Photo Credit: USA
Nope, that wasn’t the title of tonight’s episode. Instead, it turned out to be Justin’s (Michael Trucco) campaign slogan in his bid for District Attorney. However, that doesn’t mean that it couldn’t have been the title, because tonight’s episode was all about the drive for justice, even in the face of adversity and what seems to be impossible obstacles.
If you had a hard day at work or are just pissed off at some company, watch this episode because you will feel better at the end – guaranteed. Kate’s (Sarah Shahi) case tonight is that of an aeronautics engineer, Danny Martin (Kevin Weisman), who is laid off with only 2 years left on his contract. Danny is offered a severance package that most of us would die for – 2 years salary (equivalent to the amount of time he had left on his contract), full health benefits, you name it. But, there’s one catch – he has to sign a confidentiality agreement. And, that is the part that Danny refuses to sign, and that is why Kate is brought in. In today’s economy, Kate doesn’t understand why Danny doesn’t take the money and run, but after storming out of the mediation and accusing his employer of lying, Kate realizes this case is worth a second look. We soon discover that Danny uncovered a flaw in his own plane design, tried to do the right thing and reported it, but instead of fixing the problem, the company only covers it up and then, fires Danny.
Against the advice of even Kate (who is never one to take something like this sitting down), Danny breaks in to recover evidence of the company’s wrongdoing but is caught and arrested. Now, it looks like our good guy, Danny, is going to prison, and the corrupt corporate giant is going to get away with all of this. Not so fast!
“I’d rather live in the world of ‘Dannys’ who had the guts to stand up and say, ‘This is wrong’” – Kate Reed
Inspired by Danny, who risked everything to do what was right, she, too, risks everything, including jail, and is able to recover the data Danny obtained just in time to send it to the Justice Department. All in a day’s work for Kate Reed – God, I love this girl!
This is such a great and inspirational story, and I will not hesitate to say it’s my favorite thus far in the season. Even though the economy is slowly recovering, the horrific financial meltdown that began in 2007-2008, all caused by corporate corruption and greed isn’t too far in most people’s memory, and there’s not many who weren’t impacted by it. With the huge bailouts of corporations like AIG that only seem to serve the executives who caused the mess in the first place, this episode gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling to see that, for once, the “little guy” finally wins and the towering corporate giant falls. Here you have a company who was willing to risk planes exploding in mid-air, all over some money. If any company ever deserved to have the bottom pulled out from under it, this one did. It was a very gripping story and had my attention from start to finish.
Besides this, I think we are also finally beginning to see where the new guy, Ben Grogan (Ryan Johnson), is going to fit in and also realize just how important he may end up becoming to Reed & Reed. The secondary storyline was between Ben and Lauren (Virginia Williams). Ben wants to take a litigation case to trial because he is certain he can get their client a multi-million dollar payday (which means more money for the firm), but Lauren wants to play it safe and settle for a wimpy $250,000. In the end, Ben does something that takes a lot of guts. He gives the client two options – go to trial and if they win, Reed & Reed gets 1/3 of the settlement. But, if they lose, Ben will pay him the $250,000 HIMSELF. Wow. Even Lauren was impressed. This was great writing and character development, and as of tonight, I am “Team Ben”. I am betting the character gained a lot of other fans tonight as well.
All in all, this was a fantastic episode. It had a great storyline that hit pretty close to home for most people, had plenty of laughs, and made headway in the development of a character that up until now, was just plain annoying. Oh, and it even had something for those of you who are Kate/Justin shippers. While we may see Kate and Justin fight more often than not, there is one common thread between them that gives a glimmer of hope for their relationship and a possibility of a reconciliation – both of their drives for justice.
“This insane Jonsing for Justice”
Some memorable quotes and observations:
