TELECAST DATE---November 18, 2020
We begin with Aaron Wallace still standing in the Bellmore Prison outdoor gym aghast after his confrontation with District Attorney Glen Maskins and his menacing advice to "Do the Smart Thing" and take Maskins' deal for clemency and early release in six months, but not as a lawyer. Aaron is soon surrounded by inmates who look at him with hostility, still operating under the false story that Aaron was some kind of prison informant. Cyrus Hunt has lifted the lockdown that followed the riot. Aaron keeps turning over in his mind about how he thought he could get out when he had no idea how entrenched, and powerful, the corrupt faction was in the criminal justice system. He has to decide if he wants to sacrifice practicing law to gain his freedom.
Henry Roswell and Marie Wallace visit Aaron and discuss what they can do if Maskins can use Marie's violation of HIPAA regulations about access to patient records at the hospital. Aaron talks about the deal Maskins offered for clemency in six months if Aaron quits practicing law.
Marie tells Aaron to keep fighting, and not to take the deal, and that Aaron should do it for his grandson and to get exoneration by overturning his conviction.
Later, Huey Cornell visits Aaron and suggests that Aaron take Maskins' deal. Huey informs Aaron that he is getting out, which surprises Aaron. Huey promises Aaron he will arrange for Aaron to visit Jamal.
Aaron and Henry Roswell meet with Dez O'Reilly, Assistant District Attorney under Glen Maskins. Cyrus Hunt is part of the meeting. The purpose is to provide Aaron with a copy of Maskins' clemency deal to sign. The genius Warden Hunt decides this would be an opportune to expose the fact he has the entire prison bugged by informing Aaron what Hunt knows about the meeting Aaron had with Roswell and Marie. This was a big mistake on Hunt's part. Aaron knows what the warden's remark means, and tells O'Reilly he has to think about the deal for a few days.
SECOND QUARTER HOUR
Maskins is on the telephone in his office when O'Reilly enters with his report about the meeting with Aaron and Roswell. O'Reilly is incensed that Cyrus Hunt would blab something that exposes his illegal network of listening devices in the prison. O'Reilly complains about how Maskins disappeared Maskins' informant so Aaron couldn't use him for a witness, and wonders if Maskins is leaning on Aaron's former partner in the club, Michael, to keep silent. Dez O'Reilly is reaching the breaking point with Maskins' corruption.
Henry Wallace calls Safiya, former warden at Bellmore Prison, and enlists her help to do something to neutralize Cyrus Hunt. Safiya might have a source in the prison that could help.
Aaron appeals to a former client to try file a complaint in order to go after surveillance footage from the gym. The client agrees to help Aaron.
Safiya makes contact with the female guard who was helping Cyrus Hunt record the Maskins meeting with Aaron and also took notes based on the illegal listening device in the gym. The woman agrees to help.
Huey Cornell, inquires about Aaron turning down the Maskins deal, and that he got a note from one of the prisoners about the gym. Aaron informs Huey he wants the film in accordance with the prisoner's complaint.
Maskins hears about Aaron being after the surveillance film. He tells Hunt to erase the footage. This appears to be the last straw for Dez O'Reilly by the expression on his face.
Roswell and Marie are in the District Attorney's office with Dez O'Reilly when Maskins comes in and confronts Marie with evidence from Aaron's first case when she took a letter from Aaron that was a forgery which he later used as evidence.
Later, at the Courthouse, Aaron has Marie use her cell phone to record Aaron making an appeal to Michael to tell the truth about what happened. Roswell and Marie are to play the video to Michael.
THIRD QUARTER HOUR
Jamal is talking to one of Cassius Dawkins' old lieutenants. Jamal wants a deal to get out from under what happened at the riot and end the gang's vendetta against both Jamal and Aaron Wallace.
Huey Cornell finds Aaron and tells him Jamal wants to see him. Huey ushers Aaron into a room that soon has a handful of Dawkins' people with him. They give Aaron what is a mild beat down for Cyrus Hunt's cameras. Huey Cornell tells them when to stop punching and kicking Aaron. After the the inmates leave the room Jamal explains what happened.
Roswell meets with the Attorney General and plays the video Michael made in which Michael exposes Maskins for Subornation of Perjury. That does not convince the AG to turn on Maskins, but playing the confrontation Maskins had with Aaron in the gym and offering the deal for clemency, along with Jamal's orchestrated beat down of Aaron for the cameras, the AG realizes Maskins cannot be salvaged.
Huey Cornell meets with Cyrus Hunt and shows the beat down footage, telling Hunt that Huey is getting away clean because:
1. Dawkins' people restored their reputation with the beat down.
2. The book is closed with Dawkins.
3. Aaron Wallace is still alive.
Huey lets Hunt know that he will blow Hunt out of the water if there is any problem for him because he has other copies of the beatdown. This will not be the first stunned look on Cyrus Hunt's face before this is over.
Aaron meets with Cyrus Hunt and informs him he has copies of the video of Maskins confronting him with a deal in the gym. He hands Hunt a flash drive with the a copy of the video. This resulted in another stunned expression on Hunt's face.
FOURTH QUARTER HOUR
Maskins and Dez O'Reilly are seated in front of the Attorney General's desk like two school boys waiting for the principal to mete out punishment. Maskins issues a sollioquy of complaint about the audacity of Aaron Wallace trying to overturn the results of his railroading, completely stumped about how anyone would care about Aaron Wallace who had a former drug dealer working for him at the club. Maskins tries to get O'Reilly drinking to finally forgetting about Aaron Wallace. O'Reilly finally speaks up and wonders how they could forget about Aaron Wallace.
When the Attorney General makes his appearance, he basically informs Maskins that he is up the proverbial creek. Nothing can be done to cover up his obstruction of justice, suborning perjury, and manipulating an informant to get a conviction. Maskins has to quit. The last card he played was the shipping of the informant out of the country before Aaron could get him on the witness stand. Maskins knew that Dez O'Reilly gave him up about the informant, and he was not happy when he finally left.
Next comes a "Ding Dong the witch is dead" scene in which Maskins, after a knee-in-the-groin, thumb-in-the-eye, dagger-in-the-back campaign for Attorney General, he tries to sell a TV audience that he can't be Attorney General because he needs to spend more time with his family. That might not be a prospect that I'm sure his family is waiting happily to experience. Maybe Maskins still remembers all of their names. I can't help but wonder what the media will make of Aaron Wallace getting out of the joint right after that.
Then we see Roswell and Aaron meeting with Dez O'Reilly, who gets Aaron to sign an agreement that removes his conviction, but he has to admit to assault on Dawkins at the riot. He tells Aaron that all he has to do is keep his nose clean, and it will be over in a few years of probation. Aaron will still be able to practice law.
Aaron signs the deal, but as he turns the papers over, he tells O'Reilly, "You know you have the chance to do it right this time."
We then see Aaron cleaning out the office of the inmate's representative and leaves a note there for his successor, "Never stop fighting." As he walks down a corridor in the cell block, the inmates cheer him on. Hassan asks Aaron to not forget them, and Aaron promises he won't.
As he steps outside Bellmore, he sees Safiya looking at him from her car. She gets out of her car to greet Aaron, telling him, "Helping you was the only thing I did in there that made a difference."
Marie arrives to drive Aaron home, and Safiya watches as they drive away from Bellmore Prison.