The latest All Rise had characters looking toward the future—making “Leap of Faith” bittersweet since the CBS drama’s cancellation was announced Saturday.
It’s not uncommon for TV characters to make big moves on any show going into the season finale; it’s one way writers leave the viewers wanting more. But in the case of this show, given everything that’s happened this season, these moments of introspection feel organic and genuine.
“Is the good we do here good enough?” Luke Watkins (J. Alex Brinson) wonders after he gets a job offer from ex-prosecutor August Fox. With his career at the District Attorney’s office stalled after he admitted to his wrongdoings as a Sheriff’s Deputy, the fresh start is sorely tempting.
It’s nice to see both Mark Callan (Wilson Bethel) and DDA Thomas Choi (Reggie Lee) go to bat for Luke; that’s what we as the audience expect and want to see. And it’s always been great that All Rise pays as much attention and screen time to its friendships as it its romantic relationships; a lot of shows in any genre don’t do that.
Choi and Emily Lopez (Jessica Camacho) are also given new opportunities that require moving, Sara Castillo (Lindsay Mendez) is largely absent as she ponders a change of her own, and Ness Johnson (Samantha Marie Ware) prepares to take the bar exam and move on.
Meanwhile, Lola Carmichael (Simone Missick) enters the political machine as she deals with her re-election campaign; not only does it not suit her, but it puts strain on her marriage to Robin (a returning Todd Williams), who reveals he’s accepted an undercover assignment that will last for up to a year.
This is a lot to pile in one episode, and a little dramatic license that this many people would have big life choices to make at the same time. But with the journeys each of them have taken, it’s also clear the writers are trying to give each character a payoff for the season, and a new question that will push them forward. The character development is really on full display here.
The case of the week is a quirky murder trial; two teens are accused of murder, and one of them is the son of a billionaire. Not only is Lola on the bench for this circus but Mark has to square off with the show’s entire defense attorney contingent—Amy Quinn (Lindsey Gort) and Rachel Audubon (returning guest star Ryan Michelle Bathe) are representing rich kid Alex, while his less affluent friend Jack has Emily as his public defender.
It’s no shock that All Rise has this convoluted setup dissolve into madness pretty quickly, with Ness being the voice of reason when she tells Lola that “nobody ever got their name in the history books behaving properly.” With this many different points of view, of course people are going to disagree.
The case doesn’t get resolved in “Leap of Faith,” because there’s too much going on between the arguments and the personal decision-making to give it enough screen time. Instead, it ends on a cliffhanger where Amy gets video of the murder and has to decide what to do with it. It will be interesting to see what she does, because you’d think that All Rise would want its last trial of the season to make a memorable impact.
Of course, it’s hard not to look at this episode with the knowledge that it’s now the penultimate show of the series, given the cancellation news. Whatever choices the characters make, we won’t get to see more than their immediate impact; the writers set up futures that will remain in their (and our) heads. But what’s the final message that All Rise is going to leave us with? Based on the clues here, it’s going to be following your heart to do what is right—which is a darn good lesson we all should learn.
The All Rise series finale airs next Monday, May 24 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.