Reenie’s boyfriend seeks Colter’s help…

Opening with Colter with a gun to his head and then flashing back, this shifts the show’s tone again to chilly noir. It’s a great fit too and gives us a story that continues to show how complex Colter’s world is. Reenie steps into the spotlight this week as does Elliott, her current boyfriend. He calls Colter in to help a client whose son has gone missing. That client is Ivy Hale, a self-made businesswoman who’s a pillar of the community and has a great relationship with her son.

It is, of course, far more complex than that and this episode is an old-school detective story that’s a pleasure to watch unfold. Hartley is very good at using his clean-cut good looks as a weapon, and we see Colter disarm and unbalance multiple people here. He’s just a 6’3” labrador puppy, a man who’s completely open and sincere not because he’s naive but because he can back everything he says up. It’s a subtle, parallel style to Jensen Ackles’ Russell. He’s all swagger, Colter’s all honesty. That gets him into trouble this episode.

Travis Donnelly & Jordan Goodman’s script progresses Reenie’s plot, gives Michael Rady’s Elliott some moments of fun ambiguity and throws Colter into the middle of a gang war, a broken friendship, an illicit romance and a generational clash. It’s a lot and it’s anchored by a typically great guest cast. Amy Pietz is exceptional as Ivy Hale, especially when her true nature is revealed. JJ Soria’s Vargas impresses too and it was especially nice to see Reilly Dolman show up as Matt’s cousin. if you’ve never seen Travelers, an extraordinarily good time travel show that ran for two seasons, check it out. Dolman’s fantastic in a lead role there and a supporting but pivotal role here.

But what really works here is that the problem is solved but the world isn’t changed. Colter, the case and the episode are all focused on the individual and here that focus collides with two competing crime syndicates and two competing crime bosses. Colter closes the case but has unfinished business with both by the end of the episode. One is an ally, one is a foe and much like Keaton and other characters we’ve met this season, there’s a sense of them being touchstones being laid in for future stories.

Verdict: The cast are great, the script is ambitious, the story is resolved and the world is expanded. It’s a great spotlight for Hartley and an excellent episode that suggests the show is finding its feet in this second half of the season. It populates Colter’s world with some really fun new faces, tells a complete story and drives the show and Colter forward.  The platonic ideal of a procedural TV show looks a lot like this. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart