All Rise Review: Dripsy (Season 1 Episode 10)
On All Rise Season 1 Episode 10, “Dripsy,” a leaking ceiling is by far the least serious dilemma our characters face.
Fall finales are serious business for TV dramas and their multitudes of storylines. All Rise is only taking a brief hiatus after the episode following this one, but it’s still very much in that club. Things are getting intense.
Most of the chaos ties to Lola, from the case that at first just seems like a backdrop for a ceiling giving way to the one that gets her in the kind of trouble that can’t be resolved in a single episode. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone.
I’ll start at the end, because the cliffhanger reveal that Maggie Palmer is filing a complaint winds up framing everything else. At least as far as this trial goes, I’m not sure she has much of a case.
The divorce lawyer hired to defend Carissa isn’t corrupt, but he is painfully incompetent in this field of law. I’m no scholar, but every layman’s impression suggests Lola has good reason to fire him, however rarely that’s done.
The plot of the previous episode suggests this is building on a grudge Palmer has with Judge Carmichael, but that feels thrown together, too. For now, this whole situation feels like rapid-fire drama built on somewhat shaky ground.
It’s a loosely assembled “Lolacoaster,” but it is an effective one. This is a solid hour of anxiety-inducing drama, and the culmination is something we’ve been expecting for as long as Lola’s been pushing buttons.
The additional tensions are nearly as stressful. Everyone is tossed out of Courtroom 802, meaning Lola is temporarily assigned a new JA, and Luke very inadvertently almost gets Emily thrown off her case as soon as she takes over for Fisk.
These points also feel rather rushed in the effort to pack in as much as possible. We know Lola’s going to get her groove back with Sherri soon enough, so a mildly frustrating newbie isn’t much more than a distraction.
There is more to Emily and Luke thanks to our emotional involvement with them. At least their first non-fight argument seems to be very short-term, both in how quickly emotions flare up and in how they’re swept away the next day.
As for that other case– the one that sees Lola letting an ex-con go only for him to get himself killed during a car chase—this is the kind of thing that could itself be a solid episode-long plot. I almost hate to see it tacked on in the first and last few minutes.
By time we add in Mark’s story, we’re lucky anyone gets through this episode in one piece. I’ve certainly been expecting something to happen with his dad, but I thought we’d be waiting longer for a plot as big as a murder accusation.
We’ve just started to scratch the surface of this father-son relationship, so these early stages evoke more sympathy for him than the need to delve in deeper on their connection. Still, I do hope we get more of that as this plot continues.
His other case is another that would work very well in another episode but feels like a side act in the face of something so much more significant. We see him both as a staunch prosecutor and someone who empathizes with defendants, and that’s worth exploring more.
Overall, I’d qualify this as an episode with all sorts of great and meaningful moments somewhat hampered by a need to pack too many of them in at once. There’s still so much to love, from the moments of humor to Emily saving yet another case.
Lola and Mark’s scenes together are at the top of their game here. Seeing them both care for each other genuinely despite their respective terrible situations is a balm to everything else. It’s the kind of comfort we can always come back to, just as they can.
Speaking of friendships, I hope we’ll really get to see Emily and Sara as roommates in the next episode. Sleepover nights might not fit with our stress levels, but hey, neither does the Christmas theme they’re going to try to pull off. I look forward to both all the same.
What did you think of this episode of All Rise? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
All Rise airs Mondays at 9/8c on CBS.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
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.