Nineteen Minutes

Diana Leven prepares for her case by going over all the information Patrick has given to her. She wants to find when Peter switched from thought to action, in regard to the shooting. While looking at the list of students in the hospital, she sees Josie’s name and realizes she’s the daughter of Judge Cormier. Diana is shocked, and she feels that Alex knows she must recuse herself from the case.

Alex visits a makeshift memorial and, on seeing Matt’s cross, finds a picture of him and Josie. Alex begins crying and thinks about how lucky she is. There could just as easily have been a cross for Josie among the dead. There was another cross, one for Peter, but it kept getting vandalized. Alex thinks about Peter and realizes that Peter, too, is a victim. Meanwhile, Lacy deals with blowback from Peter’s actions at work. An expecting mother refuses to have Lacy deal with her child’s birth, and the woman says this in front of everyone. Lacy takes the woman’s side and says she understands, but the event has shaken her. She goes outside for air, where Jordan finds her. She tries explaining to Jordan that she and Lewis are being blamed too, and then asks him what he would do if his son, Sam, grew up to be someone he didn’t recognize. Jordan says he doesn’t want to think about that outcome, and Lacy says that she hadn’t wanted to think about that with Peter either.

Patrick visits with Mr. McCabe’s partner, Philip. Philip explains how Mr. McCabe tried to help Peter, and he also tells Patrick that Peter is not gay. Meanwhile, Jordan speaks with Peter again and inquires about the bomb-making. He learns that all the items used are household items or items that are easily obtained. Making them is as easy as going online. Peter comments about going to church and how the priest says he can be forgiven for his sins, which he finds funny. When Jordan asks him again about motive, Peter says that everyone “struck the match” (252) that resulted in the shooting.

The town continues to move forward, despite the tragedy. Josie and her remaining friends get together and attempt to watch a movie. Josie goes outside for air and Drew follows her. They have a moment where Drew gets close and Josie says she can’t continue. Drew apologizes, saying that he knows Josie still belongs to Matt. Josie had been referring to something else when she said she couldn’t continue, but the narrative doesn’t mention what. Elsewhere, Lewis gets a message for Peter’s car maintenance. He takes his car to the appointment instead, trying to go through the motions. Lacy visits with Peter and tries to connect with him. Peter is antagonistic, causing Lacy to cry. He apologizes, and then Lacy finds out that Lewis has not been visiting Peter. She’s shocked, but she tries not to show it. Peter then asks her if she wishes he had died instead of Joey. When she says no, Peter tells her that she is lying, and that he is also a liar, so he knows she isn’t telling the truth.

At the arraignment, Diana is shocked to find that Judge Cormier is still on the case. They have a conference beforehand. Jordan is amused at the fact that Diana is sweating. She asks Judge Cormier why she’s on the case when Josie was at the scene. As Diana herself knows, questioning Judge Cormier’s impartiality can be career suicide. Judge Cormier listens to Diana’s argument but assures her that Josie was one many students at school that day, and that other students’ parents work in the legal field. Jordan, meanwhile, wonders why so many things revolve around Josie. He makes a mental note about how Josie’s involvement still doesn’t make sense.

At school, Josie and Drew talk about the case. They argue when Drew feels that Josie is defending Peter. Josie says he wants things to go back to the way they were. Drew then makes spitballs and starts shooting them at kids. Josie is horrified at his actions, especially after the shooting. She realizes that things haven’t changed with him.

At the arraignment, Alex reads off the charges brought against Peter. While she’s doing so, and trying to remain calm, Grace Murtaugh’s mother interrupts and slams a picture of Grace down on the ground. Alex is shaken by this act, especially being a mother, and knows she must remain calm or face questions of impartiality. Alex watches Peter throughout the ordeal and informs Jordan, when things have settled, that Peter has a piece of broken glass concealed in his hand. After the arraignment, Alex clears her schedule because she needs to calm down. She takes Josie out of school and tells her that she can recuse herself from the case if it makes things better for Josie. Josie asks her about the arraignment and Peter. Though Josie is still sullen, Alex tells her that just as people are looking out for Peter, there are people looking out for Josie.

Peter adjusts to life in a maximum-security prison. He works out now and realizes he can probably defend himself against both Matt and Drew. He doesn’t like to go outside much because it reminds him of how his freedom has been taken away. Peter gets a letter from a woman named Elena Battista. Elena wants to talk with Peter because she, too, had been bullied in school. She says that if she knew someone like Peter, maybe things would have been better for her. She’s in college now and writing a paper on bullying. Peter knows that he isn’t supposed to talk with anyone but Jordan. Yet he likes the idea of someone—a college girl, no less—being interested in him. He makes plans to write to her.

While Selena talks to the Sterling High principal about procedures for bullying, Jordan meets with Dr. King Wah, a noted forensic psychiatrist. He convinces Wah that Peter’s case is a form of battered-woman syndrome, and Wah agrees to help him on the case. Later, Wah shows Jordan evidence that most people have bad memories from school. Some block them out, while others, like Peter, are unable to. Josie is called again to meet with Patrick about the shooting. She still doesn’t remember anything and, after asking her some questions, Patrick lets her go. Josie storms out of the room, upset. Alex tries to calm her down, but Josie makes a scene. To Alex’s horror, Patrick witnesses the scene. Making it worse, Patrick walks over and calms Josie down in a way that Alex cannot. Selena next talks to Derek about his friendship with Peter. Selena finds out that Josie and Peter used to be best friends, and she rushes to call Jordan and tell him the news.

Peter meets with Elena and is immediately smitten with her. She’s gorgeous and dressed in a way that allows him to see her cleavage. Elena asks him questions and Peter tries to make himself sound sane yet mysterious. Sometime later, Jordan is sitting in his dentist’s office and looks at a magazine cover. He is horrified to see an article about Peter. It turns out Elena is a reporter and has tricked Peter. Jordan is furious, and though he storms into prison thinking to chastise Peter, he finds Peter angry at him for never visiting. Peter tells him that if he visited and talked to him, the Elena incident would have never happened.

Alex is given a paper requesting a formal hearing about recusing herself. She refuses to sign initially, then relents. She goes outside to smoke and hits Patrick with the fire door on accident. They talk, and he admits that even though one might try to be impartial, it’s near impossible and usuallya front for revenge. Patrick is at a restaurant one night waiting for his food. He sees a beautiful woman and decides to buy her drink. To his surprise, the woman is Alex. They talk and seem to have good rapport. Then Whit appears. Patrick doesn’t know that Whit is Alex’s mentor. He leaves them alone, though the narrative indicates that he is jealous and loses his appetite.

Lacy follows Lewis one day and realizes that, instead of going to see Peter, he goes to place flowers on the graves of Peter’s victims. She initially thought that he was having an affair but is still angered that he is not supporting his son. Lewis admits that he doesn’t blame any of the people angry at Peter. Lacy and Lewis find themselves at an impasse.

Jordan decides to put Josie on the witness list, though he will not call her up. Meanwhile, Alex speaks with Whit and, though she already knew what she would do, confirms her belief that she needs to recuse herself. She files the motion the next day. Alex is distraught at not being on the case. She cries in her car and is again caught by Patrick. The two go somewhere for coffee and talk. Alex knows that Jordan put Josie on the witness list just to get her off the case, and she knows she can’t be impartial, but she tells Patrick that she simply wants to protect Josie. Alex later tells a distraught Josie that she has recused herself from the case and that Josie has been placed on a witness list. It’s also revealed in this scene that Josie is the writer behind the diary entries dotting the narrative. She hides the notebook when her mother enters her room.

It’s Peter’s birthday, and though he wants to be alone, the guards place a special-needs kid in his cell. Peter bullies the kid by breaking his glasses. He’s taken to see the superintendent, and he admits that he just wants to be alone on his birthday. Later, he tries not to cry.

Alex brings Josie to see Jordan. Jordan asks her a few questions and then sends her into the living room with Selena and Sam. Alex asks Jordan to allow Josie to sign an affidavit swearing that she doesn’t know anything. If she does this, he won’t put her on the stand. Jordan eventually agrees. Later, Alex attempts to make pizza for herself and Josie but fails miserably. They are interrupted by Patrick, who has a bottle of wine in his hand. Alex tries to dismiss his advances with the wine, but Patrick walks into the kitchen and opens the wine. After they banter back and forth, they kiss.