All Rise season 2, episode 8: Welcome to the circus

Celebrity trials have become, in large part, entertainment—something that this week’s episode of All Rise was not shy about diving into.

Audiences have seen this for decades, with the emergence of things like the true crime genre and Court TV. From the O.J. Simpson trial to the College Admissions Scandal and so many other stories, cases where famous people are accused of crimes have so much else happening around them that the actual litigation can sometimes get lost in the production.

“Bette Davis Eyes” saw Mark Callan (Wilson Bethel) have to prosecute actress Samara Strong (guest star Lesley Ann Warren) for the alleged murder of her husband more than 30 years earlier. She couldn’t even show up at the Hall of Justice without paparazzi cameras.

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Things were made more frustrating for Mark because he’d been a fan of Samara growing up, and so had his father Vic (returning guest star Tony Denison), who decided to return just so he could watch Samara’s trial. He may as well have turned up holding a bag of popcorn.

When All Rise made clear that Mark’s case rested on testimony from Samara’s daughter Kelsey (guest star Amy Davidson), it was fairly obvious what parallels the show was trying to draw between that relationship and the troubled one Mark has with his father. The sins of the parent can often impact the child, especially when they’re criminal.

“Sucks when you find out the people you idolize are human,” Mark comments to Vic after the case ends with Samara’s tearful confession, and he’s very right.

But this episode does a good job of illustrating all the outside factors that prosecutors have to navigate around in high-profile cases like these—the media, the showboating defense attorney, the perceptions of everyone from the judge to bystanders. The script itself is surprisingly not that heavy for a murder case (maybe easing up on Mark after the Raschel situation), yet provides food for thought. It’s not always just about guilt and innocence, as much as it should be.

Elsewhere in the world of All Rise, Luke Watkins (J. Alex Brinson) creates a circus for himself when his second attempt at restorative justice gets abused. Luke decides to help pay a man’s fine so the defendant avoids jail time, believing he’ll learn more if he’s not behind bars—but then the guy sees Luke as a meal ticket, feigning enthusiasm in restorative justice before asking Luke to also pay his rent.

Ultimately, Head DDA Thomas Choi (Reggie Lee) steps in and tells Luke that he’s not going to be doing this on his own anymore—if he pursues any more restorative justice cases, Choi is going to do it with him. What could come off as getting a babysitter is actually very inspiring because it’s Choi saying he supports Luke and is willing to help, rather than just wrangling him or shutting him down.

What started out so simple with Luke trying to make a nice gesture isn’t so simple, the same as Mark’s case is a mess (and for those wondering, cognitive interviewing is a real thing).

In the TV crime drama genre, there’s a certain amount of implied simplification. Trials that can take weeks or months are condensed down to scenes within a 42-minute framework because a story must be told that has a beginning, middle and end (unless speaking of Murder One or Murder in the First, which both tracked one case over a full season).

But there’s so much more, both troubling and fascinating, about the criminal justice system. When a show like All Rise can highlight some of those elements and add just a little more shading to the viewer’s idea of what the system is, it’s a welcome development.

All Rise airs Mondays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.