Your Honor – Season 2 Episode 1 Recap & Review

Part 11

Season 1 of Your Honor was full of twists and turns. Michael (Bryan Cranston0 reaches the depths of his love for his son Adam as he deals with the aftermath of a hit and run. The Baxter crime family got involved and the judge flirted with fatal danger throughout. Adam is eventually caught in the crossfire at the end of season 1 and Michael could do nothing about it. The party’s frenetic scenes put him in a troublesome position and we will see in this season how fares.

In the opening sequences, we see that Michael is indeed arrested. It is not new for Cranston to play someone who spends time in jail. Seeing his new avatar in this season instantly reminds one of Walter White from Breaking Bad’s final season. A long beard, rugged demeanour, and calculating eyes caressed by guilt and fear. He is woken up by guards in his cell. After seeing his son get shot, Michael has stopped eating and withdrawn into a shell. Guards force-feed him and he then has an appointment with a psychiatrist, which is also in vain.

Simultaneously, we revisit the aftermath of the shooting. Flashbacks reveal that Eugene was able to escape the party after shooting Adam, having intended to kill Carlo instead. The mobster gives chase to his assailant. Fia is in absolute shock after watching his boyfriend breathe his last in front of her. Gina and Jimmy give her emotional support and escort her back. Soon enough, Jimmy’s men too are on the prowl for the shooter and plan to help Carlo in getting him killed.

Nancy arrives at the scene and cannot fathom Adam’s state. Although she expected something like this would happen, the actual event shakes her. Eugene was under the command of Big Mo and Jimmy knows this. He contacts her but Mo tries to alleviate his concerns and keep a handle on the situation. Jimmy has other ideas, though. We get a new character in the form of Olivia Delmont, played by the raucous Rosie Perez.

She seems to be an ally for Michael and plays a US attorney in charge of handling his case. The duo has a one on one about the truth of the events and colludes to protect Michael. The former judge confesses everything about the incident tape but Olivia wants to seal off this confession and ensure that Michael walks away scot-free. She is playing a bigger game here. Instead of just sending Michael to the gallows, she wants to get at the larger target of the Baxter family through him.

The tape would serve as evidence that Michael has convicted Baxter in this case and he would be unnecessarily harmed as a result. Big Mo has been able to catch Eugene and holds him, prisoner, under her control. She will give him like a peace offering to Jimmy in order to prove her seriousness to preserve the relationship. Jimmy never wanted his other son to get in more trouble and Gina makes sure that Carlo does not act rashly.

She informs of his arrival to Jimmy and they convince Carlo to be more docile. He accepts the arguments and leaves Eugene alive. Gina perhaps felt hard done by as she really wants Carlo to take hold of himself and be the man in the family. She gets off that energy but Jimmy advises Carlo against taking any actions that will destroy his chance to lead them. Patience is an important virtue he must develop.

Fia goes to Michael for information about Adam’s attitude towards her but he is unyielding. He shows no interest in partaking in the conversation and she is heartbroken over Adam’s death. We also get a sense of newfound energy in Michael after he has a surreal dream where all the prisoners are offered up as entertainment bait for a game of bullfighting. Even he is attacked in that trance but discovers that his destiny is in his own hands when the bull comes to attack him.

In a shock move, Young Mo lets Eugene go. He gives him money and an address. “Never come back”, Mo says to Eugene and he trudges off in disbelief. Big Mo is unhappy as she cannot bring Charlie and Rudy Eugene. Charlie’s campaign would have been helped big time if he could have presented the killer of Adam to the crowd. He is Charlie’s godson but Mo offers him a way out. She suggests Rudy use someone else’s body as Eugene’s and it works/

Olivia blackmails Michael with a recording where Charlie is being implicated by him. If this audio is released, his campaign would be destroyed and Michael cannot bear to see that. He reluctantly takes the deal and is released on parole. What lies next for our main man? Will he finally “break bad” and take control, or become controlled and put himself in danger once again?

The Episode Review

Bryan Cranston was expected to do well with Michael’s character. He shares so much in common with Walter and perhaps has been set on a similar arc in season two’s solid opener. Olivia’s character will instill a lot of urgency into his actions and we can anticipate some big moves soon in the truncated season.

Rosie Perez is a fine addition. Her ability to warm up unlikeable characters and allow us to see them for the good parts might come in handy if Olivia is to play a bigger role. For now, Jimmy has his hands full. He is a deceptive, scheming big fish who will not let his position slide so easily. Michael will be welcomed with suspect arms and always a target on his back.

Season 2 promises engaging storytelling but the only hope is that it does not surrender to convenience and genre sensibilities as easily as it did in the season’s opener.