talula1060

Episode was one of the worst in the show. Main reason is some of the actors were total hams. The actress playing the adoptive mother of the little girl was like a bad silent film actress. She kept widening her eyes and waving her arms. She was borderline hysterical for most of the show. She chewed up as much of the scenery as she could and went back for more. She was the type of actress who would be on screen listening to another actor and would raise her eyebrows dramatically, cock her head, or do overly dramatic reactions to get the attention of the audience. The little girl actress must have learned from her because she was also very bad. She spoke in a sugary sweet voice and said things like, "goody mommy!" A 10 years old child who acted this way in real life would have been put in Special Ed classes. At the end, the little girl sounds a lot like the little girl in Poltergeist. Part of the problem was that there was no chemistry at all between this supposed family so they were not believable.

On the other hand, the acting of the real parents was believable, subtle, and touching at times. You felt their tragedy and sadness. Would have enjoyed seeing more of them and less of the Cleaver wannabes.

Great episode though this same premise was used in an earlier season. A girl's horse is sold and she tries to get it back, etc. The thing that is starting to make this series infuriating is Burger's attitude and incompetence. He tries to yell, threaten, and badger every single person he cross-examines. He is rude and smarmy even to the judge. And his record as a lawyer is of a person who prosecutes people on the most obvious evidence and then tries to obstruct Perry when he tries to get at the truth. Some prosecutors have a habit of just wanting to win regardless if they have the right person. Though Burger makes halfhearted claims to care about justice, his behavior completely contradicts this. He should have received multiple contempt charges, but he somehow manages to slide by even when he is rude and questions the judges' decisions! He is supposed to represent the people, but he treats everyone like crap even the family members of victims! It is getting more and more maddening to watch his behavior get worse and worse. Seems like he resents Perry's masculinity. If you watch his body language, Burger walks on his toes around the courtroom flailing his arms like a performer at a drag show. I think he may have some unanswered questions about himself that make him such a jerk.