'Tar Baby' is an outstanding episode. In previous episodes, characters were built up by interacting with each other, whereas by now these characters have been built and molded enough to interact within a solid plot, and it makes for some fantastic entertainment.
One thing I really noticed in this episode was quick and intelligent writing throughout. The witty dialogue between characters is something I as a writer myself would aspire to. Of course, the dialogue is only worth as much as the acting and with Michael Chiklis and Glen Close, you can't go wrong. Even Dutch gets a great line in - his description to Claudette of a suspect as "old and stubborn, looking for a fight," and getting the feeling the same description applies to her is fantastic and hilarious.
This episode really works well because its story lines are so strong. Sure, there's a drug bust, something that happens every other week, but the owners of the drug house are connected to Antwon, and so also to Shane, who tries to tip Antwon off but is pulled in too late to call. The result is that Antown is naturally pretty angry and gives Shane and his buddy a little payback in an intense scene at the end. That scene is what brought my rating up from an 8 to a 9 - we finally see Antwon's darker side and what he's willing to do to protect himself. Shane is obviously far to cocky to see what he's getting himself into.
Dutch and Claudette's story this week was also very good - Claudette's suspicion's of a deal with the DA's office land on Dutch. What makes their scenes so good is that they're both usually right, but just take different perspectives, such as their heated argument about Dutch's deal. They're both two of my favourite characters and I love seeing them catching bad guys (or girls, as in this episode).
Finally, this episode shows some great humour. There are usually one or two funny moments in an episode, but here there are many and still work well combined with intense scenes such as the drug bust. Vic as usual gets the most; to Aceveda, "Press conference hasn't started yet. Still got plenty of time to figure out how to take credit for all this." Of course, the line only works within the context of the episode. Lastly, a guy tells Dutch and Claudette that he had a gun stolen months ago, and only now after another break in and murder is he reporting it. His reaction, "Probably a mistake, wasn't it?" and the detectives' reactions are priceless.
I didn't think Antwon and his crew would be one of the main focuses this season, but now that I realise he is, I'm glad as he's a very interesting character and I'm keen to see where his and Shane's 'friendship' goes from here.
One thing I really noticed in this episode was quick and intelligent writing throughout. The witty dialogue between characters is something I as a writer myself would aspire to. Of course, the dialogue is only worth as much as the acting and with Michael Chiklis and Glen Close, you can't go wrong. Even Dutch gets a great line in - his description to Claudette of a suspect as "old and stubborn, looking for a fight," and getting the feeling the same description applies to her is fantastic and hilarious.
This episode really works well because its story lines are so strong. Sure, there's a drug bust, something that happens every other week, but the owners of the drug house are connected to Antwon, and so also to Shane, who tries to tip Antwon off but is pulled in too late to call. The result is that Antown is naturally pretty angry and gives Shane and his buddy a little payback in an intense scene at the end. That scene is what brought my rating up from an 8 to a 9 - we finally see Antwon's darker side and what he's willing to do to protect himself. Shane is obviously far to cocky to see what he's getting himself into.
Dutch and Claudette's story this week was also very good - Claudette's suspicion's of a deal with the DA's office land on Dutch. What makes their scenes so good is that they're both usually right, but just take different perspectives, such as their heated argument about Dutch's deal. They're both two of my favourite characters and I love seeing them catching bad guys (or girls, as in this episode).
Finally, this episode shows some great humour. There are usually one or two funny moments in an episode, but here there are many and still work well combined with intense scenes such as the drug bust. Vic as usual gets the most; to Aceveda, "Press conference hasn't started yet. Still got plenty of time to figure out how to take credit for all this." Of course, the line only works within the context of the episode. Lastly, a guy tells Dutch and Claudette that he had a gun stolen months ago, and only now after another break in and murder is he reporting it. His reaction, "Probably a mistake, wasn't it?" and the detectives' reactions are priceless.
I didn't think Antwon and his crew would be one of the main focuses this season, but now that I realise he is, I'm glad as he's a very interesting character and I'm keen to see where his and Shane's 'friendship' goes from here.
