TV Review - For Life: Season 2

The first season of this series was one of my favorite TV shows of 2020. It was a fictionalized version of a true story. That story was about an African-American man who was falsely convicted of a crime and spent nine years in prison. While behind bars, he studied law until he got his degree and began practicing. The first season kept the protagonist in prison and focused on him trying to get his conviction overturned or find some way of getting out of incarceration. The first season was very much about prison culture and how the criminal justice system impacts inmates, as well as the families of inmates. It was a good continuum of great prison shows such as HBO's Oz (1997) or Netflix's Orange Is the New Black (2013).

It's not too much of a spoiler to say that this second season isn't about prison culture, but, in several ways, it's about life after prison. It's about life after a Black man gets out of jail, having been inside for a long time. It's not exactly like the second half of something like When They See Us (2019), which really shows the struggle that men of color have upon release. There is a struggle here, but, following the real-life events, the protagonist here has an advantage that most Black men lack. The protagonist here has a college degree and a wealthy benefactor to push him ahead. This series does so in order to pivot into another important issue, one that is still related to what the series is ultimately about, which is the criminal justice system as a whole. This second season though is less about the prison industrial complex, as it's more about Black Lives Matter.

Nicholas Pinnock (Counterpart and Marcella) stars as Aaron Wallace, a former nightclub owner who was falsely convicted of being a drug dealer and selling drugs that resulted in a girl's death. While in prison, he studied law and the beginning of this second season shows how he finally got out of prison. He is able to return home to his wife and teenage daughter who is pregnant. Aaron has to deal with having a parole officer who enforces a curfew and other strict rules. He also has to deal with the fact that he's been absent from his family for nearly a decade. It's not as easy as one might think to adjust to having to be a father and husband again. Aaron has some difficulty transitioning back into those roles and embracing those interpersonal relationships.

What complicates matters is how certain social circles have shifted for him. Before Aaron went to prison, he had a best friend named Darius, played by Brandon J. Dirden (The Americans and The Get Down). That relationship along with a lot of others prior to his incarceration fall away. Aaron instead has attachments to people whom he came to know while he was locked up. This includes a fellow inmate named Jamal Bishop, played by Dorian Missick (Tell Me a Story and Luke Cage). I wish this second season involved more of Jamal, especially since it was revealed at the end of the first season that Jamal was gay. I suspect that the third season might focus on Aaron's attempts to get Jamal out of prison. Otherwise, Jamal is sidelined this season to a degree that I don't like, but other people Aaron came to know in prison do take the forefront.

Indira Varma (Game of Thrones and Rome) co-stars as Safiya Masry, the warden of the prison where Aaron was incarcerated. She lost that job due to political issues and corruption that occurred above her head. However, she too has a legal degree and she chooses to become a lawyer. She ends up helping Aaron when he basically starts his own law firm. She too is gay or a lesbian, but that aspect of her personal life is downplayed this season. It was more presented in the first season, but it's incredible to see this side of her. She's more by the book and wanting to stay inside the lines. She clashes with Aaron though who wants to push boundaries in order to pursue justice.

She's also the most nervous when it comes to the coronavirus, and yes, this series does address directly the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in New York. I haven't been watching all of the TV shows that have been made, addressing the pandemic, but this one is certainly doing a good job of showing people taking it seriously and being responsible. Safiya is always conscientious about social distancing and putting on her mask when she's around someone whom she doesn't know. She and Aaron always talk about being tested for the virus before and after they go into certain situations. In a nod to the first season, they even do an episode where they go back to prison and look into how the local prison is dealing with coronavirus.

Joy Bryant (Ballers and Parenthood) also co-stars as Marie Wallace, the wife to Aaron. She works as a nurse, so when it comes to the coronavirus, her character is specifically impacted. The series doesn't shy away from that either. Obviously, the show was created before anyone knew about COVID-19, but now, the show leans into it and really shows us what a medical professional like Marie would experience and has to handle while on the job. Medical dramas are probably doing just as good, if not better, but seeing Marie deal with it anchors this show in a very emotional way, which makes it even better.

Timothy Busfield (The West Wing and Thirtysomething) plays Henry Roswell, a politician who's a former alcoholic. He helped Aaron get out of prison. He also becomes an invaluable part of Aaron's makeshift firm. He's the older white guy who is able to help navigate the politics and even the police with whom Aaron comes into conflict.

And, the show certainly has Aaron coming into conflict with police. We've seen several shows and even films in the past few years deal with the issue of Black Lives Matter and the killing of unarmed African-American men at the hands of law enforcement officers. Those shows and films have given us various perspectives and ways in and around the issue. CBS' The Red Line (2019) came at it from a higher socioeconomic point-of-view. The Obituary of Tunde Johnson (2020) came at it from a queer perspective. American Son (2019) and Seven Seconds (2018) came at it from a mother's point-of-view. See You Yesterday (2019) came at it from a science-fiction perspective. Blindspotting (2018) came at it from a bystander's point-of-view. This series comes at it from the perspective of a Black, male lawyer. It's slightly different but still just as compelling.

Rated TV-14.
Running Time: 1 hr.
Wednesdays at 10 PM on ABC.

Available on Hulu.