All Rise Review: Bad Beat (Season 2 Episode 4)

There’s rarely an easy trial on All Rise, but some go more smoothly than others. When bickering, personal relations, and perceptions of conflict of interest all come into play at the same time, we’re in for one of those infamous Lolacoasters.

Lola’s case veers from complexity to complexity, starting with Emily’s fiery grudge against her opposing council. I’ll give this to Driscoll: he plays an excellent smug jerk. We can relate to Emily being pushed over the edge even when it’s inadvisable.

Of course, the dramatic highlight of the hour is Robin walking in unannounced (a sore point to come up later) and turning the entire trajectory of the case on its head. It’s a tense moment that Lola handles about as well as can be expected.

Despite an important conversation between Lola and Robin at their home, this soon becomes more about Lola’s professional role and the perception of it. That comes to a head when Benner steps in to take over the case.

That Lola openly and pointedly calls her out on this says a lot about how far she’s come. In the first season, Lola sometimes feels out of place as an equal to her fellow judges. Now she’s embraced that role and become stronger for it.

In the end, the case and Robin’s involvement as an FBI agent give us a creative deal that sees Lucky protected and gets the real bad guys arrested. It’s fun to have a little crime drama injected into a show that spends so much time in courtrooms.

Mark continues to dive full throttle into his police shooting case, albeit at least listening to Amy this time. The original victim offers important advice, too. He can’t “fix” nor change what happened. And he definitely can’t go it alone.

I’m excited to see Sam getting more involved and putting to rest any fears she’d only be written as a complication in the Lemily arc. She’s smart and helpful here, personally involved as a cop’s daughter and able to recognize that privilege for what it is.

By the end of the episode, Mark and Amy are back on good terms, though this case is sure to send a few more hurdles their way. There’s a sense of foreboding about what might happen before the end of this case, even if the final result is a win.

Luke’s own arc continues as he faces a young client barely old enough to be charged as an adult. He pulls no punches this time, directly calling out his boss on the DA’s treatment of BIPOC (his calling Choi by his first name is a nice touch) and then by saying he has no case.

I do admire his courage and ethics in essentially stonewalling his own trial, but it worries me, too. He probably won’t be able to get away with it again. I hope he can start taking on the system from within and making a name for himself that way.

There’s another lovely conversation between him and Emily, too. They’re getting still more comfortable being friends and its nice that we still get at least some of their chemistry in the form of both banter and social commentary.

At the same, I have to admit the last scene between Luke and Sam is sweet. It’s a relief that All Rise doesn’t go down the path of so many other shows and make the relationships that veer from main ships into something we must dislike.

Other Notes

• What’s up with everyone getting involved in Lola’s business? Is “Let sleeping pregnant women lie” not a basic rule of human decency?
• The poker games are a lot of fun. Myself, I’m all for Sara continuing to fleece some judges out of their money, especially when it goes to her grandparents.
• Ness is taking on a new role as commentator toward everyone she interacts with. Maybe she crosses the line occasionally, but people would do well to listen to her.

 

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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