Summary
It isn’t a surprise that The Rainmaker‘s ending revolves around Rudy getting his big win, but it nonetheless makes for a grand, satisfying payoff.
There are few things more satisfying than a legal drama that lets the good guys win. In the case of The Rainmaker, I don’t use the term “good guys” loosely. There hasn’t been any moral ambiguity here since the very beginning. We know what happened, who did it, and why. We know who we’re rooting for. The ending leverages this simplistic dynamic into a satisfying courtroom battle and a theatrical, deserved win for Rudy Baylor. Episode 10 even ladles on additional satisfaction in everyone, even those who try to wriggle out of it, getting the comeuppance they deserve.
Everyone, I suppose, except arguably Sarah. We can definitely infer what happened to Leo, and we get to see firsthand what the future holds for Brad Noonan. But aside from the embarrassment of defeat and the potential legal ramifications against her employer, I could have stood to see Sarah squirm a little bit more. Her arc into full mustache-twirling cartoon villainy is a big part of this finale, after all.
Melvin Takes the Stand
The court case that began in the previous episode reaches full throttle in this one, with Melvin taking the stand initially under some urging from Rudy. It’s a little weird to buy into Melvin’s quest for revenge against Tinley Britt, since he is genuinely a psychotic serial killer, but he didn’t kill his mother, and the law’s the law, so someone has to be held to account for that.
It occurred to me during this sequence that Melvin’s a weird character in general. He’s totally unthreatening in his demeanour. He outright admits to being a serial killer and to murdering Donny Ray, which helps Rudy’s case and to create the allure of a legit psycho, but there’s also a moment where Leo cross-examines him so intensely that he leaps over the stand and attacks him. It’s an unnecessarily funny sequence since Melvin’s a tiny dude flying through the air like a gremlin. Sometimes the danger someone presents is better implied.
Sarah Makes Noonan A Patsy
You’d think, as I have multiple times, that there’s too much evidence against Wilfred Keeley and Tinley Britt for there to be much tension in the case. And this is true to an extent, but The Rainmaker Episode 10 goes some way towards rectifying it by creating a coherent counter-argument – and more importantly, a patsy. Noonan plays right into Leo and Sarah’s hands. When the FBI approaches him with pretty compelling evidence, he agrees to wear a wire and try to trick Leo into a confession, but Leo figures him out so quickly that it plays as a comedic beat. In tipping his own hand, though, Noonan essentially offers himself up as a sacrifice. And Sarah doesn’t miss this opportunity. Even with Melvin’s confession, the germ of an idea starts forming in her mind, and it comes to fruition during her cross-examination of Keeley.
It seems like Keeley has been caught dead to rights. He’s the only person who had the master code to wipe the records from the machine that Melvin used to acquire his murderous medication, a code that was used to delete the evidence moments after Jackie alerted the hospital to her suspicions about Melvin. That’s open and shut. But Sarah makes sure the jury knows that Noonan was Wilfred’s point of contact at Tinley Britt, and that he also knew the code. It’s obvious what she’s getting at, and Wilfred quickly jumps on board.
The Verdict Is In
Rudy’s smartest play turns out to be the one that backfires most obviously in the moment. He has Leo take the stand as a witness. And Leo, a seasoned lawyer and true master of the game, makes him look foolish. There’s a nice moment here when Bruiser counsels Rudy to take some advice for once and leave the line of questioning alone; to admit defeat, in a sense, but only in this one battle, with the idea of still winning the war. And it works. Sure, Rudy has no further questions for Leo, preventing him from acquiring the smoking gun he was looking for – A Few Good Men this is not – but it also means that Leo is now disqualified from continuing as lead counsel. He’s confined to the gallery, and Sarah has to make the closing argument. You have to imagine that Bruiser knew this would be the case.
Sarah’s closing argument is fine, but it’s unnecessarily personal about Rudy, and the jury sees through it. Great Benefit Hospital Systems are found guilty of conspiracy. Dot Black is awarded a total of $82 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Wilfred is ruined, financially and reputationally. Noonan is caught trying to flee the country and ends up in prison – the same facility as Melvin, just as a final insult. And Leo is cornered by the police and the FBI, certainly facing some charges.
Sarah becomes the face of Tinley Britt, but for how long? She clawed her way to the top of the mountain, but at what cost? I can’t imagine the firm will survive the scandal of Leo and Noonan’s apprehension. But you never know. Maybe she’ll be the Big Bad in Season 2. And there should be a second season, I feel. The ending of The Rainmaker sets it up, with Rudy now owning Yogi’s bar while being the most sought-after lawyer in the state, and Deck preparing to resit the bar exam with Rudy’s brother’s lucky coin in his pocket. It’s all there. And you can never have too many solid legal dramas.
