Wow. That wasn't what I was expecting from the final minute of Major Crimes Season 3 Episode 9 at all.

Seriously, I thought Fritz was going to ask Tao something stupid like to walk on his back to relieve some pain. Having a heart attack? What the hell is happening here? Are they going to kill off Fritz Howard?!

Watch Major Crimes Season 3 Episode 9 Online

Before we really dwell on that, let's hit on the case of the week. It was about family. A scumbag put photos of naked women onto a website so their ex-boyfriends and ex-husbands could exact "Sweet Revenge" upon them. 

Well, the revenge was hardly sweet when he found his face blown off by a close-range bullet, was it? I was originally going to title this "What is Murder?" because sometimes I wonder. Is it worse to end someone's life so they move on to the sweet hereafter or to do it like this guy did -- by ruining them so completely they cannot get back the one they were living.

Even though the website was known to post photos for revenge purposes, one poor bastard had his laptop stolen and on it were intimate photos his wife sent to him while he was working for long periods out of town. He managed to have the photos removed for one day before they were back up again, and the school where she taught 9th grade saw them and so did her son.

She was given a choice; resign or go in front of the school board for disciplinary action, which would probably have resulted in firing, but would have definitely been humiliating. She chose to jump off a bridge and kill herself. What people do to each other that forces them to live on with dire consequences can sometimes seem far worse for the victim than murder -- especially when the guy killed was such a pig. 

Making matters worse, it was the husband who killed the website owner, but not without setting up an elaborate stage to throw the scent off of himself. That would have worked out great if his son didn't know about it and try to save his father by framing himself because he was so bereft that his mom thought he hated her.

I mean really -- how can you blame either of them after all that? How many lives did scumbag ruin? Probably plenty, and he was always able to skirt the law. Eh. Good riddance. Even Fritz was showing how Brenda had rubbed off on him by feeling for the guys.

Sharon's son Ricky came home and holy moly is he a cutie! I mean, he is adorable. However, he had been listening to dear old dad (the other pig, Jack) who had planted all kinds of lies about Rusty into his head. Why did Jack turn so completely on Rusty, anyway? They seemed to get along when he was living with Sharon. I don't get that story line at all.

Sharon essentially told Ricky how incredibly disappointed she was in him and gave him one more chance to get it right, to realize that Rusty wasn't using her and he came from nothing and wanted only love in return. When Sharon railed at him like that, the tears in Ricky's eyes proved he knew he got it wrong.

Ricky: OK funny guy, I have one question for ya before you officially become the little brother I never wanted. I'm interested in what your idea of family is, and what the word means to you -- family.
Rusty: I guess it means that the people in your life that you've decided to love no matter what and the people that are going to love you back, no matter what.
Sharon: It sounds pretty good to me, loving each other no matter what.
Ricky: Not bad. OK, little brother. Do you have any questions for me?
Rusty: Yeah. Just one. Who cuts your hair?

• Permalink: Yeah. Just one. Who cuts your hair?

I don't mean to be rude, but Rusty was not the right person to be asking that question! He has the worst haircut for a kid his age and Ricky is hot (OK, OK, so I have a bit of a crush Ryan Kennedy -- can you blame me?). But, it was a really cute conversation that gave them all what they needed to know. It wasn't Sharon or Rusty who were making a mistake, it was Jack. 

Now, on to that final scene. Fritz is in the previews for next week, but he's still clutching his chest. They wouldn't dare start this Deputy Chief SOB thing only to kill him off so Andrea from The Walking Dead could headline with Malcolm Jamal Warner, would they? Are they doing something to destroy his marriage with Brenda?

I'm so lost with where this is going, but it's scary. Fritz is a favorite and the thought of him dying is horrible. What's really amazing his how he just carried on the conversation about whether he could trust Tao and explained how imperative it was that he could before telling him he was having a heart attack!

I'm just reeling from that scene. How about you? Hit the poll, then the comments and let me know what you think is going on! Remember, you can watch Major Crimes online any time via TV Fanatic. 

Did you see Fritz's heart attack coming?

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.