Reasonable Doubt: Season 2 Episode 3 – Review/ Recap

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Storyline Recap

I Have Reasons For Going As Far As I Do – Lucy, Nadine, Shanelle, Jax, Corey, Adrian

Jax calling in Corey may have been good for her, but in Shanelle’s mind, she gave up. With that, and the court of public opinion turning on her, she turned to Adrian, who she has feelings for, and they ran. As you can imagine, this doesn’t look good, for running doesn’t illicit empathy but pushes the idea of guilt. This is something Lucy is more than willing to push, but she is willing to be lenient with Jax and Corey, and they are able to get Shanelle before the police snatch her up and impose harsher consequences.

As for why Lucy would even give such leniency? It is hard to say. From speaking with her assistant Nadine, she has been getting worrisome phone calls, and she does check to see if someone named Peter Thompson is still in jail in Nevada. So, one could surmise her hardline stance on domestic violence could be from her own experience. It’s hard to say, but despite her past, she gives Shanelle a second chance, which will likely be used against her in a court of law.

A Shift In The Case – Jax, Shanelle, Corey

With Shanelle back in jail, there is a need for her cousin to worry about the bail money, but the bigger issue is how this will affect the case. Jax realizes she can’t be looking over Corey’s shoulder and giving Shanelle’s pep talks; she has to be involved, and Corey agrees to this. He sets boundaries, for he is still the first chair, but he recognizes this is personal for Jax, and she can’t let this situation go.

Why Are You Really Here Corey? – Corey, Isabella

Now, why would someone like Corey go through all this with Jax and Shanelle? He doesn’t seem to have any notable relationship with Jax at all, and Shanelle is even more of a stranger to him. Additionally, he is trying to establish himself as a lawyer outside of defending the would-be bad guys, and it may make you wonder why he would not only accept being part of this case but continue to be invested despite what Shanelle and Jax do.

The answer is Isabella Torres. It isn’t made clear how involved Corey was in her being in prison, but it seems he thinks a win for Shanelle could lead to leniency for Isabella, and while she is ready to tap out and accept life in prison, Corey is not.

A Nice Boy With His Own Set Of Drama – Adrian, Evan, Dallas

While Adrian seems like a nice guy, even if he aided Shanelle in avoiding going to court to face what she has done, he is someone with skeletons like anyone else. Like for a lot of characters, specifics aren’t given but what we do know is that Dallas, an associate of his, makes fake IDs, and Adrian and Shanelle were going to use them to get into Mexico. Dallas got arrested, so that didn’t happen.

Following that, we meet a man named Evan when Adrian is let go, despite his involvement in helping Shanelle run from the law. Evan, seemingly associated with Dallas, and Adrian, in extension, appears to want money. How much and for what? Again, no specifics, but hopefully, like many a mystery presented in this episode, we’ll get answers in the future.

New Character Descriptions

Vaughn W. Hebron As Adrian Hunter

• The actor is also known for their role in “The Devil You Know.”

Nathan Anderson As Evan Gerrard

Valerie Leblanc As Isabella Torres

Brendan Goshay As Dallas

Samantha L. Thomas As Nadine

Review

Highlights

The Music Selection

I’m not sure what the licensing budget is for “Reasonable Doubt,” or if someone just has the hookup, but if they were to release a soundtrack for the season, I would likely add most of the songs to my Spotify. It’s a mix of hip-hop and R&B, from modern to classics, and the placement is wonderful.

On The Fence

The Distractions From Shanelle’s Case

As noted when talking about the Brayden Miller case in season 1, having one single case for a whole season is a double-edged sword. Yes, it gives you more time with whoever our lead is protecting or defending, but the caveat is building up the case and those involved beyond the lead and defendant.

As of now, Lucy feels like an asset and could easily become that special, unexpected, something of season 2 as they do a slow rollout of who she is. However, when it comes to everything, or rather everyone else? The same can’t be said. Adrian’s storyline of being involved with bad people may set up a potential season 3 case, but it isn’t hitting right now. Sally putting her house up, and all the issues that may cause in her marriage, isn’t adding much.

The list goes on, and it’s like, as much as Shanelle being the center of things is a huge benefit because she was introduced in season 1, I’d submit that rather than introducing Adrian and all he is involved in, the show should have doubled down on people we barely got to know in season 1. Sally and her husband had issues before she put their house on the line. Autumn is barely around to the point she feels like a check box so that “Reasonable Doubt” can say it has a queer character. Add in how we could have learned more about Daniel or Krystal, maybe understand their relationship with Jax better, and you see how for an hour-long show, it is easy to submit it wastes the valuable time it has on what, at best, is filler, and at worst, a lack of ideas, being coerced to archaic ways of storytelling or trying to expand its roster to get more people paid at the cost of the show’s quality.

Jax and Lewis’ Kids

I believe that it is excruciatingly hard to make an adult show featuring children. The only shows I can think of that did this well are “The Chi,” “Queen Sugar” and “Greenleaf.” In “Queen Sugar” and “Greenleaf” the kids started as extensions of their parents and eventually established their own identity.

Whether it was Micah on “Queen Sugar” dealing with his parents’ marriage dissolving, understanding his Blackness, or how he could be an advocate in his comfort zone. In “Greenleaf,” we had characters questioning their faith, dealing with the possibility of never having kids and abusive relationships. They were on par with the adults, even if seen less. “The Chi” pretty much built itself around seeing Kevin, Papa, Jake, and even Emmett growing up to the point they are now the adults who are the focus point of the show.

With “Reasonable Doubt,” we don’t get that. The kids are kids, and in some ways, maybe we should applaud them for not being notably mature or going through tough subjects. But there are two sides to that. While it is wonderful to see Black kids whose biggest issue is feeling sick or wanting to hang out with their friends and being told no, it isn’t like “Reasonable Doubt” is a sitcom, comedy, or light-hearted drama. The case of this season deals with domestic violence and murder. Last season’s included assault, and add in Jax having PTSD, her and Lewis having affairs while separated, and it makes two kids with basic problems feel very out of place.

And I would love to say it provided relief, a reminder that Jax isn’t just balancing being a wife and lawyer, but the kids aren’t written or performed in such a way to be any sort of asset. They just feel like obligations to complicate Jax’s life further and give reason to why she couldn’t just end things with Lewis when things got rough.

General Information

Additional Information

1. Previous Episode: Season 2/ Episode 2
2. Series Page

Episode Title

Part II (OIn The Run)

Release Date

August 29, 2024

Network

Hulu

How To Watch

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Where To Buy, Rent or Subscribe To Watch This:

Director(s)

Crystle Roberson Dorsey

Writer(s)

Michelle Flowers

The Gist

The TLDR Recap/ Review

• With no real established relationship between Corey and Jax, you may have wondered why he would take this opportunity or risk? The answer: Isabella Torres. Someone the system, or Corey, failed in her domestic violence case.
• So, by working with Jax and trying to free Shanelle, he can shine a light on other cases, like Isabella, and pursue justice. However, with working on the other side of a woman like Lucy, who may have experienced domestic violence herself, Corey has an uphill battle.
• Plus, lest we forget, Shanelle went on the run with JT’s mentee, Adrian, who has his own legal issues with a man named Dallas and Evan Gerrard, and she has tens of millions of dollars in her name.
• Luckily, Shanelle is found and put into custody, but with all that has happened, Jax realizes she at least has to be the second chair on this case so that Shanelle can have a fighting chance and not do something else to self-sabotage.
• As with the last episode, the main thing we appreciate with this episode is the rollout of Lucy being more than a hardline prosecutor. As it is pushed, she has her own specters haunting her past.
• Beyond that, I also love how Shanelle’s fear is tapped into for, let’s be real – the court of public opinion is terrifying, and Shanelle was losing badly. So, seeing that as a precursor to what Lucy could nail her with feels very real.
• Now, unfortunately, what came with progress for Shanelle and Lucy meant addressing the fact Jax and Lewis have kids, and honestly, I’m tired of kids who exist purely to show two characters had unprotected sex before.
• This isn’t to say they are horrible inclusions, but with Corey’s real goals revealed and all else, it makes these storylines about Naima becoming rebellious and Spenser not feeling well liabilities to a 10-episode show than anything else.

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