'Bull' Season 4 Episode 9 review: Experimenting with the plot works well for the show as 'The Flying Carpet' shows there are no winners
This review contains spoilers for 'Bull' Season 4 Episode 9: 'The Flying Carpet'
'The Flying Carpet' borrows elements from selfie culture and the ill repercussions it has on minors in the present day. Add to it some bad faith by insurance companies, it also gives a clear idea of how insurance companies work giving Bull (Jason Weatherly) and his TAC team a bit of a headache. While the episode does pack in too much and screeches to an abrupt halt, it still does enough to hold the audience till the end.
Bull agrees to represent a large insurance company and its clients, a pizzeria owner couple who are being sued for negligence. The victim is a teenager who tried to climb up their rooftop signage in a bid to click a selfie. It is revealed the restaurant had a competition that would see the winner get a free slice of their pizza if he/she could grab the most unique selfie outside their joint. The teen falls in his attempt and is crippled for life. It doesn't take Bull long to realize that there are no winners here as the owners cannot lose the place, the kid may never walk and the insurance company is bluntly refusing to settle.
While it does take most of Benny Colon's (Freddy Rodriguez) magic and Taylor Rentzel's (Mackenzie Meehan) hacking skills to figure out the insurance agency acted in bad faith, the important message is clear. Insurance companies have their own set of rules which they operate with while the society is still the place where tragedy pips everything else— even in matters of justice. Coming back to the way it ended, this wasn't really a special episode with the typical Bull emerges on top storyline.
Which is also a pleasant surprise. It just goes on to say sometimes people react to situations a certain way and the best answer is to make do with what's already there. There was nothing more than settlement as the last-ditch option for Bull and Co. and while the insurance firm isn't happy about it, it gives in.
'Bull' has dished out victory for the team as its theme for close to six episodes now. Three episodes including 'The Flying Carpet' have ended with a different result. It is a good call as experimentation seems to be working for 'Bull' this season.
Final verdict: This one's for the audience who have tuned in religiously to catch up the legal procedural.