(Season 4, Episodes 11-14)
While Lindsay races to the bottom of my “enjoy” list, both Ellenor and Jimmy are slowly surfacing to a tolerable level. I was actually impressed a number of times by the competency that Jimmy showed, and Ellenor is becoming somewhat of an interesting study. I do think the show could use some new blood, but I’m enjoying most of the blood we’ve got just fine.
4.11 “Blowing Smoke”
Lindsay has got some nerve. After skewering Ellenor for her interest in an asbestos class action, and second-chairing cases with Bobby that barely need one lawyer, let alone two, now she’s brining in another tobacco case. Not only does that go directly against her argument regarding asbestos (not that anyone mentioned it), but what a case! A woman (a friend of Lindsay’s) was suing a cigar manufacturer for breaking up her marriage.
The argument was eroding passion, and Lindsay’s strategy was to scare the CEO into settling. She made a lot of noise about taking the case to court, dragging cigars into the accusations of addiction and cancer that cigars have thus far managed to stay out of. And that won her client a settlement of $270 thousand … and Lindsay can live with herself? It was a disgusting display. How far the once-mighty have fallen.
Meanwhile, Rebecca (and Eugene) defended an ex-boyfriend of hers in a police shooting case — her ex the cop who shot a possibly unarmed man suspected of being about to rob a convenience store. The testimony about the cop possibly being racist and profiling black suspects was ugly (he’s black), but I loved the execution twist: the dead guy had killed an old friend and had walked free. That’s justice, Boston style.
4.12 “New Evidence”
I keep thinking, “Hey, they’re doing this like Boston Legal did,” and then need to remind myself that The Practice came first. The “this” was Lindsay heading out to LA for a case. Never mind that no one discussed her being legally able to defend a case out there — at least on Boston Legal Alan and Denny were piggybacking on their LA office.
Anyway, Lindsay flew cross-country to defend Dennis Mills (Ted Marcoux), a guy she barely knew from some art class they took together who knows when. And then after dragging the entire firm out there for an assist, she was insufferable. And disgusting. No one has the right to question her actions? Or her motives? I’m really surprised that she’s so quickly become so distasteful.
What I did enjoy was everyone else. Bobby and Judge Cooper (Anthony Heald) locked horns every time they came into contact, and Bobby’s crying aside, it was some great TV. And so was Jimmy (Jimmy!) and the detective assigned to the case, Henry Dokes (John Finn from Cold Case). Everyone had done their homework on everyone else, and boy did Dokes not like Jimmy the Grunt. And Jimmy went toe-to-toe with him! It was great!
4.13 “Hammerhead Sharks”
You go Jimmy! I’m still not impressed with his legal acumen, but he made some sound arguments during the course of the Mills murder trial. And he took Dokes down on the stand, which was an impressive feat. And Ellenor slaughtered the victim’s sister, a Sister, on cross (zing!), which could not have been a simple thing to do.
But while their stock is rising, Lindsay just keeps on getting worse and worse. Is she meant to be viewed as caring, or fanatical? Because I definitely have been seeing her more and more as the latter — and not in a good way — ever since her professor went to jail. Which wouldn’t necessarily be a strike, if she didn’t steamroll over everyone else, ignoring reason and common sense.
Oh, and it was the guy’s wife, and she was sleeping with the victim’s husband. Directed not guilty verdict for the defendant. Back to Boston!
4.14 “Checkmates”
Well, Lindsay definitely has neck-and-neck competition in Helen. After getting nowhere with a suspect, she called in his father, who happened to be a detective, and used their conversation in prosecuting the son. Swift move by Bobby coming in and saving the day. An ADA can ill afford to risk their relationship with the police … what was Helen thinking? I suppose this, on top of how bad she is at her job, could be the catalyst needed to propel her into the street.
Meanwhile, Ellenor faced Richard once again, this time defending a marginally mentally slow teen (Leo Fitzpatrick, Johnny Weeks from The Wire) in a murder trial. I loved Richard’s face when he got totally blindsided by a witness, Eddie (Chad Todhunter). After Ellenor rejected his alibi testimony for fear that he was lying, Richard put him on the stand as proof that Darryl (Fitzpatrick) did it, only to have Eddie give the opposite testimony, putting Darryl outside the house when the kid got killed. Richard just froze. Nice move by Darryl setting the whole thing up.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Nov 26, 2009 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
