Summary: Mr. Porter feels guilt for what happened with Hannah. He goes on trial and ends up helping Olivia in the case, taking responsibility for what happened to Hannah. Clay is set to the same class as Tyler and Cyrus and he joins them in vandalizing the baseball field. Clay finds the clubhouse. Chloe isn't sure that she trusts Bryce. Justin takes money from his mom but instead of leaving, he calls Clay to pick him up. Olivia begs Sarah not to testify.
The Good: This episode worked pretty well. There was good drama here and a lot of developments felt new and different, making this feel like an episode actually worth watching. A lot of the characters faced new dilemmas and I appreciated that. Porter's storyline was the definite highlight. His regret was really understandable and I thought that he did well to show how remorseful he felt through his actions before the trial. It was very evident that he was conflicted and that added another level of drama to the ensuing court scenes. Porter's trial was much more interesting than all the others because his role as a witness genuinely made sense and we were never sure what he would reveal on the stand, adding a new level of tension. It was exciting and also cathartic as Porter took responsibility for what happened to Hannah and essentially apologized for it in what was probably the season's most heartfelt scene so far (see: Best Moment). Of course the story was also anchored by a great performance from Derek Luke who poured his heart out into the character. The Clay storyline was actually pretty good as well and felt different. I like the fresh feeling of him joining Tyler and Cyrus who were getting pretty stale. Seeing them interact with new characters was nice and made sense for the story. I loved seeing them vandalize the baseball field, and I thought there was good continuity with Clay explaining his skill with spray paint after doing murals with Skye. The Bad: I didn't like the continuation of Bryce's story. He has always been a really smooth talker, yet he made the worst excuses ever to Chloe to explain what happened on the tapes. I feel like I should sympathize with Chloe too, but if she somehow doesn't realize Bryce isn't good for her after that, she's a pure idiot. I was disappointed that we didn't see the consequences for Marcus throwing Bryce under. We are told he was suspended but we didn't see it happen. Why was he suspended? I have no idea. It's unsatisfying for his story if we don't see what the conclusion is for Marcus. The ending with Justin confused me. Apparently Clay texted him to get him back, but Clay seemed to not even care about him. We never saw Clay text him ever so I was confused to learnt hat he actually did. Furthermore, it's an abrupt change of heart for Justin to want to go back and I don't feel that it was earned in any way. Lastly, I was confused by Clay picking up Justin. I had thought that he was going to check out the clubhouse but instead he picked up Justin. The scene was just put together really awkwardly. Speaking of awkward, Jessica's story ended up being really awkward. I was ready to put it in The Good for examining Jessica in a new way, but then we had the final scene with her father. The scene itself is likely fine, but the problem is that I have no idea what that scene meant. Was Jessica aware he was watching? Are they mad at each other? What was the issue? Was Jessica not ready to date? How does she know? I'm just really confused by what that all meant and it pretty much ruined the whole storyline. I'm also confused by how the principal got all the information on what Clay did. He shouldn't be aware of all that yet somehow he is. The Unknown: Who attacked Clay in the locker room and why? Also I love how nobody seemed to notice or care that Clay just got assaulted. How does Chloe feel about Bryce? Who is Sarah and why doesn't Olivia want her to testify? Who attacked Tony's car? Why? What did Tony do before? What happens at the clubhouse? What will Clay do now that he knows where it is? What was that memory that Alex seemed to experience? Best Moment: Mr. Porter breaking down in court was awesome. The acting was terrific and the scene was done really well. I loved the little extra scene of Mr. Porter playing out what he should have done for Hannah, which mirrored the scene from season 1 with Clay and was just as powerful. Had it been an original scene, it would have been even better. Character of the Episode: Mr. Porter. Conclusion: This was the best episode of the seasons. Mr. Porter's storyline added some genuine emotion and added a lot to the story. There were other pretty good developments, and while some things were flawed, I still think this was one of the show's better episodes. Score: 61
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
February 2024
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