Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The Chicago Code: "Cabrini-Green"

Once I refresh my memory on the statue of limitations for attempted murder, I'll offer up a review of last night's episode, after the jump....

If last week's episode showed us how TCC can incorporate standalone stories from week to week, this week's episode showed us what the show can't do with these stories. Last week, though the case was largely separated from the ongoing narrative, it served remind us what all Jarek was risking going after Gibbons, as he was quickly losing the support of his peers. This week's episode, however, was for most of the running time was linked neither by theme nor plot to any of the ongoing narrative. It wasn't until the closing minutes that any sort of connection was made, and as fantastic as that reveal was, it didn't make up for all of the wasted screen time that came before it.

This was, in short, the standard police procedural, a story told in a form so ubiquitous that it could have existed on just about any cop drama on air right now. (But hey, at least it didn't deal with a murder, so it gets some points, because even if a plot about a bomber isn't original, at least it's slightly different from the norm.) After what was admittedly a fairly exciting opening – is this the show's MO now? - the episode settled in to the lead-interview-further investigation routine, and the lull of the familiar beats quickly lulled me into a state of boredom/sleepiness. Nor was the reveal that Dr. Argyle wasn't the bomber surprising – the show had been pointing to his innocence the whole hour – but the reveal that the true bomber was the kid of one of the from CLA members, while plausible, had no oophm to it. There was no intended shock value to it, as we hadn't met the guy previously, so the reveal just was kind of....there. (It didn't help that the show wasn't clear on why he was carrying out these bombings. Was he trying to frame Argyle? Or just carry on the family legacy?)

But I don't want it to seem like the entire hour was a waste, because as ambivalent as I was on the bomber case, everything involving Gibbons was top-notch. Despite the fact that the show has depicted Gibbons as a straight-up villain in the past three episode, with the words he speaks to grieving widows or junior league basketball champions coming off as just hollow lines for his public facade. But tonight we finally got to see what makes Gibbons tick, and the fact that he may have a bit more moral ambiguity to him that previously established. It was obvious that the show was going to get here eventually – Shawn Ryan is a master at depicting his characters as varying shades of gray - that the last three episodes had been turned into something of a waiting game, so it was nice to see the show get this out of the way relatively early.

While some may point to Gibbons upbringing the projects back in the 60s, or his run for alderman after his father received an incorrect tax statement as the identifying signs of who he is, I think those work better at telling us who he was over who he has become. Instead, I found the scene in the hospital, with him talking to his would be assassin, to be the most powerful, as we were kept partially in the dark about Gibbons intentions. While it is quite obvious that Gibbons does still care for his constituents, that he was invested in the wellbeing of Blake and his mother, we could also see the wheels turning in his head, as he he was quickly figuring out how to use this fracas to continue assuring his political position. Gibbons is man informed by where he came from, but changed by the years in office, and as long as the show continues to highlight both of these sides, it should make for some interesting television.

While the wheels were also turning in Colvin's head, as she attempted to keep from losing control as Gibbons gained more and more credibility, her part in tonight's proceedings wasn't nearly as interesting. While I have so far enjoyed watching her attempt to take down Gibbons, in those instances she was actively pursuing him, while tonight was mostly about watching her passively reacting to something beyond her control. Not only was this far less interesting – characters are always more dynamic when we get the sense that they have at least some control over their lives – but it kind of undersells the “strong woman” vibe the show has been trying sell in terms of Colvin.

Like I said above, the closing minutes of this episode were perhaps its best, as we were treated to two types of moral ambiguity: Jarek, as he arrested a man for giving a “confession” that helped to close a current case, and Gibbons, as he killed a black gang member both to assure his position as alderman and to keep Blake and his mom safe. Jarek and Gibbons, it seems, are two sides of the same coin; they may have qualms about what they do, but they believe that they are doing it for the right reasons. And while this was a great endnote to go out on – and I look forward to the investigation of Lil' Monster's murder, which will no doubt lead back to Gibbons – I hope the show can deliver more moments like these with out having to resort to any more middling fare.

What did everybody else think?


Additional Thoughts:

Tonight's hour was penned by Tim Minear and Jon Worley. Though I have no proof of this, based on Minear's track record, I'm going to assume that he was largely responsible for the Gibbons parts of the script, and that Worley wrote the bomber case. Mostly because I can't imagine Minear writing a standalone story this middling.

Why are Vonda and Isaac doing patrol? Aren't they with organized crime now?

“Don't make this sound sexier that what it is.”

“They bombed the Haymarket Police Memorial.” As a history major, I would like to take this moment to direct your attention to the Haymarket Riot of 1886, which was a major event in the history of worker's rights, as well a pivotal moment in the tumultuous relationship between organized labor and the state. See, television can teach you things.

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