Original subtitles

WOMAN: Previously on "Guidance"...

ALANA: If she made an accusation in that video,

then we need to start an investigation.

- Into me? Wow. HILARY: There's a teacher

who has everybody fooled.

I'm the only one that can see

that he's a manipulative, two-faced monster.

- She buried her father this weekend.

- I should have been warned that there's a dangerous student.

[dramatic music]

OZO: You know, your boyfriend's been watching you.

BRIANNA: Maybe I like being watched.

TYLER: You don't get it. I have to protect her.

- The only possible danger to Brianna is you.

[eerie music]

♪ ♪

[bang]

- Surprise. [Tyler laughing]

TYLER: Oh, my God. BRIANNA: Happy birthday.

TYLER: What's this? BRIANNA: Happy birthday, baby.

TYLER: Wha--what's this?

- Your presents that we made.

Thought it was kind of old school.

[laughs] - Hmm.

BRIANNA: Don't you love it? TYLER: Yeah.

BRIANNA: 18, you're finally here,

you did it. [laughs]

Aww.

Well...

Make a wish, baby.

[camera shutter clicking]

[tense music]

♪ ♪

- Oh, my God. They found Tyler.

BRIANNA: I thought he made it out.

I thought he was safe.

What are they doing to him?

- Checking for gunshot residue.

♪ ♪

WOMAN: ♪ My own world ♪

♪ Living inside myself ♪

♪ Myself ♪

♪ Living for no one else ♪

♪ And I see your face ♪

♪ I don't wanna face it ♪

♪ No more ♪

♪ So I look away ♪

♪ I don't wanna face it ♪

♪ No more ♪

♪ What I'm thinking ♪

♪ What I'm saying ♪

♪ I don't ever know ♪

♪ Oh, oh ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ So come in ♪

♪ ♪

- Do you think there's preferential treatment

given to some of the students in AP Psychology?

- Seriously, Mr. Ridley doesn't care

if you're popular or smart or whatever.

- People say what they want,

but he just wants us to do well

at, like, life.

Isn't that what a good teacher is supposed to do?

- Oh, what's the question?

- Have you ever contested a grade?

- Uh, no, I'm not Hilary.

- This isn't about-- - You know, Mr. Ridley and I,

we got something in common.

We stay out of the drama.

- Have you ever been concerned about the grading in his class?

- You mean like Hilary?

- We're not talking about--

- Hilary's just pissed

because she isn't getting her way.

- Some people have nothing better to live for than grades.

It's sad, really.

- Is AP Psych an easy A?

- Oh, well, I got a C last week, so...

- Are you saying I didn't earn my grade?

- That's not what I meant. - So if Hilary

can't get an A, I shouldn't either?

- No. I get it. I'm a C student.

How could I possibly do better than her,

Ms. Valedictorian?

- You're not even listening.

All you wanna hear about is Mr. Ridley,

but it's Hilary that's not telling the truth.

- Let's stay on topic.

- Do you know how messed up this is?

[chair scraping]

[door rattles]

- What did she ask you about?

- Mr. Ridley, obviously.

- Okay, but what did she ask you about specifically?

- About grading and whether or not he plays favorites.

But you were in there. You know what she asked.

- Yes, but what did you say?

- What do you think I said? - I don't know, Tyler.

That's why I'm asking. - I'm so sick of this, okay?

I don't wanna talk about it anymore.

- Why are you yelling? - Because maybe my girlfriend's

buying gifts for someone else and saying they're soul mates.

- I'm--what are you talking about?

- The shoes.

- You're not making any sense. - The Vans,

I saw them in your bag

with a love note attached.

- Are you kidding me right now?

First you break into my locker,

next you're peeping Tom on my bag,

and then you're sorry and Prince Charming

and you love me?

Which was what, an act?

- Just tell me who you gave the shoes to.

- Like, you are legit freaking me out.

Stay away from me until you mellow.

[skateboard thuds]

- Hey, Ozo.

[indistinct chatter]

- You all right? Whose blood is this?

Is this your blood? - Who's that?

- Seriously, kid, you call yourself a reporter

you don't recognize the ex-governor?

- Tyler's dad isn't much for slumming it

around here at CHS.

- Everyone wait here, please.

- I need to know exactly what happened on that stage.

Okay? I want the truth, all of it.

I need you to trust me. - Look, all you need to know

is that Tyler is a hero.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- I've been looking for you.

- What's up? You wanna buy?

- I wanna know where you got those shoes.

- What shoes?

- The Vans,

the brand-new ones from yesterday.

Someone give them to you?

- Wasn't my birthday, bro.

- Well, answer the question. - Whoa, chill.

No, no one bought them for me.

I can afford my own.

You gonna back up now or what?

- Bri bought a pair just like that

and she didn't get them for herself.

- Hmm.

Why would Bri buy me shoes?

- Because you're sleeping with her.

- Come on, Ty.

You're loose, bro.

You know me and Brianna don't do like that.

- Yeah? I know you used to.

You sure you still don't have feelings?

- I was 14 the last time I saw her tits.

- Don't say that.

- Whoa, you think I'm gonna take your sloppy seconds?

Your bleach blonde, tramping out--

- I said don't talk about her-- - Don't mess with me, Ty!

That's what's up, right?

- Jesus, man.

- We straight now?

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

[camera shutter clicks]

♪ ♪

[camera shutter clicking]

♪ ♪

[tense music]

[indistinct chatter]

- Hey. - Leave me alone, Smiley.

- Listen, I need your help.

- Bye. Forever.

- Please, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

- Oh, my God. This better be good.

- Listen, I found a commenter on your video

and I tried to contact them through the chat on the site,

but they won't write me back. - Oh, my God.

It's so hard dealing with people outside of your fan club.

- They wrote to you.

And maybe if you write them back,

they'll respond.

- What's in it for you?

- I don't know, maybe we can have a bonding moment,

braid each other's hair, friendship bracelets,

or you could just help me.

- Why would I do that?

- Because of this.

- Oh, my God.

They called him out by name. - Yeah.

Look at this one.

They think you're a hero.

Oh, this is the one you really need to see.

Right there.

- "He ruined my life."

Who is this?

- I don't know.

Well, yet, but...

don't you wanna find out?

- Yeah.

I really do.

[indistinct radio chatter]

[dramatic music]

- Well, let's get this over with.

- Right.

Have you ever based a grade

off of anything other than a student's classwork?

- Wow. Just jumping right in, huh?

You mean like singling a student out

for special treatment?

[computer beeps]

- It's from magpie13.

It says,

"What do you want?" - Manners.

- Come on. They're probably weirded out.

You've been cyber-stalking them for days.

- Fine, um...

say you wanna ask about Ridley.

- Okay.

[computer chimes]

Um, they say,

"What do you want to know?"

- Say everything.

[computer chimes]

- I think there's too much weight being put on test scores,

but doesn't mean I thwart the system.

I have a syllabus. I give quizzes.

But I also work really hard

to motivate my students,

find ways to reach them.

I want all of them to succeed.

- Um...

The students that consistently

make "A"s in your class

are also the cheerleaders,

the presidents, the homecoming queens,

and the sports captains.

- It's no surprise

that the well-adjusted students

would excel at psychology.

I mean, they're better at reading people,

participation.

The class is more than theories.

It's a lot of practical exercises.

- Right, but-- - And I can see

how this might look like favoritism.

It's just not.

[computer chimes]

- "Mr. Ridley picked me as his favorite from the start.

"He moved me to the front row near his desk.

I was the teacher's pet, and everyone knew."

- And outside of school,

have you ever interacted with students?

- Sure.

Guitar Club, tutoring,

school dances, the usual.

My free time is my free time.

[computer chimes]

- "I had a part-time job at the mall.

"One day he walked into my store randomly,

"but then he started stopping by a lot.

It made me feel special."

- So you've never socialized

with students outside of school?

- Do I seem like that kind of person?

- It doesn't matter what I think, Kevin.

I'm just trying to nail down the facts.

- Look, they're not my besties.

They're my students.

All right, I know where to draw the line.

- "He started driving me home from work.

"He'd give me little gifts.

"I loved it.

"I'd had a crush on him since I was a freshman.

It was like a dream come true."

- Well,

maybe this wasn't intentional.

- Well, of course it's not.

- Maybe you were unaware of your own bias.

- Look, I am very aware of who I am as a teacher

and who my students are.

In fact, I'm the one that warned you about Hilary.

Did you ever look into her homelife like I suggested?

- No. I-- - Well, maybe

you should have been more proactive.

SMILEY: "When it was over, he became mean.

"He turned the other teachers against me.

"He isolated me from my friends.

"I had no one to talk to, and even when I tried,

"nobody believed me.

I was so depressed I didn't wanna live."

[computer chimes]

- "In the end, everything I'd worked for,

"everything I thought was possible,

"it was a lie.

He ruined my life."

- I have, uh, one last question.

Have you ever used grades punitively?

- Alana, I'm gonna say this one more time,

all right, very clearly because I don't think you're hearing me.

I am not biased.

I don't play favorites,

and Hilary got the B-plus that she deserved.

[keys clacking]

- What does "when it was all over" mean?

- I'm typing as fast as I can.

[computer chimes]

- Holy crap.

[electronic beep] What happened?

- She's gone.

- Now, if there's nothing more, I think I'm gonna go.

- I guess we're done.

[indistinct radio chatter]

[dramatic music]

- Hey, Layla, can we talk?

- Rehearsal tomorrow,

this stage, after last bell.

Hmm. You two are looking friendly.

What's up with that? - We need to talk to you.

- We need Liddy. - Ugh, what?

You wanna learn how to smoke out of an apple?

I haven't talked to her in days.

Go ask Ozo.

- No, no.

We need to know about Guitar Club.

- About Guitar Club?

They're all a bunch of acoustic pussies.

There. Now you know everything.

- Charming.

- Like you're a dainty flower.

- All right, Layla, this is serious.

- What's going on?

- We talked to this person online,

and we think it was a girl who went to our school.

- And she was really...close

with Mr. Ridley.

- Okay. What would Liddy know about that?

- Well, she spends a bunch of time with him

and all his cronies, right?

- She says he inspires her

and it makes her feel special and talented.

What's going on? - This person

said that Mr. Ridley isolated her

from all of her old friends.

- And that she had a crush on him,

which, I mean, who doesn't right?

Minus Hil, of course.

The point is, it seems shady

'cause it looks like he was encouraging it.

- Yeah, like, he bought her gifts.

- What kind of gifts?

- Well, she didn't say, but...

- Yeah. We were just wondering

if Liddy maybe heard any rumors

or if she noticed anything.

- I, uh--I got to go.

- Well, that was super weird. - Yeah.

What are we supposed to do now? [door squeaking]

- We need to get to someone even closer.

[indistinct chatter]

[tense music]

♪ ♪

[laughter and indistinct chatter]

♪ ♪

- No, no, that's not what I was saying.

- Oh, oh, okay.

But in those interviews,

nobody corroborated Hilary's position.

You have no physical evidence.

Look, you either found something or you didn't,

and it's pretty clear to me that you didn't.

- There's circumstantial evidence,

patterns. - What?

Linking grades to popularity?

Come on, Alana, that's a bit of a stretch.

- Don't you think it's odd that there are some students

that do better in his class than anywhere else?

- No.

Great teachers reach kids.

That's just a fact.

Kevin happens to be a great teacher.

That's also a fact.

- I don't think it's so black and white.

- Wha-- [sighs]

Black and white is why I hired you.

Come on, that's your thing.

You're steady, you stay the course,

that's why I can rely on you.

- Well...

I don't feel so steady right now.

- Yeah.

Yeah, I know. I--

I got to admit, I--

I ain't doing too well myself either.

Ah, Buck was so damn strong, you know?

I don't know what I'm gonna do without him.

- Me either.

- Okay, look.

Losing--losing him,

it's just got both of us twisted around,

but that's to be expected.

What we can't do

is allow that to cloud our judgment.

- This...

This isn't about judgment; it's about facts.

- Well, you haven't brought me any facts, Alana.

[sighs]

Okay, look. Let's...

Let's just file this one away

as another one of Hilary's tantrums.

Come on. Go, go tell Kev he's good to go.

He's gonna be happy to hear it.

[knock at door]

- I just, uh, wanted to give you the news.

John looked over my report,

and you're all clear.

- That's great news.

It only takes one bad rumor to kill a career.

[eerie music]

- This--this wasn't personal.

- Ah, of course it wasn't.

Never is with you, Alana.

Now, if you could just close the door behind you,

I got to--I got to finish this.

♪ ♪

- Okay.

♪ ♪

[door creaks and thuds closed]

BRIANNA: Five, six, seven.

Eight.

Five, six, seven, eight.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

Five, six, seven, eight.

Five, six...

♪ ♪

- Ozo. - I'm not playing, Tyler.

Don't mess with me. - Take out your phone.

- [scoffs] She's making you crazy, man.

- Pull out your phone.

BRIANNA: W-I-N!

♪ ♪

- All right. Chill.

[phone line trilling]

♪ ♪

We good now?

♪ ♪

[indistinct radio chatter]

BRIANNA: [sobbing] Okay. No.

Tyler, are they arresting you? [sobbing]

Are they arresting you, Tyler? MAN: Whoa, whoa.

- What's happening? - They're taking him

to the station for booking.

BRIANNA: Tyler, you can't do this! Please!

- Why? What proof do they have?

- Tyler just confessed. - Tyler, you can't do this.

ALANA: No, no, no. - [sobbing] Tyler. Tyler.

♪ ♪

HILARY: You can't close this investigation.

- Hilary, the evidence that I found

is circumstantial at best.

- Yeah, but you found something, right?

- It doesn't matter.

John--Principal Decost

said it's over, so it's finished.

- But we have new evidence.

ALANA: "When it was over, he became mean.

He turned all the other teachers against me."

"I had no one to talk to.

When I tried, nobody believed me."

- What do they mean by "when it was over"?

- Well, that's what we wanted to know.

[ominous musical flourish]

- Oh, my God.

Who is this?

- Well, we're assuming it's a girl

considering he's a raging hetero.

- Yeah, and she must have gone to our school

in the past eight years since he was hired.

- But she wouldn't tell us her name,

and when we tried to meet up, she split.

- But we've got him nailed, right?

- People could claim that you wrote this

to cover your back.

- Ugh, but I was sitting right next to her

when the chat was live. - Yeah.

- And everyone knows that

you love a scandal whether it's true or not.

- I swear to God.

Ms. Maynor, we didn't make this up.

- I know, Hilary. I believe you.

But there's only one way to prove it.

I have to find magpie13.

SMILEY: All right. It's November 4th.

We're here at Capitol High. Okay.

Okay, we're at the homecoming dance.

There were gunshots. I think there were--two of 'em?

[people yelling and screaming]

WOMAN: Governor James. Governor James.

Is your son the shooter?

Governor James. WOMAN: Let me go.

WOMAN: Is your son the shooter? WOMAN: Hey, wait!

WOMAN: Answer the question. Governor James.

- I have no comment.

- Governor James, is your son the shooter?

Governor James. [all shouting at once]

SMILEY: Don't shoot! Don't shoot!

MAN: Drop it! SMILEY: It's just my phone!

Don't shoot! - Governor James!

[camera shutter clicking, school bell ringing]

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪