RAISING THE BAR: 2.08 “Trust Me”
I figured this would be a pretty Richard-centric episode, what with Teddy Sears offering an interview yesterday. And boy was it a good one! Not only did we get to see more of him, but we actually got to see him push for what he wanted!
Plus, finding out that he can shell out $3 million at a moment’s notice? Nice.
Anyway, this episode seemed to be one for the underdog. Er, well, one for the underappreciated. I feel like this show tends to come down to a handful of main characters. Unfortunately, two characters that aren’t really focused on–at least not in the courtroom–are Bobbi and Richard. Sure, we see them in court sometimes, but usually it’s as a side plot while we watch Jerry be righteous against Kessler.
In other words, while they’re on the screen, you might not be too invested in their case.
But last night, the two really split air time. Jerry was really an afterthought, even as he dabbled in Bobbi’s case (we’ll get to that). It was really the story of Bobbi’s case and the story of Richard’s fight against the civil suit (really, $1500 for $6 in batteries that were returned to the shelf? Ridiculous).
And it was interesting to see Richard play out of his element. Trying to use his father’s connections to swindle deals, when in an instant we could see that he was out of his league. Those rich lawyers with their rich clients… In the end, it was great to see that Richard could outmaneuver their efforts, even if his money would play a role in an indirect way. It really gave us a good look at how his convictions can strengthen him, even after being beaten down (and getting patted on the head; man, that was so degrading).
Meanwhile, Bobbi was trying to help a drug dealer (one of the nicest ones we’ve seen, I think). I had a suspicion from the start that Michelle would win this one, just because she’s lost so many recently. But what do we think? Did Jerry’s “help” really help?
I’m thinking no. The minute that the defendent started discussing Omar on the stand, he just sounded like he was lying. Even now, I can’t figure out whether he was telling the truth. I wanted to believe him, but it seemed too easy. And if it were that important, why wouldn’t he have remembered it before? It seemed convenient.
And how is Bobbi supposed to handle this new information? Had she known ahead of time, she could possibly work the angles. But here, it was just new info that she couldn’t really mess with.
So did she deserve to yell at Jerry? Well, possibly. I think she might’ve lost either way, but I think that the defendent would have probably been more believable without the story of Omar. Whether that would have swayed the jury, well, I just don’t know.
But it is interesting. I don’t think every client belongs to the office, and Bobbi was right in arguing that if she talked to Jerry’s client behind her back, he would be just as pissed. And that does play with a little bit of Bobbi’s trust. She already has issues. Was he really trying to help the client? Or was he just trying to make good with Bobbi?
Either way, I really like the way this season is going. I love seeing Richard develop, and I like the transition Bobbi is going through. There is, of course, the downside of Michelle, who is just a terrible person now. And a bad dresser. Seriously, what was she wearing last night??
