Summary
Jax returns to work, somewhat reluctantly, to defend a friend in a domestic violence case that quickly proves more complicated than it seemed — especially given Jax’s own internal and marital issues.
Jax is back in Season 2 of Reasonable Doubt, but to what extent she’s back is one of the key matters that need addressing in Episodes 1 & 2, titled “Can I Live?” and “Say Hello”.
Sure, there’s a new case, one that’s personal to Jax. But the criminal machinations run parallel to — and sometimes occupy much less focus than — the personal ones. Jax is traumatized from her experiences in the first season, her marriage with Lewis is on the rocks, and she’s not sure if she’s even ready to return to work.
We know, of course, that she’ll have little choice, both because everyone around her seems to expect her to and also because — all together now — not everything is as it seems in the seemingly open-and-shut case of a domestic abuse victim killing her abuser. But Jax’s internal struggle is a welcomely complex undercurrent to the typical whodunit plot.
Shanelle Tucker Killed Her Husband — But Was It Murder?
I said “whodunit” above, but I’d have been more accurate saying “whydunit”. The opening scene of Episode 1 makes it pretty clear that Shanelle Tucker killed her husband, JT, by clocking him on the head with a trophy. But why?
Her claim is that JT was a long-time abuser, which seems pretty clear-cut. In his latest bout of violence, he tried to strange Shanelle. She feared for her life and defended herself. Jax is perfectly happy to believe this at first, but it isn’t so simple as the two-part premiere progresses.
For one thing, JT was a famous athlete, so the media attention means prosecutors are keen to pin something on Shanelle. He was also very wealthy, which provides a motive for pre-meditated murder, especially since it becomes clear throughout these two episodes that Shanelle squirreled some of his fortune away.
“Can I Live?” and “Say Hello” make it clear that Season 2 of Reasonable Doubt rests on the mystery of whether Shanelle killed her husband in self-defense or murdered him. And yes, legally speaking, there is a difference.
Jax Is Struggling
Reasonable Doubt Season 2 Episode 1
Jax naturally feels obligated to help her friend in what she perceives to be an open-and-shut case. But despite being medically cleared to return to work, it’s clear she isn’t personally there yet. Lewis has been spending the night and sneaking off in the mornings — despite the kids having already figured this out for themselves — but they are struggling with intimacy. Given Jax’s driven, near-obsessive nature, her working again erects a giant roadblock in their relationship.
To allow her to focus on herself and her family, Jax enlists the help of Corey Cash (Morris Chestnut in the house) to take on Shanelle’s case while she operates in a more background role. Corey’s focus is on sufferers of domestic violence, making sure that victims to do not contribute to the alarming statistic of women wrongfully imprisoned for defending themselves again their abusers. But Corey and Jax quickly clash, especially as more details emerge that implicate Shanelle.
Domestic Violence Is A Prominent Theme
Through Shanelle’s predicament and Corey’s tendency to recite statistics, Episodes 1 & 2 of Reasonable Doubt Season 2 make it very clear that domestic violence — especially, perhaps even exclusively, male-on-female domestic violence — is a key theme. And this is obviously a vital theme, one that deserves to be treated with respect and nuance.
Thus far, we’ve only heard about Shanelle and JT’s relationship second-hand, not seen it for ourselves. This might happen in flashbacks, but it also might not, since the ambiguity is integral to the suspense of the plot. But the process of investigating the case allows the theme to be explored anyway, not just in terms of violence, but also how abusers tend to publicly present, how they control finances and deny their victim agency, and how difficult this kind of abuse can be to prove.
Improper treatment of a theme like this can be treacherous, so it’ll be interesting to see how it develops as the season progresses. Thus far, though, there’s a compelling core here supported by a nuanced focus on character, especially Jax’s interiority and her relationship with Lewis.
So, Jax is back, but for how long and in exactly what capacity remains to be seen.
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