“Bad Actors” – aired on May 27, 2018
Written by: Dan E. Fesman
Directed by: Jim McKay
Grade: 4,5 out of 5
Notice: All episode reviews contain spoilers
“Bad Actors” is the third solid Instinct outing in a row (and the strongest out of the three) which may signal the piecing together of the puzzle that most showrunners, in an effort to create a definitive identity for their product, seek to solve during the course of a show’s first season. Once the identity established, they aim to build upon it and extend the show’s longevity.
This episode veers away slightly from previous ones in that it is largely devoid of light-hearted moments that are usually sprinkled throughout the hour. The two non-essential scenes featuring Joan the editor do not change that either (even though Whoopi Goldberg and Alan Cumming conversing in real life or as Joan and Dylan should otherwise manage to put a smile to anyone’s face). The tone remains serious, bordering on dark at times, and the usually chirpy dialogues between Dylan and Lizzie are supplanted by sulky ones leading to some genuine self-reflection on their part. To be clear, this veer-away is not a bad thing. This episode works. If anything at all, it should help the showrunners flesh out the show’s sought-after identity.
“Bad Actors” is a tightly written outing (kudos to Dan Fesman) to the point where even the greatest nitpickers would struggle to find inconsistencies. It also accomplishes a few other things that no previous episode does:
(1) It shows that our two leads are perfectly capable of solving a crime (and Instinct, of providing quality entertainment to viewers) without having to resort to the blue-hued epiphanies of Dylan.
(2) Julian’s contribution to crime-solving involves more than just spitting out hard-to-get information from his computer screens. He actually participates in the action.
(3) It includes more violence (Lizzie gets violently attacked, Julian kills a man) and intensity than any other episode without going over the top.
(4) It explores, in a compelling way, Lizzie’s trust issues that were mentioned, but glossed over, in the past.
It helps that the narrative is straight forward and does not include attempts at risky twists in which all the evidence points to one individual, only to have some miraculous plot device pop up late in the hour for the “oh-snap” effect. The crime’s scope expands because we go from one victim who dies while wearing a dog costume and entertaining kids in a parc at first, to an international conspiracy involving more victims later. It does not, however, increase in complexity since they are committed by one person who happens to be in the NY area, with a not-so-secret connection to the victims.
Basically, there are actors being skillfully murdered via the use of chemical components, making it look like they died of accidental doses of medicine or allergies. After some digging, our protagonists learn that they all took part in some B-movie filmed in Morocco three years ago.
Julian and Dylan discover that the so-called B-movie was a propaganda film aimed at undermining the Chechen President, creating unrest in his country, and prompting a regime change. The only name still alive from the group is a man that Julian identifies as Bishop, a former MI-6 operative. Around the same time, Lizzie, who has been doing some digging of her own at the precinct, texts Dylan to let him know that she located Nelson Grimes, the last man still alive from the filming crew in Morocco and the possible next victim, or so she believes.
Julian and Dylan are alarmed because they know that Grimes is actually Bishop, the rogue operative who is behind the filming of the propaganda movie. They need to contact Lizzie and tell her who Grimes is, except that they can’t, because her phone does not get reception as she drives to Bishop’s safe house in a remote location. Dylan realizes that they can locate her through the GPS on Lizzie’s dog Gary who is in the car with her as she rides to meet with Grimes/Bishop. This is where the action kicks into high gear. The last act’s frantic pace is enhanced by director Jim McKay’s dexterous camera work and composer James Levine’s apt score.
The most brilliant part of “Bad Actors” lies in the way Feston and McKay utilize the plot’s advancement to flesh out the tension felt by Lizzie who suspects that Dylan is keeping secrets from her (she is right), and to a lesser degree, the frustration felt by Dylan who cannot, at first, get Julian to share his knowledge on the case with him. Their intentions are noble though. Dylan does not reveal his collaboration with Julian on the case to Lizzie, nor their findings, because he believes it will put her in danger. Julian, in a similar fashion, keeps information from Dylan that could help him solve the case, in the hopes that he can convince him not to pursue it because he believes it could put Dylan and Lizzie in harm’s way.
The consequences of those noble intentions, however, are dire. For one thing, Dylan pursues the case with even more zeal when Julian refuses to share information with him. For the other, Dylan’s decision not to share his findings with Lizzie almost causes her death. Add Lizzie’s trust issues into the mix and you have a powder keg with a short fuse.
Squeezed between all of the above is a much-needed C storyline dealing with Dylan’s fear of mixing his personal life with his professional one. He dreads the idea of mingling with others in the precinct. The storyline allocates some deserved screen time to Det. Anthony Fucci (Danny Mastrogiorgio) who has made token appearances in the precinct. He throws a BBQ party at his house, inviting Dylan and his “domestic whatever.” Dylan is terrified at first but relents when Andy tells him that they should go, not only because he wants to meet Dylan’s colleagues but also because he wants to encourage his husband to “come out of [his] shell.” Cumming, Ings, and Mastrogiorgio milk this limited C storyline to the max with great acting, and Lesli Margherita makes a brief but meaningful appearance as Anthony’s wife Maria.
Last minute thoughts:
– Remember my rants in my reviews of “Long Shot” or “Flat Line”? No complaints from me on that front this time.
– This is probably the most forgettable episode for Joan the editor. What purpose did those two scenes serve exactly?
– Andy socializes better than a life-long public-relations expert. Is there anything this man cannot do well?
– When filing the report at the precinct, Lizzie appears unscathed and remarkably fresh for someone who was struck full-force on the face with the handle of a gun and on the back of the head with a forged iron fireplace shovel in full swing, less than 24 hours ago.
– Zack is back! Yay!
Until next episode…