It has taken a lot to get here, but we finally got the trial many people had worked to ensure didn’t happen.
Eugene’s trial and Michael’s newfound kinship with Jimmy were the two storylines that took center stage on Your Honor Season 2 Episode 9.
Being the season’s penultimate episode, it spent most of its time setting up the Your Honor Season 2 finale, which is bound to be explosive by Your Honor standards.
We had already established that Eugene’s decision to go to trial was his best against staying out of prison or, in the worst-case scenario, getting a lesser sentence that doesn’t waste his prime years behind bars.
From the outside, his case looked straightforward. And in the prosecution’s opening statements, they went in for the kill.
The DA laid out the facts of the case, where he clearly showed that Eugene had always intended to commit murder.
Eugene Jones sat in the courtroom and watched Carlo Baxter get acquitted on all charges for the murder of his brother, Kofi. And then Eugene Jones took matters into his own hands. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this is a case about simple revenge. It’s not complicated. The State will show that Eugene Jones purchased a gun and came to the hotel that night with murder on his mind. He fired the gun at Carlo Baxter and killed Adam Desiato instead. You will be presented with ample evidence that supports these facts. Eyewitness accounts, forensic analysis, and other testimony. All of it, seen in its totality, will point toward one clear conclusion — that Eugene Jones be found guilty of first-degree murder.
Jarek
Even if the person who ended up dying was not the intended victim, he proved that Eugene had premeditated the crime. If they don’t get him on murder charges for Adam’s death, they should find him guilty of the attempted murder of Carlo.
Ms. Lee was well aware of how the facts looked and smart enough not to argue against them.
They would have lost if she had decided to take that route. There is no way to prove someone didn’t kill when the act was committed in a room full of at least one hundred people. Someone had to have seen something.
The only way she could have ensured the jury even paid attention to Eugene’s plight was to give them an alternative narrative. And she did.
And I hate this building because inside these walls I learned the most painful lesson of my life. Don’t trust anyone. I don’t know about you, but I’m already very, very confused. Up until a few months ago, Eugene Jones was dead. We knew that because the NOPD told us that he was dead. That’s the same NOPD that swore up and down that my client was a killer, and then swore up and down that they’d found his dead body. And just like that, the Baxter House shooting was solved, and the Quarter was safe again. An officer named Rudy Cunningham cracked the case and solved the murder of Adam Desiato.
Ms Lee
She made them aware of the bigger picture. Evil people were sacrificing Eugene to protect themselves.
Eugene’s case resulted from a bigger problem in the city and the justice system. The justice system failed to protect his brother, his family, and himself.
And she did push the envelope.
Her arguments caught everyone by surprise, even the DA. One could almost hear him say, “oh, she went there.”
But the State won’t be calling him to testify. We can’t ask him why he lied. We can’t ask why. Detective Rudy Cunningham of the NOPD attempted to murder this child in the middle of our city. Once it was clear his plot had been foiled, Detective Cunningham took his own life using the same gun he’d used to shoot Eugene. We will never get his answer to the most burning question of all — what were you trying to cover up?
Ms. Lee
She took the burden away from herself and Eugene and placed it at the feet of the jury. Her arguments were sincere, and they struck a chord with the jury. That was all she needed.
Contrary to judges, juries don’t adhere to rigid dictates of the law. They listen to the arguments and decide based on the facts and the humanity of those being tried.
Miss. Lee planted a seed of doubt in them from the first sentence; it was a full-grown tree by the last sentence. We love to see it.
They solved the case. Then they unsolved the case. And now they promise you they’ve solved it again. Every witness they are going to call has their own reason to point the finger at Eugene Jones. It’s almost as if all of their problems will vanish if they can just dispose of this boy. Sometimes, the city can turn against you. It will allow your life to crumble, and your family to be wiped out. The levees are supposed to hold. But when they don’t… …don’t trust anyone.
Ms. Lee
By the end of her statement, the prosecution was lost for words.
They tried to play to the jury’s emotions by having the grieving mother testify, but the act was up at this point.
She spoke to every stereotype racists do when it comes to black people.
Dear reader, does wearing a hoodie and baggy sweatpants make you dangerous? If so, we all are dangerous.
One can give her props as she held out on the stand. She should have been a lawyer if she hadn’t decided to go the family way.
With the jury in doubt and unreliable witnesses, the prosecution panicked and decided to delay the verdict.
Honestly, there is nothing Michael’s testimony will do to sway the jury. The best he can do is have them sympathize with him. He is a fallen judge; if they know it, it’s game over.
And even if he does testify, I feel his testimony will work in Eugene’s favor.
Michael is on a redemption campaign and would do anything to atone for his past sins.
The Rocco-Adam debacle had many victims, but the most innocent person in the whole thing was Kofi.
Jimmy made an interesting proposal to Michael, which caught us off guard as much as it did Michael. Maybe he does need his wife because if Gina had been there, she would have barked at him and driven him away from the idea.
That particular decision was an interesting direction in the storyline that didn’t amount to much in this episode but can pay off well in the future seasons if there are some.
Michael’s need for family driving him to find solace in the Baxter family would be an interesting angle to explore.
And even though Gina doesn’t like him, he seems to get along well with the rest of the family. The car ride with Carlo made them closer, even if it opened up some issues with Carlo.
Carlo was unhappy when he learned his dad was looking for a right-hand man when he was right there. Hasn’t that been what he’d been working toward his entire life? And for Jimmy to give it away to a stranger?
Jimmy’s decision was understandable because Carlo could not be relied upon to make a thoughtful decision if it saved his life.
In the meantime, there were some developments in Desire that weren’t thrilling.
It would have made for an interesting direction if the writers didn’t unite Big Mo and Little Mo. I get that Big Mo would have killed Chris anyway because Chris had hit her where it hurt most, but Little Mo wasn’t needed.
It didn’t feel like the storyline amounted to something, especially when they made a grand event out of Little Mo being kicked out of Desire.
I should tell you… I spoke with an assistant U.S. attorney. I refused to cooperate, but they are investigating you. So, whatever it is you are doing with the Calabri family, you need to stop. They’re watching everything you do.
Fia
Olivia made the mistake of life when she entrusted Fia with crucial information on the investigation, something that spooked Jimmy on learning that the feds were onto him.
“Part Nineteen” spent most of its runtime trying to set up the season finale, making it feel a little flat but interesting nonetheless.
As we head into the series finale, this will be the final test for the season. Some episodes felt scattered around, especially when the stories seemed not to correlate at all, but maybe they have a plan to tie it all together.
What do you think the outcome of the trial will be? Will Jimmy seek to unearth who else the feds might have turned in his crew and get onto Michael?
We always love hearing your thoughts, so don’t hesitate to comment.
Denis Kimathi is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on Twitter.