Which would actually be good news, if there weren’t so many barriers to entry in that market, such as the turf war that Dean and the gang consciously walk right into. This episode was like a civics lesson, too. Propping up the bad guy who is better for you (or not as bad for the world) in their battle against the bad guy with the grand plans for expansion, or domination. It’s like backing Iraq in its war with Iran, or Afghanistan as it battled the USSR. I wonder why they’re so well-armed now….
Again, a tad too fast and furious, particularly the rapid adjustments that the back-up unit constantly needs to make on the fly. Snatching the leader’s girlfriend, or raiding a stash house on a whim? Forgetting about the feasibility of such things, would the police really do something that reckless?
Okay; same old, same old. So, what was new this week? Ty’s sister popped up to ask for money. If he’s struggling financially (which he apparently is) would this really be the first time that all that drug money tempted him? And, no offense, but are we supposed to buy the choir-boy act? He sold his motorcycle? I’m thinking Ty dipped into some of that free-flowing cash, and it will come back to haunt him later on.
I’m really doubting Jaimie’s suitability for this undercover unit. While I imagine it isn’t necessary to be as totally crazy as Carter and Dean, she just doesn’t seem to have what it takes. Her screen time is really starting to drag for me; even Ty’s questioning of what’s best for him in life beats Jaimie’s waverings any day of the week.
I’m not sure I got exactly what the whole undercover set-up was this time around. Dean used an informant to gain access to the Venice Kings, but why was the informant still around to potentially endanger Dean’s life? Traditionally, wouldn’t he have either been sent back in, alone, or removed from the equation so that Dean could be free to work? I couldn’t understand why it was necessary to turn things so high risk.
All in all, another great episode, with some solid character development for Ty. Carter’s still a big question mark, and I’d love it if every episode gave us a little more of who he is, but the who, what, where, and why of the unit continually being played out before us is awesome, nonetheless.
I will say again, though, that Dark Blue would benefit from some long operations. The speed at which they move now robs us of a lot of what could be really interesting about the work that an undercover unit in LA would be doing. Plus, we’d get to see a really cool evolution, from identification of a target all the way through to an arrest, with comprehensive stops along the way.
As things stand now, we join an episode essentially already in progress, with the undercover cop firmly in place, yet still a tiny bit away from locking down whatever angle they need to. From there, it’s wham bam to the finish, with a clock ticking right over their shoulders.
There’s no harm in giving these characters, and their stories, their due. It would only serve to make a really incredible show even better.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Sep 03, 2009 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
I’m guessing that Dean & the gang busted the scared white guy & turned him. They said the only reason he joined the gang was for protection in jail. So i’m thinking that when he got busted, probably with heroin, he decided to turn on the gang.
Since it is a gang, it’d be quite suspicious if this scared kid shows up with a new guy & then disappears. So he had to stay.
Another classic moment: When the bomb blew, and everyone is running, Ty and Carter don’t even flinch.
*POST AUTHOR*
It reminded me of what I think was some TV show song about cool guys never turning around when things blow up behind them. Does that sound familiar?
I have to agree, some longer multi-part jobs would be fun to watch. Imagine the cliff hanger potential!
The informant had to stay in the gang because he was the one vouching for Dean and his contact. If he suddenly disappeared after introducing Dean, then that would be suspicious. They could have found another way in like when Ty went undercover with the kidnappers after saving one of their gang from the set-up fight in jail, but we have to imagine that flipping someone on the inside was the best way available at the time. It’s certainly a more realistic approach than the show has used before.
*POST AUTHOR*
xnifex and mister_d – I’m sure you’re 100% right about the inside man … I was just wondering what value-add he brought by still being around. He was pretty low down himself, so it’s not like he unlocked any doors beyond that first one and vouching for some of Dean’s subsequent claims.
I was just wondering why he needed to stick around after being the initial in … like you say, mister_d, Ty used the “vouch” of a con who was in jail to get on the inside. Had they “arrested” the informant, Dean could still have used his vouch without running the risk of the guy breaking down on him. Just a thought.