All language subtitles for Law.and.Order.SVU.S20E02.WEBRip.x264-ION10

.

- In the criminal justice
system,

sexually based offenses

are considered
especially heinous.

In New York City,
the dedicated detectives

who investigate
these vicious felonies

are members of an elite squad

known as
the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

- Sam Conway, 15.

His gym coach saw blood on
the back side of his shorts.

- What did Sam say?
- He claims he fell.

- So we're looking
at sexual assault.

- Yeah, the exam indicated
anal penetration.

- Give me names here.
Who was he?

- I'm fine with this, okay?

I needed this to happen.
- So now what?

See if anybody knows anything?
- The mother knows.

- I heard sounds
from Sam's room.

My husband was standing
over the bed.

It looked like he was
fastening his belt.

- What the hell is going on?

- Mr. Conway, turn around.

You're under arrest.
- For what?

- The rape of your son.

- Sometimes my mom, she just--

she doesn't know
what she's saying.

- Did he assault you, Sam?

- No, no, that's ridiculous.

- We find the defendant
not guilty.

[dark music]

- Juries can be unpredictable.

I'm not making excuses.

Yeah. I understand, sir.

- What just happened?

- The D.A. just asked
the same thing.

Not as politely.

- The family stuck together.
That's a tough nut to crack.

- Yeah. I should have used
a bigger hammer.

- Mr. Conway, do you feel
validated by the verdict?

- I'm glad the jury
saw the truth.

- What's next for
your family?

- I just want to get
everyone home,

safe, resume our
normal lives.

- Well, I think the most
important thing...

- Molly.
- Is this family

to get back to
normal, so...

Excuse us.

- If you ever
wanna talk--

- Thank you,
but I'm fine.

Tell your father I need
to use the ladies'.

I'll meet you at the car.

- Sam...

- I know what you're going
to say,

and you're wasting
your time--

- You don't have to go
home with your husband.

- And you said it anyway.
- We can open a case

with Child Protective
Services.

- Break up our family?

- Get Sam out of the
house, protect him.

That's been your
instinct.

- The best way I can
keep Sam safe

is to stay with him.

- How? You can't watch
him 24/7.

- John knows he
crossed a line--

- Crossed a line?

Molly,
he raped your son.

- And a jury found
him not guilty.

Maybe I didn't see what
I thought I saw.

- Oh--Stop, stop, stop.

- All John ever wanted
was to keep us safe.

Me, Brian, Sam.

- And you believe that?

You believe him over what
you know? As a mother--

- I have to!
I am choosing to!

Because, the alternative--
court hearings,

legal and emotional battles
for months, years--

that doesn't sound like
what's best

for Sam, or my family.

- Promise me,
at the very least--

at the very least,
you'll get Sam counseling.

And for Brian, and for
yourself, Molly.

- We don't need your
help.

we don't ever need to
speak again. Excuse me.

- [whispers] Sam!

- Hmm?

- It's 6:30, honey.
It's time to get up.

You don't have to go
to school today

if you don't want to.

- I want to...and
Dad said that I--

- Oh...oh.

You sure you're not
coming down with something?

You're a little warm.

- Yeah, maybe so.
- Yeah?

[sniffles]

You know what? Um...
I think I feel fine.

I want to go to school.

- So, you got baseball
practice today.

- Riverside Park.

Bus leaves at 3:15, should
be back to school by 6.

- How about I pick
you boys up after?

We can go to Shake Shack.

- Molly, they're
teenagers, not toddlers.

- We can take the subway.
Right, Sam?

- Yeah.
- Okay.

- Next game is St. Andrews.

They're hitting 275.

[loud clang]

- [whispers] I'm sorry.

- It's okay, son.
It's okay.

[soft, solemn music]

♪

- Keep your head down,
don't talk to anyone.

If somebody says something,
text me.

- We're not supposed to have our
phones outside of our lockers.

- You really think anyone's
gonna give a rat's ass

if you have your phone
in your pocket?

Jesus, Sam.

Hey! I'm not gonna
let anything bad

happen to you ever
again, okay?

Okay? I got this.
We're family.

Catch you on the other
side, brother.

What's up, guys?

[dark music]

♪

[school bell ringing]

- Sam! Sam!

[unsettling music]

♪

[intense heavy chords]

♪

[gunshot]

[screaming
and commotion]

[gunfire continues]

[dramatic music]

♪

.

[all screaming]

- Do we know what we're
looking at?

- Single shooter.
White male.

Semi-automatic
hunting rifle.

- A student?

- As far as we know,
but we haven't

apprehended a suspect yet.

- Any victims?

- Half a dozen, at least.

I get why you're
here, Lieutenant.

- I'm here to help.

- We'll keep you posted.

- This--this is Mrs. Chaster.
She's the principal.

- Principal Chaster--
Lieutenant Benson, SVU.

Did you see the
shooter?

- I couldn't stop it.
He just kept shooting,

this dead look in his eye!
- Who is it?

- Sam Conway!

- Is he inside?
Do you know where he is?

- I don't know.
I told the police.

- Okay, well,
what about Brian?

- Brian--I saw Brian.

I passed him in
the hallway.

- Is he okay?
- He's all right, I think--

I don't know!
- Okay, it's okay.

- I got this.

- I don't know where
Sam is, I swear to God--

I've been telling police that!
He must be inside!

- He's not. We recovered
the rifle--no sign of Sam.

- He must have gotten out
in the crowd.

Now listen; all right,
he's not at your house.

He's not at your
father's work.

Is there any other place
that you can think of

that Sam might have gone?
- I don't know.

None of this makes any sense.

- You had no idea?
- God, no!

I just sat down
at my desk--home room.

And there was this noise...
pop, pop--it sounded like

someone brought firecrackers
to school.

And then you heard
the screams.

- All right--Brian, Brian,
look, what happened then?

What happened then?

- Everyone just--
just froze.

The teacher was yelling
for us to get down,

there was more shots, more
screams--it was horrible.

There Sam was, standing
in the doorway

with a .22 in his hand.

- What'd you do?

- I ran up to him,
I said,

"Sam, what the hell are
you doing? Just stop it!"

He pointed the barrel
at me, he said,

"Are you happy now?"

- But he didn't shoot?

- No. No, he squinted,
he said,

"I need to concentrate.
You don't concentrate,

you lose the game."

Then he dropped the rifle,
walked out.

- Okay. Brian, I want
you to sit tight, all right?

- Where are you
going?

- I think I know
where Sam is.

- Tell the ESU--
- No! He makes one

wrong move they're
gonna kill him, Fin.

- Maybe they should.

[tense percussive music]

♪

- Hey, Sam,
it's Detective Carisi.

Put your hands where
I can see them!

- Go away!

- I can't do that!

- Just let me die.

- I can't do that
either, Sam.

Now come on, let's
put that gun down.

- No! Why should I be able
to play baseball, huh?

Or eat chocolate-chip
waffles, or kiss a girl.

Or go to college--
I don't deserve that!

I deserve to die!

- Okay, listen. I'm gonna
put my gun down.

All right, you say you deserve
to die, maybe you do.

But killing yourself
is not justice

for what you just did,
Sam.

That is taking
the easy way out.

Do you understand me?

- No. No, I should die.
I shot my friends.

- No, no, no--whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa! Hold on!

Hold on! Answer one question
for me then, okay?

Because all this baffles me.
I mean, I can understand

if you shot your dad,
if you shot your brother--

- It wasn't their fault!

- It wasn't their fault,
but it was

the kids at school's fault?

- No.
- No?

I guess there's only
one person left, Sam.

I guess this is all
on you.

Hey! Maybe you're right.
Why don't you go ahead?

Kill yourself, take
responsibility for your actions.

It's gonna destroy your dad,

but, hell, it's gotta be
easier than facing him,

the state that he is in
right now, Sam.

- What? You talked
to him?

- Yeah, yeah,
I talked to him,

and he's worried
about you, Sam.

He's worried sick.

But hey! Go ahead.
Kill yourself.

Then he's gonna know how
much you really hate him.

- I don't--No, I don't
hate him, I love him.

- You love him? All right,
well, then maybe you wanna

tell him that yourself, huh?

Maybe he wants to tell
you that, Sam.

Yeah--see, that's the
thing about dads--

no matter how bad you screw
up, they still love you.

- I should have--

I-I should--
- You should have what, huh?

- I should have just shot
the rabbit!

I should have just
shot the rabbit!

[sobbing]

.

- How many?
- There's two DOA.

Heather Lewis, 16,
Justin Cruz, 17.

Five gunshot victims.
Four were students,

one critical,
and one was a teacher.

- Sam Conway's
in custody?

- Yes, with his mother, waiting
for the father and a lawyer.

- Good. I don't want any
statements thrown out later.

- The weapon was a Remington
.22 semi-automatic rifle.

CSU found
six bullets at the scene.

- Plus the seven victims, this
gun holds at least 15 rounds.

He only fired 13 times?

- He's a lousy shot.
It could have been worse.

- Well, it was bad enough.

- He was also carrying
a Smith & Wesson 9C.

Never fired.
Both guns are legal

and registered to
the father.

- And the mother swears
that both guns

were in a locked safe.

- Well, even if that's true,
the kid

figured out the
combination.

All right, what about
the victims?

Were they targeted?
- Not that we know of.

The only one that he
had a specific relationship

was Gillian Wray.

- Girlfriend?
- It's not about that.

- Witnesses say he
wasn't aiming at anyone,

just firing at random.

- Bringing a hunting
rifle to school--

This is about the father.

- Excuse me.
Excuse me!

I need to see my son.

- Mr. Conway.

- I wanna see my son.
Where is he?

What are you doing
here, Stone?

Can't wait to lock
Sam up too?

- We will be arraigning him.

Whether he is remanded
is up to the Judge--

- Your wife and your son
are in interrogation one.

This way.

- Anything he said without
the presence

of his lawyer
is inadmissible.

- He already confessed.

Plus, we have dozens
of eye-witnesses.

- Sam's lawyer is here.

- Let's go, Sam.

- I want to go
with him.

- I'm sorry, that's not
possible, Mrs. Conway.

- Please. Please, please.
- Dad, I'm so sorry--

- What did you do?
What did you do?

You son of a bitch!
This is your fault!

Putting sick ideas
in my boy's head!

- Please escort Mr. Conway
out of my squad room. Now!

[dark, heavy music]

♪

- Reactions to the
tragedy on social media

have been overwhelming--
outpourings of support

for the two victims
who lost their lives,

16-year-old Heather Lewis
and 17-year-old Justin Cruz.

- Your cell phone died?

- How'd you find me?

- Carmen and I go way
back.

- I'd fire her if she wasn't
the best assistant I ever had.

- People screaming
and just running

and just panic everywhere.

- You punishing yourself?

- Somebody has to.

- You heard people screaming.
I was--

- I might actually have
to take this kid to trial.

He pleaded not guilty.

- I heard.

Remanded to
Horizon Juvenile.

- Suicide watch.

You see, their lawyer
will get a shrink,

and then we--we will
get a shrink also.

And then, round and round
we'll go.

Ring around the goddamn
rosie--

- Peter, this is not
your fault.

- I made the decision
to cross-examine him.

I could have stood up, and said,
"No questions, Your Honor."

I could have looked in
that boy's eyes

and seen how fragile
he was, and damaged.

I should have seen past
the brave face,

thought about sparing
his soul any more pain,

instead of winning my case--

- Peter. You were trying
to save him.

- I didn't have to
cross-examine him.

- Yes, you did. His father
raped him, for God sakes.

- And then I raped him

all over again up on
that witness stand.

- You okay?

- You know, aside
from not sleeping.

- You worry, you know?

You worry about your
kid getting sick

or breaking a bone or, God
forbid, getting hit by a taxi.

And then it's like you're...
holding your breath

underwater, every day.

Then you, uh...

You get to tuck them in
and kiss them good night.

You get to breathe
out again.

But this...
this, you can't...

you can't imagine that--
[crying]

- Hey, hey, hey, hey,
hey, it's all right.

- [exhales]

Crazy...I'm--

- It's all right,
it's all right.

You can tell me,
it's okay.

- SVU.

You here to see the
State Psych for Sam Conway?

- Uh--yeah.

- Lisa Abernathy.

- Detective Carisi. What
happened to Dr. Olivet?

- They didn't tell you?
She's at a wedding in Tuscany.

I'm filling in.
Am I interrupting something?

- No.
- No.

- Good.
Let's talk about Sam.

Do you have any questions
you wanna ask me?

We can start with some
easy ones

like my favorite color
or my favorite song

or my favorite vegetable--
although,

I don't have a favorite
veg--

- Do you have kids?

- Kids?

- Yeah. Because if you...
if you do have kids,

then I know you already
hate me,

so this is a waste
of time.

- I don't hate you,
Sam.

- [sniffles]

- My wife and I
have a boy and a girl.

- You know, my dad--
he told everyone

that I was gay,
but I'm not.

- And what about your dad?

Do you wanna talk
about him?

- He's a good dad.

- Okay, let's talk about
that.

- He looks out for us.

He's done that ever since
we were little.

- What do you remember?

- I remember,
I was four maybe...

and I was trying to stick one
of my little soldiers' swords

in the electric socket.

And Dad found out.

He wasn't angry,
but he was serious.

And he told me,
he said...

[sighs, small laugh]

He said, "This is gonna
hurt me more than you.

But I never want
you to forget."

And then, he told me
to...

pull my shorts down,

and lay on the bed,
and I can...

I can hear his belt

coming off...

[slam]

Son of a--

- It's okay.

- And he hit me.

And it hurt so bad,
you know?

And I was crying.

[sniffles]

But I never forgot.
I never forgot.

And I never tried to
play with that...

electric outlet ever again.

- My clinical evaluation
is Sam is not legally insane.

He wasn't insane during
the time of the shooting.

He knew that firing
the gun was wrong.

He knew the consequences.
He has remorse.

- Two kids are still dead.

- Did he say why?

- I mean,
in a round-about way.

I mean, this is not
rocket science.

He grew up in a household
with a very traditional

view of masculinity--
taken to the extreme.

Like a toxicity.

- To be a man,
you have to kill animals,

Win ball games,
you don't cry,

you tough out whatever
comes your way.

- Even your own father,
sexually assaulting you.

- Thank you, Doctor.
You'll testify, if need be?

- Yes. But I hope
need won't be.

This boy is on
the verge of a collapse.

[dramatic music]

- A lot of kids are
assaulted,

abused, and humiliated.
They don't shoot up

schools and murder
other kids.

- I hear you, Detective.

- Mr. Stone,
the Conways are here.

- Thank you.

What can we do
for you?

- We, um...wanted to
tell you in person--

Sam will plead guilty.

- That's his choice?

- Going to trial would be
a--would be wrong.

For everybody. No more
lawyers, no more excuses.

Whatever you think of me,

I take responsibility
for my son's actions.

- We do.
We both do.

- More importantly,
Sam does.

As a family, we've decided

we can't put anyone
through anymore pain.

You know--the parents,
the students.

- And Sam.

And Brian.

- Okay.

I'll call the D.A.
and the judge.

Sam will have to plead
in open court.

- How long will he
be in prison?

- He'll likely be charged
as an adult.

The time will be substantial.

- Thank you.

- Okay, then. I can let
the victims' families know?

- Yeah.

- So that's it?

It's over?

Sam goes to prison,
probably for life.

I get that.
He deserves it.

But the father--

the father
just gets to walk away?

- No. This isn't over.

Not by a long shot.

[dark, somber music]

♪

.

- Hey, Sam.

- Look, I'm pleading guilty.
What more do you want from me?

- Mind if I sit?

Just want to hear for
myself

that you're okay with
all this--

firing your lawyer,
and taking a plea--

- I am.

- You're gonna go to
prison, Sam.

And there's a good chance

it'll be for the rest of
your life.

- Well, what do you want
me to do? You want me to

try to get away with it?
Plead not guilty?

- I can't tell you what
I think you should do.

That's not how it works.

- Well, it's my decision.

- Not your father's?
- No!

So...can you please
leave me alone, now?

- Okay.

- Heather Lewis.

I went to a party
at her house once.

She played Rihanna
like the whole night.

Justin Cruz, um...

I didn't
really know him, but...

[sniffles]

Apparently he was like,
a math genius, I guess.

And he had a little sister.

She's only five.

My mom went to the funerals,

and she said no one
even looked at her.

- I'm sorry, Sam.

- You're sorry?

Don't you know
only pussies apologize?

- No, I didn't know that.
- Look, I didn't even

wanna go to school that day.

All right? I kept saying,
"I'm sorry, but I can't."

And he just said,
"No apologies, no regrets.

That a man looks at the
future, not the past."

- What else did your
dad say, Sam?

- He said, "I don't even
know why I bothered."

- To assault you?

- I guess I was
a waste of his time.

Because it didn't work.

- Is that when you put that
rifle in your baseball bag?

- Look, I gotta go, okay?
We only get

30 minutes a day outside.

- You can make that case?

Yeah, whatever you need.

Okay, let me know.

Guys, Stone thinks
that there's a way

that he can go after
John Conway.

- What can we do?

- I visit Sam every day.
My one hour.

- How's John dealing with
all of this?

- Like he always does,
stiff upper lip.

That's what his father
taught him.

- Is that what he taught Brian?

What he tried to teach Sam?

- Molly...

We think your husband
should be prosecuted.

- Didn't you try that
already?

- We believe he should be
prosecuted for the shooting.

- I told you, the guns
were locked up--

- It's not about the guns.

But for creating
an environment

where Sam believed

that shooting
made him a man.

- Who is that gonna help?

Sam?

Those dead teenagers?

- What about Brian?

He's 17 years old.

- I can't help anyone anymore!

Not Brian. Not Sam.

This happened because
I went against my husband.

I testified about
what he did to Sam!

If I hadn't done that,

none of this would have--
[whimpering]

If just made Sam
stay home from school--

why didn't I keep him
home from school?

Home with me.

All my husband ever wanted
was for his boys to become men!

- My dad is a great father,
and I'll tell you what,

he would never--he was so
messed up about what Sam did.

- Sam shot his classmates
and aimed a gun at you.

Why would he do that?

- I don't know, okay?
I don't know!

- Yes, you do. Sam wanted
to prove to your dad

that he could shoot.
- This isn't about that rabbit,

okay, that stupid rabbit--
- No, it's about how your dad

made Sam feel--
ashamed, humiliated--

how he punished your brother.
I know you're not stupid.

I know you know
what was going on.

- Both of us growing up--
me and Sam,

my father treated us
exactly the same,

raised us the same way,
and I never went and--

- Shot anybody?

- Just because you took
it better,

okay, that makes what
your dad did right?

- You're saying
this is my dad's fault?

Then it's my fault, too.

I was there in the woods.
I was there with Sam

right before
he walked into school.

I should have figured it out!

- No, this is not
your fault, Brian.

You're just a kid, okay?

- My life...

my life is over.

My friends are dead,
my mother's a mess,

and my brother's
locked up forever.

This is because of you.

You want someone
to blame? Hmm?

Blame yourselves!
Blame yourselves!

[chair clatters]

- Bad news?

- There's no way that
Molly Conway

is gonna testify against
her husband.

- I can subpoena her.

- And she will lie.
Look, she's had enough, Peter.

And, in my heart of hearts,
I gotta tell ya--I understand.

- Brian?

- He's already lost
his brother.

He doesn't wanna lose
his dad, too.

- We've got the shrink,
the principal,

two of Sam's friends,
none of which make the case.

- And that leaves Sam.

- Who's on suicide watch.

- So much for fighting
the war we can't win.

- The last time
he testified--

- Isn't this time.

Children are dead, Peter.

Two sets of parents
are mourning a dead child.

- And Sam's in prison
for it.

- We already lost Sam,
Peter.

This is about the next
Sam Conway.

[elevator dings]

[gunfire]

[clicking]
- John Conway,

put that gun down
and step away.

- When are you gonna leave
my family alone?

My son's taking a plea.

- We're not here about your
son, we're here for you.

- Put your hands behind you
back--you're under arrest.

- On what charges?

- Murder.

.

- You have got to be
kidding me.

My wife's yoga pants
don't stretch this much.

- I'm just following
the statute, Mr. Karey.

- How was I negligent?
My guns were locked up.

- But your son wasn't.

- What the hell is
he talking about?

- Think of it this way,
Mr. Conway:

pit bulls are actually
very good pets.

It's their owners that
turn them into killers.

- You think I made Sam

walk into that school
and start shooting?

- I think that, A,
you failed to perceive

a substantial
and unjustifiable risk

that he would harm others.
And B, such a failure

constitutes a gross deviation
from the standard of care

that a reasonable person
would observe,

under the circumstances.

You put them together,
and what have you got?

C--criminally negligent
homicide.

- Is he saying I didn't
bring my boy up right?

- It's a snowflake defense,
Johnny.

"Daddy made me do it."

Come on.

I thought you were
better than this.

- You know, I heard if you
stare long enough,

a cheesecake will
magically appear.

- How long do I have to
stare for a slice

with strawberry topping
to show up?

[sighs]

- You okay?

- When we sat with Sam Conway,
we talked to him.

We saw where
he was brought up,

how he was brought up.

- Amanda, this is
not our fault.

- I'm just saying,
under Stone's theory--

- Yes, and we did not put guns
in Sam Conway's apartment.

- He could have gotten
a gun anywhere.

He could have used
a knife, a bomb--

- Please don't go all
Second Amendment on me.

- Okay, all right.
[laughs] I mean...

- What?

- No, it's just in Georgia,
you'd be the odd man out.

- Yeah, and that wouldn't
change my opinion.

- Just explain this to me.

Why is Roe v. Wade
sacrosanct

and the Second Amendment
disposable?

- Maybe because one kills.

- In Georgia,
they both do.

You know?

Jesus, what is worse?

I mean, to have your
kid killed, or...

Have your kid be the one
that's killed somebody else.

Mm.

- Amanda, you're...

you're not thinking of--

- I don't know if
I need another baby.

I don't know if I want
another baby.

All I know is,
if I was back home,

the choice would be
a lot easier.

There'd be no choice.

- Give me your phone.

- What?

- Just unlock it
and give it to me.

[soft music]

♪

- That's playing dirty.

- I distinctly remember
when you showed that to me.

You told me that was
the best moment of your life.

This is your decision
to make...alone,

and I will defend
to the death

your right to make it.

But regret is--

An awful thing
to live with.

- You had one?
You had an abortion?

- I loved my boys the same.

I treated them the same.

- You were tough on
both of them?

- I was firm with them,
when I had to be.

Whatever I did,
it was for their own good.

So they'd be strong.
So the world wouldn't

chew them up
and spit them out.

Look, when your son
is born,

nobody hands you
an instruction book.

You do what you think
is right.

- Such as?

- The thing is...
I know a lot of dads

who are so tired when
they get home from work,

all they can do is get out
of their suits

and sit in front of
the tube.

Not me.

No matter how tired I was,

I always went to the park,
tossed a ball with my boys.

I went to their games,
whatever.

Yes, I took them fishing
and hunting--that's what

my dad did for me,
that's what I do for them.

I'm still waiting
for someone to tell me

why it's wrong to want your
boys to grow up to be men.

- Thank you.

Thank you.

- Good men?

- What?
- What most fathers would say--

they want their son
to grow up to be a good man.

Good, bad--that doesn't
seem to matter to you.

- Of course I want them
to be good men.

- A good man plays sports?

- Both my boys made varsity.

Teaches teamwork,
self-confidence.

- A good man shoots rabbits?

- He sure as hell
isn't afraid to.

You don't have a boy
do you, Mr. Stone?

- No, I don't.

- You got a lot of nerve
criticizing how I raise mine.

- You mean I've got balls.

- Objection!

- It's okay, Jed.
I got this.

As a matter of fact,

if we weren't
in a courtroom,

that is exactly
what I would have said.

- As opposed to what?

- Excuse me?

- If I don't have balls,
what do I have?

I'd have the lifelong
shame of a boy

who could never live up
to his dad's

perverse idea of manhood,
isn't that right?

- Your Honor!
- Mr. Stone--

- I'd be a little girl, wouldn't
I, Mr. Conway? And there's

nothing in the world worse
than that, is there?

- That's enough, Mr. Stone.

[heavy music]

♪

- What do you think?
- You saw it.

- Actually, I didn't.
I'm sorry, I just couldn't

stomach listening to, "the
world according to John Conway."

- Well, it didn't go great.
- Meaning?

- I'm calling Sam as
a rebuttal witness.

.

- Of course I loved him.
- And you tried to make him

proud of you?
- Yeah.

- Why?
- 'Cause he was my dad.

- You wanted to make
him happy?

- Yeah, what's wrong
with that?

- Not a thing, if it
makes you happy, too.

Did it?

- Look, if he was happy,
I was happy.

- What if he wasn't?

This important, Sam.

How did your dad act if
he wasn't happy with you?

- He'd call me names.
- Like what?

- He'd call me a baby.
- What else?

- He'd say, um...

- What else?

- He'd say--he'd say I
was a fag or a pussy, okay?

- Like when you couldn't
shoot the rabbit?

- Yeah. Yeah, that's right.

- So, he wasn't proud
of you then?

- No.

No, he said, "Until further
notice, I was...

a little girl."

Called me "Samantha."

Threw one of my mom's dresses
at me, told me to wear it.

- Did he hit you?

- No.

He said I deserved it, though.

But he would "never hit
a girl."

- So, what did he do?

- Objection! This has
already been litigated.

- Nice try, Mr. Stone.
The objection is sustained.

- In that moment, before you
shot your schoolmates,

what were you thinking?

[inaudible]

Would you speak up, Sam?

- "Be a man!"

A voice in my head kept
saying, "Be a man!"

Be a man! Over and over
again. Be a man!

How's that, Dad? I didn't
flinch! Am I a man now?

Huh?

[dark, somber music]

♪

- Did John tell his son
to shoot up the school?

No, he didn't.

Did he put the gun in his hand?
Didn't do that either.

Did he stand by and watch
as Sam pulled the trigger?

Sorry. He was at his office
in another borough.

If we're gonna start making
parents liable

for the independent acts
of their kids,

we better all start losing
weight, because...

there's going to be
a tight squeeze in Attica.

- Men are strong. They're
the hunters, the fighters.

The spear-throwers,
the sword-swingers,

the gunslingers.

They sit in bars
and they toss back shots,

regaling other men with tales
of their sexual conquests.

That's what makes them
masculine,

that's what makes them men.

You get in a fistfight?
That's okay.

It'll make you a man.

You grab a little ass?

Hey, that's what men do.

But what if you cry?

Or show empathy?
Or, God forbid,

you can't shoot
a little rabbit?

Well, I'm sorry, you just
don't deserve to be my son.

The problem is,
Sam is John's son.

The problem is, Sam just
wanted to make John proud.

The problem is,
John wasn't preaching strength.

He was preaching power
over others,

and that's not being a man...

That's being a criminal.

- Have you reached
a verdict?

- We have.
- How do you find?

- On the sole count of
the indictment,

Criminally Negligent
Homicide...

we find the defendant,
John Conway, guilty.

- Take the defendant into
custody.

[handcuffs clicking]

- But I don't wanna go
to bed!

- But you don't have
a vote, mister, okay?

- No!

- Noah!

Don't ever do that again.

- But--
- I don't--

Get in your bed,
right now.

[unsteady breathing]

We're gonna talk about
this in the morning.

Good night.

I love you.

Noah, I love you.