REVIEW: ‘The Rainmaker’ Season 2 Episode 4 — “Numerosity”

Things are really heating up in The Rainmaker Season 2 Episode 4, “Numerosity.” As Rudy (Milo Callaghan) works to build a class-action lawsuit, his story collides with Amanda Vonn (Merle Dandridge) and Sarah (Madison Iseman) when it becomes clear that Amanda represents Harrowsgate, the Irish company that owns the Juvenile detention center.

After meeting with a group of parents whose kids were illegally incarcerated, Rudy still has no class for his class action. It’s revealed that one parent even made a deal with Amanda to disrupt Rudy’s meeting. He’s assured that his cooperation will get his child out of prison, but that he’ll have to be patient about it.

Meanwhile, Sarah continues playing double agent, meeting with Irish investigator Ronan Keane (Joshua Mceneaney) and Amanda in separate meetings. While pressing Ronan for more information and using it to leverage Amanda and gain her trust, Sarah is clearly looking out for herself first and foremost. And yet, it’s not entirely clear with whom she’s aligning herself.

Sarah is one of the real MVPs of The Rainmaker Season 2 Episode 4.

At the heart of The Rainmaker Season 2 Episode 4 is whether or not Rudy even has enough numbers to justify filing a class-action lawsuit in the first place. After forcing the issue in a meeting with the judge, Rudy is given until their next hearing to produce a list of at least 40 names. Amanda is suspicious about how Rudy got the names of the parents he met with in the first place and sends Sarah to figure it out.

After Sarah and Amanda’s assistant, Megan (Libby Kay), meet with an employee of the prison, they realize that Rudy must have gotten the list from his client, Victor (Asher De Land). This is a big problem because Victor is a minor, and asking him to procure a list of kids from inside his incarceration is wildly unethical.

Bruiser (Lana Parrilla) has even more twists and turns in her case with ex-husband Tom Cassady (Austin Nichols). When his pitcher, Boone (Liam O’Halloran), realizes that the allegations about Tom throwing games were true all along, he proves that he’s more than just a pretty face. He plays his part and says exactly what he needs to say to help Tom before marching over to his house to punch Tom in the face.

The case surrounding Bruiser and Tom in The Rainmaker Season 2 Episode 4 keeps things interesting.

Bruiser becomes aware of the evidence the prosecutor has, and it makes her realize something important: This has never been about Tom. With that, she heads to the TV station where his wife, Lynette, works to confront her and warn her that she better not leave her husband.

While initially looking flustered, Lynette’s response is one borne of determination, not fear. In her attempt to make the problem simply go away, The Rainmaker Season 2 Episode 4 ends with Lynette potentially setting in motion a chain of events with far-reaching consequences that a courtroom simply can’t solve.

The Rainmaker Season 2 Episode 4 continues the tradition of packing a ton of information and plot into just 45 minutes. And yet, it just works. It makes the episode feel action-packed despite being a legal drama. There’s so much going on both in and out of the courtroom that it leaves no time for boredom.

Even scenes that serve only to move the exposition forward in The Rainmaker Season 2 Episode 4 remain interesting from start to finish. From the anticipation of finding out whether Rudy will succeed or fail in front of the judge to trying to figure out exactly what Sarah is up to, there is both mystery and intrigue, and the pacing is nothing short of phenomenal.

Asher De Land as Victor doesn’t get much screen time in The Rainmaker Season 2 Episode 4, but his presence is deeply felt. He’s proving that age is but a number when it comes to talent; something he’s got in spades. His incredibly emotional performance before the judge is a necessary reminder that this kid represents more than just a case number or a dollar sign. His declaration from the stand that he needs Rudy makes the whole thing feel incredibly real.

Sarah is definitely the best-written character in The Rainmaker Season 2 Episode 4. She jumps through hoops for both the feds and Amanda, being tested by both in order to prove her loyalty. She also realizes, thanks to her conversation with Leo in the previous episode, that she has far more power than she initially thought.

The series continues to explore its characters in ways that keep things fresh and exciting.

Still, it’s not clear who she’s truly aligned with. The oddball investigator, Ronan, certainly holds the power to make future indictments go away, but Amanda may hold the key to restoring her credibility in the legal profession, so long as she doesn’t end up in jail.

While it wasn’t explored in The Rainmaker Season 2 Episode 4, there’s also Sarah’s father to consider. He’s overbearing, and Sarah seems to give him quite a wide berth to impose his will on her. It has to be part of the calculation in her decision-making, but weirdly, it makes everything feel less obvious.

The Rainmaker Season 2 continues to explore the characters first made by John Grisham beyond the scope of the novel that serves as the source material. The success the series continues to have should be commended, for it’s not often that a show can write new stories based on characters they didn’t create and understand those characters so deeply that it works this well. Still, week after week, The Rainmaker is making the case that it can be done and that the next episode isn’t just worth watching; it’s worth impatiently waiting for.

The Rainmaker Season 2 airs Friday nights on USA Network.

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