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.

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.

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.

It was nice to see Richard Thomas in this television series. I finally found a role that I didn't always, think he was "John Boy", which he seemed to get type casted. It was disappointing when it went off the air. I have no idea why and can't seem to find anything in this database. Richard does appear stiff, but after a while I liked the character. I enjoyed Sunday night on Pax with DOC, Sue Thomas FBI, and Just Cause only to be disappointed when Just Cause was dropped. Since Just Cause, I saw him in "Beyond the prairie", but again, I can only think of him as John Boy. I hope to see Richard Thomas in another series. It would be nice if they could bring back "Just Cause", but it's probably highly unlikely.

Alexandra DeMonaco (Elizabeth Lackey) was a regular mom who got imprisoned for her husband's medical insurance scam. He was able to walk away with $5 million and their daughter Mia. While in prison, she studied law and earned her degree. After 5 years, she's out on parole. She's back in San Francisco, fighting to clear her name and most of all, search for her missing daughter. Desperately in need of a job, she works Attorney Hamilton Whitney (Richard Thomas) as a paralegal.

This is a crime procedural which each episode she uses her smarts to solve a case, and hunt for her husband. Both lead actors are great. They are very compelling in these roles and have great chemistry together. Sadly stuck on PAX, this never had a chance to get an audience and only lasted for a year.