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The Review Geek
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
The Better Sister – Season 1 Episode 3 'Incoming Widow' Recap & Review
Episode 3 Episode 3 of The Better Sister begins with a flashback. The Macintoshes are upset with Ethan for taking a gun to school. It cuts back and forth between Adam scolding him and Ethan constantly checking on the gun at school. He is reported when a classmate spots the gun and Adam makes a donation to make it go away. At present, there are more articles on Ethan. Paparazzi have camped outside their NYC apartment. Catherine shows up and claims the board wants Chloe to step down. She suggests using the grief angle to solidify her position, claiming it is for the magazine's benefit. Chloe is convinced but Nicky scoffs at Catherine's attitude. She is more worried about Ethan and soon Chloe is alarmed as well, as the lawyer, Michelle, ghosts them. Nancy tells them where Ethan is being held and they both rush to see him. Michelle is with Ethan, pushing about the gun. She needs to have a defence as the prosecution will paint him as a violent man, capable of murder. They bond over how intense Chloe is as she keeps calling Michelle. Ethan reveals he ditched Kevin's drug deal on the night of the murder, as he didn't want to risk getting caught. Michelle brings him food and he has a flashback. Adam, Jake and Ethan stop at a food truck. Adam fatshames Ethan for his order but Jake defends him. At present, the cops learn the blood on the shoe is Ethan's. It possible came from the cut on his wrist. They also contact Bill who is elusive and insists that Gentry is clean. But he does refuse to share Adam's case files till they are subpoenaed. Nancy is annoyed and knows Bill will delete everything. Matt has another theory – Jake has several calls from an unknown number on the night of the murder. He tries to push for the love triangle angle but Nancy shuts it down. While leaving, Chloe finds Ethan's burner phone. She thinks it is Adam's and asks Nicky to switch it on while she drives. Nicky secretly spots an apologetic message to Kevin and deletes it. On top of that, Bill verifies that the odd taxi was for the client to explore NYC. However, he hides the fact that he didn't know about the meeting. He theorises with Jake that a rival firm was poaching Adam and Gentry. He sends Jake to find evidence at the beach house. Surprisingly, Jake is two-timing Bill as well. He tells someone that Bill has a different theory. Back to the sisters, a frustrated Chloe takes the bait as Nicky riles her up for fun. She is overwhelmed and breaks down as she worries for Ethan. She starts doubting him and Nicky comforts her, insisting that Ethan is innocent. Elsewhere, Jake meets Michelle and they judge the sister wives. Michelle can't get a read on Ethan and Jake defends him. He is also surprised that Nicky is in town and looks irked that the couple never told him much about her. We learn that Jake and Adam were close; they didn't fit into the NYC elite circle. But Jake enjoyed that world unlike Adam. Michelle also notices that he looks troubled. At the precinct, Nicky stays in the car and lets Chloe think it is a good idea. While looking for a smoke, Nicky finds the bloody knife. A flashback shows that it belongs to their dad. Once he shoots a rabbit, he orders Nicky to kill it. She is afraid and Chloe does it instead.. At present, Matt is lost in thought. Turns out Adam did set the alarm but it was deactivated. He hints that Ethan is not the only one who knew the code. Right then, Chloe barges in and orders them to pursue other angles involving the burner, the threats and the taxi. Nancy just scoffs at the entitlement. Suddenly, Ethan's pre-trial hearing is moved up. Before leaving, he confesses to Michelle that he was scared of the gun in the house and wanted to get rid of it. Nicky continues to be a pillar for Chloe as they head to the courthouse. The prosecution has a strong case and pulls the race and class card. Apparently, Ethan was also caught with weed and he paid his friend to take the fall. The prosecutor claims Ethan has the money to flee and the judge denies bail. Nicky finally breaks down and judges Chloe for acting fine. Nicky wants to take the fall but Michelle shoots down the idea. To make matters worse, only the legal guardian can see Ethan. Nicky is apologetic and requests that Michelle find a way for Chloe to see him. But Michelle has other plans. She claims the prosecution will poke into the family to judge Ethan's character. She needs to know what happened between Chloe, Nicky, Ethan and Adam, like the restraining order. It cuts to the sisters heading to the beach house. An upset Chloe goes for a run while Nicky starts cleaning the blood on the floor. A flashback shows Hank ranting to his wife, Sheila that Nicky is not right in the head. He calls Nicky selfish and stubborn. A young Nicky overhears and is hurt. At present, Nicky also cleans the knife. At the end of The Better Sister Episode 3, a car seems to follow Chloe. She confronts Jake for telling Michelle about the restraining order. He is apologetic and the fight goes out of her. She says she misses him and he holds her. The Episode Review The Better Sister Episode 3 puts a spin on the perfect family trope by making viewers the insiders while the rest of the characters are on the outside, hungering like vultures to get a glimpse of the real Macintoshes. It makes viewers second-guess their motives as the lawyers, the cops and the colleagues make up reasons to dig into the family's past, partly for their own morbid curiosity. And so far, Banks' Nicky is the star of the show with her mood swings, her trauma, her experiences and how despite everything, she genuinely cares for her family. By covering for her sister who has been nothing but awful to her, she proves to her father that she is not selfish. She tries to play the puppetmaster behind the scenes and help Ethan and Chloe. But since she is meant to be a messy and chaotic character, we are sure she is going to get entangled in her own web of lies. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
Associated Press
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Litigator and Author John Havas Unveils Gripping Legal Thriller Winning Benjamin-Finding Annie
MECHANICSBURG, PA, UNITED STATES, May 22, 2025 / / -- Acclaimed litigator and former U.S. Magistrate Judge John Havas announces the release of his thrilling new novel, Winning Benjamin-Finding Annie. This captivating legal drama combines courtroom battles, sports intrigue, and a heartfelt journey of loss and redemption. Elite county lawyer Halsey Taylor is renowned for his keen legal mind and unwavering determination. When he crosses paths with billionaire football team owner Benjamin Berman, who harbors an intense disdain for lawyers, their conflicts ignite a series of legal and personal battles. Halsey is still mourning the loss of his wife and children. He channels his pain into his work and passion for boxing, searching for meaning amidst his grief. At the same time, Benjamin's daughter, Annie Jones, dreams of attending law school, a path her father opposes due to his deep-seated prejudice against the legal profession. Determined to control Annie's future and keep her away from Halsey, Benjamin sets in motion a series of schemes that spiral out of control, testing the limits of loyalty, ambition, and redemption. The book is set against the backdrop of Pennsylvania's rolling farmlands and the high-stakes world of professional football, and keeps readers on the edge of their seats with gripping legal confrontations, boardroom power plays, and the raw intensity of the boxing ring. While Halsey fights for justice in the courtroom, Benjamin fights to preserve his control, leading to explosive confrontations and unexpected consequences that will change both men forever. Winning Benjamin-Finding Annie is now available through major booksellers. Get your copy now. About the Author John Havas brings an authoritative and authentic voice to the legal thriller genre, drawing from his distinguished career as a litigator and judge. An honor graduate of Penn State Dickinson Law, Havas has presided over high-profile cases, including class action litigation arising from the Three Mile Island nuclear incident. His expertise in simplifying complex legal matters shines through in Winning Benjamin-Finding Annie, offering readers an engaging and accessible look into high-stakes shareholder litigation and corporate maneuvering. John Havas Winning Benjamin Finding Annie email us here Visit us on social media: Instagram Facebook X Other Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
CNN
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Courtroom sketches of the Sean ‘Diddy' Combs trial are drawing quite a reaction
Not everyone is loving the sketches coming out of the latest high-profile legal drama. With cameras prohibited from the federal courtroom for the Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial, media outlets, including CNN, have employed courtroom sketch artists to illustrate the proceedings for the public. The sketches have sparked occasional criticism on social media for being cartoonish. The Law & Crime Network has even used AI to help dramatize the trial. Art Lien is a Baltimore-based courtroom sketch artist who has been in the business since the 1970s. He considers his profession more a form of journalism than art and said there are plenty of critics of both. 'Sometimes we don't do great drawings,' he told CNN. 'You're not working under the best conditions. And also, I will say that some of the sketch artists are not really that good.' Lien said he was actually fired from his first gig. 'I did such a terrible job, but it was really the materials I was bringing in. They weren't good for the courtroom,' he recalled. 'It was watercolors and they ran. I figured out the problem and I told them, 'Just let me go back and you don't have to pay me, but just let me' and they hired me back.' Having worked on several highly-publicized cases, including Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh's trial, Lien said his sketches have faced a fair amount of scrutiny over the years, like the ones he drew of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Rolling Stone magazine had put a photo of Tsarnaev on the cover and he 'looked kind of romantic,' the artist said. 'When I did my sketches of him in the courtroom that were not as flattering, I just got all this feedback from young women who had kind of fallen for Tsarnaev,' Lien recalled. Social media - with a never-ending scroll of video and photos - has conditioned the public to expect realistic images in real time. Sketches of celebrities with famous faces are subject to even more judgement. Cedric Hohnstadt is an illustrator, cartoonist and concept artist who has also worked for years as a courtroom sketch artist. He said the case for having cameras in courtrooms include the need for transparency, as well as the desire to 'increase the peoples' faith in the judiciary process and give them greater trust.' But he also understands why some trials aren't streamed or photographed. 'Cameras tend to emphasize what's dramatic rather than what's important. They're not always the same thing,' said Hohnstadt, who lives in Minnesota. 'You can have something sensational, but maybe isn't really directly related to the substance of the trial and the charges, that plays better in a video that gets shared and goes viral on social media.' 'Social media rewards a rush to judgment, and the whole point of a trial is to reserve judgment until you've heard both sides,' he added. Christine Cornell has been sketching the Combs trial for CNN. As she enjoys her 50th year as a courtroom artist, Cornell said she's become less concerned with what people on social media may think about her work. 'Diddy's mom said she liked my work,' Cornell added. 'She tapped me on the shoulder and she gave me a thumbs up and an okay sign.' Combs is just the most recent celebrity whose likeness she has tried to capture. Some of Cornell's past work includes NFL superstar Tom Brady's 'Deflategate' case and John Gotti's trial in which his underboss, Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano, flipped on the famous mobster. Cornell, who is based in New Jersey, has been capturing the action at trials for so long that she's seen all of the changes. 'It used to be news crews would wait for us outside and we'd tape it up against the wall or against the side of a news truck. and various stations would stand online to take their turn,' she told CNN. 'Then we got clever.' Because she had a husband who was a 'techie,' Cornell said, she was an early adopter of using her phone to take pictures of her sketches to send them electronically to her clients. What has not changed, Lien, Hohnstadt and Cornell all agreed, is the need to make sure you have a good vantage point in courtl. The time allotted also matters because it's more difficult to get an accurate sketch if the courtroom action is quick, they said. Most importantly, Hohnstadt emphasized, sketch artists act as surrogates for those who cannot attend. 'I try to portray what's happening as fairly as I can and look for things that are interesting or dramatic, but not in a way that editorializes or not in a way that takes away from the substance of what's really happening,' he said. 'Sometimes the most important stuff looks boring.'
CNN
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Courtroom sketches of the Sean ‘Diddy' Combs trial are drawing quite a reaction
Not everyone is loving the sketches coming out of the latest high-profile legal drama. With cameras prohibited from the federal courtroom for the Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial, media outlets, including CNN, have employed courtroom sketch artists to illustrate the proceedings for the public. The sketches have sparked occasional criticism on social media for being cartoonish. The Law & Crime Network has even used AI to help dramatize the trial. Art Lien is a Baltimore-based courtroom sketch artist who has been in the business since the 1970s. He considers his profession more a form of journalism than art and said there are plenty of critics of both. 'Sometimes we don't do great drawings,' he told CNN. 'You're not working under the best conditions. And also, I will say that some of the sketch artists are not really that good.' Lien said he was actually fired from his first gig. 'I did such a terrible job, but it was really the materials I was bringing in. They weren't good for the courtroom,' he recalled. 'It was watercolors and they ran. I figured out the problem and I told them, 'Just let me go back and you don't have to pay me, but just let me' and they hired me back.' Having worked on several highly-publicized cases, including Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh's trial, Lien said his sketches have faced a fair amount of scrutiny over the years, like the ones he drew of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Rolling Stone magazine had put a photo of Tsarnaev on the cover and he 'looked kind of romantic,' the artist said. 'When I did my sketches of him in the courtroom that were not as flattering, I just got all this feedback from young women who had kind of fallen for Tsarnaev,' Lien recalled. Social media - with a never-ending scroll of video and photos - has conditioned the public to expect realistic images in real time. Sketches of celebrities with famous faces are subject to even more judgement. Cedric Hohnstadt is an illustrator, cartoonist and concept artist who has also worked for years as a courtroom sketch artist. He said the case for having cameras in courtrooms include the need for transparency, as well as the desire to 'increase the peoples' faith in the judiciary process and give them greater trust.' But he also understands why some trials aren't streamed or photographed. 'Cameras tend to emphasize what's dramatic rather than what's important. They're not always the same thing,' said Hohnstadt, who lives in Minnesota. 'You can have something sensational, but maybe isn't really directly related to the substance of the trial and the charges, that plays better in a video that gets shared and goes viral on social media.' 'Social media rewards a rush to judgment, and the whole point of a trial is to reserve judgment until you've heard both sides,' he added. Christine Cornell has been sketching the Combs trial for CNN. As she enjoys her 50th year as a courtroom artist, Cornell said she's become less concerned with what people on social media may think about her work. 'Diddy's mom said she liked my work,' Cornell added. 'She tapped me on the shoulder and she gave me a thumbs up and an okay sign.' Combs is just the most recent celebrity whose likeness she has tried to capture. Some of Cornell's past work includes NFL superstar Tom Brady's 'Deflategate' case and John Gotti's trial in which his underboss, Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano, flipped on the famous mobster. Cornell, who is based in New Jersey, has been capturing the action at trials for so long that she's seen all of the changes. 'It used to be news crews would wait for us outside and we'd tape it up against the wall or against the side of a news truck. and various stations would stand online to take their turn,' she told CNN. 'Then we got clever.' Because she had a husband who was a 'techie,' Cornell said, she was an early adopter of using her phone to take pictures of her sketches to send them electronically to her clients. What has not changed, Lien, Hohnstadt and Cornell all agreed, is the need to make sure you have a good vantage point in courtl. The time allotted also matters because it's more difficult to get an accurate sketch if the courtroom action is quick, they said. Most importantly, Hohnstadt emphasized, sketch artists act as surrogates for those who cannot attend. 'I try to portray what's happening as fairly as I can and look for things that are interesting or dramatic, but not in a way that editorializes or not in a way that takes away from the substance of what's really happening,' he said. 'Sometimes the most important stuff looks boring.'
