Oh, Flack. Oh, sweetheart.
I've long been an unabashed Flack/Eddie Cahill fangirl and sworn that any episode in which he was given a chance to shine would be stellar, and today, I am vindicated, because Eddie was phenomenal.
I was worried that the writers were going to portray him as a stoic, unflappable, jut-jawed cop who never broke down or acknowledge fear or anguish, but those fears were quickly dispelled the instant Flack arrived at the diner and shoved a table over in his haste to get to Jess. His murmured, "I'm here, baby," and his panicky decision to scoop her into his arms rather than wait for the ambulance said it all: In that moment, he wasn't Detective Flack, badass cop; he was Don Flack, terrified boyfriend trying desperately to be the hero one more time to save the woman he loved. He wasn't hysterical--he still had the control and presence of mind to put her into a cop car and put pressure on the wound, but his frantic pleas for help as he races from the diner leave no doubt that he's falling apart.
I'm not sure what broke me more: seeing the normally poised Flack break in front of Danny, or his conversation with Sid when the coroner came to collect Angell's body. A man who has seen countless autopsies and rationalized them as a final indignity families pay in return for the possibility of justice can't bear the thought of his love being autopsied. It's hypocrisy of the sweetest kind and a wonderfully human moment, and the writer who thought to put that in should be permitted to saunter around the writers' room sans pants for as long as the show shall live. It wasn't the shrill, manipulative angst of a daytime drama, but a quiet, universal despair that resonates. The moment was further deepened by the subtle details Eddie brought to the scene--the petting, caressing, and reverent placement of Jess' hand beneath the sheets, his strangled silence at Sid's fumbling condolences, his anguished politeness when he thanks Sid, the clearing of his throat just before he leaves the room. Eddie Cahill is simply a credit to his profession.
But then, so is Robert Joy. God bless Sid Hammerback, who brought his compassion to the fore. From his quiet, "Don," when he realized Don was standing vigil over her to his assurance that he would "be with her the whole way", his concern for the obviously broken Flack was obvious, and it's a credit to Sid that those promises didn't ring hollow. I believed that Sid would treat Angel with due deference, and so did Don, or I'm sure he wouldn't have left her. I love Sid forever for taking the time to offer compassion to a deeply grieving Flack.
Danny Messer also deserves kudos. After years of repaying Flack's friendship with indifference or outright petulance, he stepped up and raced to Flack's side once news of the shooting got out. I'm not sure he stayed very long, since he was in the ridiculous rah-rah-rawr pep talk scene Mac gave a few minutes later, but he was there for Flack in his most vulnerable hour, and that counts for something.
He was also there for Flack after the warehouse shooting. I think Danny knew damn well what had happened in that boiler room, and what's more, I don't think he cares. As he's often said, your family is what matters most, and all bets are off when your loved ones are threatened. Angell might not have been part of Flack's family in a biological sense, but she was part of the family he'd chosen for himself and might well have been his wife one day had she survived. As a new father, Danny's emotions are close to the surface, and I've no doubt that he was thinking about what he would do if it were Lindsay who'd been gunned down before his ears. By not questioning Flack further, he has chosen to become Flack's Secret Keeper.
I was shocked that Flack actually shot the suspect, since I was sure they'd have him shoot to the side at the last moment, a la Nick in "For Warrick. That they didn't choose the safer, moralistic route is a welcome surprise, and that Flack actually shot him speaks to how very not fine he is. Mr. By-the-Book didn't just ignore the rules; he pissed all over them. Narratively, it was the only place they could go, because it would've been patently unbelievable and hokey to have him plead moral superiority, but it could cause problems down the road if the writers choose to ignore it. Flack has always been able to claim the moral high ground when dealing with criminals, but now that he's murdered someone himself in a fit of rage, it will be interesting to see if he's more selective in the application of his righteous indignation. There must be emotional fallout from this. It cannot be swept aside like Danny's "crushed" hand or Flack's bombing trauma.
For the record, I wasn't sorry to see Flack blow the suspect's brains out. Sometimes the only justice in the world is the kind you make for yourself. Frankly, I expected no other reaction from somebody whose girlfriend was shot over her turkey bacon. But I cannot deny that it was murder. He murdered someone. If he's caught, he should be fired and given a prison term. Bad acts have bad consequences, even for good men.
That said, I hope he never gets caught.
My only quibble with the episode was the bar scene. It was well-intended, but it struck me as heartless to have Flack sitting there listening to morose reminiscences about Jess. They were paying tribute to a fallen comrade. He was mourning his lover. The threshold for composure in those instances are vastly different. Someone--Stella or Danny--should've taken him to his apartment and let him get blind drunk under their watchful eye.
Random Notes:
Why was Angell sporting atrocious Barbie hair? It looked dreadful and made her look plastic.
I love Eddie, but his crying face in the hospital corridor was...unfortunate. I know men cry differently than women and fight the outpouring of emotion, but he looked like he was trying to pass a gallstone, and I was relieved when they faded to black.
Wait. I thought Angell's four brothers were cops. Isn't that what she told Flack during their not-so-l33t surveillance of the rich woman in S4? Now they're not? Now they shunned the job? Huh. Guess it was angstier that way.
Was it me, or was the drive-by death car the same car Flack was driving when he was talking to Terence Davis in the beginning? If it was, was it just an unfortunate instance of thrift, or is it significant?
Kudos to the writers for the best episode in two years. It was a gift after the rank, wet fart of "Grounds for Deception".
A+
