In the second episode of The Law According to Lidia Poet Season 3, Prosecutor Cantamessa confronts Grazia Fontana, whose face is marred by bruises. He presses for evidence of past domestic violence and mentions Dr. Tullio Munari from Genoa. However, once he escorts her to jail, he's already set his mind that she cold-bloodedly murdered her husband. This news reaches the journalists, and soon, all the newspapers echo Cantamessa's stance.
Lidia stops Mila, who tries to chase Grazia, revealing that she only wanted her parents to reconcile. This implies that Mila called her father in Turin. That night, a soldier arrests the painter, Luigi Castel, for dragging a dead body. Deputy Zanardelli warns Enrico to stay away and reasons that it would be a conflict of interest for him to defend Grazia. Instead, he wants Enrico to defend his friend, Castel, which angers Lidia.
The righteous Consuelo is outraged that no newspaper has mentioned that Grazia is a victim. She urges Jacopo to do the right thing and asks him to interview the doctor. Lidia asks Fourneau to take on Grazia's case as a prosecutor, as it would be better than going against a stranger. They come across Judge Davanzati, who looks down upon Fourneau for hanging out with Lidia. Fourneau suggests not being seen together in public, which frustrates Lidia.
Cantamessa takes Enrico and Lidia through Castel's case and, as usual, makes all assumptions that all defendants are guilty without following logic. The victim, Elio Storti, was Castel's lover and was shot in the back, with blood splattering his painting. Cantamessa claims that Castel framed the scene with a broken window.
Lidia tries to convince Enrico to take Grazia's case by helping him with Castel's case. She questions Castel, who claims he loved Elio but was afraid to report the murder as the cops would blame him. He found Elio after sunset and spent Easter with Elisabetta Ferri, who works for Count Belloni.
With Teresa's maternal instincts taking the lead, she takes Mila under her protective wing. Meanwhile, Jacopo returns to the fold, determined to better report on Grazia's case, which vexes Enrico. Lidia and Jacopo interview the doctor, who provides a favorable statement. Grazia's wrist was broken, and her body bore both old and new bruises when she visited him. Initially refusing to testify in court, he is humiliated by Lidia's emotional outburst, calling him vain. Embarrassed, he agrees to testify.
On their way out, Jacopo compliments Lidia on her persuasive powers, but she dismisses them as insignificant. He feels guilty, thinking she's referring to his inability to stop her from going to Rome. The conversation takes a turn as she reveals she's talking about Enrico. She calls Fourneau to vent about her regrets involving Grazia and shares the doctor's statement with him. He stops her, as he may use it against her. She's tired of not being able to talk to the one person who understands her.
Next, Lidia questions Elisabetta, who hates Castel. He left her after getting her pregnant and dropped by Easter to claim he wouldn't pay child support anymore. However, he only stayed for 10 minutes, which means he has no alibi between 4 and 10 pm. Enrico knows Lidia is trying to sway him and insists he doesn't need her help. He already has a suspect - an anonymous female writer who sent Elio passionate but dark letters, talking about bathing in blood.
Lieutenant Pietro Fontana arrives to take Mila into custody and blames Lidia for the murder. Mila is scared but Teresa reassures her that everything will be okay. Lidia feels helpless as Grazia reveals that Pietro is just as bad as his brother.
Lidia vividly recalls the conversations they had about their future aspirations. Grazia confidently predicted that Lidia would become a practicing lawyer, while she herself would marry a wealthy man and have children. Upon discovering the letters, Lidia enlists Jacopo to investigate, leading them to the Countess. Initially offended by the suspicion of murder, the Countess reveals that she was indeed the writer. Despite knowing that Elio was a gold digger, she loved him nonetheless. She provided him with a studio where he would paint fake artworks, as he was a skilled forger who concealed his signature to preserve his legacy.
Lidia blackmails Enrico with this revelation, unconcerned if it means an innocent man will rot in prison. Enrico ultimately gives up and agrees to defend Grazia. In exchange, Lidia shares her theory: Castel could no longer paint due to hand tremors and hired Elio to replace him. They were not lovers but Castel lied to protect his legacy. Someone mistook Elio for Castel and killed him. When confronted, Castel refuses to tell the truth, believing that artists are forgiven for all vices except plagiarism, and his legacy is all he has left. He falsely confesses and promises Enrico that Zanardelli won't mind after learning he is "gay."
Fourneau's article defending Grazia is published and inspiring. Enrico updates Grazia that Fontana has her skin tissue under his nails, suggesting abuse. Dr. Munari will also testify. However, the all-male jury may not care, which means Grazia needs to mentally prepare for a guilty verdict. Lidia believes Enrico didn't want the case due to his political career. He counters that he refused because he didn't want to be responsible for her friend's execution. She insists they will win and awkwardly hugs him while tearing up.
At the end of the episode, Fourneau reveals that the indictment will be for voluntary homicide with aggravating circumstances of premeditation. Two days before the murder, Grazia sent a telegram asking Fontana to meet her at the Poets'. The story unfolds with tension and suspense, leaving viewers eager to see how the case will be resolved.
