Crime
Grosse Pointe Garden Society
The seemingly charming members of The Grosse Pointe Garden Society hide their involvement in a murder in NBC’s drama.
How far are you willing to go to save the life of your own son?
For Michael Desiato, a respected New Orleans judge, he will do anything. He will frame an innocent man, protect a guilty murderer, scrub away any evidence, let people die and, if it wasn’t clear yet, lie. And he spins a huge web of lies at that.
The first season of Your Honor was all about that web. As everything spirals out of control, Michael concentrates on what he still has: His son. He tells us explicitly that he doesn’t want to lie—but for the sake of his son, he will. Throughout Season One we see an image of a conflicted father living in fear and forced to lie or see his son dead.
[Spoiler Warning] But by the beginning of Season Two, we know that all of Michael’s duplicity was, ultimately, for naught. After the accidental death of his son, we see a man resigned to finally tell the truth and seek justice for his late son, and to also uncover the truth behind his late wife’s death.
In addition to Michael’s own inner conflict, problems are brewing on the streets of New Orleans between the Baxters, an organized crime family, and the Desire Gang.
Your Honor contains graphic violence, murder, suicide, infidelity, crime, drugs, drinking, blackmail, a fair amount of language and a lot of dishonesty. In addition, we find out in Season Two that Big Mo—the leader of the Desire Gang—is a lesbian, and she shares a kiss with another woman.
The show offers some spiritual asides, too. In Season One, a character (Fia Baxter, whose brother’s death sets the story in motion) questions her faith in a God who could let such a thing happen. She calls God “the all-powerful, narcissistic cynic,” and is unsure if He’s even there, much less if she loves Him. To appease her mother, Fia agrees to talk to a priest, who encourages her that God wants to have a relationship with her, even if she continues to find it difficult to believe in Him.
While the heart of the show puts truth on a pedestal, characters often seem to ignore that moral high ground, reaching instead for the much easier-to-grab lies. Even if you’re willing to wade through the moral ambiguities, with a fair amount of violence and some mature topics, this show would be something to watch without the kids.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
The second season shows Michael Desiato wasting away in prison. He is suicidal and must be force-fed a nutritional paste. Later he participates in the prison rodeo and is trampled by a bull. He is left spitting blood but alive.
Olivia Delmont, convinced that she can take down the Baxter crime ring, tries to convince Michael that he has more to live for despite his pain over losing his son.
In several flashbacks, we see the events following Adam’s fateful death in the last episode of Season One.
Young Eugene flees with the smoking gun, having missed his intended target. Carlo tries to hunt him down but is caught by the Desire Gang (of which Eugene is a part). Guns are fired but no one is injured. Big Mo of the Desire Gang cuts a deal with Jimmy Baxter, Carlo’s father and crime leader, to ensure the safety of Carlo and Eugene and avoid a larger conflict between the two crime rings.
Jimmy is courteous in his dealings believing that, “patience is not inaction and violence is not a demonstration of strength.” We see him cross himself at Adam’s funeral.
It is revealed that Delmont hid Michael’s confessions to give her more time to convict all the Baxters rather than just one.
Charlie Figaro, a politician and Adam’s godfather, lies to help his campaign. Michael, seemingly having learned his lesson, is noticeably one of the most honest characters.
We learn that Fia and Adam conceived a baby before Adam’s death.
We hear 13 f-words and three s-words. We also hear “b–ch” three times, “p—y,” “d–k” and “b–tard” once each, “a–” three times and “d–n” three times (twice paired with God). God’s name is misused four times.
Adam Desiato accidentally hits a 17-year-old on a motorcycle and watches him die. In a panic, Adam flees and only later tells his father, the honorable judge Michael Desiato.
Michael is shown to be a caring and trusted judge, looking out for the marginalized and condemning “liars of the vilest kind.”
When Michael returns home, he finds Adam traumatized, frantically trying to get rid of any evidence. Soon after, Adam tells his father the whole story. Michael gives Adam a hug and ensures him that he loves him, but that Adam must turn himself in.
That plan changes when Michael finds out that the young man Adam killed is Rocco, the son of the notorious Baxter crime family. Fearing for his son’s life, Michael decides that the two should keep it a secret, aware that the lie will be for the rest of their lives.
While the Baxters are said to be the leaders of a violent crime ring, they are shown to be a “normal” and loving family, and Rocco’s parents and siblings are truly devasted by their loss.
In the show’s first scene, we see Adam and his girlfriend, Frannie, kissing in bed, sheets covering their unclothed bodies. When Frannie gets up, her unclothed side profile is very briefly visible as she pulls on a dress. (We may glimpse part of her breast.) When Adam gets up, we see his unclothed backside before he pulls on his shorts.
In the courtroom, a witness says that he saw a woman insert a drug wrap inside herself.
The accident is gruesome and bloody. Rocco’s leg is disformed and he coughs up blood.
We hear three f-words, three s-words, and “d–n” once. God’s name is abused six times and “Jesus Christ” is used as an exclamation once.
Caleb Gottry is the Plugged In intern for Summer 2024. Caleb studies journalism with a minor in music at Texas Christian University, where he will be a junior in the fall. He loves playing with words, listening to and making music, and spending any spare time with friends or family.
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