For The People Season 1 Episode 4 Review: The Library Fountain
Paul Dailly
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Who knew Seth would blossom into one of the best characters on the show?
On For The People Season 1 Episode 4, Seth went to extreme measures to bring a CEO to justice for knowing about contaminating the water supply in his hometown.
It was an eye-opening case that gave Ben Rapaport a lot of time to shine. It was exciting to see Seth being so passionate about bringing Jack to justice.
Todd was horrid. He did not give a damn that Jack was a criminal. He only contacted Seth in the first place to try and get him on his side to let Jack off with a slap on the wrist.
Every scene with Todd was awkward because the character was too one-note to care about. Discrediting the witnesses in the courtroom was deplorable. They were being discredited for things that meant absolutely nothing to the case.
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That's why I clapped like hell when the secretary took the witness stand for her speech. I expected everyone to give her a standing ovation after it.
It was touch and go for a while, but all of this proved that Seth has what it takes to become one of the best lawyers out there.
All he needed was a case that he felt passionate about, and the support of everyone close to him. Yes, I'm surprised he turned to Allison so soon.
They still share feelings for each other, but they are best to remain friends for as long as they can. If they struggled to go against each other in one case, what hope do they have?
You don't mix business with pleasure, and for that reason, I hope they stay apart. For The People has already proven it's one of the most addictive legal dramas out there, so we don't need any of the relationship drama.
On top of that, Seth's mother seemed to like Seth away from Allison. It seemed more like she was worried that her son was not independent.
Jill's case was one of the most shocking to date. I was so sure Chloe had either dementia, or she was putting on an act to get less of a sentence.
Jill knew there was something else going on, and that's why she pushed the tests through to try and get a positive out of a big fat negative.
One thing that played on my mind after the episode was that if anyone else on the team had the case, what if they didn't fight to find out the truth about Chloe's CTE?
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Jill's big speech in the courtroom about Chloe being a casualty of the times resonated with me. Linking back to the past in the courtroom was a genius way to turn the tables.
But this case helped peel back the layers on Jill in a way that I never thought was possible. She was poised to be the character relegated to the side and popping and helping out here and there.
The big flaw with a lot of freshman series is that they struggle to flesh out the characters in a swift manner, but For The People is pulling it off in a way that benefits the pace of the show.
With that said, I don't see anything in the way of a romance forming for Kate and Leonard. They do say that opposites attract, but there's no chemistry with them.
Would it be too much to ask for to have them go the platonic route because their scenes are fun enough without the added complications that a relationship brings?
It's only a matter of time before one of them acts on those lingering feelings, but I don't see them working well in the long run.
"The Library Fountain" was another solid episode of this new ABC drama. It's moving at a brisk pace and tackling cases that are different enough from the other legal dramas on the air to keep it feeling fresh.
Other tidbits from the episode:
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All of the scenes with Tina and Nicholas were electric. Anna Deavere Smith really brought her A-game.
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It's harrowing to think that CTE is only diagnosed after an autopsy.
- Can we please have Kate and Allison going head-to-head in the courtroom?
What did you think of the two cases? Did Seth prove his worth in the courtroom? Do you want to see more of Jill?
Remember you can watch For The People online right here via TV Fanatic. Get caught up on all the action.
For the People continues Tuesdays on ABC.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
