The Thin Red Line - There’s Always A Reckoning
Season 1 episode 8: Two people dead in a rundown, seedy motel room early in the morning. Who are they and why are they there?
The scene opens with a rundown, seedy motel with a grimy swimming pool long past its prime - so much so that no one could entertain the idea of using it. The motel sits along side cheap bars and cheaper apartments, along with used car lots and liquor stores just outside Davis, California. The whole area has seen better days and feels dreary, even when the sun shines.
A rookie police officer from Davis PD named Sam Blakely (played by Steve Braun) answers when dispatch reports gunshots in one of rooms. The motel manager guides officer Blakely to room 222 and the young officer, quaking in terror draws his gun as he approaches the door. He bangs on the door identifying himself but gets no answer. He carefully tries the doorknob and it opens to a darkened room with shadows that reveal the bloodied bodies of a man and a young woman, both suffered from gunshot wounds.
As usual, there will be no spoilers shared in this post so it can enjoyed by fans and new viewers alike. This is on purpose so I hope you approve. At the least it’s hoped to act as a reminder to rewatch the show, or to encourage others to check it out for the first time.
Context
As the team arrives in the early morning they are met by their boss, CBI Special Agent in Charge Virgil Minelli who gives them the lay of the land so far. They learn that the male victim Joseph Purcell (Matt Thompson), was the star witness in the upcoming drug trial California vs Carass and that it’s the Attorney General’s favourite narcotics case. The female victim, Patrice Madigan (Bevin Hamilton) is his girlfriend. The CBI boss tells them that this murder investigation is to be taken very seriously. Lisbon is surprised that there was no police protection provided for such an important witness since without Purcell's testimony, Carass gets to walk away from all charges. Rick Carass (Bradford Tatum) is a major player in the meth business in Davis and Purcell was one of his flunkies. Minelli explains that the Davis P.D was in charge of Purcell's protection until he disappeared a few weeks ago.
Jane notices that Patrice still had a key ring in her hand and seemed to be carrying groceries at the time she was killed. Along with the spilled groceries he notices a baby bottle, white powder in a plastic bag and measuring paraphernalia strewn around the untidy motel room. Jane ponders for a moment, grabs the key ring and heads outside to locate Patrice’s vehicle, making a discovery.
Now, because of the sensitivity of the case, the team is forced to work with two Davis PD Police Detectives Dale Blakely (played by Mark Rolston), who is Sam's father, and his rude, over-compensating partner Steve Preciado (Julian Acosta), in the investigation to solve this double homicide. There is definite hostility and resentment towards the CBI team being involved in what the two detectives consider to be their case.
Recap
Blakely attempts to assert the Davis P.D.'s control over the case by suggesting that they are more than liaisons between the two law enforcement agencies. He explains that they have been chasing Rick Carass for a long time and they are not going to stop until they get him. Lisbon responds with definite coolness to the Detective's rather aggressive assertion and begins to hand out assignments. They “agree to disagree” with the detectives about who could be responsible for the crime and who might have been the real target as well as if any clues could have been missed.
Following a lead, Jane and Lisbon visit a trailer park where Patrice and her baby Kaylee had been living for the last few months and interviewed the roommate, Lacy Wells (Tamara Clatterbuck). She tells them that Joe had called Patrice around midnight to bring him some food; he was too paranoid to go out himself. Jane asks her why she would take Kaylee out at that time of night. Lacy explains that she had been drinking and Patrice didn't want to leave the baby with her. Patrice was a good mom. Lacy tells them that Patrice always had money when she needed it; that she seemed to have an influential secret benefactor. Lacy was able to give a vague description of the man and his vehicle that seemed familiar.
In the meantime, Rigsby calls with information on the whereabouts of Carass. He asks Lisbon if he should call Blakely and Presiado. Lisbon tells Rigsby to get an entry team to the site but tells them not to go in till the team assembles. She makes sure the two Davis detectives are called to the scene.
After Lisbon and Cho interrogate Carass, they’re still no closer to being able to connect him to this particular crime although Jane watches this scene and learns a little more about a possible suspect. As the team comes together to discuss their findings they begin to build a picture of their suspect, something they hadn’t been able to do until just then. Based on what they know, Lisbon, Rigsby and Cho approach Detective Presiado but he reacts with hostility and contempt at the vague accusations. Lisbon informs him that Lacy Wells had identified his picture. At this he consents to go with the CBI team for an interview.
When Jane visits the Blakely home to talk Katherine, Sam Blakely, the son answers the door. Jane asks Katherine to confirm Presiado's alibi and she tells him that he was indeed sleeping on her couch that night. When told that he admitted to having an affair with Patrice Madigan, she laughs and says that that wasn't possible. Katherine (Kate McNeil) becomes upset at the line of questioning and her son intervenes.
Sam has called his father and Dale Blakely arrives as things seemingly start to unravel. A series of events are exposed causing devastation - mostly because of lies and omissions. Step by step the case reveals itself.
This episode seems to lead from the perspective that when assumptions are made from the get-go there are always, always consequences. I think this is one of the key takeaways from this particular episode. Another lesson is how obscuring the truth, no matter how well intentioned can backfire in unintended ways. We see here what happens when values conflict with actions and how fear plays into how people manage circumstances. The devastation inflicted on the innocent is just as painful if not more so than the original activity that drove the need to hide. It seems that during the interrogations all any member of the team can do is observe as people crumble before their eyes.
This episode had these untended consequences in abundance, each one as devastating as the last. There seems to be no saving grace to what happened, but there can still be a glimmer of hope in the end. The statement “There’s always a reckoning” speaks volumes. Something I think we can forget at times.
I enjoyed this episode for its look into the effect of actions/non actions on the deserving and others. Unfortunately there are few winners here.
They Said
In this episode there were these choice words:
“It’s nice to be nice, but if you want to get ahead in life, sometimes you have to be a bitch. I know you know how.” - Patrick Jane to Grace Van Pelt
“There’s always a reckoning.” - Dale Blakely
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