The Lola coaster returned to the courtroom on its new home on OWN.
Judge Lola Carmichael fought hard to retain her seat on the bench on All Rise Season 3 Episode 1.
She had to prove to many conservative judges that she was the right woman for the job, which was challenging considering she oversaw Luke’s controversial case.
All Rise Season 3 will explore the motivations behind the characters’ decisions. That was certainly the case on the Season 3 premiere. While several characters contemplated new career decisions, most of the hour focused on Lola and Luke.
Lola has always tried creative strategies in the courtroom, which almost cost her the election. Corrine Cuthbert was more conservative and beating her, but Lola wasn’t giving up.
It looks like it’s going to be a long night, but we are not going anywhere!
Lola
We never heard how Corrine won the election or Lola got reinstated only hours later, but that will provide drama throughout the season.
While everyone seemed thrilled that Lola had returned, Judge Lisa Benner warned Lola to keep her antics under control. Apparently, new conservative judges were watching her. She had to show them that they had made the correct choice.
Things became complicated when she had to oversee a case where Luke was the public defender of a teenager who robbed a store and put a man in a coma.
Lola never got the easy cases. To make matters worse, Luke wanted leniency, and the DA Maggie Palmer wanted justice.
Since All Rise Season 2, Luke has exhibited a soft spot towards troubled youth. It was one of the main reasons he wanted to work in the public defender’s office.
This case broke his heart, especially when Luke learned his client, Miles, feared going to jail since his brothers might be separated.
Miles: Am I going to jail, Mr. Watkins? If I pulled into the system, then my brothers will get separated.
Luke: What about your foster mom?
Miles: She can’t them both. She’ll have to send one away. I promised that I would be the one to take care of them.
The foster system is rough, and he felt responsible for his brothers since their parents were dead. It was something that happens way too often, and while heartbreaking, it doesn’t excuse committing robbery or assault.
Luke spoke the truth. Miles wasn’t a hardened criminal. However, his mistake ended up costing a man his life.
Miles’ age became a controversy when the court learned the crime occurred on the night before his 18th birthday. Things became more complicated when Mr. Ornelas died from complications from the assault.
Now Lola had to make a hard decision –whether to try this young man in juvenile court or try him for murder as an adult.
Since Lola felt she was being watched, she couldn’t let any funny business happen in her court. That included not allowing either lawyer to harass a witness or have an ex-parte with a lawyer in chambers.
Even if Lola usually ran things more creatively, she was fair to both parties, so I’m unsure why Judge Marshall was surprised she wanted proof of Mile’s birth certificate.
To make matters worse, Sara advocated for Mr. Ornelas’s daughter Tricia, who wanted Miles to get the maximum sentence for killing her dad.
This court case tugged at my heartstrings. There was Tricia, left with no parents and wanting justice.
But then there was Miles, who had been living in foster care and was terrified of leaving his brothers and that no one had ever really loved them. Not having a stable environment makes teens do weird things.
Seeing Miles’ foster mom show up in court, embrace him, and reassure him was the unconditional love he needed. He never wanted to burden her, but knowing she would support him was enough to get him through the trial.
While Lola has always fought for justice, she seemed fatigued by the election and this case. Before in All Rise Season 2, Lola would never have contemplated taking a break because she was tired of fighting.
However, Lola seemed more vulnerable, and Robin is now around more to support her. The new Robin (Christian Keyes) had a great connection with Lola(Simone Missick) instantly. He had her back no matter what.
Robin: It’s okay, we’ve got options. Option A- you kick her ass in this judgeship race and back to our normal wonderful life.
Lola: and option B?
Robin: Take some time off for ourselves and our 18-month-old daughter. Maybe a change of scenery would do us some good.
Since there wouldn’t be a show without Lola, she continued the case by sending it to juvenile court since the actual assault took place minutes before Miles turned 18.
This case was hard on everyone, and Lola admitted she didn’t know if she could decide whether to send Miles to prison for 25 years or let him out when he’s an adult.
Now let’s discuss the changes that everyone made at work or in their love lives. Juge Lisa Benner was appointed to the Court of Appeals.
With her goodbye party, it makes us wonder if this was her exit from the series or an easier way for her to pop in for visits occasionally.
We hope to see more of her since Lola and Lisa always encouraged each other.
Now it’s time to show them what you showed me the last few years—why you won.
Lisa
Marg Helgenberger has booked a one-year contract for the upcoming Season of CSI: Vegas, so we’re unsure if there was a scheduling conflict.
Since Ness joined Amy and Rachel’s firm, she’s been used like cheap labor. She’s working on getting her law degree, but she wanted compensation since she’s been a valued assistant.
You have to give Ness credit. She’s feisty and goes after what she wanted. Her mentors were Sherri and Lola.
Obviously, suing the firm you are working for was not the brightest idea, but it got their attention.
Just as predicted, Rachel left Amy to clean up the mess. Hopefully, Ness will become a certified lawyer soon, and she and Amy can run the firm soon.
It’s a waiting game for the rest of our couples. Mark should have realized that when he proposed to a separated woman.
However, he was growing more impatient now that it had been six months.
It’s difficult not to emphasize with him.
However, Rachel left Amy a mess to clean up at the firm, so Amy wanted to fix her career before wedding planning. You have to respect that.
Luke also waited six months for Emily and only recently started dating someone, the snarky bailiff from 802 named Burke. It seemed she had it out for him initially, but she softened towards him throughout the case.
Looks like Mr. Watkins is the first person to break my rules. Let’s hear it for Mr. Watkins, everybody!
Baliff
Hopefully, Luke didn’t become a public defender to see more of Emily since she decided to practice holistic law and needed a break from these cases. She also seemed exhausted and overwhelmed.
We waited six months for Luke and Emily to reunite, yet it was awkward. How long will we have to wait for them to reunite for real? Is Burke a real obstacle?
At least Luke and Burke exhibited some playful chemistry, but Luke and Emily had a soulful connection. However, Luke can’t be expected to wait forever while Emily finds herself.
Over to you, All Risers Fanatics. Are you relieved Lola retained her seat?
Do you think Mark should take DA Choi’s former position? Chime in below in the comments.
Remember, if you missed an episode, you could watch All Rise online via TV Fanatic.
All Rise airs at 8/7c on Tuesdays on OWN.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.