Original subtitles

Previously on Picket Fences.

The man has Alzheimer's. Call the man your honor.

Because if Howard wants the job, he's the mayor.

Splendid. I'm losing my mind, Henry.

Right now I'm wearing a diaper.

It's getting worse.

I'm becoming upset all the time.

Why are you brandishing a stuffed animal?

My doctors advise me to clutch it when I become agitated.

I'm agitated now.

I'm afraid the inmate is finally running the asylum.

I think you should step down.

Everybody's so damn sorry.

Why can't somebody do something? Why can't you go into court and get a judge

give me back what I've lost?

Why can't the doctors tell me there's a cure?

Now it's important that we keep everybody back away from the door.

What happened?

Howard's gone crazy again. He's got a bow and arrow. What? He's gone off on

tangent. Stop!

Howard! Back up, white man.

Howard, what are you doing? I went through the old charters.

We stole this land from the Chippewa.

Put that thing down now. You just back yourself up before Howard... My name's

not Howard. It's Bill.

What? How the hell can you not know me?

I'm the mayor.

I'm Bill Pugin.

I checked the charters, the land belongs to the Indians, and as mayor, I have a

duty to give it back. Now you listen to me.

Howard! One more step and you're a dead man. Put it down or I'll shoot.

Go ahead, shoot. In which case, I let go, and the arrow goes right through the

Lone Ranger's head. Howard, please.

The next time you call me Howard will be the last time.

My name is Bill.

I will have you shot. Do you understand what I'm saying?

Oh, yes. I get your point.

You're about to get mine.

Let's get everybody else out of here, please. Got it.

Jill, Kenny, Max, stay in here.

Everybody move, please. Get out of here.

Secure the area outside, too, will you, please?

Isn't it a little early for him to sundown?

He's been getting worse.

Two days ago, he was screaming because Mother was late and he wanted his

She's been dead for 12 years.

Well, right now, he's dangerous for that damn bowl. Let me talk to him. No, I'm

worried about your heart condition. You shouldn't. Let me go.

I can calm him down.

Call him first on the intercom.

Bill, Mr. Mayor, are you still in there?

Yes.

Mr. Mayor, I have your daughter out here. Should I send her in?

My daughter?

Where?

Where's my daughter?

Who are you people?

Daddy. Take him.

Take who?

Who are you?

Why?

Jill.

What's going on?

Do you know me? Of course I know you. You're Jill Brock.

What is going on?

Howard, we want to take you to the hospital now.

Why is everybody calling me Howard?

Why? Kenny, Max.

Wait, hold on, hold it.

Um, this is my friend, Joyce Pruitt. I think maybe you've met her before.

I don't know her.

We'd like to have a little chat with you.

We have some town business to discuss.

Jill.

It's okay. He needs to be calmed down. He's not armed. It's okay.

All right.

Max, get the bow and arrow.

That belongs to the Chippewa. You can't have it.

Let's have a little chat in the office, shall we? Let's go in there. Just you

and me and Joyce.

Will you get my bag?

We'll be fine. We'll let you know if we need anything.

I just wish you would die.

I'm sorry.

I don't know how that sounds.

Monday night we were having dinner, for God's sake, and he forgot how to chew.

He had food in his mouth, and he forgot how to move his jaw.

What kind of a disease is this?

You see, all the time it was the clothes. I'm not overweight at all. It

the clothes.

As soon as I took them off, I'm thin.

You're not Bill Pugin.

I'm the mayor of Rome, Wisconsin.

I'm Bill Pugin.

You're Howard Buffs.

Bill Pugin was the mayor, but he killed a carjacker and was convicted of murder.

I'm Howard Buffs?

Yes.

I saw Bill Pugin. That's it.

I went by his house on my walk last night.

And I saw him standing there like a tank.

Daddy, Bill Pugin is dead.

Ask your mother. She saw him.

Mommy is dead, too.

What?

Can we take him to the hospital?

I saw Bill Pugin.

That's why I got confused and thought that I was him. But now I know that I'm

not.

Everything is cleared up now. You can go.

I have a busy day. Howard, let's go back to my office, shall we? I want to run

some tests, maybe take your pressure again.

Would you excuse me one second?

I'm incontinent.

He's cleaning himself up, and he'll be out in a minute.

Dr. Brock, what can we do?

We could run a few more tests, and we could find out if... This thing stinks.

It must weigh ten pounds.

It doesn't even feel biodegradable.

Who are you people?

Dad, I'm your son, Kevin.

You remember me.

I'm Kevin.

Let me, uh... Let me get him dressed.

You can't come with me. My mirror's not strong enough.

She's only a Shetland.

Let's go, girl.

Go.

Go.

Dad, please.

Dad, I'll meet you there.

Get there, girl.

Go. Go.

I love you, Dad.

Go.

Go.

Go. Go.

Go.

Get oxygen on him. Radio for a neurosurgeon, okay? I'm coming with you.

it.

I'm right here, Daddy.

You gotta go, Clay. You gotta go.

Take him to the station to do a residue test and trace metal. Go. Am I under

arrest? Take him.

Come on, Kevin.

That's his first book. Let's go home now.

Let's go home.

We have an entry and an exit on the left side. I want to see the picture.

I'm all set.

Take the ID.

One, two, three.

Let's set up an arterial line and call the blood bank. Done.

We've got four units being set up.

Joyce, the bullet exited, but there's a massive hematoma in the left hemisphere.

We're going to go in and drain it. I think he has a chance.

What kind of chance?

Well, there could be some brain damage, but I think in the long run with

therapy... What are you talking about?

He has Alzheimer's. He doesn't even have a long run.

This is an immediate emergency. I think we can keep the damage from the gunshot

wound to a minimum.

I don't want the operation.

I want the gunshot wound to take him.

That's not an option.

Jill.

I've got to get back.

Till. X -ray is up.

Craniosome is tested.

You're done.

Okay, we're ready on this end. Give me the numbers.

70 over 40 each week. Drill.

Okay,

let's go.

This patient won't tolerate this length anesthesia. Let's bring him out.

What? I'm this man's physician. It's my opinion he's too feeble to survive the

procedure. I don't want him operated on. If we don't drain his cranium in the

next 20 minutes, he dies. Please understand me, doctor. This patient has

Alzheimer's. He suffers from profound dementia.

I've conferred with the family. I'm suddenly convinced this procedure is not

warranted.

I can't make that call. I can. I'm the attending.

Dr. Brock. We are not operating.

Do you know what you're doing?

Close. Send this patient to recovery.

Nurse, call Father Gary Barrett. Send him in here immediately.

Do it. Yes, ma 'am.

The gun was in your hand.

You see, after he shot, I picked up the gun. Before you answer, Kevin, the

residue test will show if the gun was in your hand as it went off.

So I want you to think a minute before you tell us what happened.

Think hard.

Thank you.

I, um... I suppose I could say

as he went to shoot, I grabbed the gun and it went off as

I was trying to wrestle it away.

That would be a good answer.

Yeah.

But it's not the answer.

What happened was I saw my father in misery.

Suffering. Unimaginable indignity.

I picked up a gun and put a stop to it.

That's my answer.

Don't leave town.

I can go?

You can't just release him.

He's not going anywhere.

Except to his father's bedside.

Help him to find hope in suffering.

For you are Lord forever and ever.

Amen. And may the blessing of the almighty God, the Father, the Son, and

Holy Ghost come upon you and remain with you forever.

Amen. Amen.

Dad, we're all here.

Joyce and me.

Kevin, we're right here with you.

I've got your hand.

I've got your hand.

We're right here.

We're here. Joyce and I are right here.

Hi, Daddy.

You just rest.

Everybody's here with you.

Everybody's here.

You just rest calm.

Love you.

Love you too.

Case number 3277, people versus Kevin Buss, murder in the second degree.

Here I am, Judge.

We plead insanity.

Howard Buss went off his rocker, which made him get on his rocker, which made

client go off his rocker.

Wave reading?

Of course.

We would like an immediate trial. My client is suffering from a coronary

condition. He had a transplant three months ago.

And what's that got to do with a speedy trial?

My client doesn't want this dragged out.

His heart beats good, but who knows?

Your Honor, prosecution sympathizes with the defendant's desire to move quickly,

and we're prepared to proceed immediately.

I would, however, ask that Your Honor consider disqualifying himself.

It's my understanding that you were friends with Howard Buzz.

I can be impartial, Counsel.

Voyage here tomorrow at nine.

We'll start after that. Adjourned.

How can you make the man stand trial?

He committed murder.

Look, honey, no jury will convict. I'm sure of that.

Their sympathy will win out.

When were yours?

The man took a human life.

We had no choice but to arrest him. He took a life.

So did I.

What?

I stopped surgery that could have saved Howard's life.

Well, that's... That's different than shooting him.

No, it isn't.

Kevin and I both saw a man who was suffering, and we each acted to end his

I did that to me.

Wambaugh wants to stipulate to the facts, which I'm happy to do.

Unless you want the jury to hear your version.

No, stipulation's fine.

Okay.

Now, they gotta be going with insanity.

And I'm gonna want the three of you to testify as to Kevin Buss' behavior

the shooting.

Basically, you just have to state in layman's terms that he was clear

And I will ask each of you to repeat his statement about wishing his father was

dead.

Now, I figure about 15 minutes of direct apiece.

It is imperative that you send a clear signal to the jury that you condemn his

actions. Now, however much sympathy you have for Kevin Buss, you cannot allow

the jury to see any endorsement from you for what he did.

Now, we all do our jobs. We can win this.

Good. Good.

Good.

Good.

I just couldn't look at him like that.

My father was a man of extraordinary dignity.

He was fastidious about his appearance.

He would snip his beard, sometimes hair by hair.

A man must make a good appearance, he'd always tell me.

Strong handshake, well -groomed.

I pray he didn't really understand how he'd become.

But I think he did.

Mr. Buss, can you describe how you were feeling at the time you shot your

father? And please, feel free to use the word insane.

Objections leading.

Sustained.

I wasn't insane.

I acted in self -defense.

What? I mean, could you explain this?

The law, and as I understand it, the law is everything.

The law says a person may use deadly force to defend not only

himself, but also to defend his loved ones.

What am I missing?

I was defending my father against a disease that was destroying him.

Mr. Boss, that's not what self -defense means. Why not? My client was using

deadly force against another deadly force.

The threat has to come from another person, not from a disease. The spirit

self -defense is protection for loved ones against destructive forces.

Kevin Boss acted within the spirit of that law.

Now, if he was wrong, it's because he was insane at the time.

I wasn't insane. Because you were right.

But if you were wrong, then you were insane. It's a legal term.

Leave it to the lawyers and judges to define it.

There you have it, Judge.

Self -defense in the alternative insanity.

Nothing further.

Uh, Your Honor, I just need some time to digest this new theory.

So do I.

Twenty minutes.

Thank you,

gentlemen.

That's good, just that.

Do you wish to speak at the service?

No. I'll let you take it.

He's been a far better spiritual force than we've been lately.

Well, again, I go back to your shoe collection.

Will you forget the shoes?

It hurt our credibility.

Never mind.

Good man in that box.

Yes, there is.

Jerry reconvened. You're on.

You okay?

I don't want Kevin Buss in prison.

Maybe I shouldn't cross -examine.

The jury has all the facts. Why not stop here and let them decide?

Can you do that?

No.

It's an adversary process. I have to go after him.

That's what's supposed to serve the truth.

Isn't that how it goes?

I don't know.

Well, wish me luck.

Your father was the mayor.

A functioning mayor of a town.

But he wasn't competent enough to be worthy of life?

My father was in and out of lucidity council.

And the last three days, he didn't even know his name.

So you went to his defense.

His self -defense.

You defended him by positioning yourself three feet behind him and putting a

bullet into his head.

Did you ask him first if he wanted to die?

What counsel did you ask your father before shooting him if he wanted to die?

No Did he know you were about to shoot him? He didn't know anything I could

put the gun in front of his face. He wouldn't have known But just to be safe

shot him from behind My father and I talked all the time about his

all the time He made me promise If he ever got to the point where he was an

embarrassment to himself, where he was no longer able to interact with people,

he begged that I would do something.

He would make it on a rocking horse, you son of a bitch.

He said the last three days of your father's life, he

didn't even know who he was.

Yes.

Did the doctors tell you that these lapses of dementia, they could come and

Something like that.

That they could vary in duration?

Yes. Well, is it possible that this last lapse of dementia, maybe it was only a

three or four day lapse.

Maybe he was going to come out of it. The disease doesn't reverse itself. I

understand. But the dementia, it comes and goes.

It could have subsided again. Isn't that possible?

Why couldn't you wait a week longer, maybe one day longer?

I couldn't have waited a second longer.

He thought he was Bill Pugin. Didn't the doctors tell you that people with

Alzheimer's, even before the final stages of this disease, can sometimes

hallucinate in this way?

Particularly with people in their memory, people who they can be reminded

with pictures and things. Didn't the doctors tell you that?

Yes. And didn't they tell you not to worry about these types of

It was over for him. I know. And didn't the doctors tell you that the stress of

being mayor could intensify his Alzheimer's symptoms?

Weren't you told that?

Why didn't you get him out of the job?

Take him on a vacation. I don't know, maybe Florida somewhere. See if that

helped.

Instead, you just shoot him?

Maybe it wasn't over for your father.

Maybe he had some good days left. Some happy days.

And maybe you stole those days. I hope you never have to see your father the

I had to see my father. My father is dead.

I'd give anything for an hour with him. And he didn't have Alzheimer's. You

can't know. You can't know!

All I know is life

is life.

A day is a day. Every day belonged to Howard Buss.

And that wasn't your right or anybody else's right to take that away.

Nothing further.

I'll pick you up at 3 o 'clock, okay? All right, baby.

Bye. Be in front of the school.

Okay. Okay, bye.

Daddy?

Yes, baby?

Wamba thinks it'll turn on your testimony.

Kimberly, I'm bound by the truth.

Okay.

Try to see the truth.

You okay?

If they take away my privileges at the hospital, there goes half my practice,

half my income.

What's really bothering you?

What if I was wrong?

Alzheimer's sometimes does get better, and Howard was lucid enough to be the

mayor, for God's sake. So maybe his dementia wasn't severe enough.

You weren't wrong.

When they put that drill to his head, I could almost hear him telling us to

stop, begging us to let him go.

I think what I did was wrong.

I know it.

But I feel it was right.

I feel it completely.

I could see his face.

When he came in holding his diaper... Sheriff Brock, did you, as a

layperson, have opportunity to observe the mental state of Kevin Buss as he

into that office with his father?

Yes, I did.

And could you describe that mental condition to the court?

Could you answer the question, sir? Sir, please describe the mental condition of

Kevin Butt in layman's terms as he went into the office with Howard.

Sheriff Brock.

I believe... as he went into that room, he had no

capacity.

To distinguish right from wrong.

What? Objection. That remark is stricken. Sheriff, I remind you that you

under oath. You are subject to tell the truth. I know I'm under oath and I'm

telling the truth.

Shooting Howard Buss was a mistake.

There's no question Kevin was wrong.

But I was there. I saw Howard Buss. Move to strike. Move to strike. Move to

strike. Overrule.

Go ahead.

No child.

would want to let his father be humiliated like that. You are a sheriff

as an officer of this court. I am also a human being.

As is he.

He doesn't belong in jail.

How can we put him in prison?

Madam Foreman, has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

What say you?

In the matter of the people versus Kevin Bass, on the charge of murder in the

second degree, we find the defendant not guilty by reason of temporary insanity.

Members of the jury, thank you for your service.

You and the defendant both are free to go.

We're adjourned.

Thank you.

You tanked it. Look, I didn't mean to undermine you.

Yes, you did.

John.

You didn't honor the badge.

I know it. You know it.

There's nothing to tie a ribbon around here.

Excuse me.

Rough year.

We've been through three mares, two frogs.

Tough year.

Very tough.

But you know what they say, when things seem the most sad, I don't know, you

cry, I guess.

Come on, we're going to be late.

Come on, Matt.

You became a little less perfect today.

Didn't just happen. I've been working hard.

I like it.

Okay, come on, let's go, let's go, come on.

Back, put that thing down.

made one demand.

He said if it's a fine day keep it short.

Get everyone back out in the sunshine.

Somehow with Howard you didn't have to go outdoors to feel the sun.

But I will nevertheless honor his last request and save my service until we get

to the cemetery.

Before we depart however I will ask is there anyone here friend or family who

would like to speak on his behalf.

Sit down.

I'm going.

When people speak at funerals, I usually like to be sitting in the back.

That way, when the sentimentality kicks in, I can get to the door quickly to

vomit.

But with Howard Buss, I feel compelled to speak

anyway.

If for no other reason than to keep Wambaugh from doing it.

He touched me.

Howard Buss was... He

touched me.

I won't go on about Howard Buss the man.

Words can't capture the true essence of what he personified.

I got up here to speak of Howard Buss, the mayor, because I don't want it

forgotten.

He was a damn good one.

No offense, Rachel.

You were a fine administrator.

But Howard?

I don't know exactly what it was that he was doing right.

But since he took over, I've never been more proud to be a citizen of Rome,

Wisconsin.

And I wasn't alone.

He reminded us all that leadership without a sense of love and charity

is hollow.

And...

He did something else.

First, with the business of wanting to give his heart away.

Then with the daily contradiction of being mayor while having Alzheimer's.

And then, finally, with the way he died.

He inadvertently challenged us all.

to examine the equation of life, to challenge beliefs

we had that we thought were immovable.

He replaced black and white with a lot of gray, causing some of us to see more

clearly than ever.

As far as I'm concerned, he was a gifted mayor.

He balanced the budget.

The snow plows always showed up.

And he talked to the children.

If people end up with the leader they deserve,

then at least for a very brief time, we were all very...

Very deserving people.

He made one request of me, too.

He asked me to give his casket a good hard whack.

To let him know that I missed him.

Said he'd be able to hear it.

My one request to all of you.

Remember, Howard.

Keep a little piece of him with you.

For his sake.

For your own.

Okay.

Let's head for the cemetery.

Otherwise, Wambaugh will be up here.

It won't take long.