Episode 25

<--   19 April 2005   -->

James stands outside the house of his former next door neighbour Cameron, who rants non-stop about an old computer desk still sitting on his curb that the garbage men are refusing to haul away. Cameron is charged with assaulting one of his garbage men over the standoff with the desk. Cameron is strangely adamant about the situation: “if I put something out at my curb, it’s garbage. The garbage collectors don’t get to decide whether or not something qualifies as garbage. If I deem something to be garbage, I want it taken away.” James estranged wife Amy is standing on her porch and they share a cold hello. James has been thrown out of the house but Amy wonders whether James is coming to their daughter’s birthday party.
Alice walks along Queen Street with Eunice (from Episode 14), who was arrested when she stole a police cruiser to chase her husband who was about to cheat on her. The police car was left vacant while the cop “spoke to” some hookers. Eunice doesn’t think Alice is willing to “get behind” her predicament. She tries to sell her ordeal as a women’s issue, claiming “I’m being unfairly treated by a system that doesn’t understand the needs of women.”
Elliot meets in his office with a client known only as Unstable Man (from Episode 19), who claims to have moved to Toronto from Barrie to live with a new family and wants Elliot to procure him “new ID” so his parole officer doesn’t become angry with him.
Alice meets in a cell with Greg (from Episode 24), who has returned from his mental health assessment. Despite being found fit, Alice reminds Greg that he is still guilty of burning down his brother’s shed. Greg tells Alice that his wife is coming down to bail him out. Greg warns Alice again that he suspects his brother Tim of killing their mother. Alice tells Greg that Tim says their mother is at the family cottage – Alice has sent someone to the cottage to retrieve the mother. But Greg is suspicious and says the so-called family cottage doesn’t even exist: “Well then you got directions to a figment of Tim’s imagination.”
Back at the office, Nancy and Ronnie watch Eduardo (from Episode 17) fumbling around trying to install a computer network for them. Anil arrives and tells Nancy that they are letting him borrow some office space for a while. Anil is nervous because a client is coming to give him a gun that was used in a crime. The gun is being surrendered in connection with his client’s plea arrangement. Meanwhile, Nancy and Ronnie plan on driving up to the alleged cottage to try to find Greg and Tim’s mother.
Alice meets with Kaye to discuss Eunice’s matter, but Kaye won’t bend. She endangered lives by driving dangerously in the police car, and he thinks Eunice deserves a year in jail. Alice gets distracted by a homeless drug addict named Lanny throwing a fit nearby. Lanny gets angry and suspicious of Alice when he catches her staring at him. Zona arrives and explains that Lanny is bi-polar and has some serious addiction issues. Eunice later forces Alice into Plea Court, but when Eunice realizes that Judge Serkies is about to send her to jail, she recants and demands a trial.
Elliot meets in a cell with Gordon Willis (from Episode 19), who is going on and on about the significance of too much mold in the air. Increasing amounts of mold means global warming is progressing and the effects of mold on the “soft lungs of children” could be dangerous. Elliot wants to know why Gordon broke into the Ministry of Environment but Gordon only wants to tell Elliot about how the government has given up on saving Earth and is planning to colonize Mars and corner the Martian real estate business. Finally Elliot is able to get Gordon to tell him why he did it: “The records they keep on asthmatic children. Because their condition reveals their complicity with industry...”
Alice meets with Tim and learns that Greg’s wife Consuela is a transvestite night-club performer who barely speaks English. Greg isn’t gay but the marriage is “one of convenience”. Consuela arrives and gives Alice Greg’s bail money. Meanwhile, Nancy and Ronnie roam through the woods trying to find the elusive cottage.
Elliot tries to stop Unstable Man from buying a fake passport from a man named Dan who recently got out of jail. Gloria is ranting to Zona about the problems she’s having with Children’s Aid getting any information on the status of their son Jacob, who is under CAS custody. Gloria and Gordon believe Jacob has asthma and is very sick and when their visitation rights were cut off by CAS they became very suspicious. Elliot learns that Gordon and Gloria are Unstable Man’s new “family” – that he has been living with them since they met in court a few months ago. Dan offers to sell Gloria a fake passports and Gloria sees this as an excellent idea – with fake passports and new identities her family can perhaps start again and by her logic CAS will have to return their son: “If people can’t prove who you are legally can they take something away from you that’s legally yours?”
James takes Cameron to Plea Court where Cameron continues to rant about his fight with the garbage men: “Damn right I lost my temper. The desk had been rotting out there for over three weeks. They didn’t take it because they didn’t feel like lifting it.” James tries arguing on his behalf but Cameron refuses to apologize or feel the least bit bad about what he’s done: “Do I actually have to be sorry, Your Honour? Because - and I want this to be perfectly clear - I am not in any way sorry. I hit the guy. I know it’s illegal, but I don’t feel bad about it at all.” Afterwards, James spots Amy in the courtroom and chases her into the hallway where she tells him that “I came to remind myself what it is you put most of your focus, and what’s left of your mind, on these days...” She asks again if he’s coming to Ariel’s birthday party and reminds him to buy a gift. Later, James shows up at the party but to Amy’s dismay his stranger instincts have prevailed and his gift to his daughter is a picture book by Franz Kafka.
Alice tries running a show cause hearing for Greg. But when Greg sees Tim sitting in the gallery flirting with Consuela, he loses his temper and the hearing can’t continue. A smiling Tim tells a fuming Greg: “She doesn’t want to be here. I can tell. She wants to come with me. Look. It’s just like mom, Greg... It’s like mom all over again... She likes me better. I can’t help it.” Meanwhile, Ronnie and Nancy finally stumble onto the cabin and peer into a window only to be horrifyingly startled by a woman covered in red goo.
James and Cameron exit Old City Hall to find Mr. Jackson addressing a large crowd. Mr. Jackson is dressed as Jesus and talking like Jesus while carrying a large crucifix up the stairs. Cameron loses his temper and wonders aloud why people listen to insane delusionals when really what this world needs is a much more “pragmatic approach”. Cameron starts ranting about his own approach to the world’s problems and Mr. Jackson’s supporters begin listening to him. Cameron has found a home. James slips away. When Mr. Jackson and his disciple John try entering Old City Hall with the cross, they get into a fight with the court security guards and are taken into custody.
In Mental Health Court, Elliot explains that Gordon did not mean any harm by breaking into the Ministry of Environment, that he had complicated reasons for doing it but basically he was motivated by concern for his son and the lack of information he was getting from CAS. Elliot tells the court that Gordon and Gloria were right to be concerned about their son – he’s done some digging and it turns out that Jacob did in fact have an asthma attack and he’s currently at Sick Kids Hospital. Gordon is very concerned. Malone is prepared to release Gordon with Gloria as surety but everyone notices that Gloria is nowhere to be seen. We cut to the basement apartment of Dan, where Gloria is posing for a new passport photo she is buying so her family can “start a new life and combat globalization.”
Alice stops by a convenience store to see Lanny aggressively hassling the clerk. When she tries intervening Lanny becomes very angry with her. He chases Alice outside the store and physically assaults her. A crowd of people come to Alice’s rescue to pull Lanny off.