Deputy Season 1 Episode 10 Review: School Ties
Carissa Pavlica
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It seems that not everybody is a fan of Bill Hollister as the Sheriff of Los Angeles County.
There was a lot of political maneuvering on Deputy Season 1 Episode 10, as a new character joined the ranks and tossed her hat into the ring as Sheriff.
When we talked with showrunner Kimberly Harrison at the SCAD aTVfest, she said there would be an even bigger threat to Bill's future than Charlie and Jerry. That appears to be District Attorney Riley.
But at the same time Jaime Ray Newman introduced DA Riley, Charlie proved that she's not as Team Charlie as she originally seemed.
If you watch Deputy online, you know that Charlie hasn't been at all interested in fully working with Bill in his new role.
She seemed to think that it wasn't worth her time if he wasn't going to be sporting the badge beyond his initial appointment.
Jerry appealed to her on the most basic level and made promises that would only be worthwhile if he ran for office unopposed. What was odd about the whole scenario is that if he was going to run unchallenged, then he didn't need dirt on Bill.
All Jerry had to do was play along and bide his time, and he could have walked into the role. Instead, he got his hands dirty with Charlie and opposed Bill at every available opportunity. That wasn't the smartest political strategy.
But what we didn't know about Charlie was that she's got quite the heart. When she's not kicking ass as a deputy, she's teaching. Who saw that coming?
She cares a lot about the community and helping kids to escape their dead-end existence. It was connecting that part of her world with Bill's job as sheriff that got her to see he was one of the good guys and worthy of her support.
It also seemed like she thought it wasn't a compliment that Bill asked her to be Joseph's training officer when it was how highly he thought of her that got her the gig.
Spending time with Isabelle and finally understanding how Bill viewed her work with Joseph helped settle Charlie into a role she didn't even know she wanted. Only now will Joseph's training to become a great deputy begin.
We never know how someone views us if we go in with a bad attitude, but if she had been a little more open to the whole scenario, she would have seen earlier that being entrusted with training his godson could only be good for her.
What's funny is that it is just as Jerry needs her intel the most that she's abandoning him. Who doesn't love that?
You'd think that when faced with an "enemy" to the department that you can both agree on that, it would get the two veteran sheriff's department employees on the same team.
Riley: The days of a corrupt and lawless Sheriff's department are over. No more insiders. It's time for a reformer, an agent of change, someone to come in and clean house. So, today, I humbly announce my candidacy for Los Angeles County.
Jerry: What are you thinking?
Bill: I should have seen this coming.
Jerry: She'll destroy everything we've worked for. Whatever you think of me, Bill, an outsider running this department isn't right.
Bill: This may be the first time I've ever agreed with you, Jerry.
Jerry: It's not about you and me anymore.
Bill: Never was.
But we're talking about Jerry here, and he goes about everything ass-backward. He even brought up that he and Bill needed to combine resources to keep Riley at bay, but in doing so, he only wanted Bill's backing for the run instead of offering the same support if Bill decides to run.
Jerry: You really think you can win.
Riley: Against Hollister, we'll see. Against you, easily.
That he kept up the ruse even after Riley assured him that if they went head to head in an election, she'd cream him is only indicative of his delusions of grandeur.
If anything, once she said that, Jerry should have tried to refocus. Instead, he's going to hope that Bill and Riley tear into each other so ravenously that he'll be the only one standing after the dust settles.
To be clear, Bill did take the gloves off when he called the LA Times to go on the record with his thoughts on taking down the LAPD officer. But Riley is all kinds of wrong on all of her points regarding the officer's case, and Bill wants a bad man to pay for his crimes.
Riley: The call is mine.
Bill: That's true. However, a public conflict between the Sheriff and the DA will not be any less destructive to the county than an LAPD officer for a crime he absolutely committed.
Sure, Bill is a fan of cowboy justice, but the way Riley positioned herself in her speech sure made it seem like she was the female version of Bill Hollister but without the decades worth of experience under her belt.
Personally, I got a soft spot for cowboy diplomacy. But with nepotism, I agree. Fortunately, that's not what this was. Deputy Harris was right. LAPD was pinning a murder on an innocent man. Here's how I see it. You're letting a corrupt police officer walk for your own political benefit as you aim to run a department that you've never worked in, and you think you can do it better than all of the people who climbed their way up on the inside.
Bill
When she first started speaking to the cameras about the necessity of someone to shake things up within the sheriff's office, I really thought the surprise would be that she was backing Bill.
She was describing Bill as she was selling herself. That proves how little she understood about Bill when she got involved with the case and how faulty her reasoning when she decided that Bill's trust of Joseph was nepotism.
It seems like her miscalculation of the opposition will be what ends her run, but this is television. And if it's not Jerry standing at the end of the season, then someone has to be a threat to Bill's tenure as sheriff. It's too fairy tale for Bill to get the position, run, and win. There will be more to that story, for certain.
It wasn't all politics, though, as Cade and Teresa realized how fully realized their new family was and how much it would hurt to see is torn apart.
When Roberto and Camilla's grandmother showed up to take the kids for the day, the way she greeted Cade and Teresa was worrisome. Her thanks almost felt final, as if they'd done all that was needed, and she'd take over from there.
But that's not the good story. The best course would be for their new family to expand further to include Carmen. With the ease in which they accepted two new children, it's obvious they have all the love they need to welcome more members, especially if it benefits the kids.
Bill understands all about making sacrifices for children, and he's got some growing to do with Maggie as she becomes a young lady. When Bill met Wyatt, he did all of the dad things Bill probably warned himself against saying.
He even admitted as much to Cade. He knew what he was doing, but was unable to stop himself. But when he and Maggie went horseback riding together, it was obvious that Maggie loved her dad for his protectiveness even if it was a little abrasive.
It was so sweet of her to say that she could put herself into his shoes to wonder what it must be like to witness your child grow up. She even said she'd tried to slow it a down a little, but it's beyond her capacity to act.
If parents are loathe to see their little ones take on the world, the little ones are in a similar spot. Cutting the apron ties creates emotion across the board, and that Bill and Maggie can be so open with each other about it is beautiful.
Alright, guys. It's your turn!
What did you think of the new district attorney?
Are you happy to have Charlie out of the espionage game?
Hit the comments to let me know what you thought of "School Ties."
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.
