Welcome back, friends! Hard to believe it's already been a full year since we first started our journey together. I missed you all! Did you miss me? Meh, that's not important, this isn't about me, just my thoughts and feelings. Before we get to this sad/not sad/actually-probably-for-the-best premiere, let's take a look at a couple things to remember from last season.
Keys to the Kingdom
Craig, tired of everything the family has come to, decided to peace out for a while and picked up Renn for companionship on the road.
Deran, having been invited on Craig's road trip, declined to join due to a promise he made Pope to look after Lena. He's also been trying to figure out how to launder a bit of money through his bar
Pope, after hearing that Baz has FINALLY learned that he killed Lena, prepped for his death by making sure Lena had someone looking out for her (Deran) and was all set to face the music. When the time came, however, Baz forgave him, knowing that he only did it because Smurf manipulated him. It was a touching moment, and Pope's brotherhood with Baz spiked up pretty high.
Smurf is in jail for maybe the only crime she didn't personally commit: murder. Yeah, she paid off a guy to make it happen, so she really did do it, but she's not the one who pulled the trigger. Baz made sure to set it up real nice for the police, though, so she has a solid case.
J, having become Smurf's power of attorney, had a bunch of responsibilities. He also was juggling helping Baz steal Smurf's money (which she stole from the boys) and having secret meetings with Smurf. Baz made things pretty stressful for him here. J was last seen wearing a dark hoodie.
Baz had spent the entire season trying to get the family as far out of Smurf's reach as possible. Putting her in jail was pretty helpful on that front. During this period, Baz discovered money Smurf had been hiding, which he knew was taken from the cuts she handed out to all the boys. He enlisted J's help to get it all back, then hid it all in a house only he and Lucy knew about. He and Lucy planned to pick up Lena and run away to Mexico forever, and he probably wasn't gonna reveal the hiding space for his money either. Someone didn't like that and decided to shoot Baz in the chest three times in his own driveway. Then the shooter ran off, wearing a dark hoodie. Where have we seen one of those? Shocked, Lucy said her goodbyes to Baz as the cops were coming and left him on the side of the road to die. She and her brother also took everything from the money house, so she's not great.
This Week's Prey
As we watch Baz fight a tough and, ultimately, losing battle for his life, we watch as the rest of the family start their mornings, unaware of the news that is going to disrupt their day. Smurf wakes up in her cell, Pope showers and gets Lena ready for school, J brings his gun to the bathroom with him to start his morning, Craig wakes up in his truck on the beach with Renn, and Deran has a smoke while taking out some trash. All very normal, relaxing things that will soon be blown away. As the Cody clan continues to great this day like any other, Pearce is at the scene of Baz's shooting trying to determine who could have done this. Not in the way of "Oh, how could anyone do this?" but more of "Which of the many people Baz has wronged could have done this."
Back at the house, Nicky and the boys (minus Craig still) discuss various things about Baz's death, an occasion Nicky apparently thinks is ripe for nachos. Pope vehemently disagrees. She's just trying to cope in her own way, I get it, but I still died with laughter when she set down those sad chips-and-cheese-only nachos. If you're gonna make nachos at a time like this, at least go all-out on them! The boys talk about how they'll have to talk to the cops while wondering if Smurf had anything to do with his death and where Lucy is during this troubling time. Thanks to Nicky bringing it up, Pope also takes this time to declare that Lena will certainly not be going into foster care. Also, J is sure to remind everyone that the money Baz had wasn't Smurf's money, but belonged to the family. Hmmmmm, J owns a hoodie, is quick to accuse Craig, and conveniently points out the money Baz was gonna run away with belonged to the family. I mean, really, we have motive, means, and opportunity here. After J swears to Pope that he has no idea where Baz hid the money, they all get ready to go, and I finally have a moment where I feel bad for Nicky. Pope yells at her (apparently something he really likes doing this week) when she tries to leave with them and tells her she's not part of the family. Ouch. I'm fully willing to cut her some slack here, but only because of the extenuating circumstances.
Over in prison, Smurf's card game is interrupted by a friendly visit from Pearce. I say friendly ironically, of course, because he's here to tell her that Baz is dead. Smurf does not take this well (which Ellen Barkin does a fantastic job with, by the way) and when asked for leads all she can manage is to shakily mention "a Mexican woman he sees sometimes" and say that the boys would know more about that than she does. Piling on to her not great day, a man visits her and tells her that her "things" were all stolen from the house, "things" being the money Baz stole, and "the house" being the house he hid it in before Lucy and her brother stole it while he was dying. He asks if their "arrangement" will be affected by this, and she assures him that it won't, but Smurf seems uncharacteristically scared here. When J comes to visit her later, she's still very shaken, but she's definitely starting to play some games now when she tells J that it must be so terrible "having your father murdered like that." Boom. Low blow. But we finally get confirmation that Baz is his father, for whatever it's worth coming from Smurf's mouth. She then pivots over to asking if J knows where her money is, and he assures her he doesn't. The next day, Pearce returns to attempt to strike at Smurf while she's down. He asks her to give up her boys so she can cut deals for them that would allow them to move on with their lives after some short 5ish year jail time, while she will certainly be spending the rest of her days in prison. When she refuses, he claims he'll just get the boys to sell each other out, and congratulates her on her successful life of crime before leaving.As J leaves his meeting with Smurf, he's intercepted by Pope who drags J along to pick Lena up from school, leading to the most heart-breaking scene of the episode. Pope tells Lena Baz is on a very long trip and he probably won't ever come back, but the gut punch comes from her reaction. After asking if Baz's trip is about looking for her mom (the mom Pope murdered real good), her next concern is if she'll have to move because she likes her room. There is zero sadness about possibly never seeing her father again. Why? Cause he was the worst when it came to her. And a bunch of other things too. Really, he was just the worst. Ugh, poor Lena! When they get back to the house, they are surprised to find Lucy waiting for them. Lucy cries and says she can't believe he's dead, which Lena overhears and cuts in with "My dad's dead?" and I just want to cry everywhere.
The next morning, J wakes up to Pope covering J's mouth, swearing he'll find out killed Baz andmake them pay. Looks like Pope is also suspicious of J. Should I be concerned that Pope and I are currently thinking the same? Probably, but this isn't the place for personal issues. Later that morning, Craig and Renn finally show up after Craig finally checks his phone during a drunken night in Mexico. He, like the rest of the family is not too pleased. Later, Pope and Lucy have a tense discussion about her feelings for Baz, and J makes a money drop that ends up being for the man came to see Smurf about her missing "things". Interesting. We then end our episode with the family and other friends of Baz paying tribute by sitting in a circle on surf boards in the middle of the ocean and throwing their leis into the center. A nice proper send off to a compelling character/negligent father.
Animal Instincts
While I will miss Baz and am sad about losing him, it's not that big of a tragedy. After reflecting on everything he's done the past two seasons, he really just wasn't the best person, and definitely not the best father. When Pope is being a better father than you are, something is very wrong. Also, this frees Scott Speedman up so Grey's Anatomy can do the right thing and bring him back next season! They know it's the right thing! Ok, sorry, just had to take care of that really quick.
As for this episode, I'm a fan. Though I'm sure everyone will still be grieving and processing this loss for a while to come, I'm glad they spent a whole episode really hammering out everyone's reactions rather than having those moments stretched through the season, weighing it down. Of course, they could totally still do that, but for now I'll assume they won't and move on to bigger fish, like Smurf's men and who actually killed Baz (looking at you, J!). Because of closure given at the end of this episode, I almost wish this had been last year's finale. Yes, the "Is Baz dead?" and "Is Craig really gonna stay in Mexico with Renn" cliffhangers were good fun, but this episode left me wondering "What now?", which I would have loved to stew on between seasons. Baz's death puts so many things up in the air now, and very curious to see where it all falls. Last season I said I wanted more from the finale but didn't know what. This. This is what I wanted. A solid, game-changing event that makes me wonder about the entire cast, rather than just two of them. I can't wait to see what happens next!
Favorite Sights
Nicky's No-Topping Nachos
Baz's memorial circle
Lena ðŸ˜
He's dead, guys. Gone forever. How do you feel? Are you on Team J for the murder suspect? Does Lena have any hopes of coming out of this with no lasting effects? Will Grey's Anatomy do the right thing and bring Scott Speedman back?! Sound off in the comments below!
