What I’m Watching: Perry Mason

Perry Mason: Season 2, Episode 4 “Chapter 12” (B+)

Perry is off the rails this season, and he’s allowing his life to implode on a number of fronts while attempting to get out of representing two men he believes are guilty. Della and Paul were both trying to talk him out of essentially letting the judge know that he had no faith in his clients, and instead he made a respectable case to Hamilton that ultimately didn’t get him anywhere, keeping them on a path towards the death penalty. Slugging another dad who insulted him when he tried to get Teddy to come home was a move he’ll surely soon regret, and that was after he drunkenly stole a racehorse and had an amused Pete there to serve as his announcer. Getting into a relationship with his son’s divorced teacher hardly seems like a smart move, especially considering the father of the deceased is gunning for him. Holcomb is also busting down doors, intent on getting the answers he wants, and Perry has few friends left in this town who are going to want to help him. Della hiding the gun on the bookcase as soon as Paul presented it showed decisiveness, and she’s not letting her newfound personal relationship get in the way of her work, even if it does make her look far too presentable in comparison to Perry, both to him and to Camilla. Paul is rightfully bothered that everything lines up so well, and he’s sure to keep digging and figure out what’s actually going on in what was likely a setup to get Brooks out of the picture by much more powerful people.