1x04 "Signal Loss"
A.P.B.'s debut three episodes have been among the best this season from a new show, especially considering that among them was the most substantive, emotional and well-produced premiere of any new show on this roundup (comprehensively beating debuts from Bull, Conviction, Incorporated, MacGyver, Powerless and Westworld).
So what would the fourth episode bring?
(Apologies for no pictures, technical difficulties!)
Pre-Opening Credits
I'll admit, I was confused at first. Murphy and Brandt, plainly clothed, seemed to be undercover at a weapons buy, with the dealer demonstrating the efficacy of his new bullets capable of piercing police armour from a significant distance. However, eventually the open manner in which Murphy and Brandt discussed capturing the arms dealer had me questioning if I was reading the scene right, and in the end it transpired that their demonstration was performed by a police informant named Tico, who was working undercover in the organisation of an arms dealer named Hunter in exchange for being let off a drugs charge. All in all, an opening scene that gets you asking questions is a good way to start an episode.
Credits Roll
Gideon: "I am the Saint Nick of law enforcement!"
Gideon's jokey arrogance opens the episode post-credits, as he tries to reconcile why the Mayor had ordered a task force to investigate him with the benefits of the technology he has brought to the 13th, but these jokes betray his insecurity: Gideon doesn't want people poking around with the intention of ruining his revolution - and Murphy's husband, Scott, the head of the Mayor's task force, is coming that very day to interview officers.
Gideon: "The world's first bespoke surveillance jacket."
But Gideon has a more pressing problem: Captain Conrad's refusal to sign off on Brandt's undercover weapons buy due to the risks, since the Captain won't allow Brandt to wear a wire because it might be discovered. An engineering problem to Gideon, a solution is quickly formed: a wire sewed into Brandt's jacket which will record for 7 minutes and then relay the video in a three-second burst after that time period. That creates the issue that for 7 minutes the team will not know if Brandt is OK or if they should converge and make the arrest, but it is the safest option (although Gideon doesn't exactly make any other suggestions).
Meanwhile, Scott pressures Officer Reyes, who was shot in the pilot episode, to admit that his shooting was the fault of Gideon's technology, and Reyes certainly seems in two minds (even though it was his own fault and had nought to do with Gideon's tech). What Reyes chooses to do is left unclear for now, while Brandt goes in undercover.
A weapons buy going off without a hitch would be unprecedented, and by the time the 13th receives the second 7-minute clip, things have turned sour. Hunter reveals some of his guns were stolen and suggests Tico was a part of it, and makes the decision to kidnap them both.
Tracking them is, however, impossible, for the simple reason that the surveillance jacket does not have built-in GPS. Unless a stable GPS locator could have been found by Hunter's scanner then leaving it off was unwise; this feels more like a deliberate omission on the writers' part to create tension, since the whole premise of the episode was that the 7-minute delay in footage was problematic and the only plot strand they used was Brandt's undercover op.
While Gideon tries to figure out a way to locate Brandt, Scott takes Reyes to the building where he was shot, causing Reyes to have a panic attack.
Brandt and Tico are beaten up by Hunter, and Tico is shot dead after giving Hunter the location of his stolen guns. There's little time left for Brandt, who stalls while the officers locate him. This is achieved when Gideon goes mobile with a makeshift portable cell tower to triangulate Brandt's jacket signal, but Brandt warns through code that converging on the warehouse is dangerous and that the officers need to find a new way in.
Cue Gideon's trusty drone, which identifies an entry point through which the officers burst, arresting Hunter and freeing Brandt.
The Wind-Down
Gideon gathers the officers to give a motivational speech, to reinforce that this isn't some emotionless project for him and that he cares about them all, prompting Reyes to return to Scott and demand to change his statement. The look of horror on Scott's face was truly satisfying, but to double down on that Murphy visited him as he left and explained to him that if he continued to come after the 13th he would be coming after her, too.
Conclusion
A.P.B. has its rhythm now, but the fourth episode seemed like a slight jump away from that. There was little of the emotional pull present in the previous 3 episodes, none of the Gideon/Murphy police lessons (which I would have imagined would be very critical in dealing with Scott's investigation, yet Gideon and Scott never crossed paths) and no instant consequences for Ada following her shady actions in episode 3 (although I imagine something of that shall return soon).
The entire premise of the episode, built solely as it was on the problems of a wire that would only transit its recordings once every 7 minutes, worked as a way to build tension about Gideon's tech given the appearance of Scott, but didn't really allow room for anything else.
Overall, this episode of A.P.B. was the weakest so far. But the introduction of the first season's bigger arc is one we can all appreciate, and we can look forward to some excellent Gideon/Scott clashes in the future, along with the other plot strands that need to be approached again. 7/10
VIEWERS: 3.36m
DEMO SHARE: 0.8
(Matches season low, which is cancellation-worthy if this keeps up - and it likely will.)
Thank you for reading everyone and I'll see you next time!
Sam
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