Sunday, August 9, 2015

Rookie Blue 6x07 "Best Man" (The Price You Pay) [Contributor: Hope]


"Best Man"
Original Airdate: August 6, 2015

There’s supposed to be a rule that you get what you give. Right? That’s the way a fair world would work: you give the world good, you get good back in return. The thing is that the good… well, sometimes it takes a while. And if we’re getting specific about this week’s episode, sometimes there’s a wait where you’re framed and 20 years of your career look like they’re amounting to nothing.

But justice is definitely going to prevail by the end of the season… right?

First and foremost: Enuka Okuma (Traci), co-wrote this episode and did a fantastic job. The funny parts were hilarious. The drama was tense, and the best scene of the episode (more about that later) was one of the best of the whole season for its emotional depth, delivery, and message. Her character wasn’t at the center of attention, but this episode still signaled a significant shift in her plotline – specifically, her relationship with Steve, even if he doesn’t know it yet. I also want to pause a moment and point out how GOOD this show is, on multiple levels. They have a group of seriously talented actors. Actors who have other interests (and obviously, talents) that they want to explore. How many shows can you name that let their actors kick-start their writing/directing careers on the show? Rookie Blue fosters an environment of growth and success with their people, and it’s brilliant.

Moving onto the episode, it once again started out happily. And of course, that didn’t last long. Oliver had the whole force looking for a missing child. Even when he learned the child was autistic and Santana wouldn’t issue an Amber Alert because of that (?!?!?), he diligently kept searching until he found the kid. I feel like the purpose of the whole storyline was to reinforce what a good soul Oliver truly is. And it worked.

In other news, Andy lost her engagement ring and Sam found it. It was a classic little subplot, but it worked and it was enjoyable. He knew, she scrambled to come up with excuses, and it offset their own stress over Oliver. The rest of the cast had their share of one-liners and banter, which added relief to what was otherwise a pretty serious episode. The neighbors they had to question to find the missing boy were eclectic over-sharers who added comedy, too.

Saving Oliver

The central point of the episode was the building case against Oliver. In a joint effort, Andy, Sam, Dov, and Traci secretly worked together to figure out who framed him. They all suspected Santana, who had cornered Noelle and bullied her into giving him her findings by the end of the day (not cool, dude). Honestly, I think they rightfully suspected him, but we’ll see. After some video games, a house search to see what items could be missing (how does that work?!), and a chase through a library, they tracked down the man who’d supplied the explosives. After quite the struggle, he admitted that the officer he spoke to was named Oliver Shaw, which WAS NO HELP AT ALL.

A very dejected Andy and Sam return to the station to warn Oliver about the impending doom. And it was such an emotional moment. Oliver’s daughter shows up and he reflects on how much of her life he’s missed for his job, where – like that very day – he does a lot of good and saves lives, at the expense of part of his. And this is the thanks he gets. He unofficially turns in his badge as he leaves to spend time with his daughter, throwing in his hat and choosing his family over his career. However, 15 Division is very much his family, too. Everyone had tears in their eyes, their voices were breaking, and they were all so resigned. It was just such a tense, tender moment. Everything that has built up the close relationships of these characters over the last 6 years (in our time, not fictional time) culminated in this moment. It was heartbreaking and beautiful, and goes down in my list of favorite Rookie Blue scenes ever.

But we all know Oliver isn’t guilty. As Traci drives the explosives dealer and his daughter to a safe house, her phone goes off – it’s Steve calling, wondering why she’s late. And the explosives dealer freaks out when he recognizes the photo caller ID as Oliver Shaw.

*mic drop*

Cue well-selected music and a cut to Steve sitting in his chair, feet propped up on his desk, all of which made for a rather sinister kind of shot. Traci goes back to the station to meet Steve because… well, he doesn’t know she knows. Then, he looks a bit childish sitting there tipped back in his chair and complaining about restaurants, and it’s a strange contrast. He’s acting pretty normal. But how much of it is an act? HOW can he be acting so normal? Could this somehow be his normal? WHO is he? He’s utterly oblivious even though she shoots him side-eyes and keeps having awkward pauses. That showed just how sure of himself he is.

They walk out of the station, which was now empty and dark, making for such an ominous shot as the music fades out. She’s clearly uncomfortable, and I hope she tells someone sooner rather than later about it. The last thing she needs to do is keep this to herself. I could see her possibly trying to talk to Steve and get his side first, but ultimately, she has to turn him in. I believe she has to in order to stay in character. Traci has a lot of loyalty, and I think in this case, her loyalty belongs to not only Oliver, but also to Andy, Sam, and Dov. She’s also had her reservations about him, let’s be honest. I’VE had my reservations. He always gave off iffy vibes, but the show had made him into a more likable, trustworthy character. Steve has been in almost two dozen episodes since season one, and it’s mind-blowing that such a long-term character could betray 15 Division in this way. A ton of points go to the show for pulling a move like this so far into the series.

Notepad
  • Sam getting down on one knee to ask Oliver to be his best man was just adorable.
  • Santana knows the truth about Juliet. At this rate, everyone’s going to know in couple of episodes.
  • "My one-shoed wonder."
  • "You’re both on the invite list. Like you’re each other’s plus one." Oliver Shaw, matchmaker.
  • Andy: "How many times am I right? I mean," *waves arms around and looks behind her,* "is anybody even keeping count anymore?"
  • "You can never go wrong with high-gloss orange." Erm… I don’t know, but I think you can.
  • Andy: "I’m sorry, are you guys playing a videogame?" Traci: "We’re questing. We have to kill all the moths before we can get good armor." Andy: "God, Traci, that’s really fascinating. Meanwhile the guy you’re supposed to be finding to clear Oliver’s name is probably dead." Dov: "Oh, Ava Klem’s not dead. She’s right here." *points to character on screen* … Andy: "You’re a rock star." Dov: "Actually, I’m a muscular ogre."
  • Andy: "I’m allergic to precious metals. I’m like a reverse princess."
  • How often do you see a police chase through a library?!
  • That girl would NOT stop blowing her panic whistle at Andy and Sam. Although, I feel like a panic whistle is a very good idea.
  • *shouts that they’re not real police, gets crowd to protect her, and runs away* Andy to random crowd-member: "You’re very irritating." *runs after girl* Mid-chase or not, she just had to get that in there.
  • Steve: "Are you sure you’re willing to pay that price?" Traci: "There’s always a price, isn’t there?" SO much more meaning to her response. THERE WILL BE A PRICE, Steve. One does not simply frame Oliver and get away with it.
  • I cannot wait for Gail’s reaction Steve framing Oliver.
  • I think Santana is behind Steve’s betrayal, but I’m not letting my Jarvis theory go. Not yet.
  • Sergio Di Zio, who played Spike on Flashpoint, played the man who supplied the explosives and was on the run. If you haven’t watched Flashpoint, WATCH IT. It’s on both Netflix and Hulu, and I guarantee you, it’s a heart-wrenching, funny, realistic, extremely-well-written, and very-much-missed show.

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