Take Three: Franklin & Bash

Franklin & Bash: Season 1, Episode 3 “Jennifer of Troy” (C-)

This show isn’t content with just being semi-ridiculous. It seems determined to go the whole way in each of its many wacky plotlines, as evidenced just by the banter that goes on within the firm and the way it’s meant to be taken seriously. The fact that bets are placed on case verdicts and the boss approves of them is quite silly. It also seems terribly unproductive for one lawyer to purposely sabotage another. In terms of this week’s most notable plotline, of course Bash can’t stop at seducing his client on the stand. He has to go ahead and kiss her in front of the entire courtroom, just to get his point across fully. It’s a ridiculous case, to be sure, but it seems abundantly clear that it’s exactly the kind of thing we’ll be seeing on this show on a regular basis. Pairing it with the Chinatown storyline ultimately made sense because of the rather obvious power of love in both cases, though it really didn’t quite fit the tone of the show aside from Franklin and Bash’s inability to carefully and respectfully maneuver worlds not their own. I’m always pleased to see a “Lost” alumnus turn up anywhere, and therefore the presence of Francois Chau, better known as Pierre Chang and a few other aliases, as the father and shop owner was welcome. Malcolm McDowell puts little effort into his performance as the very powerful, cultured patriarch of the firm, and it’s at least good to see his talents put to some productive use.