S05.E18: Family

[thewhiteowl]

When Hicks witnesses the assassination of his longtime friend, a prominent judge, the team races to find the shooter and determine why he was targeted. Also, Luca struggles with how to help his brother, Terry, after he’s arrested.

[Danielg342]

It wasn't the greatest episode from a structural standpoint. It was all over the place and took a lot of leaps to get where they needed to (Street's PI contact being a prime example of that)

...but...

The episode did have a lot of nice emotional moments. Hondo Jr. and Sr. I Fratelli Luca. Hicks and Maggie.

Heck, I even felt for Naomi, the prime suspect in this episode, for what happened to her and her sister. JJ Nolan, who played Naomi, did really well in her portrayal.

I could even bring up Terence Hardy Jr. (who played the barista who served Hicks at the beginning) and Farley Jackson (who played Virginia's erstwhile husband). The acting all around was stellar.

That alone made this episode more than just the sum of its parts. The beats may have been truly everywhere in this episode but I have to give credit when they are all played as well as they were tonight.

[nittany cougar]

This is one of the best episodes of the season in my opinion.  I liked all of the storylines and the guest actors.

I thought the storyline with Captain Hicks was well-written and suspenseful.  The way that his friend was murdered right after they had talked was shocking.  I thought it was touching how Hicks shared his story about grief with the judge's widow.  That was great acting.

I like the Luca story.  Luca's brother seems like a doofus, but I liked how Luca was there for him, despite his bad choice of a girlfriend. Kenny Johnson was great in the last scene. I really buy the two actors as brothers.

On the Chris/Street front, I am glad that he seems willing to express displeasure at getting nowhere with Chris.  It is probably easier to couch it in terms of talking about the suspect living alone than to directly confront Chris about the status of the relationship.

Edited April 26, 2022 by nittany cougar

[Snazzy Daisy]

Street: “Makes you think though. I mean, so many people so alone. If you are lucky enough to find someone to be with, maybe someone you are meant to be with, it could be foolish to push that away. Just saying.”

Chris: Crickets…

Give it up Jimbo! 🙄🙄🙄

[Danielg342]

On 4/26/2022 at 2:02 PM, nittany cougar said:

I thought it was touching how Hicks shared his story about grief with the judge's widow.  That was great acting.

I liked it too. I also related to it quite a bit. My mother died roughly seven years ago under much of the same conditions as Barb, i.e. you knew it was going to happen. So when it did, I was stunned but I didn't cry. The grief just hit me at an odd point. My mother was always good for a hug, and I picked up that trait myself. I remember, initially, I was quite open about telling people my mother passed because, in a weird way, I liked the attention and the affection I got from being consoled. At one point, though, there came a point where it just became too overwhelming and I just couldn't bear the thought of being comforted anymore. I mean, my co-workers and my friends all meant well, but I just reached the point where I just wanted my mother...and I couldn't have that. I didn't have an episode where I was bawling my eyes out holding a carton of milk, but I still spiralled like Hicks did once that moment hit me.

Grief is just a funny thing sometimes. One day you're cheery and moving on with life and, the next thing you know you randomly come across some thing that reminds you of someone you lost and that sets you off. It's such a tricky thing to navigate. So I'll never tell anyone that I understand the pain they go through because there is no way that I can. I'll just say I sympathize because I know it's hard.

[DanaK]

Good episode and I agree that several characters, including Naomi, stood out well. The major negative point is that Hicks should have stood down when SWAT helped out on the case given he was a witness to the judge’s murder