S01.E11: The Joy From Oz

[Brian Cronin]

Quote

Amid holiday parties, Lola must defend herself before the Commission on Judicial Performance after a complaint is made against her. Also, Judge Lisa Benner enlists Sara, Emily and Luke in staging a 'Wizard of Oz' -themed mock trial for the children of Hall of Justice employees, in which Dorothy is on trial for killing the wicked witch.

Air Date: Dec 16, 2019

[Brian Cronin]

I thought it was strange that Lola thought that Judge Laski hated her. We didn't see anything like that before this point to suggest that, right? I liked that Laski turned out to like her, but I was just surprised to see him as being an assumed "Anti-Lola" judge by Sherri (who tends to know these things, ya know?).

I am also not thrilled with the continued hero-ification of Amy Quinn, but at least she's a good actress. I continue to be confused as heck at how they're handling Mark's love life, though. He has an off-screen girlfriend, they go to the effort of casting the role only to have them break up soon after? Such a mess. Also, why have Lola be married if we're never going to see her with her husband?

Anyhow, those were just my nitpicks. I liked the episode overall and I'm enjoying the show so far. The leads are all compelling and I love the supporting cast (Reggie Lee is especially great). 

Oh, one last nit to pick - was it just me or were the text messages Lola was receiving really hard to read? 

[Pepper the Cat]

4 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

I thought it was strange that Lola thought that Judge Laski hated her. We didn't see anything like that before this point to suggest that, right? I liked that Laski turned out to like her, but I was just surprised to see him as being an assumed "Anti-Lola" judge by Sherri (who tends to know these things, ya know?).

I am also not thrilled with the continued hero-ification of Amy Quinn, but at least she's a good actress. I continue to be confused as heck at how they're handling Mark's love life, though. He has an off-screen girlfriend, they go to the effort of casting the role only to have them break up soon after? Such a mess. Also, why have Lola be married if we're never going to see her with her husband?

Anyhow, those were just my nitpicks. I liked the episode overall and I'm enjoying the show so far. The leads are all compelling and I love the supporting cast (Reggie Lee is especially great). 

Oh, one last nit to pick - was it just me or were the text messages Lola was receiving really hard to read? 

Yes, the texts were hard to read. This is becoming a nitpick of mine. Greys does the same thing. 

[Empress1]

I thought the Wizard of Oz mock trial was absolutely adorable, and I was like "Yay!" when Luke revealed he'd aced his exams.

I was hoping Lindsay Mendez would sing.

6 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

I continue to be confused as heck at how they're handling Mark's love life, though. He has an off-screen girlfriend, they go to the effort of casting the role only to have them break up soon after? Such a mess. Also, why have Lola be married if we're never going to see her with her husband?

I don't understand this either. I suspect Mark is going to hook up with Amy, so why didn't they just do that from the start? Why not just have him be single? We saw the girlfriend, what, once?

Mark's toast was nice. I really love his and Lola's friendship.

Edited December 17, 2019 by Empress1

[Driad]

7 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

Oh, one last nit to pick - was it just me or were the text messages Lola was receiving really hard to read? 

Impossible for me to read, not having HD TV, 20/20 vision, or "pause."  I hope they didn't matter, but if they didn't, why show them?  "Sherlock" popped them out in nice readable letters.

[possibilities]

Agreed about the texts. I paused and was still struggling.

I think they give Lola and Mark partners to undercut the assumption that the two of them would hook up with each other. And then they keep them off-screen mostly, because it's cheaper than paying actors to show up on the regular, and they have enough workplace story without them.

Mark shouldn't hook up with Amy while she's his father's attorney, so I hope they don't go that route, but I agree they've been telegraphing his interest in her.

I think everyone assumed Laski hated Lola because he's a conservative and she's a liberal. What I don't understand is why the woman who was leading the complaint was against her so strongly. Surely it's not just because she lost a case? She was really harsh and played like a caricature villain, not a character. She didn't even make much of a case, just kind of spluttered.

I was glad the panel voted in favor of Lola, and not by a squeaker margin, but the whole thing was handled badly.

The Dorothy trial was much better.

I'm kind of bummed about Judge Benner maybe being trouble. I was liking her. Of course, one thing this show has done is hammer at the "just because there's a rumor doesn't mean it's true" idea, but they seemed to be trying to show Laski was a sensible person, so I've been thinking we're supposed to think he's got actual info and isn't acting on prejudice.

I'm interested to see what kind of a lawyer Luke will be, both his courtroom style and also whether he decides to be a defense attorney or if he becomes a prosecutor.

[Lady Calypso]

1 minute ago, possibilities said:

I think they give Lola and Mark partners to undercut the assumption that the two of them would hook up with each other. And then they keep them off-screen mostly, because it's cheaper than paying actors to show up on the regular, and they have enough workplace story without them.

Which is a real shame that they can't just be single AND best friends without the worry that they'll hook up. Because, we also know that people will expect them to hook up, even if both ARE taken. So, as it is, with Lola and Mark's significant others, they feel very...insignificant. 

I'd rather Mark was single so then, with them seeming to lead toward a Mark/Amy relationship, it doesn't feel as awkward as it does now that we keep getting reminded of Mark's girlfriend, whose name I can barely remember. I may not be a fan of Amy, but the actress is wonderful.

The whole hearing with Lola was decently done because the whole thing WAS a mess. I do think that Lola DOES tend to favour the defendants so I would not be opposed to her at least altering her approach a little bit. Not completely change to fit in the mold of what a judge should be, but also try to see both sides better. I liked this hearing because I do feel like Lola isn't completely right. I liked her scenes with Laski as well. 

I guess we'll be seeing some shady stuff with Lisa, which is a shame since I really like her.

The Dorothy case was well done...but man did Emily get on my nerves.

Luke passed his exam, which is great. I can't see which side he chooses. I'd love to see him lean toward being a prosecutor, just because it would be fun to see Emily and Luke occasionally pit off against one another. Plus, Luke gets along well with Mark so it would be fun to see them work together.

[possibilities]

Mark and his girlfriend broke up. They had a scene this episode where he's telling Lola all the details.

[illdoc]

2 hours ago, Driad said:

mpossible for me to read, not having HD TV, 20/20 vision, or "pause."  I hope they didn't matter, but if they didn't, why show them?  "Sherlock" popped them out in nice readable letters.

It's not just this show, or Grey's---it's all of them ("seen but unreadable" on Elementary, NCIS, Supernatural--pretty much every show these days) Also e-mails on computers and actual typewritten letters too! I feel that if they show me something like that, it's not important, since they make no effort to be certain it's legible. If it's important, please---pop-ups like on Sherlock, a voice-over of the reader reading it, another character saying "Did you get a text? What did it say?", a "close captioning" type thing (like if there were characters speaking a foreign language and they show the English translation), a close-up of the screen with the text/email/whatever--SOMETHING!!! I mean, when they show these things, it's like they are filming it from 3 feet away/at an angle, so it is impossible to read. I have a 42" TV and I never know what these things say. I barely got "staircase" (which I think was Lola's last text, and in all caps), but couldn't read who it was from. And don't even get me started on the "white letters, blue background" texts!

[Dowel Jones]

Whatever Sherri was drinking at the Christmas party, I want some.  Just to be able to carry a tune, for once.

5 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I thought the Wizard of Oz mock trial was absolutely adorable,

I hope all those kids have already seen the movie, because Lola the Great dropped a huge spoiler on her entrance.  Whattya mean, it was just a dream?  I can imagine the players getting way too much into their characters:  "Your honor, what proof does the prosecution have that the witch actually existed?  All we have is this fanciful story about her getting crushed by a house and then melting."  Surprise guest appearance by some little people as defense witnesses.  It might have been fun.

[WendyCR72]

My apologies for missing putting up the episode, but I see you took the initiative, which is appreciated! (I thought this was already over for the rest of the year!)

[tennisgurl]

I am thrilled that Lola not only won her case, and by a landslide too. It was very clear very quickly that this whole thing was based on a few people that have a grudge against Lola personally, and had nothing to do with her actually acting unethically or not within the confines of the law (especially letting jurors go from that case she took them on a field trip on, some of those people clearly were making opinions that had nothing to do with the case based on extenuating circumstances) and I am glad that the rest of the judges seemed to see that right away. I assume that everyone thought that Judge Laski would be hard on Lola because he is a conservative judge whole Lola is a liberal one, but as it turns out, he has no problem with Lola beyond disagreeing with her politics, and was just pulling a Boy Named Sue on her, pushing her to prove to everyone that she is clearly a good judge and that this whole thing is ridiculous. I liked their scene together near the end a lot, and advising Lola to play some politics is probably good advice for her in the long term. I do think that Lola can lean a bit towards the defense a bit too much, like in the case of the deceased car thief, but it does seem like a very human thing to want to do, and I hope that she takes this whole mess into consideration going further. 

The show got off to a bit of a shaky start, but I have ended up enjoying it quite a lot, even when the actual courtroom antics really strain my suspension of disbelief, even by TV court standards. The characters are all really likable and watching them trying to navigate the legal system to try and actually help people, but from different sides and angles, is a lot of fun. Its a bit like the late For The People, but without a super annoying lead character and a bit more comedy! 

The Wizard of Oz trail was really cute, but I kind of wanted to see the Lollipop Guild testify. Would they have to testify in song form?

So happy that Luke passed all of his tests! I kind of hope that he becomes a prosecutor, it could cause some interesting drama between Luke and Emily, and he and Mark can hang out! 

Seriously, what is the deal with that one lawyer rival of Lola's? She seems to really hate her, and not just based around professional jealousy, she seems to really, personally, loath her existence. She almost let a domestic terrorist out not long ago on shoddy evidence just to spite her!

Happy that we ended on a Mark and Lola conversation, their friendship continues to be a highlight of the show. 

[Dowel Jones]

2 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Seriously, what is the deal with that one lawyer rival of Lola's?

Coincidentally, a similar plot occurred over on Bull.  Of course, Bull won his confrontation.

[Brian Cronin]

Thanks, folks, for letting me know that the problem was not my eyesight!

The texts totally added to the plot, too, so it's weird that they made them next to impossible to read. 

[hookedontv]

I have really enjoyed this show so far. It's got it's ups and downs and requires some suspension in reality from time to time - but what show doesn't?

Agree with y'all about the texts as being unreadable. However, when Lola got a text from a strange number (as in, it didn't say "Mom" or "Mark") saying "meet me in the stairwell," sure as shit as being a sitting judge would I NOT go alone. That's just me - I watch a lot of Dateline and 48 Hour episodes! 

I don't know why Maggie (think that's her name) is so against Lola. But I have to admit - that actress will always be the Yadda Yadda Yadda Girl from Seinfeld. I can't unsee it! 

[mojito]

 I like the twist with Lisa. I'm hoping that she turns out to be the woman we see now but that we still remain suspicious of her. What a sport, making an appearance at the party.

In Lola's shoes, I, too, would've dreaded seeing Laski. He showed his disapproval of her in at least one previous episode.

I wanted to see more of the Dorothy Gale trial. Was the Scarecrow allowed to testify? It was proven that he didn't need a brain, and remember how he recited the math formula in the movie? Which witch was Dorothy accused of killing? If both, would this make her a serial killer? 

It's too bad that writers feel they can't have two single co-workers be friends. 

I'm glad that so far, the two roommates aren't having any problems.

I find myself enjoying this show more and more. 

[txhorns79]

On 12/19/2019 at 3:10 PM, mojito said:

I'm glad that so far, the two roommates aren't having any problems.

I was amazed at how nice of digs a court reporter and legal aid defense attorney were able to rent.  I know it's tv, but that would be a pretty expensive place.  And is it just me, or are they maybe setting something up with the court reporter and Judge Lisa? 

[Impish Dragon]

13 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I was amazed at how nice of digs a court reporter and legal aid defense attorney were able to rent.  I know it's tv, but that would be a pretty expensive place.  And is it just me, or are they maybe setting something up with the court reporter and Judge Lisa? 

I was wondering as the show progressed if they were going to set up the court report and the judge.  Then after Judge what's his name gave the warning to Lola, I wondered if they were setting up a sexual harassment story with the Judge.  It would be interesting to have the story be between two women since it's usually a male/female.   But it would have to be handled carefully. 

[incandescent]

On 12/17/2019 at 3:56 PM, Dowel Jones said:

Whatever Sherri was drinking at the Christmas party, I want some.  Just to be able to carry a tune, for once.

I don't think any amount of booze can turn a person into Tony award-winning calibre singer, lol.

[Driad]

If you're a bad singer, it may be more effective to give plenty of booze to the audience, to be the aural equivalent of "beer goggles" and make you sound good.

[Avabelle]

I loved this episode and seeing all the casT hang out outside of work. I really like this show. It’s excellent. I’m so happy that they don’t seem to be going there with Lola and Mark.