Now this episode was compelling for a number of reasons. First was the plaintiff, Lee Clientfromhell. People like her are a major reason why I quit the practice of law. Clients hire you, then they refuse to listen to your advice, they refuse to answer the questions you ask, then you look like a butt because they are totally out of control, and they blame you when they lose. I felt Aileen's pain. She didn't do a great job of controlling her witness, but there is only so much you can do to get an insane person to act normal for a few hours, especially if they don't know that they are insane. And Ms. Psychoclient earned extra points when she got out in the hall and told Olivier that his closing was bad, and not as good as Barrett's. (Actually, I thought his closing was pretty good. When your case has gone down in flames, you need to get up and be theatrical. And saying that Barrett's closing was better is further proof that this woman was a few sandwiches short of a picnic.)

Speaking of theatrical, there are some times that that just doesn't work. Case in point, Regina's rapid-fire cross of the defendant. Theatrical, yes. But the witness just didn't crumble under it at all. And it was sooooo embarrassing when the Regina asked if the police were ever called, and came out, because of the plaintiff's acts, and the witness said yes. The first thing you learn in trial advocacy in law school is, don't ask a question if you don't already know the answer. I have been in trials where attorneys have done what she did and gotten answers that shot down their case, and they alway, always, lost after that. Her cross was a big nail in the coffin of a case that was DOA.

I had previously believed that Chris was a very good attorney. His demeanor is very professional and commanding and he does a great cross. But it was so strange that he seemed to forget how to introduce evidence at trial, and resorted to, "Can I play the tape?" All he had to do was mark it, ask the witness if he recognized it, get him to talk about what it was, ask to admit it into evidence, then ask to play it. It seemed to slip his mind.

It was a shame that Barrett gave such a poor closing. She had been doing so well up until then. I think she was tired.

And finally, how about all that infighting during the discussion with Black before dismissal? Everybody was at everybody else's throat. Some high points: Keith jumping in and snarking about other people's performance; Regina griping about "egotistical men" getting in her way; Michael blaming everybody else for his decision not to present as evidence the tape that Plaintiff Freako left on a neighbor's answering machine. Thsi show is getting darn good. I am glad Bravo picked it up.