Murdoch Mysteries (2004) s20e05 Episode Script

1
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
(SOFT INTRIGUING MUSIC)
(CLEARING THROAT)
What exactly is a young lady
doing alone in this part of town?
I work at the candy
factory across the way.
It closed two hours ago.
This is no place to be
loitering after work.
Only waiting for my friend, Miss.
(SOFT INTRIGUING MUSIC CONTINUES)
Exactly what type of
friend are you waiting for?
My friend. Jane.
Then you won't mind if
I wait here with you.
Well, she may be a while, Miss.
I have nothing better to do.
(VEHICLE RUMBLING)
Uh, don't even think
about making a run for it.
- (GUNSHOT)
- (STARTLED NEIGHING)
(TENSE MUSIC)
Uh, with me. Take cover
behind the carriage.
(DISTANT TIRES SCREECHING)
Don't move.
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(CROWD CLAMOURING)
- What happened?
- I don't know.
But it looks like someone's been shot.
(THEME MUSIC)
The man with the valise
came out that door.
The carriage arrived,
blocking our view, then bang!
When I came over to see what
had happened, he was gone.
Anything else?
Uh, I-I think I heard something
coming from the alley here,
right before the gunshot.
Maybe a car?
And you, Miss ?
Camille Gauthier.
I saw Mr. Ambrose coming out of
the factory, but nothing more.
Mr. Ambrose?
Yes, sir.
He's my employer.
Just what were you doing
waiting outside of the factory?
I
She's a working girl.
She claimed she was
waiting for a friend, but
If there's nothing else, Detective?
I'm afraid I'm obligated to charge
Miss Gauthier here with vagrancy.
Thank you both.
Sir.
The missing man is a Godfrey Ambrose.
He was taking the week's
receipts to the bank,
as he did every Friday.
It's over a thousand dollars, sir.
That certainly would establish motive.
Hm. Now, the carriage driver,
he didn't see what happened,
but he says there was an automobile
idling here in the alley.
Oh. Well, that could explain
the sound that Miss Berger heard.
Huh. One more thing, sir.
There was a photographer
working on a news story
about the factory conditions.
He thinks he got a
photograph of Mr. Ambrose
just before the gunshot.
Oh. Very good.
(INAUDIBLE CONVERSATION)
- Camille Gauthier?
- Yes?
I am Effie Newsome.
I'm with the Crown Attorney's office.
I've been assigned to
provide your defence.
You're a lawyer?
That's right.
I didn't know there
were any lady lawyers.
Well, ah, I have read over your case.
You claimed you were meeting a friend?
Yes.
But that friend never arrived.
Is Mr. Ambrose all right?
I'm sorry, I don't know
anything about that.
But the Crown has no
proof of your intentions,
whoever you were meeting.
Don't worry.
I'll provide you with a good defence.
(SIGHS)
Miss Camille Gauthier.
Your name is on the vagrancy list.
That means you have
formerly been arrested
for the crime of
solicitation. Is that correct?
Yes.
Please describe for the court
the circumstances under which
this previous arrest took place.
I
(SOFT TENSE MUSIC)
Miss Gauthier?
I met a man who paid me money
to join him in his automobile.
And then what?
You want me to say?
Yes, Miss Gauthier.
- Please answer my que
- (EFFIE): Your Honour.
The Crown has the witness, Miss Newsome.
Miss Gauthier,
the circumstances of your arrest?
He took me into the
cabin of his automobile
and gave me two dollars.
He had promised me four, so I
I argued with him until
he gave me the rest.
Then he
raised my dress and
and he said something crude and
- began to remove
- What did he say?
Your Honour, my learned friend
is pursuing a line of questioning
immaterial to the case at hand.
Nobody in this courtroom
needs to hear these details.
Past transgressions are material
to the character and intent
of the defendant, Miss Newsome.
However, I do agree with you
that the details are rather sordid.
I don't feel right allowing them
to be related in mixed company.
I beg your pardon?
I am suspending this hearing
until more suitable counsel
can be assigned to Miss Gauthier.
I am suitable counsel!
The details of this case are not
fit for a lady's ears, Miss Newsome.
You're dismissed.
(GALLERY WHISPERING)
It's completely ridiculous!
She was assigned another
lawyer, a male lawyer.
You were acting as defence counsel?
Yes, I-I've fallen out of favour
with the Crown Attorney's office
and I've been assigned an endless pile
of public defence cases.
But never mind that, this
whole thing is an outrage.
Though unsurprising.
Wha Doesn't this upset you?
This is a case of sex
discrimination, plain and simple.
I hardly have time to be upset
every time I face an instance
of sex discrimination.
You should write about it.
Write about what?
The fact that an injustice has
been carried out by the courts!
This is unfair to me, as a lawyer,
and unfair to my client.
This kind of thing is
an everyday occurrence.
Just because something's
unfair, doesn't mean
there's anything that
can be done about it.
(MURDOCH): What have you, Henry?
Uh, sir, how did you ?
I went to Mr. Ambrose's
house and spoke to his wife.
She's worried sick, sir.
His description has been
sent to the hospitals
and station houses across
the city, but nothing yet.
Very good. Thank you.
Sir, that's Mr. Ambrose.
I saw a photo of him at his house.
Unfortunately we can't see much else.
It's odd that the
over-exposure is so uneven.
Perhaps when the camera fell, sir.
Yes. Any amount of light entering
the case could cause this.
Henry, I need you to go to the chemist
and get a pint of ferricyanide.
Cyanide?
Uh, ferricyanide, sir,
also known as Farmer's Reducer.
It can help to correct exposure,
if it isn't too overexposed.
Hm. Will that really work?
It might.
I agree with you.
Women should not be
banished from a courtroom
in which women are being tried.
So will you censure the judge
and demand I be reinstated?
Well, that would cause problems.
Judges get rather upset when the
Attorney General forces their hand.
I fear it would only serve to bias him
- against you and your client.
- So, what do we do?
I'm not sure there's anything we can do.
Establish a new court.
Begging your pardon?
A-A women's court.
To try women, presided over by a woman.
An extreme measure, don't you think?
Not at all. It's perfectly reasonable
that a woman be tried
by a jury of her peers
and, in this case,
her peers are not men.
(DISTANT CHURCH BELL RINGING)
All right.
Really?
Why not?
Let's say we do it.
Who's going to be the magistrate?
You? You're going to be a judge?
That's right. The first female judge
to preside over a court
in Canadian history.
A women's court.
Now that's a story.
(SOFT INSPIRING MUSIC)
The ferricyanide did help.
I also improved the definition
by using finer paper stock
and a contrast filter.
- It worked.
- You can see the gunman now.
Is he wearing a mask?
Hm. We now have a
picture of our assailant.
But who is he?
Detective.
This is Mrs. Ambrose.
Is there any news of my husband?
(SIGHS) We have nothing to report yet,
- I'm afraid, Mrs. Ambrose.
- Uh, well,
Mrs. Ambrose has found something.
He usually wears his
overcoat, but it was too warm.
When I went through it, I found this.
It's a receipt for a jeweller's.
Dated last week.
Whatever he bought,
he never gave it to me.
Perhaps he was robbed for it?
We'll look into this.
Thank you, Mrs. Ambrose.
Please find him. He's all I have.
Of course.
This way.
Henry.
- I have another job for you.
- Sir.
There's nothing in this photograph
to help us identify the masked man.
But look at the automobile's wheel.
One of the spokes is different, sir.
It was broken and then repaired.
Perhaps a local auto shop
will recall making this repair.
Sir.
(DISTANT DOG BARKING)
Miss Newsome.
Congratulations.
I heard about your women's court.
I didn't expect you to be in
support of the idea, Miss Berger.
Of course.
The courts should
allow women to be judged
and defended by women,
much as my work helps to protect women.
That's a very modern view.
Now that you're a judge,
I hope you will continue to work with me
in good faith to uphold the law.
Which laws are we talking about?
You cannot pick and choose
which laws you enforce.
No, but my interpretation of
those laws may differ from yours.
Do you really think it
was the right thing to do
to arrest that young woman?
That it was just?
Yes. She was in violation of the law.
Let's imagine that she
was guilty of precisely
that with which you charged her.
She could be sentenced to six months
at the Mercer Reformatory, after which,
if she had no family to be remanded to,
they could keep her there
for the rest of her life.
- It is my job to enf
- The rest of her life.
When a man engaging in
the very same liaison
for which she was convicted
would be subject to no
more than a fine, at most.
I ask you, Miss Berger,
what is just about that?
(OFFICE PHONE RINGING)
Sir, I don't get it.
What do women need a separate court for?
Perhaps they feel the male judges
lack the feminine perspective.
Well, maybe I should get to
choose who my judge is, too.
All the judges in this country
already look like you, Henry.
I've seen many Asians suffer
from the bias of the
American justice system.
It's what made me want to
become a policeman myself.
Hm. All right, well,
then I'm all for it,
but this is going to be a mess, sir.
Already hearing there are
protests all over the city.
Ah, there's no such thing
as a bloodless revolution.
You and the lads will be out in force.
Just remember, there's
nothing wrong with protests.
Just keep the peace.
(KNOCKING) Ready for lunch?
Why are you printing this drivel?
I'm reporting your story.
That is not my story.
You've written up the
reactionary opinions
of backwards-thinking old men.
The new court is one part of the story,
and the opinions of those who
don't care for it is another.
It is the responsibility of a
journalist to publish the truth.
There isn't a word in
there that isn't true.
This is what people are saying.
Just because people are
saying it doesn't make it true!
And by giving yet another
voice to these people,
you're bolstering an
opinion which you know
to be fundamentally untrue,
that women are lesser than men.
By the end of the week,
every newspaper in the country
- will be running the same story.
- So?
You are an independent publisher.
You have an opportunity
to do something different.
Hate me if you want.
But if you can't handle
this, you're in trouble.
What are you talking about?
This isn't about some
humanitarian errand
to help a young girl out.
You're about to be a judge.
You'll be the face of women's
rights in this country.
The attacks you're about to endure
are far greater than
anything I've written here.
Are you ready for that?
(SOFT TENSE MUSIC)
All right. Thanks for the time.
(CROWD SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)
Mind your own business!
Oi! That's enough! Move along!
(SHOUTING STOPS)
(ANGRY CHATTER)
(DISTANT ANGRY CHATTER)
(GASPS)
(TENSE MUSIC)
(SIGHS)
- Thank you, Violet.
- Hm.
I didn't realize being the
first female judge in Canada
would make me such a villain.
Not just the first in Canada.
You'll be the first
in the British Empire.
Louise was right.
I don't know if I can handle this.
I'll be the most hated
woman in the country.
And the most admired.
Perhaps this was all a mistake.
It's not often one gets a
chance to break new ground.
For most people, the
door is simply closed.
A-And it might always remain that way.
There's a chance for women to
make progress because of you.
Don't walk away from that.
(SOFT HOPEFUL MUSIC)
A brooch.
- Did the man purchase it for his wife?
- He did.
Or-Or his fiancée,
perhaps? I didn't inquire.
I remember it because he asked me
for a brooch with a specific flower.
I had a rose in stock, but no,
he had me order this in specially.
- What kind of flower?
- A camellia.
(OVERLAPPING SHOUTING)
Miss Newsome.
Congratulations are in order.
You found a clever shortcut
to the bench, didn't you?
Another instance of you getting
special treatment due to your sex.
Special treatment? You mean,
like the special treatment
you received when you jumped the queue
past your more qualified colleague
to become Deputy Crown Attorney?
You were more experienced, perhaps,
but not more qualified.
We'll have to agree to
disagree on that point.
That we will.
See you on the battlefield, Your Honour.
(OVERLAPPING SHOUTING)
A brooch?
A camellia, to be precise.
It's rather similar
to your Christian name.
Did you have an intimate
relationship with Mr. Ambrose?
No. No, of course not.
I need you to be honest with me.
It could be crucial
to Mr. Ambrose's safety
and well-being.
(SOFT UNSETTLING MUSIC)
We had an arrangement.
I work in his factory,
but the wages aren't much.
Our meetings earned
me more than my salary.
He is the one who gave you the brooch.
Yes.
I sold it the next day for
15 dollars. It was a godsend.
My mother is infirm and my
sister's too young to work.
So it was Mr. Ambrose that
you were waiting for that day.
Miss Gauthier.
If they find out, I'll
be sent to the Mercer.
I know of a girl who was sent away
just for letting a man buy her a drink.
What will my family do without my wages?
I am not a morality officer,
so unless any of this information
is pertinent to a prosecution,
no one outside of this
cell will hear a word of it.
I was waiting for him, yes.
Like you had several times before.
Was there anything
different about this time?
Usually, he would slip me a note
at work when he wanted to meet.
This time, he had a telegram
delivered to my home.
What exactly did the telegram say?
He said that he wanted to see me again,
but that it might be the last time.
I found a mechanic who remembers
fixing the broken wheel.
Uh, he's sure it's the same
automobile as in the photograph.
Does he remember anything
about the man who brought it in?
He had the licence
number in his logbook.
From that, I found the sales history.
It was purchased secondhand
from a used auto lot last week.
- Last week? By whom?
- Godfrey Ambrose.
The missing man!
Maybe the gunman stole it from him
and then used it for the kidnapping.
(CHOI SIGHS) Maybe.
Or perhaps,
Mr. Ambrose knew that the
carriage would be here,
obstructing the view of the alley
from any bystanders near the entrance.
His co-conspirator and the
car were already in the alley.
He fired the shot, and the two
of them left in the automobile.
But what about the blood?
A ruse to distract us from
Mr. Ambrose's true intention,
to steal the money.
We knew he was planning to leave town.
Mr. Ambrose kidnapped himself.
(INTRIGUING MUSIC)
(INDISTINCT WHISPERING)
This is so exciting.
All persons having business before
this court give their attention,
for the court will now hear the
case of the Crown and Gauthier.
God Save the King.
Please be seated.
The court invites the Crown to proceed.
Thank you, Your Honour.
I'm afraid the Crown cannot
proceed in good conscience.
- Is the Crown dismissing the case?
- No, Your Honour.
Rather we present a court order
signed by Judge Calder
of the Superior Court.
A court order?
Yes.
An order insisting upon
the closure of this court.
(WOMAN): What?
I beg your pardon?
- What's going on?
- I don't know.
You didn't see fit to
mention this outside?
That wouldn't have been any fun.
As you know, Miss Newsome,
the British North America Act,
which articulates the laws of this land,
declares that in order to hold
elected office or sit as a judge,
one must be a "qualified person."
Meaning what?
In the act, persons are
consistently referred to as "he."
(CROWD MUTTERING)
Are you saying I'm not a person?
That's exactly what I'm saying.
That's an absurd interpretation.
It is the law.
And Judge Calder agrees.
Women are not considered persons
and therefore cannot sit as judges.
By virtue of this order,
this court is hereby closed.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
How can they possibly claim
that women are not people?
Persons. It's a legal term.
Well, we need to take action.
No one who hears of this
will think it reasonable.
People will come out in
droves to support you.
It will bring out the naysayers as well.
That's true.
- This whole situation is a tinderbox.
- Good.
We need to burn down what
exists to build something new.
It's dangerous. Scores of
suffragettes here and abroad
have been injured in
skirmishes with police
- and counter-protesters.
- We can't let that deter us.
The more we fight, the
more they know of our fight.
A Superior Court judge
decided on this interpretation
and his court order stands.
- So we just accept that?
- You said it yourself.
Just because something isn't fair,
doesn't mean there's
anything to be done.
Well, there's always
something to be done
if someone's willing to do it.
(INTRIGUING MUSIC)
My husband has run off?
There is significant circumstantial
evidence suggesting as much.
He bought the automobile that the
supposed kidnapper was driving.
Likely with a friend,
or an accomplice he hired to
help him fake the kidnapping.
Our marriage has had
its share of problems,
but he would never
without even telling me?
Without telling anyone?
H-He did tell someone.
Or at least, tried to.
- Who?
- Your husband was carrying on a liaison.
A woman that was working at his factory.
She was attempting to meet
up with him on that day,
but was waylaid by a morality officer.
We looked into the financial details
of your husband's candy
business, Mrs. Ambrose.
It was struggling.
Creditors, loans.
Your husband was fleeing a sinking ship.
No. That was my father's company.
It was worth a great
deal when he passed.
I'm afraid that's not the case anymore.
What am I going to do?
You knew this was going to happen.
I knew there was a legal argument there
and I expected someone
to make it eventually.
So why did we go through
with this charade?
I didn't think it
would happen on day one.
I thought we could do a little
good and get some attention.
Attention?
So, what? You only wanted
your name in the law books?
What's wrong with that?
I'm about to retire. We all
deserve a legacy of some kind.
I'm on your side, Miss Newsome.
But those that seek
to stop us are correct.
They are not correct.
Just because the act uses the
word "he" in some instances
doesn't mean that its use of the
word "persons" excludes women.
That is the accepted reading.
- Accepted by who?
- The courts.
It is the law.
The law can change.
The law is not a stone.
It's a living thing a
tree that grows and expands
to protect the people it serves.
It is a good argument
and well worth making.
But this is beyond my
purview, Miss Newsome.
If you want to challenge
the interpretation
of the British North America Act,
that's a battle that has
to be won in the courts.
(OFFICE PHONE RINGING)
Miss Berger?
Is everything all right?
Yes.
Detective, have you ever been confronted
with a discrepancy between the law
and what you know in
your heart to be right?
I apologize. It's a
a silly question.
No. No, it's not, Miss Berger.
I have been faced with that
very discrepancy many times.
But we must follow the law
regardless of our personal feelings.
It is our job to enforce the law.
As members of the constabulary,
we hope the law fairly
represents the people
we are sworn to protect.
But that is not always the case.
Ignoring the letter of the law
may come with grave consequences.
But that can also be
true of following it.
But in law, just as in life,
only you can navigate your course.
(EXHALES)
(VEHICLES RUMBLING)
(LIGHT INTRIGUING MUSIC)
(CAR DOOR CLOSES)
(ENGINE STARTS)
Sir, wait! Wait!
Turn off the engine! I need to ask
you where you got this automobile.
(ENGINE STOPS)
Same mended wheel.
It's the same automobile, sir.
He says he bought it just this morning.
Uh, the seller was
supposedly Godfrey Ambrose,
but the man did not match
Ambrose's description.
Perhaps Mr. Ambrose's co-conspirator,
the man who fired the gun
outside of the factory.
Why sell it now?
There's clay on these tires.
Still quite fresh.
Did the new owner happen to mention
taking this car off of the road?
He says he only drove
it a few blocks, sir.
The type of clay found on the automobile
is very common to our surrounding areas.
But it is not fully desiccated,
meaning the automobile drove through
one of these areas very recently.
And where do we begin our search?
There is silica dust in this.
It's a byproduct of brick forming.
The Brick Works, sir?
There is a clay deposit
very near to that.
It is my belief that the
automobile drove off of the road
in this part of the Don
Valley in the past 24 hours.
Sir! I think I found something!
(BIRDS CALLING)
- Tire tracks.
- Oh, very good.
But quite a ways from the main road,
and these are definitely fresh.
(SOFT SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(GASPS)
Henry!
(MAN): Hel Help! Help!
(PANTING)
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(GRUNTS)
(PANTING)
We'll get you looked after as
soon as we get back to the city.
Oh, thank God. Thank God. Oh.
How long have you been out here?
I don't know.
I suspect I already know, but, uh,
can you tell me your name?
Well, I'm Godfrey Ambrose.
Haven't you been looking for me?
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
(EFFIE): We need a new space.
What's going on?
- I've quit my job.
- You've quit?
What are you going to do?
I've taken a bit of a leap.
I'm going to dedicate
myself to something new,
which is why I need a space
for half a dozen lawyers
to work for the next few weeks.
I have a room upstairs.
I was renting it out,
but it's empty now.
- You can have it if you'd like.
- Perfect.
Stop burying the lede and
tell us you're planning.
I've filed a lawsuit which
challenges the interpretation
that women are not persons.
I'm going to be arguing in front
of the Supreme Court of Ontario.
He-He was wearing a mask.
He came toward me with a gun.
I panicked and stumbled.
He held up the gun.
He s-struck me with it.
He didn't fire at you.
No. I heard the gunshot as he hit me.
The gun must have gone off errantly.
I woke up some time later.
It was dark.
I was in the luggage
compartment of an automobile.
We drove, and
eventually, he let me out at
the shack where you found me.
There will be a manhunt.
Are you all right to
sit with a police artist?
Of course.
Maybe the kidnapper was biding his time
before making his ransom demand.
But for weeks?
It takes a lot of work to
confine a man for that long.
There has to be another
reason behind it.
We'll compare the sketch
of Mr. Ambrose's kidnapper
to the description of the man
who sold the car this morning.
Sirs.
Look at this. The Supreme Court.
- This is going to be trouble.
- I saw.
There are demonstrations
outside of Queen's Park already.
I don't like it one bit, sir.
Men and women are at war!
If things turn violent, those
ladies won't stand a chance.
Now, I don't know about that, Constable.
The women are the ones
fighting for the rights.
So?
People with something to fight for
often fight with desperation.
They'll do anything it takes.
There may be something in that, sir.
(MYSTERIOUS MUSIC)
- What was that about?
- No idea.
You were right, Louise.
I have become a bit of a celebrity.
I'm receiving mail from
women all across Canada.
Nellie McClung,
Clara Brett Martin, dozens of others.
That's wonderful.
You enjoying the limelight?
It's not all pleasant.
Take a look at this.
Ah. A death threat.
Anonymous, of course.
I considered taking it to the police,
but I hardly think there's any point.
I've received dozens
of these over the years.
I have a scrapbook.
Of course you do.
The people who write those are cowards.
Sad little men with nothing
better to do with their time.
Don't let it get to you.
I won't.
Nothing's going to stop me.
Sir.
I spoke to the used auto salesman,
the one who made the sale a
few days before the kidnapping.
All of the documents are
in Godfrey Ambrose's name.
Did the purchaser's
description match Mr. Ambrose?
No, it didn't, sir. It was a woman.
She says she was Ambrose's wife.
Mrs. Ambrose purchased the
automobile in Mr. Ambrose's name.
You don't seem surprised, sir.
In the past weeks, Mrs. Ambrose
has been taking control of the company,
consolidated its debts,
and brought it back from
the brink of collapse.
Should I bring her in, then?
Not just yet.
I'd like to look into
something else first.
(LIGHT MYSTERIOUS MUSIC)
(ENGINE RUMBLING)
- Detective.
- Miss Newsome.
I'm surprised to see you here.
As am I. I-I thought you'd left
the Crown Attorney's office.
Research.
I'm arguing in front
of the Supreme Court.
Yes, I've heard.
That is quite an accomplishment.
Nothing's been accomplished yet.
I've been meaning to stop by
the station house to thank you.
- For?
- Camille Gauthier.
She was given a slap on the wrist.
A detective acted as a
character witness on her behalf.
Her actions may have contravened
the letter of the law,
but I believe she's an honest
young woman who spoke the truth,
even at risk to herself.
Did you find what you were looking for?
I believe I did.
(DISTANT JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING)
We understand, My Lords,
that law officers of the Crown
have considered this question before.
But their conclusions were
based on facts extraneous
to the British North America Act itself.
The question before you is
whether the word "person"
refers to a male person.
I contend that by virtue of
the Imperial Interpretation Act,
passed prior to the
British North America Act,
the word "persons" must be construed
as including both sexes. The
- No other
- Effie.
- (SIGHS)
- The argument is sound.
- I have to get it right.
- You know every word.
Clearly, I don't.
We've been over it time and again.
- You need to rest.
- What if I'm missing something?
We may never get another
opportunity like this.
I have to do everything possible
to give us the best chance of winning!
You have done everything you can.
What else is there, especially
at the eleventh hour?
I don't know. But
I have to do more.
This isn't just about a women's court.
If we win, suffrage will follow.
Women will be allowed to hold
elected office. I cannot fail.
(SOFT MUSIC)
Well, there's no guarantee at success.
But there's also no one
better to take this on
than Effie Newsome.
(LIGHT HOPEFUL MUSIC)
No other intent
having been expressed
within the act itself,
the plain meaning of
the word must prevail.
To hold otherwise would be
to introduce a distinction,
which Parliament did
not see fit to make
(MRS. AMBROSE): Thank you
for finding my husband.
(MURDOCH): Are you sure
thanks are in order?
This is a petition for a divorce
initiated by you, one year ago.
Oh, yes.
I wanted a divorce, but my
husband refused to grant me one.
So your petition was unsuccessful.
Yes.
It's no surprise.
A woman seeking a
divorce in this province
must meet a much higher
threshold than a man.
She has to prove adultery
and an aggravating factor.
In this case, brutality.
He was violent toward you.
What exactly is this about?
(SOFT CURIOUS MUSIC)
Your petition was dismissed
for lack of evidence.
And you did not have a police
report to bolster your claim.
A police report of what?
There was no single incident.
He hurt me nearly every day for years.
But what does this matter?
This is ancient history.
You filed a second petition for divorce
only last week, Mrs. Ambrose.
But this time,
you have a police report.
Mine.
Which confirmed Mr.
Ambrose's infidelity,
as well as the fact
that he fled Toronto.
It was your report.
I merely submitted it.
This proved abandonment,
an aggravating factor,
which might grant a woman
permission to have a divorce.
Yes. They're your words.
But they were precisely
what you wanted me to write.
You provided the receipt for the brooch.
You purchased the automobile,
and you hired the man with the gun.
I did everything I could to
get away from my marriage.
While a man could have
walked away at any time,
the law didn't permit me that freedom.
So you took matters into your own hands.
The courts grant no rights to a woman.
Yes, I took things to extreme lengths.
I had no option!
So you kidnapped your husband
and planned to hold him
until you got your divorce.
And then what?
Let him go.
By then, the divorce would be legal,
and the company would
be under my control.
If he chose to fight me
in the courts, so be it.
At least I'd have a chance.
I'm sympathetic to your
situation, Mrs. Ambrose.
I really am.
But kidnapping a man
is a serious offence,
one for which you may be
sentenced to spend time in prison.
Prison is a far cry better
than staying with that man.
(SOFT PIANO MUSIC)
(OVERLAPPING SHOUTING)
- Women at home!
- Women are too emotional!
- Detective. You're here.
- Wouldn't miss it.
It's not every day you get to
witness history in the making.
Well, we'll see about that.
It's a rather unconventional
hairstyle for such a big moment.
Conventions can be changed.
(OVERLAPPING SHOUTING)
(SCREAMS) No!
(CROWD SCREAMING)
- (GUNSHOT)
- (CROWD CLAMOURING)
(LOUISE): Effie!
Get Effie inside!
(LOUISE): Come on!
- (GRUNTING)
- Thank you.
(KNOCKING AT DOOR)
- Are you all right?
- Yes.
- Nothing happened.
- The man tried to kill you.
I'm shaken, but I'm fine.
- Really.
- He's been taken in.
The Inspector is
sending more constables,
but that will take time.
- You should remain in here.
- For how long?
As long as it takes to make things safe.
A man tried to kill you.
- There could be more.
- No, I-I have to go in there.
I'm due to be arguing my case right now!
- It will have to wait.
- The courtroom is packed.
And behind that door is 300 people,
any of whom could have a weapon.
- We need to search them all.
- That could take hours.
I'm sure the Court will agree
to hear your argument another time
- under these circumstances.
- Perhaps, but when?
This is the Supreme Court.
That could take months!
- So we wait.
- No!
This is our chance.
I-I've given everything to
this case. Why not my life?
(SOFT MUSIC)
How do these men sleep at night?
How can they say with
a straight face that
- women are not people?
- Qualified persons.
- Whatever.
- It's a legal distinction.
What do we do?
There's nothing we can do.
You said that before.
This time it's true.
The Supreme Court has
made their decision.
It's done.
But i-it's not fair.
You risked your life for this.
Someone tried to kill you.
Bravery doesn't guarantee victory.
Well, damn them.
They can't alter the fact that
a change has already been made.
What change?
We haven't accomplished a thing.
Thousands of people have
read about your fight.
Thousands of little girls
know that a woman was a
judge and that men stopped it.
They know it's an injustice.
Perhaps.
Or perhaps those little girls
are discouraged by our loss.
(SOFT MUSIC)
Well, I'm not giving up.
I'll keep writing about this.
We can mount another legal challenge.
I know it's silly to say, but
you've inspired me.
I know I'm not the only one.
(♪)
(THEME MUSIC)