“St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” is one of only two episodes in the first season of The Chicago Code without Delroy Lindo’s Alderman Ronin Gibbons, so far the livewire of the entire show. Somehow, against all odds and with that stipulated absence, this episode manages to put together the most volatile, taut, and compelling episode of the entire series so far. It’s the first truly great hour of The Chicago Code, and it manages that without a shred of the overarching plot of the first season concerning corrupt Alderman Gibbons.
As far as a case of the week goes, this episode has a firecracker. As Superintendent Colvin sits in as a guest star on Chicago radio host Mancow Muller’s morning show, an anonymous caller identifying himself as a cop denigrates the progress Colvin has made in her brief time as head of the police force. Before she can respond to the man’s claims, she gets word that five men have been murdered in broad daylight in Lincoln Park, and leaves the station. This sets up the main conflict of the episode: Colvin is pressured by the mayor (who we see for the first time) to solve the murder case quickly, with the Fraternal Order of Police mounting a vote of no confidence against her in light of the pressure from the mayor’s office and the number of officers she’s bristled with her attempts to clean and shape up the department.
It turns out that the five men were business owners who until recently paid tribute money to the Two-Corner Hustlers, a gang lead by Wayne Luckett, who turns out to be incarcerated and incapacitated by an aneurism. The police look for the current leader of the gang on the streets, turning up Wayne’s son Deion (played by Aldis Hodge, or Ray “Voodoo” Tatum from season one of Friday Night Lights) in a sting operation, only to find out that he isn’t the brains of the operation.
Throughout the first season Teresa Colvin has dealt with officers unsure of their allegiance to a female Superintendent, and though the pressure from the mayor’s office and the union doesn’t specifically point to her gender for the supposed lack of confidence, it’s obviously implied that they don’t think a woman is up to the job. In a relatively brilliant plot move, it is precisely this fact that leads Colvin to the discovery that Wayne Luckett’s daughter Bernadette, who works as a clerk for a tough-on-cops judge, exposing a more far-reaching web of crime and corruption in the city.
Jennifer Beals hasn’t really garnered much credit for her performance as Colvin thus far, but for the way in which she ratchets up the intensity as the pressure mounts is incredibly impressive, although it’s obvious her voice was weak in the filming of the episode and the production staff had to rely on post-production ADR, which undercuts the power of many lines she delivers. Her interrogation of Bernadette is particularly powerful, as is her heartfelt speech to police officers before the no-confidence vote, where the wear and tear in her voice exudes a great amount of effort she puts into her job, and the ideals she sternly upholds in her office.
In previous episodes the real detective work played out too slow, with too many dramatic pauses for revelation, but here everything was moving at a sprint, never slowing down too much, but never so quickly as to leave viewers lost. Jarek and Evers conducted concise and efficient conversations, revealing as much information needed at any given time, especially during a great discussion over their opinions regarding Superintendent Colvin that played out over a long take driving underneath the El tracks, as well as some spectacular chase scenes that are quickly becoming The Chicago Code trademark for impressive camera work.
As far as B-plots go, the episode stuck to its somewhat central theme of unexpectedly powerful women, with Isaac and Vonda going up against Anna Chase (played by Cathy Cahlin-Ryan of The Shield, and showrunner Shawn Ryan’s wife), a high-powered attorney nicknamed “The Anaconda” who specializes in lawsuits against the police. The case is pretty cut and dry: Isaac and Vonda responded to a domestic disturbance call, found a women clearly beaten by her husband, who in turn resisted arrest and was injured. However, since the two officers have become romantically entangled, Chase is able to poke enough holes in the story to make a $75,000 settlement a better idea than taking a chance in court. The way the show cuts away from the main plot in order to deliver three versions of the incident in typical Rashomon-esque fashion from each person’s perspective was handled about as well as possible, and in an interesting way that provided the way the public views the police, an aggressive office like Isaac sees his actions, and a much calmer cop like Vonda interprets how a police officer acts. It’s a great way to keep the romantic plot on the table, but show that it has real consequences for Isaac and Vonda going forward.
The best long-lasting effect of the episode is its subtle commentary on media and public obsession with this idea: “What have you done for me lately?” Colvin has decreased the murder rate significantly, but after a shooting, everything gives over to chaos and uncertainty about how effective she is at her job. The mayor hangs her out to dry, the police union circles for the kill, and it’s everything Colvin can do to stave off the wolves long enough to solve the case and save her job, even though what she really cares about is the city she works for. It’s a sad state of affairs, and through the thrilling visual techniques and fast-paced narrative of “Massacre,” the show finally has an episode to hold up as a definitive reason why it warrants a second season.
Final Grade: A
Other Notes:
The radio show in the beginning was a bit overdone, with the calls and answers seeming too conveniently timed for a television narrative arc, but I’m willing to forgive the tiny gripes I have with the episode in favor of the overall feeling it achieved.
Caleb and Vonda share a great one-word exchange that I’m pretty sure is the most they’ve ever talked to each other in the entire series, but it’s nice to see the writers nod that everyone in the main cast is interconnected and at least knows each other on a first name basis.
It’s been far too long since Voodoo Tatum got on some primetime television. He was a great villain in that first season. Everybody needs to watch Friday Night Lights.
In two weeks the show comes back for the final string of four episodes centered around getting Alderman Gibbons. I doubt anything huge will happen since they need Delroy Lindo to stick around in order to keep the show that much more interesting, but it looks like Liam might be headed for some danger.
Best little details of the episode go to Evers name-dropping the streets of Chicago where the murdred business owners plied their trades. As opposed to the desperate detail of Cubs/Sox or Northwestern, those pile up easily as believable pieces of evidence the show uses to build authenticity.