Suarez found his backbone!

He always had one, but since getting involved in Sharpe's campaign, he has been toeing the line more than he should, practically letting Sharpe run the department.

But when Suarez's mistake went viral on East New York Season 1 Episode 15, he'd finally had enough. It was about time he stood up for his department instead of putting political ambitions first.

Although Suarez's anger toward Sharpe was long overdue, this problem was partially Suarez's fault.

Would he have stopped to confront those allegedly lazy cops if he wasn't trying to score political points? He pulled over to yell at them while Allison was on a ride-along; don't tell me he wasn't trying to impress her.

Suarez thought the same thing Allison did: confronting those cops would demonstrate that he was the kind of leader the NYPD needs. But once he realized he'd misread the situation, Suarez backed down and hoped to forget the whole thing.

Instead, it became part of the public record thanks to Allison posting it online. And it didn't only embarrass Suarez -- it also made Sandeford look like a lazy cop.

These kinds of scuffles with the press will be part of Suarez's job if he becomes commissioner, judging from how often Frank deals with bad media takes on Blue Bloods.

Suarez: Getting involved in a political campaign was a mistake.
Allison: John, no. I tend to justify my behavior by what will help me win. It makes me an excellent political consultant but not a very good person so far.

• Permalink: John, no. I tend to justify my behavior by what will help me win. It makes me an excellent...

But Suarez won't get there if he lets Allison distract him with more kisses!

Suarez was right the first time -- getting involved in politics was a mistake.

Sharpe's agenda has been at odds with the 7-4's since Regina took charge of the unit. Sharpe cares more about optics and approval ratings than protecting and serving East New York's most vulnerable residents.

That hasn't changed now that Suarez is on Sharpe's team. Minutes before firing Allison, Sharpe complained to Suarez that Regina was going after Lustig -- one of his biggest donors.

[Allison kisses Suarez]
Allison: If we were still working together, this would be completely inappropriate.
Suarez: Doesn't mean it's a good idea.

• Permalink: Doesn't mean it's a good idea.

Getting in bed with Alison -- literally or figuratively -- won't go anywhere good. Suarez had better realize that before something happens he can't undo.

Regina wasn't the only one disappointed that Lustig had nothing to do with Marcus' murder. It seemed weird that after Marcus made himself the most recognizable voice in the anti-gentrification movement, he wasn't killed because of it.

Instead, his death was due to a run-of-the-mill affair between his wife and his next-door neighbor.

Yenko: The good news is they solved a homicide today.
Regina: Yeah. The bad news is that Lustig had nothing to do with it.

• Permalink: Yeah. The bad news is that Lustig had nothing to do with it.

Bryon claimed he didn't want to kill Marcus, but what the hell did he think would happen if he hit him over the head with a shovel?

He and Bettina needed Marcus out of the way so they could sell their houses and run away together. The only way to accomplish that was to kill Marcus.

In addition, common sense dictates that if you hit a man over the head with a shovel, he's likely to die.

Technically, Lustig was indirectly responsible since Bettina and Bryon killed Marcus so that they could sell the property to Lustig. But that's not his fault nor actionable.

The solution to this mystery was meant to be a twist: instead of the evil developer, the wife and her secret lover killed Marcus.

In retrospect, Bettina was trying too hard to deflect suspicion. Her willingness to turn over Marcus' journal looked like an innocent person cooperating, but she was anything but.

The team immediately found an entry pointing to Lustig. How convenient!

Did Lustig really threaten Marcus? Or did Bettina forge this entry to throw the cops off the trail and frame the developer she planned to sell to?

This gentrification storyline isn't anywhere near over. This was only the opening act.

Regina declared war on Lustig. This'll bring Sharpe's wrath down on her -- let's hope Suarez sticks to his guns about not letting Sharpe control the department!

While Sharpe won't like the spotlight on Lustig, Councilwoman Ayers will pressure Regina to arrest him before she's ready.

I don't blame Ayers for being impatient. Gentrification negatively affects her community, and people who stand up to it get bullied into silence. And in the past, the cops have looked the other way because they didn't care about rich white men harassing poor Black people.

The councilwoman doesn't know Regina or her commitment to ending this discriminatory crap. Hopefully, they will find themselves on the same side as this story progresses.

Elsewhere, Brandy's mother coming to town probably won't be good news.

She's sober now, but there are never any guarantees. Ann-Marie seems to have replaced her alcohol addiction with butting into Brandy's life.

Brandy is in a vulnerable place. She broke up with Andre because she felt shut out too much of the time, and the last thing she needs is her mother putting her two cents into that relationship.

Like many children of addicts, Brandy also feels responsible for her mother's choices. She fears Ann-Marie will get into trouble because she's not there to watch or entertain her most of the time.

These are interesting dynamics! Ann-Marie wants to make amends, but how long will she stay sober? And will Brandy ruin her career trying to take care of her mother?

She might drop everything if she thinks her mother is using or needs her to stay sober. That could lead to career suicide!

There was a lot of relationship movement in the hour -- Brandy broke up with Andre, Corinne made it clear she was done with Killian, and Regina decided to start a relationship with Sean.

Regina/Sean is the most compelling of these stories. I'm curious whether Regina's intuition is picking up on something about Sean or if it's her fear talking.

What did you think, East New York fanatics? Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know. And don't forget you can watch East New York online whenever you'd like.

East New York airs on CBS on Sundays at 9 PM EST / PST.

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.