Bull season 2 episode 3 review: Bull takes on a fraternity

Ray Donovan season 2 episode 3

One of the things that we ask for in any episode of Bull is that all of the stories need to find some ways to stand out from each other. Luckily, Bull season 2 episode 3 looked to deliver that from the jump by putting our title character almost in the role of investigator rather than trial-analysis expert.

The case at the center of the week revolved around a fraternity who collectively found themselves accused of killing a pledge in the midst of a gruesome hazing accident. The problem was that almost all of the pledges were stonewalling anyone from getting information. Nobody was talking, and you can’t be altogether shocked about that for a number of different reasons. For one, these people had protective and super-rich parents, and that made it so much harder to get any information leading up to a possible trial.

Eventually, Bull and the remainder of the TAC were able to dangle enough carrots around a member of fraternity who, thanks in part to an immunity deal, was willing to hit the stand. He was the roommate of the deceased party, and there was a hope that they would get something substantial out of him. Alas, that didn’t happen and it was starting to look as though the judge was getting ready to throw out the case altogether.

Bull calls an audible

Given that this is what he is good at, we’re not surprised that there was one more trick up his sleeve: The victim’s mother, who told a powerful story about losing her son — and also what many members of the fraternity probably did to cover their butts and avoid a major scandal.

Then, another audible: Bull convinced the prosecution to lie enough in order to send some fear into some of the defendants. This one little move, while not the most ethical thing in the world, was enough in order to ensure that he could get some testimony out there from someone at the scene. Not only that, but he got it from the main person responsible.

As for whether or not this was enough to get the guilty verdict, all you had to do was look at the faces of everyone at court.

What is going on with Marissa?

This was a very interesting sideplot for the show, given that it revolved around someone who is well known for never missing work. Therefore, when she was running late and wouldn’t tell Bull what was going on, it was an interesting sideplot for the show. At first he thought that she had a new job offer somewhere that was keeping her from taking the gig. However, after that we soon discovered that she had a new relationship, one that was certainly making her rather busy.

We revisited the Marissa story at the end of the episode, as Bull wanted to visit her to discuss the end of the case … only to find that she was nowhere to be seen. This is going to be a transition for Bull; this is a woman he’s relied on as a sounding board for years, but she’s getting something that he hasn’t had in a while: A life.

CarterMatt Verdict

Bull season 2 episode 4 was the right sort of slow burn. It was a little bit predictable since you knew almost from the jump how this was probably going to end, but seeing how we got here was an exercise in good writing. Major kudos tonight especially to the guest cast, who were the main narrative engine who kept the story going.

What is coming on Bull season 2 episode 4?

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