'All Rise' Season 2 Premiere Review: Will Lola Carmichael's arrest amid BLM protests influence her trial decision?
Spoilers for 'All Rise' Season 2 Premiere
CBS's legal drama, 'All Rise' is back with its second season, and unlike the sitcom, 'Bob Hearts Abishola' that led to it, 'All Rise' dives fully into the matters of the moment – the Black Lives Matters protests that have occurred across the country. The first episode begins in July 2020 – the streets are empty, people are still hoarding sanitizers and toilet rolls, but more importantly, the protests are at full speed.
When Lola Carmichael (Simone Missick) and Assistant DA Mark Callan (Wilson Bethel) catch up in her office one evening, they are asked to leave the building due to the protests outside. As they try to drive out, Lola notices a police officer accosting a teenage girl. She runs out to the girl who tells Lola that the police accused her of looting without reason and when the girl moves to show what is inside the backpack, the cop pulls a gun, causing Lola to yell and step in front of the girl.
The episode then follows up sometime in the future where Abishola is back in the courthouse and interviewing people to be her law clerk – though she continues to insist that she doesn't need one, Judge Lisa Benner (Marg Helgenberger), strong-arms her into hiring Harvard Law graduate, Vanessa "Ness" Johnson – a very enthusiastic young woman who has admired Lola for a long time.
We then go back to the night of protests when Lola was arrested by the police. The girl was arrested and then freed but her backpack was not given back to her. Mark shows up to help free Lola, and he had to pull many strings to make it happen. Lola is, however, still angry about what the cops did to arrest the young Black girl.
Back to the future, Mark is pursuing a case against a White man who attacked a Black woman with a baseball bat. Mark is arguing to get a hate crime enhancement for the White man, though the latter's lawyers don't agree to it, and it is clear that what happened to Lola earlier that year is pretty much what is motivating him to do it. However, Amy Quinn (Lindsey Gort) who is defending the White man is concerned about whether Lola's arrest, which Mark told her in confidence because they are dating. Will this affect Lola's ability to make an unbiased decision?
Mark, on the other hand, is concerned that his friendship with Lola went through something on the night of the protests. Lola tells him that he disrespected her -- and explains that she was angry because he asked Lola what she did wrong instead of asking the cop why he arrested her. When she explains this, Lola nearly tears up and it is clear how much this racist microaggression from her best friend has affected her.
But Lola is Lola and when the man's defense lawyer, Rachel Audubon (Ryan Michelle Bathe) argues that it is not a hate crime, she takes her time in reviewing all the necessary materials to make her decision. She explains to Vanessa – who is convinced the White man is guilty of a hate crime – that she is biased against the color of his skin and that she has to put aside her personal experiences and feelings so that the decision is not swayed as another human being is depending on that judgment. Unfortunately, a video of Lola saying "Defund the police" is made viral, affecting what could happen to her career.
Meanwhile, Emily Lopez (Jessica Camacho) is trying to get help for her client who is in prison. The client has informed her that there is a coronavirus outbreak in the prison but she has not been taken to the hospital even though she has a fever. Emily is reluctant to contact Luke Watkins (J Alex Brinson) who is working at the DA's office because they are taking a break. However, Emily then decides to talk to Luke for her client's sake. Their reunion might be awkward, making it clear that these two need to work it out. Unfortunately, Emily's client died before she could get her released. A heartbroken Emily reaches out to Luke who comforts her. When Emily goes over to Luke's later to admit that they should not have taken a break, a woman who works with him opens the door. Emily mistakes her as being with Luke and walks away.
The biggest surprise of the episode is that Lola learns that she is pregnant. This must be a difficult time for Lola to realize it given all that is going on, but it gives an opportunity for the show to explore new avenues.
Even when it premiered last year, 'All Rise' was quite sure in that it wanted to showcase the kind of discrimination people of color face in the American justice system. As such, with the exclusion of the protests and the pandemic, the show remains much the same -- unlike other shows that have had to rehaul how they were presenting stories in light of recent events. The only difference that comes in this season is that it gives Lola the chance to become a mentor, who not only teaches but also learns because of the presence of Vanessa Johnson.
'All Rise' airs on CBS on Monday nights at 9/8c. The second part of the two-part premiere will air on Monday, November 24.