With season 2 already underway, and my passion for the show reignited, I felt this would be as great a time as any to wax poetic about HBO’s adaptation of the ever-classic Perry Mason.

As you may have inferred from the title of this article, I’ll be examining the titular character, and discuss why this version of the character may not conform to popular conception, but ends up far more faithful to his roots in the novels by Erle Stanley Gardner.

In order to fully explore the context of his origins, we’ll need to take a long sojourn to days gone by…

100 years ago the United States was in the midst of a period called the “Roaring Twenties,” a period marked with excess, and eccentricities. This was the era of “Gatsby” and Flappers, and a looming threat of utter financial ruin.

This ruin came in the financial crash of October 29, 1929, a date that will live in infamy, as “Black Thursday.” Overnight, the good fortunes of the 20s led to one of the most significant economic declines ever.

Those not invested in the stock markets were affected in many ways, particularly in the form of unemployment. Hardworking individuals were forced to rely on soup kitchens and first-come first-serve labor opportunities that weren’t guaranteed for more than a day at a time.

Whenever hardship arrives, people need to find some form of escapism to make it through. For many, there was very little excess income to spend on entertainment. A trip to the “Talkies” would be too expensive, books these days were generally large hardcover tomes, and it was unlikely that most owned a radio of their own. So a new form of entertainment rose to prominence… the Pulp Novel!

So named for the cheap paper on which it was printed, these pulp novels were a quick and easy fix for anyone looking for entertainment. Available in many different genres, pulps could suit all interests.

By no means were these pulps the first of their kind, Dime novels having been a constant for the last 60 years, but it was the content of these stories that had changed.

While fantasy was still being produced by publishers, new genres and authors emerged, making a name for themselves, often being synonymous with the term ‘Pulp Fiction’. Most audiences were looking for stories that were relatable, something that could give them hope in what seemed like a hopeless world. Instead of Knights fighting dragons, they were looking for regular folk sticking it to criminals, and fighting for people just like them.

Each issue was cheap enough for most folks to pick up with their earnings, and still, have enough to get by. The books were small enough to carry with you to work, and they were long enough to last a few weeks until you could pick up the next. The authors were either single-handedly churning out two to three issues a month or working with a handful of others under a single pseudonym.

These pulps are responsible for shaping a huge portion of our society, in ways that most folks would not recognize at first glance. The best way to illustrate this (and tie it back to our man Mr. Mason) is to take a look at the characters.

Pulp characters had “bite” to say the least. In the past, heroes tended to be pretty clean and clear-cut, fighting for truth and justice with a spotless reputation. These paragons were precisely the sort of thing that seemed so unrealistic to the ‘Depression Era’ Audiences. The heroes of pulps would get their hands dirty, and would not often be opposed to the use of violence, or killing when it was done in the name of ‘justice’.

For example, A millionaire playboy hangs out in fancy clubs and engages in philanthropy by day, and fights crime in a cape seeking out Villains by night. Or what about a “Man of Bronze” with superior strength and speed almost to a SUPER-human degree? I’m not talking about THAT-Man or SUPER-guy, we’re talking about “The Shadow” and “Doc Savage!” These characters were first created for and starred in the various Pulp magazines published during this Era, before being completely and utterly ripped off in the Comic book era that began just a handful of years later.

Aside from the Superheroic figures of the above-mentioned characters, sat another breed of Pulp Hero, those that were far more “down to earth.” This is where we find the detective stories of writers like Dashiell Hammet, Raymond Chandler, and Erle Stanley Gardner. Gardner took his experience as a lawer, and his growing pulp skills to create his most famous character: Perry Mason, the Criminal Defense Lawyer who stops at nothing to prove the innocence of his clients… nothing!

When the name Perry Mason arises, you’re likely to think of the classic television adaptation of the character as portrayed by Raymond Burr. This version of the character was very much a departure from that of the original pulp novel, and it wasn’t the first time he’d been misinterpreted.

The Mason of the novels is a burly man, quick tempered and not above fisticuffs when the time arises. When it comes to working as an attorney, he has an “ends justify the means” approach. He engages in acts that would otherwise get him disbarred, including but not limited to: Obstruction of Justice, Evidence Tampering, and outright lying to Police or plying them with bribes. Like many pulps of the era, Mason’s brand of justice takes the perceived corruption of Police Departments and other Judicial offices into account, he’s not doing something underhanded… he’s “leveling the playing field.”

Following the publishing of the first novel “The Case of the Velvet Claws,” there was great interest in adapting the character for the silver screen.

In 1934, “The Case of the Howling Dog,” an adaptation of the 1934 novel of the same name was released. This film cleaned up the image of Mason, with far less of the “skullduggery” that his written counterpart had engaged in.

Casting Warren William in the role of Mason changed the tone of the character from the rough and tumble version of the novels, into a sophisticated and haughty interpretation. Things simply got worse as time went on. Fellow author Dashiell Hammet had his novel “The Thin Man” adapted to film as well. (I wholeheartedly suggest you check out the Thin Man series, the films are great!) Unfortunately, the success of this adaptation led the studio to change the portrayal of Mason in further films, leading to him becoming a drunk buffoon, and making Della his wife (Nick and Nora they ain’t!). This didn’t stop contemporary audiences, leading to 6 films that deviate so far from the novels that you could change the characters name and claim it to be it’s own property!

The success of the films spun off Radio shows based on the character, aligning closer to the film portrayal. Both Film and Radio spread quickly as the decade progressed and soon the most well known version of Mason was the clean cut and ethical counterpart.

Over time the novels depicted Mason with more positive traits, eventually more closely resembling that of later portrayals. It is possible that Gardner saw his contemporaries publishing more positive characters such as Agatha Christie’s “Hercule Poirot”, and stories by Ellery Queen. Additionally, these changes may have been made to tie the character closer to both the film and radio interpretations.

But recently… that all changed.

In the dark year of 2020, there came a brand new interpretation of the character, one that finally does justice to Gardner’s original vision of Perry Mason.

While we never saw much of Mason outside of his work and never learned much of his past, we get both in great measure in this series.

Los Angeles, 1932: A divorced, alcoholic, WWI veteran dishonorably discharged and suffering from PTSD, Perry Mason works as a Private investigator trying to earn money to keep his parent’s farm afloat. He regularly works for an attorney EB Jonathan, investigating cases for his firm. When a high-profile case comes along, Perry has to take the reigns, pass the bar, and become the legal representative of a client that seems all too guilty of causing her own child's murder.

Mason in both his function as a Private Investigator, and later an Attorney, engages in many of the same actions of his literary inspiration. He regularly trespasses, even tampers with evidence and has an illegal autopsy performed. It is clear that this Mason is not opposed to getting his hands dirty if it means the truth will come to light.

Over the course of the first season, we see him grow from a shell of a man, to one hell of a man, though it seems his journey may still be far from over.

The first season does it all and with panache. The incredible cinematography captures a period-accurate Los Angeles in all its glory. The Color grading shifts between warm and cool tones seamlessly. The soundtrack is composed and performed by the incredibly talented Terence Blanchard whose wailing trumpets provide the moody and sultry tones of the show, and whose compositions are at times ethereal and drive the intrigue. With a heavy focus on brass instruments, the aural landscape truly takes shape.

Each episode opens with a beautifully crafted title card, represented in the style of a 1930s film.

The cast is phenomenal, boasting several big name actors and actresses:

Many of the characters featured in the first season are familiar names to fans of nearly every adaptation of the franchise, but their portrayals in this adaptation are far different than they may have been previously.

Matthey Rhys is incredible as our titular hero. From crushing depression, to serious determination, we see a wide range for Rhys and Mason. As a viewer you can truly see the pain, and the exhaustion that Mason is experiencing both due to his own circumstances, and the further pressures he undergoes as the season progresses. Even in the darker moments, a little bit of smart-assery and gallows humour ties his whole portrayal together.

The second pillar of the classic Mason retinue is Della Street (Rylance) who here is portrayed as a strong and independent woman working for EB Jonathan. She is in a relationship with a younger woman, and has ambitions to become an attorney of her own one day. She is leagues more competent than earlier portrayals, and even outright hires a secretary at the start of season 2 to ensure she never gets stuck with a position as secretary. Rylance exudes the confident air that Della has always needed, and she displays a great range throughout the entire season.

Third comes Paul Drake (Chalk), who in the first season is still a beat cop working for the LAPD. Even as a member of law enforcement, he still bears witness to and experiences overt and aggressive racism from coworkers both inside and outside of the station. At one point he and his wife are vacated from a beach, and is not believed when he tells the other officers of his position. By the end of the first season he is in a very different position than any other version of the character, and it will be interesting to see where he goes. Chalk provides a powerful performance that is equal parts charming and resolute.

Finally comes the ever present Hamilton Burger (Kirk), traditionally the District Attorney. In this first season he holds the position of Assistant District Attorney, under Maynard Barnes. Barnes is representing the Opposition in Mason’s case, and following the events of the first season loses his position. For Season 2, Burger has now taken his place as DA. In the novels he is portrayed as an adversary on a regular basis, but has thus far not taken such a negative position. Kirk’s portrayal of Burger is that of a veteran trial lawyer who is secretly gay. To cover his relationship, and to help cover hers, Burger frequently attends public venues with Della Street. These same rendezvous also serve as moments where Della is able to collect additional information for her colleague. Kirk does a fantastic job with witty remarks, and may prove to be a force to be reckoned with in the future.

While overall there is not much in the vein of HBO’s excessive nudity (aside from the First Chapter’s thinly veiled interpretation of Fatty Arbuckle), the show mostly maintains a straightforward approach without relying much on sex appeal.

If you’re a fan of Noir, pulp fiction, or just looking for another “Peak TV” drama to check out, Perry Mason is an absolute MUST WATCH.

After some fallout from the events of the first season, we catch up to our cast of characters 6 months in the future. Mason and Co. have been working solely on Civil cases, and working for a local grocery owner.

When a local entrepreneur and philanthropist is found murdered, two suspects are “found” and rushed toward execution. When the family of the accused come to Perry Mason for help, he is initially dismissive; but when his own investigation turns up inconsistencies with the “official” reporting, he knows that he must prove their innocence before their unlawful and untimely demise.

Season 2 is Airing now on Monday Nights on HBO at 9 Eastern, with Episodes ready to stream through HBOMax (soon to be Max) simultaneously.

I’ll send you off with a tangentially related tune!