All Rise (2019) s03e01 – Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’

"All Rise" isn't a guilty pleasure so much as I don't want to miss seeing leads Simone Missick and Wilson Bethel act. The show's frequently got ups and downs, but sincere performances go a long way. The show double-weathered the COVID-19 lockdown, first with an adjusted first season finale, then a second season made during COVID-19 about working during COVID-19. CBS ingloriously canceled the show at the end of the second season—despite the show being about racism and sexism, institutionalized and otherwise, show creator Greg Spottiswood was a sexist, racist piece of shit white guy who made his intentionally diverse staff miserable. CBS owed them and failed.

So Oprah's OWN picked it up, and now, with a couple or three significant changes, "All Rise" is back.

The show's first big change, which it hammers in for the opening five or six minutes, is Missick's recast husband. Used to be Todd Williams, who I rarely liked; now it's Christian Keyes, who's around a lot but doesn't make much impression. He's just a super-supportive husband. It's not even clear he's got a job anymore.

The second big change is the music. Adrian Younge does the music, and there's always music. Unfortunately, no matter the scene, it seems like Younge's filling the background. It's so never godawful, but it's eventually tedious. It distracts from the dialogue at times, which isn't great.

The third big change is the slapstick. There's now some slapstick in "All Rise." Bewildering rom-com-esque slapstick. While I know Missick was pregnant for a lot of season two (another reason they deserved another season), showing off she can do pratfalls or whatever… weird decision.

Especially since the rest of the episode's pretty serious. "All Rise" maintains a genial tone over all else, even when Anne Heche shows up for a minute. She's a low-key white supremacist, high-key fascist who's out to ruin Missick for being, well, a Black woman, actually. It seems like Heche will be season villain, though Missick's already got a new antagonist in Roger Guenveur Smith. Smith (Smiley from Do the Right Thing, and some other Spike Lee movies) is the super-conservative (Black) new supervising judge because Marg Helgenberger's not doing an OWN series where she's third string.

So far, Smith's not a great addition.

They've also lost Reggie Lee (oh, and seemingly Audrey Corsa). Lee played Bethel's supervisor. Bethel doesn't have any cases this episode; instead, he's running the hiring committee for Lee's replacement as punishment for not taking the job. It's far from a good subplot, especially since other parts of the episode are just season premiere delaying devices. Helgenberger takes most of the episode to reveal her departure, everyone's waiting to see if Jessica Camacho's really coming back, and so on.

Samantha Marie Ware's back, working for Lindsey Gort and trying to make Gort and Ryan Michelle Bathe (who Zoom cameos) pay her for her labor. Of course, Ware doesn't understand part of being a lawyer is suffering, so someday you can make someone else suffer. Strange flex. But that subplot is more prominent than anything Bethel's got.

The trial involves J. Alex Brinson—now a public defender—representing a foster kid (Taj Speights) who doesn't want his siblings removed from their first good foster situation, so he's been lying. Complicating it—very, very temporarily—is Lindsay Mendez now playing victims' rights advocate; it's barely a subplot and goes nowhere in the episode because it'd be too difficult.

Hopefully, it's just season premiere, new network jitters, and "All Rise" can find some firmer footing. It's off to a rough start, even taking extremely qualified expectations into account.

All Rise (2019) s02e15 – Hear My Voice

So I guess it doesn’t matter if J. Alex Brinson committed a crime—presumably falsifying records is a crime if you’re a cop (though, then again, probably not)—it matters if the D.A. is going to prosecute. No resolution on whether the D.A. (who actually appears this episode—Ian Anthony Dale) is going to prosecute. You’d think they’d have decided before putting Brinson on the stand.

He’s got to go on the stand because Anne Heche is beating Wilson Bethel in the seemingly two-day trial of sheriff Louis Herthum. Heche wears a pink fedora during press conferences, doesn’t mask up, and is generally obnoxious. She screams at Simone Missick about how she defends the good cops so the bad ones don’t just kill all the Black people or something. It’s a very confused scene.

Bethel’s trying the case against Herthum—a season long arc—in Missick’s courtroom, which ought to be a no-no since they’re besties but chief judge Marg Helgenberger doesn’t think it’ll be a problem. There’s some potentially interesting material when Missick’s got to sustain Heche’s objections and Bethel gets pissy about it even though Missick’s clearly laying groundwork to do the same to Heche. It’s not a good trial, partially due to the writing, partially due to the case itself, mostly due to Heche and Herthum not being up to the acting task. Particularly Heche. Herthum fails a Jack Nicholson “You Can’t Handle The Truth!” moment but there’s never a chance he won’t. But Heche is ostensibly a solid stunt cast and she’s just a shallow fascist Barbie. Hat or no hat.

But it’s also not particularly effective because the entire rest of the episode is so much better. Out of nowhere, Audrey Corsa is really good as she tries the child abuse case against Helgenberger’s pal, Ashley Jones. Everyone involved in that storyline—Lindsay Mendez (it was originally her story arc), Nev Sharrel as the kid, Patricia Rae as the judge—is excellent.

Meanwhile, Jessica Camacho spends the day with potential boyfriend Shalim Ortiz—she’s still testing him out against Brinson—helping reunite a family. The daughter (Julianna Mendoza-Behrens) is in ICE detention. It’s a harrowing experience, particularly well-executed, and would be an easy highpoint if it weren’t for Corsa’s case.

It’d have been nice if the script—credited to Felicia Hilario and Elizabeth Brunner—had a better trial for the main plot instead of being rather flippant about the corrupt cop thing (though it improves from the bantering walk and talk sequences where Missick and Bethel, separately, complain about not being able to be pals during the trial to their respective supporting casts), but Corsa’s so much better as a lawyer than a sidekick and they aim real high with the family detention subplot.

Even with the Herthum arc being an inevitable disappointment, “Rise” seems to be finding its second season footing finally. Albeit just as they’re winding down and still not renewed.

All Rise (2019) s02e06 – Bounceback

There’s a lot going on with this episode of “All Rise.” In addition to a lot going on in the episode—it rushes through assistant district attorney Wilson Bethel getting stabbed and half the people thinking it was random, the other half thinking it was a warning from the L.A. County Sheriff, who Bethel’s investigating for attempted murder and it’s only a subplot for the first fifteen or so minutes of the episode—but episode writer (and show creator) Greg Spottiswood bites off a lot in terms of social commentary. Most relevant now being about to go on maternity leave judge Simone Missick being upset about the election response. How’s “All Rise” going to handle whatever happens next in the real world?

Because—and it’s a problem the show introduced at the end of last season—eventually all of the characters reach the conclusion they’re not really doing good work as prosecutors or judges and instead getting all aspirational. Last season, before the lockdown affected production, it sure seemed like Bethel was ready to quit D.A.’ing. This episode he seems ready too. And Missick seems ready to give up the robe to do something else too.

Now, these issues immediately resolve themselves because they’ve already got the sets built or whatever and the show is about Missick as a judge. But Spottiswood and the rest of the writers lean hard on the idea someone’s going to give up supporting the painfully obviously corrupt system and do something. Only for it just to be some drama they can turn around after the commercial break.

Though it appears J. Alex Brinson may actually get a subplot about it, which would be cool. Brinson’s only got a few things to do this episode but he does well with them. He’s really getting to be one of the best performances, though some of “Rise”’s problem—in addition to bad subplots and bad supporting casting—is just not sticking with the scene long enough. When Bethel goes off about injustice from this place of desperation, the show shuts it down immediately even though Bethel’s great at the passion.

Even Missick’s freak out about possible judicial misconnect gets rushed through. Ditto Jessica Camacho, whose professional subplot gets scrubbed to resolve a personal one with Lindsay Mendez. The episode’s recap reminder has some of the blowups at the Christmas party last episode—skipping Audrey Corsa being mad at Brinson and Lindsey Gort finding out her new law partner used to get horizontal with beau Bethel—and the Camacho and Mendez thing is really not worth the time. Especially since it’s a regular cast of like ten now.

But then comes what one would think would be the biggest flex… the L.A. County judges strutting into work while Little Green Bag (from Reservoir Dogs) plays. Because… they’re cool sociopaths? I mean, the stuff with Paul McCrane and Peter MacNichol bickering is adorable, but… it’s a strange move if you give it any thought. Especially the police misconduct and corruption angle, not to mention Missick’s potential misconduct.

Anyway. Two final notes. Gort finally tells Bethel why she didn’t want him to take the case about the attempted murderer cop—she thought the cops would kill him. Nice to get that one cleared up and it’s the most likable thing she’s said all season. And then Anne Heche starts what seems to be a recurring part as the lawyer for the accused cop.

Heche is fine but it’s a shallow, simple part and it’d have been better if she’d had some depth instead of just the meanest Karen in the room.

All Rise (2019) s02e01 – A Change Is Gonna Come

“All Rise” had some late first season (no pun) rises the Coronavirus shutdown seemingly stalled or hurt. For example, after witnessing cops lying about assaulting people, D.A. Wilson Bethel seemed ready to leave for the other side—possibly with Ryan Michelle Bathe, a newly introduced third Musketeer for Bethel and Simone Missick. With the Zoom-only season finale, however, it all became about Bethel and annoying girlfriend Lindsey Gort while Bethel seemingly forgetting realizing the cops are bad, actually.

Season two picks up some time after the Zoom-fueled season finale, with Bethel getting a promotion and ready to go in the D.A.’s office, no longer troubled by the fascists he enables, and Missick getting some bad news on the phone. Before they can talk about the bad news, they go out into the George Floyd protests and Missick gets a gun pointed in her face by a white cop and Bethel bootlicks.

I might not be remembering the exact order because there are a lot of flashbacks, but I think all of those events play out before the present action. The present action is four months later and it’s socially distanced Rona courthouse. Earnest public defender Jessica Camacho tells everyone to wear their masks—it’s the fucking cops who aren’t, obviously—and we quickly catch up with the rest of the cast.

At this point, it might’ve first become clear what a boon Rona’s going to be for some television because all of a sudden things have to get more imaginative, not just in plotting, but also the direction. For whatever reason, “All Rise” just seems to work better with people standing far apart.

The show makes a very big swing—a shockingly big swing, big enough I really hope they wrote it before August because it sure looks like they’re doing the Kenosha white boy murderer but toned down to a baseball bat swinging incident. But “All Rise” just came back and end of August is maybe enough time.

So Bethel is prosecuting the case, Missick is hearing the case, Bathe is defending the thug (Tyler Barnhardt), while her partner—Gort—handles the parents, Joel Gretsch and Robyn Lively. Gretsch clearly dislikes the Black women while Lively just seems to be an out-of-it white lady.

Except Missick has been avoiding Bethel for the four months since the protest–we also learn Camacho and boyfriend J. Alex Brinson have been taking a break since that night too—and basically “All Rise,” save Missick, has just become about who’s currently dating who, who used to date who, and why it causes drama and hot goss. Plus as socially progressive content as CBS is going to let them do. They made sure to get a Black woman writer, Denitria Harris-Lawrence, which at least gives it some backbone.

The episode’s got a “not a surprise” surprise with Missick (she’s pregnant and they’re hiding it for most of the episode to the point of cruelty), but also some exceptional dramatic moments for her. She’s outstanding enough to distract from whether “All Rise” really ought to be flexing this hard considering it retconned Bethel to be seemingly unaware of institutionalized racism (his best friends have always been Black women but he apparently never listened to them when they talked about racism) and has brought in Samantha Marie Ware as Missick’s hip, “BLM” law clerk who’s there to remind Missick she’s Black enough even though she’s still a judge.

I am not sure there’s ever a situation where a CBS show is going to be Black enough for Ware’s character, but “All Rise” certainly is not. Like, Ware gets the job because Helgenberger likes the look of her—young, Black, with long dyed braids—and the scene just plays like Helgenberger doesn’t care who gets the job as long as they look edgy? Or, at least, CBS’s version of edgy.

Camacho’s got a good arc. Ruthie Ann Miles is around without much to do, which is fine since they start kind of making fun of her being a Rona prepper. Lindsay Mendez’s a sounding board for Camacho. Audrey Corsa and Gort are in the main cast now but Bathe is still a guest star. Sadly Corsa and Gort don’t add up to even a half Bathe.

But even with the weird character backtracks on Bethel and a contrived script, Missick’s fantastic once she gets to be fantastic and the cliffhanger is decidedly effective.

It would just be nice if “All Rise” didn’t feel like it needed 2020 to find its footing.

All Rise (2019) s01e21 – Dancing at Los Angeles

Dancing at Los Angeles is an admirable effort from “All Rise,” cast and crew, but it’s not a particularly good forty minutes of television. There are a couple big parallels between the episode, a “Coronavirus shelter-at-home” special episode with the cast filming in their homes in character, and the episode content, Simone Missick trying to do a virtual trial. Apparently virtual hearings are a real thing, but not virtual trials (yet).

The defendant on the episode, Mo McRae, has to waive a bunch of rights—he can’t appeal due to procedure—and it’s almost like the show saying, “Hey, it’s the best we can do too and we do need a season finale.”

None of the open storylines get any closure, which is unfortunate (though “All Rise” is “almost renewed” according to the latest post I could find, so maybe). Worse, lots of attention paid to Wilson Bethel’s romance with Lindsey Gort, including some teledildonics, which would be a little much even if Gort weren’t obnoxious. Though she’s admittedly less obnoxious this episode when she’s not trying to ruin some law clerk’s life for smiling at Bethel or whatever.

The episode also puts Bethel in Missick’s “courtroom” for the first time and it’s kind of amazing to see him goof off. The actors all get along too well in the pseudo-Zoom—they don’t even bother making up a name for the video conferencing service, which is kind of nice—for them to be that authentic to their established characters but it’s fine. Everyone gets to be a little cute, to varying degrees of success.

Marg Helgenberger getting drunk and giving Missick shit is a high point, as are any scenes involving Paul McCrane and Peter MacNichol, who the show really ought to make a gay couple next season if it gets renewed.

J. Alex Brinson has the performative story arc of wanting to go down to the jail and work because of all the inmates in danger. Everyone is super concerned about all the inmates. It’s a major Sure, Jan.

Dorian Missick—Simone’s actual husband—guest stars as the DJ everyone’s watching during the pandemic. Wish he’d been a recurring thing all season, it’d fit a lot better. Also wish he was just paying Missick’s husband on the show (Todd Williams shows up to suck the charm out of the show eventually).

Maybe next season, if the show gets one. Missick and Bethel definitely ought to be on better shows but, you know, I’ll still watch “All Rise” for them.

All Rise (2019) s01e14 – Bye Bye Bernie

This episode is series story editor Mellori Velasquez’s first episode as the credited writer. And, wow, either she’s really and at the dialogue or they went exceptionally cheap on the supporting cast. For example, Chelsea Rendon’s murder trial defendant. There’s no reason Rendon should be bad and she certainly seems earnest in her performance, but it’s not a good one. The dialogue between Rendon and her lawyer Jessica Camacho, where Camacho tries to empathize with Rendon over being Latinx and in the system (Camacho, big reveal, was in juvie for a bit as a teen), is painful and then made worse by the scenes going on a line or two too long. So maybe director Michael M. Robin’s fault too.

Then again, with Carlos Miranda as the prosecutor on Rendon’s case? He’s just plain bad. He’s got terrible dialogue but he’s also bad.

As the episode, with its plots for almost the entire regular cast—save Lindsay Mendez and Ruthie Ann Miles, of course—started to wind down, I got thinking about how they’ve managed to make “All Rise” a melodrama without making it particularly soapy. This episode’s got Simone Missick dealing with the Rendon trial, which doesn’t require much from her, as well as the perceived fallout from her mom, L. Scott Caldwell, talking about the racism in the criminal justice system. The subplot—which introduces Brent Jennings as Missick’s peacemaker father—culminates in Caldwell and Missick yelling at each other about how Caldwell basically thinks Missick’s a sell-out. The show positions Missick as surrounded by White people evaluating her as a Black woman judge, with Missick’s reaction often being filtered for that audience (as well as the White audience of the show). This scene with Caldwell could’ve been something.

And it’s not. In fact, the show goes on to walk it all back so they can get to a happy ending for the episode.

Also happy ending for the Wilson Bethel subplot with dad Tony Denison. I was thrilled to see Denison in the pilot’s opening credits but they’ve completely wasted him. Even this episode, presumably his last for a while, doesn’t give him anything to do. Velasquez’s forte is not the parents of grown children in the legal field.

Bethel’s case is at least effective, if manipulative, as he tries to get justice for an older woman possibly suffering from dementia (a decent enough Debra Mooney).

Throw in fourth-billed bailiff-turned-lawyer-to-be J. Alex Brinson interviewing for clerkships, Denison’s defense attorney Lindsey Gort flirting a little more seriously than usual with Bethel, and it’s a packed episode.

Maybe the most significant development is Bethel and Missick getting into an argument, which Velasquez cops out on almost immediately, but it’s at least interesting.

“All Rise” really seems to want credit for humanizing prison inmates and people with dementia; it’s a TV drama equivalent of “Please clap.”

All Rise (2019) s01e05 – Devotees in the Courthouse of Love

Nadia Gray’s back this episode, which is surprisingly distinguishing as Gray doesn’t make much impression other than everyone making fun of her name—Ria’s hard for them—and boyfriend Wilson Bethel’s general eye-rolling at her being a supermodel brand influencer. Of course, Bethel doesn’t really want to be dating her because he and Simone Missick are best friends who complete each other but just can’t get together at least until season two if they rush things, season three if they take their time. But the show’s ready for Gray to go now. The episode takes place on the courthouse’s annual Wedding Day, when there’s a big group wedding or some such thing. Gray’s all soft about getting married, Bethel’s not interested (he can’t even say he likes her because woke white guy still guy); plus he spends the entire episode almost flirting with defense attorney Lindsey Gort.

Over in Missick’s courtroom—the show finally addressed Bethel not being allowed to lawyer in Missick’s courtroom because they’re besties last episode; took them long enough—anyway, Missick’s got a nun trial. I’m not sure if nuns on trial is a lawyer show trope but it certainly seems like a lawyer show trope. Or when nuns show up in the hospital show. It’s a trope. If it’s not a trope now, it used to be a trope, when you kept tripping over Catholics on TV. You know, before the whole “our organization exists to protect and further child rape” thing, which “All Rise” never addresses because—deep down—the show’s not controversial.

And there’s no controversy this episode, other than Missick figuring out how bad the legal system screws poor people in dollars and cents and tries to fix it. Positive change we can all agree on, this week on “All Rise.” See, progressives aren’t going too fast, this week on “All Rise.”

The episode does give Marg Helgenberger an all-right scene—her best in the show so far, even if it passes Bechdel but only because Helgenberger’s queer—and Paul McCrane’s back. They don’t give McCrane much to do except be Judge Rocket Romano but it’s fine. It’s Paul McCrane.

Last episode J. Alex Brinson and Jessica Camacho got their chemistry in sync, this episode it’s Missick and assistant Ruthie Ann Miles. Quick refresh—Miles is the experience clerk who’s supposed to hate new SJW Black lady judge Missick but it turns out they work great together. They’ve been fun to watch since the first episode, but now they’re finally getting their rapport worked out.

“All Rise” isn’t on the most even ground but it’s getting to be solid ground.

Solid, uneven ground. Uneven, solid ground. Whichever means it’s basically all right and the performances carry it.

All Rise (2019) s01e02 – Long Day’s Journey Into ICE

Going into this episode, I thought I had the show figured out. It was “‘Major Crimes’ universe,” where white cops could be progressive about gay and trans rights and so on. Still pretty invested in white supremacy, but maybe not as much as usual. And no talking about killer cops. Progressive, just not actually progressing. Going into “All Rise” episode two, I was onboard for the cast and just fine with it.

This episode, “All Rise”—in the first scene—goes all in after ICE. I had thought about how a feature of a “‘Major Crimes’ universe” was no Orange Führer, but it’s all about living in the 2019 hellhole under the Orange Führer. Simone Missick’s judge is going to be a proud activist judge. Last episode it wasn’t clear whether or not the show wanted to be overtly progressive. This episode decides enthusiastically in favor of it, with Black female judge Missick getting together with Latinx public defender Jessica Camacho and—yes, Simone Missick really appeals to Irish ancestors at one point—white district attorney Kelly Frye. They work together to subvert ICE and try to get Camacho’s client, asylum-seeker Roland Ruiz, out of ICE’s grasp with the best possible outcome for Ruiz. It’s women for the win.

But not just women in this episode, with younger white guy Wilson Bethel trying to take down old rich white guy Robert Curtis Brown because Brown bribed a witness. The arc gives Bethel a lot of emoting over his estrangement with his father, as he identifies with Brown’s kid, Ava Deluca-Verley. Sadly Deluca-Verley isn’t particularly good. This episode of “All Rise” doesn’t have that amazing guest star casting from the pilot. No one’s exactly bad… Deluca-Verley’s just not interesting, which might also be the part, but the casting caliber isn’t here.

The show’s still pretty safe just based on the energy Missick and the supporting cast get when the plan comes together. She and Ruthie Ann Miles are downright good together already, which isn’t easy as Miles is supposed to be the irate judge’s clerk. If they get a second season, I’ll bet they even have the gall to proudly identify as social justice… hmm… champions of social justice. “All Rise” isn’t bold so much as forceful. Its progressive politicking is always calculated.

And its lead performances always solid. But it’s too soon to tell if it can get away without being bold about anything.

All Rise (2019) s01e01

I wanted to watch “All Rise” because it’s Simone Missick’s new show. Missick was awesome on “Luke Cage,” figured I’d try it. But you know who else is in “All Rise”? Bullseye from “Daredevil,” Wilson Bethel. They play best friends. She’s a new judge, he’s her ex-fellow district attorney. She’s Black, he’s white, but they’re real friends. Heartwarming stuff. It’s really weird to see Missick and Bethel in this kind of role, this slightly patronizing mainstream safe progressive CBS show. Missick’s got to wait for humor cues, Bethel’s got to play excitable but sympathetic guy, it’s weird. And it’s kind of fun, especially with Bethel. He lets loose well. Missick’s better with the new judge stuff.

Besides Bethel, “All Rise” centers around Missick’s new courtroom. The last time the regular team was together, a white cop had an anti-immigration meltdown and tried to kill a judge. A kindly old white judge. In the courtroom are defense attorney Jessica Camacho (from “The Flash”), bailiff J. Alex Brinson (son of a bitch cop and spousal abuser Jeff from “Travelers”), argumentative court clerk Ruthie Ann Miles, and stenographer Lindsay Mendez. Camacho’s basically third lead. Brinson flirts with her and helps her out with her case (he’s going to law school at night) and is buds with Mendez, who’s the introverted sassy one because “All Rise” is all about its caricatures. And the caricatures are fine because the cast bring enough personality. It’s basically a perfectly casted network legal drama. Not going to rock any boats.

But… it’s going to have a great cast. This episode has, guest starring, ‘Rocket Romano’ and ‘Emil’ Paul McCrane, Tony Denison (the show gives off a whole “Major Crimes” vibe, also with the upbeat reality nonsense), and Richard Brooks. Onahoua Rodriguez gets a small part too (I had to look her up, “Shield”). So it’s an exceptionally well-cast show. It’s worth just watching for the guest star casting, especially since Denison is playing Bethel’s lowlife small time crook dad. Denison’s so good. So “All Rise: The Pilot” gets a pass, but maybe not on the merits it should be scoring.