Bull comes back from a short break with a case that gives the team two distinct goals. The first is to defend a lifestyle and fitness guru who’s being civilly sued for a customer’s death by anaphylactic shock. The second is to reunite Benny with his estranged sister, because the Martha-Stewart-esque Isabella Colón is their client.
“Izzy”, as Bull calls her, has been mentioned several times on the show, but, surprisingly, it’s Benny who has more of a problem working with her. Bull is happy to help and understands that the seriousness of the suit means Izzy could lose her entire company. Benny, on the other hand, bristles at any mention of his sister. He’s so disconnected from her life, he didn’t know she was being sued for sixty million dollars.
The case involves bee pollen. The victim, Olivia, was deathly allergic and died from exposure to the substance. Her husband, George, and his lawyers claim that the pollen was introduced by Izzy’s smoothie powder.
Because the case is being tried in civil court instead of criminal, George’s lawyers don’t need to convince twelve people to believe in Izzy’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. They just need to convince five out of six that Izzy is liable for the pollen.
When we first meet Izzy, the title of tonight’s episode suddenly makes sense. Izzy is an impossible perfectionist that holds herself and everyone else up to the highest of standards. Although it isn’t completely clear at first, Benny didn’t live up to her expectations, or thought he didn’t live up to her expectations. As we learn, Bull didn’t live up to them either. Izzy was tired of him putting his career first and constantly psychoanalyzing her every little moment and tell. She warns him that she came to the team for trial science, not more of this psychoanalysis.
But psychoanalysis is just what she needs when Bull points out the problem with every mirror jury Marissa compiles. They all claim that they’re fans of Izzy and gush about her recipes and advice, but they all still find her liable. Bull, projecting more than a little, calls this the love/hate relationship. The jurors resent Izzy’s perfectionism and are eager to punish any perceived mistake. There is such a thing as too perfect.
The team at TAC decides they need to make Izzy human, but it’s easier said than done. Dressing her in frumpy clothes confuses jurors. It’s only by easing up on her makeup that the jurors start to see her as “more chill.”
Izzy isn’t helping matters, either. Her complicated relationships with both Bull and Benny bring much more baggage than any client in the past. Benny resents her for pushing him to join the DA’s office and Izzy is still upset that Benny went to work for Bull after their divorce. She sees her brother’s loyalty to her ex-husband as a near-unforgivable offense.
While Benny and Bull are wrapped up in the drama with Izzy, the rest of the team is wrapped up in mirror juror drama. Two jurors, Carlos and Sara, are secretly seeing each other and the team needs to get the mirror jurors to feel the same spark. Marissa has to play the role of the disapproving authority figure and drive the two into each other’s arms. As Chunk confesses, the entire thing feels like a zoo experiment. The love also sours when the team introduces evidence of the victim’s husband’s affair. Now, they suddenly have a jury that doesn’t believe in love and is inclined to vote for liability.
To humanize Izzy, the team scripts a public fight with Bull. To get a genuine and vulnerable reaction, Bull honestly talks about the reason their marriage broke up. It seems a little cruel to bring up their miscarriage in a public setting, but at least he doesn’t speak loud enough to reach the many cellphones recording the incident. The fight (minus the miscarriage part) goes viral and finally shows the world what Bull and Benny see when they look at Izzy – a person, not an icon.
The fight is enough to persuade Sara and Carlos to make up and believe in the power of love again. The fight also spurs Izzy to talk honestly with Benny and he’s inspired to write a passionate closing argument for her. Izzy, however, surprises everyone and adds in her own apology to both Bull and Benny. It’s enough to let Izzy off the hook, but it doesn’t even matter. Bull and Danny point to the mistress as the real culprit behind the bee pollen. With the case closed, Bull reaffirms his friendship with Benny. He also finally opens up to Izzy and earns a kiss for his honesty.
Juror(s) of the Week: Sara and Carlos, the Romeo and Juliet of the jury pool
What did you think of tonight’s episode? Let me know in the comments!
