Tonight's episode sees Nolan coming head-to-head against his former mentor after he becomes a fugitive and Lucy gets to learn a few street cop tricks to get inside the mind of a criminal from her TO. Plus, Lopez and West have to deal with a tricky shooting case that may not be as easily solved as it looks.
"The Hawke" was written by Fredrick Kotto and directed by Timothy Busfield.
THE HAWKE LEAVES THE NEST
That's how we begin this week, with Nolan meeting Hawke for a few drinks as he unloads about his downward spiral. Unaware of the true extent of Hawke's instability, Nolan doesn't think much of it when he rejects his invitation to crash on his couch in preference of a dingy motel room. Until the next day when a follow-up to a 911 call warrants worry. Turns out, Hawke went home and found his wife (soon to be ex-wife as she filed for divorce) cuddled up to someone new and lost his mind. He whipped out his gun, threatened her date and forced him to leave the house in underwear before taking off.
Given Hawke's once esteemed position in the police force, his wife, Megan (played by Joelle Carter, who I've loved fiercely since Justified), felt hesitant about the call she placed and tried to brush it off. Lopez and West weren't willing to let simply let things go and thus the bulk of the episode surrounds the team trying to track down Hawke. Hawke is a former cop, so he knows their playbook and is consistently a step ahead, that, coupled with him kidnapping his own son, and things become even trickier. Though, eventually Bradford and Nolan are able to get the drop on him after a series of car chases, and a public mall confrontation, they decide to duke things out in a hand-to-hand fight because...men.
It's Chen and Bishop who actually come in with pepper spray to get things done. "You were supposed to arrest him, not get in a brawl."
I wish I cared more about Hawke's storyline but frankly, it's one I've seen a thousand times with far more likable characters in the role. This week's episode fell flat for me. The moments I truly enjoyed were more about the relationships between the core characters than the stories themselves.
SHOT HEARD ROUND THE WORLD
Lopez and West are assigned a call about a gunshot. When they arrive at the hospital they discover a maligned father (Aaron D. Spears) verbally berating his son (played by All American's Spence Moore II) for his stupidity over getting caught up in a "bad crowd", thus winding up the victim of a supposed drive-by.
Except, things aren't as clear-cut as the patients would want us to believe. The bullet wound doesn't match with a long-distance shot and West deduces that the son actually tried to kill his father but they got into a scuffle and the gun misfired. Once his boyfriend comes to the hospital to confront his abusive dad about the way he's been treated, it makes sense. He's gay and his father clearly resents him for it.
West has some... interesting choice of words for the kid. Look, he shouldn't have tried to shoot him, obviously, and I understand that his father's actions don't excuse his own but I still thought West was a little bit harsh. Or at least he could have offered to help him find an outlet, a therapist, someone he could talk to about all this. I mean I know he could wind up going to jail, to trial, etc. but I tend to think there is some sympathy for a young gay teen who is being bullied at home and gets pushed to a breaking point.
D.E.A.R.
D.E.A.R. as in dear, as in Deception, Elusive, Access, and Repulsive. He demonstrates how each of these correlate to potential hiding spots in his apartment. Poor Lucy gets saddled with Repulsive of course, and has to glove up and search a giant box of sex toys and the toilet for drugs.
Don't worry though, Lucy gets her shot at revenge at the end of the episode by swiping Bradford's money clip and leaving high and dry at the bar.
EXTRAS
Performer of the Week: Mercedes Mason as Captain Zoe Anderson. Mason hasn't been given much to do yet which is a shame because she's a great actress. This week she finally got better material and I loved her scenes with Joelle Carter. Plus, we actually got to learn something about her past relationships.
Rookie of the Week: Chen. I loved the fact she stole Bradford's money clip, using his own system against him. It's about time she got him back for the amount of tough love he shows her.
Best Scene: Chen stealing the money clip! It was a cute scene and I can't help but enjoy the two of them together, especially his proud smile at the end after he realized what she'd done.
Brooklyn 99 Reference: Not exactly a reference for real but couldn't help drawing comparisons between the "Hawke" and B99's "Vulture".
