TRIAL & ERROR: LADY, KILLER S2E5&E6: A Twist To the Structure Leads To More Storytelling Opportunities

Trial & Error: Lady, Killer has been a fun ride so far, and offered a unique twist on the structure by solving its central case halfway through the season. A Change in the Team and New Case, Old Murder are both strong episodes with a focus on the friendships between its characters.

Exploring the Dynamics Between Characters

A Change in the Team focuses on Josh having to fire Dwayne from the team when he is the witness disproving their timeline. This creates a shift in the dynamic of the team, but not in the way other shows might have used this plot point. Firing Dwayne makes both Dwayne and Josh realize how much they care about each other, and how important it is for Anne, Dwayne, and Josh to work together.

I loved that Trial & Error did not use this to break apart the team even further, but rather to show how well they work together. Even when Dwayne was not a part of the team, Anne, Josh, and Dwayne still had nice moments together, which were not focused on animosity between the group. When moments did focus on the aftermath of Josh firing Dwayne, the focus stayed on the emotional impact of the change, instead of creating a divide between the characters.

Trial & Error is great at establishing plot and character development through small moments and quick jokes. In A Change in the Team, I especially loved the moment where Dwayne comes to visit Anne to ask how secret Santa will work now that he’s fired.

A Change in the Team brings its team back together at the end of the episode, and even though this scene shows that our team has solved the case, the fact they are together again is what I gravitated to in that final scene. It’s a joy to watch Josh, Anne, and Dwayne dance together and rejoice in solving another case and being back together. Sherri Shepherd, Nicholas D’Agosto, and Steven Boyer work so well together, and this episode does a wonderful job of establishing just how strong the bond is between Anne, Josh, and Dwayne.

In New Case, Old Murder, Anne, Josh, and Dwayne are back together, and their dynamic is stronger than ever. Anne and Dwayne create another board focused around whether or not Josh and Nina hooked up, which leads to Dwayne asking Josh to try on a condom to solve the case.

It doesn’t take long before the team is back together, working towards solving a reopened, yet connected case.

In New Case, Old Murder, the relationship dynamics between Josh and Carol Anne are given a little bit more focus. One thing I have really loved about this season is how the flirting between Nina and Josh hasn’t pushed Josh and Carol Anne’s banter to the side.

New Case, New Murder takes this to another level by having Josh try to salvage both relationships. Josh’s reactions to stressful and awkward moments come through in his interactions with Nina and Carol Anne. Nicholas D’Agosto does wonders with his moments of awkwardly trying to handle situations, and bringing in a new character to create more tension and embarrassing moments was a great way to keep this aspect of his personality even as he is becoming more relaxed with his friendships and more intimate relationships in East Peck.

Structural Twists Give Way For More Unique Storytelling

Having the case be solved by the end of episode 5 is an interesting twist, which allows Trial & Error to go in new and exciting directions. Trial & Error deciding to solve the case this early into the season, and especially in the way they did solve it, is why this show is so good and why it should go on for many more seasons, exploring different types of cases each season.

Kristin Chenoweth’s performance throughout the season has been leading up to the reveals in these episodes, and I am looking forward to seeing how her performance changes, and how it stays the same through the rest of the season. In A Change in the Team, her scenes with Josh stand out, especially the recurring mention of slapping gloves.

Trial & Error stands out with how well it blends plot reveals and moments of comedy, and this is very much true in an early scene in New Case, Old Murder. Chenoweth has given a remarkable performance all season, and her moment in this scene, which only utilizes her voice on a recording, is the perfect way to reveal new information in a funny and memorable way. Even though this scene does not show Lavinia, you can so easily picture her in this moment of singing her thoughts when she thinks she is alone.

A Darker Take on Workplace Comedy

Trial & Error utilizes its crime docu-series connections to showcase menacing scenes in a comedic light. Once the team has some proof on what really happened, Trial & Error has a few scenes of Lavinia asking Josh what he thinks happened and explaining moments in vivid detail. I love how this is Lavinia joking about what she assumes Josh is thinking, but it’s more of a confession on her part. Kristin Chenoweth’s delivery in this scene is wonderful. The mixture of overly serious tones and peppering the lines with laughter is wonderful, and brings out the perfect amount of comedy in a scene focused around how a murder was probably committed.

In a scene further along in New Case, Old Murder, Dwayne, after being shot by Lavinia with a bow and arrow, blows up a balloon with a hole in his lung. The scene is funny, yet also has Anne saying Dwayne is probably dying. It gets even funnier because it brings in Anne’s affliction of laughing at morbid moments, so she is laughing when she tells Dwayne he’s dying. Sherri Shepherd and Steven Boyer’s performances in this scene make it that much better. This will definitely be one of the moments that stays with me for a long time.

I laughed so much at this moment, yet also felt so sad for Dwayne, Anne, and Josh. In the moment, I didn’t think the shot from the bow and arrow would lead to anything long-lasting for the group, but while digesting the episode, my feelings towards the only recently reestablished team were in full force.

Conclusion

Trial & Error has given us two more fantastic episodes exploring the more personal side of its characters, while also exploring the darker aspects of its comedy. Trial & Error keeps the laughs coming in every episode, while also crafting a memorable crime story with well-written twists and turns. The ensemble is one of the best I’ve seen in recent memory. Trial & Error deserves a long life as a well-crafted sitcom centered around a strong ensemble.

Are you enjoying the second season of Trial & Error? Do you hope it gets picked up by another channel after NBC passed on season three? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Trial & Error airs Thursdays at 9:00pm on NBC.