Your Honor - Season 2

The second season of the solid Your Honor series returns, pitting respected judge Bryan Cranston against respected gangster Jimmy Baxter. The first season was a pleasant surprise, mixing courtroom drama, crime, family drama and gangsters and it all worked well together. The second is unfortunately a bit weaker as it strays from the original theme and felt a bit redundant as well, but it's still decent craftsmanship with fine actors, plenty of suspense and decent pacing. Bryan Cranston is coming out of prison and is a bit of a train wreck (it kind of sucks that he's not a judge anymore, so the court battles are missing). He wants to start a new life, but the FBI is after him and wants him to help take down Baxter's criminal organization. Again there's a lot of corruption between politicians and cops, and the two rival gangs are probably the best thing about season 2. Jimmy Baxter still has charisma to spare, and I enjoyed his acting and his lines a lot. I also enjoyed the other black drug gang, Desire. It's nicely tense, but unfortunately the gang war doesn't happen again (what I hoped for in the first season didn't come here either), so we don’t get much action. Occasionally someone gets shot or beaten up, but that's the end of it. I found the first half of the season a bit slower, but in the second half, once the cards are dealt, it's solid. Especially the final two episodes that deal with the trial are among the highlights. There was emotion, tension and density in the air. However, I could do without a third season, the creators have already pulled the best aces out of their sleeves and have little else to surprise. If you like crime dramas with gangsters, the second season will not be wasted time. 7/10. (29/03/2023)