Major Crimes Season 4 Episode 12 Review: Blackout
Jack Ori
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Innocent until proven guilty usually emphasizes the word "proven," especially on crime shows.
On Major Crimes Season 4 Episode 12, Ken Song's apparent innocence looked like a set-up for a twist. What a surprise that he was actually innocent! Plus he gave Jack Raydor a well-deserved dose of karma. Too bad Jack had to give as good as he got, getting in the last word in a particularly cruel way.
I love watching Jack Raydor. The guy is the perfect balance of sleazy lawyer and entertaining shady guy. I really enjoyed it when he stayed at Sharon's for a while and bonded with Rusty, though I felt sorry for Rusty when Jack suddenly took off. This next installment of Jack Raydor's intrusion into Sharon's life was equally entertaining, though he was actually cruel this time around.
Jack Raydor, we could have released Ken Song last March and you kept an innocent man locked up in jail.
Sharon
Jack pulled a stupid stunt that got his client locked up for longer so that he can turn around and sue for false imprisonment. It's not really cool, and in the real world I'd think a lawyer who tried it would get disbarred. In the world of television, though, it's a clever trick. Too bad he didn't let his client in on it sooner so that he got fired.
If I can ruin Jack Raydor's day, the pleasure will be all mine.
Provenza
Incidentally, is Judge Grove the only judge in town? Nice to see him again, but it would be more realistic to have a rotation of judges.
Anyway, after Jack got revenge on the Major Crimes Unit for telling Ken what happened by casually revealing Flynn's health status, I'm with Provenza. That just seemed needlessly cruel. Andy had quite a few reasons for keeping it to himself, and Chief Taylor's wanting to know what was going on was probably one of them. Plus health info is supposed to be private.
Sharon should have warned her kids not to blab to Jack once she shared this information with them. You'd think by now they'd know better than to tell him anything. What will the repercussions be, not just for poor Andy, but also for Emily and her loose lips? Sharon should stand up for Andy and straighten out her daughter on this.
The Flynn storyline is great. There hasn't been a captivating injured cop storyline since Frank Pembleton had a stroke on Homicide: Life on the Streets in the early 1990s. Flynn's hatred of having to be on medical leave and awkwardness about having to report it was very effective, and his inability to understand the medical terms behind his condition provided comic relief and were endearing.
And you... stay right here and you know, take deep breaths.
Provenza
Besides giving Flynn an emotional arch, this storyline allows him and Sharon to get closer without making it seem contrived. Naturally Flynn is staying at her condo, complete with Provenza's girlfriend helping take care of him. This also allows Flynn to begin bonding with Rusty.
Flynn: My mother didn't breastfeed me. My father didn't encourage me. Blah blah blah. They're all killers.
Rusty: Yes, I know that's what the police think. But the blah blah blah interests me.
Rusty learned the hard way that Flynn's cynicism wasn't completely off the mark. His idealistic vision of an interview with Slider went nowhere, and he found himself turning to Andy again for advice and contemplating giving up the story altogether. I wasn't sure what Flynn was getting at until Rusty asked Slider to read the questions aloud.
Is it that you don't want to read it or you don't know how?
Rusty
This could be an interesting storyline. I really like Rusty as a journalist working for social change.
What did you think? Did the case of the hour hold your attention, or were you more interested in what was going on with Flynn? Were you happy to see Jack Raydor again? And who do you think makes the best father figure for Rusty? Vote below and make sure to leave your comments!
Who makes the best father figure for Rusty?
If you missed anything, don't forget you can watch Major Crimes online and catch up!
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on X.
