'Perry Mason' Episode 4: Stephen Root's acting makes fans fall in love, but John Lithgow's character upsets
'Perry Mason' Episode 4 had packed a lot of details about Charlie Dodson's case, about Alice's (Tatiana Maslany) mental condition, E.B's (John Lithgow) past, and the reason why Detectives Ennis (Andrew Howard) and Holcomb (Eric Lange) were forced to get a confession out of Emily Dodson (Gayle Rankin) even if it meant physically abusing her for it. With all of these secrets getting unpacked, the episode was definitely riveting. Especially Stephen Root's performance as Maynard Barnes has become a talking point among fans. So has Sister Alice's plot progression, and lawyer E.B's shocking decision towards the end of the episode.
About the show and its general mood, a fan observed, "The atmosphere on #PerryMason is a mood! I'm in the UK & still shielding so it's great to have a gripping series to keep me enthralled!" Another fan also noted how the vibe of the show has been great so far and said, "Really Really digging the vibes of the new #PerryMason on @hbo Fantastic episode tonight, John Lithgow and @tatianamaslany always mind-blowing. Thumbs up already looking forward to next week."
Speaking about Lithgow's character, a fan wrote on Twitter, "@JohnLithgow I love Perry Mason. I love John Lithgow more and hate seeing how his character is progressing. #PerryMason." Another fan noted, "Wow. tonight's chapter four of #perrymason on #hbo. A real tour de force for john lithgow. Wonderful script, and the detail: antique hummingbird feeder, elks club. Echoes of his terms of endearment character. Beset and beleaguered, but great funny lines too."
"Ah, #PerryMason tonight was riveting. More light is shown on the coverup by Officer Enis. #MatthewRhys as the titular detective teams up with Shea Whigham to help clear Emily Dodson. John Lithgow as E.B. has a rough week when his pat mistakes are publicized," said another fan about the entire episode.
About Root's performance, a fan observed, "Like many TV shows before it, #PerryMason has now become the 'wow, Stephen Root is great, huh?' show?" Another fan wrote, "Episode four... what an ending Crying face. I kind of love that Della is queer. Also glad that I’ve never really watched the original Perry Mason, so I can’t be upset about preconceived notions of the characters. Still fascinated with Sister Alice’s storyline. #PerryMason."
