Oh, The Rainmaker.
You’re two episodes in, and you’ve already gone from David vs. Goliath courtroom drama to hold my beer, watch me ram a motel room with a car.
What even is this show right now? And more importantly, why am I enjoying every unhinged second of it?
Let’s start with Melvin Pritcher. Our guy went from crying over his mom’s grave to stocking up on syringes at a storage facility like he’s prepping for the post-apocalypse.
This man is either the most tragic character on TV right now, or the writers are trolling us with cartoon villain energy.
How does a guy who can barely breathe sprint through alleys and outsmart armed assassins? Do his oxygen tanks run on Red Bull?
And can we talk about the duo in the car? Vaper Lady and Ethan. She’s all suit-and-tie, gun ready, walking past Pritcher like she’s in a Bond movie, while he’s begging Siri to text his location as he’s tied to a tree.
Siri on my Mac let me know while watching that, no, she couldn’t do that (no kidding… technology is so fun 😆), but sure, Apple Watch hostage crisis, no problem. The absurdity level is chef’s kiss.
Meanwhile, Rudy and Deck are basically two bumbling Scooby-Doo extras crashing into the wrong side of every crime scene. Deck’s ordering pie while Rudy’s stressing about the bar exam.
Then they end up trapped under a wall when Pritcher decides to drive his car into a motel. Honestly, I almost respect Melvin’s flair for drama. Almost.
And then there’s the heart of the episode: the Donny Ray case. When Bruiser drops the bomb that his tox screen shows heroin in his system, it’s like — what? Did we really just dig up this poor man to make his grieving mother relive her worst nightmare?
Of course, Mrs. Black doesn’t believe it. Of course, Rudy doesn’t give up. And then Rudy of all people drops a legal Hail Mary in court with urine results he shouldn’t even have been holding. Was it reckless? Yep. Was it genius? Also yep.
The summary judgment gets denied, and suddenly Rudy Baylor is looking less like a lost puppy and more like a scrappy underdog worth betting on.
But my God, can we talk about the $250k offer? For a young man’s life? That’s it? Hospitals probably spend that on toilet paper every year. No wonder Mrs. Black told them to shove it.
And Rudy pulling out his own dead brother’s story to ground her in that moment? Oof. Right in the chest. I wasn’t ready for feelings between the murder-by-car hijinks and pie jokes, but here we are.
And let’s not gloss over the most deranged “legal research” scene I’ve ever seen on TV.
Rudy and Deck, two supposedly up-and-coming lawyers, decide the key to proving Donny Ray was clean is… ladling his urine out of a toilet.
Yes, you read that right. Toilet. Ladle. Evidence. I had to pause just to scream into the void. Imagine busting your ass through law school only to end up scooping piss into a Ziploc like it’s grandma’s soup leftovers.
How do you even explain that chain of custody to a judge? “Your Honor, Exhibit A was retrieved with the finest kitchenware available at Donny Ray’s apartment.” Are we watching a courtroom drama or a Jackass spinoff?
And yet, somehow, that insane moment gives Rudy the ammo to pull off his courtroom Hail Mary. When he cites case law and uses Mrs. Black’s affidavit alongside the pee test, even Bruiser — stone-cold Bruiser — has to admit she’s impressed.
Against all odds, Rudy actually saves the case from being tossed.
And then there’s Sarah. Sweet, conflicted, caught between two worlds, Sarah. She’s giving Rudy googly eyes one minute and reporting back to Leo the next. Girl, pick a side before someone gets killed (again).
And speaking of neighbors — Kelly. My God. Did we really need another abused woman subplot? Watching her stash cash and cover bruises while Rudy peeks through the blinds felt a little too Lifetime Movie of the Week.
Are we supposed to believe every woman in this story is under some kind of violent thumb? That’s not gritty — it’s exhausting.
By the end, Mrs. Black refuses to settle, Rudy earns Bruiser’s respect, and Leo is plotting like a Bond villain in the shadows. But here’s where it gets interesting: Leo tries to soften Bruiser with a line about offering money “out of respect for your father.”
Excuse me? Her father? That wasn’t a throwaway line.
If Leo Drummond is invoking family ties in the middle of a cutthroat negotiation, then there’s a deeper history at play. Did her father have power in the legal world? Was he connected to Drummond? Or is there some scandal we haven’t been clued in on yet?
Whatever it is, that breadcrumb wasn’t dropped by accident, and you just know it’s going to come back around later in the season.
Here’s what’s wild, though: for every eye-roll moment (like Deck asking if Bruiser’s perfume is “Just Boned, by Chanel”), there’s an equal and opposite punch of sincerity that actually lands.
The show dares to juggle campy crime antics, heartfelt family tragedy, and biting critiques of healthcare corruption all in the same hour. Should it work? No. Does it? Against all odds… yes.
So here’s my question for you: is The Rainmaker a courtroom thriller with social teeth, or is it slowly morphing into a high-camp fever dream where the villains monologue with oxygen tanks and the heroes win cases with illegal piss samples?
Maybe it’s both. And maybe that’s why I can’t look away.
But what about you? Were you cackling when Pritcher slammed his car into the motel? Did Rudy’s speech to Mrs. Black break you just a little? And be honest — how long before Sarah caves completely?
Rainmaker WTF Extras We Didn’t Even Mention (But Totally Should)
- Mrs. Black screaming across the table that Sarah is working for SATAN — capital letters absolutely required.
- Deck asking if Bruiser’s perfume is “Just Boned, by Chanel.” I mean… what?
- Bruiser negotiating with Nunley while straddling him in garters and stockings. Professional courtesy, indeed.
- Pritcher pulling the “It’s OK, I’m a nurse” line while literally murdering someone. Sir, that’s not how credentials work.
- Sarah saying Rudy can cite case law “like no one she ever met” — girl, that’s your bar for attraction?
- The $250k offer being treated like it was some magnanimous gesture instead of an insult wrapped in a manila folder.
- Bonus! Seriously. I really want to hang out with Deck, the character and the actor who plays him, PJ Byrne. He’s just too much fun.
If you’re still breathing after this wild ride, don’t stop here. We’re also covering Dexter: Resurrection, where the kills are cleaner but the morality is just as messy.
And if legal fireworks are your jam, our Rainmaker primer is packed with courtroom classics worth revisiting.
TV right now is chaos, and I don’t know about you, but I’m loving every messy bite.
You know what to do next. Let your freak flag fly in the comments below! Don’t let this craziness get away from you. Say something! I’m waiting…
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The post The Rainmaker Just Ladled Pee Out of a Toilet — and That Wasn’t Even the Craziest Part appeared first on TV Fanatic.
