REVIEW: ‘The Rainmaker’ Season 2 Episodes 1-2

Following a stellar premiere season, The Rainmaker, based on the novel by John Grisham and adapted for television by Jason Richman and Michael Seitzman, is back. Although the novel’s adaptation was completed at the end of season 1, The Rainmaker Season 2 Episodes 1-2 already show that it has plenty of gas left in the tank.

It’s been some time since rookie attorney Rudy Baylor (Milo Callaghan) defeated the courtroom legend Leo Drummond and put him behind bars. The high-profile “Great Benefit” case, which netted Rudy’s client an $82 million payday, also opened several doors for the young lawyer.

Between taking on a case for Nabisco and another firm trying to poach Rudy, he’s also learning in real time that not every case is the big one. In the midst of all that, he’s contacted by 12-year-old Victor (Asher De Land) from juvenile detention who’s asking for help.

Tom and Bruiser are in way over their heads in The Rainmaker Season 2 Episode 1-2.

After some digging, Rudy and the firm’s paralegal Deck Shifflet (P.J. Byrne) uncover a series of unsettling facts related to the nature of Victor’s incarceration. Worse yet, every time Rudy and Deck attempt to help Victor, a roadblock is put in their way.

Meanwhile, Rudy’s boss Jocelyn “Bruiser” Stone (Lana Parrilla) has history come knocking on her door. Her ex-husband, Tom Cassady (Austin Nichols), the coach of a local baseball feeder team, finds himself in legal trouble for throwing games for profit. Through the first two episodes, it becomes abundantly clear that both Tom and Bruiser are in way over their heads.

Sarah Plankmore (Madison Iseman), Rudy’s ex-girlfriend, is facing the fallout of losing the Great Benefit case to Rudy and being associated with Leo Drummond and his firm. After multiple law firms reject her, clearly avoiding her like the plague, Sarah is at rock bottom.

The Rainmaker Season 2 Episodes 1-2 begin an exciting new chapter for the legal drama.

That is, until high-profile attorney Amanda Vonn (Merle Dandridge) reaches out and offers her a freelance case to prove her worth. Sarah jumps at the opportunity, not understanding that the case will be heard opposite Rudy.

After Sarah investigates who her client really is, she holds Amanda’s feet to the fire. Amanda isn’t rattled but rather tells Sarah the uncomfortable truth that she only found her morals because they were waiting for her at rock bottom.

The Rainmaker Season 2 Episodes 1-2 begin an exciting new chapter for the legal drama. The biggest question was always going to be: “Can Season 2 live up to the novel adaptation from Season 1?” With new original stories being told from here on out, the characters have to be able to stand on their own without the ending already existing to work towards.

Fortunately, writers John Richman, Michael Seitzman, Caroline Quien, and Johnny Richardson seem to have a deep understanding of the characters they developed. Clearly, these are no longer John Grisham’s characters but something entirely new.

One of the biggest drawbacks of The Rainmaker Season 1 was the lack of variety. The entire season focused on Rudy’s big breakout case. By contrast, The Rainmaker Season 2, so far, seems to be setting up two major serialized stories, and it draws on the strength of every character to make that happen.

Lana Parrilla as Bruiser is just as perfect in her role in The Rainmaker Season 2 Episodes 1-2 as she was last year. Bruiser’s no-nonsense approach to life serves her well, and her encyclopedic knowledge of the law makes her a formidable opponent.

P.J. Byrne is the unexpected star of The Rainmaker Season 2 Episodes 1-2.

In The Rainmaker Season 2 Episodes 1-2, Milo Callaghan’s Rudy remains committed to fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves. Callaghan is the perfect blend of intense while also showcasing how green his character is.

The unexpected star of The Rainmaker Season 2, Episodes 1-2, is P.J. Byrne as Deck. In Season 1, Deck was nothing more than comic relief. He always had a snack in his hand and was consistently the butt of every bad joke made.

At the end of Season 1, Deck decides to go back to law school and finally pass the bar exam so he can become a full lawyer. It’s almost like a switch was flipped because Deck shows that he’s worth his salt every time he appears on screen.

The Rainmaker Season 2 Episodes 1-2 are so good that they may eclipse their phenomenal predecessor.

Yes, Deck is still a comedic character. He still stuffs his face every chance he gets and generally goes a little extra. And yet, Deck makes important contributions to the firm. He is the first to decipher Victor’s coded note to Rudy asking for help. He constantly fights for Victor in a way that perhaps no other adult ever has. This is not the same Deck Shifflet from The Rainmaker Season 1, and simultaneously, this is exactly the same Deck Shifflet.

The Rainmaker Season 2 is off to a fantastic start. Episodes 1-2 truly set the stage for new stories that raise the stakes, and they manage to do so without John Grisham’s source material to rely on. The real test will be whether The Rainmaker’s principal writers can recreate the magic of Season 1 or if it was a flash in the pan. The early indications are that The Rainmaker Season 2 is so good that it may eclipse its phenomenal predecessor.

The Rainmaker Season 2 is airing Friday nights on USA Network.