Movie Review: Perry Mason – Season 2

In the second season of the HBO series Perry Mason, which seeks to provide a solution to the aforementioned issue, the show’s protagonist, Perry Mason, embodies a singular blend of the positive and negative aspects of human nature.

Much of the same seems the same this time around, with Matthew Rhys in great form as his titular hard-drinking private detective turned crusading lawyer who continues to be both as lusty and ornery as he always has been. Nonetheless, despite the fact that he is a flawed character, during Season 2 we see him strike a better balance than when we originally saw him. This occurs as he struggles to reconcile his part in a system designed to bring about justice.

Perry Mason Season 2 Trailer

The hiring of new showrunners Michael Begler and Jack Amiel has proven to be the winning addition needed to crack both the character and his most recent case wide open. Despite the fact that their previous series, The Knick, was spectacular, the new showrunners have improved the series significantly. The manner in which Mason continues to bumble his way to justice makes this sophomore outing a solid one despite the fact that it does not have a moment that can compare to the one that occurred in the first season when he was flung from a bed while he was having sex.

While discussing the specifics of the plot, it is necessary to exercise a significant amount of restraint; highlighting particular aspects, much alone all of them, might give away important disclosures that are still to come. The fundamental premise of the show is that Mason and his colleague Della Street (Juliet Rylance) have transitioned away from representing high-profile clients and into more routine legal work.

Even while it keeps the lights on, it doesn’t feel like a very fulfilling life. They have switched their emphasis since Mason is still shaken up by the events of the first season and the terrible outcome of his former client, which is disclosed early on. This is the reason why they have made this decision. After selling up his family farm and attempting to start a new chapter in his life, he is now residing in an apartment in Los Angeles. Despite his best efforts, he continues to feel as though he has failed in all aspects of his life.

When a prominent businessman is found dead in the early hours of the morning, he is lured back into another investigation, perhaps against his will. Mason is of the opinion that there is more to this incident than meets the eye, despite the fact that the Gallardo brothers, portrayed by Fabrizio Guido’s Rafael and Peter Mendoza’s Mateo, are swiftly made the suspects.

As a consequence of this, he begins to collaborate with Della and Paul Drake, a former police officer turned private investigator played by Chris Chalk, in order to uncover the truth about what took on that evening. Not only are they going up against a city that is out for blood, but there are also strong powers that would do all in their ability to prevent the truth from being exposed. This is not going to be an easy task.

It is better to leave the presentation of any further information beyond this to the program itself, so as not to detract from the pleasure of watching it all come together as it unfolds. Suffice it to say that there are both familiar and unfamiliar faces that will eventually be a part of this developing investigation. Mason is forced to employ underhanded strategies both inside and outside of the courtroom since the odds are stacked against them and their resources are low.

Rhys continues to do an excellent job of capturing this, effectively delivering scathing retorts that cause cries to be heard all across the gallery. Mason’s tactics are inherently risky for himself, his coworkers, and his customers because of his tenacious resolve to get to the bottom of things, which runs the risk of making all of them the targets of his investigation.

A portion of this is founded in the real desire to aid individuals who may be simply cast away without giving it a second thought, while another part of this is built in his personal need for redemption from the catastrophe he feels responsible for. The Gallardo brothers might have had and should have had a bit more development given to them, but the glimpses we get into how this city has knocked them down make it apparent that injustice has been there long before this trial ever began. It hints at the fact that the world is inherently out of balance, and this is the case regardless of the outcome.

Even though Perry Mason is a beautifully shot series with a great score that immerses you in the era in every detail, this is not a piece of nostalgia because there are still darker truths lurking just underneath everything. Even though Perry Mason is a great series with a great score that immerses you in the era in every detail. Despite the fact that this was there in the first season, the way in which the plot builds feels far more concentrated and crisp this time around.

A single glance at an important time or a moment of hesitation during an important talk might have just as much weight as some of the more grisly details that are strewn about. In the end, the nature of the facts that lie at the heart of the riddle itself turns out to be surprising in a way that at first gives the impression of being a possible evasion. In addition, there is a pretty major and unanticipated act of treachery that the series occasionally has trouble dealing with, which causes it to stumble.

Yet, after the sands of time have settled on this newly discovered information, it merely drags us further into more convoluted disclosures in which there are no simple solutions to be found at the end of the journey for anybody concerned. Mason is painfully aware of the possibility that all of the late hours spent attempting to achieve some sort of justice might have been spent in vain.

In spite of the fact that this makes Rhys less snappy when the darkness is in control, he is just as vibrant as he has always been. We sense the anxiety that he still has about what may happen if he is anything less than flawless. This worry manifests itself either in an outburst at those he loves or in the form of a resigned melancholy that goes across his face. Even the most insignificant mistake has the potential to quickly snowball into a catastrophic situation from which there is little to no possibility of recovery.

In the midst of all of this conflict, the characters are each working hard to establish some sort of calm in their own lives. Mason is attempting to repair his relationship with his kid, Street has a passionate new love interest who she must keep a secret, and Drake is attempting to repair his relationship with his own family, which has suffered as a result of his job loss.

The ensemble brings this sarcastic playfulness to life in their own unique ways, which makes each separate character feel more fleshed out as we begin to understand what it is that each character wants. The quaint tragedy is that it is also tinged with a bigger sorrow about the manner that this may always be just out of grasp. This adds an extra layer of poignancy to the situation.

In the same manner that it was explored in The Knick, the second season of Perry Mason takes a nuanced look at the way in which the personal and the political are inextricably linked. As the characters strive to bring justice to a system that continually demonstrates that it is unfair, the institutions that regulate their own lives are always there. When the characters struggle to bring justice to the system, the system continues to demonstrate that it is unjust. In order for any of them to live, this is something that each of them has had to come to terms with, but doing so comes at a cost that takes a significant toll on them.

There is one last montage sequence in Season 2 after the completion of the trial where everything returns to “normal” and business proceeds as usual. Without giving away any spoilers, this scene takes place after the conclusion of the trial. The program makes a point of not accepting the existing quo, which illustrates how there are still uncomfortable creases that can’t be ironed out no matter how hard one tries to do so.

As we see where Mason ends up and how he must face this fact by himself, the conclusion of the second season nearly gives the impression that it will be the last episode of the series. Perry Mason has truly found its footing at this point, so one can only hope that it isn’t the end, but even if it is, it still offers a beautiful feeling of finality.