Wedding Day
All Rise returns this week with another interesting episode, this time looking at some important issues with the justice system while offering up some decent character development. This week’s episode revolves around weddings at the courthouse where couples come once a year to get married by a judge. During the first trial of the day where a young Nun is accused of theft, a groom rushes in and asks Carmichael to marry him and his bride as she’s just about to give birth. After successfully marrying them, we cut to Mark who’s going to court against Amy Quinn,the defence lawyer of Margot. She’s accused of conning dozens of men by making them pay for very expensive meals. After the interruption, the trial of Sister Phoebe continues with Sister Miranda on the witness stand. She explains that Phoebe comes from the street and has always been a very generous person. We also find out that she had an argument with the priest as she believed the collection money should be given to skid row. However, after Lopez questions her further it becomes apparent that sister Miranda might be the one who stole the collection money. Lopez speaks to Phoebe who refuses to admit that Sister Miranda is guilty. She then reveals that she has saved her from the street but also that she’s very sick and wouldn’t last long in prison. Lopez then meets with Sister Miranda, asking her to confess and return the money so they can stop the trial. While Lopez speaks to Lola about her upcoming divorce, Callan returns to his trial and summons Detective Perry to the stand. They discuss how Margot has been luring men and dining with them at expensive restaurants, but running off before the bill arrives. Unfortunately, Callan ends up losing the case but not before managing to get Margot banned from all the prime restaurant in town. Back to the sister’s trial, Lopez calls Phoebe to testify, determined to prove her innocence. After talking about Sister’s Miranda’s kindness, she pleads guilty and insists that she’s the one that took the money. Lopez protests and asks for a recess where she meets with sister Miranda and finally admits that it was her who stole the money to give to the poor. However, it was Phoebe who insisted on taking the fall. Meanwhile, we also see Carmichael dealing with the aftermath of the sentence of a poor man, Owen, accused of selling marijuana without a licence. After finding out how much the court fees were going to be, she manages to find a way around it to make the sentence a little fairer. After talking to Lopez, Carmichael delivers her sentence: she finds Sister Phoebe guilty but because she returned the money, she will reduce the charge to misdemeanour and give her 100 hours community service with a 12 months’ probation. The episode then closes out with Judge Bennet finally arriving to marry every couple in a group ceremony. All Rise delivers another enjoyable episode with some interesting themes. Carmichael remains the fair judge and also brings a fresh and sometimes comedic side to the various legal stories. She’s determined to give everyone a fair trial too and slowly making a name for herself in doing so. We also saw Callan getting a little closer to Amy Quinn as well here. While he seems quite content with his current girlfriend Ria, there’s undeniable chemistry with lawyer Quinn and after today’s episode, this looks to be something that will be explored more in the upcoming episodes. All Rise remains a decent little legal drama to watch with enough interesting stories each week to keep you coming back for more. Although there isn’t anything particularly outstanding with this drama, there isn’t anything inherently terrible either, making it a solid entry in CBS’ line-up of shows.
