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The Defenders

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Plugged In Staff

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Will Rogers thought lawyers’ lack of conscience is what makes them lawyers. And while that might not be true of all attorneys, Rogers certainly seems to have fictional Las Vegas lawyers Nick Morelli and Pete Kaczmarek pegged.

Nick and Pete’s methods are about as eclectic as their clients, and their firm, Morelli & Kaczmarek, will represent anyone, big or small—and sometimes not even human. Lisa, a former exotic dancer, and Zoe, a young and naive assistant, round out the practice that, while successful, has been known to inspire some serious eye rolling among the judges who try their cases.

The whole representing anyone shtick speaks to the size of Pete’s and Nick’s hearts. They might care about the wrong things at times. And they might make some pretty bad choices while they’re caring about those wrong things. But they do end up caring more about the people they work for (and with) than the money they might make if they fully lived down to Rogers’ opinion.

Something else, however, speaks to the color of their hearts: If Pete isn’t trolling for his latest romantic conquest, then he’s … unconscious. And if Nick isn’t trying to patch things up with his estranged wife, he’s subtly flirting with a client. And don’t think Pete’s above that, either. He’ll even sleep with clients. After all, these high-rolling attorneys live in Sin City, and they’ll bet their necks they’ll win your case. Why? Because they play people—clients, judges, other attorneys, the Feds—like cards.

(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)

Episode Reviews

Dec. 8, 2010 – S1, E10: “Nevada v. Dennis”

Pete defends Cody, a teenager accused of transporting guns with filed-off serial numbers. Cody had been delivering guns at the behest of his grandfather, a survivalist who maintains a private arsenal and sells weapons to “likeminded people.” Eventually, in order to save Cody, the old guy admits he knew the guns were altered. He’s arrested and Cody’s freed—but not before Pete unfairly threatens the prosecutor and mistreats the leader of a special interest group in his crusade to win the case. (For the record, it doesn’t seem that Pete cares much whether Cody’s innocent or not.)

Nick, meanwhile, is stopping authorities from euthanizing a performing bear that attacked a drunken heckler. He takes the case mostly because the bear’s owner is single and attractive. Afterward, he gives the woman a bottle of wine and which they plan to drink together at her place.

Several women—presumably prostitutes—are dressed scantily, revealing a lot of leg and cleavage. Gun rights activists are mocked, with Nick calling them “crackpots.” Language includes multiple uses of “d‑‑n,” “h‑‑‑” and “a‑‑.” “Cripes” stands in for Christ’s name.

Plugged In Staff

Plugged In by Focus on the Family reviews the world of popular entertainment and gives families the essential tools they need to understand, navigate, and impact the culture. We equip families with Christian reviews of movies, TV shows, music, games, books, and YouTube channels. You’ll find award-winning articles and video discussions that spark intellectual thought, spiritual growth, and a desire to follow the command of Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”

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