Original subtitles

Roxanne.

Roxanne.

Dammit, Roxanne!

I had another blue shirt.

It's gone.

I've got to tape a segment this morning,

and I cannot find my damn shirt!

You mean the one you spilled wasabi on last night?

Oh, great. I don't have time to go back to my apartment.

I'll have to buy a new shirt before the taping.

Are you done with this?

- No! - Thanks.

Arnie, why don't you ever remember

to bring your own hair dryer over?

Maybe for the same reason you use my razor

when you're shaving your legs at my place.

Oh for Pete's sake, Arnie, it's not gonna kill you

if you use the razor after me.

- That's disgusting. - Oh, yeah?

Like the 300 year old tube of Crest in your medicine cabinet?

When was the last time you shopped for toiletries?

The Bronze Age?

At least I keep my fridge stocked

with more than carrot juice and mineral water.

You don't have a refrigerator.

You have a science project.

Maybe you'd like to do my shopping for me in the future.

Maybe I could buy his and her straight razor

so you don't get infected. With my girl cooties.

What do you want to do, buy matching

hair dryers and move in together?

- I gotta finish my hair. - I gotta find that shirt.

[drawer shuts]

[hairdryer hissing]

[theme music]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[instrumental music]

Next up, Elkin vs. the Southern California Housing Authority.

Brackman: We represent the authority on this?

Uh, yeah, they passed a ban

on firearms in a public housing project,

now a gun owner is suing them to get his weapon back.

Americans for Firearms has filed

a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf

of the plaintiff, no big surprise.

I thought you represented a tenants organization.

Mullaney: I still do.

I helped the tenants a couple of years ago

when they were trying to get the gun ban passed.

So when this suit came up, they convinced

the housing authority to hire me to defend it.

- Don't say a word. - About what?

I'm sending Benny out to get me a new shirt.

Just leave it alone.

I think it looks very attractive, Arnie.

Gives you that lived-in, rumpled look.

I don't do rumpled.

Brackman: Yes, well, moving on.

Grace, you have a meeting with the executive director

of the Los Angeles Women's Alliance?

Yeah, they want me to take over

for Joan Cooper on a writ.

Mother convicted of child abuse two years ago,

the trial judge conditioned her probation

on accepting a contraceptive implant.

- Nice guy. C.J: And she agreed to it?

Van Owen: She was young, she was scared.

All she heard was that five capsules

under her skin would keep her out of jail.

That's blatantly unconstitutional.

Kelsey: I don't believe it.

Van Owen: Well, it took a surgical procedure

to put the implants in and she's petitioning

for another procedure to take them out.

And I haven't decided whether to take it or not.

Brackman: Finally, Leland McKenzie,

arbitrator to the stars.

McKenzie: Well. not quite.

A husband and-wife team, animal trainers.

They're divorcing and I'm arbitrating the division

of property in their company.

Ask 'em if it's true.

Mr. Ed couldn't really speak.

Brackman: That's it, people. We're adjourned.

Preiss: The facts are pretty grim.

Two years ago, Sharon Kester was charged

with misdemeanor drug possession.

But when Social Services came

to take temporary custody of her kids,

they saw evidence of child abuse as well.

Stemming from her drug use.

She'd hit her 3-year old with an extension cord.

Ms. Kester was also pregnant.

Awaiting trial, she had a stillbirth.

Crack baby?

They added fetal endangerment to the charges,

put her two kids in foster homes,

ordered her into drug rehab and psychotherapy.

Then the judge gave her a choice.

Five years in prison or five years probation,

provided she have the contraceptive implant.

On the theory that the fewer children she has,

the fewer children she can abuse.

I have to tell you, part of me agrees with that.

I feel really uncomfortable with making this a test case.

We all are.

And you've done more than your share

of work for the Women's Alliance.

But this one is critical, Grace.

The State cannot be allowed to control a woman's body

and her reproductive choices.

We have to get the sentence overturned.

I'll tell you what.

Before I make up my mind,

I'd like to meet with Sharon Kester.

I'll set it up.

And I won't sugar coat this.

You're probably not gonna like her.

[suspenseful music on TV]

[screaming]

[whacking]

[men on TV grunting]

[grunting]

[screeching]

[screeching]

[whacking]

The kid's a natural.

He got that in one take, can you believe it?

Oh, I can see he's a very talented... um, simian.

Jerry's better than these trashy

action/adventure vehicles.

Oh, here it comes, the artiste--

In a divorce, it's always the monkey that suffers.

Fran: "Gauntlet of Fire" was a cow patty and you know it.

It was his best work yet.

He was playing strictly result,

he-- his best work is Widow's Walk.

There was depth, there was nuance in that performance

Nuance, my ass. He phoned it in. He learned it from you.

Just like you phoned in our sex life.

Meryl Streep would have phoned in our sex life!

McKenzie: Alright, alright. Now settle down.

Settle down.

A divorce is traumatic, but it doesn't mean that

it can't be civilized.

Your lawyers thought this might be better

resolved among the three of us.

Keep it on a human level. Hmm?

So let's try.

I take it you two differ on career direction for Jerry?

Well, action films are lucrative,

but they're short term.

In the long run, I think he'd be better off

doing family films or maybe a series.

She wants him to do television.

My God, he'll never have a life.

And no other animal of yours

brings in as much income as Jerry.

- That's right. - He grosses 150 K a year.

And no combination of other assets

is acceptable as an exchange, to either of you?

- Hell no. - Not in this lifetime.

Well, traditionally, under the law,

an animal is regarded as property

but this may be a case of custody as well.

So I have to take into account not only who will be the best

manager of Jerry's economic potential,

but which of you makes the better... parent.

So to that end, I think I'd like to meet Jerry.

We'll adjourn adjourn until tomorrow morning

at 10 o'clock. Hm?

Sorry. It's a crisis at the office.

It's a crisis here. If you hadn't noticed.

Nice to see you too, Mrs. Wallace.

Just like I been telling you.

He'll make us wait 30 minutes,

just like you made us wait a year

before you banned the guns.

You and the other tenants forced us to rush this process.

Now we're right where I said we would be,

in the middle of a law suit.

Come on. We're on the same side here.

You would prefer to see a few more

ten year olds shot on the playground?

The Housing Authority would like that better?

That's not what I mean, and you know it.

You wouldn't even fight. We had to talk you into it.

You and your people, pressured us into this.

My people and your people used to be the same.

Or have you forgotten what it's like to live there?

Okay, enough! Now, let's pull back the artillery.

Now, Maggie, you and I go back a long ways

but you're not being sued here, it's the Housing Authority.

I don't want to see any of this when we put you

on the stand, ya got that?

And you... cut her a little slack, okay?

You know what she's got invested in this.

Believe me, Mrs. Wallace,

we want to win this case as much as you do.

Okay.

Good. Then let's do it.

Mr. Elkin, in the five years

that you've lived in Avalon Courts,

what has the general racial make-up of the building been?

Objection, relevance?

Hagen: We're going to show that this firearm ban

intentionally discriminates against minorities, Your Honor.

- Oh, please. - No, I want to hear this.

Go on, Mr. Elkin.

The project's maybe eighty percent black,

fifteen percent Hispanic,

the rest white and Asian.

Living there, do you feel discriminated against?

Show me somebody that doesn't.

We've got more crime and less police than white areas.

Ambulances don't even want to come into a black neighborhood.

Objection. Speculative and irrelevant.

Sustained, answer stricken.

Hagen: Mr. Elkin,

what kind of criminal activity have you

personally witnessed in the project?

Elkin: Drug deals, gangs.

Four years ago, I got caught in a crossfire.

I was lucky.

They only hit me in the shoulder.

That's when I went out and bought a gun.

And did you have occasion to use that gun?

Elkin: About a year later.

Burglar broke into my place in the middle of the night.

I didn't want to shoot,

but he came on me so fast, I didn't have a choice.

Hagen: You killed him? Elkin: Yes.

I'm not proud of it, but I'd rather it was him than me.

Where is your gun now, Mr. Elkin?

Confiscated by the Housing Authority.

They passed a new rule.

No guns in the project.

If I didn't like it, I can leave.

Elkin: Later, I find out that they didn't even get it

okayed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development

like they were supposed to, by law.

They just railroaded it through.

And why did you file this lawsuit

to get your gun back, sir?

Elkin: I grew up black, Ms. Hagen.

Most of my life, I got told what to do and when to do it.

I live in the housing project because

I can't afford to live any place else.

But no matter who I am or where I live, I got rights,

and one of 'em is the right to defend myself.

And in Avalon Court, that takes a gun.

Hagen: Thank you, Mr. Elkin. Nothing further.

You haven't been burglarized since the gun ban

went into effect, have you, Mr. Elkin?

No.

And before that, when you still had your weapon,

how many break ins were there?

Just the one.

But on at least one other occasion,

you thought somebody was breaking in,

so you fired your gun, putting a bullet

through the wall into a neighbor's apartment.

The window was open. I thought somebody was in the room.

But it was only a stray cat, wasn't it?

Yes.

Your building is patrolled by

private security officers now, right?

Mullaney: They search the visitors in the lobby

to keep out knives and guns.

Security ain't foolproof.

I feel safer with my own gun.

You'd feel safer.

Well, how safe do you think your neighbor felt

when you shot at a burglar who wasn't there?

- Objection. No foundation. - Sustained.

Listen, if I hadn't a had my gun

I'd be dead now, do you understand?

I've got a right to defend myself.

Listen, I am tired of hearing about

you and your rights, Tom Elkin!

What about our right to defend our children against

them bullets you keep shootin' around your bedroom!

Order!

Mullaney: You say you can't afford

to move from the project, Mr. Elkin?

Elkin. That's. Right.

Then how is it you're able to afford this very expensive

civil suit you've filed?

I couldn't... but Mr. Jameson said

he'd help me out with that.

Ah, Mr. Jameson...

is a representative of Americans for Firearms.

That's right. I called 'em.

Wanted to know what my rights were.

And, Mr. Elkin, it was your idea

to sue the Housing Authority?

I... don't remember who mentioned it first.

Mullaney: You a member of the organization?

No.

Is anyone in your building a member to your knowledge?

Not to that I know of.

So they are willing to pick up your legal bills

despite the fact that no one in your building

has any connection with them whatsoever?

I never realized the A.F.F. was a philanthropic organization.

Objection!

I resent that characterization!

You're not a party to this suit, Mr. Jameson. Sit down.

[indistinct chatter]

I understand you're doing well in drug rehab.

Yeah, I guess

I've been clean two years.

That's longer than ever before.

And how about your psychotherapy,

is that going okay?

Yeah, sure.

Well, good.

I hear you have a new boyfriend, too.

Yeah, he's a good guy.

And he's not into drugs.

That's a first for me.

Look... Ms. Van Owen.

I know what you must think about me, but

I'd never hurt my kids if I wasn't using.

And I wanna get 'em back someday.

I know I gotta prove that I'm gonna do right by 'em.

Well, it's not just hitting your kid, Sharon.

It's... it's also your drug use and your baby.

- The one you lost. - That was an accident.

Wasn't my fault.

It was your fault, Sharon.

The baby was stillborn because of the crack cocaine

you used during your pregnancy.

That's what they said but... that's not true.

Then what caused it, Sharon?

I think it was...

because I was so upset on account of being arrested.

It was, you know, stress.

Sharon, I--

Look, I want this thing taken out of me,

Ms. Van Owen!

I never should have agreed to it.

I want to get married, have more kids.

I want to show that judge, I want to show everyone.

I want to prove that I am a good mother!

[chimp hooting]

Ah! he must like you, Mr. McKenzie.

He doesn't take to everybody like this right off.

Isn't that right, Ooky-pooky?

Yes, well I-- I like him, too.

Jack: Just try to loosen up a little bit.

Treat him like a baby.

Do you have many grandchildren, Mr. McKenzie?

Uh, no. No, I uh,

my wife and I never had any children.

Mr. Markel.

Uh.

Your wife claims that your training methods

are unnecessarily harsh?

Jack: Firm, maybe, but not harsh.

and never unnecessary.

Its a question of approach.

She coddles the animals.

she coos in his ear, she feeds him treats all day--

He yells at him.

He withholds food until he learns a trick.

Doesn't he Jerry-berry?

You yell at the animal, Mr. Markel?

Jack: I don't yell.

I do believe in discipline

as a legitimate method of behavioral conditioning.

If you want the animal to exhibit

aggressive behavior on camera,

you have to be aggressive with him.

But I don't abuse him.

And I love him as much as she does.

Well, uh...

since I'm not qualified to evaluate

which approach is best,

I'm bringing in an independent expert to determine

which trainer has the best rapport with Jerry.

But wait a minute.

If he continues to have custody of Jerry,

he could coach the animal to choose him.

I wouldn't, but you would.

- You certainly-- You would! - In a minute.

McKenzie: Alright, alright, alright.

We'll keep Jerry in a third person's custody,

neutralize his conditioning for a few days before the testing.

McKenzie: Will that work?

I'm not gonna leave him with a total stranger.

He's a very valuable property.

- Yeah. - What about you?

- Excuse me? - Well, you're a neutral party.

You-- you're a responsible person,

and Jerry seems to like you.

I can live with that.

No, that's out of the question.

Well, there must be some other

animal trainer who could take him.

Oh, sure. Loan him to the competition?

Oh, what about a kennel?

Good luck finding one that handles

exotic animals on such short notice.

[sighs] Well.

Alright.

What about his personal hygiene?

No worries. He's toilet trained.

Alright, two days, but no more.

We'll reconvene on Thursday.

Now, you be a good little boy from Uncle Leland, okay?

[door closes]

So...

what is there about the idea

of moving in together that frightens you?

Aside from the fact that I've managed to torpedo

every serious relationship I've ever had?

Right. We'll take that as a given.

Well, obviously, we're not going to live

in my crummy little apartment.

I'd have to move into Roxanne's house,

the one she bought after settlement with Dave Meyer.

Becker: It's like he's still a presence there somehow.

Her ex-husband?

Sometimes when we're making love,

I have the feeling that he's in bed with us.

And he's angry at the two of you being together.

No, he's telling me how direct mail advertising

could broaden my client base.

Believe me, doc, this is a ghost no one can live with.

Except for that house in Malibu you rented.

And Corinne's house, you've always lived in apartments.

Never bought a place of your own.

Is this leading somewhere, or do you have

a realty license on the side?

You live in a furnished apartment

full of half open boxes.

You know what you got, Arnie? Fear of furniture.

- What? Birch: I'm being serious.

Fear of permanence.

Being too deeply rooted,

not being able to cut and run.

Regardless of whether you and Roxanne move in together.

Ever thought about getting your own place?

Why should I?

What is the big deal about owning property,

for God's sakes?

It was a big deal for me, when I bought my first place.

Scary too.

I wasn't depending on somebody else to make a home for me.

I was making a home for myself.

I'm not scared. A house is a house.

It is not like committing to a relationship.

It's-- It's only committing to a-- to a...

To a what, Arnie?

A life?

[sighs]

Your Honor, I renew my objection to this witness.

Her testimony is completely irrelevant.

Ms. Hagen claims the gun ban is discriminatory.

Judge, Mrs. Wallace is a tenant.

She's black. I want to see how she feels.

Well, we don't have a jury here, Miss Hagen.

- I'll allow it. Mullaney: Thank you. Your Honor.

Mrs. Wallace.

How long have you lived in Avalon Courts?

Twenty five years.

I raised two daughters there.

And one of your daughters stayed in Avalon Courts

even after she had a child of her own, didn't she?

Yes.

Lynnette moved into a one bedroom on the fifth floor.

I used to babysit her little boy, Henry

when Lynette had to work.

What happened to Lynette, Mrs. Wallace?

One day she was making dinner in the kitchen,

and a bullet came from outside the window

and hit her in the throat.

She died on her way to the hospital.

I'm sorry.

Mullaney: You have custody of her son Henry, don't you?

Wallace: Yes.

What was life like for a child

in Avalon Courts before the guns were taken away?

The first thing you learn is if you hear

a gunshot drop to the floor, stay away from the windows.

Some people sleep on the floor all the time.

They don't use the beds at all.

After Lynette was killed ma'am, what did you do?

Helped form a tenants league, put pressure

on the Housing Authority

and made them adopt a no gun provision

like they have in Chicago.

And is life any safer at the projects?

Well, it's not perfect, Mr. Mullaney,

but it's better than what it was.

So you don't agree with Mr. Elkin, do you?

My daughter could have owned a gun,

but what good would it do when you can be shot

and killed by a stray bullet while you are asleep?

Thank you, Mrs. Wallace. Nothing further.

I'm very sorry for your loss, ma'am.

Not just mine, Ms. Hagen.

Feel sorry for the half dozen

children killed in our project in the past two years.

Isn't it true, Mrs. Wallace, that when you

enter your building you go past armed guards?

That's right.

To keep the felons out or to keep minorities under control?

- Objection. - Watch yourself, Ms. Hagen.

Hagen: I'll rephrase.

Doesn't it bother you

that all these measures are directed

primarily at people of Hispanic and African heritage?

No. Do you know what bothers me, young woman?

That Americans Firearms suddenly acting like

they care so much for blacks when they

never gave a damn about'em before.

Move to strike non-res--

You don't know what it's like livin' down there, Mr. Jameson!

Where were you when my daughter was killed?

When a 10-month old baby was shot

and killed in it's crib--

- Your Honor, please- - Mrs. Wallace--

You want to tell my grandson how

much you like black people?

You want to explain why the bastards that shot

and killed his mama shouldn't have to give up their guns?

Well, you do it! You do it!

[indistinct whispering]

[door opens]

- Alright? - I mean, Ann, it was bizarre.

She refuses to acknowledge

responsibility for her baby's death.

She's in therapy, right?

The doctors have to know about this.

They have to be working on it.

Yeah, but they're not the one

who has to go into court and argue

that she's a fit mother

when, in plain truth, she's not.

Grace, whether Sharon is or is not

a fit mother is beside the point.

You're arguing against a blatantly

unconstitutional sentence.

That's the only issue that matters.

So if I win and the implant is removed,

she goes back onto crack and maybe has another stillbirth.

You don't know that's going to happen.

She's in rehab. She's in therapy.

It might not play out that way.

But even if it does, like I said.

It's beside the point.

Beside the point.

So what you're saying is that I-- I am not being objective,

that maybe four months ago I would have been.

Maybe or maybe you're being more

of a prosecutor right now than a plaintiff's attorney.

Was Danny Escobedo a great guy? Or Ernesto Miranda?

An accused rapist and an alleged murderer

and they walked away free.

But, without them the cops would never have

to read anybody their rights.

Same thing.

Thanks.

[instrumental music]

[sighs]

[door opens]

[door closes]

[clattering]

[crashing]

[screaming]

Jerry.

[hooting]

Oh! What in the name of?

Oh, oh, oh, what are you doing? Jerry, what are you do--

Oh my goodness, you're shaking.

What's the matter? What's the... Here, come on.

Let's come over here and sit down,

and we'll talk it all over. Hm?

Come on. There you go! Talk it all over.

Come on.

There you go, there!

There. Come on. You feel better?

That's better, isn't it?

Oh, yes.

That's my wife. Mm hmm.

That's Ruth.

This was taken on our wedding day.

1955.

We were married in San Diego. Um-hm.

In the garden of the Del Coronado Hotel.

Yeah, that night we walked down to the waterfront,

told each other...

how we'd spend the rest of our lives together.

Ha.

That's enough of that, hm?

Come on. Let's go back to bed.

Come on. Back to bed with you. Come now.

Back to bed. Up-a dee, there you go.

Alright, Jerry. Alright, you alright? Oh.

Okay... Sleep.

Go to sleep. Bye-bye.

Bye bye, Jerry.

[upbeat music]

Mr. Carerra,

how long have you been with the Housing Authority?

About five years, but I also grew up

in one of the projects, Latham Downs.

What was life like in Avalon Courts

before the weapons were confiscated?

We estimated that one innocent bystander is shot at every day.

One is hit by gunfire each week

and one is killed every month.

Mullaney: And since the gun ban went into effect,

has there been any marked difference?

Carerra: Definitely.

Homicides are down 40%. Rape is down thir--

My God.

If we take the guns out of the hands

of the gang, members living in the projects

is going to make life safer.

So what do you think of the claim

by Mr. Jameson's organization

that this ban discriminates against minorities?

It's insulting.

Americans for Firearms is made up

primarily of rural whites,

but they have the gall to come in here and argue their agenda

on the pretext that they know what's better

for inner-city minorities.

They're cynically exploiting--

Objection, witness has no foundation to characterize

the AFF's membership or intentions.

Sustained strike the answer.

Was the gun ban

intended to discriminate

against minorities, Mr. Carerra?

It was meant to protect them, to protect us.

We're the people being shot and being killed.

Mr. Jameson knows that.

Thank you, sir. Nothing further.

So homicides and rape have gone down in Avalon courts.

- How about burglaries? - No, but there's--

Robberies, muggings, vehicle theft?

No.

In fact, overall, the crime rate is pretty much

the same as before the gun ban, isn't it?

That's a very difficult question--

Isn't it true, Mr. Carerra, that last March,

when a tenant was stabbed in a parking garage

it took almost 20 minutes

for the security police to discover it?

We don't have the money to post guards everywhere, Ms. Hagen.

In 1989 the Housing Authority asked

for how much funding from the federal government?

- A hundred and twenty million. - And how much did you receive?

Eighteen million.

Think you're likely to get any extra guards

in that parking garage anytime soon?

- Objection. - Withdrawn. Nothing further.

[knocking]

Douglas, could I ask your advice about something?

Of course.

[door closes]

I'm, uh, thinking about

asking Arnie to move in with me.

Well...

that's very nice.

No, I want to know what you really think.

- Really? - Really

Better you should lie down in the middle

of the Ventura Freeway at rush hour.

Quicker and probably less painful.

- Gee, thanks. - Roxanne.

You asked for my opinion.

Yeah.

I-- I know how you feel about Arnie.

A-- and it's all true. Oh, my God.

Why am I getting involved with him?

Much less considering living with him?

[sighs] You tell me.

In some ways, he's a selfish and inconsiderate as ever.

In others, I mean, he doesn't

even look at another woman when we go out together.

H-- he's my friend, confidante, lover.

He is so warm and wonderful and

and patient and loving.

I could rip out his liver!

Interesting dynamic.

This is when he starts to screw it up you know, when...

When everything's great, when he

when he couldn't seem nicer.

This is when he finds a way to just self-destruct.

I mean, I watched him do it with Corrinne.

I watched him do it with every woman he's ever dated.

I don't want to watch him do it with me.

Roxanne.

Are you...

are you alright?

I didn't want to be in love with him again.

I know.

Maybe Arnie has changed.

Maybe he's not the same person

he was 12 years ago, but you know...

neither are you.

My God, I remember your first day here.

I was afraid a strong wind might blow you over.

It probably could.

Well, not anymore.

Grace Van Owen appearing for the petitioner, Sharon Kester.

It is our position that the probationary condition

placed on Ms. Kester violates her right of privacy

as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.

And that the coercive nature of the implant--

How can it be coercive, Ms. Van Owen,

when the petitioner agreed to the condition?

Ms. Kester is young and comparatively uneducated.

She did not fully understand the implications of her assent.

- What about her attorney? - Incompetence of counsel.

He was discharged one month later.

As Americans,

we look at a country like China, which places

harsh restrictions on its citizens reproductive rights,

and we're rightly appalled.

But unless you reverse this ruling,

our government will have much the same power.

An individual's right to reproduce...

is perhaps the most fundamental of human rights.

And placing limits on it...

is not a power any government should have.

Thank you.

If it please the court.

Sidney Lowenstein appearing for the State.

It's well established, Your Honors, that the State

has a compelling interest in the safety of children.

Sharon Kester is a convicted drug addict

and child abuser.

To allow her to have more children

before she can demonstrate parental fitness

would be unconscionable,

even weighed against any

alleged infringement of her constitutional rights.

Ms. Kester was not forced against her will.

What about the question of informed consent?

The trial transcript clearly shows

that the petitioner understood the conditions.

Are you claiming, Counselor, that Ms. Kester

has somehow lost her privacy rights

just because she's been convicted of a crime?

Not at all, Your Honor.

But she is subject to probationary provisions

which, if imposed on law abiding citizens,

would be unconstitutional.

Limitations on travel or associations with known felons,

employment restrictions, all imposable

because the guilty person is subject to sentencing.

This implant was just a different type of condition,

one that is not only fair, but completely reversible

should Ms. Kester be able to demonstrate

her fitness as a parent.

Thank you, Counselor, we will take

the matter under advisement.

Now, this is the last one.

You understand?

Well.

Here's one for later.

Stars have to watch their weight.

Pretty soon, the only role

you'll be fit for is son of Kong.

Leland, Douglas is waiting

to go over the monthly reports with you.

Oh, alright. I'll be right there. Thank you.

[rustling]

I don't want to come back

and find that you have opened that bag, you understand?

You can be a very good boy when you want to be.

Now, I'm going to trust you to stay out of trouble.

[door closes]

[jungle music]

[screeching]

Oh! Oh! What are you doing?

[screeching]

- Stop it! Stop it! McKenzie: Jerry!

Jerry! Jerry!

Now you stop that at once, you bad chimp.

You're bad. You alright, Benny?

H-- he-- he jumped on me.

Well, he gets a little carried away sometimes, don't you, boy?

No mangoes for dinner for you, young man.

Let's go.

Alright, now you be good.

You be very, very good.

Historically, gun control has been less about

controlling guns than about controlling blacks.

In 1968, the Gun Control Act was passed

in the wake of violent race riots

and a shaken Congress pushed through legislation

banning so-called Saturday night specials.

They knew very well who owned these guns

and who their legislation would affect.

Ironically, a hundred years earlier, after the Civil War,

Congress passed legislation ensuring that

recently freed blacks could own guns

to protect themselves from their former masters.

Who says time brings progress?

Your Honor, the Housing Authority

has a well chosen Latino representative.

He's minority, but he works for white people.

White people who are scared to death of empowering blacks

and Hispanics.

So they found a clever way to dis-empower them.

Your Honor, don't let them get away with it.

Wasn't too long ago that a child

living in Avalon courts couldn't

go outside in the summer to play for fear of being shot.

Even if he could go outside, he was told,

"if you see a stranger,"

to cross the street and stay outside handgun range.

And sometimes at night his parents

had him sleep in the bathtub.

Because it was the only room in the house that had no windows.

Now, Mr. Elkin says his right to own a gun

is more important than a child's right

to live in safety.

But studies have shown

that a gun in the home is 40 times

more likely to be used against someone living in that home.

And it is six times more likely

that a gun in a home

will result in an accidental shooting

than in the shooting of an intruder.

So given this,

the Housing Authority,

had a rational basis for implementing a gun ban

that protects all its tenant's safety and health.

As for Ms. Hagen's accusation

that this rule is intentionally racist,

not only has she given absolutely no proof

to support this, but the majority of tenants

at Avalon Court completely disagree with her.

What does seem to appear to be racist

is the gun lobby insisting...

that they know what is better for minorities

than the minorities themselves.

Don't listen to 'em, Judge.

Listen to the people whose lives are really on the line.

[indistinct whispering]

What is your evaluation of Jerry, Dr. Dryden?

I'd say he was...

- Conflicted. - Conflicted?

Dryden: Yes. You see, Mr. and Mrs. Markel

have distinctly different training methods.

Mr. Markel takes an aggressive,

confrontational approach, while Mrs. Markel

prefers a more lenient, reward-oriented method.

Mm hm, well if both work, what's wrong with that?

Well...

Imagine a human child in the same situation.

His father disciplines him to get them to do things,

clean his room, get good grades,

while his mother showers affection on him,

gives them rewards to do the same.

He grows up with conflicting impulses.

Jerry's never had any difficulties with that--

Conflicted!

McKenzie: Doctor, what would be the results

of those conflicting impulses?

Erratic behavior, manic, almost violent.

One moment, docile and loving the next.

A manic depressive chimp?

Essentially, yes.

And I believe Mr. McKenzie and Mr. Stulwicz

had a small taste of this problem.

So Jerry would be better off with only one trainer.

Yes.

And you'll be able to determine which trainer

has the better rapport with him?

Yes, I believe so.

Let's get on with it.

McKenzie: Patrice, would you bring Jerry in please?

Now, I want the both of you to verbally invite him

to come to you.

Dryden: Okay, just let him go, and

we'll see which one he goes to first.

- Jerry. Come here, Jerry. [cooing]

Jerry, come in right now.

Come here. Come here.

Come here, dammit! Jerry, dammit!

Jerry. Jerry.

[whimpering]

Deeply conflicted.

McKenzie: Oh, thank you, Doctor.

You're welcome.

Jer?

Fran: Never seem like this, he looks terrified.

We can't keep doing this to him, Jack.

Mr. McKenzie, I don't want to hurt him any more.

We can't keep fighting over him like this.

Jack can have him.

Are you sure about that, Mrs. Markel?

Yes, I am.

Mr. Markel?

Hey! Fine by me.

In that case, I assign ownership

of Jerry to Mrs. Markel.

- What? - But I just--

As I made clear, I want Jerry not just

to be with the best trainer,

but with the person who cares the most about him.

And by that action, I believe that Mrs. Markel, uh,

despite the fact that she goes overboard

with her affections, to be that person.

Hey, wait a minute, pal. You can't do this.

You're talking about my meal ticket here.

You agreed to arbitration, Mr. Markel, and it is binding.

I suggest if you want a new meal ticket,

you go to Schwab's, look for a chimp in a tight sweater.

Alright, we're done here. We're adjourned.

[door opens]

Mr. McKenzie.

I don't know what to say.

Good luck, Mrs. Markel.

Well, take care of yourself, young man.

You would have made a good father.

No.

No. I never would have had the patience.

Boo boo...

- Come on, boo boo. - So long, pal.

[door closes]

- Ms. Van Owen? - May I come in?

Yeah.

- Have we heard anything? - Yes.

The justices just delivered their opinion.

We won.

Oh, man, that's great.

That means I can get my kids back, right?

Not necessarily, no.

Why not?

The court said I can have more kids.

It means they think I'd be a good mother now.

The court ruled

that your rights were violated by the implant,

but they didn't say anything about you being a fit mother.

But I am a fit mother.

Sharon, until you face the fact

that your drug use cost the life of your baby, you're not.

Who in the hell do you think you are?

I don't care what you did for me. Who in the hell--

- I just want to help you. - Oh. Get out! [clatter]

- Get out of my house. - Stop this.

I don't want you here.

You never gave a damn about me.

All you and Miss Price ever cared about was the case.

That is not true.

- Get out! - Sharon.

I know what you're thinking.

That if you stay in rehab, that if you see the shrink,

that pretty soon they're going to give you your kids back.

But it's not true. That's not how it works.

You have to show that you have changed.

You have to show that you understand what you did.

I told you it wasn't my fault.

It was your fault.

Your baby died of a heart attack--

Oh you go to hell!

You don't even see my kids.

You don't know them.

I raised them just fine.

I'm going to raise another one just fine.

And I don't need nobody's permission.

Now you got what you wanted.

Get the hell out of my house.

[door slams shut]

My client must be delayed in traffic.

Your Honor, I apologize.

Yes. Well, I'm afraid he's not coming, Counselor.

I just talked with the police.

Mr. Elkin is dead.

[crowd gasp]

When did this happen?

Judge Armand: About two hours ago.

Mr. Elkin was in his car, stopped at a light.

Some gang members began harassing him.

He took out a revolver that he apparently kept

in the glove compartment of his car.

One of the gang members opened fire with his own gun.

And Mr. Elkin died at the scene.

I moved to dismiss Your Honor, this case has been mooted.

I wish I could, Mr. Mullaney, but this

is a matter of public policy, I'm going to rule.

Now, unfortunately,

the Housing Authority never got this gun ban approved by HUD.

Therefore, this lease provision cannot stand.

I have no choice but to render judgment

for the plaintiff, Mr. Elkin.

God rest his soul.

And for your soul, Mr. Jameson,

I would start praying, if I were you.

This court is adjourned.

[indistinct chatter]

[car revving]

[doors opening]

[door shuts]

This is what you wanted me to see?

Yeah, my realtor spotted it yesterday.

Three bedrooms, three baths.

It's an incredible bargain for north of Montana.

It's gorgeous, Arnie.

But I don't even know you're looking.

Me neither.

I made an offer on it this afternoon.

What?

I think...

I think it would make a really nice...

family home.

even nicer if you would join me.

- Is it warm in here? - You keep your place.

I-- if things don't work out you can always move back.

And if they do, then... then,

then, you can always sell it later.

Why now, Arnie?

Why push your luck?

Because...

Because I love you.

I've said it so many times before, and I never meant it.

I wish there was some other way I could say it, but there isn't.

I love you, Rox.

Oh, this is...

This is crazy.

There is not a bookie in the country

that would give us better than...

fifty to one odds on this.

When long shots pay off, Rox. They pay off big.

Okay.

Really?

You really want to?

I should...

I should probably be committed.

Maybe this calls for a celebration.

Sure, yeah. We could go over to Gladstone's--

No.

I was... thinking something

more like a christening.

I don't know, Rox.

I haven't even opened up escrow yet.

Consider it opened.

[instrumental music]

[theme music]