If it were possible for the above sentence to be an understatement, it would be. This week’s episode of Dark Blue was so unbelievably amazing, I’m still trying to put intelligible thoughts together.
Let’s get into the plot quickly: Ty went undercover to catch a task force of dirty cops, in particular their commanding officer, Fry. Problem: as large as the LAPD is, is it believable that no one would recognize him as himself? Bit of a hole, that. And it wasn’t the only one — with Dean’s picture making the rounds of the LAPD as a small-time thug wanted as a cop killer, is it feasible that he wouldn’t be recognized? It’s possible to doctor records, but not people’s eyesight. Okay … even TV writers make mistakes.
Meanwhile on the home front, Melissa thinks she might be pregnant. RUN TY! I mean, I’m sure she’s a nice lady and all, but I feel as if Ty’s trading the prime of his career for something that he’s not 100% up for right now. Especially considering the fact that he and his wife have agreed that once they start a family, he’s supposed to stop going under. Is that really what he wants? I think all Carter needed to do was express some emotion about losing him, and Ty would have torpedoed the entire thing. But then, that’s not Carter, is it?
It wasn’t surprising that Ty enjoyed the “straight” police work of the task force, considering the trajectory he’s been following up until now. I do think that the writers are forcing the angle a bit too much, but everyone needs their own drama, right?
I absolutely LOVED how Carter recruited a bunch of criminals for the take-down of Isaiah’s lab. This unit is all about doing what needs to be done to get their man, which is the part of the job that Jaimie still needs a tutorial in. It is such a perfect facet of the show that Carter’s so comfortable with the seedy underbelly of LA. And the illegal methods that the unit employs to do their work is straight out of the old cable cop show playbook, played to a “T.”
That said, Carter did need to do a bit more than don a ski cap to look the part of a drug dealer. Shouldn’t he have a better bag of tricks than that, even on short notice?
You know, as we begin to peel back the layers on Carter, I’m starting to get even more confused. So, he was part of a unit that included Fry, one where the cops were encouraged to bend the rules. Maybe even break them. The ensuing indictments left most members of the unit for dead. At least within the force. So how did Carter come to lead his own ragtag bunch of cops, who play by their own rules? Clearly, there’s a lot more to that story, and it probably stars a lot of Captain Maynard (Tyrees Allen) … I appreciate the fact that we’re meant to get this in small doses, but I want to know!
The biggest problem yet with Dark Blue is a continuing one: the cases wrap way too fast. I was positive that this was going to be continued, only to see the bad guys caught in the last five minutes. It’s a little bit of a letdown, when what could be an incredible, adrenaline-infused rush, comes crashing to the ground out of midair.
Nevertheless, Dark Blue has captured my heart. No question, it is one of the finest hours on television today. Hands down.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Aug 27, 2009 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
My favorite line was when Jaime asked Carter if he was sure it was a good idea to invite the criminals to his apartment a place none of the team had ever been before. Carter’s response: Well, I couldn’t bring them to the office! He delivered it very well, and it was a concise way of reminding us all where his priorities lie.
*POST AUTHOR*
Definitely a memorable line! I think I’m enjoying McDermott a lot more now that they’ve evened out his character, and have begun delving into who he is. His solitary sitting scenes are a bit much, but he’s great in his element.