Wolfe (2021–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Episode #1.6 - full transcript

♪ There's a world outside my door ♪

♪ I don't know it anymore ♪

♪ I'm gonna stay here now ♪

♪ I'm gonna stay here now ♪

♪ Take a breath and say a prayer ♪

♪ Find the strength in my despair ♪

♪ It's not gonna take me down ♪

♪ It's not gonna take me down ♪

♪ I can see clearly now ♪

♪ The rain has gone ♪

♪ I accept all the things
that I cannot change ♪



♪ It's gonna be a bright... ♪

♪ ...bright sunshiny day ♪

See? Impossible.

The humble toilet is actually
an awe-inspiring feat of design.

Its dimensions mean
that a person can't submerge

their own nose and mouth.

Which is why, in spite of the fact that
thousands of people overindulge every weekend

and end up
staring into a toilet bowl

the ones who drown
are more than just unlucky.

They end up dead...

...because somebody wants them dead.

You've got, er, gel or something.

Erm, it's Toilet Duck.

We definitely made it real
for the jury.



Are you alright, Mrs Harding?

Stone changed his plea to guilty
after hearing your evidence.

So Katie didn't die
cos she were drunk.

And now everybody knows it.

Heal well, Mrs Harding.

Truth matters.

- So it's a cold case?
- It's not a cold case, it's a review.

I didn't have my lanyard
and he mistook me for a student.

- Can you believe that?
- Have you put faddy milk in this?

Dairy is literally killing
the planet, Wolfe.

I know, I just...
How do you even milk an almond?

We're doing a review.

Mm! Of what?

Regina versus Barnette.

Barnette?

Is that Fay Barnette?

Who's that?

Wolfe?

Hello?

Fay Barnette is Dominique's mum.
We're re-examining her case.

Dominique doesn't deserve that.

She lied her way in here
so she could stalk you.

She's basically Glenn Close
in a forensics suit!

She had her reasons.

And she shagged Steve
under false pretences.

Those were probably
some of the best shags of Steve's life.

How can you forgive her
easier than you can forgive him?

Because she's been motivated by
a deep-seated sense of injustice and loss

whereas he was motivated by his knob.

Lift go ing up.

Could you not stare at me in stereo?
It's disconcerting.

- You know I always back you on the big stuff.
- But?

But please don't do this.

Dominique believes...

- genuinely believes we got it wrong.
- What...

- We've got to let her discover otherwise.
- What if we did get it wrong?

Imagine telling that mother
this morning that the scumbag

who drowned her daughter
is out on appeal

because you have been struck off.

- That's not going to happen. OK?
- Why?

Go on, we have a crime scene to get to.
I'll be there in a minute.

A crime scene.

- He's manic, right?
- He's back on his meds.

You think actively helping someone
look for flaws in his work

is entirely hinged behaviour?

Bipolar is a spectrum, and he's at his best
when he's just on the line

between mania and brilliance.

And what if he's at his best now

but he wasn't when the case
was first investigated?

You OK?

It's so real.

I thought it might trigger a memory
of that day, but nothing.

Yeah, it's a defence mechanism.

I can't remember anything
from before I was adopted.

Well, except feeling really happy
about eating fish fingers.

I bloody love a fish finger.

Even rough childhoods
can have pockets of joy.

You know, you might need to cling onto that
today if things get tough.

I'm not gonna cry at work, Steve.

It's not in my makeup.

And it would also fuck with my makeup.

This isn't a normal day
at the office, Dominique.

Daddy bipolar bear's been busy.

We managed to borrow a set
from the theatre.

Yeah, they were supposed
to be rehearsing for Oedipus Rex

but Oedipus got chlamydia,
which he passed on to his mum

and half the chorus.

Yeah, give up, Steve.

The sudden death of an infant rarely
provides clues at post-mortem.

The scene is vital, but in this case

we don't have the luxury
of visiting it.

Do you want to brief us, Dominique?

Paramedics were called
to the address at 6:47am

to reports of an unresponsive infant.

They arrived to find the baby,
Jermaine Barnette

had been dead for some time.

The mother, Fay Barnette

claimed to have found the baby
deceased in his cot when she woke

but the police didn't believe her.

And with Professor Wolfe's evidence...

she was prosecuted
successfully for murder.

I want us to approach this scene
as though it were real

and we were seeing it
for the first time.

Make some notes and report back.

Tell me I didn't nail that.

You nailed it.

She should be taking her CV
to Jobcentre Plus

not walking around with a clipboard
like she's lead CSI.

What is it you want, Maggy?

To see Dominique punished?

Would that be so unreasonable?

Whatever the outcome here,
her brother will still be dead

she'll still have had
a motherless childhood.

You don't think
she's been punished enough?

But maybe we could also put
a written warning on her file.

This was the first case I worked
where the victim was a baby.

It's never left me.

Jermaine's never left me.

I hardly remember him at all.

Soiled bedding.
Piles of unwashed laundry.

Marks on the bathroom wall
that look like excrement.

Minimal food in the cupboard
and fridge.

Cider cans in the kitchen.

Three-quarters-empty
vodka bottle by the bed.

Anything else?

Multiple chains and bolts
on the front door.

- Conclusions?
- The mother was neglectful.

Possibly an alcoholic.

Keen to keep prying eyes out.

All of which are red flags at the scene

of a potential domestic child homicide.

She was also evasive
and inconsistent when questioned.

Where's the evidence for that?

- The transcripts from the police interviews.
- No.

- Where's the evidence for it here?
- Dominique...

We are supposed to be re-assessing
the crime scene only.

You're right.
Let's limit our findings to what's here.

My bad.

Just because there were a few cans,
you can't assume she was an alcoholic.

We can't know for certain,
but it's reasonable to extrapolate.

- That's not science, that's guesswork.
- Sometimes, this job requires a bit of both.

Going to prison might have
stopped it in its tracks.

But based on what's here...

I think we can safely say that

she was caning it
around the time the baby died.

Sorry, Dominique, but we all
have to keep an open mind.

Any more thoughts or questions?

There was a second child
found at the scene.

Where was she when
the paramedics arrived?

I was found in there.

Livor mortis becomes visible

in the two hours
after the blood stops circulating

when it starts to settle
in the lowest parts of the body.

The mother claimed to have
found the baby face down.

Her defence argued it was possible
he rolled onto his front

and suffocated on his bedding.

Wolfe testified that the lividity meant

that Jermaine was on his back
when he died

and that the mother was lying about
having found him on his front.

But isn't it possible the paramedics
placed him on his back

and the lividity formed
in the hours following?

It's not impossible.

But they found the baby
on his front

which means the defendant
made no attempt

to pick up her unresponsive child,
which seems unlikely.

Or that she picked him up,
discovered he was dead

then put him back down on his face.

The only reason I can think of
for doing that

would be an attempt
to stage the crime scene.

- I'm sorry.
- Dominique.

You don't think perhaps Tiny Tears
was a bit much, Steve? No?

It was Dominique's idea.

She demanded this.

And now she's not happy
because the science is standing up.

- You need to pull the plug on this one.
- No, you cannot do that to her.

She needs to know the truth.

No, she needs to hear a version
of the truth she can live with.

- That is not the same thing.
- She's a scientist.

Yeah, and she is a daughter
and a sister, and this is cruel.

Now, you have put us
in a no-win situation.

Either Dominique's right
and you're finished, or you're right.

And God only knows what the hell
that's gonna do to her.

Have I ever shown you
my pickled cancerous lung?

It's not my lung, obviously,
it's from a sixty-a-day smoker

that donated his body
to medical science.

I thought this would be easier.

We need to put
your brother's case away, Dominique.

Why?

I didn't want to lose you
from the team

so I thought if I let you
reach the same conclusions I had

then I wouldn't have to.

This is bigger than whether
I stay on your team or not.

I know.

My mum's coming up to the end
of her sentence

which means she can get out
on licence.

But she'd have to accept
her guilt...

and she won't.

Who does that
unless they're innocent?

Excuse me, Professor. Do you mind?

Are we sure you're fit
for failure, mate?

Thanks.

Right, one of the strongest pieces
of evidence at trial

was the fact white cotton fibres
were found in Jermaine's airway.

Wolfe testified that they were
the same as these fibres

which were taken from a pillow
found in the cot.

The prosecution presented this
as evidence the defendant

had used the pillow
to suffocate Jermaine.

It looks like a match to me.

But there's a limit to how much detail

a standard optical microscope can show.

Like with most of our work,
we have to make a judgment.

Mine was that it's probable
the fibres came from the same source.

But if you'd used
a scanning electron microscope

you'd have had an enhanced view
to make a more accurate judgment.

We didn't have an SEM back then.

We have one now.

Yeah, but the fibres need to be
coated in gold to make them conduct.

They'll be destroyed, and we don't
have enough of them to do that.

Evidence needs to be preserved
in case the defendant

wants to appeal her case
and get further testing done on her behalf.

I'd be doing it on her behalf.

I suppose if we were
to film the process.

That's beautiful.

You could put that in a clip frame
and hang it on a wall.

It's a picture of the fibres taken
from my dead brother's nostrils.

And here are the test fibres
taken from the pillow

which, in theory,
should look identical.

The fibres from the pillow are denser
than the ones found in Jermaine's airway.

I can see.

So what does it mean?

That the fibres
didn't come from the pillow.

Well, I know that.

I mean, what does it mean
for the case?

It's completely undermined.

Dominique got what she wanted.

I want to hear it from Wolfe.

I don't know what it means.

I need to think.

But it's great work.

Dominique, really.

Science isn't infallible.

It's only as good
as the people using it.

Well, the fibres
are just one piece of the puzzle.

It was the lividity evidence
that really convicted her.

It showed she lied

and people don't lie
unless they've got something to hide.

And just because she didn't
use the pillow to smother him

it doesn't mean she didn't do it.

Perhaps not.

This blanket's white cotton,
she might've used this.

And by placing it
in the washing machine afterwards

she thought
she was destroying the evidence.

But we didn't collect the blanket
from the crime scene

so we have no way of knowing.

Yeah, that was my fault.

I was lead CSI on this one.

Really? Where was I?

A surprise trip to Manic Land.

Which I've always imagined
is a bit like Disney World

but with shittier scenery
and scarier rides.

- I'm so sorry.
- No.

I was out of my depth.

And I've let everyone down.

Course you haven't.

You had every reason to believe
that the pillow was the murder weapon.

We can't take everything
from the crime scene.

You should sack me now
if it comes to it, save the department.

We're a team, Dot.

The moment I stood up in court
and presented your findings

they became mine too.

Yes.

But how convinced are either of us
by those findings now, eh?

If all you want out of this
is to get your mum's conviction quashed

you probably have enough.

But I also think you want to know
what happened to your brother.

I already know.

"Sudden unexplained
death of a child or infant".

That's just a term we use when
we can't find the cause of death

and there's no suspicious circumstances.

It is not normal
for there to be cotton

inside the nose and throat
of a baby.

Or for a parent to lie about
the death of a child.

Someone killed Jermaine.

If not your mum, then someone else.

I still firmly believe that.

There was other DNA
found at the scene.

You look stressed.

There's something I need
to talk to you about.

- Sounds bad.
- It's not.

But I'm worried how you'll take it.

You're really building it
up now, Dominique.

I've been working on your case.

My boss, Wolfe Kinteh, is the CSI
who testified at your trial.

Why would you go and work with him?

Cos I wanted to find out
how he arrived at his evidence.

I never dreamt he'd end up
helping me with it.

But he has.

Aye, he says he's helping you,
but how can you believe him?

He's already accepted
he was wrong about the pillow.

He knows Jermaine
wasn't smothered with it.

So he's saying it was
a cot death now, is he?

No.

What, then?

He was thinking...

both of us were...

that someone else
might've been involved.

Like who?

There was DNA at the crime scene
belonging to Eric Haim.

- I was seeing him.
- I remember.

He used to hurt you.

And if he was capable of that

maybe he was capable
of killing Jermaine.

Nobody killed Jermaine.

Why won't you let me help you
get out of here?

All those things they said
about me in court...

that I was a terrible mother.

- You weren't.
- I was, Dominique.

- I never smothered Jermaine...
- Of course you didn't.

That doesn't mean to say
I'm not guilty.

So I don't want any help
to get out of here.

I'm exactly where I should be.

She's lying.

How are we doing
with that flat number?

No joy.

How many flats do you reckon
are in here?

Too many.

Look, I don't know what kind
of place you were brought up in

but people in blocks like this
don't know their neighbours.

Hi, there.
We're looking for a Mr Eric Haim.

We understand that he lives
in this block, but we...

Oh, piss off.

Many thanks.

- Can we go now?
- Absolutely not.

Hi, there. We're looking for a
Mr Eric Haim who lives in this block.

I'm sorry, love,
I've never heard of him.

- You do realise you are entirely naked?
- I'm sorry, mate.

I thought it were just her.

Yeah?

Is your mum or dad in?

My mum ain't back from work yet,
and my dad's asleep.

- Are you in there on your own?
- I already told you.

My dad's in bed asleep.

I can see him from here.

- Go and get him.
- He won't like being woken up.

Then I'll wake him.

Try if you like,
but he's wearing headphones.

Noise cancellers.

Then maybe we'll wait out here
until he does wake up.

What are you doing?

I think he's home alone.

He says he's not.

Well, as we know,
people don't always tell the truth.

- Yeah?
- What's your name?

I don't think so. Stranger danger.

You'll be asking me
to come and stroke puppies next.

How about I give you my phone

you take a photo of your dad
to prove to us he's in there?

OK.

That's my music.

What?

He's nicked my bloody phone.

Give me my phone back,
you little shit, or I'll break the door down!

What are you laughing at?

I am cynical and suspicious, but...

that's what years of doing
this job has made me.

I'm not going to apologise
for making sure that a kid is safe.

I wish someone
had made sure you were.

The system's all wrong.

People don't get any help when they
can't cope, they get punished.

That's why they hide it.

What's going on?

You shouldn't be talking to kids
through letterboxes. It's peculiar.

Sleeping off a heavy one, mate?

I don't drink, mate.

Drugs?

- If you've got something to say...
- He hasn't. He hasn't.

Look, we're really sorry
for the misunderstanding.

I don't suppose you know
an Eric Haim, do you?

He lives in one of these flats.

Eric Haim doesn't live in these flats,
he owns them.

Looks like he's doing alright for himself.

I don't think either of us
had a drink problem at the start.

By the end, I were doing a six-pack
of cider every night.

Fay was doing half a bottle of vodka.

- Were you ever violent towards her?
- No.

Are you sure about that?

I'm no woman beater...

Though if I was,
I might've beaten her.

She certainly knew
how to push my buttons.

Some people are just toxic together.

That were me and Fay.

We're here investigating the events
surrounding the death of her baby.

Can't help you. Weren't there.

Fay and me had one of our ding-dongs,
and she chucked me out.

I didn't get back
till the early hours.

And then what happened?

I banged on the door for a bit,
shouted my sorries.

Usually, I could win Fay round,
but that time she never let me back in.

Police came to mine later that day,
told me she'd smothered the baby.

You must've been devastated.

Yeah, tragic.

But the kid weren't mine...
Thank fuck.

Thank fuck.

Thank you, Mr Haim.
You've been very helpful.

My card.

No, thanks. I'm going paperless.

Oh, she had a daughter as well as a baby.

Timid little mouse.

I sometimes wonder
what happened to her.

I reckon he came back to the house,
and Mum let him in.

- Then why isn't she telling us that?
- Because she's scared of him.

Maybe back then, but why now?

It's not as if he can get to her.

I can see his eyes
staring through the letterbox

as clear as if it was yesterday.

Fear like that doesn't leave you.

Let's get you home.

Thanks.

Professor's on the piss!

I'm conducting an experiment!

Thought I might find you in a hole.

How are you feeling?

Like a man
who's losing his superpowers.

Is this the end of the road
for Manic Man?

Nah. I tripped
and tried to jump Betsy.

So I was thinking
of going with... Twat Man.

That won't help.

I'm conducting an experiment.

Into things that won't help?

Er...

I can't spare any of this vodka,
but I have a bottle up there.

I think last year's Secret Santa.

I'm guessing Dot.

I'm not getting drunk with you.

I'm not asking you to get drunk.

I'm asking you
not to leave me alone in a hole.

I'm best on the days
when the thoughts come quicker

than I have the words
to articulate them.

Other days
you're methodical and considered.

It's all part of you, Wolfe.

It's what makes you good
at what you do.

But you didn't fall for that guy,
now, did you?

When I think about our glory nights,
I don't think about

- methodical and...
- Our glory nights? SHE LAUGHS

Yeah!
Skinny-dipping in Platt Fields.

- No.
- Helen and Joe's wedding.

That, er, disabled toilet at Sankeys.

You're basically listing times
that we had good sex.

We always had good sex.
I'm listing times we had transcendent sex.

Soulmate sex.

Oh, please tell me coming off the meds
wasn't about me.

Pretty much everything I've done since 2003

has been about you.

And then Flick.

I have loved every inch of you.

Whether you were high or low,
or in a hole, that didn't change.

You just...

You just kept chasing this

better version of yourself.

And it's that...
that I couldn't live with.

Yet here I am...

Still living with it.

With no possibility of parole.

Twat Man returns.

Twat Man forever.

- I'm an idiot.
- Yes, yes, you are.

- I'm an insufferable moron.
- Yep.

An irredeemable knob.

Tell me more.

I'm a complete wazzock.

A bumbling buffoon.

Where are we?

I feel like I'm home.

I'd better get home...

before Flick...

Before Flick gets back
from Rosalind's

and witnesses my walk of shame.

On point, even when pissed.

- Have you seen my phone?
- It's in the fridge.

Betsy? What are you doing here?

You sent me a text.

Several texts.
At two o'clock this morning.

Fairly incoherent

but the gist seemed to be that you
wanted me to bring you one of these.

Ah. I'm conducting an experiment.

As you're very fond of reminding me

you get a more accurate result
with a blood test in a lab

than we do with a puffer
on the side of the road.

Yes. And I'm replicating
particular conditions.

- Morning, Betsy.
- Oh, hi, Val.

Congratulations in order?

I don't think it means anything.

Everything means something.

Blow into that.

Are you here to admit you made a mistake?

I did make a mistake.

I thought the pillow
was the murder weapon, but now...

I suspect it was this.

I conducted an experiment yesterday.

I drank the same amount of vodka you did
on the night Jermaine died.

This morning, I was breathalysed
about the time you were

on the morning of your arrest.

Our blood alcohol level
was about the same, give or take.

But here's the thing.

At 5am this morning

the approximate time which we think
Jermaine died

I was out for the count.

My wife wasn't very happy.

I'd set an alarm on my phone
just to see how drunk I'd be.

Only she couldn't wake me,
and she couldn't turn off the alarm.

Is this supposed to mean something?

I'm a fair bit bigger than you

so if I wasn't conscious,
you weren't either.

But the only DNA
we found in that house

was yours and Eric Haim's.

Why are you covering for him?

People like you always
have to be right, don't you?

You have to know everything.

I'm already rotting away in here.

No chance of getting out,
but still, you keep pushing it.

Still you won't let it go.

Is it a confession you want?

Do you need to hear me say it?

I killed him.

There.

It's said. I killed Jermaine.

I snapped and I smothered him.

Where are you going?

Tell Dominique, er,
not to come here again.

- But, Fay, please...
- And if you give a shit about her...

tell her to let it go.

Fay.

Come on.

You know what I'm looking forward to
when this is all over?

Getting your mum back?

Yeah, course. But...

also just being normal.

I want to go on a holiday
without feeling guilty.

Yeah, yeah, you should definitely do that.

I've always fancied Paris, but...

we can try somewhere different
if you've already been.

No, Paris sounds good.

Er, Wolfe?

We should discuss what we're going to do
with the new fibre evidence.

You've got the evidence,
do with it what you must.

- But you said we were going to see it through.
- I have.

No, seeing it through means agreeing
what happened as a team.

Do you have any idea how much
it costs to run a lab like ours?

You got a freebie, but it's time
to get back to our proper work.

You're just the same as every other
do-gooder who spent five minutes

looking like they might be helpful.

I never meant to let you down.

Yeah. No one ever does.

But you've chosen to save your reputation,
haven't you, Wolfe?

And I'll never forgive you
for putting that above the truth.

Let it go, Dominique.

My life has been put on hold
ever since my brother died

and it won't restart again
until I know what happened to him.

Because there's nothing worse
than not knowing.

- Let's go to my office.
- No.

You can say what you've got to say
right here in front of everyone.

Please, Dominique.
It needs to be in private.

I said no.

I believe the fibres
came from this blanket.

- You can't prove that.
- I know.

So that's your answer, is it?

You were right about the smothering,
it's just the weapon you got wrong?

I no longer think
Jermaine was smothered.

I think he... suffocated
inside the washing machine.

What?

The machine was switched off, but...

the barrel, it's airtight.

So once the door was shut,
he ran out of oxygen.

The blanket was on or near his face
while that happened.

It doesn't make any sense. Why...

Why would she use
the washing machine to kill him?

Nobody was trying to kill Jermaine.

They were trying to protect him.

She must've been so frightened.

Eric Haim was drunk,
hammering on the door.

She knew what he was capable of.
She tried...

to wake her mum up,
but Fay was out of it. So...

she picked up Jermaine...

No.

She picked up Jermaine

and she carefully carried him...

...to the washing machine.

Nah, nah, nah. No.

That's not right.

And she... she placed him inside.

No...

To keep him safe from Eric Haim.

I'm... I'm so sorry, Dominique.

So he would be safe.

It was so he would be safe.

I'm sorry.

I said I wanted the truth.

Turns out I wanted a soothing lie.

The truth has always been
like a faith to me.

But today's the first time
I had it tested.

I found myself wondering
if the facts don't always bring comfort

then maybe there are some things
better left buried.

I don't even know what
I'm going to say to my mum.

She might have thought
she was protecting me, but...

I'd rather have known the truth
and had her around.

I bet you can deal with a lot
if you've got a mum.

You and her
will have plenty of time...

to go through all of that.

In the meantime,
you need to take this new evidence

and put it into
an appeal application.

Me?

It's your case, Dominique.

And when you've finished,
you'll have another.

And another after that.

I'm not sure I can do this now.

You can and you will.

Because you are that very rare
and special breed of CSI

who knows that this job is a lot less
about data and death

than it is about people.

Listen, Valerie.

There's something...
I want to tell you something important.

- Something long... Jesus!
- What are you doing?

I honestly don't know.

Have you and Mum had a row?

Worse.

Oh, my God, you've had sex!

That's a very astute pick up.

Oh, please don't tell me any more.

But also, please try not to upset her.

I can't remember the last time
I saw her as happy as she was today.

Really?

Oh, no, I can, actually.

Yeah, the day you moved out.

What is it?

Divorce papers.

You enjoyed last night, then.

More than anything, actually.

And if there's any possibility

that it has ignited
even the tiniest amount of hope

then I am here
and ready to blow on it.

Weird.

And to try my best
not to extinguish it.

Step away from the metaphor.

But if you decide...

that there is no hope...

erm, there's the parole you wanted.

And I'm sorry that I didn't give it to you
when you first asked.

Is there blank paper in this?

No.

You can't blame me
for being suspicious.

I can't. Which is why
if we come out of this as friends, Valerie

it'll be more than I deserve.

Thank you.

It means a lot.

Oh, come on.

Dominique's going to be OK.

I truly believe that.

Because she has the support
of a family

which, make no mistake,
that's what we are.

You couldn't do this job
with colleagues alone.

I've not been her biggest fan, but...

...I wouldn't wish that
on my worst enemy.

- Yep.
- That's empathy.

OK, I'll be right there.

Eat up, we've got a scene.

Complex case?

A dead skydiver in a field.

Doesn't sound very complex.

- He wasn't wearing a parachute.
- Oh!

You were all thinking it.

Alright, I'll go straight there with you.
Maggy, Dot, go get the stuff.

Er, what about me?

You're going to go to Dominique's.

We don't leave family alone
in a hole.

But we also don't shag them, Steve.

Yep, course.

♪ When your time runs out ♪

♪ And you're looking for a place to land ♪

♪ I'll step from the shadow ♪

♪ Into the palm of your hand ♪

♪ When you're out of luck ♪

♪ I'll be what you're looking for ♪

♪ Even if it's not who I am ♪

♪ I can change ♪

♪ I can change for you ♪

♪ I can change ♪

♪ I can change for you ♪

♪ I can bend, I can break,
I can shift, I can shake ♪

♪ Blaze a trail through the driving rain... ♪