Three Men and Adena
Directed By: Martin Campbell
Written By: Tom Fontana
Bayliss and Pembleton interrogate Risley Tucker (Moses Gunn), the chief suspect in the Adena Watson murder, with only ten hours to get him to confess.
Tropes applying to this episode:
- Ambiguous Situation: It's left ambiguous if Tucker murdered Adena or not. Bayliss pokes several holes in his story, but he's already convinced Tucker is guilty and Tucker may be being entirely honest when he claims not to remember the discrepancies. Tucker does show signs of guilt, but as he points out, it could easily have come from the detectives' pressure and incessant guilt tripping. In the end, Bayliss is left unsure if he actually did it or not.
- Berserk Button: Pembleton goes into Tranquil Fury when Tucker assuses him of being an Uncle Tom.
- Bittersweet Ending: Leaning very heavily on the Bitter. Tucker doesn't confess and is allowed to go free, though it's left ambiguous if he actually committed the murder, and Bayliss is still haunted by the Adena Watson case. However, Bayliss and Pembleton's partnership is stronger from the experience, and Bayliss seems to have earned his stripes as a detective.
- Bottle Episode: The episode takes place almost entirely in the Box.
- Butt-Monkey: Tucker. He's jobless because his barn burned down, his fiancé left him, he's been subject to several prior interrogations, nearly gets his face shoved into a hot pipe, and is driven to a breakdown at the end of his grueling interrogation.
- Category Traitor: Tucker accuses Pembleton of being one.
- Evil Old Folks: Tucker, if he is actually guilty. Even so, his fiancé left him because he had an "inner darkness" - according to Pembleton, anyway - and he's at the very least a closet pedophile.
- Hourglass Plot: Bayliss goes in convinced Tucker is guilty, while Pembleton is skeptical that he's guilty. By the end, Bayliss is unsure if Tucker actually did it, while Pembleton is fully convinced of his guilt.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Tucker is entirely right that Bayliss has already made up his mind that he's guilty, and he's dead-on about his hidden dark side.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The usually reserved Bayliss becomes increasingly angry and unhinged during the interrogation, culminating in him nearly shoving Tucker's face into a hot pipe.
- Pædo Hunt: Tucker eventually confesses that he is a closet pedophile who was in love with Adena, and that he only hired her because of this. He's clearly haunted by this, though he never confesses to the murder.
- Pet the Dog: Though Giardello has to prod him into it, Pembleton comforts Bayliss after Tucker goes free and reassures him that he was right Tucker was guilty, then offers to go with him to the Waterhole.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Whether or not Tucker killed Adena, he still gets to leave the Box a free man, but all that awaits him is a return to his lonely life, with no job and still tormented by his feelings for Adena.
- Rabid Cop: Bayliss spends the interrogation relentlessly harassing Tucker, clearly convinced that he's guilty and repeatedly demanding he confess. He even nearly shoved Tucker's face into a hot pipe in a fit of rage.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
- Bayliss gives one to Tucker after Pembleton lambasts him for wasting both his and Tucker's time with his badgering.
Bayliss: Wasting his time? YOU MURDERED AN ELEVEN YEAR-OLD GIRL! YOU'RE NOTHING!- Bayliss and Pembleton deliver one together to Tucker.
Bayliss: You wanna know what the polygraph test says? You're lying! You're a liar. You even tried to hold your breath to cover it up. You know it blew it off the charts, off the screen? Look here. Your heart, your heart just blew those needles off the screen. A man could get whiplash looking at your test. And this guy says your test is the highest he's ever seen and he's an expert.
Pembleton: Your heart. Your heart of all things. That's perfect, Risley, don't you see? 'Cause your heart doesn't wanna lie.
Tucker: Let me see that.
Bayliss: No, no, this is police property. This is evidence for your trial.
Tucker: I know enough about the law to know you can't use that in court.
Pembleton: You do? (Laughs)
Bayliss: Says the legal beagle here, he knows all about the law.
Pembleton: Is that because you watched the court channel?
Tucker: I didn't lie.
Bayliss: How come you failed the test?
Tucker: I don't know.
Pembleton: "I don't know", that's your answer for everything.
Bayliss: It's not gonna work now.
Pembleton: If you weren't lying, why'd you fail the test?
Tucker: I was nervous.
Bayliss: Why were you nervous?
Tucker: Because I feel guilty!
Pembleton: You feel guilty 'cause you did it.
Tucker: No, because you made me feel guilty!
Bayliss: No, you failed this test because you are guilty!
Tucker: If I was guilty and knew it, then why would I take the test?!
Pembleton: You tell us.
Bayliss: No, I know why, I'll tell you why.
Pembleton: Because we got you. You know it's over, Risley.
Bayliss: Mmm hmm, you're going to jail.
Pembleton: You're gonna do time.
Bayliss: That's right.
Pembleton: Tim, look at his eyes.
[Bayliss and Pembleton lean towards Tucker]
Tucker: What's wrong with my eyes?
Bayliss: Tears coming out of your eyes.
Tucker: Ain't no tears coming from my eyes.
Pembleton: You're brimming with tears.
Bayliss: No, you're bursting.
Pembleton: It's gonna get a lot worse.
Bayliss: A lot worse.
Pembleton: It never gets any better. Probably go back to drinking. Back to being a drunk!
Tucker: No, I ain't never gonna do that!
Pembleton: And you'll probably wind up killing yourself.
Bayliss: If you're lucky.
Tucker: I didn't kill her. (Puts his head down into his hand)
Pembleton: Why are you putting your head down?
Tucker: Because I'm tired of saying it!
Pembleton: You're tired of saying it because it's not true.
Bayliss: Be a man for once, own up to it!
Pembleton: I would!
Bayliss: I would.
Pembleton: Anybody else would too.
Bayliss: Be a man for once.
Pembleton: Why don't you wanna tell me, Risley?
Bayliss: Huh?
Pembleton: Why don't you wanna tell me?
Bayliss: Huh?
Pembleton: Why?
Bayliss: Why?!
Tucker: I-
Bayliss: Alright, don't say it.
Pembleton: Don't say it, Risley. Don't say it.- Tucker delivers brutal ones to both Pembleton and Bayliss.
- He accuses Pembleton of being an Uncle Tom and a Boomerang Bigot who looks down on less fortunate black men.
- He bluntly calls out Bayliss for masking his insecurities with self-righteousness.
Tucker: You got your dark side, and it terrifies you, and it frightens you. It scares you cause it's powerful and it makes you capable of doing anything. Anything. Without it, you look in the mirror, and all you see is an amateur. - Took a Level in Badass: Tucker starts off as meek and timid, but after a while he snaps and starts delivering Breaking Speeches to Bayliss and Pembleton.
- Tortured Monster: Tucker is clearly tormented by his love for Adena Watson, and breaks down when he confesses to it.Tucker: (crying) The great love of my life was an eleven year-old girl!
