The attempt to impose fairness, no matter how well intentioned, usually fails. That is part of why the justice system endlessly fascinates, regardless of how flawed the law might be; it's still society's best answer to the whole concept of even-handedness. The scales of justice do not always weigh perfectly, but it is a better remedy than the one attempted in "Citizen's Arrest," written by the accomplished magician, Duppy Demetrius and directed by our own David McWhirter, who continues to shine as one of our best new storytellers.
Before going any further, however, I would like to pause and say that this episode is not concerned in any way, shape, or form with politics. The ridiculous ideas of Sovereign Citizens are not related to any mainstream party, and I'm not aiming at the NRA, either, or espousing some ideological point of view about gun ownership. The illegal weapons trade is alive and well, and people who participate in the flow of ordnance to Mexico are black market arms traffickers. Period. If you don't believe me, look it up. And buying more than 50 or so high power rifles at a time (especially this far from the holidays) is suspicious to police officers. But I don't want to give too much away.
Major Crimes takes a dark turn at a recycling center, and it careens this way and that, trying to determine just how unnatural fathers can be to their own children and identify the major defects arising from the attempt to impose one's own idea of fairness on a world in such disorder. Unhappy with her options, Sharon Raydor deploys DDA Hobbs with a plea agreement that requires desperate measures from Julio Sanchez to succeed.
Julio is a tough cop. Sometimes, tough cops cross legal boundaries, especially when innocent lives are at stake, and no one's really looking. I can't say what I would do in Julio's situation, especially if left to my own devices (and with no countervailing authority to supervise me). But criminals are not the only ones who do terrible things when trying to counter an unfair world.
Meanwhile, we find ourselves reminded that DNA does not just solve murder mysteries, but also reveals more mundane details about everyday life, such as our ancestry and other familial associations. For example, all children start with two parents, and the ghosts of fathers have a way of returning when we least expect them. Ask Hamlet.
It would be extraordinarily ungrateful of me to end this week's blog without saying thank you from the cast and crew for making Major Crimes the number one rated scripted show on cable. Producing any spinoff is a risk. We are lucky to be here at all, much less occupying such rarefied air. We hope to remain deserving of your continued attention and goodwill.
Next week, we will talk a little bit about nature and nurture. And which is more likely to end up in murder.
Until then -- James Duff