They are back and it feels so so good. For The People returned with a strong season premiere, once again tackling socially relevant topics, while keeping a fresh pace, smashing one-liners and giving the characters more space to shine. First Inning was written by series creator Paul William Davies and directed by executive producer and #HTGAWM alumni Tom Verica.
The relationship that thrived throughout season 1 once again stole the show this week. The scenes between Kate and Leonard were funny and emotional and had so many great zingers.
Kate: Don`t try to be cute. You`re the opposite of cute. What is the opposite of cute?Leonard: Seth.
Just as in season 1 their scenes had that impeccable spark and authenticity which is why I love TV. When a show can transfer sincere and realistic emotions. Leonard "crawling" back to the Prosecutors office was a nice nod, seeing a bit of weakness in his always determined character was refreshing. Struggling with his Texas job and crawling back to New York felt a bit rushed though. I expected Leonard to be back fast but not as fast as half the first episode of the season.
Nevertheless, Leonard returned fast and grabbed the prime case of the week, and boy it was a good one. As someone living outside of the US, I wasn`t familiar with "swatting" but the idea of getting a US Senator killed cause of an online arranged prank call was terrific. Using the same means to frighten the US Attorney of the Southern District of New York was another very smart writing move. Seeing how terrified and traumatized Jill and Roger were and seeing how terrible that whole situation felt gave the episode weight and gave the further path of the story meaning. Sandra and Leonard´s face off in the courtroom was a true pleasure to watch, fast-paced, well-written and smart just how it should be. Their closing arguments were also very well handled with a lot of depth behind their words. Sandra using all these real-life examples of how we are oblivious to the consequences of our actions.
Sandra`s interaction with their new investigator Ted, played by The Original alum Charles Michael Davis, was interesting. He countered Sandra`s pushy behavior well and there was an interesting connection there. I expect them to go down the relationship route with those two but I would prefer if they kept it on a banter friendship level.
To balance out the serious topic the show perfectly used Wesam Keesh`s Jay and his client Holiday. Seeing Jay under duress is one of the great pleasures of the show. Wesam has great comedic momentum and his interactions with Holiday, the most spoiled millennial as per press release were great. Her attitude severely annoyed me but it brought out the best out of the story. I didn`t expect her parents to be continuously framing her. It was nice to see Jay stepping up on his own, without a pep talk. Jay and Seth sharing scenes were quite enjoyable as well, the two are the underdog on both sides and they need to get it together.
The show doesn`t always succeed to give all the characters proper development, so this time around it was Allison who pretty much had nothing important to do. I do hope that changes during the season. She has a lot of potential. Also, I did love that opening montage with the gang playing baseball, it is on so many rare occasions that we can see the whole cast interacting together.
How did you enjoy the season premiere? Did it live up to your expectations or did the episode fell flat for you? What did you think about the "swatting" case? Did you enjoy the introduction of CMD`s Ted? Vote in the Poll below and feel free to share your thoughts on the season premiere in the comment section below. Till next week. . .
