Take Three: Fairly Legal

Fairly Legal: Season 1, Episode 3 “Benched” (C)

Let’s just call this one a swing and a miss. It’s both the show and the major case of the week that don’t perform as could be hoped. From the start, it’s problematic: it makes no sense that Judge Nicastro would essentially ask Kate for a favor, and even pretty much phrase it that way. I understand that Kate is supposed to be the latest of USA’s token unconventional lead characters, but to this point, things are being taken too far. She’s too aloof and irresponsible in her job, consistently resorting to showy tricks almost before trying a more normative approach. This is the second time in only two episodes she’s started smashing things in someone’s office, which seems heavily irresponsible and unnecessarily destructive, if nothing else. I am happy to see Dean Norris take on, and succeed fairly well in, another guest-starring part during the hiatus of “Breaking Bad,” though I’m not as impressed with the role, which wasn’t entirely believable. Kate stepping in to help her harbor neighbor when he conveniently needed legal support felt a bit forced, and I don’t see how the cool and conniving Wicked Witch stepmother could seem so wonderfully appealing and attractive to him. Sure, it’s something to antagonize and aggravate Kate, but that doesn’t mean it’s logical. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel about the character of Leo, who seems to be exerting too much influence in Kate’s daily affairs, especially as he devotes a considerable part of his day to shopping for a gift for Kate from Justin and then blackmailing him into paying for a new iPad. I’m undecided on whether I’m going to stick with this or not in the future.