The Fest and the Furious — People Would Be More Than Furious If They Knew About The Crimes in Green Grove (Twisted Episode 1×05 Recap + Broken Laws)
This entry contains comments regarding episodes 1×02 and 1×04. Episode 1×03 did not have much criminal activity.
This episode begins with Lacey having a terrifying nightmare about Regina. In this nightmare, Regina starts off behaving calmly (for a dead person) – and randomly eating peanut butter- but becomes increasingly angry when the infamous gold necklace is brought up in conversation. Lacey wakes up horrified by her dream.
Next, we see Jo in the kitchen with her parents. They’re watching the news on TV, and the anchor is discussing Regina’s unsolved murder and the failed attempt at finding evidence by raiding the Desai house in episode 1×04, “Sleeping with The Frenemy.”
Legal Comment:
It’s a good thing that Kyle decided to approach the raid the professional way this time instead of attempting to find evidence in Danny’s bedroom while eating dinner in his house, the way he did in episode 1×02 of Twisted, “Grief is a 5 Letter Word.” If he had found any evidence during the latter search, it would have been inadmissible against Danny because the search would have been a violation of the 4th Amendment of the United States Constitution. Had Kyle found evidence in the raid for which he had a search warrant, it would have been admissible.
Next, Tess turns off the TV and the conversation shifts to Green Grove’s annual Fall Fest. Jo doesn’t want to go because she thinks the tradition is dated; Kyle remarks that he hopes Danny shares that viewpoint, because he does not want Danny attending the festival. Jo fires back with a comment about Kyle’s unsuccessful raid, and she points out that they didn’t even find the mysterious necklace. Jo then explains to her mother that Regina’s missing necklace once belonged to Tara Desai. When Jo leaves for school, Kyle acts like walking to school is the most rebellious behavior in the world.
In the next scene, Danny has the necklace in his hands. In the previous episode, “Sleeping with the Frenemy,” we learned that Danny hid the necklace in his father’s old chair in his living room, and that Karen discovered this secret hiding spot at the end of the episode. This family secret leads us to:
Broken Law # 1 Alert!
Danny and Karen are both intentionally concealing missing evidence from a crime scene; both of them are aware that the police are searching for the necklace as part of their ongoing investigation of Regina’s murder.
New York Penal – Article 215 – § 215.40 Tampering With Physical Evidence (in relevant part):
“A person is guilty of tampering with physical evidence when: Believing that certain physical evidence is about to be produced or used in an official proceeding or a prospective official proceeding, and intending to prevent such production or use, he suppresses it by any act of concealment, alteration or destruction, or by employing force, intimidation or deception against any person.”
Grading: Tampering with physical evidence is a class E felony.
Danny and Karen are sure going through an extraordinary amount of trouble to accessorize old furniture!
The expression on Karen’s face is indicating that she’s starting to wonder if she should really trust her son. As the two of them watch the news, an angry man named Tim appears on the screen, screaming that a murderer should not be welcome at a family event like Fall Fest. When Karen suggests that Danny should skip the upcoming event, he informs her that he’d be violating his doctor’s orders if he missed the opportunity to “connect with meaningful events of his past.” When Karen watches Danny slice a banana, she appears to become more afraid of her son. Suddenly the knife looks sharper and more dangerous. To test her suspicions about Danny, Karen informs him that she’s arranged to give some of his father’s old belongings to Goodwill, including the old chair. Note to Karen: it is probably not a good idea to donate evidence of a murder to charity. Danny reacts to Karen by claiming that he has a problem with getting rid of his dad’s belongings, because it makes him feel like his father is still there with him. That approach goes over a lot better than if he would have told his mother that he wants to keep the chair so that he can continue secretly using it as a jewelry box.
At school, Rico and Lacey are talking about the exciting booth that the mathletes are setting up for Fall Fest; Rico needs Jo’s help to sell “Pi Pies.” The mathletes have made an attempt at creativity by deciding to sell pies decorated with the “pi” symbol. The following scene takes place in Lacey’s bedroom, where she and Phoebe are discussing Fall Fest and Phoebe’s upcoming trip to Manhattan. Lacey mentions her dream about Regina and Phoebe suggests that Lacey should ask Regina’s mother about the necklace. With all of the attention this necklace is getting, you’d think that it was a Horcrux straight out of “Harry Potter.” Plot twist: everyone on this show is secretly a witch or a wizard and Tara Desai was Voldemort.
Meanwhile, Kyle is busy attempting to keep a town meeting under control. Tim, the same furious man from earlier, is flipping out at Kyle about Danny attending Fall Fest. When Kyle promises to make sure Fall Fest is safe, Tim remains unsatisfied. He bellows more complaints towards Kyle regarding the amount of time that Jo has been spending with Danny, and Kyle yells that Tim should leave Jo out of this argument.
Legal Note:
It is possible that Kyle’s involvement in this case could be viewed as a conflict of interest under New York law, and he could potentially get tossed off of the case because of how close his family is to the Desai family.
New York Public Officers – Article 4 – § 74 Code of Ethics (in relevant part):
“An officer or employee of a state agency… should not by his conduct give reasonable basis for the impression that any person can improperly influence him… or that he is affected by the kinship, rank, position, or influence of any party or person… An officer or employee of a state agency should endeavor to pursue a course of conduct which will not raise suspicion among the public that he is likely to be engaged in acts that are in violation of his trust.”
Penalties: “Any such officer… who shall knowingly and intentionally violate any of the provisions of this section may be fined, suspended or removed from office or employment in the manner provided by law…”
Next, we meet the town Mayor, John Rollins (Christopher Cousins). It is excellent to see Ted Beneke from “Breaking Bad” with a full head of hair again. Mayor Rollins assures Tim and the rest of the people at the town meeting that Chief Masterson will keep Fall Fest safe.
At the diner, Jo and Danny reminisce on old times, including a crazy dance that they used to do when they were younger. Jo offers to accompany Danny to Fall Fest. Lacey enters the diner and makes it abundantly clear that she does not want Danny attending the festival, especially after the recent police raid of the Desai household. Jo, once again, points out that no evidence came about from that raid. Then the Horcrux/ murder evidence/ necklace gets brought up in conversation, and Danny confesses to Lacey that Regina’s missing necklace belonged to his aunt Tara. Lacey goes ballistic and shouts that if Danny attending the festival would be selfish.
Finally, we get to this festival that has been built up for the entire episode. When Danny arrives at Fall Fest, he approaches Tess’s pottery booth and expresses interest in learning about the craft. When Tess suggests that he sign up for the class, Danny complies; it’s time for him to delve into the world of ceramics. He is certainly well-rounded; he’s just barely out of juvie, and he has already written a script for a school assembly, joined the soccer team, and now he’ll be taking a pottery class. Jo thinks it’s awesome that Danny is going to take Tess’s class, and she informs him that he’s also going to come with her to help Rico and the mathletes sell Pi Pies. Jo and Danny also decide to go to the formal later that night, and Tess jumps at the chance to get Jo to wear a fancy dress.
Lacey approaches Regina’s mother in the hopes of getting answers about the necklace. She brings old pictures of Regina as an excuse for showing up at the house, but she quickly starts questioning Regina’s mother about the necklace. Lacey is overwhelmed with guilt when she realizes that Regina’s mom knows about her ulterior motives, so she offers to help sort condolence cards to make up for her behavior.
Later, at the police station, Mayor Rollins screams at Kyle because Danny spent the entire day at the festival and was seen spending time with Jo and Tess. Mayor Rollins is furious that Kyle’s entire family is embracing Danny’s presence; he feels that Kyle is making a mockery of the town. He’s also angry about the lack of progress in solving Regina’s murder. He’s had enough of Kyle’s obsession with the necklace; he wants some real evidence. He warns Kyle that he will hold him personally responsible for anything that goes wrong at the festival.
At the festival, Jo and Danny are at the mathletes’ booth selling Pi Pies with Rico. Although the mathletes have zero charisma, Danny is doing a good job. Danny may not love math, but he sure can solve Pi problems. Rico is bitter when Jo calls Danny a “selling machine.” He wanted Jo’s help, not Danny’s. The Selling Machine’s success is abruptly interrupted when the lovely, pleasant, Tim shows up at the Pi Pie booth. He immediately screams at Danny and winds up violently shoving him into the booth, destroying a bunch of Pi Pies in the process. Tim’s altercation with Danny pushes into:
Broken Law # 2 Alert!
New York Penal – Article 120 – § 120.00 Assault in the Third Degree (in relevant part):
“A person is guilty of assault in the third degree when: With intent to cause physical injury to another person, he causes such injury to such person…”
Ranking: Assault in the third degree is a class A misdemeanor.
Tim might want to take note that assaulting a murderer is not exactly an intelligent decision.
When Jo assures Rico that Danny is going to replace the pies, Rico angrily responds that “Danny has done enough.” Rico is concerned with how much time Jo is spending with Danny, a sentiment that he shares with Kyle. Kyle runs into Danny, armed with pies, and they briefly talk. Danny thanks Kyle for kicking ass when he got Tim away from Danny, and Kyle responds that he was doing his job. He then proceeds to take the pies from Danny and requests for Danny to refrain from returning to Fall Fest or attending the formal dance that night.
Karen has skipped Fall Fest, and instead is meeting with Danny’s therapist. Karen pretends that she’s completely supportive of Danny, but when she asks the therapist about the signs that someone is a sociopath, it is clear that she’s beginning to agree with Danny’s peers about the possibility of Danny being a sociopath. Let’s hope she doesn’t create another twitter trend.
Danny and Jo discuss Tess’s desire to get Jo into a trendy dress at the formal, but Danny has clearly been influenced by his encounter with Jo’s father. He suggests that they stay at home and watch a movie instead. Jo tries to act indifferent, but the look on her face displays her disappointment. Jo advises Danny that behaving like a pariah murderer will not help his already fantastic reputation in Green Grove.
Back at Lacey’s house, she and Phoebe are talking in Lacey’s room again; this time they’re discussing Lacey’s condolence letter project that she’s taken on, and Phoebe’s concern about looking like a whore in Manhattan. While she sorts through the condolence letters, Lacey discovers a letter that was addressed to Regina, postmarked two days before her death. The envelope contains a heap of money, and a note that reads, “This is your final payment. Deal holds, keep your mouth shut. If you tell anyone, you know what’ll happen.” Regina clearly knew a secret about whoever sent that letter, and if that secret involves any criminal activity, then Regina’s acceptance of payment is against the law.
Broken Law # 3 Alert!
New York Penal – Article 215 – § 215.05 Bribe Receiving by a Witness:“A witness or a person about to be called as a witness in any action or proceeding is guilty of bribe receiving by a witness when he solicits, accepts or agrees to accept any benefit from another person upon an agreement or understanding that (a) his testimony will thereby be influenced, or (b) he will absent himself from, or otherwise avoid or seek to avoid appearing or testifying at, such action or proceeding.”
Grading: “Bribe receiving by a witness is a class D felony.”
Jo, all dressed up in a fancy dress that Tess picked out, shows up at Danny’s door. Her hair is styled impeccably and she looks great, just like her mother has wanted for the past 16 years. Jo wants Danny to come to the formal with her; she explains that Fall Fest meant a lot to her, and a lot of that was because Danny was there. Danny is convinced; he gets dressed up in one of his dad’s old suits. His mother admits that she’s glad she held on to Danny’s father’s belongings after all. Even the chair with the incriminating necklace inside? Danny asks for Karen’s help in tying his tie, and he quips that he’s a bit rusty because “there are not a lot of occasions for formal-wear in juvie.”
Legal Comment:
Even if there was some sort of fancy shindig in juvie, Danny would not have gotten any practice perfecting his tie skills or lack thereof. In New York juvenile detention facilities, the only ties allowed are clip-on.
Here is a link to a pamphlet regarding juvenile detention centers in New York which discusses this: www.doccs.ny.gov/FamilyGuide/FamilyHandbook.pdf
(For anyone who’s interested, see Appendix C which explains allowable items).
The next scene takes place at the formal, where we see Lacey wearing a pretty dress and carrying a horrifying letter. She is clearly debating showing the letter to Chief Masterson, but after she speaks to Regina’s mother for a few minutes, she decides against it. She wants to preserve the happy memories that people in town have of Regina. That’s very noble of Lacey, but a judge in a courtroom would not likely approve of her behavior.
Broken Law # 4 Alert!
New York Penal – Article 215 – § 215.40 Tampering With Physical Evidence (in relevant part):
SEE BROKEN LAW # 1 where this was discussed regarding Karen and Danny’s concealing the necklace.
When Jo and Danny arrive at the formal, Mayor Rollins is less than pleased, to say the least, to see them there. He requests for them to leave, but Danny points out that they’re in front of a bunch of reporters who would be all over the story of the town mayor kicking a resident out of the formal. Next, Mayor Rollins announces that it’s time for another tradition, the apple toss. He explains that the contestants are chosen at random, but as luck would have it, Danny and his biggest fan, Tim, are both chosen. Danny is awful at throwing apples; apparently his talent for creepily slicing bananas hasn’t left him much time to brush up his apple tossing game. Tim wins by a landslide and ignores Danny’s attempts to be witty.
Rico approaches Jo; he thinks that she looks amazing, and Jo comments that he cleans up nice, too. Rico remarks that he wears that suit every year, clearly jealous that while Jo came to the formal with Danny tonight, she has never attended this event with him. Maybe Rico should try going to juvie to become Jo’s type. Kyle graciously thanks the mayor for keeping Danny’s participation in the apple toss under control, to which Mayor Rollins remarks that he wouldn’t have had to do anything if Kyle had been doing his job. Once again, it’s likely that Kyle would be removed from this case for being too close to the subject matter.
Danny and Jo greet Jo’s parents, and Tess is ecstatic to see Jo wearing a dress for the first time in her life. She frantically fixes Jo’s hair, wanting her to look gorgeous for the dance. Kyle does not approve of Jo’s choice in dates for this formal. Lacey approaches Danny and Jo, and while treats them better than she did earlier, she still declines their offer to do the funny dance together. She still has a reputation to maintain; after all, she’s a bitch now. Jo and Danny do the crazy dance, and it turns out the name suits the dance perfectly. Rico sees Danny and Jo’s next dance, which, to Rico’s dismay, is a slow dance. Rico and Chief Masterson both look furious. Jo appears to have romantic feelings for Danny, Rico obviously wants more than friendship from Jo, and Danny seems to only like Jo as a friend.
After the slow dance, Danny receives a mysterious text message. Last time one of those plagued his iPhone, it did not end well. Upon Jo’s inquiry, he claims that he has to run home really quickly, but his demeanor suggests that he’s not telling Jo the whole story. It turns out, in Danny’s vocabulary, “running home” really means “meeting Lacey in a dark, secluded area.” Danny comments on the secrecy; he wants to know why Lacey wanted to meet up like this. Lacey proceeds to show Danny the money and threat was mailed to Regina. Danny insists that needs to show this to Chief Masterson immediately because it could be evidence of Regina’s murder, but Lacey refuses. She contends that she doesn’t want to ruin everybody’s memories of Regina. Danny refuses to keep this a secret from Jo, but he reluctantly agrees not to tell Chief Masterson about the potential evidence. We already know that Lacey’s choice to conceal this evidence is against the law, and Danny deciding to help her brings us to:
Broken Law # 5 Alert!
New York Penal – Article 105 – § 105.05 Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree (in relevant part):“A person is guilty of conspiracy in the fifth degree, when, with intent that conduct constituting: a felony to be performed, he agrees with one or more persons to engage in or cause the performance of such conduct.”
Grading: “Conspiracy in the fifth degree is a class A misdemeanor.”
The reason that this is Conspiracy in the fifth degree, rather than a more serious level, like first or second degree conspiracy, is because conspiracy in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree involve an agreement regarding a class A or B felony, and as stated above, tampering with physical evidence is a class E felony.
Additionally, Danny’s participation in the crime he and Lacey are conspiring to commit takes us to, you guessed it:
Broken Law # 6 Alert!
New York Penal – Article 215 – § 215.40 Tampering With Physical Evidence (in relevant part)
SEE BROKEN LAW # 1. This would constitute Danny’s second offense for tampering with physical evidence; his first one was the one discussed above, involving the necklace.
For somebody who just got out of juvie, Danny sure takes a lot of risks involving the law!
Before the scene with Danny and Lacey ends, Danny confronts Lacey again about her decision to meet him alone in the dark, and the two of them wind up kissing. So, just to keep track, Rico likes Jo, Jo likes Danny, Danny likes Lacey, Lacey likes Danny, BUT she has a boyfriend, Archie. Forget about love triangles; this shape is definitely more complex!
Speaking of Jo and Rico, when Jo asks Rico to come with her to meet Danny at the diner, Rico declines, and he cites fake bunions as his excuse. He assures Jo that despite his brand new bunions, he can still walk home. At the Masterson house, Kyle and Tess are arguing; Kyle expresses his rage that Tess has allowed Danny to sign up for her pottery class, and Tess admonishes him for lashing out on her because he can’t solve Regina’s murder. Kyle reminds Tess that Danny murdered his aunt Tara, and he makes sure to include the gory details about Tara getting strangled with a jump rope.
Next, we’re back in another pitch black scene; this one features Karen Desai. She’s walking on a bridge towards a pond, but she’s not just out there for the fresh air and exercise. She has the necklace with her, and she throws it in the river. The necklace lands in the water, splashing us into:
Broken Law # 7 Alert!
New York Penal – Article 215 – § 215.40 Tampering With Physical Evidence (in relevant part)
SEE BROKEN LAW # 1. This would constitute Karen’s second offense for this crime.
The viewers in the audience are not alone in witnessing Karen dispose of the necklace; another person appears out of nowhere, and we learn that Rico saw the whole thing.
In the final scene, Jo waits for Danny to meet her at the diner, but when he arrives, he brings a surprise guest with him. Lacey joins them at the table, and she and Danny show Jo the letter to Regina. Assuming that Jo does not tell her father about this — and judging by body language, she appears to be working cooperatively with her old best friends– our favorite police officer’s daughter is now involved in:
Broken Law # 7 & # 8 Alert!
# 7: New York Penal – Article 105 – § 105.05 Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree (in relevant part)
# 8: New York Penal – Article 215 – § 215.40 Tampering With Physical Evidence (in relevant part)
SEE BROKEN LAWS 5 AND 6. The only difference is that this would be Jo’s FIRST offense for tampering with physical evidence.**
Next week we’ll see what the 3 musketeers find out about their newly discovered evidence, and whether or not Rico keeps Karen’s secret. Suspense is the real killer in this show!
Excellent recap. I loved the part about the clip-on ties. LOL
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