S05.E12: Provenance

[thewhiteowl]

After an armed robbery crew invades a downtown auction house, the case turns personal for Hondo when his sister is taken.

[Danielg342]

OK, so...

Obba Babatunde, Daniel Harrelson, Sr., gets:

That was some mighty fine work. He nailed every beat and did it with flying colours. Daddy is proud of his kids, and I loved hearing that...well, I'm proud of Daddy in this one.

The rest of the episode gets a:

I mean, I do think this was a really good episode, especially with the character moments and the acting. Emmie Nagata- who played the scheming Julie Soto- was picture perfect going between scared victim and conniving villain. She would have had everyone fooled...if the writing didn't let her down.

I had her pegged as a villain the minute I realized those hostage takers didn't seem to care that someone didn't pass along their cell phone to them. You'd think that the kidnappers would realize someone is passing along information somehow once they realized the police knew where they were, and how else could they do it without a cell phone? They also went particularly easy on her when, normally, a screaming, hyperventilating hostage would prove too annoying for the kidnappers not to put a bullet through her head.

Also, when Luca and the art detective talked about the crime being one of passion and Soto talked about having done paintings that were undervalued, could they have telegraphed any more that Soto was in on the plan?

I digress...I've spent too much time criticizing the writing about Soto when the truth is, this was a pretty fine effort. There were quite a few great twists and turns that kept me engaged and kept the episode flowing nicely, with something always happening when it needed to.

Hondo, Jr., too also played all his beats the right way, and I loved seeing the mutual respect that Hondo and Hicks have for each other, with Hondo knowing his limits and Hicks trusting that Hondo can handle a personal situation in a professional manner. This could have been a major mess like on other shows that always create fake drama with the cop getting too wrapped up in the personal situation and going rogue because of it, and I'm glad the episode did not go in that route.

I also wonder if we'll see Art Detective Olivia again...I'm not really sure I saw sparks between her and Luca but they can't play that love angle and not have it go anywhere, can they?

No Street tonight...don't know why. Perhaps Alex Russell wanted the week off since he directed the last episode. I assume he'll be back next week.

[Maverick]

5 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

I had her pegged as a villain the minute I realized those hostage takers didn't seem to care that someone didn't pass along their cell phone to them. You'd think that the kidnappers would realize someone is passing along information somehow once they realized the police knew where they were, and how else could they do it without a cell phone? They also went particularly easy on her when, normally, a screaming, hyperventilating hostage would prove too annoying for the kidnappers not to put a bullet through her head.

 Except they had no idea she was their employer.  That was made clear when they met in the vault.   She told him she added the padlock so his surprise would be genuine and lead to SWAT cutting the ;power.  She was talking a huge gamble that the guy she hired really wouldn't kill and there's no way she could guarantee Hondo's sister would stay with her, much less that he would leave both of them behind and that she could convince Hondo's sister to take her to the vault.  And if the painting were just a diversion for the diamonds, why hire someone to steal artwork that could be linked to her.  The whole thing just doesn't really work.  

[Danielg342]

10 minutes ago, Maverick said:

 Except they had no idea she was their employer.  That was made clear when they met in the vault.   She told him she added the padlock so his surprise would be genuine and lead to SWAT cutting the ;power.  She was talking a huge gamble that the guy she hired really wouldn't kill and there's no way she could guarantee Hondo's sister would stay with her, much less that he would leave both of them behind and that she could convince Hondo's sister to take her to the vault.  And if the painting were just a diversion for the diamonds, why hire someone to steal artwork that could be linked to her.  The whole thing just doesn't really work.  

I had her pegged as more of "she's not as innocent as she looks" type that had to have been involved in this plot somehow. Not sure I would have pegged her as the ringleader and I would agree her plan didn't make a whole lick of sense, as it relied on both Winnie and Noah doing exactly as she wanted them to do. I believe those are more mistakes with the writing, because those seem to be mistakes that the characters made only because the writer did not fully think things through, not because it would have been "in character" to make those mistakes.

There are elements to this episode that make it feel a bit rushed- if it had a bit more time, more effort and energy could have been dedicated to cleaning things up and editing it further.

Edited March 7, 2022 by Danielg342

[Snazzy Daisy]

Great episode, love it!

In the beginning, I get so frustrated with Hondo Sr, the way he walks out on Winnie etc but in the end, his words bring tears to my eyes. He always does that!

I know there’s something wrong with Julia and her over hyperventilating, too needy.

It’s time to give Luca some TLC… hello Detective Olivia! 😘

I wonder if Deacon still working on Eduardo’s claim of innocence, from last week’s episode.

[Sweet Tooth]

5 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

I wonder if Deacon still working on Eduardo’s claim of innocence, from last week’s episode.

I wouldn't think so after the guy backhandedly threatened Deacon's family. Deacon didn't seem too happy about that or that he allowed himself to be manipulated.

On 3/6/2022 at 8:34 PM, Maverick said:

Except they had no idea she was their employer.  That was made clear when they met in the vault.   She told him she added the padlock so his surprise would be genuine and lead to SWAT cutting the ;power.  She was talking a huge gamble that the guy she hired really wouldn't kill and there's no way she could guarantee Hondo's sister would stay with her, much less that he would leave both of them behind and that she could convince Hondo's sister to take her to the vault.  And if the painting were just a diversion for the diamonds, why hire someone to steal artwork that could be linked to her.  The whole thing just doesn't really work.  

I was going to say just this.

Yeah, they had no idea who the boss was or that she was there and was ruining their plans intentionally. 

I should have picked up on the clues, but I really did buy that she was having panic attacks. I thought she did a good job of seeming scared out of her mind.

What confused me most was why the bad guy wanted to kill Hondo's sister. They already knew who he was, so it wasn't to protect his identity. She wasn't the one who shot him, and the jewels had already been stolen. Trying to use her as a shield, sure, but he seemed intent on killing her, and I have to wonder why he'd want to add murder to his list of crimes, especially since his stance earlier was that nobody was supposed to get hurt.

He was merely a hired gun and had no stake in anything.  He had nothing to gain by killing her. She was running for the door when he grabbed her ankle. He was locked in there, with the only exit being into the open arms of S.W.A.T. who would have been witnesses to the whole thing. 

The family stuff was A+++. They hit the nail on the head. 

Once again, a character continuing to grow without backsliding, and yes, unlike, say, Law & Order, the THIS!I IS! PERSONAL! was kept to a minimum, with Hondo acting like an adult and having a boss who had his back.

I love it when they don't fall into clichés.

Also happy to see Luca find someone. They were really cute together with the whole apologizing thing. I saw a little something-something there and hoped they'd take it to the next level. And this was another cliché they nipped in the bud as well. The expert usually comes in and cares more about the objects and treats the officers like a bunch of uneducated goons. It was nice to see some mutual respect for a change.

 

[Danielg342]

5 hours ago, Sweet Tooth said:

I was going to say just this.

Yeah, they had no idea who the boss was or that she was there and was ruining their plans intentionally.

To clarify, I merely read that Julie Soto was involved- somehow- in the plot well before it was revealed that she was actually a part of the villain's plot. I suppose I should give the show credit for the "twist within a twist" where the other villains were also surprised to find out she was their boss, but I just didn't feel like it was enough.

The show telegraphed too much that Soto was "not who she seemed to be", and I think the show was trying for the big reveal to be "Soto's a villain". That Winnie did not pick up on Soto's manipulativeness I believe was in character because I would buy she is the type to be too trusting. Maybe if they kept the story beat to simply being Winnie being the one who was fooled- but not the audience- it might have worked better.

I guess in short, I simply saw the story they told with Soto and picked up on her villain-ness before the show wanted me to do so. Perhaps it was just a feeling I had and it's hard to explain. Perhaps I'm just too used to shows going down this well that it's hard to sneak that kind of character past me (Criminal Minds, especially in its early seasons, loved the trope where the bad guy got involved in the investigation. I know Soto didn't go that far, but it's a similar kind of story).

5 hours ago, Sweet Tooth said:

What confused me most was why the bad guy wanted to kill Hondo's sister. They already knew who he was, so it wasn't to protect his identity. She wasn't the one who shot him, and the jewels had already been stolen. Trying to use her as a shield, sure, but he seemed intent on killing her, and I have to wonder why he'd want to add murder to his list of crimes, especially since his stance earlier was that nobody was supposed to get hurt.

He was merely a hired gun and had no stake in anything.  He had nothing to gain by killing her. She was running for the door when he grabbed her ankle. He was locked in there, with the only exit being into the open arms of S.W.A.T. who would have been witnesses to the whole thing. 

That is a good point. If anything, why not shoot Soto? Take the jewels for himself and make a run for it. Of course, getting out would be complicated and I'm not sure Hondo would fall for Noah (the hired gun) using Winnie as leverage to get him out of there. That said...it would have made sense if Noah had at least tried that strategy.

5 hours ago, Sweet Tooth said:

The family stuff was A+++. They hit the nail on the head.

The growth of Hondo, Sr. is a joy to behold. When we first met him, he was a contemptible human being. I even wondered if a character like him even could be redeemed...but here we are. We have to give the show credit for that, and for taking the time to properly develop it instead of cutting corners like lots of other shows do.

11 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

I wonder if Deacon still working on Eduardo’s claim of innocence, from last week’s episode.

I guess we'll see. They set up a pretty good story, I would hate to see it go to waste.

[Raja]

The Commander should have pulled Hondo from the start, even if 50 squad had to be called up from reserve Deac should have had the squad. But that would allow the star to play hero by stepping back.

I do wonder if they are planting seeds for Luca having something besides being a SWAT monk. Kenny Johnson still has that walk as if not fully recovered from his heath issues, the actor and perhaps the character are well past the chosen retirement age of most non command staff cops.

[Sweet Tooth]

15 hours ago, Raja said:

I do wonder if they are planting seeds for Luca having something besides being a SWAT monk. Kenny Johnson still has that walk as if not fully recovered from his heath issues, the actor and perhaps the character are well past the chosen retirement age of most non command staff cops.

They've been doing the same kind of playing around with this idea on S.E.A.L. Team. Where they keep telling him to retire, and he keeps going back in.

There's a whole medical angle I haven't seen since they went over to Paramount+. 

On 3/8/2022 at 3:44 AM, Danielg342 said:

The show telegraphed too much that Soto was "not who she seemed to be", and I think the show was trying for the big reveal to be "Soto's a villain".

You're more astute than I was. I usually pick up on those things, but I bought her act totally. I was doing something else at the same time, so maybe that had something to do with it. 

On 3/8/2022 at 3:44 AM, Danielg342 said:

To clarify, I merely read that Julie Soto was involved- somehow- in the plot well before it was revealed that she was actually a part of the villain's plot. I suppose I should give the show credit for the "twist within a twist" where the other villains were also surprised to find out she was their boss, but I just didn't feel like it was enough.

I totally get what you're saying. Sorry I didn't make myself clear. But yes, I guess the show might have been heavy-handed in dropping those bread crumbs, so it didn't come out of nowhere.

On 3/8/2022 at 3:44 AM, Danielg342 said:

The growth of Hondo, Sr. is a joy to behold. When we first met him, he was a contemptible human being. I even wondered if a character like him even could be redeemed...but here we are. We have to give the show credit for that, and for taking the time to properly develop it instead of cutting corners like lots of other shows do.

When the show gets it right, they really get it right. His growth is something to behold. Like, even tonight where he kind of regressed, he immediately regretted it, learned from his mistake, and rectified it.

This approach is so rare in most shows, where they would drag out the drama just because, rather than coming up with something new and interesting.