Time of Death (2025) Movie Script
1
T!
T!
T!
Brenda!
-Tad Dowling has been granted
a weekend of freedom.
- A furlough?
- Hedonistic politicians
and their kinder,
and gentler approach...
-Dowling! Grab your personals
and get changed.
You've been processed.
-I'm out now?
Who-- Why?
-Prison board granted you
a 48-hour hall pass.
Something about consistent
good behavior.
- I'll have him ready
for an 8 a.m. release.
-State gave this man wings
and I say he flies tonight.
-Leave it!
- He's always
watching you, hear?
Even on the outside.
Keep it to yourself.
-Dowling!
Let's move your ass!
- Tad...
-Pray he returns
void of new sin.
- Dowling it's a 48-hour
furlough, not 49.
Don't make us come
looking for you.
- I won't.
Yard two,
checkpoint
Open the gate!
-Where's my ride?
-Driveway's a mess.
Gotta hoof it up the road.
Cab's waiting.
Let's go.
- Lights out.
- My kids...
-We're not gonna need
the weekend, Warden.
I know this isn't what
you want to hear,
but compliance has failed.
If the facility
had been maintained,
the state wouldn't be
shutting you down.
-With all the budget cuts
we've been dealing with
the last two years,
I can--
-With all due respect,
Warden,
you've had 22 health code
violations,
got 13 permit lapses--
-Alan...
Warden has a copy
of the report.
Between Dade and Marion,
all the inmates are covered.
The transport buses,
they're locked in for Sunday,
and I even found a few new jobs
for some of the staff in Hardee.
-Nice work, Alan.
-Thanks.
-Hey, doc.
What's the status in there?
-All the repeat offenders:
flu, infections,
all kinds of injuries.
-I'll go file these.
Meet you in front.
-How's he doing?
-Great.
I'm really impressed
with how you're helping him.
-It's all him.
He's doing it.
-Sure. That's three closures
this quarter.
Are you trying to set
some kind of record?
- I doubt
Guinness will take note.
-You make it look simple.
-Ah. You've done more than a few
of these yourself.
-It's not hard to properly
diagnose patients
when you give a shit.
The system's in for a big shock.
This AIDS thing's about
to explode.
- Do you remember
that job in Troy?
We drank and laughed
all night in that dive bar.
That terrible band.
And that older woman
who had an amazing voice.
- I gave her 50 bucks.
-I want to see more of you.
Not only when we're working
the same job.
No.
- First you
quit drinking.
Now you don't smoke?
-I'm trying to take
better care of myself.
You should try it.
I'm worried about you.
- Don't be.
-Frank...
I can help you if you let me.
-Please stop.
- You sleep with me
and then you
just push me away.
- Healing takes time.
Isn't that what you said?
- It's been two years,
you can't drink it away.
- I got an early morning.
BUREAU OF CORRECTIONS
- Merry, merry.
-Pat. Come on in.
I'm just finishing up
the White Oak file.
- Frank,
there's a party going on.
-Mm-hmm.
I can hear it.
-With all the pink slips,
I figured the team
could use a little Christmas
cheer.
-Who's gonna cheer up
everyone who just got fired?
-You are a regular
Santa Claus, Frank.
Fewer prisons
mean less work for all.
But not for you,
you are in high demand.
-What's that?
-Your white elephant gift.
-Seneca Ridge.
Place is old,
but I heard it's--
it's run like a Swiss watch.
What's the problem?
-An inmate escaped
under the new furlough program.
The bastard just decided
not to come back.
Beau LaRue has proved himself
to be an excellent warden,
tough as nails.
But his
prison is aging,
isolated out there.
- Let me show you.
- First time
they've come up for review,
and now we've received
a string of complaints
from inmates
and even some of the staff.
We need you down there
for a quick assessment.
See if it's an isolated incident
or maybe there's
a bigger problem.
- You know what,
give it to Alan.
He's ready.
Kid's gotta get his feet
wet sooner than later.
- Okay.
Let's see if the kid can swim.
Daddy, look!
-Wanted to talk to you
about Seneca Ridge.
-Should be pretty
straightforward.
It's a good first
for you.
-Thank you, Frank.
I won't let you down.
-I know you won't.
-Now, you can call me
if you need anything, okay?
-Thanks again.
-Alan Murphy,
Bureau of Corrections.
-Captain Dale Aarons,
head of operations.
This is Lieutenant
Hector Ramos
assistant to the Warden.
Did you get settled
at the motel?
-Settled circa 1965.
-We had a lot of visitors
back in the heyday.
Place shut down in '79.
We took it over.
-Yeah, we don't use
it much anymore,
but it's a stone's throw away.
-Iron lock and keys?
You know state law
mandated the upgrade
to electromechanical.
What is this,
Robben Island?
-No, you won't find
Nelson Mandela here.
Warden updated
the lights and cameras.
Not much else,
it's the way he wants it.
Should we go in?
-Yeah.
- You've reached
Frank Morley
with the Bureau of Corrections.
Leave a message.
-Hey, Frank, it's Alan.
I'm working through
the Seneca Ridge protocols
I haven't gotten anywhere
on the missing inmate,
but I think he could be
connected to an execution
that happened here back in '78.
Call me back when you can.
Fuck it.
You've reached the Morleys.
Leave a message at the beep,
and we'll get right back to you.
-Frank, I'm sorry
to bug you at home.
I'm over my head.
That execution in '78,
we have to take a look
at a guy named Dustin Reeves.
Something bad happened here.
It seems like a lot of
bad things happened here,
and this is a mess,
and I need your...
Voicemail is full.
-Help.
- Go to sleep.
Hey, shut the fuck up.
- I don't want to hear
'em anymore.
-I ain't playing, man.
Shut the fuck up.
- Come on, man!
- Make it stop!
- Another night,
man?
Okay.
- Shut the fuck up,
Meeks.
- Swear to god,
if gotta come up here...
Make it stop.
- That's it,
motherfucker.
I'm gonna beat
the shit out of you.
- That's it, Meeks!
- Please.
- What the fuck?
-Please, stop.
- Meeks,
what the fuck did you do?!
- Come on!
- Guards!
He's bleeding!
Somebody help!
I need a guard!
Help!
RIDGE MOTEL VACANCY
- ten
minutes out.
Transporting on
-I am so sorry about this,
Frank.
-He left me a pretty
frantic message.
-Wait until you see inside.
-Give me a minute?
-Sure.
-Give us the room, guys?
-Well, what is all this?
-Alan had a busy week.
-You sure you want
to pick this up?
The Bureau is down
for the holidays.
You'd be on your own.
-No. I do.
Has the family
been notified yet?
I'll do it.
Who the hell are you two?
You're standing in the middle
of my crime scene.
- We're from
the Bureau of Corrections.
He was one of ours.
-Oh.
This is a hell of a mess.
Looks like your fella
was really losing it in here,
huh?
None of this makes sense.
-We need to give their team
time to investigate this.
- I know how much Alan
meant to you,
but Frank, please be careful.
-I will.
- I'm so sorry.
Is there anything I can do?
-I don't know.
Alan wasn't conducting
a standard inspection.
I need to figure out why.
- The Bureau
will have his body sent here.
We'll do everything we can
to figure out what happened.
Do what you have to do,
then come home.
I'm here for you.
-Frank Morley,
Bureau of Corrections.
- Captain Dale
Aarons, head of operations.
This is Lieutenant
Hector Ramos,
assistant to the Warden.
-Feels like dj vu,
huh?
-Yeah.
-Helluva ride in there.
-Road's too soft to pave.
-Great place to put a prison.
-Yeah, standing strong
since the Civil War.
-I can see why
the other side won.
- Yeah, right.
- Prisoner 32098,
report to the station.
Nine-one-one.
-Warden and his son, Jacob.
- Mr. Morley.
Please don't get up.
My apologies for the wait.
Thank you, Officer Aarons.
And I am sincerely sorry
about your associate.
I've been praying for his soul.
Tell me do you think
it was an accident?
Or God forbid,
the isolation
got to the young man
and he took his own life?
-That's a bold assumption,
and a pretty goddamn
baseless one.
-In my prison, sir,
you will not take
the Lord's name in vain.
I meant no disrespect.
I had just observed
the young man
acting very, very strangely.
But you're right.
Suicide is a terrible
assumption.
Every life is precious,
forgive me.
I've instructed my staff
to attend to your every need.
I want to find
our missing inmates
and have you complete
your process
as quickly and as
painlessly as possible.
-Good.
You are, uh,
quite isolated out here.
- Yes.
The Alcatraz of the Appalachia.
Replace the sharks with rattlers
and their cold bay
with our dense forests.
-Makes for an ambitious escape.
-Mm. That's the idea.
-Evil takes on many forms,
don't you think?
Those were painted
by a poor soul executed here.
Talented young man.
Do you travel much?
I have a nomad for a son.
Always writing to me
where he's been,
where he's gone.
Says I should join him.
-Hm.
Maybe it's time to retire.
-Seneca's been in my family's
care for generations.
It was my father's sole purpose
and his father's before him.
Until this week,
I thought it would be mine
to pass down.
Please...
take that into consideration
before you tear it apart.
I'm just trying to hold on
to something I love.
You know what that's like.
Don't you, Mr. Morley?
- Yes.
I do, Warden.
-Respect my prison and my team
and we will respect you
and your process.
-I can do that.
Thank you, Warden.
-Mm-hmm.
Officer Aarons
will show you around.
-Thank you.
-Mm.
- It's a shame
about Alan.
Took a deep dive into our file.
Had some work ethic.
-Yeah.
He wanted to prove himself.
-Yeah, most young men do.
-Where'd you put in your time?
-Farmington.
Almost retired there until...
Beau or Warden LaRue,
asked if I had a few more
miles left in me.
I knew Seneca's reputation,
so I said yes.
Look, he's a strict man.
He's a fair man.
I didn't want to let him down.
-Hm.
Seems old man got something
to prove as well, huh?
-I suppose you're right,
Mr. Morley.
Call me Frank.
- After we lost
A-Block to the fire of '74,
B-Block became
Seneca's main housing unit.
-Most of the general population
lives in these three tiers.
-Betas record 24/7.
-Why are some of these
monitors not working?
During our security updates,
certain cameras were redeployed
or turned off.
We have an infirmary,
OR, and a morgue.
We can manage almost
any crisis on site,
even if we're cut off
from the outside world.
This is C-Block,
our shuttered psych ward.
You can blame Reagan for that.
We use it as solitary now.
- Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Make -- it -- stop.
Make it stop.
- Jesus Christ!
-The Warden despises blasphemy.
-Keep away from the door.
- Can you hear it?
-Meeks, now stop it.
-I hear it.
It's a warning.
-A warning for what?
-Don't encourage him.
-Retribution.
It's inevitable.
- How long has he been
in solitary?
- Not long.
But for the past few weeks,
he's checked in and out
quite a bit.
-This place is in
pretty rough shape.
- Well, there's always
repairs going on.
This facility is over
100 years old.
-Looks like blood, doesn't it?
-It's algae growing
in the pipes.
Why do I smell oil?
- Hmm.
The whole place
is heated with oil.
The EPA folks made us
move these in here
to keep up to code.
To keep up to code?
- Yeah.
-What's all that?
- Our old
electrocution chamber.
-Above all this?
-It's just our records room now.
This is D-Block.
Our death row.
We've only got one inmate left.
End of the line,
our execution chamber.
-How long has it been shut down?
-Almost a decade.
All the old inmate records are
in these filing cabinets.
And...
there's your master set of keys.
Get around on your own.
-I appreciate you,
Officer Aarons.
Thank you very much.
And, uh, I'm sure you want to be
heading home,
so let's call it a day.
-Please, call me Dale.
And that clock
you're looking at?
It's only right twice a day.
-Frank...
if you close this place down,
it's time for me to retire.
So just say the word
and I'm gone.
-Ah, we're not there yet.
-You'll find the sheets
sandpaper soft.
But it's nice and quiet.
I'm sorry you have to spend
Christmas here
away from your loved ones.
What did you find, Alan?
What did you find?
- Thank you, Frank.
I won't let you down.
-Nineteen graves
hold the lost souls of Seneca.
Some taken before their time.
-Quite an ending.
Boxed up in pine buried
by the place that killed you.
-Not pine.
The water's too close
to the surface.
These men were buried
in concrete.
-Why's this one unmarked?
- Warden stopped
engravings in '78.
Last man executed at Seneca:
Dustin Reeves.
- Reeves.
Reeves.
- Listen...
- May the Lord
in His love
and mercy give you...
...with the grace
of the Holy Spirit,
may the Lord
who frees you from sin,
save you and raise you up.
Amen.
Got a light?
These matches are for shit.
Wish I had my Zippo.
That thing worked anywhere.
-Things'll kill you, you know.
-Better than 2,400 volts
right, Frank?
-You know why I'm here?
-Word travels fast
through these cold cement walls.
Thick iron bars.
-Poetic.
-Come on, now.
Come to shut this place down.
You're the executioner.
- Every cell
in this block is gutted.
This one looks like
a time capsule.
Why's that?
- Devil of Seneca Ridge.
Even the Wardens
are afraid to go in there.
-You're on death row, buddy.
Devils are a dime a dozen.
- Last guy
was clever too.
-Alan.
You met him?
-Only saw that look in his eyes.
He was putting all
the pieces together.
Daddy. Help me.
- Please.
- Hello?
-Frank?
-Allie.
- Are you okay?
-Yeah. What time is it?
- Late.
Are you all right?
-Yeah. Um...
What was that?
-My doctor prescribed Valium,
and I'm taking Klonopin as well,
and I just wanna know
if it can cause hallucinations.
- That's a bad
combination,
especially if you're still
drinking.
Listen.
I didn't wanna bring this up
with everything going on,
but there's something
I need to tell you.
I--
Frank?
- Officers are on the scene.
-Nobody thought to look here?
-This is LaRue's oversight.
This is prison property.
It's their responsibility.
They handle the autopsy,
everything.
-This could be a homicide.
-A homicide? Really?
-Two bodies found
a few hundred feet apart?
Mysterious causes of death?
-I think you're reaching,
Mr. Morley.
-What about the motel case?
-What about it?
I did my job, now you do yours.
- What happened
last night?
- The power went out.
When I went to check the breaker
I found the missing inmate.
Tad Dowling.
He was behind the motel.
- Seems pretty
coincidental.
-The sheriff closed Alan's case.
- Without
the autopsy results?
-Yeah.
- That's not procedure.
-Listen I want a fresh set
of eyes on this.
Can I send you his file?
- I can't do much
with doctor scribbles
and faxed photos.
I should be there.
- Calm down.
- Frank?
-I don't think so, Allie.
I'm telling you,
something's not right here.
- I know you don't think
you need my help,
but I want to talk.
In person.
I'm on my way.
Let me show you.
-With this holy anointing,
may the Lord
in His love and mercy
give you the grace
of the Holy Spirit.
May the Lord who frees you
from sin save you.
- No more prayers
for me, preacher.
-And raise you up.
Amen.
- May the Lord
in His love and mercy
help you
with the grace
of the Holy Spirit.
May the Lord
who frees you from sin
save you and raise you up.
May the Lord
who frees you from sin
save you and raise you up.
May the Lord
who frees you from sin
save you and raise you up.
May the Lord
who frees you from sin
save you and raise you up.
- Where did you
hear that?
-You're with the Bureau
of Corrections?
That means
you could still stop it.
-Stop what?
-My medical transfer.
- Tad left
and now he's dead.
He saw it coming.
I need to stay here.
-Stay?
Hey listen,
I shut Seneca down.
No one's staying behind, okay?
-We can't leave.
I don't want to hear it anymore.
-Oh, shit.
-We all die here.
-He said something
about a medical transfer.
Asked if I could stop it.
-Your eyes are opening now,
Frank.
Seneca's finally got
his hooks on you.
He'll be coming for me soon,
Frank.
-Who?
-I don't want to spoil
the surprise.
-Is this all in your head?
- Bastard!
You think I'm crazy?
-Take it easy, Meeks.
Calm down. Easy.
-When he kills me,
it's on your hands.
-Who authorized the transfer?
- I did.
We just don't have
the facilities here
to meet his needs.
He'll do much better
in a sanitarium.
-No more transfers
without my approval.
-Of course we do things
by the book here.
- Mm.
You know Meeks believes
that leaving
is what got Tad killed.
-Hmm, funny.
Most inmates are dying to leave.
He's dying to stay.
-Tad. Meeks.
Model prisoners.
Worked together in the infirmary
-Sorry for the interruption,
Frank.
-All right.
-You getting anywhere
with this stuff?
- Tad and Meeks.
Did you ever see them together?
Were they friends?
-Well, I don't think so.
If anything,
they avoided each other.
- Let's step out of here
for a minute.
Where'd the Warden's grow up?
- Jacob. Right here.
His is a very sad story.
Working here one summer
as a guard
and an inmate fight breaks out.
He gets caught up in the scuffle
and gets his throat
cut real bad.
He lived, but...
never spoke again.
-You excited to see PopPop?
-Yeah.
-You know maybe Santa
will bring you some new recruits
for your army there.
-I hope so.
-All right.
Let's finish up, honey.
We got a long drive tonight.
-Merry Christmas.
-Thank you.
-I know who that is.
-Come on.
-It's Allie.
-I told you that's over.
- Then why does
she keep paging you?
-Because we work together.
-I'm not stupid, Frank.
-Brenda...
- Last man executed
at Seneca.
Dustin Reeves.
- Dr. Brinlin,
session number 18
with inmate number 458930,
Dustin Reeves.
Do you have any response
to the state's offer?
- I told you
I don't remember which ditch
I dumped the bitch's body in.
- Finding her body
is important to the family,
for closure, you see?
- Closure comes
when the devil dies.
- So you're the devil?
Hence the ransom amount
of $666,000.
- It's symmetry,
asshole.
- How can anyone
trust you?
You play games
and lie countless times.
- So don't.
I'll simply tear out my tongue
and never speak to you again.
Oooh.
The irony there
would just gut the Warden.
-I can help you avoid the chair.
-And rot in here?
No thanks.
-Be realistic.
Nobody's ever letting you
out of here.
So what do you want?
-To die on June 6th.
-Move up your date
to 6/6 at 6 p.m.
-Uh, huh, huh, huh, huh,
Six p.m.
Oh, I like that.
Yeah.
You do that,
I'll tell you where the body is.
-I'll present that request
to the AG.
-Oh, I'm sure
the Warden won't mind.
That sick puppy
can't wait to watch me fry.
I'm sure he'll watch it
over and over again.
He'll probably jerk off to it.
-We're all done here,
Officer Bly.
-Get up, convict.
-Get your fucking hands off me.
-Make it happen.
Or the mayor's little girl
and all that money,
rot with me, hm?
You know where to find me, doc.
I'll be wasting away on the row.
So make the deal.
- You could've told me
this was Dustin's cell.
-Well wasn't it more fun
to find out?
-The guards jammed it shut.
It kept opening up at night.
They blamed that on
the rattling pipes,
but we all know better,
right?
-The devil of Seneca Ridge?
I remember.
- Power spikes,
probably 480 volts
if I had to guess.
Rotted copper wiring.
Showers right above us.
-How do you know so much?
-I was an electrician
in a past life.
- report to mess hall.
- Two
three two zero nine zero one
- Jesus Christ!
- Frank?
-Yeah?
- What happened?
You all right?
- Uh, yeah.
I just...
Was there a guard
killed in here?
-Officer Bly.
Son of a bitch
had a long list of enemies.
Inmates and guards.
-Right. Who did it?
-Well, I heard rumors for years
that Jacob did.
-LaRue?
Do you believe it?
-I do not,
but he did have motive.
Bly failed to protect him
during the riot.
-Huh.
No investigation?
- No. Warden's
the judge n' jury round here.
- So, Bly died.
What happens to Jacob?
- Well, the day after,
Jacob doesn't show up for work.
He never show up again.
AFFIDAVIT OF PROBABLE CAUSE
"The officer was murdered
"in the B-Block showers
this evening,
"during an altercation with
an armed unknown individual.
June 6, '78."
That's the same day
Dustin was executed.
- Just pull
the fucking switch.
- Cover him up.
The family shouldn't have
to see this bastard's face.
Muzzle him if you have to.
-May God have mercy
on your soul.
- Get in position,
Jacob.
- Wish I had my Zippo,
that thing worked anywhere.
Where'd you find that?
-Where you lost it.
You're an electrician, huh?
What were you doing
in that fuse closet?
Thought you said
the guards jammed it shut.
- Thought you
had it all figured out.
- What am I missing,
Clark?
No. Damn it!
Hey!
Best make yourself cozy.
Nobody's back till morning.
-Damn it!
Hey!
Hey!
- Guess we all have
nightmares in here.
- copy you're checking in.
messages.
Have a good night.
- Meeks should be
leaving about now.
- He said a transfer
would kill him.
From what I've seen
since I got here,
I'm surprised
he's not dead already.
-Look what happened to Tad.
It was his fate.
-You believe that?
- Stay awhile.
- Place might change your mind.
- Here!
- Damn, Frank.
Sorry we didn't see
that you were down here sooner.
-I gotta move.
-You take good care
of him now, hear?
-Hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hey. Cancel the transfer.
-Sorry, who are you?
-I'm with the Bureau
of Corrections.
I wanna cancel his transfer.
Bring him back inside now.
-You--
-Now.
What the hell?
-He's coding.
Oh my god! Oh my god!
-What happened out there?
- Couldn't explain it
if I tried.
- Well, hello there.
I'm Warden LaRue.
Welcome. Let's get you
signed in, shall we?
- Thank you.
- I just wish
I knew such loveliness
was joining us today.
-You shouldn't have come.
-I can see why
you're so distraught.
You're working in a room
full of death.
Maybe this is all too much.
Why don't we just focus on Alan
and you can table the eval.
We can revisit
that in January.
-No, it's all connected.
I'm pretty sure that this place
needs to be shut down,
but I can't complete
the closure
until I find out what
happened here.
Alan's notes
were all over the place,
but he was on to something.
It's good to see you.
-It's good to see you.
-I'm glad you're here.
Could use your help.
-Okay. Take me to the morgue.
-This is Meeks.
He died an hour ago.
EMT said it was a heart attack
but I was there.
It's not what it looked
like to me.
-Yeah, that's what it says,
but I'll need to run
a tox report.
-Okay. And this one,
missing inmate Tad Dowling.
I found him face down
in the woods behind the motel.
-Policy would be
to put him in a cab, right?
-Yeah. But if you look
at the back of his head,
it clearly looks like
he was hit with something.
- Give me a few hours
with the bodies
and I'll see what I can find.
- Cross State?
-Hi. Do you provide service
for Seneca Ridge Penitentiary?
- Nah.
We don't go out there.
- Ally Taxi?
-Hi. Do you provide service
for Seneca Ridge?
- We don't send
fares out that far.
- Sunshine Cab .
-Do you guys provide service
for Seneca Ridge?
- We do.
We provide all the cabs
for Seneca inmates and staff.
-Can you tell me
if you had one out there
on December 10th
around 10 p.m.?
Who is this again?
-I'm conducting an audit
for the Bureau of Corrections.
- December 10th?
No, nothing for Seneca.
Anything else
I can help you with?
SENECA RIDGE
- May the Lord watch over
your coming and going,
both now and forevermore.
-Ever think maybe God
left this place?
-As it says
in the Book of John,
"If I go make a place for you,
I will come back
to take you to be with me."
I believe Meeks is with God now.
I pray for him.
-Hm.
What about Dowling?
God cancel his cab?
-I'm sorry?
-Sunshine Cabs.
They keep records.
No mystery there.
-This is starting to feel
a bit like an accusation.
- Yeah,
maybe it should be.
Please.
My heart breaks
for another life lost.
If you want to pray with me
you are welcome.
-I wouldn't even know
where to start.
DEVIL GETS DYING WISH:
BURNS 6/6@6
-You need to do this now.
-Shouldn't we wait
for the call?
-Just do it.
-I won't.
-I don't understand--
Just do this.
-out of the way.
- He needs to focus
on the task at hand.
He's digging into
all our old records.
I'm not sure why.
I need you to rein him in.
Well, call the governor
and have--
Mr. Morley.
Where are your manners?
You'll knock before
entering my office.
What can I do for you?
-Tape of Dustin Reeves'
execution.
-Dustin Reeves,
what does he have?
-I don't know but I know
something went wrong,
and I know it was recorded.
-Oh, no, we did not record
our executions.
That would be
illegal and immoral.
-There was a camera
in that chamber.
Now, you may have removed it,
but it wasn't before
Dustin's execution.
-Sounds like my inmates have
been feeding you a pack of lies.
It's their rehabilitation
that matters most to me.
Always has.
Psalm 82:3 through 4.
"Defend the weak
and the fatherless.
Uphold the cause of the poor
and the oppressed."
- Yeah, right.
Here's my verse, Reverend.
Bureau of Corrections,
code chapter 33208,
facility inspections.
"Compliance officers
shall have the right..."
- Now, but...
- "To conduct unannounced,
"unfettered inspections
into all areas
of a correctional facility,
including restricted areas."
-Sir, you're gonna need
a warrant for that--
-No, I don't.
Inmate housing,
medical facilities...
Security and control rooms.
-This is unacceptable, sir.
-Administrative offices,
including yours Warden LaRue.
Just a second now.
"Right to examine and copy
any records or documents
related or unrelated to the
operation of this facility."
-Sir. Sir, please.
- Looks like
a Blockbuster Video in here.
-You put those back
where you found them, now.
You do not want
to open a door you cannot close.
- Just pull
the fucking switch.
- Cover him up.
The family's--
- May God have mercy
on your soul.
- Get in position,
Jacob.
- May the Lord
who frees you from sin
save you and raise you up.
- No more prayers
for me, preacher.
Come on.
Six-six at 6 p.m.
- I don't understand
what we're waiting for,
just do this,
get out of the way.
-He was executed twice.
So you short out the fuse box,
which delays the execution,
and then 30 minutes later,
Dustin dies anyway.
I don't get it.
-How do you know all of that?
-I saw the tape.
I watched it.
It took two tries,
which is awful,
but he died in that chair,
and I saw it.
-What did you really see
in there, Frank?
- What do you mean?
-Thirty minutes is a long time.
I went through your file.
Back in '77,
you were still in gen pop.
You worked in the medical wing.
You would've taken Dustin
to the infirmary
until the outage was fixed.
You, Tad and Meeks
you all worked there.
What'd you guys do?
-Come on, Frank.
-I've heard of some ballsy
escape attempts.
Nobody's crazy enough to sit
in that chair as part of one.
- Unless they didn't have
a choice.
I've kept it a secret
long enough.
You know, last night
was the best sleep
I've had in almost a decade.
- Why's that?
-You saw Meeks...
Tad.
Even out there...
They didn't have a chance.
And I ain't going out like that.
- No, you're not.
-Clark!
Hey! Clark,
what'd you do?
Clark!
Clark, who was in the chair?
Shit. Dale!
- I've never seen
anything like this before.
-He actually seemed
kind of peaceful.
-And where did he get the shiv?
- I don't know.
It's a great question.
-Oh. Okay.
-I wish I could've helped him.
-You did what you could.
-This incident is another
example of your negligence.
In lieu of a full
and thorough investigation,
I suggest we re-evaluate
this shutdown.
- Are you kidding me?
After everything I've seen
these past few days,
I have more than enough
to shut you down.
You will pack your bags,
call that nomad son of yours,
and have him come pick you up.
-You could disrespect me,
but don't you dare
mention my son.
-The transfer buses
will be here at 9 a.m.,
and you will be on one,
or you can find
your own way home.
Be careful, Dale.
-We should leave here tonight.
- And give the Warden
time to cover his tracks?
No, he's hiding something.
- Frank, come on.
-I need to finish this for Alan.
He tried calling me to tell me
what was going on here,
and I ignored him.
-He made his own choice
to do this job.
And you have a choice to leave.
We can go home.
I don't have a home.
I spend all my time
in these goddamn places.
-Frank...
We have a chance to start over.
-I just don't see how...
When I look at you,
all I see is them.
SENECA
Hey.
-Merry Christmas.
-Merry Christmas.
-Buses got here, nine sharp.
-Is that everybody?
-Uh, except for the Warden
and Hector.
-You good here?
-Oh, yeah.
- They are enroute.
- I ain't going out
like that.
- The Warden
opened up his present?
'Cause I'd have loved
to have seen that.
-What are you still doing here?
We're going on a lockdown.
I gave you
a 30-minute head start,
and you wasted it.
-Is that the way out?
-Yes, you ignorant fuck.
Now look, climb down the pipes.
The old sewers' tunnel
runs 300 feet
outside of the prison walls.
If you don't make it out,
I don't get paid.
-Oh, yeah, about that.
See, uh, I decided
to renegotiate your cut.
Look at me.
Look at me. Huh?
Look at me.
Yeah, look at me. Huh?
Huh? Shh.
Yeah, that's right.
Ignorant fuck!
Shit!
- Frank.
What is all this?
-That's how Dustin escaped.
-Dustin?
-He wasn't executed,
but somebody else was.
Come on.
- Where are we going?
- To dig up the truth.
-You really shouldn't be
doing this, Frank.
This feels really wrong,
Frank.
Dr. Allison Burrell
medical log December 25, 1987.
I'm examining three
Seneca Ridge inmates
who died in the same week
under unusual circumstances.
Peter Miele,
ear canal shows scarring
from repeated damage.
Toxicology reports confirm
strychnine present
in his system.
Subject didn't die
of a heart attack.
He was poisoned.
Tad Dowling.
The cause of death appears
to be blunt force trauma
to the cranium
and a broken neck.
Additionally, the patient's eyes
were consumed by insects.
Clark Roberts cut his own throat
and bled out.
Nothing in his medical record
pointed to him being suicidal.
All three patient deaths
appear related,
but without further
investigation,
these results are inconclusive.
- Ah. Now that was
a fucking rush.
You got me.
I surrender.
- Careful,
You could get hurt.
-Shit. Look at my face.
I'm burned.
Oh, I'm fried up.
-Now you got enough money
to fix that.
-Firing up that chair
wasn't part of the plan.
You almost got me
fucking killed!
-Blame your buddy Clark, not me.
My job is to get you
out of here.
Yours is to get me
my fucking money.
Now get your ass
and head to the showers
before the tunnels flood.
Move it.
-I just took 2,400 volts.
Let's see how fast
you can
after something like that.
-Yo, hush up.
Doc's comming.
-Shit!
-Don't you go trying to scream.
-Shit.
This barely covers his scar.
-Lucky this fits.
By the time the Warden
figures it out.
It'll be too late
for this mute fuck.
-Hey, tuck in that cross.
-Say goodbye
to your daddy for me.
Oh, wait.
Hey, Bly.
-Mm.
-He can't.
- It's Jacob LaRue.
The Warden's son.
It all happened here.
It's all real.
Bly. Officer Bly orchestrates
Dustin's escape.
Tad, Meeks, and Clark?
They ran on him from the get-go.
Clark rigs a power outage,
and in all the chaos,
they swap Dustin for Jacob.
The Warden misses his signs.
He rushes the second go,
and he executes his own son.
Dustin got away.
The Warden buried Jacob
in Dustin's grave,
and he buries the truth.
He executed his own son,
and he's been covering up
ever since.
- Okay. Prison's secure.
Let's get moving.
-Have you seen him?
-Seen who?
-Jacob.
He's finally come home.
- We don't have time
for this.
Why would he come back?
He hated you.
-You shut your goddamn mouth.
- We need to leave.
Now.
-I ain't going anywhere.
-I'm missing something.
I don't understand.
Why not just turn him in?
I'm fucking missing.
What is it?
-Frank,
this prison is closed.
-Doesn't make any sense--
-Everyone is gone.
This can wait.
We've got to go now.
-And I can see him dying
over and over
and over again in my head.
I see it.
- Frank!
-What?!
-Enough!
Just take a breath.
We've got to get out of here.
We can call in the sheriff
to handle this.
- Allie.
-You're scaring me.
- For God so loved
the world,
He gave it His one
and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him
will not perish
but have eternal life.
- Warden,
we heard a shot.
-Where is Jacob?
- Jacob?
What are you talking about?
Your son's dead.
-Your son's dead.
Mine is alive,
travels the world.
-His rotted corpse
is in your OR right now.
I've seen your handwriting
on dozens of files.
You wrote these.
-It's yours, Beau.
-I saw you kill him.
On tape,
recorded and saved,
just like you wanted.
Alan figured it out,
didn't he?
He figured it out,
so you took him out.
I know the truth, Warden.
All of it,
starting with Tad.
You never called him a cab.
The night he was released,
you cut him loose in the woods,
and you killed him.
-You couldn't let him
leave here alive.
Your little secret
might get out.
-I want to give you
a little something
to keep you calm.
- With Tad gone,
Meeks and Clark were
the only ones left to blame.
When you saw Seneca
could be shut down,
you got rid of them too.
NEVER TELL
You'd been making these guys'
lives a living hell
for almost a decade.
You could have brought
him to justice,
but now your prisoners are gone.
Your staff's gone.
You have nothing.
And when they come for you,
what then?
Beau!
Please don't.
We can help you.
-You can't help him.
I've been looking
after him for years.
He can't bear the weight
of what he did.
He can never know
what he did.
-Who?
-I think it's his mind trying
to protect him from the truth.
You don't have to do this.
I know you didn't
intentionally kill your son.
No one will ever know
what happened here.
-Warden...
I know the pain
of losing a son.
I know the pain
of causing his death.
There's nothing we can do
to bring him back, Beau.
We just gotta live
with what we've done.
No.
No.
No.
Enough!
My poor Jacob.
My only son.
- If I can get
to the infirmary,
I might be able
to stop the bleeding.
-I told you I'd retire here,
Frank.
I tried to watch over you.
DANGER
The Warden's turned on
the mains.
I know where he's headed.
I'll stay with him.
Hey, hey!
Warden.
What are you doing?
- It's all right.
There's nothing more
you have to do.
Except take care of that child.
-How did you know?
-I've had three of my own.
-No, no, no, no. Don't.
No, Warden don't.
You don't have to do this.
You're not gonna bring
your son back.
Come on, get up.
Hey. Warden! Warden!
Don't! Don't, don't, don't!
No! Stop!
No!
- Timmy! Come on!
-Hey, get him out of there.
-Timmy!
The car's gonna explode.
-My son's alive!
No! No!
- Daddy!
Let go!
No!
Timmy... no.
-Frank?
Oh my god.
Frank?
-Allie!
Hang on!
Frank!
You okay?
-No.
-Come on.
All right. I'm so sorry.
- No, no, no.
Frank!
- I can't move--
-What can I do?
- Oh, my God.
I'm gonna get you
out of there!
- You need to go.
- Get up!
- Allie...
- No.
-I'm sorry.
- Frank!
Dispatch.
- Go ahead, 3620.
- I need all available
fire and EMT out
to Seneca Ridge.
The place is burning.
They cleared out today,
but still a few possible
fatalities inside.
- Copy.
-Yeah, looks like
there's only one survivor
I'm getting her in the hospital.
You're safe now.
Okay?
- I gotcha.
T!
T!
T!
Brenda!
-Tad Dowling has been granted
a weekend of freedom.
- A furlough?
- Hedonistic politicians
and their kinder,
and gentler approach...
-Dowling! Grab your personals
and get changed.
You've been processed.
-I'm out now?
Who-- Why?
-Prison board granted you
a 48-hour hall pass.
Something about consistent
good behavior.
- I'll have him ready
for an 8 a.m. release.
-State gave this man wings
and I say he flies tonight.
-Leave it!
- He's always
watching you, hear?
Even on the outside.
Keep it to yourself.
-Dowling!
Let's move your ass!
- Tad...
-Pray he returns
void of new sin.
- Dowling it's a 48-hour
furlough, not 49.
Don't make us come
looking for you.
- I won't.
Yard two,
checkpoint
Open the gate!
-Where's my ride?
-Driveway's a mess.
Gotta hoof it up the road.
Cab's waiting.
Let's go.
- Lights out.
- My kids...
-We're not gonna need
the weekend, Warden.
I know this isn't what
you want to hear,
but compliance has failed.
If the facility
had been maintained,
the state wouldn't be
shutting you down.
-With all the budget cuts
we've been dealing with
the last two years,
I can--
-With all due respect,
Warden,
you've had 22 health code
violations,
got 13 permit lapses--
-Alan...
Warden has a copy
of the report.
Between Dade and Marion,
all the inmates are covered.
The transport buses,
they're locked in for Sunday,
and I even found a few new jobs
for some of the staff in Hardee.
-Nice work, Alan.
-Thanks.
-Hey, doc.
What's the status in there?
-All the repeat offenders:
flu, infections,
all kinds of injuries.
-I'll go file these.
Meet you in front.
-How's he doing?
-Great.
I'm really impressed
with how you're helping him.
-It's all him.
He's doing it.
-Sure. That's three closures
this quarter.
Are you trying to set
some kind of record?
- I doubt
Guinness will take note.
-You make it look simple.
-Ah. You've done more than a few
of these yourself.
-It's not hard to properly
diagnose patients
when you give a shit.
The system's in for a big shock.
This AIDS thing's about
to explode.
- Do you remember
that job in Troy?
We drank and laughed
all night in that dive bar.
That terrible band.
And that older woman
who had an amazing voice.
- I gave her 50 bucks.
-I want to see more of you.
Not only when we're working
the same job.
No.
- First you
quit drinking.
Now you don't smoke?
-I'm trying to take
better care of myself.
You should try it.
I'm worried about you.
- Don't be.
-Frank...
I can help you if you let me.
-Please stop.
- You sleep with me
and then you
just push me away.
- Healing takes time.
Isn't that what you said?
- It's been two years,
you can't drink it away.
- I got an early morning.
BUREAU OF CORRECTIONS
- Merry, merry.
-Pat. Come on in.
I'm just finishing up
the White Oak file.
- Frank,
there's a party going on.
-Mm-hmm.
I can hear it.
-With all the pink slips,
I figured the team
could use a little Christmas
cheer.
-Who's gonna cheer up
everyone who just got fired?
-You are a regular
Santa Claus, Frank.
Fewer prisons
mean less work for all.
But not for you,
you are in high demand.
-What's that?
-Your white elephant gift.
-Seneca Ridge.
Place is old,
but I heard it's--
it's run like a Swiss watch.
What's the problem?
-An inmate escaped
under the new furlough program.
The bastard just decided
not to come back.
Beau LaRue has proved himself
to be an excellent warden,
tough as nails.
But his
prison is aging,
isolated out there.
- Let me show you.
- First time
they've come up for review,
and now we've received
a string of complaints
from inmates
and even some of the staff.
We need you down there
for a quick assessment.
See if it's an isolated incident
or maybe there's
a bigger problem.
- You know what,
give it to Alan.
He's ready.
Kid's gotta get his feet
wet sooner than later.
- Okay.
Let's see if the kid can swim.
Daddy, look!
-Wanted to talk to you
about Seneca Ridge.
-Should be pretty
straightforward.
It's a good first
for you.
-Thank you, Frank.
I won't let you down.
-I know you won't.
-Now, you can call me
if you need anything, okay?
-Thanks again.
-Alan Murphy,
Bureau of Corrections.
-Captain Dale Aarons,
head of operations.
This is Lieutenant
Hector Ramos
assistant to the Warden.
Did you get settled
at the motel?
-Settled circa 1965.
-We had a lot of visitors
back in the heyday.
Place shut down in '79.
We took it over.
-Yeah, we don't use
it much anymore,
but it's a stone's throw away.
-Iron lock and keys?
You know state law
mandated the upgrade
to electromechanical.
What is this,
Robben Island?
-No, you won't find
Nelson Mandela here.
Warden updated
the lights and cameras.
Not much else,
it's the way he wants it.
Should we go in?
-Yeah.
- You've reached
Frank Morley
with the Bureau of Corrections.
Leave a message.
-Hey, Frank, it's Alan.
I'm working through
the Seneca Ridge protocols
I haven't gotten anywhere
on the missing inmate,
but I think he could be
connected to an execution
that happened here back in '78.
Call me back when you can.
Fuck it.
You've reached the Morleys.
Leave a message at the beep,
and we'll get right back to you.
-Frank, I'm sorry
to bug you at home.
I'm over my head.
That execution in '78,
we have to take a look
at a guy named Dustin Reeves.
Something bad happened here.
It seems like a lot of
bad things happened here,
and this is a mess,
and I need your...
Voicemail is full.
-Help.
- Go to sleep.
Hey, shut the fuck up.
- I don't want to hear
'em anymore.
-I ain't playing, man.
Shut the fuck up.
- Come on, man!
- Make it stop!
- Another night,
man?
Okay.
- Shut the fuck up,
Meeks.
- Swear to god,
if gotta come up here...
Make it stop.
- That's it,
motherfucker.
I'm gonna beat
the shit out of you.
- That's it, Meeks!
- Please.
- What the fuck?
-Please, stop.
- Meeks,
what the fuck did you do?!
- Come on!
- Guards!
He's bleeding!
Somebody help!
I need a guard!
Help!
RIDGE MOTEL VACANCY
- ten
minutes out.
Transporting on
-I am so sorry about this,
Frank.
-He left me a pretty
frantic message.
-Wait until you see inside.
-Give me a minute?
-Sure.
-Give us the room, guys?
-Well, what is all this?
-Alan had a busy week.
-You sure you want
to pick this up?
The Bureau is down
for the holidays.
You'd be on your own.
-No. I do.
Has the family
been notified yet?
I'll do it.
Who the hell are you two?
You're standing in the middle
of my crime scene.
- We're from
the Bureau of Corrections.
He was one of ours.
-Oh.
This is a hell of a mess.
Looks like your fella
was really losing it in here,
huh?
None of this makes sense.
-We need to give their team
time to investigate this.
- I know how much Alan
meant to you,
but Frank, please be careful.
-I will.
- I'm so sorry.
Is there anything I can do?
-I don't know.
Alan wasn't conducting
a standard inspection.
I need to figure out why.
- The Bureau
will have his body sent here.
We'll do everything we can
to figure out what happened.
Do what you have to do,
then come home.
I'm here for you.
-Frank Morley,
Bureau of Corrections.
- Captain Dale
Aarons, head of operations.
This is Lieutenant
Hector Ramos,
assistant to the Warden.
-Feels like dj vu,
huh?
-Yeah.
-Helluva ride in there.
-Road's too soft to pave.
-Great place to put a prison.
-Yeah, standing strong
since the Civil War.
-I can see why
the other side won.
- Yeah, right.
- Prisoner 32098,
report to the station.
Nine-one-one.
-Warden and his son, Jacob.
- Mr. Morley.
Please don't get up.
My apologies for the wait.
Thank you, Officer Aarons.
And I am sincerely sorry
about your associate.
I've been praying for his soul.
Tell me do you think
it was an accident?
Or God forbid,
the isolation
got to the young man
and he took his own life?
-That's a bold assumption,
and a pretty goddamn
baseless one.
-In my prison, sir,
you will not take
the Lord's name in vain.
I meant no disrespect.
I had just observed
the young man
acting very, very strangely.
But you're right.
Suicide is a terrible
assumption.
Every life is precious,
forgive me.
I've instructed my staff
to attend to your every need.
I want to find
our missing inmates
and have you complete
your process
as quickly and as
painlessly as possible.
-Good.
You are, uh,
quite isolated out here.
- Yes.
The Alcatraz of the Appalachia.
Replace the sharks with rattlers
and their cold bay
with our dense forests.
-Makes for an ambitious escape.
-Mm. That's the idea.
-Evil takes on many forms,
don't you think?
Those were painted
by a poor soul executed here.
Talented young man.
Do you travel much?
I have a nomad for a son.
Always writing to me
where he's been,
where he's gone.
Says I should join him.
-Hm.
Maybe it's time to retire.
-Seneca's been in my family's
care for generations.
It was my father's sole purpose
and his father's before him.
Until this week,
I thought it would be mine
to pass down.
Please...
take that into consideration
before you tear it apart.
I'm just trying to hold on
to something I love.
You know what that's like.
Don't you, Mr. Morley?
- Yes.
I do, Warden.
-Respect my prison and my team
and we will respect you
and your process.
-I can do that.
Thank you, Warden.
-Mm-hmm.
Officer Aarons
will show you around.
-Thank you.
-Mm.
- It's a shame
about Alan.
Took a deep dive into our file.
Had some work ethic.
-Yeah.
He wanted to prove himself.
-Yeah, most young men do.
-Where'd you put in your time?
-Farmington.
Almost retired there until...
Beau or Warden LaRue,
asked if I had a few more
miles left in me.
I knew Seneca's reputation,
so I said yes.
Look, he's a strict man.
He's a fair man.
I didn't want to let him down.
-Hm.
Seems old man got something
to prove as well, huh?
-I suppose you're right,
Mr. Morley.
Call me Frank.
- After we lost
A-Block to the fire of '74,
B-Block became
Seneca's main housing unit.
-Most of the general population
lives in these three tiers.
-Betas record 24/7.
-Why are some of these
monitors not working?
During our security updates,
certain cameras were redeployed
or turned off.
We have an infirmary,
OR, and a morgue.
We can manage almost
any crisis on site,
even if we're cut off
from the outside world.
This is C-Block,
our shuttered psych ward.
You can blame Reagan for that.
We use it as solitary now.
- Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Make -- it -- stop.
Make it stop.
- Jesus Christ!
-The Warden despises blasphemy.
-Keep away from the door.
- Can you hear it?
-Meeks, now stop it.
-I hear it.
It's a warning.
-A warning for what?
-Don't encourage him.
-Retribution.
It's inevitable.
- How long has he been
in solitary?
- Not long.
But for the past few weeks,
he's checked in and out
quite a bit.
-This place is in
pretty rough shape.
- Well, there's always
repairs going on.
This facility is over
100 years old.
-Looks like blood, doesn't it?
-It's algae growing
in the pipes.
Why do I smell oil?
- Hmm.
The whole place
is heated with oil.
The EPA folks made us
move these in here
to keep up to code.
To keep up to code?
- Yeah.
-What's all that?
- Our old
electrocution chamber.
-Above all this?
-It's just our records room now.
This is D-Block.
Our death row.
We've only got one inmate left.
End of the line,
our execution chamber.
-How long has it been shut down?
-Almost a decade.
All the old inmate records are
in these filing cabinets.
And...
there's your master set of keys.
Get around on your own.
-I appreciate you,
Officer Aarons.
Thank you very much.
And, uh, I'm sure you want to be
heading home,
so let's call it a day.
-Please, call me Dale.
And that clock
you're looking at?
It's only right twice a day.
-Frank...
if you close this place down,
it's time for me to retire.
So just say the word
and I'm gone.
-Ah, we're not there yet.
-You'll find the sheets
sandpaper soft.
But it's nice and quiet.
I'm sorry you have to spend
Christmas here
away from your loved ones.
What did you find, Alan?
What did you find?
- Thank you, Frank.
I won't let you down.
-Nineteen graves
hold the lost souls of Seneca.
Some taken before their time.
-Quite an ending.
Boxed up in pine buried
by the place that killed you.
-Not pine.
The water's too close
to the surface.
These men were buried
in concrete.
-Why's this one unmarked?
- Warden stopped
engravings in '78.
Last man executed at Seneca:
Dustin Reeves.
- Reeves.
Reeves.
- Listen...
- May the Lord
in His love
and mercy give you...
...with the grace
of the Holy Spirit,
may the Lord
who frees you from sin,
save you and raise you up.
Amen.
Got a light?
These matches are for shit.
Wish I had my Zippo.
That thing worked anywhere.
-Things'll kill you, you know.
-Better than 2,400 volts
right, Frank?
-You know why I'm here?
-Word travels fast
through these cold cement walls.
Thick iron bars.
-Poetic.
-Come on, now.
Come to shut this place down.
You're the executioner.
- Every cell
in this block is gutted.
This one looks like
a time capsule.
Why's that?
- Devil of Seneca Ridge.
Even the Wardens
are afraid to go in there.
-You're on death row, buddy.
Devils are a dime a dozen.
- Last guy
was clever too.
-Alan.
You met him?
-Only saw that look in his eyes.
He was putting all
the pieces together.
Daddy. Help me.
- Please.
- Hello?
-Frank?
-Allie.
- Are you okay?
-Yeah. What time is it?
- Late.
Are you all right?
-Yeah. Um...
What was that?
-My doctor prescribed Valium,
and I'm taking Klonopin as well,
and I just wanna know
if it can cause hallucinations.
- That's a bad
combination,
especially if you're still
drinking.
Listen.
I didn't wanna bring this up
with everything going on,
but there's something
I need to tell you.
I--
Frank?
- Officers are on the scene.
-Nobody thought to look here?
-This is LaRue's oversight.
This is prison property.
It's their responsibility.
They handle the autopsy,
everything.
-This could be a homicide.
-A homicide? Really?
-Two bodies found
a few hundred feet apart?
Mysterious causes of death?
-I think you're reaching,
Mr. Morley.
-What about the motel case?
-What about it?
I did my job, now you do yours.
- What happened
last night?
- The power went out.
When I went to check the breaker
I found the missing inmate.
Tad Dowling.
He was behind the motel.
- Seems pretty
coincidental.
-The sheriff closed Alan's case.
- Without
the autopsy results?
-Yeah.
- That's not procedure.
-Listen I want a fresh set
of eyes on this.
Can I send you his file?
- I can't do much
with doctor scribbles
and faxed photos.
I should be there.
- Calm down.
- Frank?
-I don't think so, Allie.
I'm telling you,
something's not right here.
- I know you don't think
you need my help,
but I want to talk.
In person.
I'm on my way.
Let me show you.
-With this holy anointing,
may the Lord
in His love and mercy
give you the grace
of the Holy Spirit.
May the Lord who frees you
from sin save you.
- No more prayers
for me, preacher.
-And raise you up.
Amen.
- May the Lord
in His love and mercy
help you
with the grace
of the Holy Spirit.
May the Lord
who frees you from sin
save you and raise you up.
May the Lord
who frees you from sin
save you and raise you up.
May the Lord
who frees you from sin
save you and raise you up.
May the Lord
who frees you from sin
save you and raise you up.
- Where did you
hear that?
-You're with the Bureau
of Corrections?
That means
you could still stop it.
-Stop what?
-My medical transfer.
- Tad left
and now he's dead.
He saw it coming.
I need to stay here.
-Stay?
Hey listen,
I shut Seneca down.
No one's staying behind, okay?
-We can't leave.
I don't want to hear it anymore.
-Oh, shit.
-We all die here.
-He said something
about a medical transfer.
Asked if I could stop it.
-Your eyes are opening now,
Frank.
Seneca's finally got
his hooks on you.
He'll be coming for me soon,
Frank.
-Who?
-I don't want to spoil
the surprise.
-Is this all in your head?
- Bastard!
You think I'm crazy?
-Take it easy, Meeks.
Calm down. Easy.
-When he kills me,
it's on your hands.
-Who authorized the transfer?
- I did.
We just don't have
the facilities here
to meet his needs.
He'll do much better
in a sanitarium.
-No more transfers
without my approval.
-Of course we do things
by the book here.
- Mm.
You know Meeks believes
that leaving
is what got Tad killed.
-Hmm, funny.
Most inmates are dying to leave.
He's dying to stay.
-Tad. Meeks.
Model prisoners.
Worked together in the infirmary
-Sorry for the interruption,
Frank.
-All right.
-You getting anywhere
with this stuff?
- Tad and Meeks.
Did you ever see them together?
Were they friends?
-Well, I don't think so.
If anything,
they avoided each other.
- Let's step out of here
for a minute.
Where'd the Warden's grow up?
- Jacob. Right here.
His is a very sad story.
Working here one summer
as a guard
and an inmate fight breaks out.
He gets caught up in the scuffle
and gets his throat
cut real bad.
He lived, but...
never spoke again.
-You excited to see PopPop?
-Yeah.
-You know maybe Santa
will bring you some new recruits
for your army there.
-I hope so.
-All right.
Let's finish up, honey.
We got a long drive tonight.
-Merry Christmas.
-Thank you.
-I know who that is.
-Come on.
-It's Allie.
-I told you that's over.
- Then why does
she keep paging you?
-Because we work together.
-I'm not stupid, Frank.
-Brenda...
- Last man executed
at Seneca.
Dustin Reeves.
- Dr. Brinlin,
session number 18
with inmate number 458930,
Dustin Reeves.
Do you have any response
to the state's offer?
- I told you
I don't remember which ditch
I dumped the bitch's body in.
- Finding her body
is important to the family,
for closure, you see?
- Closure comes
when the devil dies.
- So you're the devil?
Hence the ransom amount
of $666,000.
- It's symmetry,
asshole.
- How can anyone
trust you?
You play games
and lie countless times.
- So don't.
I'll simply tear out my tongue
and never speak to you again.
Oooh.
The irony there
would just gut the Warden.
-I can help you avoid the chair.
-And rot in here?
No thanks.
-Be realistic.
Nobody's ever letting you
out of here.
So what do you want?
-To die on June 6th.
-Move up your date
to 6/6 at 6 p.m.
-Uh, huh, huh, huh, huh,
Six p.m.
Oh, I like that.
Yeah.
You do that,
I'll tell you where the body is.
-I'll present that request
to the AG.
-Oh, I'm sure
the Warden won't mind.
That sick puppy
can't wait to watch me fry.
I'm sure he'll watch it
over and over again.
He'll probably jerk off to it.
-We're all done here,
Officer Bly.
-Get up, convict.
-Get your fucking hands off me.
-Make it happen.
Or the mayor's little girl
and all that money,
rot with me, hm?
You know where to find me, doc.
I'll be wasting away on the row.
So make the deal.
- You could've told me
this was Dustin's cell.
-Well wasn't it more fun
to find out?
-The guards jammed it shut.
It kept opening up at night.
They blamed that on
the rattling pipes,
but we all know better,
right?
-The devil of Seneca Ridge?
I remember.
- Power spikes,
probably 480 volts
if I had to guess.
Rotted copper wiring.
Showers right above us.
-How do you know so much?
-I was an electrician
in a past life.
- report to mess hall.
- Two
three two zero nine zero one
- Jesus Christ!
- Frank?
-Yeah?
- What happened?
You all right?
- Uh, yeah.
I just...
Was there a guard
killed in here?
-Officer Bly.
Son of a bitch
had a long list of enemies.
Inmates and guards.
-Right. Who did it?
-Well, I heard rumors for years
that Jacob did.
-LaRue?
Do you believe it?
-I do not,
but he did have motive.
Bly failed to protect him
during the riot.
-Huh.
No investigation?
- No. Warden's
the judge n' jury round here.
- So, Bly died.
What happens to Jacob?
- Well, the day after,
Jacob doesn't show up for work.
He never show up again.
AFFIDAVIT OF PROBABLE CAUSE
"The officer was murdered
"in the B-Block showers
this evening,
"during an altercation with
an armed unknown individual.
June 6, '78."
That's the same day
Dustin was executed.
- Just pull
the fucking switch.
- Cover him up.
The family shouldn't have
to see this bastard's face.
Muzzle him if you have to.
-May God have mercy
on your soul.
- Get in position,
Jacob.
- Wish I had my Zippo,
that thing worked anywhere.
Where'd you find that?
-Where you lost it.
You're an electrician, huh?
What were you doing
in that fuse closet?
Thought you said
the guards jammed it shut.
- Thought you
had it all figured out.
- What am I missing,
Clark?
No. Damn it!
Hey!
Best make yourself cozy.
Nobody's back till morning.
-Damn it!
Hey!
Hey!
- Guess we all have
nightmares in here.
- copy you're checking in.
messages.
Have a good night.
- Meeks should be
leaving about now.
- He said a transfer
would kill him.
From what I've seen
since I got here,
I'm surprised
he's not dead already.
-Look what happened to Tad.
It was his fate.
-You believe that?
- Stay awhile.
- Place might change your mind.
- Here!
- Damn, Frank.
Sorry we didn't see
that you were down here sooner.
-I gotta move.
-You take good care
of him now, hear?
-Hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hey. Cancel the transfer.
-Sorry, who are you?
-I'm with the Bureau
of Corrections.
I wanna cancel his transfer.
Bring him back inside now.
-You--
-Now.
What the hell?
-He's coding.
Oh my god! Oh my god!
-What happened out there?
- Couldn't explain it
if I tried.
- Well, hello there.
I'm Warden LaRue.
Welcome. Let's get you
signed in, shall we?
- Thank you.
- I just wish
I knew such loveliness
was joining us today.
-You shouldn't have come.
-I can see why
you're so distraught.
You're working in a room
full of death.
Maybe this is all too much.
Why don't we just focus on Alan
and you can table the eval.
We can revisit
that in January.
-No, it's all connected.
I'm pretty sure that this place
needs to be shut down,
but I can't complete
the closure
until I find out what
happened here.
Alan's notes
were all over the place,
but he was on to something.
It's good to see you.
-It's good to see you.
-I'm glad you're here.
Could use your help.
-Okay. Take me to the morgue.
-This is Meeks.
He died an hour ago.
EMT said it was a heart attack
but I was there.
It's not what it looked
like to me.
-Yeah, that's what it says,
but I'll need to run
a tox report.
-Okay. And this one,
missing inmate Tad Dowling.
I found him face down
in the woods behind the motel.
-Policy would be
to put him in a cab, right?
-Yeah. But if you look
at the back of his head,
it clearly looks like
he was hit with something.
- Give me a few hours
with the bodies
and I'll see what I can find.
- Cross State?
-Hi. Do you provide service
for Seneca Ridge Penitentiary?
- Nah.
We don't go out there.
- Ally Taxi?
-Hi. Do you provide service
for Seneca Ridge?
- We don't send
fares out that far.
- Sunshine Cab .
-Do you guys provide service
for Seneca Ridge?
- We do.
We provide all the cabs
for Seneca inmates and staff.
-Can you tell me
if you had one out there
on December 10th
around 10 p.m.?
Who is this again?
-I'm conducting an audit
for the Bureau of Corrections.
- December 10th?
No, nothing for Seneca.
Anything else
I can help you with?
SENECA RIDGE
- May the Lord watch over
your coming and going,
both now and forevermore.
-Ever think maybe God
left this place?
-As it says
in the Book of John,
"If I go make a place for you,
I will come back
to take you to be with me."
I believe Meeks is with God now.
I pray for him.
-Hm.
What about Dowling?
God cancel his cab?
-I'm sorry?
-Sunshine Cabs.
They keep records.
No mystery there.
-This is starting to feel
a bit like an accusation.
- Yeah,
maybe it should be.
Please.
My heart breaks
for another life lost.
If you want to pray with me
you are welcome.
-I wouldn't even know
where to start.
DEVIL GETS DYING WISH:
BURNS 6/6@6
-You need to do this now.
-Shouldn't we wait
for the call?
-Just do it.
-I won't.
-I don't understand--
Just do this.
-out of the way.
- He needs to focus
on the task at hand.
He's digging into
all our old records.
I'm not sure why.
I need you to rein him in.
Well, call the governor
and have--
Mr. Morley.
Where are your manners?
You'll knock before
entering my office.
What can I do for you?
-Tape of Dustin Reeves'
execution.
-Dustin Reeves,
what does he have?
-I don't know but I know
something went wrong,
and I know it was recorded.
-Oh, no, we did not record
our executions.
That would be
illegal and immoral.
-There was a camera
in that chamber.
Now, you may have removed it,
but it wasn't before
Dustin's execution.
-Sounds like my inmates have
been feeding you a pack of lies.
It's their rehabilitation
that matters most to me.
Always has.
Psalm 82:3 through 4.
"Defend the weak
and the fatherless.
Uphold the cause of the poor
and the oppressed."
- Yeah, right.
Here's my verse, Reverend.
Bureau of Corrections,
code chapter 33208,
facility inspections.
"Compliance officers
shall have the right..."
- Now, but...
- "To conduct unannounced,
"unfettered inspections
into all areas
of a correctional facility,
including restricted areas."
-Sir, you're gonna need
a warrant for that--
-No, I don't.
Inmate housing,
medical facilities...
Security and control rooms.
-This is unacceptable, sir.
-Administrative offices,
including yours Warden LaRue.
Just a second now.
"Right to examine and copy
any records or documents
related or unrelated to the
operation of this facility."
-Sir. Sir, please.
- Looks like
a Blockbuster Video in here.
-You put those back
where you found them, now.
You do not want
to open a door you cannot close.
- Just pull
the fucking switch.
- Cover him up.
The family's--
- May God have mercy
on your soul.
- Get in position,
Jacob.
- May the Lord
who frees you from sin
save you and raise you up.
- No more prayers
for me, preacher.
Come on.
Six-six at 6 p.m.
- I don't understand
what we're waiting for,
just do this,
get out of the way.
-He was executed twice.
So you short out the fuse box,
which delays the execution,
and then 30 minutes later,
Dustin dies anyway.
I don't get it.
-How do you know all of that?
-I saw the tape.
I watched it.
It took two tries,
which is awful,
but he died in that chair,
and I saw it.
-What did you really see
in there, Frank?
- What do you mean?
-Thirty minutes is a long time.
I went through your file.
Back in '77,
you were still in gen pop.
You worked in the medical wing.
You would've taken Dustin
to the infirmary
until the outage was fixed.
You, Tad and Meeks
you all worked there.
What'd you guys do?
-Come on, Frank.
-I've heard of some ballsy
escape attempts.
Nobody's crazy enough to sit
in that chair as part of one.
- Unless they didn't have
a choice.
I've kept it a secret
long enough.
You know, last night
was the best sleep
I've had in almost a decade.
- Why's that?
-You saw Meeks...
Tad.
Even out there...
They didn't have a chance.
And I ain't going out like that.
- No, you're not.
-Clark!
Hey! Clark,
what'd you do?
Clark!
Clark, who was in the chair?
Shit. Dale!
- I've never seen
anything like this before.
-He actually seemed
kind of peaceful.
-And where did he get the shiv?
- I don't know.
It's a great question.
-Oh. Okay.
-I wish I could've helped him.
-You did what you could.
-This incident is another
example of your negligence.
In lieu of a full
and thorough investigation,
I suggest we re-evaluate
this shutdown.
- Are you kidding me?
After everything I've seen
these past few days,
I have more than enough
to shut you down.
You will pack your bags,
call that nomad son of yours,
and have him come pick you up.
-You could disrespect me,
but don't you dare
mention my son.
-The transfer buses
will be here at 9 a.m.,
and you will be on one,
or you can find
your own way home.
Be careful, Dale.
-We should leave here tonight.
- And give the Warden
time to cover his tracks?
No, he's hiding something.
- Frank, come on.
-I need to finish this for Alan.
He tried calling me to tell me
what was going on here,
and I ignored him.
-He made his own choice
to do this job.
And you have a choice to leave.
We can go home.
I don't have a home.
I spend all my time
in these goddamn places.
-Frank...
We have a chance to start over.
-I just don't see how...
When I look at you,
all I see is them.
SENECA
Hey.
-Merry Christmas.
-Merry Christmas.
-Buses got here, nine sharp.
-Is that everybody?
-Uh, except for the Warden
and Hector.
-You good here?
-Oh, yeah.
- They are enroute.
- I ain't going out
like that.
- The Warden
opened up his present?
'Cause I'd have loved
to have seen that.
-What are you still doing here?
We're going on a lockdown.
I gave you
a 30-minute head start,
and you wasted it.
-Is that the way out?
-Yes, you ignorant fuck.
Now look, climb down the pipes.
The old sewers' tunnel
runs 300 feet
outside of the prison walls.
If you don't make it out,
I don't get paid.
-Oh, yeah, about that.
See, uh, I decided
to renegotiate your cut.
Look at me.
Look at me. Huh?
Look at me.
Yeah, look at me. Huh?
Huh? Shh.
Yeah, that's right.
Ignorant fuck!
Shit!
- Frank.
What is all this?
-That's how Dustin escaped.
-Dustin?
-He wasn't executed,
but somebody else was.
Come on.
- Where are we going?
- To dig up the truth.
-You really shouldn't be
doing this, Frank.
This feels really wrong,
Frank.
Dr. Allison Burrell
medical log December 25, 1987.
I'm examining three
Seneca Ridge inmates
who died in the same week
under unusual circumstances.
Peter Miele,
ear canal shows scarring
from repeated damage.
Toxicology reports confirm
strychnine present
in his system.
Subject didn't die
of a heart attack.
He was poisoned.
Tad Dowling.
The cause of death appears
to be blunt force trauma
to the cranium
and a broken neck.
Additionally, the patient's eyes
were consumed by insects.
Clark Roberts cut his own throat
and bled out.
Nothing in his medical record
pointed to him being suicidal.
All three patient deaths
appear related,
but without further
investigation,
these results are inconclusive.
- Ah. Now that was
a fucking rush.
You got me.
I surrender.
- Careful,
You could get hurt.
-Shit. Look at my face.
I'm burned.
Oh, I'm fried up.
-Now you got enough money
to fix that.
-Firing up that chair
wasn't part of the plan.
You almost got me
fucking killed!
-Blame your buddy Clark, not me.
My job is to get you
out of here.
Yours is to get me
my fucking money.
Now get your ass
and head to the showers
before the tunnels flood.
Move it.
-I just took 2,400 volts.
Let's see how fast
you can
after something like that.
-Yo, hush up.
Doc's comming.
-Shit!
-Don't you go trying to scream.
-Shit.
This barely covers his scar.
-Lucky this fits.
By the time the Warden
figures it out.
It'll be too late
for this mute fuck.
-Hey, tuck in that cross.
-Say goodbye
to your daddy for me.
Oh, wait.
Hey, Bly.
-Mm.
-He can't.
- It's Jacob LaRue.
The Warden's son.
It all happened here.
It's all real.
Bly. Officer Bly orchestrates
Dustin's escape.
Tad, Meeks, and Clark?
They ran on him from the get-go.
Clark rigs a power outage,
and in all the chaos,
they swap Dustin for Jacob.
The Warden misses his signs.
He rushes the second go,
and he executes his own son.
Dustin got away.
The Warden buried Jacob
in Dustin's grave,
and he buries the truth.
He executed his own son,
and he's been covering up
ever since.
- Okay. Prison's secure.
Let's get moving.
-Have you seen him?
-Seen who?
-Jacob.
He's finally come home.
- We don't have time
for this.
Why would he come back?
He hated you.
-You shut your goddamn mouth.
- We need to leave.
Now.
-I ain't going anywhere.
-I'm missing something.
I don't understand.
Why not just turn him in?
I'm fucking missing.
What is it?
-Frank,
this prison is closed.
-Doesn't make any sense--
-Everyone is gone.
This can wait.
We've got to go now.
-And I can see him dying
over and over
and over again in my head.
I see it.
- Frank!
-What?!
-Enough!
Just take a breath.
We've got to get out of here.
We can call in the sheriff
to handle this.
- Allie.
-You're scaring me.
- For God so loved
the world,
He gave it His one
and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him
will not perish
but have eternal life.
- Warden,
we heard a shot.
-Where is Jacob?
- Jacob?
What are you talking about?
Your son's dead.
-Your son's dead.
Mine is alive,
travels the world.
-His rotted corpse
is in your OR right now.
I've seen your handwriting
on dozens of files.
You wrote these.
-It's yours, Beau.
-I saw you kill him.
On tape,
recorded and saved,
just like you wanted.
Alan figured it out,
didn't he?
He figured it out,
so you took him out.
I know the truth, Warden.
All of it,
starting with Tad.
You never called him a cab.
The night he was released,
you cut him loose in the woods,
and you killed him.
-You couldn't let him
leave here alive.
Your little secret
might get out.
-I want to give you
a little something
to keep you calm.
- With Tad gone,
Meeks and Clark were
the only ones left to blame.
When you saw Seneca
could be shut down,
you got rid of them too.
NEVER TELL
You'd been making these guys'
lives a living hell
for almost a decade.
You could have brought
him to justice,
but now your prisoners are gone.
Your staff's gone.
You have nothing.
And when they come for you,
what then?
Beau!
Please don't.
We can help you.
-You can't help him.
I've been looking
after him for years.
He can't bear the weight
of what he did.
He can never know
what he did.
-Who?
-I think it's his mind trying
to protect him from the truth.
You don't have to do this.
I know you didn't
intentionally kill your son.
No one will ever know
what happened here.
-Warden...
I know the pain
of losing a son.
I know the pain
of causing his death.
There's nothing we can do
to bring him back, Beau.
We just gotta live
with what we've done.
No.
No.
No.
Enough!
My poor Jacob.
My only son.
- If I can get
to the infirmary,
I might be able
to stop the bleeding.
-I told you I'd retire here,
Frank.
I tried to watch over you.
DANGER
The Warden's turned on
the mains.
I know where he's headed.
I'll stay with him.
Hey, hey!
Warden.
What are you doing?
- It's all right.
There's nothing more
you have to do.
Except take care of that child.
-How did you know?
-I've had three of my own.
-No, no, no, no. Don't.
No, Warden don't.
You don't have to do this.
You're not gonna bring
your son back.
Come on, get up.
Hey. Warden! Warden!
Don't! Don't, don't, don't!
No! Stop!
No!
- Timmy! Come on!
-Hey, get him out of there.
-Timmy!
The car's gonna explode.
-My son's alive!
No! No!
- Daddy!
Let go!
No!
Timmy... no.
-Frank?
Oh my god.
Frank?
-Allie!
Hang on!
Frank!
You okay?
-No.
-Come on.
All right. I'm so sorry.
- No, no, no.
Frank!
- I can't move--
-What can I do?
- Oh, my God.
I'm gonna get you
out of there!
- You need to go.
- Get up!
- Allie...
- No.
-I'm sorry.
- Frank!
Dispatch.
- Go ahead, 3620.
- I need all available
fire and EMT out
to Seneca Ridge.
The place is burning.
They cleared out today,
but still a few possible
fatalities inside.
- Copy.
-Yeah, looks like
there's only one survivor
I'm getting her in the hospital.
You're safe now.
Okay?
- I gotcha.