Diksha Sundriyal
Showtime’s ‘Your Honor’ nears the end of its second season, raising the stakes for Michael Desiato. In trying to protect Fia and Baby Rocco, he agrees to spy for Olivia Delmont, but that comes with a price. The life of lies and deceit has caused him enough pain, and now, once again, he is forced into a situation that requires him to lie. He wants to do the right thing, but things are not so simple anymore. At the end of the episode, he faces another difficult decision, which can make or break a young life destroyed by his actions. Can another lie right all his wrongs? Let’s find out. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Your Honor Season 2 Episode 9 Recap
Refusing to plead guilty, even if it means a reduced prison sentence, Eugene fights for himself in court. The trial begins, and Lee points out to the jury that everyone speaking against Eugene has a personal reason to do so. She warns them that everyone is a liar, and is proven right when Gina Baxter takes the stand and lies that she saw Eugene pointing a gun at Carlo.
Instead of attending the trial, Michael visits Jimmy Baxter, who is planning his new project. Jimmy surprises him by asking him to join the family. He wants Michael to become his advisor. His history as a lawyer and a judge gives him the edge Jimmy needs going forward. It looks like Jimmy wants to forego his criminal side and go legit. Carlo, on the other hand, has other ideas. So, Michael decides to focus on him, considering him the loose thread that can unravel the entire Baxter family.
Meanwhile, Big Mo deals with the mutiny against her. She knows Chris orchestrated the attack on the club. He blames her for the death of his brother and decides that it’s time for someone else to take over. He invites Lil Mo to join him but is advised against the plan. Lil Mo warns him that Big Mo won’t go down so easily, and he is proven right when Big Mo makes her move and claims her rightful place as the head of Desire.
Your Honor Season 2 Episode 9 Ending: Will Michael Testify Against Eugene?
In ‘Your Honor,’ the line between what’s right and wrong and who’s good and evil has been blurred since its first episode. The characters often find themselves in situations that demand them to do illegal things. While their desire for power drives some, others do it in the name of morality or love. Still, lies have a way of circling back and doing more damage than they were intended to prevent. No one knows this better than Michael Desiato.
When Michael lied about Adam’s involvement in Rocco Baxter’s death, he did it to protect his son. He knew that Jimmy Baxter wouldn’t be satisfied with letting his son’s murderer rot in prison for the rest of their life. This lie led to the arrest of Kofi Jones, who was later murdered, proving Michael’s fears right. The lie to protect his son snowballed into the destruction of the entire Jones family, leaving behind Eugene, which came full circle when Eugene shot and killed Adam by mistake.
One could argue that Michael is responsible for ruining Eugene’s life. For Lee, this means Michael should take responsibility and help save him. He chose to stay away from the trial, which was good news for Lee and Eugene. Being a former judge and the father of the victim, his testimony would be taken to heart by the jury and would undoubtedly lead to Eugene spending the rest of his life in prison. In another situation, where his own hands were clean, Michael would have wanted the murderer of his son to pay for his actions. But things are not that simple.
On the first day of the trial, despite all odds stacked against them, Lee succeeds in turning the tide in her favor. She tears down Gina Baxter’s testimony and convinces the jury not to trust anyone so easily. The prosecutor thought that the case was open and shut and that they would have the results in their favor. But Lee proves to be an extremely competent opponent. So, to ensure the jury finds Eugene guilty, the prosecution wants to bring Michael on the stand.
Lee can sense their desperation, which convinces her that should Michael not testify, she will succeed in getting a “not guilty” verdict for Eugene. But when her hand is forced, she asks Michael to lie when he takes the stand. By now, Michael has been educated in the world’s ways and how one lie can destroy everything, even if it was supposed to save your world. He is hesitant about lying, so he doesn’t want to testify in the first place. Now, however, it seems inevitable.
Michael asks Lee to do whatever it takes to stop him from testifying because he confesses he won’t be able to lie. Lee scoffs at his hypocrisy. He lied when it was convenient for him but won’t do so when someone else’s life is on the line. On the other hand, Michael is scared of what string of events he might initiate by lying this time. He is already involved in another set of lies, though he has managed not to utter even a single one yet, to trick Jimmy Baxter or someone inside the Baxter family into implicating them. He doesn’t want to get involved in another one too.
Despite his wishes, Michael will have to face that impossible choice. The prosecution has decided to get his testimony in court because he is their last resort. So, no matter how much Lee wants, she won’t be able to stop it from happening. Once Michael is in court, he must decide the right thing in this case. Eugene is much like Adam, a teenager who will most likely not survive prison. Even if he does, he won’t have much of a life left when he comes out of it. The boy’s life is in Michael’s hands now, and he’ll have to put himself in the same shoes as he did when trying to protect Adam. He’ll have to decide whether to be right legally or morally.
