The first season of Reasonable doubt She seemed to have it all wrapped up in one sexy package. But at the end of the episode, Jax Stewart gets a call from her friend Chanelle that will lead her back to her world as a defense attorney, despite her fragile marriage and mental health.
REASONABLE DOUBT SEASON 2: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening shot: Jax Stewart (Emayatzy Corinealdi) is in bed, and as a Jill Scott tune plays, the camera pans back to show her husband Lewis (McKinley Freeman) is in bed with her.
The essence: Jax has taken a leave of absence from the prestigious law firm where she is a partner, after being kidnapped and watching a former client/ex-lover commit suicide. She has also been trying to rebuild her marriage; Lewis has not yet moved back in with her, but is staying to regain some intimacy. Jax tells the psychiatrist who will approve her return to work that she is much better, but is a little hesitant when the doctor tells her he can clear her to return.
But Jax reverts to defense attorney mode when he receives a panicked call from his friend Shanelle Tucker (Shannon Kane), who says she killed her husband, football star Jamarion “JT” Tucker (Christopher Mychael Watson), in self-defense.
Given the bruises on her throat, face, and elsewhere, it seems Shanelle’s self-defense argument is valid; in fact, in Jax’s discussions with Mike Ortiz (Victor Rasuk), her friend at the district attorney’s office, she gets the impression that Shanelle won’t face charges.
But when Ortiz is replaced on the case by a new district attorney, Lucy Wargo (Melissa Ponzio), the pressure on Chanelle increases, especially given some of the inconsistencies between what she told police and the evidence collected at the crime scene. It also turns out that she waited more than two hours to call 911. and She called Jax to the authorities.
Of course, ping headfirst into Chanelle’s case puts a strain on her reconciliation with Lewis, who initiated the split when he felt she was spending more time on work than on their relationship. After a contentious couples therapy session, coupled with the panic attack she suffered after returning from the crime scene just days earlier, Jax begins to wonder if she’s making the same mistakes again. She finds someone else to do the bulk of Chanelle’s defense work: Corey Cash (Morris Chestnut), a lawyer she’s very familiar with.
What shows will it remind you of? Created and written by Raamla Mohamed, Reasonable doubt It has a similar vibe to Scandala show Mohamed worked on. Kerry Washington (along with Larry Wilmore!) are among the show’s executive producers.
Our opinion: During the first season of Reasonable doubtIt seemed like Mohamed and his writers were doing everything they could to pin Jax down on him. Murders, kidnappings, affairs, marital problems — it was all there. But in season two, Jax has to deal with saving Chanelle from being sentenced to life in prison while also keeping his marriage intact. That seems like more than enough for one season, given the complexity of Chanelle’s case.
Of course, the show will have its moments of shock, mainly regarding how Jax keeps saying she’s going to work on herself and her marriage even though you know such a thing won’t happen. Given her name, Reasonable doubt It’s a legal drama more than anything else, so it’s not too far-fetched to think that the legal aspect will be just as dominant as the relationship/sexy side of Jax’s story.
But it does seem like Mohamed and company have toned down some of the more outlandish plot points, at least at first, given the serious nature of Chanelle’s case. Are some of the characters, like Wargo’s tough-guy district attorney, a bit flat? Yes. But since the always-fascinating Corinealdi is in most of the series’ scenes, some of those flat supporting characters don’t bother us as much as they should.
Chestnut’s presence should make for some interesting plotlines. Will Jax be able to let someone else take over a case she’s working on, especially one so close to home? And will they start sleeping together? Given the nature of the series, we have a feeling the answer to the second question will be “clear.”
Sex and skin: Less sex than you might expect, given the history of this show. But there is some, even though there are somehow too many clothes on during the episode’s only sex scene.
Parting shot: Corey Cash gets the call from Jax, hears the news about Chanelle, and says, “Fuck.”
Sleeping Star: We’re casting Tim Jo as Daniel, Jax’s investigator, and Angela Grovey as Krystal, Jax’s assistant. They’re great together and give Jax a “Scooby gang” to interact with during the investigation scenes.
Pilot’s most typical phrase: When Jax and Lewis’ daughter, Naima (Angela Grovey), tells Lewis she doesn’t call him “Dad” anymore, he says, “Only babies say ‘Dad.'” As the mother of a 9-year-old, we felt Lewis’ pain so much when he muttered, “Fine. And so it begins.”
Our calling: PASS IT ON. Reasonable doubt It may not be as crazy as it was during its first season, but Emayatzy Corinealdi’s lead performance as Jax is as strong as ever.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting, and technology, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV addict. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.comFast Company and elsewhere.
