What I’m Watching: Your Honor (Series Finale)

Your Honor: Season 2, Episode 10 “Part Twenty” (B-)

Now we’re at the very end, and I’m not convinced that this season was necessary. It’s not that it was bad, since it’s certainly more compelling than a good portion of what airs on television these days, but it just didn’t feel impactful or interesting enough at any point. Just as in the first episode when Adam hit and killed Rocco, it was about people caught in a destructive spiral who were affecting each other negatively without any intention to do so, and the actual villains taking advantage of the situation. Eugene telling Michael that he was sorry about Adam should have been enough to end this whole charade, but the truth is that innocent people got hurt as a result of Michael’s actions even more than Adam’s, since the cover-up then caused the Baxter family to retaliate against the alleged offender, who in truth had nothing to do with any of this. Charlie was mostly absent from this finale and got away without any consequences, while Eugene was offered witness protection, something he deserves because he could actually start over and make a good life for himself. Michael confessing Adam’s guilt didn’t really help anyone, nor did it have much of an impact on anyone. It’s not surprising that Gina would wield her father as a weapon against her husband, taking them both out of her life but apparently not killing Jimmy off just yet, and allowing Big Mo to operate as long as she didn’t have to see her. I can’t imagine a third season is in the works given the very purposeful announcement of this season as the show’s last, and even though I watched this whole run, I could probably resist tuning back in for more of the same.

Season grade: B-
Season MVP: Hope Davis as Gina

What I’m Watching: Your Honor (Penultimate Episode)

Your Honor: Season 2, Episode 9 “Part Nineteen” (B)

It’s certainly interesting to hear Lee explain the chain of events that has transpired on this show, with Eugene being declared dead and Adam’s murder solved, only to then have him reappear and now be on trial for that same murder. She’s leaving out a crucial detail, which is that Adam was the one who started this entire cycle of violence by crashing into Rocco and then covering up, something that Lee is now holding Michael personally responsible for even though he now wants to tell the truth. Paul Schulze from “24” and “The Punisher” was a great choice to play the irritable judge who reminded the two lawyers that the most annoying part of his job was having to deal with them before chastising them both about the potential risks of compelling Michael to testify. Olivia approaching Fia had the opposite effect from what she wanted, and now Jimmy is pulling out of his deal with Charlie while still theoretically preparing to confide in his unlikely new right-hand advisor. Talking about his legitimate business reminded me of “The Good Wife,” and, as Carlo tried to detail about his naive smuggling concept, there’s still going to be plenty of illegality inherently involved in all of it. Lil Mo made an important decision to stand by Big Mo when he got asked to choose a side in the brewing coup, and that revolt has now been quelled with a pointed execution, one that leaves Big Mo in charge but has cost her an important part of her personal life.

What I’m Watching: Your Honor

Your Honor: Season 2, Episode 8 “Part Eighteen” (B)

There are a lot of people trying to fall on their swords for others, and this is feeling like the way “The Shield” ended, with certain parties clueless that their fates are about to be decided by people they’re not even aware are threats. Eugene getting thirty years in prison unless he turns on Big Mo felt like an impossible choice since both are terrible options, and Lee didn’t hesitate much to offer up dirt on Michael instead. Olivia coming to try to get Fia to turn against her family got Jimmy spooked even though she set it up so that it seemed like the two of them had never met, and now he’s ready to get back in there and get her Jimmy himself. Given how last season ended, I don’t predict a happy ending here either, with Fia or Eugene likely to end up dead even though they’ve done the least wrong (Eugene did kill someone, but he also had a lot of terrible stuff happen to him). Gina took a very direct approach to dealing with Big Mo’s incursion into what she felt was her neighborhood, and giving Big Mo a fancy bottle of alcohol was a bold move that felt manipulative and dangerous. Going rogue from her already relatively unhinged husband is a worrisome development, and there seems to be nothing productive about that grief group she briefly attended, which is just teaching her how to turn her pain into destructive rage that can in turn give her something to satisfy that vengeful urge.

What I’m Watching: Your Honor

Your Honor: Season 2, Episode 7 “Chapter Seventeen” (B)

This episode revealed a dark truth that felt much more sinister until the confrontation between Michael and Charlie. It would have been worse in a way if Charlie was an evil mastermind who had knowingly sent someone to execute his best friend’s wife, but it’s also very unsettling that he seems to accept that one of the consequences of his quest for power is that innocent people may just get hurt, something that’s beyond his control. My suspicion that something bad would befall Michael when he got to the police station didn’t pan out, and instead Nancy fortunately revealed that she had been tracking Michael all along so that she could show up just in time to save him from certain death at the hands of a corrupt cop. His partner was more cooperative but also resigned to the nature of his situation, not prepared to go to prison and instead ready to take his own life to avoid that fate. Both Charlie and Big Mo turned a blind eye to him, cutting him loose when his association with them was no longer advantageous, which provides a curious commentary about police corruption and how they may be on the hook for their collaborations when their former partners no longer answer their calls. At least Lee was able to save Eugene by telling the nurse to call in a different gunshot victim and then running over to protect him when he started screaming his name as the best attempt to draw attention to his would-be assassin. As Jimmy spirals down further and Gina places conditions on his return to their home, Fia found comfort once again in her new priest friend, and though her parents won’t like it, the place that feels safest appears to be with Michael.

What I’m Watching: Your Honor

Your Honor: Season 2, Episode 6 “Chapter Sixteen” (B)

Well, this tied things together in an interesting and unexpected way. There was something decidedly awkward about Michael having his mother-in-law pick him up from the police station where he was being interviewed about potentially killing her daughter, but that just provided a helpful opportunity for the two of them to knock down doors together, with her providing the honey that his straightforward, gruff approach often lacks. We’ve seen a great deal of corruption in the New Orleans that this show has created, but now there’s a cop who is going around executing people, with his latest target the unfortunately-identified Eugene. Carlo seemed to have a slight change of heart when he heard the facts presented by Eugene following the car crash, but Eugene still ended up getting killed by someone else with a vested interest in him being dead. Carlo leaving to go meet Joey while he was supposed to be babysitting his nephew and then leaving the woman he called for sex to watch him was not a good move, and there’s more than enough Baxter family drama already with Jimmy taking out his frustrations with his father-in-law on his most loyal deputy. If nothing else, at least Fia is finding a sympathetic spirit in the priest with an open-minded view on baptism. I do worry that Nancy having Michael come straight to the police station is a trap, but this doesn’t feel like that type of show, with more than enough misery able to present itself without that kind of dramatic, conspiratorial twist.

What I’m Watching: Your Honor

Your Honor: Season 2, Episode 5 “Chapter Fifteen” (B)

Well, here’s a twist I didn’t see coming, and one that doesn’t jump out at me as anything I would have suspected. Michael apparently felt like he didn’t need to be in a position to cooperate anymore after reading Charlie in and seeing how his best friend was ready to work with Olivia to ensure his own deal, and that wasn’t a great start given her newfound alliance with Nancy. Being arrested for his suspected involvement in the death of his wife feels like it came from out of nowhere, but I’ll be curious to see if that has anything at all to do with the Baxter family or if it’s entirely disconnected. The biggest Baxter family issue at the moment seems to be the impending baptism of the baby, which may be happening with Carlo, a moderately-redeemed character in comparison to his parents, as the godfather. Jimmy is likely to snap sooner or later if his father-in-law sticks around, though he’s likely also working up something else with Gina that may not involve Jimmy as the one in charge. Big Mo is making tough decisions too in terms of who she’s supporting, and somehow Eugene seems to have dug himself out of the hole and is now in her good graces. But it’s never a good idea to underestimate, as Michael can now attest to, the consequences of decisions made long ago since they may well come back to haunt you even after it seems like they’re completely put to bed and forgotten.

What I’m Watching: Your Honor

Your Honor: Season 2, Episode 4 “Part Fourteen” (B)

Jimmy inviting Michael to his birthday party did seem a bit friendly, and it seems it was all to ensure that they are inextricably linked. It’s not just Michael who’s on the hook but also Charlie, who showed up allegedly to get a peek at a baby he should have known would definitely be sleeping. Being brought up and introduced by name to the entire crowd means that Charlie isn’t going to get away clean when Jimmy inevitably goes down. Olivia was also quite reckless in putting a recording device in Michael’s shirt collar, and it’s lucky that he found it given that Frankie pulled the other one out during his not-so-friendly pat down. Jimmy’s concern that Michael is trying to take another child from him isn’t entirely unfounded given Michael’s proven cleverness, though in that case that’s not at all what’s happening. Michael does seem a bit too eager to die, and Jimmy isn’t about to let him off that easily. I was pleasantly surprised to recognize Mark Margolis from “Breaking Bad” as Gina’s father, who she has apparently called in to help fix things because she doesn’t think Jimmy is doing a good job. Big Mo is seeing the consequences of her decisions play out in dangerous ways for her closest associates, and Eugene showing up at her door was a bold move that may or may not get him into trouble given that he’s back in a place where he truly can’t afford to be seen.

What I’m Watching: Your Honor

Your Honor: Season 2, Episode 3 “Part Thirteen” (B)

It’s never a good thing to be the last one to know something about your own life, and Michael was not at all happy to get that call from Olivia where she started off by saying “Hi, grandpa.” He also didn’t stand for her asking him what his name was since she was very much already aware, and the fact that both he and Jimmy are now grandfathers to the same baby doesn’t make Jimmy want to kill him any less. Frankie didn’t buy that Jimmy would have understood and forgiven Adam’s fear if he had come to him that night and admitted what he had done, which Jimmy confirmed when he said that he would have killed him with his bare hands. That does negate Jimmy’s point that Michael turned him into a monster when he had a perfectly normal reaction to finding out that his son was dead, and seeing the two of them around the baby is definitely going to be interesting and deeply uncomfortable. Michael managed to spook Carlo with that story of the convicted defendant to whom double jeopardy didn’t apply, showing that he still has some power after Carlo drove him off from spending time with Fia and the baby in the park. Charlie chose to push back against Jimmy but Gina wasn’t having any of it, and now there’s a domino effect in which Eugene is once again in the middle of things thanks to Big Mo’s need to pull funds from one endeavor to fulfill her new premium payment. I like that Olivia wants to use Nancy to help her get to Michael, but she seems just as willing to cooperate as the newly-freed reluctant informant.

What I’m Watching: Your Honor

Your Honor: Season 2, Episode 2 “Part Twelve” (B)

I do firmly believe that Hope Davis is one of this show’s standout players, and it’s fascinating to watch how she’s responding to everything in contrast to the more measured approach by her husband. She was the worst kind of impolite at the support group meetings, and she came around to a conclusion that worked for her, one that wasn’t about acceptance of her loss but instead about living in anger, which is sure to cause plenty of casualties. She didn’t have kind words for her daughter, who finally managed to get Michael to give her a minute so that she could show him why the two of them having a relationship would make him feel closer to Adam. The fact that the baby is named for both Adam and Rocco makes things incredibly complicated, but that’s why Fia has always been a strong character with a worthwhile expanded focus in season two. Little Mo is doing her best to keep on top of a messy situation, and protecting Eugene, if he ends up coming back, is going to be tricky, provided he doesn’t get himself into enough trouble where he currently is. Olivia banning Michael from even speaking to Charlie was a smart tactic, but it didn’t take him long for them to be in close contact. Michael managed to warn Charlie but he dismissed its severity entirely, which suggests that he’s going to be his own undoing, too confident in his own invincibility and not ready for what’s coming.

What I’m Watching: Your Honor (Season Premiere)

Your Honor: Season 2, Episode 1 “Part Eleven” (B)

This show’s return is a true surprise given that it was always intended to be a limited series, and it also ended on a note that didn’t exactly invite a follow-up. The opening reveal with a haggard, very bearded Michael in prison and being force-fed was quite dramatic, and I’m glad that, by episode’s end, he was released and hopefully headed straight for a barber. The fact that the circumstances of his incarceration were not entirely clear paved the way for an important piece of this season’s plot, which is that Olivia Delmont, played by the always superb Rosie Perez, hopefully on loan from “The Flight Attendant” ahead of a not-yet-ordered season three, is already pursuing her own case against the Baxter family which Michael’s confession would have stepped on. I like the idea that he might have to work with the Baxters as her undercover informant, though that’s sure to get very messy. Charlie might also be a target because of his very willing participation in what Michael needed of him, and he’s also in league with Big Mo, who did seem ready to dispose of Eugene before he was let go and then she figured out a way to make it seem like he was dead without having to actually track him down again. I’m not sure what to say about the prison rodeo which felt like a vivid nightmare, but Michael being visited by Fia got an important asterisk at the very end, which is that he has a grandchild he doesn’t know about that links him forever to the Baxter family, even if he does ultimately help take them down. That should make this season at least somewhat interesting!

Interviews with Abe: Your Honor

As Emmy voting is underway, I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with contenders across all categories. 

For Showtime’s “Your Honor,” here’s star Hope Davis and composer Volker Bertelmann. Click through to read the conversations we had for Awards Radar.

What I’m Watching: Your Honor (Series Finale)

Your Honor: Season 1, Episode 10 “Part Ten” (C+)

I’m struggling to figure out what the point of all this has been, especially since there were so many elements, like Robin’s affair, that were introduced last-minute and not sufficiently explored that make me think it should have been a longer series, but I’m also not sure what that would have accomplished. This was basically an opportunity for Bryan Cranston to play the most arrogant, self-aggrandizing judge who constantly gave speeches about the power of the law and his oath to uphold it while constantly manipulating a system he knew so well to disenfranchise the truth so that he could save his son. Lee figured out what was going on and wasn’t impressed when he tried to make himself a hero for loving himself less than he loved his son, and she was right to slap him when he used that moment to remind her that he loved her. That Carlo could be found innocent after the cruel language he used towards Fiona and the mountain of evidence against him is absurd, and the idea that Michael would be completely free once the trial was over was foolish. Adam should never have been in the courtroom when the tape was played, and running out to use his inhaler while Gina was outside was enough to make it finally evident to seemingly the only people who didn’t yet know that it was him driving the car and not his father. The final scene was very dramatic, and I suppose it’s mostly meant to show that consequences can never be truly escaped. I think I would have liked this show more with the same characters but a different premise, and I’ll remember it as a decently watchable but not particularly enthralling show with a strong cast.

Series grade: B-
Series MVP: Carmen Ejogo as Lee and Lilli Kay as Fia

What I’m Watching: Your Honor (Penultimate Episode)

Your Honor: Season 1, Episode 9 “Part Nine” (B-)

It certainly feels like there’s too much going on right now to wrap this all up with one episode, doesn’t it? Nancy seems almost ready to realize that Jimmy has something on Michael that’s making him throw the case, though she surely doesn’t suspect that he was the cause of Joey’s required medical attention, Charlie now knows that it was Adam and not Michael driving the car, Lee is one step closer to identifying Charlie as the man who not-so-inadvertently got Kofi killed now that she’s learned that Rudy is a cop, and Adam is about to come face-to-face with Jimmy. Michael doesn’t have any clue how serious things are, saying goodbye to Adam as if he’ll see him later, which I suppose he might if things all work out well somehow. Charlie stepped into ruthless protective mode when he went to confront Frannie, who also tried to warn Adam that she wasn’t just being jealous but that he was making a deadly mistake by getting so close to the Baxter family. It took Jimmy almost no time to find Adam on Facebook and realize that he was Fia’s new boyfriend, and I liked that Gina had to clarify that she was asking her daughter if she loved Adam, not God. I’m not sure how things can possibly end well for any of the characters, even Eugene, who is now aware that the people who have been looking out for him got his brother killed, and Carlo is doing a particularly terrible job of supporting that whole “afraid for his life” argument.

What I’m Watching: Your Honor

Your Honor: Season 1, Episode 8 “Part Eight” (B-)

All of this continues to be so fake, and it’s hard to believe that anything Michael says is meant to be genuine. The sympathy he expressed for Sara’s situation was particularly laughable, and speaking to the jury about how the constitution was on the wall before he got there felt very preachy. Making such a big deal about how the case needed to be secretive was an obvious stunt so that he could hurt it, and assuring a juror that, even though she was being removed from the case, it was still going to go her way felt like a serious breach of any morality he has left (not that he minds, but she can use it against him later). Jimmy is being extremely obvious about checking in with Michael, showing up publicly at a restaurant and giving him a cell phone with direct access to him, both of which feel like irresponsible tactics that could get Michael thrown off the case long before he’s about to somehow let Rocco off with a lighter sentence despite the mountain of evidence against him. I’m not sure if Fiona or Lee will stand up to Michael first, though Nancy might get herself hurt given her eagerness to spell her name for Jimmy. As if this wasn’t enough to worry about, Adam lying to Frannie has now gotten her jealous, and I think she’s going to mess things up with Fia in a way that has more disastrous consequences both for him and his father.

What I’m Watching: Your Honor

Your Honor: Season 1, Episode 7 “Part Seven” (B-)

It’s hard to fully suspend disbelief when watching the many, many steps Michael makes to cover his tracks and to try to fix his current situation. There’s one thing that he’s managed to do very well, which is to divert all suspicion away from Adam, since Jimmy fully believes that he’s the one who was driving the car. Swearing at Michael in such a blatant and disrespectful way felt a bit too obvious, and anyone in that courtroom should now doubt Michael’s ability to proceed in a neutral way, as appears to have been the case since it was assigned to someone else. Having Sara pulled over and arrested to somehow cast doubt on her soundness of mind was cruel, and saying “I love you” to Lee to distract her from seeing Sara on the side of the road was a bold and likely foolish move. He was completely clueless not only about the fact that it was his birthday but that his friends would be waiting for him at home to throw him a surprise party. How he hasn’t made any mistakes aside from calling the police that night and then being identified at the convenience store by the clueless clerk is pretty unbelievable – and I’m not really buying it. I didn’t recognize Maura Tierney at first as the defense attorney with that wig, but as soon as she started speaking, it was impossible not to place her voice. I’m waiting for the moment Fia realizes the link between her new boyfriend and the judge trying her second favorite brother’s case, and I’m wondering how Jimmy will respond to her clear affinity for the young woman neither of them realizes actually hit Rocco.

What I’m Watching: Your Honor

Your Honor: Season 1, Episode 6 “Part Six” (B)

Well, now we know how this show is going to be able to continue for four more episodes. It took the entire hour for Jimmy to find Michael, who was completely distracted with hunting down Trevor and arranging a boat for him, but that was exactly the time he needed to come up with the perfect way to save himself. Ensuring that Carlo’s case gets assigned to his courtroom feels like it’s not going to be the easiest thing to pull off, and it’s sure to raise red flags given the highly publicized nature of Michael’s car being stolen and used in the hit-and-run that killed Rocco. It’s also likely to raise suspicion with Fia, who thinks Adam is just a friend of her brother’s who she’s started getting close to, when she realizes the unexpected connection her new boyfriend has to the judge who will decide if her living brother spends the rest of his life in prison. I find the lavish tales Michael spins to be a bit excessive and obvious, and there’s an unnecessary gravity to Bryan Cranston’s performance that doesn’t feel anywhere near as realistic or believable as his “Breaking Bad” character. I was worried that Lee was getting herself into trouble asking too many questions about Carlo, but it seems like she’s cleared that hurdle and is now sure to be upset, just as Charlie will be, when she learns that Michael is getting much more involved in this business than he should be and only burrowing into a deeper hole.

What I’m Watching: Your Honor

Your Honor: Season 1, Episode 5 “Part Five” (B)

It’s hard to know where things could possibly go from here, since it didn’t take any time at all for Jimmy to deduce Michael’s direct involvement as soon as he found out from Big Mo that he really shouldn’t have bombed Kofi’s house since he wasn’t actually responsible for Rocco’s death. That was an impactful ending to the previous episode, and the sight of Eugene walking with a second line procession wearing a shirt featuring his deceased family members’ faces was indeed upsetting. It was fortunate at least that Big Mo was resolute in the way that she went boldly to Jimmy to tell him that war was coming unless he did, in his words, his due diligence and confirmed what he should have before Kofi died. Less fortunate was the fact that Michael’s lie about how someone was sleeping with his wife was so generously and immediately shared by the talkative convenience store clerk, who has now made it impossible for Michael to deny any involvement in Rocco’s death. Somehow, that wasn’t the most cringe-worthy moment of the episode, which instead found Adam seeking out Fia and flirting with her during a mock college interview. I’d argue that his actions most closely resemble the intense risk-taking popularized by Carrie on “Homeland,” which is not a good thing. Michael being blackmailed makes things even worse, though I’m curious if whoever it is who already knew that Adam was responsible will somehow end up shielding him from Jimmy’s wrath in an effort to get the money, but I can’t imagine that will be the case.

What I’m Watching: Your Honor

Your Honor: Season 1, Episode 4 “Part Four” (B)

So Kofi is now dead, and all we saw was that eerie introduction at the end of the previous episode and a bloodied Carlo being scolded by his father for causing trouble with just a few days left on his sentence. Sherriff Royce’s primary concern was not having to report homicides happening in his jail, and so he was more than happy to encourage the Voltaire-quoting coroner to spin a different story that didn’t involve a questionable end for Kofi. The car has now been scrapped, and it’s just a matter of how quickly Adam’s conscience and the growing web of people aware that the car was involved in the hit-and-run that killed Rocco deduce what actually happened. As if this show’s cast wasn’t impressive already, we got the addition of Margo Martindale, an Emmy winner for “Justified” and “The Americans,” as Elisabeth, Michael’s mother-in-law. She utilized her influence to make Adam’s principal feel incompetent and unworthy of making important decisions, and she was particularly unkind towards Lee when she stopped by and Charlie made her come in to sit down at the family dinner table. I was most nervous about the fact that everyone was touching the pictures with dirty hands from the New Orleans feast, but it was also worrisome that Michael’s presence at the notification was mentioned so casually in a way that’s sure to upset Charlie and pique Nancy’s interest. After having a laugh at his wife’s expense, Jimmy got serious with his daughter, who we almost saw interact with Adam, and blowing up Kofi’s family’s house was a sure sign that he’s going to do whatever he can to make everyone pay, even if they’re not actually the ones responsible.

Take Three: Your Honor

Your Honor: Season 1, Episode 3 “Part Three” (B)

There’s something excessively overdramatic about much of this show’s scenes and characters, and I feel like I might be more genuinely interested if I encountered some of them within the framework of a different plotline. Michael is taking a lot of ill-advised steps to cover up the truth, including posing as a man tracking his unfaithful wife so that he could delete the security footage at the gas station and calling the sheriff to institute protective custody for Kofi. Running and hiding nearby so that he could actually watch Rocco’s funeral seemed like the worst decision of all, though he managed to perform well under pressure when Nancy showed up at his house to fingerprint his son and get his account of what happened. Adam’s not keeping too low a profile either, identifying himself by name when he got spotted taking pictures outside of the prison and then confessing what he did to Frannie, who knew enough to tell him to stop talking since she wouldn’t be able to un-hear what he shared. Michael thinks he scored a win with Lee by getting Kofi released, but that’s just drawing too much attention to the case. Kofi going in to see Carlo was a bold move, and I’m curious what his plan is since there will definitely be more collateral damage as this process continues to play out. Charlie was certainly furious enough with being dragged into something illegal, and all these loose ends are going to catch up with him soon.

Round Two: Your Honor

Your Honor: Season 1, Episode 2 “Part Two” (B)

If there’s one thing that this show is doing for me, it’s eroding my confidence in judges. Judge Harris having Kofi’s jumpsuit pulled down so that he could inspect him for gang tattoos was disturbing enough, but it was also clear that Michael working so hard to create an alibi on the wrong day was something he knew to do because of his understanding of evidence. Being told by a disgruntled police officer that he had letting someone go who went on to commit a series of rapes was another indicator that Michael knows the law so well that he knows what works and what doesn’t, even if that doesn’t always get to the truth. Having the car gotten rid of would have gone a lot better had he not placed a call to his detective friend played by Amy Landecker from “Transparent,” who then made sure to locate it almost right away. Linking that to the crime meant a rush to put Kofi on trial for a more serious crime, one that he was ready to confess to because he was told he needed to do it. Lee was on to Michael also, refusing to simply accept her qualifications and Kofi’s poor chances as a reason that he would be interested in the case. Kofi’s fate is not looking good, and the guilty conscience that Adam has won’t help matters at all. I can tell the road we’re going down, and it’s a rabbit hole that’s only going to get worse for everyone as Michael expands this web of lies he’s creating.