Having gotten back into the swing of this show last week, where it re-appeared after a multi-week hiatus, this episode packed a punch – sometimes, quite literally.

(Spoilers after the jump)

Recap:

One of the through-lines for this episode was Banks’ emotional breakdown, causing him to lock himself into his apartment because that was where he felt he was the safest. Refusing to leave his apartment, he begins to be curious about the woman in the apartment across the way (a person he calls “yoga girl” until he learns her real name) and a shady looking man who is seen in her apartment with her. He suspects foul play and calls police officers to check in on the woman, yet they think he’s crazy, and as such, do not investigate. Banks’ partner, Delahoy, thinks he’s crazy too, and keeps insisting that Banks go see a psychiatrist. But when Banks phones Delahoy and asks him to run a couple of names in the police database, Delahoy realizes that Banks isn’t crazy, and that the man that Banks saw through his window could potentially be a serial killer!

Banks attracts the attention of the supposed serial killer, but begins to doubt his sanity as he reflects on what various characters have told him up until now. A tense moment occurs when he asks himself if he truly is crazy, and then the camera focuses and the serial killer is standing right behind him!

Delahoy, fearing for his partner’s safety, runs over to the apartment, and has tremendous difficulty getting the door to Banks’ apartment open. Once the door is finally open, he finds a bloodied Banks stepping away from his attacker, who he has knocked down cold upon the floor.

Meanwhile, at the precinct…

Beaumont is nervous about having to testify in court. She’s made even more nervous by the evidence being stolen out from under their noses by a renegade federal agent and a dumb criminal. When things look their bleakest, Walsh steps up to the plate and organizes the group to find the evidence and get it back in time for the trial the next morning. However, it is Eddie Alvarez who really steps up to the plate and gets the evidence back, just in the nick of time.

Review:

One recurring character that I was delighted to see appear in this episode was Marvin. He first appeared in Episode 4, “Crime Slut,” and despite the fact that he’s a criminal, he is very endearing as a character. He gets mixed up in the robbery by giving the robbers information on how the precinct was laid out and how it operated, being that Marvin has been in the precinct in jail so many times. When I found out that Marvin was involved in the robbery, I had the same reaction as Walsh: I was saddened that he got himself into trouble yet again, and hoped that he wouldn’t continue to do so. This is a great example of the practice The Unusuals employs in making the audience side with people they wouldn’t normally side with.

I thought this was an equally good episode as compared to last week’s “The Tape Delay.” There were some nice tender moments with Alvarez, making him even more sympathetic of a character. I cheered when Banks took down the supposed serial killer and returned back to work. In the moments where Banks was flashing back to previous scenes in the show, I had one prevailing thought: there is no other show like this. It is a shame that it has been canceled by ABC – they don’t know what they’re letting go of.

Watch this Episode on ABC.com

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Non-Spoilery Review:

After having what seemed like quite a long hiatus (though in actuality was only a few weeks), The Unusuals came back with Episode 7, “The Tape Delay.” Bringing it’s usual witty banter, intense drama, and interesting characters, this episode did not disappoint me at all. (Spoilers After the Jump)

Recap:

The episode begins like a shot with Walsh and Shraeger running through back alleyways in pursuit of a backpack. They eventually stop the person who was running with the backpack and find out that it’s a little kid. Suddenly, the scene shifts to “A Day Earlier” and Shraeger and Walsh are assigned the detail of keeping a rich man named Reed safe, as he’s been receiving death threats.

While on protection detail, Shraeger witnesses a young blonde woman getting physically attacked by a guy, and races after them, despite Walsh’s protests that they needed to stay with Reed. Walsh eventually joins Schraeger yet the man that was assaulting the woman narrowly escapes. They run back up to the room where Reed’s staying, only to find that the room has been destroyed and Reed is nowhere to be found.

Back at the police station, Beaumont is angry with Walsh for something he said in a dream, and Delahoy is finding that everything he eats, from yogurt to Chinese food, tastes like meat. Also in this episode, Alvarez attempts to become better friends with Walsh through inviting him to a baseball game, which Walsh ultimately declines, but due to the case he’s working rather than not wanting to go.

When Shraeger and Walsh tell Sergeant Brown of their mistake in letting Reed get kidnapped, one of the other officers lets slip Shraeger’s secret about being from a wealthy family, as he’s letting them stay on the case as a favor to her father. Walsh confesses that he always knew of Shraeger’s background, and thankfully, nothing visibly changes between them.

The other main case that occurs in this episode is an elderly man who continues to go on crime sprees to feel alive in his old age. When the elderly gentleman ultimately gets shot as a result of a “robbery gone bad,” Banks finally gets through to him by telling him that he’s had a meaningful life, even if it wasn’t a dangerous one.

As the case involving Reed’s kidnapping wraps up, Shraeger and Walsh find out that Reed wasn’t kidnapped, but was embezzling money from his company, and staged the fake kidnapping to prevent from being caught. They find him – along with the woman they “saved” earlier in the episode – in a fully furnished supply crate down at the docks, and apprehend both.

The episode finishes with all of our main characters in one of the local bars, having a drink. Shraeger stands up on a chair and declares her secret, and yet and no one seems very surprised at the news. Her co-workers, however, enjoy teasing her about her wealthy status, and she buys them a round of drinks. Walsh apologizes to Beaumont, and Walsh offers to hang out with Alvarez in the future.

Review:

I thought this was a very well paced episode, with the right mix of exciting chases, humor, and poignant drama that is typical of an episode of this series. One of the highlights of the episode was the “high speed chase” that Banks and Delahoy engage in with their elderly criminal – the chase turned traffic jam was hilarious! Alvarez as a character is becoming less annoying for me, as he attempts to connect with others around him, and not “put on airs” as he’s done in previous episodes. The main plot with Reed and the fake kidnapping had twists and turns throughout the episode, and allowed Shraeger and Walsh to deepen their relationship as partners. Shraeger revealing her secret to her co-workers was a triumphant character moment that was made suddenly anti-climactic as we see her co-workers react with little surprise at her announcement. But the fact that it was anti-climactic in this instance wasn’t a bad thing; Shraeger always kept her family background a secret, for fear of being ostracized by her peers. Finding out that they wouldn’t ostracize her made the moment even more triumphant in a way.

Delahoy’s condition is made even more interesting by the addition of yet another symptom, and his awkward relationship with the coroner takes a few steps forward when they get together for what Delahoy mistakenly calls a “lunch date.” Though the coroner is skittish at that idea, I think it’s entirely plausible for this to be the start of an interesting romantic relationship between the two of them, and I’m eager to see that happen. This show isn’t strictly a comedy, drama, or soap-opera-like romance, but at times I think there are leanings in these multiple directions, making for an interesting mix that is always fun to watch.