Major Crimes: Under the Influence

‘Major Crimes’ Recap: Under the Influence – Season 2, Episode 3

Major Crimes: Under the Influence

This episode of “Major Crimes” finds Sanchez and Tao with a ride-along — a nosy TV writer and producer who immediately finds himself in the midst of a high-speed car chase. When they finally catch up with the guy they’re chasing, he gets out of the car with a WHOLE lot of blood on his clothes.

The investigation leads to a chop shop with blood on the floor and several bodies in the “pit” where mechanics work on cars. So the guy is one of those mechanics who SAYS he was working on a car when the bodies tumbled in on top of him. Of course, there’s more to the story.

He’d stolen the car and took it back to the shop to tear apart, as chop shoppers are prone to do. Back at the police station, his story is a sad one – he was covered in blood, driving a stolen car, and in the country illegally. And “traumatized” by the bodies.

Of course, the Major Crimes crew doesn’t find his story all that credible. Turns out, he’s got a record in Mexico. He’s wanted for drug racketeering, he’s a member of the cartel, and Mexico wants him back.

And as it turns out, his mom is the ringleader. And she’s also an attorney who knows how to play the system. At one point, it looks like they’ll get off scott free, but Capt. Raydor and crew work it so that justice is served. It gives me hope for our justice system, which can be wacky at times.

In the Rusty department this week, he has to write an essay for school about the person who influenced him most. At first, he says it was himself. Then Capt. Raydor. And finally, his biological crack-addict mother, but not for the reasons you might think. She taught him what NOT to do in life.

I love the relationship between Rusty and Capt. Raydor, and basically the whole Major Crimes gang. All of them are like his family.

Thoughts on this episode of “Major Crimes”? 

Comments

2 responses to “‘Major Crimes’ Recap: Under the Influence – Season 2, Episode 3”

  1. Cahow Avatar
    Cahow

    “I love the relationship between Rusty and Capt. Raydor, and basically the whole Major Crimes gang. All of them are like his family.”

    Honestly, if it wasn’t for Rusty’s character, I never would have watched “Major Crimes.” And you can hook me up to a lie detector to see that I’m telling the truth.

    Try as I might, I could NOT sync with Kyra’s portrayal of Brenda Johnson; it ripped the last nerve of sanity right outta me! I hated the constant-head-banging Southern Fried Chickeness of the show: 1) The twangy slide guitar music on EVERY episode, like it was The Dukes of Hazzard!; 2) I couldn’t tolerate seeing a role model “woman of power” play-acting like Lucy Ricardo as a ditsy secretary to worm a confession out of a suspect; 3) I hated like nothing else the constant 7 year silliness of Brenda’s food obsession! “Brenda! Just EAT the darn donut, for crissake!!!!” WHY do TV show’s that have a Southern character have to be so Gomer Pyle about it? Can’t they just be NORMAL? When Dt. Chan comes on screen, he doesn’t talk pidgeon “ing-guish” nor is Asian tinky-tank music played when he comes on screen. Same goes for Dt. Sanchez….maybe some Mariachi music should be his character’s theme and he could always be sneaking off to eat burritoes?

    So, it was with great regret that I dumped The Closer, despite the fact that I loved the supporting cast but HATED the main character. I only stumbled onto Major Crimes by sheer accident: had TNT turned on from something else; the new series came on, I watched it, waiting for Sharon’s silly quirks…there were NONE…and then Rusty appeared! Being a loyal TV series watcher for over a half a century, I’m used to the formula: kid shows up in episode #1, kid dies/runs away/gets turned over to foster care by episode #2. But, by episode #3, Rusty was STILL on the show! I kept watching weekly, to see when TNT would dump his story line and Sharon would turn Sit Com, but neither event happened. THAT’S why I love Rusty’s character: I can’t recall a single show where kids aren’t part of the cast, where a kid (teen really) is part of the show. Sure, on The Walton’s and Little House on the Prairie, spare kids and kin were always being added to the cast, but that’s usually because some regular was leaving the show. I applaud TNT for really breaking the mold with regards to the disposable girl friend/boyfriend/kid/puppy/kitten that is only in a show for 1-3 episodes and they are gone, never to be seen nor referenced, again.

  2. Defense Lawyer Avatar

    I love the relationship between Rusty and Capt. Raydor, and basically the whole Major Crimes gang. All of them are like his family.

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