Dante calls in the team to help with a professional, yet also personal matter as one of his old partners, Rose Garcia, goes missing on an undercover operation.

In order to infiltrate the establishment for investigation, the team need to call in someone close to the target as they are already on high alert following the undercover cop’s capture. This requires the aid of an old associate of Benson’s, as someone he can trust, coming in to help the team get to the bottom of the investigation and look for Garcia. Enter JJ, a prominent guest role played by Mike Epps as a hustler finishing up his prison sentence and coming with his own brand of trouble. Although anxious at the thought of jeopardising his sentence completion, his scheming ways have not abandoned him, making JJ something of a handful for the team. The accomplished Epps has a fine balance between the chief comedy relief this time around and performing a vital role in the success or failure of the mission. It does not help, then, that he gives the team the runaround at any given opportunity early into the task. Despite some early moments of jeopardising matters, his interests and the team’s are sufficiently aligned to get through their adventure, even if the humour occasionally falls flat.

The main story works well, with considerable threat throughout carried by villain Charles Benson and his crew. It is helped along by another great performance from Tory Kittles as Dante, who himself has to run a range of emotions. The entire mission is driven by his emotional connection to his missing partner, and there are times where he looks ready to crumble under the pressure, which leaves little wonder he is struggling to find time to manage his personal life as well. In particular, the slow-burn of him and McCall looking to explore a more personal relationship has been threatened repeatedly over the season already, between the hazards of their collective jobs, family life and the looming threat placed by his police captain over summoning McCall’s expertise for official jobs. Each of these aspects has been carefully placed to test him, and he is at the edge of his coping range.

Meanwhile Dee has to deal with what appears to be the school’s mean girls, revisiting some of the social media obstacles pupils have to face at school when they are turned upon her. This time around, however, there is an interesting twist. The motivations behind her military career aspirations are given some further definition as a result of her navigating this challenge.

Verdict A fast-paced episode which sees McCall pressed into action on numerous occasions, it is a less a comedy episode than another with dedicated lighter moments. I am uncertain one of them was one of the hired bad guy muscle having modelled himself on Hans Gruber somewhat, but it does not distract too much from an entertaining adventure. 7/10

Russell A. Smith