Major Crimes Season 4 Episode 14 Review: Taking the Fall
Jack Ori
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Thanksgiving stories can be hit or miss.
Often, they end up being corny, hokey, or contrived. However, Major Crimes Season 4 Episode 14 was none of these things. Instead, it featured an interesting crime that was tied together nicely with Flynn's health crisis by the hour's end. If it weren't for that annoying doctor who kept yelling at him, this would have been a perfect Thanksgiving episode.
Flynn's collapse was a brilliant way to tie together several storylines and give the characters a chance to shine with emotional material. Flynn and Provenza's banter over filling out those medical directive documents was one of the highlights of the hour, especially when it suddenly switched to something more serious when they were alone.
Flynn: One thing - as tough as it is to think about, if I don't make it out of surgery, I need you to do something for me.... I've been nervous to say it to her, but I really care about Sharon a lot, and if this is how it ends...
Provenza: So if you die, you want me to tell the Captain that you loved her.
Provenza, for all his whining and complaining, clearly cares a lot for his partner, and it was nice to see a more tender side of him mixed in with the cynicism and sarcasm that are his trademarks. Flynn's desire for life to go on as normal and to not be a burden was also very touching.
Why should everyone have a crummy Thanksgiving because of me?
Flynn
Showing Flynn struggling with being unable to eat most traditional food was a nice reminder to viewers who can eat that sort of thing to remember to be grateful for it this Thanksgiving.
It was pretty heartbreaking to see the gang go to all that trouble to make a Thanksgiving feast Flynn could participate in only for Dr. Obnoxious to rush in and yell that he couldn't eat it. Of course, the surgery is a necessary evil, but did we really need that doctor?
She did nothing but yell and act like Flynn was "bad" because he happened to get dizzy and fall in the bathroom. Couldn't we have had an ER doctor who actually had a decent bedside manner?
The detectives running back and forth from the hospital to the squad room was realistic and effective. The case they were working on was one of the more interesting ones, too, so it didn't feel as much like an intrusion.
Who guessed that Mrs. Palmer was an abused wife? I didn't! Obviously, something wasn't right when they caught Sam Curtis so early in the hour, but it seemed like all clues pointed to Jordan, not to Palmer's wife. After the big reveal, however, everything made sense, including her strange behavior when she was informed of the death.
Why didn't I go to a shelter? Why should I be the one to leave?
Mrs. Palmer
Mrs. Palmer's logic that she "had" to kill her husband made sense, given her situation. Although Hobbs was right that it was premeditated murder, Chief Taylor was also right that it would be very hard to get a conviction because of those circumstances.
She had every opportunity to say what she needed to say and she didn't say it. I can only wonder why.
Sharon
Sharon's realization that she, like Mrs. Palmer, wasn't communicating her feelings not only tied everything together but also upped the stakes. Both Andy and Sharon love each other but haven't expressed it to one another yet.
Hopefully this is not the last of Andy Flynn (that would be a terrible opening to the next episode!) and they will be able to use this health scare to spur them on to express how they really feel about each other.
So what did you think? Did Major Crimes serve up a great Thanksgiving story this year? Share your thoughts below!
If you missed it, don't worry. You can always 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.
