I’m going to dive right in because my intro sentence was just a sentence long. Three people at a tow yard are murdered in plain view of security cameras, so the Major Crimes Unit knows who they’re chasing right from the outset. Elliot Chase shot and killed these people because they wouldn’t let him get the bag full of weapons from the trunk of his impounded car. This is why you should obey all traffic laws when preparing to break the law or escaping from a crime scene.
After Raydor hears the long list of people Chase blames and/or hates, she gets people on the phone to call, check on and warn these people about Chase. Provenza calls the lawyer that represented the Chase family in a lawsuit against the bank that was trying to take their house. He realizes that the person who answered the cellphone was Elliot himself.
They realize that the conference that Richard Downey, the real estate lawyer Chase blames for losing their house, was supposed to speak at is on Chase’s list of things to destroy today. I did like Chase’s plan to send cash flying out over the attendees to cause a frenzy that would have them grouped together picking bills up off the ground. Major Crimes gets there in time to prevent the attendees from stepping out into the line of fire.
Raydor tries to talk Chase down, but he’s not buying it. When he’s confronted, he grabs a couple of his automatic weapons and opens fire. Provenza is hit. When Sanchez helps him up, Provenza sings the praise of the “stupid vest”. When Chase runs out of ammo, he jumps off the balcony landing with what can only be described as a “splat”.
The best part of the episode was Provenza finding out one of his ex-wives is getting married again. Early in The Closer Provenza declared he was dying at his desk so that his ex-wife couldn’t get his pension. Patrice is aware of this and starts gushing about their post retirement plans. It’s clear from his expression that the idea of retiring freaks him out. After he’s shot, Provenza has to face his wife. Note to all: if you text your loved ones that you’ve been shot, ANSWER ALL OF THEIR RESPONDING TEXTS.
Patrice arrives and Provenza announces that, while he considered lying about the situation, he’s going to tell her the truth. Despite how much getting shot hurt, he loves the job and retiring would likely kill him. Patrice makes a deal. Provenza can stay a cop for as long as he wants but he promises to be the very last cop she marries.
Did anyone else notice that while Buzz and Amy moved to give Patrice and Provenza some space, they didn’t go so far that they couldn’t still listen in on the conversation? I cracked up when I saw the expression on Julio’s face when Provenza said he was giving honesty a shot, because he’d tried the lying approach in his failed marriages.
The break away from the building turned out to be good for Rusty. Rusty comes up with an alternate way to get the prints run. 5 points is enough for the LAPD to search for a potential witness. It suddenly occurs to Sharon that Rusty may head toward being a lawyer rather than a journalist.
Taylor’s reaction to Andy and Sharon letting him know they were looking for a place to live together was priceless. I couldn’t help but think Taylor could have sounded a little more sincere.
Mixed bag for me this week. I really enjoyed Provenza’s story. I have liked him and Patrice together since she moved into his house. I am going to give up trying to determine if Rusty has an overriding arc for this season. He’s been all over the place, so I’m just going to sit back and watch. It really feels like they made some writing staff changes this season, but, for me, the changes have not been as successful as in previous seasons.
What did you guys think about the episode? What do you guys think about Rusty and Gus? Are they a long term couple, or do you think Gus’ patience will wear out?
