Episode Three: Things She Said

Jack and Riley are walking down a lush entranceway towards Jack's office. Riley reacts incredulously to the news that every day they have tea at two at LL&L and Jack tells him that they have cakes as well but it is only every other Thursday. This is too much for Riley who is clearly becoming more uncomfortable in the building to the extent that his "ears are bleeding." Jack points out he is the same guy he always was to which Riley replies "don't let the mahogany, crystal and doilies fool you, you're all about the common man." Riley leaves for the clinic to help "the common man."

Christianson has something he wants Jack to read, which Jack does while raising an eyebrow. "It's like beach reading" Jack says, making it clear that it isn't the type of case he would normally take - Rebecca McCallis, a clothes designer, having a suit filed against her for sexual harassment. Christianson tells Jack that Rebecca asked for him and orders him to settle it quickly.

Ariel and Grant are in the elevator as he suggests she comes to his office to work on Hyperium Oil. Grant is busy caressing Ariel's back as he talks. The elevator doors open to reveal Jack who is looking for Ariel to help him with his case.

Grant and Jack haggle for a while over who is going to work with Ariel. Jack says he doesn't want to pull rank and Grant concedes that McCallis being sued for sexual harassment is more important than Hyperium Oil. Ariel walks off with Jack and tries to guess who the plaintiff is. He is a she, Jack reveals.

Riley is a busy man; he rushes into the free law clinic, grabs a doughnut and a coffee and tells Kathy to cancel his lunch with his wife. An unkempt man called Paul Fenderson approaches him, shouting out his name. He knows Riley and tells him they went to school together. Riley is not so sure. Paul tells Riley that his liver has been taken as part of a big experiment by Equinar. Riley offers him his doughnut, makes his apologies and leaves but Paul follows him out of the clinic. Riley tells him to try his Congressman and explains that he can't help because he specialises in problems "here on earth."

Back at LL&L Jack sees Daniel Barrington's daughter searching around. He asks his assistant Daphne what she is doing but she feels she had no right to stop her. Jack reminds her that she is his secretary and has "special stopping powers." She is unruffled by this and replies that she exercises them judiciously.

Jack goes into his office and asks Tara if he can help. She is clearly still very upset over her father's death. Jack offers to have her father's belongings sent to her but she says they will go into storage and that she is just looking for.... She trails off and Jack says "keepsakes" to which she agrees uncomfortably. Jack goes to leave but Tara stops him and asks if her father seemed depressed. She offers a few reasons why it seems unbelievable that he would take his own life, among them the fact that he had just expanded his life insurance. Jack comforts her with details of the hefty pension package Barrington had but Tara reveals that there is debt and a lot of it. Before he can find out more Daphne interrupts to tell him his car is waiting.

Fineman has realised that the plaintiff in Jack and Ariel's case is a woman and remarks on it to Ariel. Fineman informs her that he is okay with harassment when it comes to Ariel and he is quite happy for her to promise him anything in exchange for sexual favours.

In Grant's office, Brit quizzes him about Ariel's progress, pointing out the benefits if Jack and Ariel became closer than colleagues. Grant isn't happy with this scenario and in turn questions Brit's success with her "paralegal project" Charlie.

Jack and Ariel arrive at the offices of Rebecca McCallis. Rebecca is a very beautiful woman and Jack is clearly not immune to her charms. They get down to business but not before she has noted that Jack is wearing one of her suits, although she's "not crazy" about the tie. She protests her innocence and says the charges are groundless. Ariel refers to some of the plaintiff's claims and Rebecca dismisses them. Evidently the plaintiff has accused Rebecca of something particularly "exciting" happening in Boston as when Ariel refers to it Rebecca observes "If only I was that creative" as she flashes a look at Jack. When Jack announces that Ariel will be asking Rebecca some questions and she won't pull any punches Rebecca replies "fine, bring it on, Ariel."

Back in the office Ariel and Jack read the plaintiff's accusations again and discuss bananas and sex toys. Jack likes it in Ariel's office where the air is "less rarefied." He tells her the partners are still treating him like the help. Ariel sympathises. They return to the subject of sex toys. Grant chooses this moment to come looking for Ariel. He hears their laughter, sees them huddled together and storms away, handing the bottle of wine he was holding to a passing worker.

Riley is busy working when hears the name Paul Fenderson on the television. The man who visited Riley earlier is in hospital having been shot four times after brandishing a weapon that turned out to be a hairbrush.

Jack visits Christianson and shares his doubts about Rebecca McCallis's innocence and the need to settle the case so quickly. Christianson repeats that Sellico's board of directors want her to settle and he reveals he has a meeting with the Chairman of Sellico to discuss unrelated business. Outside Jack cunningly tells the secretary that he is meant to go to the Sellico meeting and asks who will be there. She tells him the Sellico chairman and a man called Larry Watcliff.

Jack's secretary walks by quickly and he starts to talk to her. Jack catches her up and asks her to find out the title of Larry Watcliff at Sellico.

Riley has decided that Paul Fenderson has committed "suicide by cop." Unfortunately Kathy tells him that Fenderson wasn't lying about having gone to college with him and shows him the newspaper that mentions Fenderson's college and year of graduation. Riley feels very guilty and tells Kathy to cancel his meeting. "You didn't kill him" Kathy tells him. "I didn't help him either" Riley replies.

Fineman and Charlie are happily talking sport when Brit arrives. She tells Charlie to walk with her and informs him that the talent agent passed on his demo. Charlie asks if she could just go straight to an executive of a record company that LL&L have ties with. Brit says he needs an agent. "An agent gives you credibility, Charlie; you are not credible. You're entirely lacking in the credibility department."

Ariel is gazing at the photo of Jack, Grant and two mystery others when Grant appears at her door. He asks her to dine with him but she declines. He says it is good that she is getting close to Jack and it will help to uncover things, although it is obvious that he is jealous.

Riley visits a college friend, a dentist who also knew Fenderson. He confirms that he went to him for help as well and tells Riley that Fenderson was on a drug called Equinar for epilepsy. Riley realises with regret that Fenderson's ramblings about being taken over by "Equinar" made sense. He feels even worse when his friend tells him he told Fenderson to go to Riley for help. Riley enquires about Fenderson's family: a dead wife but a child somewhere out there.

Daphne phones and tells Jack that Larry Watcliff doesn't work for Sellico. She tells him that she is "into it." Jack says he is starting to like her more now. "That's what usually happens" she replies. The chairman of Sellico appears, saying, like Christianson, that he wants a speedy resolution to the case.

Ariel and Jack get down to preparing Rebecca. She hedges cleverly around questions about her sexual preferences but is slightly fazed when Jack tells her the Chairman of Sellico is due to visit DC. They arrange to meet again at Jack's office.

Riley and Jack are discussing Paul Fenderson. Jack looks at an old college yearbook and ribs Riley about his mullet. He offers more useful advice though when he tells Riley to check the medical journals for articles about drug trials and experiments.

Fineman watches Brit talking to Charlie and tells Charlie that he's backing the wrong horse. Charlie denies this and says proudly that he's got a plan. "Plan your work and work your plan. That's what I always say."

Ariel and Jack are discussing their differing views on Rebecca; Ariel firmly in the "guilty" camp and Jack not so sure and very uncomfortable at having to settle so quickly. She asks Jack if he thinks Rebecca is "playing him." He admits he has thought of it and then suddenly declares "Her hard-drive!"

Ariel, Jack and Rebecca meet and Jack goes into more detail about his hard-drive exclamation. He asks Rebecca if she knows what imaging is and goes on to explain how all of her deleted emails can be retrieved and read. Rebecca is miffed when Jack advises her that settlement is an option and questions why he isn't busy trying to discredit her accuser. Ariel asks her about the "Christmas party" and she is as difficult as she can be in response. Ariel asks again what Rebecca meant when she told her accuser that she could have a promotion if she played her cards right. Rebecca, oozing sarcasm, replies that she meant "if she used her beautiful mouth on me I'd make her a senior VP." Jack points out how a reply like this could "come back and bite us in the ass." Ariel continues to question her about "playing her cards right." Rebecca repeats that she doesn't need to leverage sexual favours. She tells them the partners want a quick settlement because they believe she is guilty because what she is accused of is what they have been guilty of themselves. She's been on the receiving end. She explains that her accuser was simply aggrieved at not getting a promotion and instructs them to tell the chairman, via Christianson, that she's not caving, even if it means going back to cutting fabric for a living.

Meanwhile, Riley has found the doctor involved in Fenderson's trials. He asks him if upping the dosage of Equinar can lead to kidney/liver damage. Riley explains that he understands why these trials that dodge legal loopholes exist and that he just wants to help his friend. The doctor can't remember Fenderson. "Is he experiencing organ shutdown?" he wants to know. "Oh, just a little bit" Riley replies. The doctor gives him his card and tells him to call him.

Jack is told by Christianson that Riley needs to back off. The company responsible for the drug trials is a client. He tells Jack to remind Riley whose side he's on as it is a conflict of interests. "Since when has that ever been a priority round here?" Jack asks. Christianson's reply is that as new Managing Partner, it is Jack's job to instruct Riley to stop pursuing the case.

Riley enters his office to find Jack there. Jack tells him he has to walk away from the medical trials case, using phrases like "ethical conflict" and "laws that guard the greater good." Riley is not impressed. He has a daughter, he tells him. Jack says nothing. "Look at you - giving me nothing. You like your new job?" Jack's secretary saves him from replying with a phone call. She tells Jack that Larry Watcliff is in Mergers and Acquisitions at I Jacobs. Jack hurries back to LL&L.

"He's in in a meeting, Mr Turner" Christianson's secretary calls as he rushes by. Christianson seems to think that Jack has interrupted the meeting with good news but Jack soon puts him straight. He tells the Chairman of Sellico that he knows that Sellico are in negotiations to merge with I Jacobs and that an embarrassing law suit at this time would cause stock to plummet and Sellico to become a bargain purchase. Jack says that if a sexual harassment lawsuit was being brought against a man, the partners would do all they could to destroy the accuser. "That's one hell of an accusation" counters the chairman. Jack hints that if he wanted to it wouldn't be hard to get proof to back it up, adding that he is going to advise Rebecca not to go for settlement. The Chairman tells Christianson that he thinks Sellico should look elsewhere for a law firm to represent them. Christianson tells the chairman that he's getting sound advice from Jack "but now we need to work on his bedside manner."

Jack meets Rebecca who is waiting with Ariel and tells her the board are releasing a statement of full support for her. He asks her why she asked for him. She explains it was because she knew he was the most principled lawyer in the building but adds that working there it's only a matter of time before he isn't.

Jack leaves and Rebecca asks Ariel if it is Jack that she is sleeping with. Ariel denies it and Rebecca tells her if she ever wants to, they can meet for a drink and talk about it. Jack has just got into the elevator and he watches the conversation from afar. As she talks, Rebecca places her hand over Ariel's. The elevator doors begin to close as Jack does a double-take when he catches sight of Rebecca's action.

Riley has managed to track down Paul Fenderson's family. He gives them some money which Paul's college friends have collected and shares some reminiscences with Paul's daughter. Just as he is leaving he turns back and hands them the business card of his friend the dentist and urges them to contact him. "We already have a dentist" Paul's mother explains. "Believe me, you need this dentist" Riley says.

Grant is at his desk when Ariel drops a large pile of papers onto it. She explains that they are emails "between two friends" - 398 are work related and 12 of which speculate about her position within the firm. "You called it scorched earth" she tells him "I prefer mutual assured destruction. Either way there's no one left walking on the planet." Grant looks none too happy.

Jack goes into his office to find someone already in there. It is Tara, Barrington's daughter who has finished looking through her father's belongings. Barrington kept a journal and it is missing. Tara says that he only wrote in it at the office and she cannot find it. Jack hasn't seen it either. "I think somebody took it" Tara declares.

Charlie is having a session on his guitar. He has stuck a cigarette in the neck of the instrument and set his phone to speaker. He nonchalantly pulls out the cigarette as the ringing tone is answered. He has called Brit and it is clearly late as she is in bed and tells Charlie that it's not a good time. "I think it is Ma'am" Charlie replies. "I think the timing may actually be perfect." He stubs out his cigarette in the ashtray which is next to a book. It is Daniel Barrington's journal. Charlie places his hand over it and pulls it towards him.


~ Coupdepam