Like me, you've probably seen all the homicide dramas like "Law & Order," "C.S.I." and the rest that have come and gone. Is it just me, or is it about time we started getting something more out of our nighttime television?
Tuesday night's episode of "Blind Justice" delivered the goods. By far the best one so far, episode No. 4 touched on some very interesting issues other than the standard good guys, bad guys and dead bodies.
A murder has been committed and Jim must work the case alongside his old partner Terry. On the day Jim lost his sight, Terry froze while in action and Jim caught a bullet in the face causing him to lose his sight. Since the incident, the two have only talked once (episode No. 2) and now they're on the job together.
Since the day he flaked on Jim, Terry has been trying to find a way to overcome the guilt and humility, and prove that he's a worthy cop. In a rundown with a gangster, Terry shoots himself in the shoulder and claims that the criminal shot him and then fled the scene.
Like in all other episodes, Jim has a hunch about something bizarre and only his partner Karen will hear him out. They do their investigating and interrogating and discover that Terry really did shoot himself and they have the evidence to prove it.
What's interesting is why Terry shoots himself. Imagine having the guilt of a person's blindness on your shoulders and what you'd do to have it go away. Jim knows why Terry shot himself, and he's not going to let Terry falsely accuse a man of shooting a cop, so they change the police report and say that the criminal's gun accidentally discharged and shot Terry in the shoulder.
Jim says to his wife at the end of the episode that he's held a grudge against Terry not just because he flaked in the shootout, but because "I think he's the one that got off easy." By stepping up in the shootout and risking his life, Jim lost his sight. But by doing so, he became a better man.
Sometimes when you have less, you have more.
Have you been able to catch an episode? Let me know what you think.
"Blind Justice" airs Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on ABC.
Check back next week for a recap of episode No. 5.
Daniel Swier is an associate editor of the Web Devil. Reach him at daniel.swier@asu.edu.
