Bull Review: Death Sentence (Season 2 Episode 22)

 

On Bull Season 2 Episode 22, “Death Penalty,” “bad” and “worse” aren’t good enough options—but taking the third leads to a season-ending cliff-hanger.

Just three minutes into the final episode of season two, a jury of Elliot’s peers delivers him a truly devastating guilty verdict.  Fortunately, we know immediately that Jason Bull and his team won’t accept that.

Jason never doubts Elliot’s innocence, and despite the lingering questions expressed by those including members of his own team, this conviction now powers the defense forward. While initially reluctant to challenge the verdict, the team eventually does, and grows stronger as a result.

Two semi-related threads are interwoven through this episode. Where Marissa’s deep concern for Bull may be abrupt, it now escalates into her talking with a therapist about co-dependency. That seems totally out of left field.

Given this, as emotional as it is to see her write a letter of resignation, it never feels like something that will stick. Sure enough, she’s tearing the thing up a few scenes later, leaving me to ask where all the build up for these feelings comes from.

There have certainly been moments that could be used to back up her feelings here, but the show has never strongly identified them as such. It has the potential to be an important storyline, so I hope it gets a more conscious approach next season.

Chunk’s independent contributions are handled somewhat more sensibly. At least, we finally get some closure to that plot line with his professor that’s been hanging in the background all season.

Say what you will about him (and I still have a lot to say), Professor Jameson is excellent on the stand, and a key factor in swinging the case around. Him identifying the true killer as a psychopath before saying Elliot absolutely isn’t one is a heck of a moment.

By the end, he finally does change his mind about both his former student and trial science in general. Given how stubborn he’s been for how long, the turn could be a little more believable. Still, I’ll take it.

It can be difficult to keep the emotional tension of a potential death sentence going when we know as fans our team will pull off the miracle once thought impossible. Elliot, though, is able to make us feel his fear and devastation through the episode.

But never fear. Our heroes aren’t just trial scientists, they are, apparently, crime solvers, too. Between a few jarring realizations—and Jason Bull being so capable of convincing anyone of anything that he gets a wife to come out against her psychopath husband—we get our miracle.

A part of me I am not proud of is really enjoys the March Madness-style approach to suspect elimination. It’s as fast-paced as ever, but in this case, it’s what we need. The Hail Mary is pulled off in true crime drama fashion.

And yet we know we’ve been promised a dramatic twist. And with some of the wins pulled off to date, even one of this magnitude doesn’t count.

Instead, Jason Bull excuses himself to get some air, sits down on the courthouse steps…and then lies down, loosening his tie. He attracts strangers, but seems only slightly troubled.

So we close the season on him very calmly calling 911 and telling the operator he’s having a heart attack. Now, this is not Game of Thrones. The title character is almost certainly not going to be killed off his own show. Still, it sure is a heart-stopping cliffhanger.

…Sorry.

(On a related note, while alarming, this ending makes a very important point: heart attacks don’t always look like the chest-clutching terror so many other shows and movies portray them as. Learn the signs and keep yourselves well!)

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

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Bull airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on CBS.

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