Battle Creek Season 1 Episode 6 Review: Cereal Killer
Carissa Pavlica
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Russ and Milt. The Yin and the Yang of law enforcement.
It's another day, another argument between the senior officers and on Battle Creek Season 1 Episode 6 technology was up for grabs.
Now, I am a bona fide gadget lover, so it's difficult for me to want to side with my buddy Russ on this one, but I've also always wanted to be a private eye or something, using my intellect (don't go there) and sheer determination to solve cases. There is a place for both logic and gadgetry in law enforcement.
There were a lot of great quips in this week's installment, so make sure you check out our Battle Creek Quotes page. It's always fun to see if we've caught the same ones they pick for the upcoming commercials. We're doing pretty good, so far!
Not only was the underlying argument Russ and Milt were having about old fashion detective work vs newfangled technological manhunts fun and relevant, but the case of the week had enough twists to keep it entertaining.
Patton Oswalt provided entertainment as the jovial Mayor Hardy by day who went so far as to stage his own kidnapping to get a little "me" time for his other, more evening related pastime, crack smoker.
Hey, it gave Milt and Russ something to agree upon, as they were both shocked at the development and even more at the fact Mayor Hardy had the balls to flaunt his predilection for the pipe and pills.
Russ: Only a person high on crack would find any of this logical. [grabs a
bottle from the Mayor's hands] What is this?
Milt: Oxycontin, Vicodin...you have a pharmacy in here.
Russ: In front of a cop and a Fed? Are you kidding me?
Considering his brother was played by another well known character whose name is escaping me, it should have come to me sooner that he would have more to do other than play Mayor Hardy's brother. Of course he would be trying to kill the guy and shooting the poor school mascot as a diversion was a pretty good tactic.
What I didn't like was bringing the whole "he must have been shot because he was gay" thing into it, but it seems to be the way to go. A good detective (where's that noggin, Russ?) should have seen through the BS and into the other boy's true motivation for his nasty messages: jealousy. He wanted to be the mascot.
If they wanted to introduce Sam's sexuality as a part of the storyline, then they didn't have to use it as a possible motivation. Been there done that. Heck, have him dating someone who may have known of a different shooter based on the jealousy angle. That would have worked and taken the edge off of painting the world as homophobes. It's getting old, folks.
I thought the side story about Funkhauser's wedding venue deposit check was a little meh. With all of the lies going on, that seemed one of the least necessary, especially since between them all, they fixed the problem more than once. Something about Funk's fiancee seems suspect anyway. She's a little too high maintenance. It seems like there's a bigger story looming about her.
I'd rather see the other officers working a separate case rather than engaging in personal stories, unless they tie directly in with the main case in some way. I suppose, ultimately, what Milt and Russ discussed at the end merged it all together.
Milt: Sometimes white lies help us make a better reality.
Russ: What the hell does that even mean? I guess you construct your own reality because the laws of gravity don't apply to you, either.
Milt: Are you sure? I ended up in Battle Creek, didn't I?
Which begs the question; will they ever be honest with each other? The season finale will probably split something wide open, leaving us to wonder if it's real or another white lie.
Don't forget, if you've missed any of the series, you can watch Battle Creek online right here via TV Fanatic. Drop me a line in the comments. Have you been enjoying the witty banter on the new CBS show?
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.
