SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for The Rainmaker Episode 8.

Episode 8 of The Rainmaker is a deeply unpleasant experience for all the characters, and it’s not great for the audience, either. As the USA show builds toward its conclusion—there are only two episodes left after this—it has become increasingly black and white. And that loss of the grey area makes it a tough pill to swallow.

Dot Black’s case against Great Benefit is still only in the trial preparation phase, so there’s not much legal drama in the episode. Most of the tension is personal, except for Sarah Plankmore‘s conversation with Great Benefit executive Wilfred Keeley, which is the most vulnerable conversation in the episode (and one of the best in the series). Keeley is honest with Sarah about why he covered up Melvin Pritcher’s crimes, and he pleads with her to get away from people like Leo Drummond. In turn, though, Sarah tries to convince Keeley that he’s not a terrible person. That scene plays in the grey where The Rainmaker has been so great. It’s a David and Goliath story, but it works best when the characters on both sides feel human.

Unfortunately, there’s a disturbing theme in the episode of women not being given their agency. Bruiser’s father, J. Lyman Stone, is released from prison and immediately asserts control over the firm without so much as a thank-you to his daughter. He negotiates a second settlement offer with Leo Drummond behind Bruiser’s back. Meanwhile, Sarah’s affair with Brad Noonan takes a violent turn when he chokes her—subsequently saying that he thought she was into rough sex before demeaning her. The Rainmaker has both Sarah and Bruiser stand up to their antagonists, but the fact that these situations exist at all in the story is infuriating. Perhaps the writers are trying to make a point about women in a male-dominated world, but surely there are better ways to do that then what’s seen here.

All of this simplifies the story down to the bad guys being really bad and the good guys being truly good. It’s a shame to see Brad make the complete heel turn; there is zero way to redeem his character or even give him any nuance after how he treats Sarah. But he had more story potential beyond being the right-hand henchman. The one surprise in the episode is that Jane Allyn, the former investigator for Tinley Britt, shows up to rescue Jackie Lemanczyk. It’s not Rudy or Bruiser who finds Jackie; it’s this enigmatic character whose part in the story looked like it was over. But other than that, the viewer knows where everyone stands, and might be feeling fed up with some of the players.

The Rainmaker Episode 8 ends with Rudy getting out from under J. Lyman’s thumb by resigning from the firm that just hired him back not so long ago. He somehow convinced Dot Black to fire the firm and sign with him directly, and now he’s leaving to represent her on his own. Bruiser, knowing exactly what the score is, then fires Deck Shifflet so Deck can work with Rudy. This sets up the confrontation that the whole show has been building toward: Leo Drummond vs. Rudy Baylor.

Of course this is where The Rainmaker was always heading, but it gets there in such a painful way. Relationships are broken, characters take sharp turns, and hopefully the two-part season finale brings back a little bit of hope—as well as a little more humanity. There’s still plenty that can be done in this show, if it wants to aim as high as Rudy does.

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.