The second series of the compelling US legal
drama continues. Shark follows the personal and

professional life of Sebastian Stark (James Woods)
a former defence attorney who has ‘switched
sides’ and brought his cutthroat tactics to the
prosecutor’s office. In this week’s instalment, the
murder of a beautiful young woman points Stark
and his team in the direction of a corrupt plastic
surgeon, before a sinister photographer comes
into the frame.
Stark’s latest case brings him to a private beach
where the body of a young woman has been
found. Early signs show that the woman, who had
changed her hair colour and undergone extensive
cosmetic surgery, was strangled and thrown from
a boat about 12 hours ago. The victim is identified
as Melissa Kovak, who came to LA in search of a
career in Hollywood, but ended up waiting tables.
“So how does a struggling actress with no money
afford all this plastic surgery?” asks Devlin.
The prosecutors track down Neil Fuller, the doctor who performed the victim’s surgery, and it emerges that there is no record of Kovak ever having paid for her work. When it later transpires that two more of Fuller’s patients received ‘free’ treatment, the lawyers suspect the surgeon of some unethical behaviour. “What could beautiful young women have that a middle-aged man might want?” asks Devlin, sarcastically. “Sex for surgery,” responds Stark. “And just like that, mankind sinks to a new low.”
Since none of the girls are willing to testify against Fuller, Stark comes up with a plan to trap his suspect. Dressed in a slinky outfit, Madeline visits the bar of the hotel at which Fuller keeps a suite, and poses as a wannabe actress who wants cosmetic surgery but cannot afford it. Before long, Fuller has fallen into the trap and made Madeline an offer. “You take care of me,” he says, “and I’ll take care of you.” At this point, the police arrest the sleazy doctor and take him away.
However, the judge dealing with Fuller’s case deems that his arrest was questionable and that all of the evidence found in the subsequent search of his property is inadmissible. Undeterred, Stark orders copies to be made of Fuller’s files and soon discovers that the doctor was undergoing an investigation for phoney insurance claims by the state medical board. The key witness in the case was to be none other than Melissa Kovak.
Records also show that Fuller was paying a fashion photographer called Garret Blake to send vulnerable young women his way. “I think it’s time our doctor went under the knife,” says Devlin.
When Fuller comes in for questioning with his lawyer, he admits trading surgery for sex and making fake insurance claims, but fiercely denies involvement in the murder of Kovak. For this, he
blames Garret Blake, who he describes as a manipulative control freak who killed the girl when her testimony threatened to bring an end to his profitable set-up. Stark informs the doctor that if he pleads guilty to the charges of insurance fraud and testifies against Blake in his murder trial, he may avoid prison for his crimes.
As Blake’s trial begins, the wily defence lawyer uses Fuller’s shady history to destroy him on the stand. She then calls into question the testimony of a boatman who claims to have rented Blake a speedboat on the night of the murder – it seems that Reyes threatened him in exchange for his statement. When Blake unexpectedly takes the stand, he says that Fuller did pay him for referrals, but denies knowing anything about the doctor’s dodgy dealings.
With the prosecution’s case falling apart, Stark and the team desperately search through Blake’s records and discover that there are two missing person cases and one unsolved murder amongst his client list. This dead girl, it seems, was also strangled. “Are you trying to tell me that Garret Blake is some kind of serial killer?” asks Stark, incredulously. With time running out and the chance of an adjournment unlikely, is Stark about to let a serial killer slip through his fingers?