Your Honor (Season 2), Episode 9: While Bryan Cranston has honed the craft of playing troubled souls, Michael Stuhlbarg has mastered the skill of finding a vulnerability in every character I’ve seen him play. Be it the compassionate father in Call Me by Your Name, a bloodthirsty cannibal from Bones and All, or a forever-bewildered professor from A Serious Man, he has an uncommon ability to find humanity in the tiniest crooks of his characters.
In the latest episode of ‘Your Honor,’ we see the same reflect through his performance. While it primarily focuses on the trial of Eugene Jones, it also shows characters breaking out of their comfort zones and taking some unorthodox steps. Let’s find out what happens in Your Honor’s Part Nineteen. Be aware that there are spoilers ahead.
Your Honor (Season 2), Episode 9 Recap:
The penultimate episode of Your Honor begins with Michael Desiato (Bryan Cranston) getting ready to meet Jimmy Baxter (Michael Stuhlbarg). While Fia (Lilli Kay) is about to leave with Elizabeth (Margo Martindale) for Adam’s murder trial, Michael stays back home. He reasons by saying that he isn’t allowed on the court premises. However, he is looking to get his deal with Olivia (Rosie Perez) sorted so that he can get rid of the nuisance.
Carmine (Mark Margolis) also heads to the court for this hearing with Gina (Hope Davis). He asks why Jimmy isn’t joining them. She says that she told him not to come. He does not accept her refusal to fulfill familial duties. But she refuses to see Jimmy as the head of the family since she finds him utterly incompetent. While they both want to see young Eugene Jones (Benjamin Flores Jr.) getting imprisoned for a long time, Lee Delamare (Carmen Ejogo) is hellbent on ensuring Eugene’s safety. She tells him to enter the court with dignity.
In the court, Charlie Figaro (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) joins Fia and Elizabeth. Fia sees Gina accompanied by Carmine, and feels a lump in her throat. Once Judge Doucet (Paul Schulze) arrives, Jark Rall (Damon Gupton) makes a case against Eugene to Jury based on factual evidence. Afterward, Lee makes a passionate Plea for Eugene for the jury to consider his age and all that he has been through before reaching a verdict.
Meanwhile, Michael arrives at Jimmy’s place and assures him that Fia is safe and sound. He then asks to have a private word with him. Jimmy asks Michael to join him for a ride. During their drive, Jimmy asks Michael if he can show any of Rocco’s recent photos. While showing a few of them, he tries to hide Olivia’s persistent texts. Eventually, they both get down at The Baxter District. Jimmy shares his pain related to Fia and his wish to keep her fond memories of Adam intact.
He then says that he has recently furloughed his security head, Frankie, and appointed Carlo in the same position. With the same initiative, he proposes Michael as a voice of reason and wisdom for his new business venture. Michael keeps refusing to have any part in any such sinful activities. However, Jimmy stresses the complete legitimacy of his new business.
Chris (Gavin ‘Chief’ Meredith), who destroyed the Buffa’s earlier, meets Lil Mo (Keith Machekanyanga) to bring him to his side of the fight. Since Lil Mo was also betrayed by Monique (Andrene Ward-Hammond) like him, Chris decides to use his feeling of betrayal. He says that ‘they’ are the ones who make their gang – Desire, what it is. Later, Lil Mo comes to meet Monique and shares his acquired wisdom of loyalty and betrayal related to Desire. He offers to join hands against those trying to bring Desire down.
In the court, Jarek brings Gina to the stand and asks for specific details related to the night of Adam’s murder. She confesses that the murderer wanted to kill Carlo but missed the bullet and ended up killing Adam. She then identifies Eugene as the killer. Lee then comes up to question her. She questions the legitimacy of Gina’s claims considering it was fairly dark when the incident occurred. She also asks why she did not even make an effort to save Carlo if he was about to get injured.
Then, Lee brings up a previous case to the discussion where Carlo was freed from a murder case. He was on trial for killing Kobi Jones. Gina accepts that Carlo killed Kobi but says it was self-defense. Lee questions why Carlo’s freedom was considered a reason for celebration in the first place. Gina fumbles to answer her queries and also makes the prosecution side weaker.
As a result, Jarek asks for permission to bring Michael to court for questioning. Lee tries to persuade the judge against it since she knows Michael can positively ID Eugene. Seeing them passionately fighting to have or not have Michael in the court, he asks both lawyers to present strong cases for their side of the argument and let him make an informed decision then.
Michael comes back to the Baxter house with Jimmy. He continues to reject the offer considering they are in business with the Calabri family. He distances himself, saying that Calbris are only associated with their capital, not their shady business. During all the time Michael had in prison to think about his life, he kept revisiting the time when Jimmy took him to the marina and put a gun to his head.
At the time, Michael could have accepted that he killed Rocco. So, Adam would have stayed off the hook for his entire life. But he did not do it, and the regret keeps haunting him to date. Now, he does not want another regret piled up. He questions whether the true test of a family is not loyalty but sacrifice. In the same chain of thought, he fears the sacrifices he will have to make if he joins the Baxter family. Jimmy continues to present himself as a non-threatening presence to persuade Michael to work for him. But Michael sees the omnipresent danger in being associated with the Baxter family.
Later, Michael gets a ride back home from Carlo. That’s when he asks the young man about his role in the organization. He tries to belittle Carlo’s position as a driver and makes him more honest about their trade. So eventually, Jimmy learns that Carlo will be involved in the illegitimate side of Jimmy’s business. He also shares how they will do business with the Calabris. Carlo does not see it, particularly as a crime, since they will only work as facilitators and have no direct connection to distribution. Before leaving, Michael gives Carlo sane advice saying that ignorance about his crime does not mean that the crime isn’t committed.
Meanwhile, Chris approaches Roderick (Mike Seal) as Desire 2.0 to make a new deal. He believes that Lil Mo is with him on this venture. But at the time of dealing, he realizes that he has been betrayed since Lil Mo forms an alliance with Monique. Roderick also remains satisfied since he is making a deal with the experienced party. Lil Mo, however, struggles to shoot Chris even after putting a gun to his head. So, Big Mo does this job for him and ends this chapter from their organization.
Your Honor (Season 2), Episode 9 Ending Explained:
Because of the court hearing, Fia goes through a whirlwind of emotions. She is upset that Jimmy did not share all the details about Kobi’s and Jones’ family death. She directly questions whether their family was involved in Jones’ family’s house burning into flames and asks for an honest answer. Jimmy gets moved by it since Fia threatens never to show her face if he does not share the truth. He confesses that there was a gas leak in that house, and it caused the fire. Fia reveals that a police officer is investigating the nitty-gritty of their criminal operations and will eventually get to them. She is worried for the family’s safety.
By that time, Michael meets Olivia to share the new revelations related to the Baxter family. He notes that she should follow Carlo’s next steps, who he thinks is onto something cruel. Then he requests to cut ties with this covert operation for her. She teases him, saying that he enjoyed the thrill of partaking in it. Right after he leaves, she gets a call from Mayor Figaro saying that Jimmy pulled out from his deal in Baxter district. It seems highly likely due to what he learned from Fia.
Meanwhile, Desire tries to go back to the way it was with Lil Mo and Big Mo being together. However, Monique’s partner, Janelle (Ciara Renée), cannot handle that side of her business and her personality. Monique advises her to accept all of herself, including her flaws because she worked hard to reach that level. But Janelle does not want to be associated with that Monique. So, she decides to leave her.
Back at Michael’s place, Lee suddenly storms in to ask him why he is testifying in court. He denies accepting any such request. So, she orders him to lie in court about Eugene killing Adam. Michael has seen the repercussions of lying and wants to be truthful henceforth. So, he requests to keep him away from the hearings. So it will be intriguing to see how he deals with this conundrum in the season finale (also the series finale).
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Your Honor (Season 2), Episode 9 Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes
Your Honor (Season 2), Episode 9 Cast: Bryan Cranston, Hope Davis, Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Where to watch Your Honor
