S02.E11: The Quality of Mercy

[MyAimIsTrue]

Harlee and Wozniak lead the crew on a dangerous mission to heist Bianchi's secret ledger and take down the mobster once and for all. But the plan takes a tragic turn when the events our heroes set in motion put one of their own in harms way, forcing Harlee to turn to an unlikely source for help.

[memememe76]

Oh, I am such a person, but that final scene where Harlee had Stahl in her hands was so darn hot.

[Irlandesa]

7 minutes ago, memememe76 said:

Oh, I am such a person, but that final scene where Harlee had Stahl in her hands was so darn hot.

Ha.  I'm a person for whom creepy on a sexy guy gives me so much joy.  When Stahl looked at her and said "I will heal you" my first thought was "That's creepy."  My second? "OMG, I love it so much."

The next week looks to be good as we learn more about what's in the box.

[mochamajesty]

Not sure if I buy Stahl helping Harlee after she got him fired. I bet he loved her grabbing his junk lol.

Two scenes with Nava? Hmmm I don't think he is going to survive the season. Or if he does he won't survive the series. I do not see this show ending with Harlee in a happy relationship. 

Sorry I have to agree with Woz. Guys like Bianchi need to die. Maybe Harlee sees it now too.

[waving feather]

I love Stahl and his crazy so much, especially when he was giving Harlee life advice! He is batshit and so entertaining. He really has a method to his madness.

[BeatrixK]

You know how I know Stahl is completely insane?  Because, IRL, I would be all over that like white on rice -- because my taste in men can occasionally suck. 

How can he make insane so incredibly hot? 

[SleepyGirl]

Yeah, Stahl is a creep but hes a sexy creep. That scene when she has him by the balls..phew! But he did turn me off majorly after he messed with and caused the death of Caddie. Harlee can overlook alot of stuff but killing poor Caddie and interfering with Cristina is going too far. Harlee , Woz and the Crew are messed up for sure, but there ARE lines that CAN be crossed. Stahl is too entrrtaining to be killed off and Warren Kole too goid of and actor to waste. Nava is very cute and all but he doesnt have to same chemistry as Stahl and Harlee do. Also, he seems like a nice guy but the actor playing Nava is stiff...So he might not last.

[waving feather]

29 minutes ago, SleepyGirl said:

Also, he seems like a nice guy but the actor playing Nava is stiff...So he might not last.

What would make Nava interesting for me if he is the mole for the mob all along. Some things would need to be explained away but that really would be a twist after his nice and righteous guy routine all season.

[mochamajesty]

3 hours ago, waving feather said:

What would make Nava interesting for me if he is the mole for the mob all along. Some things would need to be explained away but that really would be a twist after his nice and righteous guy routine all season.

Yes, that's a great idea.  But no, I can't see it.  He is just too... something - vanilla? - to be a mob guy. Although that may be a part of his act.

4 hours ago, SleepyGirl said:

Also, he seems like a nice guy but the actor playing Nava is stiff...So he might not last.

He pings my gaydar ( not that there is anything wrong with that). 

[atlantaloves]

Oh I am all about Nava, yum yum yum and know what it is time for Jennifer to start killing some more people....Woz is getting all the action, and I still root for him.  I love this show.  I can not believe Jennifer Lopez is so fabulous in this, and of course Ray is killing it! Just get rid of the daughter, she bores me. Snort.  (don't kill her, just write her out)

[Medicine Crow]

28 minutes ago, atlantaloves said:

Oh I am all about Nava, yum yum yum and know what it is time for Jennifer to start killing some more people....Woz is getting all the action, and I still root for him.  I love this show.  I can not believe Jennifer Lopez is so fabulous in this, and of course Ray is killing it! Just get rid of the daughter, she bores me. Snort.  (don't kill her, just write her out)

Send her away to college!!!

[saber5055]

What was Stahl trying to achieve, getting Cristina to meet "Miguel"? Just a coincidence that he played Cristina at the same time as the mob targeting her? Or is Stahl tied into the mob? And why did he take Cristina's cup, when he already has her hair? It creeps me out that some real people find Stahl hot and attractive based on his being bat-sh*t crazy. I wonder if people would find him so irresistible if he looked like Steve Buscemi. Stahl's "I'm going to fix you" to Harlee reminds me of revival-tent preachers promising followers a way into heaven. Good looks don't beat out creepy-mc-creeperness in my book. Give me boring old Nava any day. And night!

[rur]

8 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

What was Stahl trying to achieve, getting Cristina to meet "Miguel"? Just a coincidence that he played Cristina at the same time as the mob targeting her? Or is Stahl tied into the mob? And why did he take Cristina's cup, when he already has her hair? 

The mob targeting was a coincidence. The lab tech told him that the hair he took didn't have a root attached, and that he'd need a better DNA sample in order to get the results (proof that Harlee was guilty) that he wanted. He was lurking and waiting for Cristina to discard the cup when Harlee called. 

Edited May 15, 2017 by rur

[waving feather]

I don't like the way Woz's crew are a bunch of lazy cops. It seems the only way they could nail someone is if they have to plant evidence on them. First time with Bianchi, then that drug dealer and then with Bianchi again. If they actually put in some effort to do some investigations, they might not have to be crooked all the time to put away the bad guys. So, it's just plain laziness.

At least I respect Stahl for trying to get solid evidence (out in effort to dig graves and all) instead of trying to organize a frame job.

[juliet73]

15 hours ago, mochamajesty said:

Two scenes with Nava? Hmmm I don't think he is going to survive the season. Or if he does he won't survive the series. I do not see this show ending with Harlee in a happy relationship. 

 

He's filming season 3 so he's at least making it out alive this season.  

 

10 hours ago, SleepyGirl said:

Yeah, Stahl is a creep but hes a sexy creep. That scene when she has him by the balls..phew! But he did turn me off majorly after he messed with and caused the death of Caddie. Harlee can overlook alot of stuff but killing poor Caddie and interfering with Cristina is going too far. Harlee , Woz and the Crew are messed up for sure, but there ARE lines that CAN be crossed. Stahl is too entrrtaining to be killed off and Warren Kole too goid of and actor to waste. Nava is very cute and all but he doesnt have to same chemistry as Stahl and Harlee do. Also, he seems like a nice guy but the actor playing Nava is stiff...So he might not last.

I agree about Warren Kole - he plays creepy/sexy/crazy so well!  I think Stahl and Harlee have better chemistry because they have so many emotions against each other - rage, animosity, disdain, etc.  There's a thin line between love and hate and those two are both balancing on it, IMO. Not to be biased since I heart Gino Anthony Pesi (Nava), but I don't he's stiff, I think the character is stiff.  I've seen some of his other roles (and interviews), and he's very charismatic.  I think Nava is just a subdued person.  

 

10 hours ago, waving feather said:

What would make Nava interesting for me if he is the mole for the mob all along. Some things would need to be explained away but that really would be a twist after his nice and righteous guy routine all season.

I like this idea!

 

4 hours ago, atlantaloves said:

 Just get rid of the daughter, she bores me. Snort.  (don't kill her, just write her out)

The mean side of me wouldn't care if Christina went to go live with Miguel ;) . The nice side of me says send her away to college...in New Zealand!

[NorthstarATL]

34 minutes ago, juliet73 said:

He's filming season 3 so he's at least making it out alive this season.

Could be that he is filming flashback scenes. You can't assume.

 

16 hours ago, mochamajesty said:

Not sure if I buy Stahl helping Harlee after she got him fired. I bet he loved her grabbing his junk lol.

Stahl is obsessed. He would do anything to maintain a "relationship" with Harlee, even if it makes no sense. I liked the way they had the whole thing play out, but, Geez, Woz and Harlee were just so guilty-seeming when they left that building! They're supposed to be good at this. They should have rehearsed a contingency story, AND they should have known that every office building has recording devices, even if they are just used to spy on employees. Dumb.

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, saber5055 said:

It creeps me out that some real people find Stahl hot and attractive based on his being bat-sh*t crazy

I don't know if it's because he's bat shit crazy.  Warren Kole is an attractive man.  That said, his being bat shit crazy does give him a little extra sumptin' sumptin'.  I don't feel guilty about it either because, on this show, everyone is corrupt and/or bat shit crazy. 

Quote

I wonder if people would find him so irresistible if he looked like Steve Buscemi.

Ha.  I know this was meant to get me to think about my "what do you find sexy" choices but yeah, I think I would.  Steve Buscemi is a good actor.  He's delightfully quirkly.  He can bring intensity.  And I've found him quite sexy before. Heck, his quirky looks might make me find him sexier than I find Kole.  *ponders*

[waving feather]

I think good actors have a way to make themselves attractive no matter what roles they play. That's what I find attractive about Warren Kole. Same with Ray Liotta. When you are committed and owning a certain role, it's just attractive.

Edited May 16, 2017 by waving feather

[mochamajesty]

Steve Buscemi? Don't sleep on Steve. Nicky Thompson got all the chicks. :)

I am seriously liking the idea of MoleNava. The only thing that would not work is Caroline. Unless  she isn't really dead?

[ribboninthesky1]

On 5/15/2017 at 11:03 AM, waving feather said:

What would make Nava interesting for me if he is the mole for the mob all along. Some things would need to be explained away but that really would be a twist after his nice and righteous guy routine all season.

I thought this is where they were going during season 1.  I guess they could still go there, but nothing about this show is subtle enough to make me think they're setting it up.  From what we've seen to date, he is meant to be a knight-in-shining-armor for Harlee, as I don't think she's ever had that kind of relationship.   

[ribboninthesky1]

Hey, I'm not arguing that Harlee deserves him! But I also think the show wants us to root for Harlee and Woz and the team.  I don't, and agree that Nava can do better.  He seems to be a Rescuer/Slay Your Dragons type, and he's in the dark about most of Harlee's shenanigans.  He briefly broke up with her, but then reconciled the very next episode (which I found pointless). He's declaring love now, so I think he's in to win it, heh. 

[saber5055]

The DNA guy said the tooth didn't have a root, so he couldn't get a good sample off of it, not Cristina's hair. Besides, at least one hair in a brush WILL have roots. Stahl took a major handful out of that brush. Or did I totally miss-see that scene in the DNA room? I swear the guy held up the tooth. And Nava being a mole would be a great capper, and pretty much destroy Harlee's faith in future boyfriends.

[jewel21]

I, too, thought he said the hair was missing a root. And that's why Stahl set up at bogus meeting so he could get a DNA sample from Christina's coffee cup. They even did a close-up shot of her lipstick on the rim of the lid.

[helenamonster]

Damn, I really felt for that intern. If Harlee hadn't been there I have no doubt Woz would have killed her and not felt a thing. Poor girl probably thought there might be other cameras in the office, and she knows the kind of people her boss works for and that they would kill her if they found out she let Harlee and Woz get away with the safe.

I was confused...did Tess and Loman know Woz killed the girlfriend and the other guy or nah? Did Woz just send them to frame Bianchi for the murders and they didn't ask further questions. Also, lol at Tess: "I'm trying to be authentic. She doesn't seem like she'd be the best speller."

You know how some people get bothered when tv shows portray their profession wrong? I get that same feeling with New York geography, and the whole bit of them trying to figure out what subway Cristina was on and what station she would have gotten off at drove me nuts. First of all, no, Tufo, not a single subway station in NYC has color-coded pillars that denote what line it is. You can only tell the line from the signs on the trains and above the tracks. They would have been better off looking at the interior of the subway car, as the same styles of cars are used for the same lines. The car Cristina was in could only have been a 1, 6, B, or D train from first glance, and it's pretty obviously a 6 train if you look closely (hard to describe but they have something distinct about them that differentiates them from the other lines that use older cars). 6 trains also have the number visible inside the train, usually with lights around it to denote if it's a 6 or a 6X (which runs express uptown). Finally, it made no sense for Cristina to be on the 6 at all. You can't catch the 6 in Brooklyn, she'd have to transfer in Manhattan. But if she was going to Union Square, it would make no sense to transfer to the 6 because the 6 is a local, and you'd get there faster if you just stayed on the 4/5. Ok. Rant over. But, I mean, come on. They film this show in New York and I know at least two of the cast members were born and raised here.

Also, did anyone else catch the little shoutout to Hudson University? Can we expect a Law and Order: SVU crossover next season?

8 hours ago, saber5055 said:

The DNA guy said the tooth didn't have a root, so he couldn't get a good sample off of it, not Cristina's hair. Besides, at least one hair in a brush WILL have roots. Stahl took a major handful out of that brush. Or did I totally miss-see that scene in the DNA room? I swear the guy held up the tooth. And Nava being a mole would be a great capper, and pretty much destroy Harlee's faith in future boyfriends.

Nah, they nixed the tooth last week because Stahl was trying to get an ID through dental records, not DNA. The tech was talking about the hair not having a root, which made the sample inconclusive. And from my casual true crime reading, hair from a brush is not as good for DNA, as brushes mostly catch hair that has fallen out of the head naturally. The best results come from hair that has been deliberately pulled from the head, with the root attached.

[topanga]

On 5/15/2017 at 7:48 PM, waving feather said:

I don't like the way Woz's crew are a bunch of lazy cops. It seems the only way they could nail someone is if they have to plant evidence on them. First time with Bianchi, then that drug dealer and then with Bianchi again. If they actually put in some effort to do some investigations, they might not have to be crooked all the time to put away the bad guys. So, it's just plain laziness.

At least I respect Stahl for trying to get solid evidence (out in effort to dig graves and all) instead of trying to organize a frame job.

Speaking of which, the team doesn't have other cases? Seems like they go around killing people and framing people all day. Doesn't the precinct captain care? 

I actually liked Bianchi in this episode. Except for the part where he sent his henchman to shoot Cristina. His dead pan line delivery cracks me up. He's like a poor-man's Kevin Spacey. And when the cops "told" him he'd killed his mistress, he did seem slightly upset. "She gave me up, and you killed her anyway?" Of course, he probably would have had her killed later, but still. In that moment, he cared. 

LOL at Stahl's methods for getting evidence. Breaking and entering and then  luring a teenaged girl away from school to meet with him. 

What would he have done if she hadn't drank or eaten anything?

[ribboninthesky1]

26 minutes ago, topanga said:

He's like a poor-man's Kevin Spacey. And when the cops "told" him he'd killed his mistress, he did seem slightly upset. "She gave me up, and you killed her anyway?" Of course, he probably would have had her killed later, but still. In that moment, he cared. 

LMAO!

27 minutes ago, topanga said:

What would he have done if she hadn't drank or eaten anything?

Alas, logic doesn't have much of a place on the show.  Seems to me it would have been a lot simpler to just break into Harlee's apartment again, and get some more hair with the root, a used glass, anything from Cristina's room.  It was basically plot device to put Cristina in peril and have Stahl in the mix, since he really has no place in the action now. 

[mostlylurking]

Poor Nava, he is the definition of just a pretty face.  I mean, his face IS pretty, but he doesn't seem to have much going on upstairs.  First in a previous episode he couldn't figure out that someone was in the trunk of a car he was standing next to, even with all the noises and kicking.  This episode he jokes to Harlee that for a minute he thought Woz & crew wouldn't bring Biancchi in alive.  Really, whatever would make THAT thought cross your mind???  I would love if he really was a mole, that would make him interesting.  Right now he just seems.....like not the sharpest crayon.

Put me in the camp that thinks Stahl is majorly hot!  Woz & Co. are criminals after all, so sorry to say I'm not really routing for them although I still enjoy them.  I'm kind of routing for the IA guym which probably means he'll be dead soon.  When Harlee was trying to relate to intern girl by saying she gets up at 4am to pay tuition for her daughter's school I was like please, you're a crooked cop.  Just own it, don't try all this I'm trying to make my honest way in the world just like you bs.  JLo and Ray Liotta are both killing it (plus Liotta's from my hometown!!)

Was the little girl in the flashbacks JLo's daughter?  I thought they looked alike.

Edited May 18, 2017 by mostlylurking

[mtlchick]

Quote

Also, did anyone else catch the little shoutout to Hudson University? Can we expect a Law and Order: SVU crossover next season?

HA!  I'd be down for that.  It's the school that NO ONE SHOULD BE APPLYING TO! 

[atlantaloves]

thank you thank you thank you, HUDSON UNIVERSITY, I thought I had lost my mind...big law and order fan...their fantasy university, it was part of a very fun drinking game for Law and Order back in the day....I love this show, Shades of Blue is so nasty, I just love love love it, and Jennifer is killing it, and of course Woz....MY HERO...yeah, I am one sick puppy, but I always root for him. 

[auntiemel]

There's a list on Wikipedia of all the shows that Hudson University has been featured on. But, it doesn't include Shades of Blue, so it's not comprehensive. Still, a fun read.