SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers for The Rainmaker Episode 5.

At its halfway point, The Rainmaker is starting to get too comfortable. The USA show offers only one major surprise in Episode 5—and predictably, it comes in one of the very last scenes, to keep the audience engaged. But all is not lost, because there’s hope from the least likely character.

After Episode 4 drew the line in the sand between Rudy Baylor and Sarah Plankmore, Episode 5 leans into that contrast with everything it’s got. Scrappy underdog Rudy is falling on hard times while Sarah climbs higher up the ladder at Tinley Britt, which is exactly what the audience expects. It’s not shocking that Leo Drummond has his right-hand man Brad Noonan get close to Sarah because she’s “useful,” nor is it surprising that Sarah almost kisses Brad after they defeat Rudy at an important motion hearing.

On the flip side, it’s not surprising that Rudy insists on arguing said hearing—Bruiser points out to him how short-sighted that is, speaking for everyone watching at home—or that he misspeaks and makes a critical error. The stage is set for that earlier in the episode, when he says more than he should at a meeting with Dot Black before the hearing. The only “what now” moment comes when Bruiser fires Rudy for once again stepping out of line, after he goes to the police about Melvin Pritcher’s latest act of violence.

Obviously, he has to get back into the game somehow or the season would be short-lived, but there’s more suspense because fans already know from the series premiere that Bruiser’s firm was Rudy’s only option. So he really doesn’t have anywhere else to go, and thus How does he recover from this? is a perfectly valid question. The rest of the episode, though, down to Sarah smiling in satisfaction as she sits in the back of Leo’s car looking at a private jet, is easy to follow. It feels like there’s more room to explore these characters, especially with the talents of the cast.

The best example of this in Episode 4 is interestingly the character who’s been used the least—Brad, played by Wade Briggs. Up to and including this episode, he’s just been Leo Drummond’s “yes man” with not much of his own identity. Yet this could be a great time to flesh him out and ask any number of questions, or even put him more into a grey area. Why is he so loyal to Leo; is it just ambition? At some point, could Brad find a line he’s not interested in crossing? Will this psuedo-flirtation with Sarah become genuine and thus viewers will be privy to more about Brad through that? (If Rudy can get closer to Kelly Riker, there’s no reason Sarah can’t also have a personal subplot.)

The overall story that The Rainmaker wants to tell is now exceedingly clear. But between the added space of a TV show, the charisma of the cast and the sharp eye of Michael Seitzman, there’s no reason the next five episodes can’t add all kinds of layers and twists within that framework. Just look at Milo Callaghan‘s performance when Rudy sees Kelly in her hospital room; he plays that reaction perfectly, without saying a word. Rudy is naive and he’s sometimes not very bright, but he has tremendous room for growth. Sarah doesn’t have to be cast as a black and white villain now. Brad and even Leo can be explored further. The Rainmaker Episode 5 follows the plan—but the show doesn’t have to.

The Rainmaker airs Fridays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on USA. Photo Credit: Courtesy of USA.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.