S01.E06: Fall of Man

[thewhiteowl]

Wozniak's suspicions land on Saperstein, forcing Harlee to convince Stahl to arrest Saperstein in order to keep him safe. Harlee visits her abusive ex, Miguel, who tasks her with tracking down the man who committed the murder for which he is imprisoned.

 

 

[Jazz42]

Wow. Miguel sounds like a great guy doesn't he? "Hey Harlee, you know how I used to beat the shit out of you and stuff? Yeah good times. I need you to prove my "innocence" is this case so I can get out. Cool?" *_*

Edited February 10, 2016 by Jazz42

[helenamonster]

Not saying he's not a shithead, but Harlee was the one who planted the evidence and got him convicted of a murder he didn't commit. So...

[Jazz42]

First of all, after threatening her daughter, he's lucky that's all that happened. Second, the balls you have to have to ask the person you abused and who's child you threatened for a favor. Unless he found out and it's a trap. Because with the FBI, Stalker Stahl, and Woz finding out she's the informant, she has enough to deal with.

[HunterHunted]

If the point of Stahl's investigation is to stop Woz and his crew from committing crimes, then Stahl has succeeded. He's got Woz so paranoid that Woz has basically stopped doing the things the FBI suspected him of doing. And because Woz is so paranoid, he has an even tighter rein on his crew so they aren't getting into the bribery, racketeering, and corruption that they normally do. Bravo Stahl! Even in your failure and complete incompetence, you've succeeded.

However if the point of the investigation was to collect evidence to later prosecute, then this has been an utter failure. Does the FBI only have one follow car? Everyone in the FBI acknowledges that Woz is the mastermind, but there is no wiretap on his phones and no surveillance on him. I'm really starting to feel like Stahl really was stalking Harlee, caught her breaking the law, and used it as way to insert himself into her life.

[eliza]

Damn Woz is cold !

[LakeGal]

I love Ray Liotta in this role.  The look on his face over JLo's shoulder made me shiver.  

[Syndicate]

This is getting ugly. Harlee is the rat but Saperstein pays the price instead? I'm now wondering if Woz is killed by Harlee in self-defense when this whole sordid mess comes to a close.

Edited February 12, 2016 by Syndicate

[Rinaldo]

All the previews had indicated that Saperstein was going to pay the price for Woz's suspicions... and therefore I figured the show would pull one of its last-minute twists and someone else would suffer instead while Saperstein establishes his innocence. Instead, WHAM. No, he gets it after all.

 

Even though he remains alive, can he be long for this world/show? If he were to recover, he still can't erase what happened. How do you go back to a squad after your commander, in intent, murdered you? Is this how Santino Fontana gets released to concentrate on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? (assuming it continues)

[eliza]

^ maybe but Shades of blue was done filming back in November.

 

Also that weird scene where Harlee put her arm above the fire what was that about ?

Edited February 12, 2016 by eliza

[Rinaldo]

^ maybe but Shades of blue was done filming back in November.

Oh, I know (Santino tweeted during the fall about having to fly back for a day's shooting once or twice, they mostly filmed during the summer, I think). I was, mostly jokingly, speculating as to possible second seasons for both. (Which I would once have called very unlikely for both. Now we know it's a reality for SoB, and after two awards for the star it's not out of the question for CXGF.) We know that when he signed on for Saperstein, it was universally assumed that the other show was a dead issue after Showtime passed on the completed pilot.

Edited February 12, 2016 by Rinaldo

[piequinn35]

Stahl, you didn't see that coming? you know Sap's a cop right?? :/

[eliza]

Yeah would actually suck for Santino if he isn't in the show anymore and if CEG isn't renewed from 2 shows to none.

 

Jennifer Lopez was particularly great in this episode a bunch of critics said that the show start ok but get better and that she also get better and better and they were right.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in.

 

I really really wanted to quit this show :(  And then my friend made me watch this one.  It was pretty good.  At least I didn't fall asleep.

 

1)  Why did I think Sap had STABBED the FBI man in the kitchen?  What had he done instead?

 

2)  Why the hell did Ray Liotta decide Sap was the rat?  What was his reasoning/evidence/decision based on?

 

3)  The whole episode I figured Ray Liotta is probably still Harlee's baby daddy, haha I don't know why.  But at the very least it's the guy in jail I assume.

 

Thank you all!  J.Lo is super hot!

 

I'm beginning to love that black cop that isn't Finding Forrester.  God sorry this makes me sound like such asshole.  Me and names.  I feel bad about this also but Drea and whoever is related to her in storylines are so extraneous.  

Edited February 12, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[saber5055]

I really like Sap and his partner, so I was not happy with Woz. Although Sap is only partly dead, so that's good. Loved how his partner ran over to him and started crying. Master THESPIAN!

 

LOVED Sap getting the jump on the Dickhead FBI Stahl guy. He is such a dweeb. Stahl, not Sap.

 

Harlee's daughter is a snotty snot. But I guess most teen girls are. Glad Harlee talked her out of Prison Guy being her dad, so daughter got some redemption from me. I, too, think it would be cool if Woz were the dad.

 

The prison boyfriend putting it on Harlee to find the real killer ... oh, geesh, that is not going to end well. But Harlee telling Woz that the real killer needs to be brought in? No problem, since the guy is a crazed lunatic. It would have been easy to put him back in prison since he sort of violated his parole by kidnapping the kid and having possession of multiple guns, to say nothing of knocking out a cop (Harlee). So Mean Boyfriend and Real Killer could have both stayed behind bars.

 

Except Woz took care of that second thing by killing the killer. So Abusive Boyfriend: You're staying put. I hope.

 

Tess' husband w/o a shirt ... holy cr*p. That guy spends all his time working out and pumping iron. And Tess looked about a thousand years old in her close up, even on my ancient tv. But telling hubby you cheated on him will not exactly save your marriage, you stupid woman. Don't you know anything about relationships? Obviously not. But the cheating husband knew all the right things to get Tess into bed. So there's that!

 

I'm on Team Sap.

 

And BTW, that kidnapped kid ... lightning will strike me, but what an ugly kid he was, plus no expression at all about being held at gunpoint and almost murdered. What, was the kid the son of some producer or something? I sure wouldn't have cast him in this show.

Edited February 12, 2016 by saber5055

[Rinaldo]

Why the hell did Ray Liotta decide Sap was the rat?  What was his reasoning/evidence/decision based on?

A few episodes back, Saperstein ducked out on his partner when they were out in the field, so he could go across town and re-visit the Brazilian hooker (from episode 2) to learn some good Portuguese phrases to please his girlfriend. They agreed to say they had been together the whole shift, as they were supposed to be. But then Wozniak (Liotta), looking around for evidence of the rat, saw surveillance photos proving that Saperstein was lying about where he was while on duty, and figured that, having eliminated the others, this proves Sap's the guy.

Yeah would actually suck for Santino if he isn't in the show anymore and if CEG isn't renewed from 2 shows to none.

 

It happens. A few years back, another terrific stage actor, Laura Benanti, had two cancellations in a short timespan (Playboy Club and Go On) and sang about it on the Tony Awards. Her bit starts at 1:55.

 

[piequinn35]

Did I read it right that Stahl's name on Harlee's phone is DICK?

[helenamonster]

Did I read it right that Stahl's name on Harlee's phone is DICK?

 

Lol I thought it said "Duck." Dick makes more sense.

 

Ray Liotta is going full sociopath with this and I love it. He didn't even hesitate to push Sap or shoot the other guy, he just did it. No putzing around or monologuing for him. Jeebus.

 

I was confused about what Sap stabbed Stahl with too, but maybe it was a syringe? He was pretending to look for medicine for his mother (I loved the little scene between the two of them).

 

Tufo is hilarious, and I thought the actor did a good job with his grief at his partner lying (presumably) dead.

 

Oh, Loman. I want to feel bad but you fucked up. Props to the little kid who plays the cousin of the guy he shot, I don't know where someone that young is able to channel that kind of rage into a performance, but I was impressed.

 

Why does Drea of all people have the shittiest subplot, though? The only good thing is that I thought for a second her husband was going to rape her or something so I'm glad that didn't happen. But ugh just leave him. Even if he is pretty.

[piequinn35]

So that was a syringe? I thought Sap stabbed Stahl lol

[Irlandesa]

Why does Drea of all people have the shittiest subplot, though? The only good thing is that I thought for a second her husband was going to rape her or something so I'm glad that didn't happen. But ugh just leave him. Even if he is pretty.

I know!  I was giving this story a lot of leeway because cops talk about their lives while at work but I lost patience once they took it home and they reconciled.  And he doesn't look to be...anyone special or relevant to the major story arc of this show.  So pointless.

 

Stahl, you didn't see that coming? you know Sap's a cop right?? :/

I think he thought he had Saperstein sufficiently cowed.  And just looking at him, he was kind of unexpectedly badass. 

 

And I just read the cable guide description for the episode in two weeks and it looks like Saperstein doesn't make it.  I can only hope it's some kind of witness protection thing and he comes back. 

[thuganomics85]

Yep... Woz thinks Saperstein is the mole, and they end up on top of a building, without any of the other cops?  That was going to end one way for poor Saperstein.  I'm surprised he has apparently survived the fall for now, but I can't see this ending well for him.  Woz has just gone full-blown psycho now, and Ray Liotta is clearly loving every minute of it.

 

I sure hope Harlee gets Saperstein's phone though, because doesn't she pretty much admit that she was the one who told the FBI about him?  I'm sure she doesn't want Woz or the rest knowing about that little tidbit.  How long can she keep this up?  One of these days, those little mistakes she makes will end up doing her in.

 

Oh, Lomen.  How could you not see that this was how it was going to end?  You either should have confessed sooner or never even started that relationship.

 

Tess' storyline is a waste of Drea De Matteo's time.  It's like she is on a different show almost.

 

How did you ever even become a FBI agent, Stahl?  Even the FBI agents on Warren Kohle's former show, The Following, are probably cringing at how useless he is.

[ribboninthesky1]

If the point of Stahl's investigation is to stop Woz and his crew from committing crimes, then Stahl has succeeded. He's got Woz so paranoid that Woz has basically stopped doing the things the FBI suspected him of doing. And because Woz is so paranoid, he has an even tighter rein on his crew so they aren't getting into the bribery, racketeering, and corruption that they normally do. Bravo Stahl! Even in your failure and complete incompetence, you've succeeded.

However if the point of the investigation was to collect evidence to later prosecute, then this has been an utter failure. Does the FBI only have one follow car? Everyone in the FBI acknowledges that Woz is the mastermind, but there is no wiretap on his phones and no surveillance on him. I'm really starting to feel like Stahl really was stalking Harlee, caught her breaking the law, and used it as way to insert himself into her life.

 

Words cannot describe how incompetent Stahl is.  I keep wondering what the hell kind of a case he actually built to put this whole thing in motion.  I thought he actually was surveilling Wozniak to some degree, but I guess not? One of the biggest missteps of this show was not having Chen as the lead agent. It's unintentional comedy at this stage. 

 

And here's my unpopular opinion: Wozniak is as dumb as Stahl is. I've never understood the point of murdering the alleged rat.  I doubt it would throw the FBI off the trail.  There's little chance to confirm who it is, short of catching the person in the act.  And if anything, closing the ranks by talking to the group might have weeded out the mole faster than assuming everyone was guilty and shutting them out. I don't recall if it was explained how the Internal Affairs guy knew the FBI had an informant. Plus, this can't be the first time he's felt some kind of heat, assuming this has been going on for years. Dude has become unhinged so damn fast, it boggles my mind. 

 

I figured Saperstein was playing the FBI up the minute he wanted to see his mother.  But what I don't get is what he thought going to Wozniak would do.  I mean, it is the FBI.  Unless you plan to immediately go off the radar, I assume it's pretty tough to hide.  Also, if Harlee was astute enough to immediately and accurately guess that Wozniak would murder someone over being an informant, why wouldn't Saperstein? He just thought he would explain things to Wozniak after being picked up AND the federal warrant? Also, maybe a clue that Wozniak isn't open to any rational discussion is the fact that he's just standing there while you're taking on a man of considerable size.   

 

I've had sympathy for Loman, but the vacillating moral code plus the high horse is getting old.  And did he REALLY think that newspaper article wouldn't spread like wildfire around the neighborhood? I mean, this isn't the 50s.  Hell, this isn't even the 00s.  All someone needs to do is Snapchat or tweet or Facebook   something, and it can go viral in a flash. It was a stretch that he wasn't outed the day it happened.  

 

Why the hell would Harlee leave Saperstein a voicemail when Tess told her he wasn't using his phone?  Her line to Saperstein about him being one of the good ones made me chuckle.    

 

I tell you, the stupid stick was passed around freely in this episode.  How this group managed not to already be taken down is the big question for me. Tufo might be the only one with some common sense. Agreed with others that Tess needs to be on a different show. 

[helenamonster]

I don't think the killing the rat is supposed to keep the feds off the trail, I think it's supposed to be a deterrent. On other shows/movies that I've seen with an informant angle (no real life experience with it, lol), the people that do prison time for their gang/crew instead of ratting are rewarded and valued. Those that rat are pretty much guaranteed to be killed, and likely not found. And if no one talks, the feds have a harder time building a case. Not an impossible time, but things are definitely made easier for them when they have someone with inside information.

 

I couldn't get a read on whether or not Harlee was telling Cristina the truth about her father. I'm inclined to believe she was lying and it really is Miguel. Either way, the way she manipulated Cristina into not reading the letters was pretty slick.

[ribboninthesky1]

Yes, I think Harlee was lying about Miguel, and agree her story was a shrewd way to throw Christina off the trail.  Though, I don't know why she couldn't have told her most of the truth - Miguel was her father, and never mentioned him because of the abuse. I'm also confused as to why she would keep the letters with no intent to show them to Christina.  A great way to keep someone from finding something is to either discard it, or at least store it outside of the house.  

 

I'm not sure why Christina was still at the prison when Harlee arrived if she needed parental consent to see him.  Did she assume Harlee would come?   

[preeya]

What a "tangled web of lies."  Has anyone on this show ever told the truth about anything?  Now Harlee's spinning a bunch of bullshit to her daughter about Miguel not being her father and some mystery man is.

[Syndicate]

What a "tangled web of lies."  Has anyone on this show ever told the truth about anything?  Now Harlee's spinning a bunch of bullshit to her daughter about Miguel not being her father and some mystery man is.

And that mystery man is none other than Woz, the psychotic, murderous, dick-loving boss/father figure/confidante of Christina's mother Harlee. Seriously, I don't want this to be true for myriads of reasons at this point, but I don't think I trust where this show is going ultimately.

 

Besides, this would probably be the ONLY way that Harlee gets to live after Woz finds out she's the rat. As crazy as Woz is, surely he wouldn't want to kill his daughter's mother, would he? He clearly adores Christina and that would devastate her in ways I'm sure he wouldn't want to be responsible for.

Edited February 14, 2016 by Syndicate

[preeya]

And that mystery man is none other than Woz, the psychotic, murderous, dick-loving boss/father figure/confidante of Christina's mother Harlee. Seriously, I don't want this to be true for myriads of reasons at this point, but I don't think I trust where this show is going ultimately.

 

Besides, this would probably be the ONLY way that Harlee gets to live after Woz finds out she's the rat. As crazy as Woz is, surely he wouldn't want to kill his daughter's mother, would he? He clearly adores Christina and that would devastate her in ways I'm sure he wouldn't want to be responsible for.

I could see Woz being the father.  Woz was my first choice as the daddy way back when the series began and before the Miguel intro.

[eliza]

lol I really don't think Woz is the father when they met she already had Cristina. 

[KaveDweller]

I couldn't get a read on whether or not Harlee was telling Cristina the truth about her father. I'm inclined to believe she was lying and it really is Miguel. Either way, the way she manipulated Cristina into not reading the letters was pretty slick.

 

I think she was lying so Christina didn't want to see Miguel.  Even if she knew about the abuse, Christina might still want to visit him once, just because of the pull of DNA.  But if that story was true, Harlee could have just gotten a DNA test to keep Miguel away from her.  There'd be no need for the whole framing for murder thing.

[ribboninthesky1]

And that mystery man is none other than Woz, the psychotic, murderous, dick-loving boss/father figure/confidante of Christina's mother Harlee. Seriously, I don't want this to be true for myriads of reasons at this point, but I don't think I trust where this show is going ultimately.

 

Heh. I assume that Harlee will eventually have to kill Wozniak if the FBI can't get to him.  Given hunterhunted's post above, I can't see Woz being arrested at the end of this season since he's not actually participating in the activities that got flagged him in the first place.  Then again, if he think Saperstein is the rat, and he's out of commission, he might be arrogant enough to resume his illegal activities.