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Perry Mason

A peak TV noir with plenty of fedoras, palm trees, and shallow graves

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Photo: Vulture; Photo: Warner Brothers

The second season of Perry Mason is a testament to how satisfying it is when a second season successfully reshapes the raw materials of a promising but imperfect first season. Perry Mason’s season two, does this in some minor ways (Shea Whigham’s investigator character, Paul Strickland, has a better-defined emotional arc) and in some much more significant ones (a noir-style mystery that’s a better fit for the show’s “dark side of L.A.” vibe.) The clearest and most obvious improvement on the first season, though, is also the simplest. Perry Mason — the HBO show, but also the original TV series and the radio serial before it — is a story about a defense attorney. Wouldn’t you know it: Perry Mason gets a lot better when the man spends a lot of time in a courtroom! — Kathryn VanArendonk, “Perry Mason Has Solved the Case of Perry Mason”

  1. Episode 16 Chapter Sixteen
    Perry Mason Season-Finale Recap: See You Around … The Mason crew gets an unconventional win in the face of a corrupt system. It’s far from perfect, but it will have to do for now.
  2. Episode 7 Chapter Fifteen
    Perry Mason Recap: Today’s Newspaper Wraps Tomorrow’s Fish We finally know who our big baddie is as Perry Mason reveals the big picture in the season’s penultimate episode.
  3. Episode 6 Chapter Fourteen
    Perry Mason Recap: Putting the City on Edge An unlikely ally and a secret foe bring some serious heat to the case.
  4. Episode 5 Chapter Thirteen
    Perry Mason Recap: Putting The City On Edge The trial just started and it’s already back to the drawing board for Mason, Street, and Drake.
  5. Episode 4 Chapter Twelve
    Perry Mason Recap: Living a Life of Illusion Mason & Co. find themselves in a tight spot as stories keep changing and the plot thickens.
  6. Episode 3 Chapter Eleven
    Perry Mason Recap: We’ve Always Been From Here As the case heats up, Mason finds a literal smoking gun.
  7. Episode 2 Chapter Ten
    Perry Mason Recap: The Illusion of Vengeance Now that Mason’s a full-fledged lawyer, it’s a real treat when he gets back in his seedy PI bag.
  8. Episode 1 Chapter Nine
    Perry Mason Season-Premiere Recap: The Illusion of Justice Perry Mason gets his Saul Goodman on and finds himself on the “right” side of the law and the wrong side of justice.

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