Bull Review: Bad Medicine (Season 2 Episode 18)

The debate over medical marijuana makes for a tense and emotional case on Bull Season 2 Episode 18, “Bad Medicine”.

Wherever you fall in the debate over medical marijuana, this episode is probably going to make you feel uncomfortable at points—and that’s a good thing. As much as we can sympathize with a mother’s fight to save her son, when it comes to the strict rule of law, there are no easy answers.

In order to avoid making this a discussion of politics over storytelling, let’s focus on how this episode is put together. Between the acting and the careful handling of delicate points, it’s done about as well as it could be.

Of course, we are here to sympathize with Laura and her son, and even without a heartbreaking story, that would be easy to do. As Chunk says, there’s nothing they can add to make her story more compelling, or to improve the job she does standing up for herself on the stand.

The minor characters play in well, too. The painful stories shared with the jury feel like more than emotional manipulation (even though, technically, there are absolutely there to manipulate emotions). Nobody on the defense tries to shy away from the truth of Laura’s actions.

On that note, it’s good to see an antagonist use the “I’m just trying to do my job” approach effectively. Unlike certain figures who make it about themselves and power—I’m looking at you, Linda Barnes of Criminal Minds—Sylvia truly does just want to see justice served.

Once again, the whole thing does wrap up a little too conveniently. If there’s a flaw in Sylvia’s relatability, it’s that she doesn’t seem moved by much—even the possibility that Laura will go to prison and leave behind her dying son.

When the episode ends, her definition of justice feels slightly different than what she tells Dr. Bull the night before.  As she had been adamant that, even while being sympathetic, Laura broke the law, there’s a slight disconnect when she later says justice reflects the will of the people.

Regardless, I’ll happily accept all this as the possibility of leaving the door open for Dana Delany to return. And we learn that, to have the answers we’d really like to sympathize with, we’re going to have to go beyond individual stories and change the systems themselves.

(True, that’s a little political. But the show is definitely showing us which side it takes, and it does make a strong case).

A few other notes:

• What the heck happens to Kevin after his mother is sent to prison for the night? Does a member of the team babysit him? I doubt they’d let child services take him without a fight.
• We get a very, very brief mention of Bull and his ex losing a child to miscarriage. Is it too much to hope it won’t slip into the void?
• Only slightly more time is given to Cable’s tiny appearance on screen. I’d still like to see them all talk more.
• Say what else you will about her; Sylvia’s line about equating fertility with empathy is a great one.

What did you think of this episode of Bull? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Bull airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on CBS.

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