Burden of Truth – Ducks in a Pond

By: Stacy Miller

As Joanna (Kristin Kreuk) is eating breakfast at The Riverside Grill, she overhears some mill workers making jokes at her expense like ‘How do you know when a lawyer is lying? When her lips are moving’. Entering the diner, Lulu (Star Slade) approaches and asks Joanna whether she’s really going to give up on the case. She reminds Joanna that the entire case was built around the barrels in the field. “And now you’re telling me that it’s Conversion Disorder?” “I just know what we can prove and what we can’t.  The truth and legal proof are not the same thing,” Joanna answers explaining that people will always believe the most convenient theory whenever there are two theories. “Conversion Disorder absolves the mill and it doesn’t come at a price,” Joanna says.  Billy (Peter Mooney) enters the diner to take Luna to court.

At the courthouse, Billy questions Dr. Calvin Williams (Kevin Hanchard) about making the Conversion Disorder theory and how it is an exclusion diagnosis based on proving it’s not something else.

Joanna talks with Owen (Meegwun Fairbrother) about the breakins at Crawford & Associates and her motel and how to determine which is professional involving the mill case and which is personal. Owen explains how his stepdad used to call David Hanley as “The Grim Reaper, “someone you didn’t want coming and knocking on your door. He recalls how their old house was bulldozed to make way for Riverside Park. “Everyone in town has a David Hanley story and they all don’t have happy endings,” Owen says. He tells Joanna if she wants to find out why she was punched in the face, she might want to talk with Amy Carr.

Judge Francine Anders (Marina Stephenson Kerr) rules in favor of the motion to strike and the case is dismissed. Calvin catches up with Luna and Molly (Sarah Thompson) outside the courthouse and tells them that their lawyer may have lost the case but now he can focus on their treatment. Molly reminds they can’t afford his treatment. Calvin gives them a standard Non-Disclosure Agreement to sign, explaining that he’ll waive his fees to treat them. Molly signs the agreement.

Ben Matheson (David Lawrence Brown) gives Taylor (Anwen O’Driscoll) a letter from a college and tells her to perk up…they won. “Is this what winning feels like?” Taylor asks her father.

Owen is put on desk duty.

Luna and Molly talk about college and about Dr. Williams’ treatment. Suddenly, Molly experiences twitches.

Joanna goes to see Amy Carr but instead speaks to her sister Erin Carr (Sarain Boylan). Erin says that Amy shouldn’t have punched Joanna but did so to protect her (Erin) because she doesn’t like anyone hurting her (Erin). Erin explains that as a teen she worked at the golf club. She was young and pretty and all the older members would flirt with her, including David Hanley.  But he came off as more sincere and softer and she fell for it. Erin ended up pregnant but had an abortion. After Joanna leaves, she’s approached by a man named Nate Dawson (Richard Clarkin) who tells her that Crawford lost the case but was so close.

Molly’s scholarship to McGill is taken off the table. But Luna is accepted. Molly encourages Luna to go because she doesn’t want Luna to someday resent her.

Taylor tells Diane (Nicola Correia-Damude) that her college acceptance rescinded. Taylor explains how she failed her final and has never failed a test before. Not only does she forget answers to questions now but most times, she doesn’t even understand the question.  “This is not Conversion Disorder,” Taylor says. Diane reminds that Taylor can retake the exam and reapply in the fall. Taylor has a brain injury and Diane assures she’ll do everything she can to help her.

Diana leaves and finds Joanna sitting in her car. She joins her friend. Joanna tells Diane now she knows the reason they had to leave town all those years ago: Her father’s sins caught up to him. Diane makes Joanna promise to say goodbye first before leaving town again.

With Luna watching, Joanna confronts some mill men at Riverside Grill. She tells them that despite being punched in the face and threatened, she’s not going anywhere.  Joanna knows there is something they’ve been wanting to tell her about Matheson Steel. “The truth is going to come out. Don’t you want to be on the right side of it when it does?” Joanna asks before leaving with Luna. “That was awesome,” Luna says. “Don’t ever do that,” Joanna tells Luna. Joanna receives a mysterious text asking for a meeting. As she drives to the location, Joanna tells Luna to stay in the car and text her if anything weird happens.

Gerrilyn (Jessica Matten) joins Billy at a bar stool and they talk about Crawford losing the case and Luna’s father being David Hanley. Alan (Benjamin Ayres) and Calvin arrive. Billy tells Gerrilyn he has to get a paper (the Non-Disclosure Agreement) out of Alan’s bag. Alan comes to the bar stool and Gerrilyn leaves.  He tells Billy that it’s CTS’ custom to open a bottle of ice wine after winning a case. Alan thinks that Billy taking a case that he cared about was a rookie move. When Alan adds that he thinks Crawford is wallowing because of Joanna, Billy punches Alan to the floor.

Taylor tells her dad that she was poisoned and she’s not the same girl she was before; her brain is not working right. Ben assures his daughter that he’d never do anything to hurt her.

Joanna meets with Nate, who tells her that Steve Magnus was also twitching.  He explains that because Steve’s grandmother had Parkinsons, he thought the kid had the same thing. Until the girls started twitching. He also admits that he’s known Ben Matheson since they were boys and helped bury the barrels on the field. With this new information, Joanna can appeal.

Diane and Molly talk about their relationships and how Diane’s ex is leaving Millwood to take a new job and Luna could be going to McGill without Molly. Diane doesn’t want to leave Millwood when her relationship with Owen is picking up.

Meanwhile, Owen watches as Billy is brought into the station and put in a cell. Joanna comes to bail Billy out but he refuses her help, saying that he’d only take help from those he trusts.  Joanna tells him about Steve Magnus twitching too and says they can appeal. Billy reminds Joanna that he punched her ex- boyfriend (Alan). Joanna laughs that is why she is bailing him outside adding that it’s Millwood and someone always gets punched. They later meet Luna and Gerrilyn at Crawford and Associates. Gerrilyn produces the Non-Disclosure Agreement, which she swiped while Billy was decking Alan. Joanna reads the agreement which reveals that Dr. Calvin Williams has a deal with a publisher to write a book on Conversion Disorder. So his theory and pretense on wanting to help the girls is more about his book.

Billy and Joanna go to the pond near the farm and tell Mr. Magnus (Will Woytowich) about Steve’s twitching. If what they are saying is true, Magnus realizes that he could be responsible for his own son’s condition and subsequent suicide. Joanna tells him that it was a simple case of greed gone wrong. She takes photos of the pond.

The next day, Billy and Joanna bring their case back to Judge Anders. “Their expert has a clear case of conflict of interest and has committed a fraud upon this court. And the evidence found at Southview Farms points to a more widespread cover-up than we had anticipated.  We have witnesses who can confirm that Steve Magnus who was exposed to the same toxic poisoning was exhibiting the same symptoms as the girls misdiagnosed as Conversion Disorder,” Joanna tells the judge. “There are more dumpsite around town and every single citizen at Millwood is at risk,” Billy adds. “The ruling was filed yesterday the case is over,” Alan reminds. “You know we’ll win upon appeal,” Joanna says. “This is compelling evidence,” Judge Anders comments. She tells Alan that things are done differently in Toronto but this is Millwood and the paperwork there is filed on Thursdays and this is Wednesday and the paperwork is still on her desk.  So based on this new information, she is re-opening the case tomorrow.

Molly tells Luna that she doesn’t want to break up based on everything she’s going through. “Love doesn’t magically fix everything,” Molly says crying “Everything’s changing. I can’t speak for you Lu but I’d rather face the future together.” Molly reminds how things that are easy for other people will be challenging for her and how she will have to fight. “Lucky for you I come from a long line of fighters. I can always dream up other plans, but I can’t dream up another Molly,” Luna says hugging her girlfriend.