Northern Exposure (1990–1995): Season 4, Episode 10 - Crime and Punishment - full transcript
The law catches up with Chris when the authorities begin setting up an extraction to have him turned in to the West Virginia police for violating parole.
Little hand's on the six,
big hand's on the 12.
Good morning, Cicely. Chris in
the Morning heralding the dawn...
on KBHR, 570
on your AM dial.
The voice of the Borough
of Arrowhead County.
Que pasa hoy?
Let's take a look.
Tom Barker shot a seven-foot bull
moose near Lake Loon yesterday.
He's offering tenderloins
to anybody with a backhoe...
who can haul it to Holling's
freezer before it spoils.
Tempus fugit. Got a little
lost and found happening.
Who's ever missing a '66
Studebaker transmission...
Mitch Coleman found one by
the road by his smoke house.
Why don't you just give Mitch a call
or drop by and claim it yourself?
A reminder, Cicely's book club
meets tonight 7:30 at the church.
Maggie O'Connell is gonna be reading
House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. BYOB.
What can I do for you,
Officer Semanski?
Christopher Danforth Stevens?
Yep. In the flesh.
Are you aware there's an outstanding
warrant for your arrest...
in the state
of West Virginia?
Well, that would surprise me,
considering the only outstanding thing...
I was ever cited for in West
Virginia was the ability...
to open three beer bottles at
the same time with my teeth.
Stand up, please.
Right now?
Up.
Turn around.
Place your hands
behind your back.
Under the provisions of the
Uniform Criminal Extradition Act...
I'm placing you under arrest
for violating section 62-12-19...
of the West Virginia Code.
You have the right
to remain silent.
You have the right to have an
attorney present during questioning.
If you cannot afford an attorney,
the court will appoint one for you.
Anything you say can
and will be used against you.
I don't get it, Holling.
Get what?
Chris has been a marked man
since the day I got here.
Now, why bust him today?
Why not last week, or
last year for that matter?
Well, the judge doesn't get up here
more than once every 15 months or so.
The police follow the circuit,
like tending a trap line.
You know, they don't set the snares until
a day or two before the judge arrives.
Less holding costs
that way.
Well, what are
we gonna do about it?
About what?
About Chris.
What do you suggest?
I don't know. I mean...
we can't just let him be
shipped off to West Virginia.
Why not?
Because he's Chris.
Holling, I mean, besides, didn't you
see Deliverance? "Squeal like a pig. "
I mean, if that's what
they do on camping trips...
think what life's gonna be
like for Chris in the big house.
Hey, Chris.
Bernard!
Rod, reel, net, creel.
I can't make it, bro.
No? Why not?
I'm under arrest.
Arrest?
Parole violation
in West Virginia.
Extradition hearing's
tomorrow.
Tomorrow?
Yeah.
You have a lawyer?
No, I don't need one.
Why not?
Guilty.
Guilty of what?
That's an interesting
question.
I'm referring
to the statutory angle.
Oh. I skipped town without
telling my parole officer.
Chris, you need
a lawyer.
What, did you get
a new rod?
Winston graphite.
Form fits the reel.
Nice.
I'm putting you on retainer
to represent Stevens, Mike.
You've got
the wrong man, Maurice.
Don't sell yourself
short, Monroe.
I was
a corporate attorney.
You were a litigator,
weren't you?
Why not fly in some high-priced
criminal talent from the lower 48?
Uh-uh. Don't have time.
Judge'll be here pronto.
Get a postponement.
Mike, this is Alaska.
The circus only comes to
town once every year or two.
You can do it.
Where'd you graduate from
law school? Yale? Harvard?
University of lllinois.
Oh.
I don't know the first thing
about criminal procedure.
I mean, extradition-
I need Stevens on the air.
You need him.
The town needs him.
We can't let Chris in the Morning
go down the tubes without a fight.
Think about the loss
in on-air revenue.
What kind of cologne
are you wearing, Maurice?
Oh, come on, don't give me
that allergy crap.
You owe me.
What about that space suit?
Where do you think you'd be in
this town without my generosity?
Yes, and I
appreciate it, Maurice.
I just don't think I'd do a
very good job on Chris' behalf.
You were not
my first choice, either.
But we're stuck
with each other, so...
Look, let's
cut to the chase here.
Maggie says that you need a new
air filtration unit in this place.
How much?
As far as I can tell,
an extradition hearing...
is pretty cut and dried.
All the judge has to do is determine
that the person standing before him...
is the person named in the
warrant, and it's good night, Irene.
I don't really see
any room to maneuver.
Hey, Mike, what are you,
like, a 44 long?
Forty-two.
Want this vest?
100% cotton?
Levi's finest.
This baby's flapped in the
breeze of 1,000 highways...
and known the clutches
of some pretty nasty ladies.
Chris, did you hear
what I just said?
Yeah, Mike. I need a lawyer.
Right.
But I don't have
a prayer, right?
Right. Basically.
What I don't understand is why
the State of West Virginia...
is going to so much trouble. I mean,
what were you in for, originally?
Grand theft auto.
Joey King and I, we
ripped off a '71 Firebird.
Holleys, headers, Hurst.
A real rocket.
I wrapped around a telephone
pole up on 13th Street.
I got 2-to-5.
I did 18 months.
And the only illegal act
you've committed since then...
is skipping town without
notifying your parole officer.
As far as I know.
What's that, the warrant?
Yeah.
Let me see.
"State of West Virginia, Wheeling
City building, section 62-12."
Aha!
"Aha," what?
Here's your answer,
right here. Teddy Miller.
You know the Commissioner
of Corrections?
Yeah, Millers have been jailing
Stevens since before the Civil War.
Oh.
See, Mike, my family was like
the James Gang of West Virginia...
and the Millers were
like the Earps.
My granddaddy once shot
a Miller in the neck.
Oh, he didn't kill him.
He just walked around
the rest of his life...
like he was looking
at a painting in the Louvre.
You know, like this.
It's been us against them
ever since.
I used to beat up Teddy Miller
in grade school. That was fun.
This doesn't bode well.
Well, it's karma, you
know, Mike? The wheel?
What goes around
comes around.
Hey, look at that ptarmigan. Where?
Over there,
by that old log.
Chris is dead meat.
What?
Look.
What?
Over there, that lady?
That's the judge.
What, that? That woman?
Uh-huh.
Too bad.
Yeah, I'll say.
What?
Dr. Fleischman,
she's a woman.
So what?
Luck of the draw.
Yeah.
Listen to you people.
I can't believe
the negative image you have...
based purely on an erroneous,
fatuous sexual stereotyping.
Back in my competitive days,
Dr. Fleischman...
you could drop a baton...
or mess up your statement
of personal goals...
none of the men
would blink...
as long as you smiled a lot and
displayed a well-rounded personality.
But the women.
Try wearing a lip gloss
they'd never seen before...
or dare to...
Coming through.
...squeeze your well-toned
buns into a size 4 swimsuit...
they couldn't wear
on a bet...
they'd mark you down all
over the place. It was brutal.
Well, Shelly, I hate to minimize
your experience, but I hardly think...
that a beauty contest and a
court of law are analogous.
Well, maybe not. But
they're definitely the same.
What was that
all about?
It's just not clear.
Okay. Maggie, who's nicer,
men or women?
Oh, I get it.
What?
I'm supposed to say
women, right?
And then with sarcasm dripping
from your lips like battery acid...
you'd belittle me, and demean me,
and rip my opinion to shreds...
with the precision of those
razor-sharp German tools...
you like to lance boils
with, right, Fleischman?
No. Wrong.
Why should women
be nicer?
Because men
are stronger?
No, no, no, no. Those
days are behind us.
We are no longer the
subservient class, Fleischman.
You can't push us around with
impunity the way you used to.
We have power, we have laws,
and we intend to use them.
So don't expect the batting eyelash
routine around here anymore, Fleischman.
From now on, you better be nicer to us.
Chris is in big trouble.
Yeah.
All right, bailiff, I think
we're ready to proceed.
Would you please call
the next case.
Next case,
Christopher Stevens.
Right here, Your Honor.
I understand you have
representation, Mr. Stevens.
Counselor?
Michael Monroe,
for the defense, Your Honor.
This is an extradition
matter, Your Honor.
Excuse me. The State of West
Virginia has requested Christopher-
I can read.
Thank you, Counselor.
You plan to challenge
this warrant, Mr. Monroe?
I do, Your Honor.
On what grounds?
Identity.
Identity?
Yes, Your Honor.
Whose identity?
His.
The man to my immediate left.
The alleged Chris Stevens.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Quiet.
Thank you.
Mr. Monroe, is this
some kind of a joke?
Most assuredly not,
Your Honor.
I submit that
this Chris Stevens...
standing before you is not
the same Chris Stevens...
named in the warrant.
Ladies and gentlemen, quiet!
I will have order.
One more outburst
and I will clear the court.
Mr. Sizemore?
There should be a photograph in
the extradition package, Your Honor.
Actually, Judge, my defense,
it isn't based on a physical-
Just a moment.
Just a moment.
This is terrible.
I can't use this.
Where are
the fingerprints?
There weren't any.
There weren't any?
Obviously an oversight
on behalf of West Virginia.
I didn't anticipate this,
Your-
Mr. Sizemore,
get the prints.
I am not about to
verify identification...
on the basis of some
lousy, faxed photograph.
Yes, Your Honor.
You were saying,
Mr. Monroe?
My challenge is based on a broader
interpretation of identity...
than physical evidence,
Your Honor.
Now, I hope to demonstrate,
with the court's permission...
that my client has undergone
such a substantive change...
in the very nature of his
character as to constitute...
a separate
and unique identity...
from the individual
named in the warrant.
Simply stated...
this man is not
the same individual...
who skipped parole six
years ago in West Virginia!
Objection! Your Honor-
That's it. I will not
have my orders ignored.
Bailiff, clear the court.
All right, people, let's go.
Let's go. Come on.
Counsel?
Move it.
Counsel. Approach.
Move it out.
All right.
Mr. Monroe, this is an extradition
hearing, not the Supreme Court.
I realize that,
Your Honor.
I am willing to postpone judgment
until the fingerprints arrive, but I-
But at least hear
my argument, Your Honor.
I mean, a young man's
freedom is at stake.
Now, if I haven't convinced you
by the time the prints arrive...
I'll abide
by your judgment.
Mr. Monroe, you will abide
by my judgment in any case.
Yes. Of course.
I have nothing else
on my docket...
and I am appalled at the
State's lack of preparation.
All right, Mr. Monroe, I will hear
your argument after a one hour recess.
I could use two,
Your Honor.
We will resume
in one hour.
About 4,000 years ago...
Hammurabi,
the King of Babylonia...
ordered 3,600 lines
of cuneiform...
carved on a diorite column
in the ancient city of Susa.
Now, it's the first known
record of a legal code.
Yet, notwithstanding
all the centuries of effort...
the law continues
to evolve. Why?
Well, if based on
fixed principle alone...
one would expect the law...
to remain reasonably constant.
But it doesn't.
Conclusion, well, being the work
of man, the law is an expression...
of the socio-political
imperative of its time.
And as we all know,
times change.
Thus, despite
Hammurabi's efforts...
the law is not so much
carved in stone...
as it is written in water...
flowing in and out
with the tide.
Hey, that was good.
Oh, thanks, Maurice.
No, no, I mean it.
You sounded
just like Stevens.
I am a Stevens.
Well, keep up
the good work.
Mike, I-
Sorry, I'm having a formaldehyde
reaction. So much paperwork.
You know, if I'm not the Chris Stevens
named in this warrant, who am I?
You might want to
think about that.
Right. All right.
Mike.
Oh, Maggie. Maggie...
I need your help.
Really? Okay, how?
Can you go to Anchorage?
What?
Go to the law library? I
need precedents, case citings.
Anything related
to identity.
Okay.
You will? You'll go?
Sure.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
All right, identity?
Yes, identity.
Thanks.
May I help you?
I'm just looking
for something to read.
Fiction? Non-fiction?
Fiction.
I have the latest Toni Morrison
in hardback beneath the counter.
No.
Anne Tyler?
Jane Smiley?
I'm looking for something
a little lighter.
I think I have
just what you want.
Oh, I've read it.
Oh, darn.
Do you have Danielle Steel's
latest, by any chance?
I'm out. It's good.
All of hers are good.
I thought Letter From Nam
was a stretch.
Now, here's one
you might like.
Susan Crosland?
The Sleetmute Sentinel
calls her...
"The thinking woman's
Jackie Collins. "
"Jock Liddon, Washington's
most powerful lobbyist...
"and his beautiful, amoral
associate, Lisa Tabor...
"for them, no tactics are
out of bounds...
"in boardrooms or bedrooms. "
I'll take it.
Good. Enjoy.
I'm Elizabeth Percy.
Ruth-Anne Miller.
Ruth-Anne, I need a birthday
present for my grandson. He's eight.
Hmm. My junior armaments
section is over there.
Slingshots, bazooka,
water pistol.
Perfect.
Look at her.
She does have an appetite,
doesn't she?
That woman rends the social
fabric of an entire town...
then sits down to a mid-afternoon
feed like nothing happened.
Well, Maurice, now, she's
obliged to uphold the law.
Yeah, they used
that argument in Nuremberg.
Didn't hold water then,
and it doesn't hold water now.
The woman has
no conscience.
Mooseburger, medium well.
Thanks, Shelly.
But I think I've
lost my appetite.
Thinking about Chris, huh?
Well, actually I was thinking about me and
all the bad things I've done in my life.
Like what?
Well...
like me and Dan Richmond used
to go down to Mosquito Lake...
and drop boat anchors
on frogs.
Why?
It was fun.
Yuck.
Do Indians believe in sin?
What do you mean?
You know, original,
venial, mortal.
See, if you were Catholic, you could just
say a bunch of Hail Marys and Our Fathers...
and the slate would be
wiped totally clean.
Oh, really?
Uh-huh.
And then you don't get
punished or anything?
Uh-uh.
Oh, wow.
What about the frogs?
What about them?
Well, they're still dead.
Well, that's true. But, if
they were good, little frogs...
they're in froggy heaven.
Oh.
You see, Holling bought me
this satellite dish...
and I was zoning out on it
morning, noon and night.
I couldn't tear myself away.
Well, it was really weirding
me out, so I went to Chris.
He heard my confession.
After that,
everything was cool.
Especially when the dish
blew down in a storm.
Excuse me, did you say
he heard your confession?
Oh, Chris is a priest.
Minister, Your Honor. Worldwide
Church of Truth and Beauty.
I answered an ad
on the back of Rolling Stone.
I see.
Chris does all the major gigs
in Cicely. Funerals, weddings.
He almost married
me and Holling.
And he did divorce me and
Wayne, which was totally cool.
Turned out that due to a
slight oversight on my part...
I'd neglected to pay my
income taxes for 33 years.
I needed $9,000,
and Chris bailed me out.
Bought a half interest
in The Brick.
Turned things around. Soon we
were making money hand over fist.
Only Chris wasn't happy.
You see, Your Honor, he said there are
two types of people in this world...
owners and renters, and he
found out he was a renter.
So he turned his investment
into an indefinite loan.
That's the kind
of friend he is.
That's the kind
of man he is.
I see.
Proceed, Mr. Monroe.
Dr. Fleischman,
which area of the brain...
is responsible
for personal identity?
No one can say, exactly.
No?
Nope.
Why not?
We're talking about hundreds of billions
of neurons wrapped up inside a package...
smaller than a breadbox.
Now, scientists are just beginning
to understand how it works.
There are some researchers
that claim that when they do...
we're going to have
to give up the idea...
of personal identity
altogether...
or at least a personally-
directed consciousness.
Ghost in the machine.
You wish to add something,
Mr. Stevens?
René Descartes, Your Honor, a 17th
century philosopher, postulated...
that the mind and body are two separate
entities, a theory known as dualism.
And over time, the dualists were
challenged by the materialists...
who believed that the mind was
simply part of the body.
And in I949 Gilbert Ryle scored a
major victory for the materialists...
when he ridiculed Descartes' concept
of the mind as "ghost in the machine. "
Actually, that's
a very good summary...
but even if we accept
the materialists' notion...
of a mind as nothing more than
a very sophisticated machine...
no one has been able to
explain exactly what...
makes it run or how.
So, if I'm hearing you
correctly, Dr. Fleischman...
from a medical perspective,
no one can say for certain...
what constitutes personal
identity. Correct.
Which also means that no
one can say how or why...
a person's identity
might change over time.
With the exception of trauma cases
where there's actual tissue damage?
Yes, I would say
that that is right.
Thank you, Dr. Fleischman.
You may step down.
Your Honor, we now turn
to the classic question...
nature or nurture?
Which is most responsible for the
development of the human personality?
Mr. Monroe, the court is
indulgent to a point...
but I draw the line at
a lecture in Psychology 101.
Your Honor-
You are vamping, Mr. Monroe.
A little. But I do
have a point.
Then make it.
It is my contention
that the accused is not...
the same person
that he was before.
To demonstrate that, I must
first establish who he was...
charting the forces that
formed young Chris Stevens.
If you would examine the photograph
in front of you, Your Honor...
I'd like to transport you
back in time...
to where it was taken.
Wheeling, West Virginia,
I97l.
Chris Stevens, 8 years old.
A happy domestic scene?
Not exactly.
That's not allowance money
in the youngster's hand.
It's the take
from the Union 76 station...
at the corner of Western
and Grand.
The men are Chris's uncles.
The woman is his mother.
Together, they were known
as the Stevens Gang.
This was no ordinary family.
The Stevens' boys prided
themselves on never working...
a legitimate day
in their lives.
An ethos passed on
to young Chris.
Big Daddy, Jack Stevens,
was a salesman, seldom home...
supposedly on the road
selling greeting cards.
Actually, he was raising
a second family...
with a second job
in a second state.
Suffice it to say young Chris did not grow
up with a healthy respect for authority.
It was at
the state penitentiary...
that Chris Stevens embraced
his mentor Walt Whitman...
and took up a personal vow
never to stick up Shop Easys...
steal cars, or violate
the homes of others again.
He would become an artist.
His debt to society paid...
he left the state pen
with $23, a used Harley...
and a sense of destiny.
And so young Chris Stevens disappeared
into the margins of his criminal past...
and from the ashes, a new
Chris Stevens emerged...
to be reborn beyond
the West Virginia horizon...
under Alaskan skies.
Where are those prints?
Your Honor, I don't
understand it.
In view of the hour, court
is adjourned until tomorrow.
Oh, I'm not done,
Your Honor.
Well, I am.
Court is adjourned
until 10:00 a. m.
You may conclude
at that time, Mr. Monroe.
There's a lot
of legal precedents...
on multiple personality
disorders...
but I couldn't find any legal
precedents on multiple identities.
Oh, man, maybe I just didn't look
in the right place, or something.
No, no, no,
you did fine.
It's just that I don't have a
legal leg to stand on, that's all.
Gee, I gotta get away
from all this paper.
You know, what about this
Massachusetts decision?
The court ruled out using DNA fingerprinting
as evidence because, listen to this...
"There was disagreement within
the scientific community...
"regarding the validity
of the database. "
It's interesting.
But it doesn't challenge the
principle of physical identification...
only the methodology.
Oh.
It's hopeless.
Chris is a goner.
You look tired, Mike.
You should get some sleep.
Hey, Mike.
You're doing your best.
Hell of a farewell party,
Chris. Good luck in the joint.
Thanks, J.D.
Can I sweeten up
your drink?
Yeah, yeah. Sure.
Thanks, Holling.
I want to tell you how much I
appreciate this party and all.
Well, it was all
Shelly's idea.
Hey, it's not every day we have one
of our own sent COD to the slammer.
Well...
Hey, Marilyn.
I brought burritos.
All right. These are gonna
go great with the meatballs.
Hey, Marilyn. What's up?
Hey, Chris.
You want my autograph?
Uh-huh.
Wow. Never had anybody ask
for my autograph before.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
Bye.
Adiós.
Not a whole lot of faith
being expressed here, huh?
Oh, Joel, on the contrary,
this is...
an outpouring of faith
in our legal system.
You know, "The guilty must be punished
for the good of the state. " Billy Budd.
Who?
It's a short story
by Melville.
Billy Budd was
a saintly foretopman.
He was beloved
by his shipmates.
He unintentionally kills evil
petty officer John Claggart.
Anguished Captain Vere has no choice
but to hang Billy to maintain order.
End of story.
That's so depressing.
Yeah. But you play,
you pay, right?
Here, let me
pour that for you.
Oh, thank you, Maurice.
Nice party, huh?
Very enjoyable.
Yeah, this is a nice town.
It's the kind of town you could,
settle down, carve yourself out a home.
Listen, Stevens, I'm not
gonna mince words.
After your brother gets
sent up the river...
there's gonna be a certain job opportunity
opening up that I want to speak to you about.
You want me
to replace Chris?
There's no point
in broadcasting it.
Look, you showed me
something today, Stevens.
You showed me a man who is ready and
willing to pick up the fallen standard...
and continue the charge.
You've got a way
with words, son.
You've got the Stevens'
way with words.
And on top of that,
you don't sound black.
Truth is, Bernard, if I close my
eyes, you sound as white as Casper.
You know something, Maurice?
I like you. I do.
And it troubles me.
Troubles you?
Yeah. This may come as a
shock, but you're a bigot.
Bigot?
Yeah, and a racist.
Wait a minute. Because you don't
sound black, I'm a bigot and a racist?
Look, Stevens, I know black people.
I've been around black people.
I know how they talk. They say,
"thang" instead of "thing"...
and they say, "ax. " "I ax you
this, brother. I ax you that. "
Now, you don't say "ax. "
Neither does Colin Powell
or that Denzel fella.
You know
what's interesting?
It is the linkage of King's
English and superior breeding...
and the further linkage of
superior breeding with being white.
Now, rather than saying, "There's a
black person speaking King's English... "
we say, "There's a black
person speaking white. "
What's wrong with that?
Well, for a long time
it hung me up.
I mean, I tried to talk ghetto
in high school, and it wasn't me.
Very unsettling.
Well, what's your point?
My point?
Well, I'm not exactly sure. Although
admittedly you're a racist...
and what you said makes me uncomfortable,
there's a kernel of truth to it.
Though I suspect it has more to do with
intellectual and cultural standards...
than it does
with racial distinctions.
Why is it that when I say
something like that...
I'm a racist, and when you say something
like that, you're just being thoughtful?
Oh, no, Maurice,
I'm a racist, too.
For a long time I didn't like
being around white people.
But once I realized that
imperialism, slavery and genocide...
weren't exclusively white institutions,
it helped me loosen up a bit.
Huh.
Well, what about the job?
I'll give it some thought.
Pull!
Good shot.
Thanks.
How about two, Ed?
I just gotta run
and get more blue rock.
Okay.
Nice young man.
Oh, Ed's a gem.
You have children,
Ruth-Anne? Mmm-hmm.
Two sons and two grandsons.
How about you?
The same.
Ah.
My younger son's
about Ed's age.
He dropped out
of college last year.
Living on his own now.
Doesn't talk to me much. I don't think
he liked having a judge for a mother.
Oh.
Or maybe it was having
a mother for a judge.
Boys are hard.
So are judges.
I wouldn't want your job for
anything. I don't know how you do it.
I've always been a judge,
Ruth-Anne.
Even as a kid, people always seemed to
be on their best behavior around me...
like they sensed some kind
of innate judiciousness.
You know, when somebody comes in and
tells me they want five pounds of apples...
at 40 cents a pound,
I can tell them that's $2.
But you have to look
someone in the eye and say...
"What you did is going to
cost you three years in jail. "
And that's different.
I'm not judging people,
I'm judging their actions.
It's the same type of distinction that
I try to apply to myself, to judge...
but not be judgmental.
I don't know.
Sounds like a lot
of hooey to me.
Dealing with my boys, all I had,
most of the time, to go on was my gut.
And I was glad
to have that.
You consider the facts,
you sift the evidence.
Oh, I don't know,
Ruth-Anne, sometimes...
I think that it's all a game
I play with myself...
to avoid feeling responsible
for what I do.
So, you have doubts?
An old judge told me
that the trick...
is to act 100% certain
when you only feel 51% right.
All set.
Pull!
I don't know, guys, I really
feel like I let you down.
Hey, Mike,
don't be bummed.
You know, you're doing
a great job. Everybody's-
Oh, no, thanks. Everybody's
having a good time.
We're all learning
something here.
Chris, I may have to
put you on the stand.
Cool.
Well, maybe.
It could be risky.
Do you have any idea what's gonna come out
of your mouth from one minute to the next?
Well, usually
I just let it happen.
That's what I was
afraid of.
Why, Mike? You want me
to tell the truth, right?
Absolutely.
But there are different ways
of telling the truth.
What I think Mike is getting at is that
most defendants rehearse their testimony...
before taking the stand.
Really?
Uh-huh.
That kind of takes
the fun out of it, yeah?
Well, the object of a trial isn't
to have fun, Chris. It's to win.
Right, to win. What do you
want me to say?
Well, I had Maggie draw up a
few sample questions and answers.
Well, what if
I don't agree?
Well, you can put it
in your own words.
No, I mean, what if
it's not the way I feel?
Chris, you did agree to the basic
framework of your defense, right?
No.
It happened so quickly.
But you do like
how it's been going, right?
Oh, yes, Mike.
Totally. Absolutely.
Well, these answers,
they fit right in.
You guys want me to lie?
Oh, no, no, Chris. No
one's asking you to lie.
It's a question of putting
your best foot forward.
Oh, man.
Attorneys and clients confer
all the time, Chris.
It's standard procedure.
Is this the American
thing to do?
Is this what the framers of
our Constitution had in mind...
when they talked
about due process?
You know, manipulation,
deception, sophistry?
If you can't live
with this, Chris...
I mean, if you think it's
a betrayal of principle...
we can just drop
the whole thing.
Right. See you in
two, three years.
Whenever you get out.
Whatever.
I wouldn't count
on any leniency.
If you go in, they're gonna make you
serve out the whole term this time.
Well, in that case, boys,
let's give it a shot.
Well, mother came to
tell me that she and dad...
were getting divorced, you know,
and then my house burned down.
And there was my mother babbling
away and me completely miserable.
And then Chris came around.
He was looking
for something to fling.
Fling?
Yeah, well, he built
this giant catapult.
A trebuchet.
A medieval siege weapon.
Right. Anyway, he was
going to fling a cow...
and then he decided that,
well, since it had been done...
he would actually like to fling
something else, and he chose my piano.
He flung your piano
instead of a cow?
It was incredible.
I mean, you couldn't believe the
G-forces that could develop on this thing.
I mean, it could make the human
body implode before impact.
My piano went supersonic,
and for this brief moment...
this instrument that I had sat
at and sung to and wept over...
just slipped the bonds
of gravity.
It soared to its own unimaginable
crescendo, as if it would never come down.
And then, boom!
I mean, it was so moving.
I don't know
how to describe it, really.
But I forgot all about
my house and my mother...
and it was Chris
who turned all that around.
Well...
no one could figure out who
was ripping off all the radios.
And then I got my break.
I saw Chris...
taking a tape deck out of Gary
McClellan's flatbed truck...
and I had my man.
And when I asked him
why he'd done it, he said...
"People gotta be reminded that the
world is an unpredictable place...
"and that chaos
is always there...
"lurking just beyond
the horizon. "
And then he told me something
I'll never forget.
He said, "Ed...
"sometimes, you gotta
do something bad...
"just to know
you're alive. "
I like him.
Very good, Marilyn.
Now, will you please tell
the court why you like him?
What is it about Chris Stevens
that makes him so special?
Anything. Use your own words.
Say anything you'd like.
Is there anything
you'd like to add?
No.
Well, then, thank you.
You may step down.
Your next witness,
Mr. Monroe?
I have the prints, Your Honor!
They're an exact match.
Mr. Sizemore, I won't have you
interrupting my courtroom.
Yes, Your Honor. I-
Look at that. Look, all the
whorls, every smudge, every-
Yes, could you give them
to me. Yes, Your Honor.
Well, Mr. Monroe, it appears that
you have run out of bullets...
and we have run out of time,
so, if you-
Your Honor...
I would like to call to the stand
Christopher Danforth Stevens.
Raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell
the truth, the whole truth...
and nothing but the truth,
so help you God?
Mr. Stevens,
is there a problem?
Well, Your Honor, I may have
a conflict of interest here.
Would you care to elaborate?
I can't swear to tell
the whole truth. I mean...
when push comes to shove, I'd
just as soon not go to jail...
and I don't think I can keep that
from influencing my testimony...
if only at the subconscious
level. You see...
Mike and I, we've been over what I'm
supposed to say, and I gotta tell you...
it's pretty persuasive stuff.
But is it the whole truth?
It's a slice of truth.
A morsel, a refraction.
It's a piece of the pie. Certainly not
the whole enchilada. And now that...
I'm thinking about it, I don't think I
could tell the whole truth about anything.
That's a pretty heavy burden, because we
all just see the world through this little...
distorted piece
of Coke bottle.
Is there such a thing
as objective truth?
I wonder. Don't you?
It is a conundrum,
Mr. Stevens.
But it does not help us
with the problem at hand.
Well, maybe I can just,
you know, get up there...
and say the thing
without the oath.
No, I'm afraid
I can't do that.
Well, I guess
I can't testify, then.
Mr. Stevens, in view of
your extraordinary candor...
I am going to break
with tradition here...
and grant you the opportunity to make
a brief statement in your own defense.
It won't go on the official
record, of course...
but I think you've earned
that much.
Well, I think Carl Jung
put it best, Your Honor.
"We should not pretend to understand
the world only by intellect.
"We apprehend it
just as much by feeling.
"Therefore, the judgment of the intellect
is, at best, only the half of truth...
"and must, if it be honest, come to an
understanding of its own inadequacy. "
Thanks.
Thank you, Mr. Stevens.
The court will take a 20-minute
recess to review the physical evidence.
Caller number two,
you're on the air.
Hi. This is Debbie,
from Salmon Point.
Go ahead, Debbie.
Well, first, I want to agree with caller
one that Judge Percy had no right...
to keep we, the people
from watching Chris's trial.
Duly noted.
Here-here.
And second, I was wondering,
if Chris is really two people...
the old Chris and the new
Chris, well, why couldn't...
the old Chris go back to West
Virginia, and the new Chris stay here?
Interesting point,
metaphysically, Debbie.
Well, Debbie, I think
on the corporeal plane...
that the state of
West Virginia has first dibs.
Shall we discuss the philosophical
question raised here, Chris?
The state of sin versus
the state of grace? Mmm-hmm.
Does redemption actually
remake a man...
or simply return him to
some sort of core being, hmm?
Precisely.
Is the reformed sinner truly
a different person than he was?
Well, speaking for Western tradition,
Bernard, I'd have to say no.
Pray tell why,
my brother?
Well, I think most born-again
fundamentalists would disagree...
and most Judeo-Christian
theologians would have to argue...
that the reformed sinner simply
discovered a divine spark...
that had always
laid within, anyway.
Answer your question,
Debbie?
I guess.
Thank you, Debbie.
Caller number three, this is
Mea Culpa. You're on the air.
Chris Stevens.
This Chris Stevens sitting
before you today...
bears only coincidental
resemblance to the Chris Stevens...
being sought by the state
of West Virginia.
To find that Chris Stevens, you'll
have to look in the pages of history.
Yes, there's evidence that may
appear to make the two men one.
May I remind you of the words of the
illustrious Supreme Court Justice...
Oliver Wendell Holmes.
"Certitude is not
the test of certainty. "
Can you be certain,
Your Honor...
that this is the same man
named in the warrant? If not...
if even the slightest wisp of a doubt
casts its shadow upon your deliberations...
then you must find
for the defendant...
and set him free.
Well, this has been
an interesting couple of days.
My compliments, Mr. Monroe,
on a spirited...
and imaginative defense.
Thank you.
As I indicated, however,
when this hearing began...
it is beyond the scope of this
court to rule on anything...
other than the physical
evidence presented before it.
And while the state may have failed
to make its case in a timely fashion...
it did ultimately
deliver the goods.
The fingerprints irrefutably prove
that the defendant is, in fact...
the Christopher Stevens
named in the warrant...
and leave me no choice but to order
him turned over to the custody...
of the State
of West Virginia.
God bless Captain Vere, Your
Honor! Justice has been served!
Mr. Stevens, please sit down.
I'm not through.
Now, while the court may have no
latitude in rendering its decision...
this is not true as to how its
orders are to be carried out.
In special circumstances where
the court deems that the removal...
of a certain individual would place an
undue burden upon his or her community...
it is accepted practice to
delay execution of sentence.
After careful review, it is my
opinion that the defendant...
by virtue of what I can only
call his "Chrisness"...
has a vital impact
upon the life of Cicely...
and to summarily remove him would
place an undue hardship on the town...
exceeding the caliber
of his own offense.
Thus, I order Mr. Stevens...
free on his own recognizance for a
period not to exceed three years...
during which time the town of
Cicely is to hire another disk jockey
who can perform the same
services as Mr. Stevens.
If at the end of
this three-year period...
the town has failed
to hire another DJ...
Mr. Stevens will be turned over to
the authorities of West Virginia...
regardless.
Should they show up.
That's it,
ladies and gentlemen.
Court is adjourned.
What happened, Mike?
Well, we won, kind of.
Yeah? Hey!
Yeah.
Excuse me.
Faced the music?
Hey! Great show.
Out of the way, gang way,
move over.
Congratulations, son.
I was with you all the way.
I know you were, Maurice.
Hey.
Hey!
Congrats. You did great.
Yeah?
What, you kidding me?
Mike says you killed her.
Shrewd defense.
What defense?
The "no defense" defense.
Oh.
Whatever happened in there, I just
- I want you guys to know...
I really, really appreciate
what you said about me.
It's kind of like being
at my own funeral.
I dug it.
Who is Chris Stevens?
Who are any of us?
Are we one person
fixed at birth?
Do we grow like a snowball tumbling
down the mountainside of life...
or can we change,
shed our skin?
The caterpillar
becomes the butterfly...
leaving the remains of
his former self behind.
I look at my yearbook photo, Wheeling
Central Catholic High School...
class of '81, and I wonder
who that stranger is.
Damned if I know.
Maybe that's the point.
Maybe we're not
supposed to know.
Maybe that's what this
earthly joy ride's all about.
Like Robert Frost said...
"We dance around in a ring
and suppose...
"but the secret sits
in the middle and knows. "
big hand's on the 12.
Good morning, Cicely. Chris in
the Morning heralding the dawn...
on KBHR, 570
on your AM dial.
The voice of the Borough
of Arrowhead County.
Que pasa hoy?
Let's take a look.
Tom Barker shot a seven-foot bull
moose near Lake Loon yesterday.
He's offering tenderloins
to anybody with a backhoe...
who can haul it to Holling's
freezer before it spoils.
Tempus fugit. Got a little
lost and found happening.
Who's ever missing a '66
Studebaker transmission...
Mitch Coleman found one by
the road by his smoke house.
Why don't you just give Mitch a call
or drop by and claim it yourself?
A reminder, Cicely's book club
meets tonight 7:30 at the church.
Maggie O'Connell is gonna be reading
House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. BYOB.
What can I do for you,
Officer Semanski?
Christopher Danforth Stevens?
Yep. In the flesh.
Are you aware there's an outstanding
warrant for your arrest...
in the state
of West Virginia?
Well, that would surprise me,
considering the only outstanding thing...
I was ever cited for in West
Virginia was the ability...
to open three beer bottles at
the same time with my teeth.
Stand up, please.
Right now?
Up.
Turn around.
Place your hands
behind your back.
Under the provisions of the
Uniform Criminal Extradition Act...
I'm placing you under arrest
for violating section 62-12-19...
of the West Virginia Code.
You have the right
to remain silent.
You have the right to have an
attorney present during questioning.
If you cannot afford an attorney,
the court will appoint one for you.
Anything you say can
and will be used against you.
I don't get it, Holling.
Get what?
Chris has been a marked man
since the day I got here.
Now, why bust him today?
Why not last week, or
last year for that matter?
Well, the judge doesn't get up here
more than once every 15 months or so.
The police follow the circuit,
like tending a trap line.
You know, they don't set the snares until
a day or two before the judge arrives.
Less holding costs
that way.
Well, what are
we gonna do about it?
About what?
About Chris.
What do you suggest?
I don't know. I mean...
we can't just let him be
shipped off to West Virginia.
Why not?
Because he's Chris.
Holling, I mean, besides, didn't you
see Deliverance? "Squeal like a pig. "
I mean, if that's what
they do on camping trips...
think what life's gonna be
like for Chris in the big house.
Hey, Chris.
Bernard!
Rod, reel, net, creel.
I can't make it, bro.
No? Why not?
I'm under arrest.
Arrest?
Parole violation
in West Virginia.
Extradition hearing's
tomorrow.
Tomorrow?
Yeah.
You have a lawyer?
No, I don't need one.
Why not?
Guilty.
Guilty of what?
That's an interesting
question.
I'm referring
to the statutory angle.
Oh. I skipped town without
telling my parole officer.
Chris, you need
a lawyer.
What, did you get
a new rod?
Winston graphite.
Form fits the reel.
Nice.
I'm putting you on retainer
to represent Stevens, Mike.
You've got
the wrong man, Maurice.
Don't sell yourself
short, Monroe.
I was
a corporate attorney.
You were a litigator,
weren't you?
Why not fly in some high-priced
criminal talent from the lower 48?
Uh-uh. Don't have time.
Judge'll be here pronto.
Get a postponement.
Mike, this is Alaska.
The circus only comes to
town once every year or two.
You can do it.
Where'd you graduate from
law school? Yale? Harvard?
University of lllinois.
Oh.
I don't know the first thing
about criminal procedure.
I mean, extradition-
I need Stevens on the air.
You need him.
The town needs him.
We can't let Chris in the Morning
go down the tubes without a fight.
Think about the loss
in on-air revenue.
What kind of cologne
are you wearing, Maurice?
Oh, come on, don't give me
that allergy crap.
You owe me.
What about that space suit?
Where do you think you'd be in
this town without my generosity?
Yes, and I
appreciate it, Maurice.
I just don't think I'd do a
very good job on Chris' behalf.
You were not
my first choice, either.
But we're stuck
with each other, so...
Look, let's
cut to the chase here.
Maggie says that you need a new
air filtration unit in this place.
How much?
As far as I can tell,
an extradition hearing...
is pretty cut and dried.
All the judge has to do is determine
that the person standing before him...
is the person named in the
warrant, and it's good night, Irene.
I don't really see
any room to maneuver.
Hey, Mike, what are you,
like, a 44 long?
Forty-two.
Want this vest?
100% cotton?
Levi's finest.
This baby's flapped in the
breeze of 1,000 highways...
and known the clutches
of some pretty nasty ladies.
Chris, did you hear
what I just said?
Yeah, Mike. I need a lawyer.
Right.
But I don't have
a prayer, right?
Right. Basically.
What I don't understand is why
the State of West Virginia...
is going to so much trouble. I mean,
what were you in for, originally?
Grand theft auto.
Joey King and I, we
ripped off a '71 Firebird.
Holleys, headers, Hurst.
A real rocket.
I wrapped around a telephone
pole up on 13th Street.
I got 2-to-5.
I did 18 months.
And the only illegal act
you've committed since then...
is skipping town without
notifying your parole officer.
As far as I know.
What's that, the warrant?
Yeah.
Let me see.
"State of West Virginia, Wheeling
City building, section 62-12."
Aha!
"Aha," what?
Here's your answer,
right here. Teddy Miller.
You know the Commissioner
of Corrections?
Yeah, Millers have been jailing
Stevens since before the Civil War.
Oh.
See, Mike, my family was like
the James Gang of West Virginia...
and the Millers were
like the Earps.
My granddaddy once shot
a Miller in the neck.
Oh, he didn't kill him.
He just walked around
the rest of his life...
like he was looking
at a painting in the Louvre.
You know, like this.
It's been us against them
ever since.
I used to beat up Teddy Miller
in grade school. That was fun.
This doesn't bode well.
Well, it's karma, you
know, Mike? The wheel?
What goes around
comes around.
Hey, look at that ptarmigan. Where?
Over there,
by that old log.
Chris is dead meat.
What?
Look.
What?
Over there, that lady?
That's the judge.
What, that? That woman?
Uh-huh.
Too bad.
Yeah, I'll say.
What?
Dr. Fleischman,
she's a woman.
So what?
Luck of the draw.
Yeah.
Listen to you people.
I can't believe
the negative image you have...
based purely on an erroneous,
fatuous sexual stereotyping.
Back in my competitive days,
Dr. Fleischman...
you could drop a baton...
or mess up your statement
of personal goals...
none of the men
would blink...
as long as you smiled a lot and
displayed a well-rounded personality.
But the women.
Try wearing a lip gloss
they'd never seen before...
or dare to...
Coming through.
...squeeze your well-toned
buns into a size 4 swimsuit...
they couldn't wear
on a bet...
they'd mark you down all
over the place. It was brutal.
Well, Shelly, I hate to minimize
your experience, but I hardly think...
that a beauty contest and a
court of law are analogous.
Well, maybe not. But
they're definitely the same.
What was that
all about?
It's just not clear.
Okay. Maggie, who's nicer,
men or women?
Oh, I get it.
What?
I'm supposed to say
women, right?
And then with sarcasm dripping
from your lips like battery acid...
you'd belittle me, and demean me,
and rip my opinion to shreds...
with the precision of those
razor-sharp German tools...
you like to lance boils
with, right, Fleischman?
No. Wrong.
Why should women
be nicer?
Because men
are stronger?
No, no, no, no. Those
days are behind us.
We are no longer the
subservient class, Fleischman.
You can't push us around with
impunity the way you used to.
We have power, we have laws,
and we intend to use them.
So don't expect the batting eyelash
routine around here anymore, Fleischman.
From now on, you better be nicer to us.
Chris is in big trouble.
Yeah.
All right, bailiff, I think
we're ready to proceed.
Would you please call
the next case.
Next case,
Christopher Stevens.
Right here, Your Honor.
I understand you have
representation, Mr. Stevens.
Counselor?
Michael Monroe,
for the defense, Your Honor.
This is an extradition
matter, Your Honor.
Excuse me. The State of West
Virginia has requested Christopher-
I can read.
Thank you, Counselor.
You plan to challenge
this warrant, Mr. Monroe?
I do, Your Honor.
On what grounds?
Identity.
Identity?
Yes, Your Honor.
Whose identity?
His.
The man to my immediate left.
The alleged Chris Stevens.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Quiet.
Thank you.
Mr. Monroe, is this
some kind of a joke?
Most assuredly not,
Your Honor.
I submit that
this Chris Stevens...
standing before you is not
the same Chris Stevens...
named in the warrant.
Ladies and gentlemen, quiet!
I will have order.
One more outburst
and I will clear the court.
Mr. Sizemore?
There should be a photograph in
the extradition package, Your Honor.
Actually, Judge, my defense,
it isn't based on a physical-
Just a moment.
Just a moment.
This is terrible.
I can't use this.
Where are
the fingerprints?
There weren't any.
There weren't any?
Obviously an oversight
on behalf of West Virginia.
I didn't anticipate this,
Your-
Mr. Sizemore,
get the prints.
I am not about to
verify identification...
on the basis of some
lousy, faxed photograph.
Yes, Your Honor.
You were saying,
Mr. Monroe?
My challenge is based on a broader
interpretation of identity...
than physical evidence,
Your Honor.
Now, I hope to demonstrate,
with the court's permission...
that my client has undergone
such a substantive change...
in the very nature of his
character as to constitute...
a separate
and unique identity...
from the individual
named in the warrant.
Simply stated...
this man is not
the same individual...
who skipped parole six
years ago in West Virginia!
Objection! Your Honor-
That's it. I will not
have my orders ignored.
Bailiff, clear the court.
All right, people, let's go.
Let's go. Come on.
Counsel?
Move it.
Counsel. Approach.
Move it out.
All right.
Mr. Monroe, this is an extradition
hearing, not the Supreme Court.
I realize that,
Your Honor.
I am willing to postpone judgment
until the fingerprints arrive, but I-
But at least hear
my argument, Your Honor.
I mean, a young man's
freedom is at stake.
Now, if I haven't convinced you
by the time the prints arrive...
I'll abide
by your judgment.
Mr. Monroe, you will abide
by my judgment in any case.
Yes. Of course.
I have nothing else
on my docket...
and I am appalled at the
State's lack of preparation.
All right, Mr. Monroe, I will hear
your argument after a one hour recess.
I could use two,
Your Honor.
We will resume
in one hour.
About 4,000 years ago...
Hammurabi,
the King of Babylonia...
ordered 3,600 lines
of cuneiform...
carved on a diorite column
in the ancient city of Susa.
Now, it's the first known
record of a legal code.
Yet, notwithstanding
all the centuries of effort...
the law continues
to evolve. Why?
Well, if based on
fixed principle alone...
one would expect the law...
to remain reasonably constant.
But it doesn't.
Conclusion, well, being the work
of man, the law is an expression...
of the socio-political
imperative of its time.
And as we all know,
times change.
Thus, despite
Hammurabi's efforts...
the law is not so much
carved in stone...
as it is written in water...
flowing in and out
with the tide.
Hey, that was good.
Oh, thanks, Maurice.
No, no, I mean it.
You sounded
just like Stevens.
I am a Stevens.
Well, keep up
the good work.
Mike, I-
Sorry, I'm having a formaldehyde
reaction. So much paperwork.
You know, if I'm not the Chris Stevens
named in this warrant, who am I?
You might want to
think about that.
Right. All right.
Mike.
Oh, Maggie. Maggie...
I need your help.
Really? Okay, how?
Can you go to Anchorage?
What?
Go to the law library? I
need precedents, case citings.
Anything related
to identity.
Okay.
You will? You'll go?
Sure.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
All right, identity?
Yes, identity.
Thanks.
May I help you?
I'm just looking
for something to read.
Fiction? Non-fiction?
Fiction.
I have the latest Toni Morrison
in hardback beneath the counter.
No.
Anne Tyler?
Jane Smiley?
I'm looking for something
a little lighter.
I think I have
just what you want.
Oh, I've read it.
Oh, darn.
Do you have Danielle Steel's
latest, by any chance?
I'm out. It's good.
All of hers are good.
I thought Letter From Nam
was a stretch.
Now, here's one
you might like.
Susan Crosland?
The Sleetmute Sentinel
calls her...
"The thinking woman's
Jackie Collins. "
"Jock Liddon, Washington's
most powerful lobbyist...
"and his beautiful, amoral
associate, Lisa Tabor...
"for them, no tactics are
out of bounds...
"in boardrooms or bedrooms. "
I'll take it.
Good. Enjoy.
I'm Elizabeth Percy.
Ruth-Anne Miller.
Ruth-Anne, I need a birthday
present for my grandson. He's eight.
Hmm. My junior armaments
section is over there.
Slingshots, bazooka,
water pistol.
Perfect.
Look at her.
She does have an appetite,
doesn't she?
That woman rends the social
fabric of an entire town...
then sits down to a mid-afternoon
feed like nothing happened.
Well, Maurice, now, she's
obliged to uphold the law.
Yeah, they used
that argument in Nuremberg.
Didn't hold water then,
and it doesn't hold water now.
The woman has
no conscience.
Mooseburger, medium well.
Thanks, Shelly.
But I think I've
lost my appetite.
Thinking about Chris, huh?
Well, actually I was thinking about me and
all the bad things I've done in my life.
Like what?
Well...
like me and Dan Richmond used
to go down to Mosquito Lake...
and drop boat anchors
on frogs.
Why?
It was fun.
Yuck.
Do Indians believe in sin?
What do you mean?
You know, original,
venial, mortal.
See, if you were Catholic, you could just
say a bunch of Hail Marys and Our Fathers...
and the slate would be
wiped totally clean.
Oh, really?
Uh-huh.
And then you don't get
punished or anything?
Uh-uh.
Oh, wow.
What about the frogs?
What about them?
Well, they're still dead.
Well, that's true. But, if
they were good, little frogs...
they're in froggy heaven.
Oh.
You see, Holling bought me
this satellite dish...
and I was zoning out on it
morning, noon and night.
I couldn't tear myself away.
Well, it was really weirding
me out, so I went to Chris.
He heard my confession.
After that,
everything was cool.
Especially when the dish
blew down in a storm.
Excuse me, did you say
he heard your confession?
Oh, Chris is a priest.
Minister, Your Honor. Worldwide
Church of Truth and Beauty.
I answered an ad
on the back of Rolling Stone.
I see.
Chris does all the major gigs
in Cicely. Funerals, weddings.
He almost married
me and Holling.
And he did divorce me and
Wayne, which was totally cool.
Turned out that due to a
slight oversight on my part...
I'd neglected to pay my
income taxes for 33 years.
I needed $9,000,
and Chris bailed me out.
Bought a half interest
in The Brick.
Turned things around. Soon we
were making money hand over fist.
Only Chris wasn't happy.
You see, Your Honor, he said there are
two types of people in this world...
owners and renters, and he
found out he was a renter.
So he turned his investment
into an indefinite loan.
That's the kind
of friend he is.
That's the kind
of man he is.
I see.
Proceed, Mr. Monroe.
Dr. Fleischman,
which area of the brain...
is responsible
for personal identity?
No one can say, exactly.
No?
Nope.
Why not?
We're talking about hundreds of billions
of neurons wrapped up inside a package...
smaller than a breadbox.
Now, scientists are just beginning
to understand how it works.
There are some researchers
that claim that when they do...
we're going to have
to give up the idea...
of personal identity
altogether...
or at least a personally-
directed consciousness.
Ghost in the machine.
You wish to add something,
Mr. Stevens?
René Descartes, Your Honor, a 17th
century philosopher, postulated...
that the mind and body are two separate
entities, a theory known as dualism.
And over time, the dualists were
challenged by the materialists...
who believed that the mind was
simply part of the body.
And in I949 Gilbert Ryle scored a
major victory for the materialists...
when he ridiculed Descartes' concept
of the mind as "ghost in the machine. "
Actually, that's
a very good summary...
but even if we accept
the materialists' notion...
of a mind as nothing more than
a very sophisticated machine...
no one has been able to
explain exactly what...
makes it run or how.
So, if I'm hearing you
correctly, Dr. Fleischman...
from a medical perspective,
no one can say for certain...
what constitutes personal
identity. Correct.
Which also means that no
one can say how or why...
a person's identity
might change over time.
With the exception of trauma cases
where there's actual tissue damage?
Yes, I would say
that that is right.
Thank you, Dr. Fleischman.
You may step down.
Your Honor, we now turn
to the classic question...
nature or nurture?
Which is most responsible for the
development of the human personality?
Mr. Monroe, the court is
indulgent to a point...
but I draw the line at
a lecture in Psychology 101.
Your Honor-
You are vamping, Mr. Monroe.
A little. But I do
have a point.
Then make it.
It is my contention
that the accused is not...
the same person
that he was before.
To demonstrate that, I must
first establish who he was...
charting the forces that
formed young Chris Stevens.
If you would examine the photograph
in front of you, Your Honor...
I'd like to transport you
back in time...
to where it was taken.
Wheeling, West Virginia,
I97l.
Chris Stevens, 8 years old.
A happy domestic scene?
Not exactly.
That's not allowance money
in the youngster's hand.
It's the take
from the Union 76 station...
at the corner of Western
and Grand.
The men are Chris's uncles.
The woman is his mother.
Together, they were known
as the Stevens Gang.
This was no ordinary family.
The Stevens' boys prided
themselves on never working...
a legitimate day
in their lives.
An ethos passed on
to young Chris.
Big Daddy, Jack Stevens,
was a salesman, seldom home...
supposedly on the road
selling greeting cards.
Actually, he was raising
a second family...
with a second job
in a second state.
Suffice it to say young Chris did not grow
up with a healthy respect for authority.
It was at
the state penitentiary...
that Chris Stevens embraced
his mentor Walt Whitman...
and took up a personal vow
never to stick up Shop Easys...
steal cars, or violate
the homes of others again.
He would become an artist.
His debt to society paid...
he left the state pen
with $23, a used Harley...
and a sense of destiny.
And so young Chris Stevens disappeared
into the margins of his criminal past...
and from the ashes, a new
Chris Stevens emerged...
to be reborn beyond
the West Virginia horizon...
under Alaskan skies.
Where are those prints?
Your Honor, I don't
understand it.
In view of the hour, court
is adjourned until tomorrow.
Oh, I'm not done,
Your Honor.
Well, I am.
Court is adjourned
until 10:00 a. m.
You may conclude
at that time, Mr. Monroe.
There's a lot
of legal precedents...
on multiple personality
disorders...
but I couldn't find any legal
precedents on multiple identities.
Oh, man, maybe I just didn't look
in the right place, or something.
No, no, no,
you did fine.
It's just that I don't have a
legal leg to stand on, that's all.
Gee, I gotta get away
from all this paper.
You know, what about this
Massachusetts decision?
The court ruled out using DNA fingerprinting
as evidence because, listen to this...
"There was disagreement within
the scientific community...
"regarding the validity
of the database. "
It's interesting.
But it doesn't challenge the
principle of physical identification...
only the methodology.
Oh.
It's hopeless.
Chris is a goner.
You look tired, Mike.
You should get some sleep.
Hey, Mike.
You're doing your best.
Hell of a farewell party,
Chris. Good luck in the joint.
Thanks, J.D.
Can I sweeten up
your drink?
Yeah, yeah. Sure.
Thanks, Holling.
I want to tell you how much I
appreciate this party and all.
Well, it was all
Shelly's idea.
Hey, it's not every day we have one
of our own sent COD to the slammer.
Well...
Hey, Marilyn.
I brought burritos.
All right. These are gonna
go great with the meatballs.
Hey, Marilyn. What's up?
Hey, Chris.
You want my autograph?
Uh-huh.
Wow. Never had anybody ask
for my autograph before.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
Bye.
Adiós.
Not a whole lot of faith
being expressed here, huh?
Oh, Joel, on the contrary,
this is...
an outpouring of faith
in our legal system.
You know, "The guilty must be punished
for the good of the state. " Billy Budd.
Who?
It's a short story
by Melville.
Billy Budd was
a saintly foretopman.
He was beloved
by his shipmates.
He unintentionally kills evil
petty officer John Claggart.
Anguished Captain Vere has no choice
but to hang Billy to maintain order.
End of story.
That's so depressing.
Yeah. But you play,
you pay, right?
Here, let me
pour that for you.
Oh, thank you, Maurice.
Nice party, huh?
Very enjoyable.
Yeah, this is a nice town.
It's the kind of town you could,
settle down, carve yourself out a home.
Listen, Stevens, I'm not
gonna mince words.
After your brother gets
sent up the river...
there's gonna be a certain job opportunity
opening up that I want to speak to you about.
You want me
to replace Chris?
There's no point
in broadcasting it.
Look, you showed me
something today, Stevens.
You showed me a man who is ready and
willing to pick up the fallen standard...
and continue the charge.
You've got a way
with words, son.
You've got the Stevens'
way with words.
And on top of that,
you don't sound black.
Truth is, Bernard, if I close my
eyes, you sound as white as Casper.
You know something, Maurice?
I like you. I do.
And it troubles me.
Troubles you?
Yeah. This may come as a
shock, but you're a bigot.
Bigot?
Yeah, and a racist.
Wait a minute. Because you don't
sound black, I'm a bigot and a racist?
Look, Stevens, I know black people.
I've been around black people.
I know how they talk. They say,
"thang" instead of "thing"...
and they say, "ax. " "I ax you
this, brother. I ax you that. "
Now, you don't say "ax. "
Neither does Colin Powell
or that Denzel fella.
You know
what's interesting?
It is the linkage of King's
English and superior breeding...
and the further linkage of
superior breeding with being white.
Now, rather than saying, "There's a
black person speaking King's English... "
we say, "There's a black
person speaking white. "
What's wrong with that?
Well, for a long time
it hung me up.
I mean, I tried to talk ghetto
in high school, and it wasn't me.
Very unsettling.
Well, what's your point?
My point?
Well, I'm not exactly sure. Although
admittedly you're a racist...
and what you said makes me uncomfortable,
there's a kernel of truth to it.
Though I suspect it has more to do with
intellectual and cultural standards...
than it does
with racial distinctions.
Why is it that when I say
something like that...
I'm a racist, and when you say something
like that, you're just being thoughtful?
Oh, no, Maurice,
I'm a racist, too.
For a long time I didn't like
being around white people.
But once I realized that
imperialism, slavery and genocide...
weren't exclusively white institutions,
it helped me loosen up a bit.
Huh.
Well, what about the job?
I'll give it some thought.
Pull!
Good shot.
Thanks.
How about two, Ed?
I just gotta run
and get more blue rock.
Okay.
Nice young man.
Oh, Ed's a gem.
You have children,
Ruth-Anne? Mmm-hmm.
Two sons and two grandsons.
How about you?
The same.
Ah.
My younger son's
about Ed's age.
He dropped out
of college last year.
Living on his own now.
Doesn't talk to me much. I don't think
he liked having a judge for a mother.
Oh.
Or maybe it was having
a mother for a judge.
Boys are hard.
So are judges.
I wouldn't want your job for
anything. I don't know how you do it.
I've always been a judge,
Ruth-Anne.
Even as a kid, people always seemed to
be on their best behavior around me...
like they sensed some kind
of innate judiciousness.
You know, when somebody comes in and
tells me they want five pounds of apples...
at 40 cents a pound,
I can tell them that's $2.
But you have to look
someone in the eye and say...
"What you did is going to
cost you three years in jail. "
And that's different.
I'm not judging people,
I'm judging their actions.
It's the same type of distinction that
I try to apply to myself, to judge...
but not be judgmental.
I don't know.
Sounds like a lot
of hooey to me.
Dealing with my boys, all I had,
most of the time, to go on was my gut.
And I was glad
to have that.
You consider the facts,
you sift the evidence.
Oh, I don't know,
Ruth-Anne, sometimes...
I think that it's all a game
I play with myself...
to avoid feeling responsible
for what I do.
So, you have doubts?
An old judge told me
that the trick...
is to act 100% certain
when you only feel 51% right.
All set.
Pull!
I don't know, guys, I really
feel like I let you down.
Hey, Mike,
don't be bummed.
You know, you're doing
a great job. Everybody's-
Oh, no, thanks. Everybody's
having a good time.
We're all learning
something here.
Chris, I may have to
put you on the stand.
Cool.
Well, maybe.
It could be risky.
Do you have any idea what's gonna come out
of your mouth from one minute to the next?
Well, usually
I just let it happen.
That's what I was
afraid of.
Why, Mike? You want me
to tell the truth, right?
Absolutely.
But there are different ways
of telling the truth.
What I think Mike is getting at is that
most defendants rehearse their testimony...
before taking the stand.
Really?
Uh-huh.
That kind of takes
the fun out of it, yeah?
Well, the object of a trial isn't
to have fun, Chris. It's to win.
Right, to win. What do you
want me to say?
Well, I had Maggie draw up a
few sample questions and answers.
Well, what if
I don't agree?
Well, you can put it
in your own words.
No, I mean, what if
it's not the way I feel?
Chris, you did agree to the basic
framework of your defense, right?
No.
It happened so quickly.
But you do like
how it's been going, right?
Oh, yes, Mike.
Totally. Absolutely.
Well, these answers,
they fit right in.
You guys want me to lie?
Oh, no, no, Chris. No
one's asking you to lie.
It's a question of putting
your best foot forward.
Oh, man.
Attorneys and clients confer
all the time, Chris.
It's standard procedure.
Is this the American
thing to do?
Is this what the framers of
our Constitution had in mind...
when they talked
about due process?
You know, manipulation,
deception, sophistry?
If you can't live
with this, Chris...
I mean, if you think it's
a betrayal of principle...
we can just drop
the whole thing.
Right. See you in
two, three years.
Whenever you get out.
Whatever.
I wouldn't count
on any leniency.
If you go in, they're gonna make you
serve out the whole term this time.
Well, in that case, boys,
let's give it a shot.
Well, mother came to
tell me that she and dad...
were getting divorced, you know,
and then my house burned down.
And there was my mother babbling
away and me completely miserable.
And then Chris came around.
He was looking
for something to fling.
Fling?
Yeah, well, he built
this giant catapult.
A trebuchet.
A medieval siege weapon.
Right. Anyway, he was
going to fling a cow...
and then he decided that,
well, since it had been done...
he would actually like to fling
something else, and he chose my piano.
He flung your piano
instead of a cow?
It was incredible.
I mean, you couldn't believe the
G-forces that could develop on this thing.
I mean, it could make the human
body implode before impact.
My piano went supersonic,
and for this brief moment...
this instrument that I had sat
at and sung to and wept over...
just slipped the bonds
of gravity.
It soared to its own unimaginable
crescendo, as if it would never come down.
And then, boom!
I mean, it was so moving.
I don't know
how to describe it, really.
But I forgot all about
my house and my mother...
and it was Chris
who turned all that around.
Well...
no one could figure out who
was ripping off all the radios.
And then I got my break.
I saw Chris...
taking a tape deck out of Gary
McClellan's flatbed truck...
and I had my man.
And when I asked him
why he'd done it, he said...
"People gotta be reminded that the
world is an unpredictable place...
"and that chaos
is always there...
"lurking just beyond
the horizon. "
And then he told me something
I'll never forget.
He said, "Ed...
"sometimes, you gotta
do something bad...
"just to know
you're alive. "
I like him.
Very good, Marilyn.
Now, will you please tell
the court why you like him?
What is it about Chris Stevens
that makes him so special?
Anything. Use your own words.
Say anything you'd like.
Is there anything
you'd like to add?
No.
Well, then, thank you.
You may step down.
Your next witness,
Mr. Monroe?
I have the prints, Your Honor!
They're an exact match.
Mr. Sizemore, I won't have you
interrupting my courtroom.
Yes, Your Honor. I-
Look at that. Look, all the
whorls, every smudge, every-
Yes, could you give them
to me. Yes, Your Honor.
Well, Mr. Monroe, it appears that
you have run out of bullets...
and we have run out of time,
so, if you-
Your Honor...
I would like to call to the stand
Christopher Danforth Stevens.
Raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell
the truth, the whole truth...
and nothing but the truth,
so help you God?
Mr. Stevens,
is there a problem?
Well, Your Honor, I may have
a conflict of interest here.
Would you care to elaborate?
I can't swear to tell
the whole truth. I mean...
when push comes to shove, I'd
just as soon not go to jail...
and I don't think I can keep that
from influencing my testimony...
if only at the subconscious
level. You see...
Mike and I, we've been over what I'm
supposed to say, and I gotta tell you...
it's pretty persuasive stuff.
But is it the whole truth?
It's a slice of truth.
A morsel, a refraction.
It's a piece of the pie. Certainly not
the whole enchilada. And now that...
I'm thinking about it, I don't think I
could tell the whole truth about anything.
That's a pretty heavy burden, because we
all just see the world through this little...
distorted piece
of Coke bottle.
Is there such a thing
as objective truth?
I wonder. Don't you?
It is a conundrum,
Mr. Stevens.
But it does not help us
with the problem at hand.
Well, maybe I can just,
you know, get up there...
and say the thing
without the oath.
No, I'm afraid
I can't do that.
Well, I guess
I can't testify, then.
Mr. Stevens, in view of
your extraordinary candor...
I am going to break
with tradition here...
and grant you the opportunity to make
a brief statement in your own defense.
It won't go on the official
record, of course...
but I think you've earned
that much.
Well, I think Carl Jung
put it best, Your Honor.
"We should not pretend to understand
the world only by intellect.
"We apprehend it
just as much by feeling.
"Therefore, the judgment of the intellect
is, at best, only the half of truth...
"and must, if it be honest, come to an
understanding of its own inadequacy. "
Thanks.
Thank you, Mr. Stevens.
The court will take a 20-minute
recess to review the physical evidence.
Caller number two,
you're on the air.
Hi. This is Debbie,
from Salmon Point.
Go ahead, Debbie.
Well, first, I want to agree with caller
one that Judge Percy had no right...
to keep we, the people
from watching Chris's trial.
Duly noted.
Here-here.
And second, I was wondering,
if Chris is really two people...
the old Chris and the new
Chris, well, why couldn't...
the old Chris go back to West
Virginia, and the new Chris stay here?
Interesting point,
metaphysically, Debbie.
Well, Debbie, I think
on the corporeal plane...
that the state of
West Virginia has first dibs.
Shall we discuss the philosophical
question raised here, Chris?
The state of sin versus
the state of grace? Mmm-hmm.
Does redemption actually
remake a man...
or simply return him to
some sort of core being, hmm?
Precisely.
Is the reformed sinner truly
a different person than he was?
Well, speaking for Western tradition,
Bernard, I'd have to say no.
Pray tell why,
my brother?
Well, I think most born-again
fundamentalists would disagree...
and most Judeo-Christian
theologians would have to argue...
that the reformed sinner simply
discovered a divine spark...
that had always
laid within, anyway.
Answer your question,
Debbie?
I guess.
Thank you, Debbie.
Caller number three, this is
Mea Culpa. You're on the air.
Chris Stevens.
This Chris Stevens sitting
before you today...
bears only coincidental
resemblance to the Chris Stevens...
being sought by the state
of West Virginia.
To find that Chris Stevens, you'll
have to look in the pages of history.
Yes, there's evidence that may
appear to make the two men one.
May I remind you of the words of the
illustrious Supreme Court Justice...
Oliver Wendell Holmes.
"Certitude is not
the test of certainty. "
Can you be certain,
Your Honor...
that this is the same man
named in the warrant? If not...
if even the slightest wisp of a doubt
casts its shadow upon your deliberations...
then you must find
for the defendant...
and set him free.
Well, this has been
an interesting couple of days.
My compliments, Mr. Monroe,
on a spirited...
and imaginative defense.
Thank you.
As I indicated, however,
when this hearing began...
it is beyond the scope of this
court to rule on anything...
other than the physical
evidence presented before it.
And while the state may have failed
to make its case in a timely fashion...
it did ultimately
deliver the goods.
The fingerprints irrefutably prove
that the defendant is, in fact...
the Christopher Stevens
named in the warrant...
and leave me no choice but to order
him turned over to the custody...
of the State
of West Virginia.
God bless Captain Vere, Your
Honor! Justice has been served!
Mr. Stevens, please sit down.
I'm not through.
Now, while the court may have no
latitude in rendering its decision...
this is not true as to how its
orders are to be carried out.
In special circumstances where
the court deems that the removal...
of a certain individual would place an
undue burden upon his or her community...
it is accepted practice to
delay execution of sentence.
After careful review, it is my
opinion that the defendant...
by virtue of what I can only
call his "Chrisness"...
has a vital impact
upon the life of Cicely...
and to summarily remove him would
place an undue hardship on the town...
exceeding the caliber
of his own offense.
Thus, I order Mr. Stevens...
free on his own recognizance for a
period not to exceed three years...
during which time the town of
Cicely is to hire another disk jockey
who can perform the same
services as Mr. Stevens.
If at the end of
this three-year period...
the town has failed
to hire another DJ...
Mr. Stevens will be turned over to
the authorities of West Virginia...
regardless.
Should they show up.
That's it,
ladies and gentlemen.
Court is adjourned.
What happened, Mike?
Well, we won, kind of.
Yeah? Hey!
Yeah.
Excuse me.
Faced the music?
Hey! Great show.
Out of the way, gang way,
move over.
Congratulations, son.
I was with you all the way.
I know you were, Maurice.
Hey.
Hey!
Congrats. You did great.
Yeah?
What, you kidding me?
Mike says you killed her.
Shrewd defense.
What defense?
The "no defense" defense.
Oh.
Whatever happened in there, I just
- I want you guys to know...
I really, really appreciate
what you said about me.
It's kind of like being
at my own funeral.
I dug it.
Who is Chris Stevens?
Who are any of us?
Are we one person
fixed at birth?
Do we grow like a snowball tumbling
down the mountainside of life...
or can we change,
shed our skin?
The caterpillar
becomes the butterfly...
leaving the remains of
his former self behind.
I look at my yearbook photo, Wheeling
Central Catholic High School...
class of '81, and I wonder
who that stranger is.
Damned if I know.
Maybe that's the point.
Maybe we're not
supposed to know.
Maybe that's what this
earthly joy ride's all about.
Like Robert Frost said...
"We dance around in a ring
and suppose...
"but the secret sits
in the middle and knows. "