Trial & Error (2017–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Episode #1.1 - full transcript

[Telephone ringing]

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[Telephone beeps]

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Larry Henderson, a
local poetry professor

at Carolina's own East
Peck Community College

was arrested today for the brutal murder

of his wife, Margaret,

who was found dead in front
of a plate-glass window.



The murder has sent shock waves
through this otherwise sleepy...

- [Gasps] There he is!
- Man: Sir, sir!

Heidi Baker, WPFK News!

Mr. Henderson, do you
have anything to say?

Yes, I didn't do it.

I-I wouldn't hurt a thing.

Please, watch my dog.

He's all I have left.

- Officer: Watch it.
- Woman: Did you do it, sir?

Aww, what's your name, little fella?

[Dog yelps]

[Tires screech, siren wails]

Jeremiah: Larry
Henderson loved my sister,

and because we believe
in Larry's innocence,

we've decided to finance his defense.

As my grandpappy said,

"You ever find yourself on
the wrong side of the law,

you hire yourself a...

Northeasterner."

They just seem slyer
than the rest of us.

Josh: Nope, I've never been to
this part of the country before,

but I am super excited to be here.

My boss sent me down to prep the case

because...

well, he's a huge attorney

and he didn't want to.

Anyway, a murder trial is
a great opportunity for me.

I get my own team, an office.

Apparently they're sending a car for me.

Kind of feels like I've arrived,

and my bag has not.

P.A. Announcer: Welcome to
the East Peck Regional Airport.

Hey, think that's me.

- Josh Segal.
- Oh, hey, there.

Dwayne Reed.

Funny, there's a drug
store called Duane Reade

in my building in New York.

Huh, guess there's
something for me to see

if I ever get to New York.

A few other points of interest,
but the drug store is nice.

Mind if we swing by the office?

I'm supposed to meet
the lead investigator.

New York said they
hired East Peck's finest.

Well, that quote was from me

about me.

I'm your lead investigator!

I know everybody around here.

I used to be local P.D. until I retired.

You look kind of young to be retired.

Yeah. There was...

an incident.

It was a routine traffic stop.

License and registration, please.

I thought my vehicle
had been apprehended.

[Gunshots]

Turns out I left it in neutral.

Woman: Don't point that at me!

[Bleep]

The rest is YouTube history.

So, I rented us a place

smack dab in the center of Main Street.

We're next door to a taxidermist?

Dwayne: Even better.

So, what do you think?

Whoa.

[Grinding]

What is that noise?

It sounds like a saw
cutting through bone.

Yep.

You get used to it. I...

[Loudly] I don't even hear it anymore!

[Normal voice] So, let's
meet the rest of the team.

Josh, this is your
assistant and head researcher

and intern... Anne Flatch.

She's the best of the best.

- Hi. Nice to meet you.
- It's great to meet you, Anne.

I have to be at court in an
hour for the bail hearing.

Can I get all the files we
have on the Henderson case?

Also, could you please
check with the airline

about my luggage, and maybe lose

some of these dead animals?

I like the way you talk.

Do I have an office?

Just past the albino muskrat.

[Clears throat]

Oh, [bleep]!

[Clears throat]

This is gonna be nice.

Corner office.

With a window.

Aah! [Bleep]

We're gonna keep that closed.

Anne, I'm getting a
strong formaldehyde vibe.

Is there a fan around...

May I help you?

Josh. We met 45 seconds ago.

Anne: I have something
called facial amnesia.

I can't recognize anyone by their face.

It's completely blank.

Does have its perks.

With my husband,

it's like sleeping with a different man

every night.

I do recognize penises, though.

Dwayne, when you said team before,

is this the whole lineup?

Yep, just you, me, and Anne.

[Saw grinding]

Great.

I'm gonna head to court
to meet Mr. Henderson.

Mr. Henderson.

Hi. I'm Josh Segal.

- I'll be representing you pre-trial.
- Hello, Josh.

We're gonna get you out
of here as soon as we can.

How you holding up?

My cell mate is a serial rapist.

That said, he keeps an immaculate bunk,

keeps to himself, and is gluten free,

so he gives me all his pastries.

Uh, let me clarify.

Terrible human being, terrific roommate.

So, what's happening
now is the arraignment.

- This is not the trial...
- You realize, of course,

that this whole thing is absurd.

I loved my wife.

After lunch, I was waiting
for the cable guy to show,

so I went into the yard to roller-cise.

You mean roller skate.

No.

Roller skating is for children.

Roller-cising is

a very graceful form
of self-expression.

Well...

It's much easier when
you're not shackled.

It... It must... It must be.

So, I came back inside...

and found Margaret dead.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

And we'll get into all that

before you testify on the stand.

The icing on the cake...

cable guy never showed.

Or maybe you won't take the stand.

Larry: That's Margaret's brother.

Oh, thank you.

Hi.

Josh Segal, Defense Counsel.

I was expecting someone older.

I'm just prepping the case.

My boss, Mr. Mankiewicz,
will be down here

for the actual trial.

But you are, in fact, northeastern?

Yeah, I'm... I'm from New York.

And your parents?

They're also...

Northeasterns?

Ah, yes.
My father...

was born northeastern,

and my mother is from Arizona,

but she converted to northeastern-ism.

Larry, you're in good hands.

Shalom.

Hi. Josh Segal, Defense Counsel.

[Southern accent] Carol Anne Keane.

I'm sorry, is it Carolyn Keane

or Carol Anne Keane?

Carol Anne Keane.

I'm still not getting it.
Is it two names or three?

Carol Anne: This case is
a huge opportunity for me.

I'm running for District
Attorney of East Peck,

and there are some people in this town

who might not be ready for a female D.A.

So I need to be a touch more assertive.

You know, that way people
will remember my name.

Your Honor, the State
would like to request

that bail be set at $93 million.

[Laughing] What?!

That is absurd, Carol... ine King.

And Your Honor, Mr.
Henderson is a menace.

He killed his wife,

and he injured that
poor little puppy dog.

Oh, great dog.

I'm glad Margaret
wasn't alive to see that.

Your Honor, clearly my
client is under duress.

He's not a flight risk.

We request that bail be set
at a reasonable number...

say $10,000...

as a gesture to a man who
has been a perfect citizen.

So, bail was set at $7 million,

which considering we
started at $93 million,

I'm putting that in the win column.

Should I make a win column?

No, but we are gonna crack this case.

Write down "The Trial."

Here we go.

Josh: Okay, great. So, first,

I think that you spelled "trial" wrong.

I also suffer from dyslexia.

- I'll change it.
- Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no.

Dyslexia is a very common disorder.

Certainly more so than your face thing,

so let's leave it.

Now, the victim was killed

by going through a plate glass window.

We need to come up
with a plausible story

for what could've happened
based on the evidence.

So let's go, fire away.

No such thing as a stupid suggestion.

Suicide!

Dwayne: That was my first thought, too.

But I tested the theory.

This is Dwayne Reed,
testing suicide theory

of Margaret Henderson, take one.

Aah!

Ugh. [Bleep]

[Scoffs] Dang.

Okay, what else could've happened?

Except Larry throwing his
wife through the window.

Anything, huh?

First idea that pops into your head.

Bird.

Birds fly into windows all the time.

Should I write it down?

Sure.

Other ideas?

_

Maybe we should get some lunch.
What do you guys feel like?

Thai, Mexican, sandwich, fried chicken.

We could have a picnic.

Okay, we...

are having Thai.

Mm...

B?

Larry: Knock, knock.

Josh: Larry! You're out on bail!

Meet the dream team.

Ah. Just, uh, wanted
to see how it's going.

I hear they may be going
for the death penalty.

That's just legal posturing.

We're working on your
defense as we speak.

Fantastic. Let's see what we got.

Hey.

Now, Larry, I just want you to know,

very early on in the process.

I'm gonna die, aren't I?

No! We're off to a great start.

Trust me, huh?

You are not going to die.

Thank you, Josh.

Larry, have a great day, okay?

Can I help you?

He may die.

C.

Man: Order up!

I can fix your face.

Wow, that is surprisingly mean.

You have a stress crease

down the center of your forehead here.

Oh. You know, I'm actually not very good

with people touching my fa... ce.

I'm studying to be an acupressurist.

- Wow.
- I'm Summer.

Josh.

Can I buy you a cup of coffee?

Oh, no, thanks. I just read that coffee

has mycotoxins that can kill you.

[Slams mug]

But if you want, I'll sit
and watch you slowly die.

I'd like that. [Chuckles]

You must be the new
celebrity lawyer in town.

I guess.

How's the case going?

You think he did it?

Between you and me...

he's kind of a kook.

This is my first murder case,

so as long as I just get it to trial,

then it's good for my career.

How about you? What
brings you down here?

I'm in town to help my dad.

He's accused of killing his wife.

But his lawyer's never
tried a murder case before,

and between you and me... [Sighs]

... he thinks my dad's kind of a kook.

[Groans]

Enjoy your coffee.

[Bleep]

Ooh. Maybe the guillotine.

That's not a bad way to go.

Quick and French.

How about a good old-fashioned hanging.

[Laughs]

Stop it.

No one is dying!

Oh, honey, it's gallows humor.

I lost the love of my life.

There are subtle reminders
of Margaret everywhere.

[Doorbell rings]

Summer: I'll get it.

Oh, hey.

Glad you're here.

I have a twin who's in
town saying awful things.

There he is.

The man who holds my fate in his hands.

Josh, have you met my daughter, Summer?

- Actually, we...
- Nice to meet you, Josh.

Come on in. I made a delightful paella,

and we're talking
about how I'm gonna die.

You'll know this.

Can you make your own final meal?

I'm on a low-sodium diet.

I'll file a motion.

That's my guy.

Thank you so much for covering for me.

I didn't do it for you.

I did it for my dad.

He's been through enough
with Margaret dying.

Why do you call your mom Margaret?

She wasn't my mom.

He married her five years ago.

Larry adopted me when
I was a little girl.

He's supported
everything I've ever done.

When I decided to go into acupuncture,

he was my guinea pig.

He still hasn't regained
feeling in his left hand.

[Skin sizzling]

He's never once complained
because he loves me,

just like he loved Margaret.

Josh: That's our defense.

Larry Henderson is a
devoted husband and father.

He loved his wife. There's no motive.

I feel very good about
this right now. Hey, man.

Dwayne, I'm kind of in
the middle of something.

It's urgent. I just
talked to my brother,

works for the police department.

There's been a big break in the case.

Why didn't you call me?

I wanted to keep it private.

- What's the big break?
- I don't know.

My cousin wouldn't tell me.

I thought you said he was your brother.

Oh, he is. He's also my cousin.

My dad... He was messing
around with my mom's sister.

Did your brother-cousin give
you any idea what it was?

Nope. He's kind of a dick.

Summer: Dad, you're on TV.

Heidi: There has been a twist
in the Larry Henderson

murder investigation.

Apparently Mr. Henderson
wasn't the faithful husband

he appeared to be.

That's nonsense.

WPFK has learned that Larry's cellphone

contained over 200 texts to this man...

Alfonzo Prefontaine.

Well, he's my trainer.

You know how important fitness is to me.

We recovered these photos taken
from a surveillance camera

in the gym.

That was a leg day.

Easily explainable.

That's a bit harder to explain.

I loved Margaret. She
was my best friend.

It's just that sexuality is fluid,

and sometimes my fluids go towards men.

Our family-man angle took a hit.

On the plus side, the
airline found my bag

and they're shipping it here,

so we're gonna build
on that luggage news

and get some positive momentum going.

- What do you think?
- Sounds great.

What do we do about the gay murderer?

Dwayne, remember? Defense.

- May I help you?
- Josh and Dwayne,

and we are building on
positive momentum here.

Oh, good. Something
horrible has happened.

Excellent timing, Anne. What?

A man stopped by.

He was very angry.

Do you... Did you get his name?

No, he was yelling
and... and I got nervous.

Do you remember what he looked like?

Of course.

Here you go.

All right, well, we know he has no face.

Look, son, I was in the army.

I know a thing or two
about male camaraderie.

What Larry and that
other fella was doing

was more than horseplay.

I've never seen my wife so upset.

I understand, sir,
and... and I empathize.

But you... you can't pull
your money out of the case.

Oh, I'm not pulling my
money out of the case.

I'm donating it to the prosecution.

When you've been in the tobacco business

as long as I have, you
learn a thing or two

about killing people.

Larry Henderson is gonna
pay for what he did.

I have bad news.

Jeremiah has...

stopped financing your father's defense,

which means my firm is
no longer being paid,

which means my boss won't
be representing your dad.

Okay. We don't need your boss.

We have you.

I appreciate your confidence, Summer,

but I cannot do it myself.

I've never tried a murder.

Trust me, your dad can
do a lot better than me.

With who? Some court-appointed lawyer

who thinks I'm a kook?

Kook is a strong word.

I'll never get a fair
trial in this town.

I need someone who believes in me,

like you.

You do believe in me, right?

That's not really the point.

Do you believe in me?

[Sighs]

Well...

I believe in you.

Whoop! Coming through!

Hey, man. What you looking at?

Crime scene photos. They just came in.

Look at this. What are these stripes

on the floor around the
outline of Margaret's body?

Those are Larry's roller
skating tracks through her blood.

Anne: [Laughs]

I also suffer from involuntary
emotional expression disorder.

Sometimes I react inappropriately

when something awful happens.

I found out when I was a little girl

and my grandmother fell off a balcony

and landed on our car.

[Stifling laughter]

[Laughs]

Well, hold on now.
When the police arrived,

Larry was wearing his roller skates,

but push in here.

There's a bloody print on
the wall across the room.

But the skate marks end here.

So, either Larry killed her,

took off his skates,
walked across the room,

then put them back on and
skated through her blood...

[Laughs]

My bad.

Or... Someone else was in that room.

Which means... I don't think he did it.

What's this supposed to mean to me?

It means you don't have a case.

Well, all I know is

Larry Henderson is a known homosexual.

As far as I know,
being gay isn't a crime.

Well, perhaps you ought to brush up

on the laws in this county.

Because the Buggery Act of
1789 has never been repealed.

Huh. Mm-hmm.

You're not gonna convict
him on a 225-year-old law.

It's an issue of
character, and I bet you

I can find 12 men and women
who feel the exact same way.

Why do you even care?

Because we're talking
about a man's life.

Why don't you head on back
to New York, counselor?

It's not your problem anymore.

Actually, it is.

And it's gonna be your problem, too,

because I'm staying.

Oh.

Well, in that case, you're welcome

to spend the night with me.

You should know the Buggery Act

is seldom enforced.

No!

No.

Absolutely not.

Josh: I believe in Larry.

I know it's hard not to look at him,

but I need you to
check over this timeline

again for me, okay?

And I happen to be his best
chance for a fair trial.

Beware of the buck.

So I told my boss I wanted to stay.

Hey, we need to veer
away from the goose.

He said if I did, I'd be on my own.

But then I realized...

I'm not on my own.

Watch out for the muskrat.

I'm working with East Peck's finest.

Thank you, Anne.

We're back in business.

And we can't have any more surprises

because if I lose
this case, I get fired.

And I die.

Anne: [Laughs]

[Clears throat]

Now, think, Larry.

Is there anything else
that might incriminate you?

Nope, can't think of anything.

Hey, I just got off the
phone with my brother-cousin.

He says there's a new break in the case.

Turn on the news.

In a WPFK exclusive,

we have just learned that
Larry Henderson's first wife

was killed
after being thrown

through a plate glass window.

Very little is known about...

Okay, I can think of one thing.

[Laughs]

.

Do I like the term "accused murderer"?

[Sighs]

If I'm being honest, I do not.

I did not kill my wife.

I mean, back in the day, I
was known as a "lady killer."

[Laughs]

But I'm out on bail, I
have a great legal team,

and the support of my
friends and neighbors.

And now, if u'll excuse me,

heart disease is the real killer.

♪ Don't rock the boat, baby

♪ Rock the boat ♪

Morning, Mrs. Kratt.

Hope you die, wife killer!

Do I think Larry did it?

Absolutely not.

I mean, sure, there have
been some surprises...

like he was having an
affair... with a man.

No judgment.

And his previous wife died

exactly the same way
as his current wife.

Little judgment, but
I still believe in him.

And thankfully, I have a great team.

Those are Larry's rollerskating
tracks through her blood.

[Laughs]

Sometimes I react inappropriately

when something awful happens.

A good team.

We need to veer away from the goose.

I have a team.

Okay.

Today is the preliminary hearing.

That's where the prosecution's
gonna lay out their case

as to how they think
Larry murdered Margaret.

Our job...

Is to say how we
think he killed her.

[Clears throat] No.

We need to come up
with a plausible theory

that doesn't involve
Larry killing anybody.

Oh, well, that's harder.

It is.

Anne, can you erase the board, please?

Okay.

Can I just say how excited
I am to have this job.

I promise, I'm going
to do my best for you.

Thank you.

[Clicks tongue]

Can you erase the board?

Of course.

It's just that nobody's ever given me

an opportunity like this.

I remember when I was a
little girl, they told me,

"You'll never work in an office."

Well, how you like me
now, Pastor Bronson?

How you like me now?

Why don't I erase the board?

Okay, why don't we write
down everything we know

about the case, right?

I'm gonna make two columns...
"good facts" and "bad facts."

Start with the bad facts.

I got one... childhood obesity.

My nephew's 6 years old
and weighs 200 pounds.

That kid barely fits on a tractor.

That is a random awful fact.

Let's stick to the case.

Okay.

Larry Henderson's a gay murderer.

Bad fact. No.

Good fact. No.

The gay part is irrelevant

and the murderer part is not a fact.

I'll go.

Good fact... we found a bloody handprint

on the wall at Larry's house!

If we can find out who that belongs to,

that puts someone else
there at the crime scene.

Bad fact... if we can't,
Larry Henderson may die.

[Laughs]

Wow.

This is my first time in court
without my boss backing me up.

You don't need your boss.
You've got the dream team.

[Chuckles]

We won't let you down, Josh.

Thanks, Anne.

[Gasps]

Oh, my God!

Oh... Dwayne, what happened?

She's dead!

[Screams]

Thank you for asking.

I suffer from something
called Stendhal's syndrome.

Whenever I see something
beautiful, like a piece of art,

I get so overwhelmed I pass out.

It's a real thing. You can look it up.

[Metal detector beeps]

Hey now, Dwayne. Hey now, Clarence.

Hey now, Anne. Hey now, Clarence.

[Metal detector beeping]

Hello.

[Metal detector whines]

Oops. You know what that is?

It's my lip balm. That's a bomb?

No, not a bomb, a balm.

Like an emollient, a moisturizer.

I'm a lawyer.

My lips get dry when
I talk a lot, like now.

[Metal detector beeps]

Excuse me. I'm late for
a preliminary hearing.

Hi, Clarence. Hey now, Carol Anne.

You know what, Clarence,

we're actually going
to the same hearing.

Whoa!

What do we have here?

This is a real beaut.

Thank you. My niece got it for me.

.38 kept jamming.

I told you, you got to keep it clean.

I know. Good luck at trial.

Thank you.

I can't let you through with this.

♪♪

Well, security took away
my rollerskate wrench.

First I lose Margaret, now my wrench.

[Sighs]