is Angelo's testimony?

Testified in open court,

so I just pulled it off
the trial transcript.

It follows the same pattern as your case.

Only, that time,
the defense was able to prove

he was making half of it up.

I can't believe this.

Believe it. It's happening.

So, you know how
you're gonna handle this?

I think so, yeah.

And I appreciate your counsel.

This isn't exactly what I wanted
to be doing today.

C-Can I please...?

Can you tell me what this is?

It's Nathan Goodleaf's
dispensation request

for the wedding.

- And you signed it?
- I did.

You approved it?

Uh, that's what signing it means.

And presumably, you did so
because you believed

he qualified under regulations

then in place at your institution?

It's not my institution, Mr. Wallace.

I'm the superintendent,

and my authority
comes from the Prison Board.

I understand.

But you signed because you determined

that Mr. Goodleaf
deserved to get married.

Yes.

Both you and the Board are bound
by the same rules, right?

Yes.

Rules that are codified

in the March 15, 2012 Directive 4201.

Uh, that sounds like a...
a rhetorical question.

What's the very first line
of Directive 4201?

"A major departmental objective

is to foster ties to the community

that will help create stability
in the inmate's personal life.

The Department recognizes
that a marriage can assist

in creating that personal stability."

And did you say "major objective"?

You heard me the first time, Mr. Wallace.

Now, when the Prison Board
overruled your decision

for Mr. Goodleaf,

did they explain why?

Well, Mr. Goodleaf
had a violent altercation

with a fellow inmate
and the Board felt that

that disqualified him.

When was that violent incident?

It was five years ago.

And when you assessed the situation,

what did you think about that incident?

There's a notation
on the dispensation request.

Flip to the second page. I marked it.

What does it say?

It says that after a comprehensive review

of the facts in that incident
that I determined

that Mr. Goodleaf
had acted in self-defense.

Four months ago,

you authorized another inmate wedding.

For Bradley Fossberg?

Yes.

Did Inmate Fossberg
have any violent incidents

while in prison?

There was an altercation
with a fellow inmate

two years ago.

But the Board accepted your
recommendation in spite of all that?

Yes.

Now, why do you imagine
that the Board is so concerned

about a violent incident
from five years ago...

that you believed was in self-defense...

yet shrug off Inmate Fossberg's
violent incident,

which is so much closer
to his request date?

Well, I believe there was
a totality of criteria...

Specifically, Ms. Masry.

I don't know.

So in the end, you cannot account

for the differences
in the Board's rulings?

No.

Because there doesn't seem to be
a consistency in the policy?

Well, I-I don't think
there's any evidence of that.

In the previous seven years at Bellmore,

the superintendent before you
authorized 16 inmate weddings.

You aware of that?

Uh, not of the number, no.

And according to the records,

not once did the Prison Board
intervene to overturn

the Superintendent's recommendations.

Now, what do you imagine makes
Nathan Goodleaf so special?

Hey.

How you doing? You all right?

I'll let you know when the judge rules.

Listen, can I ask you something?

Sure.

Why did you wait?

For Nathan.

You probably want to hear
something romantic, right?

That Nathan was the only man
I ever could have loved?

I wish I could say that.

But all this time...

If I could go back to the day
he was sentenced

and you told me I'd be
sitting here 13 years later...

like this...

would I make the same choices?

No.

I waited.

'Cause I always thought
there would be more time.

One day, one week at a time,

and it all went by.

Waiting for Nathan.

Hmm.

He's a good man.

And I love him.

But no man is worth that.

That's why I need this so badly.

So that all that waiting
won't be for nothing.

The criteria for meeting a standard

of arbitrary and capricious are clear.

Mr. Goodleaf has been denied
the right to marry

because, as a felon
incarcerated for over a decade,

he was involved in a
violent altercation five years ago...

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you.

I'll never be able to repay you for this.

Thank you.

Sit down.

Okay, you got me here.

You must have a damn good reason

for disturbing my beauty sleep.

I just wanted to wait
'til we could speak in private.

I'm not trying to
intimidate you, Dawkins.

Though, that's what you were
trying to do to me, right?

That stunt you pulled,
sending goons to my home?

Wasn't no stunt.

I get your game.

But you gotta understand,
seven years now,

inmates are used to
dealing with Wild Bill.

And nobody likes change.

They don't know it at first,
but people are very adaptable.

That's evolution.

You better make conditions favorable,

is what I'm saying.

They want their product.

They don't wanna worry
about who's fighting over it.

I read you, man. Loud and clear.

Glad we understand each other.

Get up.

Let's get you back to your home, inmate.

It's all good, House Slave.

It's all good.

Think he got the message?

As long as we get them two
pitted against each other,

we just wait and see who's standing

after the dust clears.

Hello?

Dr. Davidson. Hi.

Yes.

I see.

No, I wasn't aware of that, actually.

Thank you.

Right.

Well, we'll make sure that he does.

Thank you.

Justin's suspension was lifted.

She said you called someone
on the school board.

I knew where you stood.

I didn't want to debate it any longer.

You did this because
of the CO endorsement.

Because you're pissed at me?

I did it because I value my family.

Over everything.

And I have no interest
in living on your high horse.

So that's where I live now?

Since you took this job... yeah.

More and more.

Well, it's good to finally know

how you feel about what I'm doing.

You know what rankles me
about all of this?

You're more forgiving with your inmates

than you are with your own son.

I think you're overcompensating.

Mr. Torres, when you first
started working for me,

did the police already know
what you were going to do?

When you first started working
for me, did the police...

When you first started working for me,

did the police already know
what you were going to do?

So this whole thing was
a setup right from the start.

Hey.

What's going on?

Trying to find Angelo.

I'm assuming you have some news.

Uh, yes, Your Honor.

The, uh, the state's witness,
Angelo Torres,

cannot be located.

How is that possible?

We even sent a DI to
his house to retrieve him.

He's cleared out. We believe
he's left the country.

No, but he was under subpoena.

That was for Tuesday.

And he was here... that morning.

Your people requested the adjournment.

It's not our fault
the witness got spooked.

No, no, listen, Y-Your Honor, please.

This is just another dilatory tactic

by opposing counsel to impede my ability

to cross-examine this man!

Mr. Wallace, I'm very sorry

things did not turn out as you had hoped.

But blaming the District Attorney

is not the appropriate response.

You're the one who asked
for the adjournment.

This is the unintended consequence.

Tonight's the night.

6:00 in the visiting room.

That's great.

I'm pleased for you.

I'd be honored if you'd be my best man.

You barely know me.

No one's ever done anything
for me like what you did.

Please.

Of course.

Hey.

Thank you.

You've reached the voicemail
of Jerry McCormick.

If this is business related
to the Prison Board,

I'd prefer you call
or e-mail my office directly.

Hi, Jerry. It's Safiya Masry.

I wanted you to hear it from me first.

I've decided to go ahead
and begin family visits...

starting tonight, with
Nathan Goodleaf and his wife.

The idea that they might have

a few moments together before she dies

seemed more important than placating you.

So... I'm gonna keep doing
what I'm doing.

And... And you can try
to stop me if you like.

But I'll sleep better at night

knowing I did what I believed in.

I watched them go through this ceremony.

It was really beautiful.

And, of course, my mind went to...

what it was like for us.

Mm.

But this wasn't that.

This was the wish of a dying woman

who shouldn't have waited.

She wasted the last 13 years of her life.

That's when I went into the box
that's under my bed

and took out these.

When you gave these to me,
I didn't like it.

But I understood.

And when you didn't
bother me about it again,

I... thought maybe there was
a way forward for us.

Then I realized that I was holding on,

dragging you down,

using your guilt to keep you tied to me.

I know what you gave up for me, Marie.

You could've had another child.

You could've had so much more.

But I'm gonna still keep fighting.

I'm not giving up.

But after losing Angelo,
there's no reason to say

that anything's gonna happen
for me anytime soon.

And I can't ask you to wait.

Not when it could be years.

I love you, Marie.

I always will.