Mickey and Cisco race against time to pursue a mysterious lead. Lorna scours the fine print to score a win for her client. The firm hires a new driver. A court order compelling the release of records connected to the victim rouses Mickey's worst fears. Maggie confronts a former colleague.
"Forty Hours" was written by Gladys Rodriguez and directed by Antonio Negret
Every morning essentially starts with Mickey going to the judge asking for information the prosecution is withholding. He invites the media in to see all of Dana's dirty tricks. Right now, Dana could be viewed two ways. She is either the vicious prosecutor oblivious to the conspiracy at the heart of her case. Or she is in on it. She purposefully wants to keep vital information from Mickey to hurt his case. Maggie previously established a history between Mickey and Dana. No one likes her. She's not meant to be viewed as a skilled litigator. She showcases the kind of corruption that gives the government a bad reputation. That has become rather one note immediately. Mickey sees all the manipulations. He believes she convinces the lead detective to be honest about the missing wallet so it isn't further litigated in front of a jury. The judge sets a firm deadline for Dana to provide more information about the missing item's whereabouts. That time hasn't run out yet. And so, very little progress is actually made in Mickey's quest for exoneration. Cisco points him to a massive lead in Yuma, Arizona. Potentially Sam's only friend was his former cellmate in prison. He will only speak with Mickey face-to-face. That means Mickey is already trying to break the rules laid out for him.
The rest of the episode is essentially an insane series of events that threaten Mickey's freedom. He is allowed to travel outside the state. He simply has to return to the county by midnight. The team sees that as possible. Delays make everyone nervous. It leads to him having to jump over the county line at the last possible second. It's an insane escalation. One that highlights all that Mickey has to lose. Yet the drama is more gripping when it actually covers the stakes of the case. It's a legal procedural after all. It demands the audience pay attention to the crafty maneuvers pulled for the benefit of each lawyer's client. For Lorna, she finds a workaround that allows Celeste to receive a hefty payout for her divorce. The burden is too high to argue in the courtroom. She can't prove intent behind transmitting herpes. Instead, she settles for the lower bar of negligence when bringing the injury to the insurance company. That satisfies Celeste while ensuring her ex-husband is unhappy. That's a concise story probably finished here. Meanwhile, all the effort from Mickey only provides him with an alias and address for Sam. It may mean something. It may not. More clarity is needed to keep this main storyline moving. Too many patterns have been repeated already.
Grade: C+
"Bleeding the Beast" was written by Katy Erin and directed by Antonio Negret
Mickey has struggled to find a connection between someone who wanted Sam dead and to frame him for it. It just doesn't make sense. As a result, he fears he may actually lose. He doesn't want to confide that thought with anyone. Even when he does with Maggie, she doesn't want to hear it again. They cannot think like that. He is going to win. It's what he must do for the people he cares about. That's the only option. That also means he has to start developing an alternate theory of the case. All of the evidence so far points to his guilt. The team only have long shots. They don't know if any of them will pan out. And then, it all starts to click in place. Sam was trying to defraud the federal government. He was getting a retrofitted truck and a license to drive it in order to benefit from government subsidy's connected to the biofuel industry. The mention of his fraudulent company was enough for the FBI to send a cease and desist letter to a journalist working for the LA Times. Mickey and Cisco delight in serving a court order to the bureau. They want all the information the feds have on Sam. It's just vague off to avoid suspicion of what the team already knows. The response is incredibly telling. That connects the pieces together. The agent who responds is Vasquez from the second season. Mickey embarrassed him in court. Now, Vasquez threatens him with backup.
Mickey has struggled to find a connection between someone who wanted Sam dead and to frame him for it. It just doesn't make sense. As a result, he fears he may actually lose. He doesn't want to confide that thought with anyone. Even when he does with Maggie, she doesn't want to hear it again. They cannot think like that. He is going to win. It's what he must do for the people he cares about. That's the only option. That also means he has to start developing an alternate theory of the case. All of the evidence so far points to his guilt. The team only have long shots. They don't know if any of them will pan out. And then, it all starts to click in place. Sam was trying to defraud the federal government. He was getting a retrofitted truck and a license to drive it in order to benefit from government subsidy's connected to the biofuel industry. The mention of his fraudulent company was enough for the FBI to send a cease and desist letter to a journalist working for the LA Times. Mickey and Cisco delight in serving a court order to the bureau. They want all the information the feds have on Sam. It's just vague off to avoid suspicion of what the team already knows. The response is incredibly telling. That connects the pieces together. The agent who responds is Vasquez from the second season. Mickey embarrassed him in court. Now, Vasquez threatens him with backup.
Mickey has the resources to continue to embarrass the bureau. Initially, he's struck with the impact his trial is having on Hayley. She's being bullied online. He's sorry for how all of this is costing her. When his security fails, she's there with a camera to record the threat. Hayley shows up for her father. He's so proud of her. Now, the team has the evidence to pursue this further. They have a theory of the case that adds up. Mickey wasn't the only one feeling the pressure. Maggie communicates with both sides of the case. Lorna struggles being impartial because Mickey means so much to her. She fears she won't be able to make it as a lawyer on her own. She fails in her own case because she overlooked security footage. She believed her client's story instead of verifying it. She gets something but not as much as she thought. Maggie offers reassurance. More experience will make Lorna a better lawyer. She doesn't have to be so hard on herself right now. Meanwhile, Dana is blinded by this case. She saw one explanation and has ignored any contradictory information. She's not inherently wrong for doing so. How she responds enrages Maggie. They once had a professional camaraderie. Now, Maggie only sees the flaws. It's all coming at the expense of her family. She has to be there for them because of how blind and cruel the rest of the world is being.
Grade: B-
