Training Day - Elegy-Part One- Reviews: “Secrets and Lies”

When the first episode of Training Day aired, I admit I was underwhelmed. I started watching and reviewing the show because I was a big fan of two of its stars, Bill Paxton (Frank Rourke) and Katrina Law (Rebecca). Because I was reviewing the show and a fan, I've stuck with it as it struggled to find its footing. I find it bittersweet that as the first, and only season draws to a close, it has found its footing and a comfortable rhythm with solid episodes for the past few months. Now that it has become a much better show than first aired, I can't help but wonder what would have happened had series star Bill Paxton not died. As the show has found its footing in the last months' worth of episodes, would CBS have taken the chance and given the show a second season? Sadly, we'll never know.

The first of the two-part season finale, (1 x 12) Elegy brings Frank and Kyle's (Justin Cornwell) journeys and quest to discover who killed their partner and father, Billy Craig (Cassius Willa). It is arguably one of the best episodes of the season, filled with twists and turns, intense action and the unraveling of so many secrets and lies. Most importantly both Kyle and Frank learn that those secrets and lies have consequences, some which could end up costing them their lives as well.

Picking up almost immediately after last week's surprising ending, where fake Homeland Security agent and likely CIA spy, Jack Ivers (Max Martini) has killed an FBI agent and out of the blue, warns Frank to back off the investigation into Billy's death. If we've learned anything this season it's that if you tell Frank Rourke to do one thing, chances are pretty good he's going to do the opposite. And this time is no exception, using the rather unique interrogation method of dangling Ivers over the side of a skyscraper, Frank learns that the people who sent him are after a set of keys. One key, the one Frank and Kyle found that belonged to Billy, Kyle wears around his neck. When paired with the other, it should lead to the evidence of who really killed the police officer, whose death Frank and Billy were investigating when Billy was murdered. Where is the other key? Frank knows and after sending Tommy (Drew Van Acker) and Rebecca on a mission with Iver's ID badge to break into the local CIA office for information, goes to an old gym, where he proceeds to tear down a wall behind looking for something.

While Frank has been busy interrogating Ivers and recovering old bodies, Kyle has continued his investigation much to his wife's disapproval. She tells him the case has become an obsession. He goes to see the retired officer who was first on the scene when his father was killed, Tim Wallace (Nick Chinlund) and is stunned when Wallace tells him if he really wants to know what happened that day he should ask his dad's partner what happened because he was with him when the officer arrived. Kyle is furious, Frank's name was never in the report of the case, and has been lying to him this entire time about where he was the night Billy died. Kyle confronts Lockhart (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), that she knew this whole time and had been lying to him too, that Frank likely killed his father. Lockhart says she suspected but couldn't prove that Frank was there, but now Kyle has given her the proof she needed and is going to have Frank arrested for killing Billy.

Meanwhile, Rebecca and Tommy have an interesting moment, where Tommy comes close to expressing his feelings for his partner, before going into Ivers, office only to find it has been cleaned out. To them, that signals that Ivers is close to getting what he wants and is leaving no evidence behind. They rush to get to Frank thinking that Ivers is cleaning up loose ends, and one of those loose ends is Frank!

At the old gym, Frank has succeeded in removing a dead body from the wall, just as Kyle comes in and pulls his weapon on him. Frank ignores the weapon and tells Kyle to help him, and as he searches the body comes up with the second key. He explains to Kyle that the last case he and Billy worked on was the murder of a fellow cop. They'd been given a lead that a thug named "Teflon" (Dominick LaRae) had been the hitman who'd killed the cop and to make sure they got him they put his prints on the murder weapon and arrested him for that murder. "Teflon" had always claimed is innocence, saying he didn't kill the cop that he was working for a dirty cop with ties to the Mexican cartel.

At first, Frank and Billy don't believe him, then after "Teflon" is murdered his first night in prison, they have second thoughts and had come to that very gym that night to meet an informant during a wrestling match, to corroborate "Teflon"'s story.The informant pulls a gun on Billy and is about to shoot him when Frank shoots and kills the informant. They panic when they discover the informant carried State Department credentials, but Billy was convinced the man was a spy and realized the meeting was a set up because his tip to meet him had come from someone in the Mexican cartel! They decide to hide the body in the wall.

Back in the present, Frank has just about succeeded in getting Kyle to help him hide the dead body (again) and work together to find what the keys opened, when Lockhart bursts in, gun drawn, having followed Kyle. As she is about to bring Frank in, they're interrupted by a visit from a hit squad sent by Ivers, who is waiting outside. Lockhart proves to be pretty good in a gun fight and they get the best of the squad, but not before Lockhart is seriously wounded. Frank has Kyle stay with her while he goes for help only to run into one final hitman sent by an angry Ivers. Just as the hitman has got Frank pinned and is about to go in for the kill, Rebecca and Tommy arrive and take him out. Ivers gets away.
Frank and Lockhart come to startling conclusions as they wait for an ambulance. Lockhart now knows that Frank really didn't kill Billy, and Frank now knows Lockhart wasn't protecting the dirty cop who had Billy killed.

Later, back at Frank's, Kyle tells Frank he's done. Frank calls him a coward and they fight. Kyle says he should have turned Frank in to Lockhart. As Kyle storms off, Rebecca turns on Frank for lying to her about Kyle being a plant from Lockhart. Tommy says he put their lives and careers at risk, Frank angrily retorts, he's just their boss, not a father, which wounds Rebecca. She leaves,Tommy follows her.

Kyle goes on to tell Alyse (Lex Scott Davis) that he's finally done with his father's case and wants to fix whatever damage his obsession with it has done to their marriage. Alyse tells him it's too late and picks up her packed bag and leaves. As she leaves, Kyle turns and ends up facing himself in the mirror, where he discovers that the keys he'd been wearing around his neck during their battle with Iver's men are gone. He realizes during his fight with Frank that Frank had grabbed the keys.

With keys in hand, an angry Frank grabs his gun and heads out the door.

Where is Frank headed? What do the keys open? Just one more episode before we reach the end of Training Day. What do you think will happen? Discuss in the comments below.