Even though he triumphed with the Emily Dodson case, private investigator turned attorney Perry Mason (Matthew Rhys) is left reeling with tragedy strikes. With a nation still suffering through the midsts of the Great Depression, Mason and his associates Della Street (Juliet Rylance); E.B. Jonathan’s former secretary and lawyer in-training, and Paul Drake (Chris Chalk); L.A. beat cop turned private investigator, are drawn into a compelling and dangerous new case which has the city on edge. And dark shadows are ready to come out from every corner as Perry has to reconcile that truth and justice are sometimes never the same thing.

HBO’s Perry Mason was a series that took audiences by storm. Thanks to the vision of showrunners Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald, the narrative, characters, performance, world building and ambience absolutely sucked audiences in during the height of the pandemic era and guaranteed the series a second season. Now Jones and Fitzgerald, along with their talented team of performers and craftspeople, return to the early 1930s and the world of Perry Mason for a brand new story. And this new narrative will hook audiences in.

Focusing more on the courtroom drama of the piece, we come to see Perry and his associates drawn into the defence of the Mexican-American Gallardo brothers who are charged with the brazen murder of Los Angeles golden boy Brooks McCutcheon (Tommy Dewey). But as the story moves forward and the truth comes to light, it’s clear that this is a far darker narrative than we could have anticipated.

Matthew Rhys returns as the down-on-his-luck but fanatically ethical attorney Perry Mason. Reeling from the horrible aftermath of the Emily Dodson case, which gripped us in Season One, Perry has given up, and with his struggling practice boring him into oblivion, is ready to throw in the towel. But when the McCutcheon case is thrown in his way, Perry takes an interest, but the facts soon don’t add up for him. And like a bloodhound, he’ll do anything to get to the truth. With space and time to develop the character, Rhys leans more into Perry’s standing as an attorney, although he certainly hasn’t lost any of his crafty PI skills, and there’s plenty of opportunity for him to get his hands dirty in the most creative way possible. Rhys spends much of his time in the courtroom this season, and it’s interesting to see him working like a fighter in the Halls of Justice this time around.

Juliet Rylance’s Della Street has now made the transition from secretary to a full-fledged partner in Perry’s film, and on more than one occasion it’s clear that she’s possessed a far more capable legal mind than her male counterpart. For Rylance’s Della things get very personal this season as she begins a new relationship with a daring new woman, and for the first time in her life might have a direct shot at happiness. She also falls under the spell of the erudite and wealthy Camilla Nygaard (Hope Davis), which raises the stakes of the second season. Rylance has several demanding parts in the play in the series, and her performance in a key courtroom scene will leave audiences on edge due to the graphic subject matter that Della has to deal with.

The former beat cop turned private eye Paul Drake (Chris Chalk) also has plenty to deal with this season. And he and Perry have a bit of a rocky start to deal with at the beginning of the series. While trying to balance shadowing the Gallardo case, along with making his way in the developing Watts neighbourhood, Drake finds himself with plenty to keep him busy, and on his toes. Like Della, Chalk’s Drake is a conscience figure for Perry, and he offers up a reflection from which audiences can judge the series’ central character. Again Chalk’s confidence in the character shines through, and he’s faced with several tasks that test his mettle throughout the series.

Like its preceding first season, Season Two of Perry Mason will totally envelop audiences, and the scale and scope of Season Two have been extended in a huge way. With more locations, more set dressing, more extras, and a shadowy and twisting conspiracy, which is inspired by true events, at its core, Season Two of Perry Mason makes for an incredibly compelling watch. Part of the enthusiasm that will bring audiences further into the narrative is based on its intensive courtroom action. Where Perry mostly served as a private eye sleuth in the first season, in Season Two he finds his footing in the courtroom and has to deal with new dangers and opponents, which will leave audiences guessing right up until the last moment. There are plenty of sordid momenta for fans to witness in Season Two, and it’s a whole new kind of viewing experience for this series.

Season Two is a pure knock-out experience, and it runs the gambit of everything audiences could want from a series. Packing together violence, sex, truth, lies and one man’s undying pursuit for justice, Perry Mason is a solid watch that will leave audiences pleased with what they get to witness. So pour yourself a whisky, unbutton your suit jacket and sit back and enjoy because this series delivers, and you’ll be hooked all the way in.

Perry Mason streams on SKY Go and NEON every Tuesday.

The post ‘Perry Mason’ – Season Two – Review appeared first on SpicyPulp.

An award-winning cynical journalist, Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), begrudgingly accepts an assignment to write an Esquire profile piece on the beloved television icon Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) with Vogel’s perspective on life transformed after his encounter with Rogers.

Inspired by the 1998 Esquire Magazine ‘Can You Say Hero?’, director Marielle Heller takes audiences back in time to meet an extraordinary man in Fred Rogers and shines a light on his teachings and life in a film that deals with issues of compassion, healing and redemption. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a story of complex people in a complex world, and it’s not simply a narrative of warm fuzzies. There’s much going on in this story and it touches you on a very intellectual level with moments that move from light to dark as it explores what it means to be human. Heller’s work within the film is extremely introspective and thought-provoking and there is much that audiences can take away from this one.

Tom Hanks is an actor who is never one to disappoint, but in his turn as Fred Rogers, the actor outdoes himself with the construction of an incredibly complex and multi-faceted character who has considerable depth to his soul. Hanks visually fits the role of Rogers perfectly, and the famous red jacket certainly makes for a snug fit on the actor’s frame. While he’s adored by millions and appears to be the most kind-hearted and loveliest person on earth, Hanks’ Rogers would better be described as a man who is extremely self-reflective and unashamedly honest. While he shows kindness, interest and love to all that he meets, he’s very much a duality of a person who admits that he has his own faults, jealousies and insecurities. Hanks portrait of Fred Roger is a touching tribute to this great man that takes in every facet of who Rogers was and how he lived his life.

Cast opposite Hanks is Matthew Rhys as hard-charging investigative journalist Lloyd Vogel who is forced to slow down when given the job of profiling Rogers. In this space, he must reflect upon his own life and place in the world. When describing Rhys’ performance as Lloyd the word ‘normal’ is most appropriate as this jaded journalist is very much an everyman character whose own past has left him burnt out and who cannot seem to reach a higher level of peace. Where Rogers has found a way to achieve peace in his life and a unique sense of balance for his complex emotions, Lloyd very much sways in the opposite direction, and through this unique interaction Lloyd goes on quite a journey. Rhys’ performance as Lloyd is very much a way in for the audience to experience Rogers teachings and philosophy and as he has to reflect on his own life, so too is the audience asked to reflect on theirs. Rhys had a considerable challenge in bringing Lloyd to life and he holds his own alongside Hanks and the two make a great complementary pair on screen.

The relationship that builds out between Fred and Lloyd is the catalyst for the exploration of many different and complex themes within A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and it’s here that director Marielle Heller explores ideas of acceptance, faith and redemption. Heller’s focus on the road to self-acceptance is the path that Fred and Lloyd walk together here and it makes for a very moving journey. It’s in the film’s final and most tender scene where Fred drops by on Lloyd’s family that we truly see the portrait of sincerity and the film’s redemptive arc come full circle, and it’s in this moment that an amazing sense of depth washes over the audience over the message that is delivered by Fred.

Alongside its incredible character performances and deep thematic narrative points are the style in which A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is brought to the big screen. Heller lets her creative mind run free in this picture. And the resulting images are those of a film, that employs an almost documentary like-focus to its story, mixed with deep surrealism and an almost childlike sense of imagination that pulls you deeper into the narrative. There is a real artistic eye and focus here that is marvellous to look at and pulls you deeper into the events of the story. One moment that is a great example of this is when Lloyd hallucinates that he is a part of Mister Roger’s Neighborhood and finds the people in his life have become the characters that exist within Roger’s world. It’s a visually interesting use of subjective style, and it grabs your attention.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is an extremely poignant and important film and audiences will feel their souls move with this one. In the turbulent times that we live in, artistic portraits like these are integral to preserve ideas of dignity and love and the work that is accomplished in this brave film is an important watch for all cinemagoers.

Image: Sony Pictures

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