U.S. Male
Written By: Tom Fontana and Bradford Winters
Directed By: Steve Buscemi
Original Airdate: August 11, 1999
Transcribed: October 9, 1999. Last Revised: November 25, 1999.

Oz is the property of Tom Fontana, Barry Levinson, Rysher Entertainment, and HBO. This page is not authorized by any of the above. Absolutely no copyright infringement is intended and no profit is being made from this page.

(Hill narrating.)

Hill: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." So says the United States Postal Service in their sunshine motto adapted from the ancient Greek historian Herodytus. Now back then, "swift" coulda meant a year and a day. Now? Ten am the next morning anywhere, from here to Kukabamba. People all over the globe every afternoon stand at their mailboxes, wondering what might be inside. You never know what to expect. And in Oz, most times, the best part is the expectation.

(Flashback of Cudney's crime.)

Hill: Prisoner number 99C124, William Cudney. Convicted February 10, '99. Murder in the first degree. Sentence: Life without the possibility of parole.

(In Em City.)

Ryan: She had an abortion behind your back, without telling you.

Cyril: I forget what abortion is.

Ryan: It's when the baby goes to Heaven without ever getting born. So let me get this straight. You aim for the doctor, but you got the son instead.

Cudney: No, I aimed for the son.

Ryan: You took out the kid on purpose?

Cudney: Yeah. Now that doctor knows how I feel. He killed my baby, I killed his.

(Ryan leaves.)

Cyril: What are you gonna say to him when you see him?

Cudney: Who?

Cyril: The doctor's son, up in Heaven? I already know what I'm gonna say to Dr. Nathan's husband, if they let me in.

(In the gym.)

Ryan: Hey, where the fuck have you been? C'mon. We don't got a lot of time left. Put these on.

Cyril: No.

Ryan: Cyril, don't start with me.

Cyril: I don't wanna box. I don't hafta box.

Ryan: Yeah, you do.

Cyril: No. Mr. Cudney said I don't have to.

Ryan: Cudney?

Cyril: Yeah. God doesn't want me to box.

Ryan: OK, no boxing today.

Cyril: You're not mad?

Ryan: Naw. As a matter of fact, I think you should listen to what Mr. Cudney says. It's ok.

(In a classroom.)

Cudney: O'Reily. You come and join our prayer meeting?

Ryan: Yeah. (Picks up a bible and opens it.) "Woe is me. This is a sickness and I must bear it." (Closes the bible and hits Cudney in the face with it.) First you go tell my brother it's ok to box. (He hits Cudney again.) Then you promise me you'll never talk to him again. (He hits Cudney again.) Got that? I never had much use for the bible before. Mind if I keep this?

Cudney: No.

Ryan: Yeah, I didn't think so. (He leaves and sees Nathan and McManus.) Hey, Gloria!

McManus: Watch yourself, O'Reily.

Ryan: Cocksucker. (Goes into Em City.) Yo, Bricks.

Wangler: O'Reily. You're the only one that gets that shit right.

Ryan: You checking out the competition? (They watch Said and Hamid pray.)

Poet: Man, they better pray. My man Bricks 'bout to wipe the canvas with them.

Ryan: I don't know, man. I saw Kahn working out in the gym. He's peak.

Pierce: So is my nigger here.

Wangler: Let's go get high.

Ryan: Whoa, whoa. You think you outta be getting high the day of your first fight?

Wangler: Shit, yeah. I'm Mike Tyson, man. I party, then I fight, then I party some more. (He, Poet, and Pierce leave; Ryan moves on.)

Ryan: Hey, Pancamo. Put me down for five Grovers on Khan.

Pancamo: It's a big bet.

Ryan: I got money to burn, man. (Ryan moves on.) Hey, Hamid?

Khan: Yes?

Ryan: I just thought you should know that Wangler's been talking trash about you and Said. I think it's time you taught that heathen homeboy a little lesson.

Khan: Don't worry, I intend to win. In the name of Allah. (Something in Arabic.)

Ryan: Yeah, whatever. Just kick his ass.

(In the gym. Ryan goes to spike Wangler's water with Chloral Hydrate, thinks about it, and changes his mind.)

Ryan: Yeah, right.

(The match between Wangler and Khan.)

Referee: Kenny "Bricks" Wangler! (The crowd cheers and boos.) And in this corner, Hamid Khan! (More cheers and boos.) Touch gloves and go to your corners. Ready! Ring the bell!

(The bell rings for the first round. Wangler lands a few punches at first but then Khan pummels him until he knocks Wangler out.)

Ryan: Hey, Bricks, nice one, man. You're like Tyson all right. Cecily Tyson!

(Hill narrating.)

Hill: A package arrives unexpected. You open it. Sometimes it's a gift, bottle of vintage wine, let's say, from a relative. Sometimes, it's from the Unabomber. An innocent looking box that goes boom.

(In the kitchen.)

Wangler: Yo, those Muslims fuck with us, now it's our turn to fuck with them.

Poet: (Gets on the stage in the cafeteria.) Yo, yo, yo! I got a poem. I got a poem, man! Ever since I got back in Oz, man, I ain't been writing no poetry. But I got inspired by something I saw the other day. So, this poem right here is dedicated to Minister Kareem Said.
That's it
I figured you easy
All you wanna do is get your palms greasy
Capitalize
See, fucking America been in your eyes for more than four hundred fifty years
And now you wanna hide your tears
In your so-called Allah-given mission to help your brothers
Well Allah gave me a vision and I'm gonna tell all the others
Talking 'bout revolution
What I saw, that was revelation
You frolicking with the devil's maiden
Now you happy 'cause now you can manipulate her thing
Well, I'm gonna put you onto something while we locked up here in this clink
While you trying to get us all into the Heaven above
When she forget about your contradictorial ass
Make sure you hide them bloody gloves.

(In Said's pod. He is praying as Arif and Khan come in.)

Arif: This has gone from a private humilation to a public one. You disgrace us all.

Khan: You have a choice, Said. Her or us. You are to promise to never see that woman again or you are finished.

Said: Finished?

Arif: We'll choose someone else to lead.

(In the visiting room.)

Said: Patricia. Tell me what's wrong.

Tricia: I've been getting these phone calls, threatening phone calls, demanding that I stay away from you.

Said: Stay away from me?

Tricia: I saved the tape from the machine. I thought maybe you might wanna.... or the lawyer or somebody.

Said: Did you change your telephone number?

Tricia: Well, yeah. But I can't just move. What if they find out where I live? I mean, just don't understand, why are they telling me to stay away from you?

Said: Don't you worry about that. I'll speak with Zelman. He'll know best how to handle this. How to protect you.

Tricia: I don't want to stay away from you. Fuck 'em. Oh, God, sorry.

Said: No, you're right. Fuck 'em.

(In Em City. Said approaches Arif and Khan.)

Said: Tell me neither of you know anything about threatening calls to Tricia Ross. Tell me. 'Cause whoever it was, will pay. In this life or the next.

(In the bathroom. Said is washing his face and sees Ryan scraping at the inside of his arm until it's bloody.)

Ryan: When I got married, I got my wife's name tattooed on my arm. Pretty stupid, huh? Like a marriage is ever gonna last as long as a fucking tattoo. I told Shannon that I wanted a divorce 'cause of what I feel for Gloria. I still love Gloria and I try to fight it but I can't. She's under my skin, man. She's under my fucking skin.

(In Em City.)

Wangler: C'mon man, I whipped the shit out of that motherfucker.

Pierce: What you talking about? You getting your ass whipped.

(Another part of Em City.)

Guerra: You're asking us to help you take out Wangler, Pierce, Poet. Then you say wait.

Adebisi: I don't want to kill them, or there will be a war between us and the other homeboys. Just want to slow them down.

Hernandez: He's right. We got to make the deed look like an accident.

Adebisi: Poet and Pierce first. I have my own plans for Wangler.

(McManus approaches Wangler.)

McManus: Kenny. Kenny.

Wangler: Bricks! Damn, Bricks, man!

McManus: I need to talk to you.

Wangler: What?

McManus: It's bad news. Your wife's dead.

Wangler: What?

McManus: She was shot, execution style.

Wangler: Oh, shit.

Poet: That's too bad, yo.

Pierce: Word.

Poet: Real sorrowful, Kenny, real sorrowful.

McManus: There's more.

Wangler: What?

McManus: She was found in the apartment with another man. A Ronnie Smith.

Wangler: Oh, damn. Ronnie. That was my boy.

McManus: They were found in bed together. Look, I've scheduled some time for you to see Sister Peter Marie.

Wangler: My baby. How's my son?

McManus: He's fine. He was at your mother's at the time. Anything I can do?

Wangler: Nah, no. Look, do the cops know who did this shit?

McManus: They think it was drug related.

Wangler: Can I go to the funeral?

McManus: I'll see what I can do. (McManus leaves. Wangler, Poet, and Pierce start laughing.)

Pierce: Yo, I thought I was gonna die from not laughing.

Wangler: Word. Jesus. Hold on, wait. What about when I gave him this face? (Makes a sad face.)

Pierce: No, don't.

Poet: Yo, Kenny, you wanted that bitch dead and Ronnie dead, now they dead. Who loves you, baby?

Wangler: Y'all do, yo.

Pierce: Handle it, right.

Wangler: Let's go get high.

(Hill narrating, interspersed with alternating shots of Wangler going to the funeral and Adebisi attacking Pierce and Poet in the kitchen and pouring boiling soup on them.)

Hill: 'Course, any kind of letter from the outside is a potential bomb, blowing up in your face with memories about what life was like before the gates slammed shut. Before someone, definitely not your momma, screamed, "Lights out!". Sometimes the sweeter the letter, the more bitter the aftertaste. "My dear son, I woke up today dreaming of what life would be like when you are free. Telling myself that everyday is one day closer to you coming home. One day closer to us being together again. Everything here is the same. The neighborhood is the same. Even the faces, everyone looks the same. Is everything there ok? Is there anything we can do? We miss you. We love you."

(Shots of Poet and Pierce being rushed to the hospital, badly burned.)

(In the kitchen.)

Pancamo: I didn't see a thing.

Glynn: (To Adebisi.) What about you? (Adebisi shakes his head.)

Murphy: Lockdown! Lockdown! Lockdown!

(Wangler is returned to his pod.)

Wangler: Junior, what up? Junior, why we in lockdown? Yo! (He pulls the blanket back on the bunk to see Adebisi, his new podmate, lying there.)

Adebisi: Welcome back, Kenny.

(In Hernandez' and Alvarez' pod.)

Hernandez: Pity what happened to Poet and Pierce.

Alvarez: They gonna live?

Hernandez: For now. But you know life is fragile, man.

Alvarez: What about me?

Hernandez: How you doing with that program, man? You meet with Rivera yet, face to face?

Alvarez: Nah. Just, you know, mostly talking to Sister Peter Marie.

Hernandez: About?

Alvarez: This and that.

Hernandez: Well, as long as this doesn't connect to that, you're safe with me.

(In Sister Pete's office.)

Sister Pete: I want to warn you, Miguel, there's no way to predict the outcome emotionally of facing Officer Rivera or his wife. Yeah. When you blinded him, you hurt them both. And they may have no sympathy for any pain or guilt you may be feeling. So why don't you tell me what you did to Eugene Rivera?

Alvarez: You know what I did. I don't see why we gotta waste time rehashing it.

Sister Pete: We have all the time you need. And it's very important to articulate what you've done. So, when was it?

Alvarez: Um, last summer.

Sister Pete: Why did you do it?

Alvarez: I dunno, you know. I was all fucked up and shit. Some stuff going on and I got tense. I don't know, you know. It just, just happened.

Sister Pete: What just happened? What did you, Miguel Alvarez, do?

Alvarez: Shit! I, um, I cut his eyes really bad.

Sister Pete: How bad?

Alvarez: I stabbed them. You know, I stabbed them. His eyes, you know. The scalpel, I dropped it. And when it hit the floor, it made this ringing sound.

Sister Pete: OK. Would you like to sit down? Now, why did you do it?

Alvarez: I already told you already. It's 'cause of tension and shit.

Sister Pete: No, Miguel. Why you did this? Something so deliberate. You're gonna have to tell Eugene why, and he's going to ask.

Alvarez: I will.

Sister Pete: And why can't you tell me?

Alvarez: Because I don't owe it to you.

(Later in Sister Pete's office.)

Rivera: This is who I want to sit down with. Face to face and ask why.

Sister Pete: He's here now, Eugene.

Rivera: Really? So what's his answer? I don't hear his voice. All I hear is voices that sound like my own but they don't say why Alvarez did this. They don't tell me why I deserve it.

Sister Pete: What happened was not your fault. And God is not going to answer your questions in a big booming voice. He's going to answer you through talking to Alvarez. So why don't you tell me what you want to say to him.

Rivera: I keep thinking someone is gonna open a door and let me out of this dark room.

Sister Pete: What else? What else do you wanna say?

Rivera: I can't, not in front of you.

Sister Pete: C'mon, I'm a big girl. Go ahead, whatever it is. Say it.

Rivera: I hate you, Alvarez, you fucking motherfucker. 'Cause of you I gotta carry around all this shit in the dark. If it wasn't for Tina I woulda killed myself already. Sometimes I think I should kill myself for her sake, so she can start a new life without me. Somedays, Alvarez, I wish you woulda killed me instead of doing this. (He takes off his dark glasses.) I can't cry anymore. Did you know that? You made it so I can't cry.

(Hill narrating.)

Hill: Junk mail. Selling you this, promising you that. Publisher's Clearing House, you got your American Family sweepstakes, you got Ed McMahon warning you to open that envelope cause you could be a millionaire. And you know you can never win so you toss it. But what if you made the wrong choice? What if this was the one in a trillion time you win?

(In McManus' office.)

McManus: Man, this sexual harrassment thing is eating away at me. State settles out of court, reinstates Howell to her job which implies my guilt. But I'm not fucking guilty.

Murphy: You're a victim of the times, my friend. Years ago, a woman complained of workplace harrassment, no one believed her. No one even cared. Today, it's assumed that every guy in every office is an ass-grabbing pig. Which, of course, we are.

McManus: No, I'm not!

Murphy: Tim, c'mon. You told me you fucked every woman that worked in this place, except Sister Peter Marie.

McManus: So I'm slept around. It's always been mutual. I would never force my way on a woman, use my position to get laid.

Murphy: Prove it.

McManus: How?

Murphy: Don't let the state settle. Take her to court. Get Nathan and Wittlesey and Sister Peter Marie to testify on your behalf. You know, fight Howell.

McManus: The odds are against me.

Murphy: When are they ever in your favor?

(In a hallway.)

Bieder: For the media this is like a seven course meal.

McManus: Meaning, if I wanna take this any further I better be prepared to see my face on TV and in the headlines.

Bieder: Yes. And if the public only half listens, only retains half of what they read, the story will burn hot for a few days, you'll look guilty at first regardless of the facts, then the story will cool. By the time we win, no one will know. You'll have to carry the stigma if those first few days with you for the rest of your life.

(In the staff breakroom.)

Sister Pete: Gloria, what have you heard about this harrassment case against Tim?

Nathan: Claire Howell in solitary says Tim had her fired because she stopped having sex with him.

Sister Pete: I don't believe it. Do you?

Nathan: No.

Sister Pete: But?

Nathan: I dated Tim. You know, when I was separated. When it comes to sex and relationships he's, I don't know. I don't know. Today, anything's possible.

(McManus enters.)

McManus: Pete, Gloria, I'm glad you're both here. I'm, uh, I'm putting together my case and I'd like you both to be character witnesses.

Sister Pete: Sure.

McManus: Thanks. Gloria?

Nathan: Yeah, I'll let you know.

McManus: What? You don't believe Claire Howell, do you?

Nathan: No. I just want to talk to her, hear her side.

McManus: Her side? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? That you think what she's saying might be true? Which means I'm lying, which means you think I'm capable of abusing women.

Nathan: No, I didn't mean...

McManus: Thanks a lot, Gloria. Thanks for the vote of fucking confidence.

Nathan: Tim, wait a...

(In McManus' office. He gets angry and throws everything off his desk.)

(In unit B.)

McManus: Hey. How's Didi?

Wittlesey: She misses her grandma. So do I.

McManus: We got all manner of men in here. Men who've raped women, beaten them, murdered them. Ryan O'Reily had Gloria's husband killed because Ryan loved her so much. I remember thinking at the time, such passion. Could I ever feel such passion?

Wittlesey: Tim...

McManus: You know, I was gonna fight this harrassment charge. I was gonna ask you and Gloria to testify on my behalf, build a case because Howell is lying. I didn't force her to do anything.

Wittlesey: Then why not fight it?

McManus: Because I am guilty. Of using her, her body. Of not giving a shit about her, about her feelings for me, about her feelings for herself. Now I know I did the same thing to my ex-wife. To Gloria. To you. Diane, if I asked you to testify on my behalf, would you have done it?

Wittlesey: Sure. 'Cause what we had was real, if only for a moment.

(Hill narrating.)

Hill: Prisoner number 99K871, Yuri Kosygin. Convicted March 23, '99. Eight counts murder in the first degree, four counts attempted murder, illegal possession of a firearm. Sentence: Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

(Kosygin enters Oz.)

Murphy: Nikolai Stanislofsky, Yuri Kosygin.

Stanislofsky: (Says something in Russian.)

(In Stanislofsky's pod.)

Stanislofky: (Says something in Russian.) Are you here to kill me?

Kosygin: (Says something in Russian.)

(In the library.)

Hughes: OK, according to your work assignment, you'll be here in the library from noon 'til three. Helping out the librarian, you know. Rearranging books on the shelves. You're also to take the book cart to the hospital ward, the AIDS ward, unit E. Hey, Kosygin, you understanding any of this?

Kosygin: Yes.

Hughes: Well, breathe or something every once in a while. Sit over there 'til Mrs. Hubble comes back.

(In unit E. Kosygin is delivering books.)

Nappa: You're Kosygin, right? I heard of you. The most brutal hitter in Little Odessa. Antonio Nappa. (He holds out his hand but Kosygin ignores it.) I'm extending my hand to you in friendship.

Kosygin: I don't need your friendship.

Nappa: Fine. Let me tell you something. My boys control everything that goes in and out of this joint. Drugs, cigarettes, gambling. You decide to start your bullshit here, you won't live 'til morning.

Kosygin: You Italians. So melodramatic.

(In the computer room.)

Pancamo: Hey.

Stanislofsky: Yes?

Pancamo: Got word from Mr. Nappa. Your pal, what's his name, needs to learn a little respect.

Stanislofsky: Kosygin is no pal of mine. I'm a Jew. He's Cossack. In my community he's feared for his savagery. (Says something in Russian.) You Sicilians think you're so tough. He would cut out your heart, eat it, and not think twice.

Pancamo: Yeah, well, you better talk to him. Before I do.

(In Busmalis' and Rebadow's pod.)

Busmalis: So what do you think?

Rebadow: About what?

Busmalis: The new guy, Kosygin. I tried to chat with him during dinner. He sat there frozen like the tundra. He scares the living shit out of me.

Rebadow: Me too.

Murphy: Lights out!

(In Em City.)

Hill: What you got there, Busmalis?

Busmalis: I wrote Miss Sally a fan letter. Oh my God, look! Wow! (He pulls out a picture of Miss Sally.)

Hill: Fucking thing's autographed.

Keller: They're fake.

Busmalis: What?

Keller: They're fake. The autographs. They're done by machine.

Ryan: How do you know that?

Keller: Miss Sally's may be real but not the puppets. Especially not Nooter.

Beecher: Why not?

Keller: He's got no hands. How's he gonna write?

Beecher: With his mouth. I mean, if he can swing a mallet with his mouth he can certainly write with it.

Rebadow: There's a letter. "Dear Agamemon, thank you for writing. Nooter, Pecky, and I are happy, happy, happy that you like our show. Keep watching, Miss Sally."

Keller: Form letter.

Hill: Keller, you're a cynical bastard.

Keller: Do you think Miss Sally sits and reads every piece of mail she gets? With a rack like that she's gotta be getting a million letters a day, man. They got some secretary sending that shit out.

Busmalis: Naw! Really? Naw!

Keller: Hey, look, live in your fantasy world for all I care. (He leaves.)

Cyril: I got an idea. We should write Miss Sally and ask her to come visit.

Hill: Visit?

Ryan: Sorry, bro. Miss Sally ain't coming to Oz.

Busmalis: She might. Who knows? I'll write her. Now.

Ryan: Man, I'd still like to fuck her.

Beecher: I wouldn't mind a fourway with Nooter and Pecky.

Ryan: What?

Murphy: Visiting hours!

(In another part of Em City.)

Ricardo: Time to see my family.

Hernandez: Man, your people don't quit, huh? That's ok, bro, long as they keep bringing them goodies.

Guerra: No shit.

Hernandez: One of these days I'm gonna have to tag along just to thank your mom myself, all right?

(In the visiting room.)

Ricardo: Where's Papi? What happened? What happened?

Sergio: Papi had a stroke.

Ricardo: Stroke? When?

Margarita: Two nights ago at home. Mami was out for work, thank God. He's in intensive care.

Ricardo: Shit. He's gonna make it?

Margarita: Well, they're doing what they can, the doctor said.

Ricardo: I called him the other day to say sorry.

Margarita: For what?

Ricardo: Cursing Isabella. But before I could, it, we started talking about something else, uh, something stupid. What was it? Goddammit, what was it?

Sergio: Don't worry about it.

Ricardo: No, I can't remember. I called to say sorry but before I could he asked me something first and I, I... Fuck!

CO: Keep it down, Ricardo.

Sergio: Carlo. Carlo!

Ricardo: Did he say anything to you guys? After the last visit?

Margarita: About what?

Ricardo: Stuff I said. Was he mad?

Margarita: Carlo, it's ok. I don't think he was. He loves you.

(In the library. Wangler is sleeping and Hughes bangs his riot stick on the table to wake him up.)

Hughes: You wanna sleep, go back to your cell.

(Hill narrating.)

Hill: Yesterday a letter arrived postmarked May 7, 1965. That's 34 years. Musta got stuck in the sort machine or something. Anyway, the inmate it's addressed to is long dead. So they take the envelope, throw it in the dead letter box, without even opening it. Now nobody's ever gonna know what was inside.

(In the cafeteria.)

Glynn: Clayton, what are you still doing here?

Hughes: Where'd it happen, Leo? I wanna know the exact spot where my father died.

Glynn: Clayton...

Hughes: Show me.

(Hughes and Glynn walk over to a different part of the cafeteria.)

Glynn: Here. Right here. (Flashback of Samuel Hughes getting killed.)

Hughes: You know, I've been wondering. Think whoever killed Dad is still alive? Still in Oz?

Glynn: Clayton...

Hughes: I gotta wonder, is the guy I'm standing over in the library the same animal who stabbed my dad?

(In the library.)

Hughes: Rebadow. Seventeen years ago a CO was shanked during lunch. Do you remember?

Rebadow: So many years, so many killings. They all blend into one.

Hughes: The CO's name was Samuel Hughes.

Rebadow: Your father?

Hughes: Yes. Do you remember him?

Rebadow: I'm sorry.

Hughes: Well, you have to remember something.

Rebadow: I don't, I swear.

Hughes: Well, that's just not good enough. I want you to think. Do you hear me, Rebadow? Think!

Rebadow: Please, I...

(Hughes grabs him.)

Hughes: You know anything about my father, you Goddamned son of a bitch,...

Mukada: (Enters and sees Hughes threatening Rebadow.) Officer! (Hughes lets Rebadow go.)

(In the staff break room.)

Mukada: I don't know what to do. Should I tell Leo what I saw?

Murphy: Hughes has made a couple of big mistakes since he's started. When he was working with me over in Emerald City, he kept mixing it up with the Latinos and then he pulled that knucklehead move with the stungun.

Wittlesey: Still, though, there are extenuating circumstances. His father was killed here. That's gotta be weighing on him. And the warden. I think your first instincts were right. I think you should sit down with Clayton, sort it out.

(In the chapel.)

Hughes: Look, Father Mukada, I'm sorry for what you saw. I, uh, I overreacted.

Mukada: You don't have to apologize to me. Rebadow, sure. All I want for you to know is that I know how you feel. So the next time you wanna fly off into a rage, you come talk to me. And maybe together we can, I don't know, maybe we can work through it.

Hughes: The only thing that's gonna get me through it is knowing who. Who killed my dad. Unless you can help me with that, we got nothing to talk about, Father.

(Hill narrating.)

Hill: Then, of course, there's the Dear John letter. Or Jane, as the case may be. When your loved one, or ex-loved one by that point, tells you how much you fucked up her life and hurt her, how much she gave to you in trying to help you, and all you did in return was leave her swinging in the wind. Oh, and yeah, she's found someone else. Someone other than you who really understands what love is.

(In Sister Pete's office.)

Sister Pete: Let's talk about your pact with Schillinger. You met him at Lardner, right?

Keller: Uh-huh.

Sister Pete: How would you describe the relationship with him there?

Keller: What's that thing you become when you first go into a nunnery?

Sister Pete: A postulate?

Keller: Yeah. I was a postulate. He was Mother Superior. You know, I gotta tell you Sister, until I met you, I'd always thought nuns were a bunch of old maids that'd always just given up on life. How'd you know?

Sister Pete: Know what?

Keller: That God had called you, you were supposed to be a nun.

Sister Pete: I felt his love.

Keller: What's the love of God feel like?

Sister Pete: You'll know when it comes.

Keller: Oh, I doubt that. Don't you gotta take those vows?

Sister Pete: Obedience, poverty, chastity.

Keller: At the end of the day when you go home and your bed is empty...

Sister Pete: It's not empty.

Keller: Oh, I forgot. God's waiting there for you. You're the bride of Christ.

Sister Pete: Yes.

Keller: Still, there's gotta be nights when God's love feels cold. When you're lonely and you wonder if you made the wrong decision.

Sister Pete: Have... (The bell rings.)

Keller: Visiting hours. I got my ex coming.

Sister Pete: She's very beautiful.

Keller: Oh! Yeah, no, that's Kitty. That was Kitty. She's my first wife. I got Angelique today.

Sister Pete: How many ex-wives do you have?

Keller: I got three. Four if you count Bonnie. I married her twice.

Sister Pete: I was married, you know.

Keller: See, you never stop amazing me. I'd like to hear more about that next time.

Sister Pete: Yeah, next time we're gonna talk about you.

Keller: I'll look forward to it. I like being in the same room with you, Sister. You give good aura. (He leaves and Sister Pete starts laughing to herself.)

Sister Pete: Oh, my.

(In the hallway outside of the visiting room. Sister Pete sees Keller embracing his ex-wife.)

(In Beecher and Andy's pod at night. Beecher wakes up to hear Andy crying.)

Beecher: Hey. Hey, Andy. Withdrawal, huh?

Andy: Uh-huh.

Beecher: OK. OK, I've been there. Here's what we do. (Wets a towel in the sink and wipes Andy's face with it.) C'mon, just talk.

Andy: About?

Beecher: Anything.

Andy: I don't know, man.

Beecher: Y'know, when I went through withdrawal, I tried to figure out why I was taking drugs, why I was being so self-destructive.

Andy: Yeah, and?

(Beecher stands up, turns around, and pulls his boxers down, showing the swastika tattoo to Andy.)

Andy: Where'd you get that?

Beecher: Your father. When I first got here, he burnt it on. Then he humiliated me, hurt me. He hurt me real bad. I gotta tell you the truth, Andrew. I hate your father.

Andy: You and me ain't that different.

Beecher: We don't have to. You know? We don't have to take drugs. We don't have to kill ourselves to pay that cocksucker back. He doesn't deserve to have that kind of control over our lives. I was alone when I was going through withdrawal. I was like a little kid. I, uh, just wanted my mother, just wanted my mom to hug me.

Andy: I miss my mom too.

Beecher: (Takes Andy in his arms.) I know. I know. You're gonna be all right now. It's all gonna be all right.

(In the chapel.)

Sister Pete: Come in.

Beecher: We're sorry we're late.

Sister Pete: Oh, it's ok.

Andy: Um, I'd like to apologize to you all for the way I, uh, acted the last time I was here. You see, I'm, I'm an addict and, uh, I'm hoping that with all of your help, uh, maybe I can take some control over my life. Because I don't think I've ever had control before.

Sister Pete: Welcome, Andrew. (The group applauds and welcomes him.)

(In the gym.)

Andy: Hello, Dad.

Schillinger: Andrew. You did it. You're clean.

Andy: Yeah.

Schillinger: Wow, how'd you do it?

Andy: A little help from God, and my friends.

Ryan: Yo, Vern!

Keller: How you doing?

Beecher: Came to get some exercise. Work up a sweat.

Andy: They're gonna teach me how to wrestle.

Schillinger: That's fine. We'll just stand here and watch.

(In the mailroom.)

Beecher: Hey. You been looking for me?

Schillinger: No.

Beecher: Really? I thought you'd be wanting to thank me for what I did for him. For getting your son off drugs. I mean, I did accomplish the one thing you could never do. I saved your boy's life.

Schillinger: Fuck you.

Beecher: Vern, you need to adjust your attitude. If not, I got no reason to keep being the good friend to you that I am.

Schillinger: Good friend?

Beecher: Yeah. If not for what I have done, then for what I haven't.

Schillinger: What's that?

Beecher: I haven't fucked him. At least not yet. See, because I was there for Andrew when he needed someone, holding him, comforting him, I think he's developed a little bit of a crush on me. I have been tempted to at least deep tongue him a couple of times, but I knew that would upset you so I haven't. Even though he wants me to stick my dick up his ass. And I'm afraid one of these nights, he and I alone in our pod, I'm not gonna be able to control myself.

Schillinger: You'll be dead before you get the chance.

Beecher: Well, you better hurry. Keller's getting horny and O'Reily's been talking about a threeway with Cyril and Andy.

(In the cafeteria.)

Schillinger: I need to speak with you.

Andy: Go ahead.

Schillinger: Over here. (They walk over to a corner.) Andy, I'm very proud of you. (He hugs Andy.) Kicking your habit like that. And I'm hoping that now you and I can maybe start to have more of a relationship.

Andy: What? You mean get closer? Be a real father and son?

Schillinger: Yes.

Andy: Not a chance. I gotta get back to my pals.

Schillinger: Hey, those are not the kind of men you should be hanging out with.

Andy: As opposed to who? Those standup individuals that make up your merry little band? I gotta tell you something, Dad, my whole life you crammed into my head how superior we white folks are. I don't see the truth in that. I look around this room and I see white faces, black faces, every color in between. The only thing that I know for sure is that we're all shit. Shit don't come in degrees. White or black, shit is shit. So fuck everything you believe in, fuck everything you stand for, and fuck you.

Schillinger: Don't you talk to me like that! (Pushes Andy against the wall.)

Andy: Oh, man, you hit me way too many times growing up! (He attacks Schillinger and his hauled off by the COs.) You fucking liar! Fuck you! Fuck you!

(In Schillinger's cell. He is talking as Andy is thrown into the hole.)

Schillinger: A man does everything he can for his children. He provides for 'em, worries about 'em, sacrifices everything for their happiness.

(Lopresti enters the hole and holds out a baggie.)

Andy: What's this?

Lopresti: It's a little present from your father. (Drops the bag and leaves. Andy opens it to find drugs.)

(Back in Schillinger's cell.)

Schillinger: But when your own flesh and blood renounces you, you have no choice but to renounce them. My son, Andrew, is dead to me. (Shots of Andy trying to resist taking the drugs in the hole, but ultimately succumbing.) My son is dead. (Shot of Andy lying in the hole, dead from an overdose.)

(In the hole.)

Lopresti: Face four, this is radio 320. We got a problem here. Prisoner's OD'd. We're too late for the medics. Send the morgue boys. (Takes the empty bag and pockets it.)

(In Em City, COs clear out Andy's things as Beecher, Keller, and Ryan watch.)

Keller: It worked. Your plan worked perfectly.

Beecher: Yeah. (Looks up to see McManus watching him.)

(Hill narrating.)

Hill: The worst thing is when you wake up and realize you'll never get another piece of mail again. Family can't take it anymore, your friends forget, even the folks at charity correspondence start to back off. So you'll give anything for another piece of mail with your name on it, to let you know you still exist, to let you know you still matter, even to Ed McMahon.