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That was seriously Bull’s finale?!
When I saw the first episode of Bull, I thought this was a different (and almost needed) take on a crime/law procedural show. The idea of trial science is fascinating, and also comes with a heavy dose of criticism from others that claim it to be another faction of pseudo-science. However, whatever your educated opinion tells you, it's still a remarkable look into what Dr. Phil Mcgraw did before he morphed into a glorified Jerry Springer.
If you've never seen the show before, let's get the basics out of the way real quick before I spoil the entire season finale for you (don't worry, there's not much to spoil, sadly). If you've already gotten the gist of the show, skip this next part.
The Team
Dr. Jason Bull created TAC (Trial Analysis Corporation), which takes on clients from a variety of cases that range from the high-profile murderer ala O.J-inspired to the more original cases of fighting a patent suit in the medical world. Personality-wise, the psychologist is the epitome of smug, which can often make him into a one-dimensional protagonist. He can be seen routinely using his adept social perception to grab a hold of female lawyers, which always seems to create the same dynamic surprisingly.
Marissa Morgan is a complementary character to Bull's cockiness, softening his appearance by being key-player at TAC. Her job is to gather the perfect candidates for a "mirror jury," which is a term that you will literally be sick of seeing after the third episode plays the same montage of explaining what that means, minus different faces and personal details. Regardless, she is incredible diligent in her work, making her nearly more valuable than Bull in some cases. It's my hope that they expand more on her as a real character as the show progresses.
Benny Colon is TAC's go-to lawyer, and a good contender for being a favorite. In this season, we were able to explore his past when he was on the otherside of the courtroom as a DA. For some reason, though, the show often forgets it has put him into several romantic relationships throughout the season and yet never has any sense of continuity.
Chuck's job is the most out of place to me, and it also seems to wear thin as the season went on as his airtime was considerably reduced to being basically an extra. As a part of TAC, he is responsible for clothing their clients to appear the way they want them to appear. It's a bit of stretch, in my opinion, but Chuck's likable enough that I'll give it a pass.
Meanwhile, we have Danny, whose job is one of the most logical on the show. It's almost a shame that we don't see more of her. When we do see her, she's gathering dirt that helps with figuring out the strategy to take with their newest case. As a former FBI agent, her connections and training are a huge asset. Like most of the characters on the show, though, her persona is fairly typical and nothing to really rave about.
Then we have Cable, who I personally have an inexplicable feeling of animosity towards. She is the token "geek" of the show, rolling together the hacker role and overall computer genius into one little annoying gem. She is what the average network show would describe as "quirky," which makes all cable shows laugh until they pee themselves.
Now, onto the finale, which aired last night.
In simple terms: you call that a finale? Honestly, that felt like any other case they've ever had on the show. I'm in awe that CBS thinks that having Bull work on a case involving illegal drugs is edgy. If they had wanted a good finale, they should have ended the season on Benny's case that could have ended his life professionally for good, but instead they end it out with no fireworks, nothing to look forward to next season, nothing but Bull potentially having a new partner in crime in the form of the lovely Eliza Dushku? That's pathetic. Although, granted, not as bad as The Blindspot, which is still keeping me up at night and making me question life in general.
To give you a brief summary of the episode, we're dealing predominantly with a single mother in Miami with a druglord brother. In the very first scene, the DEA agents storm into her home during her son's birthday party, pick apart a specific location, and find a ton of drugs that she can't explain. Said brother calls on the law firm that J.P Nunnelly works for, which is the same law firm that has made a lucrative run on defending the guy's cartel. One way or another, J.P is put on the case of defending his sister, while she makes peace with a fact that Bull somehow can't wrap his sanctimonious mind around: her paycheck comes from trafficking drugs, allegedly, of course. So, naturally, when J.P asks for his assistance in the case, he stomps his foot, runs for moral high-ground, before being swayed because of the mere look he's getting from her. Apparently morals can easily be traded for a chance to be with Eliza Dushku, which seems fair enough.
In exchange for taking on the case, and taking on the risk of a winner-takes-all stake, J.P has a contract in her hands from the law firm that already has her name on it. In that unsigned contract, pending on her victory, she will be able to start her own practice and take the clients she's accumulated with her. It's a good deal, and it's all the more reason why she needs TAC's expertise, which creates a constant tug-and-pull situation between herself and Bull, who is still grappling with the idea of the drug world.
All in all, I expected more twists, especially for a finale. I won't blame Bull's disappointment on CBS either, which would be the easy way out, but when even Criminal Minds--a show that has seasons in the double digits now--can produce a better ending... you can only blame the production team itself. I've overlooked the dialogue for some time, now, but in this episode it seemed particularly clunky when it came to moments with Bull and J.P. Either the writers have gotten sloppy or they're just suffering in a type of purgatory where their hands are tied behind their backs to create a more wholesome image.
I also can't tell if Weatherly was a good choice to play Bull in the first place. There are times when that nonchalant smugness works, but when it's chosen for every scene in every episode, it just falls flat overtime. I honestly struggled to find any other words that would describe his character based on his performance beyond "smug" and "cocky." Ever since the success of House, this has been a trending character profile, but Weatherly is no Hugh Laurie.
At the end of the day, I'd watch another season of Bull, but mainly if there was nothing else on. It's not a show I would actively recommend, but it's also one I wouldn't take the time to tell my friends to avoid. It muddles in the background, and that's usually good enough for television to renew it because it holds an average sense of likablity that is mistaken for blandness.
#bull#cbs#michael weatherly#tv#rant#review#so I'm just starting out here so everything is ugly looking but it'll get better!
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