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Storyline Recap
You’re Just Like Your Father – Lewis, Spenser
Early on in season 1 we met Terrence, Lewis’ brother who wasn’t necessarily raised in a household accepting of his sexuality. Lewis, despite this, teases Spenser’s interest in the arts by noting, questioning why he would try out for something like Hamilton? Is it for a girl, asks him about knowing there are tights and wigs, and Spenser internalizes that.
In fact, he gets into a fight over someone saying something and Lewis catches an attitude before being pushed to realize his comments triggered this problem. Not homophobia skipping a generation and somehow developing in his son.
Behind The Scenes Work – Daniel, Adrien, Evan
While Jax preps Shanelle for a interview to be televised, weeks before jury selection, Daniel is digging into Adrien and comes to learn about Adrien and Evan’s relationship. He doesn’t learn about Evan threatening Adrien’s life, but does follow the money and it seems Evan is JT’s business manager, Adrien a protégé owing tens of millions of dollars, and Shanelle may have just been a mark.
Now, whether she is still a mark or Adrien has legitimately fallen for her? That’s a bit hard to say.
How Did We Get Here? – Tanya, Corey, Jax, Shanelle, Lewis
But, Shanelle has bigger problems than Adrien right now. Corey, in his continuous effort to take control of the narrative, puts Shanelle in front of his friend with benefits, Tanya, who is a local reporter. The idea was she was going to play ball and get the people on Shanelle’s side, but she does through in curve balls.
She brings up an abortion JT paid for, him getting another woman pregnant, specifically Toni, who Lewis too had relations with, alongside questions about the abuse. Of which Shanelle breaks everything down from the bliss that was August to October of 2007, when she was running photoshoots and JT was in his prime, to his proposal in March 2010, and then the first act of violence in January 2017, after JT’s retirement party. Almost like she wasn’t prepped by Jax and Corey, but is telling Tanya the timeline she has went over and over again in her head, Shanelle breaks down how that man broke her down to the point of not leaving for years – despite the various forms of abuse she was under.
Now, of course, being that Jax is way too close to this situation, she gets involved as Corey told her not to, and seems more shook and troubled by what is being said than Shanelle in recounting it. But, one could argue the interview may work for after spending time with Shanelle, Tanya finds herself breaking things off with Corey in light of the conversation.
It should be noted though, beyond it being clear Shanelle was having an affair within three months of JT’s murder, how that relationship started, from Shanelle’s perspective, isn’t touched.
New Characters
Check Out The Character Guide For More Information.
Kaye Singleton As Tanya
Tanya is a local reporter who is/was someone Corey was messing around with.
The Gist
The TLDR Recap/ Review
- In this episode, “Reasonable Doubt” chronicles the rise and fall of Shanelle’s relationship with JT from when she met him on a photoshoot in August of 2007, to present day, her sitting in jail for killing him.
- It’s not necessarily a wild ride as you watch things go from him pursuing her, wanting to take care of her, to him retiring and there being a shift.
- This is all done via a interview by the way, handled by Corey’s sometime thing Tanya, who finds herself going back and forth between staying with the program and doing her job.
- As this happens, Lewis is dealing with being his father’s son and teasing Spenser for pursuing the arts, mirroring what his dad said to antagonize his gay brother.
- Also, we learn Adrian may not have loved Shanelle in the beginning, but was part of Evan’s plan to steal from JT, while avoiding suspicions as JT’s business manager.
- I feel like this was the first episode I found myself looking at Spenser and not wanting to do a deep, heavy, negro spiritual sigh.
- In addition, I appreciate they finally allowed Shanelle’s actress to shine for as much as I love Jax’s performance, mainly her dialog, in terms of giving a dramatic performance, Shanelle’s actress has shown she takes the cake.
- With all that said, with the end episode shift in perspective, or narrative, regarding whether or not Shanelle killed JT, or maybe Adrian did, that was an appreciated twist considering the alternatives.
Review
Highlights
Spenser and Lewis’ Storyline
I don’t think I’ve ever been a fan of Spenser, or Lewis and Jax’s kids in general, but I appreciate the storyline Spenser and Lewis had. With calling back to the easy to forget existence of Terrence, you are reminded that when it comes to Lewis, while he is trying to be a better person overall, not all aspects of what makes him Lewis are progressing at the same rate.
Yes, he is doing the work with Jax, and their friendship and relationship have recovered. However, Lewis’ issues don’t begin and end at his marriage. As shown, being a father is also a challenge for him beyond the provider role. With Spenser, he is so focused on him playing basketball and being easy, in that sense of raising him, that a deviation gets ridicule.
In a way, you can see it mirror his issues with Jax in terms of his need for control, stability maybe, and people not changing or evolving. Which isn’t said to damn him, but actually give him grace. I’d submit that, maybe like Will Smith back in the day, Spenser needed everyone to be okay, happy, fit his ideal version of a family, and when people didn’t, it lead him to, in toxic ways, try to coerce people to fit into this image he was holding onto for dear life. But now, he is seeing that may not be possible and just as people are evolving, he needs to start adapting.
It Allowed Shanelle To Cook
As said in a earlier episode this season, Shanelle hasn’t really been given the space to show up and show out like she did in the last season. However, I’d submit in her scenes with JT, they allowed her to do what needed to be done. I’d even say, maybe part of the reason why Shanelle isn’t allowed to be more prominent is because her storyline, her performance, is often better than what Jax has to give.
Which is no shade to the actress, but as much as we love Jax’s ability to code switch and find it comical, in terms of handling the drama of the show? Shanelle is the best source of that and Jax is adequate but not someone I find myself clamoring more from.
The Unreliable Narrative
With the late episode reveal that maybe the narrative presented since the end of the last season is incorrect, it introduces the idea that the narrative we receive isn’t all that it appears to be. Now, for a case Jax is dealing with, this makes sense. While lawyers are expected to know the good, the bad, and the ugly, at the same time, for clients like Shanelle, they want to look innocent in everyone’s eyes, including their lawyer.
But, it does make you wonder what if they expanded this to other things? I doubt the show will decide to rewrite Jax’s upbringing, or even dive into Lewis’ much, but I must admit, by changing Shanelle’s story, now it has me questioning things, and with that, a bit more excited about the case than I was before.
General Information
Additional Information
- Previous Episode: Season 2/ Episode 3
- Series Page
Episode Title
Primetime
Release Date
September 5, 2024
Network
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Director(s)
Julie Dash
Writer(s)
Zahir Mcghee
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