“One-of-a-Kind” – aired on August 4, 2019
Written by: Michael J. Ballin & Thomas Aguilar
Directed by: Janice Cooke
Grade: 3,5 out of 5
Notice: All episode reviews contain spoilers
The A story of “One-of-a-kind” has a surprisingly unique concept (three individuals collaborating to create a phantom identity named “Ace” acting as a single artist) but fizzles out behind a nondescript series of events with no attempt at delving into what could really be fascinating, the reasons behind this trio’s modus operandi.
For instance, I can accept to a degree that keeping Ace’s identity a secret – Dylan refers to Ace as a “stealth artist” – may carry an element of mystery that contributes to its marketability. Yet, I am not sure how necessary that is for Ace’s success, let alone how realistic that comes across when there are three people needed to keep the scheme going. One excels in papier-mâché sculptors, the other in painting, and the third in provocative slogans. Consider for a moment the last one’s skill. Could the first two not produce the artwork like they usually do and tag a provocative message to it themselves? Especially considering that they have strict guidelines to follow in order to keep up the ruse, would it not function better with two people at the helm than three? Another question is, which one is executing the stealth operations (breaking into the Louvre, climbing Big Ben undetected, etc.)? Does he/she get a larger share of the financial pie? What are the dynamics at play between the three? Unfortunately, a lot of intriguing avenues are left unexplored although the initial concept oozes potential for quality drama. Instead, the script sticks to the progress of the investigation itself in the most run-of-the-mill way possible.
A body is found in an art installation left overnight in front of the FED building, an unlikely occurrence considering its size and the time it would have taken to place it there without being seen by anyone in front of one of the most important buildings in NY City and the country. According to Amber Williams (Carra Paterson) who sells Ace’s work at an art gallery, the installation carries all the hallmarks of an Ace work. Gustavo, the victim, turns out to be Ace himself, or so think Dylan and Lizzie at first. They soon realize that there is more to this than meets the eye when they find a hidden studio upstairs in Gustavo’s house where they discover love letters from him to a woman named “Syl,” talking about how hard it is to keep their secret safe.
Fucci has apparently been after Ace for a while for other infractions in the past. He says that Ace has a rival named Dexter Davies (Gary Milner) and they are known to sling mud at each other. When Lizzie asks Davies about it, he reveals that the feud was a ruse to increase their exposure. A close friend of Ace named Sylvia “Syl” Mau got in touch with him and helped set it up. She also runs a blog documenting Ace’s work. Dylan and Lizzie never get to talk to her. She is found dead at Amber’s gallery on another art installation.
When they search her studio, they notice the same sketch on the wall that they saw in Gustavo’s studio, except that this time it’s colored. It dawns on Dylan and Lizzie that Gustavo and Sylvia were parts of the same work, meaning Ace was the two of them together. This is further confirmed when they find a letter from Gustavo saying that their “art is bigger than Ace,” and that they need to “come out.” Except that someone killed both before they had a chance to do so.
While Andy and Dylan are chatting at their house, Andy’s use of the word “message” for an unrelated topic sends Dylan into an epiphany moment where he figures out that Ace includes a third person who is charged with the task of writing the provocative message. That is putting a lottogether with a single word, even by the standards of Dr. Reinhart, our ultra-genius professor-investigator.
The investigation leads to a course that Sylvia and Gustavo took together in art school back in 2007. On the course’s webpage, their worls are featured along with those of other students, including one named Paul Wexford (Bryce Pinkham) who made signs with provocative messages. Dylan suddenly remembers seeing him earlier working at the gallery. Bingo! They rush to his apartment where they find evidence that Paul wanted to take Ace in a new direction and did not want Gustavo and Sylvia to blow the cover.
The arrest scene is clumsy and rushed as Paul grabs Amber and puts a knife to her throat with the police pointing guns at him. Dylan inserts his psycholo-babble, as he always does, and Paul confesses everything, as all of Instinct’s villains always do, before peacefully turning himself over.
In other news, we get an update on Joan the editor, played by Whoopi Goldberg in season 1. She decided to extend her stay in Paris indefinitely and write her memoirs. Harry Kasabian (Eric Bogosian) is the new editor assigned to Dylan and although I doubt that he can fully replace Joan’s on-screen charisma, he is a quite eccentric fellow. He shows up at the precinct to put the heat on Dylan, demanding that the manuscript be finished by the end of the week. Dylan is unable to do so, and later in the episode, he stops by Harry’s office to hand him a check for the amount of the contract. He wants out! To his surprise, Harry refuses the check and tells him to take the time he needs, because they ultimately want the book. The bastard was bluffing!
In the meantime, the drama meter for the Lizzie-Julian affair is skyrocketing. Maybe too much. It is beginning to feel as if they are breaking up once or twice each episode. Early in “One-of-a-Kind,” Julian comes clean to Lizzie (don’t ask, “why now?”). Someone is after him and he spent two weeks in Istanbul tailing a CIA operative who may be involved. Oh, and by the way, dear Lizzie, it’s his last day of work at the precinct. How lovely must it feel for you to hear that on the morning of the day in question! Honestly, I clapped and cheered for Dylan when he walked by them later and said in a snarky tone, “I won’t miss the drama.”
I hope their current status quo of stare-at-each-other-with-puppy-eyes does not last forever and the writing room takes this relationship somewhere, or shelves it for good. Julian and Lizzie were both intriguing characters before the writing room force-jammed them into a relationship in “Live,” so there is no reason why they could thrive as characters without being a couple.
In a useful scene, Dylan updates others (and viewers) on the Sleeping Beauty case, as he goes through the photos of the three victims in the conference room. He underlines that with Jay, the latest one, the killer used his own blanket and pillow, which points to an increasing desire on his part to engage with our detectives. And yes, things are escalating on that front.
A true-crime podcaster named Dennis Walker (Drew Gehling) is caught by Ryan snooping around in his hotel room. He has some knowledge of the case but will not name his sources. The top priority for the NYPD is to control the narrative while investigating this case, so Dylan decides to let him go but wants Ryan to follow him. They promise Dennis exclusive scoops at the appropriate time if he agrees to remain quiet. It’s a flimsy supposition, and sure enough, Dennis soon puts out a new episode with a bombshell guest, the Sleeping Beauty killer himself! Dylan can forget about controlling the narrative.
In another brief-yet-important side story, Julian comes across an attack on the precinct’s server and neutralizes it. He cannot tell where it came from but if the perpetrators try again and succeed, they would gain control of the NYPD’s network and make it inaccessible to the police. It appears that Julian will stay around the precinct a little longer than planned. Expect more lovesick stares between him and Lizzie!
Last-minute thoughts:
– Fucci’s new nickname for Ryan is “Thor.”
– I hope Joan does not stay forever in Paree, and Goldberg makes at least one or two more appearances.
– While on the downstairs floor of Gustavo’s house, Dylan smells the glue sitting on a table upstairs in a locked-away studio, separated from the stairs by a secret wall/fireplace. That’s beyond bear-like sense of smell.
– The backward Captain Ahab reference by Fucci, his response to Dylan correcting him, and the reactions of Lizzie and Dylan to that response —–> Priceless!!
Until the next episode…
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