Fridge / Good Will Hunting

Fridge Horror

• At Will's arraignment, the judge reads off a long rap sheet for Will, then notes that everything was overturned on appeal. The implication of that scene is that Will did in fact commit all the crimes on the list, he's just clever and well-read enough to weasel his way out of his convictions. It's easily missed, but one of the charges mentioned is "Mayhem". Sounds like not that big a deal, right? Probably just a rowdy kid getting in fights like kids sometimes do? Wrong. Follow that link for the full statute, but basically, a Mayhem conviction under Massachusetts law means Will, deliberately and with malicious intent, permanently mutilated or disabled someone. We're talking things like Glasgow Grin, eye gouging, chopping fingers off. This makes him a much nastier piece of work than he seems, and it really calls Skylar's safety into question if she takes him back at the end... or if she doesn't. The break-up scene indicates he's not above getting violent with her if he loses his temper.
  • On the other hand, intent is also what matters for mayhem and it counts for just being on the scene of crime and not stopping somebody else from committing it. Making a cut on somebody's ear or a nose, as in, pulling somebody's earing off their ear and causing it to bleed, would also count as mayhem. If perpetrator specifically says "I'm going to tear that stupid earing off his ear and make him eat it!" and proceeds to do or try to do so, if you are perpetrator's friend and hear that threat and do nothing to stop them, you are also guilty of mayhem. So it might not be as bad or it might be worse!