The Leak
All Rise returns this week with a somewhat darker episode as Lola has to deal with her decisions and face an uncertain future. Trouble is certainly in the air too as Mark also faces a difficult dilemma with his dad, who’s accused of murder which causes more strain in their relationship. We start the episode in court with a heated trial as a woman on the witness stand accuses her son-in-law Travis of grand theft auto while her daughter protests. After calling for recess, we see water dripping from the ceiling as she speaks to Fisk about his client Carissa, accused of armed robbery. This happens to be her next case of the day. Meanwhile, Mark’s case involves a man named Danny Stahler, who’s accused of stealing jewellery but claims that he was sleepwalking. As the trial restarts and Lola listens to the defendant, she decides to give him a suspended sentence. As she hits her desk with the gavel, the ceiling suddenly collapses under the weight of all the rain water. Unable to use her courtroom for the time being, Lola is assigned another one but much to Kansky’s disapproval, it also comes with another assistant. The trial for Carissa starts and we see Fisk making mistakes, prompting Lola to tell him to stick to the facts and properly represent her. Later that day, Mark meets with his dad in a bar where they discuss their lives, including Mark’s latest case. Suddenly, a detective arrives with a warrant to arrest Mark’s father and take him away as he’s accused of murder. The next day, Fisk makes another mistake, leading Lola to get him fired from representing Carissa as she believes he’s not fit to deal with criminal proceedings. We then cut to Emily who visits Carissa in her cell, where it’s revealed she wants to represent her. However she’s unsure as she was her lawyer when she was convicted during her last case. During the trial, she decides to call for a Marsden motion as she’s not happy with her representation. After meeting with the owner of the stolen jewellery, Mark finds out from Lola who the alleged murder victim of his dad is before visiting him in prison. After talking about his case and a possible scam from the jewellery owner, Victor tells his son he needs his help and wants him to be his lawyer. Back in court, Lola denies Carissa’s Marsden motion and continues with proceedings. However, Kansky interrupts the trial as she has just heard that Travis has stolen another car and is being chased by the police. Emily manages to turn the case around though by proving that the robber was right-handed, which couldn’t be Carissa as she’s left-handed. Thanks to this crucial piece of evidence, the jury finds hert not guilty and Carissa is free to go. Meanwhile, Mark meets with Danny and the sleep therapist, as the owner of the jewellery has been charged with insurance fraud. They also find out that the reason he sleepwalked into that house was because it looked like his childhood home. Mark and Lola then meet at the end of the day and somberly discuss their difficult cases. However, it’s here we find out that Travis has crashed his car into an oncoming vehicle and caused the other driver injuries. The episode ends with judge Benner revealing that a serious complaint has been made against Lola, as the DA office claims she is judicially bias to her defendants which could result in her losing her job. All Rise’s latest episode ends on a cliffhanger for the first time this season. Both Mark and Lola had a really tough day too, as the weight of their difficult situations bring them a lot of strain and drama this week. Lola faces some serious complaints against her though as judge Benner warns her that her recent efforts to do the right thing may just have been in vain. The show has managed to build up the characters quite well so far, allowing a good amount of empathy to seep in, which makes this bombshell all the more shocking. Lola had a lot on her plate though and her decision led to Travis causing an accident and more prison time for himself. Being a judge is certainly a tough job and as we’ve learnt this season, it’s not always easy to put your feelings aside during these difficult cases. What will happen for our judge next is certainly left up in the air but in the meantime, All Rise offers up another enjoyable slice of legal drama – you’re certainly not going to want to miss next week’s episode!
