Photo Credit: Alan Zenuk/USA Network
If you have been keeping up with the online chatter, especially on Twitter, about this week’s episode of Fairly Legal, you would know that we should expect a “bomb” to be dropped on us. Sometimes such things turn out to be nothing more but hype, but I can tell you with certainty in this case it was not. Fairly Legal delivered 10 times over, and so, if you haven’t watched the episode yet, when you do, buckle down and get ready for a jolt at the end.
This week’s episode has Kate (Sarah Shahi) and Ben (Ryan Johnson) teaming up to mediate a hunger strike at the Hayward Women’s Correctional Facility. The women are protesting poor living conditions, with Kate finally getting them to settle on a single request – to be given a plot of land on the prison grounds to be able to grow their own fruits and vegetables. In the process, in comes Lea, a young girl apparently duped by an overbearing boyfriend to drive a get-away car in a bank robbery. Lea is adamant that she is innocent and had no idea of what her boyfriend had been planning. And, all that stands between Lea and being paroled is just apologizing and admitting to the parole board that she committed the crime – which she vows never to do. This is a case right up the alley for our Kate Reed, the leader and champion for justice and for what is right.
As the episode progresses, I’m sure we all were expecting for Kate and Ben to be victorious, win Lea a new trial based upon the “overwhelming evidence” that we are sure they will find, and Ben and Kate will call it a day with another victory toast. Unfortunately, for the show to mirror reality on some level, Kate will have to lose some cases. Kate just recently had two major victories in the episodes “Shine a Light” and “Gimme Shelter” (which I also thought have been the two best episodes in the season thus far), and so, it was about time for Kate to have a setback. And, this episode was the perfect one for that “setback” because it actually makes sense. For those like myself that know very little about the legal system, getting a new trial is extremely difficult. You basically have to prove something like some mistake was made in the original trial or misconduct by the prosecuting attorney. That wasn’t going to happen in tonight’s episode. And, even Kate’s pleas, as convincing as she may be, didn’t work with the parole board. It was really heartbreaking to see Kate cry at the end in the face of her defeat, but it’s a cruel world and sometimes you just have to accept it and move on.
Besides this, we also get some wonderful Ben and Kate time in this episode. We’ve known for the past couple of episodes that both have feelings for each other, but I don’t think we got to see just how much until tonight. Here we have Ben and Kate getting into almost a shouting match in Lauren’s (Virginia Williams) office about Kate’s “compulsion” to save the world and how sometimes you just need to let go. Kate is obviously ticked off and storms out of the office. Then, the next thing we find out is Ben has filed a motion for a new trial for Lea and is about to argue the case before a judge. What the hell! Ben, what about all that crap about being compulsive and “tilting at windmills”?
“I did it not because it was the right thing to do but because I thought I could win” – Ben
Yeah, right, Ben! You are so full of crap that you need your own septic tank! You did it for Kate, admit it, we all know it. And, with the look on Kate’s face, you scored some major points, dude!
But, the very best part comes at the end. A handful of shows can pull off a huge punchline right at the very end of an episode, and Fairly Legal did it perfectly. Ben is about to go get his “tires balanced”, and on the surface, it sounds like an ordinary ending to an ordinary day. Then, boom – the kiss! Yes, they KISS! While Kate may have initially been surprised, you can bet she liked it and yes, Ben, I’m sure Kate will “balance your tires” anytime.
I really am liking this Season thus far and where we are heading. Last season I would call mediocre, with the best we could hope for every week is seeing ditzy Kate and whether she was going to be on time for her long list of meetings every day. But, this season, the writing has been much crisper, the cases more interesting, and the “ditzy” Kate seems to be a thing of the past. Plus, we have this wonderful addition named Ben Grogan. I can’t wait to see where the remainder of the Season takes us!
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