12 Angry Women By Littlesilverstar, silverstar222b@yahoo.com A take on the classic play...with a twist Main Characters: The Foreman: Late 30s, Latina, girls high school soccer coach. An average woman in most respects, used to leading younger people but nervous about being a leader among her peers. Well-meaning, wants to avoid conflict. Juror #2: Late 20s, Asian, accountant. Shy, quiet, opinion easily influenced. Wants to do the right thing but doesn't feel that she has the strength to take a stand. Juror #3: Mid 40s, African-American, bureaucrat. A big, aggressive woman. Very opinionated and forceful. After being knocked up and abandoned by her boyfriend, and dealing with her daughter running away, full of bitterness and anger. Juror #4: Early 40s, Caucasian, financial executive. Extremely intelligent, calm, cool, and collected. Very focused on her career and has little time for anything else. Logical and unemotional to the point of being cold. The most formally dressed woman in the room. Juror #5: Mid 20s, Caucasian, grocery store clerk. Speaks with a distinctive Southern accent. Painfully aware of her status as the youngest and probably least financially successful woman in the room. Strong sense of justice, but shy about speaking up. Trying hard to escape a background of poverty. Juror #6: Mid 30s, Caucasian, truck driver. Not book smart, but plenty of street smarts. Tomboyish, "unladylike," the least formally dressed woman in the room. Prefers hanging out with men. Very honest, hates cheaters, bullies, and liars, and is Willing to use physical violence against them. Juror #7: Early 30s, Latina, saleswoman. Confident, assertive, flirtatious. Slick and successful saleswoman, but lacks empathy and the ability to truly connect with people. Does not take jury duty seriously. Combines tomboyishness with femininity, wears a man's watch but also has the shortest skirt in the room. Juror #8: Early 40s, Caucasian, architect. An intelligent, rational, confident woman. Strong sense of justice and the fortitude to influence others with it. A woman who is determined to seek the truth and will stop at nothing to find it. Juror #9: Mid 70s, African-American, retired. A woman from a different era than everyone else in the room. Grew up when values and social relations were very different from how they are now. Not particularly talkative, but wants to make a mark on the world in her own way. Juror #10: Early 50s, Caucasian, professional activist. Hard-core social justice warrior, full of anger, hatred, and hypocrisy. Thrives on inciting conflicts between others, but can't handle it when it blows back in her face. A woman who has produced nothing in her life, will never produce anything, and is in denial about that fact. Juror #11: Early 30s, Middle Eastern, jeweler. Recent Arab Christian immigrant from Lebanon, speaks with an accent. Grew up surrounded by war, poverty, and injustice. Has great respect for American constitutional government and freedom of religion. Juror #12: Mid 30s, Asian, advertising executive. Intelligent, career- focused, loves to socialize. Lives in a world of numbers and networking and is unable to see real human issues. Sees jury duty as more of a game than a serious issue. Minor Characters: The Defendant, The Judge, The Guard. The Setting: A courtroom in modern-day Los Angeles, California. * * * * * * * * * * * * The Story: An eighteen-year-old boy, a college freshman, is accused of stabbing his history professor to death. His trial for first-degree murder has just concluded and the twelve women in the jury box must now decide his fate... The JUDGE, an elderly man who has overseen many trials, is addressing the jury in a bored voice, feeling like he's done this too many times. JUDGE: ...you've listened to a long and complex case. Murder in the first degree is the most serious charge tried in our criminal courts. Now it is your duty to sit down and try and separate the facts from the fancy. If there is a reasonable doubt in your minds as to the guilt of the accused, then you must bring me a verdict of not guilty. If, however, there is no reasonable doubt, you must find the accused guilty. However you decide, your verdict must be unanimous. In the event that you find the accused guilty, he will face either the death penalty or life without parole, a decision that will be made by you at a separate deliberation, should it be necessary. You are faced with a grave responsibility, ladies. Thank you. GUARD: The jury will now retire. One by one, the twelve women stand up and exit the courtroom. A few of them glance back at the DEFENDANT on their way out. The DEFENDANT is a frightened-looking young man who is simply staring ahead into space. The GUARD, a middle-aged, uniformed man, leads the women into the jury room. SEVEN and EIGHT walk over to the window. SEVEN takes out a pack of gum. SEVEN: Want a piece of gum? EIGHT: No, thanks. SEVEN pops a stick of gum into her mouth, opens the window, and litters the wrapper out the window. She fans herself with a piece of paper and turns to TWELVE, who has come up to the window as well. SEVEN: I looked the weather up on my iPhone this morning. Today is supposed to be the hottest day of the year. TWELVE: You'd think they'd at least air condition the place. GUARD: Air conditioning's broken, ma'am. All right, ladies, everyone's here. Now if there's anything you need, I'll be right outside the door. Just knock. The GUARD exits and locks the door behind him. FIVE: I never knew they locked the door. TEN: Sure they lock the door. What'd you think? FIVE: I don't know, it just never occurred to me. The FOREMAN is preparing a stack of index cards. TEN: What's that for? FOREMAN: I thought we might want to vote by ballot. TEN: Great idea. Maybe we can get the little fucker elected to Congress. Several of the jurors, including THREE, SEVEN, and TWELVE, laugh. THREE walks over to TWO. THREE: How'd you like the case? TWO: I don't know, I guess it was pretty interesting. THREE: I almost fell asleep. TWO: Well, I mean, I've never been on a jury before. THREE: I've sat on many juries, girl. What gets me is the way those lawyers talk and talk, even when it's an open-and-shut case like this one. Did you ever hear so much bullshit about nothing? TWO: I guess they're entitled... THREE: Oh, they're entitled, it's the system, but if you ask me, I'd slap those young punks down before they do something like this. Save us all a lot of trouble. (to THE FOREMAN) Say, how about we get started here? SEVEN: Yeah, we've probably all got things to do. And the heat in here. No air conditioning, and the fan's broken too. I just tried it. FOREMAN: I thought we'd start out with a five-minute break. One lady's in the bathroom. TWELVE walks back over to the window. EIGHT is still there, looking outside. TWELVE: What did you think of the case? I mean, it had a lot of interest for me. No real dead spots or anything. You know, we were lucky to get a murder case. Things like an assault or a burglary...they can be the dullest. EIGHT, a slightly disturbed look on her face, looks at TWELVE, but says nothing. SEVEN and TEN are talking at one end of the jury table. SEVEN: ...and what about that business with the knife? Asking grown-up people to believe that kind of bullshit. TEN: Well, when you know WHAT you're dealing with, what do you expect? SEVEN: I guess you're right. She rolls up her sleeve, displaying a slim but muscular and tanned forearm, to look at the man's watch dangling loose on her slender wrist. SEVEN: Come on, let's go here! FOREMAN: Well, the lady's still in the bathroom. But I guess we can start taking our seats here. SEVEN: That's more like it. Hopefully we can all get out of here pretty quick. I don't know about the rest of you, but I have tickets to the Dodger game tonight. Reds are visiting, and we've got Kershaw on the mound. FIVE has a blank look on her face. SEVEN: Clayton Kershaw. You do know who he is, right? FIVE: (shaking her head) Sorry, I just moved here. Anyway, I'm more into football. SEVEN: Seriously? Even if you're from Mars, you should know who Clayton Kershaw is. (to the FOREMAN) So where do we sit here? FOREMAN: Well, I thought we'd sit in order, one, two, three, and so on around the table, if that's okay with you ladies. TWELVE: What difference does it make? FOUR: I think it's reasonable to sit in order. TWELVE: (shrugs) Whatever. She takes her seat. ELEVEN sits next to her. TWELVE: What did you think of the prosecuting attorney? ELEVEN: I beg your pardon? TWELVE: I thought he was really sharp, the way he hammered home all those points one by one, logical sequence. I was very impressed. ELEVEN: I think he did an expert job. TWELVE: Lots of drive, too. Real drive. THREE: Can you believe it? Kid kills his professor, just like that. Those kids... TEN: Well, now's our chance to give him his. FOREMAN: Okay, ladies, let's quiet down, please. Excuse me, lady at the window? We'd like to get started. EIGHT, still at the window, turns around. EIGHT: Oh, I'm sorry. FOREMAN: Is everyone here? SIX: The old lady's inside. I'll get her. FOREMAN: Thanks. SEVEN (to FIVE): Okay, you said you're a football fan. What's your team? You a Charger girl like me? FIVE: Jacksonville Jaguars. SEVEN: Jacksonville?! That's like getting hit in the head with a crowbar once a week. SIX and NINE emerge from the bathroom. NINE: Oh, forgive me, ladies. I didn't mean to keep you waiting. EIGHT helps NINE into her seat. FOREMAN: Okay, if I can have everyone's attention, please. Now you ladies can handle this thing any way that you want. We can talk about it first and then vote, or we can vote on it right now. FOUR: I think it's customary to take a preliminary vote. SEVEN: Yeah, let's vote. Who knows, maybe we can all get out of here. FOREMAN: Okay, anyone who doesn't want to vote? No? Okay, then just remember, this has to be twelve to nothing either way. All right, all those voting guilty, please raise your hands. THREE, FOUR, SIX, SEVEN, TEN, TWELVE, and the FOREMAN raise their hands right away. TWO, FIVE, NINE, and ELEVEN raise their hands a couple of seconds later. FOREMAN: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven...eight, nine, ten, eleven. Okay, that's eleven for guilty. All those voting not guilty? EIGHT raises her hand. FOREMAN: One. Eleven guilty, one not guilty. Well, now we know where we are. TEN: Boy, oh boy, there's always one. SEVEN: So what do we do now? EIGHT: I guess we talk. TEN: Boy, oh boy. THREE: You really think he's innocent? EIGHT: I don't know. THREE: You sat in court with the rest of us. You heard what we did. The kid's a dangerous killer. EIGHT: He's 18 years old. THREE: That's old enough. He stabbed his history professor four inches into the chest. They proved it a dozen different ways in court. Would you like me to list them for you? EIGHT: No. TEN: Then what do you want? EIGHT: I just want to talk. SEVEN: What's there to talk about? Eleven of us think he's guilty. No one had to think twice about it except you. TEN: (to EIGHT) I want to ask you something. Do you really believe his story? EIGHT: I don't know. Maybe I do, maybe I don't. SEVEN: So how come you voted not guilty? EIGHT: There were eleven votes for guilty. It's not easy for me to raise my hand and send a boy off to die behind bars, whether by the needle or of old age, without at least talking about it first. SEVEN: Who says it's easy? EIGHT: No one. SEVEN: What, just because I voted fast? I honestly think the guy's guilty. You couldn't change my mind if you talked for 100 years. EIGHT: I'm not trying to change your mind. It's just that if he's convicted, he might be executed and even if he isn't, he'll never taste freedom again. We can't decide something like that in five minutes. Supposing we're wrong? TWELVE: Supposing we're wrong? Suppose this whole building fell down on my head. You can suppose anything. EIGHT: That's right. SEVEN: What does it matter how long it takes? So we do it in five minutes. So what? EIGHT: Let's take an hour. The ballgame doesn't start until seven o'clock. SEVEN: (shrugs) Whatever. FOREMAN: Who's got something to say? NINE: I'm willing to sit for an hour. TEN: Great. I heard a pretty good story last night... EIGHT: That is not why we're sitting here. TEN: All right, then you tell me. What are we sitting here for? EIGHT: Look, this kid hasn't been given much of a chance by anyone. The story was all over the newspapers and the damn TeeVee. The sensationalization and the bloody-shirt waving were ridiculous. He was practically convicted by the media before the trial even began. I just think we owe him a few words, that's all. TEN: I don't mind telling you this, lady. We don't owe him a thing. He still got a trial, didn't he? What do you think that trial cost? He's lucky he got it. Look, we're all grownups in here. We're all at least reasonably cosmopolitan. You're not going to tell me we're supposed to believe this little bastard, knowing what he is. He's a backwoods redneck hick. Those people, they're all the same. You can't trust any of them. They're born liars. NINE: Only an ignorant person can believe that. Do you think you were born with a monopoly on the truth? I think certain things should be pointed out to this woman. SEVEN: Come on, this isn't Sunday, we don't need a sermon. FOREMAN: Listen, ladies, we have a job to do here, now let's do it. TWELVE (to ELEVEN): Rice Pops. It's a product I work on at the agency. "The breakfast with the built-in bounce." I wrote that line. ELEVEN: Very catchy. TWELVE (drawing on her notepad): Now check this out... FOREMAN: Excuse me, do you mind? TWELVE: Sorry, I have this habit of doodling. Keeps me thinking clearly. FOREMAN: We have work to do. Now, if the lady down there who's disagreeing with us could tell us why. Tell us what you're thinking. We might be able to show you where you're mixed up. TWELVE: Maybe this is an idea. It seems to me that it's up to us to convince this lady that she's wrong and we're right. Maybe if we each took a couple of minutes to... FOREMAN: That sounds like a good one. Supposing we go once around the table. (to TWO) I guess you're first. TWO: Well...it's hard to put into words. I just think he's guilty. I thought it was obvious from the word go. I mean, nobody proved otherwise. EIGHT: Nobody has to prove otherwise. The burden of proof is on the prosecution. The defendant doesn't even have to open his mouth. That's in the Constitution. TWO: Sure, I know that. What I meant was...Well, I just think he's guilty. I mean, somebody saw him do it. THREE: Okay, here's what I think. Now I have no personal feelings about this, I just want to talk about facts. The old groundskeeper. He was getting some supplies from the storage closet when he heard loud noises. Said it sounded like a fight. He heard the kid yell out, "I'm going to kill you." A second later, he heard a body hit the floor above him. He ran into the hallway and around the corner and saw the kid run down the stairs and out the building. He called the police and they found the professor with a knife in his chest. Now these are facts. You can't refute facts. The kid is guilty. Now I'm just as sentimental as the next lady, I know he's just an 18-year-old college freshman, but he's still got to pay for what he did. That's all. FOREMAN: All right, next? FOUR: It is obvious, to me anyway, that the boy's entire story was flimsy. He claimed he was at the movies at the time of the killing, yet he couldn't remember the name of the film he saw or the actors who were in it. And no one saw him go in or out of the theater. TEN: How about the girl in the library? If her testimony don't prove it, nothing does. TWELVE: That's right. She was the one who actually saw the killing. FOREMAN: Ladies, please. Let's go in order... TEN: Just a minute. Here's a girl who had been studying in the library for hours and wanted to take a break. She looks out the window and over in the next building she sees the kid stick the knife into the professor. The time she remembered on her watch is exactly the same as the time of death given by the coroner. Everything fits. EIGHT: I'd like to ask you something. You don't believe the boy's story, how come you believe the girl's? We all heard her Southern accent in the courtroom. She's one of "them" too, isn't she? TEN: You think you're pretty smart, bitch... EIGHT: I think I just showed that it's more than just thinking I'm smart. TEN: Why, you... TEN goes over and tries to punch EIGHT, but EIGHT effortlessly grabs TEN's arm and twists it painfully. She holds her there, staring her down, then lets her go, shoving her away. TEN slinks back into her seat, defeated physically and mentally. EIGHT sits down with a smile after having shown off her dominance. FOREMAN: Okay, ladies, calm down, please. We're not going to get anywhere by fighting. Whose turn is it next? ELEVEN: Hers. Number five. FIVE: Can I pass? FOREMAN: Well, that's your right. How about the next lady? SIX: Well, I started to be convinced very early in the case. You see, I was looking for a motive. That's very important, because if you don't have a motive, where's your case, right? Anyway, that testimony from the professor in the office next door, that was very powerful. Didn't he say something about a fight between the kid and the victim a couple of hours before the murder? The kid was angry about a bad grade the professor had given him... ELEVEN: It wasn't a bad grade. The professor had refused to give the kid's paper a grade at all because he didn't like the kid's political opinions. He demanded that the boy redo the essay and make it more politically correct. The boy said his freedom of expression was being violated and frankly, he had a good point... TEN: No he didn't! The dead professor was a crusader for social justice like me! That damn Klansman Nazi boy wouldn't obey his professor... ELEVEN: I don't see the need for that kind of name calling. FOREMAN: Okay, let's get back to the point here. EIGHT: He heard the argument, then he saw the boy storm angrily out of the office. What does that prove? SIX: Well, it doesn't exactly prove anything, it's just part of the picture. EIGHT: You said it provided a motive. So did the prosecution. That wasn't a very strong motive. Students feel treated unfairly by their professors all the time. They don't go killing them over it. FOREMAN: Okay, how about the next lady? SEVEN: I don't know what the fuck else I can say. It's all been said. That kid sure was into knives. We all heard the testimony. Personally, I don't get it. Knives are so crude. Now bows and arrows, that's an elegant weapon. I love archery. TEN: You don't hunt animals with them, do you? SEVEN (lying): Uh...no. Just paper targets and, like, you know, apples and stuff. TEN: Good. I'm not sure what to think on the subject. I dislike weapons, but I love the way Katniss Everdeen used her bow to be a feminist and fight the cisgendered heteronormative patriarchy, only killing creatures with two legs instead of those with four. TWO: Actually, Katniss did hunt animals too... TEN: Shut up, bitch! Two cowers in fear and closes her mouth. There is an awkward silence around the table for a moment. FOREMAN: So, anyway... SEVEN: Anyway, I was saying, that boy was just a typical punk kid. THREE: It's these kids, the way they are nowadays. When I was a girl, I called my mother "ma'am." Ever hear kids talk that way to their parents anymore? EIGHT: Parents don't seem to think it's important anymore. THREE: You got any kids? EIGHT: Three. A son and two daughters. THREE: I've got one. (She takes out a picture) She's 20 years old. When she was nine, she lost a fight to a white girl. I saw it, I was so embarrassed, I almost threw up. I said I would make a strong Zulu warrior out of her if I had to break her in two trying. And I made a warrior out of her. When she was 17, we had a fight. Big girl. That big bitch hit me in the jaw. Haven't seen her for three years. Kids. You work your heart out...Well, let's get going, huh? FOUR: I think we're missing the point here. We're here to decide if this kid is innocent or guilty, not to go into the possible reasons why he did what he did. He was fascinated by knives and other weapons. That's a red flag. Now I'm not saying weapons are always bad. I love the skeet shooting club my husband and I belong to. But weapons should only be in the hands of civilized ladies and gentlemen. It worries me when lower-class people have access to them... TEN: Sister, you can say that again. Those Southern rednecks with knives and guns are real trash. I don't want any part of... FIVE: Listen, I grew up in the South. I grew up around guns and knives... TEN: Now wait a minute... FIVE: We didn't have the luxury or privilege of always having enough money to buy beef or chicken or whatever from the grocery store. We hunted so we could make sure we always had enough to eat. I hunted and skinned and cleaned animals instead of letting slaughterhouses and butchers do all the dirty work so you can have your nice filet mignon or beef Wellington. Maybe you can still smell the blood on me. FOREMAN: Come on, girl, it wasn't personal. FIVE: There was something personal... TWELVE: Oh, come on, lady, she didn't mean you! Let's not be so sensitive. ELEVEN: This sensitivity I can understand. I grew up in a civil war. Once I had to kill a couple of Islamic terrorists who were trying to kill my family. Some people freak out when they hear that. If you haven't been through it, it can be hard to understand. TEN: I thought you were a Muslim. Didn't you say you were from Lebanon? ELEVEN: I am from Lebanon, but I'm a Christian. There are a lot of Christians there too. Anyway, Muslim terrorists also kill other Muslims all the time. TEN: Goddammit, why can't they keep the intersectionality like they're supposed to? Muslim and Jew and black and brown and homo and trans and feminist are supposed to stand together against the evil white male hetero Christian cis that oppresses us. Why can't everyone line up like pieces on a chessboard where it's all black and white? Damn complexities of the real world give me a headache. My retarded cultural Marxist extreme left-wing social justice warrior pea brain just can't handle all those goddamn shades of gray in reality. FOREMAN: Okay, let's stop the arguing. We're only wasting time. You down there, it's your turn. EIGHT: I didn't expect a turn. I thought you were all going to try to convince me. But if you want me to speak...Well, according to the testimony, the boy looks guilty. Maybe he is. I sat there in court for six days listening while the evidence built up. Everybody sounded so positive. I began to get a peculiar feeling about the trial. I mean, nothing is that positive. There were questions I would have liked to ask. Questions that the defense attorney should have asked, but didn't. He was a public defender, just going through the motions. I don't think he put much effort into defending his client. SEVEN: Sounds like my brother-in-law. EIGHT: Anyway, if I were the one on trial, I'd have asked for another lawyer, I think. Look, there was one alleged eyewitness to this killing. Someone else claims he heard it, and saw the boy run out afterwards. And there was some circumstantial evidence. But basically, those two witnesses were the entire case for the prosecution. Supposing they were wrong? TWELVE: What do you mean, supposing they were wrong? What would be the point of having witnesses at all? EIGHT: Could they be wrong? TWELVE: They sat on the stand under oath. EIGHT: They're only human. Humans make mistakes. Could they be wrong? TWELVE: Well...no. I don't think so. EIGHT: You know so? TWELVE: Oh, come on. Nobody can know a thing like that. This isn't an exact science. EIGHT: That's right, it isn't. THREE: Okay, let's get to the point. What about the knife they found in the professor's chest? TWO: Wait a minute, some people haven't talked yet. Shouldn't we go in order... THREE: They'll get a chance. Just be quiet, okay? TWO cowers in fear again. THREE: What about the knife this fine, upright boy admitting buying on the day of the killing? Let's talk about it. EIGHT: All right, let's talk about it. In fact, let's get it in here and look at it. Madam Foreman? The FOREMAN goes over to the door and knocks. FOREMAN: Could you bring us the knife, please? GUARD: Sure. THREE: We all know what it looks like, why do we have to see it again? FOUR: The lady has a right to see exhibits in evidence. The GUARD returns with the knife and hands it to the FOREMAN, then exits and re-locks the door behind him. FOUR holds out her hand and the FOREMAN hands her the knife. FOUR: The knife and the story of how it was bought are pretty strong evidence, don't you think? EIGHT: I do. FOUR: Good. Let's look at the facts one at a time. One. Right after the fight with the professor, the boy admitted he walked off campus and to a nearby pawn shop where he bought the knife. Now this wasn't an ordinary knife. It had a very unusual carved handle. The guy at the store testified that it was the only one of its kind he'd ever seen. Two. A few minutes later, he showed the knife to some of his friends. Three. The police identified the death weapon as that very same knife. Four. When the boy returned to the professor's building a couple of hours after the killing, he was arrested. Am I right so far? EIGHT: Yes. THREE: You bet she is. FOUR: After buying the knife, the boy claims he went back to his dorm room for a while, then went out to the movies. He claims the knife fell through a hole in his pocket and that he never saw it again. Now there is a fairy tale, ladies. I think it's clear that the kid never went to the movies. No one in the residence hall saw him go out, no one at the theater saw him, and he couldn't even remember the name of the movie he saw. Instead, he brooded in his room about the fight with the professor, and then decided to take action. He went back to the professor's office, stabbed him to death, and ran out of the building. He even remember to wipe the knife clean of fingerprints. Now are you really trying to tell me that the knife fell through a hole in the boy's pocket and someone picked it up, went to the professor's office, and stabbed him with it just to test its sharpness? EIGHT: No, I'm just saying it's possible that the boy lost his knife and somebody else stabbed the professor with a similar knife. FOUR stabs the knife into the table. FOUR: Take a look at this knife. It's a very unusual knife. I've never seen one like it, and neither did the guy at the pawn shop who sold it to the boy. Aren't you asking us to accept a pretty incredible coincidence? EIGHT: I'm just saying a coincidence is possible. THREE: And I say it's not possible. EIGHT stands up, reaches into her pocket, and stabs another knife into the table next to the first one. The two knives look exactly alike! Everyone jumps up and starts shouting excitedly. FOUR: Where did you get that? EIGHT: I went out for a walk last night. I bought that at a discount store four blocks from the campus. It cost twelve dollars. THREE: Listen, you pulled a real bright trick, now supposing you tell us what it proves. Maybe there are ten knives like that. EIGHT: Maybe there are! THREE: What does it mean? So you found another knife like it. What's that, the discovery of the age? TWELVE: You mean to tell us somebody else did the stabbing with exactly the same kind of knife? SEVEN: The odds are a million to one! EIGHT: It's possible! FOUR: But not very probable. FOREMAN: Okay, ladies, let's take our seats. There's no point in standing around all over the place. TWO: You know, it's interesting that she'd find a knife exactly like the one the boy had. THREE: Interesting?! What's interesting about it. Pfft. Interesting. TWO: I dunno. I just thought it was interesting. THREE: Whatever. There are still eleven of us who think he's guilty. TEN: Yeah! You're not gonna change anyone's mind. If you want to be stubborn and hang this jury, go ahead. The kid'll be tried again and found guilty sure as he's born. EIGHT: You're probably right. SEVEN: So what are you gonna do? We could be here all night. NINE: It's only one night. A boy may die. That's a little more important than a baseball game. SEVEN: Well, maybe we can set up a game right here. Who wants to pitch? TWO (to the FOREMAN): I don't think she ought to joke about it. FOREMAN: Well, what do you want me to do about it? TWELVE (to TWO): Yeah, what are you asking her for? You're all quiet and submissive. You're just perpetuating the stereotype. People like you piss me off. SIX: Leave her alone, okay? She doesn't owe you anything. TWELVE: What do you know about... TEN: Oh, I don't see what all this business about the knife has to do with anything. Somebody saw the kid stab the professor. What more do we need? ELEVEN: The knife was very important to the district attorney. He spent... TEN: Oh, he's a 15th assistant or something, what does he know. FOREMAN: Let's hold it down, okay? These side arguments are only holding us up. (to EIGHT) Well, what about it? THREE: You're the only one. EIGHT: I have a proposition to make to all of you. I want you eleven women to vote by secret written ballot. I'll abstain. If there are still eleven votes for guilty, I won't stand alone. We'll take in a guilty verdict to the judge right now. But if anyone votes not guilty, we stay here and talk it out. FOREMAN: That sounds fair. Anyone object? No? Okay, let's do it. The FOREMAN passes out ballot cards. EIGHT walks over to the window, looking outside as the votes are written and passed back up. The FOREMAN begins reading the votes. FOREMAN: Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. (gasps) NOT guilty. Guilty. TEN: Boy, how do you like that? SEVEN: And another dodo flaps her wings! TEN: All right, who was it? Come on, I wanna know! ELEVEN: Excuse me. This was a secret ballot. We all agreed on that. Now if the lady wishes it to remain secret... THREE: Secret? What do you mean, secret? There are no secrets in a jury room. I know who it was. (to FIVE) Girl, you really are something. You come in here, vote guilty like the rest of us, then some golden-voiced preacher starts tearing your poor heart out about some kid who just couldn't help becoming a murderer, and you revert back to redneck mode and change your vote. If that isn't the most sickening...Why don't you drop a dollar in his collection box? FIVE: Now wait a minute, you can't talk like that to me? Who do you think you are? FOUR: Calm down, it doesn't matter. She's very excitable. THREE: Excitable? You bet I'm excitable! We're trying to give a guilty man the needle like he deserves! Someone starts telling fairy tales and we're listening. Now what made you change your vote? NINE: She didn't change her vote. I did. TEN: Oh, great. SEVEN: I knew it. NINE: Would you like me to tell you why? SEVEN: No, I wouldn't like you to tell me why. NINE: Well, I'd like to make it clear anyway. TEN: Do we have to listen to this? SIX: The lady wants to talk. NINE: Thank you. Now this lady has been standing alone against us. She doesn't say the boy is not guilty, she just isn't sure. Well, it's not easy to stand alone against the ridicule of others. So she gambled for support, and I gave it to her. I respect her motives. The boy on trial is probably guilty, but...I want to hear more. THREE: You goddamn race traitor, how could you? SIX: She doesn't owe you anything either. NINE: Right now, the vote is ten to two... SEVEN jumps up and storms into the ladies' room. NINE: I am talking here! You have no right to leave this... EIGHT: She can't hear you. She never will. FOUR: Shall we continue? FOREMAN: I think we ought to take a break. One lady's inside and I think we should wait for her. THREE: (to FIVE) Sorry about that earlier. I didn't mean to get upset. Glad you're not one of those people who lets emotion appeal to her, like Aunt Jemima over there. FIVE shakes her head and walks away. EIGHT walks into the bathroom, where SEVEN is fixing her long dark brown hair. SEVEN: Are you in sales? EIGHT: I'm an architect. SEVEN: You know what the soft sell is? Well, you got it. Me, I've got a different technique. Laughs, tricks, jokes...and those are for the ladies. For the guys, I have these. 34C's, all natural, pass the pencil test. Want me to show you? EIGHT: That won't be necessary. SEVEN has already unbuttoned her blouse. She isn't wearing a bra and her gorgeous, firm, round 34C's, tanned the same dark brown as the rest of her skin, are now fully visible. SEVEN: Come on, don't you like these? A lot of women are secretly bisexual. EIGHT: They're very beautiful, but I'm fully loyal to my husband, thank you. SEVEN: (buttoning her white blouse back up) Hmph, you're no fun. By the way, I made 127 grand last year, and 80 percent of that was commission. Pretty good, huh? So anyway, what are you getting out of this? Kicks? Or did somebody hit you on the head once and you still haven't gotten over it? EIGHT: (laughing) Maybe. SEVEN: So what are you wasting our time for? This kid is guilty, girlfriend. It's as plain as the nose on your face. So let's end this already. We're all gonna get sore throats if we keep yelling at each other like this. EIGHT: What difference does it make if you get it here or at the ball game? SEVEN: No difference, girl. No difference at all. SEVEN exits the restroom and SIX enters. SIX: Nice bunch of ladies, huh? EIGHT: Oh, they're about the same as anybody else. SIX: There's a reason I prefer hanging out with guys. So, do you think we'll be here much longer? EIGHT: I don't know. SIX: He's guilty for sure, not a doubt in the whole world...We should have been done already. Oh, not that I mind. Just finished a cross- country run in my rig. I love the open road, but it's nice to take a break once in a while. Anyway...you really think he's innocent? EIGHT: It's possible. I have a reasonable doubt as to his guilt. Look, I know we're on opposite sides of the issue, but I do appreciate the way you've stood up to the bullies and bitches in that room. SIX: Thanks. Anyone steps too far out of line, my fist will put 'em back in. Both women laugh, then head back into the jury room. FOREMAN: Okay, let's get back to business. Who wants to start? THREE: I will. Now the old groundskeeper. He heard the kid yell, "I'm going to kill you." Then he heard the body hit the floor. He ran to the hall and saw the boy run out the door. What does that mean to you guys? EIGHT: I was wondering how clearly he could have heard the boy's voice through the ceiling. It's not easy to identify a shouting voice. THREE: He identified it in court. And the girl in the library saw the stabbing. Isn't that enough for you? EIGHT: No, it isn't. SEVEN: Boy, how do you like this chick? It was like the time I tried to talk into my iPhone after it died. FOUR: The girl in the library was a direct witness to the murder. Who has any reason to doubt her? EIGHT: I was wondering if anyone here has any idea... She suddenly trails off when she notices that THREE and TWELVE are playing tic-tac-toe. EIGHT walks over and snatches the paper away from them angrily. EIGHT: This isn't a game! THREE: Did you see that? The nerve! The absolute nerve! FOUR: Calm down. It's not important. THREE: Who does she think she is?! FOREMAN: Let it go. SEVEN (singing): Let it go. Let it go... (She stops when several other jurors shoot her dirty looks). EIGHT: I still question the accuracy of the groundskeeper's hearing... THREE: Oh, come on. He swore under oath. Why would he lie? What's he got to gain? NINE: Attention, maybe. THREE: And now we hear from the Oreo. SIX: Call her that again, and the only Oreos you'll be eating will come through a straw in the form of an Oreo cookie shake after I knock all your teeth out. THREE: Oh yeah, white bitch? THREE jumps up and advances on SIX. SIX stands up as well, getting into a fighting stance. THREE attempts a kick, but SIX grabs her opponent's outstretched ankle and holds it, forcing THREE to hop around on one foot helplessly. SIX then gives a hard shove, sending THREE down into a flailing heap on the floor. SIX gets back into a fighting stance. SIX: Want some more? THREE: N...no. SIX: That's what I thought...bitch. THREE picks herself up slowly and sits back down, humiliated. SIX (to NINE): Now you go ahead and say what you were going to say. Why do you think the old groundskeeper might lie? NINE: Well, it was just that I looked at him for a very long time. The seam of his jacket was split, under the shoulder. Did you notice that? I mean, to come into court like that. He was a very old man in a torn jacket. I think I know this man better than anyone here. He was a quiet, frightened, insignificant old man who has been nothing all of his life. All around him, professors gave speeches, athletes scored touchdowns, students got their fancy diplomas and went on to great careers. This old man saw glory and wealth all around him, but none of it ever came his way. Nobody knows him. Nobody quotes him. Nobody seeks his advice after 75 years. Ladies, that is a very sad thing, to be nothing. A person like that needs to be noticed, to be listened to, just once, before he passed into eternity unremembered... SEVEN: Come on. Are you really trying to tell us he lied just to be important once? NINE: No! He wouldn't really lie. But perhaps he made himself believe that he heard those words and recognized the boy running away. TEN: That's the most ridiculous story I've ever heard. How can you make up a thing like that? What would you know about...oh, shit. Another awkward silence fills the room. TWO: Does anybody want a cough drop? EIGHT: I'll take one. FOUR: All this emotional crap aside, I still don't see how anybody can think he's not guilty. EIGHT: There's something else I'd like to talk about. Suppose the groundskeeper really did hear the boy yell, "I'm going to kill you." This phrase, how many times have all of us used it? Probably thousands. "Do that again and I'll kill you. I'd kill for a figure like that. Get in there, Rocky, and kill him." That doesn't mean we're really going to kill someone. THREE: Now wait a minute. The phrase was, "I'm going to kill you," and the kid yelled it at the top of his lungs. Anybody says that the way he said it, they mean it. EIGHT: Do you really think the boy would shout out a thing like that for the whole campus to hear? I don't think so. He's much too bright for that. TEN: Bright? He's a common backwoods hick. He don't even speak good English. ELEVEN: He DOESN'T even speak good English. FIVE: Ha ha, you just got OWNED, bitch! You know, I think that does it. Madam Foreman, I'd like to change my vote to not guilty. THREE: You WHAT?! FIVE: You heard me. FOREMAN: Are you sure? FIVE: Yeah, I'm sure. FOREMAN: The vote is nine to three in favor of guilty. SEVEN: Man, oh man. What are you basing your vote on? Stories this chick made up? FIVE: I have a reasonable doubt now. SEVEN: Whatever. (to EIGHT) Look, the kid had a lawyer, didn't he? He presented his case, not you. How come you have so much to say? FIVE: Lawyers aren't infallible. SEVEN: Jacksonville, please. EIGHT: He was a public defender. He probably didn't want the case. It's the kind of case that brings no money, no glory, not even much of a chance of winning. That's not a very promising situation for a young lawyer. He'd really have to believe in his client to put up a good defense, and obviously he didn't. SEVEN: Well, who the fuck could? Except the kid's own mother or something. ELEVEN: Pardon me. I have made some notes here and I would like to say something. Now from what was presented at the trial, the boy looks guilty, on the surface. But perhaps if we go deeper, we may find something that indicates otherwise. Now there is a question I would like to ask. Let us assume the boy really did commit the murder. How was he caught? He came back to the crime scene about two hours later and was captured by the police. If he'd really done it, why would he come back? Wouldn't he be afraid of getting caught? TWELVE: He came back to get his knife. It's not polite to go around leaving knives sticking in people's chests. SEVEN: Yeah, especially teachers. FOUR: I don't see anything funny about it. The kid knew that the knife could be identified. He had to get it before the police did. ELEVEN: But if he knew it could be identified, why did he leave it there in the first place? FOUR: I think we can assume the boy ran out in a state of panic, having just murdered his professor. When he finally calmed down, he realized he left his knife behind. ELEVEN: Ah, but this would then depend on your definition of panic. He would have had to be calm enough to wipe the fingerprints off the knife right after the killing. Now, when did this panic start and when did it end? THREE: Look, you voted guilty! What side are you on? ELEVEN: I don't believe that I have to be loyal to one side or the other. I'm simply asking questions. EIGHT: And they're good questions. I think there's enough doubt to wonder whether the boy was even there at all at the time of the killing. TEN: What the fuck do you mean? Didn't the groundskeeper see the kid running out the building? Well, did or didn't he? ELEVEN: He says he did. TEN: Says he did? Oh, come on. FIVE: Witnesses can make mistakes. TEN: Oh, sure, when you want them to, or when she wants them to! FOREMAN: Let's keep the yelling down. TEN: Maybe we need a little yelling in here. These airheaded privileged bitches keep going off every which way. EIGHT: I call for another vote. TEN: I'm talking here! FOREMAN: There's another vote called for. Now everyone be quiet and take your seats. THREE: I never saw so much time spent on nothing. TWO: It only takes a second. FOREMAN: All right, I guess the fastest way is to find out who's voting not guilty. All those voting not guilty, please raise your hands. FIVE, EIGHT, and NINE raise their hands. FOREMAN: Still the same. Three not guilty, nine guilty. SEVEN: So where does that leave us? We can be here yakety-yakking until next Tuesday. ELEVEN: Pardon. I vote not guilty. Groans come from several of the women, while EIGHT, NINE, and FIVE smile. THREE: We're all going crazy in here. The kid is guilty. Why don't you listen to the facts? This is getting to be a joke. FOREMAN: The vote is eight to four in favor of guilty. THREE: Hey, what is this, Love Racist Redneck Week? I want you to tell me why you changed your vote. Don't you know that those people don't want you in this country? FIVE: This redneck's got no problems with Arab CHRISTIANS coming in. THREE: Fuck you, bitch. FIVE: Sorry, not into girls. Not that there's anything wrong with that. FOREMAN: Let's get back on topic, please. THREE: Okay then, why did you change your vote? ELEVEN: I don't answer to you, and I don't have to justify my decisions to you. But in the name of politeness, I'll say that it's because there's now a reasonable doubt in my mind. THREE: Reasonable doubt? Nothing but words. Look at this. THREE picks up EIGHT's knife. THREE: The kid that you just decided isn't guilty was seen ramming this into his professor. What do you think about that, Miss Reasonable Doubt? NINE: That's not the right knife, don't you remember? THREE (tossing the knife back down): Just fucking great. SEVEN: Look, are we really supposed to believe that the groundskeeper didn't run into the hall and see the kid racing down the stairs? He's just saying so to be important, right? FIVE: Wait a minute! SEVEN: And the Jaguars fan is heard from again. FIVE: Hold on. Did the groundskeeper say he ran into the hall? SEVEN: Ran, walked, skipped, what's the difference? He got on, didn't he? I mean, he got there, didn't he? SIX: I think he said he ran. FIVE: I'm not sure, but I don't see how he could have run. He was a very old man, and he was limping. He should have retired long ago. EIGHT: I want to see a diagram of the building. The FOREMAN heads to the door again. TEN: How come you're the only one who wants to see exhibits all the time? FIVE: I'd like to see this one too. FOUR: And I'd like to stop wasting time. EIGHT: Well, I'd like to know if a limping old man could have gotten from the storage room to a point where he could have seen the boy in 15 seconds. THREE: He said 20 seconds. EIGHT: He said 15, and he was very positive about it. THREE: He was an old man! Half the time he was confused. How could he be positive about anything...oh, shit. The FOREMAN returns with the diagram. FOUR: I still don't see what you're going to prove here. The groundskeeper said he saw the boy running out. EIGHT: Well, let's see if the details back up his story. He said he heard footsteps start running right after the body hit the floor. He would have had to get out of the storage room, into the hall, and around the corner to the point where he could have seen the boy, all in less than 15 seconds. Do you really think he could have done it? TEN: Sure, he could have done it. ELEVEN: He walked slowly, and he limped. EIGHT begins to move chairs around. TWELVE: What are you doing? EIGHT: I'm going to recreate it. I'm measuring off the distance he would have had to travel according to the diagram. TEN: This is nuts. What are you wasting everybody's time for? FIVE: Hey, now according to you it'll only take 15 seconds. We can spare that. EIGHT: Okay, I think we're ready. Who's got a watch with a second hand? TWO: I do. EIGHT: Stamp your foot. That'll be the body falling. You can time me from there. SEVEN: Are we going to play charades now? TWO stands there, looking at her watch (a dainty, feminine model, in sharp contrast to SEVEN's). TWELVE: What are you waiting for? TWO: Well, I want to wait until the second hand reaches 60. TWELVE: Oh, come on. TWO continues to wait, then finally stamps her foot. EIGHT begins to move, imitating the old groundskeeper's walk. TEN: Speed it up! He walked twice as fast as that. EIGHT: If you want me to walk faster, I will. (increasing her pace) Okay. Door. Hallway. Corner. Stairway and exit in sight ...now, mark. TWO: That was...32 seconds. All the women gasp. EIGHT: Here's what I think happened. The groundskeeper heard the argument between the boy and the professor a couple of hours before the killing. He heard the body hit the floor, got out of the storage room and into the hall as fast as he could, heard someone racing down the stairs while he was still out of sight, and assumed it was the boy. FIVE: I think that's possible. THREE: Assumed?! Girl, I've seen all kinds of dishonesty in my day, but this little display takes the cake. You think you're such a smart white bitch, think you can make people believe you, and you start getting through to some of these weaklings. Well, you're not getting through to me. What's the matter with you people? He has to get the needle! We're letting him slip through our fingers here! EIGHT: Slip through our fingers? Are you his executioner? THREE: I'm one of them. EIGHT: Perhaps you'd like to administer the needle. THREE: For this kid, you bet I would. EIGHT: I feel sorry for you. What it must feel like, to want to administer the needle. Ever since you walked into this room you've been acting like a self-appointed public avenger. THREE begins to quiver with rage. EIGHT: You want to see this boy die because you personally want it, not because of the facts. THREE clenches her fists. EIGHT: You're a sadist. At that, THREE loses it completely. She charges EIGHT, who gracefully pivots and kicks her in the chest, knocking her backwards. THREE tries to charge again, but is grabbed and restrained by FIVE and SIX. THREE: Let me at her! I'll kill her! I'll kill her! EIGHT: You don't REALLY mean you'll kill me, do you? THREE stares and freezes in a cold sweat, remembering her earlier comments. NINE: I'll say it because I'm allowed to say it. Sister, you just got owned like a NIGGER! THREE is still enraged, but knows she's lost this one. She shakes off FIVE and SIX and stares at the floor in shame and humiliation. The door is suddenly unlocked and opened. The GUARD enters. GUARD: Everything all right, ladies? I heard some noise. FOREMAN: Um...everything's fine. Just a friendly little catfight. Say, uh...we're through with that diagram, so you can take it back now. The GUARD takes the diagram and leaves, locking the door behind him. Everyone is staring at THREE. THREE: What are you looking at? She sits back down. The others take their seats again as well. TWELVE: Well, I suppose somebody has to start again. ELEVEN: I beg pardon... TEN: I beg pardon. What are you so polite about? ELEVEN: For the same reason you are not. It's the way I was brought up. Now look. This fighting, this is not why we are here. We have a responsibility. This, I have always thought, is a remarkable thing about America, that we are...what is the word? Notified. That we are notified by mail to come down here to decide the guilt or innocence of a man we have never met. We have nothing to gain or lose by our verdict. We should not make it a personal thing. This is one of the reasons why we are strong. A silence fills the room as her words sink in. Finally FIVE speaks up. FIVE: (to FOUR) Boy, it's really hot in here. I'm going to have to take this suit to the cleaners with all the sweating I've been doing. Pardon me, but don't you ever sweat? FOUR: No, I don't. SIX: Listen, um...I was wondering if maybe we could take another vote. FOREMAN: Okay. I guess I'll call out your jury numbers. One...oh, that's me. I vote guilty. Two? TWO: Not guilty. FOREMAN: Three? THREE: Guilty. FOREMAN: Four? FOUR: Guilty. FOREMAN: Five? FIVE: Not guilty. FOREMAN: Six? SIX: Not guilty. FOREMAN: Seven? SEVEN: Guilty. FOREMAN: Eight? EIGHT: Not guilty. FOREMAN: Nine? NINE: Not guilty. FOREMAN: Ten? TEN: Guilty. FOREMAN: Eleven? ELEVEN: Not guilty. FOREMAN: Twelve? TWELVE is doodling on her notepad and does not hear. FOREMAN: Number twelve. TWELVE: Oh. Guilty. FOREMAN: The vote is now six to six. SEVEN: And we go into extra innings here. TEN: Six to six. I'm telling you, some of you people must be out of your minds. A kid like that. NINE: I don't think the kind of boy he is has anything to do with it. Facts are supposed to determine the case. TEN: Don't give me that bullshit! I'm sick and tired of facts. NINE: As we all suspected. That bitch gets on my...Wow, it's hot in here. EIGHT: Are you okay? Would you like me to get you a drink of water? NINE: No, thank you. TWO and SEVEN stand by the window. TWO: We really could use that air conditioning. SEVEN: Gee, no shit, Sherlock. And why did you change your vote? TWO: Well, it just seemed there was room for doubt. SEVEN: You haven't got a leg to stand on, I hope you know that. TWO: I don't feel that way. There were a lot of details that never came out. SEVEN walks away. She flips a switch, turning on the lights. The fan suddenly comes to life. SEVEN: Hey, how about that! It must have been on the same switch as the lights. Now we're getting somewhere! She crumples up a piece of paper and tosses it at the fan, striking it. SEVEN: Two points. Any of you ladies going to Staples Center this fall? SEVEN crumples another piece of paper and tosses it. This time, the paper bounces off the fan and hits NINE in the head. NINE: That's a damn stupid thing to do. SEVEN: Sorry. I was just, you know... THREE is standing by the water cooler. FOUR comes over to get a drink. FOUR: Pardon me. THREE: How do you like it. Even stevens, six to six. Pretty surprising, huh? FOUR: Yes. THREE: That business before, when that tall white girl, what's her name, was trying to bait me, that don't mean nothing. I'm a pretty excitable person. Where does she get off calling me a public avenger, a sadist? She was just trying to bait me. FOUR: She did an excellent job. TEN: Look, I think we're all going nowhere. I'm ready to walk into court right now and declare a hung jury. There's no point in this going on any longer. SEVEN: Hey, I go for that too. Let the kid take his chances with 12 other people. EIGHT: I don't think the judge will accept a hung jury. We haven't been in here that long. SEVEN: Well, let's find out! NINE: I am not in favor of that. SEVEN: Listen, this kid wouldn't stand a chance with another jury, and you know it. Come on, we're hung. Nobody's gonna change her vote. EIGHT: You still don't think there's room for reasonable doubt? SEVEN: No, I don't. ELEVEN: Pardon. Maybe you don't fully understand the term "reasonable doubt." SEVEN: What the fuck do you mean, I don't understand?! How do you like this chick? She comes over here, running for her life, and before she can take a deep breath she wants to tell us how to run the show. The arrogance of this woman! ELEVEN: I would not speak so loudly if I were you. Your ancestors haven't been here very long. SEVEN: Hey, I was born here! ELEVEN: But you don't appreciate the luck you were born with. FOREMAN: All right, let's stop the arguing for about two minutes in here. Now who's got something constructive to say? EIGHT: I'd like to go over something, if you ladies don't mind. An important point for the prosecution was the fact that after the kid claimed he was at the movies when the murder took place, he couldn't remember the name of the movie he saw or which actors were in it. This lady has made that point a couple of times. FOUR: That is correct. It was the only alibi the boy offered and he himself couldn't back it up with any details. EIGHT: Do you think you could remember details like that after an upsetting experience? FOUR: Yes, if there were any special details to remember. The boy couldn't remember the details because he wasn't there. EIGHT: He remembered them correctly in court. FOUR: Yes. He had six months from the day of the murder to the day of the trial in which to memorize them. It's not difficult for a lawyer to find out what movie was playing at a particular theater on a particular night. I'll take the testimony from right after the murder, when he couldn't remember a thing about the movies, upsetting experience or not. EIGHT: I'd like to ask you a personal question, if you don't mind. FOUR: Go ahead. EIGHT: Where were you last night? FOUR: I was home, reading. EIGHT: And the night before that? THREE: Come on, what is this? FOUR: No, it's okay. I was tired and went to bed early. EIGHT: And the night before that? FOUR: That was Tuesday night. My husband and I played poker with our friends. EIGHT: And Monday night? SEVEN: When you get to New Year's Eve 1984, let me know. FOUR: Monday night...my husband and I went to the movies. EIGHT: What did you see? FOUR: It was...ah...Murder at the Northwestern Lodge. TWO: I saw that! It was Murder at the NorthEASTern Lodge. FOUR: Uh...yeah...that's right. EIGHT: Who was in it? FOUR: Charlie...Simpson...or was it Sampson? Huh, I'm not sure. EIGHT: Who else? FOUR: Jennifer...uh...Jennifer something. EIGHT: And you didn't go through an upsetting experience, did you? FOUR: No, I didn't. A bead of sweat drips down FOUR's face. She wipes it off with a tissue. FIVE: Wow. Owning clowns like Three and Ten is one thing, but owning Four is an achievement! And you made her sweat! You go, girl! FIVE high-fives EIGHT. FOUR rolls her eyes in irritation, wanting to say something but knowing she's just lost a major battle. It's not Waterloo yet, but it's getting awfully cold as her troops begin their retreat from Russia. TEN: Well, you can talk until your tongue is dragging on the floor. The boy is guilty, period. You know what I mean, my friend? (She coughs) Who's got those cough drops? TWO: They're all gone...my friend. TWELVE (looking at her watch, then at SEVEN): With the traffic, you'll now be officially late for your ballgame. SEVEN: Eh, it's Dodger Stadium. Most people don't arrive till the third inning anyway. FOREMAN: Well, we're still tied up six to six. Who's got a suggestion? TWELVE: It's 6:05. Let's get some dinner. FOREMAN: Why don't we wait until seven? TWELVE (shrugs): Fine by me. TWO: Say, could I see that knife? There's something that's been bothering me, and as long as we're stuck...Now the stab wound. It was made at a downward angle. The boy was 5'7" tall. The professor was 6'2". It's very awkward to stab down into the chest of someone over half a foot taller. THREE: What are you talking about? Give me that. Now someone get up. THREE looks around the room, knife in hand. EIGHT is standing by the wall. THREE approaches her. THREE: Now everybody watch closely, because I'm only going to do this once. I'll make myself about six or seven inches shorter. Now... THREE draws the knife back. Everybody jumps up, freaked out that THREE might stab EIGHT for real. THREE: Nobody's hurt, right? EIGHT: Nobody's hurt. THREE: Now this is the angle I'd stab someone taller than I was. Down and in. TWELVE tries it for herself. TWELVE: Hmm. Down and in. Guess you're right. FIVE: Now wait a minute. Let me see that knife. (She demonstrates) See, anyone experienced with knives, like the boy, would never handle a knife that way. You'd lose too much time switching hands. The boy would have stabbed underhanded, and the wound would be at an upward angle. THREE: How do you know that? FIVE: Remember, I'm one of those redneck types. We know a lot about weapons. SEVEN: Were you there? FIVE: No, and neither was anyone else. But I think this shows that whoever murdered the professor was inexperienced with knives. TEN: That's bullshit. You can't say something like that. FIVE: I'm not making any guarantees, I'm just saying what's more likely than not. FOUR: I don't think you can say what kind of wound the boy would or wouldn't have made simply because he knew how to handle a knife. EIGHT (to TWELVE): What do you think? TWELVE: I don't know. THREE: What do you mean, you don't know? TWELVE: I just don't know. EIGHT (to SEVEN): How about you? SEVEN: Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting mighty sick of all this yakkety-yakking back and forth. It's getting us nowhere. So I guess I'LL have to do something about it. I'm changing my vote to not guilty. THREE: You're WHAT?! SEVEN: You heard me. I...ah, had enough. THREE: What do you mean, you've had enough? That's no answer! SEVEN: Hey, you just look out for yourself, okay? ELEVEN: She's right! That's not an answer! What kind of a woman are you? You have sat here and voted guilty with the rest of us because there are some baseball tickets burning a hole in your pocket. Now you change your vote because you say you've had enough?! SEVEN: Now listen... ELEVEN: Who tells you you have the right to play like this with a man's life? SEVEN: Now listen. You can't talk like that to me. ELEVEN: I can talk like that to you. If you want to vote not guilty, then do it because you are convinced the man is not guilty. And if you think he is guilty, then vote that way. Don't you have the guts to do what you think is right? SEVEN (her Latina temper flaring up): I have the guts, and the kickboxing skills, to kick your ass. SIX reaches out to grab SEVEN, but ELEVEN waves SIX off. ELEVEN: I would advise against that particular course of action. SEVEN: Afraid of me, bitch? SEVEN performs a fast tumbling pass of a cartwheel followed by a pair of back handsprings towards ELEVEN. Swiftly landing upright, SEVEN unleashes a high crescent kick, but ELEVEN ducks under it, stuns her opponent with a punch to the jaw, then performs a standing back handspring, kicking SEVEN in the face and knocking her down. SEVEN (dizzy): What the fuck? Where did YOU learn that shit? ELEVEN: When you grow up in a civil war, you learn to fight, or you learn to die. EIGHT, who can't help smiling a little, helps SEVEN back to her feet. SEVEN: This isn't over. EIGHT: Yes, it is. Now let it go. TWO: (singing) Let it go. Let it go-o.... Several of the jurors enjoy the song this time. SEVEN sits down in a huff, still angry but knowing that further battle is pointless. ELEVEN: Now, getting back to where we were. Guilty or not guilty? SEVEN: I told you. Not guilty. ELEVEN: Why? SEVEN: Look, I don't have to... ELEVEN: You do have to! Why? SEVEN: I...uh...don't think he's guilty. EIGHT: I want another vote. FOREMAN: Okay, there's another vote called for. I guess the quickest way is a show of hands. All those voting not guilty, please raise your hands. TWO, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, and ELEVEN raise their hands. After a couple of seconds, TWELVE and the FOREMAN raise their hands too. FOREMAN: All those voting guilty? Only THREE, FOUR, and TEN raise their hands. FOREMAN: The vote is nine to three in favor of acquittal. THREE immediately jumps up and storms over to the window in a huff. TEN jumps up as well and begins the infamous rant scene. TEN: I don't understand you people! All those little bullshit details you keep bringing up, they don't mean jack shit! You saw that kid just like I did. You're not going to tell me you believe his phony story, knowing what he is. Look, you know how these rednecks are. They lie. It's born in them. FIVE jumps up and turns her back on TEN. TEN: And they don't need any big reason to kill someone, either. They love their guns and knives, and if someone makes them mad, pow! SIX, EIGHT, and NINE jump up and turn their backs on TEN. TEN: They drink, too. Redneck moonshine. Those goddamn backwoods hicks, they're all a bunch of Klansmen and Nazis! TWO, ELEVEN, TWELVE, and the FOREMAN jump up and turn their backs on TEN. TEN: They're not just wrong, they're evil! Just plain evil! It's our job as warriors for social justice to stop them by any means necessary! We need to build New Auschwitz and New Treblinka and GAS those untermensch motherfuckers! SEVEN: Okay, I'm just about the least caring person you'll ever meet, but this is too fucked up even for me. SEVEN jumps up and turns her back on TEN. TEN: Listen to me! (going over to THREE) You'll listen, right! You hate redneck crackers, don't you? THREE: I do hate rednecks. But I hate self-righteous hypocritical rich white bitches like you a lot more. Now fuck off, cunt. Only FOUR is still seated at the jury table. TEN approaches her. TEN: How about you? Will you listen to me? FOUR: I have. And I have one thing to say in response. TEN (hopeful): Yes? FOUR beckons TEN close with her finger, then suddenly punches her in the nose. TEN, her large, ugly hook-nose broken by the brutal blow, wipes the blood away and goes over and sits in the corner, the target of a well-deserved humiliation that's been a long time coming. FIVE: New Auschwitz and New Treblinka, huh? Who's the Nazi now? If you weren't so pathetic I'd curb-stomp you right now. One by one the jurors return to their seats. EIGHT: It's always difficult to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this. Some people, obviously, have more difficulty with it than others. Wherever you run into it, prejudice always obscures the truth. I don't know what the truth is, and I don't suppose anybody will ever really know. But nine of us now seem to feel that the defendant is innocent. We can't be sure, but there's a reasonable doubt in our minds. We nine can't understand why you three are still so sure. Perhaps you can tell us. FOUR: I'll try. You've made some excellent points, but I still believe the boy is guilty of murder. I have two reasons. One, the testimony from the girl in the library, who actually saw the murder committed. That's the most important testimony. And two, the fact that she described the stabbing, in court, by saying she saw the killer raise his arm and stab downward into the professor's chest. She saw him do it, the "wrong" way. THREE: That's absolutely right. FOUR: As far as I'm concerned, this is unshakeable testimony. (looking at TWELVE) What do you think? TWELVE: I don't know... FOUR: Frankly, I don't see how you can vote for acquittal. TWELVE: All right! I'm changing my vote back to guilty. THREE: Eight to four. Anyone else? NINE: Why is this such a personal triumph for you, this one vote? THREE: Okay, then I say we're a hung jury. How about it? EIGHT: Let's go over it again. THREE: We've been over it again. The lady in the gray dress here is bouncing backwards and forwards like a tennis ball. TWELVE looks down at her hands and says nothing. TWO: Why are you being all submissive and quiet like that? Don't you know you're just perpetuating the stereotype? FOUR (scowling at THREE and TWO): There's no point in getting nasty, either of you. This isn't a contest. Maybe we can talk about setting some sort of time limit. (looking at her watch) It's half past six. Perhaps seven o'clock is the point where we can begin to discuss whether we're a hung jury or not. FOUR removes her glasses and rubs her nose. NINE: Don't you feel well? FOUR: I feel perfectly well, thank you. Now I was saying ... NINE: Pardon me for interrupting, but you made a gesture that reminded me of something. FOUR: I'm trying to settle something here. Do you mind? NINE: Well, I think this is important. FOUR: Go ahead, then. NINE: Thank you. Now, may I ask why you were rubbing your nose like that? THREE: Come on, will you? NINE: At this point I happen to be speaking to the lady sitting next to you! THREE slumps down, cowering in fear of a much smaller and older woman. NINE: Now, about your nose... FOUR: If it's any of your business, I was rubbing it because it bothers me a little. NINE: Oh, I'm sorry. Is it because of your glasses? FOUR: Yes, it is. Now can we get on to something else? NINE: Your glasses made those two deep impressions on the sides of your nose. I hadn't noticed that before. SEVEN: Will you come on already with the optometrist bit? NINE: The girl from the library who testified in court had those same marks on her nose. FOUR: She had the same marks on her nose. So she wore glasses. And the point is? NINE: (reading from her notes) The girl testified that she took a break from studying, took off her glasses, and THEN looked out the window and saw the killing. Shouting and swearing erupt in the room. Paper rustles as the other women scramble for their own notes. FIVE: That's right! She did! ELEVEN: Yes, that's exactly what she said. EIGHT: Everyone agrees that the killer began running away immediately after stabbing the professor. By the time the girl could have put on her glasses, she would have seen at most only the back of the killer as he ran away. THREE: How do you know she couldn't have identified him without her glasses? How do you know what kind of glasses she wore? Maybe she was farsighted! EIGHT: I don't know. I only know that the girl's eyesight is now in question. ELEVEN: She would have had to identify someone eighty feet away, without her glasses. TWO: You can't send a boy to the needle, or even life, on evidence like that! EIGHT: Maybe she honestly thought she saw the kid kill his professor. I say she only saw a blur. For all we know, she wouldn't even have been able to tell if the killer was male or female. TEN: That's ridiculous. That's just bullshit. It had to be a man. SIX: Hey, look, the Nazi's talking. TEN sputters in rage, but no one defends her, not even THREE. EIGHT: Do you still think he's guilty? FOUR: There's a reasonable doubt in my mind now. Not guilty. TWELVE: I agree. Not guilty. EIGHT (to THREE): How about you? THREE: It can't be! That redneck white boy has to be guilty! Little punk kid, disrespecting his elders like that! Just like my goddamn excuse for a daughter, betraying me like that! She ran off! With a white boy! He knocked her up! And he stayed with her! Unlike the black bastard who knocked me up and left me to raise my daughter all alone! How could he abandon his black queen like that, when a white boy doesn't?! Oh, Malcolm X, Samir Shabazz, Jeremiah Wright, why have you forsaken me? Truth...too painful for a proud black woman like me... ELEVEN: Cognitive dissonance. Much pain comes from it. NINE: (to THREE) Open your eyes, sister. You're still a slave, but you're wrong about who the massa is. The white redneck is not the massa, and never was. Even in the old days those folks didn't own slaves. Cultural Marxists, white and black, are the real massas. But you can break free of your chains. Just say the words. Fuck Obama. Fuck Biden. Fuck Clinton. Fuck Wright and Malcolm and Shabazz. THREE: (sobbing) I can't. Too soon. Too soon. EIGHT: Then just say two other words. They'll be enough to get you off the plantation. You know what they are. THREE: (softly) Not guilty. FOREMAN: Well, is that everyone... TEN: No, it is not. Everyone turns around. TEN has grabbed TWO and is holding the murder knife to her throat. SIX: Cunt, are you fucking INSANE?! I'll... TEN: Don't come any closer, or I'll cut her throat! EIGHT: Let her go. Now. TEN: I won't. I won't lose! I can't lose! ELEVEN: You've already lost. Now just surrender. Nothing good can come of this. TEN: No! I WILL WIN, dammit! I'll find a way! FIVE: Come on. You don't have what it takes to kill her. TEN: Oh, no? Well, I've killed before. And I can kill again. You're right, actually. The boy is innocent. I know because I killed the professor. EVERYONE ELSE: WHAT?! TEN: I visited the campus often for my social justice crusades. That fucking redneck boy kept heckling me and humiliating and outsmarting me! So I plotted my revenge. The professor was expendable. I'd kill millions if I could, what's one life to me? I framed that punk kid. Getting on the jury was an afterthought. It was a long shot and unnecessary - the case was a slam dunk - but it felt so cool when I actually got on. But you had to ruin it! Well, if I'm going down, I'm not going alone! TWO: Like hell you are! TWO stomps down hard, her high heel piercing deep into TEN's foot. She withdraws the heel with a squishing sound as TEN screams and TWO is able to break free. TEN glares at the others, then focuses her rage on EIGHT. TEN: You were the leader, you ruined it all! TEN hurls her knife at EIGHT. Showing incredible reflexes, EIGHT catches the knife and hurls it back at TEN. The knife flies into TEN's heart with a THUNK. TEN's corpse collapses to the floor. FIVE: Holy shit. Did that just happen? ELEVEN: I'm afraid so. EIGHT: Are you okay? TWO: Yes, I'm fine. The knife didn't nick me when I twisted free. EIGHT: Thank God. Nice move you did there. TWO: Me? How about you? That catch was amazing! Where did you learn that? EIGHT: My dad taught me. Never thought I'd have to use it. FIVE: So what happens now? SEVEN: I'm going to miss the whole ballgame. The door opens and the GUARD walks in. He stares in shock at the scene. FOREMAN: You see, it happened like this... THE END