Three generations of a family are in need of justice, starting with the grandson attempting to take his own life over wrongful accusations levelled at him. The results bring the District Attorney directly into the line of fire.

McCall gets herself locked up, ostensibly to protect Dante, but in truth it provides a different style of episode this time around. She can’t run around as much, but instead gets to be face-to-face with the cops, namely Dante, where she can aid the direction of his case and Mallory, who has been denied his ‘big game’ arrest and has been left with insufficient evidence to put her away more long-term. McCall both quickly lets him know who he’s dealing with and provides the viewer with a more complete character profile on him. It is somewhat revealing about his motivations, and a reminder of how thorough McCall gets when she seeks information on an individual.

As well as the police however, it brings her face-to-face with the DA, who maintains her determination to see a dangerous vigilante off the streets whilst refusing to listen to the danger mentioned to her. The investigation as to who is truly hunting the DA does have a number of procedural twists and turns before we get to the real villains of the piece with a familiar formula in a changed delivery background.

The climax also tests the integrity of the client family and shines a light on right from wrong using them. It also leaves us with the Mallory arc tied off and the DA’s disposition towards McCall irreversibly changed. We’ve been here before, particularly with Dante, but if the authorities are hunting McCall again, it will either take greater escalation, or McCall to go to break her own limits. As a result, it gives the episode a feel of concluding certain longer-term threats to concentrate on newer and grander ones.

Melody is the mouthpiece of the injustice on this occasion, citing the optics of a minority initiating a loud protest, and additionally the stacked deck of a bail system to the rich and privileged against the opposite of that. She and Harry perhaps steal the episode between this and some strong comedy relief. What works best in this episode is the impact of some of the smaller scenes, from a memorable opener to one with a clever use of henchmen which remind us how physically dangerous McCall can be.

Additionally, there is one more encounter McCall has whilst locked up, and it is one she chooses for herself. Kisha Griffin ‘introduces’ herself to McCall, who sees an image of her younger self in the seemingly tough young woman. This subplot also fills the space in which perhaps more time would ordinarily be spent with Delilah, as the family are mostly focused on this occasion in being concerned about McCall’s safety in jail.

Verdict: A good, solid episode, if perhaps not as standout as others this season. 7/10

Russell A. Smith