Shooter - Don't Mess with Texas - Review: "Another One Bites the Dust"

Don't worry, guys, Solotov has not gotten to me! I've been unexpectedly and uncharacteristically busy for the past week, but I'm managing to get this review out the day before the new episode airs. Let's just pretend I planned it this way from the beginning in order to hype you up for tomorrow. Yeah, I like that better, that's what happened. I know, I know, I'm terribly thoughtful, you're welcome. Now, onward we go!

Character Catch-Up

Solotov: So, fun fact, Solotov was living in Spain three months ago being a normal person. He had a garden, he cooked, he watched soccer (aka fútbol for my Spanish-speaking friends, or football for my friends in practically every country besides the US, because we just insist on doing absolutely everything different for some reason). All this domesticity did nothing to quell his killer instincts, though. While cheering on his team, he was attacked in his home, and realized it moments before the intruders could pounce. With a well-thrown knife and a human shield, he made quick work of the men. Before taking care of the last man, he asked for a reason and was told that a group of American Marines had seen his face and a reporter was now digging in to things because he never cleaned up. When he'd finished, Solotov quickly packed the essentials (money, passports, an entire loaf of bread) and then embarked on a journey away from his Spanish home. He was last spotted smuggling himself into Texas in the trunk of a car.

The 8113: Bob Lee was understandably a tad tense after burning up an entire secret stash of CIA heroin. This feeling deepened when he met up with Isaac and found out Isaac was called in for a meeting. Whether it was about the heroin or the wife of the man they had to kill, they could not be sure, but both prospects sounded pretty uneasy. As Isaac departed for the meeting, he left Bob Lee in charge. The meeting turned out to be with Patricia Gregson, which was the first time she and Isaac met. She confronted him about the heroin they found and explained that Meachum took over the route from the Russians. She enlisted Isaac's help to put a stop to it all. At the base camp, Bob Lee was confronted by a group of men who claimed their fuel tank was hit by some bullets and needed a place to patch up. Not trusting this, Bob Lee had the Mullah's wife moved. This was a good call. When night fell, the men began scoping the area planning to steal her. Bob Lee stepped in, and the men claimed that the unit was only supposed to hold her until they came to get her, which was not how Bob Lee understood the situation. He less than kindly told them to leave, and the rest of the 8113 stepped up to offer support if things got out of hand. They did not. When Isaac returned later, he lied about the content of his meeting. Sensing this, Bob Lee decided he would lie about the events that happened in Isaac's absence, and instead told him that nothing happened in his absence.

Isaac Johnson: After seeing the news about the attack on his old unit, he made the correct assumption that they were being hunted, so he and his wife embarked on an expedition to get out of Thailand. Unfortunately, she was killed during the escape, and, unfortunately, he was not, but life goes on. When he made it back to the states, he was flagged in the system and held, but made sure to stare into a security camera to summon Patricia Gregson. They've got an uneasy history in which she forced him to frame one of his best friends for an assassination attempt, then tried to keep him on for a new mission he flat-out refused.

The Swagger Family: Bob Lee went on a mission in Germany with Dobbs and Tio to dig deeper into the attack on their fellow Marines, and learned about something called Golden Crescent. They discovered this was all related to the heroin they burned way back in the day. In the meantime, Julie did her best to cope with everything that has happened while trying to stay connected with her daughter.

Agent Memphis: After her deal with Gregson, she was sent to Germany on special assignment, and tasked with bringing home the remaining Americans from the attack. Along the way, she lent some assistance to Swagger, Dobbs, and Tio, and even had a run-in with Solotov himself, though she obviously was unaware. Bob Lee also told her about Golden Crescent, which intrigued her.

Debriefing

When we check in with Bob Lee, he and Julie are in bed discussing the recent deaths of his Marine brothers. He heavily implies to her that the situation goes beyond terrorists, but assures her that where they are is the safest place they could possibly be. I'm sure that's the only comfort she needs. Surely she has no reason to suspect otherwise.

Isaac has successfully summoned Gregson, and it's safe to say she's less than happy about her name being tossed around (which you'll notice is a theme this episode). He wants her to help find the men who are responsible for his dead wife, but she insists that he had his opportunity to do this a year ago when he turned down her offer. She gives him his identification information (which has been completely wiped clean of all previous records) and tells him to do what he needs to, but to never speak her name again.

Memphis is hard at work looking for information on Golden Crescent, but she's met with a nice Access Denied message when trying to dig deeper, which of course further sparks her determination. She seeks out Jeffrey Denning, the man who wrote an article regarding Golden Crescent and some heroin. She is informed that he is on a (probably forced) sabbatical, but leaves her number with the boss anyways

That morning, Bob Lee makes a thorough investigation of his safe room to ensure it is fully stocked and operational. He then meets up with Dobbs as they prepare for a super-secret meeting with...Isaac! They go in with their firearms trained on him, because there are a few trust issues within the friendship. Bob Lee softens slightly when he finds out Lin is dead, but he still refuses to work with Isaac at all, at least initially. Shortly after, Dobbs and Swagger witness Isaac being run off the road and swoop in to assist him. They find a man and begin interrogating him.

Also in the secret meeting business? Solotov. He gets a call to meet up at a decrepit=looking gas station where he is once again confronted about those Marines that know his face. He assures the man that he has a plan, and that things will be taken care of in a month. A month doesn't fly and he is given two weeks to complete the task.

At home, Julie has had her hands full with trying to comfort Mary after finding her hiding in the tub with a doll because daddy isn't home. Mary says the bathtub is a safe place (probably because she hid in a tub while she and Julie were being shot at and escaped unscathed) and Julie assures her that anywhere in their house is a safe place. I sure hope that's not a lie.

After some torture, Bob Lee and the boys (hot new band, anyone?) discover the man's passport and Isaac learns that the man was recently in Thailand, where his wife was murdered. As Bob Lee gets the man to admit Solotov sent him, Isaac kills the man in a fit of revenge. With their best lead dead, they take the man's phone and set up a meeting with Solotov at a cafe. Of course, Solotov knows it's a trap and arranges for a man to attend the meeting and ensure Isaac and the others are brought out front. At the meeting, Bob Lee quickly deduces that this man is not Solotov. When Isaac steps up to bring him out back, the man takes a waitress hostage and tries to lead them out the front door, where Solotov can easily pick them off with his sniper. Bob Lee is just too good, though, and shoots the man before he can make it out the door, making him a hero in the restaurant.

Memphis returns to her apartment to discover her boyfriend in his underwear. Oh, and also her place is being searched by the feds. Classic. Patricia walks in and dismisses everyone, stressing to Memphis's boyfriend (who definitely knows who she is) how important it is that he not mention this to anyone. Gregson is here to discuss her displeasure with Memphis as she has apparently been throwing her name out all over the city, and we all know how much she hates her name being out there. Memphis tries to talk to her about the heroin, but Gregson quickly shuts her down and lets her know that she already knows everything. She lets Memphis know that Swagger is being hunted and she should steer clear of the entire situation. Later, she gets a text from Jeffrey Denning. He knows she's been looking for him and wants to meet up.

The cops arrive the scene at the restaurant to take the man away to the hospital. They want Bob Lee to answer some questions, but allow him to come to the station the following morning. During this, Solotov creates a distraction so he can sneak into the ambulance and kill the man he'd sent to the meeting. Bob Lee and Dobbs head back to the Swagger Safe Room and talk about Solotov's potential plans. Bob Lee plans to keep this a secret from Julie at the moment, but she surprises them and confronts Bob Lee as Dobbs leaves to return to his daughter. He is intercepted by Solotov, however, and is killed. Totally murdered. Gone forever. We've seen the end of Dobbs, and it's not fair. Bob Lee and Julie are in the middle of a quarrel about this new situation (Julie is understandably upset that something like this is happening again) when the cops show up to inform them that Dobbs is dead, and it's not a happy moment for anyone.

Outcome

The biggest thing I missed this week was the Swagger/Dobbs/Tio trio from last week. To make matters worse, now it's never going to happen again. I did expect Dobbs to die at some point, but I certainly didn't think it was going to be this early in the season. I'm not terribly upset about the loss of the character itself, but rather how much it hits Bob Lee. He was clearly closest with Dobbs, so this was a big loss for him.

I understand Isaac's split-second decision to kill the man who murdered his wife. It makes perfect sense. However, I really really wish he'd just taken an extra second to think about it because he really screwed them over, and quite possibly caused the death of Dobbs. I like him less now, he needs to start making better choices in his life. Or at least talk to people before he makes his choices so they know what to expect.

This was another great episode, though, despite the lacking trio and the death of Dobbs. It was interesting to see how Solotov got pulled into this new crusade, and to get a peek at the human side of him. He really did seem like just another person getting by three months ago, and there was no hint of the killer he truly is. Even though he's trying to kill people I care about, I still want to know more about his life, and how he got to where he is. Then, after we truly understand him, I want Bob Lee to kill him. Those are my hopes for the future of this season, along with more violence. More violence is always fun.

How have you been holding up since Dobbs died? I'm sorry I wasn't here for you sooner, but I'm more than ready to discuss it with you. And how worried are you for the Swaggers now that Julie knows what's really going on? I really hope she doesn't leave him, but I would totally understand if she did. How about you? Sound off in the comments below!