Shoot. I had a bad feeling about Daniel Dunn and his fiance and the situation certainly reared its ugly head in "Cheaters Never Prosper."

Sharon was spot on in her assessment of his nasty behavior. Being "late" by even one hour when your mom dropped you off at the zoo and ran, and later never showing up on a bus paid for by kind strangers, was enough to scare an abandoned child. To be a day and two hours behind was a giant red flag that could not be overlooked.

I hated the way Dunn called Rusty a problem, saying he needed him to show up for the sake of his fiance because she held the purse strings in the relationship. What a wonderful influence for an already traumatized young man. An adult male who is afraid of his girlfriend and using her for her money. What a tool. An abusive tool. I pity Daniel Dunn. Did he learn nothing from his dealings with Sharon?

Not only was he a bad kid in high school (can we really believe he didn't know about Rusty now?), he was a horrible father as an adult, as well as an absolute idiot to abuse the ward of an LAPD police woman. His girlfriend must have been a really classy broad. Thankfully, her daughters shouldn't have to grow up with him. I look forward to seeing how Sharon handles what he's done. We better get to see her in action!

The case of the week was meh.

Outside the Rusty situation and the enjoyable scenes of Sharon being a mama bear, the rest of the episode was dedicated to a case that came from outside of town. There wasn't a whole lot of fun and snark involved with the case, and I had a little trouble really caring about it or the victims. 

Even when the cases are boring, we still get some great Major Crimes quotes and it's entertaining watching the team come together, gather the puzzle pieces and solve the crime. I must have been having a (former) blonde moment because I could not connect the link between Rusty's text to Sharon and how she determined the best way to get the thieves out in the open. Was it really as simple as "message?" If so, that woman's got skills I need to learn!

In the end, it was pretty confusing how all the suspects and victims tied together. A stalker cop after a woman with one too many screws left and ended up killing him. Somewhere along the way the squad discovered a multi-monikered professor type who was the actual identity thief and caught him, too. Those are some long, complicated work days. Major Crimes gives me a new respect for both police and teamwork. 

A couple of off-topic thoughts.

• Hey! Did everyone catch the mention of Pope? I forgot he was even involved with the LAPD. It was a nice little reminder, other than the multiple Farmers commercials that play during the show. I wonder when Brenda will get her nod. They must have to pay Kyra Sedgwick too much for even a minor cameo.
• The case was initially investigated at 3:30 a.m. All of the guys were in suits and ties. Sykes was in a decent pantsuit, but with a jersey shirt. I don't know anything about the real LAPD. Are they really required to dress like that, even when responding to a call in the middle of the night? If so, pretty impressive. Yet, later Flynn was still dressed to the nines and Sharon had on jeans. Confused!
• Am I the only one who thinks Daniel Dunn looks a lot like the actor who plays Charlie's supposedly dead dad in Revolution? The two actors need to play brothers, if they haven't already.

Next week is the first season finale of Major Crimes. A roaring success for a spin-off that gave many pause, it's been renewed for a second season. Let's all take a moment and clink our glasses - cheers!! 

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.