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'Perry Mason' Episode 8: Charlie Dodson's killer goes unpunished, upset fans say 'feels like we lost'

Episode 8 did not exactly give us justice as the case went down an unexpected path — a mistrial, and fans are not happy about this

'Perry Mason' Season 1 ended with Emily Dodson getting off the hook with a mistrial. However, the mastermind behind the kidnapping of Eric Seidel was killed by Ennis, who was also the murderer of baby Charles Dodson. While a mistrial helped Emily, Ennis is also not punished because he meets his end in an entirely unconventional manner. He is killed by his partner, Holcomb, and that end is just not as satisfying as a prison sentence would have been. This is also what fans felt after watching the finale.

One fan wrote on Twitter, "Perry Mason was awesome, bt why do I feel like we lost... a mistrial? Vigilante justice for Ennis.. truth buried... we r fans of Perry nt just d story, we need Perry to win decisively. Hoping for a better Perry next season, none of this dire grey area drama #PerryMasonHBO."

Another wrote, "Really enjoyed the last 7 minutes of #PerryMasonHBO. The #Chinatown homage, the metaphysical mystery's 'solution,' #TerenceBlanchard finally breaking into the original show's theme. Not sure if it was worth sitting through the questionable 8 hours that came before, though."

One of the fans even quoted Alice and Mason's conversation and wrote, "'Pretty long way from the choir'. 'It's not so far. There's an old mission up the road. I go there sometimes and I pray'. 'You get any answers?' 'Not lately'. #PerryMason #PerryMasonHBO  @PerryMasonHBO@MatthewRhys @tatianamaslany."

Fans also loved Sister Alice's role and the way things ended for her. "I wonder if #SisterAlice's episodes were actually due to the stress of running the church, or if her mother was actually poisoning her or something. Either way, it's good that she's vision-free now! #PerryMason #PerryMasonHBO @PerryMasonHBO @tatianamaslany."

While the show has garnered criticism, many have also appreciated how the HBO show set itself apart with its singular treatment. One fan wrote, "This first season of #PerryMasonHBO was not the version my grandmother watched, nor the version my mother watched, this version was new, different, it was some good tv. I’m looking forward to the second season and I loved that they played the original theme during the credits."

Another fan also wrote about how the original 'Perry Mason' soundtrack being played at the end could mean that the show is using the soundtrack as a bridge to the past show. One fan speculated, "Nice #PerryMasonHBO ended with the original theme song from the old series. Are they kind of intending this to be connecting canon with the original show, or is the timeline off? Perry Mason already seemed about 50 of 60 starting in the '50s."

Della Street portrayed by actor Juliet Rylance has also received a lot of appreciation. One fan observed, "I didn't know where Perry Mason was going for a while or if I liked it, but I'm definitely here for a Season 2 of Della and Drake just telling Mason what to do." In response, another fan observed, "This scene was so good. This show improved exponentially as soon as they gave Della a full character, and I'm fully here for her becoming a partner next season. (Also, they mentioned adding another woman to the crew, which...yes.) #PerryMasonHBO."