#vs facts. vs when amanda clearly INTENDS something to be a fact vs opinion and conducting the discussion (or doing a bit) from there

[shesmore-shoebill]

I think the Amanda Arasha combination is especially effective because they do have differing opinions on a number of things, but Arasha is also largely unafraid to actually disagree/pushback on things (in a very good natured, thoughtful, usually well articulated way) without taking it personally. Which, I think is especially fun/good with Amanda, who tends to have strong opinions and expresses them very. powerfully. And I love her for it, but the discussion definitely gets even better when someone like Arasha is willing to push back or call out the comedy of certain personal opinions/subjective viewpoints, and still have a good time overall.

[milquetoast-on-acid]

Before and After, A Reactionary Post

Major Crimes, S1xE2: Episode Review

What this episode is about: The Power Struggle // Sharon vs. Taylor & Pope // Sharon vs Provenza  // Amy. the wild card // Andy. the ally The ghosts that haunt us // Brenda // Chad Raybur // Sharon's Husband & Rusty's Mother Making the best out of a shitty situation // Sharon & Taylor // Sharon & Provenza // Sharon & Rusty

The Power Struggle continues...

Sharon, Provenza and Taylor all struggle to hold power and all three of them react in different ways. Similarly the squad below is caught in it and they all react in different ways as well. 

Sharon vs Taylor and Pope

How can you not love Robert Gossett and that FACE!? The guy does hilarious facial expressions like no other and I miss it.

It occurs to me that Pope and Taylor had never intended to promote Sharon. It was only something they said in order to get her to stay and accept Major Crimes. So why Sharon specifically? Why not someone else? I think they wanted Sharon for a few different reasons. 

1. Her strict adherence to rules. This I think is the biggest reason why the chose her. Brenda's fast and loose playing of procedure was the reason why the department was in the trouble it was in, in the first place. Sharon is not only known for following the rules but also making them. This was something they knew they would be guaranteed and not something the would have to worry about they way they did with Brenda. 

2. Her familiarity with the department. She had already been working on and off with the department for give or take 3 years. She was very familiar with the detectives, how they worked (their strengths and weakness') and how the department was ran. So she could use those things to her advantages the way someone completely unfamiliar with the department couldn't. 

3. Her ability to adapt and openness to a new way of doing things. Both Pope and Taylor wanted things to be run differently than when Brenda ran them. Specifically they wanted to make deals with the criminals, which would save time, money and guarantee a conviction. Sharon was of the same mind with only her motivation being slightly different than theirs. Where they were mostly concerned with saving money from trials, she was more concerned with a guaranteed (and faster) conviction.

Sharon vs Provenza

Amy. the wild card

While we don't get too much reaction from Mike (except him saying that he'd rather have a trial), Julio and Buzz on the power struggle between Sharon and Provenza but we do see a lot from Andy and Amy. At first it didn't really occur to me exactly the reason why Amy acts the way that she does. She sucks up to get the job and it works, but in the end she doesn't really know where the chips are going to fall. Who should she look towards? Who should she follow? Sharon or Provenza? Provenza was in charge when she first encounters MC, but then Provenza is pushed out by Taylor and Sharon. Sharon is now in charge but for how long? Provenza has support that Sharon lacks. To me this explains her odd behavior she doesn't quite know who to go to, who the top dog is? So she has to play a bit of both sides.  

Provenza sees her as someone he can use to put her on his side but he's got a problem. Because in this episode Amy seems to be gravitating towards Sharon, even though she's not completely convinced of her as of yet. It also occurs to me that another reason why Amy seems to be following Sharon's lead over Provenza's is that Sharon was the one to hire her. And mean while Provenza didn't think twice about moving her to MC. 

Andy. the ally We think that Andy would be someone that would naturally back Provenza. Considering how close the two men are.  But if it's about choosing sides here, then it's not Provenza's he picks. Immediately after Amy comes into the interrogation room and lets the suspect know her husband was a suspected rapist. Provenza and Andy have a bit of discussion about her. Andy says: "She's smart and dumb at the same time." to which Provenza says: "Oh, she's not dumb. She's choosing sides." 

Andy is standing directly behind Sharon. Visually telling us that he's backing her for now and in the future. It's something that we eventually get very used to seeing. It's also interesting that Sharon and Andy are once again wearing the same color. Yet another visual clue that the two of them are linked and of the same mind. Things are changing for the squad in more ways than one. 

Provenza is standing a part from them on the other side. Visually telling us he’s on his own side. 

Andy vs Provenza

The difference between Andy and Provenza and how they see things in the way that Sharon works out the department. Is that even though Andy has a very black and white way of thinking he's much more open to change than Provenza is. To Andy, deals make a lot of sense. He even states how much he personally hates court and he if he doesn't have to go how is that a bad thing? And as I mentioned in my last weeks review of Reloaded. 

Making deals with criminals was something that Andy actually wants. Because if you have the power to make someone's life better (and you think their's something redeemable about them) why not take that? It was something he wanted for that boy in Reloaded he was trying desperately to make a deal with. Similarly if you have the power to send someone away to jail (even if it's a shortened period of time) and it's gurrentted? Why would you not want that? Unfortunetly for Provenza he doesn't see things that way. He hates change and he just sees the deal making process as a way to cut time for criminals that should be serving more time. I can't say that he's not wrong about it.

Sharon & Rusty There's also a power struggle between Sharon and Rusty. Rusty's been on his own for so long he thinks he's grown  up. And Sharon does her best to remind Rusty that he's really just a child. It's a struggle because he clearly doesn't want to be there. Even though it's really the best place for him.

The ghosts that still haunt

Brenda

Everyone is still reeling from the absence of their former chief. She isn't mentioned here the way that she was in Reloaded but the ghost of her still haunts the halls of Major Crimes and it's Detectives. Simply put Sharon Raydor is not Brenda Leigh and now everyone is going to have to get used to it. Whether they like it or not. 

Chad Raybur Is the ghost that haunts his all of his rape victims, their families and his wife. The fact that he's actually dead makes the title of this section all the more juicy. Most especially Jim and his daughter Amanda. Jim wanted to make a banner to hang in his gym that let everyone know exactly who Chad was. And when Amanda wouldn't let him do that he tried to sue them.

Sharon's Husband & Rusty's Mother We learn (or relearn depending on whether you watched The Closer) that Sharon is married but has been separated from her husband for 20 years. The shadow of him still hangs around in her life just as much as the shadow of Rusty's mother hangs around in his. Despite the absence in their lives, they are both clearly loved by Sharon and Rusty. 

We know that Rusty's mother abandoned him at a Zoo and he wants more than anything to be with her again. He thinks this situation with Sharon is just temporary (oh how little he knows) and pins all of his hopes on his mother coming back and everything will be alright again. Sharon has been through 30 some odd years with Jack and as much as she still loves him. She doesn't pin hopes on him. Even though they don't live together and are legally separated they are still married. 

There is a clue here as to what Rusty's relationship is like with his birth mother. Rusty is the adult in that relationship, and she is the child. Similarly, Sharon is also the grown up in her relationship with Jack, while he's the child. How can we get more of a visual than Jack's suit hanging up in her closet? As a ghost that hangs around in her life? 

Life is not Fair: Making the best out of a shitty situation

Sharon & Taylor

Taylor attempts to play certain cards with Sharon but she sees right through him. He tells her that there's a freeze on promotions and when that doesn't work. He starts talking about where she's spent her career and how lucky she is to be given MC because of that and because of her age. 

Despite the fact that Taylor himself was just promoted and that he's around the same age as Sharon these are some bull shit arguments. Ultimately there isn't anything that Sharon can do but make the best of a difficult situation. Which is has been Sharon's entire life story. 

The one and only thing (at this point) that I agree with him is him pointing out that her ability to hold her team together should be a function of her leadership skills and not her rank. Sharon doesn't need the commander title to lead MC effectively. The only other thing I want to point out about this conversation between her and Taylor. Is that Sharon is starting to see that Taylor is not someone she can rely on. 

As we later learn Sharon's whole life is about her not being able to rely on anyone but herself in a professional and personal capacity. In any job your Boss is someone that you should be able to rely on and look to for guidance. As of yet Taylor is not fitting that bill. Not the way that Pope did for Brenda when she first took over. 

* I just want to make a little side note here. I have many many thoughts on Russell Taylor. Even though he is a sometime antagonist and sometime asshole. I don't think he is a bad guy. In the same way that I never saw Sharon as the bad guy. My personal opinion of Taylor is that he grows as a person through out MC's series. While he is always much more focused on media, money and the LAPD's outlook than their own internal workings - He does become a better person and like Sharon grows into the job better as the series goes on. It's subtle but he becomes less of asshole and if you notice the squad and him eventually work together instead of working against each other. 

Sharon & Provenza Unknowingly for Provenza, Sharon does have something in common with him. Both of them are stuck in this situation and they have to make the best of it. Sharon was promised a promotion she didn't get and Provenza was put in charge and then it was ripped away from him.  Provenza thinks he can't live with the changes that Sharon brings, Amy and him not being in charge. 

Sharon & Rusty "I'm here and your mother is not. And your going to have to try and make the best of it." The fact that Sharon is trying so hard with Rusty. That she's already got a school lined up for him that she wants him to go to. One that both Emily and Ricky went to. She brings up college to him and wants him to start thinking about a future for himself. 

Both Sharon and Rusty may think they don't need the other but both of them love someone who (while does love them back) loves themselves (and their addictions) more. Both abandoned and both of them clearly need love in their lives. And while Sharon has Emily and Ricky, they are not a part of her everyday life. Both Sharon and Rusty can't really move forward with their lives. . And it seems that for both of them to move forward they need each other. 

Similarly Sharon and Provenza need each other. Sharon needs his expertise and knowledge. Provenza needs Sharon's diligence to procedure, her adaptability and political know how.

Favorite Line(s):

"Wait Somebody married you!?" "You do realize there's a freeze on all promotions." "Accept apparently on Assistant Chief."

Comments/Moments: 

Mike

Mike: "Before and After shots. Pretty Racy." I can't tell if Mike is being sarcastic here or not? Please let it be sarcasm.

I love how even though Mike takes Amy’s shitty driving like a Pro he later gives her this look that says I don’t want to die.

Provenza

What I didn't like: Taylor playing fast and loose with both Sharon and Provenza. He's put them both in a position that says "I'm the boss and you have no other choice then to play my game." While it's not a great episode or all that emotionally enthralling it is a better episode than Reloaded.

What I did like: I think that now that things between the squad and the team members places have all be established and the places are starting to fall into place. Makes things a bit easier this episode verses Reloaded. I think the case is a bit better than last weeks. We get more emotionally connected with the victims than in Reloaded.

There is some nice humor in the beginning of the episode between Sharon/Rusty and Provenza. We also get some backstory on Sharon which is always wonderful from the ever mysterious Sharon Raydor. Sharon is already starting to think of Rusty's future, even if he can't see that far ahead of himself. That's something that boy has needed, someone who will love him unconditionally and look out for him.

Next week I will review: Medical Causes