Drama
The Rainmaker
This adaptation may lack the depth of its source material, but it isn’t a bad option if you’re itching for a new legal drama.
While some of her classmates are doing their Extended Project Qualifications on historical or philosophical events, Pip Fitz-Amobi decides to solve a town mystery.
Five years ago, Andie Bell, a local schoolgirl, disappeared. Bell’s boyfriend, Sal Singh, was thought guilty of murder after they found him dead—sending a confession text shortly before he presumably killed himself.
The only problem with this theory? Pip knew Bell and Singh and thought their relationship was a loving one. Plus, Singh was a good guy, and “good guys don’t kill people.” And on top of that, Bell’s body was never found.
So, Pip teams up with Sal’s brother, Ravi, to find the real murderer and clear Sal’s name.
But they’re going to discover some unfortunate truths about Bell and her friends along the way, truths that the real killer really doesn’t want them to know.
Watching the first episode, you might think the show, while emotionally charged, is largely free of most content issues. But, as Pip’s investigation unfolds, the show takes a dark turn, putting Pip and the viewer in several uncomfortable and dangerous situations.
A young Pip, whose friends make fun of her for being too much of a good person or a rule follower, attends an illicit and sexual rave (we briefly see and hear a couple engaging in sexual activity in a dark corner, though no nudity is shown), takes alcoholic shots, talks to drug dealers, breaks into people’s houses and just generally runs toward danger despite being blackmailed, threatened and stalked.
While Pip’s courage, motivation and persistence to find the truth are all admirable traits, we often see her ignore sound advice from her friends and from her co-investigator, Ravi, that is meant to keep her out of harm’s way.
An additional issue for families is that one female character is a lesbian, though this seems only briefly discussed.
As viewers follow Pip around town, we get a firsthand eye-and-ear to everything Pip sees and hears, including the violent, drug-ridden and sexually explicit acts and stories.
So maybe for many families, the mystery of Bell’s death is best left unsolved.
(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 letters@pluggedin.com, 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.)
Pip has decided to investigate the five-year-old case of Andie Bell. She begins by asking questions of those closest to Bell, and those who were with her on the night before she disappeared.
Unfortunately, some of those people aren’t so keen about talking about Bell or that night. Neither is Ravi Singh, whose brother, Sal, confessed to Bell’s murder before apparently killing himself. But that doesn’t stop Pip from recruiting him to help clear his brother’s name.
Along the way, Pip has flashbacks of the last time she saw Bell, seemingly hiding from Sal.
In the opening scene we see an inexplicable shot of Bell walking down the road, the back of her head bloody. We learn that Sal killed himself by taking pills.
In a flashback scene, Bell and Sal share a kiss. We see an Instagram post of a shirtless man.
Pip is tasked to be a distraction while her underage friends buy alcohol. Later, we find out Pip doesn’t drink, but then we see her drink several shots in exchange for answers from her interviewee.
We hear three f-words and one s-word. God’s name is misused 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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