Spoilers ahead for So Help Me Todd Season 2, Episode 5, “End on a High Note.” Go find some of the good coffee and return once you’ve finished the episode!
In a little over two seasons, So Help Me Todd has delivered amazing laughs and some intriguing cases to fans, and while the dynamic mother/son duo of top-notch-lawyer Margaret Wright and ace investigator Todd Wright has solved a number of important mysteries so far, they are really starting to cook in both their personal and professional lives. But, from the looks of what happened in the fifth episode of Season 2 in the 2024 TV schedule, a big wrench might be about to be thrown into their lives soon.
Episode 5 of So Help Me Todd’s new season mostly revolved around Margaret and Todd taking on the case of Lyle’s mother, Jacqueline, a well-known opera diva played to perfection by black-ish star Jenifer Lewis (who sang at Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s celeb-filled holiday party in 2023). Jacqueline quickly became the prime suspect in the murder of a much lower-ranking singer, when what was supposed to be a prop knife used in a production slipped from Jacqueline’s hand and stabbed the woman to death.
Obviously, they were able to find the correct culprit and, in the middle of some family drama between Lyle and his mom, as well as Todd and his now-not-in-a-great-place sister Allison, saw Jacqueline set free. But, there are some things that have been brewing behind the scenes at the dear old law firm of Crest, Folding and Wright that are beginning to come to light and could mean trouble for Margaret and Todd.
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When the comedic legal series kicked off, Margaret and Todd were going through some major changes and had to deal with rough times. Todd had been living in the garage of his seemingly perfect doctor sister for about two years after having his investigator’s license revoked and nearly going to prison for crimes he didn’t commit. Margaret was constantly disappointed and confused by her son’s actions, and had to deal with her husband abandoning her to live in Iceland.
But, they’ve both been on the upswing in Season 2, with Todd getting his full investigator’s privileges back, moving into his own (very shabby) apartment, and starting a side business as a private detective, and Margaret finally being given a named partnership in the law firm she’s worked at for over 17 years. However, the new episode has made it clear that something is going on with a founding partner in the firm, Beverly Crest, who seems to be attempting to undermine Margaret’s newfound confidence and position.
In the Season 2 premiere on CBS, we saw how confused and disappointed law associate Susan (who just happens to be Todd’s ex of many years) was when she couldn’t seem to convince her mentor, Margaret, to at least put her name in the partner race at the firm and didn’t get a solid explanation for why she wouldn’t back her. Of course, it was because Margaret had just found out that the firm is actually in serious financial trouble, and she’s been put in charge of fixing it before the bottom drops out. The firm has no resources to promote Susan and give her a raise, which Margaret couldn’t tell her.
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When the enigmatic Beverly saw how dejected Susan was, she swooped in and began taking the younger attorney under her wing, and also sowing seeds of additional discontent between Susan and Margaret. This episode saw Beverly take Susan to Jacqueline’s opera performance and also get her all dolled up for the occasion, treating her to the ultra exclusive “patron’s reception” before the performance, which Beverly had taken Margaret to the year before!
Beverly has also gotten Susan on an important “40 under 40” list in Portland, and the newly-married lawyer even came right out and told Margaret that Beverly “has really been helping me” and noted that while Margaret talks a lot about mentorship, the founding partner “has really been doing it.”
Here’s the thing, I don’t know why Beverly seems to have turned on Margaret, but it could be very bad news for her and Todd, just when things were really going well for them. Margaret has already been branded “the grim reaper” by many of the employees who used to adore her, because she’s had to fire several people to try to keep the firm afloat. And, I’m guessing that people will be even angrier if they find out she kept Todd on (though she did slash his salary in half along with taking no pay herself for the first part of the year) while canning others.
Now, Susan is sort of against her, and if things don’t turn around soon, Margaret and Todd could be forced out of the firm, or worse. (Lyle’s new girlfriend, Alex, is spying on the firm. Is Beverly involved in that somehow?) This would see both of them having to regain their professional standing; Margaret after nearly two decades of fine work, and Todd after only starting to get back on his feet.
I’m not sure where all these machinations will leave our favorite attorney and detective, but I hope they get wind of the depth of the shenanigans soon, because this could be the biggest mystery they ever solve.
