- Title: Fairly Legal – Teenage Wasteland
- tv.com: link
Kate (Sarah Shahi) is called in by an old friend (Laura Regan) to mediate a dispute between a student (Jonna Walsh) expelled over cheating and her former high school. Lauren (Virginia Williams), getting the scent of old money, decides to tag along in hopes of signing the school as a long-term client but things get complicated when Kate sides with the girl and her working class father (Eric Keenleyside) over the institution and uncovers a far more scandalous reason why the young girl is actually being expelled.
The student admits she was sexually harassed by a teacher (Randal Edwards) who she thought of as her friend. It was only after she refused to sleep with him that the allegations of cheating came to light. However, the teacher refutes the claims and is now suing the school for wrongful termination. Kate and Lauren, who have taken opposite sides in the case, have to discover the truth and find a way to settle the matter quietly before all hell breaks loose.
Ben (Ryan Johnson) goes up against Justin (Michael Trucco) in a case involving a performance artist who bungee-jumped off the the Golden Gate Bridge. Although initially agreeing to a plea Ben has second thoughts when an unconventional new judge (Melinda McGraw) far more tolerant to performance art (and fond of handsome young men arguing the law in front of her) is chosen to oversee the case.
“Teenage Wasteland” is fun episode that gives us some tension between Kate and Lauren but also finds them as close as ever by the time the closing credits roll. And even though Kate finds a way to make matters far worse for the school she hates and the old friend who abandoned her, she also discovers the truth and gets a big win for Reed & Reed. Ben and Justin’s storyline certainly straddled the line of being too quirky for the show, but provided some memorable moments as well.