That was some murder trial.
New twists and evidence kept turning up on All Rise Season 3 Episode 5, making the jury and viewers wonder if Carl Brewer was guilty or innocent.
Even with the verdict in, that’s still the million-dollar question, and it will linger in the back of Luke’s and Mark’s minds in the upcoming weeks.
Before we delve into the trial, which was the bulk of the episode, let’s discuss Lola’s uneasiness about running into her college boyfriend, Andre.
Trouble and chaos always follow when Rachel comes to town, and this time was no different. She revealed that she was dating Lola’s college boyfriend, Andre, and she wanted to ensure Lola was cool with it.
Lola and Andre had more chemistry than Rachel and Andre did. She seemed so excited to see him.
However, I don’t want anything coming between Lola and Robin just because of the recent changes. Lola is lonely.
She’s stressed out at work and barely sees her husband and daughter. For once, Rachel was right. Lola needed a vacation.
It also seemed that Lola didn’t want anyone to have Andre, and that’s unfair to Rachel if she has a real shot at happiness.
When Luke revealed that Carl could have two DNA markers because of the bone marrow transplant, it threw a wrench into the trial. Luke knew they had limited time to find the donor.
Carl: He said he wanted to be anonymous. All this time, I thought God sent me an angel. Now it turns out my angel could be a killer.
Luke: Carl, the entire case is based on circumstantial evidence, and we have a reasonable explanation for all of it.
Carl acted cynically about the legal system, which made Luke feel sorry for him.
Carl believed he was screwed either way, regardless, especially if the donor is wealthy and gets a hotshot lawyer to free him.
Luke was realistic in knowing that Mark would work every angle and tried to get Carl to think of some credible witnesses, but Carl grew angrier and more frustrated.
Meanwhile, Mark worried he might set a murderer free, so he welcomed Tony Carver’s assistance.
Mark: I got to be honest with you. I’m running out of rocks to turn over.
Tony: Then we’ll find some boulders to move because if you set a murderer free, you’ll never forgive yourself. Trust me. It will haunt you for the rest of your life.
Mark didn’t want to make this case more of a three-ring circus, but he was desperate for a lead. It seemed suspicious that the donor lived in Carl Brewer’s neighborhood and mysteriously died in a fire two months ago. They can’t arrest him or clear him.
Mark finally got the smoking gun he needed for this gun. A woman admitted that Carl tried to kill her 16 years ago. She tried to escape when she saw rope in the back of his car, but he grabbed her and choked her.
All of a sudden, a car went by, and it startled him and he loosen his grip. That’s when I shoved him and I ran for my life.
Charlaine
Mark realized Brenda Fletcher also worked at a diner and had rope burns. He feared Carl had a type.
Unfortunately, Mark lost that one because Luke excelled in the cross-examination. He almost badgered the witness and revealed that Carl never drove a pale blue Chevy.
Poor Luke. He now said whatever Carl wanted him to win this case.
Mark was so sure that Carl was guilty that he dug up several cold cases and their similarities. Mark felt extra pressure since, as Lola mentioned, there is never enough justice for African American women.
This seems like a long arc for Mark; hopefully, justice will come.
Simultaneously, Emily felt lost with her first juvenile court case. Emily usually appears so confident in court that it seemed odd to see her out of her element.
Both her client and the judge called her out for objecting to every little thing and told her things were more relaxed in juvenile court.
Her teenage client, Gloria Hernandez, was seen entering the dog door of a house and committing a robbery. To make matters worse, she live-streamed the theft, so the judge had her dead to rights.
Emily seemed frustrated since her client didn’t care about bettering herself.
Emily: Well, if you’d like to throw away your life, that’s your choice.
Gloria: I’ll get nine months at probation camp. That’s not my life. You don’t have to be so dramatic about it.
Emily: There were people home., and you had a gun. You could get a lot longer.
Emily tried to support Gloria by expressing compassion that her parents had died. She knew Gloria was wise since the teenager kept correcting Emily about the juvenile court system.
However, Emily hoped they could use Gloria’s expertise for something else and tried to encourage her to fight for her future.
Gloria only cared about saving her little sister and not herself.
While this showed that the teenager wasn’t destructive and did show empathy, it still frustrated Emily.
When Emily got a reading from the psychic, she heard her destiny would be revealed soon. Since Luke appeared with her favorite cookie after, does that mean Luke and Emily are destined? Check out our interview with J Alex Brinson, where he discussed Lemily’s future and more.
The two of them commiserate over their complicated cases. Emily hated how she couldn’t get through to the teenager, while Luke hated that Carl felt that everyone let him down.
Make him believe in you by giving him back his freedom.
Emily
They both had the boost of confidence they needed, and Emily presented new evidence to the judge — that Gloria recorded the robbery to earn clicks and money for her younger sister to pay for ice rink time.
Figure Skating can be expensive, and she believed in her younger sister. Emily hoped the system would give Gloria another chance.
The verdict and cliffhanger scene shocked all of us. Both Mark and Luke presented superb closing arguments. Mark portrayed Carl as an angry killer with an erratic temper, while Luke countered the evidence was circumstantial.
The jury agreed with Luke and found Carl not guilty, but that was a huge mistake.
Mark was right. This guy was a scary manipulator and took advantage of a compassionate, eager defense attorney like Luke. When Carl recited Brenda’s favorite quote, I gasped.
Only Brenda’s family knew it. He had to have seen it on something, meaning there was a more significant chance he was the murderer, and Luke let a murderer go free. Will Luke admit he was wrong and help Mark catch a serial killer?
Over to you, All Risers Fanatics. Were you surprised that Carl was guilty? Will Mark nail Carl on a different crime?
How will seeing Andre again affect Lola’s marriage? 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.