"Come on, Counselor." "Get this guy off like you always do." "(exhales)" "You can't do it anymore, can you?" "You're a fraud." "A disgrace." "A disgrace." "(echoing):" "Shut up!" "Damn it, Mitch." "You told me you were done with cocaine." "Yeah, well, I told you that when I was wasted off of my ass." "What am I supposed to tell Judge Hornstock?" "Tell him he can wait!" "They can all wait!" "I'm the freaking Grinder." "Then come inside, baby, and grind." "The way... only... you... can." "You think, just because you're my partner's daughter, that you can have your way with me?" "Well, you... are sadly mistaken." "(Devin gasps)" "Oh, no, no, no." "No!" "I'm not supposed to be watching this." "Dean is in the building." "Yes, he cleansed himself of The Grinder." "We're all very proud of him." " So proud." " But what if, Todd, what if Dean said good-bye to The Grinder at the very moment we needed" "The Grinder the most?" "Stewart, I can't do this." " What happens next, Todd?" " Stewart, please." "In the show." "Where did they take the storyline?" "They lost him, okay?" "He went to rehab, and they had to figure out" " how to win without him!" " How'd they do that?" "How'd they win cases without The Grinder?" "(whispering):" "They didn't." " What are you doing, Todd?" " Shh." "Dad, I think we need to hire an outside firm to represent you in this malpractice thing." "I 100% disagree." "All right, I'll bring someone in." "What?" "!" "(sighing):" "Stew, let it go." "Come on, man, Dad's moved on," " and I've moved on." " What does that even mean?" "I've enrolled in law school." "Oh, which reminds me, can my internship be used as a credit?" "I think we can figure something out." "Great." "Dean, you enrolled in law school?" "Now?" "When we could possibly lose the firm?" "Well, I got to learn, bro." "And who knows?" "Maybe if I study hard enough," "I can figure out how to win this case." "And save the firm." "Dad, you are not hiring another lawyer." "I am right on this." "You want to work this case?" "Get your brother back and represent me together." "And if this is any kind of conspiracy like you say it is, you're gonna need The Grinder." "So, uh, what am I walking into here?" "You're about to enter" "Law 140:" "Introduction to Torts." "What if I don't fit in?" "What if I'm not as smart" " as everybody else?" " Hey." "I don't like that kind of talk." "You are better than everyone at everything, and don't you ever forget it." "Now what do you say we go in there and learn a little law?" "PROFESSOR:" "In order to prevail, the plaintiff in the lawsuit... ♪" "(gasping)" " (sighs)" " Sorry." "Sorry I'm late." " I'm so sorry." " No, it's okay." " It's fine." " Sorry, excuse me." "Excuse me, pardon me." " Excuse me." " Let him through." " (professor chuckles)" " Come on, man." " Ouch." "Todd." " Sorry." "We good?" " You settled in?" " Yeah." "Great, so... we're about two months in... um..." "You know what, it might be easier to just go back to the first day, catch you up." "Oh, no, no, uh... please, um..." "I do not want any special treatment." "(whispering):" "Um, you should join our study group" " later." " Tort law." "Yeah, we'd love to... have you." " Gr... yeah, great." " Yeah." "Thank you." "So, we were discussing the seven different types of torts that can... yes, Mr. Sanderson." "Um, forgive me if you've covered this previously, but" " what is a tort?" " Oh." " Um..." " You know what?" "I think it would be better if you started at the beginning." "Absolutely." "Everyone, turn to page one." " STEWART:" "Hey." " Oh, hey." "How'd it go with your dad?" "Did Dean talk him into hiring someone else?" "Uh, sort of." "He wants us to... where's the coffee?" "Oh, I moved it over here." "I didn't get why it was so far away from the machine." " Oh, good idea." " Thanks." "So, what happened?" "(sighs)" "He wants us to do it together." "He won't let me work on the case" " until I get The Grinder back." " That's ridiculous." " It's ridiculous." " Come on." "Look at us." "We used to only get to do this at home, now we're doing it here." "I was just thinking that." " Were you really?" " I was." "I was thinking it's nice to do at a new location." " Yeah, it's, like, refreshing." " Right?" "It's nice, it's nice." "(burbling)" "Coffee's taking a long time." "It's never been this long." "I feel like it's broken." " (bell ringing)" " DEAN:" "This is nice." "I could really pull some all-nighters in here, boy." "Why?" "Um, what are you even doing here?" "Yeah, aren't you already a lawyer?" "Oh, I used to think so." "If you'd asked me a couple weeks ago," "I'd be singing a different tune." "When The Grinder was taken prisoner in season three, was that just a ploy to get back at Ali Larter?" "You know, I don't talk about the show anymore." "And besides, we've been here over an hour and we haven't even cracked these books." "Books are lame." "Don't you ever say that!" "I just don't want any of you to make the same mistakes that I did." "I wasted the best law years of my life on The Grinder." "So, promise me you'll do the book stuff first and then do the TV show." "STEWART:" "Uh, hi." "Sorry for interrupting." "Oh, everybody, this is my brother Stew." "A law school graduate." " Yeah." " Cool." "Uh, thank you." "Todd?" "I thought you had a dentist appointment." "Okay, you caught me." "I'm just here helping Dean get situated." "Right, uh, can I talk to you for a second?" "Stew, anything that you have to say to me can be said in front of the whole group." "Okay, um, I need you to come by the office." " I want to show you something." " What?" "Dean, our dad needs us, come on." "(Dean sighs)" "Fine, I will come, but only as a student of the law." "Nothing more." "Well, that's all I can ask." "Good, that's all I can give." "So, this is the plan?" "Because we need The Grinder back?" "This is the plan." "Well... just as I left it." "I knew you'd come back." "He's been gone a day." "Hey, let me just get this evidence board" " out of the way." " Evidence board?" "Yeah, just, uh... a little something we've been working on." "And you just... put this together?" "Dean, I'll be honest." "It kind of just put itself together." "Maybe we should, uh... (Dean mumbles dismissively)" "It's just an evidence board." "What do you make of it, Deano?" "Well... it's everybody that we've been dealing with all year." "What else?" "It's all connected." "Yes." "By string." "In a chaotic fashion." "But is there order... in the chaos?" "May... um..." "I can't see it." "Maybe we... should leave you alone with it." "What are you doing?" "What?" "Nothing." "You should be ashamed of yourself." " You guys are pathetic." " Dean, I was just trying to get you to..." "Oh, I know what you're trying to do." "Well, guess what." "He's gone." "And he's never coming back." "Now, if you'll excuse me," "I have to get back to class." "STEWART:" "Then we had this evidence board, you know those ridiculous things from the show that he likes with the string on it, you know?" "Yeah, yeah, you told me." "And it did nothing." " I know, you told me that." " I did?" " Mm-hmm." " Oh." "Uh..." "Oh, did I tell you that I caught" " Todd at law school with him?" " Yes." "I did?" "We covered a lot of ground today, huh?" " We did." " Yeah." "Well, we had the whole ride in to work together." "Right, and coffee." " Mm-hmm." " You know, we talked at coffee." " And lunch." "Right." " And lunch." "Drive home..." " Mm-hmm." " ...from work and then dinner." "(chuckles)" "So, how does a tort fit into, say, a... malpractice case?" "Well, a tort is just" " an infringement on..." " Uh, hang on a second, Ginger, 'cause something tells me this isn't about torts." "What do you mean?" "Of course it is." " We have a big test..." " Screw the test." "This is about your dad, isn't it?" "We could help you." "No," "I couldn't ask you guys to waste time." "Are you kidding me, bro?" "This place is a waste, and you know it, too." "That's why you started practicing." "I was wrong, Coop." "No, you weren't." "Everyone's all hung up on degrees." "Solving real cases... that's what it's about." "They're right, and you know it." "Come on, let us see the file." "DEBBIE:" "It's just that, like, you know, now that we work together all day, every day, suddenly we have nothing to talk about when we get home." "That kind of thing can be a real relationship killer." "I know, right, so... what should I do?" "I don't know, like, drop some bombs." "Pick a subject that you guys disagree on..." " Uh-huh." " ...and then bring it up, and stretch it out as long as you can, and then bring it up again." "So, like, something big?" "Something provocative, you know?" "(whispering):" "Provocative." "Gives you something to do." "Right." "I'm worried about him, honestly." "I'm afraid he's teetering on the edge of falling back into..." " Into what?" " Well... the dramatic behavior that we've been steering him away from." "I-I feel like it's, you know, just poking its head back up a little bit." " Really?" " Yeah, a little bit." "I hadn't noticed that at all." "Well, I wonder... if he's not hiding it from you." "God, Jillian, I just would hate to undo all the progress" " you've made with him." " Why would you?" "I wouldn't." "And I think just to make sure of that, what should I be careful to avoid that may set him back?" "Stewart, I think we need to think of Dean as a drug addict." " Mm-hmm." " And... oddly, his drug of choice is bad television drama." "Thank you." "Nobody says that." " It is." " Yeah." "So... what are we going to do?" "We are going to... keep him away" " from the drugs." " Uh-huh." "And the people..." " ...he used to...?" " Used to..." "BOTH: ...do... the drugs with." "...the drugs with." "Yeah." "The junkies." "Now you're getting it." "Or his dealer." "Hello, Dean." "A layover..." " in Boise." " Yeah." "It's turning into quite the hub, you know." "Well, even if that were true, that's not why you're here, Cliff, come on." "You got me." "(chuckles)" "Grinder:" "New Orleans." "I'm having trouble with this one scene." "It's a pivotal scene." "It's the kind of scene" "I used to come to you with." "Cliff..." "I don't do that anymore." "I've moved on with my life." "I don't know if you've heard, but I'm in law school." "You always had the thirst, right?" "And I'm trying to quench it." "The right way." "We're in the desert." "The dead of summer." "Cliff, don't." "It's a high-speed tank chase with a Mexican drug lord, and The Grinder's on the run..." "Oh, so, you're calling him The Grinder now?" "Well, he's the new Grinder." "What do you want me to call him?" "The new Grinder." "Or the fake Grinder." "(whispering):" "Okay." "I'm stuck on the new Grinder's backstory." "How does he know how to drive a tank?" "I assume you've already established that he has no formal military training?" "You haven't lost your touch." "But he could have been raised near an army base." "We do the whole thing..." "BOTH: ...in flashbacks." "And maybe-maybe he used to sneak onto the base when he was a kid, you know, to escape his parents fight..." "I'm sorry, I can't-I can't do this." "Dean-machine, come on, we were just getting heated up." "I'm sorry." "I've come too far to get to where I am." "I hope someday you can understand." "(Stewart clears throat)" " (sighing):" "Uh..." " What?" "Uh, I was just gonna say good night." "Yeah." " Good night." " Good night." "(chuckles)" "So, I think I should take Lizzie to the doctor to get some birth control pills." "I'm up, I'm up." " Are you?" " Yup." "It just felt so right." "You know, me riffing with Bemis like the old days." " That's what made it so hard..." " Mm-hmm." "to walk away, but I did." "And I am so proud of you." "(in baby voice):" "Who's my big, strong baby?" " I am." " Yeah." "I just hope I can continue to be." "You can." "You resisted," " and that is growth." " Right?" "'Cause how often is he gonna get stuck enough that he flies out here to fix a story?" "Yeah, really, I mean..." "Couldn't he have just called you?" "Did he really need to do it face-to-face?" "My point is..." " I resisted." " Mm." "And I couldn't have done that without you." "You have a bigger support group than you know." "Even your brother is committed to your recovery now." " He is?" " Yeah." "He came to see me yesterday to find out what triggers he should avoid that might cause you to relapse." "And what did you tell him?" "Exactly what he wanted me to." " How could you?" " What?" "You know damn well what." "You brought him here." " Who?" " Cliff Bemis." "To try to pull me back in and put at risk everything that I've worked for." "And all because you couldn't get your head around this case, Counselor." " Dean..." " Well, I am sorry, but I do not have all of the answers." "I am just a first-year law student." "I know, and I am sorry." "I pushed you too hard." "I thought you were ready." "You don't think I want to help?" "You don't think" " I want to get my father off?" " I know... and I thought it was the only way to win, but I realize now that it's not." " It's not?" " No." "Bemis is here." "He's the one that should be helping." "I mean, he's an expert in this stuff." "He created The Grinder, the whole thing came from his head." " I wouldn't say that." " Well, he wrote it." "You just said the lines that he wrote." "Oh, yeah, because that's what actors do." "They just say the lines and stand where they're told and dance, like dummies." "Yeah, Stew, actors do a lot more than that; everybody knows it." "I think you owe someone an apology." "No, Dad, he's done enough already." "I don't think I have the strength to weather any more pain." "And then I told Stewart that I was gonna take" "Lizzie to get birth control pills." "Wow, that's a big bomb." "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I really went for it." " And...?" " Completely blew up in my face." " Huh." " Yeah, Stewart freaked out and confronted Lizzie, and now she's not talking to me." " Whew." " Yeah." "You know, I was afraid that that would happen." "I'm not so great with advice." "Oh." "Wish I had known that earlier." " Yeah." " (chuckles)" "I don't think this quite works." "Here, I don't know if that..." "Bemis." "What are you doing here?" "Oh, I'm just showing him the case files." "See if anything clicks." "You want to join us?" "No, it's okay." "I, uh, I actually have some studying to do, so... don't mind me." "So, what do you think?" "Does this feel like a setup?" "Oh, yeah." "Yeah, this is reeking of a setup." "Actually, it reminds me of a revenge arc" "I came up with in season five." "(snorts)" "Go on." "Well, I was spinning my wheels." "Yeah, the writers had nothing." "The network had nothing, but I..." "I knew something was missing." "Was it realism?" " Quality?" " No, that was there, but it needed a twist. (exhales slowly)" "I remember being all by myself, no one else around, and hearing a voice inside my head say, "Clifford, what if" "Mitch were behind the whole thing?"" "STEWART:" "Oh, wow." "(echoing):" "From inside your head?" "BEMIS (echoing):" "Yup, yup, yup, cracked it wide open." "There's nothing as rewarding as cracking something with no help from anyone else." "Really?" "!" "You cracked it?" "Because I remember writing a character journal that..." "It doesn't matter." "Okay." "I am going to take a drive." " He'll be back." " Yeah..." "I don't really care." "Let's get back to my end of the deal." "When's my dinner with Idaho's sexiest lawyer?" "I..." "I'm working on it." "Work faster." " Really?" " What?" "I'm not some piece of meat you can just trade for favors." "Uh, no... you're not." "Cliff Bemis wants to have dinner with me?" "Yeah, he wants to get to know you." "Uh, just being a die-hard fan..." "Well, I guess that makes sense." " Right?" " So, what time are we going?" "It's just the two of you." " Oh." " Yeah." "One on one." " Okay." " And just, uh... just be... open." "Open to...?" "To... whatever." "You don't want to disappoint" "Cliff Bemis, now, do you?" " No." " Great, great." "Oh, and, Todd, wear something nice." "COOPER:" "Dude, your brother might have been on to something." "There's something shady here." "Is that the law talking, or your gut?" "It's my gut." "I used to listen to my gut." "Why'd you stop?" "I don't know." "I'm sorry, I'm just not myself today." "What's on your mind?" "Talk to us." "Don't you get it, Ginger?" "This is the moment." "We're watching it." "What-what moment?" "The calm before the storm." "Right before The Grinder saves the day." "The Grinder's a character." "It's not me." "Well, what if you're wrong?" "What if The Grinder is who you really are?" "MAN (over television):" "No, swipe left." "Bro, it's literally asking you one question." "MAN 2:" "I think that's two, technically." "MAN 1:" "Whatever, man." "Are you still not talking to me?" "Honey, I'm sorry." "Is this about the birth control stuff?" "Oh, he knows now, too?" "Are you just telling everybody?" "I'm not telling everybody." "Just because you guys have nothing to talk about?" "Who has nothing to talk about?" "You and Mom." " What?" " Yeah, that's why she betrayed our trust." "And for what?" "Some cheap conversation." " That's why you told me that?" " I was desperate." "Honey!" "Birth control is... that's a big swing." " Huge." " So, how about you guys don't talk as much at work, and save it for home so it doesn't have to be about me?" "That's not a bad idea." "That's a good idea, right?" "Yeah, that could definitely work." "It doesn't have to be a whole thing when I see you." "No, we could just smile in the hallway." " Ships in the night." " I like that." "Great, so we don't have to talk about my personal life anymore?" "Honey, that's all we're gonna talk about now." " (whispering):" "Oh, God." " I'm sorry." "Todd said you wanted to see me." "Let me guess." "Bemis was of no help?" "No, because he doesn't care." "But you do, Dean." "Is that all?" "Because I've got midterms and I've got to study." "Dean, that's not you and you know it." "I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I think Dad was actually right." "We can do this together." "Better than I can do it by myself." "I've waited a long time for you to say those words." "Maybe a lifetime." "But it's too late." "I'm sorry." "Anyway, I just got to run in for a second." "Todd's written a paper for me." "DEAN:" "My God, wha-what happened?" "Someone broke in and destroyed the place." "You still think I'm crazy?" "(sighs)" "You're... breaking up with me?" "I-I'm afraid so." "Why?" "!" "Tell me why!" "Because it..." "You don't want any part of this." "The man that you fell in love with... it's not who I am." "It was a character that I was playing because that's what I do." "What about our therapy?" "Yeah, I think I think I need to see somebody else for that, too." "Why?" "!" "Tell me why!" "I think you know why." "Dean..." "The Grinder is the character." "But what if it isn't?" "What if The Grinder is who I really am?" "I mean..." "I doubt it." "Good-bye, Jillian." "("To Know You Is to Love You" plays)" "Good-bye." "♪ To know, know, know him ♪" "♪ Is to love, love, love him ♪" "♪ Just to see him smile ♪" "♪ Makes my life worthwhile... ♪" "(indistinct conversation under instrumental interlude)" "(both laugh)" "From the ashes he rises."