Tia finds herself making enemies after she gives a powerful speech against Paul Evans and the Chicago Police Department. Paul's life takes an upturn after he performs a heroic act that makes him a momentary hero.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of CBS' The Red Line.
"We Need Glory for a While" was written by Aaron Carter and directed by Matthew B. Cherry
The security tape has always been a perfunctory plot device hanging over the proceedings. The moment it was introduced it was inevitable that it would come out. It was epically mishandled by Paul once he discovered it existed and could still incriminate him for the shooting of Dr. Harrison Brennan. It doesn't matter that the deposition went better than expected for the city because of the outburst Daniel had. Nor does it matter that Paul and the police suddenly have a round of good press after a heroic save from impending doom. The show understands that an officer involved in a shooting doesn't just uniformly go around committing heinous acts and get away with it because he's on the job. There is an entire process that he has to go through in order to wear the badge. He has to obey the law too. It's tricky when it comes to enforcing justice and taking on the police department machine. Tia speaks out for better policing in the city. She understands that the police currently maintaining law and order are corrupt. They feel emboldened to threaten the people who criticize them. That's incredibly dangerous. Tia becomes passionate and focused once more on her campaign because she knows that the system needs to change. It's not too big or too stuck in its ways to evolve either. She understands that work needs to be done. The refusal of those in power won't stand in her way. But she only gets the support of a few officers on the force. The people in charge see her as only further damaging the relationship between the police and the communities they serve. They want her to see that as dangerous too. It's more threatening to her personal life though. She fears that her connection to Jira will be twisted and used by her opponent to tarnish her reputation in the city. But she also needs to fear for the safety of Ethan and Benny too. They are caught in the middle of this. The Young family is simply walking down the street when they are pulled over. The police feel entitled to do that. That's the mentality that fuels Paul Evans and his entire family. He has no dreams outside of being a part of the family business for as long as possible. His brother, Jim, had the same ambition until he was injured in the line of duty. Now, Jim is mostly just getting drunk all day long. Their father still commands a great deal of attention and respect. He helped Paul navigate the deposition. He still looks at his son as a disappointment though. That will probably only worsen once the tape is released. A legal argument could still be made about how Daniel and his legal team got it in the first place. Paul's new partner retrieved it. He understands just how damaging it can be. Vic made the assumption that any police officer who found the tape would keep it hidden because those on the force are a family who stick to a strong moral code of protecting their own. That has been seen in sweeping fashion throughout this series. And yet, not everyone abides by it. Some joined the force in the hopes of helping their communities and changing this corrupt institution. That fuels the decision to send the tape to Daniel. It should be released to ensure Paul has to deal with the repercussions of his actions. It's despicable that one press cycle can suddenly change his entire perception to the world. It can never be that simple though. He killed a man. He broke protocol and opened fire. Daniel and Jira's lives were forever changed by that moment. They are still grieving. Paul wants it to be done with already. He sees the lawsuits as harassment against him. But things will only worsen for him moving forward even though the show also wants to highlight how the family needs to move on and grow from all of this as well.
