All Rise Review: Long Day’s Journey Into ICE (Season 1 Episode 2)

All Rise Season 1 Episode 2, “Long Day’s Journey Into ICE,” tackles the life-or-death stakes of today’s immigration system in the United States.

If the first episode All Rise left any doubts about its willingness to be unapologetic in taking political stances, this second installment quickly eliminates them.

Leo is a young man hauled into court after trying to call out a store for selling long-expired food. He’s also an illegal immigrant from Nicaragua whose political actions mean he could be killed if he’s deported.

With no doubts about the stakes, everyone involved knows exactly what it means when an ICE agent (who shouldn’t be allowed to be there in the first place under California law) walks into the courtroom mid-trial.

The conversations with him, Leo, and others about the case are all blunt in addressing both immigration in general and how new regulations have shaped the system to harm political refugees.

Backed into a corner, Leo is prepared to take a deal with a four year sentence and still seem himself deported afterwards, all for the hope he can be sent somewhere he won’t be killed. It’s a sobering act of terror and desperation.

Thankfully, we’re still early in the show and working to establish Lola’s dedication and knowledge. She’s not having this, and finds a legal loophole Leo can plead guilty to that will earn him a much shorter sentence and (probably) keep him in the country.

There’s a significant percentage of people who aren’t going to like this plot, and All Rise isn’t going to flinch from that. It’s the kind of show that knows art can’t shy away from life in divisive times.

That said, the story is also careful to not only present a side, but also teach the background behind it. It may be divisive itself, but it encourages us to have conversations and consider why people do what they do.

Witness tampering isn’t as politically high profile as immigration right now, but it does pack in still more drama. Mark’s not off to a great start in having his cases run as smoothly as they should, is he?

This secondary plot is well fleshed out, but it’s clear the main reason we’re hearing about how a father who manipulates legal systems for his daughter and himself is to have him connect him to Mark’s own life.

On that note, I have a bad feeling about his revelation that he was forced to lie in court at 17. That’s not the kind of thing a show like this mentions as a passing comment.

Maya, the daughter, winds up standing up to her father in a move that sees him arrested. Like with Leo, this isn’t exactly a storybook happy ending. It’s more of a bittersweet win in the face of grueling circumstances.

As real and important as all these stories are, my absolute favorite parts of the show are the friendships that we mostly see outside of trial scenes. With our focus on Lola, we’ve seen the most of her and Mark, but nearly every main character interaction is wonderful.

We see a little more of Judge Benner as a mentor here, and of Lola and Sherri’s interactions smoothing into one that still has plenty of banter, but a growing warmth, too. It deserves still more screen time, right alongside Emily and Sara’s friendship.

As for Lola and Mark, I love every moment between them, and my one wish is that we don’t see a romance down the line. This relationship as it stands speaks so much to the importance of friendship without the need to make a male-female connection something “more”

This is also the rare show with only one white male lead amongst a slew of female and non-white characters. It’s a great chance for open conversations about race and privilege among characters who are all genuinely likeable.

If it is a romance you’re looking for, Emily and Luke have you covered. Sure, their interactions early interactions follow TV conventions closely enough that anyone with a pulse knows where they’re going—but admit it; it also totally works to make you root for them.

All Rise has started with very decent ratings in today’s very busy television landscape. I hope it can keep them up, because even early on, all signs point to me being in it for the long haul with every one of these characters.

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 10/9c on CBS.

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