San Francisco lawyer Eli Stone has a brain aneurysm. The malady has left him with an “annoying” side effect: a few times a day, he’s struck with prophet-like visions or wacky daydreams, depending on how Stone feels like classifying them that day. For better or for worse, these visions give him an idea of what cases he should take on.
But the condition, and its pesky side effect, have completely transformed Stone’s life. He dumped his former fiancee and colleague, Taylor, to spare her from the possible pain of losing a lover, although she was willing to stick by him. He’s also on shaky ground with his boss and lead partner for the hot-shot firm that Stone works for, Jordan Wethersby — whom also happens to be Taylor’s father.
Recently, Stone found a surgeon who is willing to remove the aneurysm. Though he hasn’t gotten the surgery yet, it’s been a couple of episodes since he found a surgeon willing to do it, it’s not entirely clear whether he’ll actually go ahead with it. His acupuncturist and confidante, Dr. Chen, doesn’t think he should do it. He’s getting the visions for a reason, he tells Stone. Stone’s brother Nathan, a cardiologist, however, says he’ll support whatever decision he makes.
This past week’s episode, Matters of the Heart (April 3, 2008), Stone’s visions lead him to learn more about Nathan. Stone keeps getting visions in which he actually is his brother 10 years ago. Back in reality, Nathan asks Stone to represent him as he is being sued by a widower,who claims that Nate made a biased decision when he passed over the man’s wife for a heart transplant. He has good reason to believe that there was foul play involved, as his wife was an alcoholic, and everyone seems to know that Eli and Nathan Stone’s father was an alcoholic.
Stone’s visions ultimately reveal that it was his brother, Nathan, who made a decision 10 years ago to deny their dying father of a sorely needed heart transplant. Nathan explains that since their father’s alcoholism was such a source of anxiety, depression and love/hate, he ultimately decided the heart in question should go to someone more deserving.
In the end, the jury sides with Nathan, the defendant. It’s a win for Eli but Nathan is visibly torn.
In other “matters of the heart,” Eli finds out that cute, young attorney Maggie, whom Eli has an undeniable chemistry with, is recently engaged and that his ex, Taylor, slept with another attorney in the office. Bottom line, this season could get a lot more interesting.
