Perry Mason (HBO)

[jon-el87]

It's an origin story.

[jon-el87]

I'm guessing that the final episode will end with Mason alone in a courtroom, when the classic theme starts playing.

[jon-el87]

[jon-el87]

First episode peaked my interest.

[jon-el87]

Yeah, suspected that there'd be more to Robert Patrick's interest in that family.

Liked Paul Drake's introduction. Makes sense for the character to start out as a cop (not unheard off for cops to become private investigators, after leaving the force). Liked that he hasn't met Mason yet, but is investigating things on his own. The show might be called Perry Mason, but it appears that we'll also be getting the origin story for Paul Drake.

Still not sure how Mason will make the leap from private detective to lawyer. Will they reveal him to have gone to law school, pre-WWI (and simply never practiced, following the trauma of the war)? Will he go off to law school, at the end of the series? Or will E.B. or someone help him with fake credentials?

[jon-el87]

Keep mixing up (name-wise) Sister Alice (the show's blonde radio preacher) with Sister Molly (the blonde radio preacher from Penny Dreadful: City of Angels). Suspecting that the kidnapping of Charlie has something to do with this church. After all, the baby of two members (and grandson of another) gets kidnapped. A member of the church is involved in the kidnapping. Now Sister Molly... Sister Alice announces that she will resurrect Charlie, after a seizure.

Speculation: Could be a scam involving the church. Heard that Sister Alice might be based on Aimee Semple McPherson. According to Wikipedia, McPherson was apparently kidnapped in 1926, with accusations that the whole thing was fabricated. This story could've been based on the McPherson case (only having it be a baby who is kidnapped, rather than the preacher herself). Maybe baby Charlie isn't dead. Since the first episode, I've wondered why someone would stitch open the eyes of a dead baby (thought it was overkill). Maybe it was another baby, with the eyes stitched open to be a distraction. Make the parents not pay too much attention to the entire face (thus realizing that it's not their baby), as they're seeing this horrible thing that the kidnappers have done to the baby's eyes. Baby Charlie might still be alive, somewhere. Waiting for him to be "resurrected" by Sister Alice. Drawing attention to her and her church. People flocking to this church, lead by a woman able to "bring back the dead".

E.B. doesn't seem to be in the greatest health.

[jon-el87]

Okay, E.B.'s suicide might force Perry to step up as a lawyer. Probably not in the next episode, as that would be a bit too sudden.

[jon-el87]

Liked that Della tried existing lawyer, before getting the idea of making Perry a lawyer. Also liked them cheating a bit, to get Mason into becoming a lawyer. No sudden, "oh, Perry went to law school (he just didn't take the bar exam)" reveal thrown in after four episodes of no hints. Nor them ending the miniseries with Perry going off to law school (with us never seeing him become a lawyer, unless the show suddenly gets a second season out of the blue).

Also liking Paul Drake's continued journey, with him now being unsure about continuing being a cop or becoming a truck driver. He might be a supporting character on a Perry Mason series, but he is no sidekick (standing around, reacting to whatever goes on with Perry). At this point, he has only met Perry twice or something. He is really a protagonist in his own story. One that just happens to connect to Perry Mason's story. Swamp Thing did similar with the Dan Cassidy/Blue Devil character, which I liked.

[jon-el87]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/perry-mason-renewed-season-2-at-hbo-1303980

Great to hear that they'll be getting a second season.

[jon-el87]

Baby Charlie has risen! The big question is if I'm right, and that wasn't baby Charlie in the first episode. Or if this is just some random baby (in which case, what happened to the body of the real Charlie?). Will Emily then buy that this really is her baby? Or will they do a Changeling (2008) thing, where the church insists that Emily is insane and should be committed? That would probably be too much for the finale.

[jon-el87]

As someone who has read several Perry Mason books (including the first), I loved the appearance of Eva Griffin. The episode didn't play out exactly like I expected. Kept waiting for fake baby Charlie to be brought into the trial. Felt like they had forgotten him for parts of the episode. Of course, as it becomes clear (through Emily's comments), no one would buy that this baby is the real Charlie (anyone who've actually seen him in real life (like the father or grandfather) would've been able to tell the incorrect details like the baby's eye color). Nor would such claims probably be accepted by the court. Like the development with Della Street. Given the revelations about Alice's background, in the previous episode, I'm glad that she's gotten away from her mother.

[jon-el87]

Season 2, episode 1:

Had no idea that this was coming out. Though, I suppose that's what happens when there's almost three years between seasons.

Haven't seen any trailers, so I went in blind, which I guess makes for a nice change (as you have no idea what to expect).

[jon-el87]

[jon-el87]

Season 2, episode 2.

The introduction of Katherine Waterston's character felt a bit weird. Okay, so Perry and his ex-wife has to go to their son's school, to talk to his teacher (but we never learn what she wanted to talk to them about).

People seem to be talking a little too openly on the phone. Keep in mind, this was an era with switchboard operators (some of whom might be tempted to listen in on conversation, where you're discussing having had someone killed).

[jon-el87]

Season 2, episode 4.

At first, I suspected that the brothers had been threatened into confessing (by the real villains, threatening to go after their family). Of course, this being the Great Depression, it makes sense that desperate people would confess in exchange for a large sum of money (allowing them to feed their family).

Not sure what to make of Ginny. Something feels fishy. Perry's kid's teacher just happens to work weekends at the very stable that Perry takes his kid to. Naturally, these types of coincidences do happens in fiction.