You know how you can tell a show is truly a great show? When every episode you watch becomes your new favorite episode of the series. That statement is very true for Terriers. It’s like the writers read my mind. I was just saying the only thing the show was missing was a little explanation of the mythology and the background of the characters. We got that and so much more with this episode
All this time we believed that Hank had lost his job and ruined his marriage because of his drinking problem. While that is partially true, it was actually a case that he was working on that played a major role in the falling apart of his life. We now know why Gretchen got so angry at Hank for investigating her new husband Jason. They have been in this situation before and by Hank refusing to just leave things alone it made the situation so much worse. Hank was talking from experience when he told Britt to just drop the situation and leave it alone. It was his failure to leave things alone that ended up costing him everything that was so important to him in his life. However, his marriage and his job were not the only thing they lost. Him and Gustafson, like him and Britt, were much more then partners, they were friends. We've seen hints to as much with how often Gustafson is willing to put this ass on the line for Hank. He crossed the border and headed to Mexico where he had no jurisdiction just to save Hanks new partner. The parallels between Mark and Hanks relationship and Hank and Britt’s relationship are uncanny, right down to the point that Britt is letting his life spiral out of control just like Hank did, and Hank is trying to protect him just like Mark did for Hank. Up until now, we have seen Mark write Hank off as a lost cause and a charity case. But by solving the case that originally drove him to throw his life away, Mark finally starts seeing Hank with the respect and adoration. Rockmond Dunbar gets his most extended screen time of the show here. Dunbar has been fantastic in previous roles such as Prison Break and his short guest stint on Grey’s Anatomy. He does not disappoint here as he does a great job conveying his care and worry for Hank in the flashbacks. This should be the episode that he submits for Emmy consideration as best supporting actor.
As for where all of this leaves Britt? Well it’s not looking to good for him. Britt’s actions were indefensible, even if he had the right guy who slept with Katie. And his reaction to Hank once he was in jail was also not very favorable. But this is one of the things that makes the show so great. Britt reacted in a way that you would expect a person like Britt to react in real life. Any other typical buddy cop show would have Britt get drunk, realize the error in his ways and take Katie back. This show could have just leaned on the charms of Michael Raymond James but the writers took a risk. They risked one of their most likable characters doing something so hateful, because they know that’s what real life is like. You can’t find writing like that just anywhere
I already made my plea to save terriers; you can find that article here. As the show heads into its stretch run, I’m glad they decided to explain the back stories of our characters. Now Hank can focus on dealing with the conspiracy that is going on in Ocean Beach and on repairing his relationship with Britt. This was a fantastic episode, I give it a 10 out of 10. "Oh she blogs? Do you Tweet?"
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