S6.E5 Sacrifice

[Xeliou66]

Here’s the thread for tonight’s episode - I’ll post my thoughts on it when I watch it later 

[MerBearHou]

2 minutes ago, Xeliou66 said:

Here’s the thread for tonight’s episode - I’ll post my thoughts on it when I watch it later 

You’re our MVP of FBIs!  Thank you :)

[Xeliou66]

3 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

You’re our MVP of FBIs!  Thank you :)

No problem my friend! 

[EtheltoTillie]

My quick reaction:  that was a very exciting episode!  A bit preposterous that they still found the girl after the kidnapper was killed. But it’s teevee!  

[Xeliou66]

Pretty good case, I liked all of the involvement from the whole team of agents, good investigation and intensity. It was a bit of a cop out I thought to have the daughter found just in time, I was hoping for a different resolution to the hostage situation where Maggie found a way to overpower the guy, but it was still a good case. Good role for each agent, Jubal and Isobel and the analysts at the office were good and I liked how Tiffany/Scola found the girl while Maggie/OA dealt with the hostage situation. 

I did wonder why the kidnapped girl’s friend identified the hostage as the kidnapper - was it just a case of mistaken identity? There was a resemblance between the hostage and the real kidnapper, but I would’ve liked more of an explanation of that.

Not sure where the storyline about Maggie being interested in motherhood is going, I hope it doesn’t end with Maggie adopting a kid - Scola just became a father, we don’t need another agent becoming a parent, kids always detract from the show (I’m glad not much has been made of Scola’s son, other than a couple of references).

Intense episode from start to finish, this show reliably delivers solid cases and good character work, it was convenient how the hostage situation played out but still a solid hour.

[EtheltoTillie]

@Xeliou66 good point about the resemblance to the owner of the shelter. I too thought that should have been explained better. 

[MerBearHou]

Just jumping in here to concur with you two — my very first thought was about why the owner of the shelter was the first target, but then I decided he did look enough like the actual kidnapper to confuse a distraught, losing-it father.  It did play a part on why the kidnapper dad was so hard to convince when they showed him the video of the actual man who took his daughter (didn’t want to overuse kidnapper).  

When they took off on the obligatory foot chase, was anyone rolling their eyes wondering which agent would bounce off of or hang onto a car and then be fine?!?  I know I did.  

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

my very first thought was about why the owner of the shelter was the first target, but then I decided he did look enough like the actual kidnapper to confuse a distraught, losing-it father.

The best friend of the kidnapped girl thought the kidnapper was the guy running the shelter. I assumed it was a case of cross-race effect, but they decided to show and not tell, which is generally preferable, and I guess a throwaway line of explanation really wouldn't work.

Speaking of throwaway lines not working:
Early in the dialog between the Dad and the FBI, the Dad sets a time limit of 3 hours to find his daughter before he kills the shelter guy:

• [MAGGIE?] Hector, I know you're an ex-cop, so I know you know the drill. We need more time. It's likely we're gonna need more than three hours to find Maria.
• [HECTOR] No. No. We both know her chances decrease every minute that passes. You have three hours or I shoot him in the head.

Much later he is about to kill Maggie. 

But…

• They had found the kidnapper
• They found Maria's locket

Maybe suggest to the Dad that if he kills Maggie and himself, the FBI will no longer have an urgency to focus on finding Maria???
And remind Hector (and the audience) that Hector knows this because he is former law enforcement.
The problem with throwaway lines is that they are often delivered (and thrown away by the viewers) too early in the episode. A call back can be helpful in resolving the episode to the satisfaction of the audience.

But in this episode, once they decided Hector was going to kill himself and Maggie, they should have deleted the lines about him being a police officer in Mexico etc. etc.

Edited March 20 by shapeshifter

[preeya]

11 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

Not sure where the storyline about Maggie being interested in motherhood is going, I hope it doesn’t end with Maggie adopting a kid - Scola just became a father, we don’t need another agent becoming a parent, kids always detract from the show (I’m glad not much has been made of Scola’s son, other than a couple of references).

This ↑ 1000 times.  we do not need any baby drama detracting from legitimate storylines.

 

[Dowel Jones]

Well paced episode.  I got a slight laugh when Elise pulled some data up on her screen, and Jubal came over to look at it.  She waved him off and pointed to the big screen.  Your agents are getting ahead of you, Jubal.

Well, Hector, I hope your friends in California are willing to do a long term babysitting gig, because that "I was scared for my kid" excuse isn't going to tread water in court.  Three counts of kidnapping, several counts of attempted murder (shooting at the agents on arrival), and numerous and sundry other charges.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Dowel Jones said:

Well, Hector, I hope your friends in California are willing to do a long term babysitting gig, because that "I was scared for my kid" excuse isn't going to tread water in court.  Three counts of kidnapping, several counts of attempted murder (shooting at the agents on arrival), and numerous and sundry other charges.

It was a cousin. 
But yeah.

[EtheltoTillie]

@shapeshifter for one reason I didn’t think of cross race effect, which is that I assumed the little friend knew the owner well from seeing him frequently. So I’m still left with confusion. I thought the little friend identified him not from a photo array but from actual knowledge. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

A recycled storyline, it’s similar to S02E16 (Safe Room).

There are 2 idiots in this story and they make the whole situation frustrating. 

Maggie’s role is to de-escalate the situation. When she refuses to say “hostage”, she’s preventing her team from doing their job. She’s an experienced agent, she isn’t supposed to let her emotion gets the best of her, no matter what happens in her personal life. She has more sympathy for Hector because she’s itching to become a mother now? She sees how mentally and emotionally unstable Hector is.

As an ex-cop, Hector isn’t smart either. He lets his desperation consumes him. Putting a time limit to find Maria is ridiculous when he himself keeps the FBI team busy. He’s wasting their focus and resources. The FBI has identified the kidnapper, that’s a solid progress.

Maggie’s savior complex is truly exhausting. Can we replace her with Special Agent Jessica Blake please. 😊

[januaryman]

MIssy is not a very good actress - not that the writing is any help. Elise puts more charisma into her 3 lines a week. 

[jhfield4]

Maybe a bit nit-picky, but at the very end of the episode, Maggie leaves an FBI file just lying on her desk. Wouldn't you think it should be locked up??