S02.E09: Missing While Targeted

[Trini]

When a recovering drug addict goes missing, his girlfriend turns to M&A, but interference from outside forces complicates their investigation. Sir uncovers a shocking secret about one of M&A's allies. One of the team members is critically injured.

 

Airdate: January 16, 2025

[AnimeMania]

Lee Osorio as Ethan Rana
Owen Harn as Edgar Parker
Taja V. Simpson as Eileen
Jermaine Rivers as Ian Sessions
Nikita Kirillov as Nico

Danielle Savre as Heather

[Rodney]

Did not see it coming that Ian would be a witness testifying against some corrupt corrections officers.  That was actually a nice twist for why he went missing.

Bella's/Lacey's card to her dad broke my heart.  At least she started to see how much her difficulty in recovering was hurting her parents.

Who hit Gabi?  Christian?  Someone else working with Sir?

[TiffanyNichelle]

I couldn't figure out why this episode felt so weird besides not really understanding what was happening with the case but then Margaret popped up on the phone call and I realized it was the lack of her. I wasn't being annoyed at her attitude. It was kind of nice.

Sir's freaked out reaction when he got the notification that someone else was coming to the school was interesting. It was clearly his partner (his sister perhaps?) and that's who hit Gabi but why did he seem so scared of them seeing Gabi or Gabi seeing them? Unless the partner isn't his sister and it's someone Gabi would recognize? She did get hit from behind.

Sir blackmailing Trent with the information about his dad ignoring all the missing kids in exchange for Trent not arresting Gabi. Trent giving Zeke his tech back is nice but he did break the law hacking into the police station and Trent's email. You can't hold what Gabi did over her head and then let Zeke be allowed to go back to doing what he does. Do you care about the law or not, Trent?

I don't trust Trent's new hook up at all. I think she's definitely connected to Sir. I wonder if they all know what Sir's sister looks like because I wonder if that's her.

I like Ethan less and less and kicking out only Gabi so he doesn't have to share Dhan's maybe final goodbyes with her is low. Dhan wouldn't want that and he knows it.

[possibilities]

3 hours ago, TiffanyNichelle said:

I like Ethan less and less and kicking out only Gabi so he doesn't have to share Dhan's maybe final goodbyes with her is low. Dhan wouldn't want that and he knows it.

I agree! Wholeheartedly!! He seems to me to be a terrible partner! I've been suspicious of him ever since I found out he was Dhan's therapist. He clearly has no ethics, and now he's controlling and trying to isolate Dhan from his support system. TROUBLE. You'd think he'd be proud of Dhan for helping people? And he'd be interested in getting to know the people who are so important to him and who have his back all the time! All he does is whine about how he isn't the sole focus, and center of Dhan's universe. Terrible.

I think Trent covering up for his father is in character with him covering up for Gabi, and then dropping his beef with Zeke. It's impossible for me to be on Sir's side, though, ever. He clearly has an inside line to what goes on with the cops, though, because how else did he know that stuff about the kids and Trent's dad?

I wonder if his accomplice, who knocked Gabi out, is a police insider.

[cfinboston]

Is anyone else just kind of over Gabi's treatment of Trent? 

She expects everything from him as a police officer. She wants access to police resources and the unending ability to break the law. She thinks he's the bad guy for daring to want Zeke prosecuted for hacking.

She hides things from him but expects him to tell her that Ian was in police custody. She barrels into the police at will and then nastily reminds him he can't walk in to M&A. 

She wants all access to his resources but he's the bad guy any time he enforces the law or follows procedure. She breaks up with him and sneers at him for hooking up with another woman.

Also Lacey is just as bad. Calling Gabi a client when she's not a lawyer was ridiculous. She continually sees Trent as the bad guy unless she needs him for something.

Edited Friday at 11:09 PM by cfinboston

[Mr. Sparkle]

Trent is his last name? Did we know that before or was I just not paying attention? 

[Trini]

Kind of a busy episode; I'll have to re-watch, cause I might have missed a couple things?

I did chuckle at them playing their usual end-of-episode music montage when there was like, still ten minutes left to go. Of course another twist (or three) was coming.

And yes, it was a clever twist that the missing person was actually a witness being protected. ... Which made it extra annoying that Gabi was barging in yelling at Trent for doing his job. Look, I actually don't mind that Gabi is a messy, flawed protagonist, but they don't need to keep adding more reasons to side-eye her.

I did appreciate that Lacey yelled at her about confronting Sir alone. Hopefully Gabi stops doing that.

I think I'm about ready for a different type of Cop Character for the show; because I'm getting tired of the sometimes adversarial, sometimes not dynamic of Gabi/Trent/the Team. Either a.) someone who is always helpful and on board with M&A's shenanigans; or b.) someone who strictly business, with no personal ties or loyalty to M&A.

I know it likely a cost-saving thing, but it's getting weird that ALL the Young Gabi/Young Lacey flashbacks are in the same room.

So Trent's father is somehow connected to a serial kidnapper?? (Or something??)

Interesting that there was nothing said about Dhan's shooter. I assume they'll get into it next week? I'm guessing somehow Sir was involved.

[possibilities]

I agree that the way they are with Trent (and the way he is with them) is really off. He can't be both on board with their illegal methods AND an enforcer of procedure. And they can't both expect him to help them AND treat him like the enemy. 

 

I also have an issue with Young Gabi being basically the adult in the room with Young Laci's parents. They are writing her as though she knows everything about how people heal, rather than like she also was a victim and should be traumatized. And if the parents didn't get any kind of counseling or info about these issues, why the hell not? It makes no sense that Young Gabi is this apparent cool, calm expert and the parents are clueless.

Edited Saturday at 02:30 AM by possibilities

[Driad]

Do Young Gabi and Young Lacey look like kids who would grow up into adult Gabi & Lacey?  They don't to me.

[Rodney]

13 hours ago, Trini said:

And yes, it was a clever twist that the missing person was actually a witness being protected. ... Which made it extra annoying that Gabi was barging in yelling at Trent for doing his job.

In fairness, Trent did kind of give the team the runaround in this episode, knowing what was really going on.  He could have found a way to say something.

And I think that Gabi was angry on Eileen's behalf more than her.  If nothing else, at least she had a right to know where Ian was.

[threebluestars]

On 1/17/2025 at 7:40 PM, Driad said:

Do Young Gabi and Young Lacey look like kids who would grow up into adult Gabi & Lacey?  They don't to me.

I never thought they matched well either.

 

[peeayebee]

On 1/17/2025 at 10:06 AM, TiffanyNichelle said:

I don't trust Trent's new hook up at all. I think she's definitely connected to Sir. I wonder if they all know what Sir's sister looks like because I wonder if that's her.

I don't trust her either, and like you I figure she's connected to Sir. Maybe not, maybe she's just a bad person. 

I think I'm ready to give up on this show. I really don't like Gabi. Frankly, I don't think I like any of the characters. I may just follow recaps.

[sweetandsour]

On 1/17/2025 at 12:40 PM, possibilities said:

It's impossible for me to be on Sir's side, though, ever. He clearly has an inside line to what goes on with the cops, though, because how else did he know that stuff about the kids and Trent's dad?

I wonder if his accomplice, who knocked Gabi out, is a police insider.

Sir's accomplice is ... Shaker!!!!

Just kidding.  Shaker (the black detective who works with Trent) is probably my favorite character and the only one I could probably tolerate in real life.

Gabi is getting incensed that Trent walks into their office without knocking now, but still expects him to do all kinds of shit for her and the team.  I appreciate what she does for missing people, but she is unbearable.

Ethan sucks.  He should never have entered a relationship with, let alone married, a patient, even if Dhan stopped seeing him first.  And it is extra dumb because Ethan should know better than anyone how much Dhan's trauma affected him and still affects him, so the way Dhan deals with it by prioritizing Gabi and M&A should be no surprise to him.  Yet he is indignant and angry about it like ... he couldn't have known that Dhan is like this the whole time?  He expects Dhan to be different?  It's reasonable and justified for him to blame Gabi for this?  OK buddy.  Take your Janet Jackson grinding stories and move the fuck on out of here.  I do not want this marriage to be saved.

[cfinboston]

On 1/18/2025 at 8:16 AM, Rodney said:

In fairness, Trent did kind of give the team the runaround in this episode, knowing what was really going on.  He could have found a way to say something.

He told her to not have the press conference. In all likelihood it's police policy to keep it as quiet as possible when he's in protective custody.

 

2 hours ago, sweetandsour said:

Gabi is getting incensed that Trent walks into their office without knocking now, but still expects him to do all kinds of shit for her and the team.  I appreciate what she does for missing people, but she is unbearable.

ITA. They all act like spoiled teenagers demanding their freedom while getting an allowance and rides to the mall. Margaret is the worst; she attacks a bus station employee and then cries when she's told she can't go there anymore.

[possibilities]

I worry that the showrunners don't understand how ridiculous the double standard is. I had been assuming they were in fact savvy about trauma and portraying dysfunctional behavior with the awareness of how dysfunctional it is, but based on an interview I read recently, I'm not actuaolly sure that's the case. I really hoipe I'm wrong because it is starting to undermine my enjoyment of the show when it looks like they are making the characters not just examples of messiness but actually trying to portray them as healthy when they aren't?

Edited 22 hours ago by possibilities

[andromeda331]

Yeah, I'm tired of Ethan's anger and whining. Him being Dhan's therapist will never not being a red flag. But he's known Dhan all this time so he knows how close he is with Gabi. This is nothing new. So why is he throwing a fit? 

I really like the twist that victim was testifying against police/corrections officers. That was really nice then the usual drug dealers or fell off the wagon stuff.

I do think Trent should have told Gabi that he was protecting him. The rest of the way Gabi treats him I don't like. But this time he should have told her when they were trying to find him. Of course, there would be a press conference. That's usually how it starts. Get the word out. 

I was surprised by Dhan getting shot.

Also at Sir holding Trent hostage and threatening him about his dad. Sir actually seemed scared at whoever was coming to the school. Maybe just paniced that Gabi would see who it is. Either way it was weird.

I really hope Sir is killed or done for good by the end of the seasons. I'm tired of him.

I felt really bad for Lacey's dad. He was trying so hard to be there and help his daughter and she wouldn't. I like the card she gave him. It's nice that she sees that she's hurting her dad even if she can't do anything about it. And it was a good way to give him hope. I also felt bad for Lacey's mom who was getting the break she really needed but had to end it to come home for her daughter. Dealing with all that day after day, night after night has to be so hard for the mom too and so exhausting.