APB “Personal Matters”moves ahead with the new augmenting the old. In other words, as much as Gideon likes to introduce new technology for his officers of District 13 Murphy spends a lot of time educating her new boss.
Despite the new toys, drones – one of which looks like a four rotor helicopter – motorcycles, new cars, and uniforms that enforce the officers’ safety, she reminds the engineer, and the audience that it all boils down to old fashioned police work as to whether or not a suspect is hauled in.
It is this focus that makes the show more enjoyable as a crime series with a foot firmly in reality rather than as a sci-fi oddity. Gideon pouring money into the police district where his good friend was murdered is interesting and entertaining.
The story line shows the billionaire engineer (a Tony Stark clone or wannabe, if you will) using cutting edge science to assist his officers which slowly wins them over to his way of doing things. (Using algorithms, for instance, to narrow searches down instead of the old fashioned methods helps. Although as new Detective Murphy points out, these may well aid investigations but it is the officers themselves and their contacts on the streets who flesh out any work done.)
“Personal Matters” in APB this week features a pharmacy thief who cares little about who he harms in the actual robberies and in his rushed get aways. He also likes leading the police on a not-so-merry chase where he runs down a little girl and later blows up his get away vehicle and injures Zing, Officer Brandt’s dog.
As in the first episode, the bad guy is caught by the district using a combination of Gideon’s new gadgets and solid police work. APB also saw the introduction of a new character this week, Pete McCann. A former pro wrestler turned electrical engineer who works for Gideon, it is McCann who produced the helicopter drone that Reeve’s pilots in the second chase of their suspect.
In the first episode “Hard Reset” a cop is shot and Reese is blamed. “Personal Matters” sees another cop wounded, this time it is a police dog named Zing who loses a leg as a result. Brandt is furious and wildly upset at the injury of his dog and the pursuit of the thief becomes personal.
In some ways this episode was a tad predictable. We know immediately that Gideon will provide some sort of uber sophisticated prosthetic limb so Zing can walk normally. Just as we also know that the billionaire’s new toys will help to bring the villain down.
(The burgeoning signs of interest between Murphy and Reeves is also predictable to a huge extent.)
However, the obviousness of certain plot devices can be excused when the series works so hard to point out that the reason Gideon Reeves’ experiment is working so well is because of the perfect marriage of proper police work and the new technology he brings to the table.
Like a wedding ceremony, the show offers up a combination of something old and something new (It even utilizes something blue…) This new series is entertaining and, so far, a great deal of fun.
Martinez is the new police department pin up girl but one who provides a certain amount of reality to her role. Kirk plays the geeky billionaire engineer who cares brilliantly and the rest of the main players are all down gather bit.
APB airs Mondays on FOX. Tune in and catch a cop show that is that little bit different.
Cast:
- Justin Kirk – Gideon Reeves
- Natalie Martinez – Detective Theresa Murphy
- Taylor Handley – Officer Nicholas Brandt
- Caitlin Stasey – Ada Hamilton
- Tamberla Perry – Officer Tasha Goss
- Ernie Hudson – Captain Ned Conrad
- Nestor Serrano – Mayor Michael Salgado
Guest starring Abraham Benrubi as Pete McCann and Nathaniel Buescher as Mateo.
