Blame and slipping control.
The best episode I have seen in a long time. Slow burning but so intriguing. This story is just beginning and everything still needs to be proven.
Very clever throwback to Spector washing his victims wearing the same medic gloves…
It is now pretty clear that Burns wants to show who is the boss, forcing Stella inside his car, in a desperate attempt to reassure himself he can “manage her” as he slams the door shut, keeping her within his confined space. This is the first glimpse of Stella losing control, being kept in the dark by her own people, not knowing what is being done with the task force.
As the conversation goes on, the distrust is quite officially motivated by personal reasons on Jim’s part and it destabilises Stella as she tries to take control of her emotions as she walks out of the car.
It is no surprise the next scene is Stella trying to reclaim her best soldier with Ferrington - someone she respects and in return trusts her completely. Stella wants a woman on her side after feeling her work and decisions weakened by Burns allegations on assigning Anderson. Jim hasn’t forgotten he was not the one asked to interview newly-apprehended Spector but a young and clever detective sergeant was… The male rivalry is an attitude Stella has no time for.
A few minutes later and *again*, Stella is being cornered (“am I being interviewed under caution?”). She is also being interviewed by *herself*. The ombudsman SIO is nothing similar to Spector’s victims physically. She is detached, unreadable, cold. She is what Stella would have been in this role. She points out the inaccuracies, the mistakes made and asks for answers: she is doing Stella’s job that was assigned to her in season 1, i.e. investigating the investigation. And like Stella, she wants all the story.
When the ombudsman asks “what about Mister Spector’s life?”, this is a nice throwback to Stella’s profile of Spector, explaining that in his mind, “he decides who lives and who dies”. Stella obviously wants Spector to live and face trial but she might have inadvertently put his life at risk in order to save Rose. Was Stella allowed to make this decision? Who decides that?
Once more, brilliant visual parallel drawn between Spector’s exploratory surgery and the dissecting and exploration of Stella’s actions.
Aaaah. Eastwood. My favourite male character of this show by a long way. He knows where his loyalty lies, he didn’t betray Stella by speaking to Burns and unlike Jim, who sings her praises every time it’s in his interest or facing a camera, Eastwood has experienced her true strength when witnessed the suicide of his colleague. He is perhaps the only person who knows Stella for who she is and finds nothing to comment or openly criticise.
“Apologies for the move, not my idea” - THE SHADE. Also, look at those fanboys fangirling over her. Eastwood and Anderson are TEAM STELLA all the way <3.
I’ll finish by the obvious parallel between Stella being left in the dark about everything in this episode: the task force moving, the nature of the ombudsman interview, Rose leaving the hospital, Spector getting solicitor… and meanwhile, Paul - faking it or not - is not being told the true reasons and details of his arrest or why he needs a solicitor. The more the season advances the less the outcome is certain for both Stella and Spector.
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