The forgettably named Simon Jones, failed TAC technician and ex-boyfriend of the memorably named Cable McCrory, returned to deliver a takeaway for the group, arriving to a decidedly awkward reception. Simon was a figure of desperation, willing to accept a promotional challenge for an extra $30, even if it took him to the company and the girlfriend he walked out on. But failing to complete the challenge drove Simon to the edge of the rooftop and over it.
Suicide seemed rather an overreaction to the loss of $30, and Bull soon revealed the sinister reason Simon's mindset was so fragile: alongside his main occupation as a bike messenger, Simon worked as a guinea pig testing drugs for pharmaceutical companies. His latest drug to test was Utilin, marketed as an antidepressant; the irony is obvious.
And despite her fury with Simon for ghosting her, Cable pushes Bull into taking the case to court against Dep Pharmaceutical. Initially intent on humouring Cable, Bull takes a meeting with a Dep rep, Arti Cander, only to discover she is in fact their trial scientist, and Bull's courtroom rival.
Arti, played by Archie Panjabi, is everything Bull might have been had the God complex been dropped from his character profile during the show's early development stages - but she's only so intriguing and the promo's emphasis on her as Bull's rival is overstated. While her trial science capabilities are unquestionable (to the point she manages to rival Bull without resorting to a mirror jury), she isn't given very much to do beyond smile and frown, depending on which direction the scales are tipping at any given moment.
That's not to say her character isn't intriguing, just a little dull. She wasn't an opposition who we could invest in, like Liberty Davis in season 1 (although I'm aware that comparison is a little unfair, since Liberty made multiple appearances before squaring off against Bull in a courtroom); nor was she given very much airtime in which to shine. Her best moments came during voir dire, really the biggest face-off she and Bull had in the entire episode. Bull's risky tactic of accepting jurors whose viewpoints directly advantaged Arti's defence was as surprising to the audience as it was to Arti, and Archie Panjabi did manage to nail the numerous shocked/defeated expressions necessary for the constant back-and-forth. Her performance was strong, leaving me believing her every emotion.
On the subject of emotion, Bull displayed a shocking side of him to the TAC staff when backed into a corner by Arti's conniving courtroom tricks, letting rip a tirade that laid blame at the door of everyone but himself, despite his choosing the select a jury whose views wouldn't marry with the narrative he had identified. I've mentioned in previous reviews that Bull seems a sharper-tongued character this season, but this was a version of angry Bull we hadn't seen before. It was a marker for how different the show is from the first season - but also a marker for the improvements that have been made under Glenn Caron regarding character.
Those improvements this episode related to a much better balance rather than any specific character work (bar Cable, of course, whose personal connection to the case gave Annabelle Attanasio a chance to show off her acting chops), with Danny receiving investigative scenes that lasted longer than normal, and Benny performing the role of lawyer. I do maintain my concerns about Chunk falling by the wayside (he hasn't dressed up a client all season and there's been no movement on his going to law school since the first episode), but with the way the direction of this season has been smoothly handled I'm confident my concerns will be soon addressed.
RATING: 8/10
POINTS OF NOTE
- The judge has to be the MVP for this episode. She was tough but fair on the witnesses and both lawyers. And sassy too. I liked her.
- Archie Panjabi needs to come back as Arti Cander and do a little more than she did today. Too much devil, not enough detail.
- Chris Cafero, who played Simon Jones, didn't have much time to make an impact, but he made use of it. His performance was incredible.
No comments:
Post a Comment