The Buccaneers Season 2, Episode 7, “All Rise,” takes on the shape (at least partially) of a legal drama. However, its best efforts end up emphasizing why playing with genres doesn’t always work to this season’s benefit. This season’s penultimate episode, written by Alex Straker and directed by John Hardwick, struggles to find resonance and move through it at a reasonable pace – at the courthouse and away from it. Missing time and (mostly) unestablished characters work against the compelling efforts of “All Rise.”
Again, this episode makes it seem as though The Buccaneers misses more than a few key chapters between “Every Single Piece of My Heart” and now. Unfortunately for the period drama, that recurring drawback is all the more glaring at this point in the season. At its strongest, “All Rise” works in the wake of the death of a main character, but those moments are too rare.
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Adam James and Christina Hendricks in “The Buccaneers,” now streaming on Apple TV+. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+. 
Kristine Frøseth in “The Buccaneers,” now streaming on Apple TV+. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+. 
Leighton Meester in “The Buccaneers,” now streaming on Apple TV+. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+. 
Adam James in “The Buccaneers,” now streaming on Apple TV+. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.
Is the Legal Drama Too Much Drama?
It’s jarring that this episode starts with Nan in New York, even though the music cues as much. After Richard’s death, it feels odd for The Buccaneers, let alone Nan, to be anywhere other than with Conchita, Honoria, and Jinny. It’s narratively shocking; the show does not mention Patti or a divorce trial all season. Strangely, considering everything going on with Nan and Jinny, Patti hasn’t been seen or heard from since “The Duchess of Tintagel.”
“All Rise” continues a parallel — Patti protects Nell; Nan protects Jinny. However, those storylines only complement each other on screen at the season’s start and this close to its end. So, it’s difficult to see past how Nan and Jinny’s dynamic sisterhood is always at the show’s heart, but The Buccaneers Season 2 misses the chance to thoroughly define and explore Patti and Nell’s sisterhood. Christina Hendricks and Leighton Meester’s incredible performances and the script’s vignettes of their characters’ rich history and present in New York make the gaps in time frustrating. There’s so much there.
The Buccaneers Season 2 plays catch-up through the divorce trial after six episodes of Patti and Nell existing off-screen. The bias and sexism at the court feel painfully familiar, despite the show’s 1870s setting. “All Rise” is overwhelmingly effective in showing how brave and complex it is for women to speak up within systems that are built to work against them. This storyline boosts The Buccaneers’ thesis while highlighting how interesting it would have been to see Nan’s (and Hector’s) work for the Women’s Bill on-screen.
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Kristine Frøseth and Leighton Meester in “The Buccaneers,” now streaming on Apple TV+. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+. 
Greg Wise and Jacob Ifan in “The Buccaneers,” now streaming on Apple TV+. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+. 
Josie Totah and Mia Threapleton in “The Buccaneers,” now streaming on Apple TV+. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.
Parents and Children
The truth lingering between Nan and Nell makes the stakes high from the beginning, so the divorce trial’s intensity compounds that. Also, with Nell returning in this context, The Buccaneers escalates everything around her, including her established relationship with an entirely new character, Arthur. Meester and Kristine Frøseth work well together when Nan and Nell can finally communicate. Those scenes feel like a long time coming, so they are compelling to watch. Meanwhile, “All Rise” misses the mark with Nell and Arthur – there’s not enough time to emotionally invest in this trial’s impact on their relationship.
All of which supports that The Buccaneers’ complex characters and stories would greatly benefit from a slower pacing and a larger episode order. This season – more often than not – leaves one wanting more, but that becomes a frustrating cycle when never fulfilled on the other end. For instance, Blanche and Theo’s mother/son dynamic is beautiful and fragile, and their one, wonderful scene in “All Rise” has to carry that weight. The same is true for Reede and Hector’s one scene, as their interesting father/son dynamic remains predominantly unexplored. On the other hand, The Buccaneers delivers a rewarding exchange – after two seasons of tension – when Honoria stands up to her mother.
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Everyone Grieves Differently
Seeing more of Honoria’s personal life and goals before introducing the idea of moving to France would help this decision land. Still, “All Rise” earns this moment through a consistent representation of Honoria and her mother’s relationship. Honoria’s motivation is believable. Richard’s death creates an understandable new perspective. Plus, this episode looks at Honoria’s choice through the lens of Honoria and Conchita’s supportive sisterhood, and that works. If anything, it’s so successful that it makes it all the more unfortunate that this season doesn’t see more of their dynamic before “All Rise.”
It’s a bit of a letdown that the two characters only come closer together through their grief over Richard, but it makes plenty of sense. One of the episode’s greatest strengths is emphasizing that everyone grieves differently. Alisha Boe becomes the standout performer of “All Rise” in that evergreen messaging. Her performance is compelling and not only because The Buccaneers picks up a mind-boggling six weeks after her husband’s and the father of her child’s death.
Killing off the first main character in the series is big. It’s strange not to get to sit with the characters in the immediate aftermath of that loss. To make matters worse, “All Rise” reveals that Seadown is in jail through a headline. There’s no satisfying scene of seeing Seadown held accountable for fratricide, if not abuse. So, The Buccaneers makes a big development without delivering a proper payoff. All the while, “All Rise” has moments of this show at its best – Conchita reading Richard’s letter to Honoria about meeting his future wife. It’s beautiful work that sits with the characters and their relationships; this season needs more of that.
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What did you think of The Buccaneers Season 2, Episode 7, “All Rise?” Let us know in the comments below!
The Buccaneers streams new episodes every Wednesday on Apple TV+.
