The Good Fight
Thursdays on Paramount+The Good Fight Season 5 Episode 2: "Once there was a court..." Quotes
David Lee: That’s right. They’re letting you play lawyer, Marissa. How nice.
Marissa: Fucking prick.
Diane: We need a continuance on Toni Hedger’s case.
Marissa: Really? I get to argue a continuance?
Diane: No, you get to accompany Phoebe who will argue the continuance, and you get to hold the client’s hand.
Wackner: Come on in. You’re late.
Marissa: Sorry, is this a real court?
Wackner: Yes, get ready.
Marissa: Defense counsel asks that the court grant a continuance until such time as we’ve been able to…
Wackner: You’re defense counsel. Why do you refer to yourself in the third-person?
Marissa: I’m not actually licensed to practice law.
Wackner: I’m not actually licensed to be a judge, so we’re in the same boat. Mr. Schultz, please call your first witness.
Attorney Schlutz: Ready, your honor.
Marissa: Wait, can I object?
Wackner: Overruled. Mr. Schultz, go ahead.
Marissa: Let me call the real lawyer. I’m not her lawyer.
Wackner: What’s your name?
Marissa: Marissa.
Wackner: Marissa, you understand the issues in this case?
Marissa: Uh-huh.
Wackner: You believe in your client?
Marissa: Yeah.
Wackner: You have the summons?
Marissa: Yeah, here.
Wackner: What else you need? Let’s go.
Oscar [in Spanish]: I have complained to your firm a thousand times, and those motherfuckers don’t do shit.
Translator: He doesn’t like the food. It upsets his stomach.
Carmen [in Spanish]: Maybe our firm does nothing because your translator is shit.
Translator [in Spanish]: She apologizes for her firm doing nothing.
Oscar [in Spanish]: How come you speak Spanish?
Carmen [in Spanish]: Night school. The translator is for your benefit. I can’t tell him to leave, but you can.
Translator: This is not for you to say, miss. The prison has ordered that I translate.
Carmen [in Spanish]: Yes, but I speak Spanish, so your services are not needed. Mr. Rivi, if you want, you can ask the translator to leave.
Oscar [in Spanish]: Did you hear, motherfucker? Go fuck yourself. Go.
Translator: The prison will hear of this.
Carmen [in Spanish]: Who are you?
Oscar [in Spanish]: Carmen Moyo.
Carmen [in Spanish]: And why are you helping me?
Oscar [in Spanish]: I’m your lawyer.
Carmen [in Spanish]: I’ve had a lot of lawyers, but I’m still behind bars.
Oscar [in Spanish]: I’m just out of law school.
Carmen [in Spanish]: So you haven’t become a bad lawyer yet?
Oscar [in Spanish]: I’m here for client maintenance.
Carmen [in Spanish]: Very interesting.
Oscar [in Spanish]: What do you need?
Carmen [in Spanish]: How much time do you have?
Caleb: I understand if this is a bad idea. When I got the call, I thought it was you reaching out.
Liz: I should have reached out. It’s just things ended so…
Caleb: Weird?
Liz: Abruptly.
Caleb: You’re in the room alone, right?
Liz: Uh, yes.
Caleb: Can we act like we never slept with each other.
Liz: Can you?
Caleb: I’m the employee. Of course, I can.
Liz: Well, do you really want the job?
Caleb: I do. I liked the firm. I liked what the firm stood for.
Liz: OK, well we will… let us talk about it.
Caleb: OK, Liz if it doesn’t work out, I get it. No hard feelings.
Diane: Start again. What?
Phoebe: There’s a court behind the court that’s adjudicating Hedger’s case.
Diane: I don’t understand. Is it a mediation court?
Phoebe: No, it’s a court someone invented.
Diane: Then why are we there?
Phoebe: Because the plaintiff’s there with an attorney.
Diane: Wait, if it has no power and it has no jurisdiction, what does it have?
Phoebe: A judge in a robe.
Marissa: You and your daughter must have had different reactions when [Parasite] won the Academy Awards for best picture?
Nell: We did. She was dancing around, rubbing my nose it in.
Marissa: Aha, the Academy Awards were held in February of 2020, a month before schools shut down. If your daughter thinks you’re like the people in Parasite, she couldn’t have gotten that from Ms. Hedger because the teaching pod didn’t yet exist.
Attorney Schultz: Objection, counselor is putting words in my client’s mouth.
Wackner: Do you have better words for your client?
Diane: I don’t understand. What is this?
Marissa: I have no idea.
Diane: Then why are you arguing here? Why are you arguing at all? You’re not a lawyer.
Marissa: If I didn’t argue, we were going to lose.
Diane: Lose what? This is not a courtroom in the back of a copy coop, and what is William Schultz doing there?
Marissa: He’s representing the plaintiff.
Diane: I’m losing my mind. Look, this is not legal. We’ve got to get out of here.
Toni: No, I don’t want to.
Diane: Toni, whatever happens here, it’s irrelevant. It doesn’t matter if we win or lose.
Toni: Look, those are some of the other parents suing me. They’re seeing how this case goes.
Diane: Which is why we don’t want to lose her.
Toni: So let’s not. Look, I like this judge. He’s better than the judges in real court.
Diane: That’s the point. It’s not real.
Toni: Diane, what is real? I have spent the last eight months going from one deposition to another, and nothing ever happens. It just keeps getting delayed and pushed, and I can’t get on with my life. This is reality to me. I want you to win the case here.
Jay: Why is he doing it?
Friend: What this court? You ever seen Watchtower? I’ve got some relatives that live near there. It’s just these towers this guy built and watches in his spare time. Got it in his head to build something beautiful, and it is. I think that’s what Wackner’s doing: building something in his spare time because he thinks he can do it better. People don’t trust the system since it costs a lot to win, and even more to lose.
Diane: Do you think I should give up my name partnership at the firm?
Kurt: What?
Diane: I’m white. The firm is supposed to be Black. With Adrian gone, the optics…
Kurt: The optics. Are you the best lawyer there?
Diane: No, well, I’m one of the best, but that’s not what this is about. It’s a bad look having a Black law firm with a white leader, and I want to do what’s right.
Kurt: Diane, you and I disagree on so much. You obviously asked my opinion because you know I will argue something you know you want.
Diane: Which is?
Kurt: Identity politics is destroying America. You knew I’d argue that. It’s making everything about race.
Diane: Because it has to be about race until it’s about equality.
Kurt: Equality doesn’t come from more obsession with race. It comes from elevating talent over mediocrity.
Diane: Come on, Kurt. You and I both know that white mediocrity is the default position. Every manager hires who he knows.
Kurt: Then you’re right. Step aside. You shouldn’t be leading that firm.
