Your Honor – A Master Class in Morality

The best show I’ve ever watched. Honestly, I had been putting this review off for about two months now because there was just so much that was amazing about this show.  Produced, directed, and starring Bryan Cranston, a judge’s son gets himself into a hit-and-run car accident where instead of turning to his judicial roots, Cranston’s character protects his son from both the blame and (over time) much more.

The miniseries Your Honor hits a lot of notes that usually are not played when it comes to television. First, the gritty setting of the show is terrific. It is set in New Orleans, a place known for its beaded necklaces and Marty Gra, and dives deep into the social constructs and corruption around it. In various scenes, we get to see the vast differences between the rich, middle class, and poor’s living conditions. Through this visual aspect, the viewer can easily make inferences about the characters based on their living situations.

Along with the great visual component that the show brings, its music perfectly sets the tone. Although set in New Orleans, almost all of the show has an eerie tense tone that makes you tremble in your seat as if something bizarre is about to happen. The music sets this tone accompanying overhead shots of the city. Richer neighborhoods have more upbeat music while the impoverished areas have solemn tones. At the end of each episode, a large plot point is revealed or a character has an epiphany and the music at the end gives you the feeling of needing more.

This show is easily binge watchable at times, yet gruesome and hard to watch at others. The most important piece that the show brings is memorable characters. Now, two months after the show’s conclusion, I can still remember the characters’ voices and the way they portrayed in their roles. At first, it may seem like many less significant characters are needlessly introduced, but all of them develop into pieces of a puzzle that you may (or may not) want to be solved. The conflicting viewpoints that could be made of the situation give a certain feeling of ambivalence for what is  morally right and wrong. Bryan Cranston’s character, Micheal Desiato, exhibits this juxtaposition between good and evil where his character goes through a dynamic change, while somehow upholding his inner values.

Although others on the internet point out one or two very minor plot holes, it is important to focus on how the show makes you feel instead of what it is. I find it interesting that a few parts of the show are left not fully explained or resolved as the viewer can make their judgments on the more important parts of the series. Its plot embeds so much symbolism and gives a truly shocking conclusion that I could talk about for hours on end. All of this said, Your Honor is a masterpiece that plays with the usually obvious and age old distinction between right and wrong, and makes us question our own morals.

You can watch Your Honor on Xfinity, Showtime, or Amazon Prime.