Per policy all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned
After local judge Denise Grobman (Lindsay Crouse) is shot in a botched execution attempt and left mortally wounded, detectives try to make a case against her husband. Unfortunately, their efforts are continually stonewalled by the couple, with him pleading his innocence and her refusing to admit to his involvement and her own wishes to die. She testifies as to her desire to be taken off dialysis as she would rather die than live in excruciating pain. The judge rules that she is too depressed to testify in her husband's trial. He eventually pleads guilty to attempted murder and gets 25 to life.
Related Tropes:
- Disabled Means Helpless: How Denise Grobman views her current state, and with likely good reason: one moment, she is a happily married judge who is getting a new job in a new city and the next she's a paraplegic in constant, excruciating pain who realizes that the man she loved tried to kill her. Both Dr. Skoda and the Grobmans' daughter Dana try to assure her that this isn't the case, but her depression and despair overtake any other emotion.
- Driven to Suicide: A subversion: Denise Grobman wishes to terminate her life-saving dialysis to avoid living with the pain of being paralyzed and with only one functional kidney.
- Fate Worse than Death: Implied by Denise when talking with Skoda:Denise Grobman: It's all treatable. A catheter. A colostomy bag. A wheelchair. A dialysis machine. A physical therapist. A lifetime supply of Demerol? Would you want to live like that?
- Green-Eyed Monster: This was the primary motive behind Walter Grobman hiring a hit man to kill his wife. She is a successful judge who was about to accept a high-prestige position in the Justice department in Washington D.C.; he was an architect who was losing both clients and his partnership due to his arrogance and unwillingness to listen to any differing opinions.
- Happily Married: Denise insists that she and Walter are this, repeatedly dismissing the detectives' and the prosecutors' efforts at gaining evidence against him.
- It's All My Fault: Denise Grobman blames herself for her husband's resentment.
- Murder by Inaction: One of the hit men was willing to leave his critically-injured cousin, the other hit man involved, to die in order to keep his cash payment and escape from justice. The cousin ends up dying on the operating table anyway.
- Pet the Dog: Walter Grobman is undoubtedly a narcissist who was blinded by murderous jealousy. However, after seeing his wife suffering and blaming herself for all their marital problems, Walter eventually drops all pretenses of innocence and admits his guilt. He appears to be regretting the suffering he inflicted on her.
- Skewed Priorities: A one-time suspect, a doctor, is more content with driving a stolen luxury car than a more economically priced lower quality car due to his job status and in spite of his massive medical school debt.
