Major Crimes Season 5 Episode 2 Review: N.S.F.W.
Jack Ori
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Can Sharon Beck go away? Please?
She never does anything but cause trouble and Rusty and Sharon Raydor both know it. Yet she is a near constant presence in their lives, wreaking havoc and distracting viewers from more important storylines.
Major Crimes Season 5 Episode 2 is no exception.
The juxtaposition of Sharon's surprise pregnancy by the man who abused her and Rusty for years and recently attempted to get her involved in armed robberies (I didn't pay enough attention to this nonsense to recall whether he actually forced her into them or not) with the more serious case of barely legal girls being drugged and roped into the porn business was interesting.
However, her pregnancy itself was not.
There was too much shifting responsibility to people who didn't deserve it. It was not Sharon R.'s responsibility to tell Rusty the news, nor is it Rusty's to decide whether or not his mom keeps her baby.
Rusty: My mom shouldn't have this baby.
Sharon: That is not your choice to make, young man.
I was appalled by her suggestion that Rusty should think over whether or not he wants to help with the baby because otherwise his bio mom will be "forced" to give up her new child.
Rusty made really good points and hopefully will not fall prey to her manipulation. But this woman needs to take responsibility for her actions or go be irresponsible somewhere else.
Could you panic a little more quietly? Because we need to hear this.
Provenza
The case of the hour was fairly interesting. There were no quirky characters and no silly, convoluted murder scheme here. It was a mainly straightforward case involving drugs, porn and a cop who may or may not have been dirty.
Julio's chance meeting with the victim was lucky, as it helped foreshadow the fact that he was actually trying to catch Bo McClennan rather than working with him.
I'm also glad the show didn't go the conventional route of having a cop suspected of the crime because he happened to be the last to see the victim alive.
Provenza: Let's not jump to conclusions.
Flynn: Since when?
McClennan sure was skeevy, and what was wrong with his lawyer? Obviously the girls didn't ask to have their producer seduce them while they were unable to consent. His lawyer suggesting otherwise was gross.
It shouldn't have been surprising that Lisa was actually involved in the multiple murders the Major Crimes Unit uncovered during the course of the hour. After all, she was the last person seen with the victim and her story was pretty questionable.
Brady the bartender was an unpredictable choice for her accomplice, though. He seemed like such a nice guy when he was talking to Julio! Did anyone else see that coming? I certainly didn't.
Rusty: Mom said you can take your time.
Buzz: I've taken 30 years. Another day won't hurt me.
I'm looking forward to more movement in Buzz's storyline. There was some good set-up during "NSFW." Rusty is overly eager to feature Buzz's story on his webcast and needs to chill out and be more sensitive to Buzz's feelings about the death of people close to him, or there is going to be trouble later.
Buzz also will undoubtedly have a ton of emotions once he finally begins investigating, especially when he finds out what actually happened. He likely will regret having the answers he's been seeking.
Buzz: Anyone want to watch any more video of this asshole?
Provenza: Not while I'm eating this fabulous lunch.
What's with the references to Patrice and her influence on Provenza? Is there going to be an actual story for these two, or is this just a running joke?
What did you think of "NSFW"? Did you need a shower after Bo McClennan's and his lawyer's final scene? What do you think Buzz will find out? Did anyone enjoy Sharon Beck's latest visit?
Weigh in below, and don't forget you can watch Major Crimes online to refresh your memory if you need to.
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.
