Perception (2012–2015): Season 2, Episode 7 - Neuropositive - full transcript

Subs created by: David Coleman.

- Hmm.
- How's it going?

Eh.

You know what your problem
is? You're too cynical.

- I'm not cynical.
- Oh, really?

Jerks, cheaters, and
misogynist pigs need not apply?

- What? They shouldn't.
- Okay.

Don't worry. I've got
someone for you to meet.

- Wait, you want to fix me up?
- Well, not exactly.

Terminal-cancer
patient in a hospice.

He wants to report a
crime before he dies.



How romantic.

Cynical.

Mr. Carlson?

I'm Agent Moretti. You called
the FBI to report a crime.

A murder.

Well... tell me about it.

It's an old one.

19...

1992.

Okay.

And, uh, who was killed?

I don't know.

Well, can you tell me
where it happened?

I'm not sure exactly.



Okay, well, what can you tell me?

I did it.

2x07
Neuropositive

Doc. Wait up.

I am about to make your day.

I picked this up at a yard sale.

Mahler's 9th, the
original stereo recording?

I've been dying to find this.

Mozart piano concertos 21 and
23, the Vienna master series.

- Lewicki, you are making my day.
- I told you.

Bach cello suites. Mm. I hate Bach.

Oh. Okay.

Well, you're welcome.

Daniel. Got a minute?

Yeah.

I do love a good
deathbed confession.

Well, this guy's name
is Phil Carlson...

Worked for the city plugging
potholes for 20 years.

But before he cleaned up his
act, he says he pulled off

a string of small-time bank jobs
while on a road trip through...

Iowa, Illinois, and
Indiana back in '92.

The statute of limitations would
be up on 20-year-old bank jobs.

Unless he killed someone.

- He claims he ran over a young girl.
- What, during a getaway?

No, but he does know that
the hit-and-run happened

in one of the towns
where he robbed a bank.

Problem is he was so hopped up on meth,
he doesn't remember what town he was in.

Oh. Better living
through chemistry.

On top of that, this guy's
got terminal brain cancer.

So, the tumor could be affecting
his memory or causing delusions.

And my boss doesn't want me
pursuing 20-year-old leads

if this guy's imagining
the whole thing.

So, if you can tell me
that his story's reliable,

maybe I can convince my
boss to let me pursue it.

We can give some closure to a family
who lost a daughter all those years ago.

Let's have a look
at the brain scan.

That is one big pair
of Globus Pallidi.

- Yeah, that's pretty big.
- And that's the tumor?

Yeah. Yes, that small cloudy
white mass right there.

- Small but lethal.
- Yeah.

Yeah, I gave Mr. Carlson five
months, recommended aggressive chemo.

I thought it could
buy him a little time.

- So, this is a post-chemo scan?
- No. Actually, we never got that far.

He, uh... he quit after three rounds.
Said the chemo was making him too sick.

I ordered a final scan, but
he said he didn't want to

do it just to be told he
was gonna die all over again.

Well, the tumor where it is, I don't
see it affecting his memory or...

Or making him delusional.

Great. So, I'm good to go.

I should meet with the patient.

And since this film's
a few months old I,

suggest a new scan, see
if the tumor's grown.

- I'll do it today.
- Oh. Thank you, doctor.

It was, uh, really
nice meeting you.

Nice to meet you, too.

Man, I was...

I was so wasted, I didn't
even really remember

hitting that girl
until a week later.

But you did remember once
you'd come down off the drugs?

In Waukegan, Illinois.

You seem pretty certain of that.

I went to the Public Library there, you
know, to go through the newspapers to...

See if it had been reported. But...

I didn't find anything, so...

I convinced myself
that I'd imagined it.

Well, maybe you did. It could
have been a false memory.

No, I...

- I know I killed that girl.
- What makes you so sure?

The sound she made when I hit her.

I've never been able to
get it out of my head.

Can you recall any other details?

Long, gold hair...

Spread across the
windshield and blood...

Blood everywhere.

Okay, Mr. Carlson, that's...
that's enough for now.

Please.

Please find that girl's family.

I need to say I'm
sorry before I die.

Mom?

Hi, honey!

What are you doing here?

Well, that nice young
Max let me in.

What? You're not glad to see me?

No, of course I am. I
just wasn't expecting you.

- Is everything all right?
- Daniel, you worry too much.

It's a mother's prerogative to pop in
on her own son if she feels like it.

I mean, it's not
like you're married.

Now, if you were married...

Okay, mom, it doesn't
matter what your agenda is.

I'm just happy you're here.

Honey, thank you. That's so sweet.

So, uh, do you know how
long you're gonna be staying?

I thought it took at least three days for
fish and house guests to start stinking.

I'm just asking because I want to...
you know, I want to spend as much

time with you as possible, and I've
got a really, really packed schedule.

So, you know, if you can give me a ballpark
number, I could maybe rearrange things.

Oh, no, no, no. You just
do whatever you need to do.

I am very capable of
entertaining myself.

Now, I have a question.

How come there's not a single
picture of me anywhere in this house?

Mom, excuse me a sec. Lewicki.

Doc, hey.

You don't think you could have
given me a little heads-up?

- About what?
- That my mother is here.

Doc...

I thought your mom passed.

You okay?

Hey, there. Looking
for Daniel. Is he, uh...

Daniel. Okay, listen. Turns
out there were 13 unsolved

bank robberies in the tri-state
area in the summer of '92.

But the Sheriff down in Yates
City found an unsolved vehicular

homicide that happened within
a few days of a bank job.

Well, it sounds like
the right case.

Yes, but there is one detail that
does not jive with Phil's story.

The victim was a boy.

That's a big detail.

Yeah, it worried me, too, until
the Sheriff e-mailed me a photo.

And look at that...

Long, blond hair...

Just like a girl.

Yeah?

Oh. Mr. Carlson. You're
looking much better.

Yeah, well... it turned
out to be a good day.

Well, I've got some news.

I found that victim. You're gonna
get your chance to apologize.

Uh, apologize for what?

The hit-and-run.

Yeah.

Um, look, I think I was
having one of those false

memories you were
talking about, Dr. Pierce.

I never killed anyone.

His name was Barry Miles.

He lived in Yates City.
He was only 15 years old.

You ran him over in front
of his little brother.

His mom, Eileen, never got to
see him graduate from high school.

I'm sorry, but didn't
I say that I hit a girl?

You did say that, but what you
remembered was long golden hair.

Couldn't that be the hair?

Look, I don't remember
it too good now.

What's going on here?

Phil? Are you ready?

Hi. Who are you?

Uh, this is, uh, my wife.

Pam, these are the people from
the FBI that I was talking to.

Did Phil tell you the news?

What news?

The, uh, new scan
came back, and...

My cancer is gone.

What a load of crap.

I mean he finds out
he's not going to die,

so he recants his confession so
he doesn't have to go to jail.

Tell you what else is bullshit the guy had
an inoperable brain tumor, now he doesn't?

- How is that possible?
- A miracle?

It's not a miracle.
It was a mistake.

Don't be so skeptical.
Miracles happen.

- Not now.
- What?

First thing in the morning, I
need to see that new brain scan.

I had the
exact same thought.

It had to be a mistake.

And even though we do all
of our imaging in-house

and have policies in place to
guard against this type of mix-up...

I double-checked.

The tumor's gone.

How do you explain it?

Well, there was a Dartmouth football
player that had terminal lung cancer.

He went into spontaneous remission.

In Phil's case, maybe the
chemo had a delayed reaction.

It's extremely rare,
but it does happen.

Ah. So,
how is this possible?

It's ironic. If Phil had come in
for that follow-up scan I ordered,

we might have caught
this reduction earlier.

Okay, but if the chemo was working,

then how come Phil kept getting
sick after he stopped treatment.

It must have been psychosomatic.

I mean, Phil was given a
finite amount of time to live.

He viewed the end like the
expiration date on a quart of milk.

And then, the closer he got to that
date, the sicker he made himself.

Well, now he's probably
gonna live a long time.

Yeah, in jail.

If I have anything to say
about it, so thank you.

Uh, wait, actually, uh,
do you have a minute?

Um, yeah. Sure. Um, Daniel?

Hmm?

- Do you mind, uh...
- Mm.

Uh... look. I
know that you're probably really busy.

I just didn't know when I
would get another chance.

Do you want to have
coffee with me sometime?

I, would love to.

It's just that if this
case ever gets to trial,

you could be called as a
witness, so I don't know if I...

- Right. Of course. Yeah, um...
- Right.

- Well, maybe when the case is over.
- Yeah.

Maybe.

So what do you remember about
the day your brother died?

I...

Was walking down Main
Street with Barry, and...

I guess I was right there when
it happened, but it's all a fog.

Do you remember the car?

Blue.

Green maybe.

What about the driver?

I think it was a man, but I'm...

I'm not sure.

- Big help, right?
- You might remember more than you think.

If your willing, I'd like to try
something called cognitive interviewing.

What is that?

Well, I use breathing techniques to get
you to relax, it's similar to hypnosis.

You mean you pull a watch out
and make him cluck like a chicken?

No, it's not what you think. I
don't even know that it'll work.

Retrieving memories isn't the
same as rewinding videotape but,

maybe it'll shake something loose.

Look, every year, I
would go to the cops,

and I would ask them if they had
any new leads, but they never did.

No one ever gave a crap, so I don't
need you here giving me false hope now.

I mean, my mom's right.
I'm useless.

And I pulled the night shift,
so I got to get to work.

Look, if you, um...

If you change your mind,
uh, there's my office number.

Surprise.

What is this, bring
your mom to work day?

No, no. You better go.

Why? Because I'll embarrass you?

Yes, when my students
see me talking to myself.

Why would you do that?

Because I'm schizophrenic.

Oh. Pssh. Don't be silly.
Of course you're not.

Yeah, mom. I am.

I was diagnosed a few
years after you died.

Oh, I'm so sorry, honey.

But now I'm here. I
can take care of you.

No, you can't.

- Why not?
- Because you're dead.

Why are you being so mean to me?

I'm s...

I'm sorry, mom. Look, I...

Dr. Pierce?

I, uh...

Didn't want to get
my mom's hopes up,

but I'd like to give that
cognitive thing a shot.

Jimmy, one more deep, deep breath.

And really relax those shoulders.

Now I want you to go
back to that day.

You're on Main Street
with your brother.

How's the weather?

It's hot and sticky.

And where's Barry?

He's up ahead.

What are you doing?

- I'm calling to him to wait up.
- Does he?

He can't hear me.
He has his walkman on.

Okay, so, he crosses the street.

- There's a car coming real fast.
- What color is the car?

Blue. Wait, green. I...

I don't know. He can't...
he can't see the car.

- What are you doing?
- I'm calling to him, car!

He can't... he can't hear me. Car!

He's... he's jamming
out to his music.

Barry...

Barry!

- Oh, my God.
- Good, Jimmy.

Stay with it. Tell me what you see.

There's a lot of blood.

He's on the hood,
and he's not moving.

- Who's driving the car?
- A man I think.

- What does he look like?
- I can't see his face. He's...

There's something
blocking his face.

- What about his hair or skin?
- He's white.

Anything else?

Yes.

How's the online dating going?

Oh. Forget that. I met a doctor.

- And...?
- Hot. And seems to be interested.

Good.

I might be able to
prove that Phil did it.

- How?
- The guy driving the car that hit Barry?

Jimmy thinks he remembers the guy had
an anchor tattoo on his left shoulder.

What do we got?

Homeowner took a single
shot to the chest.

Somebody cut him first.

- Solves one murder.
- Now we got another.

Thank you
for coming in, Mrs. Carlson.

I already told the
police everything.

I know. And I'm sorry. I just
need to go over everything again.

Now, tell me...

Where were you when
your husband was killed?

- Out for a run.
- Okay.

Did anyone see you running?

Oh, I don't know. Why?

You and Phil...

Maxed out your credit cards.

You racked up almost $50,000 worth of
debt just over the past few months...

Jewelry, concerts...

Swanky dinners.

We spent the money. So, what?

So, I get why Phil would spend
money that he didn't have.

I mean, he thought
he was gonna die.

But what I don't understand is
why you would go along with it.

I mean, you're the one who
would be left with the debt and,

you're a substitute teacher, so explain
to me how that was gonna work.

We know that he had a
big life-insurance policy.

Phil convinced me it was
okay to spend the money.

He said that I could
pay off the credit cards

with the insurance
money after he died.

But then Phil decided not to die,

and you would be left with all the debt,
so you killed him for the insurance money.

What? Wh... no!

- I didn't kill him.
- Why should I believe you?

I'm the one that convinced Phil
to take back his confession.

That was your idea?

Phil had suffered enough already,
and I didn't want him to go to jail.

Because if he went to
jail, you couldn't kill him.

- You don't understand.
- Then help me out.

When I married Phil, he was...

Fun and sweet.

And over time, he
just... I don't know...

Disappeared.

We would sit down to dinner
together, and he wouldn't say a word.

Sounds a lot like your father.

Mom, please. I'm trying to listen.

When things got tough,
he flew the coop.

- Dad never left you.
- I meant emotionally.

Telling me about how
lousy your marriage was

doesn't exactly convince
me that you're innocent.

Just listen. The last
few months, Phil changed.

Yeah, he started buying you
jewelry and fancy dinners.

It wasn't just that.
He got sweet again.

He talked me to me
about my day, made jokes.

When I found out
that he was cured...

I was sure that God was
giving us a second chance.

I didn't want Phil to go to jail,
and I certainly didn't kill him.

Okay, well, then, how do you account
for this miraculous transformation?

Was it the cancer?

No.

It was the therapy.

I'm sorry. Everything
my clients tell me is privileged.

- Mrs. Carlson...
- Mm hmm.

Signed this waiving
confidentiality,

so you can tell us
anything that Phil told you.

In that case, I think there is something
Phil would have wanted you to know.

He changed his mind about
recanting his confession.

He was ready to turn himself in.

How do you know that?

He came to me for an emergency session
the day after he got out of hospice.

- Water? Water?
- No.

Um, what was the emergency?

Oh, he was having headaches,
thought his cancer was coming back.

He'd had a clean brain
scan the day before.

I just told him it
doesn't work that way.

I said, there is no
'presto, it's back' button.

I did tell him it was
right that he be concerned.

- Why would you tell him that?
- Well, it's a central tenet of my work.

We all carry psychic wounds that
can manifest in physical ailments.

In Phil's case, I believe
that the guilt that he'd been

carrying for almost two
decades caused his cancer.

I beg your pardon?

He alleviated the guilt when
he confessed to Agent Moretti.

And the guilt and the headaches
came back after he recanted,

so I urged him to turn
himself in, and he agreed.

What kind of therapist
are you exactly?

Neuropositive integration coach.

Neuropositive integration?

Yeah, I'm not familiar
with that term, either.

Uh, treat the mind, treat the body.

I've developed a series
of mental exercises

that enhance neuron firings
and blood flow in the brain.

I've had good success curing everything
from ulcers to colitis to cancer.

Hold on a minute. Are you
claiming you cured Phil's cancer?

No. No, no. He did that
on his own with my methods.

It always has to come
from the patient.

That's absurd.

I realize that, to some people,
my methods may seem farfetched,

but Phil's cure is proof that
the work we did here paid off.

You didn't cure him. The
chemotherapy cured him.

No, chemotherapy almost killed him.

I convinced him to
stop those treatments.

- You're a snake-oil salesman.
- Daniel, please.

Listen, can you think of anyone
who might have wanted to harm Phil?

Yeah, initially, he was
reluctant in confessing his crimes

because he had a girlfriend in '92.

He said he was afraid she'd get
in trouble if he came forward.

I suggested that he talk to her,
tell her he was confessing his crimes.

And apparently,
she was quite angry.

Listen. I know that
guy was kind of a quack.

But don't you think you got a
little carried away in there?

I have no time for frauds.

When my mom got cancer, she tried
every alternative treatment...

Gall-bladder flushes,
kidney cleanses.

She even went to Mexico
to try shark-fin soup.

Everywhere she turned,
there was a line of hucksters

just like this clown giving
her nothing but false hope.

Listen. I'm sorry, okay? I...

Did not realize.

I know. Come on. Let's go
talk to Phil's girlfriend.

I understand you used to date Phil
Carlson back in the early '90s.

- For about a year.
- What was Phil like back then?

He was fun. Kind of crazy.

I guess you could say those
were my wild-child days.

- That seems like a lifetime ago.
- Yeah.

- You're married now?
- Yep. Two teenage boys.

Nice. Well, your husband
must be a pretty secure guy.

What do you mean by that?

Well, I think a lot of
guys would feel threatened

if their wife stayed in
touch with an old boyfriend.

Oh, no. I'm sorry.
I keep mixing you up.

I wasn't still in touch with Phil.

I mean, I haven't heard
from Phil in... 20 years.

Oh, that's funny... because I
thought you saw him three weeks ago.

Should I be asking for a lawyer?

Only if you have something to hide.

See, I have a witness...

Who says that Phil
paid you a visit.

Told you that he was gonna
be turning himself in.

See, I think when he was robbing
those banks, you were helping him.

I think you saw your wild-child days
coming back to bite you in the ass.

I'm not stupid.

The statute of limitations
is up on those robberies.

Mm. But not on the hit-and-run.
Maybe you were in the car.

I have no idea what
you're talking about.

Because that would mean jail time.

And even worse than that, if it came out
that you left the scene of an accident.

That you let a young boy die, I don't think
that would go over too big with the PTA...

Or with your husband
or with your boys.

Am I right?

I didn't kill Phil.

I was using the spa at the club.

- Angie's alibi checks out.
- Okay.

So, Phil's wife didn't kill him,
and neither did his ex-girlfriend.

So, who else would have
motive to kill Phil?

You two are so cute when
you put your heads together.

Would you stop it?

Would I stop what?

Sorry.

But you know what they
say about a mother's love.

It's forever.

The kid's mother. She's
been angry all these years.

Yeah, but she didn't know who Phil was.
We never gave her his name, remember?

But Phil knew who she was, you
showed him that picture told him,

Barry's last name you talked
about the mom, where she lived.

And if the therapist was right about
Phil changing his mind and turning

himself in the next day, this could
have been his last chance to apologize

to the victim's mother.

Maybe it was the last
thing he did before he died.

Eileen?

Agent Moretti.
We need to talk to you.

What about?

About this.

Can we make this
quick? I've a headache.

Maybe that's because
yesterday you murdered someone,

and you've been guzzling
bourbon since then.

Sorry, honey. You got it all wrong.

We sent the knife
to the lab, Eileen.

The blood on it's gonna match
the laceration on Phil's neck.

- Was he killed with a knife?
- No. He was shot.

Well, there you go.

I'm not accusing you of
killing him with the knife.

But you did cut him with it.
So, maybe it didn't stop there.

Maybe then, you went to
his house, and you shot him.

Lawyer.

That's okay.

But you do have me thinking I'm
looking in the wrong direction anyway.

I mean, it was Jimmy who
saw his brother get run down.

Maybe he's the one who
got revenge on Phil.

Jimmy didn't do anything.

Yeah, but I could
probably pin it on him.

You leave my baby alone!

You gonna answer my questions?

A couple of hours...

After you and that
hypnotist guy came to see me,

I went in the kitchen to
make myself something to eat.

- Yeah?
- Um...

Ma'am.
My name is Phil Carlson.

I'm the one who killed your son.

You've got some nerve
showing up here.

Look, I'm turning myself
in tomorrow, but...

I had to come and see you
because I don't know if I'll ever

get another chance to tell you
how truly sorry I am. I ju...

Okay, but that doesn't
explain the knife wound.

He left, but I didn't
hear the car start, so...

I went to the window to
see what was going on.

- Aah!
- What are you doing?

I'm just leaving you a note.

I don't want a note from you.

Now I'm warning you. You better go!

Okay, so, you chased Phil off.

But then you went to his house
the next day, and you shot him.

- I like her.
- Yeah, she's a good Agent.

I'm talking about Eileen.

What? You mean you
feel sorry for her?

Kate doesn't know what
it's like to be a mother.

Remember, Eileen gave
birth to two sons.

You wanted to kill Phil Carlson,
but you couldn't because of Jimmy.

You knew you had another son
that you needed to be there for.

You were just being a good mom.

I'm not a good mom. I killed him.

- Phil?
- No.

Barry.

- Uh, what are you talking about?
- The last time I saw him...

I was giving him a hard
time about his hair.

I told him he looked like a girl, so
he put on his walkman to drown me out.

And then he stormed
out of the house.

If he wasn't wearing
his headphones...

He would have heard Jimmy warn him.

He'd still be alive.

You're not responsible for
your son's death, Mrs. Miles.

All right, but you did put a knife to
Phil Carlson's neck and threaten him, so...

Then what?

He told me he wouldn't
blame me if I did kill him.

I wouldn't blame you.
I really wouldn't.

But then, I wouldn't be
able to get you any money.

- What money?
- It's... it's in the note.

- Please, just... just read it.
- I don't want your damn note!

Please.

But I let him read it to me.

He told me how sorry he was.

And that he was writing a book about
being cured of cancer and that...

The whole story revolved
around the day...

- He killed my son.
- Wait. Hold on.

Phil was writing a book?

Yeah, with some shrink
that he said had cured him.

Neuropositive guy.

Okay, so, the money that
Phil was gonna give you,

that was supposed to come
from the profits of this book?

He said he thought
it was only right...

That the money should go to me.

I don't want a penny from you.

And I don't want you or anybody
else to write a book about my son!

Okay, look. I... you're right. I didn't
see it like that. I'm... I'm sorry.

There won't be any book.

I promise.

Then he left.

If Phil was true to his word
about scrapping the book,

that would make
Dr. Fraud pretty angry.

Angry enough to kill Phil?

Why didn't you tell
us about the book?

The last time you were here, all you did
was belittle me, why add fuel to the fire?

How did you react when Phil told you that
he was pulling the plug on your project?

What are you talking about?

Phil promised Eileen he
was gonna kill the book.

- Who's Eileen?
- The victim's mother.

After his session with you the other
day, he went to her to apologize.

Well, if he did that, then I'm proud of
him, but I didn't know anything about it.

Look, if he had told me he was quashing the
book, of course I would have been upset.

Been wanting to write that book for five
years, had a publisher who was interested.

Right, what you didn't have was a case
study to back up your ridiculous theories,

until Phil came along.

Then, you're gonna get your book
published, maybe even be on Oprah.

You keep accusing
me of being a fake.

But you've seen the
proof. You saw the scans.

You know I cured him.

And then you killed him.

Why would I do that?

Because with Phil out of the way, no one
could stop you from writing your book.

I'd like you to leave.

Unless, of course, you think
you have enough to arrest me.

- Why are you so angry about it?
- Because he did it.

And now he's gonna get away with
murder and continue to sell his

bullshit cure to
gullible sick people.

Daniel, he's only
trying to help people.

He's just like you.

He's not like me. I'm a scientist.

When did you become so cynical?

The Daniel I remember
was much more open-minded.

Mom, don't lose faith.

There's an alternative treatment.

One of my professors
told me about it.

- It's called ecological therapy.
- Ecological therapy?

You take enzymes and vitamins to
neutralize the toxic agents in your body.

You'll have to go
Mexico, but it can work.

I'm sorry, honey. This
sounds like quackery to me.

But it's not.

I've been doing a lot
of research on this.

Western medicine is bullshit.

You need to stop the chemo.
That's what's killing you.

Daniel, your father
would never approve.

Forget dad! What...
what's he doing?

He just hides in his office
from morning till night.

He's not helping you.

Mom.

I'll go with you.

- What about school?
- I'll take a semester off.

This is more important.

I was the one who pushed
those crazy treatments on you.

I'm sorry, mom.

Oh, honey. Let's not be sad.

Let's listen to some music instead.

How about some Bach?

- I hate Bach.
- Since when?

There's a stage-four
patient I read about.

He got treatment from a
Spiritualist and went into remission.

We should go see that guy.

Honey, I've done all the
hocus-pocus I'm gonna do.

All I want now is for you to hold
my hand and listen to the music.

You stopped listening to Bach
because it reminds you of when I died?

No.

I stopped listening to
Bach because that was...

The moment that I
realized I killed you.

I never should have asked
you to stop your chemo.

And what would that have done?

Extended my life by a month or two?

No, thanks.

I'll stick with my three
weeks in Mexico with my son.

Besides, who even knows
if I had cancer.

What do you mean?

Remember when we got back from
Oaxaca and they rechecked me?

Maybe they showed us
someone's else's scans.

Mom, what are you talking about? Nobody
even scanned you. They gave you a Biopsy.

Oh, that's right. I
guess I got mixed up.

The scans got mixed up.

I need to see Phil.

- Daniel, Phil is dead.
- I know that is he still at the Morgue?

- No, they buried him this morning.
- Well, dig him up.

I need to scan his brain.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Thank you for fitting me in.

Oh, yeah, no problem. I
can be late to this thing.

It's just a little cocktail
party at the art institute.

Oh, can I come?

- Excuse me?
- I can't believe I said that out loud.

No, I mean, I would, I would
love you to come. I just...

No, no. I... you
might be a witness.

Definitely a conflict. Forget I...

I am sorry. I just really like you.

I like you, too.

That's what makes this
awkward.

What?

Um, listen, Dr. Pierce
has been, um...

He's been making some noise
around the FBI saying that...

Maybe you haven't been
completely honest with us.

How so?

Well, he was never sold on the idea
that Phil was cured of his cancer,

so he's decided that Phil
never had cancer to begin with.

- But I showed him the scans.
- I know.

And you explained how a
mix-up was not possible.

- Right.
- Right.

But he thinks that that's
exactly what happened.

And that now you're
just covering your butt

because you're worried
about a malpractice suit.

- Well, he's wrong.
- I know. That's what I said.

And since I am the Agent
on this case, not him,

that's why I told my boss that I would
just come down here and sort this out.

Okay. Well, how can I help?

Well, in this particular case,

it's actually rather easy to
prove that there was no mix-up.

You can see Phil's name and date
clearly labeled on each scan.

First scan shows the mass.
And in the second, it's gone.

Okay, it's the first scan that
Dr. Pierce is worried about.

Now, is it possible that
it was mislabeled somehow

or that it could just
be someone else's?

Well, human error
is always possible,

but I happen to know for a fact
that did not happen in this case.

How do you know at for sure?

Well, because you guys
had me re-scan Phil.

And as you can see from the size
and the shape, it's the same brain.

Okay. Then, um...

How do you explain this?

What's that?

Dr. Pierce is kind of
like a dog with a bone.

He made us exhume Phil's
body and scan him again.

Listen. I'm not an expert.

But even I can tell that
this is not the same brain

as the ones you've been showing us.

I mean, Phil's Globus Pallidi
are puny compared to this guy's.

What are you trying to say?

I'm trying to say that...

I think you're a good guy...

But I think you made a mistake.

And if you just tell me what
happened, I think I can help you.

When I first diagnosed Phil, I had no
idea that I was showing him the wrong scan.

It wasn't until the new scan that
Dr. Pierce suggested came back

that I realized my mistake.

I thought, how in the world
could the tumor just be gone?

So, I compared it to
Phil's first scan.

I was looking at two
different brains.

That's when I knew that the
first scan had been mislabeled.

The scan that I thought was Phil's was
really for another patient of mine...

Uh, Brett Carmichael.

You told someone who did
have cancer that he didn't?

And now it was five months later.

So, I, uh... I called him...

But I got his wife.

He had already died.

Yeah, but not the way
you think. He, um...

He went back to work because
I told him that he was okay.

Of course, his dizzy spells
hadn't gone anywhere...

And he fell off some scaffolding.

So, what did you do?

Well, at first, I was
gonna report myself.

And then, I remembered
that Carmichael...

Had come in years before,
complaining about headaches.

- He thought he might have a concussion.
- So, you scanned him?

Yeah. There was...
there was no concussion.

But then, you remembered
that the old scans were clean.

- So you saw a way out of this mess.
- I just...

I thought maybe falling
off of scaffolding,

is a better way to die than
wasting away from cancer.

And... and Phil was okay. So...

So, you figured no harm, no foul.

I see why you did it.

I mean, nobody was hurt
who wasn't hurt already.

Exactly.

All I had to do was dig up Carmichael's old
five-year-old scan and... and re-label it.

So, it should have been
over. What happened?

Phil's quack therapist calls me.

He tells me that he needs
a copy of Phil's scans.

Right, for the book he's writing.

He didn't cure Phil's cancer.

I'm the one who helps
cancer patients.

And you couldn't do that if
they found out what you did.

Reputable scientists would have read
that book and challenged the validity

of Paro's claim and then demanded
that Phil's brain be scanned again.

- You would have been exposed.
- I'm a doctor. I save lives.

I didn't want to be
known as a killer.

Okay, so, then, you went to
Phil's house, and you shot him?

No, no, no, no. You have to
believe me. I knew the game was up.

I went to Phil to tell him face-to-face.
I owed him at least that much.

Do you have any idea what you put
me through, having to do chemo when

I didn't need to, not to mention
spending all of the damn money.

- I'm flat ass broke, man.
- I want to help you with that.

Oh, what, so now you're
gonna try and bribe me.

No. No, that's not... no.

You know, I...

I bought this... In case the pain got
too bad and I wanted to kill myself.

- But now I'm starting to wonder!
- Don't point...

- Maybe I should be using this on you!
- Don't point the gun at me!

I guess we're not gonna be
going to the cocktail party.

You're leaving?

Fish and house guests.

It was nice to see you, mom.

Daniel, I forgive you for
being a 20-year-old kid

who thought he had all the answers.

Thanks.

Of course, that's cold comfort seeing
as it's really just me forgiving myself.

Exactly.

You okay, Doc?

Yeah.

Is your mom still here?

She left.

Think she'll be coming back?

Hey. You going out
with that doctor?

Yeah, right after he serves
10 to 20 for manslaughter.

Ewe.

I finally meet somebody, and
he turns out to be a killer.

And you wonder why I'm cynical.

We want to believe that
the brain is all-powerful.

That there's nothing
we can't learn,

nothing we can't conquer if
we just set our minds to it.

But despite the brain's
elegance and efficiency...

There are some things the power
of the mind just cannot do.

Sometimes, when we're faced
with an intractable problem.

It's not the brain
that can solve it.

It's the heart.