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Daniel Holden
was released from prison
this week
How do you feel about that?
I feel upset.
Sure do.
So, you still believe
Daniel Holden is guilty?
What?
Guilty?
He's as guilty as there's
a hell waitin' on him!
Daniel Holden murdered my baby
girl, and he was convicted to die.
Why ain't he dead, huh?
Why ain't you dead,
Daniel Holden?
Why ain't you dead?
_
Hello?
Oh, hello, Daniel.
You awake?
Uh-huh.
Oh, um, I thought maybe we
could go to the refuge today.
You remember the refuge?
It's still there.
They have a baboon now.
A baboon.
Yeah, it's just one.
They have the usual suspects, too
uh, bears, bisons,
chickens, cockatiels,
cockatoos, cougars, cows.
America versus the world.
Deer, dogs, donkeys,
ducks, emus, geckos.
Sound like fun?
Oh, maybe later.
I don't know yet.
Oh, okay.
Well, I'll just be downstairs.
No worries.
No worries.
Three-hundred fifty
degrees, for 15 minutes.
Good grief, mother.
And thank you.
I love this country so much.
If there's a bald eagle
right here, I'd bleep it.
Oh, you-you're
getting a text.
What-what is it?
It-it's nothing.
It's just my mom.
Your mom?
No, it's not.
Claire, give it here.
What is this?
It-it's nothing.
Just someone being annoying.
"We're gonna kill your sis
and make you watch, ***?"
Could you give it back, please?
Who sent this?
Think I actually know?
How long has this been going on?
The last few days.
Is this all of them?
Jared?
No.
We have to tell somebody.
Who?
Usually moms are a good start.
My mom, seriously.
Well, we have to do something.
- I mean, what if somebody
really means it-- - Okay, fine.
Can I have my phone back please?
You're gettin'
dessert this time.
Well, we'll see.
I wasn't asking.
Got
himself the wildcat special.
How are the biscuits today?
Good-- biscuits are good.
That woman sure knows how to
make the dough rise, don't she?
Listen, I just wanna say, uh, I think
it's a mighty noble thing you do.
Trying to right wrongs,
defending innocent men.
So, why don't you go
find yourself one?
Seriously, how's
the family doing?
I'm a big fan of the Teds.
Um everyone's extremely happy to have
Daniel back home, where he belongs.
I bet they are.
And Daniel, how's he adjusting
to life on the outside?
Daniel's extremely happy to be
back home where he belongs.
I don't think that boy's ever been
extremely happy in his whole damn life.
That's hard to say.
He's never really had a life.
You mind if we get real?
I always try to keep
it real, senator.
I don't give a rusty rat's
*** where the *** landed.
This case was airtight from the
moment we pried that poor dead girl
from that boy's clammy hands.
Not so much where it
landed, as whose it was.
That thorny little issue's
gonna stick to you forever.
Well, you got lucky with that ***
nonsense, I'll give you that.
But I'm still not sure you
realize what you're doing.
Is that right?
Coming down here, givin' one family
false hope, and another a whole
fresh set of grief.
You ever consider how hard it's gonna be on
them when we drag his *** back to prison?
He's going back to prison?
See, that's news to me.
I thought there would at least
be another trial first, ya know?
Due process, that sort of thing.
Well, it's not my call, is it?
I'm just a humble state senator.
That sister of his, she's a basket
of firecrackers, ain't she?
It's always a pleasure, senator.
Daniel, honey.
Mom made a quiche.
Can I come in?
Better not.
Well, it's-it's nice and warm.
Could you just leave it outside?
Outside the door?
Uh-huh.
Sure.
Hey, Daniel.
Everything all right?
Daniel?
Hey, Daniel, what's goin' on?
My father died.
What happened?
Heart attack.
I'm so sorry, man.
Takin' off.
There's a piece
of monkey bread.
What?
On the counter, for your trip.
That's sweet, honey.
Thank you.
Have fun.
Won't be very much fun without
you there with me, sweetie.
Are you vacuuming?
What?
Are you vacuuming?
I-I'm almost done.
You think you might be ready
to go out in a little bit?
I don't know.
I-I think I might
just lay low today.
Oh, um sure.
I'm sorry.
No, there's nothing
to be sorry about.
But, I might go look at an
apartment really quick.
Okay.
'Cause I'm moving back here.
Well, here's my cell
number, if you need me.
Mr.
Gaines, how are you doing?
Mr.
Stern, welcome.
Thank you, dear.
I was sorry to hear about
your, uh, situation.
How can I help ya?
Well, um, any, uh, insights or regrets
you may have had about the case?
You're-you're a
fresh-faced boy, Mr.
Stern.
That's more a matter
of luck than talent.
You keep at this and you'll have
two or three cases in your life
make you look like me.
Like Daniel's?
How is he now?
I don't know, sir.
Boy was just a baby
when they put him in.
Eighteen.
What people never understand
what-what gets lost
in all this revisitin' is the
tenor of the town back then.
- I can only imagine.
- No, you can't, Mr.
Stern.
Not unless you bore
witness to it.
Unless you was knee deep in it.
Smelled it.
Smelled what, sir?
Some of your people know.
The older ones.
Humans don't change
that much in 50 years.
Or 100, or 1,000.
It's the laws that change.
The rules of civilization.
We just repeat ourselves.
Everybody with a part to play.
What part did Daniel play, sir?
Hannah was a girl of no means.
Beautiful.
Whip smart.
Damned honor student.
Daniel was a-a strange boy.
Last I checked,
that's not a crime.
My best hope was keep
the boy off death row.
Wanted to enter a guilty
plea, but Daniel's father
wasn't having none of it.
I need his file sir.
All gone, son.
What?
My daughter, she
threw 'em all away.
Why would she do that?
Well, she was so mad, she
couldn't help herself.
People don't want that
stuff laying around.
Boxes and boxes of pain.
It's human nature.
They wan-wanna get past it.
I don't know why she chose
to stay in this town.
The grief she took.
Her, just a lawyer's
daughter, and, of course,
she had her part to play, too.
Don't ya see?
Coming home from teachin'
school, crying and carrying on.
Begging me to quit the case.
Course I couldn't.
Had to play my part,
too, to the bitter end.
Mr.
Gaines, please.
- I could tell you
- Tell me what?
I'm not so sure we didn't
come from *** monkeys.
Going to nowhere.
Sorry-- wish I could help ya.
Just don't let all this
technology lull ya, son.
How's that?
If you're thinking we're
in modern times
watch yourself.
Hello?
_
_
_
_
It's the fifth one today.
- Did you call-- - They're from
an online texting site.
Can you track it down?
Find the IP or somethin'?
It's hard to say-- maybe.
I'll have to look into it.
Do you have any idea who
this could be from?
Well, it's hard to find
the biggest ***
in a sea full of ***.
Well, in the meantime,
maybe just think about
getting your number changed.
That's what I said.
If I get my number changed, I'm
gonna have to tell my mom.
She's gonna ask why.
Look, don't respond to it.
Keep track of all of them.
Most of all, and I
mean this, hey.
You call me if you need to.
Okay?
Uh, living room here.
Double doors.
Kitchen here.
Master bedroom.
Just a closet.
Uh, master bath here.
Good water pressure.
It-it's strong.
Is there a washer
and dryer on site?
What?
I never believed a word those
people were sayin' about him.
They strung Daniel up by the
balls, uh, if you ask me.
This whole case was
just a bunch of crap.
That's the way I see it.
I mean, Daniel, w-we weren't
we-we weren't close, but, uh
he was always very
nice to me, you know.
Took care of my turtles.
Red-eared sliders, mostly.
You know, uh, when my family
would go on vacation,
he would come feed 'em.
You know, I always meant to go see him
but I never did.
Well you weren't
the only one.
Well, you tell him, if he needs
anything, I'm here for him.
I will tell him.
It's-it's Melvin.
Melvin.
Sometimes I wanna take you down ♪
Sometimes I wanna get you low ♪
brush your hair back from your eyes ♪
take you down let the river flow ♪
sometimes I go and walk the street ♪
behind the green sheet of glass ♪
a million miles below their feet ♪
Daniel?
Okay.
Hi, there!
Oh hi.
Come in, come in.
Um, are-are you thirsty?
You want some iced tea?
Oh, no, I-I can't stay.
I just came to drop this by,
and maybe say hi to Daniel?
Oh, yeah.
He's resting.
I just think the past few
days have been a lot for him.
I'm sure it has.
Um, well, help yourself
to some monkey bread.
And would you mind just
giving this card to Daniel?
Absolutely.
I just wanna say how
much I look up to you.
Really?
For what you've
done, for Daniel.
I mean, nobody fought
for him like you did.
And, now he's here.
Out in the big, blue world.
Thank you, Tawney.
I don't know that I
could've stayed so strong.
Well
I'll see ya later.
Take time with a wounded hand
'cause it likes to heal ♪
take time with a wounded hand 'cause
it likes to heal I like to steal ♪
I'm half the man I used to
be this I feel as the dawn ♪
I'm half the man I used to be ♪
Half the man I used to be ♪
Half the man I used to be ♪
This is your special mix
tape, Daniel Holden.
Happy birthday.
I love you, Daniel.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Uh, it's been a rough day
and I need a stiff drink.
Is that even possible
in this town?
Uh, sorta.
Um, come pick ya up??
God, yes.
Hey.
Hey.
What you up to?
About to go meet some friends.
You have fun.
You-you wanna come?
Yeah, sure.
Can't believe I thought going to
the refuge to see one baboon
and a bunch of emus
was a good idea.
You just wanted to spend
time with your brother.
They have a baboon?
If it made it through
deer huntin' season.
He just wanted to play
dress-up in dad's old clothes.
Listen to his walkman.
It was so sweet.
We're pattin' hands now?
Where are we again, besides
the middle of nowhere?
The county I come from you
can sentence a man to die,
but you can't buy beer.
So we had to go to the next
county over for that privilege.
I'm not so sure
this is good idea.
Oh, it's a good idea.
It's been a long week already.
I need to get drunk, and
you're my designated driver.
Well, you know what I mean.
What about you, sailor?
How was your day?
Complicated.
Join the crowd, Melvin.
Melvin?
Not worth gettin' in to.
I wanna talk to you about
something, but I don't want you to
turn into the "A" train on me.
I hate it when you call me that.
I call you that for a reason.
Okay.
I won't freak out.
Jared called me.
Not freaking, but why?
He's been getting some pretty
God awful text messages.
Um, some of them about what
people wanna do to you.
Like what?
"Slit her throat
until she's dead"
was the one that
got my attention.
Well, that's graphic.
Shouldn't you only
have to do that once?
He called me because he
didn't wanna upset your mom.
***.
- It doesn't scare you?
- No, it doesn't scare me.
It makes me sad for
my little brother.
Do you know how many prank
calls we got back then?
Notes in my locker that said, "I'll give
you something to choke on, ***.
"
This isn't new.
Daniel being out is.
I've been through it.
I just didn't want Jared to
have to go through it, too.
And then, he has to
hide it from everybody.
What a family.
Amantha, you're gonna
have to pull it together.
I know, Jon.
It's just that being back here
is bringing up a shitload
of old feelings and that's why
I've been a tad clingy of late.
Not to mention the fact that I'm
very fond of you, Jon Stern.
And I'm very fond of you,
too, Amantha Holden.
And I know that attraction
is, partly, because of
our common interest, my brother,
the center of our universe.
- But, damn it--
- Can I buy you a drink?
No thank you.
Your brother moving back here?
I don't know.
Um, I don't-I don't know
his permanent plans.
I don't know.
See ya 'round.
What the hell was that about?
We have to go.
Well?
It's Hannah's brother
all grown up.
What?
Little Bobby Dean.
I watched Daniel
go to death row.
He buried his sister, and then, we
went to algebra class together.
You're just too young and
too in the middle of it
to know how crazy it
all was at the time.
You know he's messed up.
Jon, I need you to
take me somewhere.
You see that patch of trees
right there, behind the rocks?
That's where, uh I haven't been
out here in such a long time.
My God.
After it was all over, the trial
and everything, and Daniel was
sentenced to die, it became
pretty taboo to come out here.
But you know kids, we broke
that one pretty quick.
In a few years, it had become
this macabre rite of passage.
I didn't know about it at the
time, for obvious reasons,
but the older teenagers would
bring the younger teenagers
out here always at night.
And they would tell this story
of this boy named Daniel
and this girl named Hannah.
Now, Daniel had wanted to
have sex with Hannah,
but Hannah was a *** and wanted
to save herself for marriage.
Daniel did it to her anyway even
though Hannah begged him not to.
And then, he said they would get
married now, and he consummated it
by strangling her to death and
covering her body with wildflowers.
Just as an older teenager was
finishing telling the morbid tale,
and you could hear a pin
drop in a car full of kids,
other teenagers who had
been hidin' would suddenly
*** on all the car windows.
Kids would pee their pants.
How did you find out about this?
My best friend told me.
She had come out here one night.
Felt guilty about it.
Said she'd been hanging on to
her secret for over a year
before she finally confessed.
I made her come out here and
go through the whole thing.
You know me.
She cried a lot, but she did it.
What happened to her?
I don't know.
I never talked to her again
after that-- not one word.
You know me.
I've been thinking about
her a lot lately.
Jenny Park.
You could get in touch
with her, you know?
It's not too late.
Yeah I guess.
Amantha?
Daniel?
Hey.
It's got your name on it.
Come on-- why not?