Plot: The drama at Reddick, Boseman, and Lockhart never stops, so as one high profile case winds down, another is always poised to take its place. Diane (Christine Baranski) continues to learn to cope of losing her retirement fund and returning to work, but she tries to find inner peace where she can, though the current political climate seems to keep her stress levels high. As if that wasn’t enough, all of the city’s lawyers find themselves in a dangerous environment when a series of attacks on attorneys begins to rock the community. This includes some close calls and scares for the lawyers of RBL, but their cases have to push on, so they have to deal with those fears even as they fight for their clients. The high profile cases on tap include police corruption, immigration issues, battles against ICE, and even a potential role in an impeachment attempt, which draws a lot of attention from within. Lucca (Cush Jumbo) also has to navigate the usual hurdles while preparing to become a mother, while the baby’s father tries to kickstart a potential political career.

Entertainment Value: This second season of The Good Fight continues the trend of superb performances, interesting narratives, and layered characters, while also opting to switch the core focus of the show. I noted in my review of the first season that the series had some obvious social and political agenda, but was able to emphasize the narratives and characters over those agendas. In this second set of episodes, The Good Drop goes all in with those agendas and in truth, obsesses over Donald Trump and even engages in some fantasy wish fulfillment elements. I have no issue with political stories or even obvious leanings in these shows, but it is beyond heavy handed in this case and does detract from the show. I still think some of the narratives are well written and there is a world of potential in the material, but it tends to obsess on Trump too often, at the expense of the rest of the show. I also disliked how the main narrative of the first season is all but abandoned here, shifting Rose Leslie to a small, supporting role and choosing less involved threads this time around. Even so, the writing is good when it doesn’t become so blunt and I appreciated the social/political elements when they weren’t overpowering the characters and stories.

While the constant Trump pandering can be tiresome, you can’t argue with the talent of cast of The Good Fight. A number of the prominent players return for this second season and while as I mentioned before, there is a focus shift, a good amount of time is devoted to keeping even smaller characters in the mix. I think that is one of the show’s best traits, as side threads or “b stories” lose little when compared to the main narratives, as the performances are terrific in all the stories. The depth of talent here is remarkable and I always enjoyed seeing which characters would be given a little extra spotlight from episode to episode. Christine Baranski is more or less the center of the show now, while Cush Jumbo and Rose Leslie find themselves (and their first season narrative) pushed to the back burner for the most part. I found Leslie to be one of the first season’s brightest stars, so I was let down by her lessened presence, but I was glad to see her pop up in many episodes, even in a diminished role. Sarah Steele is also great fun and she is around a lot in this season, which I appreciated. You can also see Delroy Lindo, Audra McDonald, Nyambi Nyambi, Gary Cole, and Andrea Martin, as well as a wealth of other talented performers.

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