Grateful? (the kid...and maybe Baez as well)
Or humiliated. My mom used to bring kids over to play with me. She so badly wanted to be me a popular girl with a lot of friends. I admit, I was an outcast and not one of the normal kids, so it was humiliating to know that someone was there playing with me because my mom brought them over. And those kinds of friendships never lasted long. It's possible the kid had no idea, but I think upon finding out, he'd be devastated that those perceived friendships weren't real. Or possibly he might be grateful for what he had at a bad time in his life if he really didn't know about his mom doing until later. I knew what my mom was doing and that's why it hurt me so much.
I think that's kind of what is happening with the defense. I think Baez was reallly built up by people at one point, the same people that laughing at him now. I notice his big supporter Geraldo has disappeared, does he even have a show anymore? No interviews in support of Baez. The only articles out bash him and put him down. All those experts in the beginning that were more than willing to put their nose into this for the fame and money are backing away like the defense is cancerous. Baez didn't care before because he thought he was the $hit, and now he's finding out just how much he's not because he's losing all the support he had, all the fame, all the money, and now even his professional reputation and possibly his career. I think, too, that Baez was recently made aware of Mason's grand scheme, what Mason has really been doing for him, and he's grateful for that even if Mason let him be humiliated in the process. Baez would never go along with being humiliated, but if he could see in retrospect that it had to happen that way, he'd be more grateful about in the end, and Mason counted on that.
Baez has no more friends, just like Casey. Baez is all alone in this, just like Casey. And like Casey, I think he saw Mason as the person who was going to help save this case, and now I think Baez sees Mason as also saving Baez. I also think Mason has made him realize what a wash this case has become, and more than that, I think Mason offered to help give him an out, but after letting Baez be humiliated time and again in court. I do think Mason spoke on purpose for the experts so that they would be upset about that and possibly not want to testify after someone keeps putting words in their mouth and possibly hurting their reputations. I don't know if Baez is aware of that or not, but I think Mason is helping to make this case one that shouldn't go to court. And I think he did it mostly at Baez's expense and with not telling Baez that this was his primary goal. I think Mason has run his own scheme behind Baez's back, and is just now letting Baez in on it. It explains Baez now letting Mason really take over instead of just being Baez's assistant.
I also think Mason has a big hand in convincing Casey to go along with a plea. Let Baez humiliate himself, let Casey keep seeing Baez humiliate himself, keep filing motions that are denied, keep showing Baez and Casey this is a winless situation - all leading to Baez and Casey wanting this case over with. I am now thinking Mason is more wily and crafty than I first gave him credit for. I think bringing him in the first place was Baez begging Mason to make this case a win for him and Casey instead of a loss. I think Mason saw that it wasn't going to be a win in any way for Baez or Casey at some point, so he decided, instead, to help make this circus stop before it became a ginormous loss, using Baez's ineptness and putting the futility of this case out there for all to see. So if he gets a plea, and the sanction is set aside, it's still a loss, but a lot more of a minor loss than taking this trial, especially for Mason - he gets out without a scratch and goes on to his other cases. No one is going to believe Baez could do this. It has to have been Mason who brought this about.
I also think it explains the A's silence. I think their interviews and such were to specifically taint a jury pool, to plant reasonable doubt before the trial. I think they were told by Mason specifically that there wasn't going to be a trial, so no jury, so they didn't need to keep putting themselves out there anymore. Plus, no one cared anymore about them anyway. I think whoever suggested it is right - George stopped coming because he knows his daughter is never leaving jail. Cindy was happy with the new judge because Mason told her that they needed a stricter judge to put Baez's ineptness out there and show Casey that this doesn't need to go to trial. I used to think they were crazy to get Judge Strickland removed, but I think now that at least Mason wanted him removed so that this case could finally be stopped in it's tracks. I love Judge Strickland, but he was far too nice and the shenanigans would have been endless and so would the case. Not so with HHJP.
Wow, it's like everything since Judge Strickland left is falling into place for me now in a way it hasn't before. Apparently Mason knows exactly what he is doing here! The craziness finally has some sort of explanation that makes sense! That's if a plea deal is really going on behind the scenes.
It's not lost on me that today's hearing is about the jury. The fact that these sanctions and shenanigans have been going on right before this kind of hearing is interesting. It makes sense that they don't want to take this step and talk about a jury if there isn't going to be a need for one. I hate to admit it, but I do think a plea is in the works now. It breaks my heart in a way, but if Casey dies in prison, that will be worth it to me.