Original subtitles

The moment I wake up, before I put on my makeup,

I say a little prayer for you.

I'll comb in my hair now.

saying, Judge Ferris, is that you expect the American public to believe that

your court has performed fairly and impartially on every case that has come

before you? Miss Brown, in my 20 years on the bench, I have received nothing

the highest ratings from the Judicial Review Board.

Perhaps if you were more familiar with my record... September 1988, the

case. One of your city's most powerful contractors is charged with five

code violations, half a dozen civil complaints, and you gave him a slap on

wrist. That was a completely objective ruling, based on the legal intricacies

the case.

And not at all influenced by any personal association you had with Mr.

Absolutely not. Mr.

Kaminsky and I have no personal relationship whatsoever.

Judge Ferris, you were at a private party on Mr. Kaminsky's yacht one week

before your decision.

You were at his side for most of the evening. You spoke personally in his

compartment for over an hour. Now you're treading on very dangerous ground, Miss

Brown. If you have any evidence of this, you'd better produce it.

Will these do, Judge Ferris? These are pictures of you on that yacht.

There you are with Mr. Kaminsky chatting on the bridge.

You and Mrs. Kaminsky dancing.

And isn't that you at the buffet table?

That's judge what we're looking at here is a bench that has been influenced by

power blinded by special interest and corrupted by greed What is your

explanation to the people you're supposed to serve?

I? Understand you're reluctant to speak judge, but these are serious charges.

You can't stay silent forever We're waiting judge Ferris

That's right, Judge.

You just take your time and think about that.

After all, we must address those who say that the judicial system in this

country is dead.

What's going on?

Correct me if I'm wrong, Judge Ferris, but wasn't the judicial process

originally developed in Babylonia?

And wasn't it Hammurabi who said everyone should have a fair trial?

we be today without a judicial system to organize systematically the judicial

needs of that very system?

Dead.

He's dead.

Oh, God! He's dead!

Go to Jim! Go to Jim!

Uh, well, Judge Paris, it looks like your time is up.

Thanks for being with us, and thanks for being such a good sport.

Back to you, Jim.

Thank you, Murphy, for that lively interview.

When we return, Frank Fontana takes a look at improvements in automobile

Are our highways safer in 89?

Has anybody seen Murphy? She said she'd meet with me first thing this morning

and help me with my peas. It's after 11.

This is the third day in a row she's been late. I'm worried about her. She

doesn't... seem like herself lately.

Come on. Give the woman a chance.

Yes, what happened to her was devastating, but Murphy's tough. Tough

come. She's weathered many a storm. She'll weather this.

Excuse me.

Pardon me.

My floor.

Thanks.

Morning, everybody.

Morning, Corky. I know I'm late. I'm really sorry.

That's okay, Murphy.

Oh, my God. She apologized.

Uh, Murph, what have you got there?

Cookies. Cookies? Girl Scout cookies.

There was a kid in the lobby. She was two cartons short of her quota, and she

looked so sad in her little hat and her green dress.

Besides, I wanted to show my appreciation to the staff.

Marv? Thanks for washing out those coffee mugs last night.

Fran, you're a kind and decent person. Have a box of Thin Mints.

Murph, are you okay?

Couldn't be better.

Look at you guys.

I guess I probably don't say this enough, but I've been blessed with a

wonderful group of friends.

I admit I went through a few rocky days, but it's behind me. I'm over the Judge

Ferris thing.

Now, stop sitting around with those long faces.

We've got a show to produce.

Hi, I'm Murphy. Don't marry her, Brent. It's not your baby.

Murphy? Murphy?

I want to work with you.

I just spent the last...

I don't blame you, Miles.

I guess I wasn't thinking.

If it means anything, I'm sorry, and it'll never happen again.

What?

I'll go upstairs and there'll be crazy glue on my toilet seat.

No, Murphy.

If you're going to do anything to me, you do it now while there are witnesses.

Miles, I'm not going to do anything to you. It would be childish of me to

retaliate when we both know you're right about this.

Okay. So it's not crazy glue.

Does it involve farm animals?

Oh, Miles.

Actually, I'm glad you stopped by. I need to talk to you about the Brad

interview. Brad Stockton? Whoa.

You got Brad Docton?

No one's been able to get word one out of him since his indictment.

I envy you, Murph. That guy's been bilking old people out of their

money. You'll fry him.

That's what I wanted to talk about.

I think you should do the interview, Frank.

Excuse me?

It's only fair.

Why do I get all the plum assignments around here?

Take the story, Frank. You'll do a great job with it.

By the way, Frank, how's your mother?

Fine. Good. I bought her a Hummel figure. Here.

Hey there, Murphy.

Hiya, Phil.

I thought I'd deliver your lunch personally.

I wanted to see why you haven't been coming around.

Oh, it's nothing. I've been busy research editing.

Murphy, it wasn't your fault that guy croaked.

I know how you feel.

Somebody once died in Phil's. Really?

Yeah.

Decided to try an all -you -can -eat night.

Biggest mistake of my life.

Last thing I heard the guy say was, oh boy, burritos.

Hey! Were you looking what time it is?

It is late, and I'm still...

Talk about inconsiderate.

Boy, someone ought to tell me just to go home or something.

It's okay, Eldon. You said the floor needed sanding. You're just doing your

I may have to take apart your shower next.

Could take days.

Okie dokie.

in the kitchen making rice crispy balls.

I gotta tell you, I tried everything.

The woman is ill.

Yesterday, I caught her listening to a Captain and Tennille album.

When it got to Muskrat Love, she sang along.

Never heard I thought I'd stop by. Great. Well, guess what? I got a hot

a new story. Really?

I just spent three hours on the phone with Jerry Ford's publicist. It took

convincing to bring me around, but I think now is a good time to reevaluate

presidency. You booked Jerry Ford on the show?

The 70s are very hot, Frank.

Murph.

Murph, we've got to talk.

Buddy, heart to heart.

I'm working. I'm not even up to the part where Ford led the battle against swine

flu. Oh, Max, come on.

This is not the woman who told Arafat to shut up or she'd short -sheet his head.

And maybe I shouldn't have done that, Frank.

Do you ever stop to think that maybe I go over the line sometimes?

What I keep thinking about is how I wouldn't let up.

What gave me the right to be so hard on Ferris?

Just because I'm a journalist, does that give me license to push people past the

brink? We're supposed to push for answers. That's what we always do. Only

time, someone happened to stop living. That doesn't mean that you're

responsible.

I know that.

I just can't seem to get back on track.

Murph.

Murph, I wasn't going to mention this, but maybe you should see someone.

You mean a shrink?

No way.

I spent my 31 days at Betty Ford. I learned everything about myself I'll

need to know.

I mean, how many times can you relive your childhood or talk about that dream

where you're tumbling down a train tunnel and you end up falling onto a bed

covered with cats and Siskel and Ebert are there?

I appreciate your concern, but I can work this out myself.

You know what I was just thinking about?

Your interview with the Reverend Jimmy Billings. Do you remember that?

Yeah. It was an okay interview. Okay? It was brilliant.

Come on, Murph.

A little mind picture.

You're there.

Billings is sitting across from you. You've got on your favorite red blazer,

one that says, I am the huntress. Please.

Frank. Come on. The lights are beating down on him.

You feel your pulse start to quicken. Then you ask him the question.

You remember the question, Murph? I don't know. Yes, you do.

Come on, Murph. What was it? Say it.

Have you ever been to the Bahamas?

Oh, that's not the way you said it that night.

Have you ever been to the Bahamas?

Oh, sounds like a real what question to me.

Reverend Billings, did you use church funds to escort an admitted prostitute

the Bahamas for a week of sexual pleasure?

Well, uh... And does your counseling usually include Dom Perignon and Band of

Soleil? And do you consider the parish... Nice Regency. Honeymoon suite.

of worship. Okay, okay. Show some mercy.

How do you feel?

Your hair on my arms is standing up.

You want that Stockton interview, don't you?

I want it bad. How bad?

Real bad.

Great. Now you get to work.

Right. I've got notes to make, research to read, questions to prepare.

I'll be ready. I know you will, Murph.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Right.

Hey, Frank.

Thanks.

What did I do?

There he is.

Brad Stockton. A pathetic piece of humanity.

View him like prey.

Don't worry, Jim. He's shark bait.

Well? I just got a call from security.

Seems as though someone opened an inflatable life raft in my car.

Welcome back, Murphy.

Fifteen seconds, people.

Come on, clear the stage. Let's settle.

Nellie Murphy, we're counting on you.

Ms. Brown, it's a pleasure.

The pleasure is all mine.

All right, going live in five, four, three.

Two.

We're back.

And now, Brad Stockton.

His meteoric rise in the financial world and subsequent indictment have captured

the attention of large and small players on both sides of the stock exchange.

On the eve of a landmark trial, Murphy Brown talks with this controversial

man. Murphy?

Thank you, Jim.

Mr. Stockton, at 22 you were on the cover of Time.

Two years later, you're charged with swindling $10 million from those who

invested in a chain called Parlez -Vous Frozen Yogurt.

You face allegations that Parlez -Vous was nothing more than a corporate shell

game. What do you say to that?

Parlez -Vous was a bona fide corporation in every sense of the word. And we

fully intended to return our investment, but...

Like any new business, we encountered some unexpected delays. You certainly

The Justice Department shut you down on 15 counts of fraud.

They said you swindled $10 million from unsuspecting investors, a majority of

whom were senior citizens trusting you with their life savings. Ms. Brown,

people knew the risks.

I'm an entrepreneur, not a babysitter.

Ha, they begged you to return their money, but you couldn't. You'd already

it on a $3 million estate on Maui, several sports cars, a private jet, and

racehorse. Now, wait a minute.

I really don't see how my personal lifestyle has anything to do with... Are

all right?

I'm fine.

Are you sure? Would you like some water?

I just got a scratch in my throat.

All right, then, Mr. Stockton, tell me this.

How can you people honestly say that frozen yogurt has only half the calories

ice cream?

So I'm in the

store, and I'm staring up at this wall full of VCRs, hundreds of them, VHS,

beta, cable -ready, stereo.

I feel my heart.

Start to pound.

I'm sweating.

I can hear the salesman's voice behind me, but it sounds like I'm in an echo

chamber. He's saying how 8mm is going to replace everything, but you can't rent

that many tapes on it yet?

Do I need a wireless remote? And what about on -screen indexing?

The room started spinning. I couldn't breathe.

I felt like I was dying.

You are dying.

Like yourselves, one at a time.

Until there's none left.

And everything goes black.

And what was the point of it?

Joan, what do you think about Barry's experience?

Big wow.

You want to have an anxiety attack?

Try taking four kids to a pizza hut.

Jeffrey?

I just want to say that for the first time in the five years I've been coming

here, I don't feel like an outcast.

And that's because there's a new person in the group.

And she hasn't said anything all evening.

Well, I'm sure Murphy will speak when she has something to say.

She doesn't want to be here.

She'd rather be skiing in Aspen with Don Johnson than sitting here with us.

I want to be here. I definitely want to be here.

Why? You'll never get better.

No one ever gets better.

I'd like to say something.

I've noticed that many of you have been treating Murphy differently than you

would any other new member of the group.

She may be a celebrity, but she does have problems, just like any of us.

She killed that guy on TV.

Let's get down to business, shall we?

Who would like to share something with the group?

I would.

Go ahead, Jeff.

I would like to tell everyone here how much I care about them.

I love you, Murphy.

Thank you.

I love you, Joan.

I love you, Dan.

I think I love you most of all. Yeah, I love you too, Jeffrey.

Uh, no.

I mean... I really love you.

There, I said it.

Like some giant weight's been taken off my shoulders.

already you think it's easy raising four kids alone that's why women turn bitter

that's why women kill

excuse me i'd like to say

something now i don't really understand how this is supposed to help me ruth do

you want to respond to that

be honest with you.

I don't think this is for me.

I don't have time to sit around and hug all day. I have a job.

So do you think I could just talk about my problem and then you could give me

the answer to my problem and I'd be done and I could get out of here?

It's not to me like you're looking for an easy way out.

Things don't work like that.

It takes time.

Now see, that's my first problem with therapy.

You're supposed to sit around and yak about yourself for a couple of years.

Let's face it, it's all pretty self -indulgent.

Well, and what's wrong with that, Murphy?

People need a safe place to share their feelings.

It seems to me that you're just afraid to share yours.

Is that right?

Why don't we just cut to the chase, Doctor? There's an awful lot of people

there who think this stuff you call science is just a lot of garbage. What

you say to that?

Do your research, Murphy.

It took me eight years at Stanford to practice what you call garbage.

I have helped an awful lot of people.

Oh, really?

Isn't it true, doctor, that if I went to any other kind of doctor and came out

of his office and wasn't cured, I'd call him a quack? Yet here people leave

miserable and you say, that's good.

You're really growing emotionally.

I don't think that you fully understand. I think there are a lot of people who

would like to know how you can call this therapy anything but a ripoff.

Admit it. It's a great way to make a buck at the expense of a vulnerable

who is looking for some way to get attention even if they have to buy it.

The bottom line is, it's a real racket, and I think it's about time somebody

exposed it.

Well.

Good for you, Murphy.

Good for me what?

I'm not dead, am I?

Excuse me?

You confronted me. You were tough on me. And I'm still here.

Wait a minute.

They don't know what to say.

I feel great.

Better than I felt in a long time.

I can't believe you did that.

That was really good.

And after all those things I said about therapy taking a long time, do I have

egg on my face?

Well, if they say in my business, that's a wrap.

Thanks for everything. Nice meeting all of you. If I can do anything for you,

studio tours, anything at all, don't hesitate to call.

Oh, Murphy, you forgot your purse.

Oh, right.

Won't get very far without that.

Boy, I should have my head examined.

Well, goodbye, everybody. Good luck.

You know, Murphy, I like to think that every behavior means something.

little thing like forgetting your purse.

What do you think?

As Freud said, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

You know, Murphy, in the last week, you have questioned a lot of things in your

life. Don't you think that that's worth some examination?

Well, maybe I could stay a few more minutes.

That dip looks pretty good.

I made that.

I'm finished, though. Other people have something to say. They just go right

ahead. All right.

Who would like to share something with the group?

I had the strangest dream last night.

I was tumbling down this train tunnel and I landed on a bed covered with cats.