This week's Franklin & Bash kicks off with something we don't see every week: a responsible, or at the very least trying to be, Peter Bash. This also marks the episode with the new interns that TNT has been promoting non-stop for weeks. Peter and Jared are stuck with mousy but smart Bonnie, played by the wonderful Danielle Panabaker (Shark).
The boys are working on what will probably be their hardest case yet. Their client, Sal Gotelli (Gino Anthony Pesi from Battle: Los Angeles), is accused of beating up three coworkers. This client won't make it easy for Team Franklin & Bash to win their case. And add to that a shy intern who is following them around, the boys have a lot on their plate right now.
Actor Brian Howe plays the D.A going head to head with our boys this time around. D.A Brad Hewitt looks like a proven adversary for Frank and Bash on the surface but he might not have the chops to keep up with them.
This is also the first time the series focuses so much time on a jury selection process rather than the court case itself.
It turns out their client wasn't actually defending himself but someone else. The boys find out Sal was defending a witness who watched his coworkers beat up a man while stealing his car. Sal is in love with the mystery witness named Annabel. Franklin and Bash immediately smell an opportunity to turn their quickly sinking case around.
The boys soon introduce Bonnie to one of their famous House Parties. Jared and Bonnie find an instant connection when they relate to each other's daddy issues. I could easily get on board with these two. Especially if Jared becomes mentor to the young Bonnie.
Carmen does what Carmen does best and tracks down Annabel only to find out that she doesn't even know Sal and he has been admiring her from afar. They still need to get her to testify in his defense.
I enjoyed how throughout the episode both Peter and Jared were getting advice from others at Infeld Daniels including Infeld, Damien and Hannah. The episode has a very different look and feel to it, and considering it was supposed to be a special episode, it works.
But it's a real daunting process picking a jury for a court case. Those of us who have done jury duty (and hated it!) can understand the lawyer's reasoning for choosing and dismissing civilians a little better after this episode.
Before they have their jury set, Sal goes behind Peter and Jared's backs and warns their potential character witness, Annabel, to get out of town as soon as possible thus putting a wedge in his case. And probably permanently.
They find out that Sal had a girlfriend at the shop. But Sal maintains that he was in love with Annabel and that his thing with Kiki was nothing.
The guys are still trying to get the perfect jury that will help them win the case. But nothing is going in their favor. Things aren't looking good for Peter and Jared and that's sad because I was really rooting for their client and the "Beauty and the Beast" case they created in Sal's favor.
The boys recruit Carmen and Pinder to help them get a spiteful, man-eater juror kicked off the jury when they run out of challenges. It works and the D.A releases the juror without even realizing he'd been manipulated by Jared and Peter to do so. It's a wonderful scene to watch play out.
They go to Kiki and ask if she would testify for Sal but after finding out about Annabel she wants nothing to do with him. There goes another thorn in the case!
Bonnie proves herself that she could really do well on Team Franklin and Bash. She gives them a classic Franklin and Bash move to help their case by manipulating the D.A once again into being the ones who call on Kiki so they could cross examine in their favor. I wonder if they're planning on giving Danielle a recurring role as Bonnie on the series, because if they are I could really see that working out well for the series.
The day in court has arrived and it's time to see if the D.A took the bait that Peter and Jared set. And he did. Hook, line and sinker.
I've never learned so much about law as I have watching this show. Not even while I studied it in school. This episode was probably one of their strongest episodes in the series and one of my favorite episodes of the season. I really enjoyed this new way of story-telling. I enjoyed that the focus was solely on Peter and Jared and their case. I especially enjoyed their guest stars this week. Now all I ask is that we offer Danielle Panabaker a recurring role on Franklin & Bash. She'd be amazing week to week!
