'Bull' Season 5 Episode 2 Review: It's a 'Chunk vs Benny' El Clasico in Michael Weatherly-directed jaw-dropper
Spoilers for 'Bull' Season 5 Episode 2 'The Great Divide'
'Bull' Season 5 had quite the opener. In the second episode, Michael Weatherly acts and directs, and while at it, gives a jaw-dropper of an ending. But before that, he pits an experienced campaigner in Benny (Freddie Rodriguez) against the exciting rookie in Chunk Palmer (Christopher Jackson). While the outcome of this battle is heartwarming, the shocker at the end will surely spawn a discussion till the next episode drops.
Chunk Palmer takes on a case of helping Lily Knowles (Sasha Frolova) a young artist who hopes to provide housing, although illegally. In a tragic incident, Lily's friends die after they stay in a dilapidated house and the beam falls from above killing the two of them. The mother of one of the deceased, Evelyn Waters (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) files a suit against Lily and Benny is on the case. Needless to say, there is a conflict of interest, but the judge allows them to proceed with the case as long as TAC is understanding about the matter.
Bull and Taylor (Mckenzie Meehan) team up with Chunk, while Danny (Jamie Lee Kirchner) and Marissa (Geneva Carr) partner Benny. There is that cat-and-mouse game where the two teams somehow hide witnesses and manage to score points, but in the end, it all boils down to the jury and they make a decision that just doesn't confirm the beam collapse was an accident, but also that Lily was honest. While there are some who argue against it, in all simplicity and logic, her mistake using a place on the verge of a collapse.
While this takes up a major chunk of the episode, the final piece sees Benny being offered the job of becoming New York's next District Attorney by ADA Kiehl (Donovan Christie, Jr). This teases a new direction for the hit CBS legal procedural if Benny does take up the offer. 'Bull' has never been shy of turning things on its head and this will be a make-or-break move for the show.
Barring this, the setup seems to be perfect. The lightly-packed courtroom with the glass panel to avoid close contact, the stickers carrying messages of Covid-19 precautions, and the lighter tone all suggest 'Bull' is doing the best it can in a low budget and that just adds to the beauty of the series. With a 16-episode season, a shorter run is on the cards and does promise heavy impact. Weatherly as the director is an absolute genius as he makes the episode all about Chunk and Benny.
The case too is picked where the opinion of a common man can be taken into account. These factors make 'Bull' a fantastic watch and the series has a lot of explaining to do when it returns next Monday at 10 pm ET on CBS.