'Bull' Season 4 Episode 18 Review: This chapter will warm your heart with its message of love and hope
Spoilers for 'Bull' Season 4 Episode 18 'Off the Rails'
For those who watched Season 4 of 'Suits', there is a similar episode about a case concerning a train accident that Mike Ross (Patrick J Adams) and Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) take on. That episode comes to mind while watching 'Off the Rails'. While both storylines seem similar, they are pretty different in terms of the twists and turns 'Bull' adds to the case. If anything, this is an episode of love and hope— the two emotions that drive people heavily.
'Off the Rails' has two storylines that it tackles. One is about Astrid's baptism, an act that Bull (Micheal Weatherly) isn't too keen on while Benny Colon (Freddy Rodriguez) is quite insistent on it. The other is the case of a driver who is involved in a train accident but has no recollection of the event. Walter Mora (Craig Grant) is a train pilot who is parked behind the wheel of a train on a rainy evening. That eventful day, as he approaches a signal, he proceeds as it is green but that move goes awfully wrong as the train collides headfirst killing four people after it derails.
With the case now headed to court, Walter approaches TAC to defend him but they fail in their first couple of attempts, a lot of which has to do with Walter's inability to come to terms to fight rather than resign without hope. This leads to the prosecution declaring that it was human error.
It's another classic Bull as Danny and Taylor come to the rescue with their innate research skills. Taylor finds evidence of the rail company having previously done something similar to a former employee. It wiped out records so as to leave no trace and disprove his explanation. Taylor on her part meets the former driver who explains the cover-up.
The evidence is actually multiple work orders showing the signal would have helped Walter avoid the crash had it been repaired after prior accidents. Supplementing it further were records of similar incidents that highlighted the company's fault of being ignorant and not fixing the issues. Benny uses this evidence to test the witness on the court who after being flummoxed pleads the fifth.
The turning point, however, is the time when Bull instills hope in Walter by convincing him that it's better to fight and care for his wife rather than accept the punishment that would be meted out. This move reaps its rewards when Walter takes the stand and makes a solid case for himself. With another win in the pocket, the story shifts to Astrid's baptism for which Bull asks Benny to be her Godfather.
It's another all's-well-that-ends-well in 'Bull'. The baptism storyline adds to the humor element and leaves you feeling good. Bull's road-runner reference when Benny grills the expert witness manages to bring in some laughs too.
To sum up, 'Off the Rails' is a heart-warmer. It incorporates the classic Bull treatment and traces the life lessons Bull learns after becoming a father. It shouldn't come as a surprise if 'Bull' fans thoroughly enjoy this episode.
'Bull' airs Mondays 10 pm ET on CBS.
