Rizzoli & Isles Season 6 Episode 9 Review: Love Taps
Jack Ori
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Jealousy makes people do crazy things.
Sometimes, they send threatening texts or letters. Other times, they stalk the object of their jealousy.
In Rizzoli & Isles Season 6 Episode 9, that's just the beginning of the madness.
The hour started off as a typical Rizzoli & Isles mystery, with a young kid literally being kicked off a cliff while begging for his life. At the beginning of the investigation, I thought he might have been a victim of bullying gone too far. My other theory was that he was participating in some weird hazing to fit in.
Either one of those scenarios would have fit in with his roommate's assessment of his character.
No offense, but dude's super boring. He's an English major or something.
Roommate
I was surprised by the weird direction the story took. I did think something was off about Heather the first time we met her. I was saddened by her declaration that she was so lonely that she had to make her husband jealous with an imaginary boyfriend.
Man: You've been texting with a robot?
Woman: He tells me I'm pretty every day. You're never home. I just wanted you to be a little jealous.
I thought that was odd and sad and was all ready to comment on it being a throwaway line when it turned out to be a major clue to her instability. I was surprised that Heather turned to be the killer, which was a nice twist instead of the predictable jealous husband as killer angle. However, I didn't realize she was nearly as nuts as she turned out to be. Did you?
At its heart, this crime was about out-of-control loneliness. Stuart was a lonely kid who worked as a responder for some stupid virtual app in order to pay his own way through college. The people who signed up for the app were so desperately lonely that they preferred an imaginary partner to no partner at all.
And one of those people was so lonely that it literally drove her nuts and turned her into a killer.
The criminals weren't the only ones who were lonely. Maura's father was also lonely; he missed his daughter. It was heartbreaking when Maura didn't want to accept his apology.
I missed you too, for so long. And then I got over it.
Maura
Even though I think the reason for the rift was far less dramatic than it was built up to be, I thought Maura's struggle to forgive her father was well done. I liked the way Angela was used in this story, too. She wasn't doing anything silly or quirky throughout the episode. She was just in the bar, giving advice like bartenders tend to do.
Angela: You know, when your kids are little and they look up to you, they are your whole world. But parents are not perfect. Don't get me wrong, I'm not excusing what your father did. He made a mistake, and one that caused you so much pain and anger. Why hold on to it, Maura?
Maura: At this point, I don't know how to do anything different.
Did anyone else catch Jane's throwaway line about not getting along with Frankie? That seemed to be awkwardly shoved into the story, as well as this whole conflict between Vince and Kiki. I didn't know what Vince was talking about when he asked Angela if he should get chocolate or flowers.
It felt to me like the whole Kiki subplot was thrown in when the writers realized they had extra time to fill. It came out of nowhere and was not connected to the rest of the story.
After watching "Love Taps," did you feel tempted to check out a virtual boyfriend or girlfriend on your phone? What did you think of Maura's reconciliation with her father? And do you think Jane should keep wearing that leather jacket? Share your comments below!
Need a refresher? Watch Rizzoli & Isles online and catch up on anything you missed.
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.
