Ummmm I loved this episode a lot. Perfect reminder of why I miss it so much during hiatus. The case was compelling, not too on-the-nose, and had a good mix of investigative and action stuff (break out the jeans and Kevlar, wooo). Moreover, though, it was a really well balanced episode between the case and the personal elements, which is something that was missing in the back episodes of season 3.5.

Now that Rusty is over living like a Stroh victim, he's leaning back into the self-centered realm of things, which is an interesting story choice. But his interactions with Buzz were good.

I'm glad the Alice Herrera case is coming back up, though. And I'm glad that we get to see that there were repercussions for Julio's actions in the finale (even if those actions still don't make sense), but these threads are reminding me again how much was left unresolved at the end of season 3.

Speaking of Julio... If anyone was going to be conflicted about his return, it had to be Andy. Not because Andy has any particular affinity for rules (though maybe at this point he has, let's say, a secondary affinity for rules), and not even because he was concerned about having to keep and eye on Julio or looking out for Sharon as he said, but because he values loyalty so highly. Julio didn't just violate departmental policy when he beat down that suspect. He also violated his word to Provenza and Sharon and nullified the deal Sharon put together for him. If loyalty is the battlefield, it seems that Andy is generally most likely to be the aggressor, but doubly so given *who* Julio let down.

Of course, just because loyalty is noble doesn't make Andy right. And one of the cool things about this episode was that Sharon shot nonverbal "cool it on the Julio front" vibes toward Andy like three times before he explained why he was being standoffish (at which point, of course, she actually said that he needed to chill). The final "cool it" gesture was BY FAR my favorite, though: when she sent Julio in to do the interview of the siblings with Andy. That was awesome. I actually said to my friend, "Ohhhh, you know that's her way of telling Andy to STFU." And then there were about ten things happening during that interview and the interview itself was probably the least interesting.

Also on the awesome front: three cheers for Sharon going toe to toe with Taylor throughout the episode. Actually, she was pretty salty overall, which was interesting and not unwelcome. I kind of think of it as so much of her energy or brainspace has been committed toward the threat posed by Stroh that she can't devote anything toward blunting her approach. So straightforward it is, with good results.

Um, straightforward like, "I don't need you for that." IDK, I love that for about a hundred reasons, but mostly because I've been waiting for her to say something along those lines since Jack showed up to defend Zippo last season (specifically since "You don't need to deal with his attorney"). Andy being protective of Sharon is kind of adorable because it's been one of the big cues as to how he feels about her, but on the other hand we all know she doesn't need protecting. It's a big step, actually, for her to draw this line. And notice that she qualified her ability to look after her own interests with "especially at work," which, by needing to make that distinction, also serves to bring the Not at Work into play.

And yeah the nonverbal action in that last scene was, um, yeah. *fans self* *has feelings about smug grins*

I'm actually not as put off by the "close the door" ending as I might have otherwise been because a) it was hot, b) there's still 90% of the season left, and c) it sets the tone for their story in the rest of the season in a really promising way.

What else? Tao having fired his weapon was kind of awkwardly crammed into that one hallway convo where about ten things were discussed, so I totally missed it the first time. Also, Provenza caring for Amy after she got tazed was so cute ("That's my girl, " DAWWW). I of like Odernio? Not as a replacement for Julio, of course, but it's nice having a newish face around.

SUCH FEELINGS WITH THIS ONE.

Wooo I'm glad you like my post episode mini novels :D