Summary
Accusations against Gallardo brothers create racial tension in murder case. Perry Mason’s team works to clear their names.
Perry Mason reluctantly takes on the criminal case after discovering suspicious evidence. The team jumps back into defense work.
The plot thickens as Brooks’ gambling problems surface, giving possible motive for his murder.
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A Perry Mason season 2, episode 2 recap includes everything from the accusation of the Gallardo brothers to the discovery of Brooks McCutcheon’s gambling problems, all of which bring the Perry Mason lawyers and investigators together after spending some time apart. Episode 2 of the hard-boiled detective series Perry Mason, gets the plot chugging along much more powerfully than the season 2 premiere. That first episode served mostly as a place setter for season 2, realigning characters, setting up plot points, and reminding audiences where Perry Mason Esq. (Matthew Rhys) was in his story.
Perry Mason season 2, episode 2, “Chapter Ten”, begins unfolding plot points, and reuniting Paul Drake (Chris Chalk), Della Street (Juliet Rylance), and Perry for the trio to work a case that threatens to put two possibly innocent young men in jail, or worse. Season 2, episode 1 sees the cast of Perry Mason attempting to balance their personal and professional struggles and ends with oil scion Brooks McCutcheon (Tommy Dewey) being shot dead in his car by an unknown assailant. Locked and loaded in episode 1, Perry Mason season 2’s starter gun goes off in episode 2.
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Rafael And Mattheo Gallardo Are Accused Of The Brooks McCutcheon Murder
Mexican American Siblings Are Accused Under Suspicious Circumstances
Perry Mason season 2, episode 2 opens right where the premiere left off, with Brooks sitting dead in his car, though it’s now surrounded by reporters and photographers. The scene then cuts to a press conference where district attorney Hamilton Burger (Justin Kirk) is telling reporters he will dispense justice against the perpetrators of Brooks McCuthcheon’s murderers, whom he — and everyone else in LA — believes are the Gallardo brothers, 18-year-old Rafael (Fabrizio Guido) and 20-year-old Mateo (Peter Mendoza). Burger says that they were found nearby and, of course, doesn’t forget to mention they are unemployed and Mexican.
Burger cedes the stage to Thomas Milligan (Mark O’Brien), the man Burger put in charge of the case, and the overeager prosecutor immediately conjures the idea of the death penalty for the two young men. An accompanying montage of images makes it clear these two men have been scapegoated by some unknown entity, and it’s an all too familiar story of ethnic minority groups receiving the brunt of discrimination when white lives are endangered in America.
Perry Mason Is Asked To Take On The McCutcheon Case
The Gallardo Family Pleads With Mason To Help Them
Not long after the press conference, Luisa (Onahoua Rodriguez), the accused’s aunt, arrives at his law office and begs Mason to take her nephews’ case, citing how he solved the Dodson case in season 1. “You saved her,” she says. What Luisa does not know is that in the previous episode, Mason learned that Emily Dodson (Gayle Rankin) had taken her own life. In Perry’s mind, he didn’t save anyone, and he doesn’t want to jump back into the dark world of criminal defense. He, Della, and Paul want “Perry Mason Attorney at Law” to be a civil case office.
Mason’s Investigation Convinces Him The Gallardos Have A Case And Della Agrees
After Some Soul Searching And P.I. Work, Mason Accepts The Job
Despite his trepidation about taking on a criminal case, Mason would not be the Perry Mason of the original series without his strong sense of justice. Mason cannot get the case out of his head and when he has a late-night drink with old friend Pete Strickland (Shea Whigham), Mason hears the DA’s narrative from Pete and begins to wonder how a couple of young, nervous men could pull off a perfect headshot, in the dark no less.
This kernel of suspicion lodges itself in Mason’s mind, and soon he’s back to the low-down private eye work that has always separated him from others in his profession. On a hunch, Mason breaks into the impound lot where Brooks’ car is and discovers that the distance between the bullet holes suggests a professional marksman, not a couple of young thieves turned killers in the heat of the moment, as the DA’s office is proposing.
When he goes to speak with the Gallardo brothers in jail, Della finds herself warming to the case as well. A visit to Luisa Gallardo’s home convinces her that they need to take the case and Perry Mason thankfully skips any scenes of Della trying to convince Mason because when she goes back to the offices, she sees Mason with the case files spread all over the desk. The two investigators agree this is the case for them.
Sunny Gryce Is Used To Finance The Gallardo Case
Della And Mason Take A Job With Grocer Gryce
However, Mason’s office still needs funding and if Della steps away from her civil cases to help him, then they will lose the one small trickle of income they have. They need money, so they turn to the same unpleasant supermarket owner they represented in the season 2 premiere, Sunny Gryce (Sean Astin). Sunny’s case was legally right but morally bankrupt in the previous episode and watching Mason and company help him steal the hard work of a former employee was as unpleasant as it is enjoyable seeing the two lock Sunny into a substantial retainer contract.
Ever on the lookout to make a little more money and hold a little more power in the grocery game, Della and Mason convince Sunny that he should look into vacant properties to open more “Sunny Markets”. It’s a win-win. Sunny gets more groceries, and Mason gets the monthly income he needs to work the Gallardo case.
Paul Drake Makes A Mistake Working For Pete Strickland
While everything with the Gallardos, Mason, and Della is going on, Paul Drake is on his own adventure doing a job for Pete. In season 2, episode 1, it was the simple task of Paul tailing a Black racketeer named Melvin Perkins (Christopher Carrington) in Paul’s neighborhood. The DA uses what Paul finds to arrest Melvin, but then Paul tells Pete what the issue is. There are people far worse to chase after than a tax-dodging, small-time racketeer, beloved by his community for giving money back to them.
This is far from a noble upholding of the law to protect innocents. In the grand scheme of Perry Mason, much less American criminal history, a man like Melvin Perkins is far from the top of the list of most dangerous criminals. Perry Mason season 2 focuses on a major criminal conspiracy and probable miscarriage of justice, but it’s this small-time criminal who has a spotlight cast on him. Paul considers it a betrayal of his community and not the type of work he’s interested in.
Consequently, Paul returns to Mason’s office. He still doesn’t completely trust the lawyer after the events of the previous season, and Mason admits he himself is not sure how he can build back that trust. But it’s an honest enough statement for Paul to be back on board and willing to help on the Gallardo case.
The Bail Hearing Goes Off The Rails
The gang is back together, Mason seems to have regained his love for law and order, and he has a client he believes is innocent. Naturally, things fall apart from here. During the bail hearing, Mason’s classic one-liners and verbal sparring fall completely flat in front of a judge who appears to have as much disdain for the accused as the public does. The judge denies bail and when Mason leaves with his tail between his legs, he receives another punch to the gut when the assembled press lets him know Rafael’s fingerprint was found at the crime scene.
It’s clear that this case will present problems for Mason and his team from every angle. Whether it’s the Gallardos not being entirely truthful, Brooks’ true murderer creating chaos, or vengeful racism from the judge, jury, and prosecution, this is set up to be a very difficult case.
Eugene Holcomb Is Found On Brooks McCutcheon’s Gambling Ship
A Gambling Debt Problem Thickens The Brooks’ Murder Plot
After the failure of their bail hearing, Paul, Della, and Mason buckle down and start looking for ways to get their clients off. Della discovers some public documents that lead to the Morocco, Brooks’ struggling gambling ship he owned before he was murdered. The boat was the subject of numerous unpaid debts, and Brooks had been selling and reselling ownership stakes just to keep the derelict ship operational.
While searching the boat, Mason stumbles upon sleazy detective Eugene Holcomb (Eric Lange), who is revealed to have been hired on the Morocco as Brooks’ muscle. Eugene is as angry as anyone, as he thought Brooks’ ownership of the Morocco was legitimate, and the endeavor would make a lot of money. This new wrinkle in Brooks’ history offers a motive for someone who may have wanted to collect on Brooks’ debt one way or another. Perry Mason season 2, episode 2 leaves the door open for information to be uncovered as the case progresses.
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perry mason
Perry Mason is a crime drama created by Ron Fitzgerald and Rolin Jones, starring Matthew Rhys as the titular character. The series tells the story of Perry Mason, a famed defense attorney in 1932 Los Angeles. HBO’s Perry Mason is a reboot of the Raymond Burr starring series Perry Mason, which ran for nine seasons between 1957 and 1966.
Release Date June 21, 2020
Cast Matthew Rhys , Juliet Rylance
Seasons 2
Writers Jack Amiel
Directors Matthew Rhys
Showrunner Jack Amiel