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William Hurt: "Goliath"

 This is a full rave for the fourth and final season of "Goliath," on Prime.


"Goliath" is a TV version of film noir; it borrows from "Rear Window," "Vertigo," "Chinatown," and "The Birds," among other films, and it's not subtle in tipping a hat to its influences.

For example, in the fourth season, we see an injured, crabby man spying on the apartment across the street. An icy blonde appears behind him.

In the third season, a tragic femme fatale, involved in a weird incestuous relationship, ends up prematurely dead; we know she is dead because her head hits the car horn, and the horn just screams and screams and screams.

The fourth season asks this question: How would Alfred Hitchcock approach the opioid crisis? We have a powerful family--modeled on the Sacklers--and we know they have been aware, for years, that their product is deadly. One slice of evidence: The family began work on a non-addictive version of an opioid, while the addictive version was still on the market.

In "Goliath," the villains use tactics that the Sackler family actually used: money in exchange for "no admission of guilt," attempts to distinguish between "good, responsible patients" and "addicts," and substantial dollar incentives for doctors and FDA workers who might be willing to walk "on the dark side."

The writers seem to have deep personal knowledge of the courts, so, as the Sackler story plays out, startling legal twists also pop up. A villain hires a certain lawyer because of an ancient conflict-of-interest; knowing the conflict will ultimately rear its head is like cheating at cards. A lawyer invites a state-level prosecutor to a disbarment hearing because it's clear that crucial information will get unearthed in the hearing -- and the info will have an important political impact. Lawyers stage dramatic collapses in front of the judge -- so that whispered confessions might happen in the two seconds of "collapsed-on-the-floor" time.

My husband and I really enjoyed all of this. I'm not sure "Goliath" found a wide audience. Although the middle seasons were occasionally challenging and unorganized, I was happy to see confident storytelling and fine acting in the final year. (And certainly Season Four is worth a visit just to see the spectacular Nina Arianda, and specifically to watch her with her legal rival. She doesn't have all the social graces -- but she made my day when she told one colleague to "eat a bag of dicks.") 
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