Cupertino Season 1, Episode 4, “A.J. & Buddy,” turns new and old friends into friendly competition in Michael and Olivia’s latest case. This episode, written by Joey Hartstone and directed by Robert King, starts in a haze and ends with champagne. There are literal breathless sprints in this episode that spin Michael and Olivia in directions Cupertino hasn’t explored yet. Most notably, they end up representing clients who oppose one another — or so they think.
Christy’s casual hook-up becomes the reason that all of this gets set in motion. Those A and B stories seamlessly fold into one another while Natalia has quite the eventful C story (almost) all by herself at the office. There’s a lot to appreciate, from the fast-paced legal drama to the character vignettes and new dynamics. Natalia and Nichole’s dynamic is a particularly excellent addition.
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Christy and the Tech Bro, A.J.
Cupertino is so clever to start Christy and A.J.’s story with a meet-cute that seems so romantic. It almost feels like they’re drawn to each other. It feels fleeting yet sweeping, and then reality hits them. Christy hooked up with a tech bro, and A.J. is going to be arrested because of his company, WagerMode. His character is interesting for a few reasons. Up until “A.J. and Buddy,” the tech bros represented in Cupertino have been unapologetic and unlikeable.
A.J. is different. He’s childish and rich, and he made a company that supports gambling. But he also cares about someone other than himself — Buddy. The nuance of that comes into play with Christy being on the private jet with him.
She sees sides of him that haven’t been explored with other characters in his tax bracket on this show. Consequently, Cupertino makes it easier to sympathize with him. Not because he’s being pressured by another real-time wagering company but because his friendship is on the line. That friendship is all that A.J. has, which gives it more meaning. It’s also in direct contrast with Christy, who has a large support system that includes Michael and Olivia now.
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Olivia and Michael Go Head to Head
The stakes of A.J. and Buddy’s friendship are quite high — 20 years in prison or a misdemeanor. Yes, it’s kind that A.J. surrenders in defense of Buddy as GoForBroke. But the more interesting angle of this case is what it does for Olivia and Michael’s partnership. They start “A.J. & Buddy” in such an interesting place, literally. They’re yelling across A.J.’s house while they dig through bulk-bought products for stacks of cash. It’s certainly less conventional than their other cases so far. But they’re still a united front, especially against the police.
Cupertino doesn’t shy away from the serious subject matter but addresses it. The bit where Michael tells Olivia to answer the door because she’s white is both piercing yet lighthearted. Mike Colter’s delivery is a big reason for that. He’s just so good. The scene where the police push their power to the point that Olivia hits her face exemplifies their abuse of power as well. Even the judge recognizes their excessive use of power (again, to say the least) and demands that Olivia be uncuffed. Both are frustratingly realistic, like what A.J. says about bigger gambling companies aligning with people around politicians.
On the other hand, it is entertaining to watch Olivia, defending Buddy, and Michael, defending A.J., go toe-to-toe. It only really lasts for a handful of scenes, but it’s fun while it lasts. Amanda Warren as District Attorney Sally Clausen is a compelling force between them. It’s such great writing that Michael and Olivia’s impassioned defense of their clients comes to a halt when Olivia’s cheek starts to bleed. Michael is instantly her friend and colleague again. They’re partners!
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Natalia and Nichole Don’t Pull Punches
While Michael and Olivia will always be on the same team, that doesn’t seem to be the case for Natalia and Nichole. Busy Philipps and Reneé Elise Goldsberry are obviously such great scene partners. Their characters’ dynamic, though, is more unexpected. Cupertino already has something excellent going for it with Natalia just making changes to the office while she’s there, alone, for 10 hours. She’s entertaining herself until Nichole walks in and changes the game.
There is no real history between these characters, but there is so clearly a future. They have such an easy rapport. They can talk about the firm and Michael and know that the other one is smart enough to realize something more is at play in the scene. These women are clever! Also, Nichole representing CultAI is a genius move for Cupertino. Her stint in the last episode is over, and there’s no way this show is going to let Goldsberry go — it’s too smart for that.
Aligning Nichole with CultAI in the serialized Bo story guarantees that all of these interpersonal relationships get more complicated with every episode. Natalia amended the contract to make herself an equal partner with Olivia and Michael. That means she has to be looped into the Enders and Bo and all of the risks. With Nichole on CultAI’s side, this legal fight is taking a whole new shape.
MORE: There have been some updates to when new episodes of Cupertino will air!
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