**Spoilers, but not the identity of the killer**
Overall this series has a very paint-by-numbers feel to it, but this episode stands out for two reasons. To briefly summarise the plot, Megan Hunt's (Dana Delaney) mother, Judge Joan Hunt (Joanna Cassidy), exonerates a woman suspected of murdering her child a couple of days before her position is up for election. When the woman turns up dead, Megan is forced to deal with insubordination from her own team who have difficulty reconciling finding justice for a woman who allegedly killed her own son. Megan staunchly believes the woman deserves the same level of care and respect and dedication to finding her killer as any other person in her care.
In TV land for shows that want to steel the reputation and instincts of their main character, two things would normally happen here.
1. Megan would have uncovered evidence that the woman was not in fact the killer of her child and proved her innocence
2. Megan's mother would have won re-election and everyone who doubted would have admitted they were wrong
Neither event happens. This is relevant because all too often TV shows undercut interesting philosophical arguments by creating some event that kind of takes it all back and renders the point inert. The premise for the episode is that even bad people, horrible people, deserve dignity in death, and you don't get to pick and choose how professional you are in that type of role based on what the public's perception of the deceased is. All too often this is when shows would have the main character find evidence that she was innocent all along, so she's good now, now we can go about finding her killer. It would have made Megan look wiser for doing the right thing from the beginning, but undercut the message.
And while in real life a Judge running for re-election would not have adjudicated such a controversial case only a couple of days beforehand, it shows that doing the right thing has consequences. Doing the right thing doesn't always come with vindication or validation, and sometimes you need to live without those things.
Overall this series has a very paint-by-numbers feel to it, but this episode stands out for two reasons. To briefly summarise the plot, Megan Hunt's (Dana Delaney) mother, Judge Joan Hunt (Joanna Cassidy), exonerates a woman suspected of murdering her child a couple of days before her position is up for election. When the woman turns up dead, Megan is forced to deal with insubordination from her own team who have difficulty reconciling finding justice for a woman who allegedly killed her own son. Megan staunchly believes the woman deserves the same level of care and respect and dedication to finding her killer as any other person in her care.
In TV land for shows that want to steel the reputation and instincts of their main character, two things would normally happen here.
1. Megan would have uncovered evidence that the woman was not in fact the killer of her child and proved her innocence
2. Megan's mother would have won re-election and everyone who doubted would have admitted they were wrong
Neither event happens. This is relevant because all too often TV shows undercut interesting philosophical arguments by creating some event that kind of takes it all back and renders the point inert. The premise for the episode is that even bad people, horrible people, deserve dignity in death, and you don't get to pick and choose how professional you are in that type of role based on what the public's perception of the deceased is. All too often this is when shows would have the main character find evidence that she was innocent all along, so she's good now, now we can go about finding her killer. It would have made Megan look wiser for doing the right thing from the beginning, but undercut the message.
And while in real life a Judge running for re-election would not have adjudicated such a controversial case only a couple of days beforehand, it shows that doing the right thing has consequences. Doing the right thing doesn't always come with vindication or validation, and sometimes you need to live without those things.