In the penultimate episode, Seeing is Deceiving, magician Margo the Magnificent dies while performing a trick, and it’s up to Hudson and Rex, and Dalton and Otto, to uncover the truth.
A truth that involves her twin, Pam, a disagreement, affairs, and a closed sarcophagus. It would have been a solid episode to end the season on, but Hudson & Rex doesn’t really do cliffhangers.
The twin storyline wasn’t at all subtle. From the twins in the strollers (like what first got Charlie thinking about the possibility of Rex being a twin in All in the Litter), to Rex and his twin, Otto, the foreshadowing was less sleight of hand and more a bit too on the nose. But a fun twist nonetheless.
Amal: Still playing with doves, Talon?
Talon: Bite me, Amal. This is a solid routine.
Amal: That you stole from Darcy Oake. Don’t worry, I won’t tell.
It was good to see Otto up on his feet and not only healthy but training to be a service dog.
Hopefully season four will give us an update on his progress. A season four that is happening, if you hadn't heard.
Despite the finale, The Art of the Steal, acting like the job offer never happened, it would be meaningless for this to have no consequences, for it to be nothing but a cheap emotional shot that’s never mentioned again. This reviewer is giving them the benefit of the doubt.
Hudson & Rex may not be the kind of show that typically has events follow characters into following episodes, but it does have a few instances where a seed sown in one episode has sprouted in another. Seeing as this episode was written by the showrunner himself, it might be the catalyst for real movement towards a season four Sarah/Charlie development. Only time – and season four - will tell.
And that scene itself, where Sarah first received the offer, is a lot to unpack. Charlie’s little noise of disagreement when Sarah calls the job a long shot is cute.
Sarah’s face is not the face of someone ready to jump at the chance. She’s conflicted. Pleased to be short-listed, but also happy at the SJPD.
Rex coming back to look at Sarah again is a nice touch. The show makes us believe Rex understands every word being spoken, every situation, and here is no different. He stops and looks at Sarah one last time, whining, because he has picked up on the tension and the chance she could leave. Believing Rex understands the situation adds that little extra emotion that Charlie isn’t quite ready to show.
Later, while Jesse shows off a trick he’s been working on, Sarah walks in, distracted by her phone. Charlie admits he knows about her job offer from having seen it on her computer.
And Sarah’s mind isn’t made up yet. If the audience was hoping for an answer about Sarah’s decision now, they’ll be as disappointed as Charlie. “Dreams do evolve,” Sarah tells Charlie, before she chooses to watch the magic rather than answer his question abut what she plans to do. She loves working for the SJPD, but she has a lot to think about. This hesitation tells Charlie she’s actually considering it, and the way his face falls tells us that while Charlie might be happy for her, he’s just realized he could lose her.
Should this episode have been the season finale? It sure felt like it. The finale’s lack of resolution on the job offer, that it didn’t even mention it, suggests it was originally meant to air prior to Seeing is Deceiving.
In the finale, The Art of the Steal, Charlie proves once again to have the absolute worst luck by getting caught up in a bank robbery. Remind me to never go anywhere with Charlie.
Jesse gets his ‘missed an important call’ scene again but sees the message sooner than he did in Tunnel Vision (which is still an endlessly frustrating scene to watch).
He is Mark Sanford, part of one of the richest families in St John’s and he’s been acting out.
“Drinking. Drugs. Drums,” his father laments.
Oh God, not drums. He’s doomed.
We find out he has been robbing the banks to try and find adoption papers stored in his father’s safety deposit box, to get answers to the truth his father (and mother) have kept from him.
And Annie/Anastasia who has been working with him claims to have been standing by a friend, but she was just chasing the next adrenalin high.
We get an update on how Camilla is doing. She’s making videos online - and accidentally setting her dorm on fire. She’s definitely been better. Joe does laugh a little as he tells the story, so I guess enough time has passed that he can see the funny side of it.
The team have two BBQ evenings this episode. Is seeing everyone together at Charlie’s one of my favorite things? Yes. Seeing it twice in one episode was a treat. Even if that first attempt was a bit of a fail. Jesse didn’t make the potato salad, Sarah didn’t get the cheese (but did bring flowers! And croutons?), Joe grabbed a box of donuts for dessert, and Charlie? His burgers were takeout. These people have the worst work/life balance ever. They confirm this by discussing the case after dinner. Big sigh. Guys. Big. Sigh.
The second dinner goes a little better (because they hired a caterer? Wow okay). And without the case to solve afterwards I can only hope other topics were discussed for a change.
Cheese is serious business. Sarah will give you the “I will kill you dead” eyes if you speak negatively about the importance of creating the perfect cheese board.
David Mason returned for his third appearance. Hired by Mark to help find his biological father. That’s three appearances in three seasons. Does this mean we’ll get to see him again in season four? I hope so.
Thank you, Hudson & Rex, for a fun, thought-provoking, at times emotional, but always enjoyable season three.
Gif from: swallowedabug.tumblr.com
