All language subtitles for L.A.Law.S06E05.Monkey.on.My.Back.Lot.1080p.DSNP.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-NTb_track4_[eng]

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]