[tense instrumental music playing]
Falling behind the music, Miss Whitlaw.
-Stop! We don't have it yet. -[music stops]
Ripper has no single star.
No lone villain, no one victim.
You're each a small piece in this twisted, larger puzzle.
Whitlaw, center. Alone.
And…
[music resumes playing]
I said a single turn here. Is the choreography troubling you?
[music stops]
[scoffs] No, it's just, I can do a double.
I want my choreography the way I set it.
Of course. I'll try again.
Another day.
You, from the top. Again.
Show her the choreography.
[music resumes playing]
[Ramon] Six, seven, eight.
Costa's crushing Bette today.
Still blames her for our little coup against him.
[Ramon] This is how it's done, Whitlaw.
Phone call.
You. Now!
Back before everyone had a phone in their pocket,
this was where it all happened.
Students getting calls, lining up to make calls.
Guaranteed it's my brother.
Probably lost his cell phone and forgot my number.
He flies in tomorrow.
Tyler, I told you to memorize--
[man on phone] Collect call from Rogen Correctional.
[Cassie] There's a safety to dancing with a group,
a way of being both visible and invisible, like an animal in a herd.
-[man] Do you accept the charges? -I accept.
[Cassie] But in a solo, there's nowhere to hide.
-[phone beeps] -[woman] Veah?
[Cassie] It's just you alone in the light for all the world to see.
-Mom? -[woman sighs]
Oh, honey.
I missed you.
[theme music playing]
[vocalizing]
-["Now or Never Now" by Metric playing] -♪ It hurts to turn the radio on ♪
♪ Stamina's gone… ♪
[girl] Gather around, people! The goods have just arrived!
Mom just won 500 on a scratch-off,
so guess who just got mailed a care package? [chuckles]
[Gwen] Twenty minutes before curfew.
Yeah, and I got a hot new leotard up for grabs.
Let the bidding begin!
I'll trade you physio tape for leggings I never wear.
[girl] Hmm. Throw in a jug of laundry soap, and you got a deal.
What about half a spool of ribbon for this bag of licorice?
[girl] Come on, Gwen, you can do better than that.
Anyone? Anyone?
-Hey. -[June] Hey.
How goes the job hunt?
[sighs] It doesn't. Not one interview.
There's a big, bad world out there, and I don't know how to do a thing in it.
[knock on door]
Paige has got a party going.
If you've ever wanted a lifetime supply of scrunchies, now's your chance.
[Neveah] I'll pass.
Tough day?
Heard your mom called.
Who told you?
Honey, the only thing Torri retains is water.
But I gotta ask, who still makes collect calls?
What's your mom's damage? She broke? Hospital?
She's in prison.
-Wow. -Look, don't judge me.
How could I? I come from a family of felons.
I got a cousin serving, plus two uncles.
Even Granny did time for trafficking.
Are you kidding me?
[Shane] I'm trash, girl.
Until I came along, all we McRaes were good for was rotting in jail.
Where is she?
Rogen Correctional.
Wait, that's just, like, a two-hour trip.
I grew up here in Illinois.
But when she went in, Tyler and me were sent to live with my grandma in LA.
When she passed, it was just me and Tyler.
My mother, she can rot.
[Shane] This woman made you.
Show her some love!
I quit doing that six years ago.
-["Wide Awake" by Parquet Courts playing] -I was supposed to be the lead in Ripper,
and now I'm wilting in the corps in some blink-and-you-miss-it solo.
Well, we all dance backup at some point.
Yeah, but not Bette. You gotta demand a better solo.
She's right. The role was yours first.
♪ I'm wide awake… ♪
-[shouting] -[boy] Hey!
-[Caleb] Hey! -Ooh.
♪ I'm wide awake… ♪
-Ballerino extraordinaire, Caleb Wick. -[Caleb grunts]
Caleb, you're sweating buckets.
Dude! I see, like, four of you.
-Caleb. What the hell? -[grunts]
I don't get it. He wasn't drinking.
[gasps] Shane!
♪ I'm wide awake… ♪
Shane! Shane! Shane! Shane! Shane! Shane!
Work on your foreplay, buddy!
Caleb, chill.
God, you're a freak-ass maniac!
Guys, chill. You want Torri in here?
I won't be here. I can fly!
[Oren] Oh, shit! Caleb!
Oh, my God!
[Oren] Whoa. Buddy, are you okay?
[grunting]
[Shane] What the hell's happening?
-I… I'll get blankets. -[Paige] Why?
-[Gwen] It's like a seizure. -He needs an ambulance!
Another emergency? Madame DuBois will freak!
He needs help.
We cannot call another ambulance to this place!
So, we take it to Torri.
[Torri] Please tell me that you did not call Monique.
And disrupt Madame's travels with tales of incompetence?
I fought the urge.
Glad to hear it, because you and I, we have a grade-A frickin' problem.
[Selena] Starting with why you allowed students to be up after hours.
-It was all before curfew. -Were they drinking? Were you?
No, Selena, I was doing my job.
Then why was Caleb Wick scaling a wall?
[quietly] It was not him. It was the Rohypnol.
Roofies? The date rape drug?
[Torri] Apparently, there's a thing called paradoxical reaction, where,
in certain people, mostly boys,
they don't get sleepy. They go crazy, and it's what happened to Caleb.
This is the second time a student was drugged.
[Torri] Who was the first?
Selena!
Our shining star.
Cassie Shore?
[Selena] The night she went over the edge.
Are you telling me that our school's best dancer was drugged,
same as Caleb?
Madame is addressing this.
You mean she's busy working to cover it up!
You remember, Torri, you work for us, not the kids.
Stay in your lane or find somewhere else to hang your hat.
He'll be fine, in case you give a damn!
So what? I got slammed by the same drug that loser creep-jobs use to get laid?
That is what I hear.
Dude, someone's targeting you.
But why me?
I think the same reason they went for Cassie.
Someone also roofied her.
[Oren] Holy crap!
You're saying there's a creep around here?
[Caleb sighs]
This is getting crazy.
Hey, Nabil, thanks for letting me know.
-That was mighty kind of you. -[Nabil] It's not kindness.
It's because if we find who do this to you,
we find who do the same to Cassie.
[Oren sighs]
[crickets chirping]
Welcome home, Neveah.
[Neveah] This isn't my home.
It is now.
[Neveah] Hey, Ty.
Hey, Nevie. Wanna play?
[sound distorts]
[echoing]
It's happening again.
[indistinct shouting]
Just stay out of view, and no one gets hurt.
-Don't turn-- -[grunting]
[woman shrieks]
[Tyler] He's got no right!
Tyler, don't!
[Neveah gasps]
-[man] Stand up! -[Tyler grunts]
You should've stopped him.
Tyler, get up!
-[high-pitched ringing] -[woman grunts]
[man groans]
-Mommy, no! -[man] Police!
-Police are here. You're safe now. -[sound distorts]
No, I'm not!
[gun fires, echoes]
Stop! Stop!
-Don't! -[grunts]
[Neveah] No!
He didn't do anything wrong!
You told us to shoot him.
-I didn't! -No one walks away, Neveah.
-I'll always protect you. -[sobs]
-[knock on door] -Yeah.
Another bad one?
Yeah. Oldie but goodie.
You okay?
Well, have I got a distraction for you.
[Neveah] It's just a torso.
And your point is?
Who knows?
You probably know more about that guy than I do my own mother.
So fix it.
Otherwise, it'll mess with your head and your dancing.
Well, it hasn't so far, but…
sometimes I think it might be what actually pushes me.
[typing]
[sighs]
Can you hold off on hooking up with Torso Boy for just one minute?
Right now, honey, I'm hooking you up.
Bus to Rogen Correctional leaves tomorrow at eight.
We on it or what?
There any long-term effects?
Doctor said no.
I just want to sweat this drug out of my system and move on.
Can't believe the same thing happened to Cassie.
By the same person is my bet.
[scoffs] My guess, it was Shane.
What, you're accusing your best friend?
-Harsh. -[Oren] Do the math.
He was all over Caleb tonight. Maybe he has a thing for you.
-I'm pretty sure I was all over him. -[Oren] Plus, he hates Cassie's guts.
We all did-- do.
Whatever.
Well, I mean, I can't stand the guy, but coming for Shane is pretty harsh.
[Oren] Look, it's just a theory.
Aw, man.
-What? -[sighs] It wasn't Shane.
[scoffs] It was me.
What, you drugged yourself?
My IT band was messing me up, so I stole some Advil from June's stash.
June Park has a stash?
Roofied who?
-Caleb! You did the same to Cassie! -What?
Admit it! You've got a stash!
Get off of me! Get off me! What are you doing?
Bette, what are you looking for?
-[pills rattle] -You saying you only got Advil in here?
Look at me. I… I collect teddy bears!
Probably to stitch 'em full of drugs.
Bette, don't!
You drugged Cassie to take her out of the game.
Well, you were the one that hated her.
When she was cast as Aurora, you told me that you wanted her dead.
I didn't mean "dead" dead.
Cops are sniffing around. You want to give them what?
-Some kind of distraction? -You're the one with the pills, June.
See these two?
These are roofies!
Damn, girl.
They aren't mine.
I didn't put them there.
Bette, you gotta believe me.
[huffs]
[June] Esmé…
[screams]
[door closes]
You could've done that a minute ago.
You could've gotten in an hour ago.
[Caleb sighs]
You missed a lot. Starting with we may know who roofied your girlfriend.
-The thing is, we're not exactly sure-- -Who is it?
June Park.
How is it possible?
She's Cassie's one loyal friend.
Or her most guilty one.
And don't even think about doing what you're thinking about doing.
You start coming for her,
you'll be the one in jail or deported or worse.
You fight this battle, you'll be the one getting creamed.
[Cassie] When you falter in a solo, there's no one else to blame.
The audience can't hear if the orchestra plays too fast
or see the slick spot on the floor.
They can't see the hours you've worked,
or how you hit that jump just right 100 times in rehearsal.
They only see you moment by moment.
Now.
And now.
In every eight count,
you have a terrifying, beautiful chance to pick yourself up
and begin again.
Hi, Officer Cruz.
-Torri Fuller from the Archer School. -Right.
-Hi. -[Cruz] Hi.
I got wind of a few fun facts,
and I'd rather share them with you than the higher-ups back home,
since they don't seem so interested in these kids' safety.
What facts?
A second student was drugged, and I know who did the drugging.
Little Miss Meek-and-Mild, June Park.
[Torri] It was Caleb Wick got hit this time.
And you think June Park drugged him?
Not directly.
Meaning?
Caleb thought he was taking Advil from her room,
but he ended up getting dosed with something a whole lot stronger.
The point is June Park had a stash of Rohypnol,
and since Cassie Shore had had the same drug the night that she fell--
How do you know that?
The investigation was shut down before the tox results were in.
Only the family got to see it.
Well, this little lady's putting things together.
I hate turning on a friend,
but I'm afraid if I don't, I may be next.
-I'll look into it. -[Torri] Thank you.
[Cassie] Like every beginning,
it's the start of the solo that's the scariest.
That last, lonely breath in the wings.
Then the music starts.
You've trained for this moment, fought for it, bled for it.
There's nothing else to do, but take your cue and step into the light.
[guard] No touching.
Don't get excited.
We've already set the piece you'll get to dance.
Except I need more.
I gave you what you can handle. Or do you want us both to look bad?
[Bette] You can't be serious.
Ripper delves into our darkness.
To depths I don't believe you can reach.
Don't anticipate. I can see everything you're thinking.
Surprise me.
Beguile me.
I'll do my best.
Plié.
[Ramon panting]
I can explain the pills, I swear!
-It is all about Bette and her vendetta-- -Oh. Oh!
What pills?
Pardon.
You said "pills."
-No. No, I didn't. -[Selena] Yes, you did.
-[sighs] -Wait, so I'm not here because of pills?
You are here because you owe $407 for commissary and costuming.
Students are extended a maximum credit of 400.
-I know that. -Do you have that?
I… do not. Uh, my mother is paying--
And according to her, she isn't now.
-Which is why I'm getting a job. -[Selena] Doing what?
That is something I will report back to you on.
And Madame's shoes look great on you!
[Selena inhales, cracks neck]
[exhales]
Then the time she tried to take the best spot in the studio,
and I was like, "Start in the back with me."
Shane.
How about scoring us some snacks?
Totally.
-[door lock beeps] -Tell me he's not your boyfriend.
Mom! No.
Shane's, like… No.
I just wanted to make sure you're seeing what I'm seeing.
You know, he's the only reason I came.
[sighs]
So, what are you reading these days?
Just what they assigned for homework.
Oh, Veah! I raised you better than that.
I don't have the same kind of time on my hands as you do.
No. You don't.
You're a busy girl. I read that article "Future of Ballet."
[laughs] I was so proud, I showed everybody around here.
It's what gave me the guts to reach out.
I'm glad.
Yeah.
And the timing's great, what with the parole hearing coming up.
[Neveah] When?
Tomorrow.
Didn't Tyler tell you he was coming?
Yeah, he just never mentioned a hearing.
Oh, uh… well… well, he's gonna make a statement,
and, uh, I was kind of hoping that you would too.
They just want to know that I have ties to the community,
that, well, there are people in the real world who got my back.
So that's why you wanted me here.
-Oh, honey, no, I wanted to-- -No touching.
Oh, Veah, I'm trying to tell you. [sighs]
I have the chance to be your mother again.
Are you gonna take it or not?
[gasps] Ay, Dios mío. ¿Qué es lo que está pasando aquí?
Step away from the knife.
Bette told me you're trying to ruin her career.
So, I invited her and her boyfriend over for dinner.
[Ramon] I gave her the solo she can handle.
You can explain that over dinner.
Now get busy and be my chop bitch.
I'm not going to explain anything to a 90-pound teenager.
She's my sister, Ramon.
Please.
Por favor.
Only if we do takeout.
I can't survive one more of your steamed chicken breasts.
-[Delia scoffs] -["Sink n' Sin" by Kandle playing]
♪ Lord, do you ever forgive? ♪
♪ I cross my heart and hope to live… ♪
Hey. Got your text.
Where were you all day?
-You didn't strangle June, did you? -No,
but I got the story out.
Otherwise, she'd be taking me down.
And tonight I claw my way to the killer part.
Clawing sounds fun.
-That the hottest fantasy you got? -[scoffs]
How about you bound and gagged?
-I'm serious. -[chuckles] I don't know. What about you?
-Mmm! -I don't know.
Maybe a threesome?
For real? With who?
Esmé? What about Gwen?
[Bette] I was thinking…
maybe a guy.
[scoffs]
Forget it. There's no way I want to see you with another dude.
-What if it's the right guy? -Hmm.
No such thing, Bette.
Sorry, I… It's just not how I roll.
[Oren sighs]
♪ I'm saying my goodbyes ♪
-[camera shutter clicks] -[door opens]
Are you seriously selling your signed Julie Kent pointe shoes on eBay?
-No. -I just saw it go live.
Hang on, you have Julie Kent eBay alerts?
Not the issue here. Point is, are you that broke?
What do you care? Last night you were calling me a raving poisoner.
And today, I'm thinking if that's true, you're more bad-ass than I thought.
I may have a line on a job, but you gotta be cool. I'm serious.
Esmé, I can be cool.
Me and Paige work Saturdays at Michi Beach Club's VIP Night.
School knows about it, so no worries about curfew.
Cassie used to work there.
Yeah. We've been a girl short since she took her fall.
Truth is, I'm not that cool.
Rudy say you cool. You stood up to Bette.
-Leave Rudy out of this. -You'll be fine.
[June] Hey!
I was right.
She didn't want to see me for real.
She just wanted her perfect "Future of Ballet" daughter
to go cry in front of a parole board.
She's trying to rebuild her life and wants you in it.
I don't want her.
She's your mother.
Yeah.
And she killed a man.
My father died way back from a heart attack.
After that, something in her just snapped.
Made every bad choice she could.
Money, jobs, men…
The worst was Greg.
He used to beat her.
And then one night…
he hit my brother.
[Shane] And that's when she stood up to him?
He was a sick fuck who should have never been in our house.
I told her to get rid of him.
But nobody listens to a ten-year-old.
She took everything from me.
[Shane] But now she's trying to give it back.
She's asking me to vouch for her if she ever got out,
and that's a job I'm just not up for.
Sergeant.
I had two visitors from that ballet school.
It seems a student was roofied,
and the same thing happened to Cassie Shore.
Since we couldn't get eyes on the tox report, I did some digging.
A nurse wouldn't say for sure, but hinted that I was onto something.
We know whose drugs they were. I'm betting that earns us a warrant.
Who's the guy?
Actually, it's a girl.
-[elevator chimes] -[sergeant scoffs]
-[doors open] -Okay.
You build a case the DA can run with, I won't stop you.
Good work, Cruz. Don't be wrong.
[crying]
-You ever been there before? -Tyler?
Hey! Big lil' sis!
Come here.
I missed you.
Missed you!
Even if you didn't come clean about why you really came here.
All right, Nevie, I was working up to it.
Well, Mama did your dirty work.
Just gonna step in here and say hi.
-My name's Shane. Nice to meet you. -Hey.
Your brother's hilarious.
Lindy says there's a party tonight.
[Neveah] Not for us.
We gotta talk.
[chuckles] So we talk at a party.
Shane, Lindy! Save me from this buzzkill!
All right. Fine.
-I think your boy has the hots for me. -[Neveah] Come on, Ty.
[cork pops]
Everything is choreographed with you.
I like knowing how things'll plan out.
[doorbell rings]
-Just please, be nice. -["Cha Ching" by K+Lab playing]
-♪ All the props and respect ♪ -♪ Hey, yo, we came to collect ♪
-♪ Mad zeros on my checks ♪ -♪That's what we came to collect ♪
-♪ Phat tracks on the decks ♪ -♪ You know we came to collect ♪
-♪ To all my people that connect ♪ -♪ I said we came to collect… ♪
-[Neveah] Hey! -[Tyler] Aww!
Whoa! Yo! Sick digs!
-[girl] Hey, Costa. -[chattering, laughing]
[Oren] Thanks for having us.
You're afraid to walk in here and face me without backup.
I'm queen bee now. When I say "jump," my dancers say, "How high?"
Bette, we can't feed them all.
We're not hungry, Dee. We're thirsty.
You still want me to play nice?
["Good to You" by Dstll playing]
♪ Tell me what you wanna see ♪
♪ I want to take it off ♪
♪ Meeting this week ♪
♪ How lovely ♪
♪ Ooh, your body called… ♪
Smile at the ugly ones. They tip better!
Who ordered the Sappho beer?
Oh, wait, it's called Sapporo?
-[man groans] -[June] Oh!
Oh, my goodness, I am so sorry! Just--
How about you let me finish that?
Sir, I wasn't trying to--
Uh, first day?
-It's okay. We've all been there. -[June whimpers]
[rock music playing]
Ramon's right. You're a child.
This war you're waging has to stop.
Why?
According to him, I'm not the grown-up in the room.
Gonna go dance.
[Shane] So what's your trick?
-[Tyler] Copious push-ups. What's yours? -[Shane chuckles] No.
I mean, Neveah's all messed up about your mom,
but you're full zen about it.
Nevie's hard on herself, but she's also hard on everybody else.
Problem is, the rest of us are mere mortals.
When it comes to our mother,
Nevie's as bad as the judge who sentenced her.
Hey.
Think it's time for a bevvie.
Guess that's why it's so easy for you to chime in at her parole hearing.
Nothing you say is ever really serious.
Anger ages you brutal. Gotta keep my skin up.
Ty, you didn't even tell me.
Would've just shut me down.
I can't even mention her without you flipping your shit.
I'm trying to start a new life here.
Even locked up in prison, Mom's still dragging me back.
You don't want to help Mom, shut up and stay home.
Just know that place you live, hallways,
little rooms, locks on the doors…
You're in a prison too.
Except I'm not trying to get out.
I just can't believe I'm here.
Neither can I.
[R & B music playing]
Hi. Welcome.
-Jungle's alive tonight. -Yeah.
How long have you done ballet?
Uh… How did you know I dance?
Owner here has a type.
Well, I'm not quite sure I'm landing it, so…
Ah, you just need a breather.
To get a lay of the land, I always say, head to the water.
I mean, we are right on the shore.
Got another hour on shift.
Except this is the Michi Beach Club…
[in British accent] …where the customer is always right.
[chuckles]
[slurring] Mr. Costa, I'm super sorry.
I was super nervous to be here, and now I don't feel so super.
Try some fizzy water. Come on.
-[laughing] -[shouting on screen]
Dude, you're viral.
I cannot believe some clown filmed me.
And immortalized you as an Insta-douche.
Lie down with the snakes, get poisoned.
Yeah, but who's the snake here?
[Bette] June, obviously.
With what we found in her room, she's going down for drugging Cassie.
Except how would June have dosed her?
I worked it out.
Watch and learn.
You're right. It feels so much better down here.
It's amazing that people forget that Chicago is right on the water.
It's like going on vacation.
I need it, and I'm out of my depth.
Yeah. Around here, everybody's fakin' it.
Most people don't have such awful things they have to keep a lid on.
I am sure that whatever you've done is not that terrible.
It's the worst.
Do you want to get it off your chest?
I don't even know you.
Exactly. It would be like whispering it to the waves. You'd be washed clean.
I put my roommate in a coma.
Well, you don't exactly hear that every day.
I didn't mean to, I swear.
Yeah.
Or I did. At least the drugging part, just not the falling off the roof part.
I roofied her so that she'd be off her game the next day
and I'd be able to do better than her in this super, super important audition.
I didn't count on her
taking her wobbly ass up to the roof and falling off of it.
This girl, she's still alive?
Barely…
and it's all my fault.
But if anyone else at school finds out, I'm finished.
[clicks tongue] Or… they will see what I see.
A good person who made one mistake.
Cassie had only one drink that night.
I know this because she went in on a four-pack of wine coolers
with me, Gwen, and June.
See? Here we are pregaming.
This is on your Snap story? I never saw it.
I only shared it with the girls and saved it in my photos.
Gwen and I were in the dorm room until 9:45,
then minutes later on the roof.
But Cassie and June were still downstairs getting lit on wine coolers.
-What time do we think Cassie fell? -Had to be before 10:13, when I took this.
[Shane gasps]
-Uh… -[Oren] Oh.
-What the hell? -[Oren] Dude, you seriously took that?
Guys, Cassie was down there on the street. What else was I supposed to do?
I don't know. Not take a photo?
No, it's a good thing she did!
Since nobody saw Cassie go over, this helps lock her timeline.
She drank her wine cooler in her room,
and then ten minutes later is on the roof and falling off.
Except the drug doesn't work that fast.
I barely ate all day and still didn't feel a thing till, like, 30 minutes later.
So if Cassie fell…
it wasn't because of June's roofie?
Guys, June definitely drugged Cassie.
So? Doesn't mean it was the drug that sent her over.
Right. It also means someone could have pushed the bitch.
Are you seriously defending June?
-You're all just scared of the truth. -[cell phone chimes]
[Bette scoffs]
That's fucked up, bro.
[Delia] I'm gonna get her home.
And I'll kick these clowns out.
All right, come on. All right. Yep.
Let's get out of here.
Not yet.
I'm getting Ramon on my side.
Oh, he's Ramon now?
We're having an adult conversation.
I'm showing him what I'm capable of, Oren.
You're a great dancer, Bette. You don't need his approval.
Maybe not, but I do need a good solo, and he hasn't given me one.
It never stops with you.
Turns out, a lot can get done in the dark.
But then, you and Shane know all about that, don't you?
[Ramon sighs]
Nightcap?
I'd say I earned one tonight.
[Oren] Fun evening, sir. Thanks for having us over.
[Bette] Yeah.
I'm just surprised it wrapped up so fast.
We stuck around to show our appreciation.
Isn't that right, Oren?
Yeah. Bette's hoping for a little more.
A leg up.
A chance to shine.
Now you two.
I can see what your game is.
Don't anticipate.
I can see everything you're thinking.
Sound familiar?
"Surprise me," you said. Even better, "Beguile me."
Now's your chance.
Or maybe you can't handle it.
I know I can't. [exhales]
-You're breaking his heart. -Well, Ramon, you're breaking mine.
This is no way to get what you want.
I've been paying attention. Learning from you.
Your sister will be back soon.
Close the door on your way out.
-[Bette sighs] -[footsteps fading]
-[girls laughing] -[June] Nabil!
Nabil, guess what.
I made $80 tonight.
If I keep this up, I'll be flush.
I know you did it.
[June] Did what?
Don't play stupid.
You sent her over.
Nabil…
Uh…
Uh, I… I never meant to hurt anyone, I swear.
But you did, June. You break my heart.
And once I have enough facts that even I can be believed,
you will fall further than Cassie did.
I'm… I'm so sorry. I… I really, really am.
I never meant for it to go the way it did.
You have to believe me, Nabil. I'm… I'm not a bad person.
[Nabil] But you did bad things.
And there's no trust now.
And without trust, there cannot be dance between us.
-Look, I'll fix this. -No, no. I don't want you to!
I want you to live in fear every day, at every turn,
the same way I have.
The time will come, June.
Maybe tomorrow or maybe weeks from now
when there's a lift you expect from me…
a catch you must trust me to do,
and I want you to know that when the time comes…
when you're at your most vulnerable…
I will let you fall.
[sobbing]
This is a parole consideration hearing for Ms. Makayla Stroyer,
B-33456. Murder Second.
Today, Ms. Stroyer, you have an opportunity
to clarify or correct the facts in your central file.
However, we accept the findings of the court as fact.
We're not here to retry your case.
We are solely to determine whether you're suitable for parole.
-Are you ready to speak to us today? -[Makayla] Yes, ma'am.
So, tell us whether you have merit for parole.
[inhales]
We fell in love young,
me and the father of my children, Martin Stroyer.
We had my son, Tyler.
He's sitting right over there.
And, uh, my daughter Neveah. She couldn't make it today.
We struggled with money, but we were happy.
And when he died, I… I didn't know what to do.
I… I had to find ways to take care of my kids.
[gasps]
[woman] Ms. Stroyer, what has this got to do with your crime?
-I'm not here to do what she wants. -[Makayla] Um…
well, just that I was… I was alone, and I was desperate,
searching for any rock that I could find.
And Gregory, he had a temper, but I actually thought
that I was doing the best thing for my family. [inhales]
But then he hit my baby.
Your daughter.
No, ma'am. My son, Tyler.
Which day, Ms. Stroyer?
Um, it… it was the day…
It was the day--
[woman] The day you struck Mr. Gonzalez with a baseball bat,
causing blunt-force trauma which led to his death.
I regret what I did every day of my life.
It's kept me from my kids.
It's the reason my son is in a wheelchair,
shot by cops because they thought that he was the one did wrong.
[sobbing] It was me. It was-- It was all me.
And I paid dearly for what I did wrong.
And I just want a chance to do right.
[sighs]
Not now.
It won't get any easier.
Okay, then. Last night was fucked.
[Bette] I was trying to fix things.
On what planet does a threesome with Ramon Costa make things better?
I thought you'd like it.
Why?
Why would I ever be into that?
You were into it with Shane.
No more lies, Oren.
Him and I…
I ended it.
I swear it was nothing.
Why am I not good enough for anybody?
You're more than enough.
I just took what was on offer, what was easy.
-It didn't mean anything. -[scoffs] To you, maybe.
But to Shane? To me?
Hey, tell me you've never done worse.
Tell me that, and I'll walk away.
I'm gonna fix this.
You'll see.
[sergeant] Hey, good job.
First time requesting a warrant in front of a judge…
[chuckles] …most rookies can't remember their own names.
I've faced scarier characters.
So, with all the work that you're doing on this case,
are you able to keep up with the counseling?
Sure. I go to group. Listen to everybody's sad story.
Take all my counselor's calls.
Truth is, this warrant is the best grief counseling I could get.
I'll see you when we've brought her in.
Miss Stroyer!
Catching some bad guys?
[Cruz] That's the idea.
Another life ruined.
I get it. No one should be judged by the biggest mistake of their lives,
but we can't just let folks off the hook either.
There a problem here?
I'd say everyone in this building right now is staring down a problem.
Come on, Nevie. We've only got a minute before Mom's hearing starts again.
You never told me.
'Cause it's none of your business.
I hope they decide that she's earned her way back to this side of the wall
because when someone's in an awful trap,
all they need is one person lifting that latch.
Problem is most of us don't get that.
-You're overdressed. -[Caleb] We gotta talk.
You've been cooping yourself in here too much.
I maintain hydration and monitor heart rate.
I'm not talking about your electrolytes.
I'm talking about you shutting yourself off.
-You're letting this place get to you. -I have good reasons.
You don't. June didn't send Cassie over.
The drugs hadn't hit yet.
-You keep changing your story. -No, I keep learning from it.
Except, thing is the wheels are in motion.
That cop is gonna arrest her.
Good.
Are you serious?
What? You have a heart now?
-[clattering] -They will test her.
-If she's innocent, she goes free. -[steam hissing]
You know that's crap.
We got one thing in common, you and me, and that's the system hates us both.
They don't want justice.
They just want some tidy end to some stupid fucking story.
And when those idiot cops look around, we're the only things they see.
You were prime suspect.
You tell her someone else didn't do it,
that's a powerful thing!
Do I look like a man who's ever felt power?
[sighs]
[woman] Thank you, young man.
The panel will take it all into consideration.
We have one more impact statement.
Neveah Stroyer has decided to speak on behalf of the victim.
-[crowd murmuring] -[man] She's the victim?
[woman] I have reviewed your biographical information,
and I must say, I'm impressed how you overcame your circumstances
to be recognized by one of the finest dance institutions in the country.
And you did it all on your own.
I didn't get here on my own.
Who could?
Of course. You had family, friends--
And my mother.
If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be a dancer.
She was the one who encouraged me
and insisted that there was a place in the ballet world for girls like me.
And your point regarding the victim?
Victims. That night left four.
One's dead, one's in the wheelchair, one's in prison,
and one was left in the world without her mother.
It soured something in me that I can't fix.
But ballet's given me one true thing to hold on to.
But you want ties that my mother can count on out here?
I honestly can't say that I'm one of them.
I'm barely making my own dreams.
I do know that allowing my mom to walk free
would lift a weight that I've had to carry since that awful day.
A weight that makes me feel like a fraud.
You're punishing my mother, but you're also keeping me a victim.
If you truly believe that I have something to offer the world,
you'll show mercy.
Not only to the woman who made that one mistake…
but for the one still suffering for it.
[crying]
Hold up. Officer Cruz, you're making a big mistake.
I drugged myself.
June had nothing to do with it.
-I've been through this a thousand times. -[Caleb] Try once more.
We put together Cassie's whole night on Instagram.
-I've combed through social media. -[Caleb] Not stuff we keep private.
Officer Cruz, you already tried to arrest the wrong man once.
You get this one wrong, your boss'll never give you another chance
to find out who drove Cassie over the edge.
You got one last card to play in this case. Don't waste it.
I have to admit, it's not every day that a cop's top target is working so hard
to exonerate another suspect.
You tried many times to arrest me.
But you did not, because you cannot.
Nothing holds.
Find something that does.
Show me what you got.
[sniffling]
[sighs] She knows.
Well, I didn't tell her.
I know.
I did.
I'm a bad person, and I'm gonna lose everything.
Why do I keep wrecking everything that's good in my life?
[Shane] You didn't wreck anything.
You fixed it.
Walked out of something that was messed up.
Ended what was broken. You and me.
And that's good.
You're good, Oren.
I know what you're made of,
and you have it in you to fix this with her.
[Oren] Yeah?
But what if it's too late?
[sobbing]
[blubbering]
What's the news?
There is none.
Answer could come in 24 hours or six months.
[Neveah sighs]
I used to tell myself I didn't care what happened to her.
Whatever happens, we can handle it.
Even if it doesn't make a difference, it felt good to tell the truth today.
I'm proud of you.
[tense music playing]
-[Ramon] Good. Whitlaw. Center. -[music stops]
[Ramon] Start of your solo.
[tense music playing]
Set the movement on fire.
No holding back.
Now make this a double.
Good.
Reach for that foot.
That was all you set.
Today's a new day.
You ready?
Yes, sir.
Show me something.
Take the base phrase and improvise. Explore.
["13 Dead End Drive" by BIIANCO playing]
♪ Looking for a big picture ♪
♪ But finding only parts… ♪
[Cassie] In the end, every solo is a leap of faith.
Not in the choreography or the production or the mercies of the audience,
but in yourself.
You have to trust that your body knows where to lean and curve
and that your muscles will remember, even if your mind goes blank.
That once you take that leap into the spotlight…
Yes. Good work.
…you'll be strong enough to land on your feet.
♪ Come on now Feed my hungry heart… ♪
[Ramon] You need to tighten up your timing. Let's work on that.
♪ Looking for a big picture ♪
♪ But fall in love with parts ♪
♪ There won't be no stopping me ♪
♪ There won't be no stopping ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ Voice, voice, voice ♪
♪ Voice, voice, voice, voice ♪
♪ Whisper, no, whisper, no ♪
♪ Your voice, whisper, no, whisper, no ♪
♪ Whisper, no, no way ♪
♪ Voice, voice, voice, voice ♪