All Rise Review: Devotees in the Courthouse of Love (Season 1 Episode 5)
It’s Wedding Day on All Rise Season 1 Episode 5, “Devotees in the Courthouse of Love,” but there’s nearly as much drama as there are happy couples.
What could spoil a day dedicated to love? Apparently, answers include golddiggers, lawsuits against nuns, and a host of other broken or at-risk relationships. We can’t let things get too happy, after all.
Much of the upbeat nature of the episode comes from Lola’s determination to escape her chambers, constantly pursed by Sherri in a way that feels very much like a strict parent chasing after a runaway child.
It’s absolutely as fun as it sounds, whether she’s marrying a young couple when the wife is actively in labor or just getting herself some delicious muffins and leaving Luke in the awkward crosshairs between her and Sherri
You could probably argue that this plot is too silly for the circumstances, but I love every bit of it. Sadly, the fun and games come to an abrupt halt when a woman shows up to yell that Lola has put her husband in jail.
Maybe there is something to be said for protocol. Yet if Lola wasn’t who she is, we wouldn’t see her pull strings to get a man’s court fees translated to mere hours in jail. I still want to see more.
Mark is working to prosecute a woman accused of conning men out of thousands of dollars on dinner dates. The case is mostly a way of getting him more banter with Amy Quinn, last seen in the second episode.
His current relationship status is getting a bit hard to follow. Our initial mentions of Ria may have been in passing, but our first real glimpse of her suggests the two should be happy. What do we make of this?
Even before he starts trading charged barbs with Amy, we see him squirming at the idea of commitment with Ria. If something is going to happen, I hope we at least remember he’s a decent guy and have him end one relationship before starting another.
I’m having a hard time getting too invested with any of it. I don’t see Mark/Amy being much more than a fling, and I’m worried that the lack of continuity when it comes to Ria means their romance is being treated carelessly.
The final scene, where Amy turns on her client and happily accepts a plot to get the woman banned from the city’s best restaurants does carry the kind of spark that has promise. I’d just like to see more there there.
There’s plenty of substance of a less romantic nature as Emily defends a young nun accused of stealing from her church. The entire storyline unpacks a great deal about the nature of religion, charity, and morality.
Sister Phoebe is innocent of this crime but does have a checkered past involving theft. The nun who is guilty is chronically ill and has taken the funds in name of directing them towards the poor instead of church renovations.
Yes, Sister Margaret is technically breaking the law. Yet there’s a strong argument that her actions are more moral than they are immoral, especially considering the very tenets of the faith these nuns represent.
Regardless, Emily is stuck between a rock and hard place when Phoebe confesses to protect her friend. It’s a painful exchange throughout, and there are no perfect answers, though Lola manages the best one available.
All Emily’s stories to date work especially well because of how much she involves herself in them. We certainly feel for her clients, but she’s the constant we see, and she makes us feel her own empathy so well.
This is also true of the ongoing story of her divorce. Her ex broke his vows first, but she still feels the weight of her own promises, which play well into a larger conversation about faith.
The scenes are still powerful, but I must admit I just want things finalized so she and Luke can be openly together. If the semi-cliché B-plot of not being able to get her old engagement ring off is anything to go by, the show fully agrees.
Perhaps the worst blow of all, at least when we see many total strangers celebrating their respective futures, is the revelation that Benner’s relationship with that woman we’ve only had a glimpse of has ended abruptly.
I’ve been so eager to get to know those two, and I know I’m not the only one. Is it too late for show heads to read the room and give us back what we want? Probably. It’s a real look at how life goes sometimes. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.
We can almost forget it amongst all this other upheaval, but I have to finish by noting that Robin is only mentioned in passing in this love/broken love fest. I still don’t like what that might imply, but I hope I’m just being paranoid.
What did you think of this episode of All Rise? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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All Rise airs Mondays at 9/8c on CBS.
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Caitlin Wyneken
Caitlin is an elder millennial with an only slightly unhealthy dedication to a random selection of TV shows, from PBS Masterpiece dramas to some of the less popular series on popular networks. Outside of screen time, she's dedicated to the public sector and worthy nonprofits, working to make a difference in the world outside of media.