This was an impressive finale! I didn’t think Rookie Blue would top last year’s. I know, how silly of me! This year the finale leaves us with far more unanswered questions, and far more possible ways things could go. That’s because there are so many stories going on through this!
Oliver Shaw listens to his captor’s explanation of why he’s doing this.
Warning! SPOILERS for Rookie Blue episode 4×13, “You can see the Stars”
We start out with the accused child molester & now would-be cop-killer, Kevin Ford (Michael Cram)in the middle of nowhere in a police squad car. The open trunk shows Officer Oliver Shaw (Matt Gordon) bloodied, bruised and unconscious inside. The police radio is on and Ford can hear that the entire force is out looking for him. The man is out of his mind insane, but precise – a frightening combination. He’s searching for something in the car and finally finds it in the engine. It’s the squad car tracking device. He yanks it out, throws into the fields, and then tells Oliver, “this is going to be good” – before punching poor Oliver who was just starting to wake up, in the face again and knocking him back out.
Detective Sam Swarek (Ben Bass) and Officer Andy McNally (Missy Peregrym) are driving Sam’s girlfriend, Officer Marlo Cruz (Rachael Ancheril), back to the station. Sam is interrogating her and Andy’s expression listening is not sympathetic. The tension in the car is thick, lightened slightly by a call McNally gets from her boyfriend, Officer Nick Collins (Peter Mooney). She relaxes and smiles a bit at his call, which Sam notices. The reason he’s calling isn’t so relaxing. He’s discovered Marlo’s Kevin Ford stalker lair in her basement. There’s no way that Marlo’s secret won’t come out, and with it Andy and Sam’s part it in. He’s calling to ask her what she wants him to do. He’s got time because his backup – Oliver Shaw – hasn’t arrived yet. We know why, but he doesn’t. He calls Oliver on the walkie-talkie to find out where he is, but Ford makes use of the static on those things to do a possible imitation of Shaw saying “almost there” – so no one yet realizes Oliver’s been taken
This a small but important moment. When Andy when to Sam about Marlo, she brought it to Sam as his problem, which he then made hers. Sam operates from passion, which can cloud his judgement and that passion transfers to Andy, which can cloud her own. Nick is more rational in his thinking, and Andy becomes more so when she’s with him. Even though Nick leaves the possibility open of destroying the evidence (by telling her no one is there and no one has seen it yet) honesty is the core of that relationship. She would never put Nick in the position that Sam put her in because it’s not who they are together. Nick and Sam represent two different parts of who Andy is, which is how I think she was drawn to Nick despite him being so different from Sam.
Getting back to the recap, last week officer Dov Epstein (Gregory Smith) got a huge shock by finding out his girlfriend, officer Chloe Price (Priscilla Faia) is a married woman! She’s been estranged from her husband Wes (Cle Bennett) who’s an officer at the 27th division (the one she transferred from). However, Wes is thinking he wants to win his wife back – not knowing she’s been seeing Dov. This week Dov reveals to Wes the news that he’s been seeing Chloe:
My favorite line is when Wes says he doesn’t know if Chloe not telling Dov that she was married says more about her relationship with him or his relationship with Dov. Guys, it’s neither. It says more about Chloe! Gail called it; Chloe’s faker than a big wedding! I knew that woman was going to cause more harm than good!
Officers Gail Peck (Charlotte Sullivan) and Chris Diaz (Travis Milne) are at the station watching Kevin Ford’s lawyer talking to Sergeant Frank Best ( Lyriq Bent ) and Detective Luke Callaghan (Eric Johnson) up in a glassed-in room, when Andy, Sam and Marlo arrive. It’s a fun bit of writing and editing here. Gail’s reply to Andy’s question about why the lawyer’s there is”:
It’s the usual, you know: “My client’s a great guy, he loves puppies, he’s innocent.”
Gotta love Gail! Charlotte Sullivan’s delivery on these kind of one-liners is priceless! Although she’s usually spot on in her observations, in this case she’s not. The scene jumps into the office with the lawyer telling Frank and Luke that”
My client is out of his mind – former client I should say”
Kevin had attacked her in the hospital because she said a lawsuit against the 15th would take time while she looked into the allegations that they had be persecuting him. It’s also an opportunity to explain to the audience why Ford is so over the top in his anger. As a result of being beaten up, Ford suffered “ a traumatic brain injury” which Luke helpfully tells us, “results in erratic behavior, paranoia, problems with impulse control.” At this point it seems that the paranoia has taken over Ford, because Frank and Luke don’t know about Marlo. (I think Luke is suspicious, though). it’s good to know that not everyone will go around trying to kill the people they feel has set them.
Frank then asked the same question I was thinking – why didn’t this lawyer report it? Her answer is: “I was afraid he’d come after me.” I’m sorry, what?! Disbarment anyone? Kevin Ford’s behavior is not in line with what she’d been hired for as a client, and was about a possible future crime. There also was a threat of bodily harm not just to her, but to others so client confidentiality privileges don’t apply. Seriously, I say at she’s at least should be facing reprimand and a suspension from the bar association. What’s done is done, though.
At least now it’s solidly clear to the 15th who’s doing the shooting. Frank and Luke call the officers into parade and hand out fliers and information on Ford. Luke has done his homework and wants the brother brought in for questioning. Marlo blurts out the brother’s name and address before thinking.
Sam after Marlo blurts out Ford’s brother’s name and address!
Obviously, Marlo’s meds haven’t stabilized her completely yet. (it usually takes a couple of week for meds to start working efficiently.) When Andy comes to Sam concerned about explaining everything to Luke, Sam’s response is “Explain what? There’s nothing we can do. They’re going to find everything out.” Is it me, or was that a swipe at the fact that Andy didn’t ask Nick to get rid of the stuff in the basement? I’m not sure. I think it’s at least part of it, because that’s how the whole story will come crashing down. However, I think he’s also just resigned that trying to cover up any more is a waste of time. Marlo’s reaction shows him the futility of trying to hide the truth anymore.
As the officers are getting ready to go, Holly (Aliyah O’Brien) comes into the station to see Gail. After their earlier kiss (last week’s episode) she’s come down to see her again before the team heads over to Ford’s house. The body language of the two is intimate, but when Holly tries to touch her to move in closer, Gail shakes her head no. She’s not ready to publicly out herself. I’m pretty sure that Chris and her brother noticed though. Chris might as well have coughed and cleared his throat – his, “Gail, we should probably get going” was that obvious.
Sam doesn’t think things could get worse…telling Marlo that “the silver lining” in her stalking behavior is that she knows more about Kevin Ford than anyone. That’s when Andy comes in to tell him Oliver’s missing and his cruiser’s been parked in the same spot for 45 minutes. Once Sam and Andy drive to the reported location they find the car’s tracking device and realize that Oliver’s been taken by Ford.
How in the heck can no one notice that a car that’s supposed to be “on its way” has been sitting in the same spot for 45 minutes? This bothered me. I can’t believe Nick would sit there that long without checking in with Oliver or dispatch again. He’d been waiting for Oliver prior to calling Andy, so he’s been there longer than 45 minutes. Either there’s a problem in the time-line here or there’s a problem with the organization at the 15th. If someone can figure out how to clear the timeline up so it makes sense, I’d appreciate it. Rookie Blue is usually so tight on the case details I’m willing to believe that I’m just missing something.
Adding to the list of things getting worse is Luke Callaghan over at Ford’s house. The place is swarming with cops. Inside Callaghan finds that Ford has paid all his bills, turned down the heat, and laid out a suit. In other words, Ford’s not planning on making out of this thing alive. Luke also finds a hit list taped to Ford’s computer. On the top of it is Marlo Cruz, but Sam, Andy, Chloe, Dove, Oliver and Nick are also on it. Luke is not happy – and that’s before he’s seen Marlo Cruz’s basement. Remember, he’s been suspicious about Marlo for a while now, so when Traci shows him all the Kevin Ford stuff Marlo has stashed, he’s furious. No wonder Ford thinks they’ve been out to get him!
This is a scene you’re going to want to remember for season five. Why? Because all the pertinent issues that will need to be dealt with are right here…. I’m going to come back to this in the wrap up, but for now, let’s just say that Luke’s reaction shows that Sam and Andy will be in major trouble next season. Also, just…how weird must it be to be in a room with three different men you’ve been intimate with where everyone knows it? Andy as Goldilocks? The question is which man really is just right for her? I know Rookie Blue fans have some strong opinions on this one, but luckily it’s a question that doesn’t need an answer at the moment. As Luke said, there’s an officer missing.
The bad news continues its ravaging of the 15th. Over at the hospital the doctor comes in to tell Dov and Wes that Chloe has a blood clot in her neck which, if not removed has a strong possibility of causing a stroke – which could lead to brain damage and paralysis. However, the surgery of removing it carries a smaller risk of brain death. It’s Wes that asks for a third option. Turns out that there’s a small possibility that with medication the clot will dissolve on its own – but the doctor thinks surgery is the best option….
At the precinct, Andy has the job of telling Celery that Oliver is missing. Call it a witch’s intuition, but Celery seems to already know. She’s barely holding it together, rambling about getting good bread, but not being able to leave but knowing Oliver will be hungry. When Andy tells her she almost starts crying – but manages to hold off until Andy leaves for the parade room. There, Frank informs Sam, Andy, and Nick that they are to stay in the station – (because they are on the hit list.) Then he sends everyone else to go look for Oliver’s squad car – 1504. Then there’s another series of small moments with big ramifications for next season…
At first I thought Andy looked mad at Sam through this scene, but she was mad about being grounded – although not really. McNally is really just upset about everything. Sam, Frank, stupid rules and herself for breaking the rules in the first place. All of this is manifesting as frustration. The thought of something happening to Oliver due to what Marlo, her and Sam have done is terrifying. Like Celery, she wants to do something, but being grounded to the station makes her feel useless. So she turns to Sam. He in turn is defensive when he catches Andy staring him down. He’s also got some underlining guilt going on, and, like McNally, just wants to make everything work out.
Sam assuring Andy they can do anything together is such a classic Sam and Andy moment, right? I was smiling when Sam said “Because that’s what we do.” However, on reflection, isn’t that also part of the problem? Together Sam and Andy break rules, get into trouble, and then save the day from a mess they partially caused. They can break rules because they can make things right again later? The more I watch that scene the less romantic it seems. It’s a rookie talking to her training officer, it’s a girl complaining to her dad hoping he will fix it. I feel like this season has ripped open and exposed a real problem in the Sam and Andy relationship, one that never really seemed glaring until this season. These two clearly love and adore each other and yet they don’t stand together as equals. That’s fine for teacher/student relationship – as well as for superheros and sidekicks. Maybe I’m too much of a modern woman, Sam started to bug me a bit in season three when he was mad at Andy about following the rules in order to keep her job. Somehow, a sense of equality needs to be created in this love affair, at least for my sensibilities. Can it be done? I think so, but don’t ask me how – I leave that script-writing stuff to the experts! It was there before when Sam and Andy first met though, so it’s there to be had.
The same clip also strongly suggests the idea that Luke is really the most angry at Sam. While Marlo is the one who took those actions towards Kevin Ford, she’s also suffering from a mental illness. Because Sam is a detective and Andy’s training officer (not to mention Luke knows her history with Sam), Andy can be seen as following or taking direction from her training officer and superior. Sam is the one whom, as a detective, needed to take charge and exposed Marlo as soon as he knew. With Sam’s reputation for not liking the rules and doing what he instinctual feels is right it’s easy to see that in Luke’s eyes, the fact that Sam is now this entire mess is largely Sam’s fault. Luke’s comment, “What does it matter now” is asking why is Sam now bothering checking in and following procedures since the damage has already been done.
I think Sam made the point of asking Luke to bring Marlo in because wants Luke to see that Marlo may have done it wrong, but that her instincts were right. That’s the kind of cop Sam is also; he trusts his instincts. However, it wasn’t his cop instincts that had him cover for Marlo, it was his personal need to protect her. Ironically, that’s the same problem he said he’d had with McNally – that she clouded his judgement and that he couldn’t be a cop with her. Well, guess what, Sam? It’s not the woman who causes the problem – it’s you. I hope Rookie Blue addresses this in season five, because if Sam can’t learn to let the women in his life be responsible for themselves his relationships will never work. Sure, this behavior can be explained by the sister he couldn’t protect, but it doesn’t change that it’s a problem. Let there be therapy for Sam Swarek in season five – and not just in a webisodes. Please?
Up until this point in the show there really hasn’t been much about Kevin Ford and Oliver, but that changes. When Traci and Luke talk to Kevin’s older brother Abe – they found out that the father severely abused both sons. - both physically and sexually. Now they’re trying to see if there’s anywhere special to Kevin that he might have taken Oliver. The brother also tries to make the case that part of Kevin’s actions are because the police have been harassing him, but Luke shuts that down fast. Even if it’s true, you file a lawsuit – you don’t start shooting at police officers. Frankly, I didn’t like the brother when we met him during Christian’s kidnapping. I still don’t.
There is somewhere special – it’s a church and we see Oliver and Kevin there before Abe reveals that this where their father used to take them to be abused. Olivier is such a trooper! Despite being handcuffed to a pipe and suffering from several blows to the head he’s trying to talk Kevin out of his plan and figure out what started in the first place. To that end, we discover that he’s decided that Marlo’s actions mean that everyone associated with his questioning and him being beaten up, were working together to frame him. So even though Oliver is the man who called EMS and arrested the man who beat Kevin up, in Kevin’s mind it was just part of the setup. He seems not just angry, but hurt, that these people have done this to him. Maybe that’s he keeps punching Oliver in the head – so Oliver can see how it feels.
Gail and Chris are out looking for Oliver’s squad. It’s a moment to tell the audience what the title means. Looking at her past Gail says her reactions to being kidnapped last year, getting cold and mean, were stupid. (I know, not just last year, but it’s her story.) Chris tells Gail that when things get really bad you can see what’s important. Specifically he says “when it’s dark enough, you can see the stars.” Ta-dah! Title meaning.
“Thank you, Confucius”
Moving on, back at the precinct somehow Nick has been given the task of working with Marlo. Is it because A) neither Andy nor Sam can stand looking at her. B) Sam can’t stand the idea of Andy working with Nick. C) Sam doesn’t want to work with Nick. D) Only Nick has the patience to work with a revved-up Marlo. E) All of the above. My guess was E – all of the above!
You have to admit, Nick is good at getting Marlo to focus. Andy and Sam find a bunch of parking tickets from the same block that leads Abe to reveal the church where the dad would sexually abuse them. He makes a point of saying how he was able to pull himself together, while his younger brother couldn’t. ( It’s at that point that I think the brother is the child-molester and the one who killed the kid. He’s too quiet, to composed, too pat. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.)
With the information of where the church is set, a major take-down is put in motion. Frank warns everyone to be careful and says they are all coming home that night. Of course, Sam, Andy and Nick are not allowed to get involved. This time, Andy stands with Nick for comfort as the others are leaving. Sam sadly watches them from a distance.
In terms of command, once again, Traci is with Luke. As she’s putting on her bullet-prove vest, Steve Peck comes over to help her with it, and to tell her to “cowardice is underrated.” He’s worried about her getting hurt. Traci moves up her suggestion of a dinner date at her place to that night – and kisses him! Stash is on! I am looking forward to them in season five! Can you imagine Gail as a possible sister-in-law? ….At least we know that Gail wants Traci to date her brother (remember how she was bugging Traci about why Traci wouldn’t date her brother?) As for Gail, Nick insists that she should call Holly because he called everyone that was important to him. That’s just more proof that Nick has already figured out Gail’s new relationship. Maybe she’s okay with this, because she actually does call Holly.
At the church Kevin is making his final preparations. I’m going to show the clip, not because I feel Kevin is right, but because the entire situation itself is tragic .
Kevin’s father repeatedly and ritualistically sexually abused both his sons for years. For Kevin, the idea that he would be anything like his father is disgusting. Yet, he’s the one with the temper and the drinking? Actually, that fits. By Abe’s account the father was a cold, hard-working man, and one that apparently you’d never suspect was a monster. Also, Kudos to Michael Cram, who really made me feel how angry and bewildered Kevin is by what’s happened in his life. After this scene I also more appreciated the earlier point about the traumatic brain injury While horrible things have happened to Kevin Ford, it’s the head injury that’s turned this bottled up suffering and turned into a deadly Molotov cocktail. Being abused doesn’t mean you’re destined to turn into a lunatic and go on a shooting rampage.
Let’s talk about Matt Gordon and Oliver Shaw a bit. Matt Gordon is just a great actor. His Oliver is so real, like a regular local cop. Just like a regular local cop, we often forget that these police officers have been trained for everything. Oliver’s talking may have saved his life. Notice how every time he regained consciousness he’s talking to Ford? It’s not just Oliver rambling. Establishing a rapport with your captor is one of the things you’re supposed to do if kidnapped. It must have worked because Ford doesn’t kill Shaw before leaving.
Remember, Oliver is on Kevin Ford’s hit list and he already had tried to kill him once. Kidnapping Oliver was a crime of opportunity. That’s when Ford must have created the plan was to use Oliver as bait for the other people on the list and then take them all out as they came in the door. When Oliver tells him that the people on the list will be kept back at the station, Kevin changes his plans again and heads over to the station. His last words to Oliver are, “don’t worry, they’re coming for you. It won’t be long.” It could be that Oliver reminding Kevin that he didn’t let him die, made Kevin decide to return the favor. Maybe it was because Oliver said he believed Kevin and wanted to make it right. Whatever it was, something that Oliver said made Kevin decide not to put a bullet through Shaw’s head. Thank goodness Oliver has the gift of gab!
Was anyone else a bit confused about why Oliver didn’t realize Ford had left. I was – didn’t catch the reason until I re-watched it. Kevin came down from the church balcony through the same doorway that Oliver sees him leave with the guns and assumes he went back up to get into position. The way Ford has left him, Oliver can’t see the balcony, and he was unconscious when he came in, so he doesn’t know that door also leads to outside. (Besides that, he’s got a bomb on the other door. He was taking no chances. He wanted them to come through the front, so the bomb would either force them to do so, or would take at least a few of them out.)
“ETF” does an excellent job in rescuing Oliver. That gadget they toss through the window to see inside was cool! Watching the take-down effort, Oliver’s assessment that Ford wouldn’t have had a real chance is right. While regular officers just have the bullet-proof vests on, these guys are in vests, helmets and some kind of protection that wraps around the backs of their heads,, neck, throat and the sides of their faces. The spotlight on the helmets are blinding (they have special goggles that I assume they pull down over their eyes when they go in) and their rifles have them too. With the sheer number of them, Ford wouldn’t have been able to do any damage before being taken out.
They did find the one gun on the table in the balcony – but no Kevin Ford. As Oliver is being taken away (to the hospital) he’s still insisting Ford had been in the balcony and had intended to shoot to kill. Frank knows Oliver may have had some major blows to the head, but with the gun up there, he knows it’s got to be true. He wonders what changed Ford’s mind….
At the hospital, Dov comes into Chloe’s room and tells Wes he couldn’t get her parents, but that he called his doctor dad who agrees that Chloe needs to have the surgery. The big problem is Wes doesn’t agree. He doesn’t want them cutting her open again. He thinks that’s the bigger risk as the surgery carries the same risk as the stroke, plus the possibility of brain death. (I actually do see his logic.) He thinks that’s what Chloe would want (actually, he’s probably right about that too. The natural approach would likely be more of “her thing.” More importantly, Wes points out that Dov doesn’t have a say in matter. Wes is her husband and health proxy. It’s completely his decision. As Dov furiously rushes out to get the doctor, Wes watches him almost compassionately as he says, “Dov, it’s not going to happen.”
Back at the station, Nick is telling Marlo the news that Oliver is safe – but that they haven’t gotten Kevin Ford. As Nick runs down the various places they’ve got staked out, Marlo stops him at “his brother’s cabin” to say don’t bother. Why? Because that was his alibi three years ago and it didn’t add up then. Marlo explains that there are no witnesses to the brothers being there. At that, Nick points out that it’s possible neither of them were there.
Oh, Marlo. The consequences of not being on your meds just keeps expanding. Medicated Marlo would have never let this issue slip by. In fact, I have to wonder how it was missed initially. It’s a great example of why the idea of ”innocent until proven guilty” is so important. Three years ago, the officers on this investigate made Kevin Ford the prime suspect and did exactly what Marlo did – ignore the other evidence. (Luke had said they’d had an eye on Ford as a possible abuser “for a while”.) Nick’s impartial observation gets the wheels going in Marlo’s head. She knows the case evidence inside and out, and realizes the truth in shock. ”What if I was looking at the wrong brother?” Bingo! How many people were surprised by this? I wasn’t, but I still enjoyed watching how the pieces came together. As I’d tweeted early on during the episode, “It’s the quiet ones you have to be careful of.”
Meanwhile, Andy is around the station with nothing to do. She’s been told to stay put – so she is. Until she finds Sam in the locker room packing up to leave. First she asks what he’s doing – because leaving is crazy. Kevin Ford is still out there wanting him dead! When he says leaving is the only good thing he can do, she’s even more confused. Finally, Sam tells her that he screwed everything up and her happiness is the most important thing to him and he sees that she’s happy with Nick. He just can’t bear seeing them together. It takes Andy a moment to process, but then she’s running after him – out into the parking lot.
Whatever Andy was going to say gets lost when she realizes that Oliver’s squad car is back. She points it out to Sam who immediately is on the phone to Frank. Andy pulls Ford’s jacket out of the car and Sam puts together that Ford has likely changed into Oliver’s police uniform (more like squeezed into Oliver’s uniform, but we’ll let that go) and is in the building. Hastily he tells Frank that Ford is at the station. Inside he Sam and Andy rush back inside to try and find him and secure the people inside…and this is what happens.
Andy runs straight to Sam! Sam’s explaining he wasn’t saying, “I told you so” while bleeding out on the floor was so like him – the more it hurts the more he smiles… Marlo is a bit behind her but stops and just watches in shock and horror as she sees Sam down and Andy taking care of him. I don’t think her reaction is about Andy being there. It’s about seeing what going off her meds has led to. She went off the meds because she wanted to feel the love she has for Sam…and because of it, he’s bleeding out on the floor. I’m pretty sure she’s devastated and doesn’t feel she even deserves to come any closer. It’s Andy that rides with Sam to the hospital.
Just one quick thing before the good stuff. What’s with the EMT? Sam’s not shot in the chest! In every image of the shot gunshot wound is in the lower abdominal area, so it’s in the stomach or liver -still potentially fatal but for different reasons than a chest wound. That’s gonna be a surprise at the hospital.
Anyway, in the ambulance, Andy tells Sam a sweet story of him comforting her even though he was half-asleep. Then she says this:
Right then I knew I that would never feel more loved or more known..I love you…I love you. You’re my story Sam. You.
I could hear the screams around the world as Andy said those words! It’s a really beautiful, heartfelt scene.
However, that’s not the end of the episode. Instead, there are a series of loose ends, all fodder for Rookie Blue season five. I’m not going in the order it’s shot in, but these are the unfinished stories we’re left with.
At the hospital is the final scene with Dov. The doctor comes out of Chloe’s room and tells him that not only has Wes not agreed to the surgery, but he’s barred Dov from seeing Chloe.
The night before Dov was out with his girl thinking he’d found the love of his life. Now he’s looking at her possibly dying from a stroke and he has no say in what happens because she’s legally tied to someone else. He can’t even say goodbye if necessary…
If Chloe dies or comes out of this severely disabled, Dov is never going to forgive Wes. If she makes it out fine, I don’t know if he’s going to be able to forgive Chloe. In either case, I’m expecting Dov to have a rager season five – Gail may lose her crown of being the most cynical.
Of course Gail may lose that crown because she come out to herself and to at least her brother and Chris. Holly comes running up to Gail at the hospital. She remembers Gail’s boundaries from earlier, but Gail tosses them away, throwing her arms around Holly in tears. Holly is her star in this dark time. (See, I used the metaphor!) After that, still teary-eyed, she introduces Holly to Steve and Chris. She doesn’t say, “this is the person I’m dating” but it has that whole feel of that. The look on Steve and Chris’s faces say that’s just how they’re taking it also. I think we’re getting a different version of Gail next season. With Holly she allows more of her true emotions to be seen. She’s probably going to have to deal with all the issues coming out can bring. And then, there’s her mother. That’s not going to go well.
In another hospital room, Cerely is with Oliver, whom she’s waking up every hour – standard head trauma treatment. These two are solid, but Oliver isn’t divorced yet. With Cerely’s background the whole child custody issue could come up. Also, there’s the issue of “traumatic brain injury.” Oliver seems fine enough, but there’s issues of possible memory-loss, etc. Hopefully he’ll be fine, but that door is left open.
These last two sort of tie together, so bear with me. The first is Marlo. I am really worried about Marlo. Out of everyone in the episode, she’s the one I think might not make it – which is too bad, because I really like Rachel Ancheril. This clip showcases why:
She says so much without saying a word. She blames herself for Kevin Ford’s death – and she’s not completely wrong. There’s the knowledge of Sam being in the hospital and how she’s failed him, and lost him. Her career, the one thing she’s loved and done well for nine years, is completely destroyed. Marlo’s been on a manic streak for a while. The flip side of manic is depression, serious, deadly depression – and she’s going home alone…
Let’s not forget Luke. The one thing I noticed is how gentle Luke was with Marlo. Earlier I said the person Luke is really angry at is Sam. Assuming Sam survives (Seriously, I’m as worried about Sam surviving as I was when Kate Beckett got shot on Castle – in other words, I’m not worried.) I don’t think Luke is going to be in a forgiving mood. In fact, I think there’s going to be a real question of whether or not Sam stays a detective. With Traci Nash shining so brightly as a detective, it won’t surprise me if she becomes the 15th’s senior detective and Sam demoted back to being an officer.
As bad as that’s sounds, it could be a good thing. One of the problems with Sam and Andy’s relationship is the power difference. Sam being sent “back to school” would help in the equality issue….
Oh, Sam and Andy. I almost forgot… As sweet as that ambulance scene is, I don’t expect it to be smooth sailing for them at all. First, there’s the Marlo issue. The guilt if something happens will impact them both greatly. Actually, there’s guilt too in what they did covering for Marlo. The “if only” thinking could affect them both and no doubt Luke will be fanning that flame!
There’s also the issue of Nick. Nick is in love with Andy, heartbroken – but not mean or spiteful. The thing is, I think Andy loves Nick also. Sam is her story, and she loves him, but her saying she knew that she’d never be more loved or more known doesn’t preclude her feeling equally loved and known by Nick. I think she’s aware of that. Plus, Sam’s observation that Andy was happy with Nick is a fair one. Sometimes the one you love the most is the same one you can’t live with. That dream of Sam’s of having kids with Andy and spending Sunday’s in the park…can he change enough to make that a reality? Characters can take you to unexpected places and the end of season four has left me unsure of what direction Andy McNally is going to go. While the stars shine brightly in darkness, they still can’t tell you how to reach them. (Generally it’s a lot of work!). Plus, there’s always more than one star… (Okay, letting go of the metaphor now.) The worst part of it all? We all have to wait until summer 2014 to find out!
How did we end up with this finale? Keep an eye out for my season four review! Also, stick around Gossip and Gab for our fall TV recaps and reviews. I mean, we all have to watch something on television while waiting for next summer, right?
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