Bull Review: But for the Grace (Season 3 Episode 8)
On Bull Season 3 Episode 8, “But for the Grace,” a client’s temper nearly ruins his case, which is a complication you’d think TAC would expect by now.
Full disclosure: I’m having trouble finding too much to say about this episode because it feels a bit like filler. Neither client or case are anything too unusual, and the resolution isn’t, either.
We’ve come to expect that the people TAC helps will often be both sympathetic and frustrating. That’s certainly true for a man named Chris whose anger, while warranted, often boils over at the wrong time and toward the wrong people.
There is effort put into establishing why that anger is warranted. A well-meaning young lawyer gets Chris a deal that winds up majorly backfiring when a man he is in a minor skirmish with dies of a head injury.
Never mind the fact that the man dies a week later, that he probably hurts himself accidentally, and that nobody has made much of an effort to actually prove anything. Chris has good reason to feel screwed over.
I also can’t forget that the wife he has a child with and is currently separated from sends him divorce papers during the case. I can’t because nearly everyone involved seems to do just that immediately.
The opposing counsel never brings it up as a testament to character. The next time we see the wife, she is concerned about her husband’s behavior but says she still loves him. At the end of the episode, they happily reunite.
The sole purpose of the news seems to be adding fuel to the blow-up that happens with Bull and Benny only a couple of scenes later. It certainly works for that, but even then has no lasting impact, as it happens out of court.
Overall, its hard to tell if were getting a client who has genuine anger issues that require long-term work, or one whose rage is only triggered by rare and valid issues, albeit with a still-troubling lack of control over time and place.
Our arc of frustration and confusion to sympathy and relief comes as quickly as the jury’s not guilty verdict. There’s also not enough of a concrete case made on either side, though Benny does, at least, point this out.
For me, the “B” plot of the episode is much more interesting than the “A” plot. It also reassures me that we’re going to do more exploring of Danny and Gabriel during the rest of the season.
It’s not quite clear if Danny is coming around to the idea of a real, lasting romantic relationship, but the date they go on certainly hints at that. The way Gabriel looks at her, I’m definitely rooting for them now.
We learn, when a medical emergency interrupts dinner, that Gabriel was a doctor—a surgeon, nonetheless—before coming to the United States. He hasn’t told her out of fear of deportation, because…reasons?
The actual connection between Gabriel’s past and the possible consequences now isn’t explained, but I have a feeling it will be soon. A casual mention of deportation isn’t so casual when it happens on a show that handles legal cases for a living.
If this theory proves correct, there’s very different trouble on the horizon for these two than what I’ve been expecting. Yet if Gabriel is threatened for actions that save a man’s life, I have no doubt TAC will save him in turn.
What did you think of this episode of Bull? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Bull airs Mondays at 10/9c on CBS.
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Caitlin Wyneken
Caitlin is an elder millennial with an only slightly unhealthy dedication to a random selection of TV shows, from PBS Masterpiece dramas to some of the less popular series on popular networks. Outside of screen time, she's dedicated to the public sector and worthy nonprofits, working to make a difference in the world outside of media.