“Boardwalk Empire meets True Detective” is a way Perry Mason has been described — by both me and fellow critics alike.
And given the setting, the mood, the visual aesthetic of the series and the exploration of the violent underbelly of American society — these comparisons are solid.
However, it’s not for these reasons that Perry Mason, as a series works, it’s the series’ (healthy) obsession with character, much like Boardwalk and True Detective, that make it more than a violent period piece.
Perry Mason ‘Chapter 4,’ as well as ‘Chapter 3’ (I apologize for bailing on the review last week, but personal matters arose), put the emphasis on character and how the plot affects them. The murder of Charlie Dodson has literally knocked all the characters out of rhythm and you and see them literally and figuratively spinning out of control.
This week’s episode really showed how the murder of Charlie Dodson has violently disrupted the pride-fueled worlds of E.B. (John Lithgow) and Sister Alice (Tatiana Maslany). E.B. is physically falling apart, looking as if he’s about to drop dead at the every emotional upheaval. Sister Alice, meanwhile, is no better as her latest seizure and prophecy has not only left her physically decimated but her flock and her “corporate” infrastructure” is turning against her.
Yet, it’s remarkable to see how, the further down the narrative rabbit hole we, these two characters react to their worlds crumbling around them and how their pride motivates their actions by episode’s end.
Both characters, are given symbols of hope from the people that believe in them. For Sister Alice, as she’s in mid-recant of her prophecy, is given a blanket by one of her flock. This blanket is for Matthew Dodson’s resurrection, as he would certainly be “cold” upon raising from the dead. Meanwhile, Perry Mason’s (Matthew Rhys) fourth man theory is getting bolstered by the minute as he delivers E.B. a brand new, official autopsy, proving George Gannon did not commit suicide, but was in fact killed.
The reactions E.B. and Sister Alice have is remarkably disparate, yet are both absolutely fueled by pride.
Sister Alice, instead of continuing her recant, is emboldened by this token and reaffirms her beliefs that she’ll raise Matthew Dodson on Easter Sunday — much to the wrath of her financiers and followers who dub her a blasphemer. Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) is so brilliant in this moment. Her slightest facial movements signify the turn upon the moment she touches the blanket, and her bombastic reaffirmation is the kind of big, slam dunk dramatic moment that scores one an Emmy.
E.B., meanwhile, goes the exact opposite direction. Like Sister Alice, his world is crumbling around him as his self-inflated opinion of himself is like a damn springing new leaks by the second. No amount of bluster or bravado can stop the truth — his time as a high-powered litigator have long-since passed. He has no friends to lean on, no money at all and now his reputation, the one thing he had, is being tarnished by the D.A. (Stephen Root, Barry).
John Lithgow (The Crown) delivers, easily, the best performance of the series to date. E.B. isn’t a lawyer anymore, he’s a man treading on his name — lying to everyone including himself about his status, stature and legal expertise. His ultimate ending, which we are still a little unclear on, is gut-wrenching and Lithgow imbues so much sympathy into it that you can’t feel devastated by it.
While, Lithgow and Maslany delivered the home runs in this episode — the rest of the cast was stellar as well. I’m very happy that Della Street (Juliet Rylance, McMafia) has been given a lot more to do in these past two episodes. The Street character is vital to the Perry Mason canon so it was a real shame to see her as a glorified background player. The evolution of her personal life (we find out she’s in a relationship with a woman) is a nice wrinkle, but will this play out longer in the series or a one-time, one-note piece of character development? Let’s hope it’s not the latter.
The same can be said for Christopher Chalk’s (When They See Us) portrayal as Paul Drake, another Mason universe staple. While not given as much as screen time as Perry, E.B. or Sister Alice, Drake gets a really strong moment with his wife where his loyalty to the law and his loyalty to his family are put into question and will ultimately be his arc for the season. And, hey, who doesn’t like a little more of a smart alecky Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire) in their lives?
Perry Mason Chapter 4 definitely was a character-driven and character-obsessed episode of the mini-series. However, this was not at expense of the plot. It’s progressing at a solid pace — never getting too convoluted or wrapped up in its own rules/mythology. Perry Mason Chapter 4 is the midpoint of the series, so we’re about to (hopefully) hit big a series of big reveals, plot twists, emotional gut punches and (hopefully) a strong finish. Mason has done right by us so far, let’s see if they can stick the landing.
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