#For Life Season 2 Episode 2 Review: Homecoming

For Aaron, life outside of prison won’t be easy or any less complicated.

We got a first glimpse of how Aaron is adapting after getting exonerated on For Life Season 2 Episode 2, and even though he’s free, he’s not.

But Aaron always finds a way to turn any situation around.

For Life isn’t pulling any punches in showing how difficult it is for someone trying to adjust to life after prison. It doesn’t matter that they exonerated Aaron, he’s still a man who spent a decade behind bars, and it leaves a long-lasting effect on him.

He has a new battle as far as getting his footing. While on the surface, it seems as though he’s jumping in and slipping into civilian life with ease, it’s the subtle things that suggest otherwise. I appreciate that subtlety.

He has nightmares about prison that affect his ability to sleep at times. Aaron’s flinch at the sound of a door slamming, reminiscent of when the bars shut, was heartbreaking.

It’s PTSD, straight up, and something tells me we’re only getting a taste of it. Aaron’s experiences and the effects are going to catch up to him at some point or another.

As infuriating as it is when anyone treats him as another felon or parolee, there are some experiences where how he got out of prison is irrelevant.

Aaron should look into some of the services for those trying to readjust. It’ll do more good than harm.

And here’s where Scottie, Aaron’s probation officer, could be of some use.

How do we feel about Scottie? His introduction was disconcerting. His boss assigned him Aaron’s case because of his race; it doesn’t matter what he said.

They also have Aaron marked as someone who could pose trouble. They know he’s responsible for Maskins stepping down, and it makes Aaron powerful and someone worthy of fear.

Spencer: What about the broader issues in the criminal justice system?

Aaron: I ain’t going to solve those.

Spencer: But we can put a dent in them.

But from the sounds of things, they’re not above tripping Aaron up however they can. It’s something we pretty much suspected would happen anyway.

The worst thing about Aaron being on probation is how easy it is for the powers that be to screw with him out of revenge. Way too many people would like to see Aaron back in prison.

But Scotty did call his boss out on this, and it’s hard to determine if he’ll be a friend or a foe here. On the one hand, his first meeting with Aaron was enough to turn you off.

Scotty is thorough and blunt, and it’s hard to know if he’s as interested in screwing Aaron over as others in his office or if he’s solely invested in doing his job and letting the chips fall where they may.

Scottie: You can’t fight me on everything.

Aaron: I won’t. Only on the things that matter to me.

He seems as though he’s capable of playing hardball, but he also has a laid-back demeanor. He warned Aaron off of associating with Jamal’s sister, Georgia, and her boyfriend, but he also gave up information that he knew helped Aaron out anyway.

Is he giving Aaron enough rope to hang himself, or does he have respect for Aaron and what he’s doing?

Are his suggestions to Aaron about finding a halfway house or programs to partake in genuine attempts at helping him, or is he an ass? Right now, it could go either way.

What’s interesting is that Scotty has the potential to be an asset for Aaron as he continues his legal work, and the possibility of that is fascinating.

Aaron can have a little team of people between Scotty, working with Henry, and his arrangement with Spencer.

Aaron’s hesitancy in accepting Spencer’s offer is understandable. He held a grudge against the man for his role in Aaron, losing ten years of his life to prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

He has no way of knowing if he is some prized pony for Spencer or not, and it’s true; Spencer looks horrible after Aaron’s exoneration.

Aaron wants to devote his time to get out many of the men he knew in prison. But it’s all pro-bono type of work, and he needs someone to bankroll all of that.

Spencer has the money; given everything that happened to his daughter and Aaron, he has a genuine interest in wanting to better a broken criminal justice system.

Can Aaron trust Spencer? I have no idea. Eventually, Aaron listened to Marie, and he negotiated the terms of his agreement, accepting the deal, but I’d love to know about the case Aaron had to take.

What’s the nature of the case, and is it something that could lead to trouble? Scotty didn’t approve it, so what if it bites him in the ass down the road? What if he made a deal with the devil?

For now, it’s the best option he had, but there’s always reason enough to be wary.

If it doesn’t work out, I would hate for it to get between him and Marie. It must’ve been difficult for Aaron to return home, and having Darius’ presence in the house.

The nosy neighbor commenting about Darius’ absence was a nuisance, and I loved the moment when Marie found Darius’ shoes in the trash.

Aaron was sleeping on the couch, something that Scotty noticed and had an opinion about, and Aaron and Marie were trying to find their rhythm together.

As parents and grandparents, they were adorable, and everything worked well. It was sweet when the two of them bonded over the lullaby they sang to Jasmine, and now little AJ.

And my goodness, Aaron holding his grandson and namesake for the first time was the most precious moment of the hour. Jasmine was elated to have her father back, and they settled into a familial routine with dinners and everything.

But it was harder for Aaron and Marie to connect at first. Marie needed to take her time, and he probably required a slower pace too.

Aaron: You know they were all cheering for me when I walked out?

Marie: No one has ever did what you did. You know that, right?

But Aaron shows that he’s accustom to doing things alone and operating as a lone wolf. His lack of communication with Marie was frustrating.

He got so lost in trying to help out Jamal’s sister that he wasn’t putting his priorities in order. He didn’t tell her about everything with Spencer, and he wouldn’t inform her about his thought process on it.

She gave him all the points as to why it was ideal for him to take the deal, and he was caught up in his feelings and didn’t want to listen. It led to their first fight since he got back, which didn’t take long at all.

The transition period is not going to be easy, and the series isn’t shying away from that.

Aaron is passionate and well-meaning, but he doesn’t always look at the bigger picture. He can’t see the forest through the trees, and he’s short-sighted. Marie helps him focus, and he needs that.

They work best when it’s together, and hopefully, over time, Aaron will recognize the value in that. He came around at the end, and they both shared a moment of squashing their beef, and then they made love.

Ugh, the Wallaces are everything.

It’s an ideal relationship compared to the ones Jamal’s sister, Georgia, gets herself into with abusers. Aaron hopes he can rely on her to help him get Jamal out of prison, but she’s a hot mess.

She was barely much help when he first encountered her, then she got arrested for drugs, and he had to get her out of jail and represent her in court.

Yo, you’re like a superhero in here, you know? Invisible man, Luke Cage, I can’t believe you’re not in here anymore.
Jamal

Georgia was a pain in the ass. Her charges were mostly bull, but she wouldn’t even do herself any favors. It was irritating as hell when she said she wouldn’t snitch on her abusive boyfriend Dirk, which is who the cops wanted, but she was OK pointing the cops in the direction of the teenager who gave her pills.

She didn’t want to ruin Dirk, the career felon who beats her, life, but she wanted to throw a teenager to the wolves. Of course, Aaron wasn’t going to let her do that.

Then the second Aaron tried to help her in court after he arranged a drug program for her to enroll in to save her ass, she was waving him off in front of the judge.

I gotta say I love the idea of us working full-time. I don’t think it’s selling out if that’s your concern.
Henry

Some people can’t be helped, and Georgia is one of them. She’s the reason Jamal is in prison now.

Jamal loves his sister, and he still thinks highly of her. You heard it in his voice when he spoke to Aaron on his contraband phone and talked about how smart she is.

However, Georgia is trouble. Aaron wants to do whatever it takes to get his brother out of prison, and I get that, but it’s going to be an upward battle.

What’s going to happen when Scotty finds out about all of this? He specifically told Aaron to stay away from Georgia.

Georgia aside, Aaron’s phone call with Jamal was another sweet moment. Their friendship is the absolute best, and it’s good to know we won’t have a shortage of Aaron and Jamal scenes.

Marie: Thank you, for hearing me. I’m sorry about last night. I’m just scared, Aaron. I don’t want to lose you.

Aaron: Oh, you won’t. Not ever.

Over to you, For Life Fanatics. What’s your take on Scotty? Should Aaron have accepted Spencer’s deal? Are you ‘shipping the Wallaces like Fed-Ex?

Hit the comments below! You can watch For Life online here via TV Fanatic.

Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.