TVSquad

(S01E20) This was a straightforward episode concerning the murder of a computer whiz who gets mixed up with some shady characters when he tries to raise big bucks for his daughter's medical needs. Stark only wastes a few minutes chasing the obvious (therefore innocent) initial suspect before turning to an investigation of the evidently-notorious Lundy Brothers.

D.A. Devlin is especially concerned about Stark this time. Not only is she doubtful, as usual, that Stark's crazy tactics will convict (though they almost always do), she is sure that a failure to convict the Lundy Brothers will cost her next week's election. By my count, Stark and the High Profile Crimes Unit are something like 18 for 19, a 94% conviction rate, going into tonight's episode, but you never know, the electorate can be fickle.

Natasha Henstridge guest-stars as the latest in that endless line of Stark's old-allies-turned-new-rivals. Her character is supposed to have been an associate in Stark's old firm and a ... ahem ... mentee of the old rascal, but I don't know how seriously she took her previous lessons. Had she paid more attention to the Stark method I think she would have taken greater precautions. Bringing her laptop with her into the bathroom when she showered would have been a good idea, when entertaining the Shark-man.

Anyway, once he determines that the murder victim had, at some point, hacked into the District Attorney office's email system, Stark is only one planted email away from turning the Lundy Brothers against one another. Though one brother freely admits on the witness stand that he had tapped law-enforcement computers, he never suspects that Stark may have been on to this, or that the alleged deal his brother was planning to make could have been a ruse by the prosecution. This made for a rather abrupt wrap-up.

We get almost a double dose of Stark and Julie DWI aftermath scenes this week. However, father and daughter seem to end up in a better place than they have been lately. No doubt that now it is time for the return of serial-killer Wayne or some other disaster to strike hapless Jules soon.

Raina's cheerful about recent romantic developments with Isaac, but since she happens to phone Isaac while he's engaged in delicate cloak and dagger stuff for Stark, we don't get any sense of how he's feeling about it. They make dinner plans (I think) and at the pace this relationship is progressing I imagine that will get to dessert along about S02E13.

On the 1-7 scale (one being lowest, seven being highest) I'm giving this one a not-bad three, because it certainly was a notch up from last week's shenanigans.