S06.E07: Sequel

[thewhiteowl]

When an intruder breaks into the home of a Hollywood actress, Hondo and the team are forced to partner with an old nemesis – former 20 Squad leader Sanchez – to track down a dangerous criminal who’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants. Also, Tan struggles to find the perfect anniversary gift for his wife.

[Danielg342]

For an episode I feared would become a trainwreck- and nearly veered in that direction many times- it turned out to be quite the spectacle.

For once, the Hondo-Sanchez beef actually felt real and both actors brought out the humanity and vulnerability of their characters to the situation. Two headstrong characters whose arrogance meant they each had to one-up each other was a joy to watch, and Deacon voicing his frustration about it all was completely earned. If the writing was like that when Sanchez was first around, maybe his first stint would have gone better, but I think the character has redeemed himself fully with his performance here.

The great part about all this is that, finally, Hondo and Sanchez buried the hatchet. It was heartwarming for Hondo to tell Sanchez that he's really part of the family now and that Sanchez finally admitted that Hondo is a great leader. Maybe, now that the beef is quashed, we can see them work together again, especially because it'd be a pity not to see David DeSantis again after tonight.

The Luca story was good too. Sure, I would expect Kenny Johnson to have chemistry with his own daughter but Johnson brought out the best in her tonight. She might actually have a future in this business after all. Street also highlighting to Luca about how he needs to embrace change by referencing the quibble over the blender was great, especially since Luca realized Street was right.

It was also great to see Christina Alonso referenced again, and perhaps Luca was talking for all of us when he mused about how difficult it was for Alonso to be gone but "we have to accept it".

I'll take it, because now it seems like Powell is fitting in, and she could have a role as the jaded deadpan snarker. Powell's story about her first love was incredibly sad, but Anna Enger Ritch's delivery brought the humanity to the situation, giving it an air of wistfulness amongst the acceptance.

Give me more of that and she could be fun to watch.

The only low point was Tan's burgeoning marital problems. I hope the show doesn't go there because I like Bonnie, but the way the episode ended that storyline on a low note does not leave me hopeful.

Still, a storyline where a police officer's marriage falls apart but not for something the officer did is kind of novel, especially for Hollywood. Maybe that's the silver lining.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Quote

[re Rodrigo Sanchez] "Yeah, he was a team leader when Hondo was away in Mexico."

- Victor Tan

Am confused.

We first saw Sanchez on S05.E03 when Hondo's back in LA already and the plan to disband 20-Squad was scrapped accordingly.

Do the writers forget this little detail?

[Sweet Tooth]

On 12/2/2022 at 9:10 PM, Danielg342 said:

For once, the Hondo-Sanchez beef actually felt real and both actors brought out the humanity and vulnerability of their characters to the situation. Two headstrong characters whose arrogance meant they each had to one-up each other was a joy to watch, and Deacon voicing his frustration about it all was completely earned. If the writing was like that when Sanchez was first around, maybe his first stint would have gone better, but I think the character has redeemed himself fully with his performance here.

All in all, I've been enjoying this season more than most. The character development, the little personal moments. 

This really could have been a long, drawn-out rivalry that escalated to ridiculous heights, but instead they had everyone act like adults. 

And yes, if they'd handled the rivalry like this from the beginning, it would have worked out better, but I'm glad they got everything right in the end.

I was frustrated with Tan never cluing in to ask if he could get an autograph or phone call from Ben What-His-Name. Like, HELLO! You're friends with the woman's bodyguard. You just got finished saying Bonnie loves the Ben guy more than you. How he didn't, even in the end, when Sanchez asked what he was going to do for their anniversary, ask for the favor, made me want to scream at him.

I was glad Sanchez clued in but was bummed that Tan didn't let Bonnie know what he had planned, so maybe she might change her mind about working.

Funny that you guys were just talking about Bonnie, and even though she wasn't in the episode, she was a big part of it.

Are we headed for a Tan/Bonnie divorce? 

I guess I have some more episodes to watch to find out.