A second episode, in particular a great second episode, is a rare animal in the world of television.
Premiere episodes are often built around spectacle. Premieres flaunt their world-building, inject a healthy amount of sensationalized sex and/or violence into the proceedings, and drop a huge plot point that leaves you wanting more.
It’s then, usually, the second episode’s job to not only establish the characters, but flesh out the plot. It’s often a downshift from the hype and high energy of the premiere. And while it might not be sexiest episode of a season or series, it’s often times one of the most vital installments as It can set the tone, tempo and direction.
Then there’s Perry Mason ‘Chapter 2.’
One of the big complaints I had with the series premiere was that it spent an awful lot of time reconfiguring our preconceived notions of the iconic television character. While still a very strong episode it leaned too hard into its True Detective and Boardwalk Empire influences with its copious amounts of violence and gratuitous sex scenes. This decision came at the expense of the plot, which was set up in the beginning of the episode and was mostly back-burnered.
Perry Mason Chapter 2 did the aforementioned yeoman’s work second episodes do, but there’s no downshift here. Yes, the explosions of sex and violence were gone, but in their place was a shove down the rabbit hole of the plot, a plot that’s way more engrossing than any of the flashy world-building or textbook characterizations found in the premiere. It’s a complicated world of police corruption, celebrity evangelicals, infidelity, and secret identities complicated by the fallibilities of both our her (Matthew Rhys) and his associates.
Yet, it should come as no surprise that “business picks up” in this episode, especially when you introduce the powerful one-two acting punch of Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) and Lilli Taylor (The Conjuring) into the mix. Maslany is just so damn captivating every second she is on screen as the evangelical minister/celebrity Sister Alice McKeegan while Taylor’s mere presence as McKeegan’s mother and advisor screams “she’s obviously up to something.” These two are dynamite together and it’s an absolute must for the series to maximize both their screen-time in the series.
Perry Mason ‘Chapter 2’ also benefitted from giving more depth to Gayle Rankin’s (GLOW) possibly not-so innocent grieving mother as well as John Lithgow’s stuffy lawyer, E.B. Introducing us to Stephen Root’s (Office Space) bombastic district attorney and Chris Chalk (When They See Us) as marginalized beat cop Paul Drake doesn’t hurt either — as both men knocked it out of the park during their limited time on screen.
If the premiere of Perry Mason gave you any concerns or misgivings about HBO’s reimagining of the famed television attorney, Perry Mason Chapter 2 will not only put all those concerns to bed, it’ll have you eagerly waiting for the next episode — which is the hallmark of a great second episode.
Perry Mason Chapter 2 is now streaming on HBO MAX. Perry Mason airs every Sunday at 9 p.m.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNATvJMPZaA&t=6s
