'Pearson' episode 3 sees Jessica begin to fulfill her vow to repair relationships, although it’s a bittersweet victory
This article contains spoilers for 'Pearson' episode 3: 'The Union Leader'
'Pearson' may be a political drama, but it also brings with it important subplots involving family and relationships. The third episode, 'The Union Leader,' provided a glimpse of how the two leading characters in the series try and sort out relationship issues.
For starters, let's look at Jessica Pearson's (Gina Torres) fractured relationship with her cousin sister, Angela Cook (Chantel Riley). Angela is shown as a Certified Nursing Assistant and Jessica’s cousin who is suspicious of the latter's sudden selflessness. She has her hands full, taking care of her two sons, protecting her mother and staying connected to her community.
Angela is also part of the low-income housing to be razed down. And, Jessica joining the ranks of Mayor Bobby Novak (Morgan Spector), who plays a major part in the demolition, meant that her relationship with Angela strained a bit more.
Previously, we had written about how it wouldn't be an easy ride for Jessica. The City Hall where she works now doesn't exactly give her a rousing welcome. Novak makes it crystal clear she is nothing more than the "problem-fixer" who has to look at the assignments he dishes out. Bethany Joy Lenz, who plays City Attorney Keri Allen in the show makes no attempts to hide her displeasure after coming to know Jessica is going to join the ranks.
Coming back to Angela, the estranged cousin makes it apparent she needs no help from Jessica. To her, Jessica was long gone from their lives. Although 'The Union Leader' saw Jessica make some amends, it does come at a cost. The episode saw a development where the residents of the household, who initially had 90 days to vacate, now have just seven days.
A bemused Jessica decides to fix the problem and while she cannot save the place from being mowed down, she manages to blackmail the man assigned with the contract of bringing down the buildings. Despite knowing the move was unethical, she does so to ensure her cousin isn't homeless.
Despite managing to buy time for Angela, the blackmailing sees Jessica break down as she feels she's violated her moral code. Known to be someone who has always done things the right way, no matter how difficult the challenge was to crack, Jessica realizes she's compromised one of the qualities that made her a successful lawyer.
The episode also sees Jessica coming close to having a family in a new city. The move seems to have worked as Angela is shown to sort of forgive Jessica. This also means that one of her missions in Chicago is accomplished - maintaining relationships.
In the first episode, 'The Alderman', Jessica tells her partner, Jeff (D.B. Woodside), she's trying her best to make relationships better and the move away from NY will help the cause. Not to mention a new career start.
The other person with relationship issues is District Attorney Keri Allen (Bethany Joy Lenz). Her affair with Novak weighs down on her as she struggles to identify where she goes in life being with a man who isn't exactly caring. At the moment, all we know is she's experiencing a new low and it remains to be seen how she figures out her relationship in 'Pearson'.
'Pearson' airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on the USA Network.