Just Cause

I only saw this one episode so far, but wanted to comment on it. This is a top quality show about a group of attorneys out to bring justice. In this episode they find that a client died by chemical weapons of Desert Storm and the guilty party is the US Army. It really takes guts to put this on as we know there was Gulf War illness that the Army swept under the rug. Richard Thomas (whom I saw in the London play "Art" on 9/5/01) lends credibility to the show set in San Francisco. The script is high quality (very rare for TV). And most of all its not the typical courtroom lawyer schlock of "Law and Order", "The Practice", or other mediocre worn out shows. This episode is more like an investigation into US violation of weapons treaties resulting in "Iraqgate" (selling weapons to Hussein to fight Iran). The only thing unbelievable in this show is that the Army Attorney slips classified documents to the muckrakers. It is logical though to assume you need an "insider" to really dig up the truth. Unlike the inferior "Courage Under Fire" where the wrongdoing was about individual soldiers and not US policy in general, this successfully implies what was behind the Gulf War: and it ain't pretty yellow ribbons.

Beautiful young ex-con (unjustly imprisoned, of course) goes to work in the office of a stiff-necked lawyer, uncovering weekly cases involving injustice perpetrated on the helpless and downtrodden. As you can tell, this is an obvious attempt to coopt the energy of "Erin Brockovich; Elizabeth Lackey is nice-looking and an OK actress, but lacks the pivotal charm of Julia Roberts (but then, virtually everyone on earth lacks it). Richard Thomas is a problem, however--without the nostalgic naivete that shaped his character in "The Waltons," he comes off as a complete stiff. He might do well to stick to period pieces. I also hope the "moral crusade" tone that pervades this is eased in the future; it can get really insufferable in too heavy a dose.

After an uncertain beginning, this has firmed up into a really solid drama. Every episode isn't artificially inflated with moral outrage like I feared when I wrote the original comment. Lisa Lackey is fine as the lead; Alex's search for her daughter makes a compelling story thread. Richard Thomas is still pretty much a stiff, but he isn't really the male lead in the way I expected. As the "authority figure," he's allowed to be stuffy without it hurting the series. Shaun Benson as fellow attorney Patrick Heller and Mark Hildreth as investigator Kasselbaum are much more interesting as the men in Alex's life. A romance with either of them would be nice, but not really necessary: the show is pretty darn good without it. I also like Khaira Ledeyo as Peggy and Jason Schombing as the DA. The best thing about "Just Cause" is that it isn't gooey, pseudo-religious slop like "Doc" or lame, neo-Fifties junk like most of the rest of PAX's lineup. Throw in a few mild curses or sexier plots and it would be right at home on any network.

Just Cause is a great drama and certainly one of the better well written shows on the television today. Ex-con Alex DeMonacco was sent to prison for five years for being set up by her ex-husband on insurance fraud charges. While in prison, she earns a Law degree. Once released from prison, she goes to visit Hamilton Whitney (Richard Thomas), a corporate attorney to hire him to appeal her conviction to the governor of California to be granted a pardon.

In the interim, she bullies Whitney into giving her a job as a paralegal until her pardon is granted and she can practice law.

Elizabeth Lackey does a wonderful job as Alex, and Richard Thomas gives an outstanding performance as Hamilton Whitney.

I was lucky enough to see the pilot for this show today and came here specifically to review this show. I found it to be compelling and Lisa Lackey was superb in the show. This young woman is a gem waiting to be discovered, I would love to see the other episodes but haven't a clue whether this was a one off or not. If anyone has any ideas what she might be in currently let me know, she is amazing. Have this show ever been broadcast on a national network and if so was it ever reviewed. I for one would be willing to start writing to the powers that be in an attempt to see if this can't be resurrected for another shot. If there is anyone interested please send me your comments or ideas via e-mail and who knows, sometimes the people who watch the shows and but the products do actually make a difference. I for one thin it might make sense to try.