Your Honor: Sins of the Father, Sins of the Son

Your Honor: Sins of the Father, Sins of the Son

The initial impact I get from every show involving judges and juries is that, somehow, the show will swing either one of two ways. On one end, I anticipate occasional justice and honor from our protagonists, doing what they do in order to preserve the law against those who seek to water it down for their own nefarious purposes. On the other end, I also occasionally expect these kinds of shows to go down paths of corruption, often through story-based justifications that don’t always feel well-earned. I won’t name names, but there are some pieces of media out there involving law corruption that attempt to do so without much in mind outside of the initial corruptive elements. Not every show can be a Better Call Saul, where the slow buildup of those negative elements of the law—coupled with stellar characters—keeps audiences on the edge of their seats. And while no underrated Breaking Bad spin-off, Showtime’s latest miniseries, Your Honor, offers a unique tale about family masked as a story about lawful corruption.

One year after the death of his mother, 17-year-old Adam Desiato goes to the spot where she was killed to place a framed photo of her and flowers at the site. His plans are interrupted when people—later revealed to be gang members who control this area of New Orleans—drive him out of the neighborhood and pursue him down the street. Things only get worse for Adam when, while reaching for his inhaler to ward off a coming asthma attack, he hits and kills a kid the same age as him. Adam flees the scene and confesses his crimes to his father, Michael, a famed judge in the city. Michael takes him down to the police station in order to sort things out through the legal system (something Adam is more than ready to commit himself to). Things take a turn, however, when Michael pieces together the identity of the teenager Adam killed: Rocco Baxter, son of Jimmy Baxter, leader of an organized crime syndicate in New Orleans. Despite Adam’s readiness to atone for his crimes, Michael refuses because of the fear he feels in knowing that Adam may be harmed by the Baxter family. And thus begins a ten-episode journey of secrets, betrayals, and subtlety as Michael does everything he can to ensure his son’s crime is not exposed to the world.

What makes this series so unique from other media that deals with crime coverups and secrets is that what Michael and Adam do is never displayed as right or just. Instead, the ways in which Michael does his best to upend any possible investigation into his son leads to disastrous consequences to participators and bystanders alike. The butterfly effect is Michael’s biggest enemy, with chance and circumstance following close behind. The subtle arcs of tragedy and human corruption found in the series feel almost Shakespearian. This is not to compare the works of Shakespeare directly to a television series made hundreds of years later, but elements of the series feel directly inspired by his works. There is always an undercurrent of every little action leading to a bigger consequence. It’s difficult to call all but a few characters “villains,” because to some degree—outside of one jarring exception—everyone’s decisions make sense in the context of what’s transpired.

Even so, I will admit there are a few hiccups every now and then, especially in the latter half of the season. Based on the background developments in later episodes, it feels as if the Covid-19 pandemic had a role to play in some very out-of-the-blue plot developments and directional decisions that transpired. For example, there is a cheating subplot utilized in the second to last episode that not only comes out of nowhere, but also resolves itself without any consequence to the plot. Given the strength of the writing up until that point, it feels as though Covid may have had a hand in dismantling the final plans for the series, which is a shame. The series remains strong throughout, yes, but there are still instances in its final episodes where it feels like it’s building up to something, only for there to be a resounding nothingness behind the curtain all along. Which is why my recommendation of this series comes with a warning: If you are here for the journey, you won’t be disappointed. But there are bumps in the road that sometimes rock the car a little too much.

Be that as it may, even strange decisions in the final few episodes were not ruinous thanks to the stellar acting of everyone in the cast. Bryan Cranston’s portrayal of Michael Desiato is unique and convincing, with every element of his on-screen time bolstered by his desperate attempts to ensure his son can return to normalcy. Speaking of which, Hunter Doohan, who portrays Adam, also does a great job at convincing me he was a teenager struggling with not only his upcoming changes in life as he leaves high school, but also with the guilt surrounding Rocco’s death and everything he tries to do to alleviate that guilt. Even if those decisions are ultimately negative. But for me, the show was always stolen by Michael Stuhbarg’s performance as the notorious Jimmy Baxter. Everything from his face to his words were incredibly expressive and eye-catching, with the grief and anger at losing a child present even in his eyes. His was an incredible, memorable performance that, alongside everyone else on the cast, bolstered even the most unconvincing of plot developments to new heights.

These elements also heavily relied on the great technical aspects of the show. The cinematography was some of the best I’ve seen on television in recent years. Long, drawn-out shots and scenes that emphasized stressful situations, building tension with the camera angles alone. Close-up shots on characters’ faces during times of crisis in order to emphasize the sheer danger of the situation. Coupled with, dark, melancholic strings whose baritone echoed in every tense scene created a symphonic sort of poetry expressed in the show’s ever-darkening face. Out of every part of the series, one of the most memorable elements was the music, always building up in ways that accentuated the tension and heightened the elements of the show involving the decay of the Desiatos.

Your Honor, while not perfect in every element, is a tense, slow burn of a show that delves into corruptive tragedy cleanly inspired by playwrights of old. If you’re interested in legal corruption and a story where every action and consequence hold value to the struggle of a father trying his best to protect his son, this is the show for you. The series can be found on Showtime, which you can get through Hulu, Amazon Prime, or just through a regular subscription. A must-watch for anyone interested in seeing just how far one man will go to bend the law he swore to protect for the sake of his family.