Nelson is known pretty much for his comedic style. After all, his Emmy win came from Coach, where he played the head coach of a university football team. No slapstick is apparent in Dunbrook, whose arrogance is guaranteed to drive Mac up the wall. Why? Dunbrook is one of those people who believes money can pretty much buy anybody's loyalty, and a promise to look the other way at any indiscretion ("The Party's Over"). The comparison of these two characters is almost like looking at a mirror image. Mac suspects Dunbrook has more fingers in the proverbial pie than the innocent the media mogul is trying to get across. Could Mac be jealous of Dunbrook's success? It's one possibility, I suppose. The energy emanating off both men is electric and the tension is potent.
Even Sinclair (Mykelti Williamson, Forrest Gump), the chief of detectives, is wary of Dunbrook. However, any arrest has to come after evidence proves the case in court. Williamson brings a tone of rationality to the show, which helps when the bullheadedness of a department head has the potential to destroy a professional reputation of the police.
My favorite scene is one involving a search warrant. Mac needles Dunbrook about being more involved than originally throught, but tearing up Dunbrook's office is out of the question without a piece of paper giving the cops legal authority to do so. The best part comes next, when Sinclair arrives with authorization in hand.
I like how the writers consistently handle the friendship between Sinclair and Mac. Do they trust each other? For the most part, yes. After Mac was stalked by a man involved with Stella (Melina Kanakaredes), Sinclair was there backing him up as the gang closed in on the bad guy ("The Thing Abut Heroes"). Yes, all cops must be professional. The justice system would never survive if they weren't. Sometimes, though, there are areas of gray in between the lines of black and white. Police depend on each other to stay alive, no matter if the criminals get killed or an innocent victim hurt. Both Sinclair and Taylor can go head to head when they disagree. They will also defend to the end how much each deserves to be a member of law enforcement.
Article comments