All Rise Review: The Game (Season 3 Episode 2)
An hour that starts with dueling protests has little chance of getting less hectic. Much like the last “celebrity” trial we saw in Courtroom 802, All Rise Season 3 Episode 2, “The Game,” shows us just what we’re in for.
It’s also another trial to pit Mark and Amy against each other, a sight bound to be entertaining especially given their current engagement woes. And, from a new stenographer with a great voice (and little else) to offer, to Teddy, the newbie Mark is meant to train, we basically start out in a comedy.
Teddy is worth a mention on his on his own. Being sweet and fresh-faced won’t stop him from calling out older generations—meaning almost the entire main cast and much of the show’s audience to boot. We have to admit he’s already pretty talented, too.
The proceedings themselves are at times exasperating. Amy defends a star athlete accused of choking the social media influencer Mark represents. The former is the picture of a charming gentleman while the latter seems to antagonize everyone with her desire for sensationalism.
It may all be a shallow media frenzy at first glance, but there’s meat on these bones. Tyler says flat-out that he wants to be known as a nice guy, but there are more than a couple moments where we see just what kind of “nice guy” he means.
Consent is the name of the game here, though it takes the characters a little too long to actually say so. The fact that Gigi expressed an eagerness to be choked, albeit only in a text message exchange, is likely what ultimately dooms Mark’s side of the case.
Consent, of course, is situational and always revokable. No matter what Gigi types into a phone, that’s not the same as agreeing to be almost strangled in real life. The struggle to make that case in front of a jury connects to many relevant assault cases.
It’s uncomfortable watching Tyler celebrate his win, at least until he learns his hockey team has fired him. It’s just as uncomfortable watching Gigi express real trauma until she walks outside, sees fans, and turns her social media personality right back on.
Elsewhere, things are no less bumpy for either Emily or Ness’s new career paths. Emily learns early on that her determination to set up her own holistic law practice is going to be an uphill battle, particularly within the systems of Los Angeles.
Though the show is a clear advocate for the benefits of holistic law, it doesn’t just wear rose-colored glasses about the matter. Even if it were a perfect approach, which it isn’t, it’s one Emily still has a lot to learn about—and she’s already dived in headfirst.
Ness anticipates her career as a lawyer just as eagerly, which makes the revelation that she failed the bar even more painful, especially as everyone throws a party in her honor. For the moment, though, I refuse to accept she won’t just retake and pass with flying colors.
Perhaps the most impactful development, at least for the first part of the season, is yet another professional hiccup for Lola, this one involving Sherri. In an attempt to engage with voters, Sherri may have inadvertently appeared to steer their support toward her boss.
A hearing is on the horizon that they’ll both have to testify at. For now, we see most of the consequences in tensions that haven’t existed between the two since the earliest episodes of the series. It’s a painful blow to a dynamic we’ve come to love.
It’s also hard to accept both that Sherri would make a mistake like this and that it would so quickly turn them against each other. I’ll allow it on the grounds that tensions are high. By now, we are as frustrated as Lola by her inability to find a moment of stability as a judge.
The situation will almost certainly get worse before it gets better and, from the promo, will put even more people Lola cares for at odds with her. Here’s hoping for at least a little more of the comedy we got early in this hour to balance things out.
What did you think of this episode of All Rise? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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All Rise airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on OWN.
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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.