Murder in the First Season 3 Episode Guide:
3.01. Normandy, Bitch - Review!
3.02. Tropic of Cancer - Airs July 3
3.03. Black and Blue - Airs July 10
3.04. The Barbers of Seville - Airs July 17
3.05. Follow the Money - Airs July 24
3.06. Sam I Am - Airs July 31
3.07. Let's Make a Deal - Airs August 14
3.09. Daddy Dearest - August 21
3.10. Rise of the Phoenix - August 28
Murder in the First 3.01 - Review:
Directed by Jesse Bochco, Story by Steven Bochco, Jonathan Abrahams & Teleplay by Jonathan Abrahams
And we're back for a new season of Murder in the First. This was actually the very first show that I reviewed for this site at the beginning of its second season and although I never got to review the final two episodes thanks to time spent in France when they aired, it was an excellent experience for me. Since then I've covered Narcos, The Shannara Chronicles, Veep, Silicon Valley, Hell on Wheels, The Shannara Chronicles, Childhood's End, Preacher & Roadies so it's great to return to a new season of this show that even if it hasn't set the world alight, has failed to dissapoint for the most part.
Here we immediately open with D.A. Mario Siletti getting in trouble with his wife when he's clearly interested in a woman who isn't his wife, which starts an argument in their car and leads to the death of a young woman who was crossing the street which could mean that he would be charged for murder. And speaking of murder, a football player Normandy Parker is shot at his own birthday party, adding the body count and this prompts an investigation for both Terry and Hildy, who are back on the scene. Taye Diggs and Kathleen Robertson have been consistently reliable for the past two seasons in their lead roles with several great performances and it's really good to see them back in their roles as the two Detectives.
Somebody has to investigate Siletti if Terry and Hildy are on Normandy Parker and that case falls to both David Molk and Edgar Navarro. Siletti isn't helping his case by saying that he seems confused that the situation could even happen to him, and it looks more likely that he's trying to come up with excuses on his own. Needless to say thanks to the hardline approach of Navarro and Molk, he breaks under pressure.
It also seems as though it's Hildy's turn to have a subplot this season as Terry had one last time out. She finds out that she has breast cancer, and that it's pretty bad. Robertson handles it really well giving a great performance as Hildy, and it will be interesting to see how the show tackles with this new problem going forward. It's certainly an interesting development that will no doubt be an ongoing problem and a new threat that she has to face.
So all in all, it's a promising return for a series that doesn't shy away from tackling strong subjects and it'll be interesting to see how Murder in the First deals with them in the season ahead. There was some other minor stuff here such as Koto's problems with a reporter, but for now all things seem to be on course for a solid season which will hopefully see greater time with some of the supporting cast who we didn't quite get as much of last season.
What did you think of Normandy Bitch? Are you happy with the premiere of Murder in the First's third season? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to check out the second episode next Sunday on TNT at 10pm.
Overall Episode Verdict: B+
Positives:
+Robertson & Diggs' acting.
+The two cases.
+Promising start.
