Original subtitles

Detective Quinlan said with five witnesses...

one of you will finally crack.

- We're not gonna break, right? - No.

A meteor could hit and you would say stay calm.

- Whoa. - You're the one who pushed him.

- What the fuck you say to me? - Whoa, whoa, whoa.

I have to confess something that I'm not so proud of.

When I lunged at him, I was pushing you.

I hope I can earn back your trust.

There's nothing I want more than to trust you.

I can't just wave a wand.

I was promised to be taken care of.

And what other services?

Stress management.

A fucking nanny?!

There is the risk she could get full custody.

I'm not settling.

You've been asked to decide

where my boys would be better off.

That puts in question

the petitioner's fitness as well.

I would like to question her myself.

Very well.

I pushed him.

You didn't push him.

And you didn't push him.

Nobody did this.

Nobody.

Help! Somebody, help!

Help!

Help! Get help!

What, you want me to kiss her?

- Yeah! - How do you kiss?

Let me teach you.

- Like this? - Mm-hmm.

This is so...

Oh, I kinda like this.

- Ew, you guys are disgusting. - Gross.

Let's get a family photo of this.

How we feelin'? Are we pumped? Are we excited?

- Yeah. - First day of school.

- I'm excited. - Lookin' good.

High intensity. It's the new workout craze.

Are they gonna get divorced?

No.

He seems mad.

Well, that must mean that he loves her a lot, right?

But you like him.

Yeah, I do.

Do you love him, though?

I think you do.

I don't really...

know him well enough to love him.

Love is a really... big word, you know?

But he makes you happy.

You're like a whole 'nother person.

Your whole face and stuff has been different.

Well, I know that the...

three of us can be friends for a long time.

I want you to be with him.

Ziggy...

And I think you want to be with him too.

Last one to the bottom is a rotten egg!

Double Americano.

All right. Double Americano...

Would you like me to leave room for milk?

Americanos don't have milk.

Some people like milk in their Americanos.

It's espresso and hot water.

Do I need to come back here and make it myself?

No, no. It's fine.

- Renata? - Thank you.

Oh.

How are we today?

How are we?

- We... - Hi.

Are wrought, Mary Louise.

Oh.

"We" are worried

- about a wonderful mother... - Hmm.

Who's being put through an onerous,

if not despicably cruel, court procedure to, what?

Get to be with her own kids? We're wrought.

You're a good friend to her.

And... And Celeste is very, very lucky

to have such a strong support system.

And I sometimes think

that if she hadn't tried to take on so much alone,

you know, she wouldn't have unraveled so.

She hasn't unraveled.

She's a single mom and a widow with two kids.

- She's done a damn good job. - I encouraged a housekeeper.

Or a nanny.

She thinks nannies are too much trouble.

More trouble than they're worth, sometimes.

- What did you just say? - Just a mint tea.

- What did you just say? - A mint tea.

This is exactly what you did

the last time you were at my house.

Stay-at-home moms who make me feel like

- I should be locked up? - No, you shouldn't feel that.

What, for neglect? Because I have a fucking career?

I have spent every day of my goddamn life

putting my family and my child first.

So, don't go there.

- Don't go there, judgie judger! - I'm...

Keep your eyes on your own fucking paper, Mary Louise.

Put it in a bag. I'll take it to her.

'Cause we're going to the same...

With you questioning her,

she can come at you directly.

She can bait you, provoke you...

I've questioned witnesses before.

- With the stakes this high... - I'm fine. I'm fine.

- It could backfire. - I know her.

And she knows that I know her.

So, I have a better chance of getting to her than you do.

- Celeste... - It's my turn, Katie.

It's my turn.

It's a very smart play on her part

'cause she might be up there in her capacity as a lawyer,

but she'll be presenting herself again as a person.

As a mother. And this time without being subject

to cross-examination.

And all the questions she's asking you,

what she'll really be doing is showing the judge,

"Look at how stable I am,

look at how reasonable, how smart."

I even expect her to go gently, you know?

Putting her compassion on full display.

- If you see her doing that... - Sleeping Beauty.

That's how Perry would describe her to me.

Sleeping Beauty.

He was her prince.

- And she killed him. - Mary Louise...

only answer the questions that are asked.

Oh, um, yeah. No... No problem.

Okay. Let's go.

And she kept repeating...

over and over again...

Look what you made me do.

Look what you made me do!

All rise.

Case number CV-04111,

the matter of Joshua and Maxwell Wright.

This court is now in session,

the Honorable Judge Marylin Cipriani presiding.

Be seated.

Mrs. Wright, please take the stand.

Mrs. Wright?

Please raise your right hand.

Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,

and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

- I do. - Be seated.

Okay. You're up.

Mary Louise.

- Celeste. - Clears throat.

Your attorney made me out to be quite the bad mother.

He was just asking questions.

You answered them.

Is it your observation that I am a bad mother?

As I... as you heard me tell Judge Cipriani

when we were in chambers,

I consider you to be a wonderfully committed parent.

- That's not the impression... - As to my observations, yes.

I have observed you being violent... with the boys.

I witnessed you throwing Max to the ground and...

shaking him.

I saw you drive off, wearing nothing but your jammies,

under the influence of who knows what.

You say Ambien.

And you crashed the car, in fact.

So, you're not okay.

That's my observation,

which we can all accept after all you have been through.

But I cannot accept these children being placed

in such imminent peril.

Did you ever report to Child Services

that you believed my children to be in danger?

I probably should have.

So, the answer is "no."

Yeah, it's... it's "no."

Did you ever report to any other agency

that you believed my boys to be in "imminent peril"?

No.

You suggested that I got violent with my sons.

Is it your testimony that I am routinely violent with them?

- No. Not routinely. But... - Is it your testimony

that I am often violent with them?

N... No.

But who knows what I haven't seen.

So, now you're basing your opinions

on what you haven't seen?

I'm not a trained lawyer, so the semantics...

Please, would you... Would you direct your responses

to me? I'm asking the questions.

Now, the truth of it is,

you saw me lose my temper with my son...

once.

Where I overreacted, I pushed him to the ground...

once.

- All it takes is once. - Well...

you would know that better than anyone, wouldn't you?

As a young mother,

did you ever lose your temper with your boys?

Well, this isn't simply about temper or temperament...

Did you ever lose your temper

while you were driving an automobile

and cause the car to crash?

Would you like me to repeat the question?

No, I... I heard the question. It was obscene.

Your son Raymond died, in part, because you lost your temper.

- Isn't that true? - Objection.

This witness has testified

that I put my sons in peril.

It is relevant to this proceeding

as to whether or not she has ever killed a child in her care.

Mrs. Wright, please sit.

Please.

Why are you doing this? Why are you doing this?

I am simply trying to protect my children.

Now, the idea of you driving

with my children in the back seat of your car

while you lose your temper...

That is terrifying to me.

Your Honor, this is indecent.

Are you suggesting this cross-examination

should be limited to decency, Mr. Farber?

Mrs. Wright, you don't get to go at him.

Indecent or not, this case is about mothering,

which puts your parenting strategies in issue.

Now, I cannot imagine the trauma

of losing your child in an automobile crash.

It must have been unspeakably devastating

for both you and for Perry.

- It was. - How old was Perry at the time?

He was... five.

He... He was five.

- Five years old. - Mm-hmm.

To witness his... his brother die...

his only brother.

Did you put him into, um, therapy?

To deal with the trauma?

In those days, we were less inclined to...

- outsource our children's pain. - So, you assumed

that role, did you? Attending to Perry's trauma?

Yes, I did. Mm-hmm.

And you talked to him? You consoled him?

Yes.

Held him?

All of the... All of the above. Yes. Mm-hmm.

Blamed him?

Did you ever blame him for causing the car to crash?

I most certainly did not!

Did you ever accuse him of distracting you?

Did you ever say to him,

"Look what you made me do"?

No.

No? So, if Perry were to have told me that you blamed him

- for his brother's death... - Objection, hearsay.

Overruled.

If Perry were to have told me that you punished him,

you even emotionally battered him...

I never, ever "battered" him!

If he told me that you said to him,

"This is your fault.

It is your fault that your brother was killed."

- Stop it. - If you were to have said that,

- did you ever... - No, you stop it...

- Objection, Your Honor. Objection. Objection. - Did you ever, ever hit him?

- Did you ever kick Perry? - I... I never...

- Mrs. Wright. - That's a lie! That's a lie!

Mrs. Wright, we do seem to be

drifting beyond the scope of the inquiry here.

My husband physically and emotionally abused me.

Your Honor well knows that abusers don't just happen.

They are more than likely to be victims of abuse themselves.

Whether or not this witness is an abuser

is certainly, certainly not

beyond the scope of this inquiry.

You're a liar.

And the fact that violence

may have been a part of your sexual relationship...

He was not an abuser.

Not for one second.

And is Jane Chapman a liar?

Is this woman sitting here lying

when she says that your son raped her?

- She's mistaken. - She is mistaken?

Is that something a woman is likely to get wrong?

Whether or not she's being raped?

Well, he perhaps got too vi... Physical with her...

as a result of thinking that women sometimes like that,

the way you enjoyed it.

And now you're trying to cover over your sickness

with these disgusting fabrications.

Max and Josh need to believe in their dad.

How do they get to do that with you walking around

calling him a rapist and an abuser?

The way you assassinate him... His memory...

He's not here.

He's not here to defend himself.

He's the victim here.

- Oh, my God. - Not you.

I just wanna go...

You're hurting my arm.

You don't wanna do this, okay?

I'm talking...

Get off!

Oh, my...

Are you going to ask more questions?

Come on, get up.

Stop it, stop it, stop it...

- Please... - You're bleeding.

- No! Ow! - Okay. Okay.

My sons took that video.

Your concerns that I am making up stories

about their father are unfounded.

Mary Louise, look at me.

This was your son.

You were so incredible.

I'm just sorry that...

I didn't know he was doing that to you.

That he was hurting you like that.

It's 'cause I didn't tell you.

No, I should've known, Celeste. I'm your best friend.

I should have felt something.

- You're gonna win, right? - No, not necessarily.

That just spoke to Perry's evil, but it didn't...

It didn't go so much to my fitness as a mother.

I mean, how could I let them live in that house?

How could I let them see those things?

And they saw so much more than I ever knew.

Maybe I'm not a good mother.

Maybe I'm not fit.

Don't ever say that.

Don't even think that.

You are an incredible mother.

Are you perfect?

No. Am I perfect? No.

There's no such thing.

But you... Celeste, look how far you've come.

And look at how strong you are.

You can't falter here. Do you hear me?

Those boys belong with you.

Okay?

How's it going?

Not great.

I'm sorry.

I don't want you to think that I don't like you.

It's not fair to...

put all this on you.

You know... You should be out there having fun,

not dealing with me.

What is fun?

Is that getting drunk and going to some bar

and ending up with a girl I have no connection to?

This is fun.

Okay, first, nothing is perfect.

Nothing's even... best.

But if you can find better, nice...

even good is good.

Secondly, no matter how good something is,

you can ruin it by overthinking it.

Just your two cents.

- Kill it! - Ten more minutes.

- Stop it. - And then all the killing stops.

- I got it, I got it! - Okay, there you go.

Hey!

Did court go good?

Yeah. I think it did.

Were you a superhero?

Oh, I was like Wonder Woman and the Incredible Hulk...

combined.

- Did you beat her up? - What? No.

Nobody beat anybody up.

Oh...

- Why did you lie? - I didn't lie.

You said that I hit him, that I kicked him.

Perry told me what you did.

That never happened!

So, you're saying Perry's a liar?

No, I...

I brought him up to be good.

A good boy. A good man.

That... That... person that we saw on the videotape,

- I don't know who that is... - Okay...

I hope that you don't live to bury your children, Celeste,

because you would not even be standing.

You lost your boys. You don't get to take mine.

But... Don't...

Don't lie!

Don't lie about me!

Don't lie about me! It's not fair.

It's not fair.

My turn, Dad.

You can go.

You go.

Um, if you don't mind, I'd... I'd like to stay by myself.

I've been really enjoying this time with her, you know?

She's, um... She's a good listener now.

Okay.

So, you wanna go, huh?

I forgot to tell you something.

Or maybe I said it. I don't remember. But...

It looks like now's the time.

I love you, Mama.

It took me my whole life to say that.

I've been thinking a lot

about something you said a while back.

About the lie.

And that it was...

It had a shelf life.

I think you're right.

And I've been feeling really, really bad that I started it.

- You didn't start it... - Yes, I did.

And you didn't have to follow suit,

but you did, but I started it.

And... I can just see the damage that it's done,

and it's eroding all of us. Every single one of us.

Including me.

It's unraveling all of our friendships.

Madeline, you and I have a friendship, and Jane.

That... That's...

the Monterey Five, whatever we call ourselves...

The lie is the friendship.

- Hi, baby. - Hi, Mama.

Hi, Grandma.

Mmm. Mmm.

My God.

What's happened?

She woke up saying she was hungry.

Are you hungry, baby?

Will you run out and get a bottle of wine?

- Yeah. Okay. - Thank you.

Do we really have to wear ties?

Yes. I think it's a good idea.

You're so handsome.

Your daddy always looked so good in ties.

If he was here, he wouldn't let Grandma do this.

No.

Now...

I don't think it's likely,

but if the judge asks you any questions,

you just answer honestly and you be polite, all right?

Tell her that we wanna stay with you?

Yeah. If that's what you want. Yeah. You tell her that.

Are you scared?

A little bit. Are you?

Mm... kind of, yeah.

- Mm-hmm. - Me too.

We're in it together, okay?

Hey. What'd I say about sugar?

What doesn't kill you...

No. How did you even get that stuff?

I have connections.

Uh, you should pack up your things, though.

We have to go.

So, is that...

me? That punching bag?

It's not you.

Ed, I just need to know what you're thinking.

I honestly don't know if we are apart, or together, or...

getting better, or we're getting worse.

I just need to know what's in your head

before my own fucking head explodes.

Okay, come on.

Sit down.

Chloe, please.

You know, uh, I've been thinking about our wedding day.

Maybe because you were, like, prancing around in your veil.

Do you remember that day, Madeline?

Yeah. I remember it was really joyous.

Yeah, it was joyous for me, too.

But... delusional.

We did not know what we were getting into.

And you were married before, maybe you had a better idea,

but... most weddings are just like this blind leap of faith.

All the vows we take, I mean...

we can't even know what the fuck that means.

I really don't like where this is going.

Look, you are not who you were then.

And neither am I. People change.

We need to renew our vows.

What?

This time, committing to live up to them.

- Do you think you can do that? - With all my heart.

Fully informed as to what we're getting into.

Truly, truly, yes. Committing to better or worse...

No, no. Your worst is off the table.

- Okay, yeah. - Got it?

Absolutely. Do you really mean it?

Look...

This is not some, like...

"put a tidy ribbon on it, bygones be bygones" ending.

Okay? This is a shot at a new beginning.

Which, like, if you really feel that you're up to it...

I am. I am.

Then, so am I.

- I love you. - I love you too.

- This is gonna be really good. - Yeah.

Oh, my God. We can do it on the beach.

We can have a tent, and a big party, and...

- No, no, no. - We can do like a seafood...

No party.

Just you, me, Abigail, Chloe. The family.

That sounds perfect.

Okay.

It's going to be okay.

What's going on?

There's been a setback.

What kind of setback?

Another stroke, most likely.

We're taking her into radiology now

to see what we're dealing with.

Mama...

Mama...

Has she been sedated?

No, she's just unconscious.

- Jesus. - Will she wake up?

We have to look at the pictures

to know what's going on.

She's too young. This doesn't make any sense.

We'll get her back as soon as we can.

All rise.

Case number CV-04111,

the matter of Joshua and Maxwell Wright.

This court is now in session,

the Honorable Judge Marylin Cipriani presiding.

Be seated.

This is a difficult decision,

one made more so by the cumulative wash

of the child psychiatrists' reports.

These reports, which conclude...

If I may be heard, Your Honor.

All right.

What I saw... on that video...

I simply had no idea.

I'm so sorry. I...

I don't know what to say to make you forgive me.

I had no idea.

If I had...

But...

this is not about forgiveness or blame.

This, today, is about the wellbeing

of these two splendid young men,

Josh and Max.

Your Honor, I told you from the outset,

I bear no contempt for my daughter-in-law.

In fact, I... I love her.

How could I not?

She made my son so happy. And the boys.

But, Celeste, you are ill.

What we saw on that video was repugnant.

It was grotesque.

I'm so ashamed of my son.

But you... were a part of it.

You were complicit in it.

You have admitted to me, to yourself, to this court,

that you were a part of this sickness

that you exposed your children to,

that they may have been infected by,

that they recorded on their smartphone

to stick in their memory book.

It's a sickness

that, given your most recent...

social adventures with strangers,

it seems that you are unable to resist.

So...

Your Honor, I have no doubt that she will get herself well.

But in the meantime, right now,

we just need to safeguard the boys.

She wants what's best for her grandchildren,

as she did for her son, Perry.

That man that you saw on that tape,

that was because of your parenting,

your caregiving.

It's one thing to be asked to turn your children over.

It's quite another...

to be asked to give them to you.

These are my babies.

I am their mother.

And I have protected them

against the most formidable of odds.

I kept them alive. I kept myself alive.

And on this I agree with you, Mary Louise,

You had no... no idea.

And that is the problem.

My sons are... they're good boys.

And I will raise them to be good men.

They will be good men.

I have a list of conditions and compliances,

which will be entered together with my judgment.

They are self-evident and they are to be followed.

As for the judgment itself, as it's been noted by all,

these boys have been through an unimaginable ordeal.

They face great challenges ahead with their healing,

their development.

It won't be easy.

I'm not going to make it any harder

by taking them away from their mother.

The petition to appoint guardianship is denied.

Full custody shall reside with Celeste Wright. We're adjourned.

Oh, my God.

I'm sorry.

I need you to do something for me.

- Here. - Thanks.

I'm so sorry, honey.

Nathan.

You're a good man...

and a wonderful father.

Skye adores you, and she should.

And I know you love me.

But you've been right to think

that something's been going on with me.

So, I'm gonna be truthful.

I'm sorry I couldn't tell you this sooner.

I'm not in love with you.

I know this isn't the best time to tell you, but I...

I don't think I've ever been.

I just can't lie anymore.

I'm sorry.

What the fuck is this?

Well, hi.

Why is this still here?

Funny you should ask.

- I sold it all today... - Oh.

To Ted Farrell.

- Ugh. - The guy gave me a check for 410

for the whole kit and caboodle.

- Nice. Well, Celeste... - And the best part is,

we get to keep it all!

Mm...

What do you mean, we get to keep it all?

We get to keep it all! Ted's just a collector,

only cares whether it appreciates or not.

And he knows there's no better steward for it than me, so...

we get to keep it all.

So, basically, you're saying you get to keep your toys?

Perfect, huh?

No.

No, it's not perfect.

- It's far from fucking perfect. - Oh, God.

- All my stuff is gone. - Look. Come on. Please.

We got money for this, all right?

- Calm the fuck down. - Calm down?

Yes, calm down, all right?

- You lost all our money. - Oh, my God, here we go.

You have plunged us into bankruptcy.

- Yeah... - We are selling our home!

Our daughter's home!

And all the while, you've been fucking the nanny?

Well, now she's gone, I need something to play with, don't I?

Oh, my God.

That was too much.

I'm so... Hey!

What the fuck are you doing?

We don't own any of this!

Goddammit!

Renata! Fucking hell!

Come on now... No...

Not that!

No, come on, don't...

Is that your favorite fucking baby?

No!

No!

Oh, my God.

Maybe you should've shown a woman

a little respect!

I'm done.

No more bullshit.

No more lies.

Do you, Ed, take Madeline

to be your wife?

To love her, to comfort her, honor and protect her,

as long as you both shall live?

I do.

Do you, Mom, take Ed to be your husband,

to love and comfort him, honor and protect him,

as long as you both shall live?

I do.

Okay, I therefore proclaim that you are husband and wife!

- You may now kiss the bride! - Whoo!

Gonna be okay.

Let me go with you.

Just let me drive you.