Eli Stoned

Okay, so maybe Eli didn’t get stoned, but he sure did get mixed up with some pot.  This week, Eli and Jordan tried to save their new firm, Wethersby and Stone, by keeping one of their largest clients: Jim Cooper.  But what did Jim want?  Rights to some government marijuana for a medical trial to search for a cure for his son’s MS.  That sounds to me like the perfect client for the morally-minded firm.

But turns out God had other plans.  From the moment Eli took Jim’s case, the world around him went up in flames – literally.  Eli first had a vision of his case files spontaneously combusting; then a vision of Jordan singing a jazzy, flashy version of “You Don’t Mess around with Jim” as fire streaked up the streets next to the sultry, high-kicking dancers (finally a musical number!); and then he envisioned the Cooper Biotech lab engulfed in flames with a still-as-of-yet unidentified person caught in it.  These were definitely not good signs.

Yet Eli continued to represent Jim Cooper, taking his medical marijuana case to court despite the fact that Dr. Chen didn’t think it was such a fine idea to disobey the big guy.  But Eli was determined to ignore the bad omens, until Jim’s son came to Eli.  He told him he didn’t want his father to win the trial, because if he took any marijuana his days as an Olympic-level swimmer were over.  He’d rather live his life while he can than worry about the MS and when it will start to affect him.  Eli suggested he tell this to his father, but the kid was sure Jim didn’t care.  So they went to court and Jim started to perjure himself, claiming this medical trial was all his kid wanted.  Eli made a bit of a scene and got reprimanded by Jordan.  They represent people with good business ethics, not the world’s best fathers, Jordan told him.  Eli reluctantly agreed and ended up winning the case, but he argued with Jim and tried to get his son to tell his dad how he truly felt.  But he was too scared.

Later, Eli began to understand the penalty for disobeying the Almighty, when Jim’s son showed up at his door.  He wanted Eli to represent him in a juvenile emancipation case.  Cue Eli “nasty vision face.”

As for the rest of Wethersby and Stone, Keith got himself caught up in some drug activities after representing Patti’s cute daughter, Angela, on a DUI case.  He got the judge to drop the charges, and then asked the sassy medical student on a date.  After surviving Patti and her butter knife threats (oh Loretta Devine, you’re hilarious), the two went to dinner.  They really hit it off, and even Patti was pleased, until Keith got a call from the judge.  Angela’s drug test came back and she tested positive for cocaine.  Uh-oh.

And over at Posner and Klein, Matt Dowd was trying to sniff out a leak for Taylor – who’s still pregnant and hasn’t told him.  But he was having no luck finding out who from Wethersby Stone was betraying client information to the evil P&K, until Maggie came along.  Since she’d been branded the firm goodie-two-shoes, everyone was more than happy to spill their guts to the super cute associate.  So she took her information and the name back to Eli – you know, so they could brood over each other and I could wonder why in the blazes they’re not just together already.  They batted their puppy dog eyes at each other, and Maggie told him she was happy at P&K.  And Maggie inched ever more toward the dark side.

So let’s sum this up: Eli’s going to lose his biggest client to keep said client’s son off pot.  Patti’s daughter and Keith’s new love is busy hitting the cocaine.  And Eli and Maggie’s will-they-or-won’t-they relationship is driving me to drink.  Well, at least there was a musical number to lighten the mood.  ‘Til next week …

Season 2, Episode 5: The Humanitarian (originally aired November 18, 2008)

For another take on this episode, check out Back-seat Deifying Versus Front-seat Litigating by Cameron Cubbison.

For more on Eli Stone, click here.

Tuesdays at 10/9C on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC