S01.E08: Man On Fire

[AnimeMania]

(Series Finale)

Franklin faces a setback; Moses takes the stand; a verdict is read.

Original Airdate: May 22, 2022 on AMC+ and ALLBLK.
Airdate: May 29, 2022 on AMC.

[ratgirlagogo]

Okay.  Having seen the whole season I can say that this was just not very good.  Like a late 19th-century/early 20th century melodrama, with the  characters delivering long soliloquys from the witness stand, combined with 70's blaxploitation (one-dimensional good black characters fighting one-dimensional evil white characters , with a wish-fulfilling happy ending).   A cast of talented actors presenting this hokum as though it were a serious drama.  Woof.

Edited May 30, 2022 by ratgirlagogo

[Dowel Jones]

I'm not even a lawyer, and I could see that Franklin got lucky on the verdict.  Casting the verdict as good vs. evil doesn't always work with a jury.  Plus, he had strong evidence that the detective was lying about his firearm.  A quick check of the serial number on the courthouse .45 would likely have revealed its ownership not to be his, and the report that he used a .38 for qualifying shooting 3 months earlier makes him an outright liar.  Juries can be instructed to consider that when a witness lies, anything else they said can be considered a lie.  Boom goes the prosecution case.  I know he made a tape of the Chief yammering on about fixing the case; maybe that's up for next season.

Plus, the prosecution didn't do itself any favor by limiting the charge to premeditated murder.  I don't know about IL state law, but, if possible, they should have charged Moses with premeditated murder, 2nd degree murder, and manslaughter, so that if the jury failed to convict on the greater counts, they might still convict on the manslaughter count.   To my way of thinking, that would be correct, too.  He did kill the cop, if even by accident.