Three episodes in and already the writers of Dark Blue have done more with the characters than they did for most of first season. Continuing from "Liar's Poker," "Shelter of the Beast" further fleshed out the conflicts we'll see this season as Carter used Finn and Maria to get at Garza.
We've come to expect high-level criminals taken down within an episode, so Garza being the main target in last week's episode and not even seen was pretty exciting. He showed his face this week and still wasn't caught! After Dean screws everything up, opting to save Maria instead of following through on orders, Carter, fully infuriated, goes berserk and prepares to charge in to get Garza on anything. However, Alex stops him with the full force of her position. No bust this week! So we see Alex ready to step when Carter becomes a little crazy (and honestly, his behavior is one of the grimiest on television this side of Vic Mackey), but at the same time, they're continuing their relationship/tryst.
I simply don't see how Dean can continue to stay on the team after directly going against orders, completely ruining the chance to take down a huge criminal. If he can't keep his emotions under control, how can anyone trust him the next time? I sure as hell wouldn't be fine with him backing me any time soon. But Carter seems to think this is a one-time thing, which it probably is if Dean is to stay on the show.
Score: 8.6/10
