As Terry and Hildy begin their investigation into the death of flight attendant, Cindy Strauss, Terry must also deal with the recent death of his wife and the arrival of his sister-in-law. The investigation takes an unexpected turn when the results of Cindy's autopsy reveal a shocking secret.
It's very rare that I enjoy Episode 2 of a new series much more than a pilot. Pilots typically get to be grand and emotional while second episodes typically need to showcase how the show works on a week-to-week basis. It's difficult to follow up a pilot because the show needs to figure out how it wants to hand out information. To me, the opposite is true for Murder in the First. I thought last week's premiere was blandly generic and emotionally manipulative and enjoyed wallowing in it characters' misery. And yes, that quality is still very much apparent in "The City of Sisterly Love" - especially whenever the show has to continue dealing with the death of Terry's wife and her sister coming to town. But there was some genuinely fascinating stuff that happened in this episode that I wasn't expecting.The show seems like it's having more fun this week. The stakes are much higher than they were a week ago but Terry and Hildy have a much stronger rapport here - their back and forth over the D.A. and Terry's thoughts on her date's last name. The pilot presented a world that seemed straightforward and serious. Not only do things get more playful but there's a couple twists and turns that I wasn't expecting this show to produce.
Namely, I'm intrigued by the new dynamic between Hildy and Erich. They have fun chemistry that wasn't immediately apparent in the premiere or during the early scenes in this episode. But that also was because Terry was also always a part of those scenes. They get a couple of great moments this week where it's just the two of them playing off one another. And the two sequences played off the two different sides of Erich's personality. Yes, the back-and-forth from Erich the sweet kid and Erich the upset and angry guy could be more pronounced. I'm not quite sure if that's a problem from the writing or Felton. But that pairing proved to be an energy that was desperately missing from the show. Both are trying to decide if the other is being completely transparent or if they are simply just playing the other. It's a fun dynamic. And it's nice to know that Hildy was just using the entire situation in order to get Erich's DNA. Sure, it's by a method that will in no way hold up in court - and I expect that to be a vital plot point later in the season. But it's exciting for the present. As long as the show continues to produce moments like that I may not be entirely out on Murder in the First.
Some more thoughts:
- "The City of Sisterly Love" was directed by Jesse Bochco with story by Steven Bochco & Eric Lodal and teleplay by Eric Lodal.
- TNT must have told the producers the show would be airing at 10 before production started because they get to say 'shit' a lot more than they did during the pilot. And a lot more butts.
- Joining the cast this week are Nicole Ari Parker as San Francisco's District Attorney and James Cromwell as Erich's potential new criminal defense attorney. And I continue to respect whomever is casting this show with wonderful character actors.
- It sure was convenient for the inspectors that Steven Weber's flight pilot was sick and that he and his wife both left them unattended in the kitchen.
- Additional details to the case include Cindy having an ex-husband who was violent towards her and that she was 2 months pregnant when she died.
- Also, Charles Baker's creepy drug dealing guy made a deal this week for killing Erich's father. Everyone is saying that the timing of these two cases isn't a coincidence and I'm intrigued to see what's to come as the truth is slowly revealed.
