SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for The Rainmaker Season 2, Episode 3.
The Rainmaker Season 2, Episode 3 gets to everything USA viewers have been waiting for. “Chokepoint” is aptly titled as it pushes both heroes and villains into making drastic decisions. Fans will likely have strong opinions about at least one of those choices—as they should, because that’s what generates excitement.
Each of the series’ three plotlines gets equal screen time; this is the most balanced episode so far. The main plot is still the Victor Suffredes case, which continues to look more and more like it’s inspired by the PA Child Care scandal. Rudy Baylor decides to sit in Judge Halloran’s courtroom to see what he can learn, and the scene that follows is Rudy and The Rainmaker in a nutshell. Upset by Louie Palermo once again barely defending his client, Rudy decides to start giving both Louie and the kid’s mom unsolicited advice. Halloran promptly jails him for contempt of court and forces him to give an apology, but in so doing, lets Rudy know that he knows Rudy is Victor’s lawyer. It’s an ominous scene, but it also demonstrates why the audience should love Rudy Baylor, and actor Milo Callaghan is once again so good at playing Rudy’s earnest indignation.
The home team makes two major moves here: they prove that the documents signed by the incarcerated kids do not match the documents submitted to the court, and they decide to start a class action lawsuit representing all of those kids. Instead of Rudy taking on corporate America, now this is Rudy taking on the system, and doing it with his usual “swing for the fences” approach. The moment he and Deck bring up the class action idea, viewers can’t help but smile.
Speaking of baseball, naturally things get worse for Bruiser and Tom. Tom finds himself under increasing pressure to turn state’s evidence, and wants desperately to do so in order to protect sweet, naive Boone. But Bruiser can’t allow him to take the deal. It’s no surprise that she has to explain why he can’t do so; viewers knew that was going to come out eventually. And while “Gator” Jack Guidry still isn’t a very frightening villain—he seems like a Southern archetype more than a distinct character—it’s very interesting to see Bruiser so obviously on the back foot. Audiences are so used to her being in charge, and now she’s vulnerable.
But the most interesting part of “Chokepoint” is Sarah Plankmore’s story, for a number of reasons. Firstly, as USA’s promo already spoiled, it marks the return of John Slattery as Leo Drummond. The Rainmaker is a better show with Slattery in it. Sarah seeks out Leo to get his advice when she learns that the FBI aren’t just interested in him; they’ve got something on Amanda Vonn, too. The conversation between Leo and Sarah is telling about both of them. There’s something bittersweet when Leo tells Sarah that “there’s still hope for you,” as if he sees something in her that he didn’t somehow warp in Season 1. This exchange adds another layer to Leo and Sarah’s relationship beyond the fairly straightforward “evil boss” dynamic from before. It’s the episode’s second-best scene behind Rudy’s outburst, and hopefully Season 2 will have more of Slattery than just one guest appearance.
Yet Sarah gets the character arc she deserves in The Rainmaker Season 2, Episode 3. It would have been not only uninteresting, but disappointing to repeat her previous story of being tempted by a powerful attorney. Instead, Sarah convinces Amanda that she’ll be a double agent for her against the FBI and the Irish Garda—only for the show to reveal that she’s actually a triple agent. It’s exciting dramatically but also feels much better for Sarah. It shows more depth than just operating in her own self-interest, it’s going to challenge her in new ways, and it’s obviously going to have a major effect on her relationship with Rudy when they get back to court. It would be a big character-development step for both of them if they ended up working together again in some way, even if it’s just Sarah offering Rudy a piece of information later down the line.
One last but amusing note about this episode: part of the action takes place in Dublin, Ireland, as it’s revealed that Amanda represents an important figure in what’s suggested to be the Irish mob. That’s funny because USA’s behind the scenes clips have reminded viewers that The Rainmaker films in Ireland. So why not just incorporate Ireland and the Irish police into the on-screen plot? That’s a pretty canny move, and one that allows the creative team to take full advantage of their filming location. Yet when “Chokepoint” ends, there’s something about each of the storylines to be excited about, and that’s the mark of a great TV episode.
The Rainmaker airs Fridays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on USA. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Versant Media.
Article content is (c)2020-2026 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.
