Major Crimes Season 4 Episode 7 Review: Targets of Opportunity
Jack Ori
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Sometimes, people do bad things for the right reason.
On Major Crimes Season 4 Episode 7, a witness to a double homicide steals a gun and runs from the cops for what turn out to be very good reasons.
Meanwhile, Chief Taylor's well-intentioned press blitz of the witness's photo almost leads to disastrous consequences, and Rusty tells a lie and adds to his guilt about his investigation--but all for a good cause.
I thought "Targets of Opportunity" set a darker tone from the beginning than I'm used to, but it was effective. The silent salute and paying of respects at the crime scene caught my interest and let me know that this was going to be a more somber episode.
I expected a story about cops vs. civilians and the recent unrest coming from many parts of the United States, since Chief Taylor was worried about the police in general being targets.
Let's make sure tonight this is as bad as things get.
Chief Taylor
Provenza didn't even get his characteristic one-liner at the crime scene. That had to wait until almost the end of the hour.
If you are seeking a shortcut to hell, my son, you've come to the right place.
Provenza
Although civil unrest was not really touched upon after the opening scenes, "Targets of Opportunity" touched upon plenty of topical issues, especially those related to immigration. I felt bad for "Prescott" (later properly named Rico) from the beginning, when the late cops disapproved of his use of Spanish.
There was clearly some fear of police going on when his girlfriend opened the door to the fake cops who came back to finish what they started, though at the time it wasn't clear that was what was happening.
Incidentally, the flashback was a bit confusing. If I hadn't recognized Tracy as one of the dead cops' names, I would have thought we were in real time and not understood the situation.
In any case, I found it refreshing that Rico turned out to not be a gang member himself, but just a scared kid who didn't want to be deported to El Salvador and saw two cops get gunned down before his eyes. This tied in nicely to the theme of things not being what they seemed. The cops who became killers actually weren't cops at all, just like Rico wasn't a bad guy after all.
For some reason, I found the fake cops' interactions with each other to be amusing. I badly needed a laugh by the time Major Crimes was staking them out.
Stay in the car and watch the back. Try not to kill anyone.
Fake Cop
I'd like to have known more about why these two decided to pose as cops and become killers. Provenza alluded to them being con artists who were stealing money by pretending to be cops. But given the tension between the immigrants and the police in general, I had to wonder if racism was a motive, as well. It was interesting how Rico and his girlfriend, Emmy, pretended not to speak English whenever they thought they were in trouble.
What do you know...instant English.
Sykes
On top of all this, there was Rusty this week. Rusty's investigation led him to a source who may or may not be dangerous. In typical Rusty fashion, he figured meeting in a public place was enough of a precaution. I'm so glad he has TJ to watch his back!
We've only been friends for a couple of months, but if there's one thing that's totally obvious about you, it's that you're overconfident.
TJ
It was fascinating watching Rusty struggle with guilt over his deception so that he could check out his source's background. Just like Rico, he seemed to be doing the wrong thing for a good reason. And just like the fake cops, he was not what he seemed to be.
So what did you think? How soon is Rusty going to find himself in hot water? Did you realize those cops were fake and not just rogue cops? Share your thoughts below!
Miss an episode? Don't panic. You can watch Major Crimes online and get caught up.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on X.
