Just finished Season 5 Episode 21 and did not know it was the Season Finale although it did have the feel of one. I confess I liked Brenda Leigh Johnson so much that it came easy to dislike Sharon Raydor. Finding out she was taking the lead in the spin-off almost spun me off. Now, at the end of Season Five I know why I have remained loyal: Within the show, others hated BLJ because of HOW she did her job but had to credit her for doing EXCELLENT work catching the bad guys/gals...and the same can be said for my attitude with SR. BLJ was self-centered and SR came across as unsociable. Like Brenda, Sharon takes her job and her team SERIOUSLY which propels her to her best. Seeing her in this light helps me accept her hard-edged attitude and take special note when something causes a smile to reach her face.The team may have a different dynamic with SR but it is still the family that was formed under BLJ. The maturation and evolution of Rusty is handled in almost real time. It is not rushed, he still makes adolescent decisions and he remains unsure of himself even while gathering more confidence in who he is and what he may become. Patrice and Provenza, Rus and Gus, Flynn and Sharon; nothing, not death, not in-fighting, not dalliances should tear apart these bonds each couple is made stronger by facing these speed bumps together.
2 Reviews
It Was Just Across The Street
biorngm5 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
A quality program concludes this two-part episode with a thumbs up to all of the regular cast with some guests. I have tried to judge this series on the combination of the screenplay writing with plausible stories and exceptional acting. The regular cast of Major Crimes credits all eight members participating in every episode which provided me with the criteria to evaluate any performance.
Shockwave parts 1 and 2 dealt with a psychologically disturbed individual, killing his father-in-law, harming many others and attempting to murder his wife along with establishment personnel, i.e. the system that put him in prison for eleven years. It will be explained why he went away but did not commit the crime, i.e. delayed autopsy report out for sixty days when he pleaded guilty after thirty days. The man gets out of state prison and he seeks revenge on those he thinks responsible for his lockup. He possesses plastic explosive measured by the pound coupled with methods of hiding the plastic in everyday places, i.e. voids in common items, musical instruments, bicycle frames, large vases, luggage, etc. and setting off the charges with disposable cellphones. He bought his items from a thrift shop and stole the plastic explosive through his former military service plotting his revenge while he sat in prison. One former cellmate tells the officers the man is very good at hiding his phone-charged-bombs, confirming his method of operating.
His wife inadvertently confesses to possessing the knife used to murder her lover; the wounds were far from the work of a former soldier, her then husband. Stab wounds on the torso of the lover indicated they convicted the wrong person; Sharon solves that one crime as it was the ex-wife who murdered the lover.
The killer shot his father-in-law in the head twice, leaving a classic radio in the home equipped with a bomb that unfortunately is detonated while a police-civilian worker carries the unit from the victim's house to the police vehicle.
Another bomb is detonated at the same man's private internment with his ex-wife is in attendance, however, the officers are able to clear the general area preventing any killings. The man photographs all internment Major Crime persons with exception of Lt. Flynn because he is restricted to desk duty due to his recent health problems. Sharon has kept the ex-wife at HQ fearing for her life; her luggage is gathered from the same house brought to the station while the killer-husband tracks the suitcase while staked outside the residence. He had access to the same home giving him time to set a bomb in her suitcase; he really wants to kill his wife for her infidelity, not knowing she killed her lover and framed him.
Flynn walks over to the courthouse across the street from police HQ when he sees the imaging of the GPS trace to the killer's location. While Sharon talks to the killer on the phone, Lt. Flynn confronts him, Flynn's gun drawn. The man is holding a cell phone while live with Sharon when Flynn closes in on him. Sharon figures out the suitcase is packed with explosive ordering everyone out of the murder room as the man detonates the bomb. There is extensive damage to the room but everyone is safe as Provenza speaks to Flynn. Flynn knocks the man down with his pistol after he set off the bomb; he is in custody. The Lieutenant justifies his leaving the desk assignment as simply a walk across the street.
The story flowed from the first part into this concluding episode with each regular police officer casting a crucial part in the story. A recommended watch for fans of the series and even casual crime drama lovers. The side story should be ignored which would have made this and other forthcoming final-season episodes more enjoyable; multi part episodes can be condensed when sub-plots are avoided; nobody cares about Rusty.
Shockwave parts 1 and 2 dealt with a psychologically disturbed individual, killing his father-in-law, harming many others and attempting to murder his wife along with establishment personnel, i.e. the system that put him in prison for eleven years. It will be explained why he went away but did not commit the crime, i.e. delayed autopsy report out for sixty days when he pleaded guilty after thirty days. The man gets out of state prison and he seeks revenge on those he thinks responsible for his lockup. He possesses plastic explosive measured by the pound coupled with methods of hiding the plastic in everyday places, i.e. voids in common items, musical instruments, bicycle frames, large vases, luggage, etc. and setting off the charges with disposable cellphones. He bought his items from a thrift shop and stole the plastic explosive through his former military service plotting his revenge while he sat in prison. One former cellmate tells the officers the man is very good at hiding his phone-charged-bombs, confirming his method of operating.
His wife inadvertently confesses to possessing the knife used to murder her lover; the wounds were far from the work of a former soldier, her then husband. Stab wounds on the torso of the lover indicated they convicted the wrong person; Sharon solves that one crime as it was the ex-wife who murdered the lover.
The killer shot his father-in-law in the head twice, leaving a classic radio in the home equipped with a bomb that unfortunately is detonated while a police-civilian worker carries the unit from the victim's house to the police vehicle.
Another bomb is detonated at the same man's private internment with his ex-wife is in attendance, however, the officers are able to clear the general area preventing any killings. The man photographs all internment Major Crime persons with exception of Lt. Flynn because he is restricted to desk duty due to his recent health problems. Sharon has kept the ex-wife at HQ fearing for her life; her luggage is gathered from the same house brought to the station while the killer-husband tracks the suitcase while staked outside the residence. He had access to the same home giving him time to set a bomb in her suitcase; he really wants to kill his wife for her infidelity, not knowing she killed her lover and framed him.
Flynn walks over to the courthouse across the street from police HQ when he sees the imaging of the GPS trace to the killer's location. While Sharon talks to the killer on the phone, Lt. Flynn confronts him, Flynn's gun drawn. The man is holding a cell phone while live with Sharon when Flynn closes in on him. Sharon figures out the suitcase is packed with explosive ordering everyone out of the murder room as the man detonates the bomb. There is extensive damage to the room but everyone is safe as Provenza speaks to Flynn. Flynn knocks the man down with his pistol after he set off the bomb; he is in custody. The Lieutenant justifies his leaving the desk assignment as simply a walk across the street.
The story flowed from the first part into this concluding episode with each regular police officer casting a crucial part in the story. A recommended watch for fans of the series and even casual crime drama lovers. The side story should be ignored which would have made this and other forthcoming final-season episodes more enjoyable; multi part episodes can be condensed when sub-plots are avoided; nobody cares about Rusty.
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