Bull episode 16 review: A twist ending helps ‘Free Fall’ rise
As a matter of fact, we’d argue that the case of a skydiving attempt gone horribly wrong for one Governor Whitfield was one of the less-interesting ones of the season to date. Maybe that is because of our own sentiment towards politics at the moment. There are so many other shows delving into this subject that a case with these sort of implications didn’t really spark get us going. The same can be said for how the case became in part about zoning for the skydiving business.
Where things really got interesting was the presence of Liberty Davis on the opposing side of the case. For the first time this season, the two characters squared off in court rather than working on the same side together. How did that work out? Chaotic, to say the least. Liberty was not happy that Bull was there; as a matter of fact, she eventually accused him of deliberately taking the case to get attention for himself, regardless of whether or not it hurt her or anyone else in the process. She took that anger and used it to inspire her to come up with a theory of her own about Whitfield, one that involved a personal conspiracy rather than a corporate one.
She changed the game on Bull, and as a result of that, he had to change the game on her. If Walt did kill the Governor outside of the sphere of employment, it would not hold the company liable. Therefore, they would be off the hook in the lawsuit.
The twist ending
Right when Bull was going to get Walt’s brother to read a statement making it clear that he was responsible for killing the Governor, the brother himself emotionally confessed to doing it himself out of anger and heartbreak over what happened to him. It turns out that Liberty’s theory was wrong. As for Bull, the question still remains as to whether or not he set this up intentionally for the brother to confess.
This is where Bull can take a relatively boring case and turn it into something interesting. The more that the show is a game of chess between two people, the more interesting it becomes. The best moment, however sad it was, was Bull trying to convince the Governor’s wife to drop the lawsuit, even after he had blown up her late husband’s personal life in court. She did accept, but this was further proof of Bull’s silent ruthlessness.
Yes, the first thirty-five minutes of “Free Fall” were a little ho-hum, but once Liberty really got her gears moving, the show became something addictive and stunning. to quote Liberty, “until next time,” indeed. Having a little bit of backstory for Benny at the tail end — and Bull eventually opting to skydive — was the icing on the cake. Grade: B+.
Return date – Want to see when Bull is going to be coming back on CBS? Then we suggest that you head over to the link here and check out our full preview! (Photo: CBS.)
Was “Free Fall” something brilliant, or a fall from grace in your mind? Be sure to share your own Bull episode 16 reviews now in the comments!