SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for The Rainmaker Season 2, Episode 5.

There are some important legal developments in The Rainmaker Season 2, Episode 5. However, those are second to the emotional beats in “The Coral Sea.” What separates the USA drama from other legal thrillers is that heart, and this episode is a particularly great example of it.

Now well into the season, the show has to start revealing major pieces of its ongoing puzzle. That includes the deaths of two supporting characters: Victor Suffredes’ ne’er do well stepfather Chuck Lawson, who’s killed off in the very first scene, and Tom Cassady’s wife Lynette, whose severed head is found in the very last scene. Neither character has a significant role to play in the overall plot, so their deaths don’t come as huge shocks, but they do raise the stakes for the main characters. It’s jarring to see someone as tough as Bruiser Stone being understandably petrified at finding Lynette’s head in her purse. On top of that, the team’s class action lawsuit is certified and Victor is released from juvenile detention. Again, neither of these things are massive surprises—Victor needs to be released so he can interact with everyone else more, and if the class isn’t certified there would be no show—but they’re both important to move the story along.

What really drives “The Coral Sea” is the emotion in several performances, particularly that of Karen Bryson as Dot Black. Dot is the sort of emotional compass for everyone else; she agrees to settle the Great Benefit lawsuit for roughly an eighth of what she was awarded in Season 1, solely to help the firm afford to take on the Medford case. It’s an incredibly selfless gesture that encapsulates what The Rainmaker wants to be about, and the bond between Dot and Rudy Baylor continues to be the series’ most touching relationship. The chemistry between Bryson and Milo Callaghan is something special, and Dot is a great influence not only on Rudy, but on the whole crew.

Of course, Callaghan is spot-on when Rudy has his two emotional moments, first when he confronts Medford’s warden, and then in court when he has to explain his case in front of a judge. As Rudy goes, so goes The Rainmaker, and when he tells the warden that he’ll “rip you apart” on the stand, Callaghan delivers that line so emphatically that it causes genuine shivers. What makes Rudy a memorable character is his conviction, and Callaghan’s talent is his ability to make that conviction into something tangible.

Madison Iseman also has opportunities to show the more human side of Sarah Plankmore, even as “The Coral Sea” involves a lot of Sarah going back and forth between that and her would-be steely demeanor. Yet Iseman is at her best when Sarah’s true self shines through, such as the small, pleased smile that the camera sees (but Amanda Vonn doesn’t) when the judge certifies the class action. The scene between Sarah and Rudy in which they discuss Chuck’s fate is also memorable, because it’s almost like the characters turning back the clock to when they were an actual team. It remains to be seen how long The Rainmaker can pull off Sarah’s double act, but it’s still a far better arc for her than just being a flat-out antagonist again.

There’s a lot of action in “The Coral Sea,” from the two character deaths, to Victor being beaten up in custody, to Tom being assaulted for the second time, Plus, actor Libby Kay deserves a shoutout for just being a walking one-liner factory as Megan Grenier, Amanda’s right-hand woman who’s this season’s Brad Noonan. But while all of that’s fantastic dramatically, what resonates is the emotion that makes any of it matter. From Dot being both selfless and tremendously vulnerable, to Rudy continuing to lead with his heart, to Bruiser freaking out over that severed head, the characters keep The Rainmaker on track and fans in their seats.

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.