So we all had a nice break last week; no mythology, no dangling plot threads involving Kara Stanton or Nathan Ingram, no flashbacks to Reese's shadowy past. Kind of refreshing, in a way.
On the other hand, what we got resembled most of CBS's other procedurals, so maybe these breaks aren't all they're cracked up to be. Hey, going into last night's episode, I was just happy knowing we'd be getting back into some juicy backstory.
Yeah, hold that thought.
I noticed this a couple episodes back, but detectives Fusco (Kevin Chapman) and Carter (Taraji P. Henson) have been added to the "hunted by authorities" intro. Welcome to the revolution.
In a story "ripped from the headlines," a new mayor is going to be elected in five days. Assistant DA Landon Walker is running against city councilman Ed Griffin, who is facing some ethical hurdles. Local investigative reporter Maxine Angelis (Gloria Votsis) has suckered Griffin's money man into coming clean about Griffin's fund-raising activities, which are anything but. This dame's got a lot of moxie.
Coincidentally, Angelis has written stories on HR and Elias as well. Naturally she's the latest Number of the Week.
Meanwhile, the feds are acting on Fusco's tip from last season's finale and picking up lots of crooked cops (what's the correct collective noun for that? A pigpen of dirty cops? A rasher?). FBI Agent Donnelly (Brennan Brown) is back, and he wants whoever the Big Boss of HR is. Oh, and who's that lurking in Fusco's car? Why, it's Sinister Officer Simmons (Robert John Burke), who instructs the detective (in his trademark gravelly voice) he needs to find out whatever dirt the FBI has on HR and get rid of it. Once he does, he's free to leave the organization. My reaction to that promise contains roughly the same amount of skepticism I felt when I first heard Madonna singing about being a virgin.
Angelis gets a visit from Mr. Quinn, Griffin's campaign manager, played by The Wire's Clarke "Lester Freamon" Peters. As an aside, I'd just like to point out that CBS has been doing a stand-up job giving those guys work, as J.D. "Bodie" Williams and Hassan "Wee-Bey" Johnson were both on The Good Wife last Sunday.
Not that I watch The Good Wife or anything. Ha-ha. Heh.
The upshot being, Angelis is still keen to find the head of HR. She gets an anonymous tip that one Christopher Zambrano is the man, as well as confirmation from an agent that owes her a favor. If the name "Zambrano" sounds familiar, it's because daddy Z was one of the Mafia dons Elias wiped out last season. Chris, however, is a "legitimate businessman." Cough.
A complication arises when Finch discovers Angelis is also looking into a mysterious "man in a suit," which limits Reese's on the ground effectiveness. He enlists Carter/Fusco to give him a hand. Angelis runs the Zambrano story, based on evidence that is -- frankly -- pretty thin. The threat level has increased to the point Reese worries about his ability to protect her. But not to worry, Finch has engineered an online dating profile to match Angelis's and set up a date for that night.