Home > Better Call Saul

Chicanery

I found a phone.

It looks like it's from 1967, but I think it will work.

Just a second, Jimmy.

Excellent. Thank you for being so careful.

-Sir, we have to get in your attic. -For what?

The hookup.

-That's all right. Don't bother. -It won't take 20 minutes.

-You can't use it if I don't do it. -No, it's all right. We're not gonna.

When you're done, would you get some more lamps in the garage?

Thanks.

-So you got a phone. -Yeah.

Yard's half-mowed. Sockets and stuff are looking A-okay.

I'm gonna check again just to make sure.

-We're almost there. -Good, good. Um....

What do you think? On? Off?

Oh. I think off.

Yeah. You're right.

Off, it is.

Chuck, are you sure this is the right play?

I mean, in my experience...

...the bigger the lie, the harder it can be to dig out.

I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

JIMMY: Hey, guys, think we're set with the lamps.

Can someone give me a hand with this phone?

Mm.

[PEOPLE SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

It's open.

Rebecca.

-Chuck. CHUCK: You look lovely.

-Oh, it's so good to see you. -And you.

-You look.... -Hey, what's with the candles?

-Why are you sitting in the dark? -Wondering the same thing.

Oh, my God. The afternoon I've had.

Two hours ago, I take the sea bass out.

No sooner is it prepped and resting then, boom...

...power goes down.

I get on the phone to the city.

To make a long story short, those bozos at PNM mixed up my payment.

The deadbeat at 512 San Cristobal hasn't been paying his bills.

-And of course, I'm 215. -215.

-Exactly. -Mm-hm. Mm.

They say they'll have it on again by tomorrow.

In the meantime, I borrowed some camping gear from my neighbors.

Hence, the rustic flair.

-Jeez. So, what do we do? -Oh, yeah.

Get out and go to a restaurant?

We could hit Seasons. Your treat.

We could. Yeah.

But, you know, dinner's almost ready. And the fish...

...would've had to throw it out. All I do is toss it in the pan.

How about we just rough it?

-Are you okay with that? -Uh.... Um....

Well...

...why not? It'll be fun. We'll do an haute-cuisine campout.

Great, then it's settled. Let me take that.

-Take your coat. -Oh, yeah. Here. Thank you. Mm-hm.

Mm.

Oh, my God.

I can't eat another bite.

[CHUCKLING]

Cheers.

-To the Galloping Gourmet. -Mm.

-Yeah. CHUCK: Ha, ha, ha.

REBECCA: The Calvados is perfect. -You always liked it.

Here. Uh, um....

-Let me get this. -No, no.

-You don't have to. -The least I can do is the dishes.

Thank you.

Thanks, Jimmy.

This turned out better than I thought. Heh, heh.

I'm so sorry about the lights.

Oh, it's nice. Atmospheric.

I mean, I still can't get over Jimmy being a lawyer.

Neither can I. He's got his own shingle out and everything.

I mean, a real, responsible citizen. I mean, who would've thought?

[CHUCK CHUCKLES]

This place is the same.

I mean, I would've thought you'd...

...change things up, move things around.

You've got great taste, and if it ain't broke....

-How's the tour going? -It's good.

Good. The Far East this fall.

China, South Korea and Vietnam. That's gonna be exciting.

-Yeah. -And then, after Santa Fe this week...

-...we're back to Central Europe. -And it's good?

Well, it's a lot of hotels.

I mean, in Budapest...

...I think I saw mostly the inside of a concert hall and the Marriott.

But, you know, I shouldn't complain.

You're not complaining. You're observing.

Did you finally get to see Salzburg?

Not yet, but next month after Vienna.

Do you remember when we tried to go to Salzburg?

And that crazy old lady on the scooter...

-Oh, yes. Yes. -...chased us out of the train station.

REBECCA: Yeah, and then....

And then we went and got--

It was a raspberry Linzer torte in Innsbruck...

...to make ourselves feel better.

-You said, "We'll never finish this." -And then we did.

[BOTH LAUGHING]

CHUCK: So what's after Asia? Any plans for a stateside tour?

Oh, you know, hopefully next year. You know, maybe a residency.

That would be sweet.

I mean, you know, I like the buses and trains and flying...

...but I, um....

I miss having one-- One place to hang my hat.

[CELL PHONE RINGING]

Oh, God.

I'm sorry. I-- I hate that thing.

I feel like I'm on a leash.

[REBECCA GROANS]

I'm sorry.

[♪♪♪]

Oh. Oh, it's my conductor. Um, I have to take this.

I'm sorry.

Hi, Andre.

No, I'm just at dinner. What's up?

Well, I could do that at rehearsal. Yeah, no problem. Yeah.

No, I know that they're coming in late on bar 16.

Yeah. Got it. Got it. I will make sure that....

Can-- Can you hold on one second? Let me just get a pen.

Mm-hm.

Yeah, no, I-- I....

Yeah, hold on one second.

Yeah, we could do it whenever you need. Mm-hm.

Okay. All right, shoot.

Okay. Haydn.

Okay....

-Chuck. -I'm all right.

Well, do you want me to rehearse the cellos separately?

Rebecca. Rebecca.

Just one minute.

Well, no. It's not just him. It's the whole section, actually.

JIMMY: Rebecca. -Yeah, yeah. No.

That's fine. Yeah.

Chuck, what the hell?

Andre?

I-- I'll have to call you back. I'm sorry.

What is your problem?

Say something.

It is incredibly bad manners to answer a cell phone in company.

It's very rude.

Uh, I-- I'm sorry. I....

I didn't know you felt that way.

I didn't mean to offend you, Chuck.

I-- I may have overreacted. That was very abrupt.

No. I understand.

Uh....

It's getting late.

Thank you for a lovely dinner, but I should be getting back to the hotel.

JIMMY: Just give me a minute and we can--

No. I'll just get a cab. I don't want to put you out anymore.

-Please, let me. -No, really.

A cab is the easiest.

You gotta do something. You can't let her leave like this.

-Just tell her what's going on. -No.

She'll understand.

Would you rather she think you're a raging prick than know the truth?

No.

Look, if you won't tell her, then I will.

No, no, no. You will not tell her.

You will not tell her.

All right.

Hi, Andre. Yes. Oh, I'm sorry about that. I dropped the phone.

[♪♪♪]

[DOGS BARKING]

MAN: Jesus, what are you doing, man?

There's barely any oxygen in that bag. You're suffocating her.

Her?

Just because you don't see swinging dicks...

...doesn't mean you can't tell a boy fish from a girl fish.

Oh, yeah. See. Now I can see the lipstick.

This is a living creature.

It's not a piece of furniture.

So after this, you take her home, you put her in a big bowl.

At least a gallon. Get a good bubbler.

Maybe a plecostomus.

And don't feed her too much. People get fat.

-Fish, they drown in leftover food. -All right already, Jacques Cousteau.

-Point made. -Good.

I'm guessing our friend didn't refer you to me to get ichthyological advice.

I'm looking for someone with a light touch.

I'm not talking some teenager taking a five-finger discount of string cheese...

...at the Stop & Shop. I need...

...highly skilled, high-end, discreet.

A real pro.

You gotta fit him in a tight space?

I don't think so.

I got just the guy then.

COMMISSIONER: That's what-- That's what happens. It was just a bad swing.

It's gonna get better.

That's why I say golfing is a contact sport.

[LAUGHING]

Great job, Ms. Wexler. Very refreshing.

Believe me, we're happy to get this one off the docket.

Not as happy as we are.

-Again, great job. -Thank you. Thank you, sir.

Ladies...

...dinner's on me.

Kim, I knew you were good, but I didn't know you were this good.

-I'm glad you're happy. -We couldn't have done it without you...

...and I hope you realize this means a whole lot of work coming your way.

Well, that's-- That's great.

Well, you don't sound like it's great.

I hate to be a buzzkill. There is something you need to hear...

...before we get any deeper in.

It's about your former attorney...

-...Charles McGill. -What about him?

Charles has been making some very ugly allegations about his brother, Jimmy...

...with whom I happen to share an office space.

PAIGE: Allegations of what?

Charles thinks Jimmy took control of your documents while working on them.

He believes Jimmy transposed the address numbers.

Transposed the numbers?

How would he even do that?

Charles contends Jimmy took documents pertaining to the Rosella branch...

...and while Charles was indisposed...

...photocopied and doctored them.

That's pretty baroque.

The important thing here is I think it could make some noise in public.

Soon. I wanted to tell you this in the spirit of full disclosure.

I thought it was better if you heard it from me.

If you have any reservations at this point...

...or if you are not comfortable staying with me, we can discuss options.

If there's one thing I cannot abide...

...it's a man who won't own up to his mistakes.

Now whatever mud McGill is slinging is not gonna screw me out of the best...

...outside counsel I've ever had.

That's....

-I'm so glad to hear that. -We appreciate the heads-up...

...but you can call this baby put to bed. Now the most important thing, dinner.

Seven good for you?

-Works for me. -Great.

We'll talk strategy.

We move on to Colorado or Utah first.

See you at 7.

This McGill thing...

...you're sure it's not gonna be a problem?

I am.

Mesa Verde isn't involved in any way, shape or form.

Okay. Good.

Then I'll see you tonight.

Okay, great. See you then.

[ELECTRICITY BUZZING]

Okay, this is it.

We can run without lights and mikes.

We'll collect cell phones and hold them for your testimony.

The court reporter...

...would it be possible to move him or her farther from the witness stand?

Yeah, I think we can arrange having them in the back of the court.

I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do about the exit signs. It's code.

I appreciate all you're doing. Thank you.

Mr. Alley, I wonder if you'd give us a moment. I'd like to go over something.

No problem. I'll be outside when you're ready.

Howard.

How are you feeling, Chuck?

I'll muddle through.

Because this is a lot to ask.

And if you're not up to it, just throwing this out there.

-Maybe you don't need to testify at all. -No. I do.

I'm the only person who can adequately explain the context of that tape.

Or the defense will tear it to shreds.

It's already a solid case. We have Jimmy's statement...

...from the Pre-Prosecution Diversion, my testimony and the private eye's.

Maybe there's no need to put you through the ringer like this.

This isn't about me...

...or my health.

This is about PR.

We lost a client.

That happened because while you were incapacitated...

...your brother accessed documents that should have been secured at HHM.

What Jimmy did is unconscionable, yes...

...but one of my jobs is to safeguard the firm's reputation.

This is not the time to worry about how we look.

This is about what's right and what's wrong.

I'm not gonna risk Jimmy getting, what, a year of suspension?

Maybe two?

He deserves disbarment.

Not some slap on the wrist.

No, Howard, there's only one way forward.

"Let justice be done though the heavens fall."

Sorry to keep you waiting. This will do nicely.

Extend my thanks to the committee for their flexibility.

ALLEY: Good morning. I'm Robert Alley for the State Bar.

In the matter of James M. McGill...

...the State Bar intends to prove the following violations of the ethical code:

16-102: engaging in conduct the lawyer knows is criminal.

Mr. McGill knew that breaking down his brother's door was criminal behavior.

16-804: committing a criminal act...

...that reflects adversely on the lawyer's honesty...

...or trustworthiness as a lawyer.

Any reasonable person would agree assaulting a lawyer...

...in his own home reflects badly on Mr. McGill's fitness as an attorney.

16-304: unlawfully altering, destroying...

...or concealing material having potential evidentiary value.

Mr. McGill broke into his brother's home and destroyed an audio cassette...

...which contained a recording of a conversation between himself...

...and his brother, Charles McGill.

We will show this recording was evidence in an ongoing legal case.

The State Bar believes that once we have presented the facts...

...the committee will agree that disbarment is warranted for James McGill.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Alley.

Ms. Wexler.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Good morning.

I'm Kim Wexler, co-counsel with James McGill, for the defense.

You've already read Mr. McGill's Pre-Prosecution Statement.

We don't dispute he broke into his brother's house.

An act he regrets...

...deeply.

But there is another side to this story.

One not about calculation...

...or ill intent.

But about two brothers...

...whose relationship after years of strain...

...finally broke.

We believe that after you have the complete picture...

...you'll understand James McGill is an asset to our legal community.

And he should remain a full member of it in good standing.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Wexler.

Okay. If everyone's ready to...

...begin testimony.

Mr. Alley, call your witness.

HOWARD: Bang, bang, bang. Then he kicked down the door.

Jimmy was very agitated. He was shouting.

He demanded Charles turn over the evidence he--

Objection. We haven't established the tape is evidence of anything.

The defense has only acknowledged it is a piece of property.

Allow me to rephrase.

Jimmy demanded an audio cassette in Charles' possession...

...which Jimmy proceeded, with the help of an iron fireplace implement...

...to pry from Charles' desk.

He then broke the cassette into pieces and went on to confront his brother.

What happened after the defendant smashed this tape?

-Mr. Brightbill and I-- -That's the private investigator...

-...that Charles hired? -That's correct.

He and I were concerned that Jimmy might strike his brother.

So that's when we stepped in.

-Thank you, Mr. Hamlin. -Certainly.

Nothing further at this time.

CHAIRMAN: Ms. Wexler.

KIM: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[CLEARS THROAT]

You testified you've known my client for some time.

How long exactly?

Nearly 10 years.

How did you come to know him?

His brother asked to hire him in the mail room at our firm.

-And you did? -Yes.

What was your opinion of him then?

I thought...

...he had a lot of get up and go.

-He was a hard worker. -You had a nickname for him, didn't you?

"Charlie Hustle."

Charlie Hustle?

How'd you feel when you found out he'd become a lawyer?

Surprised. He had put himself through law school...

...and taken the bar exam without telling any of the partners.

Even Charles.

He bootstrapped his way into a law degree while working in your mail room.

Did you consider taking him on as an associate?

We did.

-Briefly. -Sounds like you didn't hire him.

Why not? With that kind of grit?

The partners decided it would be best to avoid the appearance of nepotism.

We felt hiring Jimmy might damage morale.

Nepotism.

Your firm is Hamlin Hamlin & McGill, right?

Who's the other Hamlin?

My father.

Which partner was the most concerned with nepotism?

Charles McGill.

-So Jimmy's own brother blocked him? ALLEY: Objection.

How are the hiring practices of Hamlin Hamlin McGill relevant here?

It's relevant to understand the relationship between these brothers.

We'll give you some leeway, Ms. Wexler...

...but don't stray. Charles McGill is not the subject of this hearing.

Thank you.

Did Jimmy know his brother was the one that prevented you from hiring him?

HOWARD: No. He did not.

Eventually, he was hired by the firm of Davis & Main.

I'd be happy to say more about that if you'd like.

No. Thank you.

When Charles' condition appeared, Jimmy took care of him, didn't he?

I believe so.

Jimmy was struggling to build his solo law practice, yet every day, without fail...

...he brought his brother food, supplies...

...even his favorite newspapers. Isn't that right?

He did.

KIM: Could you speak to the terms of Charles' leave of absence?

You know I can't.

It was an FMLA leave.

Anything more is confidential.

You can confirm it was due to mental illness?

Objection. Charles McGill's mental health isn't at issue.

This is a smear job on the State Bar's upcoming witness. Nothing more.

This is not a competency hearing.

Mr. Hamlin is not a psychiatric professional.

Do you have any questions that would be more germane to his experience?

No.

I have nothing further.

CHAIRMAN: The witness is excused.

At this time, the State Bar would like to enter Exhibit 5 into evidence.

-We ask Charles' recording be played. -Respectfully renewing my objection.

Probative value of playing this is outweighed by how prejudicial it is.

All due respect, but the State Bar feels this is fundamental to hear.

Don't wanna leave any question as to the intentions of both parties.

We already ruled this was fair game when we denied your motion to suppress.

I'll add, the rough and tumble of your client's conduct aside...

...we need to know if one lawyer attempted to tamper...

...with another's evidence.

[WHISPERING] Come here.

-What are you doing here? -[WHISPERING] Flight's delayed.

How delayed?

-Forty minutes, last I checked. -Shit.

Okay. Keep me posted.

[ALLEY SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

WOMAN: Here we go.

Thank you for your patience. The State Bar is ready to proceed.

I'm begging your pardon.

The defense requests a moment to review, if we could.

All right. When you're ready.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

What are we doing?

We're stalling.

CHUCK: Yes.

Yes, my brother has many admirable qualities.

I-- In some ways, I can say I admire him.

Too cold.

I love my brother.

But Ted Kaczynski's brother loved him too.

And he wanted to help.

That's sanctimonious.

I love my brother.

He's a good person.

He has good in him.

But the law is too important.

[GRUNTS THEN KNOCKING ON DOOR]

Be right there, Howard.

The law is too important.

JIMMY [ON RECORDING]: I sure as shit wouldn't be telling you otherwise.

But yes.

It's the truth.

CHUCK: You'd go to such lengths to humiliate me?

JIMMY: I did it for Kim.

She worked her butt off to get Mesa Verde...

...while you and Howard sat around sipping Scotch and chortling.

Hamlin Hamlin McGill. More like Scrooge and Marley.

Kim deserves Mesa Verde. Not you, not HHM.

She earned it, and she needs it. I did it to help her.

But I honestly didn't think it would hurt you so bad.

I thought you'd just say, "Oh, crap. I made a mistake."

And go on with your life like a normal person.

But, oh, no.

Wishful thinking.

So can I...

...tell Howard you're not quitting or retiring or whatever?

And can we take all the shit down off the walls?

I'm gonna go call Howard.

CHUCK: Jimmy.

You do realize you just confessed to a felony?

JIMMY: I guess.

But you feel better, right?

Besides, it's your word against mine.

Ah. Um....

All right, Mr. Alley, we need to make accommodations for your next witness.

-Is that correct? -Yes, Mr. Chairman.

CHAIRMAN: All right. For those who don't know...

...we need to prepare the room.

The clerk is going to collect your cell phones, watches...

...key fobs, anything electrical.

If you prefer not to, please secure your items outside this room.

Thank you for understanding.

-Your phone, sir? -I left it in the car.

-Excuse me. That's yours. -Sorry.

Please raise your right hand.

Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

I do.

Could you state your name?

Charles L. McGill.

I'm a senior partner at the law firm of Hamlin Hamlin McGill.

-Can the court reporter hear me? -Yes, sir. I can hear you fine.

Mr. McGill, I'll try to be brief.

We don't need to dwell on the burglary or the assault that you suffered.

Thank you. I appreciate that.

ALLEY: What I would like to hear about is this tape.

What compelled you to make it?

I had a suspicion...

...my brother had tampered with documents in a case I was working on.

Now, why would he do that?

-Doesn't sound particularly brotherly. -I believe his hope was the documents...

...would cause the client to become disillusioned with my representation...

...and return to their previous attorney, Ms. Wexler...

...which, I should note, is precisely what happened.

Objection.

I'm not saying Ms. Wexler knew what Jimmy was doing or had any involvement.

I'm only stating that it happened.

Did you have evidence to support your suspicions about James?

No.

My brother, whatever else can be said of him, can be quite clever.

Did an excellent job of covering his tracks.

Objection. Witness has admitted there's no corroborating evidence...

...the supposed crime even occurred.

I'd like to hear what he has to say.

We're going to continue.

We'll extend you the same latitude on cross, Ms. Wexler.

Go on, Mr. McGill.

Without physical evidence, I felt that a recorded confession...

...if I could get one, was my best bet.

On its own, I knew the tape would be somewhat flimsy...

...but it was a start. A foundation for a more ironclad case.

I suppose Jimmy must have felt the tape was decisive evidence on its own.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have broken in to destroy it.

Objection. More speculation.

How can he know what was going on in Jimmy's head?

Sustained. We just need to hear what happened, Mr. McGill.

I-- I apologize.

I recorded my brother to build a case against him.

At the time, would you say you were in possession of your faculties?

All due respect...

...but you do sound somewhat unhinged on the recording.

Yes, I understand that.

But what you heard was theater. A performance. Play-acting.

I exaggerated the symptoms of my disease to extract the truth.

Can we talk about your disease for a moment?

I'd like everybody to be on the same page about it.

Of course. It is sometimes referred to as EHS.

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity.

I describe it as an acute allergy to electromagnetism.

It's not a common condition, is it?

I know it sounds strange. I do.

But 30 years ago, no one had heard of peanut allergies.

But you admit that no one....

No doctor has ever diagnosed you.

AIDS was not identified properly until 1981.

HIV wasn't known as the cause until '83.

These things take time to unravel, even for doctors.

Would you say that your illness affects your ability to think clearly?

No, it affects me physically.

It causes me great pain. However, I'm perfectly lucid.

Thank you.

Mr. McGill, I have only one more question for you.

Do you hate your brother?

Absolutely not.

I love my brother.

There's nothing malicious in Jimmy.

He has a way of doing the worst things for reasons that sound almost noble.

But what I know for sure is that the law is too important to be toyed with.

It's mankind's greatest achievement.

The rule of law, the idea that no matter who you are...

...your actions have consequences.

And the way my brother treats the law...

...it breaks my heart.

That's why I did what I did. Not to hurt him...

...but to protect something that I hold sacred.

Thank you, Mr. McGill.

The State Bar rests.

[WHISPERING] I think we need to put on the brakes.

I'm sorry. My co-counsel and I need a moment to confer.

Please be brief, counselor.

Yes, of course.

[WHISPERING] She'll be here.

Do you have anything for cross?

JIMMY [WHISPERING]: Could I look at your notes?

KIM: Yeah, of course. Can you-- JIMMY: Can you read the writing?

KIM: Yeah.

[WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY]

Mr. Chairman. I'm sorry...

...might I have a moment to get a breath?

Well, of course, Mr. McGill.

Folks, let's call this 15.

Everybody, please be back and ready to go on the hour.

-Rebecca. -Chuck.

-It's good to see you. -I have to say, I'm a bit surprised.

Did Jimmy subpoena you? You're not on the witness list.

-You don't have to testify. -No, no, no. I'm not here for that.

Well, what then?

Chuck, I wish you'd told me.

I-- I can't believe what you've been going through.

-How long has it been? -Ah.

You're here to help...

...because all this is so stressful for me.

-Is that what Jimmy told you? -He's worried about you, Chuck.

In spite of everything that's happened between you two, he cares.

What exactly did he say?

Um.... Well, that you had been sick.

Allergic to electricity?

He sent me pictures of the house. Chuck, my God.

Why didn't you tell me?

I didn't wanna upset you.

Worry you unnecessarily.

But now you're here.

And now you know.

I came because I thought it was the right thing.

I thought, I don't know that you'd want me to.

But I guess that I'm more of a distraction.

So I'm gonna be in town for a few days.

And I would love to spend some time with you.

But right now, I think I should go.

-No, no. Please. I want you to stay. -Really?

-You don't seem happy to see me. -I am.

I'm just surprised. That's all.

Please stay.

-Are you sure? -Yes. I'm sure.

You've been sold a bill of goods, Rebecca.

I want you to see what's what.

She's not what I expected.

Oh, yeah? What'd you expect?

I don't know. Just....

Not her. Heh.

You know, she's gonna hate you when this is over.

Yep.

All right. Mr. McGill, I'll remind you you're still under oath.

-I understand. -At this time...

...I'd like to turn cross-examination over to my co-counsel, James McGill.

[CLEARS THROAT]

There's been a lot of fuss about it, but we never really talked about this tape.

We lost the opportunity when you burglarized my house to destroy it.

Fair enough. And I was in the wrong there...

...but still, I'd like to follow your story of why and how you recorded it.

Oh, is this where you claim the tape is spurious?

-That it's not really your voice? -No. That's me on the tape.

Still, I have some questions. Like the recorder...

...it must have hurt like hell for you to touch that.

There was a degree of discomfort. That's true.

And where did you hide it?

The sound's pretty clear, so it wasn't in the couch cushions, was it?

Tucked under a space blanket. Out of sight.

Wow.

So no chance I'd see it, not with the state your place was in.

-Isn't that right? -I suppose.

Would you like to set the scene for the disciplinary committee?

Tell them what your house looked like at the time of recording?

Objection. Relevance?

Well, the circumstances of the recording are materially relevant.

How can you know what the tape means...

...unless you know what was going on when it was recorded?

Overruled. The witness can answer the question.

I covered most of the walls with Foil-Scrim Kraft insulation.

I also hung a number of space blankets.

Compact Mylar sheets.

They insulate and protect against mild electromagnetic radiation.

All right, so shiny insulation...

...and space blankets all over the walls and ceiling.

It was like being inside of a disco ball.

Do you have a point?

Well, I'm impressed...

...by how much work went into entrapping me.

You went all out.

I didn't entrap you.

I provoked an admission in adverse interest.

That's not the same thing.

How did you know it would work?

What do you mean?

How did you know your provocation would work?

Why'd you think a bunch of shiny plastic would make me say anything?

Isn't it because you knew that it was precisely the thing that would worry me...

...so much that I'd say anything to talk you down?

Objection.

Okay. Withdrawn.

Let's-- Let's get back to your house.

Every surface covered in tinfoil.

-Nothing crazy about that, huh? -As I've said...

...I was playing up my condition. Usually, it's a perfectly normal house.

You think your house is normal? Can I call your attention to Exhibit 9?

This is your house, right?

Yes.

Exposed wires.

There's a camp stove.

There's a lantern on top of newspapers.

You call this normal?

I call them adaptations.

A prophylactic measure for a physical medical condition.

Did the doctor who granted me guardianship...

...think this was a physical condition?

Objection. You can't introduce a TEG as evidence.

Besides, the panel has already ruled Mr. McGill's mental health is not at issue.

No, the State Bar opened the door to this on direct...

...when the witness talked about his supposed play-acting.

Allowing me to follow up on cross is only reasonable.

We discussed a physical allergy. Not a mental disability.

Potato, "potato." It comes down to this:

In order to understand what I was thinking...

...you need to see Chuck through my eyes.

You need to know if I believe that tape was evidence.

And I say it was evidence of only one thing.

My brother hates me.

Now, he claims that he lied to me to get me to tell the truth.

And I'm telling you...

...I lied to my brother to make him feel better.

Which of us you believe...

...depends on how we all understand the mind of Charles McGill.

We did promise the defense some leeway.

-You may proceed. JIMMY: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

But watch yourself.

Chuck, I'd like to go back a little further.

Talk about when these symptoms first started. It was...

...shortly after you were divorced, is that right?

-Yes. -You think the stress of the divorce...

-...brought on the illness? -I doubt it.

It was an amicable split. My ex-wife and I are still on good terms.

In fact, your ex-wife is present with us today. Is she not?

-When was the last time you saw each--? -Objection.

This is not family court.

We're not here to re-litigate the witness's divorce.

-I can't see what purpose this serves. CHUCK: I can.

I'll tell you why my brother brought my ex-wife to this hearing.

Four thousand miles, she came.

Lured by concern for me.

What Jimmy's driving at is the last time I saw her, I covered up my illness.

I'd been suffering from it for some time.

But I went to great lengths to conceal that fact from her.

I'm sorry I deceived you, Rebecca.

I didn't want you to think less of me.

Now Jimmy's outed me in front of you.

You know why?

To rattle me.

He knows I still have...

...a lot of feeling for my ex-wife.

He's hoping this will break me down.

Split me apart at the seams like a murderer confessing...

...on an episode of Perry Mason.

Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Jimmy.

Have I answered your questions to your satisfaction?

Do you have anything else?

Yeah, I do.

Earlier, you talked about other diseases...

...physical conditions, you said, so, okay...

...if you'd had, I don't know, lung cancer...

...would you have told Rebecca then?

If that had been the case, maybe. I might have.

-So how is this different? COMMITTEE MEMBER: Mr. McGill.

-Move it along. -You don't have to answer that.

I wanna get down to brass tacks. I wanna be very, very specific here.

This illness, what does it feel like?

You mentioned it's painful.

It is.

There's a tightness in my chest...

...difficulty breathing...

...and pain.

Burning pain. The pain spreads everywhere.

Sounds horrible. Does it hurt right now?

CHUCK: There's always some discomfort, yes.

Electricity is everywhere in the modern world.

But I very much appreciate the indulgence of the panel...

...for their accommodation today.

I can handle this fine.

Right. So with the lights out, you don't feel them.

CHUCK: If the current's not flowing, no.

Sorry about the exit signs. I guess they couldn't kill those for you.

CHUCK: They're not drawing much current, and they're far away.

Intensity drops off with distance per the inverse-square law.

Oh, yeah, whoa. Inverse-square. I'm not a physicist.

Could you dumb that down a shade for me?

The farther away it is...

...the stronger the source needs to be to have an effect.

JIMMY: Got it. Got it. So if I had a small battery, say...

...from a watch, and I got up close to your skin...

...you'd know?

I would feel it, yes.

Can you feel more current coming from any particular direction right now?

From that back wall or....?

From over there or up through the floor?

Can you tell us where the nearest source is right now?

Jimmy, do you have something in your pocket?

Yes, I do, as a matter of fact.

My cell phone.

From this distance, you should feel it, and you don't, do you?

Mr. McGill, you were warned to leave your electronics outside.

It's all right.

It's all right.

May I?

Just as I thought.

There's no battery in here.

You removed the battery.

That's a sorry little trick, isn't it?

Yeah, you got me, Chuck. Dead to rights.

I removed the battery.

-Objection. CHAIRMAN: Sustained.

You've taken all the leeway you're getting, Mr. McGill. Wrap it up.

God, Jimmy.

Don't you know by now this is real?

I feel this.

It's a physical response to stimuli. It's not a quirk.

[CHUCK SIGHS]

What do I have to do to prove it to you?

I don't know, Chuck.

Could you reach into your breast pocket and tell me what's there?

What now?

JIMMY: Can you tell the court what that was?

-A battery. ALLEY: Mr. Chairman.

-Please. -You recognize that man?

His name is Huell Babineaux. He's on our witness list.

You bumped into him in the stairway.

He'll testify he planted this fully-charged battery on you...

...over an hour and a half ago.

-An hour and 43 minutes ago. -An hour and 43 minutes.

Thank you, Mr. Babineaux.

And you felt nothing.

CHUCK: No. It's a trick. It has to be. -Enough is enough.

I submit that Mr. McGill's mental illness is a non-issue.

If he were schizophrenic, it wouldn't take away--

I am not crazy!

I am not crazy.

I know he swapped those numbers.

I knew it was "1216."

One after Magna Carta.

As if I could ever make such a mistake. Never.

Never. I just couldn't prove it.

He-- He covered his tracks.

He got that idiot at the copy shop to lie for him.

ALLEY: Mr. McGill. You don't have to-- -You think this is something?

You think this is bad? This chicanery?

He's done worse.

That billboard.

Are you telling me a man just happens to fall like that?

No. He orchestrated it.

Jimmy.

He defecated through a sunroof.

And I saved him.

I shouldn't have. I took him into my own firm.

What was I thinking?

He'll never change.

He'll never change. Ever since he was 9, always the same.

Couldn't keep his hands out of the cash drawer.

"But not our Jimmy."

"Couldn't be precious Jimmy."

Stealing them blind.

And he gets to be a lawyer?

What a sick joke.

I should've stopped him when I had the chance.

And you-- You have to stop him. You--

I apologize.

I lost my train of thought.

I got carried away.

[CLEARS THROAT]

Do you have anything else?

No.

Nothing further.

[SIGHS]

[ELECTRICITY BUZZING]

[♪♪♪]