Almost three years, which is said soon, is what it took for season 2 of ‘Perry Mason’ to reach our screens. The lawyer played in this incarnation by Matthew Rhys returns to HBO Max gratefully embracing its hallmarks.
Despite the passage of time in real life, in the series only a few months have passed since the bittersweet taste left by the resolution of the Emily Dodson case. Mason runs his own law firm with Della (Juliet Rylance) and Paul (Chris Chalk) as an investigator.
changing of the guard
One of the reasons why I was most curious to see these new episodes of the series is because of the change that had taken place in the script room. The duet formed by Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald gave way to Jack Amiel and Michael Beglerco-creators of one of the best series of the past decade, the terrific medical drama ‘The Knick’.
A priori it was an interesting change. It is not that the first ones were one-armed when it came to writing precisely. In fact, his approach to the long-lived character (this year he turns 90 since his creation) It was fascinating with the permeated darkness and his love for the not to go. However, there were certain dissonances here and there that, without bothering them, needed a wash and, why not, give HBO fiction a certain pulp touch.
It’s not like we suddenly have a new series. But we do have a new stage, already presented in the previous season, in which Perry has already evolved into a full-fledged lawyer. In this sense, it is noted that as a character his natural habitat is the courts.
Something from which we could say that Jones and Fitzgerald fled under the pretext of presenting the origin of the lawyer in his days as an investigator. However, Amiel and Begler soon put him in a case (civil, logical after the fiasco of the previous season) in which we are seeing how what will be the great trial of season 2 is cooking: the murder of a powerful man and the arrest of two Hispanic boys as suspects.
Improving what was already good
In general, season 2 is better done. It’s not that the improvements are noticeable, but that they are found in the nuances. The readjustments that have taken place between seasons have been more about tightening the odd nut or two.a, reinforce the strong points and solve some other weak link.
This in practice translates into an optimization in the characterization of the characters (to which it gives a weight practically similar to that of Mason) and in even better developing this Los Angeles of the 30s beyond the topics of pulp and noir.
‘Perry Mason’ shows, in these new episodes, who has clearer direction on what is what he wants to tell and in the cohesiveness of the story. This always helps, especially when we play in a field such as the judicial one, where the narratives have to be clear enough despite the ambiguities, complexities and ethical dilemmas that we may encounter.
In short, even with its imperfections here and there, the drama starring Matthew Rhys shows why again it was one of the best series in its inaugural year and has all the ballots to once again claim a place among our favorites.