Major Crimes Review: The Merriest Depressing Christmas
Carissa Pavlica
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It was the week before Christmas on Major Crimes Season 2 Episode 15 and the squad was, once again, forced to sideline its holiday plans when someone had the audacity to turn up dead.
Such nerve!
The case of the week was pretty good, and for the first time in a while almost impossible to figure out from this end of the screen. It was also nice to have a family member of the victim on hand who was immediately ruled out as a suspect and didn't find themselves back on the list before the hour ended.
It was Buzz's week to shine with the one-liners.
For the first 15 minutes or so, he was on fire. Even after the realities of the case started to hit, it only added more fuel to his already hot tongue. The title of this review is in homage to his wit. I think that's a first.
Oh my God. I didn't think it was possible but Christmas just got more depressing.
Buzz
There was a lot going on about parents. The murder victim wasn't a great father, and his son was planning to spend Christmas with him because he was going through a divorce. His father died but he did learn, through evidence, that he was never far from his father's thoughts via videos his dad had of he and his sister.
His father had stumbled upon a boy who could throw a baseball with both arms, who also happened to be a boy that went to the family's church. That boy was kidnapped years earlier and the victim was killed to keep his identity quiet.
The whole story was so convoluted you really have to watch Major Crimes online to understand the context, but it was rather brilliantly thought out by the writers.
While it meant one man lost his father, it also meant another boy was reunited with the mother he lost at age six. His kidnapper told him his parents ran away and left him alone, and he was left with nothing, while his mother had been searching for years.
Even though the victim's son lost his father, he did discover he was loved more than he knew, and a young boy who had his live torn apart through no fault of his own would be able to get some of it back. That's a merry depressing Christmas, right?
While all of this was happening, Rusty was meeting with Dr. Joe a final time. He didn't like how he felt Dr. Joe kept tricking him into talking about his mother, but Dr. Joe was just trying to get Rusty to open up about his feelings for both his mother and Sharon.
It's still surprising that Rusty feels sad that he is happy with Sharon while his mother is out there somewhere. Rusty doesn't know if she is happy or not, but he assumes not.
She's the one who took money from his friends and left him alone, again; but he's acting as the adult and worrying about her. When Dr. Joe asked if he would leave with her if she showed up, he said he honestly didn't know. Did seeing the other mother and son reunite sway his answer?
It's difficult to watch Rusty feeling so responsible for such an irresponsible woman. He deserves time to be a kid. That's my wish for him. That by next Christmas he has the opportunity to be a normal teenager.
I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get any follow-up to what happened between Andy and Sharon at the performance of The Nutcracker. At least let us know how Flynn's family took everything. We know he's looking for Christmas gifts for his new grandkids and Sharon is still calling him Andy. I'd like more information please!
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.
