Family Law Season 1 Episode 10 Review: Legacy
Legacy. Every parent dreams of creating something to pass down to their children.
Family Law Season 1 Episode 10 explored two different fathers, Bryan Beasley and Harry Svensson, and their relationships with their children. It asked whether nature vs. nurture was more critical in a controversial case.
As someone who studied psychology and was adopted, this was a fascinating debate to me. Children thrive and grow up to be similar to the parents that raised them.
Why are these DNA kits so popular? Bryan thought he and Nina would find more cousins, yet that kit only showed they weren’t related, leading to drama in the finale.
While Bryan Beasley has seemed over the top at times, he’s always shown love toward Nina and would do anything to keep her happy. Finding out the truth was pivotal.
I loved how Abby took charge of finding out the truth. From the beginning, she didn’t trust Dr. Doug or the stories he spun of an unreliable assistant 20 years ago. She used her gut instinct and got his takeout box tested for DNA.
Bryan and Nina are such happy, easy-going people that it was heartbreaking to see them fall apart that Dr. Doug was Nina’s biological father. Bryan fell apart so much that he annoyed Harry by crying continuously in his office.
Lucy: Poor Bryan. I could have sworn they were related. They are so much alike.
Abby: One point for nurture.
Harry: Yes, but nature always takes precedence over nurture.
Bryan felt like his life was ruined, mainly when Dr. Doug insinuated that his wife cheated on him to have a baby. Bryan couldn’t believe that reality.
My whole life was a lie!
Bryan
Since Harry’s arch-rival, Phil Sterling was defending Dr. Doug, Abby was more determined to find out the truth and nail them both. Dr. Doug displayed baby photos like other people hung achievement awards. They were like his creepy accomplishments.
This made Abby suspicious, and she wanted to lead a class action suit since she suspected he had done this to other women too. This case has taken a toll on Nina and Bryan, who don’t know how to act around each other. Nina isn’t sure he’s her dad anymore.
I share 50 percent of my DNA with my father, and trust me, what you and Bryan have is so much better.
Abby
After some convincing, Nina and Bryan agreed to be plaintiffs. Daniel made their case sound heartfelt with how Nina just found out, but Phil Sterling moved to dismiss it, saying Bryan was bitter his wife had an affair.
Don’t be quick to discount Daniel and Abby. They pulled a rabbit out of their hat, and the judge was displeased.
Perhaps I wasn’t clear, Your Honor. I don’t have them on me because the plaintiffs wanted to deliver them themselves.
Daniel
Many plaintiffs walked in, and then Abby showed more victims on screen. They hit the jackpot when Nina admitted she didn’t know who she could date because they might be related.
However, she broke down because she had a fantastic dad all her life, and now that belief was broken. Thankfully, both she and Bryan realized how much they meant to each other.
I don’t even know if I can call this awesome man Dad anymore. I don’t know if this really awesome man will be able to love me anymore.
Nina
While nurture reigned supreme in this case, Harry and Abby finally recognized that they were more alike than they thought and everyone, including Jerri, Daniel, and Lucy, knew it. Both were career-driven, stubborn, and could drive a hard bargain.
You’re more like Harry than Lucy, and I put together.
Daniel
Even though Harry hadn’t raised Abby, she was the fiercest and most passionate of his children in the courtroom. He was determined to keep her at the firm, but she drove an even harder bargain — a raise for her and a partnership for Daniel.
How will that affect things when Daniel learns his sister had to bargain for him? She didn’t want him to leave the firm and to have to work with some other jerk.
Abby: Are you leaving because of me or because of Harry?
Daniel: While working with you has been a career lowlight, it’s mostly because of Harry.
Abby: I’ll miss you.
Daniel: Really?
Abby: No, but at least you’re the dickhead I know and not some dickhead jr. Didn’t you think Harry would replace you?
Unfortunately, Abby also married someone like her dad. Frank was charming and had a wandering eye, which this time Nico caught on some incriminating texts.
Since her mom died as a child, Lucy has been craving connection. While she has a better relationship with Harry than her siblings, she wants her own family. In some ways, it made sense that when her dad disappointed her, she decided she and Maggie should have a baby.
With everything that happened with Nina and Bryan, Lucy worried she wouldn’t form the same connection with the baby that Maggie would from being pregnant for nine months and breastfeeding their child. She also craved an intimate relationship.
Needing connection was why Lucy probably got married too young, and then Maggie was always working, and Lucy became lonely. She craved connection since she was young, and a fling was uncomplicated.
She never counted on Asha spilling the beans to Maggie and leaving her. With nowhere else to go, she ended up at Abby’s and probably saved her since Abby almost drank because of her marital issues.
Family Law thrived when it focused on the dysfunctional relationships among the Svenssons. Harry had complicated relationships with each of his adult children, and we’ve only started to scratch the surface of the reasons why.
Family Law Season 1 featured Abby’s issues primarily, but we started learning more about Daniel and Lucy’s personal lives and what motivated them to make certain decisions. Hopefully, they’ll expand on that, too, in Season 2.
While current issues are important, the series thrived when it covered relatable topics such as Alzheimer’s Disease, adoption, or the hardships of motherhood versus vaccines, which most of us are tired of reading or watching media about.
We all relate to family issues, so when they covered them seriously, we empathized with the case or one of the Svenssons
Over to you, Family Law Fanatics. What was your favorite case so far? What would you like them to cover in Season 2?
Do you think either Lucy or Abby’s marriages can be saved? Comment below:
To catch up on the Svensson family drama during the hiatus, you can watch Family Law online via TV Fanatic.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
