Reasonable Doubt returns for Season 2 with a more grounded, infinitely more centered Jax. The show, which gave us Suits meets The Lincoln Lawyer in Season 1, but with a Black woman at the center of it all, finds Jax trying to pick back up after the messy events of Season 1 and actually stick to the lessons she learned. And as we know, change is hard.
But she’s putting in the work. She went to therapy. She’s working on her marriage. She’s trying this thing where she doesn’t make work all that she is. She’s compromising. And Emayatzy Corinealdi is just as good at playing this Jax, the one who is at times struggling in different ways than in Season 1, but who is also trying to grow. Trying to show that she can be better.
Of course, she soon finds herself in the middle of a case that is very much person and has to try to set some boundaries – not just for her own benefit, but for the sake of her marriage, which as always, feels like it’s hanging on by a thread. Though I admit, at this point, we’re very much rooting for her and Lewis (McKinley Freeman) to actually make it.
It’s a journey, though. Season 1 was a lot. Can they recover? Can we recover to a point where we can honestly say we’re not just casually hoping the two of them get along, but actually believe that the two of them belong together? That’s part of the journey.
The other part involves Morris Chestnut as Corey Cash, a lawyer who comes in to help Jax and her friend, but who very quickly gives off “maybe I won’t be as helpful as you think” vibes. Or maybe that’s just my “I don’t trust men” on TV shows thing. Either way, I don’t trust Corey and you probably shouldn’t either.
But considering the type of show Reasonable Doubt is, I’d say we probably shouldn’t trust anyone other than Jax. Okay, maybe Daniel and Krystal. But that’s where the list ends.
Overall, Season 2 feels deeper, and more interesting, because we know the characters better and they all feel like they’re moving forward from Season 1. There are some moments where the show stalls, some things that don’t always click, but the sense of forward movement helps the season feel like an overall win, even when the things that are happening don’t always total sense.
But if Reasonable Doubt Season 2 works even better than Season 1, if this show has been a success, it is undoubtedly because of Emayatzy Corinealdi. It’s easy to look at Reasonable Doubt and compare it with other lawyer shows. It’s easy to look at Corinealdi and hold her to impossible standards. It’s not fair, but that’s the way this business works. And yet Corinealdi soars where a lesser performer would falter. Jax is a force of nature because Corinealdi is a force of nature.
We never doubt it. There’s no second-guessing. Jax is who she is. We believe it, therefore the show works. Thank Emayatzy Corinealdi for that, and continue to enjoy Reasonable Doubt.
The first two episodes of Reasonable Doubt Season 2 are now available to stream on Hulu.
