All language subtitles for s07e23_-_a_closer_look

Tonight, on A Close Look, the nocturnal
world of criminal justice in Manhattan.

All right, here are the rules.

No one talks in my court. Get that?

No one.

Okay, I might have to.

A world where society has gone astray
and unsung workers labor tirelessly to

uphold the law.

Workers? Like the district attorney.

To be a good DA, you've got to be tough.

But I think you'll find that away from
court that I'm liked, well-respected,

even maybe, well, a little admired by
the people I work with.

The man's a pig.

Filthy, disgusting pig.

The public defender.

Hello, my name is Christine Sullivan.
I've been assigned to defend you.

People versus Manny, the court clerk.

I can call a scheduled case, prize,
whatever, just by doing this.

Financial criminal court part two is now
in session.

The judge.

I'm going to have to rule in favor of
the defendant.

Struggling to keep things moving and in
perspective.

You held up an international house of
pancakes?

How waffle.

The arraignment process.

For some, the road to exoneration.

For others, the road to incarceration.

I'm Ed Druthers. Join me in viewing
justice in its most primitive state as

we take a close look at Manhattan's
night court.

It's 3 p.m., and the night shift begins
its workday in the cafeteria with some

conversation and a cup of coffee.

Yeah, I guess it's become something of a
nightly ritual, getting together with a

gang like this.

We like to catch up on some of the nutty
things we do outside of work. Oh, yeah?

Like what?

Oh, gosh.

Well,

I didn't have to think about that.

Oh, Matt!

Mac was just telling us about what he
did on his weekend. Oh, yeah, yeah,

yeah. I rented one of those rug
shampoos.

And darn if I didn't use too much soap.

Had to rinse three times.

It's shag, you know.

As Robinson drones out about his shag,
the group is joined by assistant D.A.,

Dan Fielding. Hey, what a night. Put a
few more notches on the old bedpost last

night.

I'm a woodcarver.

It's an hour before session in the
holding cell.

Just another day as prisoners are
processed for arraignment.

Are you presently sick or taking any
medication?

No, ma'am. Are you currently under
doctor supervision?

No, ma'am. Are you looking for an
intelligent single woman who likes good

wine, witty conversation, and kickboxing
by moonlight?

Okay, let's move it!

They are taking their first steps into
the most overworked judicial system in

the nation.

First the littlest piggy.

How would you describe tonight? Slow,
medium, busy?

Well, let's see.

I'd say we're a little busier than
normal.

Despite the overcrowding, Shannon
assured me they were staying on top of

things. But we found evidence to the
contrary.

You've been here how long, Mr. Borelli?

41 hours.

41 hours. And he still hasn't been
arraigned. How do you explain it? Well,

either he's an apparition composed of
antimatter from a parallel universe, or

we made a boo-boo.

So how does a man get lost in the system
for 41 hours?

In this case, Borelli was arrested at
the 33rd Precinct. Some doofus put him

on the bus to the women's jail instead
of here. You were sent to a women's

detention center.

Deloused in jail with 300 women.

Why didn't you say anything?

Would you?

Ironically, Borelli's side trip may have
earned him his freedom. If a prisoner

isn't arraigned within 48 hours, he must
be set free. But not everyone can get

off on a technicality. So most welcome
the help of a good lawyer.

Hello, my name is Christine Sullivan.
I've been assigned to defend you.

Seven years.

And one of the most thankless jobs in
the legal system.

Why do you stay at it? It's the greatest
job in the world. Because I get to roll

up my sleeves and fight for a person who
might not otherwise be able to defend

themselves.

And for those who find the system a
little bit overwhelming, I like to

humanize it and try to make them feel as
comfortable as possible.

And then we'll plead not guilty and
we'll get a trial date and I'm sure that

the judge will waive bail.

Do you have any questions?

Excuse me, does anyone happen to speak
any Hindi, Danny?

It's 3.42, and Sullivan meets with her
15th client of the night, Lori Quinn,

booked for assault on her husband's
alleged mistress.

You know, I think you can relax, Mrs.
Quinn. I'm sure the judge will reduce

your charges.

It was a crime of passion for which you
show obvious remorse.

No, I don't. Men are pigs.

I don't really mean that. Oh, sure.

I suppose your husband never cheated on
you.

Well, actually, he never had a chance.

We were really only married for a day.

I see.

So I guess he got what he wanted.

At 347, Bailiff Bull Shannon leads six
defendants into the courtroom before

session even starts.

Bull, what the hell are you doing?

We're overcrowded down in Holy, so the
head bailiff told me to bring these

prisoners up to you.

Bull, when you take prisoners out of a
cell, you're supposed to give them back

their belts.

The job of prosecuting these cases falls
to Assistant D.A. Dan Fielding.

A 14-year veteran of the D.A.'s office,
Fielding is a man who exudes self

-confidence, a man who knows what he
wants.

Watching you in action, one gets the
impression you really enjoy your work.

I love my work.

I guess it's because I feel as though
I'm really making a difference.

It's a tough battle, but it's one we
have to win.

And if we don't?

Chaos. Anarchy.

After all, laws are what separate men
from bees.

It's been said you have big ambitions.

Don't we all?

You've run for public office twice.

You lost both times.

Win some, you lose some.

You lost to a dead man.

All right, fine.

But I ran an honest campaign.

And I'm proud to say that I had the guts
to take a stand on issues of morality

and ethics.

Excuse me.

Yes, Miss Homesteader?

He said someone saw you sneaking
quarters out of the coffee kitty.

With 132 cases on the docket, Fielding
can't prosecute them all, so he plea

bargains as many as he can.

McAnally. Yeah, this guy. He's a family
man. Do you have to charge him with

indecent exposure?

He shows up at a public beach wearing
nothing more than a hot dog bug and a

relic. What am I supposed to charge him
with?

Vending without a license?

Eventually, deals are made, including
one for John Borelli, who has now been

in custody for 42 hours.

The DA has decided to reduce charges to
assault two if you plead guilty.

Otherwise, it's armed robbery.

Hey, why should I agree to anything,
huh?

If they don't arraign me in the next
couple hours, I walk, right?

Well, right.

But that's a gamble. I mean, this is a
sure six months in jail.

Finally, the deals are struck, the
docket is set, and Bailiff Russell makes

a final security check in the courtroom.

Excuse me, sir. May I inspect your
briefcase?

Thank you.

All rise.

Manhattan Criminal Court Part 2 is now
in session.

The Honorable Harold T. Stone presiding.

Judge Harry Stone is known as a maverick
with little regard for traditional ideas

of how a judge should behave.

All right, in light of all this
evidence, I assume that I'm going to

have to rule in favor of the defendant.

Harry, are you out of your mind? Look at
him. He's obviously lying. Anybody with

an ounce of common sense could see that.

Yet despite his unusual style, Stone
commands a high degree of loyalty from

his troops.

I'd gladly swallow molten lava for that
man.

Fortunately, he's never asked me to.

Oh, I've worked with Harry, Judge Stone,
for about five years now. And over that

time, we've developed a very close
relationship.

Oh, that didn't come out right. I mean,
it's not like we have a relationship

relationship.

You know what I mean.

Harry, he's okay.

You want to get that thing out of my
face?

People shouldn't jump to conclusions
just because two co-workers have

developed a certain amount of personal
rapport.

Why are you looking at me like that?

I have nothing but the highest respect
and admiration for Judge Harry Stone.

I expect to see him on the Supreme Court
one day.

Excuse me, there was a noise outside.
Can you repeat that for us?

Jeez, how many times do you expect me to
say this without barfing?

All right, we kissed a couple of times.

But this is not his baby.

649. Lori Quinn and Lucy Walsh are
brought before Judge Stone.

Mrs. Quinn here attacked Miss Walsh
after catching her and Mr. Quinn in

flagrante delecto. What are you talking
about? He was in the sack with her.

Slut. Shrew.

Tart. Fix it.

Ladies, ladies, now that we have
exhausted every word in the bitch

family... Actually, sir, they left out
Strumpet, Slattern, Meritrix, Harlot,

and Demi Moore.

Under threat of contempt, the women
calmed down, and the prosecution

continues its case. Sir, people call as
a witness Mr. Quinn, also known as the

Bridgeport Lobster.

Bridgeport Lobster is a mascot for a
minor league baseball team visiting New

York. I know what you're thinking,
Judge.

You'd expect better behavior than this
from the lobster.

So did you use a bib and a little butter
on the side?

Under oath, Quinn testifies that Miss
Walsh is not his mistress, but his

masseuse, who he frequently employs to
help stay loose.

I work hard. Being a lobster requires
skill and timing.

I mean, it takes years of training to do
what I do. What do you mean, running

around on top of a dugout looking like a
goof? Don't get started with me, Laurie.

You're going to be walking sideways when
I'm through with you. I do not walk

sideways. How many times do I have to
tell you? I am a lobster, not a crab.

Before the quins come to blows, Judge
Stone recesses and orders the couple to

a conference room to work out their
differences.

Crowded jails, crushing caseloads,
weary, overworked personnel.

Yet the system seems to somehow
function.

Or does it?

Long hours, overwhelming workload, lousy
food.

You must be under a lot of stress, yet
you all seem to get along.

How is that?

I guess it's because we're all such good
friends.

Yep, yep.

And when you have friends, you have to
stick good with the best. Yeah, like

when a guy prattles on endlessly about
his wife's little idiosyncrasies.

Or when a guy holds up court to wash out
his eyes because he got maced by the

sandwich girl.

Or when somebody orders a public
employee to take his armadillo to be

cleaned. Or when somebody dries out his
boxer shorts on the judge's personal hot

plate. Obviously, tension is inevitable.
But each has their

own way of dealing with the pressures of
the job.

I like to collect various items of
historical importance.

Christine Sullivan is a connoisseur of
Charles and Di memorabilia.

Chuck and Di teacups. Chuck and Di
dinnerware.

Chuck and Di bedroom slippers.

Even Chuck without Di.

Oh, and I have a Charles and Di desk
platter.

You know, some people say that I look a
little like Princess Di, but I don't see

the resemblance myself.

Do you?

Well, I find classical music in the car
on the way home helps me unwind.

Excuse me.

Yeah? I have the video store on hold.
You were supposed to return Spank Me

Doctor two weeks ago.

Bailiff Bull Shannon also uses music as
a relief.

One person who seemingly has no tension
to work off is court clerk Mack

Robinson. Your co-workers call you the
most relaxed, easy-going guy in the

building. What's your secret?

Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because I
have a stable home life. And the others

don't.

Don't make me laugh.

What do you mean?

Between you and me, the only woman who's
seen Harry's apartment in the last year

is his cleaning lady, Imelda.

And Dad, his idea of commitment is
exchanging last names.

Really?

And Christine, well, I mean, she's nice,
but she's a little uptight.

When she found out her cat was a Tom,
she wouldn't let him sleep in her bed.

Let me know before you turn that camera
on.

Before the late session, Robinson
reminds Stone of the 48-hour deadline on

the Borelli case.

Stone assures his clerk that they'll
arraign the man.

Of course, nowadays, everything is
pretty routine. Very little surprises me

anymore.

What prisoner?

You know, Borrelli, the prisoner that
reporter's asking all those dumb

questions about.

Are you telling me there's a dangerous
criminal out there

roaming the halls?

No, sir.

As a seasoned professional, I always
make sure that before I release my grip

on an inmate, he's secured to a
stationary object.

And where is that?

I'm not at liberty to divorce out at
this time.

Stone reassures the nervous bailiff and
suggests he retrace his steps to

remember where he left Borelli. Retrace
my steps. Good thinking, sir.

Let's see.

The last thing I did was... Your Honor!

Your Honor, I lost a prisoner!

Meanwhile, remember the Quinn, the
lonely lobster, and his irate wife?

Judge Stone had ordered them confined to
this interview room together.

He figured, given the chance, the couple
might work out their differences.

This camera recorded their progress.

Keep it up, Lori. I'm going to have to
use this.

What are you going to do with this
stuff?

While the Quinn communicated and Bailiff
Shannon searched for Borelli, the court

staff prepared for evening session.

I am scum and I'm in jail.

I am scum and I'm in jail. Won't get out
till I make bail. Won't get out till I

make bail. Sound.

Once more.

Bring it on down now.

The evening's cases run the gamuts from
the supernatural.

You say you weren't trespassing. Rather,
you're a visitor from the spirit world.

To more typical domestic squabbles. He's
always demanding something, Your Honor.

I can't sit down for three seconds
before yelling, give me this, give me

that. Where's my food? Where's my paper?

Finally, the abuse became physical.

And that's when I told that pig to stuff
it.

Who's a pig?

Who's a pig?

I'm on a cracker. On a cracker. Give me
the pretty wrestle. Give me the pretty

wrestle. On.

Oh, please. Do it again. Make him stuff
it. Make him stuff it.

It's been a particularly brutal session.

But as they hit the homestretch, Stone
is still trying to keep things light.

This is the third time the defendant has
been caught breaking into the butcher

shop. So we meet again.

I would have thought by now he'd moined
his lesson.

But apparently he doesn't know what's at
stake here.

Hey, where are you guys going? This is
prime.

Outside the courtroom, bailiff Shannon
is still seeking missing prisoner John

Borelli. Let's see. I waved to the
janitor.

Stepped over his bucket.

And then I ran around the corner.

11-21.

Stone orders the Quinns back into his
chambers, only to learn they still

haven't worked things out.

He's never home.

Being the lobster is all that matters to
him.

Hey!

You can't tell me you don't get a charge
out of when people say, hey, there goes

Mrs. Lobster.

And thanks to me, you got to meet Chuck
Connors.

Again,

the argument rages, but finally, there's
a breakthrough.

I'm out there night after night working
my tail off for you and the kids.

All I ever wanted was your approval.

How could I approve of something that
takes you away from me?

You know, Lobster is my life.

Pinching kids, poking the public.

It's who I am.

And what makes me somebody special.

Oh, my God.

But Mrs. Quinn didn't worry, for Stone's
is an opening.

You know, Walt, you don't have to go on
the road to pinch kids and poke folks.

There must be hundreds of places right
in Bridgeport that could use a good

lobster like you.

Walt is skeptical, but Stone points out
that many businesses hire mascots for

publicity purposes.

He's right, Walt.

I just heard Sid's Seafood House just
had to let their clam go.

See?

You think Sid would give a lobster a
chance? Oh, he'd be crazy nice to, Walt.

You're the best lobster around.

Oh, baby.

You've got to promise me it's over
between you and that girl.

She didn't mean anything to me.

I didn't even take the suit off.

Against the odds, Stone brought the
Quinns together. That left only one

matter unresolved.

But just minutes before the 48-hour
arraignment deadline, John Borelli is

nowhere to be found.

Just between you and me, how does it
feel to be responsible for all this?

Feels like somebody reached down inside
my gut and gave my kidneys a real hard

noogie.

I just don't understand it. I did
everything exactly the way I did before.

Wait a minute.

I stopped to go to the bathroom.

Borrelli.

It looks like Borrelli will be arraigned
after all.

Until... You didn't see a set of keys,
did you?

But luck is holding up for Shannon
tonight.

Well, Mr. Borrelli, you almost made it.

But I'm gonna order you held over for
trial.

And so they've made it through another
night, and now it's time to forget the

day's travails.

Stone does it with help from Mel Torme.

Christine Sullivan will spend some time
with her prince, while the others head

for the cafeteria to find something to
nibble on before heading home.

Unorthodox? Irregular?

Certainly unusual.

Yet the bottom line in assessing Judge
Stone and his co-workers is they get the

job done.

Today, Judge Stone conducted 134
arraignments, 15 trials, sentenced four

people to jail, and sawed two defendants
in half.

I'm Ed Druthers.

Join me next week when we take a close
look at the controversy surrounding the

sordid world of bikini waxing.

Good night.

When does that come on?