Flippity-Flop is the eighth episode of the first season of For the People.
Short Summary[]
Jill and Roger’s complicated friendship is tested when they finally square off over a DEA raid that left an inmate clinging to life. Meanwhile, Kate is assigned to an animal smuggling case involving the death of an endangered panda and Jay’s emotions are thrust into a case when he learns his trusting father was a victim in a pyramid scheme.
Full Summary[]
Jill sits down across from Roger and questions why they're meeting in a diner instead of at work. Roger says it's because he can't get a Denver omelet at work. They've been having these meetings for two years, always trapped under fluorescent lights and he wanted to get out. She settles in and asks him what's in a Denver omelet. He tells her and she says that's a western omelet, but Denver is in the west. She looks at her agenda for the day, but he asks her if she's ever been to Denver. She hasn't aside from layovers. He tells her he always sets aside six hours on every trip to Denver to visit a bookstore there he loves. He trusts the recommendations of a staffer there named Topher. Then he tells her about a drug raid on Hughes Street. That's all the business he has. She's upset that there's been a third raid there in a month. Then she says for a work meeting, they should meet at work in the future.
Jay shows Tina a picture of a large bird. He's learning about them because Lara likes them. He shows Tina a second picture and she reads the text that flashes on his screen, saying that his dad is his friend's Mobl driver. He tells his friend it's not possible, but then the friend sends a picture and it is his father.
Roger asks several lawyers in the office what their favorite animals are. When Kate says she doesn't have one, he shows her a photo of a red panda, which just makes her feel itchy, and assigns her to an animal trafficking case and Leonard to the drug raid case. Kate wants to switch, but Roger tells her no. Roger then tells Leonard more about the drug raid. He believes they're on the right side, no matter what Jill thinks.
Jill tells Sandra about the drug raid and believes it's showboating. Their client was cutting the cake at his son's birthday party when they came in and arrested him. There were twelve people arrested, but only eleven were logged into the system, so Jill tells Sandra to go to the field office and find out what happened with the twelfth, Brian Torres, believing he could be an unimpeachable witness, an innocent man caught in the crossfire.
Seth is talking to Kate about his embarrassment over saying otter when Roger asked his favorite animal and did the hand thing. She tells him about her own case, in which a red panda died. She got the case because she can be impartial. She doesn't believe they should protect animals over feeding or housing people. He suggests she get a pet, but she doesn't like things that lick her. He says she could get a fish. It helps to be less lonely when you have another living creature around to talk to. She says she's not lonely. When he asks why and if she's seeing someone, she says she'd tell him if he were a fish.
Jay asks his dad about being a Mobl driver. Sam Simmons talks about Kool & Klean, a company that makes water filters. He thought he'd be able to make money off of it because everyone wants clean water after Flint. He didn't realize New York City has the cleanest water in the country and no one was interested in buying the filters. He has $5,000 worth of filters in the basement. Jay says $5,000 isn't a disaster, but when he asks his dad if it's more, he gets brushed off. His dad says he'll handle it and it's not Jay's concern. He'll make the money back and it's his job to fix it.
Leonard tells Roger about the missing person on the intake form.
Sandra asks the desk officer at the DEA office about Brian Torres. He's not interested in helping her, but she says she can compel him to testify at the trial if she wants to, so he looks up Brian in the computer. It says he was booked in to holding room three, but says if they had him, they'd still have his stuff. He opens the locker and is shocked to see Brian's things in there.
Roger and the officer run to the holding cell, where they find Brian Torres nearly dead on the floor. The officer calls for help.
Roger tells Jill and Sandra that he dropped the charges. Jill says that's not enough. She wants him to bring charges against the agent who left him in there. Roger says it was stupid and awful, but not criminal. Jill says that's what they say every time. No one is ever responsible for the tragedy. Jill asks if he saw the video. Roger doesn't have to, but Jill tells him about the struggle Brian Torres faced during those four days. The agent was fired. Roger's sorry what happened, but it was just an accident. Jill suggests that next time he's in Denver, he should skip the bookstore and head to Florence, where every prisoner is in solitary. See what it does to a person. Or just watch the video of Brian Torres.
Jay asks Allison if Seth is a reasonable guy. He wants to talk to Seth about bringing a case. Seth's the only prosecutor he knows. Except Kate Littlejohn. But he'd rather get food poisoning than talk to Kate Littlejohn. Allison says Seth is reasonable for the most part. Allison offers to call for him, but Jay says he can do it.
Kate is meeting with Sharon Dodds, the lawyer for the animal traffickers. Sharon comments that they usually just pay a fine and move on, but Kate wants to be thorough. Sharon claims the red panda was alive when it hit US soil and customs killed it, not her client. Kate says she'll be in touch after she's seen the body. Sharon's surprised she's taking it so seriously. She offers Kate her card so they can get drinks, saying they'll be seeing a lot of each other if she's the animal lady. Kate denies being the animal lady and declines the card.
Leonard says someone leaked the video of Brian Torres and Roger knows it was Jill. It's awful. Roger tells him to draw up charges against Kirk Keener. They've been put in a box and now they have to do something. They need to show the public that they take it seriously without losing the trust of the DEA.
Sandra goes to see Jill, who is excited. She has a bottle of champagne which she bought in 2004 for the World Series when the Yankees had a shot at it. But in the fourth game, the last batter walked, giving the Red Sox the win and they ended up winning the series, breaking an 86-year curse. The only thing more incredible than what they did that day is Roger Gunn bringing charges against a DEA agent. They finally get to drink the champagne. As Jill prepares to open the bottle, an aide comes in with a file. Jill drops the bottle back into the drawer she pulled it out of.
In the courtroom, Roger and Leonard are prosecuting Kirk Keener and Jill and Sandra have been assigned to defend him. Nicholas is excited and wants to get started.
Nicholas sets bail at $250,000 on the condition that Kirk surrenders all weapons and has no contact with the victim or victim's family. Jill says that's too high to be within her client's means. Despite that, it stands. As he leaves, Roger tells Jill to be careful what she wishes for.
Jill reviews with Kirk what he's been charged with. He knows it's hard for her to have to defend him. He's been a witness in five of her cases. She says he's her client and she's there to represent him now. Kirk says it was an accident. He arrested Torres because his name matched the suspect in another case. He told Bill Howfield to hold him and then got pulled into another case and forgot about Torres. No one else knew he was in there.
Sandra says everything is backwards and she doesn't like it. She's helping Jill defend a DEA agent. It's like a weird dream and Seth's here. Allison thinks Seth's in her weird dream, but he's actually in the office. He comes in to say hi and ask where Jay is, but Jay comes in to get him. Sandra tells Allison it's weird.
Seth's never been in their office before. He and Allison wanted to keep things separate, which worked for the one day before they broke up. Jay tells Seth about Kool and Klean and asks him to look into the company and see if they're doing anything illegal. They have other products they sell as well. Jay tells Seth about his father being scammed by them, which Seth says sucks. He agrees to look into it.
Kate is checking out the red panda. The animal handler tells Kate about the "house dragon" on his shoulder, who came in a month ago. He already has three at home, or he'd adopt Mango. Kate declines the chance to feed him and asks if the red panda was dead when he arrived. The handler says he was dead at least a day before he arrived in the US. Collectors don't care about the animals. They treat them as souvenirs. It's a very large industry that makes billion. They're creative about smuggling in animals. Kate asks if he has proof the red panda was dead. He says he took photos and still has the body. They can usually find homes for the cute or the rare, but others, like Mango, end up euthanized because they can't find homes. He thanks her for going after the smugglers. He knows it's not much, but he appreciates it. She thanks him for his time and asks him to take Mango back from her.
Sandra asks Jill about Keener. Jill says he doesn't trust her. It'll take time on body sides. She says television shows always have public defenders struggling with defending their clients. Jill has never faced that struggle. This case if difficult though. She's gone against people like Kirk her entire career. Sandra shows her four complaints against Kirk during his time in vice. Jill tells her to take the call if they call to make a deal.
Leonard shows Roger a list of people who could testify against Kirk, but are unavailable. Just because they had to fire him doesn't mean they have to turn against him. They only have Bill Howfield. They will pay for charging a DEA agent. Roger tells Leonard to make the call.
Leonard and Sandra meet in the conference room. She says she won't leave until he reduces the charges to a misdemeanor. Leonard says she'll be in there a long time, but she says it's not a hardship for her as she lives out of a bag. They are shocked at their reversal of sides, which Sandra says means they should be able to make a deal.
Seth's surprised Kate isn't settling the animal trafficking case. She says it only stops if she pushes for jail time. The smugglers make millions, so the fines are meaningless. Seth tells her about Kool & Klean and Jay. He likes Jay and claims he's different from when Kate went against him. Kate doesn't believe that. Seth says people change. Like she has with the animals. She says she hasn't. She's just trying to understand the other side. He likes animals. He and Allison were going to get a job, but it didn't seem like she wanted a dog or him. He tells Kate he saw Allison over at the office. It's weird when you talk to someone every day and then suddenly don't talk to them at all. Kate hopes that can be them someday.
Sandra tells Jill the deal is that Kirk admits to a civil violation, pays a $10,000 fine, and serves no jail time. Jill says he'll take it to Kirk.
Leonard tells Roger about the deal and Roger says to draft the agreement.
Jill explains the deal to Kirk, but because it involves admitting fault, he won't take it. He genuinely believes in what he does. He's not the system. He's a man who works hard and tries his best. He's made mistakes. He made a mistake. It was a mistake. Jill asks what he wants her to do. He says he'll take the deal if she thinks he should, but he knows she's good and wants her to fight as hard for him and she does for everyone else. She says she'll do it.
Roger sees the DVD on his desk. He pulls it out and puts it in his computer. He watches as Brian slowly becomes more desperate the longer he's confined.
Roger tells Jill he watched the tape. She repeats his own words about it not being criminal back to him. He's surprised because she's the one who wanted him to press charges. They're on opposite sides. They argue and she says she's on the opposite side from him, which is where she wants to be. He says they're withdrawing the offer and she says she'll see him at trial.
Roger questions Bill Howfield. Bill says Kirk told him to hold Brian, using brusque language. Jill then asks him if that's common language, which he says it is. He also says he didn't tell anyone else Brian was in the room because he forgot.
Next witness is Nikki Blake, who monitors the cameras in the holding cells. He asks if she's reviewed the footage of Brian in his cell. Jill objects and Nicholas calls for recess.
Jill argues that the only purpose of the video is to inflame the jury. Roger says it's to establish an element of the offense. Jill says he wants to put it on because it's so horrifying that no jury can watch it and not convict. Jill will agree to a few stills, but Roger says he wants more. Jill says the video doesn't tell the whole story in this case. Nicholas is enjoying the role reversal and wishes it happened more often. But they need to move forward now.
The jury and others present in the courtroom watch the video.
Seth says Kool & Klean's product is highly suspect and their support is non-existent, but it's nothing illegal. Jay is upset that Seth can't do more. Seth knows he's just frustrated. Jay thought Seth was different.
Kate practices her statements for her case. She sees Jay pass by. He stops in her doorway and says he's been waiting for a while for this moment. And he wants to to ask this. He chickens out and asks her where the elevator is. She says it's behind him. As he leaves, he comments that he didn't know she was an animal lover and she yells that she's not.
Roger stands silent for ten seconds. He tells the jury it was long enough for them to wonder what was happening and feel uncomfortable. Brian felt that 34,560 times in a row. And each time got worse. Time stops when you're being tortured. This wasn't a mistake because you don't make mistakes like that. He knew what he was doing.
Jill tells the jury that Kirk is a good man. The jury is there to determine if Kirk willfully denied Brian Torres of his rights. The answer is no. Roger tried to make a case out of emotion and fear. The fear should be that what's happening to Kirk Keener could happen to them. Because of a mistake, the full weight of the government will be on you and you'll be locked away and forgotten. No one will care because you'll just be a criminal.
Jay complains to Tina about Seth and Kool & Klean. He thinks Seth didn't try hard enough. Tina tells him to sit down. She say his father wasn't tricked. He just did something dumb. Jay says his dad isn't dumb. He's the smartest person Jay knows. Tina tells him about taking care of her mother when she got older. When she'd help her mom in more intimate ways, her mother would laugh and say "flippity-flop." She thought it was a sound of embarrassment, so she eventually asked her mother about it and her mother said it was because she was the baby and Tina was now the mother. At some point, heroes become flesh and blood.
The jury returns a not guilty verdict for Kirk. He thanks Jill for her work.
Leonard tells Sandra she finally beat him. She says she kind of did that last time. She also says it wasn't her. He says her side won and congratulates her. He's surprised that her happy face isn't happier.
Kate practices her statements again. Seth comes in and offers her baklava that Jay brought in as an apology. He's shocked at the number of animal pictures in her office. Roger peeks in and says she's off the hook. The trafficker's attorney went to the state department and offered up a bigger guy in exchange for dropping the trafficking case. They got black market Chinese tobacco in exchange. Apparently it's a big deal. Seth says he's sorry, but Kate says it's fine. After he leaves, Kate looks at the red panda picture.
Seth is surprised to find Allison in his office. She says his office is nice, but has a few notes. She goes to leave, but he offers her some baklava. He gives her the smaller piece because she's not his girlfriend anymore. She asks about his mom and if there's been any good scores at the Antiques Roadshow lately. He tells her about a recent find and they laugh.
Jay goes to his father and offers to help, but his dad says he's the father. He takes care of the family.
The animal handler feeds Mango some mango. That's how he got his name. He loves mango. He offers to let Kate feed him and she says she would like to. She takes Mango into her hand and tells him she's Kate. Then she feeds him some mango.
Jill tells Roger he looks like hell when they meet. He admits he hasn't slept. He asks how she deals with losing all the time. She tries to find a way to find a win. Even if it's just the look in their eyes, knowing she tried. She doesn't sleep much. She says he did the right thing, which he knows. He says he's sorry for what he said. She asks him if they can get out of there.
Back at the diner, Jill pulls out the champagne. She opens it as she tells him the World Series story. She pours some into each of their glasses.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Hope Davis as Jill Carlan
- Ben Shenkman as Roger Gunn
- Jasmin Savoy Brown as Allison Adams
- Susannah Flood as Kate Littlejohn
- Wesam Keesh as Jay Simmons
- Regé-Jean Page as Leonard Knox
- Ben Rappaport as Seth Oliver
- Britt Robertson as Sandra Bell
- Anna Deavere Smith as Tina Krissman
- Vondie Curtis Hall as Judge Nicholas Byrne
Guest Stars[]
- Hugo Armstrong as Kirk Keener
- Anna Khaja as Vera Simmons
- Arthur Darbinyan as Sam Simmons
- Rebecca Metz as Sharon Dodds
- Izzy Diaz as Animal Handler
Co-Starring[]
- Hardy Awadjie as Officer D'Esposito
- Rahvaunia as Theresa Wood
- Scott Vancea as DEA Agent Bill Howfield
- Loren Escandon as DEA Agent Nikki Blake
- Roberto Martin as Brian Torres
Legal Cases[]
The Unites States v Kirk Keener[]
Kirk Keener was charged with deprivation of rights under color of law after he left Brian Torres in a holding cell for four days, during which he nearly died. At his bail hearing, he was held on a $250,000 bond. Kirk said that he had asked another agent to hold Brian because his name matched a suspect in another case, but then he got pulled onto another case and forgot about him. The lawyers attempted to make a deal for a $10,000 fine and no jail time, but it involved Kirk admitting fault, which he refused to do, as he said it was merely an accident. The case went to trial and part of the evidence against him was the video of Brian in the cell. The jury returned a not guilty verdict.
Music[]
| Song | Performer | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| "Bad Girl" | Lady Wray |
|
| "Don't Go" | Hannah Georgas |
|
Notes and Trivia[]
For The People 1x08 Promo "Flippity-Flop" (HD)
- This episode scored 2.05 million viewers.
Gallery[]
Episode Stills[]
Behind the Scenes[]
Quotes[]
See Also[]
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A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here. |
| Season 1 | |||
| #01 | "Pilot" | #06 | "Everybody's a Superhero" |
| #02 | "Rahowa" | #07 | "Have You Met Leonard Knox?" |
| #03 | "18 Miles Outside of Roanoke" | #08 | "Flippity-Flop" |
| #04 | "The Library Fountain" | #09 | "Extraordinary Circumstances" |
| #05 | "World's Greatest Judge" | #10 | "This is What I Wanted to Say" |
| Season 2 >> | |||