THE CHICAGO CODE “Cabrini-Green” Season 1 Episode 4 – Radicals from the seventies were probably very dangerous and exciting in the seventies, but the year is 2011. I think it’s high time we move on. Unfortunately this episode did not, and it moved slowly. Perhaps two plots of high intensity cancelled each other out, but somehow this episode about a bomber and an assassination attempt by a fifteen year old on a high priority, corrupt politician and the main antagonist of this series drag.
The voiceovers on The Chicago Code worked in the pilot. I thought they worked brilliantly in the pilot. Come episode four, they’re shoehorned in clumsily. Gibbons’ backstory was delivered in a voiceover. The he gave a brief bio of himself to his fifteen year old assailant, making the voiceover redundant. Couldn’t we have done without the voice over and allow the camera to flashback during his bio Cinderella story?
Gibbons is an interesting character. He’s not wholly evil. As we come to learn more about him, we’ll might find out he’s not even that evil (though Little Monster might beg to differ). He’s just ruthless.
One character whose story feels more and more redundant is Liam. His scene with Colvin was particularly bad: he’s the informant, would he really ask her if she’s safe walking around alone? Liam is a bland character, as is Vonda and her partner. The difference is, Liam is actually in a position where his character could be a scene stealer. He doesn’t create scene stealing scenes. He creates unmemorable ones.
Colvin and Wysocki spend more time talking about catching Gibbons than actually finding his web and giving it a tug. Gibbons has already proved to be canny. I’d like to see Wysocki and Colvin show their smarts. I’d like to see the stakes raised.
Last week’s episode gave us fascinating insight into the division of the force. This episode was entertaining, but because expectations for this show are so high, it was a let down.
What did you think of this episode? Sound off in the comments below.
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