The Last Call
I remember the first few times I saw parts of the television show, "Dog the Bounty Hunter" while channel surfing. I thought the guy was totally absurd, and an asshole, to boot. Long blonde hair with bird feathers and beads braided into it, leather vests and pants with chrome studs, and a bimbo-looking partner with a rack the size of a pair of basketballs. I thought it had to be a parody of something I wasn't otherwise aware of.
I don't remember when I actually started liking the show, but I've been watching it weekly for probably a year now. My first impressions of Dog, Beth and their family couldn't have been farther from reality. They are often brash and foul-mouthed, but they are really caring, compassionate people who ultimately want to help their clients learn to lead better lives.
One episode that I just saw tonight, titled "The Last Call," was particularly heart-wrenching. In this episode, Dog has two female bail jumpers to arrest. He decides to handle Ingren's case, and asks his wife Beth to handle Daphne's.
The cosigner of Daphne's bond, her boyfriend Bobby, had sent in a letter asking them to revoke her bond, as he no longer wanted to be liable for it, and would like to see her go to jail in hopes that it will wake her up enough to get off of dope and the petty crime that supports her habit. Beth takes the letter and Daphne's file into her office and calls Bobby's number. His answering machine picks up, and we hear, "Hi, Daph. This is for you. I told you not to push me. Take care of yourself." Beth hangs up, and comments, "Well, that's kinda weird."
Next, she calls Daphne. Daphne picks up the phone, and Beth asks if she's talked to Bobby. Daphne starts crying and explains that she has just learned that Bobby has committed suicide by hanging himself. Beth asks Daphne if she'd like to come in and talk to her, to which Daphne agrees.
Beth then calls Bobby's answering machine again so Dog can hear it. That's when it dawns on her that the message is effectively a suicide note.
Dog calls the other case for the day, Ingren, and she agrees to surrender herself at his office within the hour.
Daphne shows up at the office, and though she is sobbing mightily and the whole crew is aware of the magnitude of her situation, they place her under arrest and handcuff her. They sit her down on the couch and give her a handkerchief, and she covers her face and practically howls sobs into it.
In the meantime, the office gets some surprise visitors: Bobby's mom and older brother. Dog tells them that Daphne is there, and they say they don't want to see her. They're just there to ask about the bond so they can figure out what to do about it. Dog explains that Bobby had asked for it to be revoked, and shows them the letter.
While that was going on, Ingren shows up, and they put her in cuffs and sit her across from the still-violently-sobbing Daphne. Later clues in the show will indicate that the staff made Ingren aware of Daphne's situation.
Bobby's mom decides that she does, in fact, want to talk to Daphne, because she realizes that he'd loved her and would've married her if she'd not gotten involved with drugs and crime, or would at least made an effort to turn it around. She walks into the room where Daphne is, and Dog introduces her as Bobby's mother. Daphne shrieks, "I know, I know!" through her wailing sobs and appears to completely lose it. She starts convulsing and nearly falls off the couch.
That's when I lost it, too. I started to cry. This poor girl had some SERIOUS issues weighing on her soul at that moment. When I imagine what Hell would be like, it's like what this girl must have been going through.
So, what does Bobby's mother have to say to her? The short version goes, "I forgive you. Just get yourself cleaned up. Bobby loved you, so I love you. Even though you weren't married, you are my daughter-in-law. When you get yourself cleaned up, you can come see me. I forgive you." Then she almost collapsed as she made her way to the other couch.
Dog and Beth ask the other woman, Ingren, for a favor: when they're taken to jail together, Ingren is to keep an eye on Daphne and be there for her. Ingren seems a bit disconcerted at this proposition, but I think the intense emotional stresses she'd been made to witness tips her into agreeing that it's a good idea. We'll probably never know how that turned out though... the cameras aren't allowed once they've been booked into the jail.
I don't remember when I actually started liking the show, but I've been watching it weekly for probably a year now. My first impressions of Dog, Beth and their family couldn't have been farther from reality. They are often brash and foul-mouthed, but they are really caring, compassionate people who ultimately want to help their clients learn to lead better lives.
One episode that I just saw tonight, titled "The Last Call," was particularly heart-wrenching. In this episode, Dog has two female bail jumpers to arrest. He decides to handle Ingren's case, and asks his wife Beth to handle Daphne's.
The cosigner of Daphne's bond, her boyfriend Bobby, had sent in a letter asking them to revoke her bond, as he no longer wanted to be liable for it, and would like to see her go to jail in hopes that it will wake her up enough to get off of dope and the petty crime that supports her habit. Beth takes the letter and Daphne's file into her office and calls Bobby's number. His answering machine picks up, and we hear, "Hi, Daph. This is for you. I told you not to push me. Take care of yourself." Beth hangs up, and comments, "Well, that's kinda weird."
Next, she calls Daphne. Daphne picks up the phone, and Beth asks if she's talked to Bobby. Daphne starts crying and explains that she has just learned that Bobby has committed suicide by hanging himself. Beth asks Daphne if she'd like to come in and talk to her, to which Daphne agrees.
Beth then calls Bobby's answering machine again so Dog can hear it. That's when it dawns on her that the message is effectively a suicide note.
Dog calls the other case for the day, Ingren, and she agrees to surrender herself at his office within the hour.
Daphne shows up at the office, and though she is sobbing mightily and the whole crew is aware of the magnitude of her situation, they place her under arrest and handcuff her. They sit her down on the couch and give her a handkerchief, and she covers her face and practically howls sobs into it.
In the meantime, the office gets some surprise visitors: Bobby's mom and older brother. Dog tells them that Daphne is there, and they say they don't want to see her. They're just there to ask about the bond so they can figure out what to do about it. Dog explains that Bobby had asked for it to be revoked, and shows them the letter.
While that was going on, Ingren shows up, and they put her in cuffs and sit her across from the still-violently-sobbing Daphne. Later clues in the show will indicate that the staff made Ingren aware of Daphne's situation.
Bobby's mom decides that she does, in fact, want to talk to Daphne, because she realizes that he'd loved her and would've married her if she'd not gotten involved with drugs and crime, or would at least made an effort to turn it around. She walks into the room where Daphne is, and Dog introduces her as Bobby's mother. Daphne shrieks, "I know, I know!" through her wailing sobs and appears to completely lose it. She starts convulsing and nearly falls off the couch.
That's when I lost it, too. I started to cry. This poor girl had some SERIOUS issues weighing on her soul at that moment. When I imagine what Hell would be like, it's like what this girl must have been going through.
So, what does Bobby's mother have to say to her? The short version goes, "I forgive you. Just get yourself cleaned up. Bobby loved you, so I love you. Even though you weren't married, you are my daughter-in-law. When you get yourself cleaned up, you can come see me. I forgive you." Then she almost collapsed as she made her way to the other couch.
Dog and Beth ask the other woman, Ingren, for a favor: when they're taken to jail together, Ingren is to keep an eye on Daphne and be there for her. Ingren seems a bit disconcerted at this proposition, but I think the intense emotional stresses she'd been made to witness tips her into agreeing that it's a good idea. We'll probably never know how that turned out though... the cameras aren't allowed once they've been booked into the jail.