Who does McCall call for help?

This week’s instalment sees us gain further family background for McCall, complicating her life even further, and possibly one great yet subtle nod to another famous detective.

In what might be one of the most interesting show openings yet, we start with an immediate twist, in that it centres around Shareen and Jenna, who are about to rob the store they work in. The desperation which led them to that moment is made clear from the outset, yet they talk themselves out of it and decide to go home and forget about it.

Unfortunately for them, they expose their hiding position after they witness a murder. Jenna contacts McCall and her investigation commences from a somewhat action-packed start.

The family plot this time around actually focuses on McCall, as the loss of Bishop impacts Vi and Delilah too. It makes them consider Robyn’s mortality and the peril she places herself in with many of her clients, and it keeps them up at night. They agree to stage an intervention of sorts on her return. We even have time to revisit that McCall has made it clear in previous episodes that she would refuse to assist criminals without her saying a word. Shareen and Jenna both have reasons we can sympathise with that led them to the situation they were in, and also technically did not go through with their plans in either case.

Meanwhile we finally meet Delilah’s father, McCall’s ex-partner. If his occupation as a doctor had been mentioned before, it was too quietly to be memorable, but it’s established quickly this time around, and by necessity, as Jenna reveals Shareen was shot as they made their escape, and visiting a hospital isn’t viable. Dr Miles Fulton has as many questions as might reasonably be expected for someone brought a patient to his own house outside hours. The recap showing Delilah’s discovery of McCall’s true work sets the audience up for this nicely. Now we have another significant figure in Robyn’s life who is unaware of her secret, and Delilah is the one empowered to keep it or reveal it. Even though his suspicions push him to the limit, the Hippocratic Oath takes priority.

With all this setup in place, the main action takes place as Jenna returns to the store to avoid arousing management suspicion whilst trying to catch the robbers, given it soon becomes clear the robbery was an inside job, and far more elaborate than first thought when a counterfeiting operation is revealed. A check on the staff by Harry shows that just about every employee at the store is facing some kind of serious problem outside the job, which explains their tolerance of somewhat abusive management in the bullying Lyle. Jenna appears to have one ally in the shape of the older employee and assistant manager Bernie, whose habit of being around and standing up for her whenever Lyle is at his worst is uncanny. It turns out he has a reason for that, and although his eventual betrayal of Jenna is somewhat inevitable, Bernie is a somewhat affable guardian angel up to that point.

Dante has the most prominent support role this time around and appears to be thriving on his recovery time. He works nicely as something of a nod to another rather famous private investigator (and dresses for the occasion) whilst he assists McCall with her operation. This couples well with his increasingly warm relationship with McCall as they bring some collective smiles to the viewer as they continue to grow closer. By the end of the episode in fact, Dante finally learns her name. Tory Kittles does an excellent job of portraying how Dante continues to be highly professional but far less brooding and intense – perhaps even actually enjoying himself. Yet his experience and skill at his role remain highly valued, not just by McCall but also a friend of his in the FBI whom he needs to turn to for a lead.

The episode ends with pressure on Delilah as she maintains McCall’s secret by lying to her father, and it’s clear that Miles has taken on the role of learning the truth behind her. It is hard to imagine anything other than that the more he digs, the more he becomes a potential target for her enemies though, and each little change appears to be building to something later on.

Verdict: This is a very compelling story with a number of subtleties, and a great economy of time for the plot strands. Each holds together smoothly, allowing a lot to happen in a relatively short time, yet not too much as to be overwhelming. The store dynamic is an ideally chosen premise for the aims the show is trying to achieve. 8/10

Russell A. Smith