Major Crimes Season 6 Episode 2 Review: Sanctuary City: Part 2
Jack Ori
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The priest did it. Provenza's been saying so all along.
And by the end of Major Crimes Season 6 Episode 2 he'd skipped town while another priest at the parish stood there gloating.
So was Provenza right yet again, or is this a red herring?
I'm both hoping and expecting it'll be a red herring.
With three more hours to go before this case ends, it's unlikely that Major Crimes has identified the real culprit, unless we're in for a tedious three-episode manhunt that crosses international boundaries.
Plus, it's too obvious. Father Jonas is looking more and more suspicious and even though it conflicts with the rule that Provenza is always right, TV trope logic says the clearly guilty suspect probably has some other explanation for his odd behavior.
Medical Examiner: Without other evidence as trauma, we have to assume that he died of complications of diabetes.
Buzz: Diabetes didn't dump his body here.
For one thing, Lucas' body was dumped at the church after his death, so it sure looks like someone wants the church to look bad.
For another, it's all too convenient. Father Jonas' job history suggested pedophilia, Ian Nunez complained that the priest was doing things with his son that he should be doing himself, and Father Stan seemed overly eager to cover up problems in order to protect the Church's reputation.
Either of the other two men could have been involved and then chosen to use Father Jonas as their scapegoat. If Father Stan is behind the disappearances, he might even have encouraged Father Jonas to take a sabbatical.
Father Stan: Sarah, it might be best to pray for the faith and the strength to overcome -
Mrs. Garza: We trusted you with our son! And look what happened! If it weren't for you, those other two boys would have never talked Lucas into walking off with them.
I thought Mrs. Garza's outburst that Father Stan let Lucas leave with the other kids was interesting.
The cops' current theory is that the boys left the field trip voluntarily but then met with foul play. But is this general knowledge, did Mrs. Garza guess, or does she know something more about what happened than she's letting on?
I hope she does. I know she's supposed to be a grieving mother, but her emotion felt over the top to me and was more annoying than sympathetic.
If Mrs. Garza is sitting on information related to her son's death, it would almost make her scenes worth it.
FBI Agent: The Garzas don't have cartel connections.
Page: Don't assume that just because they're Mexican, the Diazes are connected to drug cartels.
FBI Agent: I'm Mexican! I don't assume connections to drug cartels because of Mexican heritage. I assume it because they're illegals.
As usual, the FBI just got in the way. I don't think I've seen a crime drama, ever, where federal and state law enforcement agents actually worked together and didn't fight for control of the case.
In this case, though, I thought that tired old trope was a good way to weave the topical issue of illegal immigration into the fabric of the story.
Agent Vega is worlds apart from Marvin Garrett and would probably be offended by the suggestion that he has anything in common with this loudmouth who hates all undocumented immigrants, including the boy next door who was brought to America as a young child and had no say in the matter.
Yet Vega presumes that the only reason someone would come to America without going through proper channels is that they are involved in international drug trade.
He certainly has his own prejudices, which may or may not turn out to have any basis in fact when it comes to this case.
It really didn't help my opinion of him that he had no clue that house flipping is a legitimate business and assumed the Diazes must be laundering money if they were able to sell houses for more money than they bought them for!
Look, when we first met, I didn't like you, not only because you were difficult but because I dislike all teenagers. But now you're an adult and you've grown on me.
Hobbs
Meanwhile, Rusty asked Andy to help convince Sharon to let him get a concealed carry permit.
This is my least favorite storyline so far this season, and that's sad because I'm a Rusty fan from way back when. Unlike Hobbs, I have no problem either with teenagers or with the teenage version of Rusty.
But Rusty does tend towards impulsivity and poor decision making, and those in combination with a gun could be asking for trouble.
So far he is more level-headed than Archie on Riverdale, but that's not saying much. I just hope this doesn't end in some sort of character-ruining tragedy.
Hobbs: Congratulations, you have finally made me suspect Father Jonas.
Provenza: And that's a problem because?
Hobbs: You've also made me think I have to investigate Ryan's biological parents, and reopen the investigation into the death of his stepfather, because the theory that the three boys covered up his murder suddenly seems plausible. And then there's the unhinged neighbor and his daughter who has a driver's license. A defense attorney would have a field day with all of this. Call me when you drain the suspect pool.
While I may disagree with Hobbs' assessment of Rusty, I agreed completely with her assessment of the case. I didn't think the "throw every theory possible at the suspect and see what comes out" strategy was very effective. It made the cops look like amateurs who were just guessing.
And Hobbs was right. They handed the defense a ton of reasonable doubt on a platter. With all these theories and suspects floating around, she couldn't make a case against anyone.
Finally, the whole Nunez thing was really ridiculous.
Camilla Page is annoying me too, but if she came to my door with a search warrant I'd know better than to shove her!
Why Nunez thought that the fact that she hit him back harder is relevant is beyond me. This isn't the primary school playground; it's the adult world and assaulting a cop has serious consequences.
Anyway, if Nunez doesn't have something to do with the disappearances and deaths, this whole thing was a waste of time, so I'm expecting we'll find out more about what's up with him as the case continues.
Oh, and not telling his new wife about his son from his first marriage was just stupid. He could have avoided a ton of trouble that way.
So what did you think of "Sanctuary City: Part 2?"
Am I the only one who thinks it's way too early for Father Jonas to actually be a viable suspect?
Does anyone actually want to see Rusty with a gun in his hands?
Who do you think has the boys, and what actually happened?
Weigh in below, and don't forget that if you missed anything you can always watch Major Crimes online.
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.
