'Pearson' episode 6 review: Bobby Novak finally takes a stand as Jessica juggles other cases apart from being his 'fixer'
This review contains spoilers for 'Pearson' episode.6: 'The Donor'
For the first time in the series, we see Bobby Novak (Morgan Spector) stand up for himself. He's still not entirely honest with people, but the big boy pants are on. 'The Donor' revolves mostly around Novak and Jessica (Gina Torres) trying to put their lives in order. For the latter, it's all about maintaining her just-blossoming relationship with her family, while Novak still has some work to do on the family and work front.
Midway through episode 6, the pieces start falling in together. There are still questions that are yet to be answered. For starters, we still don't know why Pat McGann (Wayne Duvall) pushes Novak around. It is evident now that he was compromised in the past and McGann was his only way out. The episode ends with the sleazy developer sending Novak a cassette— enough to know that things have started to look bleak for the Mayor.
Then there's this affair with his DA, Keri Allen (Bethany Joy Lenz). For some reason, Keri cannot get over the man and the two end up together despite her earnest attempts to break it off. That McGann knows about the affair is just another bullet that Novak may have to take if he is exposed. For Novak to get out of the mess he's made, he realizes cutting financial ties with McGann is a start. It is surprising he takes the decision to do so after finally heeding Jessica's advice. It might not be easy to sever connections as there's some family history also that was hinted in the episode. While Novak wrestles with these issues, his wife (Betsy Brandt) joins the dots and it's only a matter of time before she confronts him about the affair.
'The Donor' also hints that Jessica here is the people's savior. She's cleaning up Novak's mess and sorting out Angela's (Chantel Riley) home issues. Two plot lines surrounding Nick D'Amato (Simon Kassianides) and Yoli (Isabel Arraiza) require her assistance as well. For Nick, it is about trying to absolve himself from past sins and that in a way contributed to the present state Novak is in. Yoli reveals herself as an immigrant and her mother was picked up by ICE for undocumented immigration. Jessica may have to sort this out as well.
With four episodes to go, we can sense the pace being picked up. Expect at least two story threads to be tied up by episode 8 so that the penultimate and finale can focus solely on Novak and 'fix' his problems. 'Pearson' may have lightened its tone marginally after the serious start and has clearly established that the show in no way should be compared to 'Suits'. The storyline may be thin but it is gripping enough for the audience to forget about 'Suits' while watching the episode.
Episode 6 sees changes long due and manages to hold our attention. It is a starting point to what would lead to the tight finish and if that's what the audience is looking for, then 'The Donor' is worth those 54 minutes.
It won't come as a surprise if season 2 is on the cards.
