Harry's Law Episode 1.11 With Friends Like These

Harry and Tommy talk over drinks. Harry's about to start a trial in which she's defending a close friend who's charged with murder. Tommy muses that it's every law student's dream to be in Harry's shoes, but she insists it's not her dream. Harry's friend, Lou Drummond, is going through the worst crisis of his life, and she's doesn't find defending him fun. When Tommy says she should enjoy the chance to truly rescue a friend, Harry wonders why she bothers coming to Tommy for advice. He suggests she try to sell the DA on voluntary manslaughter. But the DA is Josh Peyton, and Harry's beaten him every time, so he's not likely to offer a deal. Besides, Harry's friend Lou was literally caught red-handed, holding the smoking gun. Tommy thinks Harry should try to relax and enjoy the challenge.

At the shop, Harry and Adam discuss the murder case. Harry laments she should've advised Lou to get a more experienced criminal defense attorney. Adam reminds Harry that she did suggest that to Lou, and he insisted on her because he wanted a lawyer who believed in him. In the background, Malcolm and Jenna are in the middle of a tiff; Malcolm doesn't know what he did or didn't do. Rachel arrives and asks to speak with Adam, so they step into the storage closet. She's angry with him for showing up on her doorstep and declaring his love when she's in a relationship with someone else. Adam maintains that Rachel's the one for him. Wondering why Adam hasn't ended things with Chunhua, Rachel leaves, opening the door to find an Jenna eavesdropping outside.

At trial, DA Josh Peyton conducts a direct exam of witness Peter Brandon. Peter testifies that as he was getting ready to leave work for the day at about 6:30, he heard a "pop" coming from Mitchell's office. He ran to the office and found Mitchell lying on his desk in a pool of blood, and Lou standing nearby holding a gun. Peter heard Lou mumble, "I'm so sorry." Harry cross-examines Peter, who acknowledges that Lou and Mitchell were best friends. Peter heard no other noise before the "pop" and testifies that Lou didn't attempt to run and was actually the person who called an ambulance.

Back at the shop, Jenna argues with Adam about misleading Chunhua. Adam claims that he hasn't misled Chunhua, and that he plans to break up with her over lunch. Jenna criticizes him for planning to tell her in a public place. Harry has no opinion on the matter of where Adam breaks up with Chunhua, but tells Adam she thinks he's crazy for doing it, because Chunhua is way better than Adam could expect to do with his looks. Besides, Rachel doesn't want him. Adam refuses to believe that Rachel doesn't want him. Harry keeps at him, so Adam tells her to just go talk to Peyton and try to make the deal.

Harry finally talks to Peyton, asking that Lou's charge be reduced to manslaughter. Harry emphasizes that Lou didn't walk into Mitchell's office with the intent to kill him. Peyton thinks it's a simple murder case, and the best he'll offer is Murder Two, which still carries a possible life sentence. But with Murder One, the death penalty is a potential punishment. Harry declines the offer. Peyton offers her some advice. He says that if she wants to curry favor with any DA, she should make her play before the trial, not after he's done all the work and all that remains are the closing arguments. Harry informs Peyton that she's putting Lou on the stand. Peyton's convinced that she's up to something.

Lou testifies that he and Mitchell were closer to each other than they were to their own wives. Lou recalls that they were talking over a glass of whiskey, when Lou said something that set Mitchell off. The scene plays out in flashback. Mitchell calls Lou a "boorish lump," and tells Lou that he's creating preposterous scenarios in order to delude himself and others that he's actually interesting. Back in the present, Lou says that Mitchell struck a nerve. Returning to a flashback, Lou tells Mitchell about the one interesting member of his family, his Uncle Al, who escaped the legacy of "boorish lumps" by committing murder. Lou shares that he's fantasized about killing someone, but the problem is, he'd need a victim, and he likes almost everyone he knows. Then Lou tells Mitchell that he suddenly feels he could kill him and removes a revolver from his briefcase.

Harry questions why Lou pulled the gun, and he says he wasn't intending to shoot Mitchell. He just wanted to wipe the look of contempt off Mitchell's face. Lou pointed the gun at Mitchell because it was something a "boorish lump" would never do. Lou always carried the gun in his briefcase because he'd been mugged before, which Mitchell knew. But, as we see in flashback, Lou didn't get the reaction he was going for. Mitchell thinks Lou that can't handle killing him because then it might matter that Lou existed. He tells Lou to pull the trigger. Then Mitchell pulls out a revolver and aims it Lou; if Lou doesn't shoot, Mitchell will shoot Lou. Back in the courtroom, Lou testifies that he saw something wasn't right in Mitchell's eyes. There was a desperation there that he'd never seen before.

In flashback, Mitchell says only Lou could be stupid enough to pull a gun on a suicidal man. When Lou insists he won't shoot, Mitchell promises Lou will die if he doesn't shoot. Then Mitchell yells over and over at Lou to pull the trigger. When a gun finally goes off, Mitchell has been shot in the head, and drops onto his desk. In the courtroom, Lou struggles to maintain his composure, insisting that Mitchell was about to shoot, so he had to shoot him first. Chunhua arrives at the shop with takeout lunch with Adam. Jenna suggests they eat at the conference table in the storage room because it'll be nice and private. After Adam and Chunhua walk into the storage room, Jenna asks Malcolm to put some shoes on the top shelf. He tells her to do it herself. They fight and Malcolm calls Jenna a nut job.

Peyton cross-examines Lou, who admits he didn't have a carry permit for his firearm, which is a crime. Peyton asks if Lou told the police his "boorish lump" story - he didn't. Peyton comments that stories as good as Lou's take time to concoct, suggesting Lou made it up, and wondering why no one else heard Mitchell screaming. Lou explains that Mitchell's office was at the end of the corridor, the doors were closed and his assistant had left. Peyton establishes that Lou and Mitchell owned the equity in the law firm equally. But upon Mitchell's death, Lou gets the whole firm. Lou insists he didn't kill Mitchell for money, guessing he would be excluded from getting the whole firm if he actually murdered Mitchell. Peyton accuses Lou of concocting the perfect plan, especially since he's claiming self-defense against a dead man who can't speak for himself.

At the shop, Adam and Chunhua eat lunch in silence. Commenting that Adam's very quiet, Chunhua asks if something's wrong. Adam hems and haws about the direction of their relationship. Chunhua stops him. Adam's the best man she's ever met. She admits she hasn't done a very good job of communicating, and promises to get better. Adam stops her to confess he can't see a future in their relationship. Chunhua asks if there's someone else. Adam admits he still has feelings for Rachel, but he's not getting back together with her because she's with someone else. He knows he's capable of having feelings for someone; he just doesn't think he'll ever feel that way with her. Despite her hurt feelings, Chunhua compliments Adam's honesty, wishes him well and leaves.

Jenna finds Adam in the storage room to tell him he did the right thing. Adam asks Jenna to check on Chunhua and leaves as Malcolm enters with some boxes. Jenna tells Malcolm that she thought they'd had a lovely date, but the fact that he didn't call her the next morning suggests otherwise, or suggests that he is rude. In the courtroom, Peyton gives his closing. He talks about how lawyers practice the art of distraction. Peyton points to greed as Lou's motive, arguing simply that this case is clear. Lou admitted he pulled the trigger, and he's guilty of the crime.

In her closing, Harry describes how Lou and Mitchell were like an old married couple. Sometimes, even when you love your spouse deeply, there are days you want to kill him. The line between love and hate can be thin, and when a man is murdered, the first question the police ask is who loved him. Harry concedes that Lou isn't without blame; he escalated things by drawing his weapon. She suggests a lesser charge would've been more appropriate, but the DA went for first-degree murder, which means premeditation. And there's no evidence that Lou walked into Mitchell's office with the intent to commit murder. Harry's known Lou for 30 years and he's a good person with no record. While Harry's convinced Lou didn't do this, the truth is, she doesn't know because she wasn't in the room... nor was Peyton, nor anyone on the jury.

In chambers, Judge Ortin tells Harry and Peyton the jury has asked if they can consider a lesser charge such as Murder Two or manslaughter. Peyton refuses and accuses Harry of abusing him with her words. Harry wonders what she did to offend Peyton, who remains incredulous and points to Harry's jury nullification argument in Malcolm's trial, a request the jury forsake the law. Peyton was offended the first time - and then Harry did it again with her old-lady-armed-robbery case! Peyton calls Harry an affront. Judge Ortin steps in, telling Harry she can petition the court to include a lesser charge. She declines.

Adam stops by Rachel's office to renew his apology. Rachel doubts his sincerity, then tells Adam the trust they once had is gone. Rachel's angry at him, because they were at the point where they could be real friends, and now she feels their relationship is something Adam is willing to jeopardize. She's lost her best friend. For his part, Adam thought he was over Rachel, but he's not. And as disappointed as he is that he's not the guy for Rachel, Adam's come to tell her he's really happy she found somebody to love. Adam reminds Rachel that the one constant is that he'll always cheer for her.

Harry gives Adam some relationship advice over drinks: the heart can only discover what it wants with experience, and with experience comes pain. She reassures Adam that both he and Chunhua will find love again. Adam changes the subject, asking if Harry really rolled the dice with Murder One. Harry points out that Peyton was right about one thing - if the jury has Murder Two as an option, they'll take it. But now, Adam points out, they have to be willing to let Lou go altogether.

At the shop, Malcolm tells Jenna that he's not good at relationships. He did have a great time on their date, but he can't read her mind. He asks her out for another date and says they can take it from there. Jenna agrees, but tells Malcolm that if they go out again, she gets to "train" him. The jury is back with a not guilty verdict. Extremely emotional, Lou thanks Harry, but Peyton interrupts the moment to announce he's resigning from the DA's office. Peyton feels it's appropriate to say, "Screw the law!" because that's what he feels the jury did. Peyton announces he's walking away from the law altogether, then proceeds to remove all of his clothes. Judge Ortin threatens to hold Peyton in contempt and orders security to take Peyton away.

Later that night, Harry relays the story of Peyton's courtroom antics to Adam. Feeling bad, Harry finds herself compelled to visit Peyton in jail. Rachel, who's having drinks with a group of friends, approaches to say hello. When Harry leaves to see Peyton, Rachel sits down with Adam, admitting one reason she's so angry. Adam's confession of love made her realize she still has feelings for him. She doesn't want to get back together with him, but she loves him and always will. Rachel reminds Adam that they broke up because they make each other crazy. As friends, they won't. Rachel returns to her friends' table, leaving Adam to drink alone at the bar.

Harry visits Peyton in jail. She thinks he's a really good lawyer, but he shoots himself in the foot by being over-zealous and antagonistic. Harry advises him to stop going for the maximum and dial it back, allow for plea agreements. Peyton wonders how he can do that when defense attorneys just push all the time. Harry suggests that when Peyton makes everything a war, he gives the defense no choice but to do battle. She encourages him to introduce a little compromise into the process. Peyton eventually comes around and thanks Harry for thinking of him. He doesn't dislike Harry, just defense attorneys in general. Peyton concludes by encouraging Harry to call him by his nickname, Puck (from playing hockey as a kid). An olive branch has been extended...