Capital P

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Season 1, Episode 4, "Capital P". Directed by Darnell Martin, written by Tom Fontana.

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[edit] Brief Synopsis

Keane and another inmate are executed, causing Sister Marie to quit in order to join the anti-death penalty protesters outside. Beecher tries to appeal Keane's decision after he finds out that Keane's killing was in self-defense, but the opposition of Ryan O'Reily and especially Vern Schillinger stop him. He laments his lack of spine in recent years, and O'Reily ups him from marijuana to heroin.

[edit] Extended Synopsis

Augustus Hill's narration plays over the sentencing hearing of Jefferson Keane, sentenced to the death for the murder of a Latino inmate in the previous episode, because he was set up by Ryan O'Reily. Sister Peter Marie tells Warden Glynn that when the protesters of Keane's death arrive, she will stand with them. Glynn tells her that if she joins them, she's fired. She then leaves the staff meeting. The inmates are abuzz with the news of Keane's sentencing, the protesters, and Peter Marie's firing; during a discussion on the death penalty, Robert Rebadow tells Tobias Beecher that he was the last person executed in the state, and that his life was saved by the '65 Northeast Blackout (the power cut out during his electrocution). His death was never rescheduled, and he remained in Oz since.

Ryan O'Reily shares a joint with Beecher, and lets slip that the Latinos were there to kill Keane and that it was self-defense. Beecher realizes that he can save Keane's life, but O'Reily angrily rejects the plan and tells Beecher that if he makes trouble, "he'll be next." Beecher secretly starts working on Keane's appeal, but Rebadow makes him see that he has to get all the facts straight, especially from Keane, if he's going to represent Keane. Donald Groves gives Beecher the idea to have himself put in protective custody (by lying to McManus), so that he'd be close enough to Keane to discuss the murders. Keane tells Beecher that, if he got off death row, he'd be killed by the Italians anyway, starting a series of retaliation hits; his death by the state would keep that from happening. Also, he confesses that he might lose his faith in Islam and revert to his old violent ways if he were to go back to Em City, which he fears even more. Beecher tells him that he has to try and save his life anyway, but while researching the appeal in the library, Schillinger confronts him about it and then forces him to eat pages of a law book. Meanwhile, Rebadow is choked and sent to the hole by Officer Mike Healy, for asking too many questions about the videotape of Keane's killings.

Beecher laments to O'Reily that he is no longer a strong, brave person; he lets himself be Schillinger's prag and is too afraid to go on with Keane's stay of execution. O'Reily then upgrades him from dope to heroin. While watching the press coverage on TV, Kareem Said's extremely high blood pressure gets to him, and drops to the floor and is shortly admitted to the hospital ward. Billie is braiding Keane's hair in the hospital ward when McManus breaks the news that their sister is in the hospital with kidney failure, and they try for a stay of execution so that Keane can donate his kidney but the Governor denies the kidney. McManus and Glynn try to get Father Mukada to get the church Cardinal to speak on Keane's behalf, as their own intervention in the public forum would only get Devlin to make the prison worse. Mukada reveals that, though he was one of the best students at the University in the Vatican, he is not favored by the Cardinal for asking too many questions and presumably interpreting Church law too liberally. Oz is Mukada's punishment. However, it is successful and Keane is granted a stay of execution.

Joey D'Angelo and O'Reily get in a small argument about money O'Reily owed due to a lost bet, but Officer Wittlesey breaks it up before it gets violent. O'Reily then tells the Homeboys that D'Angelo was the one who set up Keane, but warns them to make D'Angelo's murder look like an accident or else Glynn would lock the prison down under political pressure. A new therapist comes to lead the psychology program, but the inmates clearly don't respect him during the anger management class. The Homeboys then kill D'Angelo in the kitchen and the death is written off as the result of a burst steam pipe. O'Reily extends himself to Schibetta again, filling the void that D'Angelo left.

Father Mukada tells Miguel Alvarez that his infant son is dying, and the doctors in conjunction with his girlfriend Martiza, are thinking about taking him off life support. Due to Miguel's recent psychological troubles (cutting on his own face and stabbing his hand), he won't be given a say in the decision about his child. Father Mukada has to walk away, and Miguel screams for his help as he goes. Mukada and McManus ask the new psychiatrist to give his endorsement for Miguel to see the suffering state of his child, but he avoids the issue and says he needs more time. McManus gives the permission without the psychiatric endorsement, and Miguel meets with Maritza over his son's dead body. Mukada then performs the last rites on the child. Back in his cell, Miguel thanks Father Mukada and tells him that he on the road to recovery, because of the love he felt for his baby.

Jefferson Keane's father visits him in the hospital, and tells him that his sister Grace is recovering quickly. Keane asks his father to talk to Billie, as a last favor before he is executed, as their relationship is strained due to Billie becoming gay in prison. Outside, his father breaks down crying and is comforted by Wittlesey. McManus tells Keane that he regrets his death. He gets angry with Dr. Gloria Nathan when he finds out that she's prescribing the lethal injection for Keane, and she breaks up with him. Wittlesey and McManus talk about death as they watch the prison protesters oustide, and McManus asks her out.

Keane is read his last rights by Kareem Said and gives his will to Warden Glynn. Augustus Hill narrates, revealing the real-life government lean toward executions. Before he dies, Keane apologizes for all of his murders and to his family for his death.

The next person to die, Richard L'Italien, confesses to thirty-nine murders by strangling just before his execution. Sister Peter Marie asks Father Mukada not to go along with Littalion's execution, but he tells her that his job is not the facilitate the death, but to be by Littalion's side as he dies. In the cell, Littalion chastises Mukada for being chaste, and Littalion tells him that he killed all of those women because he loved every woman that he saw, and then one person loves another, they possess them, and he couldn't stand being owned.

Back in Glynn's office, Sister Peter Marie asks for her job back, and Glynn gives it back with little hesitation. They argue about the death penalty and God's opinion of it, and ultimately Leo tells he that he's glad she's working there again. Augustus Hill ends the show with the message: "Death is Certain; Life is Not."

[edit] Cast

Also Starring:

Guest Starring:

With:

  • Leif Riddell as Aryan
  • Elizabeth Rodriguez as Maritza Alvarez
  • Derrick Simmons as Billie Keane
  • Philip V. Scozzarella as Officer Joseph Mineo
  • Esther Swan as Barbara Deckart

[edit] Characters first seen in this episode

  • Carl Nauerback (only episode)
  • Richard L'Italien (only episode)

[edit] Flashbacks

  • Robert Rebadow - The murder he committed is not seen, but his failed execution in 1965 is shown.
  • Richard L'Italien - He smothers a woman with a pillow during a sex act, the murder that he was tried and executed for.
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