Warning: Spoiler Alert
Last week we experienced a bombshell. It was quick so I hope you didn’t blink. While in Houston in search of Dobson, Martin Odum gets a phone call from Sonya Odum. Last week was the first episode to date where Sonya did not seem completely horrible. She came across as almost affectionate. Then just about the moment you are starting to believe maybe there still is a future for these two, Sonya hangs up the phone and looks at a silent silhouette of a woman sitting at her kitchen table and says, “how was that?”
Speculation being what it is, one of two things is afoot here. 1) The person in the room is an unwanted visitor and Sonya is under serious duress. And 2) the much more likely scenario is that whatever this is, Sonya is in on it. If she’s in on it, makes sense that she could create the idea that having Martin around is bad for her and their son. It’s sellable. The only remaining question is “who else is involved?”
In the sense of full disclosure on this ride, I’ll give you a few that I’m keeping in the back of my head. Gates (Odum’s boss) I am all but certain is an eventual bad guy. Sonya Odum, without question. I have to believe that Crystal is not based solely on her consistent objection to working with him. Rice is absolutely not. He may be a thorn in Odum’s side at the moment, but not only do I think he’s a good guy, I think he will somehow become almost an ally for Odum in the pursuit of the truth.
The final image we saw last week was Odum and Dobson getting T-Boned by a pickup truck. As we discover, was driven by the curly-haired guy from the Karaoke Bar. And as it turns out, he is somehow connected to law enforcement or a government agency. Normally I’d skip on past something like this but, Odum is following leads, using a Legend, and potentially interfering with a government sting on Kyle Dobson while on administrative leave.
Rice, you’re tempting the wrath from high atop the thing. On a phone call with his wife, acting defensive and muffling his voice with Crystal on the other side of the glass, how do you think this will end? At the very minimum, Mrs. Rice is going to suspect a little ‘foul play’.
Gates appears on the other side of the glass. I was almost expecting Rice to say, “he’s standing right behind me isn’t he?” When Crystal tries to explain what they are doing, Gates interrupts her right about the moment she utters the name Martin Odum. This show completely has my attention but next to Sean Bean transforming from Martin Odum to whatever the next Legend is, nothing is better than the stand-off scenes between Steve Harris and Morris Chestnut.
Odum is on the move with a wounded Kyle Dobson in tow. Odum gets a bus driver to abandon his route to get Dobson to a hospital. The entire time Dobson effectively plays the victim. Acting as if he can’t concentrate enough to answer the questions. He knows Odum looks familiar but cannot place it. The cops set up a roadblock. Odum tries to explain that he is undercover, gives the cops Gates’ name. They attempt to call the LA field office. Then Dobson looks over at Odum and the act fades away as he says,
Dobson: You’re a cop? So that’s why they can’t find you…
Back in LA, Gates gets the phone call. He verifies that the man in the back of the squad car is indeed his man and asked to speak to Agent Odum. What ensues is beautiful. If you’re familiar with the show and just haven’t caught this most recent episode, all I need to say is that this scene is classic Nelson Gates. Following the call he asks for Crystal. Crystal and surprisingly enough Rice are sent to Houston to give support to or escort Odum back. Not exactly clear as to which yet.
The whole, get Dobson to the hospital so he can answer questions, is not exactly going to plan. He is stable for now. Then we have a phone conversation between Odum and Gates. Gates gives up pretty much what he knows without hesitation. Odum begins to recant what he thinks he knows from the chop shop. A strange woman hands him a cup of coffee while on the phone. And of course in the moments between, Sonya calls. He ignores the call, but at some point Odum has got to piece together that there is something fishy about her.
Surprise, surprise Odum wakes up much later. A shady FBI agent tries to strong-arm Odum and fails. Odum runs upstairs and demands to know where Dobson is. The receptionist/nurse looks familiar. Odum accuses her of drugging the coffee. As Odum gets further from her, she pulls out a walkie-talkie and alerts someone who “he is approaching”.
A man in a lab coat pushes another man in a wheelchair onto the elevator. There is a familiarity there. Dobson hunched over says quite candidly, “You let Martin Odum jeopardize our mission”. Its getting thick. They exit the elevator and Odum comes out of nowhere to tackle and knock out the man in the lab coat.
Odum slips Dobson into the back of a Cadillac and makes a clean get a way. Odum calls Gates and Gates sends him to Austin. After the short call, Dobson sits up in the back seat.
Dobson: Where are we?
Odum: Don’t worry about it. How’d they find us in the hospital?
Dobson: You don’t think we use the same toys you do?
This conversation, if you want to call it that, goes back and forth with no real questions answered. Naturally, Dobson decides to inform Odum of just how badly he screwed up. Insinuating that Dobson’s men have orders to ‘recover me alive’ and they won’t stop until they do. And as Odum has the ability to do, completely flips the momentum of the conversation illustrating how after 24 hours, Dobson will be as dead as Odum will be.
I just love how efficient Rice is with a lock pick kit. Rice and Crystal venture to the chop shop to investigate further. The curly-haired guy from the Karaoke Bar and the car accident appears. Rice and Crystal draw on him. He plays the innocent card, making up some story about working on an engine all night. Rice asks what it is. The man answers, then asks if Rice is into engines. Rice responds in the affirmative and then the faintest of smiles begins to form on Rice’s face. The man runs for it.
Correction from earlier. I speculated that the curly-haired man may have been law enforcement or government. He is neither. I fell for the head fake. It appears he’s just another henchman working under Dobson.
A blessing and a curse from the use of a DVR is sometimes you see the first 20+ frames of the next scene before you actually get to see the next scene. This one has me muffling my own screams.
I KNEW IT. I FREAKING KNEW IT. Sonya Odum and Nelson Gates are as the kids say, “in cahoots”. As I suspected this is a Truman Show situation. Sonya is playing a part. Now it’s not completely fake. She apparently does have sincere feelings for Odum and they do have a child together. The question now (that was not answered) just how far does the deception go? and why?
Odum and Dobson on foot find their way to an abandoned house. Which is not exactly a good thing as Dobson has been carrying a tracker the entire time. Odum calls Maggie to triangulate his position. He is anticipating a “Custer’s Last Stand” scenario. While they wait, Dobson adds more to the Iraq narrative. Just enough that Odum starts to experience some firsthand memories. Then the sound of vehicles approaching. Odum takes Dobson into the hidden basement in order to “save his life”.
Outside 6-8 mercenaries set up with military assault rifles pointed at the house. One of them advances. Odum has set up some ‘traps’. The first guy gets an ax to the sternum. This is straight up Home Alone for adults. Odum dispatches the first wave of them, then goes back downstairs. A man who presented himself as Houston FBI field agent, is now yelling through the walls at Odum. Threatening to torch the house. In the next few minutes Odum talks it through with Dobson. Ultimately ending in a deal between the two. Tell Odum everything on the record and he will get Dobson out of this situation.
Dobson is escorted out of the house by Odum. There are legitimate agents in the house now. They venture outside. Odum is distracted by a glimmer in the distance. The kind of glimmer that comes from reflecting light off of glass. Rifle scopes have glass. Odum jumps to push Dobson off the porch. He’s too late. The sniper clips Dobson right in the chest.
