The Vast, Immovable Object

Jill interrogates her client.

**The Vast, Immovable Object** is the fourth episode of the second season and the 14th overall episode of **For the People**.

## Short Summary

The team in the public defender's office takes on the case of a young man accused of strangling a woman to death and are determined to prove him innocent. Meanwhile, Tina and Sandra go head-to-head after a man is arrested while transporting a body part through the airport. Elsewhere, Seth and Leonard grow closer after they are tasked with speaking to a conference of an unusually young group of future lawyers.

## Cast

* Jill Carlan
* Roger Gunn
* Allison Adams
* Ted
* Kate Littlejohn
* Jay Simmons
* Leonard Knox
* Seth Oliver
* Sandra Bell
* Tina Krissman
* Nicholas Byrne
* Douglas Bradshaw
* Steve Caldwell
* Diane Barish
* Detective Blake
* Albert Cheng
* Susan Womack
* BNA Anchor
* Serena Nazari
* Detective Sumner
* FBI Agent Cho
* Kayle Lee
* Missy
* Theresa Wood
* Ian Kender
* Jury Foreperson
* Larry
* Girl in Purple
* Boy in Red
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### Main Cast

* Hope Davis as Jill Carlan
* Ben Shenkman as Roger Gunn
* Jasmin Savoy Brown as Allison Adams
* Charles Michael Davis as Ted
* Susannah Flood as Kate Littlejohn
* Wesam Keesh as Jay Simmons
* Regé-Jean Page as Leonard Knox
* Ben Rappaport as Seth Oliver
* Britt Robertson as Sandra Bell
* Anna Deavere Smith as Tina Krissman
* Vondie Curtis Hall as Judge Nicholas Byrne

### Guest Stars

* Nate Torrence as Douglas Bradshaw
* Shane Coffey as Steve Caldwell
* Julie Dretzin as Diane Barish
* Christopher Amitrano as Detective Blake
* Eugene Kim as Agent Albert Cheng
* Adria Tennor as Susan Womack
* Danielle Nottingham as BNA Anchor

### Co-Starring

* Nida Khurshid as Serena Nazari
* Jimmy Carlson as Detective Sumner
* Janice Sonia Lee as FBI Agent Cho
* Lindsey Rose Naves as Kayla Lee
* Cindy Nguyen as Missy
* Rahvaunia as Theresa Wood
* Vishesh Chachra as Ian Kender
* Monica Garcia as Jury Foreperson
* Frederick Dawson as Larry
* Lily Fisher as Girl in Purple
* Oliver Alexander as Boy in Red

## Notes and Trivia

* This episode scored 2.97 million viewers.
* Title Drop: Jill compares her client's confession to "The Vast, Immovable Object" you can't get rid of.

## Quotes

**Ted:** Don't be afraid of murder.
**Jay:** I am afraid of murder.
**Sandra:** Did someone say murder?
**Jay:** I think you heard duty. It's a joke because murder doesn't sound anything like duty.
**Jill:** Steve Caldwell, 22, arrested for strangling Ellie Mason to death near a music festival on Governor's Island.
**Allison:** I heard someone talking about this on the train.
**Ted:** I heard everybody talking about this on the train.
**Jay:** I was on my bike, and it's hard to hear because of the wind.

**Jill:** Here is the evidence that Steve Caldwell murdered Ellie Mason. A confession. That is it. There is nothing else. There are no witnesses, there is no DNA, no fingerprints, no hair, no blood. There is no motive. There is nothing. There is evidence in this case. Let's be clear. There is a lot of evidence. But that evidence points to Hank Porter. He was on the island that night. He had a disturbing history of aggressively harassing Ms. Mason. He had the strength to kill Ms. Mason. Why didn't Detective Blake pursue Mr. Porter? Because he got to Steve Caldwell first. Because Steve Caldwell seemed suspicious. Because Steve Caldwell's reaction was odd. That's it. And once Detective Blake brought Mr. Caldwell in, his mind was made up, and he was going to get his confession. And he did. And this is where we are now, with a confession. That is all there is. How could someone confess to a crime he did not commit? I know that is hard for you. I know. I could tell you about the conditions of that interrogation, and that is important. That is critical. I could tell you about Steve, and that, too, is critical. But none of this will matter unless you believe this is possible that someone, anyone, could confess to something he did not do. And I think you can believe this. I think you should, because a false confession is just a more extraordinary version of what so many of us do all the time. It's simply a lie. It is self-deception. If you've ever thought to yourself, "Why did I say that, why did I agree to that, how could I be so gullible," then you can believe this. If you've ever wondered why you stayed in a job you didn't like, a marriage that wasn't working, a relationship that was abusive, then you can understand this. We convince ourselves all the time that things are true that we know are not true because it eases some pain, because we're confused, because we are tired or frustrated, because we think, in the long run, it's better, because insisting on the truth sometimes becomes too difficult to bear. If you can understand that, you can believe this. You can. And if you can believe this, you can stop this because it's happening again right now. His false confession will be your burden. Don't let it be. Tell the truth.

**Jill:** When I worked for Cordyn & Walsh, we used to have these rooftop parties for new summer associates right over there. Probably why I avoid the roof.
**Allison:** You worked for Cordyn & Walsh?
**Jill:** Yes.
**Jay:** A firm?
**Jill:** Yes.
**Allison:** A private firm?
**Jill:** Yes. For four years, right out of law school. I was on the fast track to partner and a lot of money. I was married, took fancy trips, ...
**Jay:** Did we drink another bottle inside and I don't remember?
**Allison:** What happened?
**Jill:** I was in a conference room with four other associates on this big airline antitrust case. We'd been up for 56 hours, preparing a deposition outline for our client's Chief Financial Officer, and I walked into the bathroom, looked at myself in the mirror, and I thought, "Where did you go?" That was it. It was all a lie. I was lying to myself about who I was, what I wanted my life to be. And I left the bathroom, and I stopped lying.

**Seth:** So, what about you?
**Leonard:** What about me?
**Seth:** You seeing anyone?
**Leonard:** We're here for you.
**Seth:** You used to go on a date every night.
**Leonard:** Who told you that?
**Seth:** Kate.
**Leonard:** Kate doesn't know what she's talking about.
**Seth:** Do you ever think about that?
**Leonard:** All the time.
**Seth:** Do you ever think about Kate?
**Leonard:** You're drunk.
**Seth:** I'm just finishing my first beer. So, yes, I am. Very.
**Leonard:** I chose Texas.

**Sandra:** When I was in elementary school, my dad and I used to sneak into the Sandman Inn during the summer. Summer in Sacramento, you know? I can tell you this, right?
**Kate:** Out of my jurisdiction.
**Sandra:** We had a little routine. We'd get a floatie at Safeway, one large box of Junior Mints, two plastic water guns. I'd go first, stand by the gate, someone would let me in. I'd look around, scout it out, then come back and grab my dad. We had a room number we would use in case anyone ever asked. We were the Carlyles 'cause my dad thought that sounded rich the Carlyles from Chicago. I thought that was the most beautiful pool in the world. Until this one.
**Kate:** You really need a vacation.
**Sandra:** I do. Don't you?

**Kate:** One hour.
**Sandra:** We deserve it.
**Kate:** Someday we'll be dead.
**Sandra:** And people will turn us into dental paste.
**Kate:** We should enjoy ourselves a little while we're still barely alive.
**Sandra:** Get a little sun on our fibulas while they're young.
**Kate:** It's okay to pretend, Mrs. Carlyle.
**Sandra:** One hour.