Major Crimes (TV Series) Return to Sender: Part 2 (2014) User Reviews

Wonderful season finale, and a rebuttal to the other reviewer

[Tivor X-09137 · 10/10 · 19 January 2014]

I don't know what the other reviewer (sondorbdorb) was watching. The show has been dropping hints that Rusty was gay for a very long time. Remember when Kris was around? This was not a sudden revelation by any means. And the episode 2.4 "I, Witness" shows that Raydor was aware of this fact, and subsequent episodes show that Rusty was in denial about it. All the end sequence did in this episode was for Rusty to fully accept who he is. Maybe the teary confession was a tad over-dramatic, but it fit very well with all the character arcs that the show has been establishing throughout the season.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the episode. I particularly loved the mental chess match that Rusty waged and won against Jeri Ryan's character. And Provenza, he's da man. An excellent episode to wrap up a stellar season.

Let's hear if for Jeri!

[lor_ · 4 August 2023]

This complicated episode of "Major Crimes" covers sensationalistic, even controversial material, as evidenced by the previous user reviews currently displayed in IMDb. This website dropped Forums several years ago, so unfortunately folks vent and get agitated when writing purported "reviews" instead.

It's a strong story about a serial killer, underage male hustlers, and complicated clues to tracking down the suspect.

But it's the subplot involving guest star Jeri Ryan that was outstanding -the "Star Trek" veteran is brillinat playing a different sort of heavy role -like a female James Woods detestable character. As an arrogant self-serving defense lawyer, a direct adversary to our Major Crimes good guys/gals, it was amazing to watch her in action as the woman you love to hate. The series brought her back in the role a couple times more, for good reason.

Bad, bad writing ... and casting

[brooklynjm · 4/10 · 20 January 2014]

Watched this show this season on DVR to see how weird it could get. Answer: very. The ever-increasing focus on 'Rusty' became a downward spiral of nonsense, interspersed w/grimy little torture porn vignettes - often homophobic. Capt Raydor moved from a proficient, interestingly straitlaced senior police officer to a quivering parody of foster motherhood.

'Rusty' continued sulky, impulsive, Vulnerable w/a capital V, flipping his elaborate shag incessantly - and an entire Metropolitan police division devoted most of their working hours to obsessively worrying about that vulnerability. Raydor has a protected witness living in her apartment? She's his new, good mother?? Very, very weird - and unpleasant.

Teenage hustling is an old story in major cities - sad, often tragic, with neglect and survival at odds on a daily basis. Having a 23yo actor portray a 16? 17? yo teen is not believable - call that character a child is just discordant. Making the bewigged killer a victim of the same vicious cycle comes off as sensationalistic homophobia.

A cast of very talented actors have created interesting and believable characters in both this series and and the previous "Closer" - but the quality of the scripts has drastically deteriorated. "Rusty Gets Stalked" has become an occasionally hilarious wincefest - but thank god for DVR, so we can get through this time filler in 20 minutes - if we bother to watch at all.

I was disappointed

[sondorbdorb · 15 January 2014]

I have watched from the beginning and it has been very compelling and great. This season finale was so bad, I wanted to cry. It was so choppy and disoriented. Then to end it with making Rusty gay and making him upset about it and feel like he was bad seemed so unbelievable for someone of James Duff's caliber.

If he was going to be upset about what he did, they should have kept him straight and it would have been more believable.

I also personally would have done all I could to get Kyra and Billy for this episode.

The only good thing I can say about it is that Provenza got a great shot and it left it possibly with Stroh in Solitary that he can still get Rusty and Kyra.

I hope next season will be like the first part of this season, and not be jumping the shark.