All Rise Review: The Tale of Three Arraignments (Season 1 Episode 18)

Professional time-outs, the takedown of a drug trafficking ring, and everything in between on All Rise Season 1 Episode 18, “The Tale of Three Arraignments.”

No matter how good your intentions, stepping on toes comes with some form of comeuppance. Both Lola and Mark learn this in the wake of defying their bosses.

Their respective sentences in a packed court and filing offices aren’t much of a focus beyond offering some chaotic humor. Mark especially doesn’t actually do much besides be crabby towards most people around him.

What we get instead in built largely on relationships, new and old. Centering into much of that is Rachel, a friend of Lola and Mark from their law school days who brings a lot in her wake.

I think we’re mostly meant to like Rachel. She has a vibrant dynamic with both friends that could work as well in a comedy approach as it does in this drama. Still, she stirs the pot in ways that include a desire to tempt Lola from her work and represent a sex trafficking pimp.

That more troubling point, though, gets turned on its head in the episode’s central focus, a progressive series of the titular “three arraignments” where soon Rachel helps Emily and Lola get an entire trafficking ring shut down.

This is yet another example of the kind of powerful and relevant storyline that acts as the show’s engine. That is presents the story in a way that allows powerful women to unite against a enemy their own system has been unable to defeat is the icing on the cake.

The deepest heart of All Rise remains tied to its relationships, and we see these in various forms, from single-episode characters to established pairings. There’s a whole lot that happens in that department.

Despite his mood, Mark winds up making some new friends, but more interesting in the long term are those none-too-subtle suggestions between him and Rachel. On the one hand, I see the chemistry. On the other, we’ve only just established him and Amy.

The idea that Rachael and Amy will now be working together is awesome on the outset, but I have mixed feeling about the likely complications it implies. I’d much prefer it remain another opportunity for the female empowerment we see here.

It’s wonderful seeing Robin again, and while him not discussing a possible return to LA stokes some of my concerns, I’m cautiously optimistic that this can be a step in the right direction. At least the possibility of writing him off feels much further away.

Then there’s David Sanders, who promises to fall somewhere in the territory of friendly rival to outright threat. Perhaps it’s meant to fill a hole left by Lola and Judge Benner being back on relatively good terms, but I need to see where it lands to decide how I feel.

Finally, there’s a whole mess of complexity for Lemily that jangles my shipping nerves, but I’m happy with the beautiful peace they reach—and not even just because my idea of new ways to express emotion were so wonderfully fulfilled!

The overall theme here seems to be a “wait and see” approach for where characters will wind up. I trust the show to make decisions based on the powerful connections it’s established, but I do hope treads carefully for the rest of the season.

Other Notes

• The ladies are fantastic together in yoga. Please no whispering, though! We all need our peaceful quiet where we can get it.
• Speaking of things we all need, those wipes Sherri wields are, um, timely.
• Lola’s house is incredible. It genuinely looks like everyone is at a posh rooftop bar.

 

 

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All Rise airs Mondays at 9/8c on CBS.

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