The Danny Scene That Went Too Far On Bull
In CBS' drama series "Bull," the employees of Trial Analysis Corporation (TAC) help select the right jurors for their clients and choose the arguments that could potentially sway the jury on a court case. Psychologist Dr. Jason Bull (Michael Weatherly) heads the team and makes the calls, but Danielle "Danny" James (Jaime Lee Kirchner) is especially critical to the company as the lead investigator.
Danny used to work as an NYPD detective and for the FBI, so her skills in her role are unparalleled. As an investigator, she can be tough, but not without a soft side, as shown by much she cares for Harrison (John Siciliano), the wounded former FBI partner who once saved her life in the field.
However, like other CBS dramas where characters have had to make serious split-second decisions in the middle of some dire situations, Danny has had her dark moments, too. This is the one Danny scene on "Bull" that may have been too much for viewers.
Bull puts Danny through the wringer during a mock trial
In the Season 1 episode "Stockholm Syndrome," the TAC team is taken hostage by a woman (Christina Jackson) who needs help getting her husband, Gordon Guthrie (Driton Tomaj), freed from prison. The main problem is that it was Danny, as an undercover agent, who originally testified against him. This results in a mock trial to figure out whether Gordon was really innocent or guilty.
Unfortunately, part of Bull's strategy to save the team involves denigrating Danny's character during the "trial". He gets a simulated "not guilty" verdict by pointing out that Danny may have been on hallucinogens during her testimony and generally comes down hard on her by getting personal with her.
Bull does it to get his team out of a dangerous situation, later telling Danny how much he believed in her, but it still felt like an extremely cruel, manipulative ruse. His strategy was based entirely around devaluing one of the most important female members of his team, which isn't a great look for the series anyway considering the controversies "Bull" has dealt with over sexual harassment. It may have been only an exercise so Dr. Bull could get to his endgame but that arguably makes his cruelty to Danny even worse.