#deputy winnie davis

[milquetoast-on-acid]

Major Crimes: Season 5 Round Up, A Reactionary Post

I had planned on doing a post at the end of 5a but then time got away from me. So I thought I'd do a reaction post on 5a then 5b and how they tie together. This is my final Reactionary Post for season 5 and it feels really great to review a whole entire season of a show! Stay tuned for more reactionary posts, next week we go back in time to cover Reloaded. 

What this reactionary post covers: // Season 5a & theme // Characters & Storylines

// Season 5b & theme // Characters & Storylines

// Thoughts on Season 5 (as a whole) & other themes the season covered // Speculation & Season 6 // Favorite scenes // What I liked and What I didn't

*This is a long one so sit back and grab your favorite drink. ;)

Season 5a

Theme: Balance

Season 5a's theme was Balance and I've got mixed feelings on whether or not the show achieved it. I love that the showed tried different things in 5a. At this point the show has been on for five years, or really 12 years so I think it's really good for them to mix some stuff up. Some of the cases have been darker than we've previously seen. We got more focus on character development and storylines. Plus the death of a character that's been with the show since the very beginning has been such a huge change for the show. This is a show that has until now never killed a main character. By that we can count the entire run of The Closer. 

I think perhaps the season's theme should have been Family instead of Balance. There was so much focus on families in the cases as well as every single character arc had to do with family. Also so much focus on Father's and sons, particularly the later half of the season.

Character Storylines/Arcs

Buzz

When I first heard about Buzz's storyline for the season I was very excited about it. However I don't like how it was handled. I was disappointed that the majority of the storyline was in Rusty's vlogs. For one thing there is a HUGE part of Major Crimes audience that's older, that's just not going to go online and watch the vlogs. 

On the other hand I understand that you can do only so much (and boy do they ever do a ton of stuff in 42 minutes) in the time they are given. So if you want to have as many plot lines as they did this season then your going to have to get creative. And that's where Rusty's vlog came in.  I think that worked so much better last season. As I felt that it wasn't as crucial for you to watch them. You could watch them if you wanted and get more involved in the stoyrline but they had enough of the plotline in the show where you wouldn't miss out on anything.  Where's this time around you miss major information about a character and his storyline if you don't watch them. 

At the same time I don't think that the plot line was balanced very well. They mostly had one small scene in each episode to introduce what they were going to cover in the vlog. Why not just have the actual scene instead of prefacing it? I think the best stuff with Buzz's case was definitely the focus that we had of him during the White Lies arc. Most in particular the scene in which he catches up with his father's killer and realizes that he's taking another son and daughter away from their father. 

Rusty I had some issues with Rusty in 5a. One of the things that I love and also frustrates me about his character is his stubborn determination. I love that he goes after the truth and asks questions but sometimes he really can take it too far. Case in point Buzz. Rusty needs some empathy for Buzz and it didn't show through much if at all. Buzz was so determined to do things by the book because of how much the case meant to him but Rusty was just too impatient for all of that. 

Rusty and Gus I'd have to say that my favorite Rusty plotline this season was the focus on him and Gus. This is Rusty's first real relationship and he's got a really great guy. I really love that Gus calls Rusty out on all of his shit. 

Rusty's vlog and Buzz One of the things that worked really well with Jane Doe #38/Alice/Marianna's case was Rusty's personal connection to her which brought out some giant empathy. It brought out passion and determination in him and that is all completely gone by the time Rusty helps Buzz with his case. Rusty feels way to entitled to everything that Buzz finds.

Sharon's Pregnancy My least favorite plotline of 5a is definitely Rusty's mom having a baby. I just don't understand what the point in bringing her back in this capacity served. In my opinion, Sharon Beck's storyline ended in season 3 when she went off to jail. And then they kept bringing her back first in Hindsight and then again here. It's a rather frustrating thing to have them use time for her character, that could have been used to served other plots that were highly underdeveloped.

Amy Amy was the character that got the least amount of focus in 5a. There aren't many women on the show and it would be nice to have more focus on them. Amy is such an unexplored character, we don't really know much about her, except for her personality. 

I've got mixed feelings about her storyline. First of all I love that Amy does not want kids. It's good to see some exploration of that in a female character. We got a really great scene with her and Cynthia in the break room. However, I don't feel like anything got resolved between her and Cooper. More like it was something they disagreed on and then got sweeped under the rug. And unfortunately this was something that was not mentioned in 5b. 

Mike So last season I was at, I love this Badge of Justice stuff and a bit of Andy's jealousy. So let's have more of that. We got a TON of that this season, in fact we were on overdose to the point where it's kind of soured me on that plot line. I loved that Mike won an award but I felt like the storyline was more about Andy's jealousy then it was about Mike. I also thought that it was interesting that Mike was picked to go undercover with the hooker. He's not the squad's typical choice for an assignment like that - so it was really great seeing his uncomfortable amusement at being undressed on camera by a hooker. 

Julio Julio has to be the show's tragic character. The guy has suffered the murder of his brother, the accidental death of his wife and unborn child. Falls for a murderer and now has his foster child taken away from him. Julio is the guy with so much damned love in him to give. Unlike Amy who doesn't need children to make her life complete. Julio does. I really think that Julio's road to adoption plot turned out to be my favorite. I really feel that it was perhaps the only continuing storyline that was properly balanced. That it was given enough time, attention and focus to it for it to develop properly. 

Out of all of the emotional hard moments in White Lies, Taylor's death and sudden shooting in the court house got chills down my back. But Julio being separated from Mark made me cry.

Andy Andy, Alcoholism and it's effects on his life. I think my favorite stuff with Andy this season was his plotline in "Off the Wagon" and the developing family of Sharon, Andy and Rusty. We haven't dealt much with Andy's alcoholism for quite a while in the show and it was nice to revisit it. To see what his perspective is and how much his life has changed. I loved seeing him reach out to Jared. He really wanted to help him. I'd really love to see Andy actually sponsoring someone. 

One of the things that I have come to really love about this character is how much he's changed through the years. When we first meet Andy he's angry. He's angry at himself and at the world.  Very slowly we've seen him pick himself up and come to really appreciate the people and relationships that he has in his life. He realizes just how much he screwed up as a father in and in his marriage. And he's not about to make that same mistake again. 

The Raydor/Flynn/Beck Family Since Andy has moved in with Sharon and Rusty there's been more focus on them as a family unit. It's really interesting to see Sharon and Andy's different styles of parenting Rusty. And how they function as in a cohesive parenting unit, while not necessarily agreeing all of the time. 

Provenza There wasn't much stuff for Provenza this season. What we did get from him this season was bits and pieces of how his life had changed since he had gotten married. It seems whenever he's seriously involved with a woman that there seems to be a wardrobe change for him. We got a much more fashionable Provenza this season in some quality threads. I did actually miss his grandpa style, though. So it was nice when later on in the season there seemed to be more of a mix of his style and his new clothes. 

I think I would have liked to have had more of Patrice on there this season. I really love their relationship. She takes such good care of him, packing him healthy lunches bringing him his medication. All the while not letting him be an idiot and get away with stupid stuff. She's been a nice breath of fresh air for him. 

Sharon I think that there's been a major lack of focus on her character for along time now. I think that her character had gotten to the point where the writers have had a hard time figuring out what to do with her.  For a main character we really don't know all that much about her. Not as much as we should IMO. So that it was finally great to see focus on her in the White Lies arc. She's such a reserved character that we often don't get bursts of emotion from her.

Moving in with Andy I was really very excited to hear about the plotline of her and Andy moving in together. But I was hugely disappointed in it when there was barely any focus on it. We got a hint of Sharon's internal struggle with wanting to live with Andy and also being scared by it. That could have been explored more than it was. I felt like there was so much potential to really delve into Sharon's mind on that and the writers really didn't take it. 

As disappointed as I was with this storyline, I think I've come to realize that this storyline was really more about Sharon, Andy and Rusty coming together as a family. Which only makes me feel slightly better at having realized that.

Season 5b

Theme: Connections

I feel that the theme of 'connections' is such a loose enough concept that it's been so much easier for them to connect this theme in each of the episodes.

I'm not sure why they changed the theme for 5b. Perhaps there was negative response about it in the surveys. I think this theme is much easier to tie stories together and is something they have do in every episode anyway. The show is so interesting when you sit down and really think about it. 

The show is not a straight procedural but it does follow an a + b = c format for every episode. Each episode has a case and a personal storyline involving at least one of our main characters. The case is a way for us to understand and examine the character. So there is always parallels. So out of all of the themes this show has had, this one was probably the easiest and fits the show best.

Character Storylines/Arcs

When they sent out the press release for 5b I was a bit worried that they wouldn't have enough time to properly develop every storyline. While I do believe there is always room for improvement I think they did much better in 5b verses 5a. One of my big issues with 5a was that there were too many storylines and with such a strict structure there wasn't enough time to give to each storyline.

Wes While Wes' storyline was no where on the press release. We had snippets of getting inside of this new character's head. Wes has spent 5 years undercover with Nazi's, who's first reaction to situations is violence. Even if you don't think like that - after being in all of that hateful mentality it will get to you and it's really wonderful seeing him trying to readjusting to a chain of command. As well as realizing that he can always solve situations with violence. As a cop it is the last defense not the first offence.

Also I think Wes + Pot is my OTP for him. I really hope we will see more of Wes in the upcoming season. And as many of the fandom have pointed out he's just like Andy and reacts just like Andy used to pre-Sharon.

Buzz Buzz is such a supporting player that I think for him, it was really good to have a very subtle thread going for him. Verses the big story we got in 5a. I was really excited for them to really delve into his character in 5a but I don't think that it was handled very well. So this much smaller storyline worked much better. 

It's really not hard for us to see that after Buzz had got so invested in this case that he ended up super emotionally involved with the Jones family. Often times we end up following in our parents footsteps whether we mean to or not. In this case I feel that Buzz is becoming is own stepfather. I just hope that things turn out good for Buzz and he doesn't end up heartbroken. Buzz is the only character on this show to have never had a girlfriend/partner.

Amy I have always wished more for her character. There are only three women with any regularity on this show and all of them could have more developed storylines. Would have been nice to have a season long arc for her character but I really liked what we did get from her. Amy's passive-aggressive, manipulative and emotionally abusive relationship with Mark Hickman is such an interesting dynamic that I'm really glad to see it yet again. Amy is a half glass full kind of woman and she wants so hard to believe in Mark that she eventually looks over terrible shit that he does to her. I hope that one day, Amy sees the forest through the trees with him but until then I am enjoying their interaction. 

It was also wonderful getting some info on Amy's life as an MP. I only wish we could have gotten a seen with Amy interacting with her former commanding officer. Enough that we could get those wonderful parallels that MC loves so much.

Mike Mike was the only character that had no storyline whatsoever in the back 8. He had some slight focus in one of the cases but not even anything I'd point out for his character. It makes me sad because I love his character and think that there is so much they could do with him but just aren't. 

With season 5's overly heavy focus on family, why not use the opportunity to include is wife or kids in one of the cases? Or do some development on Mike/Julio's friendship. This is another bromance here that hasn't had any play in ages and I miss it. Or how about Mike/Sharon friendship? I have always felt that Mike and Sharon have so many things in common that they could make some really great friends but usually we see Sharon/Andy/Provenza/Rusty interaction at parties, and Mike/Julio/Amy interaction at parties.

Rusty I think Rusty's storyline as a journalist and his vlog worked really well in season 4a. It was a fresh idea and something that allowed Rusty to get passionate about and can be tied to the squad's job as police officers. Once Rusty wasn't passionate about what he was working on Rusty's storyline as a journalist got stale. I feel like Rusty as a lawyer storyline is a much better way to get him into the murder room. Although Rusty's storyline this season wasn't even really about that but his relationship with Gus. Which to me took a completely unexpected turn.

Rusty and Gus Season 5b starts off with Rusty and Gus temporarily breaking up and ends with them permanently broken up. As a couple Rusty and Gus had always been out of sync. Examining their relationship as a whole I don't think they ever got to the point where they were ever in sync. I had thought that the problems they were having (in 5a) would have been sorted out by Rusty eventually realizing that time is precious and he needs to focus on Gus during their time together. But once Rusty got his head out of his ass it seemed like there were even more problems between the two. 

I really liked Rusty/Gus for such a long time but then the problems between them got too big for their relationship and now I am hopeful that both of them will focus on their careers and maturing themselves before jumping into another relationship. 

Rusty's character One of the things about Rusty that I felt frustrated over in 5a was his shitty attitude. Rusty was selfish, unemphatic and entitled when it came to Buzz's case. And selfish when it came to his relationship with Gus. I'm so glad that the writers have retooled his character, while keeping Rusty's personality in tact. He's matured leaps and bounds since 5a, yet still has a long way to go. I was so much happier with him in 5b, than in 5a. Rusty was to put it in a way a shit head in 5a and now I feel like he's much more of a mature young man in 5b.

Julio Duck and Little Duck I am so glad that Julio finally found his happiness!! Out of everyone this guy needed it the most. It was great seeing Mark again, he's still his annoying, yet precocious self and him and Julio have such a fantastic dynamic. I've said it before and I'll say it again MC does a really great job at casting family members for it's main characters. There is such a chemistry for all of them that feels so very realistic.

Provenza I'm starting to think that as much as I love Provenza he really isn't a character that you can easily build a season long arc around. GW is a fanastic actor, there is no doubt about that. Provenza's storyline and GW's acting in "Intersection" blew me away. I just think that from what we see in 5b. His character's focus and emotional moments mean more to the character in short bursts rather than a season long storyline. I do think that it couldn't hurt to see more of Patrice. Not a ton more but more than an episode a season (or half season).

Andy The Heart Attack felt around the fandom We all hoped that MC would pick up right after Andy's heart attack but it didn't. And we all wondered what MC was doing with yet another 'Andy serious health issue' storyline. It seemed kind of like the show was running out of ideas but after seeing the season as a whole I really enjoyed where they went with this and what it did for his character. 

Andy being out of the field meant keeping him the office. Which means that Andy works almost exclusively with Sharon and it seems to have had an interesting effect on him. He seems to have absorbed bits of her personality up like a sponge. This has been something that has been a slow thread for him over the years. With each season Andy, loosing less and less of his anger and bitterness. Becoming happier in his life and with himself and much less explosive than he ever was. But being so much part of a unit with Sharon in such an intimate and professional way is really evident here more so than at any other time.  

Andy feels like a leader to me and that's not something that I would have ever thought regarding his character. Don't get me wrong, Andy is still Andy but he is not the Andy from The Closer or Andy from even a few years ago. 

The proposal On a Shandy front, Andy's health issues have pushed him to move their relationship forward. It makes it even more apparent to him that life is precious and what he really wants from life out is family life. An official and legal family. I'm so glad that there was more focus here on Shandy's road to matrimony, verses their storyline in 5a (which was very disappointing in their lack of development). 

I can always want for more regarding their relationship, as I think like so many others that we hardly ever get a really good look into their personal relationship. But I feel like out of everything we have gotten from them as a couple (outside of work) 5b is the biggest look we've gotten at them. Hopefully this will continue and one can hope that we will get a meaning full conversation between the two of them in season 6.

Sharon So glad to see more focus on Sharon's character in 5b. It had felt for such a long time that she'd gotten lost in the shuffle and it's such a shame because Sharon is a very fascinating character when you sit back and examine her. It was really good seeing Sharon out with the team during the action, especially the bombs. And the beginning of the 5b when Sharon pushed the suspect to snap and snap he did!

Promotion to Assistant Chief I think if Sharon had not expressed her disinterest in being promoted to the position, then I would have wanted it for her. However, she made it more than clear several times through the season that it would have been a step back for her and not forward. While it would have been a higher position, it would have meant stepping back into the political arena and away from detective work. Which is definitely where she did not want to go. So I am very happy that in the end she didn't end up getting the promotion. 

As for the stuff with Davis, Mason and Fritz. I kind of felt like it wasn't as prominent an arc as I would have liked. Davis only shows up roughly three times and then we don't even get a really great resolution to her character. While I could see her popping up from time to time, it just won't be the same because she didn't end up as chief. 

Promotion to Commander This right here is something I am so very glad that Mason saw to correct. It was high time that this happened and I am so glad that it was one of the very first things that Mason does as asst. chief! Makes me hopeful of him in that position. Makes me think he sees Sharon as an ally instead of an enemy. He's smart and knows that it would be so much better for him to work with her than against her. 

Ready for Marriage For the entirety of Sharon and Andy's relationship, Andy has always been two steps ahead of Sharon. Sharon eventually gets there but her brain has to take a while to catch up to Andy's heart. When Andy proposes to Sharon she says yes right away. Sharon is finally on the same page with Andy regarding their relationship and it really shows throughout 5b. Especially after the proposal when he start to notice how in sync they are. And while the two of them have always been in sync (in certain ways), it's no more apparent then this season.

Season 5 (as a whole)

There has been an interesting themes that have played throughout the entirety of season 5. They are..

Family

Family was present in every story arc in 5a. From Sharon/Andy/Rusty moving in together, to Julio wanting kids, to Amy not wanting kids, Provenza's life changes now that he's married and how that's reflected in his workplace and Buzz solving his own father's murder to becoming intimately involved with the murderer's family.

The Past (and how it can still effect you) The very first episode of season 5 plays so heavily on the past and that becomes an over arching theme dealt heavily throughout the season. So much so that there were arcs that called back to people and situations from the past. The return of Stroh, Winnie Davis vs Sharon rivalry which harks back to Sharon vs Brenda rivalry and The promotion of a new chief are all the big ones.

Other Thoughts: Rusty's Vlog So I've talked at length about it and I want to address it again. I've got oh so many mixed feelings on it. When I first started watching MC and found out that the vlogs were real I thought that was an interesting and creative way to give us more information and time with MC. 

I thought that it worked really well for season 4 because it was additional information but the information in the videos was not something we had to know. We could still get a full story without watching the vlogs. But the problem with them in season 4, is that they are terribly boring. The majority of the videos solely feature Rusty giving us information, with no one to bounce off of. So when season 5 hits, the vlogs are refreshed and Buzz is featured in them as well. Rusty now has someone to bounce off of in the vlogs and we get loads of information on Buzz's background. But the problem with the vlog's in season 5 is that we don't get a full picture of Buzz's case without watching the vlogs. 

There is information in there that we need to know or otherwise Buzz' story arc in season 5a feels terribly incomplete. And my problem with that is (as I mentioned earlier) that there are so many viewers out there that aren't going to go online to watch an additional youtube video. The other problem is that they are using time on the show to set up what they are going to talk about on the vlog instead of using that time to actually talk about 'what ever it is they are going to talk about'. 

Another problem that Rusty's vlogs had goes way back in season 4, was viewership reaction. A lot of people seem to have reacted to Rusty's vlog's in a negative way. To the point where it was actually brought up in a season 4b episode. Rusty goes to Judge Grove and talks to him a bit about his Identity vlog. He tells Grove that he's got x amount of viewers (for his vlog) and that none of them seem to like him. 

Now I'm not saying that the audience is correct but what I am saying is that if a huge part of your audience is reacting negatively to something maybe you should listen a little bit. For season 4 I watched the vlogs on youtube and I found it interesting that the comments were disabled. And then I watched the vlogs on FB for season 5 and found massive amounts of negative comments, drama and fighting. Which made me think that the comments on youtube were allowed at one point but the same thing happened so they were disabled.

I'm glad that the show finally decided to quit the vlogs. As they were interesting at first but quickly started causing needless drama. Rusty is already a character that brings out strong feelings in the audience and most people either love or hate him. And a vlog solely focused on his character was inevitable to incite some drama.

Speculation: There's no doubt that Stoh will be returning in season 6 and play a major role. I had rather hoped that he would have been gone and never dealt with but if he's going to come back the I would like for him to be dealt with properly. None of this 'Stroh + Rusty' = destiny crap that Stroh spouted in season 3. If we are going to have Stroh back I want him to effect more than just 'Rusty is in danger'. I want him to effect the whole squad.

What I'd like to see in season 6: // Continuing growth in Julio/Mark's fathership // Continuing growth in Sharon/Andy/Rusty familyship (I want to see more of Sharon & Andy parenting Rusty in a united front as well as the two of them disagreeing on what to do with Rusty in a given situation). // Allow Sharon to do some internal and external struggling, and allow it to exist in multiple episodes. Instead of just one episode. // More than 1, honest to god knee deep in emotion and conversation scene between Sharon and Andy without Rusty. I love Sharon/Andy/Rusty familyship and want to see more of that in season 6 but I love Sharon/Andy and they need time alone away from Rusty and us viewers need to see that as well. // Still want to actually see Amy's commanding officer, instead of just being told about her. I want to see Amy interacting with people she worked with in the past. // Mike to be given an actual storyline. // More Patrice! // More than 3 minutes at Sharon and Andy's wedding

Was there improvement from 5a to 5b? During the end of 5a, I wrote a novel in the survey's to TNT. It seems that what I spoke about was what many others also thought could have been changed or improved upon in the show. The creators listened and I am very happy about that. While there is always room for improvement I am very glad that they seem to be listening. 

Better balance of storylines. Many of them were underdeveloped in 5a. 5b's storylines felt much more balanced. 

Rusty attitude was terrible in 5a and I'm so glad to see that he's gained some maturity between the season hiatus and 5b. One of the things that bothered me about his character in 5a is the large focus on his character. If you look up there during my breakdown of the character in 5a, you'll notice that he's got more storylines than any other character. 

I get that Rusty is probably a very easy character to delve into but at the same time it feels like Rusty's character focus tends to be at the expensive of the other character's development and storylines. Case in point Sharon Beck's Pregnancy storyline. So I am very glad that they focused less on him in 5b.

For such a long time we’ve gotten so little of Sharon’s character that in 5b we got some of the focus back on her character and it was really wonderful! 

Overall I would say that 5b was such an improvement on 5a and I hope that the show continues it’s forward strides!

Favorite Scenes: 5. Julio loses Mark at the end of White Lies. It was heartbreaking and very easily one of the most moving scenes of MC that I've ever seen. As terrible as it was I am so glad that Mark ends up with Julio in 5b.

4. Provenza laments to Rusty in Intersection. This is easily my favorite Provenza scene and brings out so much of Provenza's character that we hardly ever see. Some amazing acting from GW Bailey!

3. Andy reassures the boys in Bad Blood. Not only do we get some much needed backstory on Andy but we also see how much his previous marriage and Sharon's previous marriage were startling similar. We also see just how much Sharon and Andy's children both love them and want so badly to see them happy. We also get Andy to convince us 100% that he's not the same man he was and he is well aware of that. Plus that amazing grin of his. 

2. Sharon's promotion. Something completely unexpected for Sharon and us as the audience. I loved it because it was the promotion she should have gotten 5 years ago. The one promised to her but she never got. Also seeing Sharon being so blown over by it! fabulous!

1. The Proposal. Despite not hearing the words it was still a very beautiful scene and my favorite from season 5. Seeing Sharon at a complete loss for words and also for her to completely forget her son - surely takes alot and this did it. It was also shot so beautifully. The image of Andy turning from Sharon to face us. Show a bit of his vulnerability as he takes a breathe, shuts the door and turns to Sharon to kneel before her was breathtaking.

What I didn't like about the season: The startling lack of anything surrounding Mike's character. Mike barely ever gets attention and has had only 1 episode devoted to his character for the entire 5th season. 

Disappointment in how the Sharon/Andy moving in together storyline was handled in 5a. We got one big episode on it and then the storyline peeters out to nothing for the rest of 5a. Sharon's hesitation on moving in with Andy could have been something that we could have seen dealt with on the show more than once. This is something that we could have used to create a real meaningful conversation between the two of them. It was an opportunity lost.

What I liked about the season: Everything in Julio's storyline with adopting a child and Mark. Seeing the return of Mark Hickman steering up trouble for Amy. As much as I don't like the two of them together, Amy thinks much too much of Mark and redemption. They have such a fascinating dynamic.

Focusing more on Sharon and Andy in 5b. Their storyline was very underdeveloped in 5a so it was great to see more movement on that in 5b. The stuff with Ricky and the proposal was great. However the one disappointment from that storyline was not hearing Andy propose to Sharon and not hearing her answer. Another great opportunity for a real deep conversation about their relationship missed. 

Rusty gaining more maturity and helping along his mother in her relationship with Andy.

*In addition I’d like to thank everyone that’s enjoyed my reactionary posts. They take quite a bit of time to put together and several rewatches for me to gather all of my thoughts. I really enjoy digging deep into this show. Doing these posts have made me love and appreciate the show more than I ever did. They have also made me realize just how much are put into the storylines. Even when realizing that there are things that could be done differently or improved upon. There’s so much detail work that goes into wardrobe, blocking, plotlines and dialog, etc. 

[roslinadama-sinequanon]

Saying Good-Bye to Yesterday-Chapter 5

Andy reveals his true feelings about Rusty and then he and Sharon are back to work after their holiday vacation. Sharon begins to deal with the ramifications of being on the short list for Assistant Chief, including coming into Winnie Davis's line of fire. Andy struggles with not being cleared for full duty.

You can read it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15321687/chapters/37261535

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13004092/5/Saying-Good-Bye-to-Yesterday

and here:

“Andy, can you help me with this tie?”

“Sure kid.” Andy set his spoon down and rose from the dining room table where he was having breakfast with Sharon.

“I‘ve tried it like 10 times just the way you showed me but I can‘t get it right.” Rusty turned his back allowing Andy to lean over him from behind and direct him in deftly flipping the tie into a perfect knot.

“Remember, wide end on the right, small on the left and you’re only going to move this wide side. Put the wide end over the small end here, and then up into the loop from underneath. “

Rusty shook his head with defeat. “I don’t know how you do it so quickly.”

“Practice. You‘ll get it.” Andy turned him around, straightened the knot then gave him a pat on the shoulder.

Watching them, Sharon warmed at the very natural father and son moment shared between the man she loved and her son. “You look very handsome this morning,” she said to Rusty.

“Yeah, thanks.” He grimaced and tugged at the tie. “I just hate how it feels like it’s choking me.”

“You better get used to it, Andy sat back in his chair. “If you’re going to be a lawyer you’re going to spend a lot of time in a suit and tie.”

“I know.” Rusty sat with them at the table and grabbed the box of Wholegrain Cheerios.

“Are you looking forward to your internship?” Sharon tried to ignore the several spoonfuls of sugar he added to his cereal.

“I am. I’m a little nervous.”

“You’ll be fine. Just listen to Andrea. You’ll learn a lot from her. Do as she says and---”

“And don’t irritate her, I know, I know.”

“I never told you not to irritate her.” Sharon was taken by surprise. “Who told you that?”

“Him.” Rusty pointed at Andy who had just taken a mouth full of oatmeal.

“Andy.” She turned to him with exasperation.

Andy swallowed and shrugged. “What? Come on, I love the kid and all but, he can be…“ He froze with his spoon halfway to his mouth, realizing what he’d just blurted out. “Well, uh, “he fumbled, “he can be, you know…irritating.”

“Said the pot to the kettle. “ Sharon smiled into her coffee mug, amused by his discomfort. It was the first time she‘d ever heard Andy say he loved her son and that sentiment did all kinds of funny things to her insides.

“What does that mean?” Rusty tried to focus on what Sharon was saying but was still trying to process Andy’s comment.

“It means that you are both know-it-alls and that in turn makes you both come off as irritating at times.” Sharon rose to bring her cereal bowl and coffee mug to the sink. While she was rinsing her bowl, she heard her phone go off back at the table.

“Who is it?” She asked Andy.

He took her phone, swiped it and keyed in her password. “It’s Caroline Mitchum.”

“Caroline?” She wiped her wet hands on a dishrag then took the phone from Andy. Caroline had taken over for her as the LAPD’s Women’s Coordinator when she left the PSB to take over Major Crimes. Since the Women’s Coordinator handled sexual harassment issues and hostile work environments the department liked the position filled by someone in Professional Standards. For almost 10 years that had been her. “Yes, hello Caroline.” She wandered off with the phone while Andy and Rusty finished cleaning up.

Andy’s curiosity was piqued and he tried to hear what Sharon was saying to Caroline but Rusty began yammering on about having Gus over for dinner when he got back from his holiday visit with his mother in Las Vegas and he couldn’t hear much of anything. Finally, he cut the kid off mid-sentence. “Yeah, yeah, Gus, dinner, okay, now sshh…” He wagged a hand at him in a ’keep it down gesture and walked to the edge of the kitchen hoping to catch some of the conversation, but Sharon was too damn soft-spoken.,

“You know it’s rude to eavesdrop, right?”

Andy rolled his eyes and smirked. “Like I said, irritating.”

Finally, Sharon clicked off on the call and before she could even set her phone down Andy asked, “What did Caroline want?”

Sharon sighed. “To talk to me about the Assistant Chief position.”

“I had a feeling. I told you that you should go for it.”

“Andy, we’ve discussed this. I’m happy where I am.”

“I know you are. But you’d be really good.”

Sharon grabbed her coat, her stomach knotting. She’d tried to put her worries about the vacated position aside while on their Christmas holiday, but now it was right there, front and center. She wasn’t going to be able to avoid it for much longer. Chief Pope had said he would begin the promotion process and interviews after the New Year. She knew she was on the shortlist, and that there were others on the short list who might do her division harm if they got the job.

“Karma really is a bitch, I guess,” she reflected.

“Why do you say that?” Andy took his coat from her and scooped the car keys out of the bowl where they kept them.

“After Chief Delk died, as the Woman’s Coordinator I went to Brenda and tried to push her into interviewing for the position. She said she didn’t want it, that she was happy where she was. I didn’t give that answer much credence. I thought she was crazy not to go for it. Now I understand why she didn’t.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I love the work that I am doing, it’s challenging and fulfilling in ways that my work in FID wasn’t. And I love the people I work with. If Brenda felt even a small percentage of what I feel, I get it now. But what I saw then was a woman reluctant to grab her power, a woman who didn’t want to step on the toes of the man she’d had an affair with and who was now also up for the same position. And that is just one of the many reasons I don’t think Pope will give me the job.”

“Because you convinced Brenda to go for it?”

“Not just convinced her to go for it, actively supported her for the job over him… and he knows it.”

*******************************

There would be no easing back into work after an almost two-week absence. Sharon had barely gotten started looking at her budget when she got the call that a body had been found. With most of her team off at active shooter training and Andy at the doctors trying to get re-instated for full duty, it was up to her to head to the crime scene. She’d just pulled up beside the three black and whites and the medical examiner's cars when her phone started going off. Swiping the screen, she saw the text was from Fritz who had returned early from DC.

“Provenza cheated. Major Crimes failed training. Davis on the warpath. Will need to redo the training after the written exam.”

“Shit.” She cursed under her breath. Frigging Provenza. She should have known he’d pull a stunt like this. He hadn’t taken the training seriously. He never did. All morning he’d been griping about it, trying to find ways he wouldn’t have to attend. After 40 years on the job, he liked to think he knew everything there was to know about police work and without Andy there to take the tactical lead and keep him at least semi in line, what happened was almost inevitable. Still, she really wasn’t looking forward to having Deputy Chief Winnie Davis breathing down her neck. It was no secret that as the Deputy Chief second in command to former Assistant Chief Russell Taylor; Winnie had expected the Assistant Chief position to be hers by default after he was killed in the courtroom shootout. When Fritz was directed to fill the interim position, she made no secret of her displeasure. Sharon also knew that her own name, along with several others, was being floated about as a possible replacement, putting her right in the line of fire. So far, she’d been able to avoid Winnie’s hostility, but considering that trainings fell under the unpleasant woman’s jurisdiction and one of Sharon’s team had just metaphorically spit in her face, she was sure she was going to hear about it.

It was while she was in the crime tent examining the dead body of a young woman curled up in rigor in the fetal position, that she was interrupted by the arrival of her team.

“Ah, good morning, Captain.” Provenza breezed into the tent as if all was right with the world. “Sorry we're late. But, overall, I'd say that the training went off without a hitch. “

Sharon stood and faced him with a look that told him she already knew everything and wasn’t pleased. “Acting Assistant Chief Howard already texted me, Lieutenant.”

“Yeah, but if you don't count that very last moment…”

“I'm unofficially reprimanding you for failing to comply with the rules.”

Given his Captain’s near obsession with following the rules, the slap on the wrist was a best-case scenario for him and he took it as such. Rather than argue his point, which would get him nowhere and only piss her off even more, he kept his mouth shut. While she questioned Buzz, his eyes moved to her left hand, surprised to see the ring finger bare.

Damn. That meant he owed Tao five bucks.

Given the way Andy was acting before they left for their holiday ski trip, nervous, giddy, grinning like an idiot in love, a side of Flynn he’d never seen until he fell in love with their Captain, he’d thought for sure that he was ready to pop the question. So, there could only be two reasons her finger was still bare. Either Flynn hadn’t been able to grab his balls and just do it or…Oh God, maybe the Captain had said “no”.

Funny how that speculation caused his heart to plummet. Not very long ago he’d thought Flynn hooking up with the Captain was about the worse idea his friend had ever had, and Flynn had a history of bad ideas. Okay, well, maybe he was the one with the bad ideas and Flynn usually went along for the ride, but still, he’d thought Andy was nuts. Yeah, the Captain was gorgeous, had legs that wouldn‘t quit and a surprisingly warm, nurturing heart. He got why Flynn was attracted to her. But getting involved with her romantically was another thing altogether. It felt impetuous, ill thought out and based on an infatuation, all motivations characteristic of Andy Flynn. More importantly, it had the makings of a disaster, possibly destroying everything they’d built in the Major Crimes division. Of course, he’d been wrong about all that. Very wrong, even if he had yet to admit it to anyone but himself.

As it turned out, Flynn was good for Sharon. He softened her hard edges, made her smile and loosened her up. She laughed more when he was around and displayed an easy affection that at one time would have seemed astonishing. Some women were natural flirts, teasing men 18 to 80 whether they were interested in them or not. Sharon Raydor was not that kind of woman. She didn’t flirt with men to butter them up or get what she wanted. In fact, he had never seen her flirt with any man except Andy, not even her ex-husband.

And Sharon was good for Flynn. She’d been able to work her way under his abrasive, cynical armor to find the lonely, unhappy man inside, changing his life in a 180 that was nothing short of incredible. Her calm disposition and serenity seemed to settle his intense, volatile nature. Anyone who knew Andy 10 years ago would barely recognize the man he was today, kinder, happier and finally at peace. Sure, he could still be an ass at times, but Sharon softened him in much the same way he softened her. Over the years he’d watched the guy go from woman to woman, never emotionally involved, never finding what he needed. Maybe because, as it turned out, what he needed was the woman he had once referred to as the “ice queen of FID”. Sure, he supposed the same could be said for him, at least until he’d found his darling Patrice, but at least he’d been caught six times. Six times down the aisle. He winced. Maybe Andy was right. Maybe he was the impetuous one, rushing from one marriage to another. Flynn had never even come close to walking down the aisle again, at least not until now. Maybe that’s why seeing the guy fall so hard for their very self-contained boss had been so shocking…and scary. He’d never seen Flynn crash, and given his history with the bottle, he never wanted to. If the Captain had turned down his proposal…Well hell….He could only hope that isn’t what happened.

****

Sharon was slipping the surgical booties over her Jimmy Choo heels when Andy arrived to join her and Julio at the morgue. He didn’t say anything, just grabbed his scrubs and started putting them on. That wasn’t a good sign. If he’d gotten the all clear, she knew he’d be talking her ear off.

“Well?” She finally asked. Andy scowled. “I take it the news isn’t good.” She rested a sympathetic hand on his arm.

“He still won’t sign off on me returning to full duty. I told him that I barely have any numbness now at all, that it comes and goes, but until it’s completely gone, he won’t sign off. “

“Andy, there’s a good reason for that,” she opened the door to the exam room and he followed her in. “You can’t be handling a firearm if your hand goes numb, you‘ll be a danger to yourself and to others.”

His sigh told her that he knew she was right but it also spoke of a world of disappointment.

“She wasn't raped,” Dr. Morales said. “I broke her legs out of rigor. There were no signs of sexual assault, which will have to be our silver lining because the story only gets more brutal. At first, I noticed bruising on your victim's neck and petechia.”

“Kendall says she was strangled?” Andy looked up from the file he was reading.

“But it's worse than that. Kendall didn't have the benefit of seeing an x-ray. Unfortunately, I do. Dislocation of her C2 vertebrae. Severed her spinal cord. So the killer was very strong. Or very angry. Maybe both. The pain would've been unbearable. And there are these weird post-mortem indentations on her arm. See these marks running across it?

“From something she was lying on? “ Sharon asked.

“I wish I could be more certain, but without knowing where she was murdered... this dress... Hmm.”

Julio’s cell phone went off. “Ma'am, text from Sykes. No Missing person report with us for someone matching the vic’s description.”

Morales interrupted, “You know what? Stay here.” As soon as the door shut, Andy turned to Sharon.

“Hey, you know my buddy in Operations? You remember Clint?”

“Mm-hmm.” Sharon tried to remain focused on the case, but the minute Andy mentioned Operations she knew where he was going.

“He says that Winnie Davis is up in arms about the way Provenza left training, claiming he cheated. “

Sharon glanced up at Julio and he tipped his hand back and forth in a gesture indicating, maybe a little bit.

“Well, it wouldn't have happened had I been there.”

“Light duty only till the doctor says otherwise.” Though he said nothing, she could feel his frustration and made a note to keep him as involved intellectually and strategically in the case as possible.

“Anyway, Davis could use this cheating business as a way to push you out of the running for Assistant Chief.”

“Let her. How many times do I have to say it? I'm happy where I am.”

Andy looked to Julio for back up and Julio jumped in. “You would be good at the job, though, ma'am. Deputy Chief Davis? Who knows how she feels about us. “

“Well, I think Chief Howard... “

“Will always be former FBI. The department will never accept him as Assistant Chief on a permanent basis.” Andy paused, remembering their breakfast conversation regarding know-it-alls and tendencies to irritate, adding, “Uh, my opinion.”

Morales re-entered the room. “I knew it. There was a call earlier asking if we'd found a woman named Allie King, age 26, and the description of her clothes match down to the blue-on-blue pattern of this dress.“

“Was it a call from Missing Persons?”

“No. Private investigator. Said he was representing Ms. King's boyfriend, whose name I don't have. But the PI's name was Clark Farman.”

“I found Allie King's Facebook page. Profile pic matches, but her page is private.

“Clark Farman. Well, I wonder if he'd sit down with us for a minute.”

*********************************

“Hey, guys.”

Everyone came to attention when Rusty entered the room in a suit and tie.

“Who died?” Provenza asked.

“It's my first day interning at the D.A.'s office, and Andrea sent me over to get video from your murder. “

“How's it going so far? “ Sharon asked.

“It's fine, fine. But the, uh, the servers are down, so I'm running around picking up stuff... documents, briefs, crime scene videos, and, um, coffee. Mom, do you have a second?”

“Mm-hmm“

Provenza shook his head. “First you want to be a journalist, now a lawyer. Where did I go wrong?”

Rusty grinned at the older man’s mocking dismay. “I’m irredeemable, Lieutenant.” He moved in close to his mother, speaking softly for privacy. “Um, okay, so I just got this really weird text from Gus this morning from Vegas. Um... "Visit with Mom okay. Been thinking when I'm back we should sit down and discuss the future."

“Did you call him?”

“Yeah, of course I did. “ He knew by now it was the first thing she would suggest doing. She was always telling him that important things should be discussed in person, that it was too hard to gauge tone and intent in texts and emails. “But he said that... that he... he couldn't talk and that what he had to say needed to be done face to face.”

“Are you two having problems lately?”

“N-No. I mean, I've... I've been watching myself for things, like, unconscious selfishness... and... And not paying attention and not wasting other people's time and... “

“Gus may have something good to say, Rusty. Try not to worry so much. ” Though she understood why he always thought the worse, given the life he’d led prior to moving in with her, she hoped one day he’d be able to expect the best.

Buzz returned and approached them. “Here, Rusty, this has all the video from where the body was found and part of an interview with the P.I. who claimed to be searching for the victim.”

“Thank you.”

**********************

Sharon was in the middle of watching the interview with Jeffrey Day, the very wealthy, very angry ex-boyfriend of their victim Allie King when Andy poked his head in.

“Uh, Sharon. Deputy Chief Winnie Davis is here.”

“Now? I'm watching an important interview. Tell her I'll be out in a second.”

Winnie stepped right into the open doorway clearly not appreciating the dismissive impatience in Sharon’s tone. “It can’t wait. If you could please join me.” Though she used the word please, it was a firm order.

Sharon tried to contain her irritation. “Grab me if something happens,” she said to Andy as she passed by him to follow Davis.

Provenza watched carefully for the door to close before turning to Buzz. “Headphones Buzz. Headphones. I mean, how do you expect us to hear them?”

Buzz rolled his eyes and put the headphones on while Provenza moved closer to the door trying to hear what Davis was saying to Sharon.”

“I expected more from you, Captain,” Winnie said sternly.

“More what?”

“An e-mail, a text, anything to explain your division's disrespect for training on the biggest safety issue we face as a department.”

“Did you not hear about the young woman that we found strangled to death? “ Seriously, where were the woman’s priorities?

“You could've kicked that case up to Hollywood.”

“And violate LAPD policy. Why?”

“Because when our most overly resourced division blows off training, it sends a message across the rank and file.”

“Overly resourced?” There it was. Winnie Davis did have it in for Major Crimes.

“And Lieutenant Provenza's dismissive attitude set a poor example. “

“For which he has been harshly reprimanded.” Okay, so maybe that was laying it on a little thick, but Winnie didn’t have to know that.

Winnie noticed Provenza in the window eavesdropping. “Do you mind if we step over here?” She moved Sharon further away from her team.

Watching them move away from the door Wes asked Andy, “So who's that?”

“That is Deputy Chief of Operations Winnie Davis. And she's here because you guys cheated during training. “That still gnawed at him. How the hell could he have Sharon’s back if he wasn’t even going to be allowed out in the field? Not that he would make that complaint to Sharon. His very independent fiancée had once told him, under no uncertain terms, that she had been looking out for her own best interests at work for a very long time and she didn’t need him for that. Well, maybe she didn’t, but it wasn’t going to stop him. He was always going to have her back, whether she liked it or not.

“No, we didn't cheat,” Julio said. “The lieutenant sacrificed himself for others.”

“As is my nature. All right, get rid of the headphones. We need to go back to work.”

Winnie crossed her arms with a glare. “Why are you publicly challenging my authority?”

Sharon was flabbergasted; the woman was deliberately trying to pick a fight with her. “I didn't... Look it up. A murder victim found on public property is de facto a major crime. “

“Which I hope you can solve by tomorrow when I expect your division to at least take the written tests. And while you're at it, why don't you schedule a new training session.”

“Uh, Captain. Interview's getting good.” Andy stood in the doorway looking at the two women.

“I'll be right there. “ She waited until Andy had gone back in the room, inhaled to keep her annoyance in check, then turned back to Winnie in her most conciliatory, respectful manner. “We'll do everything we can, Chief. Should I expect to be seeing more of you while these promotion issues get sorted? “

“I think I made my point. Go ahead. Your boyfriend's calling you.”

Stunned, Sharon pivoted on her heels with a glare. What the hell was that all about? A fresh swell of anger rushed through her veins and she rubbed at the headache building in her temples.

“Ah. Pleasant conversation?” Provenza tried to smooth out the situation when she re-entered the room, but he did feel bad for having caused her problems with Davis. He probably should have just sucked it up and done the training properly.

“It was bound to happen. “ As pissed as she was, Sharon tried to brush it off. It wouldn’t do to get her whole team worked up. She‘d never liked the idea of pitting divisions against each other. Ultimately, they were all one team whose job it was to protect the citizens of Los Angeles. When people lost sight of that, when it became personal, that‘s when the trouble started and God knows she‘d seen enough of that over at the PSB. “She's been desperate to complain about me for months.”

And evidently, she wasn’t done. After rarely seeing or hearing from Davis she was suddenly everywhere, monitoring every move Sharon was making, First thing the next morning she was summoned down to Fritz‘s office to meet with him and Davis over a request she had made late the previous night. The team had been following a suspect and when that suspect was pulled over by a local black and white, she had requested that the officer let him go so they could continue to follow him. When the officer said it was a “no-go” that the guy was drunk, blasted, and could end up killing someone, it was the end of the story for Sharon. But not for Winnie. Now they both stood in front of Fritz’s desk, one accusatory, one defensive.

“You tried to bully an officer into actions that could've made her liable for a crime.”

“Bully?” The sheer gall of this woman was appalling. “I made a request. We had reason to believe our suspect was heading to a location of interest for... “

“He was driving drunk,” Winnie interrupted. “And Officer Ahern felt... “

“We did not know he was drunk when I made the request. Everything I've done is by the book. If you would like to have Professional Standards look into it... “

“Wow! Offer to be interviewed by your old friends over at PSB? How brave.” The outrageous, over the top condescension Winnie was displaying was enough to cause Fritz to call an end to what he considered a ridiculous waste of his time.

“Okay, I don't know about brave,” he said. “But an Internal Affairs investigation is completely unwarranted. Major Crimes was set up outside the suspect's house. How could they know he was drunk?

“But he's sober now, and the sooner I can talk with him, the better.”

Fritz nodded, giving Sharon permission to leave.

“Thank you.”

Once Sharon was gone, Fritz regarded the severe-looking angry woman standing before him. “If you really want to replace me, Winnie, you're going about this the worst way possible. “ Accusing Sharon Raydor of all people of not following the rules made her look petty at best, foolish at worst. And making enemies of everyone else up for the position she wanted was not going to earn her any points.

“Thanks for your advice, sir. But in the absence of firm leadership, I have a duty to prevent this department from breaking up into self-interested factions. Anything else you want me to know?” Her disdain for him was palpable, making it quite apparent that Sharon Raydor was not the only person in her line of fire.

****

Andy glanced up from his computer when he saw Sharon returning from Fritz’s office. He could tell she was pissed by how fast she was walking and the hard click of her high heels on the floor. He followed her into her office, watching her slam a folder down on her desk. Oh yeah, she was pissed. She didn’t show her anger often, but when she did, well, watch out.

“What did that bitch want this time?”

“Andy! “ Her eyes snapped to the door to make sure no one heard him. “Shut the door.”

He did so and then approached her desk. “So?”

“She accused me of bullying that officer last night, trying to force her into letting a drunk driver back out on the road.”

“That’s bullshit, Sharon!” he exploded. “The minute she said he was too drunk to be let back on the road you dropped it.”

“That’s what I said. I offered to bring the case to Internal Affairs.”

“Are you kidding? They’re not, are they?”

“No. Fritz made her stand down.”

“Damn. What the hell is she after?”

“A promotion... and maybe my job.”

Given Winnie’s belligerence, it was becoming more and more apparent that if she received the promotion to Assistant Chief, it might very well be the end of Major Crimes.

TBC

[shadrack1970]

Free State university awards honorary doctorates to three ex-judges

Free State university awards honorary doctorates to three ex-judges

Former deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke is among five distinguished people who will receive honorary doctorates from the University of the Free State (UFS) this month. In a statement, UFS said Moseneke, former Constitutional Court justice Albie Sachs, ex-judge Dennis Davis, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute founder Mike Wingfield and Winnie Byanyima, the executive director…

[lolcat76]

So a proposal, wouldn't it be delightful if the unexpected death in the law enforcement community coming up on Major Crimes was Brenda or Pope. If it is Brenda it makes Fritz's coming back for those episodes even more dramatic and if it Pope that would be unexpected too because we haven't seen him in 84 years.

Police funerals usually moved Sharon Raydor to tears, butChief William Henry Pope…she stood stoic in the front lines of the LAPD’shighest-ranking officers, her uniform sharply pressed and her eyes dry.

Commander Raydor mourned the loss of a fellow officer, butSharon Raydor was glad that Pope was finally out of her hair.

It was an unkind thought, but not a new one. Sharon would besure to take it up with Father Stan on Sunday, but for now, she breathed a smallsigh of relief at the heart attack that sent Pope to his somewhat untimelygrave. Commander Raydor bowed her head and whispered along with the chaplain’sprayers for Pope’s soul, but Sharon thanked her God that the heart attack thatsent the rank and file of the LAPD into the cemetery on an unusually warm andsunny winter day was for Pope and not for Andy.

Since his official promotion to Chief of Police – undeservedand unsanctioned by PAB, but shoved through once she’d been moved to hercurrent position – Pope had been even more of a pain in her ass than he’d beenwhen she was still investigating Major Crimes. As much as she and Taylor hadargued, at least the assistant chief respected her. Pope had “promoted” her to shuther up. And, fool that he was, he’d expected her to be grateful.

Or maybe he just feared her enough to want her out of theway. After an entire career spent in Internal Affairs, Sharon didn’t reallycare where the dividing line fell between fear and gratitude, as long as itfell in her favor. And it had, up until Taylor was shot in a courtroom andSharon found herself on the receiving end of an OIS investigation.

Once the dust settled over the Dwight Darnell case and thesearch for a new assistant chief began in earnest, Sharon knew she was introuble. There was no way in hell that Pope would ever promote Brenda’s husband,no matter how well he’d led SOB and no matter how much the rest of the forcehad grown to respect him. No, Pope was firmly in Winnie Davis’s camp from thestart, because Deputy Chief Davis had done the one thing Sharon Raydor had alwaysrefused to do – she’d kissed Will Pope’s ass from day one.

It should have been an easy, straight line to a promotionfor Winnie Davis, and it would have been, if Pope had still been assistantchief. But, and she could have told him this if he’d ever bothered to ask –being chief didn’t mean he was going to get his way, not with the mayor and thecity council breathing down his neck.

And, she might not have been the head of FID any longer, butSharon Raydor was still the Women’s Coordinator for the LAPD, and Mayor Garcettistill liked her. And, like it or not, Winnie Davis still owed her promotions toa certain Captain who’d spent most of her career pushing women up through theranks.

Sharon looked across the cemetery and met the eyes ofCommander Anne McGinnis. If only McGinnis had wanted to be in charge, Sharoncould have washed her hands of the entire mess. It was the worst part of beingthe LAPD Women’s Coordinator, that the women most worthy of being pushed forwardwere more than happy to stay where they were.

Six years ago, she didn’t understand it. Today, her eyesshifting from Commander McGinnis to Brenda Leigh Johnson, standing next toDeputy Chief Howard, she did.

She shifted her attention back to Leo Mason, who wasdelivering a heartfelt, if somewhat vague, eulogy. It wasn’t too long ago thatshe’d listened to Pope do the same for Tommy Delk, and maybe it was her ownbias, but at least Mason made his sympathies sound believable.

She hoped this funeral wouldn’t end the way Delk’s did – as muchas she wanted Leo Mason to succeed, she didn’t want him to become the nextacting chief, not when she was one day into her medical leave. And, knowing howAndy felt about Mason, she didn’t want his promotion to send him into a secondheart attack. She loved her husband, more than anything, but the two of them onmedical leave, with nothing to do but check their blood pressure and theircardiac rhythm apps – Sharon had fond ideas of how they’d die together, but itdidn’t involve squabbling over who got to choose what movie to watch betweencalls to their respective cardiologists.

The chaplain concluded the service, and the LAPD brokeranks, milling around the cemetery while the two ex-Mrs. Popes shook hands andwiped eyes. Sharon knew she should stay, but her uniform was hot and herpolice-issue shoes, nowhere near as stylish as her heels or as comfortable asher Uggs, were begging to be kicked off and buried in her closet until the nextfuneral. Andy rested a hand on her back and started to guide her to their carwhen a familiar voice cut them off.

“Tough day, huh?”

“Tough day, Chief,” Andy agreed, and Sharon had to fightback a little bit of irritation at how easily Andy slipped back into old roles.

His hand glided from the base of her spine to rest at herhip, tugging at her just enough that her shoulder settled against his chest. Herested his cheek on her temple, taking a second to breathe her in. Just likethat, he was forgiven.

“Chief, I’m sorry-“ Sharon started, but Brenda waved her sympathiesaway with a hand that had what looked suspiciously like ding-dong frostingstains on her fingertips.

“We moved past sorry years ago,” Brenda said before pullingSharon into a quick, if somewhat awkward, hug. Brenda let her go just asquickly and nodded at Tao and Sanchez before grabbing Howard’s hand anddisappearing into a sea of blue uniforms.

She never thought Brenda would say something like that, muchless hug her, but Sharon never thought she’d be in this position either. She wassurrounded by a team that was once Brenda’s, and was then hers, and was now….neitherand both.

For better or for worse, the two of them would go home withthe men they loved. What happened with Major Crimes was no longer up to them.

For the first time, Sharon felt her eyes well up in sympathyfor Will Pope. God willing it would be years from now, but she knew that whenthe day came, the people who came to her funeral would mourn her truly.

Until then, she wasn’t going to let another second of herlife pass her by. “Let’s go home,” she whispered, and Andy, sweet Andy who was alwaysby her side, squeezed her hip and led her toward their car.

Commander Raydor mourned the loss of Chief William Henry Pope.Sharon Raydor had every intention of going home and celebrating the life shewas living – Will Pope would have appreciated that.

[majorcrimeshq-blog]

Happy birthday to Camryn Manheim, who plays the feisty Deputy Chief Winnie Davis!

[totallytonyfansite-blog]

Major Crimes: Upcoming episodes

Hi FlynnGirls!

The long hiatus is finally over. Here is a little information on what to expect to prepare you adequately for the coming weeks of Major Crimes Madness.

5×14 “Heart Failure” – Wednesday February 22, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

When Captain Sharon Raydor and the Major Crimes Division investigate the murder of a young woman found in the LA River, their case is not only impeded by a secretive PI working for a tech industry millionaire, but also by Deputy Chief Winnie Davis (guest star Camryn Manheim), who regards Sharon as competition for the promotion to Assistant Chief of the LAPD.

Directed by Nzingha Stewart Written by Ralph Gifford Created by James Duff

5×15 “Cleared History” – Wednesday March 1, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

When Major Crimes discovers a young one-man-geek-squad in the middle of his Atwater living room with his throat cut, suspicions swirl around his roommate and some unwitting customers, all of whom he was blackmailing.

Directed by Jennifer Phang Written by Adam Belanoff Created by James Duff

5×16 “Quid Pro Quo” – Wednesday March 8, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

A murder case goes sideways at trial when defense attorney Linda Rothman (guest star Jeri Ryan) is able to destroy Det. Amy Sykes’s credibility on the stand. Helping Rothman as a defense investigator is Amy’s old nemesis, Mark Hickman (guest star Jason Gedrick). Ron Marasco guest-stars as Judge Grove.

Directed by Sylvain White Written by Michael Zara Created by James Duff

For the other episodes we only know the titles so far and, assuming they will be broadcast without breaks, the air dates.

5×17 – “Dead Drop” – Wednesday March 15, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

5×18 – “Bad Blood” – Wednesday March 22, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

5×19 – “Intersection” – Wednesday March 29, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

5×20 – “Shockwave Part 1” – Wednesday April 5, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

5×21 – “Shockwave Part 2” – Wednesday April 12, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

Major Crimes: Upcoming episodes was originally published on Totally Tony

[getbuzzedpkfans]

Major Crimes - Interviews, Press Coverage & Creator's Blog

February 15 – James Duff’s Blog Post

While finding connections is a common tool in murder investigations, the word also honored what we consider to be the exceptional relationship we have with our audience. Also, we wanted to “connect” the possible conclusion of Major Crimes to what had come before.

Read the complete blog entry here > Major Crimes Facebook

February 20 – New York Post – Camryn Manheim pushes buttons as steely chief on ‘Major Crimes’

Camryn Manheim (“The Practice,” “Extant”) joins the cast in the recurring role of LAPD Deputy Chief of Operations Winnie Davis, a by-the-book cop who locks horns with Major Crimes Division Captain Sharon Raydor (Mary McDonnell). It’s a table-turner for Raydor, the former internal affairs head who was originally an antagonist to Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) on “The Closer,” from which “Major Crimes” was spun off in 2012.

Check out the complete article here > New York Post

February 21 – Troy L. Foreman interviewed James Duff for The Pop Culture Principle

Pop Culture Principle – We see Buzz bring some closure to case of his father and uncle’s murder, but he’s somewhat struggling with the arrest of their killer. What questions do you feel are still unanswered and will he be able to get over the guilt of his arrest? James Duff – I think he always pictured the guy that killed his father as a stock villain and that he would find this stock villain and he would obtain justice for his father. There are people who are left out of our calculations in the procedural world and we spend a lot of time talking about material witnesses. We don’t ever examine the survivor’s in the murderer’s life. So, this is an opportunity to look at how the murderer not only destroys the lives of others, but those closest to him as well and what remedy is there for that.

Check out the complete interview here > The Pop Culture Principle

February 22 – Parade -Show Runner James Duff Shares 12 Things You Need to Know for Season 5B of Major Crimes

Buzz gets a letter from Bill Jones’ family, is he’s going to help the family in some way? I don’t think he’s going to let the guy out of jail, but is there something he’s going to do?

No, no, he can’t let the guy out of jail, but Buzz was hoping when he found his father’s killer that he would be a stock villain and the guy is not a stock villain. He had a family and he loved his family, and it was a family very much like Buzz’s own family. Buzz’s work ended up removing a father from this innocent family, the family itself was innocent, and I think he feels an obligation to try and make things better for the family.

Read the complete interview here > Parade

February 22 – TV Line -Major Crimes Boss Previews Andy’s Fate and the Fight for Taylor’s Job

But… Sharon’s team gets the job done, no? Like clockwork, on a weekly basis? “They do, but there’s always this tension inside governmental agencies, between getting the job done and spending money,” Duff explains. “The justice system was not created to be a bargain, but there’s still a limited amount of dollars to spend.” Again, with a stat: “In California courts, 93 percent of homicide cases are settled out of court, because we just don’t have the money to try them all.”

You can find the complete article here > TV Line

February 22 – MCTV Exclusive with James Duff

MCTV:We were all thrilled and relieved by the recent renewal announcement for season 6, but it came pretty late in the game in terms of where you were in the production schedule of these episodes. Did the delay in renewal affect the storytelling and how you wrote this winter arc, not knowing if there would be another season after this?

JD: I was preparing to do the last eight episodes as if we were going to do no more, but we also planned it so the last episode could go a multitude of ways depending on what happened. The word came down [that the show was renewed] before we started shooting the last two episodes. So as things turned out, we were prepared for the renewal with an alternate script, and the renewal came, and so we had that script ready to shoot.

Read the complete interview here > MCTV.net

Major Crimes – Interviews, Press Coverage & Creator’s Blog was originally published on Get Buzzed - Phillip Keene Fans

[milquetoast-on-acid]

Rules of engagement the love affairs are over...

Wow nearly all of the season 2 love affairs are over...

Julio finally loses it on Emma. She automatically thinks the case is about gangs. If that's one person who would know gangs its the guy who grew up in gang shoot outs and solved gang related crimes for 15 years.

Rusty does not want to have dinner with Chris' parents and is trying to feign being sick.

And then they're Sharon and Jack. Sharon makes the mistake of asking Jack for a favor. Which I'm sure for her has literally never worked out.

It's so weird seeing Andy and Jack be so buddy buddy in these episodes.

I love this wordless conversation that Andy and Provenza have at: Provenza to Julio: "And you knock it off you understand? Andy's like what's up with Julio, Provenza is like don't ask. Andy looks at Julio's as he walks it off. Then Andy gives Amy the loudest shrug face. 🤷🏽

The fact Jack is telling Sharon to keep it processional. Him of all people to Sharon Rulebook Raydor. I know this is just him trying to throw her off her game.

The look that Mike gives at that is sending me! 👀

Jack to Sharon: "And I told you when we were finishing breakfast. That I would get the relevant information. It's what I've done." For the record Andy has never used their relationship against her in a case.

That look on Emma's face! She completely believes they are sleeping together which is exactly what Jack wants her to think.

Emma: "Javier's attorney says that he was having breakfast with you this morning and to keep things professional. I hate to ask this but are you sleeping with this man?"

Sharon: "of course not. He's my husband." Has got to be one of the most hilarious conversations on the entirety of the show. Sharon gets so flustered here. It's great!

Also for the record when Deputy Chef Winnie Davis was gunning to get rid of major crimes and was reaming Sharon out about the teams tests. Andy pops into the murder room to tell Sharon that the interview is getting good. He very deliberately calls her Captain instead of Sharon. This is highlighted when Andy tells her Davis wants to speak to her only a few minutes before. He calls her Sharon instead of Captain. Why am I mentioning this? Because my boy Andy respects the fuck out of Sharon and would never use there relationship against her.

Emma: The defendant's lawyer is your husband. The material witness in another murder is your so called soon. Is the judge going be your brother? Look Emma is a bitch about it but Sharon does have a habit of making family members from cases/squad.

Provenza telling Rusty that it's not right to ghost Chris by comparing it to his mom abandoning him is... Not exactly the same thing but it does get him to think. He needs to stop being a wuss and actually tell Chris he doesn't like her like that.

This game of how stupid do you think I am is hilarious.

I love how Amy takes charge of this interrogation and is angry AF at this dude who probably killed his fiance.

Sharon also finally telling Jack off!

Sharon dumps Jack as an attorney the way he dumped all over their relationship by using it against her. She plays him at his own game.

I love Provenza! He's the only squad member that always saw right through Jack. I love how he calls Jack out. That he doesn't really care about his clients rights.

javiar: "I strangled her with the necklace she was wearing." That must have been some strong necklace! 👀

Taylor is such a press whore! That guy is literally on the phone with the press while they are arresting Ron.

Also let's point out that since Rusty gets a giant dose of reality when it comes to ghosting Chris. He is the bigger/better man than Jack. 25 years later and Jack is still ghosting his wife after one little fight.

Jack's words hold some serious weight: funny who we really are always shows up in the end.

Yes Jack that includes you. Your an asshole who never deserved your wife and kids. You just kept leaving them and only came back when you wanted something.

Unfortunately for Rusty he also takes Jack's advice and it fucks things up. If Jack really cared about Rusty he would tell him to just let Chris down gently. But then again this man is still married to a woman he hasn't lived with in 20 years so.

And this brings the Sharon/Jack relationship to a close and opens the door for Sharon/Andy. Jack has once again proven unreliable and leaves in the middle of the night like a ghost in a very similar way to the way he arrived. Completely unannounced.

I love how Sharon just shreds that letter from Jack. He has left her one too many times. This was Jack's last chance. I love that you can see she's clearly upset but doesn't shed any tears. I'm sure she's shed too many of them over the years. She doesn't care what he has to say. She's already heard it... What's the point? He's not going to change as much as she might want him to. She's been spinning her wheels over him for 20 years now. Since her kids were kids and the responsibility of being a parent was too much for Jack.

Anyway I love episodes with Jack. He's chaos in Sharon's worlds of order.

[milquetoast-on-acid]

Heart Failure, A Reactionary Post

Going with season 5a's theme (connections) this episode is concerned with... The Physical Heart The Moral Heart The Romantic Heart

and I talk about all of them...

The Physical Heart

Andy's Heart Attack Since we haven't been given an actual name (on screen) as yet of what happened to Andy. I am going to call it a heart attack since that's what was alluded to and spoken about in Tony and Greg LaVoi's FB chat. It's pretty frustrating that they ended season 5a on such a shocking note and it's become barely a footnote in the returning episode. It's months later and everything is kind of old hat about the attack.

I personally know nothing about blood pressure. But it seemed like he was taking it several times and wasn’t happy with the results. Is this something that he could fake to get back on full duty? Could he perhaps do that? And that maybe cause some friction between him and Sharon?

The Moral Heart

Buzz It seems that Buzz has gotten a letter from his father's killers son Gabe. It seems that Buzz's pursuit of his father's killer has produced some unexpected results. And there's some parallels between his own life and that of the killer's son. Buzz has unknowingly put him on a very very similar path that his own life has taken. 

I am curious if we will get to see Bill Jones' family again. At this point there's nothing that Buzz can do. That I can think of. As far as I know Buzz pushed to have them put Bill Jones in a prison close to his family so it would be easy for them to visit him. I wonder if Buzz and this boy will connect eventually on some level.

Rusty Rusty was fretting over a text that Gus sent. And was trying to be more present in his relationship with him. It was really good to hear him say that he was watching himself for bad behaviors that have caused problems between the two of them in the past. It felt good that we have had some character growth with him. Hopefully this will continue with the rest of the season of him being more mindful of himself and others. 

Rusty's concern over Buzz. In 5a, we got a Rusty that pushed Buzz and stepped over his feelings in the pursuit of his story. Now we've got Rusty here noting Buzz's somewhat depressed demeanor and reaches out to him. I love it. We need more of this Rusty than the selfish one. Please continue with this Rusty. 

I love Rusty here telling Buzz that it's not his fault over him taking Gabe's father away. Buzz certainly cares a ton of guilt over it. And while yes he did blindly pursuit it but at the same time. Bill Jones killed two people and he should have to answer for that. And as Provenza said in White Lies. Justice doesn't care who gets hurt.

I also love Rusty being protective and noting the way that Day is standing next to Sharon simmering with Anger. Buzz has to hold Rusty back from flying into the room. Where that’s the last place that Rusty should be with some unchecked emotions. Andy is also someone that should have been held back but Sharon seems to have done just fine on that front. 

Deputy Chief Whiny Davis or as I like to call her Deputy Blowhard So this looks familer and at the end of it all we just may end up liking her the way we did Sharon. As of right now, we are very far from that. So for the two small scenes that we get from her we can't really get a good handle on her character. She's got a bug up her ass, that's for sure. I'm not sure if it's just the promotion and that Sharon's her rival for it. Or if there are other reasons as well. 

I've got to say I love the idea of this storyline but some of it feels kind of juvenile to me. I think we got some great stuff between Sharon and Brenda. And their rivalry/odd friendship worked really well. I suppose I'll just have to keep watching to see where this goes. "Headphones, Buzz. Headphones. I mean how do you expect us to hear them?" Typical Provenza wanting so badly to snoop.

"Why are you publicly challenging my authority"? I feel like Davis provoked Sharon into an argument in the middle of the squad room. In part because she wanted her squad to see them argue/repermand their Captain. She's got her right outside of the media room where everyone can see and hear them. 

If she didn't want any of that she would have taken Sharon to her office or the conference room where no one would see them. This was a deliberate move on her part. She wanted them to see her take Sharon down a step and to be seen doing it. 

I love Sharon's response to her. First she trys to defend herself in saying that she didn't challenger her but quickly switches gears. She falls to what she does best. Procedure. I'm following the rules. And if we fall the rules there's no real reason that you have to question me/us.  

One thing that I will give Davis. Is that yes, I do agree about the training. Sharon should have the team redo their training. Since Provenza did cheat in it. 

"Go ahead. Your Boyfriend's calling you."  - that is some glorious head cocking there!

Just another way for Davis to try to rattle Sharon. I wonder what else she's going to try to throw at her. When I saw a gifset of this scene on tumblr before the broadcast of the episode. I deliberately scrolled past it so when I saw it last night for the first time. It did get a gasp out of me. I really didn't expect her to dig Davis claws in that kind of hole. Also Sharon is Sharon and she's not going to show Davis' that she rattled or more likely knowing Sharon that she's pissed off to her face. And of course she doesn't. Not until she turns around do we get that glorious look on her face.

One thing that I do love is that Andy very deliberately called Sharon by her rank when addressing her in front of Davis. When Andy hasn't used her rank since season 4 in front of the squad. It's really great because it really shows that Andy (as we have seen since they have gotten involved) is totally committed to making their relationship work in the office.

So that when it comes to someone of a higher rank that's not in their circle it's Captain all the way. He also probably figured that it would just be more ammo for Davis to sling at Sharon. But it didn't even seem to matter that he followed protocol on that front. 

"Thanks for your advice, sir. But in the absence of firm leadership I have a duty to prevent this department into breaking up into self interested factions." Davis thinks Sharon is too soft with her squad. That they are pushing their agenda for cases over what (in her mind) should be priority. She thinks that Sharon is letting the cheating in the train exercise go and not punishing Provenza correctly. Also that She's dating and living with one of her lieutenants. Davis thinks that Sharon is too close to her squad to lead them out letting her feelings get in the way. 

Davis obviously doesn't know Sharon very well.

Sharon and Fritz

I really love this scene between the two of them. Both of them are watching out for the other. Fritz who has been aware that Stroh has possibly returned and gives Sharon the file that has been gathered on him. And Sharon telling Fritz to watch himself around Davis. I have to say that Sharon is a pretty good read on people. So that makes me nervous as to what Davis will end up trying to do to either one of them. As of right now Davis is out for blood and she seems determined to get the job and to take down anyone in her way.

"The Past is never really over." Stroh. I was really hoping that this storyline was over. Since we've had so much of this guy now. I really don't want him to be back but it seems that the show is determined to have some kind of resolution to his character. Also because I'm sick of serial killers coming after Rusty. We've had 2 years and his introduction into the show for that. I'm pretty done with it.

The Romantic Heart The Love Triangle; Allie King/Jeffery Day/Trent Meyers The two men in Allie's life were seemingly so different. One was kind of dorky, smart, uber rich, orderly and not conventionally attractive. The other one was handsome, blue collar, messy, surfer and sports fan.

So what was it about this guy that attracted Allie (besides the money)?  It's pretty clear from the interviews that Day was pretty controlling in his relationship with Allie. He's got a GPS on her phone and he's got a temper. Sure signs of an abusive guy. Which is the link between the two men. We are introduced to her past boyfriend Trent by way of Jeffery telling the squad that Allie had a restraining order against Trent. Allie's got a thing for violent, controlling men. 

Turns out that Jeffery killed Allie because she wanted to leave him for her ex Trent. Which brings us to the parallels. From Allie King's relationships with Jeffery and Trent. Sharon's relationships with Andy and Jack. And Rusty's relationship with Gus.

Trent originally lost Alie because he was selfish, immature, had a temper and drank too much. Things that we see in Rusty in the way that he treats Gus in his selfishness and immaturity (although hopefully Rusty is turning a new leaf. He seems to be more aware of himself in his relationship with Gus). Much in the way that Jack treated Sharon when they were married. His needs always came first. Hell that's the reason why Sharon became a police office in the first place. Not to mention that his drinking addiction and temper got in the way of their relationship. And while I never would call Jack violent in the physical way. He was most probably verbally abusive. 

One thing about Trent is that he tries to make amends with Allie and she seems like she wants to give it another go. He seems to realize just what he lost. In the way that Rusty thinks maybe it might be over between him and Gus. Immaturity, a bad temper and drinking addiction are also all bad traits of Andy as well. Most of which he's gotten control over. We even see his temper flair when Day punches Sharon. And I would have no doubt if Sharon hadn't stopped him that he would have 'beat him to a pulp'. Andy is the Trent that's seen the error of his ways and just what he lost and how much he hurt those he cares about.

Rusty and Gus I'm not really sure what this move will mean for their relationship. Since there may seem to be some contention later on in the season in their relationship. And we don't get Rusty's reaction to Gus' asking Rusty to move in with him. Perhaps Rusty says no to moving in and that pushes them apart? Maybe Rusty may not be mentally ready to leave Sharon just yet. Or perhaps he may think that it's too much on his plate with finishing college and the later law school. I do love how they ended the episode without Rusty giving Gus an answer and the doors closing on us.

Sharon and Andy

"Relationships were so complicated at that age." So far from what we've seen of their relationship. The biggest point of contention between the two has really been their protective nature towards the other. And Andy pushing their relationship forward with Sharon lagging behind. In those two ways the two of them seem to be in different gears. 

We’ve got a protective Andy here when Sharon provokes Day into loosing his temper onto her face. I love that the first thing that Andy does when going into the interview room is to look towards Sharon to see if she’s alright. Quickly seeing that she is turns is focus and anger out on Day. I have no doubt that Andy would have followed through on his threat if it weren’t for Sharon. He gives her that look of total frustration at having to stop. But he just can’t help himself and lets Day know just what he missed out on. 

So now that Andy threatened to beat up their suspect. I would bet that this is just more ammunition for Davis to push at Sharon. And I wonder if it will become a point of contention between the two of them this season. 

Also I just love the camera work in the ‘punch’ scene. The camera starts to zoom in on each of the characters and builds up speed until the suspect blows. 

Just look at these two cuties! With Andy sticking to Sharon like glue while escorts her to the break room to attend to her face. 

The Running theme of Marriage There seems to be an awful lot of talk about Marriage in this episode. From Rusty fret over Gus's bizarre text, on thinking that it's a breakup to Andy thinking it's a marriage proposal. To the victims relationship with Day and Provenza's lovely comment... "It's always the fiance." He was right actually. 

I want to point this out because of the press release on the storylines in 5b. And Duff talking about a possible engagement between Sharon and Andy in 5b. And as us fans know MC loves to foreshadow when it comes to Sharon and Andy's relationship. Provenza's comment to Sharon makes me think that Andy has talked proposal to Provenza. And with Andy thinking that Gus wants to propose to Rusty, it may just seem that Andy has marriage on his mind.

They Raydor/Flynn/Beck Family

One of the things that I loved about 5a was the developing family unit between Sharon,Andy and Rusty. Which seems to be continuing here in 5b as well. I really love seeing them interact as a family and not just Sharon and Rusty. Here we've got them having a family dinner. Who has those anymore? I'm sure that Sharon and Andy are both super busy at work on some nights. And Rusty has college plus his internship with Andrea. So imagine this is probably pretty rare. And they seem to go all out here. Also it's really cute because it seems that Sharon and Andy made dinner together. 

My thing here is why is Rusty calling Andy "Lieutenant"? I know the two of them are not really close but they live together so it just seems weird that he still wouldn't address him by name.

Also I 100% love the face that Andy gives Rusty. When he thinks that Gus wants to ask him to marry him.

Snark of the Night goes to Julio. You have to give it to Ray Cruz and is fantastic delivery when it comes to snark. You have to love his dry humor. 

"Who died?"

"No we didn't cheat. The Lieutenant sacrificed himself for others." - hands down my favorite line of the episode! And Provenza's response. "As is my nature."

"Gaeta Fletcher" - How many people have the name Gaeta? Only one person that I can think of Felix Gaeta from BSG. Could this perhaps be a BSG reference? Wouldn't put it past knowing that Duff is a huge fan.

What I liked about this episode...

Pretty much everything was great in this episode. I didn’t think that it was an amazing episode but it was a pretty great episode for a premiere. We got a suspect provoked into physical retaliation against Sharon which is something I never thought that I’d actually see on here. It’s always been Sharon comforting her squad. So it’s really nice to see the other side of that here. With Andy, Provenza and Julio (mostly in particular) go all uber protective on her. 

There was lots of Shandy without it being a big focus. So I really loved that. I mean I’m always for it being a big focus but I think you catch my drift. It’s pretty great to see Sharon have a foil. She really hasn’t had a big one since Jack. There was Emma but she was a huge let down and was pretty disastrous as a foil.

What I didn’t like about this episode...

The lack of addressing Andy’s Heart Attack. They didn’t even give it a name. Just something that happened so now he’s on light duty. And everyone knew that he wasn’t dead. There were pictures of him on set and in costume. It’s not like they kept it a secret so why the reveal of him in the morgue?

And yeah I mentioned my mixed feelings on Davis. I’m excited about the rest of the season for this storyline but at the same time feels kind of juvenile. I am glad that there is some discord in the workplace after years of having so much harmony. I am hopeful for the rest of the season. 

[milquetoast-on-acid]

Cleared History, A Reactionary Post

This episode took a turn that I wasn't expecting. Despite the grimness of the crime, I had expected a lighter episode and boy was I wrong. Especially with all of the humor in the beginning of the episode. This episode was all about the feels, and in so many different directions. 

This episode was about...

The Past and how it shapes us as people. Both good and bad. With regards to...

Rusty's past as a prosititue and as a witness to Stroh's crimes Andy's Heart Attack Julio's emotional traumas Buzz's passion for solving his father's murder and the effects on him and others involved

How the past is never really over... Words that Sharon brought up when Fritz revealed that Stroh was back out there. And how much they impact this weeks episode. Rusty and Buzz in particular.

Julio is a childless dad The episode didn't really focus much on Julio but we did get a few nice moments from his character. Like just how much he was effected by the case. It was really nice that they gave us a shot of him and Mark. A nice callback to that wonderful relationship. I think out of all of the characters Julio is the one that needs happiness. Every other character has had some form of it and this guy has suffered emotional trauma over emotional trauma and he can't catch a break.

Please Duff just give this guy a kid already!

Buzz is Gabe Jones I really love that they are exploring the fallout of the arrest of Bill Jones and it's effects on Buzz. I do have to say that I've got mixed feelings on Buzz and how much he starting to integrate himself in Gabe's life. Buzz giving up his car to the Jones family is something I can totally see super caring Buzz to do. And this may be something that will eventually lead to helping both him and Gabe do some much needed healing. 

I also love that it's kind of a side note in this episode. It's a plot that didn’t need to be huge here and I think that there was nice time and attention to it. It was a nice tiny scene that was quality well spent.

Rusty is a victim 

Rusty past as a teenage prostitute is really brought to the forefront in this episode. And what becomes the real issue in his relationship with Gus. His past is something that will always effect him and is probably his main motivator in becoming a lawyer. I thought that it was very wonderfully explored here and how much the case is folded into and brings up his past. 

Dean Lewis is a victim I would have loved for them to dive deeper into Lewis. Like just why Gavin Jacobs was murdered so brutally. My thoughts on it are that Lewis really wanted to murder the monster inside of himself and whoever molested him. There was no outlet for him and all of those emotions had to come out somehow. Unfortunately he went down that dark path and the sadly the vicious cycle continues. 

Lewis was not responsible for the things that were done to him. But he is responsible for his actions as an adult. 

As disgusting as it is on what Lewis did. I'm not comfortable with them threatening to release the guards on him. It feels way too much like a move Brenda would make.

Deputy Blowhard I really love how the presence of Winnie Davis is still there even though she's not in the episode. With as many times as the characters mentioned her. It really feels like it's a huge issue weight on the minds of the characters (as it should be), even though the episode was not about that storyline. And I really loved that.

Relationship moments...there are a lot of them.

Sharon and Rusty There was some really wonderful Sharon/Rusty mothership scenes in this episode. And it's been so long since we've seen that. It feels like a return to form from season 1&2 Sharon/Rusty. 

I wonder...how much is that Sharon not telling Rusty about Stroh going to come back and bite her in the ass? I understand why she's not telling him. Rusty is not in a good place (mentally) for him to be dealing with another issue. It kind of feels like a little call back to that time that Rusty didn’t tell Sharon about those letters he was getting from his stalker.  

Rusty and Gus All the drama in their relationship stems from their lack of communication. I think what bothers me most is that Gus finally asks Rusty to move in with him. And when Rusty says no they break up. And then once Rusty finally explains himself, they are back together again. Their love is fickle. 

I still think that Gus is a good guy for Rusty. As Rusty seems to have some character growth since 5a with regards to being less selfish and more self aware of how his actions can sometimes hurt others. But there still seems to be a lot of drama between the two of them. Both of them seem to jump to conclusions about what the other is thinking and then end up making bad/rash decisions because of it. I'd rather not have this much push and pull between the two. And apparently it seems as if it's not over from what may or may not happen in the season finale.

Despite the drama, I really did love that scene at the restaurant between the two of them. 

Can we talk about this for a minute!? Look at that little shoulder shrug. Super cute. 

Sharon and Andy I will always love domestic Shandy. It was really great seeing them lightly bicker over Andy's heart attack and Mike’s consulting job. I really love the playfulness in their relationship and this episode really highlighted it. 

 And judging from the conversation about Andy’s heart attack, they have had it multiple times. 

"Eventually you agree with me..." Plus the looks on Sharon's face when Andy talks about how good he's been with his diet and lifestyle. 

Both of them frustrated for different reasons. I loved it. Although I would have loved to have gotten deeper into the conversation. And I really wanted for Sharon to finish her sentence. 

Pressure over what...? 

And it seems that she moves awfully fast to leave that conversation. And she was the one to bring up pressure!

I know that she's concerned about Rusty and I really love the look on her face when she turns away to tell Rusty that dinner is still warm. I really need for them to delve deeper into that. So it frustrates me that their conversation was cut off. Why do the condo scenes have to have always have Sharon/Andy and Rusty problems? Would be nice if we got just Sharon/Andy or just Rusty or just Andy/Rusty? I wish they didn't feel the need to cram so much in some of these small scenes. For them to have half a conversation, instead of a full conversation.  

The thing that I love about this scene is that we are actually seeing a deeper layer of Sharon and Andy's relationship. One that we hadn't seen before. So that was really wonderfully refreshing. Something that the show has been really lacking in regards to what they show in Sharon and Andy's relationship.

The two of them seem to be on that precipice between living together and marriage. Marriage has been hinted at by the show but not discussed by the characters. At least we haven't seen the two of them discuss it. And this is probably the clearest conversation we've had as of yet of the two of them talking about possibly getting married. Without them actually talking about it. 

So my question is...does Sharon feel pressure to get married to Andy? Is that something that we can explore? Or just something that they won't actually talk about? And if Sharon feels pressure to marry Andy. From who? From Andy? Church? Herself? Their Families? (are their children perhaps trying to push them into marriage? and by children I specifically mean Nicole, Emily and Ricky because as you know Rusty lives with Andy and yet still calls him lieutenant...WHY!?) or is it Societal expectations? I'm not sure how else she was going to finish that sentence. I want to put some pressure on them to actually finish this conversation. Also that she throws her napkin down with some force and a smirk. Like I love you but, I'm so frustrated at having this conversation with you for the millionth time.

What Liked about this episode: One of my issues with season 5a was the huge imbalence in the storylines. Some of them got the time and attention they needed to develop properly and others felt way too peripheral. And at times there was just way too many storylines in one episode for us to really absorb and reflect what's going on in the characters heads. 

The balance of storylines (so far) in 5b has been pretty wonderful. Both Heart Failure and Cleared History have done a really great job of it so far. Especially now that MC seems to be gearing more towards character and less time spent on it's cases. 

Mike and Provenza's exchange in the beginning of the episode is all kinds of awesome. I love how much this ensemble works off of each other. They all have so much wonderful chemistry and often times great humor. "How now, Mike Tao" "Many Powercords, leading no where." - I love how Mike just completely plays along with Provenza. Mike's complete disgust and horror at someone destroying all of that beautiful technology.

What I didn't like about this episode: One of the problems that I had in Heart Failure (which I hadn't mentioned before) and again in this one is probably the actors chosen to play the killers. Part of them come across as not really all that believable. And I know that they are more peripheral (am I using that word way too much) but still. 

As much as I loved all of the Shandy in this episode, I can't help but feel perhaps a little bitter about the fact that we haven't had any Sharon and Andy dates or ILY scenes but that Rusty and Gus have had two really great ones. And both of them being outside of the condo/police plaza. 

What was the whole point of the wig? As many times as it was mentioned I really thought that it was going to be going somewhere in the storyline but it was as useless as the whole 'very vanilla protein shake' in Off the Wagon. Most of the time MC is on point with it’s humor but sometimes they take a joke and run with it and way over use it. And in all honesty I didn’t find it funny. 

[getbuzzedpkfans]

Major Crimes: Upcoming Episodes

Hi BuzzFans!

The long hiatus is finally over. Here is a little information on what to expect to prepare you adequately for the coming weeks of Major Crimes Madness.

5×14 “Heart Failure” – Wednesday February 22, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

When Captain Sharon Raydor and the Major Crimes Division investigate the murder of a young woman found in the LA River, their case is not only impeded by a secretive PI working for a tech industry millionaire, but also by Deputy Chief Winnie Davis (guest star Camryn Manheim), who regards Sharon as competition for the promotion to Assistant Chief of the LAPD.

Directed by Nzingha Stewart Written by Ralph Gifford Created by James Duff

5×15 “Cleared History” – Wednesday March 1, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

When Major Crimes discovers a young one-man-geek-squad in the middle of his Atwater living room with his throat cut, suspicions swirl around his roommate and some unwitting customers, all of whom he was blackmailing.

Directed by Jennifer Phang Written by Adam Belanoff Created by James Duff

5×16 “Quid Pro Quo” – Wednesday March 8, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

A murder case goes sideways at trial when defense attorney Linda Rothman (guest star Jeri Ryan) is able to destroy Det. Amy Sykes’s credibility on the stand. Helping Rothman as a defense investigator is Amy’s old nemesis, Mark Hickman (guest star Jason Gedrick). Ron Marasco guest-stars as Judge Grove.

Directed by Sylvain White Written by Michael Zara Created by James Duff

For the other episodes we only know the titles so far and, assuming they will be broadcast without breaks, the air dates.

5×17 – “Dead Drop” – Wednesday March 15, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

5×18 – “Bad Blood” – Wednesday March 22, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

5×19 – “Intersection” – Wednesday March 29, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

5×20 – “Shockwave Part 1” – Wednesday April 5, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

5×21 – “Shockwave Part 2” – Wednesday April 12, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

Major Crimes: Upcoming Episodes was originally published on Get Buzzed - Phillip Keene Fans