S01.E05: Just Tell The Truth

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

A socialite is murdered and her parents try to hire Bull to prosecute her working-class fiancé, but he chooses to defend the fiancé instead. Also: Marissa, Cable and Danny try to persuade Chunk to let them investigate a new guy he wants to date.

[shapeshifter]

Did I miss something, or was the real killer's motive never revealed?

The fake out-of-order elevator situation was so parallel/similar to the defense attorney's following argument, that in real life there would have likely been some suspicious jurors.

[friendperidot]

This was the first time I have paid any attention to this show, I think it will be the last. I understand this is based on Dr. Phil's ego? It's somebody's ego trip. I hoped for better for Michael Weatherly.

[Ariah]

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Did I miss something, or was the real killer's motive never revealed?

The motive was not explicitly stated, but it was mentioned the guy had a sexual assault charge lifted once. But truth be told, we were not given enough data on that one.

I like Weatherly, I really do. Ever since the Dark Angel days. But I need more to this character than being a smug, super-intelligent guy who likes helping people. Does he have flaws? Is his main flaw his smugness? Show me the ex-wife! Let him be wrong about something major!

[JackONeill]

He condescends to nearly everyone. We also get that he doesn't like attorneys. Well, guess what, not many people do. He doesn't seem to respect anyone other than himself (and by extension, his team). But I know I caught some flak for saying this before, but I'm not real sure if he even likes his team. In the last scene last night, Bull's attention seemed to be elsewhere. Weatherly had this distant look on his face. Maybe he was wondering: "Gee, what would Mark Harmon do with this scene?"

[shrewd.buddha]

Gah! Why do I subject myself to this show?  ..So many WTF's in one episode :

• Why couldn't Bull just have told the parents "I think your daughter's real murderer has not been found" instead of suddenly announcing "I'm jumping sides to help the defendant! Ha Ha!"

• Bull goes on and on about how defendant had "won the lottery" and how it was the public defender's "lucky day" because he had blessed them with his decision to help. 

• Did the murder case go to trial in one week?! The crime scene was still intact (tho conveniently could not produce any DNA evidence).

• Bull's PI took less than five minutes to find the actual murder "weapon" and evidence left behind that the police missed -- and then she skipped out *immediately*. No long, thorough search needed by this team!

• Wouldn't the best way to guarantee that the not-guilty defendant  was found not guilty be to show that someone else was the murderer? (The jury had not even been selected yet, so it seems there was time to slow down the trial process.)

• If not for consistently lazy detectives and shoddy police work, Bull and Co. would be out of business. 
• No CSI experts can guess at what the red glass could be ... but Bull's fashion expert can! 
• At no point does the defendant seem to care about who actually did murder his fiance. Or why. 
• The elevator incident with the jurors ... lots of laws broken there. There aren't enough words...

 

I could see the need for Bull's brand of jury manipulation in cases where there is some gray area, like a he said / she said case or whether some large corporation was intentionally ageist or sexist. But these cases are very black and white.
This defendant was completely innocent - not even present when the murder happened.  It wasn't some accidental death where the jury had to decide if the defendant pushed her off a cliff or if she fell. 

Edited October 26, 2016 by shrewd.buddha

[Primetimer]

Bull manages to satisfy both the defence and the prosecution! Is there anything this man can't do?!

View the full article

[Jamoche]

The instant I saw that "confession" I could guess exactly where the episode was going to go. Like, duh, this sort of thing has been in the news a *lot*. And while some shows can pull off the "we know how it'll end, the fun is getting there" (Hi, Columbo!) this is not even in the same galaxy.

Weatherly deserves better, and so do the viewers.

[beadgirl]

Well, I've stopped watching the show, but I'm greatly enjoying the recaps!

Quote

Immediately afterward, Bull tells Layla's parents that they have evidence pointing to the "real killer," and may I just ask if TAC ever considered having Richard's case delayed for, like, A DAY instead of rolling the dice on a verdict, because you know what clears an innocent client better than implausible elevator con jobs? EVIDENCE OF THE ACTUAL KILLER.

[Ohmo]

13 hours ago, Ariah said:

Show me the ex-wife

That will be happening

Bull's Ex Cast With Jane the Virgin Star

This episode was OK.  I liked the COW guys who were the line cook and his public defender.  However, there was not enough Benny in this episode for me, and I've decided that Bull's blond right-hand woman irritates me.  I find her demeanor to be grating.  I like Cable and the women who is the former FBI agent.

I don;t think it's a good sign, however, that I can't remember many of the characters' names by this point in the series.  Seems to be an indication that they aren't very memorable overall.

[Dowel Jones]

17 hours ago, friendperidot said:

I understand this is based on Dr. Phil's ego?

He is listed as an executive producer....

[Mama No Life]

I'm pretty sure that was Parker Stevenson from the Hardy Boys show as the victim's father.

That's all I got.

[GHScorpiosRule]

6 minutes ago, Mama No Life said:

I'm pretty sure that was Parker Stevenson from the Hardy Boys show as the victim's father.

That's all I got.

Really? Then maybe I'll watch it. Sadly, this show is not keeping my attention or interest. I barely remember last week's and spent more time on the 'puter than what was going on  onscreen, and that's not good.  I love Michael Weatherly, but I can't imagine what he or Spielberg were thinking when they signed up for this.

[kaygeeret]

I was interested in this show as I do like Michael W.  I remember his show with Jessica Alba - Dark Angel -

I liked the NCIS cast and watched the first few years - got repetitive and no longer routinely watch.

I watched the first epi of this show with a friend and we laughed ourselves silly - when we weren't looking at each other in amazement - not in a good way.

I stuck thru about 15 minutes of epi two and ten minutes yesterday -

I am so out, it is an awful show (IMO of course) and I would willing darn socks rather than have to watch it again.....

To the sock drawer I go....

[GHScorpiosRule]

Yup, that was  Frank Hardy Parker Stevenson, with that horrid and fugly beard, but again, I couldn't concentrate and my attention wandered.

My only hope is that Michael will be able to make a guest stint on NCIS when McGee gets married.

Edited October 27, 2016 by GHScorpiosRule

[Showthyme]

In each episode there appears to be 3 jurors who are pro-prosecution. Three! Then, their minds are changed after some life experience. Yawn. Let's shake it up a bit and have one pro-prosecution juror who doesn't budge an inch. Let's see someone on Bull's team disagree with the direction and refuse or sabotage the case.

Why does the team go to the bar after each win? It is not all that special when winning is the only outcome. 

This program makes me look forward to the commercials. 

[ShellSeeker]

This show is perfectly serviceable video wallpaper. You can keep up with what's going on without having to pay too much attention to it, and it seems the formula has been established. It's too bad. I like the idea of this show, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

[thewhiteowl]

This wasn't my favorite episode but I still like the show.   Of course he is going to win, I don't want to watch a loser. Of course he is smug. It's Weatherly, King of the Resting Smug-face playing Dr Phil! Smug is a given. I am entertained and that's all I ask. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

At least when Perry Mason won, he wasn't smug. And tomato, tomahto, but I don't think Michael Weatherly is smug, nor does he have a smug face, except when the character he's playing calls for him to be smug, like he did in the early seasons of NCIS.

[MortysCleaningLady]

I adore CBS procedurals.  Really I do.   But the elevator thing was absolutely not kosher.  That was a form of jury tampering.   At the very least, the parents had grounds for a mistrial.   If Bull was less ego centric, he could have placed one of his fake jurors in the elevator to pull the same stunt -- it would be less obvious and harder to prove.  Since he was front and center during it (and obviously cool with the drops) someone should have suspected.

[hoopznyo]

I watched this episode again hoping to find something that didn't annoy me (because I found the previous episodes mostly entertaining). The best part of it for me was the mostly throwaway line while waiting for the jury to come back with the verdict and Bull told Richard that he didn't ever want to have to take cases for money again. It gave Bull another layer and almost humanized him a bit.

Aside from everything else mentioned in previous posts, I also am horrified by the idea of co-workers googling dates after they were repeatedly told not to.  

In the end, I think this show needs better writers.

[jzygayle]

On October 26, 2016 at 2:46 PM, PreviouslyTV said:

Bull manages to satisfy both the defence and the prosecution! Is there anything this man can't do?!

View the full article

Win without breaking multiple laws?

[Dowel Jones]

It looks like the Federal Government could have used Bull's help up in Portland, Oregon.

[IrishPirate]

"Speedy trial" gets a whole new meaning with this show.

[JessDVD]

So I watched it all the way through and I read all the comments here and I totally agree with all the gaping plotholes and weird moments and yet it does not take away from the enjoyment of the show for me and I don't know what that says about me but there we are.

The draws for me are, in this order: 1) Michael Weatherly 2) NYC as the location 3) Chris Jackson 4) The rest of the regular cast.

Also at the very beginning of the season, it to me felt like Tony DiNozzo is now a jury consultant but I find that waning as the season goes on so if I'm any barometer for the general public, that may be a good thing for the show. I think they may have to button up the plausibility level if they want to continue the show. Isn't it supposed to be based on real-life cases? Presumably those real-life cases were things that actually happened and thus didn't have giant implausible moments in them?

Also, I hope that fictional character who needs no more backstory or future than what was given to us, was able to open his restaurant.

[Guest]

On 10/26/2016 at 6:49 AM, shrewd.buddha said:

 

• No CSI experts can guess at what the red glass could be ... but Bull's fashion expert can! 

From a photo even!  The cops have the actual glass and can't figure it out.  Of course they couldn't even find the glass til Bull's team saved the day.  

I've done banquet work.  Waiters don't wear cuff links, much less red, glass ones.  And they don't usually follow a fleeing diner out of the building to randomly kill her, either, sex offender history or not.

[marina to]

I don't think it was to kill her. I think he saw a chance to rape her and she hit her head and died in the process.

[Loves2Dance]

On 10/26/2016 at 4:36 PM, Ohmo said:

That will be happening

Bull's Ex Cast With Jane the Virgin Star

This episode was OK.  I liked the COW guys who were the line cook and his public defender.  However, there was not enough Benny in this episode for me, and I've decided that Bull's blond right-hand woman irritates me.  I find her demeanor to be grating.  I like Cable and the women who is the former FBI agent.

I don;t think it's a good sign, however, that I can't remember many of the characters' names by this point in the series.  Seems to be an indication that they aren't very memorable overall.

I only remember Chunk and Cable. Cable because her name is interesting; Chunk because he will forever be George Washington in my eyes (Hamilton reference for those who don't know his prior gig). 

[Miss Dee]

This episode was redeemed solely by Sleepy Hollow's Joe Corbin (and his lovely, lovely arms) as the defendant.