This week we focus on The National Justice Project's Sonya Quintano (Marisol Nichols), as a case from her past re-surfaces. We haven't seen much of Sonya except where she is a secondary player, so this is a good chance to explore her character. We also focus on attorney David Swain (Kyle MacLachlan) and investigator Charles Conti (Jason O'Mara).

Okay, I lied; Sonya is not the focus of this episode, unlike Brianna (Constance Zimmer) was last episode. She's there for a few scenes but it's mostly Conti and Swain in this episode. I can't believe TV lies to me like that!

There are a few things going for this show. First, it's not a show about a bunch of attorneys with suits and briefcases (well, accept David Swain) who leave the investigation to others. This show is about a bunch of attorneys in jeans and sneakers who learn how to perform the investigations on their own. In other words, they use their skills. In every episode Conti, or whoever is handling the investigation, asks questions to the other attorneys as to what is amiss about the case they are looking into.

The other thing about this show is that they aren't afraid to learn more about criminal investigation. In one scene Conti learns a little bit about what the criminal scientists call "smears"; fingerprints that smear on a weapon. With the knowledge that Conti gathers you already can see that the client in this episode was actually innocent.

This week was a bit different because the action didn't take place only in Oakland (where the office for the National Justice Project are located), but in San Diego and Tijuana. In addition there is a secondary plot as there are forces in and outside the prison system that want to have Swain's client removed from the picture. There is a good scene between Swain, Conti and the client as they try to keep the man safe enough to overturn the conviction. They do this by getting the client to punch Swain in the face so he'll be put in solitary. Hmm, I'll have to remember this when I don't want my boss to bother me at work.

This week was also different because the focus wasn't on the client. Sure, they were trying to get him out, but the story turned into something else that became a bit more intriguing. In the end it became a story of drug trafficking and illegal immigrant prostitution. When all was said and done the conviction was overturned but both Swain and Conti thought it happened in a dirty way.

This was a good episode but, as my wife said as she was watching the show with me, it's a very dry show and you need to concentrate to follow what's going on (which is even more difficult to do when you are writing the review). Swain is the only one who really has the most fleshed out personality amongst all of the characters, with Conti and Brianna in a far second. The other characters just seem to be there for the other three to play off of. It doesn't look like there's a new episode next week, so maybe some time off from the show will give me a better perspective on what's going on and hopefully they'll be focusing on the other characters as well.