Rookie Blue returns with a bang

I am a big fan of summer television, but it seems that the cable networks have been owning the dog days for a couple of seasons now. Shows like Leverage, Burn Notice, True Blood, and In Plain Sight have set a high bar, and it seems like the broadcast networks have all but given up on scripted television. Every once in a while, they’ll turn away from the black hole that is reality TV and give a scripted series a chance. Last year’s Rookie Blue performed well enough in the ratings to get a second season pick up after just three episodes aired. That second season started tonight, with, if you’ll excuse the obvious pun, a bang.

It also seems like, as with Combat Hospital, Off the Map, and Defying Gravity, Blue was bound to get the “Grey’s Anatomy in ‘fill in the blank’ (warzone, jungle, space, police station)” criticisms that seem to follow any show that includes workplace romances. Because workplace romances are soooo unrealistic, and never happen. Not that, you know, I’m bitter or anything.

I had the good fortune to see this episode weeks ago, long before any promos had run, shots had been released, or anything indicating what would happen to McNally. In this day and age of spoilers and screeners and Twitter (oh my!), it isn’t often I’m taken as completely by surprise as I was by the shooting. The scene was very well shot and edited. I loved how they interplayed the shots with the blood on McNally’s face, and the red button of the girl who was shot. We never had to see her directly to feel the violence. Very well done.

One of the best parts of last season was the surprise of how well Diaz and Peck worked as a couple. As the series started, if you’d asked about the two characters you’d least expect to couple up, it would have been these two. I’m not sure we were even supposed to like Peck, but through this relationship, I warmed to her. She wasn’t in this episode enough for my tastes.

While we’re talking about couples, is everyone on the same page that McNally and Det. Callaghan? By same page, if you’re wondering, I mean that they are a horrible pair and need to be separated sooner rather than later. I’m not saying that she and Swarek need to hook up (at least, I’m not saying that yet), but Callaghan has the whole history of sleeping with rookies, and it just feels like their relationship started for all of (his) wrong reasons. It might have evolved since then, but I still can’t get past it.

Epstein was all over it tonight, wasn’t he? I like how he was motivated to find the killer, and used then followed up that motivation with great police work. All of the former rookies have evolved into better cops, also example when McNally took down the killer and then collapsed her ASP all badass like when walking down the stairs. These guys are far from veteran cops, but they’re no longer the new kids on the block.

Notes & Quotes

• Who doesn’t love starting the day with OJ and a little Hall and Oates?
• “[to people in line for a concert] Come on people, wait now, tweet later.” – Epstein
• Loved Shaw finally giving McNally “the talk,” especially that she requested it.
• Not a whole lot of Nash in this episode, wonder if that was just the way this story worked, or what?
• “You guys used to partner together right?” – Jenkins
  “Yeah.” – Callaghan
  “Was she ever the good cop?” – Jenkins
  “No.” – Callaghan

Clacked by Ivey West
on Jun 23, 2011 @ 23:24 EST5EDT