Murder One
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Season One (1995-96)
Rate:
5 out of 5
Viewed:
3/23
3/23:
There's no doubt that Daniel Benzali is famous for Murder One.
Unfortunately, I didn't see the show
back then, but I remembered that it revolved around a single murder case from the attorney's perspective which
is a unique concept. Yet Murder One got canceled quickly. So what happened? It's what I wanted to find out.
Here's my analysis for some of the following episodes:
Chapter One: Off to a strong start because of the intriguing premise.
Iron Eagle's Jason Gedrick
turns in an Oscar-winning clip of his own. In the meanwhile, it's difficult for me to make the transition
from a wimpy brother who slowly loses his facial features in Delirious to a serious
detective when it comes to
Dylan Baker. Yes...Ted Hoffman (Daniel Benzali) is correct about one thing: he can be the best lawyer in the world
but will completely fail in his job if he's not in full possession of the facts concerning his client.
Chapter Two: I'm on Daryl's side and can understand his position; I have no qualms with what he did in the courtroom.
It's tough to control emotions.
Chapter Four: It's a mistake to show Ted Hoffman engaged in something else because, after all, is
the TV show supposed to revolve around one specific murder case?
Chapter Five: Ridiculous. Jonathan should've been found guilty of the hate crime and thus serve time for it. Many
criminals do have brain damage, but it doesn't excuse the crimes they've committed. Besides, why is the show still
focusing on other cases? On the other hand, Ted Hoffman did illegal stuff before and after entering the motel room which saw
Davey Blalock dead.
Chapter Six: I guess Julie Costello sealed her death contract.
Chapter Seven: Whoa...Miriam Grasso quit the case. I correctly predicted the source of the leak, and I'm not the least
surprised by it. The little black kid will be dead within a year or so if not before the age of 18.
Chapter Nine: It's a good piece of acting by Brittany Murphy. Ditto for Stanley Tucci who keeps getting better:
charming but dangerous in the Machiavellian sense. Meanwhile, who cares about Stan Fletcher?
He just couldn't handle the consequences. Move on.
Chapter Eleven: The drug lord (Miguel Sandoval) has a slight problem in the States which concerns his son.
But don't piss him off or somebody will have a baseball lesson. Moreover, if his son looks somewhat familiar, he should
be because that's Nick Corri, the Esai Morales/Rob Lowe lookalike from
A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wildcats.
Chapter Twelve: Justine is on her way out; what an idiot, and she's a lawyer? Gee whiz. On the other hand, Ted
Hoffman made a serious mistake earlier by telling off Richard Cross. Now, his daughter is kidnapped and then released
as a warning. At this point, Neil Avedon is still not guilty because all the prosecution has is his semen
without any proof that he actually killed the girl. What a terrible interview that was conducted with the girl. Next time,
ask about the kidnapper's...race! What color was her skin?
Chapter Fourteen: Whoa...Arnold Spivak is a babe magnet. Who knew? But he's an idiot by letting his dick get into his
head for a loser, Julie. All right now...it's time for the wife to go. I don't know what Ted sees in her. She sucks,
period—such a drama queen—and she's never been supportive.
Chapter Fifteen: Look at Justine who's the pot calling the kettle black. Ted Hoffman and Francesca Cross
together...mmm, why not? I don't think Richard will mind at all.
Chapter Sixteen: Wow, who's screwed the most from this: Julie, Arnold, or Neil? That sly bastard...Richard Cross
has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. On the other hand, Julie has sold his deceased sister down the river. Now, I'm
rooting for Ted to get Richard Cross finally. The battle of wits begins...
Chapter Seventeen: Again, the wife sucks. Ted will be fine without her; it's time for him to move on.
Chapter Eighteen: Bye, Justine...you're gone. Again, what an idiot she is.
Chapter Nineteen: Richard Cross is finally showing his true colors, and it ain't pretty. Split personality at work here
or a reincarnation of Howard Hughes? Meanwhile, Francesca makes a bold move on Ted Hoffman.
Chapter Twenty-One: I'm surprised; both sides argued a good case, but the prosecution didn't
prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. All it had to go on with was Neil Avedon's semen. There's no other physical evidence
linking him to the murder. By the way, I thought defense lawyers had the right to look over the murder scene any time
they wanted to? My best guess? It's Eduardo Portalegre who did it. His personality profile, especially the brazenness, fits.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Oh...wow. That's a big shock. Sex, lies, and videotape...yep. Great season overall.
Season Two (1996-97)
Rate:
3 out of 5
Viewed:
4/23
4/23:
Daniel Benzali is gone, and there goes Murder One.
Unsurprisingly, it got canceled for good at the end of the season.
The word is that Stephen Bochco fired Daniel Benzali for habitually coming to the set an hour late while the actor
defended himself by having his regular morning dump at home first before going on a long commute.
While the first case is fine, the second case is what killed the show for good because it's impossible to look
at anyone favorably again. The third case is boring, but okay.
Here's my analysis for some of the following episodes:
Chapter One: Why? Why? Why? Anthony LaPaglia is no Daniel Benzali. The previous cast was perfect; there's no
need to make changes except for Mary McCormack who should've been rid of. Just get another murder case, and keep
everything the same. While Mary McCormack's hairdo looks awful, Stanley Tucci will be greatly missed.
Chapter Three: I have to admit, the show is starting to get better by now; the writing is even good.
Chapter Four: Now, Mrs. Van Allan is Richard Cross while Malcolm Dietrich is Noah Cross. Notice the similarity?
Chapter Six: Michael Massee, who plays Donny McKee, was the one who accidentally shot Brandon Lee to death during
the filming of The Crow.
Chapter Seven: It's a strong closing argument by Jimmy Wyler. I thought at first Miriam Grasso made sense,
but I'll have to go with Wyler this time. The case is razor-thin close, but the prosecution, once again, didn't completely
prove that Sharon Rooney did it. Just too much tenuous circumstantial evidence. So far, my guess is: Roger
Garfield is behind it; I want to see him going down big time.
Chapter Nine: Aaron is totally obsessed with race. If he can't move on from it, this won't work. The
janitor was creepy from the get-go and should be immediately shown the door. Well, Sherlock Holmes famously said, "Once you
eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." Hence, Lee Michaelson may have
done it. Now, it's up to Jimmy Wyler to lay down his bias. By the way, Jimmy and Justine? Ewww...that's gross
Chapter Ten: Probably the hardest case so far of the series, I had no clue if Rickey Latrell was guilty of murder.
But one thing is for sure: he's an expert at hiding it. Well, he confessed to killing Sandy Fortas. Now, what's Jimmy
Wyler going to do? Decisions, decisions, decisions...but sorry, Lee, my mistake.
Chapters Eleven/Twelve: I'm on the prosecution's side for this one. Murder is murder is murder. Time to put Rickey
Latrell away. There's no sympathy; just fake explanations to justify what he did. The case put on by the defense has been unethical.
It's a very strong closing argument by A.D.A. Scotto (Peter Onorati), rendering anything the defense could come up with
pointless. Then, the most ridiculous thing happens: not guilty. Now, cancel the show. Bye, and fuck you,
Chris Docknovich.
Chapters Thirteen/Fourteen: What's the point? The guy killed 17 people. Case over.
Chapters Seventeen/Eighteen: Now, it's 18. The show has come to an end with a satisfying conclusion for the
psycho Clifford Banks.