Dark Blue – Who says Mr. Rogers is a drug dealer?

And we’re back (TM Jay Black) for episode two of the Dark Blue premiere. No inherent relationship to episode one, aside from the fact that the former immediately follows the latter … so why burn two in a night?

Be that as it may, this episode started with a scene as enjoyable as the last one did (when we saw Carter in his garden) — Dean working in a pizza store, taking orders from a guy in a kangaroo suit, was awesome. I loved it.

And not only did I get my question about Ty going undercover anymore answered (he’s back!), but we also finally saw someone question the total disappearance of one of the team’s identities for years at a time. Dupree was unwilling to accept that Ty was still legit until Ty proved it to him. Now, I would have demanded more by way of proof, but baby steps.

I loved how the team, with the help of Agent Rice, pulled off that penthouse thing. It was very reminiscent of Leverage season one, back when it was fresh … and dare I say good. And I enjoyed how Dupree continued to press Ty on his credentials with the apartment, the piano, the car detailing, etc. That’s how it should be (at least in my mind). And it was funny how they just missed the owner of the penthouse coming home.

I was thrown by the weird vibe between Ty and Melissa (is that really the same actress?). I guess that, coupled with the fact that he was undercover, definitively answers the question about Ty continuing to work with the team, but I don’t understand why the decision should have strained their relationship to such an extent. It’s not like he was hiding what he did for a living when they got married (I assume), so why’s she being so demanding now?

It was funny when Maria shot Dean’s advances down, but I knew that Jaimie was going to turn this into a jealousy thing. That’s one of the big reasons why I didn’t want the two to get involved, aside from their total lack of chemistry. Do you really want to listen to Jaimie and Dean talk about “What are we doing?” while on a stakeout?

I was thrown, in a good way, when Ty and Carter got jacked by Dupree (though I have to say that Carter always being the money man is getting old). It was a fun twist, and one that goes a long way to expressing why this show is one of the good ones. I loved Ty catching up to Dupree and tackling him, and then being so jazzed about it.

Last season I wrote often about how important multi-episode arcs would be to the success of Dark Blue. There’s no way to develop a good story — and in many cases a believable one — with only one-and-dones. In addition to the above-mentioned issues this episode addressed, we’re also the lucky recipients of a multi-episode arc that will carry into another week (I assume), because the drug dealer behind the curtain has yet to be caught or revealed, and this is the secret that brought Rice to us in the first place.

While it may be too much to ask that she disappear once the case is over (I can always dream, right?), seeing the show attempt to use the length of the season strategically is gift enough for now. Baby steps, right?

Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Aug 04, 2010 @ 23:00 EST5EDT