The Rainmaker Season 1 Episode 5 Review: Fatal Errors

Rudy makes his biggest mistake yet on The Rainmaker Season 1 Episode 5, and it costs him his job at J. Lymon Stone.

This is a character who is always battling a moral dilemma. He wants desperately to do the right thing when it comes to his case, to his neighbor who is being abused, and now, the knowledge that there’s a serial killer on the loose. 

It’s not naivete, because we’ve already seen that Rudy has faced plenty of hardship. He’s also impulsive and speaks his mind a bit too much when he shouldn’t — the entire reason he’s working for J. Lymon Stone instead of Tinley Britt in the first place. 

Instead, it’s because of the things he’s seen and the hardships he’s had that seem to make him so willing to bend rules and put himself on the line to do the right thing.

That’s why he goes against Bruiser’s guidance in court, making for one of the most awkward courtroom scenes I think I’ve personally ever seen on television.

He does so, also, as a competitor to his girlfriend, who is arguing the other side of the case and becoming more and more cutthroat with every episode.

It’s also why Rudy is willing to take risks when it comes to his neighbor, Kelly. When he and Deck are at the hospital as part of their investigation, he sees Kelly’s husband and follows him to her room, immediately realizing she’s there because she’s been beaten. 

Deck desperately tries to convince Rudy to let it all go, but it’s not in Rudy’s nature. So, he waits for the right opportunity to visit Kelly, despite knowing this could all be very dangerous for him. 

The hospital scene between Rudy and Kelly is endearing, and it’s something I would have liked to see a bit more of.  

Where Rudy truly crosses a line, though, is going to the police about Melvin Pritcher. Again, to him, this is the right thing to do. However, it’s not well-received by the detective he speaks to, and the encounter gets back to Bruiser so fast it will make your head spin.

Bruiser is already frustrated with Rudy and the way he spoke out during court, going against everything she told him to do.

For better or worse, Rudy is too overconfident, even when his heart is in the right place. Still, that’s not what gets him fired. Bruiser draws the line at the fact that Rudy went to the police after being told not to.

Bruiser isn’t wrong about Rudy’s arrogance or continued habit of pushing the limits. She’s also way too hard on him in a way that’s starting to make her feel like the true villain of the story — and a one-dimensional one, at that.

It’s unfortunate because we have gotten hints about what looks to be a complex backstory for her, so hopefully, more of that is to come in later episodes.

Meanwhile, Pritcher still has Jackie and continues to be captivating and unsettling to watch all at once. Unfortunately, Jackie doesn’t make the best decisions when given the opportunity to call for help, and her contentious relationship with her ex’s wife, Amber, winds up being her downfall — and the death of Amber.

That whole scene plays out in a way that doesn’t feel entirely authentic. Amber’s reaction to Jackie when she finally lets her in, and her grabbing a gun and assuming she can handle the situation, isn’t believable at all.

Maybe this is because we haven’t seen much of Amber to know if this is in line with her character, but it comes off as sloppy and rushed. 

It’s simply done to move the plot along, and takes the viewer out of the moment. This is another example of how the show, as a whole, is ultimately pretty disjointed.

In this case, it’s a storyline that needs more detail and attention, while the rest of the show feels like it needs to pick up the pace.

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The Rainmaker airs Fridays at 10/9c on USA.

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