utside the Lines
utside the Lines
When a young woman is murdered at a nightclub known to cater to drug users and dealers, the crime complicates an ongoing narcotics investigation. Detective Bruce Spencer, having worked the drug case for some time undercover, is certain he knows the killer. But forensic evidence proves he has accused the wrong man and becomes the prime suspect himself, exposing his long record of using excessive force on the job.
At the beginning of the episode, Nick's relationship towards Tracy has more of a parental feel to it than a partnership. He's just sort of dragging her around with him, not really listening to much of her input. Nick points out when she's confused one police form for another. He totally discounts her claims that Bruce is a "good cop". Later on, when she finally finds a possible suspect for the murder, he casually points out that the suspect is still in prison. All in all, not much of a partnership. But he does, at least, care how she's doing.
I also thought Nick's immediate non-acceptance of Bruce's claim (that this JT guy had murdered Cass) was more of a personality clash than an actual argument. Sure, Bruce had no evidence (and was wrong, as it turned out), but Nick has often done exactly the same thing in the past -- somehow intuiting (or knowing from past lifetimes) who to suspect, and going after them, even without a shred of legally admissible evidence. Of course, the clash becomes stronger after Nick sees Bruce kill JT and then manipulate Tracy into believing it was an accident... especially since Nick can't tell anyone, because he couldn't possibly have been there without flying.
Natalie has certainly cooled off towards Tracy. As she gathers forensic evidence, she presents it to Tracy in a precise, no-nonsense fashion, sometimes over her shoulder as she suddenly walks away. And when Tracy asks "is that all?" about her somewhat inconslusive tests, Nat becomes quite defensive. Then there was the scene where Natalie is demonstrating how the murder must have happened, using Tracy as a dummy victim (notice Tracy cringing as Natalie pretends to slice her throat). Is this the same person who comforted and joked around with Tracy in the last episode? Why the sudden hostility?
The scenes in the daylight (with Tracy, of course) felt wrong at first, until I realized that there just weren't that many scenes outside during the day last season. Well, a few, but they were usually frenzied, with Nick dodging around, trying to stay out of the sunlight.
Nick's flashback, however, was far too typical. One of those ancient tales where Nick makes a poor choice, LaCroix chastizes him for it, and then tricks Nick into making yet another poor choice. This is an excellent example of LaCroix's trademark cruel "lessons" against Nick's attempts at morality. A great example, but I really hope they'll come up with some other kinds of flashbacks for future episodes.
Even though Tracy has had a "sheltered" upbringing, it's obvious that she respects Nick quite a bit. She discounted his earlier disliking of Bruce, but after they talked about it, and Nick suggested that she should take a careful look at Bruce, she suddenly moves from practically worshipping Bruce to distrusting him (and eventually catching him in the act). Quite a dramatic change, and I couldn't see any other reason for her change in heart, other than her talk with Nick.
The final scene between Tracy and Bruce was also quite excellent. Bruce is cowering in a corner of his cell, almost like the typical image of a mental patient. And even though Bruce argues quite well for his "excessive force", Tracy dismisses his claims coldly. So Tracy is not only capable of revising her opinions, but also of keeping faith in those that she knows are right.
Aside from these scenes, I thought this was a typical, if not below average, episode. The excessive amounts of skin make me wonder if USA is trying to remake Forever Knight into another Silk Stalkings. But recall that those two shows both began together, in the CBS "Crime Time after Prime Time" -- and then drifted apart in later seasons. So I'll forgive the changes, hoping that the future will be even better.
Episode rating (0 to 10): 3
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