A glass skywalk connecting two New York buildings violently collapsed and killed 15 people in the opening of this week’s episode of “Bull.” The construction company had used inferior materials to secure the structure. It did so because the original materials were unavailable and they needed to meet a tight deadline. The government brought 15 charges of manslaughter against the developer, a fantastically wealthy real estate magnet named Andrew Withrow. The government claims that Withrow approved the use of the materials knowing the risk to human life. Dr. Bull is called to assist in securing a conviction.
Much to his chagrin, and atypical to the show’s pattern structure, Dr. Bull is brought in only after the jury has already been selected. His algorithms show that the seated jury is particularly inclined to acquit. Without an official way to fiddle with the jury, Dr. Bull begins reviewing the courtroom demeanor and online presence of unfavorable jurors. Unsurprisingly, he finds repeated instances of juror misconduct: one of the jurors had bragged online about smoking marijuana every day before trial, and another had been communicating with the press. Dr. Bull alerts the judge, who dismisses the two jurors. In response, the defense attorney uncovers misconduct from a juror likely to convict, and has that juror dismissed. At this point, the actively annoyed judge essentially tells both sides to stop this practice.
