AT&T’s Mr. Mercedes
Season 3, Episode 7: “The End of the Beginning”
Directed by Jack Bender
Written by David E. Kelley & Jonathan Shapiro

* For a recap & review of the previous episode, “Bad to Worse” – click here
* For a recap & review of the next episode, “Mommy Deadest” – click here
At home, Alma is changing the bandage on Morris’s leg wound. He’s no longer in shock, and that isn’t helping. She sucks a bit of nasty ooze out of it, washing her mouth with Listerine and disinfecting the wound with it— that is one HARD woman! Even more than that, she considers all this “exciting times.” The look on his face when she says that is one of astonishment. Morris has been under Alma’s spell for years. But he’s beginning to truly see how fucked up that is, at this very moment.

Jerome is thinking about trying to talk to Pete. He knows there’s something there, coupled with the fact Bill’s found out the kid has become a “Rothstein scholar” at school in Ida’s class. Then there’s Jerome, acting strange around Holly after how he found her before trial. She makes things awkward with a remark about “suicide watch” and feels shitty for bringing it up. Later, they do have a good conversation about suicide, and a frank one. Apart from that, Jerome finds out a curious connection to Alma— she wrote the author nasty letters.

“Pain is just weakness leaving the body”

We find that Halliday got Pete $75K for a single page of Rothstein’s work. The kid can barely believe it. He wonders if the book dealer is holding out on him. Halliday doesn’t want any trouble, preferring to take his cut and not have them ending up in a legal situation over things. He wants the manuscripts from the kid. Pete is eager to be done with everything, only he’s getting greedy. And Morris is keeping an eye on them both. He’s not happy with Halliday. He knows Pete was there about Rothstein’s work. The bookstore owner threatens to call the cops and rat Morris out when things get heated. This only gets him a visit from Alma later. She’s not afraid of his threats. She cuts off the fingers on one of his hands with a cleaver to make a point.

The case of Lou Linklatter might go either way.
It’s hard to argue she didn’t plan the murder, after printing a 3-D gun. Yet she did everybody a favour by putting Hartsfield down. ADA Pace doesn’t think someone should be “popular enough” to get away with murder. She doesn’t believe the law should be malleable simply because someone is likeable. It’s hard not to agree.

At the school, Pete didn’t shop up for class. This worries Bill. He’s starting to believe the kid got his hands on the manuscripts. Ida’s sure the boy’s “a good kid,” but she feels “subtext” in Pete’s chats about Rothstein and feels he might have gotten involved in something bad. Bill decides to drop by the Saubers place, talking briefly with Tom about his son. The former detective makes clear he’s only there to help. This brings everything out about the money showing up. Meanwhile, Pete is off hiding in his stash house, and his parents are stressed, trying their best to get him to come home so they can help.
Alma claims she’s “one eighth Shawnee.” Or, maybe not quite. Anyway, it’s just a way to tell him about her predilection for torture. Before she has to do anything else to Halliday he spills the beans for her about Pete. Oh, man. Things are getting worse all the time as Alma and Bill get closer together. Although Alma doesn’t think the bookstore owner’s trustworthy. So she plans a pick axe in his head. TWO TIME!

In court, Judge Raines reads the unanimous verdict: Not Guilty on the charge of Murder in the 1st Degree, Guilty on the charge of Murder in the 2nd Degree. Lou loses it as she’s handcuffed and being taken away. She sees the figure of Brady in his ice cream truck uniform standing in the hallway, waiting for her. Bill watches on, barely keeping it together. He and Holly go back to see Finkelstein about the immediate sentencing, but Montez interrupts them with something urgent— Halliday’s murder. There are fingers all over the place— one’s even up the dead man’s ass— along with a message FOR THE CHILDREN on the wall. Turns out that Halliday was a “registered sex offender.”
When court reconvenes, Bill pushes to have his voice heard. He says things seem “upside down.” He fights to say that Lou was fighting for others when she killed Brady. He talks about Pontius Pilate and other things, too. Mainly he tries to speak to the idea that justice isn’t always following the law exactly. When Raines asks if someone would like to speak on behalf of Brady. Everyone’s surprised by Lou standing up to actually say good things about the man she killed. “He wasn‘t all evil,” she says through tears.
The judge goes on to give Lou 15 years. He also chooses to suspend the sentence.

At home, Bill has a drink with Ida. He feels bittersweet about it, given that the legality of it all is chaotic. He talks more about Rothstein. Ida’s been getting sick of talking about the author. She asks Bill how he got to be so literate. It came from his father, even if his dad was an asshole. This gets Ida quizzing Bill about where Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World title came from, and he responds correctly that it’s a quote from The Tempest by Shakespeare. Smart lad.

All the while, poor Pete’s paranoia grows while he hides out alone.
Wondering. Waiting.
Great episode. This season has been building to a wild conclusion.
Still a few more episodes first. “Mommy Deadest” is next time.

Season 3 of Mr. Mercedes airs Tuesdays at 10pm ET/PT on AT&T AUDIENCE Network. AT&T AUDIENCE Network is available on all AT&T video platforms including DIRECTV Ch. 239, AT&T TV NOW, and U-verse.