'All Rise' episode 3 tactfully depicts the PTSD that stems from racism
Greg Spottiswood's 'All Rise' on CBS continues to tackle the many issues faced by people of color in the United States and that was seen in tonight's episode as well. While last week's episode featuring ICE garnered a lot of criticism, this week's episode is less hard-hitting but continues to be as significant. What features in the episode is the post-traumatic stress faced by people of color in different sections of society -- we get one who is a victim of a very obvious racist attack, and another who is the victim of racial profiling and microaggressions when he is arrested.
Let's talk about Luke Watkins first. The deputy sheriff is out on his morning run when he bends down to tie his shoelaces. That is when police pull over and arrest Luke, without listening to him and using unnecessary force. Luke is released later when it becomes clear that he is not who the cops were looking for, but the arresting officer tries to shrug it off saying that Luke matched the description of a "black male". Throughout the episode, Luke is sullen, even though he is set to receive an award for his actions in the first episode (when he stopped another bailiff from shooting at the others in the courtroom). He is clearly affected by what happened and Lola notices. She points out, they have come far, but there is still more work to be done. Luke confronts the officer who arrested him at the award ceremony (the latter doesn't recognize Luke in uniform) and tells him to "be smarter out there".
Then there is Mark's client of the week. At first, her case against the man who drove his truck into her is dropped as Mark's boss DA Thomas Choi thinks the judge will rule in the defendant's favor. However, on seeing the video of the event, where the man yells at the woman to go back and then accelerates into her the decision is reversed. The woman continues to suffer from this event: her fear of walking across the parking lot meant she gets transferred to another branch, which is much further from her home and she quits. And though she is eager to pursue the case, she is afraid of taking the stand in the courtroom and letting her attacker see her fear. And as Mark says in his closing statement, this gaslighting of the victim will eventually lead the victim to doubt herself and every time she crosses a parking lot in fear, she will be confused as to why that is. With Mark's argument, the attacker is convicted
PTSD in victims of racist attacks has been spoken about often, but never really understood by the general public. According to various studies, African-Americans are more likely to experience PTSD than the other sections of the population. Studies have also linked racism to other health issues such as depression, anxiety, binge drinking, and disordered eating. And viewers are glad that 'All Rise' tackles this, with one viewer stating, "I am glad that #AllRise displayed the PTSD experienced by those of us who are victims/survivors of living under systemic racism that goes, most times, unchecked."
The freshman legal drama continues on a strong footing and brings together the various storylines in each episode beautifully -- and this is a difficult thing for a new show to do. 'All Rise' is only three episodes in and continues to tackle issues that most television programs would not. The writers have to ensure, however, that they do not fall into a pattern, especially in how these cases are dealt with.
'All Rise' airs on CBS on Monday nights.